The US Trip: The Longest Saturday

This is the story of the longest Saturday in my life. It felt almost like 24 hours multiplied by two, although in reality it might not have been that long. I spent the first half of Saturday exploring Seoul and returned to Incheon Airport in the afternoon, only to begin the same Saturday again at 10 AM the moment I landed in San Francisco. It was just mind-boggling.

The story started in October 2025, when Endrico and I bought our World Cup 2026 tickets. We planned for the trip to the US right after that, and since we'd be flying back from Las Vegas, I opted for Korean Air as it was reasonably priced and allowed us to fly out directly from the US without any further transit in Los Angeles.

At Incheon International Airport.

So there we were on Friday night, departing from Singapore at 10 PM and touching down in Incheon at 5:42 AM. Thus began the longest Saturday in my life! We headed to the city by taking AREX at 7:05 AM and parted ways at Seoul Station. Endrico, Surianto, and Taty continued their journey to Myeongdong. I exited the station to meet my ex-colleague whom I interviewed before for South Korea: Inside Out. After more than eight years, I finally met Sangdon!

Sangdon was a nice guy, very polite and soft-spoken. He brought me to Focal Point and we chatted as I had my morning coffee. We talked a bit about work and mostly his life and hobbies as a Korean. Let's just say that life in a first-world country could be challenging, but also rewarding! 

With Sangdon.

After that, I joined the rest in Myeongdong. The area somehow reminded me of Ximending in Taipei, but with a Korean culture vibe. We ate our brunch there at Hadongkwan. The Michelin-award-winning restaurant sells only beef soup rice, which tasted like watery porridge that didn't blend well, so I kept adding salt to the beef, haha.

From Myeongdong, we went to Dongdaemun. God knows what Surianto actually wanted to see there, but we ended up exploring the traditional Gwangjang Market. He looked cheerful when he saw a lot of ajumas selling Korean pancakes, though. 

Taty, visiting Gwangjang Market. 

Close to noon time, we headed back to the metro station where the machine dispensed our single-journey tickets slowly, then boarded the All Stop Train back to Incheon International Airport. We shared sweet fried chicken, odeng (오뎅), and tteokbokki (떡볶이) during our brunch, and off we went to the US at 4 PM Korea Time!

The flight was long, more than 10 hours long. But it was still the same Saturday when we landed in San Francisco. To be precise, it was Saturday morning at 10:22 AM. It was as if we were traveling back in time. The magic of crossing the International Date Line and many time zones! It was as if our Saturday was reset, and we started our day again!

Here we are in San Francisco!

The immigration process was interesting, not as advanced as one would expect from the US. The process was still manual. The officer was loud and direct, asking questions such as why we came here and how much cash we brought with us. After clearing immigration, we eventually met our fifth member, Susana Any, who flew directly from Singapore. Arriving an hour earlier than us, she was already waiting for us outside.

Now that all members were here, I booked an Uber. The driver was Chinese from Hebei, giving us our first impression of how diverse and multicultural San Francisco is. We headed to the Mosser Hotel in the city. On our way there, I saw the road sign saying "Candlestick Park." So that's where the Beatles performed their last concert ever!

What we ordered at Cafe New Honolulu. 

The Mosser Hotel was located in Downtown. We checked in, and since it was still early, we left our luggage at the front desk and walked to Pier 39. We passed by Chinatown, had our lunch there at Cafe New Honolulu, and encountered my first tipping experience in the US. Quite confusing, as even the 15% tip, which was the lowest, could feel like a lot of money.

As we continued walking after the Cantonese meal, the environment suddenly changed when we reached North Beach. Gone was Chinatown, and it felt like we were entering Little Italy. I remember being impressed by how unique this area is. It was hilly, with lots of ups and downs, literally. Surianto pointed out that the layout was quite amusing, as the buildings were lined up properly, creating roads that stretched straight ahead. 

Sea lions, through the lens of Surianto.

