If last year’s Christmas holiday we were in the mood of shopping, strolling down the Orchard Road enjoying magnificent lights, and doing the New Year countdowns at Gardens by the Bay, this year could be called as totally different one. The plan started only 2 weeks ago when our family gathered at Surabaya for a wedding, then dad (as always) came up with his sudden idea to go to Belitung. Yep, it’s just popped out when we thought about where to spend Christmas this year. OK, cut it short, all tickets and hotels were booked (as usual definitely by me the family’s all-time travel planner), and we’re ready for the trip! Well perhaps bit revision, the city tour was actually just booked less than 24-hour before our flight!
Arriving at the city, apparently the hotel we booked, Santika Premiere, residing at the Northern area - quite far from the airport which was at the heart of the city. There’s no such thing like public transportation in Belitung (thankfully it meant no traffic jam as well!), but fortunately it’s not hard to grab a taxi in the airport. Online taxi was however not allowed in the airport area, so in case you wanna go for it, you might need to walk out the airport gate to get them. Somehow worth the walk though as they did cost half!
The distance from airport to hotel was around 32km, but the time taken wasn’t bad as it’s only around 40 minutes. Thanks to the smooth road of Belitung and the fact that this city had less than 10 traffic lights (can’t believe if Jakarta had that few traffic lights)! At night it might be quite scary especially in the area around our hotel since there were very limited street lights and one house was located quite far from another. If only I didn’t know I was going to such city, I might have thought there’s such thing like zombie invasion as in movies. Nonetheless, honestly speaking I was so grateful able to experience the ZEN moments, being away for awhile from the hectic metropolitan city.
RM Batu Garuda
Not far from the hotel, we tried to find place for late lunch. It might be best to rent car especially if you stayed in this particular area as it’s kinda out of the taxi radar (including online one). Going from the city center to here was easy, but the opposite direction wasn’t. Being resourceful and getting helped by uncle Google, I found this restaurant by the beach where we could dine while enjoying the view of Batu Garuda island, the island made of giant stones shaped like Garuda’s beak.
It’s very humble open-air setting, with the choices of Belitung’s signature seafood dishes. Recommended options were their Gangan Ikan Ketarap and Ikan Bakar Bumbu Belitung. The first was fish soup with turmeric and pineapple as the main ingredients, combining delectable sweet and sour taste. Whereas the second was grilled fish cooked with the mix of exotic spices featuring turmeric, galangal, candlenut, chili, lime, and many more. Not to forget, fresh coconut water as the thirst-quencher!
Warung Kopi Ake
In the evening, to warm up yourself while strolling around the city area, try Kopi Ake, one of the oldest classic coffee shop of Belitung. The current owner, who was also the third generation, said that they didn’t have any branch in the city as he didn’t want to open any franchise to maintain the quality of the coffee they served. If you went for Milk Coffee, they would mix their signature blend with a little doze of instant coffee and condensed milk. My parents loved this one best as it’s quite light compared to the other Belitung coffee we tried. They did serve some light bites to be paired up with your coffee.
Starting the second day, I took local tour which I could easily find by browsing. I found several options, but I was delighted by the fact that this Belitong Enjoy gave me uber fast response. Moreover, the itinerary was extremely complete, and all the crews were so friendly and responsive. (Find out more by clicking on this link or contacting this number - 082282419388)
Mie Belitung Atep + Es Jeruk Kunci
My family and I were picked even way earlier than the agreed timing, and throughout the journey the driver was very informative. The trip was started with having breakfast at the local gem, which was also known as the first one to popularize Mie Belitung. Basically for those who didn’t know, it’s noodles in thick prawn broth, with the toppings of tofu and crispy diced-cut prawns. A simple decent combination, though I wouldn’t say it’s so stand-out that I would miss having it. The all-time pair to this for Belitung people was Key-Lime juice. I initially thought it would be a sour drink, while it turned out it’s mixed with sugar so it tasted more like orange juice just with extra water. Not that special for my palate, but refreshing enough.
SD Muhammadiyah Laskar Pelangi
The journey continued to the iconic replica of Muhammadiyah elementary school or what’s known as Laskar Pelangi school. Yes, the one in that hype movie from Andrea Hirata’s novel. It’s just a replica since the real one was no longer there besides the area was quite hard to be accessed. I found it a mix of fun and touched, being able to witness the extremely-limited facilities of the school despite it's just a replica.
