Instagrammable Hapjeong

If there is any neighborhood in Seoul that I would like to recommend to my friends, it would definitely be Hapjeong. The center of cafe and restaurants, my adventure in Hapjeong seems like an endless one. I still discover new places, although I have (obviously) been there multiple times. Recently, I even expanded my discovery to Mangwon and Sangsu.

First thing first, where is Hapjeong? Why do most tourists never hear of this area?

My bet is simply because the area feels too hippy and unique. Hapjeong offers you the relaxing neighborhood-kind-of-feeling, while it does not particularly feel 'Korean.' Hapjeong is strategically located near to Hongdae, and the Hapjeong station serves Line 2 and Line 6. Other than the accessibility, the good news is... almost every corner in Hapjeong is Instagram-worthy.

Where do you start the photo hunting?
You can actually begin your quest from any exit, but I recommend exit 6 or 7 that will eventually lead you to the cafe area.

I often have too much time, so I wander around and discover some pretty corners along the way. On my last cafe hunting, I brought along my two friends, and we stop by at some cafes to take pictures.

I feel like they should promote 'Positive Vibe' or something because places like this are truly marketable!

a random corner

Indonesians love jalan-jalan sore or late afternoon walk, and Hapjeong-Sangsu area is the best area to do that. As the day is getting darker, we decided to go through the pictures that we've taken and try to decide which cafe do we want to visit the most. Scrolling through some reviews, we decided to go to Decoa Balim.

If you don't read Korean, it would be quite tricky to find this cafe as its located hidden in the small alleys (just like typical Korean cafes).

The exterior looks very unique, and the window suggested the calm atmosphere of this cafe. My two friends were also tempted with the chocolate and dessert. Well, it was a great decision because...

The interior is gorgeous and we just looooove the atmosphere!

Oh you, goodness

Lemon Pie and sinful Chocolate Cake

The desserts tasted delicious and they had a social media promotion. We did it for a free cake (chocolate lava)!

Free chocolate lava!

Although we really came here for the desserts, we did not forget that we wanted the perfect Instagram-able shots too!

Just beautiful

Perfect angle

Done with the 1000-perfect-Instagram-shots, we left to discover yet another catchy corner. A wall with perfect lighting and a door!

Coz we just like it

Oh halo my new Insta profile picture

Okay, you gotta really give it to Indonesians. We are really obsessed with Instagrammable corners. The conclusion is Hapjeong is always Instragram-worthy day and night! I would not say things exclusively apply to Hapjeong-dong but also Sangsu and parts of Mangwon. I even considered moving there because the vibe is just perfect for any age. But uh oh, perfection clearly comes with a price and I can't afford it (yet). For now, I will remain to become a frequent visitor and number one fan!

Happy Instagram-ing in Hapjeong! Don't forget to bring many of your friends and take some killer shots!

Tiziano Ferro - Il Mestiere Della Vita Tour 2017

This is not my usual concert review. For once, I do not care about all the technical detail but the feeling. In all exaggeration, this is the concert of my life. Or more likely, the concert of my 2017. So I only write about my sentiment, my story and my journey. The usual concert review will be posted later :)

I still remembered the day they announced the tour on Facebook. It was October and I was counting down to my first visit to Italy in January. I stopped breathing the moment I saw the picture. I do not even speak Italian. I was not sure when is 'Giugno' and 'Luglio'; all I knew was the fact that I have to go.

The day to buy the ticket came. I decided that I would attend both the tour on Salerno and Firenze, because it works with my schedule. I did not even know where is Salerno, what is it like and how to get there. It was not as easy as I thought. I am a trained Kpop fans, I have the instinct to click the page and buy the second it's opened. But my credit card did not work, I did not know who to ask and things were just complicated. I did not give up and finally, I got the ticket. 

I was about to go to Italy for the first time in January but I already planned for my second visit in October. I even bought my plane ticket for the concert before I actually went in January. I was secretly hoping 'I better fall in love with Italy because I have to come again in less than 6 months'

Nobody knew about this. Oh, the things I did for this concert.

The day is getting nearer, applying for the visa was tough although it was my second application in three months. I said to myself, "I've been waiting for many many years, I won't give up this time"

Things were smoother the moment I arrived in Italy. I fell in love with Salerno and I should actually thank Tiziano for bringing me there. Yes, I barely met anyone who speaks English but it was actually fun to challenge myself with my very broken Italian.

