Trip to Surabaya

This is my 1st trip in this 2014 and my 1st trip to Surabaya. I’m going with one of my best friend (and her best friend) from my last company in Jakarta before I’m going to Singapore and we still manage a good friendship until now and it’s our 1st trip also. It still in Indonesia, in Java island and only 1 hour less from Jakarta by flight, friendly people around there, so many food to eat and craving of, and magnificent landmark!! (and of course this is the nearest place to run away from reality work 😀 ) Will tell the story and the picture will follow in this blog. Keep reading guys and you will craving to go to this place 🙂

 

Day 1 (29 March 2014)

We going to Surabaya by flight with Citylink in early morning (I mean really early morning) and got there still early morning but kindly hot (I think we arrived about 7.30AM, still early right?). We got a cab, go to hotel and can’t check in yet, after that we going to have breakfast but we don’t know what we going to eat so asking my friend from Surabaya who knows he have some reference to eat (and he text me aloottt of food name that I can’t eat all because no time to taste it 😦 *sad* ), getting a cab (again) to find something to eat and killing time for hotel check-in, going to Tunjungan Plaza getting some coffee from Starbucks because the night before I’m still doing overtime until 12AM and it’s so sleepy! (I woke up 3.30AM and only sleep 1hour only), taking a cab (again!), back to hotel for check-in, take some nap and waiting another friend to come from Jakarta, getting shower, take another cab (again!!), go to dinner and going to Suramadu Bridge, Suro & Boyo Statue which is Shark & Crocodile Statue (one of the landmark in here), going back to Hotel and sleep.. That’s how I tell the stories in 1st day.. Nothing fun but seriously the fun day it’s coming right up guys 😉

 

Lontong Balap

Sate Kerang (Clam Satay)

Our Hotel Rooms

Bebek Pencit

Nasi Pecel

SuraMadu Bridge

Suro & Boyo Statue

Bamboo Runcing Statue

 

Day 2 & 3 (30-31 March 2014)

We wake up quite late and we got free breakfast from the hotel. Seriously the hotel is not 3 stars and quite small but having a good service and quite nice breakfast (not only fried rice with sunny side egg but complete meal). After that we going up, get shower, getting ready with all stuff and prepare the bag for check-out from the hotel (Yes! We only stay at Surabaya 1 day only), going to lunch (the best lunch ever in Surabaya!!), getting a cab after lunch to meet my friend cousin who stay in Surabaya at Tunjungan Plaza (again!!), get starbucks (again!!), getting bored with the mall and the cousin ask us going to visit the Heroes Monument and visit the Submarine Museum. So we walk to get a bus to Heroes Monument, take pictures there, act something crazy to photograph also, until it comes pouring rain so we get going again to take bus and walking to Submarine Museum. The 1st time I’m going to submarine museum and it’s huge on the outside but the truth is, when you going up there climbing in to the ship it’s very very very (what I mean is VERY) small inside. Even I find myself difficult to climb from one chamber to another chamber (maybe I’m too fat that time “-_- *pity me*). The room is very small, the bed maybe only 45cm depth (even I’m thinking how this guy sleep???). And to be honest, I’m proud and stunning to the all people around this world who wants do this job, living in those small ship for months (or maybe years?), not meeting with their beloved family and friends, the food just below standard, and so many more to sacrificed (even I can’t think about that!). So I’m really thankful to my good life and you should too be thankful for your own good life.

Pork Satay

Pork Stew

Silly face while bored

1st President of Indonesia

Freedom Forever!! @ Heroes Monument

Submarine Museum

me stuck in submarine 🙂

Fajar Restaurant

After we finish to see the museum and the video movie about the ship, we going take dinner back to Tunjungan Plaza (whaatt!!! again!!! Yes, again!) before we going midnight trip to Probolinggo. Actually on the 1st place we only going for 3 person (girls) to Bromo Mountain, We not prepared much, we don’t know the trip there, we don’t know what time we should go there and so many stuff so I ask my friend cousin who is 2 man to accompany us, enjoy the holiday rather nothing to do, having fun with us and of course can take care each other and more people more fun right? And they agree to come with us! (Thanks God!) So..after we having dinner n waiting the driver to come fetch us in Tunjungan Plaza, we take another Starbucks (what happen actually with this beverage until we so in love to take a zip of it? hahahaha…). And we going back to Hotel take our stuff in receptionist and ready to go!! (yeay…). The trip is by car and the trip it self take 3 hours and we arrived in Probolinggo Hotel (near to Bromo) around 12.30 AM. And we need to wake up 3AM to take a trip by jeep to see the sunrise near Bromo. 4.30AM we already arrived to a place to see the sunrise and also we can see the Bromo Mountain from above with the mist in it. After waiting, cold, crowded (yes, a lot of people there want to see the sunrise), The sun starting to wake up from the night sleep, so pretty, so nice, so thankful, so grateful and it feels like a new day shining in you, brighten your day ahead, makes your self stunning to see something that powerful. And the sun it self brighten the Bromo Mountain and it’s WOW!!! Magnificent, Beauty, Breathtaking, I don’t know what else to describe the beauty of it and I must tell you guys, take some time to come and see by your own eyes so you know how it feels to see it by yourself! (Seriously!!!). We take the picture of it, capture it with our eyes, take a deep breath for that moment, and I shared with my beloved family and friends. 5.45AM We going down to take another trip to climb the Bromo Mountain. But before that, we haven’t breakfast and when we step down the stairs we saw so many roasted corn, We buy it, we eat it, take a pictures and some of us buy a cup noodle, and take some hot coffee to drink.. Lovely morning in my life.

