Seaworld Jakarta was a Disappointment

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Sha

Since we were staying in Ancol during our Jakarta trip, one of the places we wanted to visit was Seaworld. Now I understand that the most logical option would be DuFan (Dunia Fantasi) but there are two reasons why we didn’t go on that path:

1) FP isn’t really an amusement park ride person and
2) We’ve been warned that the rides are not very well-maintained and that cock-ups do happen.

While I do welcome the thrill of being on a roller coaster ride, I do not appreciate of the possibility of injury and/or death while having fun.

So we skipped DuFan and headed for Seaworld.

To be honest, we had really high expectations of Seaworld despite warnings from some Indonesian friends of ours that it was just mediocre and that even they have not been there since they were kids. (why are people always warning us?)

We pictured it to be on par with the Underwater World that we have at Sentosa, or at least bigger than that.

But alas, alas. It was nothing short of mediocre.

Outside the venue, there were banners boasting of a “giant octopus” and a “giant python snake”. Want to see the “giant octopus”?

Paul the Octopus would seriously be ashamed of this. Nothing against this creature. But for a “star attraction”. He sure is squeezed up in a mini tank next to two other similar sized tanks. And he is not “gigantic”, come on.

And the “giant python snake”? It’s just a regular sized python. I’ve seen bigger ones at the Singapore Zoo.

I didn’t take a photo of the banners promising these attractions because it will only increase my disappointment. It’s false advertising, you know?

Anyway they also have a travelator tunnel like our Underwater World.

Nothing out of the ordinary, however.

Apparently piranhas used to be stored in the cylinder above. But oh well.

There were several petting/touch pool there that has baby stingrays, sharks and other kinds of fish (I’m really bad with animal names ok?). The baby sharks were slippery at best but felt really smooth, but here’s me with a starfish.

One of the things I loved within Seaworld was this big aquarium filled with colourful small fish. It’s really a pretty sight, if I should say so myself.

An upclose view:

Apologies for the photo quality. It was pretty dark in most parts of Seaworld.

There was a section in Seaworld that was sort of like a museum of fossils. This giant stingray (okay this is honestly giant) was the most interesting exhibit.

Can’t really remember the facts right now but apparently this stingray died on my birthday some years back.

Sad but true.

So I guess that’s it. I guess Seaworld is really more suited for children and family outings. We just had high expectation which was why we were truly disappointed. They didn’t even have jellyfish.

Looking back, we could have gone to DuFan and had more of a thrill there. Even if it meant literally hanging on to our lives.

Oh well.

Staying at Aston Marina Jakarta

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Sha

For our 3 day stay in Jakarta, we shacked up at Aston Marina Hotel and Residences.

The room (actually it was a one room apartment) looked fantastic in photos. Because we booked it 3 months in advance, it became my motivation to work really hard so that when the time came, it would be a ‘reward’ for me.

And it was. In fact, it was the best thing of our laden-with-misadventures-trip to Jakarta.

It would have been a 30 minute drive from the airport (with possibly minimal jam), but we had to get the Paramore concert tickets from Kebun Jerok first and met with this traffic catasrophe:

We arrived at the hotel at about 10.30 am, and was disappointed when told that check-in time was actually at 2 pm. But seeing that we were already there, they promised to rush out a room for us. Fair enough. So we chilled at the lobby for an hour and a half.

We were really tired from the crazy early morning flight and the crazy traffic. By the time we sat down to rest at the lobby, we were pretty hungry. So we ordered food to pass the time and to minimize moodswings.

Believe it or not but this is gado-gado. It’s fancy and healthy version of the traditional dish. Pretty unique don’t you think?

This was some mix of seafood items with rice and sambal. Not too bad, if I recall correctly – especially in our exhausted state.

And of course we need to have our signature strawberry juice:

At noon, we finally checked in to our fabulous room/apartment. Here’s a tour of it:

The bed was honestly the best thing about this already faboosh room. It was so soft with pillows that were ever so fluffy. We could have just stayed indoors and watched tv in bed for the whole weekend. But we had things to do, places to see and people to meet.

