4 Alasan Garuda Indonesia Maskapai Terbaik Untuk Flight Sydney-Jakarta

Sebagai residen tetap Australia, tentunya saya selalu kangen kampung halaman dan sebisa mungkin sering pulang ke Jakarta (finance permitting, hehehe). Ada tiga airlines yang bisa saya pilih untuk pulang ke Indonesia, yaitu Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, dan Qantas. Di antara ketiga pilihan tersebut, pilihan pertama saya adalah Garuda Indonesia. Di postingan kali ini, saya ingin mem-point out kenapa saya cinta dengan maskapai Indonesia yang satu ini setiap saya pulang kampung ke Jakarta.

1. Pesawat-Pesawat Baru

Adik saya bekerja di GMF sebagai project manager untuk quality control setiap ada pesawat Garuda yang baru datang dari produsennya, yaitu Boeing. Dan dia pernah bilang bahwa Garuda Indonesia memang banyak melakukan perbaikan beberapa tahun terakhir ini, termasuk menambah armada pesawat-pesawat baru. Terakhir kali saya naik Garuda Indonesia, 2 tahun yang lalu, memang pesawatnya jauh lebih bagus daripada Qantas yang terlihat tua.

2. Direct Flight ke Jakarta

Beberapa kali saya memang tergiur ingin mencoba naik Singapore Airlines karena melihat harga tiket promo di Netfare yang memang tidak jauh dari tiket Garuda Indonesia. Namun sayang sekali, walaupun Singapore Airlines termasuk maskapai paling top di dunia dalam hal keselamatan dan pelayanan, tidak ada direct flight yang langsung terbang ke Jakarta. Harus transit di Singapore yang berarti ada tambahan waktu perjalanan untuk sampai ke Indonesia. Sedangkan Garuda Indonesia menawarkan direct flight ke Jakarta beberapa kali seminggu yang hanya memakan waktu 6-7 jam perjalanan.

3. Full Entertainment

Saya puas sekali dengan entertainment yang ditawarkan oleh Garuda Indonesia (dibandingkan Qantas ya, kalau dibandingkan dengan Etihad ya lain lagi ceritanya, hehehe). Layar TV-nya besar dan touchscreen, dan film yang tersedia pun termasuk film-film baru. Beberapa kawan saya juga mengatakan Garuda Indonesia menawarkan beragam entertainment untuk anak-anak. So, sepertinya memang recommended juga untuk travelling dengan anak-anak :).

4. Bagasi 30 Kilogram!

Garuda Indonesia sangat generous dengan baggage allowance-nya dan ini sangat penting bagi saya dan orang tua saya yang suka mengisi koper-koper kami dengan berbagai macam makanan khas Indonesia dan hasil belanja murah selama di Jakarta, hehehe. Bagasi 30 kilogram ini berlaku untuk semua penerbangan kelas ekonomi ke luar negeri (untuk ke Amerika bisa sampai 40 kilo dan ada beberapa pengecualian - untuk lebih lengkapnya dapat dicek disini: https://www.garuda-indonesia.com/id/id/garuda-indonesia-experience/on-ground/baggage/index.page?), namun untuk student (one-way ticket) kita bisa request untuk menambah baggage allowance menjadi 40 kilogram (menurut pengalaman ketika menjadi exchange student dulu).

Autumn Foliage at Mount Wilson

At the end of April (24th April to be exact), we went for a day-travel to Mount Wilson, a popular destination to see the autumn foliage. It takes around 1.5-2 hours to reach Mount Wilson by car from Sydney. We were quite rushed when we were there because we left Sydney quite late around 11.20 am (blame husband who ruins almost any trip and made me rush at the end although I've blocked his calendar waaayyy beforehand... aaarrrggghhh!)

We arrived at Mount Wilson at 1.15 pm. We ate our packed lunch and prayed, then went to one of the open gardens on The Avenue around 1.45 pm. My husband was very annoying around this time, because he was still checking his WhatsApp and replying to messages at lunch time although I told him to eat his lunch quickly so we can start exploring around because we were already so late, and it was him as well who made us leave late from Sydney! Truthfully, it feels like travelling with a baby! Then when we walked up to Breenhold Gardens's gate he just realised we had to pay entry fee and didn't bring any cash - well, I did, he didn't. Then he had to run back to the car to take his pocket money. Oh great, even more delay, I thought, because I was planning to visit the Turkish Bath Museum which closes at 3.30 pm. At this point, I'm already at my wits end.

