A trip to Bali (Day 2)! = New Year's Eve

DAY 2

So, on the second day of our stay in Bali, we had a full day of walking experience. We didn’t rent any car. We were determined to leave our foot marks in every street we can find in Bali.

Since our hotel was in Legian, we targeted ourselves to reach Seminyak, especially Seminyak Square, just by walking.

First of all, we had to reach The Haven Hotel as a sign that we’re entering the Seminyak area. Then it would take about 30 minutes of walking to reach Seminyak Square from The Haven Hotel.

After we passed a one third of the journey, we saw Made’s Warung and decided to take a break. It was already 12.30.

Made’s Warung Seminyak

 We actually had visited Made’s Warung that located in Legian (see my previous post about the first day of holiday in Bali) the day before. But visiting the Made’s Warung that located in Seminyak is also a must because this restaurant is bigger and more popular compared with the one that located in Legian. However, I found out that the price is a little bit more expensive. But just a liitle bit ^_^

We ordered Gado-Gado which I really liked it and recommend it. It tasted a little bit different and sweeter compared with the Gado-Gado I actually eat in Jakarta. But if you don’t like saffron that much, maybe you would not like the Gado-Gado of Made’s Warung as much as I did. Yes, my mom said that it has a strong flavor of saffron.

I was also enjoying a refreshing coconut water and strawberry juice.

Made's Warung in Seminyak

After we were fueled, we continued our journey to Seminyak Square. In our way, we were able to see and visit some intriguing stores that located alongside the street. We even found this astonishing store that sold unique recycled products. It was amazing to see such an environmentally friendly wonderful crafts.

Seminyak Square

After a long fun walking that however might make me cannot feel my legs, we finally reached our destination that was Seminyak Square! The Seminyak Square was located near Seminyak Village, so we also visited it. I felt that Seminyak Village has the atmosphere of luxurious mall, while the Seminyak Square was tend to be a modest mall. But it is important to be noted that Seminyak Square had several comfortable family restaurants. We ate thin-crust pizza in The Braga Cafe, one of the restaurants.

The yummy pizza!

Walking on the beach.

After we completed our ‘mission’ which was reaching Seminyak Square, we decided to go back to our ‘base camp’ which was Legian. But if we follow the same path when we went to Seminyak Square, it would be a boring walking. So, we tried to find another route to reach either Legian or Kuta.

We decided to go to the beach that located near the Seminyak Square, and then just ‘walk on the beach’ for about 1 hour until we reached Kuta beach. It was a memorable experience and worth-to-try because during our walking on the beach, we were able to see various remarkable views.  On my left, there were different hotels and unique restaurants & bar. While on my right, there was wonderful scene of beach.

in front of me

On the leftside

 We were also able to see beautiful sunset.

Sunset in Kuta Beach

Beachwalk

Afterward, it was already evening, and we decided to go to Beachwalk. It was a New Year’s Eve, so it was very crowded. The street was filled up by people wearing flashing LED headbands and blowing trumpet excitedly.

We were having our New Year’s Eve dinner in Sushi Tei, a Japanese restaurant, which we got a free plate of sushi because my mom had had her birthday the day before. I also bought a patterned shirt on sale in Stradivarius.

It was 10pm at that time and we decided to go back to our hotel to have some rest after a tiring but fun one-day walking. We gathered in the hotel, doing a fellowship together as a family. We joyfully waited for a new year with gratitude =)

A trip to Bali (Day 1)!

On December 30^th 2015 to January 1^th 2016, I went to Bali for a New Year’s holiday.

DAY 1

After our arrival, we were looking for a car rental that can drive us to the hotel. But it seems that many of the car rental were deliberately charging us an unbelievable high price. So, we decided to walk away from the airport, walking towards the road that usually would be passed by exiting vehicles. Yes, we’re looking for a taxi. BUT not just any taxi, we’re looking for taxi with taximeter. This is definitely more trusted and cheaper.

