Teluk Ijo, an alternative getaway in Banyuwangi

Teluk Ijo, Banyuwangi

Who would’ve thought that Banyuwangi is now one of the best tourism destinations in Indonesia?

It was just a city you cross when you want to go to Bali from Java Island and now, people actually stop by to visit some of its wonderful beach destinations. I was on touring with a few friends to Banyuwangi and one of our itinerary lists is Rajegwesi beach. We heard a lot about the beach and it took about 2 hours drive from our hotel at Kalibaru.

There is not much to see in Pantai Rajegwesi excepts some fishermen’s boats and not-so-pretty beach. However, it turns out that from Rajegwesi, we got to do a boat trip to Teluk Ijo (literally means the Green Bay).

This was my very first time to cross the water using fisherman’s boat and with a limited amount of safety kits. Our tour guide bargain the price with the boat owner and we managed to get in the boat – the 5 of us. Each boat is supposed to carry only 4 passengers. Thus, I was actually skeptical and not sure if it was due to safety or the money. It costs Rp. 35,000,- for a return trip.

It's kinda hard to take pics without resulting blury images. The boat's shaking and so are my hands! 

It’s a deal. A young man, who happened to be the owner of the boat I hopped into, asked me to get in the boat.

I asked him, “How about my vest?”

He replied, “Get in first, I’ll hand (the vest) you later.”

What went in my mind, “What?!”

What I actually said, “Oh, okay.”

It took awhile for me to get my left foot inside that never-calmed-rushed-by-the-waves boat!  It only gave a small space for 5 people and finally I sat on the humble seatings made from wood panels. The young man handed me my vest and in between the panic, the struggle to sit still when the waves hit my boat, I put on the vest.

Look at how I 'smartly' put on my vest. The blue stripes are my backpack's 

The belt was ripped and I couldn’t fasten it. I asked the man who happened to sit behind me. We were separated by the boat machine so I needed to scream when talking to him.

“I can’t fasten my belt, do you have any other (vest)?”

“I don’t have. It’s okay, Miss. The vest is fine.”

Okay, so it was like an accessory rather than a safety kit.

We crossed the water and I can hear myself screaming whenever the boat was hit by the waves. Thank God the machine made a loud noise so no one actually heard me screaming. I even wonder would they knew if I fell from the boat with the noise so loud? *Just wondering.

After 20 minutes of constant heart attacks, we finally arrived to Teluk Ijo. It is a small beach, a private one, with turquoise water and white sands. The reefs make a beautiful background that makes it an even prettier place. We took some pictures there before we headed back to Rajegwesi for another 20 minutes.

Clear turqoise water at Teluk Ijo

Yep, there is always a first time of anything. When was the last time you did something for the first time?

6 Must-See Things in Bangkok

200 years ago, Bangkok was a small trading center community. Today, it’s one of Asia’s best destination with it glorious and illustrious history. The dazzling palaces, the mouthwatering spicy foods, and the famous market; here is a summary list of things you must visit when you visit Bangkok!

1. Visit Wat Arun

Wat Arun is an impressive temple that showcases the towering spires. As one of the most beautiful temple in Asia, Wat Arun was built in the 19^th century during the reign of Khmer. The style is highly visible on the structure and construction. The stupa ornates a pattern of floral decks with porcelains glaze on the surface. The stunning view is even more beautiful at night.

Commonly known as the temple of dawn, Wat Arun is a symbol of Rattanakosin period. It is located in Chao Phraya River area. The riverside makes it more appealing but apart from that, Wat Arun has the most impressive design among many other temples in Thailand. The colorful decoration and the view over the water seem very majestic!

An hour visit to the temple is recommended because you can explore the surrounding area. You can also see another temple nearby, Wat Pho, that stands directly at the opposite of Wat Arun. Using shuttle boat, you can cross the river at 3 Baht.

2. Enjoy the sights

Apart from the temples and palaces, there are other landmarks for tourists. One of the best sightseeing is at Dusit district. The rapid development and the tourism in Bangkok have made it possible to access many districts easily. Chinatown has an impressive selections of foods that you can’t resist. Both are in Chao Phraya area.

Ban Nam Peung Floating market is only available on weekends. Here, locals and tourists packed the area with various choices of goods in cheap price. Many cycle tours come to Bang Kra Jao, the green lung of Bangkok.

The newest addition of sightseeing with a modern touch is the Asiatique. It features a huge ferris wheel, restaurants and night market plus famous ladyboy show. This is a mixture of local and eclectic style of culture. To come here, you need to cross the river by boat from Taksin Bridge. Asiatique gives a different feel of nights at Bangkok. You can have many acitivities here, from gastronomic trail, riding ferris wheel, and other boasting assortments that are delightful. This is also shoppers paradise with fashionable clothes and home décor accessories in more than a thousand stores.

