It was a rainy afternoon in Bali. My mom, sister, and I were planning to go to Penglipuran Village. However, because it was raining heavily, I suggested that we stopped by the biggest Starbucks in Southeast Asia. “Oh, you mean Dewata?”, asked my driver. Ah, so that’s it! Starbucks Reserve Dewata, to be precise. I wasn’t a coffee lover but since we were already in Bali, I wanted to check it out! Not only it was the biggest Starbucks cafe building ever, it also had its own logo and offered a different experience that you wouldn’t find in other Starbucks. First, it had its own parking lot, receptionist, garden, coffee…
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South Africa Trip: Boulders Beach and Karoo Moon Motel (Route 62)
Hi, friends! Psst, your small blogger turned 32 last week 🎉 Actually, I wanted to skip this week’s blog post because I had a relaxing weekend. Suddenly, right now on Monday evening, I have the inspiration to share with you Boulders Beach (Cape Town) and Karoo Moon Motel (Route 62) in South Africa. I’ll take you to see cute, chubby penguins in Boulders Beach. As for Route 62… Yes the US has Route 66 but South Africa has Route 62 😉🛣️ There’s a cool and quirky rest stop on Route 62, Karoo Moon Motel. It’s actually a motel but it also has a restaurant. Since it’s a long ride along…
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Bali Trip: Why You Should Choose Unpopular Hotels During Peak Seasons
It’s the second week of January 2023 but who’s still in a holiday mood? 🙋♀️🙋♂️Don’t worry! When you focus on your job, summer won’t be too far, hehe! If you’re a conscious spender like me and are planning to travel to Bali during peak seasons, I suggest you stay in unpopular hotels over popular ones. Last Christmas, I finally realised my dream to stay in a five-star hotel in Nusa Dua. I heard that the big hotels in that area were gorgeous, so I couldn’t wait for my stay. But I found out that the experience wasn’t fully satisfying, compared to my expectation and the money spent. Staying in Popular…
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White and Blue Christmas at Koral Restaurant, Apurva Kempinski Bali
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a great holiday and Christmas (for those who are celebrating)🎉🎉🎉 I had a memorable Christmas celebration with my mother and sister at Koral Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant under the sea. Since the restaurant was inside Apurva Kempinski Bali, we also stayed for one night there. This white and blue Christmas dinner was part of my impulsive travel bookings that I didn’t regret. If you’ve been following my blog, you may remember that in early 2022, I made some impulsive travel bookings. There were consequences to my actions, of course. I was always careful with my spending, but because of my impulsiveness,…
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South Africa: Oudsthoorn Ostrich Farm, Cango Caves & De Zeekoe Guest Farm
Hello, hello, hello, everyone! I feel excited because Christmas (and my holiday) is coming soon. What about you? The theme for this week is: tall men. So yeah, this week, let me take you to Oudsthoorn, the famous ostrich capital in South Africa! Plus Cango Caves and De Zeekoe Guest Farm 😉 If you read my blog post last week, you’d know that Maksim Mrvica is my childhood crush (saw him on TV when I was around 12 years old). Did you know that he’s 207 cm tall?? But not only men in Balkans are tall, there are some tall birds on earth like the ostriches (up to 2.7 meters),…
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Hermanus & Almost Whale Watching, South Africa
This week, I feel like taking you to Hermanus, South Africa, and show you how beautiful this seaside town is. This is thanks to how I currently feel while writing this blog post — serene yet wavy like the ocean, waiting for the day I meet my childhood crush (fangirling over Maksim Mrvica) 🎹🙈❤️ I decided to come to South Africa in October because it was the season for whale watching. Travellers would flock to Hermanus, boarding a ship to see the whales, sharks, and other marine animals up close. On the way to Hermanus, I kept replaying Michael Jackson’s song “Will You Be There” and the scene when Willy…
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Wine Tasting & Cheese Pairing in South Africa
If you’re a wine lover, you’ll love South Africa! This country is blessed with fertile soil and produces A LOT of wines, so you can get high-quality wine at affordable prices. With many wineries, let me take you for wine tasting & wine and cheese pairing in South Africa. I don’t drink much but I’m happy that my tour package includes 2 wine tasting + 1 wine and cheese pairing 😊 But first, let’s have a short walk in Stellenbosch, a beautiful university town! Stellenbosch, the Beautiful University Town in South Africa Located in the Western Cape province, this charming, little town is perfect for students, wine lovers, and farmers.…
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Tsitsikamma: National Park, Monkeyland, Ziplining & Marilyn’s 60’s Diner
Hi, friends! For the past two weeks, I’ve shown you what safari looks like. Ready to see another side of South Africa? This week, I’ll take you on an adventure in Tsitsikamma, where we’ll explore the National Park, Monkeyland, do a tree canopy ziplining, and dine at the unique Marilyn’s 60’s Diner. The Tsitsikamma forest is a part of the Garden Route National Park. You’ll find rivers, forests, mountains, gorges, and plantations. Bye Indiana Jones, hello Dora the Explorer! 🐒🌳🌊 When you travel to South Africa, make sure that you also explore the Garden Route and Fruit Route. There are so many things to see and experience in South Africa…
