Stop Liat HP!

Gue menemukan iklan ini saat lagi berdiri di subway Line 2 Seoul. Tulisan merah di kiri artinya "You yang liat HP doang!"

Lalu tulisan disebelah kanan berseru begini "Jodoh sejati lu ada disebelah lu pun lu ga bisa liat dan bakal kelewatan ㅠㅠ terkadang dibanding HP (aja) liat lah sekeliling lu"

Deep banget kan? Iya dong. Ini emang rutinitas warga Seoul. Ketika lu commute dengan subway atau bus, lebih banyak terasa sunyi dari obrolan karena orang sini hobinya bergadget ria. Gue jarang menemukan yang ngobrol fun keras-keras, kecuali dia emang sekumpulan om-om yang biasanya habis minum.

Mengartikan kalimatnya ga semudah itu karena frasa jodoh sejati atau a match made in heavennya pake peribahasa empat kata, yaitu 천생연분. Tapi ternyata ga perlu tau arti pasnya, karena melihat kalimat keseluruhan juga bisa mengira-ngira bahwa ini ngomongin jodoh. Oh well, cukup urusan linguistiknya. Intinya: perhatikan lah sekeliling lu. Jangan sampai kesempatan yang ada terlewatkan.

Seoul 2018: Ada yang Baru?

Gue baru balik ke Seoul selama seminggu dan berikut perubahan-perubahan kecil yang gue amati.

Harga tiket Nami Island naik. Yes, dari 8000 won per orang jadi 10 ribu won dan akan jadi 13 ribu won dibulan Juli mendatang.

Terminal 2 Incheon sudah beroperasi normal. Kalo naik Korean Air, jangan lupa ke terminal 2 ya!

Shinhan Bank berhenti mengeluarkan kartu Master/Visa buat foreigners dan gue beneran sedih karena masa era Korea mengglobal, dia malah downgrade...

Ok sekian. Korea tetap asyik, tempat main tetap banyak. Musim sakura juga akan segera datang, ditunggu di Korea!

Brussels

Siapapun yang bilang di Brussels ga ada apa-apa, pasti gatau cara menikmati hidup.

Gue datang karena waffle tapi gue dengan cepat memutuskan bahwa gue HARUS segera balik lagi karena Brussels superrr cantik dan menyenangkan. Oh soal waffle, gausah terlalu picky mana yang paling enak karena semuanya udah bikin gue pengen ngutuk waffle-waffle KW 4 versi Korea.

love in the first sight

Kota ini punya pesona di tiap sudutnya dan gue merasa aman disini. Gue gatau disini katedralnya banyak banget dan semuanya cantik.

Tunggu gue kembali summer ini!

Trip 2018

Alira dipastikan sedang sibuk jalan-jalan selama 2 bulan pertama di 2018 ini.

Done:
Bali 2-7 Januari
Melbourne 15-18 Januari
Auckland 18-22 Januari
Sydney 22-24 Januari
Melbourne 24-26 Januari
Colombo, Srilanka
Marrakech, Maroko via Frankfurt
Madrid, Spanyol
Brussel, Belgia
Venice dan Burano, Italia
Lake Garda
Derawan

Yak! Untuk yang ingin mengikuti cerita-cerita perjalanan, boleh pantengin instagram atau twitter di @aliralira :))

My Mapo Memories

Looking back through 2017, I realized there are many changes in my life. This time I would like to review the area that I go most often throughout 2017: Mapo-gu.

I lived in Ewha Womans University dorm for a year, and I was so attached to the area. After I moved to Korea University area, I tried to go to different places, but nothing can replace my love for Sinchon and Hapjeong. It is quite time-consuming to go back and forth to Mapo area, but in the end, it is what makes me happy. I even go to Sinchon and Ewha at least 5 times a week this semester as I am taking courses in Sogang and swim at Ewha. 

So this year, my memories are filled with the alleys of Hapjeong and Sangsu, cozy corners in the vegan restaurants in the area and dessert places in Sinchon and Hongdae.

Let me introduce my favorite places. I am skipping Mangwon Market, Hapjeong and Hongdae as I have shared it in the previous posts.

Sogang University 

I took an Italian class here, so I ideally come twice a week. 

Sogang University is quite small, but I love the apparent Catholic atmosphere with Maria hanging in every class. It reminds me of my high school time.

Best thing about Sogang? Its proximity to Daeheung Station (Line 6). Living in Korea University, there are not many cool places in Line 6 and you have to appreciate this one.

Not to mention my love for the fun class(mates)!

Slunch Factory 

A spacy and cozy restaurant located near to Sangsu station.
I am in love with Slunch Factory for its damn cute menu and vegan options.

 I accidentally found it while passing by. Sadly I did not get to be seated right away as it gets quite busy during lunch and dinner time.

Ingredients are fresh, the menus are quite creative. I like the staffs, they are friendly.

Cook and Book

I am in a love-hate relationship with this place. For me, a vegan place must be friendly. Period.