After that, we eventually reached Pier 39. Hard Rock Cafe! Since it was the World Cup 2026, of course my first US t-shirt had to reflect that! Then we walked a bit after that, even spent some time to see the sea lions, before I started feeling wobbly. Turned out that the jet lag had kicked in, and I felt sleepy.

Endrico was fast in finding the right transport for our way back, and for the first time ever, we needed to activate the Clipper card on our Google Wallet or Apple Pay. It reminded me of the transport card on Alipay! We jumped into a slow-moving Muni bus #8 and returned to the hotel.

Endrico, inside the Muni bus.

Now that we could enter our rooms, we were in for a surprise. No wonder the hotel was unusually cheap for one in Downtown San Francisco. The room was so tiny, with a shared toilet and bathroom outside! The ladies found it unsuitable and quickly moved to Marriott across the street, but I was so sleepy that I had to lie down for a while after showering. 

And what was supposed to be a while became a few hours. I woke up around 8 PM local time, when Taty, Endrico, and Surianto were already having dinner at Super Duper Burgers. I went to meet them, but didn't feel like having a burger, so we walked back to Marriott, and I eventually had linguine at Delarosa while the rest had a bite of margherita.

Inside the cable car.

The last attraction for the night was the cable car. It was a charming, classic ride that brought us to Buena Vista in Fisherman's Wharf. San Francisco at night was beautiful! I had my first Irish coffee there, prepared by Joseph Shaw, the bartender that was locally famous and just celebrated his 50th year there. It was good stuff. A little alcohol and songs such as "It Never Rains in Southern California" were a match made in heaven!

We wanted to try the driverless ride, but were put off by Waymo's late-night pricing, so we called an Uber instead. Our driver for the night was Zahra, a young woman from Turkey who came here to chase her American dream. A passionate young fashion designer, she shared with us her story in the US. Not as glamorous as one would think, but there she was. Hopefully, she'd make it someday.

San Francisco at night.

As we alighted in front of our hotel and watched Taty walk back to Marriott, I drifted away. It took us four years of waiting for the World Cup and one long Saturday to make it happen. Still couldn't believe that we made it to the US. It had been a long journey, even longer for a boy from Pontianak in me, but there we were, standing as Taty entered Marriott. Oh yes, we had really made it thus far...

Liburan ke AS: Hari Sabtu Terpanjang 

Ini adalah kisah tentang hari Sabtu terpanjang dalam hidup saya. Rasanya seperti 24 jam dikali dua, meskipun kenyataannya mungkin tidak sepanjang itu. Saya menghabiskan paruh pertama hari Sabtu menjelajahi Seoul dan kembali ke Bandara Incheon di sore hari, hanya untuk memulai hari Sabtu yang sama lagi pada jam 10 pagi saat mendarat di San Francisco. Benar-benar mencengangkan.

Cerita ini dimulai pada bulan Oktober 2025, ketika Endrico dan saya membeli tiket Piala Dunia 2026. Kami merencanakan perjalanan ke AS tepat setelah itu, dan karena kami akan terbang pulang dari Las Vegas, saya memilih Korean Air karena harganya yang cukup terjangkau dan memungkinkan kami terbang langsung dari AS tanpa perlu transit lagi di Los Angeles.

Di Bandara Internasional Incheon.

Kami berkumpul pada Jumat malam, berangkat dari Singapura jam 10 malam dan mendarat di Incheon jam 5:42 pagi. Maka mulailah hari Sabtu terpanjang dalam hidup saya! Kami menuju ke pusat kota dengan naik AREX jam 7:05 pagi dan berpisah di Stasiun Seoul. Endrico, Surianto, dan Taty melanjutkan perjalanan mereka ke Myeongdong. Saya keluar dari stasiun untuk bertemu mantan rekan kerja saya yang pernah saya wawancarai sebelumnya untuk South Korea: Inside Out. Setelah lebih dari delapan tahun, akhirnya saya bertemu Sangdon!