3. The Grand Palace

One of the must see place in Bangkok is the Grand Palace. It is completely stunning and one of the best landmark in Thailand. Grand Palace is home to the Royal Family and administration office. Visitors can enter inside the palace and be intricate by the details. It is a beautiful and complex architecture that shows the craftsmanship of Thais. Within the walls, it is also the headquarter for war ministry departments. Apart from that, it is a spiritual place where people celebrate every year.

The complex houses various areas, the king’s palace (The Central Court), reception hall, and the layout is similar to Ayutthaya. The entrance involves administration offices and the Emerald Buddha is situated just outside the outer court. Not all halls are opened for public. There are only 3 of them which you can visit during the day. However, 3 is enough for an exquisite experience on the façade’s details. Grand Palace is a sacred place. Thus, it has a pack of rules for the visitors. Important tips when coming to Grand Palace.

-          No see through clothing

-          No sleeveless clothing for men and women

-          Wear shoes or sandals with socks because no bare feet is allowed

-          You can rent proper clothing with a certain deposit at the entrance

4. Museum and Galleries

As an old town, Bangkok boasts an amount of museums and art galleries. The open air historical sightseeing also owns local museums worth to check out. One of the best museums is Siam Museum. It’s an education museum where you can learn much about Thailand’s culture, economy, culture and ethnic.

Chinatown Heritage Centre showcases the history of Bangkok. It has arts and crafts traditionally made and all of the area is accessible by public. The Museum of Floral Culture is another beautifully designed museum by Sakul Intakul. As the newest addition of cultural attraction in Bangkok, Museum of Floral culture collects Asia’s floral civilization from Japan, Indonesia, Laos, and India. The beautifully preserved mansion with colonial architecture is housed in the complex of 1,800 square meters. This is a Zen Garden in Thailand! Another museum to visit is the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. It is situated inside the complex of Grand Palace. Jim Thompson Museum is a privately owned museum established by Jim Thompson. As a US architect who visited Thailand during the World War II; he thought it was a potential market for silk weaving. Today, it owns some of the best artifacts in the teak house.

5. Floating Market and weekend market

One of the famous floating market in the world, Bangkok’s floating market houses boats of fresh tropical veggies and fruits sold by the locals. You can have ready to drink coconut water, spicy foods of Thai cooked right on the boat and other stuffs to enjoy. The tourists can enjoy relaxing boat tour provided by many companies nearby the river. The guided tour can help you to bargain the overpriced goods. Using boat tour, you can visit Damnoen Saduak market, Bang ku Market, Taling Chan and Tha Kha.

At Amphawa floating Market, you can see restaurants balconies that overlook the floating market. The seats are always filled with people that radiate different backgrounds. Classic foods like Pad thai and modern desert like Ice Cream are available. To explore more, you can rent tail boats and go to the nearby klongs. It is necessary to come a little earlier to avoid the overwhelming crowds.

Chatuchak is a famous market that only opens on weekends. The place is very popular for whole sales and trades. It has become a landmark of Thailand with more than 9,000 stalls and more than 200,000 visitors come here every weekends. You need to bargain the stuffs because normally they are overpriced but a day trip here is worth the squeezing. Everything is on sale and you can have good quality products in cheap price.

From books to ceramics, you can find almost anything in Chatuchak. The low-price feature seems to be a great tourism attraction.

6. Khao San road

Khao San road gets very busy at night. It can be said as a modern place where nightclubs and local foods blend for every kind of tourist. The cocktail bars in the eclectic market seem to be a very unique mixture and the scenic view will definitely poke your eye. From local to western plate, the foods definitely are mouthwatering! The thai people are very open minded and of course, this place is the right spot to spend your night if you can’t sleep! At Khaosan Road, you can also find clothes and stuffs you see in markets. The energy and vibe are just irreplaceable!

6 things to do in Chicago

If you choose Chicago as your travel destination this year, this summary list will give you a quick review of each attraction you must do and see in the area. From exploring the ocean deep to tasting local culinary here are the things to do in Chicago!

1. Visit museums
It’s always an interesting thing to do when you visit the local museums. Chicago owns some of the most impressive and modern museums from contemporary art to Veteran museum. In fact, Chicago also owns the only art museum that exhibitis Vietnam vets from the recent wars. Of course, you won’t find the life and death of soldiers but this memorial place has indeed, rich history. On the second floor, the sound of clinking tags for more than 50,000 of men and women who died during the war in Vietnam.

Keeping afloat to the local culture, the Museum of Contemporary art in Chicago. As one of the best museum in the state, MCA is devoted to art with its diverse facilities that exhibit provoking sculptures, paintings, photography and also artsy performance from the local and international artists. The museum is situated in Chicago downtown so it is not difficult to find. Inside the complex, there are restaurants, theatre, book store and souvenir shop. The terrace has a breathtaking view that overlooks the Michigan Lake.