Then there was also a living room area with a comfy couch and coffee table:

This was the kitchen area where I boiled water and made cup noodles for the mister when he got hungry in the middle of the night. Playing house to the max

They even had bowls, plates and cutlery in the cupboards – which I didn’t photograph.

This is the dining area (just across the kitchen area) – which we never utilized. We’re an eating-in-front-of-the-tv kind of couple.

Lastly, here’s the bathroom. Love the glass shower. It will totally match the glass sink area I saw at the Fairmont Hotel Singapore. *pictures how her future home will be*

We were staying on the 19th floor, so these were our view by day and by night:

Also, you can passively experience more crazy Jakarta traffic at this height:

Let’s move on to the rest of this condotel!

What you must understand is that some of the towers in Aston Marina are actually residential. So when we explored the vicinity, we found small eateries, convenience stores and services.

We actually tried the food at this Eat Together eatery for brunch on our second day. The food was obviously much cheaper than the room service dinner that we had the previous night.

Then there’s also a pool area:

Oh oh oh! I took this artsy photo of the towers bottom up. I call this “Sarcastically Artsy” but I think it’s awesome

So I guess that’s the end of the tour. If you are gonna be in the Ancol area in Jakarta and want a comfy room that feels a little like home – I’d recommend this hotel.

Hotel Address:
Marina Mediterania, Tower A Jl. Lodan Raya No. 2A
Jakarta Capital Region 14430, Indonesia

The downside was that the airport pickup would cost you US$35 per way per car, and they will not allow you to make any pitstops anywhere. Which was why we took a cab from the hotel in the first place.

Oh well.

Meeting my Fans

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Sha

My recent trip to Jakarta was slightly different than previous ones. No, I am not talking about random earthquakes and fasting in another country. It’s something else.

This time round I have fans waiting ardently for me, no kidding.

Never before in my life have I been greeted by starstruck eyes while shaking hands.

Or have people so eager to take photos with me. (I do love taking photos by default, camwhore even. But having people asking to take photos with me just made me feel like a star hahahahaha!)

Before my trip, I haven’t met any of my “fans” before, mainly because they are new members to my team. So they read this humble blog of mine. Surprisingly, after reading my blog, they became inspired to update their own blogs!

I must be doing something right with this blog to inspire young budding bloggers to blog. And I’m happy that my simple effort of jotting down my thoughts has inspired others.

It’s these small things that makes everything worthwhile when you think about it.

It is really nice to feel looked up to, welcomed and adored. Not that I do not adore them, I do! <3!

So here they are, my cute and lovely fans (hehehe):

fans

fan girls

It was really nice to have met you girls, not because of the attention or gifts – but because all of you are really nice girls

Thanks for the love and laughter. More photos next time, alright?

Earthquake in Jakarta

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Sha

I was right there when it happened, unbelievable but true.

At first, I didn’t even feel a thing. I even thought it was a fire drill when everyone started to stand up. This was despite vaguely hearing the word “earthquake” which caused people to stand up in the first place.

Selective hearing, much?

But as soon as I stood up, I could feel the building literally swaying. At first a little, which I found very exciting (because I have never experienced anything like it before). And then when it didn’t stop and seem to get worse, I think my face turned pale and I panicked.

I felt scared, and stunned all at the same time. Many people have started evacuating the building and I just stood there. And then I decided that I shall also go down – this was in my subconsciousness. But then my colleague Maggie screamed at me to take my bag along. So I went back to the office to grab my bag.

During this time, we could all still feel the swaying and my face was probably getting more panicky by the second.

And then.. it seemed to stop. Looking out the window, I saw people standing outside the building as if it were a normal fire drill.

