The US Trip: Los Angeles and Chicago

First things first, LAX is huge! We even needed to take a shuttle bus just to get to the pickup spot for Uber and Lyft. It was quite a long ride from the airport to Koreatown, and it wouldn't be an Airbnb experience if we didn't spend time looking for the place with a funky name like Glamorous KTown Boutique Residences with Rooftop View. Our unit was quite nice, though. Most importantly, it provided a washing machine and a dryer because I surely needed those!

At LAX-it.

We went for a late lunch at Ocha Classic, which served us the brilliant Thai/Chinese cuisine. The food was so good that we returned to the restaurant again for dinner the following night. The fried rice and eggplant were great! After lunch, we went to El Super, the Hispanic supermarket across the street. That's where I saw Coors Banquet—the iconic beer drunk by Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai. Of course, I had to get a six-pack of those tubby bottles!

We returned to our Airbnb so I could wash my clothes, and we eventually went to MaDang Courtyard for dinner. Since many shops in LA close at 8 PM, MaDang Courtyard was a great exception. Because we were in Koreatown, we tried the Korean boneless fried chicken at Pelicana Chicken. It was quite tasty. 

The quiet train platform.

After that, since Endrico is our Captain America, he decided we should try the metro. It turned out to be a rather spooky experience. Two people tailgated right behind Endrico and me when we tapped our cards to enter the fare gate. Then, the waiting time for the train was a staggering 15 minutes, exactly as shown on the screen. It was hard to believe; it wouldn't take that long in other countries. Officers were seen on the train, and one of them informed us that the door in front of me wouldn't open. To top it off, the Wilshire/Vermont Station, where we alighted, was rundown, and the exit fare gates didn't even work when we tapped out!

The walk back to our Airbnb offered a glimpse of LA at night. One thing that was similar to San Francisco was that we could see homeless people on almost every street corner. The sight somehow reminded me of Perth, where I saw a large homeless Australian who stood his ground when he was confronted by two uniformed officers. Interestingly, I didn't notice any homeless people in Chicago, and the city was very clean, too. But more on that later. 

The Hollywood sign!

The next morning, all of us except Endrico went to Lake Hollywood Park. Endrico had another appointment with his cousin or something, so he couldn't join us that morning. Now, I might have mistaken 'park' for 'garden', hence the mismatched expectation. Lake Hollywood Park was just a tiny patch of grassy land with a vantage point to see the Hollywood sign on the hill. So when I first arrived, I was surprised because I was expecting something bigger, like a botanical garden. It didn't take long for us to look around. We just took some pictures, and off we went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame looked less fancy in real life. It was just stars embedded in a rather narrow, crowded pavement. We shopped quickly at the Hard Rock Cafe, reading the names before stepping on the stars we wanted and taking pictures. After that, we headed to La Popular at Ovation Hollywood for Mexican food. It was different, but delicious. I told Endrico later that night about how we seemed to struggle through our Mexican meal, but ate incredibly fast when it came to Chinese food. 

Having coffee at Ovation Hollywood.

Endrico rejoined us at Ovation Hollywood while Surianto and I were having our lunchtime coffee. He went into Victoria's Secret with Susana and shopped, and afterwards, they headed back to the Airbnb since they had quite a few shopping bags in tow. As for the rest of us, we headed to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. It was fascinating—my first time seeing a museum dedicated entirely to megafauna. The Columbian Mammoth was absolutely huge!

When I was at Ovation Hollywood, my friend Vivi suggested that I check out Urban Light. The tourist attraction is located near the La Brea Tar Pits. We saw it when we walked towards the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The best part of our second museum of the day? Marilyn Monroe. Her expression, even when she wasn't smiling, was so genuine—an everlasting beauty.

Passing Beverly Hills, heading to Sunset Strip.

