Antwerp Centraal

Regarded as one of the finest examples of railway architecture in Belgium, Antwerp Centraal was built in the early 1900s and the vast dome that covers the waiting area makes most jaws drop. 

Beautiful Bruges at Night

I like walking and I like walking alone. Bruges is definitely the perfect town for a late night stroll. It was at the end of a very rainy day, the skies have cleared up and most of the wandering tourists have gone back to the hotels (or out to party). Bruges is very safe and it was so nice just to walk around aimlessly for an hour or so, pick up a suiker wafel and relax on a bench overlooking De Markt. The perfect solitary night.

How to Overcome Your Travel Fears and Get Out of the House

Fear. It’s what keeps us from living our lives and achieving our dreams. And it is the most common reason people never step out their door to travel.

Whenever I talk to people about long-term travel, they tell me they wish they could do what I do. They tell me about their dream trips and things they desire to do. Then they come up with all the common excuses I hear as to why they can’t:

They fear not being able to afford the trip.
They fear they have too many responsibilities at home.
They fear they won’t be able to make friends on the road.
They fear not having the ability to handle it.

With all that fear, it’s much easier to stay at home in our comfort zones than break out and travel. So what do most people do? They give into fear and stay at home, wishing they could travel but never doing so.

Dropping everything to travel the world takes a lot of courage. While many people claim “real world responsibilities” are the reason for not traveling, I think fear of the unknown is really what holds people back. It’s easier to live the life that is familiar and stick to our routines than to venture out into the unknown.

And so people get stuck and never get outside their door.

But, looking at them logically, the common fears people have about travel have no substance. There’s no reason to be afraid because:

You aren’t the first person to travel abroad.
One of the things that comforted me when I began traveling was knowing that lots of other people traveled the world before me and ended up just fine. If some 18-year-old from England on a gap year came home in one piece, there was no reason I wouldn’t, too. You aren’t the first person to leave home and explore the jungles of Asia. Columbus had a reason to be afraid. You don’t.

You made it this far.

If you already have one foot out the door, why turn back now?

What will you regret more later in life — that you let your fears keep you home, or that you went traveling? Sometimes you just have to go for it. Everything works out in the end. Don’t turn back halfway.

You are just as capable as everyone else.
I’m smart, I’m capable, and I have common sense. If other people can travel the world, why can’t I? What makes me think I lack the skills? I realized that there was no reason I couldn’t do it. I’m just as good as everyone else. Don’t doubt yourself. You get by in your life just fine now. The same will be true when you travel. Trust yourself.

Responsibilities are a false crutch.
Everyone uses “responsibility” as the main reason to avoid travel. But that is just your fear telling you that you have things at home that can’t be let go of. However, those responsibilities are simply chains that hold you down. When I quit my job, I didn’t have to work anymore. When I cancelled my bills, they disappeared. When I sold my car, the payments were gone. When I sold my stuff, I didn’t have any. We think this is all very complicated, but, with a few phone calls, everything that held me back was gone; taken care of. Suddenly, my responsibilities disappeared. Vaporized. It is easier to cut the cord than you think.

You will find a job.
Another reason people get held back is the belief that when they go overseas, they will become unemployable. They worry that employers will see a gap in their resume and not want to hire them. But in this globalized world, having experience with foreign cultures and people is a real asset. So is showing that you are independent, courageous, and capable. After all, no one makes it around the world without learning these skills. Employers realize this, and now look at travel as a positive thing that teaches intangible personal skills no business school ever could.

You will make friends.
People always ask me how I make friends on the road. They tell me that they’re not very social and that it’s hard for them to meet strangers. The truth is that when you travel, you are never alone. There are many solo travelers out there in the same boat as you. You’ll find people who will come up and talk to you, even if you are too scared to go up to them. I used to be nervous talking to strangers, but the fear subsides as you eventually realize that everyone wants to make new friends. And one of those friends is you.

You can always come back.
If you make it three months into your trip and decide that long-term travel isn’t for you, it’s perfectly okay to go home. There’s no shame in cutting your trip short. Maybe traveling isn’t for you, but you never would have known if you didn’t try. There’s no such thing as failure in the world of travel. Getting up and going is more than most people do, and if it isn’t for you, at least you tried it. That in itself is a major accomplishment.

