Salah satu masalah utama bagi saya selama tinggal di Jaén adalah bahasa Spanyol. Sebagai non-native speaker, perjuangan untuk belajar bahasa baru tentu nggak gampang, apalagi dalam waktu tergolong singkat. Saya belajar bahasa Spanyol otodidak sejak Februari, lalu ikut les di LBUI Salemba bulan April-Juni, lalu otodidak lagi sampai berangkat ke Spanyol.

Di sini selain kuliah, saya ikut les bahasa Spanyol dengan tingkat yang lumayan jauh dari les pertama; dari A1.1 jadi B1.1. Les ini mulainya sebulan sebelum perkuliahan. Selama jangka waktu itu saya berusaha banget nambah kosakata, banyak ngobrol, banyak mendengarkan. Kenapa? Saya harus ngejer tingkat B1 karena itulah level minimum agar saya bisa mengikuti kegiatan perkuliahan dengan baik.

Jelang Oktober akhir, perkuliahan pun dimulai. Hari pertama pertemuan di kelas, rasanya mau nangis. Gila, saya nggak ngerti sedikitpun apa yang dibicarakan dosen. Mau belajar gimanapun sebelumnya, ternyata saya masih kaget dengan aksen dan vocabulary yang rumit. Saya juga sempet ditanya sama temen sekelas, saya nggak ngerti, minta ulang ngomong apa sampe 3 kali, sampe akhirnya temen saya nggak jadi nanya. Huwaaa

Bagi saya, aksen itu ngaruh banget ke pemahaman bahasa. Apalagi di wilayah Andalusia, aksennya punya ciri khas tersendiri. Saya yakin ini sebenernya nggak mencakup semua orang, tapi ini berdasarkan pengalaman ngobrol dan dengerin aksen mereka.

Selain ngomongnya yang ngebut abis, ciri khas lain dari aksen Andalusia adalah.... Come letra alias makan huruf!

Di setiap kalimat, huruf "S" bisa dibilang hilang saat mendengarkan mayoritas teman dan dosen asli Andalusia bicara. Bikin rancu? Banget! Saya sering gagal paham dan miskomunikasi gara-gara aksen ini. Saya sempet baca di artikel kalo aksen Andalusia juga menghilangkan huruf D, tapi so far saya masih bisa notice huruf D; terdengar cukup halus.

Beberapa contoh dari kata/frase ke bentuk wicara dalam aksen Andalusia:

• Buenas noches jadi "buena noche" (good night)
• Entonces jadi "entonce" (then)
• Mas o menos jadi "ma o meno" (more or less)
• Adiós jadi "adió" (goodbye)
• Lo mismo jadi "lo mi-mo" (the same)
• Es jadi "e" (bentukan ser, to be)
• Vamos jadi "vamo" (let's go)
• Dos jadi "do" (two)
• Estudiante jadi "e-tudiante" (student)
• Andaluz jadi "andalu"
• España jadi "E-paña"
• Gracias jadi "gracia"
• Corte Ingles jadi "Corte Ingle"  (department store besar di Spanyol) 
• ¿Me entiendes? jadi "me entiende?" ("You understand me?" to informal singular person)
• Tú sabés jadi "tú sabe" (you know)
• ¿Qué haces? jadi "¿qué hace?" (what are you doing?)
• ¡Escúchame! jadi "cúchame!" (listen to me!)
• Conozco jadi "cono-co" (I meet)

Itu baru beberapa, belum lagi kalau udah jadi kalimat dan ada sustantivo (kata benda). Hilangnya "S" di akhir kata kadang suka bikin bingung membedakan mana yang plural, mana yang nggak. Awalnya saya juga ngira come letra ini cuma berlaku di ujung kata yang berakhiran S aja, ternyata enggak hanya itu. Contohnya, mas o menos dan lo mismo. Saya pernah bingung parah pas denger dua frase itu beberapa kali.

"Maomeno? Hah?? Lo mimo? Apaan dah itu??" Eehh ternyata, hahahaha.

Oh iya, di sini spelling huruf J (jota) terdengar beda dari aksen lainnya. Kalo di regional lain (mungkin) kedengarannya kayak nyebut huruf H, di sini kedengerannya "kh" kaya mau buang dahak.

