Sekitar 25 tahun yang lalu, ketika internet dan handphone belum menjadi bagian dari kehidupan sehari-hari seperti sekarang, saya jatuh cinta pada sebuah buku panduan perjalanan bernama Lonely Planet (LP). Awalnya sahabat saya Tyas yang memperkenalkan sebuah buku tebal dengan sampul menarik dan tulisan besar : INDONESIA. Tyas mendapatkan “kitab suci” jalan-jalan ini dari ayah beliau […]
Ketika Satu Klik Yang Salah Mengubah Seluruh Rencana
Kalau ada yang bertanya apa skill paling penting saat traveling, mungkin banyak yang akan menjawab kemampuan beradaptasi, manajemen waktu, atau kemampuan mencari promo terbaik. Tapi setelah beberapa tahun bolak-balik mengatur perjalanan keluarga, teman-teman dan juga menjalankan peran sebagai part-time travel organizer, saya punya jawaban lain: teliti sebelum menekan tombol “confirm“ atau “pay now“. Sayangnya, teori […]
Cerita Random Masa Muda
Saya dan tiga orang teman baik sejak zaman kuliah punya grup WhatsApp bernama Dulunya Pendaki. Kami jarang ngobrol, tinggal berjauhan, dan bahkan sudah 20 tahun lebih saya tidak pernah bertemu salah seorang dari mereka. Tapi sekalinya ngobrol atau ketemu pastinya seru, kadang kami random ngobrol tentang masa lalu, tentang orang-orang baik yang dulu pernah menolong […]
To My Daughter on Her High School Graduation
Time truly flies. Last summer, Azkia graduated from high school, an important milestone that somehow arrived sooner than I ever imagined. Her graduation wasn’t marked by the traditional ceremony I had envisioned. Instead, her journey concluded quietly but meaningfully: IGCSE exams in May and June, a school prom in July, a long summer break, and […]
Di Antara Persinggahan, Saya Menjadi Saya
I’m May, an Indonesian shaped by many cities, many chapters, and many choices. Born and raised in Bandung, my journey has taken me through Jakarta, Balikpapan, and now Kuala Lumpur. I love books, travel, cooking, and words. Writing has always been my quiet companion, a place where stories breathe and memories stay. Life didn’t follow […]
- Suriname
- ...
Goede Morgen Suriname
Goede Morgen ! Sapaan itu membuat saya sejenak terdiam di pintu masuk area sholat. Seorang ibu menyampaikannya dengan senyum ramah, selamat pagi dalam bahasa Belanda. Barangkali ia mengira saya orang Suriname keturunan Jawa. Di negeri ini, tebakan semacam itu bukan hal yang aneh. Kemarin saya menyapa staff lokal yang menjemput kami di bandara dengan Bahasa […]
- China
- ...
From Namaste to Ni Hao, Traveling Between Nepal and China (Part 2)
When you step onto Chinese soil for the first time, you don’t just arrive in another country, you enter a different rhythm of the world. Let’s continue our traveling journey between Nepal and China, the 2nd leg is China :). We entered China from Nepal and planned to fly onward to Malaysia, to fulfil the […]
- Nepal
- ...
From Namaste to Ni Hao, Traveling Between Nepal and China (Part 1)
The winter trip of 2025 wasn’t planned at all. As usual, it turned into an impromptu decision that only came together in early December. The year had been incredibly busy and hectic, and I still had plenty of annual leave left so I decided it was time to use it. More than anything, I needed […]
- India
- ...
Where Words Were Unnecessary: A morning in Lidder Valley
It was a freezing morning in the heart of summer. As I unzipped the tent and stepped outside, the entire Lidder Valley lay submerged in a soft veil of fog, quiet, ethereal, and utterly breathtaking. Stretching nearly 40 kilometers, the Lidder (or Liddar) Valley is a gorge valley near Pahalgam, a small town southeast of […]
The 3 Stans in Winter
Throwback to winter 2024, I visited the 3 Stans countries with Cici, and two of my good friends from office, from teammate turn to friend and finally they become my 2nd and 3rd daughters. It was a girl trip to Central Asia: Kazakhstan (KZ), Kyrgyzstan (KG) and Uzbekistan (UZ). I really want to write a […]