Fear is an element that affects everything we do. Yes, fear is a healthy biological response designed to make sure we don’t do foolish things. But, in many ways, fear is the reason why we never succeed. It’s scary leaving everything you know and heading off into the unknown. However, once you look at why you are afraid of doing it, you’ll realize there’s no reason to be. You can travel. You are capable. It’s not as hard as you think.

Don’t let fear win.

Source of Article

Singapore Day 2

Hari kedua di Singapore gue tepar. Baru bangun jam 9. 30 dan baru jalan jam 10. Kaki gue pegel banget bekas nyasar muterin Clarke Quay semalemnya (lihat postingan di bawah) hahaha.

Yaudalah gue mikirnya Universal Studio Singapore (USS) juga bukanya jam 10 sampai sore. Jadi gue jalan jam 10 mah pas dong ya mestinya.

Karena gue udah capek dan males banget jalan ke stasiun MRT, gue lihat aplikasi gothere.sg di iPhone dan doi bilang kalau gue bisa naik bis 145 ke arah Harbourfront, turun di Vivo City. Alhamdulillah banget jadi gue turun lift, keluar hostel dan langsung duduk manis di bis 145 ke arah Harbourfront.

Sebenernya di SG gue lebih suka naik bis karena bisa liat pemandangan, dibanding naik MRT cuma bisa liatin orang-orang di dalem. Cuma enaknya naik MRT, rutenya lebih mudah dibanding naik bis. Stasiunnya pun itu itu aja, sedangkan kalau naik bis, kalau ga tau jalan, bingung juga harus turun di stasiun yang mana saking banyaknya.

Jadi gue naik bis sampai Harbourfront, masuk ke mall Vivo City dan naik ke lantai 3 untuk meneruskan perjalanan naik Sentosa Express, bayar lagi 4 SGD untuk naik Sentosa Express.

Akhirnya sekitar jam 11 gue nyampe di Universal Studio. 

Taraaaa orang orang pada foto di depan globe Universal yang terkenal ini dan gue bengong, akhirnya gue minta fotoin sama mba mba seumuran gue kurang lebih. Gue tau dia orang Indonesia karena dia ribut ngomong bahasa Indonesia sama temen-temennya.

"Mba boleh minta tolong fotoin gak? hehe" dan dia dengan senang hati motoin gue. Terus gue menawarkan untuk fotoin dia bareng temen-temennya.

Setelah itu.. gue dengan muka polos ngomong "kalian mau masuk USS juga ya? Aku boleh gabung ga? Aku sendirian hehehe" terus mereka melongo sebentar dan salah satu di antara mereka bilang "Ya ampun ko bisa sendirian? yauda gabung aja bareng kita"

Hahahaha dan disitu gue bilang kalau sebenernya temen gue ada yang mau ikut tapi gak bisa cuti, gue takut mereka nganggep gue anak aneh kalau travelling sendirian. Well, karena gue tau di Indonesia itu jarang banget cewek yang travelling sendirian ke luar negeri.

Akhirnya bergabung lah gue sama mereka, dan inilah foto-foto yang kami hasilkan :

Ini foto pertama kita barengan

Pas mau masuk studio 4D

Liat gak ayam kalkun yang ada di meja gue? Haha itu kalap beli 12 SGD berdua sama Sarah

Sarah, Sari, Winda, Gue

Stranger is a friend you don't know yet :)

Selama trip ini, gue paling deket sama Mba Sarah ini, gatau kenapa cocok aja kali ya dan baik banget orangnya

We had so much fun walaupun kaki udah capeekk banget

Pemandangan dari Garden by the Bay bridge

Esplanade keliatan dari sini

City light. why I always adore city light?

Marina Bay Sands

Mid Autumn Festival Chinatown. Lanterns are everywhere. So happy :D

Hehehehe

Siloso beach, bitch!

