元宵节快乐

Today is the last day of Chinese New Year, which marks the 1st 15th day of the first month in lunar calendar, also known as Yuan Xiao Jie (元宵节).  Aside from 元宵节, this day is also known as the Lantern Festival Day (which should not be confused with the mid-Autumn lantern festival) and Chinese Valentine's Day while in Indonesia we'll go with the term "Cap Go Meh".  And what makes today's celebration super special is the appearance of a Super Moon which shines very brightly tonight. 

And that's the Super Moon tonight - X-T2 + XF55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

Jakarta Chinese New Year Trip – Day 4: 春到大地 & Day 5

And here we are on Chinese New Year Day.  We started the day by wishing my parents a happy new year first.  So my siblings and my family gathered in my parents' room to wish them a happy new year.

新年快乐， 恭喜发财! - A7RMk2 + Batis 2/25  

Jakarta Chinese New Year Trip – Day 3

Day 3 was New Year’s Eve.  It was a very relaxed day with plenty of time for us to explore and try out new and interesting places during the day. 

My wife suggested that we should try going to Bakmi Orpa in Jalan Malaka II near Kota Tua.  Bakmi Orpa is very well known as the most expensive noodle house around although most people who’ve been there agree that their signature noodle dish is very good.  So we were very curious to try this “bakmi Horang Kaya” - make sure you pronounce the "H" with a heavy grunt 😁😁.  My sister went along with us.

After following the directions on Google Maps, we finally arrived at Bakmi Orpa.  My sister went on a side dish ordering frenzy and ordered Pangsit Goreng, Baso Goreng & Pangsit Kuah.  We also ordered 5 bowls of noodles. 

Bakmi Orpa Shop Sign - A7RMk2 + Batis 2/25

Jakarta Chinese New Year Trip - Day 2

Day 2 was filled with fun and excitement for the kids, it was a Sunday and traffic was considerably light.  We started with breakfast at Mie Keriting Siantar 19 at the original Muara Karang market outlet.  It was a very tasty and satisfying breakfast.  

Mie Keriting Siantar 19 - A7RMk2 + Batis 2/25

After breakfast we went to nearby Bakpau A1 to get some snacks and then to Central Park in Tanjung Duren as my parents-in-law prepared to return to Purwokerto in the evening.  Lincoln and my wife had their haircut there while Lindsay and I just waited for them.  As Central Park was extremely crowded, we didn't go anywhere else and just waited at the hair salon. 

Jakarta Chinese New Year Trip - Day 1

As per usual practice in the last couple of years, we headed to Jakarta to celebrate Chinese New Year.  This time it was a 5 day trip.  We had the luxury of a longer trip courtesy of the weekend.  Flying by Garuda, we departed from Changi Airport's Terminal 3.  And this time, I had the opportunity to visit the Butterfly Garden with Lincoln prior to boarding the plane.  

Level 2 View of T3 Butterfly Garden @ Changi - A7RMk2 + Batis 2/25