Traveloka's Interview Experience in Jakarta for Product Management Position

Hello, world! Can't believe it's 2021 and I have been kind of neglecting this blog. Re-reading some old posts made me feel.. old. Haha!

Ok, so in this post, I want to share my interview experience with Traveloka Indonesia for product manager position. Disclaimer: This is a personal experience with good intentions.

Let's cut to the point.

The steps were:

1. Interview with HR

2. Online test

3. Interview with user #1

4. Interview with user #2

5. Interview with the head of the department

6. Decision

May 2018

HR interview and online test.

Traveloka's HR approached me in LinkedIn. He asked if I wanted to explore the opportunity to be a product manager/associate PM and if I could share him my WhatsApp number. Back then I was still a consultant at Accenture.

I took a chance to explore the opportunity, I gave him my updated CV and we exchanged the communication via WhatsApp. He then gave me the link for online test. The online test consists of 2 sections: Math and data interpretation test (30 minutes) and cognitive test (20 minutes). He reminded me to have a good internet connection to finish the test. The cognitive test was easy, however the math test was quite challenging. If I remember correctly, there was a penalty by reducing the score for taking a wrong answer. He also told me that since I was being approached first, my online test score wouldn't be very much regarded for the next step. But I passed the test anyhow.

User interview in Wisma 77, Slipi.

Then I was scheduled for user interviews, 2 sessions on the same day where each interview took 1 hour. Both user interview sessions, I was being interviewed by product managers. I will emphasize this experience since the user interview is the most important ones.

The questions in the user interview were about your experience in your CV and many open ended questions, specifically about market sizing. Be prepared, be ready for this kind of questions as it's common for product management roles. From this questions, your thought process is assessed, so there is no right or wrong answer but rather your approach. You are most likely expected to draw/answer in a whiteboard.

The example of these questions: how much is the revenue of cinema? Yes, that one line only.

Then you can (you must!) ask follow up questions such as: Where are the cinemas? Can I calculate for cinemas in Jakarta only? Can I assume that this is the revenue for Mondays only?

You should answer with thinking out loud and write all your assumptions on the board such as: location (Jakarta only), day (Mondays only), number of studios in that cinema, do you want to add/remove snack bar component? etc.

The good news is there are a LOT of practice on the internet.

Be confident when answering, stand tall and make sure your voice is bold. It is easy to feel a little zap when the interviewer follows up with more questions to challenge your assumption. But when you are a Product Manager, you know that your life will be full of challenges by a lot of stakeholders. So take the interview as an early training haha.

Last interview/Interview with the Head of the Department, in Wisma 77, Slipi.

In this phase, I was being asked about 1 specific question related to the position I was applying for. The Head was nice but he kept asking follow up question until I was very cornered and honestly say "I don't know". Then more questions were about my motivation to join the company.

After this interview, honestly I didn't expect acceptance anymore because I didn't feel like being the best in the last interview.

The whole interview process for me was quite difficult hehe. If you search on the internet, you will find a lot of articles about Traveloka's difficult interviews. But that's only because the company is a user-centric and has a high standard.

After beating my self up (sounds a little exaggerating but true), a week after my last interview, I followed up the result to the HR. I thought I just needed a closure haha! The HR said that my result is still being reviewed. But I take this interview process in a prayer (I think the hard interviews had made me wanting the role even more). Also, in the middle of the interview, actually my dad passed away so I also prayed to him to give me blessing to embark this new journey.

I think after all those prayers and what I believed I turned out nailing the interviews, after a few weeks, in June 2018, I got my acceptance email. Yay! After negotiated on the offer for few days, I finally accepted the offer.

And that's how my adventure with one of the most amazing workplace started.

The 2 years there felt quite short as the working environment is supportive and positive and the benefits are top-notch. Even when covid-19 started to go wild, as an OTA, of course Traveloka was heavily impacted. But the management could handle the issue about the future of the company very well, addressing the underground doubt by the employees. Though some of my friends were impacted with the layoff, most of them understood and still respected how Traveloka gave a really good compensation.

If you manage to read this post 'til the end, thanks for reading! I hope that you can get the job at Traveloka. Don't be discouraged with any Traveloka's interview stories, the most important thing is to prepare yourself and be confident. Make sure you can explain what's written in your CV.

If I have time, I will write again about the working experience.

Have a good day!

Review: Mediheal Tea Tree Care Solution Sheetmask

Mungkin nggak sih punya kulit bebas jerawat?

Pertanyaan ini mungkin sering muncul di benak orang-orang yang sedang jerawatan/mudah jerawatan seperti gue.

Sebagai orang yang tidak terlahir dengan kulit halus bak bidadari, tentunya gue harus berusaha lebih ekstra untuk mencapai kulit impian gue.

Nah, karena trend skincare belakangan ini lagi menjamur, gue suka gatel beli ini itu dan akhirnya nggak semuanya gue lanjutin pemakaiannya karena nggak cocok. Belum lagi kalau nggak cocok, langsung deh besokannya jerawat manis nangkring di dahi atau dagu gue. Gampang deh kalo mau menilai apakah  produk tertentu cocok atau nggak buat gue, cukup pake produk tersebut maksimal 2 hari, langsung keliatan kalo nggak cocok akan muncul break out di dagu.

Good news-nya adalah: gue akhirnya ketemu 1 produk unggulan, the best, luar biasah untuk mengatasi jerawat gue, terutama jerawat yang baru muncul.

Namanya adalah Mediheal Tea Tree sheetmask.
Yup, ini sheetmask tapi beuh guys, ini ampuh banget. Monggo di scroll sampai bawah untuk lihat keajaibannya.

Ini kemasan si 'magic'.