Untungnya, perlahan pemahaman saya makin membaik. Saya mulai terbiasa mendengarkan aksen dan dialek dosen serta teman-teman saya di sini. Tentunya masih struggling di kelas, tapi saya bisa paham lebih baik dari sebelumnya secara keseluruhan. Bahkan saya sekarang jadi kebawa ngomong pake aksen Andalusia, huruf S di bagian akhir sering ilang, (huruf S lenyap di tengah kata belom, belom sampe level itu), hahaha.

Next time semoga ada kesempatan untuk cerita soal beberapa lokasi oke di Jaén dan Madrid, karena sempet jalan-jalan sebelum kuliah.

See you on another post! 
¡Adiós! 

• Karena saya datang ke sini di awal musim gugur, jadinya suhu di Jaén nggak seekstrem saat musim panas (bisa nyampe 40°C lho!). Udaranya dingin, tapi mataharinya nyentring banget. Udara di sini juga kering parah, alhasil beberapa hari di sini hidung saya kepenuhan sama darah beku yang jadi upil.
• Sejuk sih, tapi bikin kulit kering! Sewaktu di Jakarta saya agak males pake moisturizer dan body lotion. Tapi sekarang di Jaén, wajib hukumnya! Saya bahkan makin rajin pakai banyak moisturizer dicampur sunscreen karena udara keringnya nggak enak banget, meskipun wajah saya tergolong sangat berminyak. Selain itu saya juga sering semprot wajah pakai Hatomugi skin conditioner karena bikin adem dan nggak kering. Nyesel cuma bawa satu botol ke sini, huhuhu.
• Saya masih kaget dan aneh dengan waktu matahari terbenam di sini. Di Jaén, mataharinya baru mulai terbenam pukul 8.30 malem. Jam 9 malem baru gelap. Kalau di Jakarta ‘kan mataharinya ‘menghilang’ pukul 6 sore.
• Toko-toko di sini buka rata-rata pukul 9 pagi sampai jam 2 siang, lalu tutup dulu selama beberapa jam. Jeda waktu ini dikenal sebagai siesta. Saat siesta, orang-orang mengisi waktunya dengan makan siang, nyemil, istirahat, ngobrol sama kolega, atau bahkan napping. Baru lah sekitar pukul 3.30 sore atau 4.30 sore aktivitas toko dimulai lagi sampai 9.30 malam. Saya sempet agak kaget juga sama jam siesta itu karena pernah mau ke copistería (fotokopian) di kampus, jam setengah 3 sore tutup dan saya harus nunggu sampe jam setengah 5 sore.