Sangdon adalah tuan rumah yang ramah, sangat sopan dan berbicara dengan lembut. Dia membawa saya ke Focal Point dan kami mengobrol sambil saya menikmati kopi pagi. Kami berbicara sedikit tentang pekerjaan dan sebagian besar tentang kehidupan serta hobinya sebagai orang Korea. Anggap saja hidup di negara maju bisa sangat menantang, tetapi juga sepadan!

Bersama Sangdon.

Setelah itu, saya menyusul yang lain di Myeongdong. Area tersebut entah bagaimana mengingatkan saya pada Ximending di Taipei, tetapi dengan nuansa budaya Korea. Kami makan siang menjelang sore (brunch) di Hadongkwan. Restoran pemenang penghargaan Michelin tersebut hanya menjual nasi sup daging sapi, yang rasanya seperti bubur encer yang tidak menyatu dengan baik, jadi saya terus menambahkan garam ke daging sapinya, haha.

Dari Myeongdong, kami pergi ke Dongdaemun. Entah apa yang sebenarnya ingin dilihat Surianto di sana, tetapi kami akhirnya menjelajahi Pasar Tradisional Gwangjang. Namun, dia tampak ceria saat melihat banyak ajuma yang menjual pancake Korea.

Taty di Pasar Tradisional Gwangjang. 

Mendekati waktu tengah hari, kami kembali ke stasiun metro di mana mesin mengeluarkan tiket perjalanan tunggal kami dengan sangat perlahan, lalu naik All Stop Train kembali ke Bandara Internasional Incheon. Kami berbagi ayam goreng manis, odeng (오뎅), dan tteokbokki (떡볶i) saat makan siang, dan berangkatlah kami ke AS jam 4 sore waktu Korea!

Penerbangannya lama, lebih dari 10 jam. Namun kami mendarat di San Francisco di Sabtu yang sama, tepatnya Sabtu pagi jam 10:22. Rasanya seperti melakukan perjalanan menembus waktu. Keajaiban melewati Garis Waktu Internasional dan banyak zona waktu! Seolah-olah hari Sabtu kami disetel ulang, dan kami memulai hari kami kembali!

Tiba di San Francisco!

Proses imigrasinya menarik, tidak secanggih yang dibayangkan dari sebuah negara seperti AS. Prosesnya masih manual. Petugasnya bersuara lantang dan blak-blakan, mengajukan pertanyaan seperti mengapa kami datang ke sini dan berapa banyak uang tunai yang kami bawa. Setelah melewati imigrasi, kami akhirnya bertemu dengan anggota kelima kami, Susana Any, yang terbang langsung dari Singapura. Tiba satu jam lebih awal dari kami, dia sudah menunggu kami di luar.

Karena semua anggota sudah berkumpul, saya memesan Uber. Sopirnya adalah orang Cina dari Hebei, memberikan kesan pertama kepada kami tentang betapa beragam dan multikulturalnya San Francisco. Kami menuju ke Mosser Hotel di pusat kota. Dalam perjalanan ke sana, saya melihat papan penunjuk jalan bertuliskan "Candlestick Park." Jadi di sanalah The Beatles menggelar konser terakhir mereka!

Apa yang kita pesan di Cafe New Honolulu. 

Mosser Hotel terletak di Downtown (pusat kota). Kami melakukan check-in, dan karena hari masih awal, kami menitipkan bagasi di resepsionis dan berjalan kaki ke Pier 39. Kami melewati Chinatown, makan siang di Cafe New Honolulu, dan saya mengalami pengalaman memberi tip pertama saya di AS. Cukup membingungkan, karena tip 15% sekalipun, yang merupakan pilihan paling rendah, bisa terasa seperti uang yang banyak.

Saat kami melanjutkan perjalanan seusai menyantap makanan Kanton. Lingkungan sekitar tiba-tiba berubah ketika kami mencapai North Beach. Chinatown telah hilang, dan rasanya seperti kami sedang memasuki Little Italy. Saya kagum dengan betapa uniknya kawasan ini. Daerahnya berbukit-bukit, dengan banyak jalanan yang naik dan turun secara. Surianto bergumam bahwa tata kotanya cukup unik karena bangunan-bangunannya berbaris dengan rapi, menciptakan jalan-jalan yang membentang lurus ke depan.