Ini gue pake di malam sebelumnya.

Ini sebelum gue pake Mediheal Tea Tree sheetmasknya. Keliatan kan jerawat di jidat dan di dekat alis?

Btw, baju tidur gue beda karena di foto ini udah pemakaian kedua gue dan foto pertama gue itu pas pake Mediheal Tea Tree sheetmask di minggu sebelumnya.

Ini hasil the next day setelah gue pake Mediheal Tea Tree sheetmask. Keliatan nggak jerawat  di jidat dan deket alis gue ilang?

Sejak gue merasakan 'magic'-nya si Mediheal Tea Tree sheetmask ini, gue bener-bener langsung jadi tim promosi sukarelanya produk ini ke temen-temen gue. Asli ini jerawatnya langsung hilang gini, gimana nggak happy?

Oke, setelah lebih dulu gue kasih hasil membahagiakannya, sekarang gue akan breakdown ingredients magic sheetmask ini dan juga kesan-kesan gue akan produk ini.

Ingredients:

Tea tree leafil

Pine needle

Portulaca oleracea extracts

Fungsinya (kalau dari kemasannya):

Mengontrol minyak berlebih, meredakan kulit iritasi dan kering, memberikan perawatan intensif dan membuat kulit menjadi segar.

Berat:

25 ml

Cara pakai:

1. Bersihkan wajah (ingat untuk selalu double cleanse ya). Oh ya, gue biasanya pakai sheetmask di malam hari sebelum tidur biar nggak terburu-buru. Gue juga biasanya simpen sheetmask-nya di kulkan biar dingin.

2. Pakai toner di wajah yang sudah bersih

3. Buka sheetmask perlahan dan tempelkan ke wajah

4. Diamkan 20 menit

5. angkat sheetmask, tepuk-tepuk wajah dengan kondisi essence yang masih menempel

6. Tuang essence yang masih tersisa di kemasan sheetmask dan aplikasikan ke wajah sambil di tepuk-tepuk. Untuk step ini, gue suka lakuin 2 lapis, sampai essence sisa-nya abis

7. Pastikan essence telah menyerap di kulit dan jangan kena bantal atau apapun.

Lalu siap-siap lihat efeknya di esok pagi pas bangun tidur.

Kesan:

+ Wangi-nya enak, gak terlalu menusuk. Kalo kalian sering pakai tea tree pasti udah biasa dengan wangi Mediheal Tea Tree sheetmask ini

+ Ampuh dan manjur banget kawan

+ Harganya masih tergolong terjangkau

- Belom nemuin kekurangannya

Better Together with Traveloka: Dapet Liburannya, Dapet Hematnya

Perhatian: Post ini bisa membuat kamu kepingin buru-buru buka website Traveloka terus coba booking Paket Pesawat + Hotel.

Mari dimulai dengan hasil lukisan dan kaligrafi saya buat merangkum seperti apa sih Paket Pesawat + Hotel Traveloka :)

Dapet liburannya, dapet hematnya.

***

Semua orang suka traveling, siapa yang tidak?

Semakin bertambah usia, semakin saya membuktikan pepatah-pepatah bijak mengenai traveling benar adanya, bahwa traveling membuat kita selalu belajar hal-hal baru dan travel adalah hal yang mengeluarkan uang namun malah membuat kita lebih kaya.

hasil tangan sendiri :D

Saya mulai membiayai sendiri jalan-jalan saya semenjak tahun 2014. Saat itu, belum banyak pilihan untuk bepergian. Travel agent masih cukup menjadi opsi utama untuk melakukan reservasi tiket pesawat dan hotel. Akhirnya biasanya saya membeli tiket pesawat sendiri di website airline atau saat travel fair, lalu secara terpisah membeli tiket hotel. Saya pun tidak dapat melakukan perbandingan harga.

Traveloka

Siapa sih yang belum tau Traveloka? E-commerce yang awalnya berfokus ke bidang pemesanan pesawat dan hotel ini cepat sekali berkembangnya, seperti roket yang diluncurkan ke angkasa. Iklan Traveloka tentunya sudah sering kita dengar dan lihat di Youtube, reklame, majalah, dan media-media lainnya. Bahkan pada saat saya ke Bangkok, ada iklan Traveloka besar sekali di Mall Siam Paragon. Jingle “Traveloka Dulu” benar adanya, karena hampir semua daily essentials dapat dilakukan melalui Traveloka. Traveloka menghadirkan kemudahan dalam memesan tiket pesawat dan hotel, lalu semakin berinovasi dengan mengembangkan sayapnya untuk memudahkan kita dalam memesan kereta api, pembelian pulsa dan paket data yang lebih murah, dan lain sebagainya.

Cerita sedikit mengenai daily essetials saya yang diakomodasi oleh Traveloka.

Papa: “Ana, bookingin papi tiket buat check-up ke Penang dong.” – Traveloka dulu

Mama: “Ana, bookingin besan mami tiket kereta api dari Cirebon bisa, nggak?” – Traveloka dulu

Adik: “Kak, beliin aku pulsa seratus ribu dong.” – Traveloka dulu

Pacar: “Sayang, mau ajak keluarga liburan nih ke Bali. Cariin tiket, hotel sama atraksi di Bali deh. Kalau bisa yang dicicil 12 bulan” – Traveloka dulu.

Semua cerita ini benar adanya, bahkan poin Traveloka saya sudah mencapai 878 pts. Itupun karena Traveloka baru menerapkan system poin tahun 2017 ini, kalau sudah dari dulu mah, yakin atuh udah tukar voucher potongan 100 ribu berkali-kali.

