Bangkok Trip Experience During Covid-19 Pandemic

Empty toilet at Iconsiam - Bangkok

Covid-19 is something that people are afraid of right now. It affects almost every country and has a lot of 

impacts. Almost every sector got impacts from this virus, including travel. As a person who likes to travel, I have many travel plans that have been canceled because of coronavirus outbreak. It was really frustrating because I need to contact the airlines and every accommodation that I've booked to cancel it and ask for refund. Even though I knew not all of them can give me a refund, but at least I tried to minimize losses. However, there was a trip that I didn't cancel because both flights and hotels were "non refundable" -- a trip to Bangkok.

I planned this Bangkok trip from last year, when coronavirus wasn't exist. Since it's just a short flight from Jakarta (around 3,5 hours), we booked flights with budget airlines. We also have made reservation for hotels from last year, and all "non refundable". FYI, I always choose this option because it's much cheaper than "free cancel". When I heard about this outbreak has reached Thailand, I tried to contact the airlines and hotels to ask for refund. However, as I was thinking, it's rejected. It was really stressed me out. I was thinking whether we keep going or not, because I have kids and the little one is just 3 years old. I can't make him keep quiet and not touch anything around him. It's very dangerous especially at public places such as airplane and airport. At the end, my husband and I decided to keep going, and leave kids at home with their grand parents. I was really sad at that time because it's the first time I left them for traveling. Previously, we always travel together as a family. Besides, actually we planned this trip for kids who were on mid term break.

We departed from Soekarno Hatta Airport - Jakarta and landed at Don Mueang Airport - Bangkok. Both airport were empty, even there's no other peoples when we're checked in. Inside the airplane itself, there were only half of passengers. Many people give up their tickets forfeited rather than continuing to travel abroad. Although the number of cases at that time is not as much as now. As I remember, the case was still under 100 in Thailand. During this trip, suddenly we became OCD persons who cleaned everything. At the airplane, we always sprayed the seats with Naturein spray, before we sat. We also cleaned the table, window, and everything around us with antiseptic wipes. To cleaned our hand, we used hand sanitizer every 15 minutes, and we used mask all the time.

Naturein Spray is a must especially when you're traveling

Arrived at Don Mueang Airport, we're shocked with the situation. It was empty, and there were only 3 flights landed at that time. It was something unusual that I found at the airport. It also happened at the city, Bangkok. This city was empty. It was very different with Bangkok at normal condition, where you can see traffic jam everywhere. We were taking Grab to go to the hotel rather than bus to avoid contacts with other peoples. Before we get in to the car, we spray the seats first -- and we always do that while in Bangkok.

We always use Grab during in Bangkok. No bus and train

This situation made us became more aware with people around us. Even we’re afraid to touch the door or the elevator button. To avoid get infected by coronavirus, we always cover our hand with tissue before press the elevator button or push the door. And the worse, we became paranoia and afraid to go to public places. At the end, we spent more time at hotel room than outside. Once we went out, it only for lunch or dinner. Sometimes when we felt lazy to go out (because of many “preparation”), we just ordered some food and drink from Grab Food. 

Our first dinner was at the hotel room and delivered by Grabfood

(Notes : When you travel to South East Asia, make sure you download Grab application on your phone. Not just for transportation, but you also can order food through this application. It really useful.)

Peoples were waiting in line for mask and some food as a help at Central World, Bangkok

How’s the situation in Bangkok?

Well, even though the last time I visited Bangkok was in 2014, but I know for sure Bangkok is a crowded city. As the capital city of Thailand, Bangkok become a city that never sleep. Traffic jam all the time, crowd in public places, and the night market always full with tourist that craving for Thai street food. But because of Covid-19, the situation was totally different. 

First, about the airport situation. As I was saying before, the airport situation was really creeping me out. But honestly, deep down in my heart I felt safe. Because the fewer people around us, the less likely it is to be infected with Covid-19.

