The Great Crossing

If you read a blog post called the Short Getaway before, you'd know that I actually preferred going to Batam than Johor Bahru. I liked the Indonesian food there and I could also grab a few packs of Indomie on my way back. But then there was an advertisement of Hard Rock Cafe Puteri Harbour on my Facebook feed, probably about six months ago. What I saw lingered and I always thought of visiting Johor again one day. 

That day came rather unexpectedly. I was thrilled by the trip to Bali in April, my first since we entered the post-COVID era. The very idea of being able to travel again was extremely liberating! It was like rediscovering the long lost freedom. I wanted to do it again and I had just one destination in mind: JB. So I asked around, downloaded My Sejahtera (which wasn't used throughout the trip), uploaded my vaccine certificate and I realized that I was basically good to go.

I had heard of stories about people walking to JB before. It was like the great crossing, because the norm was to go there by vehicles, not on foot. If the crowd ever happened to walk from Singapore to Johor Bahru, more often than not it'd be on the news and it wasn't a very flattering one. But the crossing was doable and, most importantly, not illegal. When I observed the map, the distance seemed like something that I could cover as part of Strava time. So the next time I did my morning walk on Saturday, I brought along my passport as well.

Morning in Woodlands. 

I found myself in Woodlands that morning. After two kilometers, I could really feel that the weather was hotter and more humid than usual, so it was a good thing to enter Woodlands Checkpoints and cool down for a while, haha. The immigration itself was as efficient as ever and it didn't take a long time to do the clearance. I queued and walked out from the building within 30 minutes.

Then began the journey into the unknown. I asked the officer at the bus platform whether I could really walk to JB. He looked at me and said I could do that, but perhaps it was not a good idea as the sun was scorching. I thanked him and walked towards the direction he pointed earlier. I descended the staircase, walked through the tunnel and eventually reached the bridge.

Bridge to Johor Bahru.

There were a lot of cars and motorbikes stuck in the jam, but there was nobody else walking in front of me. It was very surreal and there was this sense of uncertainty that perhaps I had done something wrong. Half way through, there was this tiny rest area and an uncle sitting there seemed to look startled when he saw me. He shifted the bike a bit to let me continue walking.

The surprise came at the end of the bridge. There was this forbidden sign for the pedestrians on the pavement. I was like, "is it for real? If yes, shouldn't this be placed at the start of the bridge?" I didn't wear glasses that day, so I squinted my eyes to see as far as I could. Turned out that there was someone else walking at the side of the car lane. The guy was a precedence I needed, so I just followed what he did, haha. 

Strava time!

The motorbike lane was on the left whereas car lane was in the middle, so I crossed over. There I was, walking as the cars barely moved. I saw the another lane meant for buses branching out to the right, but I continued walking. Then the Malaysian officer saw and approached me. He informed me that this entry was for cars only, so I had to walk back a bit and entered from the bus lane. When I did that, I saw buses stopping and passengers alighting to walk. They should have done that when I passed by the first time!

The queue at Sultan Iskandar Building was all right. It wasn't that long and quite efficient, too, even though I was puzzled by the fact that I didn't need to do fingers scan while the guy next to me was doing that. Right after that, I was in JB again, my first time since I went there with my friend Wawa to visit a friend's dad back in 2017. It was quite early still, so I walked around to look for postcard and post office. After that I called Grab (it required a face scan in Malaysia) and headed to Hard Rock Cafe.

In Puteri Harbour.

Puteri Harbour was about 20 minutes drive from Johor Bahru and one had to pass by a neighborhood called Perling to reach there. Unlike JB that retained the old town look-and-feel in certain parts of the city, Puteri Harbour was newly built and filled with high-rise buildings. I dropped off at some condo nearby Hard Rock Cafe and, since I had some time before its opening hours, I had char kway at the restaurant nearby. Not bad, tasted like carrot cake, probably because it was carrot cake. I don't know, just guessing, haha.

I didn't know if I was too early or what, but the whole place was awfully quiet. Not sure if this Hard Rock Cafe would last. But at least I got the t-shirt now, haha. I went back to the city after that and queued at Hiap Joo bakery before I returned to Singapore. As I told the Grab driver, "no, I don't like banana cakes, but when the wife asks for it, I'll do exactly that. No questions asked!"

The queue at Hiap Joo bakery.