Sunrise from Penanjakan

Bromo Mountain

our trip

nice view

Corn time!!!

Arrived in the foot of Bromo Mountain with the Jeep and still we need to walk, climb, step up the stairs to reach the top of the mountain to see the crater of the mountain (btw, the mountain it self still alive and sometime it eruption). It’s not only few meter to walk but it’s 3KM to walk and climb with no sleeping, not much air because of cold, a lot of horse poop and it’s smelly, walking in the sands and no water. Actually we can go up by horse but we need to paid and quite expensive, so we thinking why don’t we walk for our own healthy. After we walk and climb and walk and climb until the bottom of the stairs we rest for a while before we step-up the 250 steps of the stairs. It’s a lot of people, quite crowded but no horse can climb the stairs so everybody need to take your self to step the stairs. And the funny story is when you count the step up, the amount of the step will be different while you counting the step down from crater and it always like that, don’t know why.. The crater it self is nice, deep down is still alive, still smokey (like people smoking), dark and you will get a nice landmark view with the crater. To be honest, I’m enjoying to see from above rather to see the crater.

Bromo Crater

From Bromo Crater we going to Savannah, It’s full of the green wild plant there cover the mountain and the hills. And if you see from far it looks like teletubbies home and land or maybe looks like shire from Lord of the Rings movie (frodo’s house). Nice landmark but quite hot because the sun it’s already high and remember we still in the top of the mountain 🙂 . The last trip we go is Whispering Sands. It’s only sands in here with the wind so create the whispered in the sands. That’s why people call the place Whispering Sands. But sadly when we come the wind is not much so we can’t hear the sound of the sands and the texture of the landmark also not so wavy.

like photoshop huh?

Teletubbies “hugging…”

Whispering Sands

with my best friend @ Whispering Sands

off road with the Jeep

 

It’s a lot of fun to having this trip even quite tiring and sleepy but it’s really fun and so much magnificent stuff to see. So sad that we need to go back to hotel, take breakfast (like I said Fried Rice with sunny side up), take shower because all of us is full of sands, getting ready, and going back to Surabaya. When we arrived at Surabaya after 3 hours in the car, we ready for culinary trip!! So we ask the driver to take us a nice and cheap food. So we eat Soto Lamongan (Chicken with turmeric Soup and vermicelli), The old style of ice cream, Beef Pie, and closed with Rawon (Beef Stew). I’m not happy with the culinary trip because not much we can eat that day :)) But all the food is cheap and tasty!! I want to come back again someday to Surabaya just only for culinary!! 🙂 (anybody???…..)

Soto Lamongan

Nutty Monkey @ Zangrandi

The Love Deal @ Zangrandi

Rawon Setan (Beef Stew)

 

Day 4 (1 April 2014) >> April Fool!!!

Like usual, wake up, take breakfast, getting shower, getting ready, packing, check-out, getting a cab to find some merchandise and snack to bring home at Genteng Market. But, we still have time to our last trip in Surabaya so we go to House of Sampoerna or Sampoerna Heritage Museum. It’s a cigarette Museum with a lot of stuff and we can see the people pack the cigarette with the old ways of the Sampoerna it self. They also got shuttle bus to go around the heritage place with free tour guide for 1 hour trip around there. We hop on the bus and stop to some place to see the building and listen the stories behind the building it self. We go to Hok Ang Kiong Temple (old Buddhist temple) and Escompto Bank (Dutch Bank in the old time now become Mandiri Bank there). Actually in one day they have 3 times shuttle bus and all going to different place. Mine going to see the trading place in the old time. Like I said before I want to comeback again someday and take all the shuttle tour there and of course culinary 🙂 .

Surabaya Heritage Shuttle Bus

Time to go back to Jakarta is arrived.. Sad to saying goodbye to this lovely city, a good food, a lot of heritage & landmark, and of course a nice people there. But, holiday needs to end and reality which is work waiting for us at Jakarta. Will be back someday, no driver, rent some car and drive by myself. 🙂

 

Enjoy the trip while we still young! while we still can do! and while we still healthy! and holiday can do whenever you are with your beloved one!
God bless

 

xoxo