Next, we were surprised with the street situation - where there was no traffic jam at all. Only in 30 minutes, we could reach the hotel which located at Pratunam area. As you know, Pratunam is a crowded area and the traffic jam is a normal “sightseeing” here. I remember the last time I went to Bangkok, I also stayed at Pratunam area and it took almost 1 hour to reach Don Mueang Airport.

About the hotel situation, we stayed at Berkeley Pratunam Hotel. The lobby looked normal and I could see many tourists came and stayed at this hotel. It was at the middle of March where the case was not as much as now. However, when I went into the swimming pool area, it was empty. 

Bar at the swimming pool Berkeley Pratunam Hotel

Beautiful morning view 

At the next day we went to Central World shopping mall for lunch, and another surprise was waiting. The Trimurti Shrine in front of the shopping mall that usually packed of peoples praying, it’s empty. Even when we walked inside the shopping mall at the lunch time, it’s also empty. After lunch, we went to Platinum Fashion Mall at the next building to shop little bit. FYI, Platinum Fashion Mall know as a place that never be quiet. Peoples (especially tourists) like to go to this mall for shopping because they sell everything in affordable prices. However because of Coronavirus, this place was also empty. Even the food court also there’s no visitor. 

Food court situation at Central World

A candid picture of me at the food court of Plartinum Fashion Mall. As you can see behind me, there were no other peoples. Although it's lunch time

(Notes : food court at Platinum Fashion Mall known as one of the best food court in Bangkok. Almost every food stall in here sell delicious meal.)

Empty racks at Tesco Lotus grocery store

At this trip we also visited new shopping mall in Bangkok - Iconsiam. This shopping mall is really huge and beautifully located at the side of Chao Phraya river. The situation at this place was really surprising me. It's really quiet, and even it looks like that we're the only visitor here. 

The situation at Iconsiam shopping mall

This kind of situation made us couldn't enjoy this trip. While usually we wanted our trip to not ended soon, this time we wanna back to our country and just stay at home as soon as possible. In addition to the tense situation, we also wanted to go home quickly because we wanted to be with our children. We couldn’t enjoy this trip anymore. 

How we look during in Bangkok

One day before our flight back supposed to be, I got an email that my flight back got cancelled. At the same time, I also heard news that Indonesia will have travel ban at the next day. It’s like a destiny for us to back home earlier. So we bought flight tickets back for that day immediately. The flight ticket cost 4 times higher than usual, but there’s no other options for us. I didn’t want to stay for another day because I was afraid if suddenly there’s no more flight available and I couldn’t back to our country. 

Leaving Bangkok earlier and changed the flight. We were flying back from Suvarnabhumi Airport

That’s our last trip experiences, that we will never forget in our whole life. Honestly I really miss traveling right now. But what can we do?? We can’t travel until this pandemic has ended. So please, if there’s nothing important things to do, don’t go out. Just stay at home until the virus really gone, and we can back to our routines. I’m so happy to see the situation in European countries that got better right now. I hope other countries also will be better, and we can say “Bye!” to Coronavirus.

Facial Organic Tea Tree & Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) di Oriskin

ORISKIN Alam Sutera, Tangerang

Hi ladies,
Kali ini aku bakalan menulis sesuatu yang berbeda dari biasanya. Tapi tenang aja, masih ga jauh - jauh kok dari topik yang selalu dibicarakan oleh wanita - it's about beauty. Kalau biasanya aku selalu ngebahas tentang produk skin care, kali ini aku bakalan ngebahas tentang treatment di klinik kecantikan ternama, Oriskin.

Kenapa aku pilih melakukan treatment di Oriskin?
Jadi belakangan ini aku merasa kulit aku "kotor" banget, apalagi dengan adanya beberapa bekas jerawat yang sudah lumayan lama. Meskipun sudah mulai memudar, tapi tetap saja masih terlihat di beberapa bagian pada wajah dan itu sangat mengganggu. Oleh sebab itu, aku merasa butuh melakukan extra treatment untuk menghilangkan bekas - bekas jerawat ini. Thankfully, aku di invite oleh ClozetteID untuk melakukan 2 macam treatment di Oriskin yang menurut aku pas banget buat mengatasi masalah kulit aku saat ini. 2 jenis treatment yang aku lakuin adalah : Facial Organic Tea Tree dan Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT).