Jalan Pagi Lintas Negara

Jika anda pernah membaca tulisan saya yang berjudul Liburan Singkat, anda pasti tahu bahwa saya lebih menyukai Batam daripada Johor Bahru. Saya suka selera nusantara di Batam dan saya pun bisa membeli beberapa bungkus Indomie sebelum kembali ke Singapura. Namun sempat saya lihat iklan Hard Rock Cafe Puteri Harbour di Facebook saya, kira-kira enam bulan silam. Apa yang saya lihat ini selalu terbayang dan saya jadi berpikir untuk ke Johor lagi satu hari nanti.

Hari itu ternyata tiba begitu saja. Saya baru kembali dari liburan ke Bali, perjalanan saya yang pertama sejak kita keluar dari masa COVID. Rasanya bagaikan lepas dari belenggu dan menemukan lagi kebebasan yang telah lama hilang. Saya ingin lekas bertualang lagi dan saya memiliki satu tujuan yang selalu terngiang di benak saya: JB. Jadi saya pun bertanya sana-sini dalam berbagai percakapan, mengunduh aplikasi My Sejahtera (yang sama sekali tidak dipakai selama di JB), mengunggah sertifikat vaksin dan akhirnya saya pun siap untuk berangkat. 

Saya pernah mendengar cerita tentang mereka yang berjalan kaki memasuki JB. Biasanya orang ke sana menggunakan kendaraan, jadi berjalan kaki itu tidak lazim. Jika sampai ada orang beramai-ramai menyeberang ke JB, biasanya masuk berita dan tidak bagus beritanya. Akan tetapi berjalan kaki ke JB itu bisa dilakukan dan tidaklah ilegal. Tatkala saya mengamati peta, jaraknya terlihat seperti apa yang biasa saya tempuh saat Strava. Lantas saya pun membawa paspor di kala saya jalan pagi di hari Sabtu.

Pagi di Woodlands. 

Pagi itu saya berada di Woodlands. Setelah dua kilometer, saya bisa merasakan bahwa cuacanya memang lebih panas dan lembab dari biasanya. Oleh karena itu, senang rasanya berada di Woodlands Checkpoints dan menyejukkan diri sejenak di ruangan ber-AC, haha. Imigrasi Singapura efisien seperti biasa dan tidak butuh waktu lama prosesnya. Saya antri dan keluar dari gedung dalam tempo kurang dari 30 menit. 

Kemudian mulailah perjalanan yang sama sekali baru bagi saya. Saya hampiri petugas yang berada di tempat bis dan bertanya padanya, apakah benar saya bisa berjalan kaki ke JB. Dia memandang saya sejenak dan berkata bahwa saya bisa, cuma sedang panas cuacanya sekarang. Saya lantas menuju ke arah yang dia tunjuk, menuruni tangga yang melingkar ke bawah, lalu berjalan melewati terowongan dan tiba di jembatan. 

Jembatan ke Johor Bahru.

Di samping kanan saya terlihat banyak mobil dan motor yang terjebak macet, namun tidak terlihat seorang pun berjalan kaki di depan saya. Ada perasaan tidak pasti sewaktu saya meneruskan perjalanan, sebab suasana di sekeliling saya sungguh janggal. Setengah jalan menyusuri jembatan, ada tempat peristirahatan dan seorang pria berumur yang duduk di sana tampak kaget saat melihat saya. Dia lantas memindahkan motornya supaya saya bisa terus berjalan. 

Satu hal yang mengejutkan terjadi di ujung jembatan. Di trotoar terlihat rambu larangan bagi pejalan kaki. Saya tercengang. Ini sungguhan? Kalau rambu ini serius, kenapa tidak ditaruh di depan jembatan, sebelum orang mulai berjalan? Saya tidak mengenakan kacamata di pagi itu, jadi saya memicingkan mata dan melihat sejauh mungkin. Ternyata ada yang berjalan di lajur mobil. Pria ini adalah contoh yang saya butuhkan, jadi saya tinggal mengikutinya, haha. 

Strava time!

Lajur motor ada di sebelah kiri, sedangkan lajur mobil ada di tengah, jadi saya harus menyeberang. Saya lantas berjalan menanjak di bahu jalan sementara mobil-mobil berjejer dalam macet. Setelah beberapa lama, saya melihat belokan lain khusus bis yang mengarah ke sebelah kanan, namun saya terus lanjut di lajur semula. Ketika saya hampir tiba, seorang petugas di perbatasan Malaysia datang menghampiri dan memberitahukan bahwa pejalan kaki harus lewat lajur bis. Akhirnya saya berbalik dan kini terlihat bis yang berhenti serta para penumpang yang turun untuk berjalan. Saya jadi geli dan bergumam dalam hati, ke mana saja mereka ketika saya lewat barusan. 