Singa laut, dilihat dari kamera Surianto.

Setelah itu, kami akhirnya sampai di Pier 39. Hard Rock Cafe! Karena saat itu adalah momen Piala Dunia 2026, tentu saja kaus AS pertama saya harus mencerminkan hal itu! Kemudian kami menjelajahi Pier 39, bahkan meluangkan waktu untuk melihat singa laut, sebelum saya mulai merasa limbung. Ternyata efek jet lag mulai terasa, dan saya merasa sangat mengantuk.

Endrico dengan cepat menemukan transportasi yang tepat untuk jalan pulang kami, dan untuk pertama kalinya, kami perlu mengaktifkan kartu Clipper di Google Wallet atau Apple Pay kami. Itu mengingatkan saya pada kartu transportasi di Alipay! Kami melompat ke bus Muni #8 yang berjalan lambat dan kembali ke hotel.

Endrico di dalam bis Muni.

Sekarang, setelah kami bisa masuk ke kamar, kami mendapat kejutan. Pantas saja hotel ini tidak lazim murahnya untuk lokasi hotel di Downtown San Francisco. Kamarnya sangat kecil, dengan toilet dan kamar mandi bersama di luar! Para wanita merasa kamar itu tidak cocok dan dengan cepat pindah ke Marriott di seberang jalan, tetapi saya sudah sangat mengantuk sehingga saya harus berbaring sebentar setelah mandi.

Dan apa yang seharusnya hanya sebentar menjadi beberapa jam. Saya terbangun sekitar jam 8 malam waktu setempat, ketika Taty, Endrico, dan Surianto sudah makan malam di Super Duper Burgers. Saya pergi menemui mereka, tetapi sedang tidak ingin makan burger, jadi kami berjalan kembali ke Marriott, dan saya akhirnya makan linguine di Delarosa sementara yang lain mencicipi pizza margherita.

Di dalam kereta kabel. 

Wahana wisata terakhir malam itu adalah cable car. Itu adalah perjalanan klasik yang menawan, yang membawa kami ke Buena Vista di Fisherman's Wharf. San Francisco di malam hari sangat indah! Saya menikmati Irish coffee pertama saya di sana, yang diracik oleh Joseph Shaw, bartender yang terkenal di daerah setempat dan baru saja merayakan tahun ke-50 bekerja di sana. Rasanya mantap. Sedikit alkohol dan lagu-lagu seperti "It Never Rains in Southern California" adalah perpaduan yang sangat serasi!

Saat pulang, kami ingin mencoba taksi tanpa pengemudi, tetapi urung karena harga larut malam Waymo yang mahal, jadi kami memesan Uber sebagai gantinya. Sopir kami malam itu adalah Zahra, seorang wanita muda dari Turki yang datang ke sini untuk mengejar impian Amerika-nya. Sebagai seorang desainer fesyen muda yang penuh semangat, dia membagikan kisahnya kepada kami selama di AS. Tidak seglamor yang dikira orang, tetapi di San Francisco dia berjuang. Semoga suatu hari nanti dia berhasil.

Malam di San Francisco.

Saat kami turun di depan hotel kami dan melihat Taty berjalan kembali ke Marriott, pikiran saya melayang. Butuh waktu empat tahun menunggu Piala Dunia dan satu hari Sabtu yang panjang untuk mewujudkannya. Masih ada rasa tidak percaya bahwa kami berhasil sampai ke AS. Ini adalah perjalanan yang panjang, bahkan lebih panjang lagi bagi seorang anak dari Pontianak di dalam diri saya, tetapi di sinilah kami berpijak saat Taty memasuki Marriott. Oh ya, kami benar-benar telah melangkah sejauh ini...