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  • Stare In Amazement: Air Busan BX 123 from Osaka (KIX) to Busan (PUS)

    Air Busan BX 123 flight path (sumber: https://flightaware.com/).

    Air Busan is the 16th airline out of 28 different airlines I’ve tasted. This Low Cost Carrier (LCC) which come from “Ginseng Country” has a main hub at Gimhae International Airport. It wasn’t my intention to visit Busan, but because of the cheap ticket price offered by Air Busan, it was what made me decided to stop by in Busan before reaching my main destination, which was Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.

    I myself got this cheap ticket seven months before departure at a price of less than 69.750 Won.

    This was my story of riding an airline with three branding colors, white-blue-yellow…

    —-****—-

     “Sorry, sir….We don’t receive coins”, the KIX Currency Exchange clerk exclaimed with a smile.

    “Oh, Okay…It’s no problem”, I pulled back my coins while waiting for the results of exchanging banknotes.

    He nimbly pressed a few buttons on calculator then showed me a numbers in the LCD.

    “Yes, Sir….”, I quickly agreed.

    Successfully exchanging Yen for USD, now my mission was to spending coins to buy whatever supplies I could use for lunch, if necessary until dinner…. Was it bad?, That was a my way to saving budget.

    I managed to find a FamilyMart in a hallway, entered it, hunted for onigiri and candies, paid it with my coins at cashie and saved it in my backpack. I never underestimate candy, two candies can meet 10% of the calories of an adult’s meal, that means it can hold your stomach for a while until you find a cheap food stall. This time I didn’t mince words by walking around the airport, my time was short, I decided to immediately go to check-in counter to exchange e-tickets with boarding pass. The main standard of airlines for passengers who will cross different countries is to check visas and return tickets from the destination country. But didn’t worry, my visa was perfectly attached to my passport and an Air Asia e-ticket to return from South Korea had also been ordered.

    “Can you speak English, Sir,” a female check-in counter lightly asked.

    “Yes, sure Ms. I Can”

    “Do you want to sit in the emergency exit row?” she asked.

    “Oh, yes, with pleasure”, I happily answered, when you are paying cheaper but get a row of seats which is more spacious, that is your prize.

    “Ok, thank you Sir”

    “You are welcome”.

    I quickly got my boarding pass. Heading to immigration counter, I handed over my passport as soon as it arrived. The stage of leaving a country is what I like the most, because it’s fast and without questioning. Of course immigration officers will be happy and is helped if their country guests are disciplined to leave their country on time. After getting a departure stamp in my passport, I immediately headed to the gate to wait for Air Busan, which was about to arrive, maybe even ready. Arriving on time, indeed, the Airbus was standing proudly on the apron preparing to load all its passangers.

    My boarding pass.
    Well, given a coupon of 10,000 Won for gambling….Hahaha.

    Towards half past eleven, boarding calls filled the airport ceiling, the queue line began to open and several ground staff started lining up at the gate to do final checking for each passenger. I steadily walked through it, showed my boarding pass and passport, then was allowed to board the plane. I walked through the aerobridge and was greeted by two flight attendants with typical faces of “Ginseng Country”.

    “Annyeonghasimnika”, one of them smiled with a slight bow, asked for a boarding pass, briefly checked and then asked me to find a seat.

    “Gamsahamnida”, ahhh, only a few Korean words I understand. I started looking for my seat.

    I sat in the aisle seat in emergency exit row. Shortly after that three columns of seats were filled, a flight attendant came to say hello. The flight attendant explained in Korean about the regulations in emergency exit row, after knowing that the two passengers next to me were Korean nationals. After explaining to both of them, then that flight attendant explained again, this time in English, it was clear for me. While explaining that, we both looked at each other. Because of the ignorance of my heart, I never listened to the rules she said, instead I focused more on enjoying the beauty of her pure white Korean face. I understood, she felt that she was being watched by me, so she occasionally explained the rules with a smile, she got even more clumsy when I responded her with a smile while keeping my eyes on her eyes….I was really naughty.

    I was in the cabin.
    Well, that was the emergency door.

    After half an hour of completing boarding process, the aerobridge finally started to be pulled from plane door, flight attendants started to tightly close the door, passengers began to wear seat belts, the plane began to leave the apron while exhibiting flight safety demonstrations by several cabin crew. The demo ended when the plane was already on the runway and ready to take off from Kansai International Airport.

    “Flight attendants, please prepare for take off”, were last words from flight captain who broken the silence in cabin.

    The plane did a brake release, the engine rotated with full power, and finally airborne went smoothly, the plane quickly drove from Osaka. I was quite impressed with this plane because this was the first time I could see the plane’s presence in a earth map at an LCD.

    When it was time to serve in-flight meal, I prefered to put an packaged food and drink in a folding bag. “Just make lunch,” I muttered to myself. I prefered to carefully read the inflight magazine to find information that might be useful for my adventures in South Korea.

    Here it was…. A replacement for my lunch menu.

    I didn’t realize that I had flown for 1 hour 30 minutes and the pilot gave an announcement to passengers that the plane was preparing to landing at Gimhae International Airport and informed the weather conditions in Busan which were sunny. Shortly after the announcement was completed, the cabin crew immediately checked every side of cabin and passengers to ensure a safe landing. Finally the plane smoothly landed in runway. How happy I was when I arrived in South Korea for the first time

    Hmmm….I couldn’t wait to explore Busan. I still couldn’t stop my smile at my face.

    I still didn’t expect that inside the airport terminal building, something serious would happen to me.

    Thanks to God.

    Welcome Busan….Welcome South Korea.

    Alternatives for airline tickets from Osaka to Busan can be found in 12Go or the following link: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

  • Nakheel Mall: Salah Satu yang Termegah di Dubai

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Nakheel Mall di pusat Palm Jumeirah.

    Genap satu jam sudah aku menikmati rindangnya Al Ittihad Park, sebidang Ruang Terbuka Hijau di pulau reklamasi terkenal di seantero jagad, Palm Jumeirah.