Now, the thing with LA was that it wasn't what I expected it to be. Rodeo Drive was another hit-or-miss experience; I was expecting something like Orchard Road, but it fell short. Then Beverly Hills—which we vaguely knew from the TV series 90210—turned out to be a residential area. The last place, Sunset Strip, wasn't exactly a bustling point of interest either. That was the moment I realized I wasn't sure how to feel about LA anymore.

Luckily for me, I was visiting Chicago the next day, so it was bye-bye LA. After a four-hour flight, I arrived in a sunny city. The weather was nice, and the hosts were even nicer. Kenji and Vivi picked me up. First stop, the newly opened Barack Obama Presidential Center. Yes, it had just opened on June 18, exactly one day before my arrival. We didn't get tickets to go inside, but it was still great to be there. Kenji pointed out that this is the South Side of Chicago, hence the demographics looked different and were predominantly Black. 

At Barack Obama Presidential Center.

From there, we headed to the Original Triple Crown in Chinatown for an early dinner. I surely didn't mind this, since I didn't manage to eat lunch, haha. Much to my surprise, Vivi ordered eggplant, too. Now, I have to let you know that back when I was living with my auntie in Pontianak, I didn't like eggplant because it was always too gooey. But I started to appreciate it after frequenting Dong Fang Mei Shi Fan Dian in Singapore. After this trip, eggplant is surely a dish I will be ordering myself from now on!

Before they dropped me off at the hotel, we explored the Chicago Riverwalk. It somehow reminded me of Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, though naturally, there were more White people here. I really liked how elegant everyone looked, even when dressed casually. The vibe of the Chicago Riverwalk was brilliant, too; it revealed the full glory of the city. It felt like an American metropolis with towering high-rises, including the Trump Tower. Standing there, I could almost visualize New York City and Spider-Man swinging between the buildings!

Trump Tower!

The proper tour started the following day. It began with a dim sum breakfast at MingHin Cuisine. The portions were unbelievable; I jokingly told Vivi that they could have fed 5,000 people. The fried rice was good, too—it simply can't go wrong when fried with salted fish. 

After brunch, we went to Navy Pier for a walk. It is a beautiful place where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan, and it was incredibly windy. From that point onwards, being the wonderful host that she is, Vivi kept telling me to take pictures here and there because the backdrops were so iconic. It was probably the only time I have posed and had my picture taken so frequently in a single day! 

At Starbucks.

From Navy Pier, we went to the Harry Potter Shop Chicago. I just found it weird to buy anything there because Harry is supposed to be from the UK. Instead, we walked to a building she proudly introduced as the biggest Starbucks Reserve Roastery in the world. I certainly could use a cup of Americano, so we stayed there for a while.

Then we went to Coach for a quick shopping trip before taking the yellow water taxi that cruised along the Chicago River. The view was splendid; it revealed Chicago in its full glory, looking so beautiful on that bright, sunny day. We alighted at Chinatown, and then continued our journey by car. Our next stop was the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. I thought it was cool, but you know what was cooler? A last-minute destination: Michael Jackson's Boyhood Home.

At Michael's house. 

It was pretty surreal. The neighborhood was... unkempt, to say the least, with many overgrown lawns. Michael's house was right at the end of the road and gated, unlike the other houses. Still, it was impressive to see it with my own eyes. You couldn't help but feel that even the King of Pop had a humble beginning. At the same time, I was enamored by how he made it from this tiny house to the world stage. Life isn't about where you are born, but what you do with the talents you have. 

And that concluded our tour for the day, but the journey still continued. We walked a bit to Millennium Park to see the Bean, also known as Cloud Gate. It was beautiful, as you could see a clear reflection of the Chicago skyline in the evening. There was a fast-food restaurant called Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers across the street and we had our dinner there. The iced tea was almost as good as Sosro Tea, hehe. Once we finished dining, we wrapped up our tour at the Chicago Theatre. Why did we go there? Because the neon lights, according to my host, are iconic, haha.

The Chicago Theatre.