We stayed at The Sun Hotel. The Sun Hotel can be categorized as a new hotel because it was opened in 2014. The hotel welcomed us with a welcome drink (a mix juice pinaple and orange) which was very relaxing and refreshing.

Waiting for them to prepare our room, we decided to go for a lunch. They recommended us to eat in Made’s Warung (in Bahasa: Warung Made) that took us an approximately 20 minutes of walking. If you don’t want to burn your skin, it’s better for you to wear your hat J, because I did that.

Made’s Warung

We ordered Nasi Campur Special and Mango Juice. This Nasi Campur that consisted of rice complimented with veggies, chicken, satay, sambal, and others,definitely has the taste of authentic Indonesian food. However, for me, the cooked eggplant tasted a little bit too sour.

But, they did know how to cook sambal goreng udang perfectly. It’s not too spicy, but not too sweet. Just perfect.

Made's Warung

Nasi Campur Special

Afterward, we returned to our hotel (with walking again), and arrived there at 15.50 WIB. We found a plate of beautiful fruits on our room’s desk. The hotel was clean and comfortable. It’s worthy eventhough the wall are most likely painted in clean white. There’s no decorative or stylish wallpaper on it.

The room of the hotel

In the night, we went to Jimbaran for having a dinner. Jimbaran is a must-visit place because you can enjoy seafood dishes with the view of wonderful beach. You can also marvel a sunset when if you come at the right time.
  

           Jimbaran: Teba Mega

There’re many restaurants that most likely offer seafood along the beach and we chose Teba Mega. We ate scallops, calamari, grilled shrimp, grilled gurame, saute kale, accompanied with delicious sambal (condiment). All of them were scrumptious, but the scallops were definitely my favourite.

Commonly, there were also vendors that sold yummy grilled corn. You can snack it for IDR 10K while waiting the foods to come.

enjoying seafood and grilled corn

Just made a Chocolate Tart, Cream Puff, and Chocolate Cupcakes!

Recently, during my school holiday, I did a fun activity which was baking. Yes, baking. I thought it’s the right time since there might be no way I have time to bake if I already get back to school.

Baru-baru ini, selama liburan sekolah, aku melakukan aktivitas yang menyenangkan, yaitu baking. Yes, BAKING. Aku rasa ini waktu yang tepat untuk memasak karena kalau udah masuk sekolah, jadinya sibuk.

CHOCOLATE TART

Four days ago, I made chocolate tarts, but the individual ones. It was my first time I baked chocolate tart, and I’m proud that the result was pretty much a success. For me, the pastry base was a perfect success. The chocolate filling was also a success, but it’s need a long time (about one day) to harden perfectly because I didn’t measure the chocolate needed correctly.

Empat hari yang lalu, aku membuat Chocolate tart atau yang sering disebut sebagai pie cokelat. Ini adalah pertama kalinya aku membuat chocolate tart dan aku cukup bangga dengan hasilnya yang sukses. Menurutku, dasar pastrynya bener-bener berhasil. Isian cokelatnya juga berhasil, hanya saja dibutuhkan waktu yang lama agar bias mengeras. Sepertinya, ini karena aku salah ngukur atau kedikitan masukin cokelatnya.

Chocolate Tarts

Pastry Base	Filling
Margarine 200g	Chocolate Bar 300g
Cake flour 300g	Milk 100 ml
Cold water 2 tbsp	Butter 2tbsp
Refined sugar 60g
Yolk 1
Salt 1tsp
-Mix together the margarine, cold water, and dry ingredients until well blended by hands. Add the yolk and mix it until incorporated. -Store the dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. -Then, roll it, cut it, and put it on the individual pastry molds. Store it again in the refrigerator for 5 minutes so that it retains the shape. -Next, prick the bottom of the base of each tart with fork so it doesn’t ballooned. -Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes at a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius. After they’ve cooked, remove and set aside	Boil the milk together with butter and chocolate bar. Stir it well until it’s evenly mixed and thickened. Pour the filling to the pastry base and let it hardens in the refrigerator.