    Langkah khatam di ujung barat taman mengantarkanku memasuki area baru yaitu kawasan komersial yang dibangun tepat di tengah-tengah Palm Jumeirah.

    Adalah Nakheel Mall yang menjadi salah satu mall terbaik di Dubai yang merupakan tempat untuk berwisata kuliner, berbelanja, berekeasi dan berburu hiburan bagi segenap penduduk di seluruh penjuru Palm Jumeirah, warga Dubai dan para wisatawan asing.

    Nakheel sendiri diambil dari nama pengembang pulau reklamasi Palm Jumeirah, yaitu Nakheel Properties yang merupakan pengembang properti terkemuka dunia yang dimiliki oleh pemerintah Uni Emirat Arab dan berkantor pusat di Dubai.

    Tanpa ragu, aku mulai menaiki anak tangga menuju pintu masuk pusat perbelanjaan yang memiliki luas enam hektar tersebut. Jalur tangga yang lebar itu dibelah oleh lintasan The Palm Monorail yang mengarah ke ujung pulau.

    Di ujung anak tangga, tepatnya satu lantai diatasnya, tampak deretan restoran dan cafe yang menebarkan bau harum di sekitar pintu masuk. Vapiano adalah salah satu restoran yang masih kuingat namanya karena menampilkan kesibukan dalam melayani tamu-tamunya yang duduk di balkonnya.

    Memasuki pintu mall, aku melihat bahwa segenap interiornya masih tampak baru. Aku mulai menyusuri bagian demi bagian dari Lantai 1. Merasakan kemegahan pusat perbelanjaan terkenal di Dubai tersebut.

    Decorative lighting tampak dominan tertampil di tiang-tiang raksasa pusat perbelanjaan tersebut. Menjadikan tiang-tiang pancang itu sebagai komponen dekoratif yang membuat Nakheel Mall lebih elegan. Aku menemukan logo CINMAR Lighting Systems sebagai aktor utama yang mengembangkan sistem pencahayaan di mall megah tersebut.

    Kuperhatikan bahwa Lantai 1 didominasi oleh beberapa outlet food and beverage. Berdasarkan informasi promosi yang kudapatkan, tak kurang dari 300 outlet yang menempati seluruh lantai di Nakheel Mall, baik outlet F&B, fashion, sport, entertainment dan lain sebagainya. Oulet-outlet itu terbuka untuk pengunjung dari pukul 10 pagi hingga pukul 10 malam.

    Entrance Gate Nakheel Mall.
    Le Pain Quotidien (Toko roti internasional) asal Belgia.
    Ecco (produsen sepatu asal Denmark) dan Starbucks membuka outlet bersisian di Lantai 1.

    Naik ke Lantai 2, aku mencoba mengulik lebih dalam tentang apa saja yang menonjol di dalam pusat perbelanjaan itu. Di lantai inilah aku menemukan beberapa promosi yang mengajak pengunjung untuk mengunjungi Trèsind Studio.  Trèsind Studio sendiri adalah restoran terbaik ke empat di Dubai serta memiliki Chef Himanshu sebagai chef terbaik no.75 di dunia versi The Best Chef Awards in 2021.

    Terus menanjak ke lantai teratas, maka dengan jelas aku melihat bahwa pertunjukan film di pusat perbelanjaan ini difasilitasi oleh Vox Cinemas yang merupakan jaringan bisokop dan perfilman terbesar di Timur Tengah.

    Beberapa waktu kemudian aku mulai turun dari Lantai 5 yang menjadi lantai teratas shopping mall tersebut. Aku berniat mencukupkan kunjunganku di Nakheel Mall untuk segera mengeksplorasi lebih mendalam Kawasan residensial Palm Jumeirah.

    Jejak penyambutan Natal di Nakhell Mall.
    Pohon Natal yang cantik.
    Tolietnya bersih dan wangi.
    Terintegrasi dengan The Palm Monorail di Nakheel Mall Station.
    Nakheel Mall dilihat dari jalanan.
    The Palm Tower, hotel bintang lima dengan 52 lantai yang terintegrasi dengan Nakheel Mall. Lantai tertingginya digunakan untuk wisata melihat Kawasan Palm Jumeirah dengan 360 derajat sudut pandang.

    Melalui escalator, aku segera menuruni lantai demi lantai hingga benar-benar keluar dari exit gate Nakheel Mall. Tampak beberapa bus milik mall berdatangan menurunkan penumpang. Bus-bus berukuran kecil tersebut adalah Nakheel Mall Complimentary Shuttle Service yang mengambil pengunjung dari hotel-hotel mewah di dalam kota Dubai dan kompleks-kompleks perumahan di sekitar Kawasan Palm Jumeirah.

    Okay….Nge-mallnya udahan yaa….

    Yuk, ke tempat lainnya….

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service: Shin-imamiya Station to Kansai Airport Station

    The first eight days of the new year, still tightly binding both eyes. Revenge for my frozen body last night during the New Year’s Eve celebration at Dōtonbori Canal by the warmth of Hotel Kaga blanket was something I considered draw. But in the end, only a thing was able to force my eyes not to close anymore, i.e Air Busan BX 123 flight at exactly 11:00 am, because as usual, for international flights, four hours before flight time I will start my journey to the airport.

    Almost seven o’clock, I jumped up, grabbed a hotel’s white towel, bathroom amenities and immediately headed out of the room to shared bathroom at the end of corridor. Hotel Kaga’s bathroom is quite spacious for a backpacker. In the form of a two-part space, i.e a partition with glass and a sink and a bath capsule with a warm shower. Long time under a warm shower is my bad habit, because warm water is very effective in expelling fatigued leg muscles which is my main asset in every trip….Yup, especially if it’s not for walking tens of kilometers throughout the adventure.

    After taking a shower, I nonchalantly crossed hotel corridor only wrapped in a towel and flip-flops. Making some passing hotel guests look surprised. “Ah, I only met once with them…. Let it go,” I thought, starting to be fun.

