Schengen Visa

Today is the excited day. Finally after waiting for almost 9 months, I got my Schengen Visa to Netherlands. Yay!!! Can't wait to go there soon. :)

Bali

From hitchhiking truck container till got free dinner at fancy Italian resto

We left Lombok Island. After about four hours crossed the ocean, Gita, Dora, and I finally arrived at Padang Bai harbour, Bali. Padang Bai Harbour is known to be the port to cross from mainland Bali to Lombok. The public ferries leave from here and and took about 4 to 5 hours to cross over to Lembar Harbour, Lombok. Backpacker's usually take this route to Lombok and it is not recommended if you are afraid of the big waves or want to have fancy travelling.

It was eleven in the evening. We left the Port Gate and tried to find a public transportation to Kuta. We stood on the sidewalk, waiting. The humid wind blew and touched our skin. It was a bit cold. There was a young man and a lady who also waiting for a public transportation likes us.

“You guys will go to Denpasar?” asked that lady.
“Yes,” we answered friendly.

That lady offered us to join her. She and the young man would use a private car to Denpasar. We thought that was a good idea since Denpasar was not too far from Kuta beach. When we were discussing about how much we should pay, a stranger man came over. He said there was no public transportation. He then talked to that lady using Balinese. Even I can’t speak in Balinese, but I knew what that man wanted. He forbade her to give us a ride. Damn! My guessed was right. When a private car showed up, that stranger man asked the lady and a young man got onto the car. The lady looked a bit scared and she said sorry to us since she cannot help.

That stranger man was really annoying. He forced me, Gita, and Dora to rent his car. We said NO but he kept offered us a rental car. We got annoyed and walked away. That man did not give up. He asked his friend and followed us with his motorbike.

“NO, NO, thank you. We are going to walk,” we said while keep walking.
That man looked angry and muttering. He said we will not find any car or public transport. We did not care about his words. We walked as fast as we could to leave him.

The road was dim and empty. We only heard a dog barking. After five minutes had walking, we stopped in front of the house which has a veranda. We sat there. A car passed the street, but unfortunately it was not a public transport. We waited, but there was no sign that we would get it.

“Okay, I guess we have to stop a car that pass this street”, I spoke to Gita and Dora. They agreed.

A huge truck container came over from the harbor. We used our “magic hands” to stop it. It’s like getting a lottery when that huge machine stopped in front of us. The driver lets us got onto his truck. To be honest, it was not easy to get onto the container with our 8 Kg backpack each. The container was quiet high. So, we threw our backpacks into the container and then climbed up. Finally we made it. Yay!!! We all laugh. We just did an action like in a movie—hitchhiking. Haha…

The truck moved not so fast, but we enjoyed it. We can stretch out our back while observing the area that we passed. After had around one hour of travel, we stopped in Denpasar. As our grateful, we gave the driver Rp 30.000. We did not have much money left in our wallets since we spent most of our cash in Lombok. Jajaja…I knew, our expenses in Lombok were too much. We planned to go there in a backpacking style, but in fact, we always eat at the cafés or at the restaurants or let’s say we difficult to find a cheap place to eat there.

In Denpasar, Gita, Dora, and I felt so hungry. We found a warung and had noodle as our dinner. That was the cheapest meal that we ever had since we off from Lombok—we paid Rp 6.000 for a bowl of noodle. After had dinner, our stamina become 100 percent again. LOL. We were ready to continue our journey. We walked to find the ATM and taking the money. After done it, we sat at the front of a mini market waiting for a taxi to Kuta. The taxi came after we have been waiting for about fifteen minutes.

Arriving at 02.00 o’clock in the morning, three of us were walking through Jalan Legian (Legian Street). The loud dance music and cheerful lights welcomed us. Many tourists seemed had party that night.

Legian Street is the main street that runs north-south from Kuta to Seminyak on the island of Bali. It contains a variety of shops, bars, hotels and dance clubs. Its proximity to the beach and its prominent night life make it host to thousands of tourists.

Legian is one of the cheaper locations in Bali. The street will begin to get busy at 11pm, peaking in traffic around 1 or 2 in the morning before easing down again around 4:30am. With such a cluster of hotels, shops and bars around Legian, the street can experience intense amounts of traffic.

Gita, Dora, and I went to Poppies Lane II. We stayed at Losmen Arthawan. I heard that Losmen Arthawan is the cheapest accommodation in the centre of Kuta. This losmen surrounded by shops, restaurants, bars and close to all the night life. The Losmen is just across the road from Kori Restaurant. The rooms are basic with no TV though have fans and bathrooms inside.

Three of us stayed at the room in the corner. The room was not fancy, but it was okay. It has huge bed—enough for three of us. The thing that should be improved by the hotel management is about cleanness. The pillows and bed sheet were dirty. There was much dust on the curtains and on the windows. But, for Rp 120.000 per night or Rp 40.000 each with breakfast provided, the hotel was not a bad choice.

After put our stuffs in the room, we went to Legian Street again. We hang out at Italian Restaurant until four in the morning. It was fun night.