Anyway, back to the trip, we eventually visited only one garden because I was rushing to the Turkish Bath House which closes at 3.30 pm. Well, I wasn't really interested in visiting other gardens either because of my tummy - not too keen on taking long walks. Then we went to the Turkish Bath Museum. Afterwards, we went back to Sydney and we stopped by at Bilpin to eat freshly baked apple pie.

THE AVENUE

This is where that iconic picturesque photo of Mount Wilson is usually taken. It is a two way road where you will be spoilt with heaps of autumn foliage on your left and right. However, when we arrived, that picturesque landscape just didn't make the cut. There were cars parking everywhere hence it's so difficult to get photo of a pretty lane with autumn trees on either side! Wrong time to visit, I thought. But we can't go there unless it's a weekend. So, we just enjoyed whatever we can.

BREENHOLD GARDEN

Entry fee: $8/adult, $2/child

Breenhold garden is the first garden that you will see on your left once you arrive at The Avenue. This garden is easy to find as the gate is literally located on the side of The Avenue, unlike other gardens where you have to pass small roads in order to reach them. The entry fee for the garden is $8 for adult, and $2 for children.

The garden is large, very large in fact, but I think it's a bit so so. There weren't many autumn foliage like what I had expected, but they have oak, maple, and Japanese maple trees which I think it's a good variation. They also have a lane of trees which is great to for taking photos. And the best part, at the back of the garden, because of the topography of the garden, you will be spoilt with a view of the Blue Mountain range. It's as if having Katoomba in your backyard! One area to improve for the garden is to have a map of the garden. It would be great if they can have it available to the visitors (also considering the entry fee that they charge) because hubby and I was having trouble finding our way out of the garden!

TURKISH BATH HOUSE MUSEUM

Entry fee: $5/adult

We were quite lucky because we managed to arrive at the museum just 15 minutes before their closing time, but eventually they closed slightly over that just after the last guests left (which I think were an elderly pair who came after us). We got lost a bit on our way to the museum. What we thought was a church at the end of The Avenue, was actually the Turkish Bath House Museum, and we didn't notice the sign as well! The estate was surrounded by short stone wall, so I'm sure you wouldn't miss it.

So, the story of the bath house is that the original owner of the estate had a wife who was suffering from cancer (if I'm not mistaken). Instead of relying heavily on chemical medication, the wife went for natural healing which miraculously extended her life by 9 years. The Turkish bath was built by the owner for his wife and son to relax their body and mind. The owner was particularly fascinated by Turkish culture, hence the Turkish influence on the bath house.

The bath house had one bathroom and a steam room. There's nothing special with the bath tub or the small corner sink in the bathroom. It's like the ones you would find in original Victorian terrace houses in Sydney. But the toilet totally caught my eyes! It's painted with blue veins and flowers, just like chinese porcelain. It's really beautiful. Nowadays, toilets are just plain white (or sometimes other colours, but it's always plain), but this one looks like a royal toilet, hahaha.

Before we exit the premise, I told my husband to take photo by the gate. I didn't even realise the gate was also 'something' when we arrived there (perhaps because we were in a rush). The gate has intricate wire design on it, and it actually says "Turkish Bath".

THE PINES ORCHARD, BILPIN

Apple pie with ice-cream: $6, Apple jelly: $7.5/500gr

On our way to Mount Wilson, I saw the sign "Fresh Baked Apple Pie Daily" along Bells Line of Road. Like my husband said, I'm celamitan, which means I can get really excited about food in an instant. The restaurant was on the right side of the road and husband was on full speed so there's no way we can make a turn. Anyway, I thought we could go there on the way back home. So, we did.

The shop is quite big (and it has a huge sign in front of it), so I don't think you will miss it. The shop is located in an area where there are heaps of apples orchard around. I think some of them are even open for public for pick-your-own apples. 