    In the room I immediately cleaned up, put on a t-shirt with a black long john, cotton trousers to keep my body temperature, a pair of boots and started packing all my things into a blue Eiger 45L backpack which I borrowed from a friend at work (too bad, just borrow a backpack) .

    I went down to the lobby using elevator and immediately handed over my room key at reception desk.

    “Thank you for staying at our hotel. Have a nice trip, Sir”, a receptionist who was still the same, on duty from last night, smiled as she handed me the deposit money.

    “You’re welcome. Very happy to stay at Hotel Kaga …. A good hotel”, I casually answered. “See you, Sir”.

    “See you”, he waved his hand and was still smiling.

    I headed back down street towards Shin-imamiya Station, the station I first landed on when I entered downtown. That’s  the only station closest to my hotel and Nankai-Kuko Line train which goes to Kansai International Airport (KIX).

    The five meter wide alleys began to wriggle, leaving the remnants of last night’s New Year celebrations. I quickly walked through several alleys without enjoying the atmosphere, I’ve passed it a few times though. Taking a copy to Abiko-suji Avenue, I arrived at Shin-imamiya Station within five minutes of leaving the hotel.

    Entering the station gate, my eyes immediately looking for ticketing vending machine. I got it easily. A ticket worth 1,060 Yen was finally in my hands and I immediately docked at e JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service platform.

    JR Kansai Airport Rapid Service Ticket.

    The airport service train arrived on time, I entered one of its carriages and shortly after sitting down, the train sped away. I returned to enjoying the trip again like when I first took the same train when I arrived in Osaka. The first sight that be presented was the atmosphere of a densely built urban area in Nishinari, Sumiyoshi and Suminoe City Districts. After crossing Yamoto River, the atmosphere changed to an area of ​​agricultural land in Kishiwada and Izumisano areas. Then the train crossed the ocean in Osaka Bay after a bit of climbing an overpass in Rinku Town. After crossing sea bridge along five kilometers, the train arrived at Kansai-Airport Station.

    Urban area in Osaka.

    As soon as the train stopped at platform, I immediately jumped out of the carriage to departure hall of Kansai International Airport, the winner of Skytrax’s Best Low Cost Airline Terminal in the World.

    One of the first destinations upon arrival at the airport….Yes, money changer.

  • Al Ittihad Park: Rindang Diatas Tanah Reklamasi

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Aku tiba di Al Ittihad Park Station tepat pukul setengah empat sore. Udara masih panas tetapi surya sudah tak seterik beberapa jam sebelumnya. Menuruni gerbong monorail di Lantai 2, aku kemudian turun ke Lantai 1 untuk keluar dari barisan ticket collection gate dan kemudian turun lagi menuju Ground Floor untuk tiba di Al Ittihad Park.

    Interior taman pertama yang dominan terlihat di Al Ittihad Park ketika turun dari stasiun monorail adalah jogging track sintetis berwarna merah. Menurut penanda jarak yang kudapatkan di sepanjang jogging track tersebut, maka aku dapat mengetahui bahwa panjang lintasan jogging track itu adalah dua setengah kilometer. Jeda-jeda penanda jarak itu tertampil jelas di jalur lintasan. Secara desain, tampak bahwa jogging track itu melingkari taman.

    Interior berikutnya yang bisa kuingat adalah deretan rapi pepohonan besar yang tumbuh subur dan rindang di kiri-kanan jogging track. Tanaman yang paling mudah dikenali adalah pohon kurma yang merupakan tanaman khas Jazirah Arab. Tapi setidaknya terdapat tak kurang dari enam puluh spesies tumbuhan asli Uni Emirat Arab yang ditanam di Al Ittihad Park.

    Jogging track didesain mengelilingi taman 360 derajat penuh.
    Pohon-pohon yang rindang.

    Karena taman ini dibangun diatas tanah reklamasi berpasir maka seperti yang dilakukan pada negara-negara Arab pada umumnya, bahwa taman ini dilengkapi dengan uluran panjang selang air yang berfungsi untuk menjaga tanaman tetap survive di teriknya cuaca gurun. Papan-papan nama tanaman tampak terpampang di sepanjang taman disertai dengan penjelan detail mengenai tanaman tersebut.

    Sedangkan tepat di bawah jalur The Palm Monorail, dibuatlah sungai artificial dengan lapisan plastik hitam di dasarnya. Bunyi gemercik air yang mengalir di sepanjang sungai artificial membuat suasana di sekitar taman terasa lebih tenang di tengah gaduhnya kota megapolitan Dubai.

    Sedangkan peralatan olah raga tersebar merata di sekitar taman sebagai alat bantu pengunjung untuk melakukan akivitas kebugaran ringan di sepanjang taman.

    Terhipnotis dengan rindangnya Al Ittihad Park, maka aku terus melangkah menuju sebelah barat taman. Sepanjang kaki melangkah, aku menyaksikan keberadaan sebaran tiang lampu taman, dari yang mungil hingga berukuran panjang, semuanya tetap mengikuti kaidah futuristik.

    Al Ittihad Park sendiri diresmikan penggunaannya sekitar satu dekade silam. Sengaja dibangun demi memperingati perayaan Hari Nasional Uni Emirat Arab ke-41.

    Apakah kamu mengetahui arti dari kata “Al Ittihad” ?….Al Ittihad artinya adalah “Persatuan”.

    The Palm Monorail.
    Sungai artificial.

    Selain untuk memperingati Hari Nasional negara, Al Ittihad Park dibangun dengan tujuan untuk menyediakan fasilitas bersantai bagi penduduk yang tinggal di kawasan Palm Jumeirah. Selain itu, Al Ittihad Park sekaligus berperan sebagai lokasi wisata alam bagi para turis yang berminat untuk memahami secara lebih mendalam mengenai serba-serbi tanaman yang jenisnya sangat beragam di Uni Emirat Arab.