• Suasana di sini tenteram banget. Nggak bising dan tenang. Walaupun malem-malem sepi luar biasa (agak serem sih jadinya), tapi flatmate saya bilang kalau kriminalitas di Jaén bisa dibilang minim banget jadi di sini tergolong aman.
• Most of people here are extremely kind. Nggak hanya itu, ketika mereka tahu saya kurang lancar ngomong bahasa Spanyol, mereka tetap sabar dan membantu. Justru mereka senang mendengar foreigner yang bisa bahasa mereka. 
• Setiap ketemu penghuni flat lainnya, kenal nggak kenal, selalu saling menyapa, “Hola.” Kalau naik lift bareng atau papasan sebentar terus pisah, biasanya suka ngomong "Hasta luego." Ini juga berlaku ketika masuk dan meninggalkan toko. I think this is a very nice gesture!
• Di jalan sering banget ketemu anjing beragam ukuran dari yang kecil lucu banget sampe yang besar garang tapi gemesin (tetep, nggak berani deket-deket karena takut). Uniknya, saya NGGAK PERNAH lihat kucing di sini. Asli! Kucing liar pun nggak pernah nemu. Mungkin karena rata-rata punya kucing indoor ya, jarang dibawa ke luar rumah.
• SIDEWALK LEGA BUANGET. Akhirnya sodara-sodara, saya bisa jalan kaki tenang, nggak diklaksonin motor yang lewat trotoar. Jalan kaki di sini enak banget, asli (betis pun makin jadi, huahahaha). Bahkan saya ke kampus jalan kaki, jaraknya 1,6 km ditempuh selama 20 menit. Di sini jalanannya banyak tanjakannya terutama dari tempat saya ke pusat kota tua di mana Catedral de Jaén berada.
• Ketika pejalan kaki mau menyeberang dan nggak ada lampu penyeberangan, mostly mobil di sini yang berhenti sampai pejalan kaki selesai nyeberang. Bagi saya ini salah satu momen yang jarang banget bisa saya rasain di Jakarta. Bahkan pernah saat nyeberang saya salah lihat jalur (jalur kendaraan di sini kebalik, btw), saya takut ketabrak mobil tapi malah berhenti di tengah jalan, hahaha sementara mobilnya udah berhenti.
• Pakai plastik saat belanja di sini kena charge €0.05, jadi mesti bawa kantong sendiri kalau mau belanja dan makin irit.
• Kalau mau naik bus, biayanya €0.98 sekali naik. Ada banyak trayek bus di Jaén, misalnya kampus UJA, centro de ciudad, centro comercial, dan lain-lain. Kalo mau cepet ke kampus atau mau pergi ke tempat yang agak jauh, bus bisa jadi pilihan.
• Orang-orang di sini suka banget fiesta alias party alias pesta. Udah nggak heran, hahaha. Party-nya bisa di rumah atau di diskotek. Tapi selama di sini belum lihat party-nya orang Spanyol kayak gimana.
• Banyak yang suka nangkring di cafetería atau cervezería untuk ketemu temen-temen dan ngobrol. Di tempat tertentu ada resto/café yang menyediakan tapas. Kalo nggak salah paham, tapas ini semacam makanan pendamping ketika minum bir/coke/lainnya. Ada banyak menu tapas yang bisa dipilih.
• Buku di sini? Muahalnyaaaa ampun. Sedih sih soalnya mau beli buku jadi mikir-mikir banget. Untuk buku kursus bahasa Spanyol B1.1 pun udah kena €20.50 (dikali Rp 16 ribu ya…). Ini belum sama buku buat kuliah nanti. Huwaaa.
• Biaya hidup di Jaén tergolong rendah dibanding Madrid. TAPI, biaya hidup di Jaén lebih tinggi sedikit dari Jakarta. Saya dapet sewa kamar flat €150 per bulan tapi belum sama biaya air, listrik, internet, dan gas. Itu tergolong menengah. Melihat fasilitas yang ada di sini, lokasi flat yang strategis walaupun 20 menit jalan kaki ke kampus, menurut saya harga sewa sudah sepadan. Kebayang ‘kan tinggal di Madrid mahalnya kayak apa?
• Untuk makanan, enak semuanya hahaha. Di sini bisa nemu chorizo halal dan enak (chorizo ini the best, asli) juga lho! Bahan makanan seperti sayuran (brokoli, kentang, tomat, dll.), buah (lemon, melocoton, dll.) tergolong affordable per kilonya. Produk dairy seperti keju (yang muahalnya luar biasa di Jakarta), susu, butter, margarin, yogurt, dll. juga termasuk murah. Chia seed seberat 150g pun harganya cuma €1.  Ayam dan daging termasuk normal. Justru yang mahal di sini itu seafood dan kebanyakan dalam bentuk frozen. Kalau mau beli kiloan yang fresh, udangnya justru udah pada direbus. Ah iya, di sini banyak banget makanan kalengan yang justru banyak digemari warga lokal.
• Produk harian seperti sampo, sabun cair, odol, dan obat kumur di sini ukurannya rata-rata jumbo, jarang nemu ukuran di bawah 1 liter, tapi harganya lumayan terjangkau mulai dari €0,99. Jadinya nggak perlu sering-sering belanja produk ini.

Itu baru segelintir kesan yang saya dapatkan selama 2 minggu tinggal di Jaén. Pastinya masih ada banyak hal-hal menarik yang bisa saya temukan di sini. Semoga ada kesempatan lagi untuk cerita, khususnya soal bahasa Spanyol dengan dialek Andalusia soalnya harus satu post sendiri ceritanya, hahaha.

Tepat dua minggu lalu saya menginjakan kaki saya untuk pertama kali di tanah Eropa, khususnya di Jaén, Spanyol. Berangkat tanggal 11 September, sampai di Madrid 12 September. Karena tiba malam hari dan capeknya luar biasa setelah melalui 3 connecting flights (asli, badan udah nggak ada rasanya pas sampai di hotel sambil gerek 2 koper besar), saya memutuskan untuk menginap semalam di Madrid sebelum berangkat ke Jaén esok harinya.