The following day it rained the whole time, but it suited me just fine. Kenji drove me all the way to Rockford and blasted music from his playlist. Since we are from the same generation, the ride was pretty much a nonstop sing-along, featuring the Scorpions, Culture Club, and many more.  

Rockford was quite far, actually. We spent about four hours on the road, and it was close to evening when we returned to the city, so Kenji brought me to Garuda Restaurant. The menu looked good, but of course I had to try the fried rice! Even though it was priced in USD, it still tasted like authentic Indonesian food! 

With Kenji, probably the best host in Chicago!

And that was the first and last proper meal of the day. On our way back to my hotel, Kenji showed me the Gold Coast, the elite area of Chicago. But because it was raining, there wasn't much we could do, so that was it for the two-day Chicago tour. Both Vivi and Kenji were brilliant. A big shout-out to them for their incredible hospitality!

My last day in Chicago started slow, which gave me time to write this—again on my trusted BlackBerry Classic. We had brunch at Qiao Lin Hotpot and then headed to O'Hare International Airport. Just like LAX, it was functional but not impressive. I'm seriously thinking of writing about all the airports I have been to, but for now, it's time to rejoin the team in Las Vegas!

Team SG. They reached Las Vegas earlier than me.

Liburan ke AS: Los Angeles dan Chicago 

Pertama-tama, perlu diketahui bahwa LAX itu sangat besar dan luas! Kami bahkan harus naik bus shuttle cuma untuk sampai ke tempat penjemputan Uber dan Lyft. Perjalanan dari bandara ke Koreatown lumayan jauh, dan rasanya belum jadi pengalaman Airbnb sejati kalau kami tidak menghabiskan waktu mencari tempat dengan nama unik seperti Glamorous KTown Boutique Residences with Rooftop View. Tapi, unit kami lumayan bagus. Yang paling penting, di sana disediakan mesin cuci dan pengering baju karena saya benar-benar membutuhkannya!

Di LAX-it.

​Kami pergi makan siang yang agak kesorean di Ocha Classic, yang menyajikan hidangan Thai/Chinese yang luar biasa. Makanannya enak sekali, sampai-sampai kami kembali lagi ke restoran itu untuk makan malam keesokan harinya. Nasi goreng dan terongnya mantap! Setelah makan siang, kami pergi ke El Super, supermarket Hispanik di seberang jalan. Di sanalah saya melihat Coors Banquet—bir ikonik yang diminum oleh Johnny Lawrence di Cobra Kai. Tentu saja, saya harus beli satu pak isi enam dari botol-botol pendek-gemuk (tubby bottles) itu!

​Kami kembali ke Airbnb supaya saya bisa mencuci baju, dan akhirnya kami pergi ke MaDang Courtyard untuk makan malam. Karena banyak toko di LA tutup jam 8 malam, MaDang Courtyard menjadi pengecualian yang bagus. Selagi berada di Koreatown, kami pun mencoba ayam goreng Korea tanpa tulang di Pelicana Chicken. Rasanya lumayan enak.

Platform kereta yang sepi.

​Setelah itu, karena Endrico adalah "Captain America" kami, dia memutuskan agar kami mencoba naik metro. Ternyata pengalamannya agak menyeramkan. Dua orang membuntuti tepat di belakang saya dan Endrico saat kami menempelkan kartu (tap) untuk masuk gerbang tarif. Lalu, waktu tunggu keretanya luar biasa lama, sampai 15 menit, persis seperti yang tertera di layar. Sulit dipercaya; di negara lain rasanya tidak bakal selama itu. Ada beberapa petugas berdiri di dalam kereta, dan salah satu dari mereka memberi tahu kami bahwa pintu di depan saya tidak bisa terbuka. Parahnya lagi, Stasiun Wilshire/Vermont tempat kami turun kondisinya kumuh, dan gerbang keluar bahkan tidak berfungsi saat kami menempelkan kartu untuk keluar!