    Buat kamu yang memiliki hobby nongkrong di taman sambil mencicipi kuliner atau berbelanja maka Al Ittihad Park menyediakan banyak cafe dan restoran yang terletak memanjang di sisi selatan taman. Tampak beberapa brand ternama terpampang di sepanjang taman, seperti Starbucks dan Baskin Robbins. Sementara brand-brand non-kuliner lain juga tampak mencolok seperti Organic Foods & Cafe, UAE Exchange, Marina Pharmacy, Topsretch Gym, sebuah kantor polisi dan Playgroup. Kesemua outlet itu terkonsentrasi pada Golden Mile Building yang memiliki sebelas lantai.

    Sedangkan untuk menjaga kebersihan dan kerapihan taman, maka tempat sampah di atur sedemikian rupa sehingga mudah sekali di temukan. Atap-atap berbahan kain juga disediakan di beberapa titik yang berfungsi sebagai perlindungan dari teriknya sang surya bagi anak-anak yang sedang bermain.

    Sementara itu, fasilitas pamungkas yang disediakan pengelola Palm Jumeirah demi memudahkan warga dalam mengunjungi Al Ittihad Park adalah tempat parkir umum yang cukup luas untuk kendaraan roda empat.

    Aktivitas warga beserta keluarganya.
    Fasilitas olah raga.
    Kedai Starbucks di salah satu titik Golden Mile Building.

    Kiranya Al Ittihad Park telah meninggalkan kesan mendalam dalam petualanganku di Dubai.

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • Dōtonbori Canal: Failed New Year’s Countdown

    “Hi Sir, have fun and enjoy the New Year’s Eve”, the friendly receptionist with glasses managed to guess my intentions when I was about to leave the lobby of Hotel Kaga.

    “Hi, you know that….Hahaha….You too, Sir. See you”, I lightly joked.

    “See you, Sir”, the receptionist was still smiling.

    I started walking on street with the ambient temperature near zero degrees Celsius. My face froze as I followed my swing of steps towards Dobutsuen-mae Station. For the third time I passed Saka-suji Avenue.

    “Tonight there will be a lot of drunk people on the streets”, I thought reminding my logic to continue to be careful even though Japan is a safe country.

    My Enjoy Eco Card was still effective until that night to explore underground alleys of Osaka City. Now I was driving with Osaka Metro Midosuji Line carriage to Namba Station. I purposely put Dōtonbori Canal as my last destination in Osaka City and I cleverly placed it during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

    “Surely there will be lively”, I excitedly thought.

    The train I was in was full. Some of them were not Japanese faces. Surely they were travelers who intended a same thing as me, enjoying New Year’s Eve. My journey to Namba Station went very quickly because from Dobutsuen-mae Station there wasn’t a single station which I passed. I would be there in ten minutes.

    Exiting the gates of Namba Station, I walked along Mido-suji Avenue. Keep heading north. My estimate was that it would only take ten minutes to reach Dōtonbori Canal. But it was been twenty minutes I still haven’t arrived.

    “Wow …. I must have strayed”, my face began to wry.

    I ventured to ask a traffic policeman who seemed to be on guard on a side of sidewalk.

    “Sir, do you know where is this place?”, I opened my phone and showed a neon Glico board with a picture of famous running man.

    He kindly smiled and nodded while joking excitedly “Oh…There….There”.

    “Thank you very much, Sir”, I waved as I walked away from him.

    “You ale welcome”, the policeman looked around again.

    Ten minutes of retracing the path I had taken earlier, I saw several groups of European tourists heading in a direction. I was sure that was where I was headed. I followed that group of tourists. Sure enough, they were also headed for Dōtonbori Canal.

    I was at Dōtonbori Canal.
    Glico neon sign with a running man.
    Famous landmark in Osaka.

    The Dōtonbori Canal at ten o’clock was already lively. The body of canal was filled with tourists, while restaurants and bars seemed to be full. Rich tourists would prefer to wait for New Year’s Eve from restaurants and bars which offer warm air. But I decided to wait for it at the bank of canal, wandering around here and there, trying to enjoy the atmosphere even though I was distracted by freezing air of Osaka.

    An hour passed as I walked along each side of canal, then I took my place under the bridge, hoping to find some warm air. But in vain, the air had fallen below zero degrees Celsius. When I couldn’t stand the freezing air, I rushed to a Takoyaki stall. I deliberately queued, waited for order, and ate it for a long time in front of stall to get exposure to warm air which gushed from stall’s stove.

    Clinging to the stove for warmth.

    Almost half an hour I took advantage of that situation to manipulate cold temperature. Until finally I kicked myself out because the queue of buyers started to get crowded. I returned to the canal half an hour before New Year’s countdown.

    As I struggled back against the cold on a side of the canal, I heard faintly familiar language and accents.

    “Ngenteni kene wae cah, ra sah adoh adoh (just waiting here, bro, not too far)” a fainty setence was heard, it was Javanese Language.

    I looked back, four men and two of them with long hair were sitting on the side of canal, holding a large bottle of alcohol. It was indeed an effective way of fighting the cold. It reminded me of a alcoholic drink I had because I bought the wrong one at Narita International Airpot on other day. But I haven’t given up, I won’t drink it.

    I continued to endure the growing cold. My hands started to go numb. But I tried to stay calm. Until finally five minutes before the countdown arrived. Tourists began pouring in along the sides of canal, restaurants and bars abandoned. Everyone hoped there would be an elegant fireworks display. Until the time came, the count really began.

    “Tennnn….Nineeee….Eightttt….”, the count was getting louder

    “Threeee…..Twoooo….Oneeee…..Happyyyy Newwww Yeearrrr”, but everyone felt silent for three seconds.

    The atmosphere of Dotonbori Canal remain quiet, nothing special. Fifteen minutes later it was still the same, quiet.

    “Ah, failed miserably”, I was getting annoyed.

    Other tourists began too complain. There would be no fireworks display. Until finally ten young Japanese took the initiative to acquire the atmosphere by climbing bridge railing. They took off their clothes and left their underwear in freezing cold. Then one of them started screaming.

    “Threeee….Twoooo….Oneeee”, while swerving jumping like a beautiful jumper with their head plunged into the water first.

