Switzerland: A Clear View Of The Toblerone Mountain

December 2014

Matterhorn or known as the Toblerone mountain

Hey, there!
Remember me? :p

So yeah, I've been neglecting my blog lately. I have dozens of stories to tell and hundreds of pictures to share from my previous trips. But I just couldn't force myself to sit still and write because there's too much stuff running in my mind randomly. I've been away from online world for couple months now and only updating daily on Instagram. A part of me is disappointed of myself because lately I easily get panic attack and nervous breakdown. The strange thing is that even though travelling has been a huge part of my life since I was born, lately I don't enjoy it as much. Perhaps the claustrophobia and aerophobia has wore me out. I don't recognise myself anymore. I'm still looking the best way to cure it though, whether it's having hypnotherapy sessions, seeing a psychiatrist or learning to relax by practising yoga. I'm open to any suggestions from you, guys :)

Matterhorn railway station

Alright then, I better cut the pouring heart session and will share one of my Swiss trip highlights. I had been wanting to visit Zermatt since forever. And while it's one of the prettiest cities in Switzerland, it's also one of the most expensive too. During my student life in Switzerland 15 years ago, I didn't have much money to splurge. So I was happy to finally made it to Zermatt this time. The city is heaven to snow lover and the Gornergrat railway is one of most popular activities to do. The Gornergrat railway station is situated at an altitude of 3089 m, which makes it the second highest railway in Europe after the Jungfrau and the highest open-air railway of the continent.

all aboard!

beautiful village

I've said it a thousand times before that I love travelling by train. I find the steady sound of train moving is a very soothing back sound as I admiring the view outside my window. And Switzerland offers numerous railway routes with spectacular scenery along the way. The journey I took from Zermatt to Gornergrat is no exception as well. I love looking at the Swiss chalets with it's snow-covered roof in some village I passed through. Such a pretty scenery. And I was so lucky that I got to see the Matterhorn in a full view because of the clear weather.

it's white everywhere

breathtaking view outside

the final station

super clear day!

In what feels like a blink of an eye, the train stopped in Gornergrat station (it's actually about 30 minutes ride). Though it was minus 10 degree Celsius up there, to me it felt quite warm because of the bright sunshine. My White Christmas couldn't get any more perfect than this! Oh, by the way Swiss Pass will come handy if you ever plan to explore Switzerland. It entitles you to unlimited travel on consecutive days throughout the rail, bus and boat Swiss travel system network. Apart from that, it offers 50% reduction on most mountain railways and cable cars and free entrance also free entrance to hundreds museums and exhibitions. I didn't get one so I had to fork out CHF 86 for this train ride. Boohoo :(

my White Christmas

the chapel atop Gornergrat

view from 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat

Atop Gornergrat there's a hotel which was built between 1897 and 1907. The name is 3100 Kulm hotel at Gornegrat. It's not only one of these rare and unique accommodations but the highest altitude hotel in the Swiss Alps. The scenery is so spectacular for sure because it's surrounded by 29 peaks of the massive ridge separating Switzerland from Italy. Now, this is my kind of hotel I'd love to spend my honeymoon at *daydreaming*



FREEBIES!

I am a chocoholic. To me travelling to Switzerland always means bringing back a suitcase full of my favourite Swiss chocolate. And of course I'll share some for you, guys! One of the chocolates is even bigger than my head! teehee :D
I have 3 packages of chocolate, fridge magnet, keychain and postcard from Switzerland.

all of these were air flown from Switzerland specially for you :p

Only 3 easy steps to join:

1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie 
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #GiveAway Swiss chocolate, keychain, magnet & postcard!  Join on www.debbzie.com | cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter or instagram user ID on the comment box below. 

All email address will be drawn randomly and 3 lucky winners will receive this Swiss souvenirs.

Closing date: 1 April 2015

I wish the best of luck for youuuu :)

Update: Congratzzzz to the winners @sefiiin @ammamamo @iqbalrois !!! :D

Thailand: Birthday Trip With Jetstar

I am an aerophobic.

Yes, I have a pretty serious condition of fear of flying.
No, I wasn't born with it. My first air plane ride when I was one year old baby. And because my Dad travels overseas very often for business trip, I've became a frequent flyer too. I loved flying. Airport was my favourite place and I could even memorise most air plane logos. Besides visiting new places, flying was one of my most love things to do.

Then it all has changed 15 years ago when I experienced a super severe turbulence that my plane had to go through an emergency landing. It was really a 'near death' experience for me. Since that day, flying has been a dreadful thing to do. I avoided flying for almost a year. Even the view of air planes in the sky would caused my heartbeat racing and my body shook uncontrollably. Yes, the trauma was that bad. But at one point, I decided to fight my phobia. I won't give up my passion for travelling. One thing that significantly changed, I've became very fussy in choosing airlines. I'd do some research before travelling and would only pick airlines with great safety records. Even if that means sometimes I have to fork out more money for the flight tickets. I've also became fussy in picking my seat on plane. I must must get a window seat otherwise I get panic attack easily during the flight. So much for a person who travels regularly like me. I wish I was as flexible as I used to.