CREAM PUFF

Yesterday, I made a cream puff (but I didn’t make the filling … ha ha (what’s the point of creampuff without the CREAM….))

Kemarin, aku membuat kue sus, tapi tanpa isian fla nya. Hehe.

But it turned out really good. I was happy because it did rise in the oven, so it didn’t fail at all. I heard that when baking a cream puff, you must not open the oven before it’s exactly done.

Tapi hasilnya bagus kok. Aku senang karena kue sus nya mengembang, jadi tidak gagal deh. Aku juga sempet dengar kalau lagi manggang kue sus, jangan membuka oven kalau dia belum benar-benar matang.

Cream Puff that I made 

I also suggest if you’re making a creampuff, do not make a large circle when you’re squeezing out the dough because latter on, it might break apart or deflated. That’s what I’ve experienced when making this creampuff. Small circle would give a better result and good-look.

Aku sarankan kalau kamu bikin kue sus, jangan membuat lingkaran besar dari adonannya karena bisa jadi patah atau mengempis saat sudah matang. Lebih baik buat saja lingkaran kecil. Ini bisa menghasilkan hasil yang lebih baik dan tentunya, enak dilihat.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE

This morning I made chocolate cupcakes which were definitely a huge success. 

Pagi ini aku bikin cupcake cokelat yang enak banget dan sukses besar.

Chocolate Cupcakes

For me the result was wonderful. The cupcakes have the exact taste of sweetness and a very delicate texture. Yum!

Hasilnya bagus. Rasa manisnya pas dan tekskturnya sangat lembut. Yum!

A Visit to Boston (Kunjungan ke Boston)

I went to Boston for 2 days during my school holiday in July 2014. I went to there with my older brother, mom, and dad. In Boston, I stayed in Double Tree Hotel which was located near the metro train station.  What I meant “near” is approximately 5 minutes of walking. VERY NEAR.

Aku pergi ke Boston di saat liburan sekolah pada bulan Juli 2014. Bersama kakak, mama, dan papa, kami menginap di Double Tree Hotel yang terletak dekat dengan metro train station. Yang kumaksud sebagai “dekat” adalah sekitar 5 menit berjalan. SANGAT DEKAT, BUKAN?

What I liked from staying in Double Tree Hotel is that we were given their signature warm chocolate chip cookies which were AMAZING. They were very generous in giving the chocolate chip to the dough.

Yang aku suka dari menginap di Double Tree Hotel adalah kita diberi chocolate chip cookies hangat  andalan mereka yang NIKMAT. Mereka baik sekali dalam memberi chocolate chip ke adonannya.

The warm chocolate chip cookies

Anyway, I admit that Boston is a great walking city. Having a map from the hotel, it was a fun walking to get to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Anyway, aku setuju kalau Boston adalah walking city yang bagus. Dengan membawa sebuah peta dari hotel, berjalan menuju Faneuil Hall Marketplace adalah hal yang menyenangkan.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Once I reached Faneuil Hall, I can see that it was surrounded by plentiful of various things that would help tourists to have easier access to enjoy the city of Boston.

Sesampai di Faneuil Hall, aku dapat menyimpulkan bahwa di sana terdapat banyak hal yang bisa membantu turis untuk menikmati kota Boston.

I also had my lunch in a foodcourt located in Faneuil Hall that offered a lot of different kind of foods. Since Boston is well-known for its seafood, I bought a seafood gumbo in one of the stalls. It was my first gumbo and I really enjoyed as it had the feel of seafood freshness.

Aku menikmati makan siang di sebuah foodcourt yang terletak di Faneuil Hall, yang menawarkan berbaagai macam makanan. Oleh sebab Boston terkenal dengan seafoodnya, maka aku membeli seafood gumbo di salah satu toko. Ini adalah pertama kalinya aku mencicipi seafood gumbo dan ternyata aku sangat menikmatinya karena rasanya yang segar.