Museum Kata Andrea Hirata
Still the legacy of Andrea Hirata, the next place was the word museum or ‘’Museum Kata’, which was claimed as the first and the only literature museum in Indonesia. Used to be free of charge, now the visitor had to buy Andrea’s book of Laskar Pelangi which worth IDR 50k. He simply wanted to ensure those coming in were indeed the ones interested in literature and wanted to take care of the museum, as earlier some items were found missing and it became dirty when people could enter freely.
Great news, though you didn’t enter, you could enjoy taking pictures at some iconic spots in front, as well as enjoying hot coffee at Kuli coffee shop right next to the museum. I loved the traditional boiled coffee mixed with condensed milk and paired with banana fritters! Paying to enter was surely worthy for me as there were tons of inspiring quotes, gorgeous paintings from the movie, and instagenic corners to get some memorable snaps. Personally I thought Andrea was such an inspiration for the young generation that Indonesian could definitely nail awesome achievements and made the country proud!
Kampung Ahok
Another inspiring Indonesian guy, Basuki Tjahaya Purnama - ex Jakarta Governor, who was also famous as Ahok. The next spot visited was his hometown located at Gantong area - East Belitung. The place displayed the traditional house of Belitung, where they opened a shop selling handicrafts and traditional snacks. Right across that house, there resided the house of Ahok’s family. Visitors were welcome to enter the front yard, but the house was said to only be opened occasionally if his mother was around. In the area nearby, there’s also the Minister of Tourism and Culture office, where visitors got the explanation from the local guide about Belitung’s culture and their iconic ceremonies.
Vihara Dewi Khuan In
The trip continued to the temple of Khuan In. It’s not a gigantic one, but quite touristy perhaps because there wasn’t that much religious spots in the town. For those who wanna pray there, they did provide the spots.
Dynasty Restaurant
Having travelled for awhile, it’s another time to fill in the tummy. Trying to find another recommended spot, this fusion Chinese-Seafood restaurant popped up. The signature dish of the house was Kepiting Saos Padang so without any doubt we went for it. Despite I still loved my hometown (Makassar) version more, this was surely not bad. The crab was fresh and the sauce was well-seasoned.
Their other seafood dishes like the fried fish was another yummy one to opt for. If you’re bit lazy to have your hands dirty, go for their Kepiting Isi, which was another iconic dish of Belitung, basically serving the mix of crab and fish meat, fried in the crab shell. Not only way easier to eat, the taste suited my palate way better! Furthermore, don't miss their Avocado Ice, which just costed IDR 15k but super refreshing and palatable.
Kong Djie Coffee
Last stop, another favorite spot for coffee both by the locals and the tourists. Different from the first one, this was open for franchise and hence had tons of outlets spread across Belitung (even available in Jakarta and Serpong)! I went to the very first one, very casual old-style coffee shop which was packed with people. No wonder, being that well-known, they offered both snacks and drinks at very affordable price. I tried the ‘main actor of the stage’, Belitung milk coffee in both hot and warm version. I loved both and I guessed it’s just a matter of preference and it also depend on the weather. I personally liked Kong Djie’s version of milk coffee than the other Belitung coffee I tried as the coffee taste was bold, while it’s not acidic at all - perfectly suited my liking! For me, I felt it’s different to the one I tried earlier in Jakarta since that one was so sour.
Another highlight I recommended you to try was the snacks they served, ranging from banana fritters, instant noodle, up to sponge cake. Actually the one I loved most was the traditional sponge cake which was so fluffy and not overly sweet. Unfortunately, it might be available only in this specific outlet since it’s just side dishes which I guessed not part of the Kong Djie menu which got franchised (PS below wasn't the picture as this was the more dense one. Kinda lovely but I loved the fluffy version packed in plastic better)
This kinda lengthy list was just part of the trip which could be the reference for those who’re up for Belitung culinary. However, you might notice that I haven’t shared about the beach and island parts, which I believe is another mesmerizing one many of you are looking for. Stay tune for the next update ;)
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