Jetstar Asia in Juanda airport, Surabaya

Anyway, I was happy when recently Jetstar Asia approached me and invited me to experience flying with them. Jetstar is a low-cost airline which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas and Jetstar Asia which is based in Singapore - is one of its sister airlines. I've been flying Jetstar Asia pretty often on Surabaya-Singapore route. Yup, Jetstar is one of some airlines that I feel comfortable and feel safe to fly with. From Singapore, Jetstar Asia operates services to some Asia countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Burma, also Japan and China.

It wasn't easy to choose the destinations, I wanted to visit them all! :p
I originally chose Vietnam but after some consideration (my Dad's health problem and I needed to submit my passport for Schengen visa immediately), I decided to fly to Bangkok instead for 5 days. My journey started off in Surabaya where I catch my first leg of flights to Singapore. Checking in was easy breezy. Though the flight was full, the queue at check in counter moved pretty fast because the staff worked efficiently.

YAY! I also got a KitKat :D

I'm a person who hardly enjoy in-flight meal. The reason is I'm very prone to motion sickness and also I found most in-flight meal are too bland for my Indonesian taste buds. But during Jetstar Asia return flights between Surabaya - Singapore - Bangkok, I was served and got to taste some of their in-flight meals. My favourites were the Chicken Rice and Roti Paratha with chicken, they tasted pretty good. I'd recommend you to pre-purchase and select your preferred meal on their website though or else you can always purchase drinks and snacks on board.

smooth flight in beautiful weather

In Surabaya I was already given my boarding pass for the flight from Singapore to Bangkok. So I had ample time to explore (eat & shop) some great facilities in Changi airport. I'll write the review on separate blog post. My next flight took off on time and arrived in Bangkok ahead of schedule. Hello, Bangkok! Sawadeeka :)

view from my room at Radisson Blu Plaza, Sukhumvit

greeted by hundreds of Snoopy in Central World Plaza

I didn't really have any itinerary for my trip to Bangkok. I only had 'food tour', 'shopping' and 'Thai massage' in my mind. After all it was my birthday trip so I think it's okay to pamper myself once in a while, right? My last visit to Bangkok was 12 years ago so unsurprisingly I hardly recognise it. I went crazy shopping at Platinum where there are too much cute stuff to ignore. Not to mention they are very cheap too. I went "Ouch! Ouch! ohhhh ahhhh... gimme more!" during the Thai massage session. But highlight of my trip would be the Midnight Food Tour by Tuk Tuk that I joined with the local agent. Beside sampled some local food, I also got to enjoy beautiful night illuminations around some temples in Bangkok. To top it off, I laughed my head off while my tuk tuk was speeding and racing with a BMW car on the highway. Thrilling! I'm sure it won't be long until they release the latest movie of Need For Speed: The Tuk Tuk. Lol. Now, I want a Tuk Tuk as a Christmas present, can I?

I met my prince charming :p

Eagle bar with the stunning view of Wat Arun

There was a little hiccup on the end of my journey. I was waken up early morning by an sms from Jetstar saying that my flight from Bangkok to Singapore will be delayed for about 2 hours. That means I would be too late to catch my connection flight from Singapore to Surabaya. Jumped out my bed in panic, I tried to contact Jetstar. And thank goodness, almost immediately they managed to put me on earlier flight to Singapore. Phew! All in all, I had a great time flying with Jetstar and my Bangkok trip was nothing less than awesome. Thanks a bunch, Jetstar for the great and safe journey!



FREEBIES!

I'm giving away this Jetstar Comfort Pack worth SGD17 that I bought from their in flight shopping. It's a package of stuff that's very useful for travelling. Contains of a deluxe blanket, inflatable neck support pillow, toothbrush & toothpaste, earplugs, socks, eye shade and their premium lip balm from Australia's Bloom Cosmetics. All items inside a trifold pouch which can be used as your tablet pouch. Besides this comfort pack, you will also get a Jetstar 2015 desk calendar.

So let's join this freebies!

1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #GiveAway a valuable Jetstar Comfort Pack for you, avid travellers!  Join on www.debbzie.com | cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter or instagram user ID on the comment box below.   

All email address will be drawn randomly and 1 (one) winner will be sent this awesome pack.
Closing date: 25 December 2014 (closed)

Winner: @nyonyasepatu



* My trip to Bangkok is fully sponsored by Jetstar Asia and Changi airport. However all opinions are based on my experience and the words are all mine. Special thanks to Tyler who has been so kind and helpful, making sure that my trip was flawless.

