The Celebration, The Speed And The Hangout

My friend Jimmy sets the standard called at least twice. While we always make fun of it in our group, there is a certain truth in it. Now, about a decade ago, I went to Bandung for Chinese New Year celebration. I came from a culture that has a rich Chinese New Year tradition, so I was taken aback that in Bandung, what we did on the first day of Chinese New Year was to take a family photo.

Still one doesn't get to conclude based on the one time experience. According to Jimmy, you have to go through it at least twice. So off we went again to Bandung last week. After an early flight and a car ride, we reached our destination. That night was rather special. A reunion dinner plus birthday celebration of my daughter and brother-in-law. Food was delicious and it was fun to hang out with the in-laws again. They are good people. 

Audrey's birthday celebration.

Came the first day, things started late in a city that barely had the Chinese New Year atmosphere. After a failed visit (the host wasn't at home), they accommodated my only wish to have my lunch at Batagor Kingsley. The food was good, but the place was bloody stuffy. I think the restaurant wants a fast guest turnover, therefore the aircon wasn't turned on.

After that, we tried visiting the brother of my father-in-law again. He was there this time. His house was being renovated so both the host and visitors were standing throughout the time we were there. No cakes or tea were served, so I think it's safe to conclude now that Chinese New Year isn't a big deal in Bandung. Call me biased, but I like the celebration in Pontianak better, haha. 

Stink bean salted fish fried rice.

The next day, things were back to normal. To think that it was only day two of CNY! We lazed around until noon time, then went out for late lunch at Pandan Wangi. The food was as good as it could be for Sundanese cuisine. I personally like the stink bean salted fish fried rice. Called jambal roti in local language, the texture of the salted fish was rather unique. It was firm, giving the crunchy vibe, and the saltiness tasted just nice. Perfect for the fried rice.

We eventually said goodbye after lunch. It was our family time and we moved from Dago to Dago Pakar area for one night at Intercontinental. My wife recommended the hotel and her choice was supported by my daughter. It was a good hotel. Nice view, big room, definitely worth the money. A bit secluded, but that's the expectation when one chooses to stay in Dago Pakar. 

Audrey at Intercon.

We returned to Jakarta on the following day. We tried Whoosh out, the newly built high-speed rail service and the first one in Southeast Asia. The Tegalluar Station was quite far, more than an hour ride from Intercontinental. I also learnt that the locals would actually opt for Padalarang Station instead as it was closer to the city. 

Anyway, since the tickets were already booked, we headed to Tegalluar. The station was like at the end of the line. One road led to the station that was surrounded by paddy fields. The station was new and instead of restaurants, it had a lot of small kiosks selling food. Much to my surprise, they only accepted cashless transaction. The ticket machine worked, the train platform somehow reminded me of Suzhou and... Bern. The bullet train itself felt like those in China.

Right before we boarded the train.

46 minutes were all it took to reach Halim Station, outskirt of Jakarta. From there, the Blue Bird cab brought us to Mercure in PIK. The area was new to us, so we stayed there for sightseeing purpose. My daughter had KFC and xiaolongbao from Din Tai Fung while I preferred the good ol' Pontianak cuisine cooked by my friend Gulit: the non-halal fried kway teow. Since there was Aming Coffee nearby, it became a logical choice for us to hang out. 

The night could have ended there, but HRR appeared and we all went out again after I dropped my family at the hotel. We went to Hermosa this time, singing and drinking. The last song, only God knows why, was memorable. Chosen by HRR, it was Vulnerable by Roxette.

At Hermosa with Gulit, HRR, AW and Yardi.

Apart from Pantjoran that sells the Chinatown atmosphere, PIK is also known for its European look. My wife was keen to see, so we went there in the morning. Apparently it was meant to be visited in the night, so there wasn't much to see when we were there, haha. We walked to nearest McDonald's and had a breakfast there. After that we did the late check-out and made our way back to Singapore...

Perayaan, Kecepatan dan Nongkrong

Teman saya Jimmy menelurkan standar minimal dua kali. Meski kita di grup suka menjadikan standar ini sebagai lelucon, tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa ada kebenaran yang tersirat di dalamnya. Nah, sekitar 10 tahun silam, saya ke Bandung untuk merayakan Tahun Baru Cina. Karena saya berasal dari tempat dengan budaya yang kaya dengan tradisi Tahun Baru Cina, bayangkan betapa kagetnya saya bahwa kita justru ke studio untuk foto bersama di hari pertama Tahun Baru Cina. 