The shop had indoor and very nice outdoor dining areas. The shop sells new season apples in buckets, apple pies and cakes, honey, apple cider, and a large variety of chutney and jam. I had already purchased heaps of apples from Sydney market, so I wasn't too keen on getting the apples, hehehe. Instead, I wanted to try the apple pie that was advertised on the sign on the side of the road and the apple jam. I ordered a quarter apple pie with ice cream on top and a jar of apple jam to take home. The apple pie was quite nice, it's a bit different from the normal apple pies that I've tasted before which were like a thick sauce with chunks of soft apples. This one is more like fresh apples baked with no additional flavours (e.g. cinnamon). And the pie crust is not your ordinary short crust pastry, it's a bit cake-like but not soft. Overall, I liked it! I haven't opened the apple jam though, so cannot tell you how they tasted :).

From Muzdalifah

I was flipping through the little blue notebook where I stored all of my prayers for hajj. I had written a couple of journal entries to describe my feelings and the situation around me in there. And the following entry was written when I was in Muzdalifah:

3/10/14 Friday

Today was the big day. The day everyone has been waiting for - the day of Arafah. I was already awake from 1.30 am and didn't continue sleeping at all until we reached Arafah. The bus? Don't ask. It came after Subuh. You can feel how frustrated I was lacking of sleep only to find we were able to move to Arafah after Subuh. But I kept my calm. Afterall, hajj is all about practicing your patience.

We arrived at Arafah desert and walked our way to our tent. Our tent was very simple. No air conditioning, no fan, no cushion. Just carpet and the tent. The weather was very hot. I was almost tempted to complain, but I kept my mouth shut. 

I used my time to rest between Dhuha to Dhuhr, saving my energy for wukuf* time. I had completed my Quran recitation (khatam) the day before, so I was actually a bit reluctant to start reading it again. Instead, I made more dzikr to fill in for the waiting/idle time.

When Dhuhr time just rolled in, we prayed Dhuhr and Ashar jama' qashar ta'dim immediately. We then started the long period of time to make du'a, du'a which will be granted by Allah (inshaaAllah). We contemplated on our mistakes and sins in the past, lead by the leader of the hajj group. By the time we finished with the du'a/prayer together, it was already 2pm. Say that again? Yes, it was already 2pm. Given that, I knew we didn't have a lot of remaining time left to make the rest of our du'as. According to the hadith, wukuf is one of the best time to make du'a. There were so many that we wanted to ask for but so little time!

Before we know it, 4pm had passed. After reciting all of the du'as for my family and friends, husband asked me to make du'a together privately. We walked away from our tent and found a quiet spot to continue our du'as.

5pm had passed. We returned to our tent and found everyone standing outside of the tent facing the qiblat making the last du'as before the wukuf time finishes, just when the sun rolled into the night. We made our last du'a while watching the sun set behind the mountain of rocks. Beautiful, maashaaAllah.

***

It turned out the wukuf wasn't as scary as I had imagined. Alhamdulillah Allah always kept my expectation so that every time throughout the hajj journey so that I could restrain myself from making complaints.

Just after Maghrib, we moved towards Muzdalifah, the 'thousand stars hotel' (not three, four, or five - if you get what I mean). There was a sea of people sleeping on the rock hard grounds. Everyone looks the same to me. You can't tell them apart from their worldly status, whether they are a leader from a famous company or a just a poor man. Everyone is the same in their ihram clothing. 

Today was a day that caught me in an awe. It's such a blessing for me to be able to witness all of this while I'm still young. Hopefully it will change me in a positive way when I return home. And I sincerely would like to return here again someday.

We only have 3 days left before this pilgrimage is complete. Honestly I can't wait to be home and appreciate more of what I have. It is true that in hajj we left everything behind - our family, our likes, our favourite food, our comfort zone, and everything else, all for Allah. Lillah ta'ala.

Alhamdulillah me and husband had firmly set our intention at the beginning which had helped us getting through and surviving the hajj process. Sometimes (a lot of times) I thought to myself, "Dita, what have you put yourself into!?" (of my very strong intention and will of going for hajj). I didn't expect it would be this exhausting. It's like PPAM all over again, for 30 days in fact. But you know what, if it's for Allah and you believe in Allah, rest assure that everything will turn out just fine.

Saturday, 4/10/2016 1am

Muzdalifah

*Reference on Wukuf:
Wukuf is the main activity in hajj. If a pilgrim missed the wukuf, then his/her hajj will not be considered legitimate. Wukuf time is considered as one of the best time to make du'a as reported in the hadith by Amr ibn Shu’aib: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The best supplication is that which is made on the day of Arafat."