Antrian di Gedung Sultan Iskandar tidak begitu panjang sehingga saya tidak menunggu lama saat cap paspor. Yang agak membuat saya bingung itu, kenapa orang di sebelah saya disuruh memindai sidik jari sementara saya tidak perlu. Setelah beres, saya akhirnya di JB lagi, kali pertama setelah terakhir ke sana bersama Wawa dalam rangka mengunjungi ayah teman di tahun 2017. Karena hari masih pagi, saya mondar-mandir mencari kartu pos dan kantor pos. Setelah itu saya memanggil Grab (dan ada fitur wajib memindai raut wajah di Malaysia), lalu menuju Hard Rock Cafe.

Di Puteri Harbour.

Puteri Harbour bisa dicapai dengan mobil dalam waktu 20 menit dari Johor Bahru. Saya melewati kawasan bernama Perling saat menuju ke sana. Berbeda dengan JB yang masih memiliki bangunan-bangunan lama di beberapa sudut kota, Puteri Harbour tampak baru dan penuh dengan gedung-gedung tinggi. Saya diturunkan oleh Grab di depan sebuah kondominium. Karena masih ada waktu setengah jam sebelum Hard Rock Cafe buka, saya mencicipi masakan bernama char kway di restoran terdekat. Rasanya seperti kue wortel Singapura atau makanan yang disebut ko kue di Pontianak. 

Saya tidak tahu apakah saya datang terlalu awal atau apa, tapi kawasan itu sangat sepi. Saya jadi ragu kalau Hard Rock Cafe ini akan bertahan lama, tapi minimal saya sudah punya kausnya sekarang, haha. Sesudah itu, saya kembali ke kota dan antri di toko kue Hiap Joo sebelum pulang ke Singapura. Seperti yang saya katakan kepada supir Grab, "saya tidak suka kue pisang, tapi kalau istri minta, saya belikan. Pokoknya tidak pake tanya!" 

Antrian di toko kue Hiap Joo.

Destination: Bali

I went to Bali recently to attend my cousin Dewi's traditional Balinese wedding. It was interesting, it was also fun to hang out with family again, but when all was said and done, it was time to say goodbye and begin another adventure! We parted ways and I headed to Kuta on the following afternoon. 

The last time I went to Bali was 17 years ago. Almost two decades had passed since then. As the car entered Kuta, I got excited. The beach hadiah ultah changed so much, so different than the way I remembered it! I was like, "I don't recall there was a wall dividing the beach and the road. I seem to remember that there was McD or KFC on the roadside. Hey, there's even a shopping mall now!"

With Alvin in Kuta. 
Photo by Valerie.

But the highlight of the day was meeting Alvin, an old friend of mine. I knew him since primary school, but the last time I met him was probably during college days. We just bumped into each other in Kuching! So there we were, 20 years later. After my visit to Hard Rock Cafe, I met him and we sat together in the beach, watching sunset. I had to say that it felt a bit weird, haha.

Alvin had always been a confident kid, but he looked especially self-assured now. Humble and yet so at ease. I was so intrigued that I had to ask. Then he shared with me that life in Bali had been fulfilling. He could be himself and lead the life he had always wanted. It was a carefree life, almost forever young, with only one constant reminder about how old he actually was: the time we met him with our kids trailing behind us, haha. 

He was once a young architect living in Yogyakarta and, though life had been good there, his journey brought him to Bali. He fell in love with Bali and he had been staying there for 13 years. Bali offered him a peaceful spiritual life, one that he embraced eagerly. He liked the casual lifestyle in conducting business and he enjoyed the fact that he could give back to the society by contributing actively in the charity works. More than that, only in Bali that he could do hobbies such as motorcycling and surfing.

From left: Nasi tempong, crab meat noodles, babi guling rice.

That night ended with a dinner. The mall in Kuta was called Beachwalk and the food court there had many cuisines from Java to Singapore, but nothing with Balinese flavour. I had batagor when I was with Alvin, but then it felt like I still could have one more meal for my dinner, so I went back for crab meat noodles from Pontianak, haha. Not bad, the taste was quite authentic. 

Talk about Indonesian culinary, I had nasi tempong, a cuisine from Banyuwangi, earlier that day. The fried liver and gizzard were good, but the best part was the chilli. I can't take spicy food, but that didn't stop me from dipping the tofu, tempe and the meat into the sauce. It turned out to be a nice surprise. The chilli was spicy, but it also had this unique salty taste. I'm not sure if I had described it correctly, but I confirmed that the taste was very inviting. 