I was alone in the entire journey and I came to the stadium way too early as my host thought I would go for the Prato. I waited for more than 2 hours before realizing that I could actually change my voucher to ticket early. How come? Well, no one told me and the email said they only open 1 hour before the concert. 

My expectation went up the moment I sat on my seat. This is it.

The moment they turned off the lights... The moment his name appeared on the screen...

Then Tiziano appeared. I could not stop smiling.

I saw old, young, healthy and physically challenged, female and male... Everyone came. Everyone sang along. I did not realize that I know the whole melody of his songs and roughly a good 40% of the lyrics - without even searching or speaking Italian. The first song that touched me deeply was Il Regalo Piu Grande. I discovered Tiziano in late 2008 and this song and the album was newly released. The whole album was my daily soundtrack.

Then Indietro. I have no idea how this song grew on me, I think I must have listened to it more than a hundred times because I actually remembered the lyrics and the helicopter. The next one, La Differenza Tra Me E Te is from the time I was already into him. It was beautiful. Then all the hype hit its peak when he sang Xdono. This song is on my permanent Most Played list, along with Rosso Relativo and Senza Scappare Mai Piu. 

When the time for Senza Scappare Mai Piu came... so much feeling. This is the song that wakes me up every morning. The song that my best friend used to hate the most because I could not stop playing it. The song that gives me the nostalgia with the video clip. The song that represents me.

In my Salerno concert, my personal hit was Troppo Buono. It was never my favorite song. I tend to like his upbeat song. But I would never forget the video clip with footage from his concert. The feeling of watching it for the first time still lingers. I once wished I would be part of the crowd. I once wished that I would have the chance to come to Italy. I once wished that I could thank Tiziano for the joy that he brings to all his fans.  

I am beyond happy and blessed. I would forever cherish the chance to be able to come to this concert. Dreams do come true. 

Back in 2008, all I wanted was finding a good Italian singer who could motivate me to learn Italian. I came across him after trying to listen to some other singers and immediately liked him. Since then, I always appreciate his presence, not only in my darkest, toughest moment but also my happiest days through his songs. 

I am sure he changed many lives. I am sure he has given so much impact during his career and for that, I am forever thankful.

Post concert selfie: so much happiness!

Back then, being a fan was so much tougher. I always support my favorite artists by buying their CDs but his CD is not available in Indonesia. We did not do online shopping nor streaming. There was no such thing as digital music. I had to beg my mom to get me Tiziano's CD from her friend who does shop on EBay. I always treasure my first package of his CD, a pack of his four earliest albums. I got his fifth album when my dad was touring in Europe. He was away for a few weeks, visited many countries and of course - he asked us if we wanted anything. I only asked for Tiziano's CD.

Bakc then, even streaming for his video on Youtube was a real challenge. I do not live in Narnia, but Tiziano Ferro's music videos are blocked in my country. The uploader (Vevo and his label) chose not to reach out to the world, or rather a specific part of the world. I had to use DailyMotion and it was just... not right.

Back then, Google Translate was not as good as now. I do not speak Italian. I do not get the latest news. I do not know what is happening out there. But all these struggles were never a good enough reason to stop listening to him. Thank you, Tiziano Ferro. 

I would always remember 12/07/17 and 15/07/07. Being able to finally come to his concert is a good enough reason to let go all the things that I missed in 2015.

Hours of working last semester to afford this trip, my 24+hours and 11000km+ of travel to Italy... Everything was worth it. Thank you, Tiziano. Thank you for not giving up and sharing your gift with us.

Hongdae, Pintunya Seoul

Gue heran kenapa orang Indonesia kalo wisata belanja taunya cuma Myeongdong, Dongdaemun sama Namdaemun. Kalo nongkrong yang atas dikit, baru kesebut Gangnam. Terus kalo makan, yang mau makan halal suka pada ke Itaewon. Yak, padahal ada kompleks yang semua ada di Hongdae.

Hongdae sebenernya adalah area universitas yang terkenal dengan fakultas seninya. Yuhuu, area disekitarnya jadi kerasa hip hip anak muda gitu. Dikalangan lokal, Hongdae terkenal buat nongkrong dan street performancenya. Dikalangan turis? Nah, ga banyak yang tau. Padahal best banget.