​Perjalanan jalan kaki kembali ke Airbnb memberikan sedikit gambaran tentang LA di malam hari. Satu hal yang mirip dengan San Francisco adalah kami bisa melihat tuna wisma (gelandangan) di hampir setiap sudut jalan. Pemandangan itu entah bagaimana mengingatkan saya pada Perth, di mana saya melihat seorang gelandangan Australia berbadan besar yang tetap bergeming saat dikonfrontasi oleh dua petugas berseragam. Menariknya, saya tidak melihat ada tuna wisma di Chicago, dan kotanya juga sangat bersih. Tapi, nanti kita bahas lagi soal itu.

Logo Hollywood di bukit!

​Keesokan paginya, kami semua kecuali Endrico pergi ke Lake Hollywood Park. Endrico ada janji lain dengan sepupunya, jadi dia tidak bisa ikut pagi itu. Nah, saya mungkin salah mengira 'park' (taman kota) sebagai 'garden' (kebun/taman bunga), makanya ekspektasi saya agak meleset. Lake Hollywood Park ternyata cuma sebidang kecil tanah rerumputan dengan titik strategis untuk melihat tulisan Hollywood di atas bukit. Jadi saat pertama kali tiba, saya kaget karena mengira tempatnya bakal lebih besar, seperti kebun raya (botanical garden). Tidak butuh waktu lama bagi kami untuk melihat-lihat sekeliling. Kami cuma mengambil beberapa foto, lalu langsung pergi ke Hollywood Walk of Fame.

​Hollywood Walk of Fame terlihat biasa di kehidupan nyata. Isinya cuma bintang-bintang yang tertanam di trotoar yang agak sempit dan dipadati pengunjung. Kami berbelanja sebentar di Hard Rock Cafe, lantas mulai membaca nama-nama sebelum menginjak bintang yang kami mau dan berfoto. Setelah itu, kami menuju ke La Popular di Ovation Hollywood untuk menyantap makanan Meksiko. Rasanya unik, tapi enak. Malam harinya saya bercerita kepada Endrico tentang bagaimana kami seperti kesulitan menghabiskan makanan Meksiko kami, tapi makan dengan sangat cepat kalau menunya makanan Chinese.

Menikmati kopi di Ovation Hollywood.

​Endrico bergabung kembali dengan kami di Ovation Hollywood saat saya dan Surianto sedang minum kopi siang. Dia masuk ke Victoria's Secret bersama Susana dan berbelanja, dan setelah itu, mereka kembali ke Airbnb karena membawa lumayan banyak kantong belanjaan. Sementara itu, kami bertiga menuju ke La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. Tempat itu sangat menarik—ini pertama kalinya saya melihat museum yang didedikasikan sepenuhnya untuk megafauna. Mammoth Kolombia di sana benar-benar besar banget!

​Waktu saya di Ovation Hollywood, teman saya Vivi menyarankan agar saya melihat Urban Light. Tempat wisata ini lokasinya dekat dengan La Brea Tar Pits. Kami melihatnya saat berjalan menuju Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Bagian terbaik dari museum kedua kami hari itu? Marilyn Monroe. Ekspresinya, bahkan saat tidak tersenyum, terasa begitu tulus—sebuah kecantikan yang abadi.

Melewati Beverly Hills saat menuju Sunset Strip.

​Nah, masalah dengan LA adalah kota ini tidak sesuai dengan ekspektasi saya. Rodeo Drive adalah pengalaman yang biasa saja (hit-or-miss); saya mengharapkan sesuatu seperti Orchard Road, tapi ternyata tidak sebanding. Lalu Beverly Hills—yang samar-samar kami ketahui dari serial TV 90210—ternyata cuma kawasan pemukiman. Tempat terakhir, Sunset Strip, juga tidak bisa dibilang sebagai tempat wisata yang ramai. Pada momen itulah saya menyadari bahwa saya tidak tahu lagi harus merasakan apa tentang LA.