The following morning, we went around Poppies Lane 2 and Legian Street. We bought some souvenirs at the shops at Poppies 2 and had lunch at Sushi Densha, Legian Street. After had lunch, we planned to Ubud. We were a bit of confused on the transportation arrangement – by taxi, motorbike or should we rent the car. Finally we decided to rent two motorbikes and hire one tourist guide. Actually, we hire him to ride a motorbike since my friend could not ride it. Hehe…
Lunch at Sushi Densa
Rent two motorbikes are Rp 100.000 per day –Rp. 50.000 each. After made a bargain, we agreed to pay Rp 200.000 for the motorbikes and his service. The guide agreed but with two conditions. He would use his own motorbike to drop us to Ubud and asked me to go on the back with him. So, we only rent one motorbike. We agreed with the first condition, but not the second one. I prefer to ride a motorbike with Gita, my friend. ;)


Posing with the naughty monkeys

Our first destination in Ubud was the Monkey Forest. That was my second time came to that place, but I still like it. The monkeys there are a bit naughty. They liked to snatch tourists stuff. It happened to me. There was one monkey who tried to snatch my bag. But he failed. It was not easy to take my stuff, dude. From the Monkey Forest, we went to Ubud traditional market, and then back to Kuta.
The temple inside the Monkey Forest
On the next day, Gita and Dora were back to Jakarta at early morning. After companied them to the airport, I went to the Kuta beach and chill out there all day long. I did sun bathing, reading a book, watched people did surfing, and enjoying the sunsets. It was so relaxing time.

Sunsets at Kuta Beach

When I was taking a photo of the sunsets, a traveler said hi to me. He is from New Zealand. He thought that I was not an Indonesian. We talked about culture, religion, and our jobs. Felt hungry, we both then had a dinner at the fancy Italian restaurant in front of the beach. Thank you so much since he paid all of my food. What my lucky day! Yay!


My Dinner

Surprisingly, we both stayed at the Poppies Lane 2. His hotel was about five blocks from my place. We went to the same direction. He back to his hotel and I back to my losmen.

On the next day, I back to the beach. I met two Dutch travelers. I was so excited. They remind me to someone special in Utrecht. Anouk, one the travelers taught me some Dutch words. She also educated me about how the plane can fly in the air. She described the ions in the air as the girl and the boy who faithful to each other. She told something complicated in a funny and a simple way.

The unpredictable things sometimes happen in our life. When I was going out to have dinner, I met my Lombok neighbors. They were the travelers who stayed in the same guesthouse when I was in Lombok. It was like reunion for us. I had dinner with them before go back to my losmen.

On the following day, I followed the tour. We went to the Taman Ayun, saw Balinese temple; taste wedang jahe (ginger plus sugar), hot chocolate, lemon grass, Bali coffee, and coffee vanilla freely at the coffee plantation. We had lunch at fancy restaurant at Pacung. Sacred forest and Bedugul were the next places that we visited. Saw sunsets at Tanah Lot closed our tour that day.


Temple at Taman Ayun, Badung


Temple in Bedugul

The fifth day in Bali, I drop by in my Lombok neighbor s hotel. I met James and Tim around ten in the morning at the lobby. They said their friend still sleeping. After chit-chat for a while, James went to his room to sleep. Tim and I went to beach. I swam in the sea while Tim sleeping on the beach. James and Aki joined us in the afternoon. They surf till the sunsets came. It was their last day in Bali.

My Lombok neighbors flew to Malaysia in the evening. I back to the losmen, took a bath and went to the club with four English girls. We live up the club. We got on the dance floor and the party began. From that club, we moved to the Raggae Bar, but we did not make it since the local boy who joined us should pay to enter the bar. That bar has a rule that the local should pay if they want to come in, but it was free entry for foreigners. We thought that it was not fair, so we all decided for not coming to that place.

After five minutes back to the previous club, we wanted to move to the new place. We said good bye to that local guy and went to the Sky Garden—one of the famous Australian clubs in Bali.

The security system at the Sky Garden was pretty tight. At the first entrance, there were two policemen and some guards who checked every guest who will come in. The guests can’t bring any food or drinks from the outside. This club also has the same rule with the Raggae Bar—the local should pay to come in, but free for foreigners. Well, I am the only local in my group that night, but I am smart enough to found a way to get free entry. Are you curious huh? :p

I am not a drinker or a party girl. But, the Sky Garden is worth to visit if you are a kind of music and dance freak. This one also suit if you are quite partial to the odd alcoholic beverage. There are 4 level stairs bars. Top one is the VIP one, there are often shows held there like bikini shows or something like that with free drinks. Also there is an open air chill out place for just chit chat and sometimes they play football match there. Third Floor... 2 kinds is fire dance shows or any other shows; the other room is the HIP HOP dance floor. The music is outstanding. The second floor is the live music dance floor. First floor is a small resto where you can have meals after clubbing. The crowd in the Sky Garden is very international (compared to the Bounty where mostly Australian tourists tend to hang) which is very cool as you can meet loads of various people.

On the next day, my last day in Bali, I went around Legian Street for lunch and bought some t-shirts for my sisters. Just relax on my hotel in the afternoon closed my weekend in Bali. I landed in Jakarta in the evening with a happy smile. Island of the Gods, I will be back …

Hot Lombok

Bertemu si traveler penggemar kopi hitam hingga berantem dengan sopir angkutan.