    “Byurrrrr…”

    Then the same behavior began to be carried out by their friend who was ready and standing on bridge railing. Counting to three countdowns, his turn jumped into the water. And the show stopped until the tenth person. At least what they did could cure the disappointment of all visitors to Dōtonbori Canal.

    The diving show was over.

    By one o’clock in the morning. The air which initially felt warmer because of the crowd of hundreds of visitors was finally disbanded. The temperature quickly cooled back as visitors began to leave the Dōtonbori Canal. I started going from that place towards Namba Station.

    A few minutes later, Osaka Metro took me back to Dobutsuen-mae Station. I was very lucky that my Enjoy Eco Card (One Day Pass) was still valid even though it had passed the expiration date, which was 00:00 am. Maybe this would be a bonus from Osaka Metro for New Year celebration.

    Until Dobutsuen-mae Station, then I left it at a brisk pace. Saka-suji Avenue was deserted, even my steps was marked by an incident of a drunk driver who stopped his car in the middle of road until several people tried to push him to side. At an intersection I turned along with hearing  a greeting“Helloooo….Happyyyy Newwww Yearrrr, Sirrrr”, a man was riding a bicycle with his right hand holding a bottle of alcoholic drink.

    “Happy New Year, sir”, I replied to show friendliness.

    Until finally my steps arrived at Hotel Kaga. I felt relieved that I came in hotel safely without less anything. The receptionist was still faithful to his duties, waiting for his desk with discipline.

    “Are you happy, Sir?….Good luck for you in the new year”, he smiled at me.

    “Sure, Sir…I hope so for you”, I replied. “It’s time to sleep”.

    “Yeah….Heve a good sleep, Sir”

    I left him for the lift, it took me to third floor. I unsteadily stepped into room. Entering the room, taking off my boots, pulling up the folding bed, and without taking a shower, I immediately threw myself down and quickly fell asleep.

    Meanwhile, the bottle of alcoholic drink which had been swallowed by accident two days ago was gracefully standing on a small table in my room. Yess, I didn’t touch it on New Year’s Eve. That means, the alcoholic beverage bottle adventure ended early that morning. Because by noon I would leave Osaka and heading to Busan.

    South Korea, I was coming!

  • The Palm Monorail: Teknologi dari Chiyoda

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Palm Jumeirah Monorail Footbridge.
    Interior dari Palm Jumeirah Monorail Footbridge.
    Tampak Arjaan Rotana Hotel (gedung dengan ujung setengah lingkaran) di sisi selatan King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street.
    Burj Al Arab tampak di sisi utara King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street

    Aku keluar dari Palm Jumeirah Station hampir pukul tiga sore. Usai menaiki Dubai Tram, aku melangkah ke utara menuju Palm Jumeirah Monorail Footbridge. Jembatan pejalan kaki itu mengangkangi jalur Dubai Tram dan King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, lalu terhubung dengan gedung parkir milik Palm Jumeira Gateway Towers, sebuah gedung apartemen kelas atas di Distrik Al Sufouh.

    Lepas menyusuri Palm Jumeirah Monorail Footbridge, aku dihadapkan pada gedung parkir apartemen lantai 3 yang terintegrasi dengan The Palm Gateway Station yang merupakan stasiun pertama dari The Palm Monorail.

    Hanya ada lima stasiun yang dilewati oleh The Palm Monorail, keempat stasiun yang lain adalah Al Ittihad Park Station, Nakheel Mall Station, The Points Station dan Atlantis Aquaventure Station. Jalur monorail ini membentang dari timur ke barat sepanjang lima kilometer. Dikembangkan oleh Hitachi Monorail yang merupakan perusahaan pengembangan monorail yang bermarkas di Chiyoda, Jepang.

    Kembali ke Palm Jumeira Gateway Towers dengan 14 lantai yang menyediakan lantai ketiganya untuk diintegrasikan dengan jalur monorail dan Dubai Tram sekaligus. Melalui lorong-lorong gedung parkir apartemen akhirnya aku tiba juga di The Palm Gateway Station.

    Aku tak terburu-buru membeli tiket melainkan berusaha mencerna semua papan informasi yang berada di seantero bangunan stasiun. Tiba pada papan informasi tarif, aku menangkap informasi bahwa The Palm Monorail hanya menyediakan tarif gratis menuju Nakheel Mall, mungkin pengelola Palm Jumeirah mempunyai maksud supaya para pengunjung mau berbelanja di Nakheel Mall.

    Tapi karena tujuanku adalah menelusuri Kawasan Palm Jumeirah, oleh karenanya aku memilih untuk menuju ke Al Ittihad Park Station. Tarif untuk menuju ke sana adalah 15 Dirham pulang pergi (round trip).

    Maka usai membeli tiket di konter, aku segera menuju platform melalu ticket collection gate yang dijaga oleh petugas.

    Gedung parkir milik Palm Jumeira Gateway Towers.
    Berburu tiket The Palm Monorail.
    Platform milik The Palm Gateway Station.

    Selang beberapa waktu, monorail itu tiba. Aku menaiki salah satu dari tiga gerbong monorail. Aku menganggapnya di gerbong depan karena kaca di depanku meluncur menuju stasiun paling ujung. Bangku monorail itu cukup mewakilkan kemewahan The Palm Monorail karena terbuat dari sofa lembut. Sedangkan jalur monorail itu berjajar bersisian dengan jalur kendaraan roda empat di sisi utaranya.

    Hanya perlu waktu lima menit menggunakan monorail untuk menempuh jarak tak lebih dari dua kilometer. Akhirnya aku turun di Al Ittihad Park Station.

    Interior The Palm Monorail.
    Jalur kendaraan roda empat menuju kawasan Palm Jumeirah.
    Tiba di Al Ittihad Park Station.

    Rasa penasaran yang teramat sangat, membuatku segera melangkah keluar dari pintu stasiun….Dan sebuah taman nan luas menyambut kehadiranku.

    Al Ittihad Park….

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • Channel No 63 Hotel Kaga

    That night was New Year’s Eve. This was the first time I would enjoy New Year abroad, Osaka to be exact. Inevitably I had intended to enjoy how lively Osaka night was on New Year’s Eve Countdown.