Namun tentunya kita tidak bisa menarik kesimpulan dengan hanya berdasarkan pengalaman satu kali saja. Standar kita adalah minimal dua kali. Jadi saya pun ke Bandung lagi minggu lalu. Setelah penerbangan di pagi hari yang berlanjut dengan perjalanan dengan mobil, tibalah kita di Bandung. Malam itu tergolong istimewa. Ada makan malam bersama untuk merayakan malam tahun baru sekaligus pesta ulang tahun putri dan adik ipar saya. Makanannya enak dan senang bisa berkumpul dengan keluarga istri saya lagi. Mereka orang-orang yang baik dan ramah. 

Ulang tahun Audrey.

Hari pertama Tahun Baru Cina terasa berjalan lambat di kota yang hampir tidak memiliki suasana tahun baru. Saat hari menjelang siang, barulah kita berkunjung ke rumah yang paling dituakan, namun orangnya tidak di tempat. Kita lantas makan di Batagor Kingsley, makanan favorit saya. Makanannya lezat, tapi tempatnya panas dan pengap. AC-nya tidak dinyalakan, mungkin karena pemilik restoran ingin tamunya cepat pergi setelah makan. 

Sesudah makan siang, kita balik lagi ke tempat abang dari bapak mertua saya. Beliau ada di rumah sekarang, namun kediamannya sedang direnovasi. Baik tuan rumah maupun tamu pun berdiri selama kunjungan. Tak ada teh dan kue. Jadi bisa disimpulkan sekarang bahwa Tahun Baru Cina memang bukan tradisi penting di Bandung. Anda boleh anggap saya bias, tapi saya lebih suka perayaan di Pontianak, hehe. 

Nasi goreng pete jambal roti.

Keesokan harinya, semua kembali normal di hari kedua Tahun Baru Cina. Kita bersantai sampai siang, lalu makan di Pandan Wangi. Saya bukan penggemar berat masakan Sunda, tapi saya rasa cukup lezat. Pesanan saya, nasi goreng pete jambal roti terasa istimewa. Ikan asinnya padat, pas asinnya dan enak dikunyah. 

Kita akhirnya pamit dengan keluarga besar sesudah santap siang. Dari Dago, kita pindah ke kawasan Dago Pakar untuk bermalam di Intercontinental. Istri saya yang merekomendasikan hotel ini dan putri saya juga mendukung idenya. Pilihan yang bijak, sebab hotelnya memang bagus, kamarnya luas dan sesuai harga. Agak terpencil, tapi memang seperti itulah kalau kita memilih untuk tinggal di Dago Pakar. 

Audrey di Intercon.

Setelah berada di Bandung dari sejak hari Jumat, kita kembali ke Jakarta di hari Senin dengan menaiki Whoosh, Kereta Cepat Indonesia Cina yang baru-baru ini diresmikan. Stasiun Tegalluar cukup jauh dari Intercontinental, lebih dari satu jam kalau menggunakan mobil. Setelah berbincang dengan beberapa orang selama di Bandung, saya baru tahu bahwa warga setempat lebih cenderung memilih untuk berangkat dari Stasiun Padalarang karena lebih dekat dengan pusat kota. 

Karena tiket sudah dibeli sebelumnya, maka kita tetap ke Tegalluar. Stasiun ini letaknya bagaikan di ujung dunia. Hanya ada satu jalan yang mengarah ke stasiun yang dikelilingi oleh sawah. Tak ada restoran di stasiun baru ini, hanya ada kios-kios kecil yang menjual makanan secara non-tunai. Ada mesin tiket yang berfungsi dengan baik, disain platform kereta yang membuat saya teringat dengan stasiun di Suzhou dan... Bern. Kereta cepatnya juga mirip dengan yang di Cina. 

Foto bersama sebelum naik Whoosh.