Dari Madrid ke Jaén ada beragam cara: kereta, bus, dan mobil. Kereta cukup mahal biayanya, yaitu €35 (silakan dikali Rp 16 ribu ya). Bus ‘hanya’ €19, sementara mobil menggunakan situs ‘blablacar’ (mirip Uber) mulai dari €19-€24. Lama perjalanan kereta dan bus hampir sama, yaitu sekitar 4-5 jam. Wah lama ya? Tapi itu bener-bener menempuh jarak jauh. Kalau nggak salah, Madrid-Jaén jaraknya 331 km.

Setibanya di Jaén saya dijemput oleh flatmate dan flat owner tempat tinggal saya selama di sini. Saya kaget juga sampai disamper keduanya (pake mobil pula) karena saya hanya berkomunikasi dengan flatmate dan nggak ada wacana dijemput pakai mobil. Padahal dari stasiun bus ke flat itu jaraknya kurang dari 1 km lho!

Di flat yang saya tempati, saya tinggal bersama ketiga teman baru yang juga mahasiswa UJA. Ada yang mahasiswa tingkat akhir, ada juga yang baru masuk seperti saya tapi mahasiswa S-1. So far, semuanya baiiiiikkk banget. Semuanya welcome dengan saya, bahkan membantu saya banget kalau ada apa-apa.

Ketiganya orang Spanyol, bisa ngomong bahasa Inggris sedikit. Alhasil, tiap hari saya ngomong bahasa Spanyol! Justru malah terbantu banget, karena sebelum studi saya mulai saya bisa membiasakan untuk mendengar dan berbicara dalam bahasa Spanyol full. Lagipula saat tiba di sini, kemampuan bahasa Spanyol saya masih rendah.

Lumayan banget selama dua minggu ini skill bahasa Spanyol saya meningkat, teman saya pun bilang awalnya saya hanya bisa mendengar omongan mereka pelan-pelan, sekarang sudah dalam kecepatan biasa (alias ngebut!). Plus saya ikut les bahasa di sini; peraih beasiswa dapat ikut kursus bahasa secara gratis. Dari kursus A1.1 sewaktu di Indonesia, sekarang jadi B1.1 di Spanyol. Deséame suerteeee!! (Wish me luck!)

Berhubung kuliahnya masih lama (23 Oktober), saya tergolong punya banyak waktu luang di sini. Selain menjalani aktivitas harian (makan, tidur, ngobrol, dan kursus bahasa hahaha), saya juga menyempatkan untuk jalan-jalan di sini. Jaén ini menarik loh, termasuk kota kecil tapi suasananya asik banget.

Sejauh ini, kesan tinggal selama 14 hari di Jaén sangat baik. Saya mulai beradaptasi dengan lingkungan, makanan, dan gaya hidup secara perlahan. Ada yang cukup mengagetkan, ada pula yang biasa-biasa aja. Semoga betah sampai beres kuliahnya!

Am I dreaming?

Am I still in real life?

Because until this moment, I STILL can’t believe I am stepping my feet on this country and going to live here for a year.


Waktu itu saya sedang berada di Bengkulu untuk liputan. Saat lagi nangkring di halaman depan hotel tempat menginap gara-gara susah sinyal internet, tetiba smartphone saya menerima e-mail baru. Wah, bahasa Spanyol dan dari UJA.

“Wah jangan-jangan pengumuman beasiswa nih????!!!!”

Saya yang lagi nyusun bahan tulisan hasil liputan pagi harinya, langsung panik buka e-mail. Saya makin nggak karuan ketika download file-nya karena lemot luar biasa. Setelah nunggu sekitar 30 menit, akhirnya saya bisa melihat file berukuran 42 mB itu.

Then I saw my name on it with my GPA and the name of study that I will take with 44 others succeeding applicants.

“Ini seriusan???”

Setelah nunggu dari bulan Februari, aplikasi beasiswa sekolah di UJA ternyata diterima. Pihak kampus baru mengumumkannya bulan Juli pertengahan. Saya bahkan udah pasrah kalo nggak dapat beasiswa itu karena merasa peluang saya kecil. Beasiswa master degree ini hanya menerima 45 orang dengan pilihan jurusan yang diinginkan. Ditambah lowongan beasiswa ini dibuka untuk siapapun, which is saingan saya adalah orang-orang dari seluruh dunia.