But Cook and Book staff keep changing and my first experience was not so good. She was cold and seemed hesitant to take my orders. Regardless, they offer different menus every week and only open for limited business hours (Thu-Sun).

The place before remodeling offers homy vibes. 

Vegan lasagna

I recently reviewed their vegan lasagna on my Youtube channel. Check them out. 

Sukkara (Hongdae)

I am not sure how to start, Sukkara is just perfect.

remember the open market?

It offers vibes that I rarely find in Korea. It feels like the traditional market back home and I can sit there for hours doing nothing. I am reserving a special post for Sukkara later on.

I checked that they do many community events too. I should try to come next year.

Menu

They use organic stuff. Quite pricey but worth every sip of it.

My lemon love

I am not gonna say much as I will be writing a more comprehensive write-up on Sukkara later.

Honorable mention

Home

Eventually, my attachment to Mapo leads me back. I decided to move to Mapo. It was a huge decision, as I am still a full-time student at Korea University with the heavy class load and responsibility that entails. Many factors made me decide to choose Mapo, firstly is for its convenience. Mapo is VERY strategic and easy to get to anywhere (well depends on which part, but I cannot say the same about my university area). 

Finding a house was not easy but I love how there are endless options for my low budget. I feel like it is a rational choice as I usually go to school 4 times a week (Mon-Thu), yet I had to go to Sinchon and Ewha for swimming and Italian class 5 times a week (Mon-Fri). I would also have a better commuting time to elsewhere during the weekend.

So to wrap up, my best memory in Mapo this year is probably moving in. I love my house and I appreciate every single process that I had to go through. It was not easy, trust me. But it is totally worth it to say that I want to live here for the rest of my stay in Korea. 

Eat Like a Korean (Student)!

Setiap jalan-jalan keluar negeri, keinginan terbesar gue biasanya makan. Makan ala lokal tapi yang aman alias masuk dietary restriction gue (no daging merah). Tapi ternyata keinginan sederhana ini susah sekali cyin! Ga cuma kendala cari tempat yang free dari tourist-trap, tapi juga masalah bahasa. Bayangin deh, kalo orang mau ke Indonesia terus cari pempek... Bingung kan kasih taunya gimana makan pempek yang enak, bisa dicari dan ramah foreigner?

Nah, 3 tahun gue disini, berikut adalah makanan-makanan yang selalu pengen gue kenalin ke seluruh turis Indonesia karena enak dan harganya masih masuk akal buat pelajar.

1. Sulbing, es serutnya Korea

Ga ada pelajar asing yang ga kenal Sulbing, merk bingsu aka es serut ala Korea, yang paling ngetop. Untungnya Sulbing di Myeongdong ramah foreigners dan terbilang mudah dicari. Cuma penghambatnya adalah orang Indonesia ga suka makan es kalo dingin (padahal ga ngaruh sih, tetep dingin cuma ga bikin makin menggigil kok :P).

HARUS DICOBA. HARUS. Meski minus 20, there is no bad day for Sulbing.

2. Mijeong Guksu 0410 - mienya Chef paling tenar seKorea, om Baek Jongwon 

Temen-temen gue pasti ngamuk kalo baca ini, karena buat mereka ini mie biasa. Ya justru karna itu. Ini mie biasa, toping minimum, seharga 3000-4000 yang enak banget dan porsinya mantap. Disajikan secara cepat, makannya ga disarankan pake ngobrol. Tempat terbaik buat student yang kesepian dan kurang uang.

credit: as tagged

Diluar dari cultural valuenya bahwa ini Korean life yang tidak fancy, kapan lagi makan produk chef terkenal yang dibuat merakyat?

3. Yoogane - Dakgalbi semua umat manusia (dulu)

Yes, sekarang ngga lagi soalnya di deket Korea University udah tutup semua. But anyway, Yoogane adalah hidangan biasa banget sebenernya. Korea standar deh. Dakgalbi alias chicken ribs yang dimasak didepan kita, terus aftermathnya makan nasi goreng pake bumbu yang sama. Topnya kalo pake keju. Ini uniknya Yoogane sih, karena dakgalbi lain enaknya ga pake keju.

Harganya yang murah dan side dish makaroninya yang enak jadi faktor tambahan.

Don't take Yoogane for granted. Ketika dia menghilang dari neighborhood kita, kemudian semua menyesal.

4. Jjimdak, terutama Jaws jjimdak di Busan, atau seenggaknya Daepo Jjjimdak di Seoul

Kayanya gue ga perlu komentar, liat fotonya udah cukup.

Jjimdak biasa, ayam semur pake keju, udah dahsyat, tambahin cumi goreng? Fix rasanya pengen part-time disana biar bisa makan terus.