Aku biasanya traveling sendirian. Tapi, jalan-jalan ke Lombok dan Bali kali ini lebih ramai. Gita, kawanku dari Jakarta dan Dora, temannya ikut berbackpacker ria bersamaku.

Minggu akhir di bulan Juni 2011, aku datang ke Jakarta. Setelah menginap dua hari di Benhil dan Pejaten, aku bertemu Gita di daerah Ampera, Jakarta Selatan. Kami naik mini bus 19 menuju pangkalan DAMRI di Blok M.

Mini bus yang kami naikki tak kunjung bergerak. Jarum jam di tangan Gita menunjukkan pukul 03.15 WIB. Kami agak panik karena takut terlambat sampai di bandara Soekarno-Hatta. Pesawat yang kami booking akan terbang pukul 19.15 WIB. Sementara, perjalanan dari Blok M ke bandara Soeta butuh waktu sekitar dua jam, belum lagi kalau terjebak macet. Ketinggalan pesawat, NO WAY!!! Kami tak ingin itu terjadi.

Gita dan aku mencoba tetap bersabar. Kalau nanti mini bus terlalu lama, kita berencana akan memakai taksi. Ah, leganya! Setelah hampir dua puluh menit menunggu, mini bus pun melaju kencang. Sekitar pukul empat, kami sampai di pangkalan DAMRI Blok M. Dora, rupanya sudah sampai di sana duluan. Tapi dia berada di Blok M Mall.

“Dora, aku dan Susan sudah sampai di pangkalan DAMRI. Kamu di mana? Ke sini cepat donk”, ujar Gita menelepon Dora.

Saat tengah menunggu Dora, seorang sopir taksi menghampiri kami. “Taksi ke bandara neng? Murah kok. Kalau pukul segini, DAMRI udah gak ada!” ujar sopir taksi berharap kami memakai moblinya.

“Nanti saja Pak. Kita masih menunggu teman. Pukul segini, DAMRI juga biasanya masih ada,” ujarku santai.

Lima menit kemudian, seorang gadis berambut ikal sepinggal muncul dari arah Mall dengan wajah sumringah. Ia menenteng tas punggung besar berwarna hijau lumut.

“Hi, sorry, tadi gw ke Mall dulu ada urusan,” ucap Dora.
“Iya, gak papa. Santai jeng,” ujarku dan Gita.

Tak lama berselang, bus DAMRI muncul dan parkir tepat di depan kami. Seperti tupai yang melompat, kami langsung masuk ke dalam bus mencari tempat duduk. Sudah lima belas menit kami menunggu, tapi bus tak juga bergerak. Menurut sopir, bus masih akan menunggu lama.

Kami bertiga dan seorang penumpang lainnya menyewa taksi bersama menuju bandara Soekarno-Hatta. Meski agak was-was takut tertinggal pesawat, perjalanan terasa menyenangkan karena diisi canda tawa.

Bandara
Pesawat ke Mataram delay. Penumpang tumpah ruah di waiting lounge. Kami bertiga terpaksa duduk di lantai karena tidak kebagian kursi menunggu.
Kubuka backpack dan kuambil buku berwarna coklat setebal 453 halaman pemberian Tom, sahabatku. Menunggu pesawat tak lagi terasa membosankan karena kumulai larut dalam deretan-deretan kata karya Julia. Buku antologi berjudul Sex, Power, and Nation itu terasa serius.

Saat kusedang membaca, seorang traveler datang dan duduk di sampingku. Aku tak memperhatikan apakah dia seorang wanita atau pria. Ku terus larut dalam bukuku.

“Pesawat ke Mataram ditunda selama empat puluh lima menit,” pengumuman tentang keterlambatan pesawat membuatku berhenti membaca dan melihat ke sekeliling. Saat menengok ke arah kiri, kulihat seorang pria muda berkaos merah, bercelana selutut duduk di sampingku. Ia tampak sibuk membaca buku lonely planet, Indonesia.

“Hello”, sapanya dengan ramah. Pemuda bermata hijau itu bernama Aaron. Ia berasal dari Michigan, Amerika Serikat. Ia berada di Indonesia untuk berlibur. Aaron awalnya berangkat dari Amerika Serikat bersama dua orang saudara perempuannya, Ali and Lindsey. Mereka berlibur ke India bersama. Ali dan Lindsey kembali duluan ke Amerika, sementara Aaron melanjutkan berkeliling Asia sendirian.

Aaron dan aku mengobrol tentang daerah yang akan kami kunjungi untuk berlibur. Mengejutkan! Ternyata, kami satu arah yakni Lombok. Setelah berbincang dengan Gita dan Dora, Aaron pun ikut bergabung dalam rombonganku.

Lombok
Pesawat Lion Air yang kami tumpangi tiba di Makasar pada tengah malam. Yuli, seorang kawan dari Lombok dan tiga orang temannya menjemput kami berempat di bandara. Dengan bersepeda motor, kami berempat menuju kos Yuli. Aku, Gita, dan Dora bermalam di kos Yuli. Sementara Aaron, menginap di kantor LBH kawanku. Momen seperti ini mengingatkanku pada saat kuliah dulu—kampus, organisasi, pulang malam, dan kos-kosan. Ah nostalgia yang indah!