Berhubung yang tahu lamaran ini cuma beberapa teman dekat, saya langsung nelepon Petek untuk ngasih tahu. Kenapa nggak orang tua yang dikasih tahu pertama kali? Well, it’s kinda complicated. Lagian saya mau ngasih tahu ke mereka secara langsung. Saya gemeteran, ngobrol sama Petek dan bahkan nanya harus ngapain saking kaget dan paniknya, hahaha.

Kembali lagi ke Jakarta, saya pun memberi tahu orang tua saya kalau saya mendapatkan beasiswa studi master di Spanyol. Awalnya kaget, kok bisa Spanyol? Saya menjelaskan segala macam detail beasiswa itu dan akhirnya mengantongi izin orang tua untuk melanjutkan sekolah di sana.


Kok bisa dapet?

Siapapun yang punya mimpi besar kalau mau usaha dan kerja keras pasti bisa terwujud kok.

Saya memang punya mimpi untuk bisa sekolah di luar negeri. Lalu Spanyol jadi salah satu negara impian saya untuk didatangi. Waktu itu sekitar awal Januari saya lagi membuka FB page Kedutaan Besar Spanyol, saya melihat salah satu postingan bahwa Universidad de Jaén membuka program “Becas de Atracción del Talento para Estudios del Máster”. Setelah membaca informasi lebih lengkap, saya mulai mengumpulkan nyali dan memikirkan banyak pertimbangan untuk mengirim lamaran.

Syaratnya tergolong sederhana, tapi kalau dipikir-pikir saingannya dan tanggung jawabnya luar biasa. Untuk mempertahankan beasiswa, minimal nilai yang harus dikantongi selama masa studi yakni 90% dengan skala nilai di Spanyol adalah 10. Plus, seluruh aktivitas perkuliahan HANYA dalam bahasa Spanyol. Selain itu saya juga nggak begitu yakin apakah pihak kampus melihat korelasi studi saya yang pertama dengan studi yang akan diambil di UJA (more details soon!).

Kemudian semenjak Februari, saya sudah mulai belajar bahasa Spanyol sendiri menggunakan segala macam aplikasi dan buku pelajaran. Namun pada April saya memutuskan untuk mengikuti les bahasa Spanyol di LBI UI hingga akhir Juni. Belajarnya pun terlepas dari aplikasi beasiswa yang saya kirim; saya benar-benar ingin belajar bahasa baru.

Fast forward to July, I finally got the answer.



Jujur aja saya sempet ragu untuk menerima beasiswa ini. Saya harus mengirim lembar pernyataan yang sudah ditanda tangan bahwa saya menyetujui seluruh syarat sebelum sah menjadi penerima beasiswa. Kenapa ragu?

Bisa nggak saya ngebut belajar bahasa Spanyol dalam beberapa bulan sebelum perkuliahan dimulai?
Ini saya beneran bisa atau ini semacam suicide mission?
Bisa nggak saya survive di negeri orang lain?
Do I really want to take this scholarship?
Do I brave enough to get out from my comfort zone?
What if I cannot accomplish the standard of the scholarship?

Saya mikirin ini sampe nggak bisa tidur beberapa hari, ditambah pressure untuk segera mengirimkan surat itu karena saya harus segera mengurus aplikasi visa. Berdasarkan beragam pertimbangan, akhirnya saya menandatangani surat itu dan menerima surat sakti dari kampus alias Letter of Acceptance. Por fin!

Ngurus visanya gimana? Wah.

Saya sampai speechless ngebayangin ulang proses mengurus syarat-syarat visa yang dibutuhkan waktu itu. Stress? Bangetbangetbanget. Saya harus nyiapin syarat visa dari 25 Juli sampai 10 Agustus, karena saya menargetkan untuk datang ke Kedubes Spanyol pada 11 Agustus. Bisa dibilang ini salah satu momen paling hectic, gila-gilaan, rumit, dan melelahkan selama 23 tahun hidup. Nggak bohong.

Harus bolak-balik Jakarta-Nangor-Bandung-Jakarta beberapa kali, ngurus legalisasi di beberapa kementerian, urus translasi, urus rekening koran bank, wara-wiri ke mana-mana pakai motor (tambah kena macet dan ban bocor ya), plus kerjaan lagi numpuk parah, dan lain-lain. Wah dramanya ampun-ampunan deh, rasanya pengen jungkir balik. Sampai akhirnya bisa ngelihat visa nempel di salah satu halaman paspor tuh rasanya lega banget.