46 menit setelah keberangkatan, kita mencapai Stasiun Halim yang terletak di tepi Jakarta. Dari sana, kita naik Blue Bird ke Mercure di PIK. Kawasan ini baru bagi kita, jadi kita tinggal semalam di sana. Putri saya menyantap KFC dan xiaolongbao dari Din Tai Fung sementara saya lebih memilih kwetiau goreng Pontianak dari teman saya Alit. Ada Aming Coffee di dekat Pantjoran, jadi kita pun nongkrong di sana. 

Malam itu harusnya berakhir setelah Aming Coffee, namun HRR datang menyusul dan kita keluar lagi setelah mengantarkan keluarga saya ke hotel. Kali ini kita ke Hermosa, klub malam dan karaoke. Lagu terakhir yang dipilih HRR, Vulnerable dari Roxette, entah kenapa selalu terngiang di benak saya. 

Di Hermosa bersama Gulit, HRR, AW dan Yardi.

Selain Pantjoran yang menjual suasana Cina, PIK juga memiliki kawasan bersuasana Eropa. Istri saya ingin melihat tempat ini, jadi kita ke sana di pagi hari. Ternyata tempat ini hanya ramai di malam hari, jadi tidak ada yang bisa dilihat pas kita berada di sana. Kita lantas berjalan ke McDonald's terdekat untuk sarapan pagi. Setelah check-out, kita pun ke bandara dan kembali ke Singapura... 

A Different Kind Of Trip

I remember the last time I saw Nagasaki. At that time, it dawned on me that every new place I went could be my first and only time. Due to this, when I traveled, I explored as much as I could in the name of sightseeing. Even when going to places that I visited quite often, let's say Jakarta or Bangkok, there were always agendas or things to do. It could be friends to meet or food I'd like to eat.

This is the reason why the recent holiday to Phuket felt like a different kind of trip. Eday and I didn't have any itinerary. We also didn't have list of Thai food we wanted to try. Eday said his wife did share places of interest in Phuket, but we never checked them out. Friends in our group chat had their fair share of recommendations, but they, too, fell on deaf ears.

Much to their surprise, we didn't do much during daytime. Comments were varied, ranging from, "what a waste of time," to, "you already in Phuket but didn't go this place?" Those questions were ignored while we were there. While I couldn't speak on behalf of Eday, this is what actually happened: I was also processing the new sensation that I never had before.

My first time in Phuket was with my wife, though we spent our honeymoon mainly in Patong. The second time I was there, I could live with the fact that we wouldn't explore Phuket like regular tourists. This acceptance opened a new horizon, one that I never experienced before. The trip was suddenly about two friends who simply hung out in a place we were not familiar with. 

The keyword here is hangout. We still walked around, but this activity became secondary. It is the quality time that counts. All the great talk and drinks we had and the silliness that came afterwards, those were what mattered. In a land both so foreign and new, we were free. Once again we became our younger selves, but a slightly loaded version than the original. And we have all the time in the world to catch up and get reacquainted.

The Phuket trip was, in short, unprecedented. It was relaxed thanks to its slow-paced nature. I never knew such trips existed. All this while, I thought traveling was always about discovering new places and cultures, but this trip was on a different level altogether. It had a higher purpose. I only stumbled upon it and appreciated what we actually came here for once I got past the fact that it wasn't going to be the usual sightseeing trip. 

Traveling is indeed a humbling experience. There's always something new for us to discover. And no, we weren't wasting our time. We were onto something else and I'm sharing that something else with you now. There are times when traveling is no longer about what we see or don't see, but about experiencing the moments that will become part your life and live forever...

After dark.

Liburan Yang Berbeda

Saya ingat terakhir kali saya melihat Nagasaki. Pada saat itu, saya tiba-tiba menyadari bahwa setiap tempat baru yang saya kunjungi bisa saja merupakan kali pertama dan sekali-kalinya saya ke sana. Karena itu, setiap kali saya berlibur, kecenderungan saya adalah pergi ke aneka tempat wisata untuk melihat-lihat. Bahkan di tempat yang sering saya kunjungi pun, misalnya Jakarta atau Bangkok, selalu saja ada agenda seperti teman yang hendak saya temui atau makanan yang ingin saya cicipi. 