Paket Pesawat + Hotel Traveloka

Setelah sudah berkali-kali memesan tiket pesawat dan tiket hotel secara terpisah di Traveloka, pada bulan Mei 2017, Traveloka akhirnya meluncurkan produk Paket Tiket Pesawat dan Hotel dimana kita dapat menghemat banyak sekali biaya untuk sebuah liburan karena Traveloka akan memberikan pilihan pesawat + hotel yang dapat secara eksklusif sesuai dengan keinginan kita, berdasarkan:

• Harga termurah dan termahal (hotel dan pesawat budget/luxury)
• Waktu (penerbangan paling pagi atau paling malam)
• Jumlah traveler (kalau sendiri bisa di dormitory hotel)
• Lokasi hotel dengan tempat wisata
• Review Score

Saya pribadi sudah mencoba fitur ini untuk pergi ke Singapura bulan September lalu. Berikut ini saya akan menceritakan pengalaman saya bagaimana bisa dapat tiket pesawat plus hotel murah, dan siap-siap untuk terpengaruh ajakan saya untuk memaksimalkan penggunaan fitur ini untuk liburan. Karena kan kebanyakan orang saat beli tiket pesawat juga harus memesan hotel. Kalau bisa lebih murah dan mudah, kenapa engga?

Saya akan coba bikin simulasi pemesanan hotel dan pesawat secara terpisah, lalu dibandingkan dengan pemesanan melalui fitur pesawat + Hotel Traveloka.

Yuk kita mulai cerita pemesanan pesawat + hotel untuk liburanku Bersama Traveloka.

Tujuan: Jepang

Simulasi 1: Pesawat + Hotel

Total: Rp. 8,509,368,-

Untuk fitur ubah pesawat dan ubah hotel, stay tune sampai bawah ya :)

Simulasi 2: Pesawat dulu, baru Hotel

Pesawat dulu

Baru book hotel

Yuk kita mulai menghitung.
Harga tiket pesawat terpisah dan Hotel terpisah = 7.735.900 + 794.794 = Rp 8,530,694,-

Harga paket Pesawat + Hotel = Rp 8,509,368,-

Selisinya Rp 21,326,-

belum lagi kalau pake kupon promo, diskon 10% maksimal Rp 500.000,-

Untuk hotel dan pesawat yang sama, terbukti lebih murah apabila melakukan pemesanan melalui fitur Pesawat + Hotel. Bukan hanya itu, dengan fitur ini, kamu nggak perlu repot-repot lagi mencari tiket pesawat atau hotel satu-satu, karena Traveloka sudah mencarikan paket termurah dan sesuai dengan keinginan kita. The best part is, kita tetap bisa mengganti pesawat dan hotel sesuai dengan keinginan kita, bahkan dapat mengurangi harga sebelumnya!

Hal lainnya yang paling saya suka adalah fleksibilitas dalam mengganti jadwal pesawat dan hotel dari yang sudah dicarikan oleh Traveloka.

Kehebatan fitur ini langsung saya promosikan ke teman-teman kantor sesaat setelah saya pakai untuk ke Singapura bulan September lalu. Makanya saya semangat sekali menceritakan pengalaman ini di blog ini.

Berikut adlah screenshot saat kita pilih untuk mengubah pesawat dari paket di atas.

Ada pilihannya supaya lebih murah dari harga paket sebelumnya.

Secara keseluruhan, bisa menghemat 1,2 juta rupiah dari harga paket awal lho.

Nah, begitulah cerita saya mengenai murah dan mudahnya mengatur liburan dengan paket pesawat+hotel dari Traveloka. Sudah pernah mencoba? Yuk bagikan cerita kamu di kolom komentar :)

Warm regards,
Kaly

Hariku bersama Prelo - Yuk shopping barang preloved original.

Hariku bersama prelo.

Semenjak punya penghasilan sendiri, gue akui gue jadi boros. Masalahnya, gue tuh suka banget ke mall dari uang jajan masih dikasih orang tua, liat-liat baju meskipun nggak dibeli aja udah seneng. Kayak ada pleasure tersendiri gitu. Dari masih piyik udah bertekad, kelak harus kerja keras biar bisa beli apapun yang gue inginkan.

Tekad pun terkabul karena sekarang gue bisa beli barang-barang yang gue suka tanpa lagi galau-galau karena nggak dibeliin mama atau papa. Ada nggak sih dari kalian yang juga punya kepuasan tersendiri pas bawa pulang tentengan paperbag dari mall? Atau pas pulang ke rumah, ada beberapa tumpuk paketan dateng dari hasil belanja online lo?

Nah gue begitu banget.

Sampai belakangan ini gue tersadar, gue udah punya kebanyakan baju!! Gue tau sih cewek-cewek bisa punya lemari baju segede-gedeya tapi selalu bilang nggak punya baju. Intinya kesadaran gue udah kebanyakan baju muncul ketika gue nemuin masih ada baju di dalem paper bag, lengkap sama tag harga dan merk, kesimpen di dalem lemari.

Oh dear myself, you must stop!

Seperti nyokap bilang, "itu baju-baju kalo kamu kumpulin udah bisa beli berapa motor kali."

Dan nasi telah menjadi bubur, karena toh baju-baju udah dibeli, uang udah keluar. Gue mikirnya itu baju bakal jadi kenang-kenangan dan saksi bisu keborosan gue aja, karena baju mana bisa sih dijual lagi?

Tapi..... tiba-tiba di instagram gue muncul iklan Prelo. Karena kebanyakan keputusan dalam hidup gue berawal dari iseng, gue buka lah si Prelo ini. Gue tersadar kali ini akhirnya gue bikin keputusan yang tepat untuk buka link iklan Prelo.

Langsung gue download, mau liat apa aja sih yang ada di Prelo ini.