Sentosa beach

Duduk disini bengong ngeliatin lampu dan refleksinya di air. Bagus banget

Jadi hikmah yang bisa gue ambil adalah mungkin there is a reason behind gue bangun kesiangan, berangkat naik bis, minta fotoin sama mereka dan berakhir jalan-jalan seharian sama mereka. Mereka semua baiiiikkk banget. Seharian sama mereka kayak udah lama kenal aja gitu.

Mereka kayak kakak gue, secara beda umur kita beberapa tahun. Mereka juga baru pertama kalinya ke Singapore dan mereka bilang gue nekat dan berani banget ke Singapore sendirian padahal baru pertama kalinya hahaha.

Setelah dari USS, kita ke Sentosa beach, tadinya gue mau nonton Song of The Sea tapi ga jadi karena kemaleman, jadinya gue bareng mereka balik ke Chinatown untuk belanja oleh-oleh.

Dari Chinatown, kita ke Garden by The Bay. Tadinya gue gamau ikut karena udah capek banget dan banyak bawa belanjaan. Tapi itu masih jam 8 dan gue rasa sayang aja kalau gue langsung cabut ke hotel. Jadilah gue ikut bareng mereka ke Marina Bay. 

Dan gue sama sekali gak nyesel kesana karena bisa lihat city light yang bagus banget, yah walaupun ke Singapore Flyer gak kesampean karena budget gak cukup, cukuplah gue liat city light Singapore dari Garden by The Bay hehehe. Someday pengen deh naik Singapore Flyer, dine in dan dipropose disana hahaha (you my future husband should read this one please)

Setelah puas foto-foto disini, gue pisah sama mereka di stasiun MRT. Mereka naik MRT ke arah Aljunied karena hotelnya disana, dan gue balik ke Clarke Quay. Alhamdulillah sekarang gak pake nyasar berkat foto-foto di depan gedung gedung itu kemarin malem hahaha. Sumpah semua jalan hampir mirip di Singapore dan gue harus inget patokan gedungnya.

Yaudah begitulah petualangan gue di Singapore. Ternyata memang jalan-jalan sama temen itu lebih enak sih, lebih rame. Tapi gak enaknya ya harus lebih toleran karena kemauan kita belom tentu sama dengan mereka. Intinya sih jangan egois dan saling pengertian aja hihi.

Hari ketiga nothing special, cuma ketemu mereka lagi (secara kebetulan) di Orchard dan belanja belanji lalu kita langsung balik karena take off sorenya di Changi.

See you again ya girls. Semoga kita bisa trip bareng lagi kapan-kapan. Nice to know you all :D

My First Solo Trip : Singapore (Day 1)

Setelah jalan jalan terakhir ke Eropa kemarin, sekarang gue mau cerita tentang pengalaman pertama gue jalan sendirian ke negeri orang, Singapore.

Awalnya gue beli tiket promo ke SG ini udah lama banget sekitar bulan Februari 2013. Kenapa buat September? Karena pertama, paspor gue pasti ketahan di travel sampai bulan Juni untuk urus visa schengen dll. Kedua karena Juli-Agustus adalah bulan puasa dan lebaran. Ketiga karena pas September gue baru aja dapet THR jadinya bisa lebih puas belanja di Singapore hahaha.

Jadi dari awal emang gue beli tiket untuk sendiri. Kayaknya seru aja jalan jalan sendirian. Dan gue nyesel, karena bukannya seru tapi seru bangeeettt kenapa gak dari duluuuu gue solo trip gini.

H-1 sebelum berangkat itu hari Sabtu, 7 Sept dan gue masih berkutat dengan kerjaan. Packing dan bikin itinerary baru mulai malemnya sebelum berangkat besokan subuh. Padahal ini pertama kalinya gue ke Singapore, have no idea disana ada apaan aja, harus kemana aja, naik apa dll. Tapi gue udah browsing sedikit sih sebelumnya. 

Gue berangkat jam 5.30 pagi dari Soekarno Hatta, nyampe Singapore sekitar jam 9an. Langsung naik MRT dari Changi ke Chinatown. Gue download aplikasi gothere.sg yang helpfull banget Alhamdulillah gue ga sekalipun nyasar pas di SG.