Karena kebiasaan inilah maka liburan ke Phuket baru-baru ini terasa berbeda. Eday dan saya tidak memiliki daftar tempat yang hendak dikunjungi. Makanan Thai pun tidak ada yang wajib untuk disantap. Eday berkata bahwa istrinya sempat memberikan daftar tempat wisata di Phuket, namun kita tidak menggunakannya. Bahkan teman-teman di grup pun memberikan saran, tapi tidak kita gubris.

Jadi bayangkan betapa kagetnya mereka ketika mengetahui bahwa kita tidak memiliki aktivitas berarti di siang hari. Komentarnya beragam, mulai dari, "buang-buang waktu saja," sampai, "sudah di Phuket tapi tidak ke sini?" Semua tanggapan itu kita abaikan. Akan tetapi, walau saya tidak bisa berbicara mewakili Eday, yang sebenarnya saya rasakan adalah seperti ini: saya sendiri juga sedang mencerna sensasi baru yang tidak pernah saya alami sebelumnya. 

Saya pertama kali ke Phuket bersama istri, meski waktu kita kebanyakan dihabiskan di kawasan Patong. Kali kedua saya ke sana, saya bisa menerima bahwa kita tidak akan menjelajah Phuket seperti layaknya turis biasa. Sikap ini akhirnya membuka wawasan baru dan membuahkan pengalaman yang tidak pernah saya alami sebelumnya. Tiba-tiba saja fokus liburan adalah dua orang teman yang nongkrong di tempat asing. 

Kata kuncinya di sini adalah nongkrong. Sejujurnya kita masih berjalan-jalan di Phuket, tapi aktivitas ini bukan lagi hal utama. Adalah percakapan panjang-lebar, minum hingga larut malam dan kekonyolan yang terjadi setelahnya yang kini menjadi inti dari perjalanan kali ini. Di kota yang asing dan baru bagi kita, lahir sebuah kebebasan. Sekali lagi kita menjadi diri kita di masa muda, tapi sedikit lebih berada dari versi aslinya. Dan kita memiliki cukup waktu untuk berbincang dan saling mengenal lagi. 

Liburan ke Phuket ini secara singkat bisa dikatakan tidak pernah terjadi sebelumnya. Suasananya santai karena ritmenya yang berjalan pelan. Sebelumnya saya selalu berpikir bahwa berlibur adalah ke tempat baru dan menyerap budayanya, tapi liburan kali ini beda levelnya. Ada tujuan yang lebih dari sekedar apa yang sudah saya pahami. Saya kebetulan menemukan ini dan baru memahami kenapa sebenarnya kita ke sini setelah saya menerima bahwa liburan kali ini tidaklah seperti jalan-jalan biasa. 

Sungguh benar bahwa berlibur itu adalah sebuah pengalaman yang bersahaja. Selalu saja ada hal baru yang kita temui. Dan tidak, kita sama sekali tidak menyia-nyiakan waktu kita di Phuket. Justru sebaliknya, kita menemukan sesuatu yang baru, yang kini saya bagikan kepada anda. Ada kalanya bahwa berlibur itu bukan lagi tentang apa yang kita lihat atau tidak kita lihat, melainkan tentang kenangan yang kita lalui dan menjadi bagian dari diri kita, sekarang dan selama-lamanya... 

Phuket Revisited

This story began last year, when Eday said let's celebrate the work he did for the past few years. Since I helped ghostwriting the books, he thought it'd be great for the two old friends to hangout together again, just like what happened in Tokyo. The flights and hotel were on him, so it was a free trip for me!

The potential destinations included Ipoh and Phnom Penh. I was reluctant to go back to Phuket, especially because that's where I spent my honeymoon. Going with a dude, even though it was 13 years after my first and only visit with my wife, didn't feel right. I was worried that it would tarnish our memories there, haha.

But it was decided that it'd be Phuket. The craziest part had to be the departure date that happened to be two weeks after my trip to Chiang Mai. This was the first time I ever went to Thailand twice within the same month! That's a lot of Thailand for the first 25 days of the year. Too much, too soon!

Quick lunch at Blossom, Terminal 4. 