Then of course I had to try babi guling. I had that in Ubud. Before I began the one and a half hours car ride from Kuta, I had my favorite McD breakfast that is available only in Indonesia: Paket Panas. It came with rice, fried chicken and egg. When I met my cousin Andreas, he brought me to Babi Guling Ibu Oka. This one, I'm afraid, was overrated. It was all right, but it didn't feel like something that you'd come back for more.

My cousin and I.

But food aside, I had a good time in Ubud. It was great to meet up with Andreas again. I hadn't met him for the longest time. The last time we really had a chance to sit down and talk was back when I was living in Jakarta. As we talked, I was reminded again that this cousin of mine is a brilliant artist. When we were kids, he would draw comics based on games we played. Now an adult, he is a professional photographer living a secluded life in Ubud. This place was like the antithesis of Kuta. Very tranquil and the atmosphere suited him. 

Right before I left, I found a postcard in Ubud. If you wondered why I had to mention this, it's because postcards were rare in Indonesia, even in a popular tourist destination like Bali! So I rushed back to Kuta in the afternoon, clinging tightly in the back seat of a motorbike. I met another high school friend nicknamed Marga T there (and she told me she was wearing white when there were literally sea of people wearing the same color around me). So we scribbled something on the postcard, chit-chatted a bit and off I went to the nearest post office. Didn't make it, though, haha. 

One fine morning in Bali.

The next morning, the last day in Bali, was another Strava time. I walked from Kuta to Seminyak, passing other beaches such as Legian and Double Six. I immediately thought of the trip I had with Endrico, Jimmy and Ardian when I saw Ku De Ta. I'm pretty sure we came here back in 2005. I eventually walked into Montigo Resorts for breakfast while waiting for Alvin to come and fetch me. 

Alvin had been saying that Bali had everything for everyone, that's why people loved it. Each part of Bali had its own character, which probably explained why my cousin moved to Ubud. For this occasion, he wanted to show me this up-and-coming district called Canggu. He told me that this was the hippest place for the Caucasians and it did look like one! 

But the best part of it was Batu Bolong and Echo Beach. For the first time ever in my life, I observed people surfing while listening intently to Alvin's explanation about the sport. Then, before we left Batu Bolong, he asked if my wife was okay with jokes as he wanted to do pranks. I said she was all right, hence I sat down for a pose and he made this picture up, haha. 

In Batu Bolong.
Photo by Alvin.

But all good things must come to an end. As I was leaving Bali later on that day, I thought of things he said before, that there was everything for everybody in Bali. I recalled the experience of just sitting there in Batu Bolong, doing nothing but enjoying the view of people surfing. It gave me a glimpse of how life in Bali was for my friend. I was happy for him and my cousin that they had the best time in Bali, but I never liked the lifestyle the way they loved it. I was just glad that I was flying back to Singapore, where things were so organized and very much in order...

Destinasi: Bali

Baru-baru ini saya ke Bali untuk menghadiri penikahan sepupu saya Dewi. Pernikahan dengan adat Bali ini sangat menarik. Berkumpul bersama keluarga pun terasa menyenangkan. Namun lantas tiba waktunya untuk berpisah dan memulai petualangan sendiri. Saya akhirnya pamit dan menuju Kuta di sore hari berikutnya. 

Kali terakhir saya ke Bali adalah 17 tahun silam. Sudah hampir dua dekade lamanya. Ketika mobil yang saya tumpangi memasuki kawasan Kuta, hati saya terasa deg-degan dan riang karena saya terkenang dengan masa lalu. Kuta sudah berubah banyak, begitu berbeda dengan yang saya ingat. Saya sampai bergumam kepada supir, "saya tidak ingat kalau dulu ada dinding pembatas antara pantai dan jalan. Sepertinya dulu ada KFC atau McD di tepi jalan. Wah, sekarang bahkan ada mal!"

Bersama Alvin di Kuta.
Foto oleh Valerie.

Namun yang paling berkesan di sore itu adalah pertemuan dengan Alvin. Teman yang ini saya kenal sejak SD, tapi pertemuan kita yang terakhir mungkin terjadi di masa kuliah. Waktu itu kita kebetulan berpapasan di Kuching. Di hari itu, setelah kunjungan saya ke Hard Rock Cafe, saya duduk bersama dengannya di pantai sambil menyaksikan matahari terbenam. Terus-terang agak aneh rasanya, haha. 

