Strolling Around Blok M

Heya heya!

So, last Saturday, I went for a date with my gurls, Farhah and Icha, to Jakarta. Basically, Icha wanted to try the double-decker tourism bus and Farhah wanted to try MRT. We went to the Museum Nasional bus stop and got a ride there to Juanda, then Bundaran Senayan. Afterward, we took MRT and got off at Blok M station.

Trying to be a hipster, we paid a visit to M Bloc Space. Before, it was a post-colonial style, two-stories PERURI's housing, left neglected for quite a long time. It was also a warehouse and a printing factory. Now, it becomes the center of pop-cultural activity in Jakarta. Yeah, the purpose is to bring back the golden era of Blok M as a young community ecosystem.

The execution is, of course, AMAZING! PT Ruang Riang Milenial, led by Handoko Hendroyono, along with his six best companies; Lance Mengong, Glenn Fredly, Wendi Putrantro, Jacob Gatot Sura, and Mario Sugianto, are the men behind M Bloc Space. Mas Handoko was also the man behind Kebun Ide and Filosofi Kopi. He's definitely an EXPERT in creative branding, have you checked his books? His track record is no doubt. Oh, I can't imagine what's on his mind, truly mind-blowing!

Well, we ate at Mbok Ndoro, one of the restaurants there. A Javanese restaurant, a very humble place, and tasted like home. I ordered nasi merah, sambel tumpang, krecek, oseng mercon, telur dadar, and es gula asem for the drink. Oh, also es grim jowo a.k.a klepon flavored ice cream, I loved it! Foods are heavenly delicious, pricey but worth every penny, it really suits my Javanese palate, a bit spicy with a touch of sweetness in every dish. Overall, satisfying meals.

There are so many interesting places to explore in M Bloc Space, from cafes, local brand shop, gelato, to gigs place. In the back of it, there are some murals for you, photo-hunter, and a little space of garden too. I found eggplant, chili, and hydroponic greens. In the middle of our stroll, we met Snowy! A very lovely dog, fluffy and soft, he likes to smile and very friendly even to strangers. I have a dream when I financially stable, I really want to have a dog, like Snowy! Oh, I can still feel his fur, I can even cuddle with him every second.

Then we walked to the Blok M Square area to get some caffeine intake at Filosofi Kopi, chit-chatting about everything 'cuz we haven't met for months and there were so many things to catch up with. I managed to get myself a namareka pudding from La Mouette. If you haven't tried one, go try it! Heavenly delicious, best purin (Japanese caramel custard pudding) in Jakarta ever!

Almost sunset, golden hour time! We hunted the best spot at Taman Martha Tiahahu and took hundreds of photos lol especially Icha 'cuz when it comes to posing, she's a natural. And it wasn't over yet, at the MRT Station, the photoshoot still continued.

My legs were actually hurt like hell and I couldn't even feel it anymore, but the show must go on. We went to Senayan City to get dinner and rest our feet a little. From 8 am to 8 pm, we walked 14 km and just burned about 400 calories, just one and a half of a piece of martabak HAHA but okay, at least we're having so much fun.

I hope we can still do quality time together 'cuz it will always be a memorable moment to spend time with them. My MVP from college until now. Thank you Icha and Farhah, love you everyday!