Greenland: Kulusuk Village, Inuits & Cemetery

Kulusuk, July 2014

Kulusuk is the getaway to East Greenland and opportunities for the adventures on and around the island cover everything from cultural encounter to extreme expeditions.

I read it on some tourism brochures and I'm sold. With the best plane window view ever, I knew I already fell in love with this land even before landed.

walking tour to Kulusuk village

The first thing I did after checking into the only hotel in Kulusuk was joining the walking tour to the village. Guided by one of the hotel staffs, I walked about 6 km distance back and forth from the hotel - across the hill and valley together with some of the hotel guests. The island is actually small, only 8 km from north to south and 11 km from west to east.

cemetery with a view

After walking over a hilly terrain, we stopped at the village cemetery on a small hill. It's interesting to find that all those white crosses are nameless. The body is only a temporary home,  Inuit believes that life is eternal and death is only a transformation from one world to another. That's why they don't put name on the graves because the souls are on a journey to the other side. A world under water and earth, where there are plenty of seal meat and the sky rich on berries. According to them, hell doesn't exist.

When I mentioned to some friends that I was in Greenland, most of them were thinking about lush green island with colourful flowers. Nope, Greenland is anything but green. In fact it's mostly white with hardly any land at all. It's even pretty difficult for plants to grow that the cemetery is festooned with plastic flowers.

pathway to the village

Summer in Greenland means thousands of crazy flies. These pain- in- the- ass tiny creatures would buzzing and swarming all over your face. So annoying that a lot of people opt to wear mosquito hat net. I left mine in the hotel and I happened to swallow one or ten flies also some stuck inside my nose and ear. While walking, I kept saying "shuuh....shuuh go away" and doing some kung fu motion to keep the flies away. Though it may looked funny, believe me, it was not fun at all!

abandoned dogs :'(

Suddenly from a far distance I heard a long sad howling. As a dog lover, I recognised it well....it was a sound of dog crying. Naturally I walked faster towards the sound, curious to find what happened to the dog. My eyes noticed some movements behind a hill and I stood stunned in silence....feeling brokenhearted. There were about a dozen of sad faced dogs chained to a wooden thingy with a rotting seal carcass as their food.

"These dogs are being punished because their owner doesn't take a good care of them." I heard the guide were explaining to my group.

"How come the dogs have to be punished when it's not even their fault?" I could feel tears running down my cheeks. I had a mixed feelings of angry, sad and helpless for not able to do anything.

"The owners are too poor to even afford their own life and these dogs became aggressive from hunger and lack of love. Thus they are put in this 'prison' and will be slaughtered."

Kulusuk village

Feeling devastated, I decided to walk away from the sad scene. I realised travelling doesn't only teach us to see beautiful things but also learning some bitter truths. Whether I like it or not, this is how the local lives, I have to accept the law and culture of this foreign land.

It wasn't long until I reached Kulusuk village. The tiny village with colourful wooden houses clings to the rocky island above a glittering sea of iceberg with dramatic mountain peaks as a backdrop. It must have been one of most beautiful landscape I've ever seen. With only around 300 inhabitants, there's a supermarket, a post office and a church in the village.

Inuits

"Most of the Inuits here are pretty poor that sometimes they have to move from one house to another because they can't afford the rent." The guide told me. "They survived mostly from fishing and seal hunting."

Okay, now I kinda feel bad for blaming the dog owner earlier. The life in this village is actually tough. They hunt the seals and keep the carcass under the sea water. If it's not consumed within 3 days, they will feed it to the dogs. Besides hunting, the Inuits get some cash from selling handmade souvenirs. One of them is Tupilaks, 'scary looking' ritualistic figures made from wood, whale bones, tooth and reindeer antler points. In Greenlandic words, 'Tupilak' means an ancestors spirit. It's believed that a tupilak is a home for spirit and previously were used by the shaman to against a foe. Tupilak are often carved based on some figures from Inuit mythology. Pretty interesting, right?

Tupilak

handmade souvenirs

with some adorable Inuit kids

I've just posted some postcards in the post office when I spotted some curious-looking Inuit kids. I waved my hands toward them and pulled a plastic full of candies out my bag.

"Come here. Do you want some candies?" I offered a handful of sweets to them. Though a bit shy, I could see their eyes sparkled with joy and nodded gleefully. They said some words that sounded very foreign to me. I don't know, perhaps they were saying a 'thank you' or anything. I ended up sitting on the post office step and eating candies with these kids. Too bad I don't understand Greenlandic language. Though I was happy to somehow 'communicate' with them.

interior of the church

the only church in the island

colourful houses

cute Greenlandic dogs

Kulusuk village

Kulusuk is a remote, mysterious, extreme and a fairy tale like land for me. It seems bizarre yet I feel a strong bond with it. I could actually see myself staying here for a long term while learning about the Inuit life and culture. Maybe one day :)


FREEBIES!

