LPS Versi Korea

Sign soal jaminan simpanan

Gue selalu hobi liat simbol-simbol dan iklan sosial di sekitar gue. Gue menemukan ini di samping ATM. Di Korea, simpanan dijamin sampai dengan 50 juta won (saja) atau sekitar 600 juta rupiah per orang. Sedangkan di Indonesia, Lembaga Penjamin Simpanan (LPS) menjamin sampai 2 miliyar rupiah. Interesting.

LPS versi Korea adalah Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC). Kalo kepo, website mereka cukup informatif dan rapi.

Tunggu sign berikutnya dilabel "Korea Public Sign"!

Escadaria Selarón at Night

The entrance of the stairs

Going to Rio without research, I just trusted and followed my new friends. Turned out they were all bunch of adrenaline junkie who dared to walk on Rio's dark street after sunset. As the rumor said, it is not safe for you to stroll in the street after sunset. Robbery, pickpocket and all kind of crimes are gonna haunt you.

the street leading to the stair at 7 PM

It was very terrifying. It was my first day in Rio and they already took me to such unwanted adventure. So we had early dinner and they wanted to take me to the famous stairs in Rio called Escadaria Selaron. There were almost no one on the street leading to the stairs, more alone foreigners.

world map!

Before reaching the stairs, we saw this world map with names written there. They said we could write our names by paying a small fee? Not sure. It was definitely not the business hours so I could not figure out and I was really really hesitant. I wanted to go back to my hotel like ASAP.

pointing at Indonesia!

But my friends were all excited and forced me to pose before leaving. Okay...
Turned out it was a really good one! Thank you, Jihwan!


Then after more  walking for a few hundred meters, we reached the stairs!

stairs without human!

No tourist was in sight, only some local... gangster, I would say.

Yes it was indeed very nice and pretty but PLEASE just do not come at night like us. Yes, I hate humans and I normally looooove visiting in such a weird hours like this to avoid crowd but safety is always priority! I was really scared and being there on my very first day did not help either coz I basically was just overwhelmed.

A memorable visit and dear my friends, thank you for pushing me not to back out and escape to my hotel room!

First Impression of Rio de Janeiro

I spent three full weeks in Rio de Janeiro last August. I am always skeptical about a country's scenic view. For me, Indonesia is the most beautiful country. I have yet to visit places that could match Indonesia's scenery but Brazil is truly beautiful.

You just gotta believe me. Rio is awesome.

This picture does not do the justice, but still

I was greeted by an amazing view even before landing in Santos Dumont Airport.
Learning from my lesson, please try to get in to Rio through Santos Dumont (SDU) rather than Galeao (GIG) because of the super duper strategic location (right in the heart of the city) and the unbeatable scenery. You can literally walk from the airport to Lapa or Centro area.

Then I checked in to Prodigy Hotel, right next to the airport. The location is just very convenient, it is literally next to (or even part of?) the airport. Just walk, no need taxi or whatever. You can leave your hotel room 30 minutes before the take off time, you will still make it.

More reasons to choose SDU are because they have a very good money changer in the mall next to it, no 'premium aiport rate' and no need to worry about not having Reais with you. Also they have some fastfood chain restaurants like Burger King and Subway so you do not have to stress about what to eat as soon as you step in to the city. Other parts of the city is also easily accessible by VLT and metro station is just 10-15 minutes walk from the airport.

The view from the rooftop is just... Perfect.

I can wake up everyday with this kind of scenery.

My first impression of Rio de Janeiro was too sweet that I almost forgot it took 41 hours trip for me to get there...

More from Rio later!

#KelilingKorea Busan: Heaven for Foodie

"Where do you normally go in your free time?"
"Busan"

Then people would look at me awkwardly, as Busan is 400km away from Seoul.

But it's true. I love Busan that I keep coming back. I lost count already but I think I've gone there for 6 times within a year. Why? Food. Call me crazy but I am willing to travel 10 hours roundtrip for Busan' Jjimdak, Hotteok and Bingsu.

