“So, I’ll set 500k as our maximum budget for the trip ya! Can’t you?” She reassured me. Feb was well-known as my super-cheapo office mate. But that time, she took her frugal lifestyle to the next level. How could I survive in Semarang, the capital of Central Java with tons of mouth-watering dishes, by only having 500k IDR?? I suddenly remembered that the payday was still far away. So, I told her I accepted her challenge. There she was, she nodded and gave me a very big smile.

On Friday afternoon, we went directly from Jakarta’s Central Business District (my office) to Pasar Senen Station. We took Tawang Jaya Train Line, departed at 11 PM from Jakarta and arrived on 6 AM on Semarang Poncol Station. If you prefer a more comfortable option with business class, you would like to take train from Gambir to Semarang Tawang Station. Be mindful to buy ticket in advance through official website and not buying in station from middlemen.

Brown Canyon for the Adventurous One

Our first stop was Brown Canyon. It looked like Grand Canyon in USA (okay, I was being hyperbolic). Brown Canyon was a huge mining area for camphor. The mining activity has formed the rock and soil in unique shapes. It also has created a camphor secretion lake. 

The temperature was so hot like hell, thus I suggest you to come on early morning or late afternoon. To go to Brown Canyon, you need to hire whether a car or an angkot (public transportation looks like an elf) because there was no bus or train went there. It was wonderful, if we think about how human activity was able to disrupt the natural shape of the earth.

Susan Spa & Resort for Your Perfect Instaholiday Snap

After getting burnt under the sun in Brown Canyon, we decided to go chilling at Susan Spa & Resort. FYI, Semarang was surrounded by beautiful sea and mountain, so you can always go to chill weather after a one hot & sunny day. 

Susan Spa & Resort was not an ordinary resort. It has a very beautiful chapel, named La Kana, and shaped in triangle with great views of Semarang city! You could see a massive Mountain stand tall as well as Semarang’s seaview. The cozy place would certainly make you feel homey and did not want to leave. The good news was you don’t even need to buy entrance ticket! You could buy any food or drink for 25k IDR and you can get in easily! I ordered delicious warm tea with some snacks, which was obvious - a bamboo shot spring roll!

Pagoda Avalokitesvara Vihara Buddhagaya Watugong

Mind has been indulged by seeing greeny lush on Susan Spa while my body has been moved by the early adventure on Brown Canyon. It’s time to feed my soul! So, we went to Vihara Buddhagaya Watugong, the tallest pagoda in Indonesia, around 45m heights! Eventhough I was not a Buddhist, I believed going to a prayer house would give a serene peace. 

Inside the pagoda, a statue of Buddha Rupang (I guess it was happy Buddha) and Kwan Im Goddess (the symbol of compassion) stood still. Meanwhile, outside the pagoda, you could put your prayer and wishes on the tree. You can wrapped it in orange paper and gave some coin as your offering in the box. The atmosphere of the pagoda was so quiet and peaceful; I almost fell asleep. If you don’t hire a car, then you could ride Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT) and drop of at Sisemut Ungaran Station. Psst, this pagoda was totally free to get in!

Alun-alun Semarang (Semarang Plaza) to end a Perfect Night

Sightseeing in Simpang Lima Plaza was something that cannot be missed! This was the icon of Semarang where I could stroll around the night market and laughed at the cosplayers (they were dressed up like SpongeBob or Dora the Explorer with fail plastic surgery *lol*). The greatest thing was I could ride a cool laserlight odong-odong (small mini cooper modified to have fun)! This uber cool odong-odong would accompany your trip with loud music; not only dangdut (Indonesian traditional genre), but also EDM song if you want. 

I happily ate cheap dinner at street stalls (Tahu Gimbal Pak Edi - Mixed Tofu with Veggies) for as much as 12k! Chicken Rice next to it was so yummy too! You must be kidding me if you don’t like it! Again, I bought another spring roll. For those of you who were curious (do not, it could kill a cat!), bamboo shot spring roll or lumpia was the main cuisine of Semarang. It was a tiny crisp flour with bamboo shot and chicken or prawn, deep fried with sticky sweet sauce. Lumpia was a mixture of Javanese and Chinese culture, where an immigrant from China named Tjoa Thay Joe married Javanese ladies, Wasih; and they invented it! Thanks to them!