So off we went, not knowing what to expect. Jetstar made it even more memorable by delaying both legs of the flights at the same time, causing me to think that we still had so much time since our departure time was 10.45pm. We already planned to watch the Goldfinger by Andy Lau. Luckily we crosschecked with the ground staff and he pointed out to that it was the return flight that was delayed until close to midnight.

We arrived late in the afternoon. The Phuket Airport is much more modern looking than the one in Chiang Mai, but the location is about 50 minutes ride away from the city. When we checked in to Dara Hotel, it was already time for dinner, so we went to Sabainang Cafe which was located next door. Apparently it served only halal food. Still good, though. First time trying tempe omelette.

Tempe omelette. 

After a scoop ice cream, we bagan exploring the town of Phuket. We passed by Chinatown and the traditional market, then we reached the drinking places. Prior to that, we bumped into a foreigner with a bleeding head. I was lucky that I didn't wear glasses. According to Eday, he had quite a gash, therefore the blood kept dripping!

Anyway, onto a happier part of the story, we entered Churchills, a cigar and wine store. It immediately reminded me of Titanic, though the rich folks drank brandy in the movie. Eday bought one cigar and started puffing. A bottle of wine was shared between us. 

At Churchills.

Now this is where it got interesting. We had a glimpse of such an experience when we drank sake in Asakusa, but it was here that we have enough time for Eday to tell his story. He's a complex man shaped by his upbringing and hardened by his experiences. Our characters couldn't be more different, but yet we are best friends since 1996. I admired him, but never envied him. For the love of God, one had to go through what he did to be like him and I certainly didn't need that. The cross he had to bear! 

From Churchills, we went to the Library. It looked like Harry Potter's Hogwarts. Nice ambience, good drinks, happening place! As the alcohol kicked in and the world was literally on fire when the bartender poured oil on the table and burnt it, the glimmering world looked beautiful. While wearing my beer goggles, we moved on to next bar, Sippin, as we were attracted by Don't Look Back in Anger played by the live band.

While waiting for best burger in town.

I can't remember how much we drank, but by the time we were done, I just couldn't stop smiling. Eday said he was hungry, so we walked around and stopped at the first roadside stall we found: a bald man selling burgers. Man, it was good to sit down for a while. And of course we must take a picture or two to preserve this moment of our lives! 

We woke up the next day, surprisingly without any hangover feeling. Eday hit the gym and I dipped into the swimming pool. Once done, we had our lunch at Phuket Central. Eday went for a hair cut, so I took a nap. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner again. Based on Google recommendation, we went to Baan 109. The eatery was like a house in Pontianak back in the 80s and the Thai food felt homey.

Tomfunk Collins.

The second night of bar-hopping started right after that. We went to this place called Zimplex Mixology. What the bartender did here is quite interesting. After taking our orders, they laid the liquid down layer by layer into a tiny glass of shooter right in front of us. Mine was bubbly and this caused the colourful drops swimming up and down. 

The night was still young and we didn't want to ruin it with too much hard liquor, so we walked back to town after one shot. As we still had time, we return to Churchills for cigar and wine. After a bottle of wine, we explored Briq, a cocktail bar. It was all right for a glass of Mai Tai, then we switched to the Column, a bar packed by locals thanks to its loud Thai band on stage. We stayed there until we finished a small bottle of Chang, then we went to the next one. 

Enjoying a song called Hero at Bebop.

The Jazz club was called Bebop. The band played mostly oldies, music that I understood or could relate with. As a matter of fact, I spontaneously joined the band when they played Wonderful Tonight. It's good to be back on stage again! I remember as we were finishing our bottle of wine, the band played My Way. It was brilliant!

We hit our sixth bar for the night by returning to the Library. After saying hello to our Dubai acquaintance, Eday called for one round of shooters as we enjoyed the night. They were sweet, as if they were harmless, but when we relocated to Sippin, we were barely able to touch our Budweiser anymore. Seven bars a night was the limit, apparently!

The shooters that killed the night.

The next day, or I should say the next afternoon, we made our way to Patong. This part of town was crowded and chaotic. After lunch, we walked a bit, but we couldn't stand the heat, so we went to Let's Relax Spa for Thai massage. It was a time well-spent. Not only we could rest and recuperate from the night before, but the weather was also chill and the sun had set when we emerged again from the spa. 

