Cina Trip: Shanghai Pudong Airport, Maglev, dan Si Kampung

Assalamuallaikum,

Cina bukan negara yang berada dalam wish list of me, hanya saja beberapa rencana di dalam hidup kita sering kali nggak lebih seru dari rencana Tuhan. Bisa kubayangkan Dia mencoret rencana - rencanaku sambil bilang, " Dasar nggak asyik!" Hahaha, don't be so sensitive, me and Him have private space to share.

Pagi hari pukul 5.30 bangun pagiku dihadiahi pemandangan made in Allah in China, pendar cahaya matahari di kaki langit, Ni Hao Shanghai. Aku menuruni tangga pesawat dengan jaket seadanya, kedinginan sambil menggendong backpack. Pipi rasanya dijejalkan ke dalam freezer. Suhu pagi ini 8 derajat, what an unlucky tropical creature I am. Aku lebih suka megap - megap kepanasan daripada sekuat tenaga menahan dingin dan sibuk ngelap ingus pakai ujung jaket. 

My 15 hours exhausted look and my tiny outfit

I LOVE THIS CITY!

Shanghai adalah cermin keseriusan pemerintah negeri ini mewujudkan model transportasi yang efisien. Mereka punya subway, maglev, shuttle bus, yang semuanya bermuara di Pudong Airport. Dari ketiganya, aku pilih maglev. Alasannya, AKU LELAH DENGAN SEMUA INI! AKU MAU CEPAT SAMPAI HOTEL LALU TIDUR!!! :D

Aku menunggu dengan sabar di depan loket yang masih tutup, demi bisa merasakan naik kereta dengan kecepatan kurang lebih 400 km/jam menghubungkan Shanghai Pudong International Airport sampai Longyang Road station (jalurnya masih dalam pembangunan). Harga tiket sekali jalan 50 RMB. Diskon 10 RMB bagi yang menunjukkan waktu penerbangan di hari yang sama dengan pembelian tiket. Butuh hanya 8 menit untuk sampai ke stasiun terakhir, memuaskan bagi yang perhitungan soal waktu.

Loketnya belum buka

Waiting room masih sepi

Perjalanan dengan Maglev berhenti di Longyang Road station, kemudian harus lanjut dengan subway atau metro menuju tengah kota, dengan harga tiket yang lebih murah. Dari Pudong airport, kita bisa langsung naik subway LINE 2 (hijau muda) yang menghubungkannya ke Hongqiao airport. Nantinya, penumpang yang naik menuju tengah kota harus ganti Metro LINE 2 di rel sebelahnya setelah sampai di Guanglan Road station.

Maglev

Sempetin!

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Gili Trawangan, When Dumb Girl Got Time Disorientation

Let's talk about Gili Trawangan trip. The most ridiculous trip I have ever planned in life. I was so dumb in arranging something, sometimes. And that day was the day I tortured my own trip plan.

I went to Poppies Lane I in Kuta to order shuttle bus - fast boat ticket to Gili Trawangan. I personally think that this is the most comfortable way for my self to go. Yes, if you want to, tou can go with another public boat to Gili, or even plane and stop in Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) airport. But having trip with fast boat is something new. By purchasing this ticket, I didn't have to think about how I can go to Padang Bai port from Kuta. I got easier choice than pushing my self to go with low budget style.  I wasn't that poor at that time. Hahaha...

Marina Srikandi boat would depart at 1 in the afternoon. It takes 2 hrs to go there from Kuta. The trip was quiet nice, the weather is great as expected, and the wave wasn't high.

Gili Trawangan is a small island in the northeast of Bali, part of NTB province. My friend told me, I can roam around this island in two and half hours by riding bicycle. We can rent it there anyway.

My friend recommended me a bungalow to stay there. From the port, I turned left and passed The Art Market. Then, turn right to the street right beside the market. There is a bridge to the beach right in front of that street so you won't get lost to remark the way back to the bungalow.

It's called Bintang Bungalow.  They only have three rooms and the rent price is quiet cute. Everyone offers you 500K IDR for the first time, that's the minimum starting price. I got 350K IDR for the bungalow and I thought it was good enough. It consists of one bed with fine bathroom,  they only have shower water without water heater. This place is super cute since you can feel calm and relax here, again, this is island bro. Hahaha...

Anyway, if you miss Indonesian food, go to the front of the bungalow and get the nice price for all menu.

What was happened to me at that time actually about disorientation of date. I was suggested by my friend's sentence before heading to Gili: you go there,  find the bungalow, have a good eve, and tomorrow you can go to snorkeling spot before going back to Bali.

I obeyed her, without checking my booking plan that actually for two days. Not one day.

So everything was in rush.

Gili was a cute nice quiet calm island un the morning and gone bad in the evening.  There is a pub called Rudy's, one of outdoor cafe, or we can say beach club. The ambience was quiet nice,  one of good place to spend your night in the air of beat.

I packed my bag in the afternoon,  and ran to Marina Srikandi office to confirm my departure to Bali. I said good bye and see you soon to the bungalow officer and move there.
"I confirm my departure," I said nicely to the officer while giving the ticket.
"But Miss, it's for tomorrow, "
"What?!?!?"
God damn stupid!!!
What I was thinking, I won't come back to bungalow and told him I got fucked by the date. That's so embarrassing.
"Really?  But I asked to go today. There must be a mistake while issuing my ticket by your officer! " I told him and blamed their side to secure my face.
"Can I check your payment confirmation?"
"I threw it to the trash bin. I thought you won't need it anymore," another lying drama had been stated.
"Alright,  that is okay as long as you don't switch your schedule, because it's not allowed," he started writing and gave it back to me and let me in to the boat.

Dear Sir, I am sorry for that. I accidentally changed my schedule because of my stupidity.

So Gili welcomed me only for a day. That's quiet sad. Hope to see you again Gili.  I even didn't get chance for snorkeling 😭

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