Di Changi, gue beli tiket Singapore Tourist Pass, seharga 30 SGD tapi kita bisa dapet refund 10 SGD pas kita balikin Singapore Tourist Pass ini di hari ketika kita pulang. Oh iya 30 SGD itu untuk 3 hari ya, dan ada batas waktu berlakunya, kalau balikin pas udah lewat masa berlakunya (3 hari) ya ga bisa dapet refundnya sebesar 10 SGD itu. Kalau lebih dari 3 hari gimana? Mendingan beli Ez Card gitu, bisa diisi ulang pake credit card.

Ini penampakan kartunya

Sesampainya di Chinatown gue belanja beberapa souvenir lucu-lucu, masuk ke Sri Mariamman Temple liat orang orang India ibadah (sayangnya no camera allowed) dan makan noddle chicken hainan.

Puas jalan jalan disini. Gue cabut ke Clarke Quay buat check in. Gue nginep di Woke Home Capsule Hostel, ratenya sekitar 200ribu per malem jadi total 400ribu untuk 2 malem. Kenapa gue milih hostel ini? Karena ada female dorm, lokasinya strategis karena keluar hostel langsung ada bis ke Chinatown, deket sama MRT, daann karena bentuknya capsule jadi lebih private, gak kayak bunkbed gtu.

Ruang tengahnya ada coretan orang-orang yang udah pernah kesini juga. Banyak banget yang dari Indonesia

Sarapan gratis, ada sereal, susu, toast sandwich, kopi, teh bebas mau milih apa aja tapi bikin sendiri hahha

Capsule Bed

Jam check in jam 2 siang, check out jam 12. Bisa juga nyimpen nitip koper di resepsionis sebelum atau setelah jam check in/out

Ini di dalem capsulenya. Isinya kasur, meja, bed lamp, TV, fan kecil, colokan dan kaca.  Cukup lengkap lah cuma buat numpang tidur mah hehe

Setelah check in gue cabut ke Red Dot museum di Maxwell, naik bis 145 dari depan hostel.

Di jalan Maxwell ini juga ada foodcourt gede gitu, dan banyak makanan enak. Rame banget foodcourt ini. Gue cuma beli es soya bean aja karena udah makan sebelumnya.

Dari sini gue langsung ke daerah City Hall atau Raffles Place ya gue lupa haha. Karena gue pengen ke Rafless hotel, but ended up menemukan Furletton hotel dan Esplanade bridge. Terus gue nyobain es krim sandwich seharga 1,25 SGD ini, naik kayaknya ya dulu cuma 1 SGD

Ini di depan Furletton hotel. Gue jalan jalan dan nanya ke penjual es ini kemana arahnya kalo mau ke Merlion, dia bilang lurus aja terus belok kanan haha oke.. Akhirnya setelah 10 menit jalan gue nemuin beberapa orang yang mau ke Merlion juga, jadi gue ikut aja bareng mereka hehehe.

Beberapa foto selfie di atas adalah hasil minta tolong fotoin ke orang dan gue menawarkan motoin dia balik hehe.

I took some photos and video here and then went to Esplanade, watching concert and went to the library and the rooftop.

Merlion with Marina Bay Sands in the background

Esplanade library, banyak script film dan dvd lama disini hihi seneng

Script Oscar Wilde

Ini semacam hasil karya anak anak SD di Singapore, gambarnya dalam berbagai tema: love, respect, education, dll

Remember Amsterdam Canal? No, I was not going back there, this is Clarke Quay

Spend your lovely night here. Restoran dan bar sepanjang pinggiran riverside Clarke Quay ini rame banget kalo malem. Ada boat juga untuk yang mau keliling kota Singapore di malam hari.

Ini balik dari Clarke Quay riverside ke hostel di South Bridge Rd. Muter-muter nyari jalan, namanya juga pikunan jadi sampe pake google map buat nyampe ke hostel, karena sepi banget jalannya jadi ga ada orang lewat yang bisa ditanya. Mission day 1 accomplished. Capek banget hosh hosh (tapi tetep narsis dulu)