Eday was craving for snacks, so we had a plate of künefe at Mangal, a Jordanian restaurant on Soi Sansabai. After a short break, we continued walking to Hard Rock Cafe and went to the beach. As we weren't much of beach people, we had seafood for dinner instead. Not exactly good, but it did tick off an item on our to-do list.

What's for dinner?

Next on our itinerary was the ping pong show at the Wake Up Club. Let's just say it was... as advertised. Once the show started over, we decided that we had seen enough and made our exit. We headed to this night club called Illuzion. But DJ music wasn't our scene, so we left after we finished a bottle of Corona and headed back to the beloved Bebop Jazz Club. Much to my delight, the local Thai band played Come Together!

And the night ended when we drank our last bottle of white wine for this trip. We passed by the Library and bade farewell to our Dubai acquaintance who stood on the pavement for a smoke. We walked towards the burger stall and smiled as the veggie vendor recognized and pointed at us. Then we sat on the roadside and had our last burgers, just like what we did on the first night.

Last night in Phuket.

And as we sat there, I remember a scene from Get Back vividly, when Paul said, "and then there were two." Out of so many friends, only two of us were there. If life was an adventure, then the short time in Phuket would be moments I treasured the most. No, it didn't ruin my honeymoon. If anything, Phuket now gave something else to remember: friendship. I seem to recall Eday saying this that night, "years ago, our younger selves would have never thought we'd be hanging out in Phuket like this..."

He was right, of course.

Epilogue:

The last day in Phuket could be described like this: laundry day, breakfast, check out, lunch, snack time, sending postcard, foot massage, green curry chicken rice bowl from KFC for dinner, airport lounge and the talk about next trip to Mongolia, the chaotic gate change and, finally, the flight back to Singapore.

Checking out.

Kembali ke Phuket

Cerita ini bermula dari sejak tahun lalu, waktu Eday mengajak saya untuk merayakan buku-buku karyanya dalam beberapa tahun terakhir ini. Karena saya terlibat dalam penulisan buku, dia merasa akan seru kiranya bila dua sahabat berkumpul lagi seperti apa yang terjadi di Tokyo tahun lalu. Tiket dan hotel ditanggung, jadi liburan ini gratis bagi saya! 

Destinasi yang sempat diperbincangkan mencakup Ipoh dan Phnom Penh. Saya enggan kembali ke Phuket, sebab saya pernah berbulan madu di sana. Pergi bersama teman pria, meski sudah 13 tahun lamanya sejak kunjungan yang pertama dan sekali-kalinya bersama istri, rasanya tidak baik. Saya khawatir kenangan indah itu akan ternoda, haha. 

Akan tetapi keputusan finalnya adalah Phuket. Yang lebih dahsyat lagi adalah hari keberangkatan yang hanya berkisar dua minggu setelah liburan ke Chiang Mai. Ini adalah pertama kalinya saya bolak-balik ke Thailand dalam tempo sebulan. Rasanya terlalu banyak nuansa Thai dalam 25 hari pertama di tahun yang baru ini. Terlalu dekat jedahnya! 

Makan siang di Blossom, Terminal 4. 

Namun berangkatlah kita tanpa bayangan yang jelas tentang liburan kali ini. Jetstar membuat perjalanan kali ini lebih berkesan lagi dengan penundaan jadwal pesawat pergi dan pulang, sampai-sampai saya salah lihat dan menyangka bahwa jam keberangkatan kita ditunda hingga jam 10.45 malam. Kita bahkan sempat berencana untuk menonton Goldfinger-nya Andy Lau di Jewel. Untung saja kita bertanya pada petugas bandara dan dia mengabarkan bahwa yang ditunda hingga hampir tengah malam itu adalah pesawat dari Phuket ke Singapura.

Kita tiba di Thailand saat hari sudah menjelang senja. Bandara Phuket lebih modern dari Chiang Mai, tapi lokasinya lebih jauh pula, sekitar 50 menit dari kota. Saat kita sampai di Dara Hotel, sudah tiba waktunya untuk makan malam, jadi kita mampir ke Sabainang Cafe yang berada di sebelah hotel. Makanannya halal, tapi tetap lezat. Yang unik adalah telur dadar tempe. 