    But it was only 5 p.m when I finished very late lunch menu. I left a home-based restaurant whcih stood in an alley in America-mura, after enjoying its chicken ramen.

    Now I have a intention which I must fulfill….Yupz, SLEEP.

    I couldn’t hide my drowsines after only sleeping at Kansai International Airport for four hours all night. I myself didn’t want to attend New Year’s countdown without fresh face that night.

    “See you America-mura”, I jokingly thought as I stepped out of an alley and began to step at Mido-suji Avenue towards Shinsaibashi Station. It was almost six-thirty in the afternoon when I started boarding Osaka Metro to Dobutsuen-mae Station on Midosuji Line.

    From Dobutsuen-mae Station, I continued on walking along Saka-suji Avenue to reach the inn. I slowly entered Haginochaya area and soon arrived at Hotel Kaga.

    “Hello, Mr. Donny. So afternoon you arrive”, male receptionist with glasses lightly greeted me then stood up from his chair and swiftly took my blue backpack.

    “Yes, Sir. Osaka is very interesting, so I will regret it if I come back to hotel too early”, I caught backpack he handed me.

    “I think I should sleep to prepare myself for New Year’s Eve tonight”

    “Yes, that’s a great idea, Sir”.

    I asked permission to immediately entering the room after he gave me a key. I already paid the hotel fare that morning when I left my backpack. I took a quick step towards lift whose doors were already open because someone was using it, then slid up to third floor. As soon as I arrived at the room, I immediately hung up my winter jacket, took off my boots, lowered my backpack, pulled the folding mattress and threw myself onto the mattress.

    A single room I booked a month before departure.
    Room costs 1,800 Yen per night.

    Zzzzz……..Zzzzz…..Zzzzz….I quickly drifted off to sleep because of my tired body and sleepy eyes.

    It was a little past nine-thirty when I automatically woke up. That’s how I am, if there is an intention to wake up at a certain hour then without even turning on the alarm then I will wake up automatically at that hour. I rarely miss, maybe this is a remnant of my childhood habit when I often got up long before dawn to study. #discipline

    I still felt lazy to get out of bed and continued to be comfortable with warm room. Keep imagining how uncomfortable it would be to travel outside where the temperature was almost zero degrees Celsius. I grabbed the TV remote beside me, I just realized that before I went to sleep I had turned on the TV. Practically the TV was watching me when I sleep, not me watching it.

    Want to watch Japanese TV shows….Beware with its surprise!

    Of course I didn’t know what was being said on every Japanese television show. All I know was a reality show about romance, quizzes with prizes or guessing some cases and events on the evening news. I continued to explore further until channel numbered above 40. Several sporting events as well as flora and fauna began to appear. Now the channel was at 60. I kep exploring….

    61….62….

    I was suddenly shocked when I entered CHANNEL NO. 63. How not, it is an uncensored adult film channel. My God, what was this…..I would try to skip it, moved on to the next channel. Not long ago moved, for some reason this hand was always curious to press the shortcut to CHANNEL NO. 63, then tried to resist and switching to another channel again. Gosh….Then switch again to CHANNEL NO. 63…..The “Black-White” battle seemed fierce in my mind. Until finally didn’t feel the time was showing nine o’clock.

    It was about time I went to New Year’s celebrations with Osakans and other tourists out there. I had read the announcements at many stations that afternoon that Osaka Metro’s operating hours would be extended well past the early hours of the morning. That was good news and I didn’t have to break into my pocket to find a taxi when I got back.

    I put my boots back on and put my two jackets on to fight the cold. Remember when I accidentally drank alcohol at Narita International Airport?. Yups, that alcoholic drink was still there and only one drink less at that time. I put it in my winter jacket pocket and I used it as a precaution. I have to be prepared if temperature outside got too extreme in the middle of night….WHO KNOWS?….But hopefully I won’t have to drink it again until my adventure in Osaka was over.

  • Menjajal Dubai Tram: Memahami Rute

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Aku meninggalkan Burj Khalifa setelah hampir satu jam berada di halaman depannya. Terik surya masih saja menyengat, tiupan angin yang menghembuskan udara kering terus menghantam badan yang semakin basah dengan peluh.

    Aku mempercepat langkah atas kondisi itu….

    Beberapa menit kemudian, aku sudah memasuki Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa Station yang menawarkan suhu dingin di dalamnya. Aku memasuki lift demi menuju platform, untuk kemudian bertemu dengan seorang pria muda berperawakan India.

    Semenjak lift naik ke atas maka terjadilah percakapan ringan di dalamnya. Sebut saja namanya Ahmed, seorang pegawai kantoran yang sedang menuju ke kantor. Dia telah bekerja sebagai seorang professional di Dubai sejak tiga tahun silam.

    “It’s very interesting to visiting many countries like what you do, Donny”, begitulah dia tertarik dengan segenap pengalaman yang kuceritakan dalam waktu singkat kepadanya.

    “Sometimes, I will do like what you do, Surely”, Ahmed menambahkan.

    Percakapan kami akhirnya terputus dengan hadirnya Dubai Metro berwarna biru langit. Aku menaiki gerbong tengah sedangkan Ahmed tercecer di gerbong lain. Kondisi penumpang yang penuh sesak, memaksaku berdiri hingga di tujuan akhir.

    Melintasi jalur merah (red line) Dubai Metro yang merupakan jalur layang dari arah utara menuju selatan sejauh hampir 20 km maka dalam tiga puluh menit aku tiba di DAMAC Properties Station. DAMAC Properties sendiri adalah perusahaan pengembangan properti yang cukup terkenal di Dubai.

    Dubai Metro Red Line (Menuju DAMAC Properties Station).
    Penampakan Burj Al Arab dari dalam Dubai Metro.
    Nah, itu dia DAMAC Properties Station….Yukz, turun.