The night was still long. We went to grab a drink at a high-ceiling bar located in the top of the valley called Nest.Co.Logy – The Land of Gastronomy (another review though). It’s magnificent décor, unique fusion food, amazing views of Semarang’s nightlights, especially it’s affordable price -  has enlightened our hearts. I went to Mister Stay feeling content and relaxed, to put it simply, ‘happy tummy happy me’. LOL.

Lawang Sewu

The final day has arrived. We visited the most beautiful but most terrifying site in Semarang, Lawang Sewu! Lawang means door and Sewu means thousands. This colonialized building which used to be a main station during Dutch era has thousands of endless doors.

I saw the old pictures from Dutch era along with its historical explanation. I was mesmerized when looking at its beautiful artistic stained glass with gothic touch in the second floor. I wondered how could artists from the past were able to create such an amazing masterpiece. I shivered when I visited the underground jail (It even has a skull and I did not know was it real or not *cry*).  Rumour said never come to Lawang Sewu at night, because the place was haunted *CRY louder*. Some people have reported they saw a headless priest walked around, holding his head at night. But overall, it was a beautiful place to take a picture and relaxed with your family and friends.

Sam Po Kong Temple

Ten minutes away from Lawang Sewu, there was a huge red temple named Sam Poo Kong Temple. This temple marked the journey of the brave General Cheng Ho who came from China to Semarang. History said he had traveled the world, including United States even before Colombus found it! Massive statues welcomed you to enter the temple. Red colour was simply everywhere, reminded me about Shaolin temple on the movie.  Some employers offered a photo session using Chinese traditional clothes. Obviously I refused it, I did not even need to use that clothes to look more Chinese than this *lol*.

I was mesmerized with all the wonderful places I have visited in Semarang. The richness of history and the excellent mixture of its culture has blended perfectly; gave a perfect combination for holiday and knowledge enrichment. Its awesomeness (which we call 'Pesona' in Indonesian language) has hooked us up. We did not feel like going home. I wish I had more time so I could travel more around Central Java, especially in Semarang, for both its mountains and its beaches. Traveled to this city was a live proof of 'Wonderful Indonesia' slogan. The beauty, the art, and the food has spoiled me. 

The clock has shown 1.30 PM. We need to catch our return train journey. Wow, when I calculate my money, I still have few to spend, my spending was not even close to 500k! With using above plan, I could travel and visit wonderful hidden spots in City of Spring Roll – Semarang. Last but not the least, before my train departed, I bought some gift for my parents, which again: spring rolls!

Budget

Unfortunately, the train ticket price suddenly peaked up and changed by September, it has become 240k for return trip instead of 120k. But that's just an addition of 10 bucks! Happy travelling!

P.S.

Tulisan ini diikutsertakan dalam lomba Blog Visit Jawa Tengah 2016 yang diselenggarakan oleh Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Provinsi Jawa Tengah @VisitJawaTengah (www.twitter.com/visitjawatengah) #BlogJateng2016 #JatengGayeng #PesonaJawaTengah

This writing is submitted on Blog Visit Jawa Tengah 2016 Competition by Cultural & Tourism Department of Central Java @VisitJawaTengah (www.twitter.com/visitjawatengah)

I started writing diary since I was first grade on elementary school (5 y.o. to be exact!). I still have that diary in my closet, along with all the diaries I wrote afterwards. It recorded perfectly my first crush on junior high school, my turbulences and hardship during high school, my first kiss, amazing birthday surprises, and so on, and so on. Even sometimes I felt that diary was the only one who could understand me better than anyone else (FYI, I gave nickname to every diary I had & pretend it was my best friend).

Meanwhile, my first blogging experience started 7 years ago. I remembered spent so many times editing the layout, tried to write a soulful poem and fiction stories too. You might visit it on ilovehana.wordpress.com. Please note that it was my first blog, so no judging please (lol).

The diary and blogging era was doomed when I changed my phone to Blackberry and later, Iphone. Every minute or every second, the phone nudged and blinked showing a new message. I texted heavily with friends, best-friends, frenemy, or my current ex-boyfriend. I forgot how to write long sentences. I forgot how to express my feeling & how to sink in soulful words. I was bitter & full of sorrow.

Fast forwarded to almost a decade later, I found joy in travelling. Fortunately, I have managed to travel many beautiful places in the world. I travelled with fabulousity a.k.a ate delicious food, going out with comfort without paying expensive price. Some friends asked me how could I do that? Some others asked how much money I earned to travel around and they started guessing. LOL. This was pretty funny when what you have to do was just a research (okay, I have to admit, tons of research). Instead of answering one by one like I did, my friend suggested me to re-write on this blog. After thinking for a while, I was challenged. I decided to write in English instead in my native language (Indonesian). The main reason was because I wanted my friends (who came from different background & languages) to be able to read this blog too; especially those who seek for tips & guidance when travelling in Indonesia.