View from the 5th level of Wisma 77, Jakarta

There were more people actually but I guess they moved away by the time this photo was taken. Below is a photo of a crack that was created in the guys’ toilet by the quake. Apparently the crack wasn’t there before, and when Nico told me about it I was very excited (despite being so frightened moments ago) because it would be a real life earthquake crack on the wall! So we got victor to bring my pretty pink camera to the land of the unknown.

crack on wall

I know. It doesn’t look like much. Believe me, Victor and I are disappointed to because the way Nico has described it to us made it seem really major. Like you know the big zig zag kind. But this is all we got, and this is still an official earthquake crack. Pretty cool.

********
Aftermath of Earthquake

Of course I had to sms FP and tell him what had happened. To be precise, I sent him this message:

“Earthquake! Building is shaking and swaying!”

To which of course he panicked big time, which was really sweet because he urged me to take a flight back to Singapore amongst other things. He got angry because to him, this was the last straw. He made me promised him to find better prospects when I get home.

While it was mainly the anger and fear talking, his main concern was.. “What if anything happens to Sha?”

It is at times like this, in the wake of natural disasters that you know just how much you are loved. You know that someone cares enough as to whether you are dead or alive, safe or in danger, injured or not. It doesn’t matter that you have always known that this someone loves you more than life itself, but it is always accentuated in the face of danger.

It is good to be loved

********
Traumatized

What I experienced from level 5 of the office building may not be anything major but it haunted me for many nights. It was measured as 7.3 on the Richter scale which was pretty high by earthquake standards. There was news that there will be several aftershocks of the earthquake.

On top of it all, I was staying on the 21st floor of the hotel. And the higher you are, the worse it will be (so I’ve learned). Apparently, at our sister company on the 20th floor, they had to hold on to things when trying to evacuate the building. Many fell while running. It all sounds very scary and very real.

So that very night, I woke up several times before Sahur. After Sahur, I found it hard to go back to sleep for the longest time. And when I finally drifted off, I was ambushed by weird and scary dreams. All sorts of it. And Maggie told me that I actually screamed.

Same thing the following night. Except that no nightmares, just a major case of insomnia. Even on my first night back in Singapore, I still couldn’t sleep at all! I guess psychologically, I am / was scared of it happening again. I didn’t want to sleep because I was afraid I will wake up to a swaying room or worse in rubbles.

Contrary to what I said about finding the whole thing exciting (which is true), it is also very frightening. Thank God, I wasn’t near the Epicenter and that my building didn’t turn to rubbles.

It may not be a full fledge earthquake experience, but it is enough to make it a lasting memory.

Going Away in Ramadhan

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Sha

Later on today, I will be making my third trip down to Jakarta.

While I truly look forward to flying from Changi Airport Terminal 3 for the first time, (don’t you know, I am Changi Airport’s biggest fan?), I feel sad about leaving this time.

It is the fasting month after all. Whatever it is, emotions will be raw.

It has so far been a fasting month of many firsts this year. I’ve been alone for most of the fasting month. I broke fast all by myself for the first time ever and it wasn’t a heartwarming feeling. This morning, I had my sahur all alone while watching Disney Channel. It was my first time having sahur in solitude.

Really sad stuff when you think about it.

And now this. I’ve never had to fast while traveling. That said, I have never been away during the fasting month. When you think of my solitude this Ramadhan, this going away certainly pushes my isolation to the next level. No doubt that this will add on to the experiences that will make me stronger but it’s also something that will push me out of my comfort zone entirely.

Of course sahur will be provided by the hotel – an experience that I am actually quite looking forward to try out because I’ve never heard of such a service, very interesting indeed.

Also how can I forget I actually have some special people (hello, girls!) who look forward to seeing me. It’s a nice feeling to be wanted, hehe. That is of course beside the fact that I have people to interview, people to review and projects to discuss. So in actual fact, I won’t really be alone all that much.

So I should be okay right?

I should just take this experience with a grain of salt and an open mind. I survived Banda Aceh at Hari Raya. I can do this.