    Perjalanan pendek bertarif 5 Dirham itu berhasil menurunkanku di DAMAC Properties Station, aku diarahkan menuju koridor skywalk yang gagah mengangkangi Sheikh Zayed Toll Road. Jalan tol itu sendiri memiliki enam jalur di setiap ruasnya.

    Di tengah skywalk, aku mencoba mengamati sekitar dan mencoba memahami rute transportasi massal di tempatku berdiri. Tampak di depan arahku melangkah adalah ujung skywalk dengan gerbang DAMAC Properties Station yang berlokasi di utara jalan tol. Sedangkan jalur tram tampak terlihat tepat di sisi utara Sheikh Zayed Toll Road. Itu artinya jalur Dubai Tram berada di pertengahan DAMAC Properties Station Gate sisi utara dan selatan.

    Sejenak aku menikmati lalu lalang tram dari koridor skywalk, tampak tram dengan tujuh gerbong pendek melintas anggun di lintasan.

    Jalur Dubai Tram sendiri terletak di Distrik Al Sufouh. Memiliki lintasan sepanjang hampir 15 kilometer. Telah melayani rute lebih dari delapan tahun, menggolongkan tram ini sebagai moda transportasi baru di Dubai. Jalur tram ini membentang dari Al Sufouh Station di utara menuju Jumeirah Beach Residence 2 Station di selatan. Serta memiliki koneksi ke moda transportasi lainnya yaitu Palm Jumeirah Monorail di Palm Jumeirah Station.

    Skywalk menuju jalur Dubai Tram.
    Sheikh Zayed Road Toll Road tampak dari skywalk.
    Itu tuh Dubai Tram lagi lewat.

    Karena stasiun Dubai Tram yang terkoneksi dengan DAMAC Properties Station tempatku turun dari Dubai Metro adalah Dubai Marina Station, maka aku akan menuju tujuan berikutnya dari stasiun tram tersebut.

    Dalam waktu kurang dari sepuluh menit, tram itu tiba dan aku menaikinya di gerbong tengah. Mengambil posisi berdiri aku menaiki tram tersebut dengan penuh rasa kagum. “Kapan ya Jakarta punya tram bagus kek gini?”, aku membatin dan berharap.

    Meluncur bersama penumpang lainnya, aku melintasi Marina Towers Station, Mina Seyahi Station dan Media City Station sebelum akhirnya tiba di stasiun tujuan, yaitu Palm Jumeirah Station. Biaya perjalanan menggunakan tram ini sangatlah terjangkau, hanya 3 Dirham saja.

    Aku bergeas turun ketika tram itu berhenti dan bersiap untuk melangkah di koridor penghubung antara jalur Dubai Tram dan jalur Palm Jumeirah Monorail.

    Dubai Marina Station, titik awalku menaiki Dubai Tram.
    Begini wujud Dubai Tram dari jarak dekat.
    Yukz, naik Dubai Tram…
    Aku turun di Palm Jumeirah Station.

    Aku bersiap mencicipi moda transportasi massal ke empat di Dubai, yaitu Palm Jumeirah Monorail.

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->

  • Coins in America-mura

    From Namba Station I took Osaka Metro on Midosuji Line, not a single station which I passed, I got off at Shinsaibashi Station. Then started to taking steps south down Mido-suji Avenue. Mido-suji Avenue itself is a four-lane street flanked by slow lanes on either side. The slow lane and the fast lane are limited by rows of shady trees which are neatly arranged following the contours of road.

    In the next three hundred meters, I would be at America-mura. Its close enough distance from Namba Parks made me interested in visiting the place at same time.

    America-mura or as people call it Amemura is a nine-block American-designed village located right on the east side of Mido-suji Avenue, in Chūō-ku City District to be exact. The village is bounded in south by Dōtonbori Canal, to the north by Nagahori-dori Avenue while to the east by Osaka Metro Yotsubashi Line. America-mura occupies a land area of ​​no less than sixteen hectares. Wide isn’t it?

    In front of New American Plaza.

    Adopting American lifestyle, this area is very thick with the “Uncle Sam” brand. Entering an alley, my steps were greeted by a Starbucks outlet and a McDonald’s outlet following after. Fashion shops with Levi’s, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein logos and other well-known brands were very easy to find.

    The alley in America-mura area is no more than five meters wide. Narrow path makes it be a one-way street. Street light pole is designed like a skinny and tall living character. Mural art is also easy to find on every side of America-mura. Along the edge of sidewalk installed bollards to protect pedestrians. Meanwhile, bicycle rentals are scattered at various points.

    As long as you walk, America-mura is indeed designed as a place to shop. Fashion shops lined up very tightly cramming every side of road combined with bars, minimarkets, restaurants and of course lodging.

    After almost an hour exploring every corner of Americamura, I was starting to feel hungry. The tantalizing aroma of East Asian food consistently scented the streets. I decided to start looking for a place to eat. Luckily, most restaurants in America-ura display their flagship menu prices at their doorstep. So each visitor can choose food according to their interests. As for me, it wasn’t about menu, I looked at each menu on display just to see what the lowest price was. It took a long time to find a restaurant to get pocket-friendly prices.

    My steps finally stopped at a home-based restaurant which offering a frugal menu. This restaurant was managed by house owner and assisted by his son who seemed to be still in elementary school.

    I sat on a corner seat opposite a table with a young office woman who seemed eager to eat noodle dish in front of her. I ordered chicken ramen and as usual for drinking, I relied on water provided in the teapot at every restaurant table. While sitting, I noticed the child’s agility in delivering orders after his father finished processing the menu.

    Shortly after ordering, my chicken ramen came. I ate it while cracking a slurp of noodles in the bowl, of course I wanted to respect and showed that the restaurant owner’s chicken ramen was so delicious. The chicken ramen was gone in no less than fifteen minutes.

    Nyammm….

    Now I presented the next silence. I purposely paid with coins. Because I have a lot of coins accumulated from my adventures in Tokyo. When the boy handed a bill on small tray, I spilled a coin worth 600 Yen on the tray. The boy looked troubled and nervous to counting it. I just smiled amused to see him when he had to repeat in counting coins. The office woman next to my seat was laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.

