End of last June, was already three months I stayed at Australia. Since I still have tourist visa, even now I have one year multiple entry visa, I still have to get back to Indonesia. How do I know I should go outside Australia after three months? It was stated at the visa acceptance letter, or you can open the VEVO at Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection's website.

Visa Notice Grant from Australian Embassy

You can check your visa status too at VEVO

After knew when I have to leave Australia once every three months, next one is find out how long I should stay outside Australia. Because I already had ticket to Melbourne from Bali, and I should know when I have to go outside Australia for another leave after next three months. Since I still not a Permanent Resident (PR) of Australia, I should have return ticket (or ticket to exit Australia) when I bought my ticket to Australia. 

I just bring this

I really satisfied with all the public services in Australia, you can contact them everywhere. It so different from Indonesia. In Australia, most of the public services done by electronic, it is really rare for me seeing their public services helped face to face. But if you go to Bank or Post Office, they will help you face to face. Since we didn't know how long I have to stay outside Australia, my boyfriend decided to contact Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection's facebook. One night he putted his question at the comment column, in the morning, they already answered it. The result was I should stay outside Australia minimum 24 hours after the day I leave Australia. Means if I have to leave Australia today, I can come back to Australia tomorrow.

After we found out their answer, we then bought my ticket Indonesia - Australia, return. At the end, I spent 2 nights at Bali, Indonesia, then return to Melbourne trough Jakarta. Because I really enjoyed fly with Garuda Indonesia (cheap and complete service plus it's direct flight), so my plane is Garuda Indonesia.

But, returned to Bali not with Garuda Indonesia. It was my first time using another airplane for international flight. Actually you can find a lots of airplane companies that will take you to Melbourne. Of course you can choose Qantas, their national airplane company. Or you can choose Malaysia Airline, Thai Airline, etc. Most of these airplane doesn't have direct flight to Melbourne. For example, Qantas will transit to Sidney first before Melbourne, or Singapore airline that have to transit to Singapore first.

So, I flight with JetStar airline for my flight to Bali. The best thing is this airplane is budget airplane. We just spent AUD300 for my flight to Bali. Just like budget hotel, that AUD300 is for buying seat and ticket only. If you have luggage, you need to pay. If you want them to provide food, you have to pay. If you want them to provide entertainment, you have to pay. So, I have to add AUD9 for asked them to provide an entertainment, and we did it online. If you request it at the plane, you have to pay AUD10.

Too bad, I was late order my food. Apparently, I have to order the food at least two days before my flying date. Since I can't order food, they offer me to have food inside the plane. Of course, the food is a snack, not the main course.

Menu Book from JetStar

the food that they offer you

Japanese menu that only available at Japan flight :(

At their menu books, you can order something like sandwiches or some light snacks, and drink. Some of the food at their menu is not available at my flight. Like Japanese food, you will able to order it if the flight is at Japan route. Since this is Australian flight, so all with Australian Dollar, thankfully they only accept credit card.

Since I ordered entertainment, I already able to use the monitor in front of me. The different between Garuda Indonesia and JetStar is at JetStar they doesn't have remote control to control the entertainment without tapping the screen. But, worry not, the screen is really responsive, all you need to do just a light tap, and they already respond, while in Garuda Indonesia, sometimes you have to (literally) punch the screen. LOL

Who's not exited to go to Bali? Especially after facing a long season like autumn and winter. That's what I saw from almost all the passengers in this flight. They were so happy to know that the plane touched down at Bali. Some of them scream of happiness. Oh well... Welcome to Bali. mate.

I stayed at Grand Mas Plus Hotel, Legian. This was my first time stayed at this hotel. Because I want something new. Before, several time came to Bali, I always choose hotel at Seminyak area, around Sunset Road. While, Legian is the place that near everything, restaurants, 24 hour mini markets, souvenir shops. Beside, I spent two night at Bali, I don't want to spent my day at the hotel only. 

My Room, they call it "legian room" that big ants kissing ornament is cute

I arrived at the hotel around 5pm. This hotel service was excellent, I thought almost all the service in Bali hotel are really excellent. Since I ordered room without the breakfast, because I seldom have breakfast, I thought it would be easier to have lunch or dinner at their restaurant. Too bad, their restaurant only serve breakfast. Luckily, before I arrived, I bought three samyang cups, LOL.

So, after I cleaned up, I went out for lunch. Since I came to Bali, why wouldn't I looked for Indonesian cuisine? So I found the Indonesian restaurant (more likely Indonesian-but-we-sell-italian-food restaurant) near the hotel, called Warung Etnik. 