Alvin sudah tampak percaya diri dari sejak bocah, tapi kini kian terlihat. Melihat dia begitu rendah hati, tenang dan damai, saya jadi tergelitik untuk bertanya. Dia lalu menjelaskan bahwa kehidupan di Bali sungguh cocok baginya. Dia bisa menjadi dirinya dan hidup seperti kemauannya. Hidupnya bebas, senantiasa terasa muda, dan hanya ada satu yang selalu mengingatkannya tentang usia sebenarnya: saat bertemu dengan kita dan anak-anak kita, haha. 

Dia lantas berkisah tentang kiprahnya sebagai arsitek. Dulu dia kuliah dan tinggal di Yogyakarta, tapi perjalanan hidup membawanya ke Bali. Dia jatuh cinta dengan Bali dan tidak terasa sudah 13 tahun tinggal di sana. Bali menawarkan kedamaian spiritual yang dicarinya. Dia juga senang gaya santai dalam berbisnis dan juga kesempatan untuk bergotong-royong membantu sesama. Selain itu, hobi yang digemarinya, mulai dari bermotor sampai berselancar, hanya bisa ditekuni di Bali. 

Dari kiri: nasi tempong, bakmi kepiting, babi guling.

Santap malam mengakhiri pertemuan saya dengannya. Mal di Kuta yang bernama Beachwalk memiliki pujasera yang menjual beraneka masakan mulai dari Jawa sampai Singapura, tapi tidak memiliki menu yang berasal dari Bali. Saya menyantap batagor saat bersama Alvin, namun rasanya saya bisa makan satu porsi lagi. Akhirnya saya kembali ke pujasera dan memesan bakmi kepiting Pontianak, haha. Lumayan otentik rasanya.

Bicara tentang selera nusantara, saya juga sempat mencicipi nasi tempong, makanan khas Banyuwangi. Hati dan ampelanya enak, tapi yang paling lezat adalah sambal cabenya. Saya tidak bisa makan pedas, tapi suka cocol tahu, tempe dan daging sedikit ke sambal. Ternyata enak sekali rasanya. Sambalnya pedas, tapi juga unik karena terasa asin. Saya tidak tahu apa deskripsi yang tepat untuk rasa sambal ini, tapi yang jelas sangat mengundang. 

Tentu saja saya juga harus mencoba babi guling dan keinginan ini akhirnya terjadi di Ubud. Sebelum menempuh perjalanan satu setengah jam dari Kuta, saya mampir dulu ke McD untuk menikmati Paket Panas kesukaan saya. Yang satu ini hanya ada di Indonesia! Di Ubud, saudara saya Andreas membawa saya ke Babi Guling Ibu Oka. Yang satu ini agak kurang lahap makannya. Rasanya lumayan, tapi tidak masuk kategori yang membuat anda kembali karena ingin makan lagi. 

Bersama sepupu Andreas.

Waktu saya di Ubud terasa cepat berlalu. Senang rasanya bisa bertemu dengan Andreas lagi. Lama tidak berjumpa dengannya. Kali terakhir kita mengobrol seperti ini mungkin saat saya bekerja di Jakarta. Sewaktu berbincang, saya jadi teringat lagi bahwa sepupu saya ini memang sangat berbakat. Di masa kanak-kanak dulu, dia membuat komik berdasarkan game yang kita mainkan. Sekarang dia adalah fotografer profesional yang tinggal di Ubud, tempat yang sungguh bertolak belakang dengan Kuta. Suasananya tentram dan cocok baginya. 

Sebelum saya pulang, saya menemukan kartu pos di Ubud. Jika anda heran kenapa saya sampai harus menyebutkan hal ini, alasannya adalah karena kelangkaan kartu pos di Indonesia, bahkan di daerah yang padat dengan wisatawan seperti Bali. Jadi saya bergegas kembali ke Kuta, kali ini dengan menaiki motor. Sampai di pantai, saya bertemu dengan seorang teman SMA yang dipanggil Marga T (dan dia memberikan petunjuk bahwa dia memakai kaus putih, padahal di sekeliling saya banyak yang memakai warna serupa). Kita tulis sesuatu, berbincang sejenak dan saya lanjut ke kantor pos terdekat, tapi tidak keburu, hehe. 

Pemandangan saat Strava.

Keesokan paginya adalah waktu untuk Strava lagi. Saya berjalan dari Kuta ke Seminyak, melewati pantai lain seperti Legian dan Double Six. Saya jadi terkenang dengan liburan saya bersama Endrico, Jimmy dan Ardian saat melihat Ku De Ta. Seingat saya, kita ada ke sini di tahun 2005. Setelah usai Strava, saya masuk ke Montigo Resorts untuk sarapan pagi sambil menunggu kedatangan Alvin.