Esok paginya, sekitar pukul sembilan pagi, Aaron ke tempatku. Ia sudah berkemas dan siap menuju Gili. Setelah sarapan dan berkemas, aku, Gita, Dora, dan Aaron berpamitan dengan Yuli dan teman-temannya. Kami memakai taksi menuju Bangsal—tempat kami menyebrang ke Gili. Menggunakan taksi atau mencarter mobil adalah pilihan yang bagus karena agak susah untuk naik kendaraan umum ke arah Bangsal. Apalagi kami berempat, biaya taksi sebesar seratus dua puluh ribuanpun menjadi lebih irit karena masing-masing hanya membayar tiga puluh ribuan saja.

Sopir taksi kami menawarkan dua pilihan jalur menuju Bangsal, yaitu melalui jalur tengah dan jalur pantai. Yang dimaksud dengan jalur pantai ialah jalan yang dilalui melewati pinggiran pantai sebelah barat Lombok antara lain Senggigi, Pura Batu Bolong dan beberapa view point dengan pemandangan pantai yang indah. Rute pantai ini memliki jalan yang relatif lebih baik dan mulus. Jika memilih jalur tengah, wisatawan akan melewati monkey forest atau yang dikenal dengan nama Baun Pusuk.

Menyusuri jalur pantai, kami disuguhi hamparan pasir putih, laut biru dengan airnya yang jernih, nyiur hijau dibingkai perbukitan-perbukitan yang tampak kokoh. Perjalanan terasa makin menyenangkan karena lagu-lagu slow rock menemani hingga kami tiba di Bangsal.

Sesampainya di Bangsal, taksi tidak bisa masuk ke bibir pantai tempat pembelian tiket penyebrangan, melainkan harus berhenti di semacam terminal kecil yang disebut stasiun oleh masyarakat setempat. Di tempat ini banyak cidomo (kereta kuda khas Lombok) yang dapat membawa wisatawan ke bibir pantai atau pos tiket pelabuhan. Tarif yang ditawarkan biasanya sekitar Rp. 10.000 per orang. Tapi jika punya kemampuan menawar, harganya tentu bisa berbeda. Aku hanya membayar Rp 10.000 ribu untuk satu cidomo yang mengangkut kami berempat. Membuatmu iri bukan? :p

Sesungguhnya, jarak dari terminal dengan bibir pantai tidak terlalu jauh, kurang lebih 300 meter. Anda bisa mencoba berjalan kaki sambil menikmati suasana, tapi kalau Anda termasuk orang yang tidak menyukai berjalan kaki, atau terlalu banyak membawa barang, cidomo bisa menjadi pilihan yang bagus.

Tiba di pelabuhan, aku melihat bangunan kecil dari kayu tempat penjualan tiket penyebrangan dengan rute Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, dan Gili Air. Pelabuhan kecil ini sedikit unik karena penumpang baru bisa menaiki perahu apabila pembeli tiket sudah berjumlah 20 orang. Jadi jangan kaget kalau kita harus menunggu beberapa menit bahkan sampai puluhan menit. Petugas akan memberitahu melalui pengeras suara berapa banyak orang lagi yang masih diperlukan untuk perahu bisa berjalan. Ini adalah penyebrangan regular yang digunakan oleh masyarakat setempat selain wisatawan. Harga tiketnya bervariasi, Bangsal- Gili Trawangan Rp 10.000, Bangsal- Gili Meno Rp 9.000, dan Bangsal- Gili Air Rp 8.000. Waktu tempuh yang dibutuhkan sekitar 45 menit. Alternatif penyebrangan lainnya ialah dengan menggunakan speed boat carteran dengan biaya sekitar Rp 250.000 s/d. Rp 700.000. Akan sangat membantu jika Anda pintar menawar.

Aku, Aaron, Gita, dan Dora memilih ke Gili Trawangan. Kami beruntung karena perahu yang kami tumpangi berukuran besar, masih baru, dan full musik. Saat kapal mulai melaju, seorang pria bule muda naik ke dek belakang dan menari mengikuti irama music reggae yang diputar. Seluruh mata penumpang tertuju padanya. Kami bertepuk tangan dan tersenyum oleh tingkah lucunya. Melihatnya menari serasa sedang menonton tari streaptease di pesta bujang seperti di film-film. :p

Gili Trawangan
Setelah sekitar empat puluh lima menit mengarungi lautan, perahu kami akhirnya tiba di Gili Trawangan. Gili Trawangan merupakan sebuah pulau kecil nan eksotis yang dikelilingi dua pulau kecil lain, yaitu Gili Meno dan Gili Air.
Gili Trawangan dapat dikelilingi dengan berjalan kaki atau menggunakan sepeda sewaan dengan waktu sekitar satu jam. Di beberapa tempat, jalan yang dilalui merupakan pasir halus sehingga sepeda akan sulit dikendarai atau harus didorong. Tarif sewa sepeda di pulau ini Rp 15.000 rupiah/jam. Jika menyewa sehari penuh, harganya menjadi lebih murah yaitu sekitar Rp. 50.000.