5. Deungchon Kalguksu, mienya sehat tapi nasi gorengnya bikin candu

Penemuan terbesar gue ditahun 2016 adalah kalguksu pake nasi goreng. Kalguksu alias si mie tebel handmade adalah cinta baru gue. Sumpah, sebenernya ini makanan polos banget. Yang bikin enak ya kuahnya dan kesimpelannya itu. Deungchon Kalguksu beda cerita. Makan disini terbagi jadi 3 episode.

Pertama, sayuran, toge dan jamur direbus dengan kuah yang agak pedas. Bisa langsung disantap ketika mendidih. Kalo si pancinya udah lumayan kosong, lanjut masukin mienya. Makan mienya sampai kira-kira setengah panci, lalu tante-tantenya akan pakai sedikit dari kuah mie untuk bikin nasi goreng + telur. 

Susah dijelasin kenapa dan bagaimana, si nasi goreng ini adalah bagian terbaik dari the whole experience. 7000 untuk 1 set per 1 orang.

6. Food Cafe Sinchon (Stasiun Kereta), kantin terbaikkk seKorea raya dengan tante teramah

Mau makanan Korea apa? Yang normal, porsi sendiri-sendiri dan harga ramah disini ada semua. Banyak banget orang asing makan disini, so menunya Bahasa Inggris kok. Cuma ga banyak turis yang kesini karena emang makanannya terlalu sehari-hari. Tapi justru ini yang gue cari dong. Bonusnya adalah tante yang sangat ramah dan side dish fish cake unlimited.

Sundubu Jjigae, sup tofu kesayangan

Buat yang suka daging, konon si Bulgogi Dukbegi (sup sapi kuah bening) rasanya dahsyat. Buat aliran seafood kaya gue, Sundubu Jjigae (sup tofu merah) dan Nasi Campur topping Squid disini terbaik dengan harga ga sampe 6000 (mungkin sekarang naik...).

7. Chir Chir Chicken

Korean life akan hampa tanpa ayam. Ayam adalah snack nasional dan sumber penghidupan bagi terlalu banyak orang. Nah, sebelum gue berdebat dan mikir kepanjangan Korean Chicken merk mana yang paling enak, mending gue kenalin fusion chicken merk Chir Chir dulu.

Chir Chir

Ga banyak orang yang tau merk ini. Mereka jual ayam standar juga sih cuma gue rekomen banget yang Rose Chicken (penuh keju dan ada rasa pedasnya) sama Chir Chir, karena lelehan keju dan pasta dan ayam tender rasanya ga pernah salah.

BONUS

Kalguksu merk Gohyangjib di Pasar Mangwon yang murah tiada tandingan

Wah. Gue bingung disuruh mulai darimana. Ini tempat legendaris karena enaknya bukan main, harganya ngalahin warteg nasional si Kimbap Cheonguk, tapi sebenernya ga terlalu menyenangkan karena tante-tantenya ga ramah. Rekomendasi yang ini harus ditanggapi dengan objektif: hanya Alira yang suka bela-belain ke Pasar Mangwon buat cari Kalguksu legendaris.

Cafe Tui - tante barista teramah seKorea raya dari New Zealand

Gue ga suka ngopi, ga hobi nongkrong di coffee shop juga. Tapi gue suka bela-belain ke Tui untuk sekedar ketemu tante barista yang sangat ramah.

Cafe Tui ini adanya di depan Korea University, ga terlalu besar, tapi dekorasinya sangat homy dan sangat mencerminkan tantenya. Tantenya dulu lama tinggal di New Zealand dan sekarang anaknya adalah pianis, masih berbasis di New Zealand. Fasih berbahasa Inggris, kalo butuh rekomendasi, tanya aja. Browniesnya mantap, flat whitenya menyenangkan.

Flat White

Brownies

 Kalo tertarik pengen tau selegendaris apa tantenya, boleh liat disini (tapi Bahasa Korea sih...)

Hotteok, bukan isi daging, ini isi madu pake kacang!
Dari sekian banyak jajanan Korea NON ayam (saking kebanyakan ayam, gue suka mual), ini adalah favorit gue. Sebenernya cukup pasaran but not all hotteok is created equal. The only one yang paling best adanya cuma di BIFF Square BUSAN. Yes, gue mau banget disuruh tinggal di Busan beberapa minggu kalo ditaro deket si tukang Hotteok merk Ajusshi ini.

digoreng fresh, antara nikmat sama ga sehat

Harga terakhir 1200, mungkin sekarang udah naik.


Sung Sim Dang Bakery, Daejeon

Bakery terenak termurah yang mungkin dibuat oleh titisan malaikat. Sayang, cuma ada di Daejeon alias 2 jam dari Seoul. Dahulu kala ketika gue masih hidup dengan bebas, gue bisa ke Daejeon cuma buat beli roti dan makan yogurt, padahal jaraknya 120 km one way. Yak, sekarang hidup tidak seindah itu dan gue hanya bisa mengenang Sung Sim Dang.

Kalo ditanya apa enaknya... Bingung juga. Semua enak, tapi bestnya buat gue sih si original cream bread harga 1000 won.

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!