I tell you what, this is not f*cking easy to achieve.



Untuk proses gimana cara urus visa, di post berikutnya saya mau cerita lagi, apalagi puanjaaang prosesnya. Nyari info soal gimana mengurus aplikasi visa studi di Spanyol di Google pun tergolong susah. I hope those posts will help you who want to apply student visa especially for Spain.



I would like to thank all my friends for such great support while I was ranting about how hard my visa application was. Petek, Ganda, Harith, Ani, Indah, muchas gracias. My parents also, sorry for not telling you at first because I didn’t want to bother you both but thank you so much for the full support. 

I also would like to thank Kak Putri (again, sorry for contacting you through FB Messenger all of sudden while I was in panic mode after receiving the e-mail, hahaha) for all the help and patience for answering all my questions related my study visa application, then Mirtha as fellow survivor to be new students in Jaén.

For my former lecturers and boss, thank you for supporting and allowing me to take this scholarship. This means a lot to me. Also some of my friends who listened to my “curhat singkat dadakan” when we met.



Nothing comes so easy. All the difficulties, you gotta conquer them all, from the smallest to biggest thing. Incluso cuando alguien te rompe tu corazón. If you’re sure about yourself and brave enough to take the challenge, what are you waiting for?

¡Hasta luego, amigos!

I am so excited to share this story to you since this part of my trip is my favorite. After two days strolling around north Lombok, finally the day of exploring South Lombok had come!

OCT 19 - DAY 3
It's time for South Lombok! I was thrilled since I heard so much great things about South Lombok. I did mini research about places I'd visit and they seemed very promising. So I was able to wake up pretty early (YES! hahaha), and I went from Senggigi at 7.30 am.

It's gonna be a very long ride, guys, I'm telling you. Take a look at the distance:


I had to prepare myself and my rented motorbike: bought breads and snacks, waters, then gasoline. I also hadn't gone to South Lombok ever, so I didn't know about the route or the condition of the road there. I totally relied on Google Maps at first.

The road in Lombok especially around Lombok Airport, Praya was so quiet. The road was huge, I could see only few vehicles there, but the wind blew so freaking strong. My helmet almost flew, for real, hahaha. During my ride, I listened to music. I wasn't worried about the length, but I was so bored on the road. Mostly I went just straight and.... it made me sleepy! So music was the best option as my company for every ride I had. (Don't try this, tho. Actually it's dangerous)

As I passed Desa Sade, it was like a check point for me. I was already on the half way to Tanjung Aan Beach, my first destination. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to visit Desa Sade; maybe next time. Getting closer to the south, my cellphone lost its signal. Damn. Apparently my SIM card didn't work well on the south, so now I needed to ask locals about the route. Thankfully I met a woman, she told me the way to reach Tanjung Aan beach.

After almost get lost, finally I arrived at Tanjung Aan!





One word for Tanjung Aan: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Again, I couldn't believe what I saw that time. Jeeezzz, that beautiful blue sea, that smooth white sand!!! I looked around and there're only three or four other visitors. It was 9 am if I wasn't mistaken, not so many people would want to go beach at that time since it's gonna be very hot.

I enjoyed the time I had there: listening to beautiful sound of waves, looking at the stunning sea in front of me, and playing around for a moment...

Well I just had brief moment in Tanjung Aan because I gotta go to the next place, which wasn't too far from where I was: Bukit Merese (Merese Hill). I continued riding my motorbike to reach Bukit Merese; only took less than 5 minutes.

I entered the area of Bukit Merese, then tried to ride my bike to the hill. Actually, it was a stupid thing to do. My motorbike wasn't able to pass those rocky path, so I had to leave it on the bottom of the hill, next to stall of a young coconut seller.

I walked to the top of the hill, aaaand here's what I saw: PARADISE!!





No wonder I spent most of the time here since I could see those stunning views all by myself. I repeat, all by myself. I only saw two people there and they weren't staying for long time. This place was like my own hill, hahaha. It was so huge and sooooo fascinating!!






Here, I almost burnt my face because that day was very bright and hot. I strolled around the hill, found another great spot. I went to a higher point which I could clearly see Tanjung Aan from above.



I stood on a very high spot, and the view was spectacular!! But something happened not long after that. A monkey suddenly appeared, then it came to me, took my mineral water bottle, then it opened the cap and drank it in front of my face!

