THE ONE NIGHT STAY AT SEULAWAH GRAND VIEW HOTEL IN BATU

We checked in at Seulawah Grand View Hotel in Batu, one small city in Indonesia, on the 26th July, 2025 and stayed there for one night. The accommodation was chosen by the tour operator.

night view

morning view

There was a swimming pool right outside our bedrooms.

The package came together with breakfast.

We still managed to do a bit of shopping after checking out the next morning. PRECAUTION: Beware of the price tags of the items sold. I found out I could buy the same vegetable and flower seeds 75% cheaper somewhere else.

If you plan to stay longer in Batu, there could be better hotels in Batu. Luckily we just spent our time at the hotel overnight and everybody slept well due to the long day trip we had had.

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EXPLORING KAMPUNG WARNA WARNI JODIPAN - PART 1

   26TH JULY 2025    ~ The first attraction visited once we arrived in Malang, Indonesia, was Kampung Warna Warni Jodipan [TRANSLATE: Jodipan Colourful Village]. This place reminded me so much of the Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan when I was there back in March, 2019 [READ HERE].

How did the village transformation happen? It was initially an assignment carried out by eight university students in their attempt to change the village into a cleaner and more sustainable place to live in. Eventually, it was a great success.

More photoshoot session took place and we never said "no" to Mr. Photographer cum the tour guide.

WORDS OF CAUTION: Make sure you wear suitable shoes when you come visiting as there were endless stairs for you to climb and down, including the Glass Bridge that connects the two villages, which will appear in PART TWO.

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Looking for a tour guide? Click Agent Surabaya Travel

WELCOMING FRIENDS TO SURABAYA - AND THE ADVENTURE BEGAN

   25th JULY 2025    ~ The other group members who flew out from Kuala Lumpur at 3:15 p.m. finally arrived at Juanda International Airport at about 5:40 p.m. I was there with the guide to welcome them to Surabaya, Indonesia and was able to greet them with "Sugeng Rawuh" [which means "welcome" in Javanese].

The group members comprised of three TESL UPM friends: Puan Hazlina Aziz, Puan Hanna Sheikh Mokhtar [and her husband] and Mr. Ridwan A. Wahid [accompanied by his wife and daughter].

Everybody was extremely excited to check the small, blue bus which was called "Alf" by the locals.

The adventure of the seven people then began and the first activity was to stop for dinner at Pondok Tempo Doeloe in the city before we continued the journey for another approximately 2 hours.

The final destination of the day was Bromo View Hotel. We checked in but was there only for about 2 hours and a half, just to freshen up and rest a bit, perhaps to catch the forty winks. We had to check out at 12:30 a.m. and started the journey to Mt. Bromo. That was my shortest stay in a hotel ever. I did not even dare to get a short sleep for the fear of not being able to wake up at all.

Everyone was so ready for the highlight of the Surabaya trip: watching the sunrise at Mt. Bromo. The fun had actually begun when I saw them at Juanda Airport Arrival Hall nonetheless.

[If you need to get a guide for your trip to Surabaya and Bromo, you can visit the website of Agent Surabaya Travel HERE.]

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