Ternyata, Prelo ini sebuh aplikasi buat jual beli barang bekas a.k.a seconhand a.k.a preloved. Jujur, gue langsung register dan obok-obok fitur Prelo. Karena mau lihat seberapa okenya aplikasi ini, dan apa sih bedanya sama marketplace buat jual-beli barang bekas lainnya? Lumayan mau jual baju bekas gue.

So, ini review jujur gue sebagai orang awam yang suka belanja dan pengen jualin barang bekasnya.

1. Fitur jualnya gampang banget + panduan ambil foto barang

Nah ini yang pertama dan yang gue seneng banget dari Prelo, dan beberapa dari lo mungkin akan seneng juga sama fitur ini. Pertama, tombol jual ada gede-gede di homepage aplikasi, di bawah tengah. Lalu, Prelo udah ngasih panduan buat ambil foto barang yang mau lo jual, sekalian jadi tombol buat ambil gambarnya. Ada yang foto gambar keseluruhan, foto dari belakang, foto merknya, sama foto kecacatan/kerusakan barang/foto keterangan lainnya terutama karena mau jualan barang second.

Buat gue panduan ini penting soalnya kalo mau jual, kita harus menempatkan posisi kita di sisi pembeli yang beli barang secara online, dan kadang penjual nggak aware apa yg bisa meningkatkan peluang agar barangnya laku.

2. User friendly banget

Gue iseng kan kasih nyokap pake aplikasi Prelo, dan dia ngerti loh pakenya. Gue tau banget kemampuan nyokap gue pake aplikasi-aplikasi, dulu kirim gambar pake Whatsapp aja ngga bisa, ini langsung ngerti pake Prelo. Berarti aplikasinya gampang digunakan buat yang agak awam.

3. Pake rekening bersama, coy!

Ini fitur yang kudu wajib ada buat e-commerce, untuk mengedepankan keamanan barang. Gue sangat suka fitur ini, karena kalo tau-tau barang yang gue pesen KW ato ngga sesuai, gue bisa raise masalah ini dan uang gue bisa balik.

4. Buat anak muda, ibu muda dan ayah muda

Ini sih menurut gue, sampe sekarang kebanyakan user Prelo ini jualannya barang-barang anak muda, terutama tas second, baju second, make up second. Menurut gue pas, karena kalo gue posisikan diri gue sebagai pembeli yang lagi nyari foundation muka preloved, gue akan memprioritaskan cari di Prelo karena gue kenal Prelo sebagai tempat jual beli barang preloved para youngsters dan pastinya ASLI.

5. Respon cepat

Gue coba baca blog Prelo dimana banyak pembeli dan penjual yang komplain atau nanya-nanya ke CS Prelo. Dan respon yang diberijan cepat banget loh. Ini oke menurutku, karena kecepatan respon CS sangat dibutuhkan bagi pihak penjual maupun pembeli dalam transaksi online.

Jadi, udah yakin kan sama Prelo?
Yuk cek toko aku di itskdw :)

Love,
KD

2017 Resolution

it's the time for maling resolution again! this time I want to make 2017 resolutions.

1. Learn languages, at least advancing 1 new language.

2. Start buying a property

3. Take mom to vacation

4. saving more

5. Become generous in charitable manner. Adding more than 1 foster children

6. Learn one new skill, e.g. SAP

7. More commitment in works

8. More patience

9. Mmm preparation for... marriage? HAHA

10. Wishing all the best for my daddy.

read my other blog

oneteaspoonofhope.blogapot.co.id

Under subtle memories

Have you ever felt so under pressured and all you suddenly feel is getting lost in a time to flash back all good memories. And your heart demands to go back?

Suddenly I recall very clearly the good time when I was freezing (literally) because of the cold weather but I never felt happier.

Japan, wait for me. I will come back for you. I have been missing you too much.

With love,
Kaly

Kinohimitsu J'Pan D'T Juice Review

Saya sudah beberapa kali mencoba berbagai macam detox. Dari mulai beli cold pressed juice di mall-mall, bikin smoothies sendiri, dan yang terakhir kali nyobain Kinohimitsu Detox Juice yang bernama J'Pan D'T Juice yang akan saya review disini.

Sebelumnya, apa sih gunanya detox? Kalau google pasti nemu banyak arti. Disini saya hanya mau share pengalaman saya, dari sudut pandang saya. Detox berarti membuang racun dari dalam tubuh. Racun dalam tubuh disebabkan salah satunya dari makanan dan minuman yang kita konsumsi, atau apapun yang kita masukkan ke dalam tubuh.

Saya sendiri rutin melakukan detox, yaitu sebulan sekali. Biasanya dengan minum jus sayuran dan buah-buahan 4-6 botol sehari selama 3 hari. Selain itu, saya juga rutin sauna di tempat gym saya setidaknya seminggu sekali.

Kinohimitsu J'Pan D'T Juice yang saya beli ini 1 boxnya isi 3 botol. Saat beli, saya tidak menyangka kalau ukurannya imut sekali, dan stengah ukuran boxnya disumpal kardus. Harganya pada saat saya beli sekitar 150 ribu. Tapi, biar kecil manfaatnya lumayan kerasa loh.

Saya minum botol pertama jam 11 malam, lalu langsung tidur. Besok paginya, langsung berasa efek Japan Detox Juice ini. Perut langsung mules, begitu bangun tidur langsung ke toilet. Nggak perlu secara mendetail apa yang saya lakukan di dalam toilet, tapi serius deh, rasanya semua racun di dalam tubuh keluar, kelihatan dari warnanya. Siang harinya, saya masih berkali-kali buang gas. Semoga bukan cuma saya aja ya yang merasa kalo abis buang gas, rasanya plong banget. Hihihi.