    Feeling given up in counting, he ran the tray over to counter and handed it to his father to counting. After finishing counting, his father wrote something on bill paper and his boy came back to me. Oh, his father wrote that I paid less than 12 Yen. I made up for it and the boy broadly smiled at me. I smiled back at him and started packing to leave the restaurant.

  • Burj Khalifa: Bahagia Itu Sederhana

    <—-Kisah Sebelumnya

    Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Station.
    The Address Sky View Tower.
    Salah satu gedung futuristik di Downtown Dubai.

    Suka cita menguasai ruang hati ketika aku melompat turun dari Dubai Metro dan berdiri di sisi platform Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Station. Setelah bersabar sekian lama, akhirnya aku benar-benar akan melawat di bawah cipta arsitektur tertinggi di seantero dunia, apalagi kalau bukan Burj Khalifa.

    Mengunjungi karya-karya arsitektur tertinggi memang bukan kali ini saja bagiku. Di Malaysia, aku berkali-kali mengunjungi Petronas Twin Tower. Di Thailand, aku bahkan menetap di salah satu yang tertinggi di Bangkok, Baiyoke Sky Hotel. Di Hong Kong, aku mengunjungi The Bank of China. Di Macau aku pernah singgah di Macau Tower. Di Korea, aku mengunjungi Namsan Tower. Namun….Mengunjungi Burj Khalifa akan menjadi sejarah baru nan epik dalam petualanganku kali ini.

    Seturun dari kereta, aku sedikit mengalami kebingungan ketika dihadapkan pada percabangan koridor. Maka bertanyalah aku kepada petugas keamanan Dubai Metro yang sedang bertugas.

    “That is the exit gate towards Burj Khalifa, Sir”, dia menunjuk pada sebuah pintu di sisi kanan bawah, cabang tambahan dari koridor utama. Koridor utama sendiri terintegrasi dengan The Dubai Mall.

    Demi menghemat waktu maka aku mengindahkan shopping mall terbesar di Dubai itu, aku memilih keluar dari exit gate yang ditunjuk oleh petugas keamanan Dubai Metro.

    Sewaktu kemudian, aku telah berada di jalanan Dubai kembali di bawah terik surya. Aku mulai merubah haluan langkah ke kiri, menyusuri jalanan di sisi kanan bawah koridor utama menuju The Dubai Mall. Sengatan surya yang membuat perih kulit memaksaku untuk sesekali bersembunyi di bayangan pohon-pohon palem yang berada di sepanjang jalan. Sementara bangunan besar The Dubai Mall tampak perkasa terlihat ke kiri depan, sedangkan Burj Khalifa setinggi 828 meter sungguh menjulang di kanan depan.

    Pada satu titik jalan di atas sebuah underpass, aku menyeberang ke sisi lain jalanan yang padat lalu lintas demi mendekat ke arah bangunan 160 lantai tersebut. Tajamnya siraman sinar surya hampir saja menjadikanku seorang pengecut siang itu.

    Begitu gembiranya hati, ketika penampakan utuh gedung yang dikembangkan oleh Emaar Properties itu berada dalam pandangan. Ujung runcingnya memantulkan sinar surya dalam silau yang mencuri perhatian dari kejauhan, sementara dinding bangunan itu mencerminkan warna langit ke segenap arah.

    Sementara beberapa gedung pencakar langit lain tampak mendampingi Burj Khalifa di sekelilingnya. Aku telah tiba di Downtown Dubai, pusat pariwisata termasyhur milik Uni Emirat Arab.

    Aku yang tak sabaran, mempercepat langkah kaki. Kini aku tiba di jalanan utama beralaskan batuan andesit yang halus nan mengkilap….Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard namanya. Nama jalan ini diambil dari nama Perdana Menteri Uni Emirat Arab.

    Kendaraan-kendaraan mewah berlalu-lalang di sepanjang jalan tersebut, meninggalkan nada decit roda yang bergesekan dengan alas jalanan, memekakkan telinga dan membuat ngilu. Kemewahan kendaraan yang tertampil di sepanjang jalan tersebut dan tepat di hadapan bangunan mewah Burj Khalifa telah mengintimidasi tingkat kemakmuranku. Aku sontak menjadi bukan siapa-siapa di area prestisius itu….Damn, “Ini kawasan orang-orang tajir”, batinku tersenyum kecut.

    Dengan menyeberangi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, tibalah aku di dasar Burj Khalifa.

    Naik ke atas Burj Khalifa?

    Oh….tentu tidak, itu tidak memberiku opsi. Selain membuatku kehilangan destinasi lain, tentu aktivitas itu akan menghamburkan 216 Dirham dari kantongku. Bagiku, berada di halamannya saja sudah cukup membuatku bahagia. Buatku bahagia itu sederhana….Eittttt.

    Aku lama terduduk dan tertegun dengan rupa arsitektur agung tersebut, gedung yang salah satu sisinya tampak seperti tangga beserta dinding lurus di sisi lain. Beberapa hari kemudian aku akan benar-benar melihat pucuk bangunan itu menusuk awan ketika aku memandangnya dalam fragmen singkat penerbangan Swiss Air LX 242 dari Dubai menuju Muscat.

    Spot foto menarik di sekitar Burj Khalifa.
    Spot foto menarik di sekitar Burj Khalifa.
    Gedung-gedung pencakar langit di Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.
    Halaman Burj Khalifa.
    Halaman Burj Khalifa.
    Nah itu dia Burj Khalifa.

    Duduk di dasar Burj Khalifa membuatku tak mampu merasakan waktu bergulir begitu cepat. Aku yang tadinya hanya seorang diri, kini para pengunjung mulai berdatangan, membuat suasana di sekitar halaman Burj Khalifa menjadi hidup. Keramaian itu didukung oleh spot-spot menarik nan instagramable di kaki-kaki raksasa Burj Khalifa.

    Aku rasa aku menjadi salah satu manusia yang sangat beruntung hari itu karena bisa berada sangat dekat dengan Burj Khalifa.

    Kisah Selanjutnya—->