Fasilitas untuk para wisatawan di pulau ini cukup lengkap. Ada banyak hotel, cottage, hostel (losmen) dengan fasilitas dan harga yang bervariasi serta restauran yang berjejer di sepanjang pantai. Tinggal pilih mana yang sesuai dengan budget wisatawan. Usai dua puluh menit berkeliling pulau, kami berempat menemukan home stay untuk menginap dengan harga Rp 100.000 per malam. Cukup murah kan?

Untuk turis dengan budget terbatas, terdapat tempat-tempat makan di depan pelabuhan. Tempat ini bernama pasar seni atau penduduk lokal sering menyebutnya sebagai central Gili Trawangan. Di siang hari menu andalannya ialah nasi campur dengan harga sekitar Rp.10.000. Sedangkan di malam hari terdapat pilihan seafood, ayam bakar, nasi goreng, bakso dan lainnya dengan harga yang relatif terjangkau. Hampir tiap malam, kami berempat makan di tempat ini.

Usai makan malam, kami biasanya bersantai di bar atau café sambil menikmati life music. Sama-sama Bar, tempat yang direkomendasikan Joko adalah tempat favoritku selama di Gili Trawangan. Ciri khas bar ini adalah musik reggae. Pengunjung yang datang ke bar ini 95 persen adalah wisatawan manca negara. Rasanya seperti bukan di Indonesia.

Di Gili Trawangan, aktifitas yang lazim ialah olahraga air seperti menyelam, snorkeling, mengelilingi pulau dengan menggunakan sepeda atau berjalan kaki, atau sekedar bersantai sambil menikmati pemandangan pantai. Di sore hari banyak orang berkerumun di sebelah barat pulau untuk melihat matahari terbenam, tempat ini diberi nama sunset view.

Tanggal 30 Juni 2011, hari terakhirku di Gili Trawangan. Aku, Gita, dan Dora akan berangkat ke Bali. Sementara Aaron masih akan tinggal beberapa hari di Gili dan akan melanjutkan perjalanannya ke pulau Komodo. Kami pun berpisah dengan si penggemar kopi hitam itu.

Perjalanan dari Lombok ke Pelabuhan Lembar sedikit menaikkan tensi kami. Beberapa kali, sopir kendaraan umum mematok harga yang lebih tinggi dari penumpang biasa. Kami bertiga bahkan sempat adu mulut sengit dengan sopir dan kernek kendaraan umum dari arah Mataram-Lembar. Mereka mencoba menipu kami dengan menarik ongkos angkot yang tidak wajar. Tentu saja kami menolak, karena kami tidak merasa mencarter mobil, tapi hanya sebagai penumpang biasa. Kami bertiga berhasil turun dari angkutan meski awalnya sempat dihalangi dua orang calo pelabuhan. Gagal dengan usaha memalak kami, si sopir melontarkan ancaman sambil berlalu pergi. What a rude man!!!

Meski sempat mengalami kejadian tak mengenakan, kami tetap menikmati perjalanan. Menghadapi penipu kami anggap sebagai bumbu perjalanan dan bagian dari petualangan. ;)

Lombok

Visa ke Eropa

Teman-teman yang ingin berlibur ke Eropa, berikut saya tuliskan bagaimana pengurusan visa UK (di VFS) dan visa Schengen di Kedubes Belanda (syarat-syarat di beberapa kedubes Negara Eropa lain hampir sama).

* * Syarat Visa UK
1. Anda harus mengisi formulir aplikasi on line. Formulir yang sudah diisi lengkap, dicetak dan Anda bawa saat melakukan pengajuan aplikasi. Pastikan bahwa barcode muncul di halaman terakhir dari formulir aplikasi visa yang sudah dicetak dan jangan lupa untuk menandatanganinya.
2. Setelah Anda menyimpan dan mengajukan aplikasi visa Anda, Anda akan menerima sebuah email yang menginformasikan nomor ID aplikasi unik Anda yang dimulai dengan GWF. Simpanlah nomor ID Anda untuk referensi di masa datang.
3. Paspor yang masih berlaku (minimal 3 bulan atau 6 bulan untuk amannya) atau dokumen perjalanan bagi pengungsi yang berisi minimal 1 halaman kosong bolak balik untuk tempat visa ditempelkan. Bawa juga paspor lama kalau punya.
4. Dua foto berwarna-ukuran-paspor-terbaru (45mm tinggi x 35mm lebar). Foto tersebut harus:
• Berlatar belakang putih, fokus, jelas dan berkualitas baik, tidak berbayang.
• Dicetak diatas kertas foto normal.
• Muka tidak tertutup, tidak menggunakan kaca mata hitam ataupun berwarna, tidak bertutup kepala kecuali karena alasan keagamaan dan medis. Mulut harus tertutup (tidak tersenyum, tidak mengerutkan dahi atau mengangkat alis) dan pemohon visa harus menghadap tegak dan melihat lurus ke depan.
• Foto harus terbaru yang diambil 6 bulan terakhir.
5. Fotokopi halaman paspor dengan data pribadi pemegang paspor.
6. Print out booking tiket pesawat. Pada print out booking pesawat, passenger number registration (=nomer booking) harus tercantum dengan jelas. Ini bukan tiket. Tiket baru boleh dibeli setelah visa disetujui.
7. Bukti ikatan sosial/ekonomi pemohon dengan Indonesia/negara tempat tinggal tetap (misalnya surat keterangan perusahaan, bukti terdaftar sebagai mahasiswa, KK, rekening Bank 3 bulan terakhir).
8. Surat referensi asli dari Bank yang dilampirkan, misalnya bukti keuangan dilampirkan BCA berarti referensinyapun harus dari BCA (harus disebutkan nama, no, rekening, jumlah, dan sejak kapan mulai transaksi)
9. Asuransi perjalanan dan kecelakaan. Siapkan asuransi yang punya pertanggungan minimal 30.000 euro untuk amannya.