I was panicked because I was afraid the monkey would steal other stuffs from me (dude, I brought my camera and a tripod that wasn't mine! hahaha). So I decided to go downhill, even I haven't packed the tripod; just carry and pack it later!

After went downhill, one thing for sure, I was so thirsty. My face also looked like a fresh boiled lobster. I was craving for cold water or anything that was so refreshing. So I visited the young coconut seller to buy one. It was SO GOOD! It cost IDR 20.000 (around US$ 2) but it was totally worth it.

Then I spoke with locals, we had very good conversation. A couple told me about their one time journey to Java island. The same man also kindly told me about the best route to reach Mataram and Senggigi after knowing that I was alone during my trip.

He warned me that if I wanted to go back to Mataram or Senggigi, I should go before it got dark, at least 4 pm. It would be very dangerous for me to go back beyond that time since I might get robbed on the road. I also heard the same thing from the owner of the homestay, so I definitely listened to their advice since they knew their place really well.

I really enjoyed such conversation, we could exchange our own story, then I got so much new things to learn. I am not used to initiate small talk, or even talk to strangers for long time. So by doing this trip, I have to train myself to be more talk active, friendly, and aware to anything that happens around me.

Now it's time for me to continue my journey. I said goodbye to the locals I met there, and they were very nice, wishing me to have safe and amazing trip while in Lombok. Next place I'd visit was Kuta Lombok Beach.

Again, it's another paradise I could find here!





Kuta Lombok was pretty crowded that day. Then I could notice the differences between Tanjung Aan and Kuta Lombok; perhaps it's just my feeling, but water at Tanjung Aan was blue, while Kuta Lombok was turquoise. I captured some photos here, looked around, then bought gasoline for my motorbike because the next destination would be quite far.

Next was Mawun Beach. To reach this place, I had to ride my motorbike for 30 minutes, passing lots of winding road. It was challenging since most of the road were like up and down, but the view couldn't stop to surprise me.


Seriously, Mawun Beach is definitely my favorite beach. Mawun Beach is very quiet, very peaceful. The view... oh I am speechless.







This is a perfect place for me to isolate myself from the crowd. I spent quite long time here. I sat down under a tree, chilled, enjoyed the view before me. (Damn, I really miss this place!)

It was getting late and I still had one place to visit. After taking a rest at Mawun Beach, I continued riding my motorbike and went to Selong Belanak Beach. It took about 20-30 minutes to reach it.





As you can see, Selong Belanak was quite crowded. Most people come because this beach is suitable for beginners to learn surfing. Of course I saw lots of people surfing there. I also chatted with locals, talking about my trip and beaches in Lombok. We had great conversation and laugh there since they joked a lot. Even one of them was kinda surprised when I spoke to him in bahasa Indonesia since he thought I was a foreigner, hahaha. He said it's not because of my hair, but I got the look. What, really?


I hadn't eaten anything but breads in the morning, so I should eat something here. You see, the grilled fish was so delicious! The 'acar' was also great, there're few vegetables in it with hints of sour and spicy flavors.

While enjoying my time at Selong Belanak, the sky began to look darker; it was cloudy. Also, it's already 4 pm. O'oh, it's time to go back to Senggigi!

Well, on my way to Senggigi from Selong Belanak, it was raining so hard. I didn't stop at all because it was already past 4 pm; I really needed to arrive at Mataram before evening. For sure, I was totally wet, and I wasn't using any raincoat or even a jacket. I prioritized my bag (my camera was in it!) and tripod so they wouldn't get wet so bad.

You know what, when I arrived at the huge road close to Lombok Airport, it hadn't rained yet! I was like, "What the...?!" but still continued my ride. Of course when I arrived at Senggigi, my clothes was dry already!

In the end, I could arrive at Senggigi safely. That was a crazy trip for sure. I had to visit some places in a day, and the distance was so far from my homestay. Driving back and forth with such distance was really exhausting. I almost got burnt, almost got stolen by monkey, and then completely wet while driving.

I came back to my homestay, and I still had time to see the sunset (yes, Senggigi wasn't raining yet). I went to the rooftop to take a rest and watch sunset, but something triggered me. I might get better view if I walked to Senggigi Beach.


See?

Despite so much unexpected things I had during my trip to south Lombok, I really had a perfect closure for today.

This was definitely one of my greatest days in my life.

Hello again, guys.