Seafood Gumbo

Freedom Trail

I bought tickets for Freedom trail in a locket that was located in the marketplace. Freedom trail was basically a walking tour, led by a tourgide that dressed in a traditional clothing who was continously telling us the histories of Boston, along with visiting a various of historical places. The starting point of this tour is the Faneuil Hall.

Aku membeli tiket untuk Freedom Trail di sebuah loket yang terletak di marketplace dari Faneuil Hall. Freedom trail itu adalah walking tour yang dipimpin oleh pemandu dengan pakaian tradisional yang bercerita tentang sejarah-sejarah kota Boston, sambil mengunjungi beberapa tempat bersejarah. Tour ini dimulai dari Faneuil Hall.

It was a great tour because it was  not boring at all (as the tourguide delivered the stories in interesting way) and it's also a good way to know and have a brief pictures of the histories of Boston.

Pengalaman tour ini menyenangkan karena sama sekali tidak membosankan (sebab tourguidenya berhasil menceritakan cerita-cerita dengan pembawaan yang menarik) dan ini adalah cara yang baik untuk mengetahui dan memiliki pengetahuan tentang gambaran sejarah kota Boston dengan jelas.

The tourguide

The members of Freedom Trail

Duck Tour

Duck Tour is a MUST if you are visiting Boston. It used a vehicle that can be operated both on land and water, driven by a tourguide who definitely had a sense of humor. By having the experience of riding Duck Tour, I felt that I have explored the beauty of Boston. Oh, and my favourite part when riding the Duck Tour was the time when the vehicle changed into ‘boat’so  it can ‘swim’ on the lake.

Naik Duck Tour adalah suatu keharusan jika kamu berwisata ke kota Boston. Duck Tour menggunakan sebuah kendaraan yang bisa dioperasikan di darat dan di air. Kendaraan ini dikemudikan oleh seorang pengemudi sekaligus pemandu yang pastinya punya selera humor. Setelah memiliki pengalaman menaiki Duck Tour ini, aku merasa bahwa aku telah menjelajahi keindahan kota Boston. Oh, dan bagian favoritku dalam naik Duck Tour ini adalah ketika kendaraannya berubah menjadi ‘perahu’ yang bisa ‘berenang’ di atas air.

The vehicle

The Duck Tour on the water

MIKE’S PASTRY

When I was walking around Boston, I saw many people were holding white boxes that said “Mike’s Pastry”. I was curious and eagerly wanted to know what was it. Then, my curiousity was answered when the Freedom Trail’s tourguide said that Mike’s Pastry was a famous pastry shop with pastries that must to be tried.

Ketika aku sedang berjalan mengelilingi Boston, aku melihat banyak orang menggenggam box-box putih yang bertuliskan “Mike’s Pastry”. Aku jadi penasaran dan ingin tahu apa yang sebenarnya mereka bawa. Rasa ingin tahu ku terjawab ketika tourguide dari Freedom Trail mengatakan bahwa Mike’s Pastry adalah toko pastry terkenal dengan pastries yang wajib untuk dicoba.

So, I went to there and surprised by the crowdness of the store and the length of the line. Since we determined to try the pastries, we waited. Finally, we bought three cakes which were Chocolate Ricotta, Pistachio, and Plain Cheesecake.

Jadi, aku pergi ke sana dan terkesan oleh keramaian dan antrian panjang pada toko tersebut. Maka mengantrilah kami, karena kami sudah bertekad untuk mencicipi pastries dari Mike’s Pastry. Akhirnya, kami membeli tiga buah kue yang adalah Chocolate Ricotta, Pistachio, dan Plain Cheesecake.

The pastries that I bought except the cheesecake were a little over-sweet for me. However, they did know how to make delicious, soft, buttery pastries. And the cheesecake was tasted exceptionally wonderful.

Menurutku, pastries yang aku beli (kecuali cheesecake) sedikit terlalu manis. Namun, mereka ngerti banget bagaimana cara untuk membuat pastries yang enak, lembut, dan buttery. Sedangkan cheesecake yang kucicipi sangat enak dan mengesankan.