Sydney Local Etsy Market

My craftsy friend the Mrs. Crochet, Citra, asked me if I would like to come to the local Sydney Etsy market. Of course, I would say yes to such invitation because I used to be an Etsy seller (my inactive Etsy store) and I adore unique handmade things a lot! The artisan products at Etsy are just second to none in terms of design and quality compared to the mass produce things that you find at department stores such as Target and K-Mart. However, unfortunately, because they are not mass produced, they tend to be on the expensive side in pricing.

I did spot a lot of cute things at the market, but unfortunately I was on a shopping ban until I-don't-know when since I just splurged big time on 'something'. Anyway, I picked up business cards from the shops which sold stuff that I was eyeing, if God and money allows I will purchase them next time - or perhaps next year at the next market, hahaha.

Some of the things that I adored at the market:

1. Watermelon vase/jug and Chillies small dish - from Things by Bea (beabellingham.com)
2. Taronga Tea Towel - from Maya Muse (http://www.mayamusetextiles.com.au/)
3. Champagne and Strawberries reed diffuser - from Addicted to Candles (http://addictedtocandles.bigcartel.com/)
4. Couples wooden toilet sign - from Mooza Designs (http://www.moozadesigns.com.au)

Images are taken from the artists' respective shops, all credits goes to them - I'm just simply sharing these lovely things!

And this is me, a proud Sydney-based Etsy seller!

Melbourne Trip - Pt.2

YARRA RIVER WALKS
We initially planned to go for the Yarra river walks in the afternoon of our first day in Melbourne. Unfortunately due to exhaustion, we ended up sleeping the whole afternoon. But since I was afraid that we wouldn't have any more time the next day, we then decided to go for the river walk at night.

What do I think? I love it! I think it was a good decision to take the walk at night because the night panorama around the Yarra river is just gorgeous.

BRIGHTON BEACH AND BIRTHDAY BITE
Early morning before we went to get my birthday bite at Toorak, we went further south to Brighton beach to have a look at *you know what* the iconic bath houses! I saw a friend of mine on Facebook posed in front of the bath houses several weeks before, and I just can't miss this one icon of Australia (or perhaps Melbourne to be exact).

We parked close to Brighton station, which I thought was pretty close to the bath houses - well, wrong! I had to walk around 500-700m to get to the beach where the bath houses were. We then only took few pictures and headed back to the car because we're almost running out of time for the parking meter.

SCIENCEWORKS MUSEUM
Because hubby loves museum, we decided to include a trip to one museum. I've had enough of general museum with ordinary exhibition, so we decided to go to Scienceworks museum. I thought it would be fun for hubby because he's an engineer afterall ;).

When we arrived, I was actually disappointed with how small the museum is. The general exhibition is small (and there were heaps of kids on the day we visited), but they have various shows throughout the day which you have to pay extra to watch. We really wanted to see the Planetarium show, but unfortunately time wasn't permitting so we decided to only watch one show which is the Lightning show. (After checking the website again, seems like they change their shows quite often).

Although I was disappointed with the general exhibition, I have to admit that the Lightning show was very entertaining! The host explained about colours, how to see different colours through chemical reaction (this is the basic of fireworks), what infrared/UV is, etc. They also showcased a machine generated lightning and the impact to various items if it struck.

DFO SOUTHWHARF
DFO Southwharf is one of the factory outlet centre in Melbourne located close to the city. I wanted to have a look at the shops which we don't have in Sydney e.g. Kate Spade. Unfortunaly I couldn't find anything that I liked, so we went around and around for two hours for nothing :(.

Melbourne Trip - Pt.1

Another point on my bucket list ticked off!

I initially wanted a birthday which consists of dining at Jamie Oliver's restaurant, a bouquet of flowers, and perhaps a Tiffany&Co bracelet. Well, that didn't happen. Husband and I spent my birthday this year on a trip to Melbourne. It was totally unplanned because I impulsively bought a Jetstar ticket (you know those Jetstar deals that came into your inbox every Fridays? Yep, that one - I'm so guilty).

DEPARTING
Packing was sort of a pain because this is my first time taking Jetstar with only 7kg worth of luggage (14kg for both of us). I heard that Jetstar is quite strict with the baggage weight, so I made sure that everything was packed nicely and weighted precisely.