Banyak review di internet dan juga di brosur minuman ini kalo minuman ini bisa menurunkan berat badan. Hmm... Menurut saya sih, mungkin-mungkin aja kalo tiap habis minum, 'yang keluar' sebanyak itu. Tapi jangan terlalu berharap soal turunnya berat badan. Karena kalo mau turun BB, yang berperan penting adalah makanan yang kita makan, dan gaya hidup yang kita jalani. Tapi kalo kamu butuh turun berat badan cepat, boleh diintip tips saya yang berhasil turunin 4.5 kg dalam 1 bulan disini.

Mengenai detox dari Kinohimitsu ini, saya baru sekali coba, dan setelah melihat hasilnya, saya yakin akan merekomendasikan ini ke keluarga dan teman-teman saya yang kesulitan pup dan buang gas. Ada lho waktu itu temen nanya, gimana caranya biar bisa buang gas. Waktu itu sih saya jawabnya makan ubi aja, karena belom ketemu J'Pan D'T Juice ini. Hahaha.

Tapi serius deh, kalo kamu merasa perut udah kepenuhan makanan, boleh nyoba minuman ini.

Kalau udah dicoba, di share yah pengalamannya :)

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Thanks for reading.

Xoxo,

Kalyana

Weekend ini ke Kota Kasablanka ah

"Mau kemana dulu ya..."


Ini adalah pertanyaan pertama yang selalu terlintas di pikiran saya setiap saya baru saja sampai di Mall Kota Kasablanka, Mall dengan desain eksterior mozaik yang unik dan cantik yang membuat saya si pattern freak ini suka melihat desain mall ini bahkan dari luar. Ya, saya memang tipe orang yang tidak selalu punya alasan kenapa harus ke mall, karena sejujurnya saya memang suka ke mall.

Ke mall buat saya itu berarti memanjakan diri sendiri. Bisa nge-gym, memanjakan lidah dengan makanan enak nan sehat, memanjakan mata dengan pakaian-pakaian yang dipajang di etalase toko, memanjakan diri dengan perawatan di salon. Tak jarang juga saya berdiam sesaat di café/restoran, menikmati secangkir coklat hangat dan sepotong kue hanya untuk mengamati orang-orang di sekitar saya, melihat mimik muka seseorang saat bicara, dan menebak apakah orang tersebut yang bercerita dengan penuh semangat sedang marah atau sedang senang.

Saya suka mengunjungi satu tempat yang bisa mengakomodasi semua keinginan saya. Saya suka Kota Kasablanka karena saya bisa memanjakan diri sendiri secara maksimal di mall ini. Saya suka Kota Kasablanka karena hal-hal sepele lainnya namun sebenarnya cukup berkontribusi buat faktor “ngemall” saya seperti WC-nya bersih dan nggak bau pesing (in fact, WC di Kokas itu salah satu yang terbaik. Kalo mau toilet yang paling bagus ada di lantai GF), desain interior mall-nya sangat menawan dan kelihatan elegan. Semenjak punya pacar arsitek, saya secara tidak langsung turut memperhatikan dinding, lantai, langit-langit sebuah mall karena dia suka memperhatikan hal-hal semacam ini. Kota Kasablanka ini semua interiornya 'mulus' dan cantik sekali lho. Pacar saya mungkin akan bangga mendengar saya komentar mengenai estetika sebuah bangunan hahaha.

Ini toiletnya. Di depan setiap pintu toilet ada kacanya loh, cocok buat yang demen ngaca haha.

Pembagian Lantai

Yang sangat saya sadari dan senangi saat berbelanja di Kota Kasablanka adalah pembagian section per lantainya, yang sangat memudahkan saya saat berbelanja. Misalnya saja, untuk cewek-cewek yang suka belanja seperti saya, pasti kita akan mengitari lantai GF sampai puas. Buat yang belum tau, di Kokas ada 1 hall spesial bernama 'Fashion Hall' yang membuat saya merasa baru masuk ke Kingdom of Fashion. Ada Cotton On, New Look, H&M dan Zara yang superrrrr besarrrr di sekeliling Fashion Hall ini. Di lantai yang sama, ada toko-toko milik retailer MAP. Oh ya, jangan lupakan Sephora, saudara-saudara!

// Buat Cowok dan Pencinta Olahraga

Untuk para cowok atau orang yang suka olahraga, pasti senang banget habisin waktu di lantai 1. Ada New Balance, Puma, Adidas, Sports Station, Soccer Station, dan lain-lain. Saya inget banget kalo ke Kokas sama pacar, pasti kita habisin 2 jam di lantai GF, lalu 1 jam di lantai 1. Pas ngabisin 1 jam di lantai 1, pacar udah bawa tentengan hasil belanjaan ceweknya ini dari lantai GF. Hahaha, makasih sayang!

// Buat Anak-Anak

Terus, buat anak-anak tuh zonanya ada di lantai 2. Ada mothercare, Early Learning Centre, Cool Kids, Next Kids, Rockstart Gym, Chipmunk dan masih banyak lagi. Bener-bener manjain keponakan kesayangan (berhubung diriku belom punya anak).

Kalo buat ibu menyusui, pasti nggak asing sama nursing room Kota Kasablanka yang super heboh bagusnya. Itutuh, yang ada di LG, di sebelah Imperial Kitchen. Lucu banget dekornya.

Ini sih bener-bener semuanya kebagian ya, dari cewek, cowok, anak-anak. Cuman, memang kalo cewek itu harus dapet prioritas dong. Buktinya tenant kesayangan para cewek ada di lantai dasar :P

Sign toko di Kokas juga nggak pernah saya lihat di mall lain. seperti ini lho penampakannya, jadi memudahkan kita untuk lihat ada toko apa sampai di ujung sana.