Teman saya ini sempat bercerita bahwa Bali memiliki sesuatu untuk setiap orang sehingga banyak yang menyukai Bali. Setiap sudut Bali memiliki karakter tersendiri dan ini mungkin alasannya kenapa sepupu saya pindah ke Ubud. Untuk kesempatan ini, Alvin ingin menunjukkan daerah Canggu pada saya. Katanya ini adalah daerah bule yang paling maju dan memang kelihatannya seperti itu! 

Yang saya sukai dari kunjungan ini adalah pantai Batu Bolong dan Echo Beach. Untuk pertama kalinya dalam hidup ini, saya mengamati orang bermain selancar sambil mendengarkan penjelasan Alvin mengenai olahraga ini. Lantas, di kala kita hendak meninggalkan Batu Bolong, dia bertanya apakah istri saya bisa bergurau. Saya katakan padanya bahwa dia cukup toleran terhadap lelucon, jadi saya pun berpose seperti yang diminta Alvin sehingga dia bisa mengunggah foto ini, haha. 

Di Batu Bolong.
Foto oleh Alvin.

Dan liburan akhirnya selesai. Sewaktu saya meninggalkan Bali, saya jadi kepikiran dengan apa yang Alvin katakan, bahwa Bali memiliki sesuatu untuk setiap orang. Saya teringat dengan pengalaman saya di Batu Bolong, di mana saya hanya duduk santai dan tidak melakukan apa-apa, kecuali memandang orang berselancar di kejauhan. Hal ini memberikan saya sedikit gambaran tentang kehidupan teman saya di Bali. Saya turut gembira karena Alvin dan sepupu saya menikmati kehidupan mereka di Pulau Dewata, tapi saya juga tidak kalah senangnya karena akan kembali ke Singapura, tempat di mana segala sesuatu begitu teratur dan efisien... 

The First Trip After Corona

At last! It finally happened! In a way, destination: Bali was a historical moment in many levels. It was the first trip after two years of isolated life in the time of corona. It was also a return to Bali after 17 years. If you recalled the last time I saw Nagasaki, there were places I thought I'd never visit again simply because once was enough. Yes, even Bali fell into the same category, especially after I visited the world-famous island three times in a row, from 2004 to 2005. 

Anyway, let's rewind a bit, starting with the title of this blog post. I used the phrase after corona because it was dealt with and done. COVID-19 finally got me and I survived, so let's call it even and part ways. The travel regulation was ever changing (two doses of vaccine and one dose of booster and you are good to go for now) and it only got better since then, so hopefully it stayed that way. 

The corona legacy, or what's left of it, was the PCR test that had to be done within 2x24 hours before the departure time. Since my flight was at 4:10pm on Wednesday, I paid the price of SGD 115 and did it at 4:45pm on Monday. The travel insurance, which was now covering COVID-19, was purchased several weeks earlier. I just loved to be prepared.

So happy that I could travel again!

On the day itself, I was very excited. I shut down my laptop after the lunch hour meeting and happily headed to Changi Airport. It was my first time using the red passport and if it ever felt awkward, it only got weirder when I landed as a foreigner in a country I knew so well and spoke the language fluently. It was surreal. Felt so different and yet the same at the same time.

I don't know if it's just me or due to the fact that I hadn't traveled for quite some time, but it just didn't meet the expectation the moment I arrived. The Bali airport looked below par for what's supposed to be the first impression for a popular tourist destination. It was not chaotic, but the amenities were bare minimum. On top of that, the waiting time to collect the luggage was about 25 minutes, long enough for the excitement to fade away.

As if that wasn't irritating enough, the local number on my BlackBerry phone also didn't work. I happened to retain one prepaid number from long ago and it was able to call and send SMS when I was in Singapore. However, when in Indonesia, the phone failed to get any connection because the IMEI was blocked. This was a rather interesting but quite an unfortunate way to find out how the IMEI blocking works in Indonesia. 

I was lucky that I activated the international roaming (it was SGD 20 and 3GB was more than enough) so I still had the mobile internet connection in Bali. I l eventually learnt that there was actually a tourist prepaid card from Telkomsel (valid for 30 days), but it was way more practical to use the international roaming. People call from WhatsApp these days and Grab drivers call from their app, so throughout my stay in Bali, I didn't have the need to make a call or send SMS.

The hotel view from the restaurant.