Treatmant Facial Organic Tea Tree dan PDT adalah perawatan untuk membersihkan wajah, mempertahankan kelembaban kulit, memperlancar peredaran darah, membuat wajah terlihat lebih segar dan halus. Jadi kalau kalian merasa kulit sedang kusam karena terkena paparan sinar matahari, polusi, dan terkena pencahayaan yang juga bisa membuat kulit menjadi kering, 2 macam treatment ini adalah perawatan yang paling cocok untuk membuat kulit anda menjadi "bersih" dan terlihat segar kembali. Treatment ini dapat dilakukan dalam waktu bersamaan secara singkat (kurang lebih 1,5 jam), dimulai dari facial dan diikuti oleh PDT. Buat kalian yang sibuk dan ga punya waktu, I'm pretty sure this treatment is the right choice for you ^^

Treatment ini dimulai dengan pijatan pada kaki (welcome massage) supaya badan dan pikiran menjadi rileks. Setelah itu, mulailah tahap berikutnya - cleansing. Pada tahap ini wajah dibersihkan menggunakan busa pembersih yang sangat lembut. Setelah wajah bersih dari make up dan kotoran, tahap berikutnya adalah steam. Steam itu adalah proses penguapan pada wajah. Ada 2 macam steam yang dilakukan pada saat facial, steam panas dan steam dingin. Steam panas dilakukan pada saat sebelum ekstraksi (pengangkatan komedo) dengan tujuan untuk membuka pori - pori supaya komedo lebih mudah diangkat. Setelah pori - pori mulai terbuka, barulah proses ekstraksi komedo dimulai. Sakit?? Iyaaaa. Tapi karna sudah di steam dengan uap panas, sakitnya masih wajar kok....

Proses steam dingin

Setelah wajah bersih dari komedo, perawatnya mulai melakukan steam dingin pada wajah. Steam dingin ini bertujuan untuk menutup kembali pori - pori setelah dilakukan proses ekstraksi komedo. Rasanya enak banget. Dingin - dingin gitu bikin jadi rileks. And the next step is the best part from this treatment, face massage. Yess, pijatan pada muka di Oriskin ini enak banget. Apalagi dia menggunakan oil dengan wangi aromatherapy yang sweet, bikin pikiran jadi tenang dan ngantuk. Siap - siap aja kalian tertidur pada tahap ini :D

Face massage sebelum masker

Setelah selesai proses pemijatan pada wajah, treatment ini berlanjut ke tahap berikutnya, masker. Masker yang digunakan terdapat kandungan tea tree, yang berguna untuk menghilangkan bekas - bekas jerawat dan membuat wajah menjadi bersih. To be honest, at the first time aku agak takut mendengar kata - kata tea tree. Karena yang aku tahu, kandungan tea tree biasanya terdapat pada produk skin care untuk jenis kulit berminyak, dan memiliki efek perih setelah pemakaian. But it's not!! Masker yang digunakan pada Facial Organic Tea Tree ini memiliki efek yang lembut dan dapat membantu melembabkan wajah. Selama wajah di masker, seluruh badanku dipijat oleh perawatnya. Let's back to sleep again.....

Masker menggunakan bahan organik tea tree di Oriskin

Final step from facial treatment, perawatnya memberikan beberapa produk pada wajah dimulai dari serum, moisturizer, dan juga sunblock. Itulah akhir dari facial treatment di Oriskin. Namun jika kalian akan melakukan treatment PDT (like I did), treatment ini dilakukan pada tahap ini - setelah facial berakhir. PDT (Photo Dynamic Therapy) adalah rejuvenation treatment menggunakan sinar LED, yang berguna untuk mengatasi permasalahan kulit seperti jerawat, bintik - bintik hitam, minyak berlebih, dan wajah kusam. Pada saat melakukan PDT, area mata dilindungi dengan cara ditutup oleh kapas. Proses ini memakan waktu kurang lebih 10 menit.

Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) menggunakan sinar LED

What did I feel after do this treatment?
Amazing!! Hasilnya langsung terlihat setelah selesai treatment. Kulit menjadi bersih, cerah dan tidak kusam lagi. Selain itu kulit juga terasa sangat lembab. Pokoknya aku puas banget deh dengan 2 treatment ini, and it's really recommended.

My bare face after Facial Organic Tea Tree & PDT at Oriskin

Oriskin Alam Sutera
Alamat : Jl. Jalur Sutera No. 29A, Pakualam, Alam Sutera, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15320
Opening Hours : Mon - Fri 9AM - 9PM, Sat - Sun 9AM - 5PM
Phone : 021-53140080 / 085711184090 (whatsapp)
Website : http://oriskin.id
Instagram : @oriskin_id @oriskin.alamsutera

Congratulate Myself for the First Video on Youtube

Looking for a new bag at Gucci

Hi all! How are you doing??
Today is Chinese New Year's Eve and if you celebrate it, today must be your busy day. Buy new clothes, get a hair cut, prepare for family dinner, all of those things will keep you busy until tomorrow, you'll do an excited thing - collect hong bao. Well, I also have same things to do. But in the midst of my busy day, I just did something that maybe I think you gonna like it. That thing is :

"UPLOAD THE FIRST VIDEO ON YOUTUBE"

You might be think that I want to change my job become a vlogger. But it's not. There are many reasons why I started to make a vlog. First, I made this video for fun, and as a memory of our traveling journey. For these past few years, my family and I had a lot of trip and we want to create good memories of them. Another video will uploaded soon, and make sure you subscribe on my Youtube channel. 

Does this Gucci belt bag lookin' good on me?

The next reason was because of Aurelia (my daughter). It's been a while since she talked to me that she want to have a Youtube channel. If you know me, personally, you'll know that I'm not a creative person. I can't make a good content for a video. But few days ago, I just opened my files and found some short videos that recorded with my camera (Sony A6000) when we're having a staycation at Anantara Uluwatu, Bali. It was last year, and we had this staycation as a present for Aurelia's 8th birthday. Tomorrow, is Aurelia gonna be turn 9th, and that's the reason why I made this video - as a birthday present for my daughter.

The last reason, I decided to make a vlog to support my blog content. So my Youtube channel is not just about my travel journey. Instead, I also gonna make videos about beauty, food, and other things that happened in my life (which usually I just write it on my blog). If you have a request for me, you can write on the comment below. I really appreciate it and I'll try my best to make the video.

At the end, I just want to congratulate myself for this video. It might not as perfect as other vlogger's video. But hey, it's just the beginning and I still learn of it. I don't know how it's going, but as I always say, "I'll never stop to learn new things - for a better life."

Memahami Perkembangan Anak Sesuai dengan Usianya, Menggunakan Kalkulator AFS

Hi Mommies!!
Kali ini aku mau menulis pengalaman aku mengenai tumbuh kembang Winston. Saat ini Winston sudah berusia 2 tahun 4 bulan. Menurut pengalaman dan sepengetahuan aku, di tahapan usia ini seharusnya anak sudah mulai bisa melakukan beberapa hal, seperti berbicara dengan menggabungkan beberapa kata, makan sendiri, memahami ucapan orang lain, dll. Tapi sampai sekarang, Winston masih belum bisa melakukan hal - hal tersebut. Bukan cuma itu, Winston juga masih belum mau berinteraksi dengan orang lain, selain dengan anggota keluarga inti. Sebenarnya sudah cukup lama aku khawatir mengenai tumbuh kembang Winston. Oleh sebab itu, ketika Winston hampir berusia 2 tahun, aku mulai mengikuti kegiatan (seperti preschool) untuk membantu tumbuh kembang Winston.