Kembali lagi ke topik mall, banyak orang yang merasa bosan ke mall. Namun, ke mall buat saya merupakan hal yang tidak pernah membosankan. Saya suka pergi ke mall sendirian, karena saya bisa kemana-mana tanpa merasa tidak enak dengan teman jalan saya. Saya memang bisa menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam hanya untuk shopping, yang tentu untuk orang lain mungkin malesin karena bikin pegel.

Namun demikian, saya percaya diri saat mengajak pasangan saya untuk menemani saya berbelanja di Kota Kasablanka. Kalian tentu tahu mitos dan fakta bahwa laki-laki sejujurnya lebih memilih main di rumah ketimbang harus menemani pacar belanja. Kalau untuk saya dan pasangan, kami sudah punya aturan main sendiri. Setelah dia menemani saya berbelanja di lantai Ground Floor, saya akan gantian menemani dia melihat sepatu futsal terbaru atau jersey Juventus terbaru di lantai 1. Bahkan kami juga sering berbelanja bersama di Sogo.

// Buat Pencinta Makan

Setelah berbelanja, saya dan pasangan seringkali bingung mau makan apa karena kita sama-sama doyan makan. Namun, di Mall Kota Kasablanka ini ada restoran favorit kami berdua seperti Holycow, Ikkudo Ichi, Chung Gi Wa, dan masih banyak lagi. Selain itu ada Foods Society (di lantai G) dan Eat & Eat (lantai 2) yang bikin kalap. Kenapa? Jelas kalap, tiap masuk Eat and Eat kita nyoba dari martabak, makanan berat, dessert yang enak-enak banget. Soal makanan sudah tidak lagi jadi masalah saat kami ke Mall Kota Kasablanka.

Eat and Eat, semuanya ada!

Food Socitey - Selalu ada live band deh rasanya. Tempat ngebandnya juga lucu. Sampe mikir, cara mereka kesana usaha juga ya naik-naik tangga :P

Sebelum pulang, biasanya kami membeli Re-Juve, cold pressed juice yang sehat dan mengenyangkan. Diam-diam, saya berterima kasih pada tenant-tenant favorit saya yang entah bagaimana bisa pas semuanya ada di Kota Kasablanka. Saya juga bingung sekaligus kagum, mengapa tenant-tenant di Kota Kasablanka koleksinya lebih lengkap dibanding tenant-tenant di mall lainnya. Ya, mungkin mereka mempercayakan bisnis mereka di mall ini, sama seperti saya, seorang pengunjung yang mempercayakan akhir minggu saya di mall ini.

Dalam hati, kami berdoa agar bisa membeli 1 unit apartment Casa Grande, biar kalo mau ngemall gampang. Hahaha. Doain juga ya :D

Weekend ini, ke Kokas ah…

Btw sekilas info yang nggak terlalu penting, kecurigaan saya selama ini ternyata benar kalo Gandaria City sama Kota Kasablanka itu developernya sama yakni Pakuwon Jati. Tuh kan, pantesan selama ini suka salah-salah, suka kebalik antara Gancit and Kokas. Emang atmosfernya sama gitu kok, desain luarnya juga sama, mozaik-mozaik gitu. Hahaha. So proud (?), even my boyfriend might not aware of this :P

Orang dulu pernah kartu ATM ga sengaja ketelen di BCA Gancit, tapi pas laporan ngomongnya ketelennya di BCA Kokas. Halah dasharrr :p

Dah ya sekian. Thank you so much for reading :)

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Japan On Budget

Dear all,

Reminiscing my last very memorable trip to Japan, I want to write a bit of my journey. And excuse me if I am super late to share the story. Lately I cannot afford much free time :(

The reason I want to share the trip in this blog is because I want to keep remember this trip even I get older, and I want to share to the world especially fellow Indonesian that it is possible to have a budget travel to Japan. Many myths heard that Japan is an expensive country. Well, I have been there as a tourist and I personally think that the perception depends on how you take it.

In total, I spent almost 12 million for 7 days and it is VERY POSSIBLE to spent less than 10 million but I was a little impulsive in my last days in Japan, too many shopping.

Early summary, why it is possible to go to Japan on budget:
- Find cheap airplane ticket.
- Water is free in Japan from tap water
- Buy foods from convenient stores like Lawson, Family Mart, Seven Eleven, etc.
- Don't be impulsive buyer, don't spend so much on souvenirs (which I did)
- Plan thoroughly. Pick your priorities places.
- Stay on budget hotel such as dormitory (usually shared with 6 or more people) or capsule hotel.
- Walk and walk. Use bus or train smartly so pay as your destination.
- Renting a portable internet modem is optional. Convenience stores sometimes provide free wifi.
- Keep calm. Japanese people are very very very humble and friendly. Don't be afraid to be scammed.

Let's start!
PS: I will be using word 'Japan on budget' often. Stay til the end of the post, I also share my itinerary for your reference.

1. Budget Airlines
First thing you need to have Japan on budget is find the cheap return ticket as well. I bought a return ticket from Air Asia for IDR 3,500,000 and already include a baggage.

The departure route was from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo and the return route is from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta. Air Asia's plane for flight from KL-TKO is an airbus, so it's a three rows seating but don't expect high comfort because to be honest the space for your leg is not spacious, remember about budget airline. To overcome the long flight from Tokyo to KL, and to avoid legs cramp, I usually walked to the toilet for sometimes and I sleep.

2. Manage visa on your own.
For non e-passport holder, you still need to make a visa. Many people choose to apply via agent to be more hassle free but of course you have to pay more expensive. To read how to apply visa, you can read my blog post here (in Bahasa Indonesia).