Hongdae adalah pintu pertama lo masuk ke Seoul. Dari Incheon, lo tinggal naik Airport Express dan turun di stasiun Hongik University. Gamau naik kereta karena capek jalan naik turun? Ada kok bis dari airport langsung ke Hongdae. Barang bawaan banyak? Jangan khawatir. Lo bisa titipin di loker yang ada di stasiun Hongdae. Atau kalo udah ditengah kota pun, Hongdae ini bisa diakses dari 3 line kereta, termasuk Line 2 yang paling gaul karena banyak tempat wisata. Nah pertanyaannya, setelah sampe stasiunnya, kemana dong?

Pintu menuju hipnya Hongdae

Exit 9! Ini legendaris buat janjian dengan siapapun ditengah keramaian Hongdae. Eits, jangan pikir karena KFCnya! Soalnya kalo belok ke kiri dari exit 9 langsung ke pusat Hongdae. Kalo lurus terus ke kiri, juga bisa ke keramaian yang lain. Tapi kalo punya banyak barang dan males banget naik tangga, silahkan ke Exit 8 yang ada eskalatornya.

Explore bisa langsung dimulai. Baru nyampe pasti laper kan? Gue rekomen buat cobain jajanan Korea langsung. Kalo datengnya sore, disekitar exit 9 banyak yang jual gorengan (twigim). Kalo datengnya siang, tetep jangan tergoda KFC! Cobain restoran-restoran yang ada di sekitar. Hongdae emang gak popular-popular amat dikalangan turis Asia Tenggara. Tapi pilihan makanan tersedia dalam Bahasa Inggris dan yang halal juga banyak kok. Atau kalo mau familiar taste, bisa mampir ke toko ayam goreng ala Korea.

Shopping!

Buat cewe-cewe yang diet atau males makan, bisa langsung mulai shopping. Di Hongdae ini best banget buat beli pakaian model terkini dengan harga miring. Patokannya di sebelah Bershka ada gang. Nah ga perlu nawar, karena harganya langsung dibandrol. Kalo gue sih ga pernah beli yang diatas 20 ribu. Toh banyak yang 6000, 10000 atau 15000an. Ga suka dengan gaya Korea? Masuk H&M, Forever21 atau Bershka aja! Harga tetep lebih murah dari Indonesia.

Area terbuka di Hongdae

Gimana kabarnya dengan mas-mas, adek-adek, bapak-bapak yang gamau shopping? Jangan khawatir. Asalkan cuaca bagus, bisa nunggu sambil melihat suasana hidup anak muda Seoul di open space yang banyak tersedia di Hongdae. Sore ke malem, banyak street performers disini. Ga cuma nyanyi tapi juga ngedance dan sebagainya. Ga kalah lah sama kualitas Kpop. Kalo ujan? Bisa ngafe dong.

Cozynya Information Center

Jauh-jauh ke Korea, ngafe? Eh, ngafe di berbagai kafe cute di Hongdae ini beda. Ada banyak tema aneh-aneh disini. Yang gue denger ada kafe kambing?! Cuma jangan ekstrim-ekstrim amat lah. Kafe kucing, anjing atau sekedar coffee shop biasa berjamuran disini. Berikutnya kalo bingung mau kemana, gak perlu pusing! Ada dua tourism center di Hongdae. Yang pertama punyanya Seoul dan yang kedua punya Mapo-gu. Gue udah coba ke Information Centernya Mapo-gu dan mbaknya fluent Bahasa Inggris kok. Tempatnya juga luas dan nyaman, dilengkapi dengan free wifi kenceng. Boleh bangeeeet numpang wifian sambil tanya-tanya destinasi berikutnya.

Mapo Tourist Center juga bisa rekomendasiin tempat-tempat yang mungkin lo ga kepikiran. Bisa juga beli Discover Seoul Pass disini, akses serbaguna ke berbagai tempat menarik di Seoul. Harganya worth banget sama benefitnya. Kalo udah gini, Hongdae bukan cuma tempat transit atau pintu masuknya Seoul, tapi juga bisa lo masukin sebagai destinasi utama yang must-visit!

Tunggu apalagi, jangan lupa stop di Hongdae sebelum mulai perjalanan lo di Seoul!

Toilet dan Perempuan

Gue suka heran menemukan sign 'women-friendly'. Maksudnya, emang dulu infrastruktur disini separah apa sih? Kenapa women-friendly begitu diagungkan?

Gue nemuin sign ini di toilet. Judulnya dramatis. Seoul yang menyenangkan buat wanita. Intinya, toilet ini women-friendly. Jumlah toiletnya (jadi) lebih banyak, maka semua bisa merasa nyaman. Yes, gue boleh paham kalo ini temporary campaign, tapi kalo permanen?