Setelah beberapa bulan mengikuti kegiatan tersebut, Winston mulai menunjukkan kemajuan yang cukup pesat. Bener - bener seneng banget liat perkembangannya. Dia sekarang sudah mulai mau berinteraksi dengan teman dan gurunya. Dia juga udah ga nangis lagi saat ditinggal di sekolah. Yang ada malah setiap hari dia ngomong minta ke sekolah. Yup, sekarang Winston uda mulai bisa ngomong. Meskipun masih belum bisa menggabungkan kata dan juga belum terlalu jelas, tapi kata - kata yang diucapkan sudah mulai banyak. Thanks God, good things happened at the first month of 2019. I hope everything will get better this year

Winston's signature pose :P Setiap kali aku suruh dia pose untuk foto, dia sudah bisa memberikan response dan membuat  ekspresi kaya gitu.

Beberapa perkembangan yang dialami Winston membuat aku sangat senang. Tapi sebagai orang tua, tentu saja aku ingin perkembangan yang Winston alami sesuai dengan perkembangan anak seusianya. Beberapa hari yang lalu, aku menemukan website Parenting Club. Jadi Parenting Club adalah website yang dibuat oleh Wyeth. Di dalam website ini terdapat artikel - artikel yang dibagi menjadi 4 kategori : Pra Kehamilan, Kehamilan, Bayi, dan Anak. Artikel - artikel ini berguna banget untuk membantu aku memahami mengenai tumbuh kembang anak sesuai dengan usianya. Selain artikel, di website ini juga terdapat beberapa tools / aplikasi seperti Smart Ovulation Calender, Pregnancy Due Date Calculator, dan juga Smart Consultation sesuai dengan kategorinya. Diantara beberapa tools, ada 1 yang sangat menarik dan menurut aku sangat membantu untuk memahami tumbuh kembang si kecil. Tools tersebut adalah Kalkulator AFS (Akal Fisik Sosial).

Home Page Website Parenting Club

Kalkulator AFS adalah alat hitung digital yang berfungsi untuk mengetahui sejauh mana perkembangan yang anak anda alami sesuai dengan usianya. Selain untuk mengetahui perkembangannya, pada tahapan akhir anda juga akan diberikan rekomendasi stimulasi untuk meningkatkan perkembangan akal, fisik, dan sosial si kecil. Cara menggunakan kalkulator AFS ini sangatlah mudah. Berikut adalah langkah - langkah yang perlu anda lakukan untuk menggunakan kalkulator AFS:
1. Registrasi / login di website Parenting Club.
2. Buka tools Kalkulator Akal Fisik Sosial pada kategori anak.
3. Masukkan data anak anda yang berupa nama, jenis kelamin, dan tanggal lahir.
4. Jawab beberapa pertanyaan yang diajukan mengenai kemampuan yang anak anda miliki saat ini.
5. Setelah selesai, anda akan mendapatkan diagram yang berisi persentase kemampuan anak anda, beserta rekomendasi stimulasi untuk meningkatkan kemampuan anak.

Pertanyaan - pertanyaan yang diajukan saat menggunakan kalkulator AFS

Hasil perhitungan kalkulator AFS untuk perkembangan Winston

Diagram kemampuan Winston yang dibagi menjadi 3 bagian : Akal, Fisik, Sosial

WOW!! Simple banget kan?? Aku sendiri udah pernah coba memakai kalkulator AFS untuk mengukur kemampuan Winston. Setelah mendapatkan hasilnya, aku juga mengikuti rekomendasi stimulasi yang diberikan kepada Winston, yaitu untuk meningkatkan perkembangannya dalam bidang sosial. Sesuai dengan rekomendasi dari Parenting Club, aku mencoba menjadi lebih "bawel" dan lebih banyak mengajak bermain dibanding sebelumnya. Awalnya sempet agak kesel juga karena Winston tidak suka bermain dengan blocks. Setiap kali aku ajak untuk menyusun block - block tersebut, yang ada malah dilempar - lempar. Padahal blocks itu sangat bermanfaat untuk melatih perkembangan anak. Tapi demi perkembangan anak, aku mencoba untuk lebih sabar. Dan untungnya, hal tersebut benar - benar berfungsi lho. Dari yang sebelumnya Winston lebih suka berlari - lari ataupun melompat, sekarang dia sudah mau duduk diam, dan bermain menyusun blocks. Itu salah satu hal yang bikin aku jadi makin senang, dan semangat untuk mengajari Winston mengenai hal - hal baru yang berguna untuk tumbuh kembangnya.