Telur dadar tempe. 

Setelah menikmati es krim, kita mulai menjelajahi kota Phuket. Kita melewati Pecinan dan pasar tradisional, lalu tiba di kawasan minum. Sebelum itu, kita juga sempat berpapasan dengan orang bule yang kepalanya berlumuran darah. Saya merasa beruntung karena tidak memakai kacamata. Menurut Eday, kepalanya bocor, makanya terus mengucurkan darah. 

Kembali ke kawasan minum, kita memasuki Churchills, kedai cerutu dan anggur. Saya jadi ingat dengan Titanic, walau orang-orang kaya yang menghisap cerutu itu menenggak brandy di film. Eday membeli cerutu dan mulai mengepul. Sebotol anggur putih pun kita bagi berdua. 

Di Churchills.

Dalam suasana santai ini kita bertukar cerita. Pengalaman serupa ini pertama kali terjadi saat kita menikmati sake di Asakusa, namun kali ini kita punya banyak waktu bagi Eday untuk bercerita. Dia ini cukup rumit orangnya dan kepribadiannya terbentuk dari masa kecil yang keras dan kemudian ditempa lagi oleh pengalaman hidupnya. Secara karakter, kita jelas bertolak-belakang, jadi fakta bahwa kita bisa berteman akrab sejak 1996 memanglah menarik. Saya mengaguminya, tapi tidak iri dengan apa yang dicapainya. Demi Tuhan, jalan yang dilaluinya sungguh berliku. Pengorbanan dan beban yang ditanggungnya tidaklah ringan pula. Tidak heran dia bisa menjadi seorang Eday yang kita kenal hari ini. 

Dari Churchills, kita beranjak ke Library yang mirip seperti perpustakaan Hogwarts, sekolah Harry Potter. Bagus tempatnya, sedap untuk minum dan riuh suasananya. Ketika alkohol mulai bekerja dan meja bar menyala saat disirami minyak dan disulut dengan api, dunia tampak berkilau indah dalam cahaya. Setelah itu, kita pindah ke Sippin, bar di sebelah, karena terpanggil oleh lagu Don't Look Back in Anger yang sedang dimainkan di panggung. 

Menanti burger terlezat di Phuket.

Entah berapa banyak minuman yang sudah kita tenggak, tapi di saat kita berhenti, saya senantiasa tersenyum. Eday merasa lapar, jadi kita berjalan sampai ke kedai burger di kaki lima. Saya lantas duduk, lebih condong ke posisi bersandar, dan tentu saja kita harus mengabadikan momen bersejarah ini! 

Ketika kita bangun di keesokan harinya, tidak ada rasa sakit kepala karena kebanyakan minum. Eday ke gym sedangkan saya menceburkan diri ke kolam renang. Lantas kita makan siang di Phuket Central. Saat Eday memutuskan untuk potong rambut, saya main Nintendo dan tidur siang di hotel. Saat malam tiba, kita pun pergi ke Baan 109 yang bagus rekomendasinya di Google. Tempat makannya seperti ruko Pontianak di tahun 80an dan makanannya seperti masakan Thai rumahan. 

Tomfunk Collins.

Malam kedua pun mulai setelah santap malam. Pertama-tama kita ke bar bernama Zimplex Mixology. Apa yang dilakukan bartender di tempat ini sangat unik. Minuman kita diracik selapis demi selapis, entah itu dituangkan atau ditetes ke dalam gelas mungil. Pesanan saya memiliki banyak gelembung gas, sehingga tetesan warna-warni terlihat seperti berenang naik-turun. 

Malam masih panjang dan kita tidak ingin merusaknya dengan terlalu banyak minuman keras, jadi kita kembali ke pusat kota setelah satu gelas. Karena masih ada banyak waktu, kita mampir lagi ke Churchills untuk cerutu dan anggur putih. Setelah kelar sebotol, kita menjajal Briq, bar cocktail. Satu gelas Mai Tai kemudian, kita pindah ke Column, bar yang dipenuhi oleh kalangan lokal karena hingar-bingar musik Thai. Kita menyeruput sebotol bir Chang di sana sebelum hijrah ke sebelah.

Menikmati lagu Hero di Bebop.