Chocolate Ricotta, Pistachio, Plain Cheesecake

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

We went to Harvard University, Massachusetts, and took a tour that was leaded by a Harvard student. We bought the ticket on the spot, in a locket that was located in a street near to Harvard University. The student that guided us was a student from the psychology major (if I’m not mistaken). It was a fun walking tour because the tourguide told us intriguing stories as well as fun facts about Harvard University. At the end of the journey, we were delivered to a Harvard Shop to buy some souvenirs.

Kami mengunjungi Harvard University, Massachusetts, dan mengambil tour yang dipimpin oleh murid Harvard. Kami membeli tiket langsung di tempatnya, di sebuah loket yang terletak di sebuah jalan dekat Harvard University. Murid yang memandu kami adalah seorang murid dari jurusan psikologi (kalau aku tidak salah). Tour ini merupakan walking tour yang seru karena pemandunya sering bercerita tentang cerita-cerita menarik, juga memberitahu fakta-fakta unik tentang Harvard University. Di akhir perjalanan, kami diantar ke Harvard Shop untuk membeli souvenir-souvenir khas Harvard.

The tourguides who were the students

My Experience in Georgetown Cupcake/DC Cupcakes

I’m a fan of cupcakes. Well, technically, I don’t eat cupcakes that much. In my opinion, cupcakes in my country tend to be expensive and it hasn’t been a common snacks or desserts. But, I like to see the way how cupcake is made, how cupcake is decorated, how it can be a fancy gift or dessert which definitely looks cute.

Aku adalah penggemar cupcakes. Sebenarnya, aku nggak sering makan cupcakes juga sih. Menurutku, cupcakes di negaraku cenderung mahal dan bukan makanan ringan atau pencuci mulut yang sering ditemui. Tapi aku suka banget ngelihat bagaimana cupcake dibuat, bagaimana cupcake itu dihias, dan bagaimana itu bisa menjadi pencuci mulut atau hadiah yang kelihatan menarik.

Anyway, my interest on cupcakes began to grow when I started to watch DC Cupcakes which was a reality show in TLC. The show itself is generally covering about this one cupcake shop called Georgetown Cupcake which is owned by two sisters named Sophie and Katherine. One of the Georgetown Cupcake’s branches is located in Washington DC. I think that’s why the show is called as DC Cupcakes.

Singkat cerita, ketertarikanku akan cupcake mulai tumbuh ketika aku mulai menonton acara televisi berjudul DC Cupcakes yang merupakan sebuah reality show  di TLC. Acara ini sebenarnya bercerita tentang sebuah toko cupcake bernama Georgetown Cupcake yang dimiliki oleh 2 kakak beradik yang bernama Sophie dan Katherine. Salah satu cabang Georgetown Cupcake ini terletak di Washington DC. Nah, mungkin ini adalah alasan megapa acara tersebut bernama DC Cupcakes.

As a result of watching this show, I always wanted to visit the Georgetown Cupcake, see the cupcakes directly by my eyes, try the cupcakes itself, prove whether the cupcake is really good or not, buy cute souvenirs from the shop, and ofcourse, take pictures of it.

Finally..., I have visited Georgetown Cupcake for 2 times!!! YEY!

Sebagai hasil dari menonton acara ini, aku jadi selalu ingin untuk mengunjungi Georgetown Cupcakes, melihat cupcakes itu secara langsung dengan mataku sendiri, membuktikan apakah memang rasanya enak atau tidak, membeli souvenirs lucu, dan tentunya mengambil foto cupcake itu.

Maka...., aku telah mempunyai pengalaman mengunjungi Georgetown Cupcake sebanyak 2 kali! YEY!

GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE LOS ANGELES

So the first time is in 2014 during my holiday to Los Angeles, California. The atmosphere of this store is quiet calm since there wasn’t many customers there. When I arrived at this store, I took a picture infront of it, and then directly went in and found myself in the first line.

Jadi, kunjungan pertamaku adalah pada tahun 2014 disaat aku berlibur ke Los Angeles, California. Suasana toko ini cukup tenang karena disana tidak terdapat banyak pelanggan. Ketika aku sampai di toko ini, aku berfoto di depannya, lalu aku menemukan diriku di barisan antrian terdepan.