Jaws Jjimdak

Red sauce Jaws!

I only discovered this place when I got lost with my #KelilingKorea mates in Kyungsung University area. It was my third time in Busan and we wanted to find a special restaurant that sell something with cheese (couldn't recall what was the thing we searched for). We could not find it despite using Naver Map yet we were damn hungry. So Abby randomly pointed at one door, "Guys this looks nice!"

source: Naver

Of course I would never reject chicken...
So we went in and we were amazed with the fried octopus option. We ordered the black sauce jjimdak with cheese and octopus. Talk about fat...

if this is not sexy, I don't know what is

OMG. We all fell in love. Every bite tasted soooooo good that we even wondered: how can we get this in Seoul???

from Nampo branch

I always go to Jaws Jjimdak everytime I go to Busan. I have tried the gochujang (red) sauce one, and it was phenomenal! Plating may vary, but the taste is always equally amazing. Price? Definitely way much cheaper than Seoul' jjimdak.

Ajusshi Hotteok
I visited Busan for the very first time when I still did not know much about Korea. It was only my second month in Korea. I was traveling with a group of friends and they sorted out everything. One of the destination was the famous hotteok at BIFF Square.

I did not even know what is hotteok and it has nothing to do with hot dog, fyi.

So people were queueing for this KRW1000 snack (but now it's KRW1200). I was doubting whether I would like it or not as I am never really a fan of seeds/peanut.

I could make a special post dedicated for Hotteok but basically it looked like this. Fried.

The taste was simply... Fantastic. They are really generous with the fillings. The sweetness is just perfect and the seeds are also balanced. I would die to have this stall open in front of my school... KRW1200? I can buy two every day!

(I am so sleepy rn, to be continued)

Ihwa Mural Village: Overrated Spot in Seoul

Kunjungan gue ke Ihwa Mural Village disaat winter lalu merupakan salah satu pengalaman terburuk jalan-jalan bersama club. Bukan cuma urusan suhu yang minus 10, tetapi juga fakta bahwa Ihwa-dong ini belum siap menerima banyak turis.

Ihwa Mural Village adalah projek pemerintah Seoul untuk mentransformasi salah satu pemukiman miskin (mau bilang kumuh tapi gak kumuh...) menjadi apik dan fotogenik. Berusaha meniru kesuksesan Gamcheon Cultural Village di Busan, tampaknya Ihwa Mural Village ini gagal. Akses kesana cukup ribet untuk first timer dan spot foto tidak sebanyak yang dibayangkan. Tapi bagi pengguna Naver Map tentu tidak ada gang yang mustahil ditemukan di Korea.

Spot paling utama adalah angel wings. Ignore my pose, I was freezing.

Seperti layaknya spot-spot lain di Seoul, Ihwa Mural Village juga penuh jalan mendaki.

Ada beberapa spot unik untuk foto, tapi overall, we were done in 30 minutes. Campuran bosen dan beku kedinginan.

Belakangan, ada berita di KoreaTimes bahwa warganya ternyata komplain akibat banyak kunjungan turis. Atau keluhan lain soal sampah di KoreaHerald sini... Agak heran dan speechless, karena Gamcheon Cultural Village juga dipenuhi turis tapi semua tetap damai tuh?

Anyway, gak recommended kecuali memang mau foto-foto ala blogger negara tetangga yang bawa fotografer pribadi kemana-mana sambil sok senyum atau pose ala model katalog.

Bongeunsa Temple

As a penniless student who does not celebrate Seollal, I decided to go on 'budget tour' in Seoul. I checked the list of things to do in Seoul on Tripadvisor and I have visited 25 out of the big 30. Those I haven't visited are palaces, Bukhansan (no thanks, I am not an outdoor person) and Bongeunsa.

Bongeunsa, the famous temple in Gangnam area, is on my list this time. Actually I don't really like temple and I really wanted to go to palaces instead but we need to buy ticket so mmm, no no, next time. Turned out it wasn't bad. Bongeunsa was pretty.