It is so nice to write another blog post since it has been a very loooooong time I kept this story. Now I am going to tell you about my latest trip in Lombok, which was so amazing!

Well, this was my first solo travel experience outside Java island. After I completed my bachelor degree, I decided to go to Lombok because I deserved it. After 1 year thesis research, lots of up and down moment during that time; I needed a getaway.

This 6 days 5 nights journey was very pleasant since I learnt so much new things. For instance, I tried to talk more especially to strangers (yup, I am always nervous when surrounded by strangers), then I also had the chance to meet very kind locals and fellow travelers.

So, how's the story? Let's start!

OCT 17 - DAY 1
My flight was at 5.00 am from Soekarno Hatta Airport Jakarta. Since I was still staying in Jatinangor, I went from Bandung to Cengkareng at 11.00 pm by taking bus. Arriving at 3.00 am, I still had plenty time to wait and check in.

After two hours flight, finally I stepped my feet for the first time in Lombok. I arrrived at 8.00 am but I could feel the heat was so intense that day.

I was taking Damri bus from Lombok International Airport to Senggigi. It only cost IDR 35.000 per person (around US$ 3) and my ride with the bus was pretty great. The driver even recommended me some places to visit since I had conversation with him from the airport until Senggigi (I was the only person who went to Senggigi in that bus).

The bus was small and only able to carry about 10-15 persons. One of nice things I could find, the bus had special storage for luggage so you don't have to worry about where to keep your big carrier or luggage inside the bus.

Oh, why I went to Senggigi? I thought Senggigi was closer to Gili Trawangan, then I could find minimarket, food stalls, and ATM at ease since it's a very popular spot in Lombok. The consequence was, it took around 1 hour ride to reach Mataram and 1,5 hour ride to South Lombok since they're pretty far from Senggigi.

From mini bus shelter of Damri in Senggigi, I walked to my homestay that I booked from booking.com, Borneo Homestay. It's really close to Senggigi Beach, only 3 minutes by walking. Thankfully I could get early check in so I was able to eat and take a nap first. I also rented motorbike for my trip here, and I could get cheaper rent rate, hahaha.

Since I was extremely exhausted after long trip Jatinangor-Bandung-Jakarta to Lombok, I decided to spend my first day wandering around north Senggigi. I rode my rented motorbike, looking around, and of course, I found so much interesting spots to see.

My first impression about Lombok? BEAUTIFUL. Period.



I gotta admit that I was totally amazed by everything I saw. Just... whoa!! The main road around Senggigi is very close to sea, so you can see those lovely views while driving. And one note: the road in Lombok is mostly so good!!! You can find very minimum damaged road here. But still, you have to be careful since there're lots of winding road around Lombok.

After some hours exploring north Senggigi, I found some best spots to watch sunset. I almost couldn't believe my eyes that time since everything were so magical.





Come on, how can you not dig those views???

I stopped on that spot (2nd picture above), parked my motorbike, then just sat on it. I enjoyed the view peacefully since I was alone. Since it went darker after sunset, I went back to Senggigi to have dinner then spend my night with some people I met at the homestay. Apparently my first day in Lombok was quite amusing.

OCT 18 - DAY 2

Actually I had plan to go to South Lombok this day, but unfortunately I had to postpone it since I woke up pretty late, hahaha. This is one of disadvantages I have since I am not a morning person. But well, I was exhausted yesterday; I only got 1-2 hours to sleep while on bus from Bandung to Jakarta.

So what's the alternative plan? I didn't have to worry much since I had 5 more days in Lombok. I decided to go to Mataram, Kota Tua Ampenan, then north Lombok again. For this time, I visited Pandanan Beach, Nipah Beach, and Melaka Beach.




Other fascinating views I saw while visiting those beaches. At first, the sky was so cloudy, I was a bit worried it would be raining that day, but the opposite happened.

It was almost dark here. I rode my motorcycle from north Lombok to go back to Senggigi. When I saw the right side of the road, I was completely distracted. This probably one of the greatest sunset I've ever seen. I stopped, I captured this beautiful scenery.

Then sky got darker and there was no around. In solitude, I enjoyed every seconds of this moment....


My second day started badly, but it turned out to be one of the most memorable day I had.

This trip apparently kept so much surprises for me. I couldn't wait to see what I'd get tomorrow since day 3 was the day I would explore South Lombok.

See you on the next post!