3. Sleeping smart and on budget
Be well prepared on itinerary, do research please. You don't want to come home from Japan feeling regret because you could have got many cheaper items. I booked the hotel from Agoda and honestly, my hotel was not the cheapest one because I and my friend thought we wanted to have a comfortable sleep and it's very important to rest. Besides, the cost on this hotel we stayed was not that expensive. The rate per night was mostly IDR 700,000 (each person paid 350,000), however it sometimes cost more than that. We thought it was a good deal because it is Japan, and even for hotel in Jakarta, such price is sometimes hard to find. But remember, you could get much cheaper price. The alternatives are staying in capsule hotel, dormitory or internet cafe.

Sharing my actual experience, I spent a night on an overnight bus from Tokyo to Kyoto. It saved a night in a hotel and this deal moved us to another city in Japan.

Note: Most hotel we were staying did not allow us to take a bath before the check-in time (usually 2 PM). So after the overnight bus, we arrived in Kyoto in a mess at 7 am desperately need to brush our teeth and have a proper bath. Finally we brushed our teeth in the underground station's toilet. It's not Japanese people are rude, I respect their rules that we cannot 'borrow' their bathroom for showering before the check-in time.

Place to sleep during my stay:
- Tokyo: Tama Ryokan  (USD 127.92 for two nights and for two people in private room, back then dollar rate was not this high rate like nowadays)
- Tokyo: Hostel Komatsu Ueno (USD 62.92, private room)
- Kyoto: Kiraku Inn
- Overnight bus: Willer express.

4. Eat smart
During our stay, honestly we ate Lawson food often but I LOVE how all convenience stores in Japan provide such delicious instant food. They even have cakes that are usually served in Cafe. There are Lawson, Family Mart and Seven Eleven in Japan and also in Indonesia. But in Indonesia, the instant foods served are not as tempting and as complete as they are in Japan. I wish I could bring all of the foods home.

The convenience stores don't only serve instant frozen foods but they do have warm food. What I love the most is their onigiri. Words cannot do justice how different the taste with the one in Jakarta.

The other days, we were a bit royal. We spent more money for foods, like the 1500 yen we spent on Tsukiji Market. We also had a lot of street ramen, udon and yakitori. Surprising enough, the street foods are actually very affordable. We did not have to try too much to find cheap restaurant around our inn in Tokyo and Kyoto.

And btw, good news is you can drink for almost all tap water in Japan. Yayness! We really saved a LOT of money because of this. We filled our empty bottle with tap water during our outside activities. Just make sure the tap water is eligible for drink.

convenience store

convenience store

Warm milk tea from lawson. Yes Lawson in Japan has hot cabinet. and the milk tea is very nice. suitable for drink in the middle of cold Shibuya.

Delicious ramen and below 50k thousand IDR.

At Lawson.

Yummy instant and cheap food from Lawson

Lawson food. the yakitori is SOOOO NICE. and cheap.

 

5. Transportation 101
There are many types of transportation in Japan: train, Shinkansen, bus, taxi, ferry, etc. But I only tried train and bus. Shinkansen is expensive and as I did Japan on budget thingy, I did not try this famous high speed train.

Let me tell you this. Railway routes in Japan is very complicated (riweuh in Sundanese). First time I saw the route I was like 'will i ever be able to understand this?' The key is keep researching before you go and know your destination. Once you are in Japan, don't be shy to ask to local if you are confused about where to go, Japanese are very helpful and friendly. And don't be afraid to the joy of being lost. Sometimes being lost is the meaning of the travel itself :)

How to get to center of Tokyo from Narita? You can take a train in Narita airport that connects with the cities in Japan. You can purchase the ticket in the airport. There are many ticket agents promising the fastest time, the cheapest price, the most comfortable seat, etc. Be careful to choose. Don't decide immediately after only asking from 1 agent. I almost bought one expensive train ticket but the fastest. However I did not need fastest, I need cheapest :P Luckily I moved to the next agents and found the cheap one and it did not take that long to Shinjuku.

How to get to Kyoto from Tokyo? I picked an overnight bus by Willer Express and it saved me the cost for hotel. The price was still okay to me. The seat was comfortable, I got electricity as well.

How to get to Tokyo from Kyoto? Again, I picked an overnight bus from Willer Express. Depart from Gion Shijyo Station (Kyoto) and arrive at terminal shinjuku west exit (Shinjuku Sumitomo BLDG 1F). Cost 13,200 yen for two.

How to get to Tsukiji Market? The nearest station to Tsukiji Market is actually Tsukijishijo Station, reachable by the Toei Subway Oedo Line (The Magenta coloured line). If you would take the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line to the Tsukiji Station, it would be about a 10 minutes walk. You can take the Oedo Subway Line directly from Shinjuku Station to Tsukiji Shijo Station. The one way trip will take about 20 minutes and cost 260 yen.

How to get to Fuji Mountain? From Shinjuku Station take Keio highway go to Kawaguchiko Station (via Keio highway bus terminal/fujikyu bus 1101).

Willer Express overnight bus to Kyoto

Willer Express overnight bus. Cute, right?