There was nothing attractive on the main gate. But we will be greeted by colorful lanterns aka lampion once we enter the temple area. You will also feel the solemnity of this place in every corner of it. This temple is located just right at a busy road but it was very quiet and peaceful. I have been to Jogyesa, another temple in Insadong, numerous times but it still have the busy-city-feeling and the atmosphere is not as quiet as this one.

Main gate. Source here

Bongeunsa area is pretty big and there are several buildings for praying and education. But nothing attract us more than the 23 meter tall Buddha statue at the back of the main building!

Buddha statue at Bongeunsa Temple

I think Bongeunsa is the second prettiest temple in Korea. The first one? Yonggungsa in Busan!

We spent like 40 minutes exploring and trying to read things in Korean before heading back to Coex. While we were walking down to the main gate, we heard the people/monks reciting mantra (not sure if its called mantra?) and it really gives 'legit' temple feeling. I heard that they also offer famous Temple Stay program here. Maybe I should try it someday :)))

So if you are a businessman or visitor staying in Coex/Gangnam area and have few hours to stay, Bongeunsa is definitely worth a visit. It is located just right across Coex and Grand Intercontinental Parnas. Like most temples in Korea, they are a bit hilly but it's okay - it's nothing too challenging tho :D

If you are staying closer to the city center like Insadong, Myeongdong or Dongdaemun, try to visit Jogyesa. Its fairly small compared to this one but they have a better information center (more touristy, I suppose) and Temple Stay information center is also located just right across it. Temples in Seoul (or maybe in Korea?) will be full of lantern during May-June and make sure to check the Buddha's Birthday and Lotus Lantern Festival date every year for one of a kind temple visit! :)

one last selfie before leaving

O Shake: The Mighty Milkshake

O Shake Devil Shake

I am a huge fan of milk. I was really crazy about milk and I really mean it. My mom used to stop me from drinking too much milk at once because I could literally finish 1 litre of milk in 3 minutes. I still have the same obsession over milk, with a better self control now :))))


Whenever I see milkshake on the menu, I would always order that. Indonesian restaurant would normally have it but not in Korea - as Koreans do not normally order beverages when they are dining. So when I crave for milkshake, normally I'd go for packaged milkshake from Lotte (only 1,200 won) or McD's milkshake which certainly better than Lotteria's. Until recently I discovered this milkshake specialized store called O'Shake.

O Shake menu and price

I went to O Shake Itaewon last Saturday. They have wide range of milkshake choices and I was really tempted with their Devil Shake. But it was really expensive (starting from 7,800 won) so I decided to go with normal Oreo Milkshake which only costs 3,700 won. My senior order Choco Shake for the same price. We can upgrade the size with only 1,000 won and yes, we opted for it.

O Shake Devil Shake

I am still curious about their Devil Shake but could you imagine the amount of sugar and calorie in one glass of that Devil Milkshake...

OMG yes they're indeed a devil for your diet and health.

O Shake Choco Shake

The Choco Shake looked normal but it was very thick compared to normal milkshake from McD or other stores, It doesn't taste bad but I would not order it again tho hahaha,

O Shake Oreo

The Oreo Shake was really good with same level of thickness and right level of sweetness. Their whipping cream was also good, better than Starbucks' actually :P But I wasn't sure if they really use Oreo or Korea's Oreo? (that Lotte-made Oreo which really annoys me)

As for the place, it was just Korean average size. Small and quiet packed but I like the bright lighting. They offer wifi and free biscuits and I have nothing to complain about their staffs. Some table were uncleaned when we came tho.

Overall, I like O Shake for their price and wide range of choices. I would still say Once Upon A Milkshake is my all time favorite milkshake but they're just too expensive :( (well, ada harga ada rupa)

For updated info, check their Facebook page here. Definitely worth trying if you are in Itaewon area.

Just get to the alley at the back of Hamilton Hotel or try naver this address 서울 용산구 이태원로27가길 49. :)