Berikutnya adalah spanduk raksasa di toilet laki-laki. Gue ga inget kenapa gue iseng banget sampe moto ginian.

Kalo kepo silahkan dizoom. 

Intinya lagi ada petugas wanita yang bersihin, silahkan tunggu sebentar. Nah kalo sign ini gue suka banget, penuh respek. Kadang gue suka kaget ngeliat mas-mas bersihin kamar mandi cewe. Bukan rasis bukan apa, cuma gak kebiasa aja. Kalo toiletnya kosong sih terserah, lah kalo lagi full operation?

Sesunggunya masih banyak hal-hal aneh yang gue temukan di toilet. Nanti gue update lagi muahaha.

Forbidden Items: Yakin Lu?

Gue nemuin sign ini di toilet Universitas Sejong. Awalnya ga ada yang salah, sampe akhirnya... Forbidden items? Oke kalo dia tulis garbage, gue paham.

Tapi siapa juga yang mau ngeflush HP atau kartu kredit ke toilet? Seriusan?

Percayalah. Bukan kali ini aja sign di Korea suka aneh-aneh.

The Wonders of Mangwon Market 망원시장

I am not a fan of a traditional market but I am always dying to go back to *several* market in Korea, one of them is Mangwon Market. It is located in Mapo, near the Mangwon Station (line 6), Seoul. It was very near to Ewha, where I lived for a year. But now that I live in Anam, I have to think multiple times before going there.

What is so special about this market?

Well, nothing huge, nothing fancy. But I loooove the food. I am not talking about a specialized food, it is just simply my favorite: the 2500won Kalguksu. I can't even get a proper lunch box with 2500 around my school so this is a real deal.

The canteen is a modest 고향집 with seating for about 30 people inside. They also expanded the area a bit in the outside. Their customers are mostly elderly and everyone seems to be a returning customer.

Gohyangjib Menu

You gotta order and pay in front up cash. Yes, it is very rare for a Korean store not to accept card but it does not decrease the charm of this place. The most expensive menu is only 5000won.

A huge hot bowl of this wonderful noodle would definitely satisfy your craving. I also love how they provide spicy sauce and fresh kimchi, along with pepper and salt. This is not the norm in Korea.

I also tried their Sujebi or handmade-dough that looks like ravioli. Not bad but I prefer the original Kalguksu better. You can add 1000won for more noodle or upgrade to perilla kalguksu too. Their other menu is bibimbap, the mixed veggie rice, and cold noodle.

Although I guarantee that you will be full after a bowl of this wonderful Kalguksu, you must not miss the multi flavor chicken! They have the normal sweet and spicy, 깐풍 (hot pepper), cheese, white cream and the most mindblowing taste: fruit. Yes, chicken with fruit sauce.

I am actually quite used to orange chicken. But they put it as 'fruit' taste. I am not sure which fruit do they mean. Apple chicken? Banana chicken? What?

small cup or maybe, two chicken?

The chicken is served in many different sizes, ranging from ultra slim cup for 3000 won till two-ekor-chickens for less than 20000. The 4000won cup is ideal for one and even the one-chicken-size is not that big for two. Well, buy according to your need. My best piece of advice is: make sure you get the right taste.

I tried the spicy, white cream and fruit chicken. Maybe I am not that adventurous with taste as the spicy one was clearly the best. The white cream taste gets old and weird after a few bites and the fruit chicken just does not do well. I am not that sensitive with fruits, I bet this must be some kind of berry.

Chicken Ass

I am no longer surprised with what comes next: the ass. Chicken ass. I've seen it in Suwon and I am not gonna try it. In case you missed it, here is the ass(es) that was served on my plate last year.

So if you find yourself around Mapo and feel like eating something good for extremely cheap price, head to Mangwon Market! Highly recommended!

Hong Kong: Cukup Sekali

Beberapa bulan lalu, gue dapet tiket murah ke Hong Kong dari salah satu maskapai budgetnya. Well, technically Seoul-HK emang gak kerasa jauh, tapi ternyata jaraknya ya Jakarta-Bangkok juga. Penerbangan hampir 4 jam. Gue gatau kenapa gue beli tiket itu. Mainly cuma karena murah (150ribu won atau 1.8 juta rupiah PP) dan gue belom pernah. Kebetulan, temen gue juga ada yang lagi exchange kesana so sekalian aja kan.

Menjelang keberangkatan, gue bingung dan pusing sendiri jadi berangkat atau gak... Setelah galau berhari-hari, akhirnya gue bilang nyokap dihari H. Nyokap udah ga bisa kaget, karena gue keseringan jalan-jalan. Nanyanya cuma, "Emang libur?"