Yang kita singgahi berikutnya adalah Bebop, sebuah klub Jazz. Grup musik di sini memainkan banyak tembang lawas yang lebih saya mengerti. Ketika Wonderful Tonight dilantunkan, saya tergerak untuk tampil dan menyanyi. Grup tersebut bahkan membawakan lagu My Way selagi kita meneguk anggur putih. Memang sedap! 

Bar ke-6 pada malam itu adalah Library. Kita menyapa orang Dubai yang duduk di sebelah kita di malam pertama, lalu berjalan ke meja kosong dan Eday pun memesan sepaket shooters. Minuman ini manis dan hanya sekali teguk sehingga tampaknya enteng tapi dampaknya terasa saat kita lanjut ke Sippin. Saat Budweiser datang, kita tak lagi sanggup menyentuhnya. Ternyata limit kita adalah tujuh bar per malam. 

Shooters yang membuat kita pulang tidur.

Keesokan harinya, atau seharusnya saya katakan keesokan siangnya, kita menuju Patong. Bagian kota ini ramai dan hiruk-pikuk. Sesudah makan siang, kita berjalan-jalan sejenak, tapi panasnya sinar matahari di daerah pantai membuat kita berteduh di Let's Relax Spa. Waktu santai ini bermanfaat dan tepat guna. Bukan saja kita bisa beristirahat sambil menikmati pijatan ala Thai, tapi matahari pun sudah mulai terbenam saat kita selesai. Cocok untuk jalan-jalan lagi. 

Eday ingin jajan sebelum makan malam, jadi kita menyantap künefe di Mangal, sebuah restoran Yordania. Setelah icip-icip, kita berjalan ke arah Hard Rock Cafe, lalu belok ke pantai. Karena kita dasarnya memang bukan anak pantai, kita akhirnya makan udang galah dan cumi-cumi. Tidak terlalu enak, tapi minimal kita sudah mencentang makan seafood dari daftar keinginan. 

Makan seafood di Patong.

Tempat tujuan berikutnya adalah ping pong show di Wake Up Club. Pertunjukan ini... persis seperti yang diiklankan. Ketika pertunjukan kembali lagi ke acara pertama, kita pun keluar karena sudah menyaksikan semua rangkaian acara. Kita menyusuri keramaian dan menuju Illuzion, klub malam di Patong. Akan tetapi musik DJ tidaklah cocok, maka kita memutuskan untuk kembali ke Bebop setelah menuntaskan sebotol bir Corona. Memang keputusan yang bijak, sebab malam itu ada lagu Come Together dari the Beatles! 

Dan sebotol anggur putih menutup malam tersebut sekaligus menjadi minuman alkohol terakhir di trip ini. Kita berjalan melewati Library dan pamit dengan orang Dubai yang sedang berdiri dan merokok di luar. Kita lanjut lagi ke kedai burger dan tersenyum saat tukang sayur di jalan mengenali kita. Untuk kali terakhirnya kita duduk di trotoar dan menyantap burger, persis seperti yang kita lakukan di malam pertama di Phuket. 

Malam terakhir di Phuket.

Sewaktu duduk di sana, saya teringat dengan adegan di film Get Back, saat Paul berkata, "dan pada akhirnya hanya tersisa dua orang." Dari begitu banyak teman, hanya kita berdua yang ada di sana pada malam itu. Jika hidup adalah sebuah petualangan, maka waktu singkat di Phuket ini akan menjadi kenangan abadi bagi saya. Tidak, kenangan bulan madu saya tidak ternoda. Justru Phuket kembali menawarkan suatu kenangan yang baru: persahabatan. Dan saya ingat Eday sepertinya berkata, "berpuluh-puluh tahun silam, mana pernah kita berpikir akan nongkrong bersama di Phuket seperti ini..." 

Dan tentu saja dia benar.

Epilog:

Hari terakhir di Phuket bisa dideskripsikan seperti ini: cuci baju, sarapan, keluar hotel, makan siang, jajan donat, mengirim kartu pos, pijat kaki, KFC ayam kari hijau, menanti pesawat di lounge sambil membicarakan liburan ke Mongolia, perpindahan gerbang keberangkatan yang semrawut dan, akhirnya, kembali ke Singapura...