2. Chicago skyscrapers
Discover the great heights of Chicago. This metropolitan city has modern skyscrapers with unique and innovative design. It is a symbol of American architecture and décor. The buildings have been featured in various magazines as one of the best tourist attraction due to its skyline. The stunning views of modern day can be viewed from the highest deck of Chicago. Don’t be in awe just yet if you haven’t experienced it.

Enjoy the high level of panorama that overlooks the busy street of the city. The gleaming gothic style of Tribune Tower. Owned by the media group, Tribune company, this headquarter isn’t just an office but merely a landmark of Chicago. Another skyscraper worth visiting is the Skydeck Chicago. It has a place called the Ledge. What’s great about this place is that it is designed with daring feature of glass balcony! It takes courage to actually step on the transparent floor and get a view of Chicago from 103rd level!

Aqua tower has that wavy texture on the architecture design. It has 82 storeys of lofts. What’s great about the design is that silky-like texture that resembles fabrics. The curving parts are actually ripples of concrete.


3. Millenium Park
Millenium Park is chicago’s most famous landmark. It has iconic architecture with public art emblazoned the area. It boasts 25 acres of landscape with green space dominantly decorates the area.

There are numbers of events that happen in the park throughout the year and all of them are free. This includes concerts, art exhibitions, workouts of alfresco and even film screenings. You can really take great pictures around the Millenium Park. There is a cloud gate – a massive architectural of stainless construction that is the signature of the park. The construction enables you to see your own reflection as well as the downtown behind you.

Take a walk around the park and you will find loads of features to see including the restaurant nearby and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion that have become the faces of Chicago. In the Park Gate Lawn, you can enjoy futuristic picnic under the wire construction that gives a unique outdoor view of the sky and the surroundings. The horizon seems really bright and this park is an eco-friendly garden with all constructions made from recycled materials.

4. Visit Navy Pier
Navy Pier is another park to visit. It has 50 acre of landscaped filled with entertainment spots, restaurants, playgrounds and museums. The complex is a perfect family getaway. The iconic ferris wheel with 150 tall can give you a bright view of Chicago in bird-eye angle. The lake Michigan view captures the attention of visitors all year round. You can also play along with the carousel, wave swinger and even bring your remote control boats and play in the lake. There is also a golf course in mini size to entertain you. For children, Navy Pier owns a dozen of activities. Chicago children

Museum is one of the best one in the world. It houses inventing lab, dinosaur exhibition, climbing activities and funhouse maze. Getting lost in Navy Pier is definitely worth your time. If you want to watch movie like how Americans do, visit the IMAX theatre. If you come during summer, Navy Pier hosts boat cruises that line up at the water front. During various months like October, Navy Pier also hosts interactive events like Octoberfest and Halloween parade. On winter, enjoy the ice sculptures exhibited at the park.

5. Shopper’s paradise
Even if Chicago is not a fashion city, you can still get the best out of your shopping cart. Chicago retail like the Magnificent Mile offers sections of stores and restaurants worth the visit. Any tour guide or travellers blog would point out Magnificent Mile as the root of all retail in Chicago. The treasure consists of upscale brands such as the Macy’s, Salvator Feragamo, Bulgari and Chanel. For fashionista, the spectacular area houses some of the megabrands in jewelleries like Swarovski, Rolex, and more.

Chicago's shopping destinations also extend throughout the city. Chicago’s Loop has been a shopper’s paradise for more than a century and is anchored by State Street, where you can stroll through the legendary Macy's on State Street that's part retail mecca, part history museum. Also don't miss the boutiques that line the streets of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods.

6. The Loop
Chicago’s loop houses some of the best tourist attractions in the Chicago. One of them is the Adler Planetarium. It is a world class research facilities but for ordinary visitors who perhaps, know nothing about the Quantum theories or stuffs, you can still enjoy that virtual trip to the space!

The Art institute of Chicago is located near the Adler Planetarium. It has a collection of arts and contemporary designs from local and international artists. There are more than 200,000 of arts and crafts displayed in the halls and it’s probably the best place for art enthusiasts. The institute overlooks that famous Millenium Park so this is like a day trip touring you can give to yourself.

Chicago cultural center was established in 1991. Before it was a center of cultural display, it was a library. Now, it hosts some of the classical concerts of all time on various schedules. Even when you are not planning to watch any concert, you can still enjoy the magnificent interior of this building.

Daley Plaza is a culture park for the locals. At certain dates, the plaza hosts food truck events, parades, and many other interactive events. Named after Major Richard Daley, this hub annually hosts farmer’s market where you can buy fresh ingredients.

Don’t forget to taste the local cuisines of Americans at its best in Chicago bustling restaurants and diner places. Try out some of the authentic dishes and get that savory taste of America!