Catatan:
Kunjungan Pribadi
1. Jika menginap dirumah orang, bawalah undangan dari sponsor/pengundang di UK.
2. Jika menginap dihotel, reservasi hotel yang telah dikonfirmasi
3. Jika menggunakan sponsor di UK: sertakan fotokopi slip gaji &/fotokopi rekening bank dari pihak sponsor. Jika yg mengundang bukan warga negara Inggris, copy kartu ijin tinggal juga harus dilampirkan.

Kunjungan Bisnis :
1. Undangan dari perusahaan di UK.
2. Bukti kontak Bisnis.
3. Reservasi hotel yg telah dikonfirmasi & bukti pembayaran hotel untuk seluruh periode.
4. Profil Perusahaan (perusahaan dimana pemohon bekerja).
5. Rekening bank 3 bulan terakhir dari perusahaan pemohon.

Kunjungan Medis :
1. Surat dari dokter/RS di Indonesia
2. Surat dari dokter/RS yg menangani di Belanda
3. Bukti asuransi kesehatan/bukti pembayaran pengobatan

** Syarat Visa Belanda
Untuk mengurus visa Belanda/Schengen hampir sama dengan syarat mengurus visa UK.Dokumen-dokumen pendukung yang saya sudah sebut di syarat visa UK, saat Anda ingin mengajukan aplikasi visa Schengen jangan lupa dibawa.Beda syarat visa UK dan Schengen cuman sedikit kok.Berikut nih sedikit perbedaannya.
1. Formulir permohonan visa, yg diisi lengkap & ditandatangani oleh pemohon. (formulir bisa diambil di kedutaan Belanda atau diunduh dari website kedubes yang ingin dituju)
2. Jadwal perjalanan (lembar perjalanan), yang diisi lengkap & ditandatangani pemohon.
3. Pas foto berwarna yg terbaru ukuran 4 x 6 cm, sebanyak 2 lembar. Foto terbaru, background warna putih.
4. Asuransi perjalanan & kecelakaan dengan pertanggungan minimum 30.000 Euro yang berlaku untuk seluruh wilayah Schengen.
5. * Jika menginap dirumah orang, undangan dimana tanda tangan pihak yg mengundang dilegalisasi oleh pemerintah kotamadya (GEMEENTE).
* Jika menginap dihotel, reservasi hotel yg telah dikonfirmasi
* Jika menggunakan sponsor di Belanda: surat jaminan dari pemberi sponsor (formulir bisa diperoleh dibalai kota) & bukti keuangan mencukupi dari sponsor (sertakan fotokopi slip gaji &/fotokopi rekening bank selama minimal 3 bulan). Surat jaminan ini berlaku hanya 3 bulan sejak dikeluarkan). Jika yang mengundang bukan warga negara Belanda, copy kartu ijin tinggal juga harus dilampirkan.


Sekadar tips kecil dari saya:
1. Mei hingga September biasanya pembuatan janji untuk permohonan visa sangat padat karena banyak mahasiswa yang kuliah di sana. Jadi mereka lebih diutamakan. Makanya kalau Anda mau liburan pada musim panas, akan jauh lebih baik kalau membuat janji jauh-jauh hari.
2. Berdasarkan info dari teman-teman dan agen perjalanan, jika mau ke luar negeri kita harus mempunyai cukup dana di rekening kita. Pihak kedutaan memerlukan bukti kalau kita mampu membiaya perjalanan kita dan tidak terlantar di negaranya sana. Kalau tidak ada uang memadai, bisa-bisa kita dikira mau jadi TKI illegal di sana.
Nominal yang saya dengar bermacam-macam dan tidak ada patokan resminya, ada yang mengatakan harus ada 50 juta atau 30 juta rupiah di rekening kita. Ada juga yang mengatakan jumlahnya tidak penting, asal bisa membuktikan bahwa kita punya uang.
3. Kalau Anda punya property, mobil, motor, atau kekayaan lainnya sertakan saja bukti foto copyannya. Kedubes biasanya akan lebih mempertimbangankan kalau kita punya yang berbau-bau “pribadi”. Lol
Kalau semua syarat terpenuhi sih harusnya tidak ada alasan bagi kedubes untuk menolak visa kita. Tapi yah, kadang lolos tidaknya visa juga tergantung factor luck. So, good luck buat teman-teman yang mau jalan-jalan ke LN sana.