Anyway, back to our story, I was tired and hungry by the time I reached Alantara Hotel in Sanur, but the sight of the family was a wonder to behold. It was great to meet uncles, aunties and cousins again. That, plus a plate of fried rice for my dinner and few bottles of Singaraja beer shared among us, surely rejuvenated and prepared me for the next morning, as in quite early in the morning, before sunrise.

Oh yes, we woke up early to get ready for the wedding. There was this Balinese attire we needed to wear and we clearly had no idea how to dress up. Hence a team was mobilised to help us out. Pak Putu then drove us to the wedding venue, which turned out to be a very spacious yard containing Balinese houses here and there. It seemed like the whole immediate family stayed within the same compound. 

Sporting the Balinese attire!

Then began the Balinese wedding. Both the bride and groom were in the traditional attires. My cousin, the bride, had this intricate headgear (and she revealed later on that it was heavy). A priest did the ceremony with two voice actors on stage, narrating the events in Balinese, unknowingly leaving us Chinese wondering what was going on. 

But the situation was eventually rectified. Right after I whispered to my uncle that they should have gotten a MC to translate all this, one of the coordinators came to apologise that they'd just realized we might be confused. It was their first time having a non-Balinese marrying into their family, therefore it took them a while to notice the language issue. 

With my uncles.

Personally, I liked how very friendly and welcoming they were. Balinese wedding was grand and elaborate. Witnessing such a cultural event was an eye-opener. When I couldn't help wondering why the banquet in the late afternoon was kind of quiet, I was told that it lasted for days and some guests might have attended the banquet yesterday. Cool, huh? 

We left when the night came, heading back to hang out in my hotel room. Bali was hot and humid, so it was really nice to hang out in an aircon room. Bottles of beer, this time Bintang, were quickly produced by my uncle. Potato chips and fish crackers were also passed around. It was a fun and memorable family gathering. But now that the wedding was done, tomorrow would be a new adventure, one that would bring me Kuta and Ubud. That, of course, is a story for another time...

Liburan Pertama Setelah Korona

Akhirnya terjadi juga! Liburan ke Bali ini adalah sebuah momen bersejarah. Ini adalah liburan pertama setelah dua tahun terisolir dalam hidup di tengah wabah korona. Selain itu, saya pun kembali ke Bali lagi setelah 17 tahun lamanya. Jika anda ingat dengan kisah kali terakhir saya melihat Nagasaki, ada tempat yang kiranya tidak akan pernah saya singgahi lagi karena sekali saja sudah cukup. Ya, bahkan Bali masuk ke kategori yang sama, terutama setelah saya kunjungi tiga kali berturut-turut di tahun 2004-2005. 

Sebelum kita masuk ke cerita, mari kembali ke judul. Saya gunakan frase setelah korona karena bagi saya sudah selesai. Saya akhirnya terjangkit COVID-19 namun telah pulih kembali, jadi semua yang perlu terjadi pun sudah terjadi. Peraturan mengunjungi Indonesia juga kian hari kian dipermudah (dua kali vaksin dan satu kali booster sudah cukup untuk saat ini) dan semoga saja terus begitu sampai normal kembali. 

Peninggalan korona yang tersisa adalah tes PCR yang harus dilakukan 2x24 jam sebelum jam keberangkatan. Karena jadwal penerbangan saya adalah hari Rabu jam 4:10 sore, maka saya bayar ongkos PCR sebesar SGD 115 dan melakukan tes pada pukul 4:45 sore di hari Senin. Asuransi perjalanan yang kini sudah mencakup perlindungan untuk COVID-19 sudah saya beli beberapa minggu sebelumnya. Saya cenderung lebih suka bersiap-siap dari awal. 

Senangnya bisa jalan-jalan lagi!

Di hari keberangkatan, saya sangat gembira. Saya matikan laptop saya setelah meeting jam makan siang usai, lantas bergegas ke Changi Airport. Ini adalah kali pertama saya menggunakan paspor merah. Ada perasaan janggal dan kian aneh lagi rasanya setelah saya mendarat sebagai orang asing di negeri yang saya kenal baik dan kuasai dengan lancar bahasanya. Rasanya campur aduk, berbeda tapi sama.

Saya tidak apakah ini hanya ekspektasi saya atau karena saya sudah lama tidak berlibur, tapi sejak saya tiba, rasanya tidak sesuai harapan. Sebagai tempat pertama yang dilihat turis saat menginjakkan kaki di Bali, bandara udara Ngurah Rai tidak terlihat mengesankan. Untuk destinasi sepopuler Bali, bandaranya malah tampak biasa. Lumayan teratur, tapi fasilitasnya hampir tidak ada. Selain itu, butuh waktu 25 menit untuk mengambil bagasi. Setelah menunggu cukup lama, kegembiraan di hati pun pudar. 