So I’ll blog when I get back, hopefully with nice photos.

xoxo.

First Jakarta Trip

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Sha

I’m leaving for another work trip to Jakarta tomorrow afternoon.

So before I go on my trip, I guess I should blog about my first Jakarta trip that I went last month. Yes the month that this site died just a little because its owner went on a rampage doing other things.

Let’s continue. This will mostly be a pictorial post, with elaborations where needed.

I’ve never been to Jakarta before in my life, so I was quite excited at the prospect. Not only will I get to experience the typical Jakarta jams and the awesome food – I will also get to meet everyone whom I’ve been working with for the past one year (at least).

So to Jakarta we flew.

boarding pass and passport. SQ baby!

clouds

It has always been a habit of mine – taking photos of clouds and the skies whenever I fly. Looking at fluffly clouds is like looking at cotton candy. It’s like looking at a fantasy world in its own right. And doesn’t it make you like want to skip around on the clouds? Okay, maybe that’s just me.

So we stayed at Hotel Menara Peninsular, which is just beside our office. The hotel’s not too shabby and quite comfy. No bad vibes from the room that I got when I was in Banda Aceh. And this was the view from my 12th floor room:

The breakfast buffet wasn’t all that impressive, but it was still ok. At least they had my apple juice.

breakfast

My outfits for the two days of work while I was there. Please, spare me for these moments of vanity.

outfit 1

outfit 2

Apart from being busy in meeting after meeting for most of the two working days that I was there, what stuck in my mind was the food.

Toni made me try all kind of food. Usually all at the same time. Haha. He really wanted me to have a taste of every kind of food that he deems nice. So, I was pretty bloated throughout the trip.

dinner out

This was taken at a restaurant called Bumbu Desa. Just look at all the food on our first dinner out with friends! He ordered practically one of everything! We ended up sooo full that our minds went numb. It’s a bit like the episode after level 4 buffalo wings. It is true then that when you are full, you become stupid lol.

Oh this yellow drink was lovely actually. It’s a orange-coconut drink. Totally refreshing!

fooood

Apart from food, the company Toni and I kept was a pretty good one too:

Toni and I with our group of colleagues

Nico and Indra – the two bonkers pple without whom all my projects will never be a reality.

Us girls with a big, big man behind us lol

without the big man. Ros and I really do look alike yes?

My friend spongebob and me <3!!

One thing I’ve discovered to love is..

Fruit Tea! From the same family as my favourite teh botol. I’ve never tried fruit tea before, but now.. I really like it! Of course teh botol remains a true classic in my mind, hehe.

sosro fruit tea

This is of course, apart from the Sour Sally yogurt that I must definitely get on my second trip to Jakarta. With plenty of strawberry mochi please!!

One last thing before I end this very lengthy blog post:

I had a little trouble with money when I was in Jakarta. I brought some rupiahs left over from my Bali and Aceh trip some years back. Turns out that all of my dominations of 50,000 rupiah (oh yes I am rich!) cannot be used. I got rejected at a bookstore.

I wanted to pay with credit card, but my purchases doesn’t meet the minimum requirement for a credit card payment. So, I wanted to pay by cash. Did some math and took out a 50,000. And I was told, it was no longer in use *gasp*. So I took out a 20,000 note (you see what I mean by rich? That was accepted.

In the end, we had to go to the bank, and exchange my wad of 50,000 rupiah notes for the new ones.

50,000 rupiah

Kawan E, you are right. Things crazy things only happen to ME.

Haha, there you go. My first trip to Jakarta. Not sure if I’m able to garner plenty of pics the second time round because we will be on a very tight schedule.

But I will try!

.: asylum for the sane :.

where rainbows end.

Tag Archives: jakarta trip

Seaworld Jakarta was a Disappointment

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Staying at Aston Marina Jakarta

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Meeting my Fans

Earthquake in Jakarta

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Going Away in Ramadhan

First Jakarta Trip

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