Hey! I still keep some knick knacks that I bought during the trip. So, time for freebies it is!
3 winners will be chosen randomly and will get a package of postcard & keyring from Greenland plus passport cover and luggage tag.

Here's how to join:

1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #GiveAway souvenirs from Greenland + passport cover & luggage tag. Join on www.debbzie.com! cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter or instagram user ID on the comment box below. So you'll be the first to know when you're chosen as a winner. Hurry! :D

Closing date: 30 November 2014 (closed)
Congratz to @shintaries @gypsysoul04_ @septimelia :)

Iceland: Snowmobile Adventure On Langjokull Glacier

Langjökull Glacier, July 2014

snowmobile

Probably snowmobile is the coolest vehicle I've ever driven so far. Well, riding an ostrich in South Africa was pretty cool too but of course it would sound odd if I said I've driven an ostrich, right? :p

Langjokull (Icelandic for "long glacier") is Iceland's second largest glacier and only about 30 minutes drive from Gullfoss waterfall, part of Golden Circle. Though last 15 minutes was rather a 'painful on the bum' ride since we had to pass the narrow gravel road. 

a long very bumpy ride in the middle of nowhere

the super jeep

rocky road before reaching the glacier

winter overall 

Upon arrival at the base camp, 2 helpful crew hand me a thick overall to keep me warm during the ride, including a pair of overshoes which I wore over my winter boots. Then the crew put on a balaclava - a headgear designed to expose only part of face (what occurred in my mind was: a head condom! well it's kinda look like that, lol) and last were helmet and gloves. Walking like an astronaut, I was all set and ready to go!

super truck!

I was supposed to ride a super jeep to reach the glacier but then a large group of Chinese tourist came so the crew decided to transport all the people using their super truck in one go. The BovMan, monster truck fleet! That's how the crew named it. A custom made hybrid of three cars; a MAN cargo truck, a tourist coach and the chassis of an 8×8 military truck. It has a unique ability to drive through rough terrain and in all sorts of road conditions. To me it looks quite similar to Ice Explorer in Canada.

snowmobile parking lot

From base camp to snowmobile parking lot, the super truck was passing through some very steep and rocky terrain. In some occasions, I held my breath because the road swooped down sharply surrounded by large rocks. It reminds me of moon landscape.

After a bumpy and shaky ride, I could not wait to jump out the truck and drive my snowmobile. But certainly not before got a briefing from the crew about safety and how to operate the machine. By the way, you will need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driving license. Always drive in one line and keep a safety distance between other snowmobiles. It is totally prohibited to drive side by side, overtake other machines, or make unnecessary curving or speeding up. Or taking pictures while driving (I broke this rule. I did take one or three pictures sneakily. Sorry, I couldn't resist it :p)

and the adventure begin. woohoo!

Accelerator/gas on my right thumb and brake on my left hand. Okay, it's easy! or so I thought.
It was actually quite hard to steer specially because the surface was uneven with many holes on it. Some parts of the glacier were melting too, so it's a bit tricky to drive through the streams. I basically had to move my whole upper body for steering to the right or left. It took a while to get used to it and my face started smiling and grinning like weirdos with excitement. The scenery along the route was simply so sooo breathtaking.

it's photo time :D

a very happy face of mine :D

what an incredible view

We drove until reaching one point where all I could see in any directions was the glacier with volcanoes in a far distance. The volume of Langjokull glacier is 195 km³ and the ice is up to 580 m thick. So spectacular, it almost made me cry. Everyone were asked to park their snowmobile in a row and given plenty time for taking pictures. It would have been perfect during winter with some snow to play a snowball fight though.

complete gear including winter overall, balaclava, helmet, boots and gloves

some helpful crews starting the engine

heading back to the base camp

snowmobile in Langjokull glacier

Obviously time flies when you're having fun. I was feeling gutted when the crew told me it was already time to drive back to the base camp. I had a tremendous time and I would not mind to spend another € 200 in order to experience this again. While it may sound expensive, I still think it's worth every single penny. To me an unforgettable experience is priceless thus I think it's okay to splurge once in a while. I don't want to travel half the globe and regret it later for not doing anything I would love to :)


FREEBIES !!!

3 winners will get a package of chocolate, keyring, bookmark and postcard from Iceland.

Only 3 easy steps to join:
1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #giveaway chocolate, keyring, bookmark & postcard from Iceland. Join on www.debbzie.com! cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter on the comment box below.

Closing date: 22 August 2014 (closed)
Winners: @Nugisuke @kandi_chan @dinarfm_