I told hubby to pack all his stuff before I go to bed the night before we're scheduled to depart because I will be doing the final weighing. He didn't really paid attention. So, the next morning when I opened one of our cabin luggage again, I found some stuff that aren't supposed to be there and posed risk to be confiscated (e.g. razor) *mad*.

At the airport, before our baggage got checked in the x-ray machine, I read the flyers nearby and made sure I don't have any dangerous goods in my luggage. After being scanned, our first luggage was pulled aside. I told hubby, "don't worry, probably it's just my toiletries. Hmm.. but I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem." When the officer opened my luggage, there was a can of hair mousse. Only one person can be guilty of this > husband! I was so angry at him, I told him, "when did this thing got into the luggage?! I already told you not to bring it!". He said, "but you didn't tell me why I couldn't bring it." Really? *sigh*.

HOTEL
We stayed at the Causeway Inn at the Mall. We booked the hotel via hotelclub.com. I think the price is quite reasonable, we got it for $114 (twin bed). I didn't mind a twin bed; we're going to be out and about most of the day anyway.

We did get free continental breakfast daily with our booking. It's no fancy breakfast as you only get a selection of fruit, toast, and croissant, but I think it's enough to stuff our tummies before brunch at the city.

MELBOURNE ARCADES AND ALLEYWAYS
After checking into the hotel, we went out straight away to checkout Melbourne arcades and alleyways. I had used this guide as a guide to decide which route to go through to get the best out of Melbourne's arcades and alleyways.

I think the alleyways cafe gave a different atmosphere compared to Sydney. My favourites are Hardware Lane, Union Lane (where you can find heaps of graffiti art), and Degraves street. We had tteokbokki at the Hardware Lane for brunch because we were so starving and didn't have proper breakfast. The arcades were just gorgeous, it is as if you're being brought back to the past. There was a dainty high tea shop in one of the arcade, but unfortunately we didn't decide to proceed into the shop.

Vivid Sydney 2013

In Sydney, there is a light exhibition that is held specifically in winter. Even though it was winter, it wasn't really cold. I survived with only a sweater. In Japan, there is a similar exhibition called "winter illumination". In Sydney, the exhibition only focuses on six points around Circular Quay and Darling Harbour. Whilst in in Japan, you can find them at different places, e.g. Roppongi, Ginza, Shinjuku, etc.

My most favorite from all of the exhibits is this "jelly fish" fiber optic lights. The pots are hanged under the railway track of Circular Quay station. The lights changes into different color and it's just oh-so beautiful. It sparks some idea to decorate the balcony with it.

As you walk towards the Opera House, you will see more of free-standing exhibitions, like the light gradation wall and the "light bulb". When I arrived at the Opera House, there were soooo many people, despite that it's on weekday. Taking pictures there was simply not worth it.

Then, moving on to the other side of Circular Quay, which is the Museum of Contemporary Art. The building is used as a huge projector screen where moving images are projected to. There was loud electrical-pop music playing along as well to make the exhibit feels more dramatic. I really love bold colours on this, just so pop!

Then, if you walk further towards the Harbour Bridge, turn to the Garden of Eden to get a spot to take pictures of the Opera House. It is much much better than going to the Opera House itself and you can actually see the moving images a lot clearer. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my tripod, which means I had to hold my hand still to get a sharp picture. It was hard, but I managed some that are quite nice. And also, that place is packed with photographers with tele lens or tripod, so getting the right straight angle of the Opera House was a fierce competition. Below are just a few of my favorite pictures from hundreds of images I took of the Opera House.

Lastly, we went to Darling Harbour to catch the water show. We passed the light exhibitions at the bridge to Darling Harbour mall and the Maritime Museum but didn't take any pictures of it, because I thought it was boring. Now that I think about it, I think it's my fault that I didn't play around with other angles.

The water show was spectacular, but Disney Sea's water show is even better, hahaha. There was water screen as well (I first watched water screen in Odaiba in 2009), which is a "screen" made from bursting water where images are projected to.

I didn't get to take picture of the Harbour Bridge because I was too tired of walking (and too scared to cross the bridge at night). Anyway, overall I enjoyed this event and can't wait for next year's Vivid Sydney!