A Bit of Oldies Trail in Solo & Jogjakarta

There's no choice except waiting for a long weekend to go on a trip, especially after being employed. Last May I went in a small group, my fun buddies at heart and TUMMY. Yup, a bit different from my adventurous trip, I decided to just enjoy this leisure trip, eat a lot, sightseeing, and eat again. The local foods are amazing so that we directly eat as soon as it's served (goodbye #instagram #foodporn #foodie ). The price is quite cheap too ( obviously if you compare it to the price in Jakarta ).

I'm still amazed how my friends and I talked all the way from Jakarta to Solo ( Surakarta )! ( more than 10 hours on the train,LOL ). The atmosphere in Solo and Jogja are pleasing. You will find that I wrote many words of "lovely","oldies",and "antique". I think those are suitable keywords for snapshots I posted here. Enjoy!

Lovely signage with Javanese writing found on the way to Triwindu Antique Market, Solo 

"Wayang", Indonesian traditional puppet as the decoration at the front building of Triwindu Antique Market

A vintage typewriter. Wish I could have one :) 

Do you remember seeing these TVs in your younger years ?  

A rickshaw rider who kindly posed for me at the alley of Kauman Batik village

Windows wall.
( Sorry for blurry pict, I also regret not checking thoroughly at that time ) :(

Es Dawet, a traditional drink of Indonesian.
It's made from rice powder & pandan leaves, served with palm sugar 

Spinach noodle with chicken mince at Mie Gajah Mas 

A steam train for tourists rides across the street in Solo ( Surakarta ) city 

Happy passengers on the steam train 

Waiting for our train to Jogjakarta at Purwosari Station, Solo 

The train from Jogja to Solo is pretty comfy. It takes just an hour,making it a nice day trip. Unfortunately, the ticket back to Solo was sold out. Plus, I screwed up by leaving my identity card at the hotel. It was used for a guarantee. I have a spare one, but I forgot to bring it :')  

Then, we rent a car along with three new friends we met at the station. They are so friendly to share the recommended dining place in Solo. After all, it turns out to be a laughable moment now, haha.

The ruins of underground mosque, Taman Sari, Jogjakarta 

The beautiful underground mosque at Taman Sari 

 A random graffiti along the way to the ruins of underground mosque

Despite the hot weather, it was fun visiting these two cities. Thanks so much to my friends : Vinca, Vina, Mike and Rendy for being a nice companion on this trip! Things I'm gonna miss the most are definitely the moments and FOOD! 

One Fine Day in Malacca

Last September thankfully I got a short trip with my family to Malaysia. It was supposed to be Dad's medical check up by the way, but Mom's birthday was also around those days, so she decided to take this chance to gather. We are rarely in a full team since my bro and I left home at 15. We left at Wednesday 24 and took a night flight to Kuala Lumpur. Dad got his check up at Thursday.

The next day, my brother skipped work and brought us to Malacca. It just spent two hours drive by bus from KL. The bus was comfortable and spacious, making the trip didn't seem long. We arrived at noon and took a taxi to the guesthouse. We stayed at Zheng He Tea House at Kg Kuli Street, near Jonker Walk. This place is recommended! It offers convenient and spacious room with affordable price.

We looked for lunch as soon as finished putting our luggage. We headed to the famous Famosa Chicken Rice Ball restaurant. It is indeed must be in the must-visited-list. The foods are delicious and its interior are nice. My family did the order stuff while I walked around the restaurant to sightseeing. I met few visitors who also couldn't resist to take some pictures of the interior. Not long after that, the food was served. I stole a moment when they were started picking the food ( they didn't spare a time for instagram or blog food porn things like that, lol ). We ordered roasted pork, BBQ Pork, Rice Ball, Fish Ball, and a plate of Pak Choi ( the vegetable ). Hmm, yummy!

Inside the Famosa Chicken Rice Ball Restaurant

The back interior of Famosa Restaurant

The front interior of Famosa restaurant. It was crowded during lunch time.

A moment I stole while they started eating.

Then, we took a walk around. We visited Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum. The museum was great but unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take a picture. After that, we went to Christ Church of Malaka. The building has a red distinctive color. Many tourists are touring around with full decorated  becak or old bikes. Next place we visited was the ruin of St.Paul Church. There was a street musician cheering up the atmosphere. Then, we went to A Famosa, a Portuguese fortress and Sultan Palace nearby.

The Lovely Christ Church Melaka

A bike touring around Christ Church of Melaka

An old fire engine truck on our way to St. Paul Church

The St. Paul Church frontyard 

An old tombstone in St. Paul Church's ruin 

Time flew fast. We were back to the guesthouse and took a rest before dinner. Weekend is the best time when it comes to visit Malacca, because the night market at Jonker Street/Jonker Walk is just available during that time. The street was filled by pedestrians. My Goodness! I was so happy seeing bunch of local street foods. Even after having a dinner, my tummy still found some places for them, haha!

Jonker Walk's Night Market Atmosphere. Met a visitor playfully waving his hand, hehe 

Kuih Lobak ( Radish Cake ) 

Ahh, I forgot the name of this cookies

Street Dimsum, RM6 for 10 pieces. Ah, I was full of them!

One of street dimsum I bought 

Well then, the trip was really short but memorable to me since I enjoyed it with beloved ones. Malacca itself has captured my heart with its oldies atmosphere and stuff. Oh, plus its delicious foods too! Slurrrrp!