Seakan-akan ini masih belum cukup menjengkelkan, masih ada lagi masalah dengan nomor lokal di BlackBerry saya. Kebetulan saya memiliki nomor prabayar dari sejak lama dan saya bisa menelepon serta mengirimkan SMS sewaktu berada di Singapura. Kendati begitu, saat berada di Indonesia, saya tidak mendapat sinyal karena nomor IMEI BlackBerry saya diblok. Meski tidak menyenangkan, dari pengalaman ini saya akhirnya memahami cara kerja blokir IMEI di Indonesia.

Saya beruntung karena telah mengaktifkan layanan jelajah internasional (harganya SGD 20 dan 3GB sudah lebih dari cukup), jadi saya tetap memiliki koneksi internet di Bali. Saya akhirnya mengetahui bahwa Telkomsel menjual kartu prabayar khusus turis yang berlaku selama 30 hari, tapi lebih praktis menggunakan layanan jelajah internasional. Sekarang orang cenderung menelepon dari WhatsApp dan para pengemudi Grab bisa menelepon dari aplikasinya, jadi selama saya di Bali, saya tidak memiliki keperluan untuk menelepon secara konvensional atau mengirim SMS.

Pemandangan hotel dari restoran.

Kembali ke cerita, saya sudah lelah dan lapar ketika tiba di Alantara Hotel yang berada di kawasan Sanur. Kendati begitu, senang rasanya bisa bertemu dengan para paman, tante dan sepupu lagi. Pertemuan tersebut, dan juga sepiring nasi goreng dan beberapa botol bir Singaraja yang diminum bersama, membuat saya merasa segar kembali. Saya siap untuk acara besok pagi yang dimulai sebelum matahari terbit.

Oh ya, kita bangun saat hari masih gelap-gulita untuk bersiap-siap. Ada pakaian adat Bali yang harus kami pakai, tapi kami tidak tahu caranya, makanya perlu bantuan para penata rias. Pak Putu kemudian mengantar kami ke tempat pernikahan yang diselenggarakan di sebuah kawasan dengan halaman luas dan rumah-rumah yang saling berdekatan. Sepertinya seluruh keluarga dekat dari pihak suami tinggal di tempat ini. 

Mengenakan busana Bali.

Kemudian prosesi pernikahan pun dimulai. Pengantin pria dan wanita pun menggunakan pakaian adat Bali. Sepupu saya yang menjadi pengantin wanita mengenakan perhiasan kepala yang rumit dan berwarna emas (dan setelah saya tanya, dia bilang perhiasan kepalanya cukup berat). Seorang pemuka agama duduk di tengah dan memimpin jalannya upacara sementara dua orang lain membacakan semacam narasi dalam bahasa Bali.   

Saya terus-terang tidak mengerti apa yang sedang terjadi dan lantas bergumam kepada paman saya, mungkin akan sangat membantu kalau mereka menyewa seorang MC yang bisa menerjemahkan semua ini. Seorang koordinator acara lalu menghampiri kami dan meminta maaf karena mereka baru menyadari bahwa kami mungkin tidak mengerti rangkaian acara ini. Ternyata ini adalah kali pertama mereka menerima menantu yang bukan orang Bali, jadi lupa bahwa ada kendala bahasa. 

Bersama paman-paman saya.

Secara pribadi, saya sangat terkesan dengan keramahtamahan orang Bali. Pernikahannya pun sangat kental dengan budaya lokal yang khas Hindu. Ada satu momen di mana saya merasa bingung, kenapa resepsinya terlihat sepi. Kemudian saya mendapat penjelasan bahwa resepsi ini sudah berlangsung beberapa hari dan tamu-tamu lain mungkin sudah datang sebelumnya. Dahsyat, ya? 

Kami kembali ke hotel ketika hari sudah malam. Bali sungguh panas dan lembab, jadi enak rasanya berkumpul di ruangan ber-AC. Bir Bintang pun beredar. Keripik kentang dan kerupuk ikan juga berpindah tangan saat kita berbincang. Senang rasanya berkumpul, sebab kita jarang bertemu. Namun pernikahan pun selesai sudah. Hari esok akan membawa saya ke Kuta dan Ubud. Petualangan ini akan mengisi cerita berikutnya...