Rekomendasi stimulasi untuk Winston di bidang sosial

Rekomendasi stimulasi Winston di bidang fisik

Rekomendasi stimulasi Winston di bidang akal

Yuk Moms, cobain deh pake Kalkulator AFS. Jadi kalian bisa tahu mengenai sejauh mana perkembangan anak sesuai dengan tahapan usianya, dan juga bisa menerapkan rekomendasi stimulasi yang diberikan, dalam kehidupan sehari - hari.


#parentingclubid #KalkulatorAFS Review

Visiting Jakarta Aquarium at NEO Soho

The entrance of Jakarta Aquarium - Neo Soho

Hi guys, how are you?? Well, I hope you're doing great, cause I am too :)
Well, lately I'm feeling that I wrote too much on my blog about beauty, and it's kinda not fair cause this blog should be also posts about food and travel. So for the next few weeks, I'll write about other content such as restaurant reviews, and also travel report (includes the itinerary) for winter holiday in Hokkaido. But before that, I'll write about our experience when visiting the first aquarium in Jakarta, which located inside the shopping mall.

Jakarta Aquarium is a new destination for family in Jakarta. It was opened at 2017, by cooperation between Taman Safari Indonesia and Aquaria KLCC, Malaysia. When they're just opened, Aurelia asked me to go there because they also have penguin which is her favorite animals. However at that time Winston still too young and we decided it to postpone it, until he ready and understand about animals. Last months, we were visiting Jakarta Aquarium for the first time. At that moment Winston already understand about animal, especially fishes! He loves fishes and know it so well from the popular Youtube Videos : Baby Shark by PinkFong. Looking at his excitement and Aurelia's desire, we visited Jakarta Aquarium at the weekday to avoid the crowd.

At the touch pool

Stingray and Star Fish at the touch pool

At the ECO Skywalk which connected Neo SOHO and Central Park

Ticket's price to Jakarta Aquarium

Jakarta Aquarium located at Neo SOHO which connected with Central Park Mall. It was the first time for us to go to Neo SOHO as well, but the direction to the aquarium was very clear, so we could find it easily. There are 2 types of ticket : Premium and Regular. The difference is with Premium ticket, you can watch "SEA PERFORMANCE" at 5D theatre, where you can feels like under the sea, surrounded by beautiful corals and fishes. The Premium Ticket only can be bought on the spot, while the Regular one also can be bought by online here.

SEA Performance at 5D theatre - Jakarta Aquarium

This aquarium filled with many species of fishes and other sea creatures. But not just that, you also can see other animals that live on land such as reptiles, otter, and many more. Even though the place is quite small, but it was clean and the ambience also perfect for young kids (read : toddler) as their first experience.

Otter Tunnel

If you want to see the penguins closely, you need to go to PINGOO restaurant which also the part of Jakarta Aquarium. You can get a discount at this restaurant which comes with the entrance ticket of Jakarta Aquarium (you can ask at their staff when buy the ticket for this package). However, we have other plan for lunch so we didn't go to that restaurant.

Jakarta Aquarium
Address : NEO Soho Floor LG 101 - LGM 101. Jl. Letjen S. Parman Kav. 28. Jakarta Barat 11470.
Opening hours : Mon - Sun 10AM - 10PM
Phone : (+62)21 1500212
Website : http://jakarta-aquarium.com/id
:Neo SOHO Floor LG 101 - LGM 101, Jl. Letjen S. Parman Kav. 28.
Jakarta Barat, 11470