One of the corner of warung etnik

This restaurant is so unique. Almost all of the building is dominated by wood. A wooden stair, wooden door, wooden .

Spot that beautiful crafted door

So i ordered fried chicken, why? Indonesia  fried chicken is so different, before they fried it, they put some spices and let it simmer for a couple hour, and no flour. Hehe.. Plus, this fried chicken is really good with any sambal, and vegetables. Like the one I ordered, they gave me two different sambal, sambal terasi & sambal matah. Something that really rare to find at Melbourne.

ayam goreng with sambal uleg and sambal matah

But unfortunately, the sambal matah was so salty. But, the drink I ordered swept that away, plus this drink so fresh. I forget the name, but it was a mixture between strawberry and lychee. 

this drink amazingly really fresh and far from too sweet. Perfect for sumer

Since I had to woke up at 4am for my flight, after had my late lunch I just went back to the hotel and having a nap.

This is the corner where my bed face. Right in front of it is sliding door to bathroom

Woke up at 9pm, I was hungry. Since it was my first time to stayed at Legian, I didn't know much about the place. Luckily google map can show anything. So i found a Padang Restaurant near the hotel. I just had to walked a couple meters, and found this small Padang restaurant.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I thought this restaurant will served lots of menus that they have in front of me. Apparently, I had to came at their display counter to picked what I want to eat. So I picked the fried chicken, fried mashed potato (perkedel) and a little bit disappointment at the end, why I didn't order the rendang also. The vegetables, coconut milk soup, and the sambal include. That was so yummy. More important thing is this was the taste that I really missed since I move to Melbourne. 

NASI PADANG!!! with perkedel, fried chicken and their authentic vegetable soup

Since the portion of Nasi Padang was really huge (like you see at the picture), after returned to the hotel and have a small chat with my boyfriend by skype, we decided to sleep earlier. I was tired and so sleepy.

I rented a scooter the next day, so I can ride around. I spent Rp70.000 a day for rented it. Since I brought a lip gloss that my friend asked me to buy, I had to sent it to her. Then it was my first destination, looking for shipping company to shipped her order. Of course I depended on my google map.

After sent it, I had a plan to have another culinary trip. I really wanted to have Indonesian authentic food around, like bakso, siomay, penyetan, etc. Since this kind of food are street food, of course the google map can't showed me the places. At the end, I decided to go to Krisna, a big gift shop at sunset road.

Since actually I didn't plan to buy anything, so I just walked around this place. Suddenly a woman gave me a voucher. It said I can have a free photo using traditional Balinese Costume. Since it was free, why not. LOL. So it was indeed free for one piece of photo. You want more? You should pay.

Near Krisna, they had this small restaurant that had lots of food vendors. Lucky! They also sells siomay and chicken noodle (mie ayam). So I ordered each. But there was also gado-gado, I also interested with it. Luckily I wasn't ordered it. Or it will be wasted.

Mie Ayam (chicken noodle). Even the taste is actually not freaking delicious, but this is enough to cure my hunger of Indonesian food taste

Siomay... the taste just like what i imagine

Another destination was Etude House. Google Map showed there is an Etude House at Kuta square, near Kuta beach. So I planned to go there. But since I didn't know Balinese traffic, I thought I was trapped in the one way street. In order to avoided the police, I turn to one place that had starbucks in it. So I had to get inside the starbucks, to calm me down. I ordered cold cappucino by the way, because the wather was so hot, and also one slice of red velvet cake. It still my favorite cake at Starbuck.

Starbucks menu that I always choose. Cappucino plain (sometimes hot sometimes cold with no whipping cream) and red velvet cake

After I managed my panic, I asked the staff about the street that I thought was one way street. She said actually it's not. So I was right then. Oh well, back to the first plan, looking for Etude House.

I also asked the staff the nearest way to go to Kuta beach. She told me that I can follow the road, and at the end of the road I just have to turn left, then I arrived. But apparently i took the wrong turn. It makes me went to Seminyak beach. If I didn't have any plan, maybe I will stopped at Seminyak beach and enjoy the sunset.

Arrived at Kuta Square, I ride my scooter really slow to find the Etude House. But I didn't find any Etude House arround. So I parked my scooter near the beach, and tried to look at their beachwalk mall first. I thought I was like any other shopping mall right. You can find anything inside, include this Etude House. But, walked around the beachwalk mall I didn't see any Etude House around. So I walked out and started to walked to Kuta Square. I thought I might be missed it, so I walked there to find it.