Penulis: dari seorang yang sedang deg-degan menunggu hasil visa Schengen. ;)

Vietnam

Along time ago, when I was in university, I read a novel entitle Novel Without a Name. The tittle intrigued me--it is a great tittle. Novel Without a Name is the story of a young platoon commander, Quan, who struggles to find his identity in the confusion of the last days of the Vietnam War. . It is written from his perspective and opens at an unknown date during 'the War'.

Quan joins the army with his boyhood friends, Bien and Luong. Each represents a different response to the search for identity in the chaos of war. Luong has risen in the ranks of the army; he is an officer at division headquarters and deputy to the commander. He accepts and disseminates Party ideology, finding a space for himself in the bureaucracy of war. Bien, on the other hand, never rises above sergeant. The deprivations of the war lead him to mental illness, and he is imprisoned as a lunatic.

The heart of this novel is Quan’s journey, taken under Luong’s orders, into the interior of Vietnam to free Bien from his imprisonment. As Quan travels, he reflects, dreams, and hallucinates about the horrors of the war. Quan recalls the glory showered on the three friends when they joined the army, contrasting it to the death and destruction around him.

And all I can say is the author of this novel really captured the pain, sorrow and loss of innocence that faced young Vietnamese men during these decades of war.

After read that novel, I really curious about Vietnam. I wanted to see the tunnel where the Vietnamese stayed during the war; see its nature; and meet its people. Finally, on July 4, 2010, I had the chance. I went to Vietnam for holiday. I stayed there until July 9, 2010.

First Day

After about three hours flight from Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia, I arrived in Saigon Airport. At first I felt a bit nervous since it was my first trip to abroad and most of the people in the airport can't speak in English. But since came to a new place was an adventure itself, language challenge won't make me afraid. I could use body language and gesture. Those languages were really helpful in this situation.

After I came out from the custom office, I tried to find a taxi. There were many taxi drivers who approached me as I walked to the front of the airport. I made a bargain with one of the taxi drivers. We deal about the price. I would pay him 95.000 dong from the airport to my hotel in Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. But, I was a bit shocked as I arrived in Ditrict 1, the taxi driver asked me 100.000 dong again. Damn, it's too much and he was cheated on me. I complained about it, but it didn't work well because he can't speak in English well (or pretend I dunno) and he kept asked me 100.000 in Vietnamese. Okay, I was too tired that time and I didn't want to fight too long, so I paid him 195.000. It was a bad experience with my first taxi driver in Vietnam. But, I learnt something from that experienced. Don't ever use a taxi from the inside of the aiport if you want to get a fair price. I think it's almost happen in every country, so I won't complain it anymore. It was only my unlucky day. LOL.

The first day in Vietnam, I spent it in Nga Hoang Hotel and went around 269/19 De Tham St. Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1.


Second Day
It was four in the morning. I woke up and get ready to Mekong Delta. I went there with my dorm mates, Laura and Blanca from Spain. We didn't follow tour to go there. We wanted to have a fun as well as a challenge trip, so we took a taxi to the nearest bus station and went to Mekong by public transportation. It was fun because we can interact with the local people and saw the view freely.


Laura and Blanca asked me to stay in a hotel in Mekong Delta. But since I already paid the hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, I can't stay with them. I went back alone to HCMC. It was another fun story about my way back to HCMC. The boat that took us around to Mekong came to picked us in the next morning. So, I should found another boat. But, unfortunately I can't find any boat. I walked around the village to found the harbour. My Spanish friends accompanied me to found it. We already walked for about one hour, but we didn't see any harbour. It was only field and local houses that we saw. We almost felt desperate until we met a motor rider with his little kid. We stopped him and asked about the direction to the harbour. He can't speak in English but he knew what we were asked. He offered me rode to the harbour. I said bye to my Spanish friends and went to that place with that kind man.




As I arrived in the harbour, I asked to a woman where I could buy the ferry ticket. I tried my best to speak in Vietnamese. She answered it but I didn't understand what she said. I didn't see any office or lockets and no officers asked me for the ticket. So, I got on the ferry freely yay...







Third Day





I went around HCMC with my new dorm mates, Steven and James from UK. In the morning, we visited the zoo, Reunification Palace, War Museum, and went around the park. In the evening, we went hangout around District 1. We tried Vietnamese and Mexican foods and drinks like phở, bánh cuốn, banh mi, taco, saigon beer, BGI, and 333.

Steven and James moved to another hotel. But we kept in touch. They came to picked me up for hangout together.






Fourth Day
On the fourth day in Vietnam, I had new dorm mates. They are Lynden, Nick, Lee, Zac, and Jordan. My new dorm mates, Steven, James, and I went to Cu Chi Tunnel together with other travelers. We went there by tour bus since it's a bit far away.

As we stepped our feet on Cu Chi, the rattle and pop of automatic weapons greet a visitor. Young women in the black pajamas of the Vietcong flit through the woods. A man in green fatigues picks his way down a narrow trail, leading a small platoon of foreign tourists.