Me in Georgetown Cupcake Los Angeles

The cupcakes that I was ordered were Red Velvet and Chocolate Ganache. I chose them because they were known as the favourites.

Cupcakes yang aku pesan waktu itu adalah Red Velvet dan Chocolate Ganache. Aku memilih itu karena mereka dianggap sebagai rasa favorit

.

Once the cupcakes were in my hand, I took a photos of them and observed the “signature swirl”. Then I took a bite and IT WAS INCREDIBLY SO GOOD. The texture of the cake was soft. It’s definitely not over-sweet. And  the creamcheese frosting for the Red Velvet was so fluffy and melted in my mouth. While the Chocolate Ganache had the taste of chocolate richness, very indulging.

Ketika cupcakes sudah berada di tanganku, aku langsung memfoto cupcake tersebut dan mengamati “signature swirl”. Kemudian aku mencicipinya dan rasanya SANGAT ENAK. Teksturnya kuenya itu lembut. Rasanya tidak terlalu manis dalam arti yang berlebihan. Creamcheese untuk yang Red Velvet juga sangat lembut dan meleleh di mulutku. Sedangkan, cupcake Chocolate Ganache memiliki rasa cokelat yang kaya dan sangat memuaskan.

Red Velvet and Chocolate Ganache

I also bought souvenirs which were a travelmug and the Sweet Celebration book. I was also looking forward to have their pink appron, but it was sold out. The Sweet Celebration book that I bought is written by Sophie and Katherine. It contains some of recipes, tips, stories, interesting colorful pictures of cupcakes.

Aku juga membeli souvenirs yaitu travelmug dan buku Sweet Celebration. Aku juga ingin mempunyai celemek Georgetown Cupcake, tapi ternyata sudah habis terjual. Buku Sweet Celebration yang aku beli itu ditulis oleh Sophie dan Katherine. Buku itu berisi berbagai resep, tips-tips, cerita, dan foto-foto cupcakes berwarna yang menarik.

GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE WASHINGTON DC

My second time’s visit to Georgetown Cupcake was in July 2015 during my holiday to East Coast. This time I visited the store that was located in Washington DC!

Kunjungan keduaku ke Georgetown Cupcake adalah pada tahun 2015 ketika aku berlibur ke East Coast. Kali ini, aku mengunjungi toko yang terletak di Washington DC!

This store wasn’t calm like what I had described to the one in Los Angeles. This one was smaller. But the store in Washington DC was surprisingly crowded and busied with many customers, leaving no empty seats.

Toko ini tidak sunyi seperti yang aku telah gambarkan untuk toko yang terletak di Los Angeles. Toko yang ini lebih kecil. Tapi toko yang berada di Washington DC ini sangat ramai dan disibukkan oleh banyak pembeli, meninggalkan tidak tersedianya kursi kosong.

Cupcakes

Salted Caramel and Key Lime Cheesecake

I ordered two cupcakes which were Salted Caramel and Key Lime Cheesecake. Visually, they were cute and classy. And  undoubtedfully, they tasted good. However, I think the Salted Caramel was a little over-sweet but it would be pleasantly enjoyed by those who like sweet. For me, the Key Lime Cheesecake was REALLY GOOD because it was so creamy, rich, not over-sweet, and kind of unique.

Aku memesan dua buah cupcakes, yaitu Salted Caramel dan Key Lime Cheesecake. Secara visual, dua cupcakes ini terlihat lucu dan mewah. Tidak diragukan lagi, rasanya tentu enak. Namun, aku rasa yang Salted Caramel sedikit terlalu manis, hanya saja masih bisa dinikmati oleh mereka yang sangat suka manis. Bagiku, cupcake yang rasa Keylime Cheesecake SANGAT ENAK karena rasanya creamy, kaya, tidak over-sweet, dan cukup unik.

I like Georgetown Cupcake!