6. Priorotize your activities
I wanted to go to Disney Sea (it cost 6,400 yen on April 2015) however I didn't go there because I need to allocate the budget for more activities. So during my stay in Japan, my activites are:
Tokyo:
- Seeing the remaining Sakura blooms in Shinjuku Gyoen National Park (entrance fee is cheap but apologize i forgot the fee)
- Alcatraz Cafe. It is a really unique cafe I have ever seen. Serving a creepy hospital concept, this cafe got you pay a 500 JPY entrance fee (exclude foods and beverages). But the experience was worth it.
- Ichiran ramen. This is a must! The best ramen my entire life, and people like it too, proven by how long we should queue to eat here. the concept for food purchasing is unique because we choose the menu on the machine and directly insert the cash inside. The eating place is cute too, it's like a cubicle in the office where you are separated by a board with someone beside you. I assume this is to prevent you from talking during eating and to cut the unnecessary long time to eat, remember, the queue.
- Go to Takeshita Dori, Harajuku street. No entrance fee because basically it's just an open street. But there are soooo many delicioud foods there. I was tempted to try all of them but I remember my Japan on budget thing.
- Line store. Know the gang of Cony, Brown, etc? You can find fiant Brown there and of course everyone took a picture with the cute giant doll. Again, it is free.
- Shibuya. Remember Hachiko? Taking picture with this statue is free. I enjoyed my time watching the famous Shibuya crossing. I and my friend passed the crossing several times and took picture in between the overload tresspasers. Nah, you now have beautiful picture to be posted on Instagram. And it is, again, free.
- Eat yakitori. Well there are many pork and chicken yakitori sold in Tokyo. Oh I tried several yakitori places and all of them are too delicious to be described.
- In Kawaguchiko, try Shibazakura Festival and Mount Fuji. As I went in April, I could see the blooming Sakura and an occasional festival. There was entrance fee to Shibazakura festival but it was not expensive. Don't forget to wear thick sweater. The coldness was beyond what I thought it could be.
- In Kawaguchiko, went to Ice Cave. There was entrance fee to the ice cave and not expensive. We should use boots and helmet (rented for free by the management). Inside the cave was ultra cold. I remember shivering without hand gloves. The journey inside the Ice Cave took only 10-15 minutes, so short. You can see the chunks of ice which believed to be naturally appear.
- Tsukiji Market, the largest fish market in Tokyo. I ate sashimi rice for 1500 yen (the most expensive meal) and that was like the cheapest price in entire Tsukiji Market. No wonder the queue was enormously long. How long? 40 minutes queuing.
- 100 yen shop is a must.
- Akihabara, a large electronics district. My friend bought an iPhone 6 in Akihabara with almost 2 millions Rupiah cheaper than market price in Indonesia. Applause...

Kyoto:
- Fushimi Inari. You could be tempted to buy many amulets there. The price of the amulets are not very cheap though. Some are 500 yen and more.
- Gion, rent a kimono. If you want, spare some budget for this, guys. It was not that cheap.
- Arashiyama area: Togetsukyo Bridge, Tenryuji Temple, Bamboo Groves. I also rented a bicycle at Arashiyama and the ride was very addicting. Initially, we rented for 2 hours but then extended until 4 hours or so.
- Onsen/hot spring is a must for me. It was the best choice because we were so tired after everyday long walking and cold weather. Onsen was a relief to our sore and tired muscles. Advise: The water in onsen is very hot. Remember to pur your body with warm water first to calibrate your body temperature with the water, or else you will feel dizzy in instant you get in the hot spring (like me and my friend). And you must be completely naked. Worth the experience, though. Don't worry, the are for boys and girls are separated.
- 100 yen shop. We knew we were going to Daisho in Kyoto but we did not know how to get there. So after long minutes of getting lost in Kyoto, we found Daisho and one 100 yen shop across Daisho. Then I started become impulsive in buying so many 100 yen souvenirs and foods which in total could cover my three times cheap meals in Japan.

Remaining Sakura at Shinjuku Gyoen

At Shinjuku Gyoen

Unique concept at Alcatraz

At Takeshita Dori

Giant Brown at Line Store near Harajuku St

Yakitori. This is tooo delicious no words can describe.

Shibazakura Festival

Ichiran Ramen: Choose your preference before you input to the machine by yourself

Unique concept of eating table at Ichiran Ramen

THIS IS ICHIRAN RAMEN. a must try for ramen lovers. the best!

The cheapest amongst all in Tsukiji Market.

Lunch at Tsukiji Market.

At Tsukiji Market. Look at the long queue. 40 minutes is no joke!

Kyoto: Fushimi Inari

Rent a Kimono at Kyoto.

Hachiko Statue at Shibuya

Shibuya Crossing

Arashiyama with Togetsukyo Bridge as the background and my bicycle

At Bamboo Forrest, Arashiyama

Saw a geisha at Gion, Kyoto

What took the budget that actually could be more pressed *LOL*

7. Internet modem rental
Remember I mentioned that you could save more budget? Yes you can by not renting internet modem because some convenience stores actually provide it free. But I and my friend rented a modem because we could not cut the connection with the world (read: we need to update our social media platforms hence we need real time internet *smile*), besides, internet actually helped us A LOT for finding directions. Google Map needs internet connection, remember? If you do not want to spend more money on rental, you can rely on asking people on the street. For us, even though we rent a modem, we still lost every time. We spent total 5,952 JPY for 6 days of usage. I don't remember if the internet quota was unlimited or not but it will not run out unless you watch youtube or movie by your phone, which is unlikely. The modem we rent is from Pupuru (www.pupuru.com)

Pupuru wifi: Free delivery to your chosen address, free return to any post box.

Always get lost even though we have an internet connection with us

My Itinerary
Many people have been asking for my itinerary. I hope this can help and sorry for taking long time to share.

Lastly...
Please check to www.japan-guide.com for bus route and literally for everything about Japan, for any possibilities of change. This website has helped me on everything I need to know about Japan.
I really hope to be back to Japan again. Japan is my most favorite destination now, I feel so blessed as well for being able to visit this country in my early twenties. Next time should bring my parents here, Amen.

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your stories about Japan too :) And please don't hesitate to ask. I will try my best to answer.

Love,
Kalyana

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