So, what can you expect by reading this? This blog (nonahana.blogspot.com) will give you some tips for places (and good food!) to go; along with the budget description! Do you want to enjoy the most of your trip without huge backpack & hurt shoulder? Do you want your IG picture look good without spending whole month salary? The most important thing is I will tell you how to have a fab travel in thrifty way with no problems! Isn’t it what all of us want? I might share some writing about my random life as well xD. What do you think? Is there anything else you expect? Please write on the comment box below and I will follow your blog back J  

Cheers,

Hana xx

“Hey, what do you wear? So unique!” kata temanku Maria yang berasal dari Rusia.

“What is this? This is so pretty!” Hyeonjeong dari Korea memuji penampilanku.

Hari itu merupakan hari festival kebudayaan di universitasku di Korea Selatan. Sebagai duta pelajar dari Indonesia, aku mengenakan baju tradisional atasan kebaya dengan bawahan batik tulis. Sejujurnya, aku sebelumnya tak pernah mengenakan kain batik. Bahkan aku merasa risih dan canggung, takut-takut kain itu akan melorot. Aku hanya mengenakan batik sebagai seragam saat masih duduk di bangku SMA, itu pun karena diwajibkan. Akan tetapi, hari ini aku mengenakannya dengan penuh kebanggaan. Bagaimana tidak?

Tak lama kemudian, aku mengganti busana kebaya dan kain batik dengan terusan batik modern agar dapat leluasa bergerak. Terusan batik yang kukenakan tampak menarik perhatian. Bahannya yang halus dan lembut membuat banyak pelajar dari negara lain bertanya kepadaku, bagaimana caranya dibuat? Beberapa dari mereka bahkan berebut ingin memegang kain tersebut. Tak pernah kusadari, ternyata kain batik memiliki pesona yang begitu besar dan menawan. Warna dan coraknya yang unik melambangkan berbagai makna filosofis. Adakah kain lain yang proses pembuatannya memiliki makna sedalam kain batik? Bahkan kain batik telah dinobatkan oleh UNESCO sebagai warisan sejarah terhadap dunia. 

Aku tiba-tiba saja teringat suasana saat itu di sentra batik Jogja, hampir sepuluh tahun lalu lamanya. Hujan agak gerimis tak dihiraukan oleh para wanita renta. Tangan-tangan tua itu bergerak dengan lincah, tak sesuai dengan kondisi jemari mereka yang tinggal tulang berbungkus kulit dengan urat nadi yang menonjol. Yang kuherankan, tak satupun dari mereka yang mengenakan kacamata. Padahal, alur-alur batik tampak begitu rumit dan keakuratan dalam mewarnai sangat penting dalam pengerjaannya. Warna-warna berpadu begitu indah dan membuai. Canting-canting bergerak dalam sunyi. Kesenyapan itu bagai menciptakan harmoni yang menyatu dengan alam.

Setengah dekade telah berlalu. Nasib membawaku tinggal di belahan dunia yang lain, tepatnya di benua Eropa. Angin bertiup amat dingin di Manchester, tandanya musim dingin yang hampir tiba. Aku sedang bersiap dari dalam kamar apartemenku di Manchester, untuk menghadiri pelantikan wisuda S2. Hujan membasahi jalanan, bahkan salju kecil-kecil turun dari langit.

“Kamu yakin mau pakai itu? Udaranya dingin sekali lho?” Ibuku bertanya dengan nada prihatin. Mungkin ia takut anaknya jatuh sakit.

“Yakin Ma, aku pakai baju dalam lagi koq. Lagipula cantik khan?” jawabku meyakinkan. Aku ingin mengenakan kain batik pada hari wisudaku, karena aku percaya tidak ada baju lain yang dapat membuatku merasa begitu bangga. Pilihanku tentunya tidak salah, karena teman-temanku dari mancanegara memuji dan mengatakan tak pernah melihat kain seunik itu sebelumnya. Kain batik Indonesia, persembahan dari Indonesia untuk dunia yang tiada duanya.  

ditulis oleh Alexandra Hana, untuk merayakan Hari Batik Nasional dan menyambut Jogja Batik Biennale dengan tema Batik Indonesia untuk Dunia. #BiennaleBatikJogja #BatikIndonesia