"Ngga, tapi kan jumat emang gak ada kelas"

"Ga ngurangin kuota diluar Korea tuh?"

"Iya sih tapi kan cuma 3 hari"

"3 hari juga bisa pulang" *yak nyokap gue emang orangnya gini*

"Emang bingung mau berangkat apa gak. Gak usah aja apa?"

"Ya terserah aja deh."

Akhirnya tetep berangkat. Gue impressed dengan airlinesnya dan bisa berdamai dengan Bahasa Kantonnya. Tapi gue gak bisa santai sama orangnya. Semua galak.

Gue sampe HK jam 1 pagi. Gue udah master tidur di airport sambil nunggu kereta atau bis pertama. Tapi di HK Airport gak ada tempat tidur yang menyenangkan seperti di Taoyuan, Taipei dan orang HK galaknya bukan main. Gue duduk di McD sambil nunduk aja didatengin tante-tantenya dan dimarahin. Well, fair enough mungkin karena spacenya limited dan itu tempat makan bukan tempat tidur.

Tapi mereka hell strict dengan definisi 'tempat makan'. To the point gue diusir saat minum pelan-pelan setelah makanan gue habis di salah satu kedai lokal ngetop, Lan Fong Yuen. Padahal saat itu keadaannya kosong dan ga ada antrian. Sialan. 

Kedai Galak

Ga sampe disitu, orang-orang pun generally ga friendly dan ga pengen membantu. Hostel mahal dan gue baru pertama kali ngerasain triple bunk bed alias tempat tidur tumpuk tiga... Gila. Yang paling bawah mepet lantai, yang paling atas mepet langit-langit. Yang tengah kesandwich dan duduk pun gak bisa. Kalo kata temen gue, tinggal di HK itu semacem tinggal di kotak sepatu aka shoebox. Hidup lo sepengap dan seterkotak itu. 

Anehnya lagi, gue ke HK disaat musim konstruksi. Dimana-mana lagi dibangun sampe-sampe susah kemana-mana. Avenue of Stars tutup, Old Central harus muter dsb.

Akhirnya gue ke museum aja. Tidak mengecewakan, apalagi Museum of History. Tapi gak sebagus museum-museum yang di Taipei. Museum of Heritage juga keren, apalagi kafenya cozy banget. Masuknya gratis, so lumayan nih ditengah HK yang serba kecil dan komersial.

Selain museum, yang paling ok dari HK mungkin lanskapnya dan mengamati betapa susahnya berbagi space. Lo pasti notice lah begitu sampe HK, semua gedung tinggi dan apartemen tua-tua. Mereka hidup berebut space. Buat gue sih, HK itu versi lebih besarnya Singapore. Nothing more. 

Ga ada yang memorable dari HK selain... Night Viewnya! Nah kalo ini beneran bagus.

Victoria Peak night view

Seperti yang semua orang tahu, Victoria Peak adalah tempat terbaik liat night view. Gue sempet gamau karena gue males banyak orang. Tapi ternyata worth juga ngantri lama ke atas dan menikmati suasana malam sambil berdempet-dempetan dengan ratusan orang lainnya.

View dari Tamar Park

Gue diajak ke Tamar Park sama temen-temen gue yang tinggal di HK dan ini seru banget. Soalnya sama sekali ga ada orang dan di daerah bisnis. Jatohnya jadi kaya Yeouido atau SCBD tapi tanpa manusia.

Bianglalanya HK

Menuju ke Tamar Park, kita ngelewatin bianglala raksasa. Sepi banget. Bisa foto-foto tapi sayang skill foto gue jelek dan cuma bermodal HP. Untung ada temen yang lumayan talented yay.

Setelah itu... Udah. Gue ditunjukkin sisi shopping HK tapi gue gak terlalu berminat. Ya karena gak punya uang sih jadi gak bisa beli juga :p

Memantau Bandara

Sebelum balik, gue sempet nunggu di private residence yang sebelahan sama Ngo Ping Cable Car dengan view bandara. Ini baru cantik. Tapi lagi-lagi, kereta gantungnya lagi diperbaiki sampe bulan Juni. Sebenernya gue salah apa, kenapa semua lagi konstruksi?

Anyway, gue gak menyesali pergi ke HK 3 hari. Gue definitely belajar dan mendapatkan sesuatu, tapi cukup sekali.