The Cu Chi Tunnels is one of the most famous battlegrounds of the Vietnam War. Today it is one of the country's prime tourist attractions. The Cu Chi Tunnels lie 75 km northwest of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).
The tunnel system let the Viet Minh and later, the Viet Cong, control a huge rural area. It was an underground city with living areas, kitchens, storage, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers. In places, it was several stories deep and housed up to 10,000 people who virtually lived underground for years.... getting married, giving birth, and going to school. They only came out at night to furtively tend their crops.

The planning and construction of this tunnel was incredible. People dug all this with hand tools, filling reed baskets and dumping the dirt into bomb craters. They installed large vents so they could hear approaching helicopters, smaller vents for air and baffled vents to dissipate cooking smoke. There were also hidden trap doors and gruesomely effective bamboo-stake booby traps.

After we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, our tour went back to HCHC. We arrived in the city in the afternoon, so I used my time to visited Ben Thanh Market. This market was closed to my hotel. I could walk to my hotel easily.

This market is one of the best places to pick up conical hats. The market and surrounding streets make up one of the city's liveliest areas. Everything that's commonly eaten, worn or used by the Saigonese is available here: vegetables, meats, spices, sweets, tobacco, clothing, household items, hardware, coffee powder and souvenir worthy items.

This market reminds me to Pasar Beringharjo and Pasar Klewer in Indonesia. You would get good stuff with pair price if you could make a good bargain.
P.S. If you don't like to bargain, you can buy the stuff from the government seller. The last time I went there, they wore uniform--blue shirt and black pants/black skirt.

Fifth Day
Early in the morning I checked out from my hotel in HCMC. I took a bus to Mui Ne beach. On the bus, I met French traveler and Canadian travelers. We had the same destination. So, we decided to stay in the same hotel. In Mui Ne, I shared a room with Lolo from France. She was a surfer. She went to Vietnam after had a long holiday in Indonesia. We had nice conversation about Bali, Jakarta, and Java. Lolo said, she would love to visit Indonesia again.
Frank and Marc who knew that I came from Indonesia also said their interest in my country. Frank told me that this summer he planned to see the archipelago. Frank and Marc had been to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. They love Asian cultures and its nature.

In my hotel in Mui Ne, I also met Julian and Nicole. Julian is an Australian surfer who ever stayed for quiet long in pulau Rote, Indonesia and he said that he loves Indonesia so much. He seemed very happy when he knew that I came from Indonesia. Nicole is physiotherapist from New Zealand. She stayed in UK for some couple years but decided to back to New Zealand to start her new life and continued her study.

Sixth Day
It was around eight o'clock in the morning. I said goodbye to my roommate Lolo. I went back to Saigon and flew to Jakarta. I had great time in Vietnam. I met kind local people and nice travelers from other countries.

Schatje and Joko

Once upon a time....


My holiday in 2011 was great since I spent it with a lovely Dutch boy, Joko. Maybe you'll ask why his name is Joko as he's a Dutch guy. Well, we have a little secret about that name. LOL.

On New Year Eve, we started our journey. We drank in a bar and had a fun night. Dance, met friendly people, got some free cheers, did crazy photo session, and saw some giant firewalls. The sound of the firewalls reminded us of the bomb voice. It's quite loud.

January first around 11 a.m. we went to the old city. We've planned to saw the museums. Our first spot was Museum Bank Indonesia. But, since it was first January, the museum was closed. The day was so sunny, so we did not want to miss it. We went to Taman Fatahilah and had a lunch at Cafe Batavia, one of the famous cafes in Asia.

had a lunch at Cafe Batavia

The architecture of this cafe was unique and classic. There were many photos on its wall. Even the bathroom, it also decorated with old and some new pictures. One of the cafe's staff told us that along time ago, this cafe was a VOC Governor's house. No wonder that it had a classic design and a good view.

the photos are everywhere

the view from the second floor of Cafe Batavia

After had a lunch and relaxing in the cafe batavia, we rent bicycle. We went to Sunda Kelapa harbour, Museum Bahari, The old Bridge, and a Chinese old building. We were like models that day. We took many pictures together. Some of them looked so romantic. Some of my friends said that those pictures looked like for pre-wedding. hehehe....

Joko, Schatje, and the bike

we look like people from the past... :D

posing in front of the sailboat

the sailboats

thanks to my personal photographer, Joko ;D

windows at Museum Bahari

After had a nice time in the old city, we back to our own "base camp". We met again in front of Sarinah and then went to Djakarta Theatre XXI. We watched the Gulliver's Travels. This movie was funny and quite entertaining. It told us about travel writer Lemuel Gulliver who takes an assignment in Bermuda, but ends up on the island of Liliput, where he towers over its tiny citizens. It was Saturday night, so we did not want to sleep early. We hangout in a cafe outside the Djakarta Theatre till midnight.

The next day, we went around Jakarta again and enjoyed the evening in Monas. We sat in the park, had a nice chit-chat and sometimes made silly jokes, looked at the stars, and saw the thousands of colourful lights which looked like fireflies. Ah, what a lovely night!


I really enjoyed my time with Joko. We had great moments together. I can't wait to meet him again...