Walked around Kuta Square twice, and still couldn't find it, I gave up. So I returned to the hotel, tired. Before I returned to my room, I told the receptionist that I will have a late check out the day after. Because my plane from Bali was at 8pm to Jakarta, and the real checked out from this hotel is 1pm.
For this time, my flight was Bali-Jakarta-Melbourne. It was almost a day journey. Too bad, since I asked to checked out at 6pm, they charged me Rp400.000. It was way more expensive than my own room. I payed only Rp200.000 per night for my room. But they offered me to check out at 3pm and I just only payed Rp300.000. Still more expensive than my room tho, but I should accepted it.

That night, I planned to eat at Lemongrass Restaurant. One of Thailand Restaurant I found around. Seems like the food at this restaurant is delicious. So I've tried to walked there that night. But, the restaurant already full. And I feel uncomfortable to had dinner outside alone, in the place that full of people. So I decided to take away pizza from the Italian restaurant beside the hotel. The restaurant called Bella Italia. 

Take away pizza from Bella Italia, taste good

Since it just beside the hotel, take away delivery wasn't bad at all. The pizza also delicious, and it already fit with Indonesian people taste.

Last Day at Bali

After checked out at 3pm, I arrived around 4pm at the airport. Said that because of the traffic jam there. Since my flight still 4 hours, I could try one of Balinese famous cuisine: Ayam Betutu. This ayam betutu restaurant placed near the domestic arrival terminal. So I came and order a quarter of ayam betutu (it just a maryland part of the chicken) and it came with the vegetables, fried peanuts, tomato sambal and sambal matah. I had to pay more to have a small portion of rice.

a portion of a quarter Ayam Betutu Khas Gilimanuk. The fried peanut, vegetables and two sambals are include,exclude rice

The chicken is delicious, too bad the portion is too small. Eat this chicken while it still hot. When it's a little bit cold, you can taste the fishy smell, but still delicious tho.

Since my flight was not yet mention, quick check in didn't help me a lot. Because I did a connecting flight. at that time the ground staff only able to help my domestic flight. They said the flight from Jakarta to Melbourne check in counter is not open yet. They said, all I going to do was re-check in at Jakarta. But I still worried, what if that Bali flight is delay? What makes me sure that the plane will not going to leave me. At the end, they told me to asked to the Garuda staff near the gate a half hour before my flight to Jakarta, about my name at Melbourne flight.

So I was right, the Bali to Jakarta flight was delayed. From 8.15pm schedule, it flew at 9pm. Luckily my connecting flight to Melbourne already have my name automatically check. The flight to Jakarta was scared me out. It full of turbulance, and made me really scared. I shaking so much, and my palm was so cold. I never had this condition before.

Arrived at Jakarta, I am amazed that Garuda Indonesia now only in one terminal (terminal 3). Before you have to change your terminal if you want to use international flight. to terminal 2. Not now. All in one terminal. But to get to the connecting flight, from the arrival gate, I had to go to the third floor, and walked far away to the international counter, which is at counter 2. While when I arrived at third floor, the first counter was counter 18 (the last counter).

Great things about this, that all Garuda Indonesia's flight now start and end at this terminal. I really like it, LOL. Same like Qantas in Melbourne. Qantas have their own terminal for their domestic and international flight. It's about time Garuda Indonesia.

This terminal immigration service also modern now. You can do self check for your passport in here. Since I didn't know that the machine already worked, I did a manual check. When I asked the staff, they said the machine is work perfectly fine, I can do my check there, but I already in front of this  guy, so I thought next time maybe.

I also had to let all my new face cleaner, conditioner, and hair spa cream away. Because they said no liquid at carry on bag more than 100ml. As long as I remember, when I went to Melbourne from Bali it 150ml, now it's 100ml. What a turd!!

When it board at 11.15pm, I already tired, plus I drank a sleeping pill. Because I never able to sleep at the airplane. So I took it before the take off. I was hopping I had my own seat, so I can sleep lying down. Unfortunately, I got four seated, and it already an old lady beside me, and another woman at the other end. But the middle sit is empty. So after a small chat with the lady, I finally fall a sleep, lying down. Too bad I missed the late snack, so I didn't get the wine.

Finally, after 6 hours flight, I touched down again at Melbourne. Strong and windy winter Melbourne welcomed me. Oh well, now having another story for the next three months before going back to Indonesia. Hello again Melbourne... :)