​Beruntung bagi saya, Chicago akan menjadi destinasi keesokan harinya, jadi selamat tinggal LA! Setelah penerbangan selama empat jam, saya tiba di kota yang cerah. Cuacanya menyenangkan, dan para tuan rumahnya bahkan lebih menyenangkan lagi. Kenji dan Vivi menjemput saya. Perhentian pertama, Barack Obama Presidential Center yang baru dibuka. Ya, tempat itu baru saja dibuka pada tanggal 18 Juni, tepat satu hari sebelum kedatangan saya. Kami tidak mendapatkan tiket untuk masuk ke dalam, tapi tetap menyenangkan bisa berada di sana. Kenji menunjukkan bahwa ini adalah area South Side di Chicago, makanya demografinya terlihat berbeda dan didominasi oleh warga kulit hitam.

Di Barack Obama Presidential Center.

​Dari sana, kami menuju ke Original Triple Crown di Chinatown untuk makan malam lebih awal. Tentu saja saya tidak keberatan, karena saya tidak sempat makan siang, haha. Yang mengejutkan, Vivi juga memesan terong. Nah, perlu kalian tahu, dulu waktu saya tinggal bersama tante saya di Pontianak, saya tidak suka terong karena teksturnya yang terlalu lembek. Tapi saya mulai bisa menikmatinya setelah sering berkunjung ke Dong Fang Mei Shi Fan Dian di Singapura. Setelah perjalanan ini, terong pastinya menjadi hidangan yang akan selalu saya pesan sendiri mulai sekarang!

​Sebelum mereka mengantarkan saya ke hotel, kami menjelajahi Chicago Riverwalk. Tempat ini entah bagaimana mengingatkan saya pada Boat Quay dan Clarke Quay, meskipun tentu saja, di sini ada lebih banyak orang kulit putih. Saya suka melihat betapa anggunnya penampilan semua orang, bahkan saat berpakaian kasual. Suasana (vibe) di Chicago Riverwalk juga luar biasa; tempat ini memperlihatkan keindahan kota sepenuhnya. Rasanya seperti kota metropolis Amerika dengan gedung-gedung pencakar langit yang menjulang tinggi, termasuk Trump Tower. Berdiri di sana, saya hampir bisa membayangkan Kota New York dan Spider-Man yang sedang berayun di antara gedung-gedung!

Trump Tower!

​Tur yang sebenarnya dimulai keesokan harinya. Diawali dengan sarapan dim sum di MingHin Cuisine. Porsinya luar biasa banyak; saya bercanda kepada Vivi kalau porsi itu bisa memberi makan 5.000 orang. Nasi gorengnya juga enak—pokoknya tidak pernah salah kalau digoreng pakai ikan asin.

​Setelah brunch, kami pergi ke Navy Pier untuk jalan-jalan. Tempatnya indah sekali, di mana Sungai Chicago bertemu dengan Danau Michigan, dan anginnya kencang luar biasa. Sejak saat itu, sebagai tuan rumah yang sangat baik, Vivi terus menyuruh saya mengambil foto di sana-sini karena latar belakangnya yang sangat ikonik. Ini mungkin satu-satunya momen di mana saya berpose dan difoto begitu sering dalam satu hari!

Di Starbucks.

​Dari Navy Pier, kami pergi ke Harry Potter Shop Chicago. Saya cuma merasa aneh kalau beli apa pun di sana karena Harry kan aslinya dari Inggris. Sebagai gantinya, kami berjalan ke sebuah gedung yang dengan bangga dia perkenalkan sebagai Starbucks Reserve Roastery terbesar di dunia. Kebetulan saya memang butuh secangkir Americano, jadi kami tinggal di sana sebentar.

​Kemudian kami pergi ke Coach untuk belanja sebentar sebelum naik taksi air kuning yang menyusuri Sungai Chicago. Pemandangannya luar biasa; memperlihatkan Chicago dalam segala keindahannya, terlihat sangat cantik di hari yang cerah itu. Kami turun di Chinatown, lalu melanjutkan perjalanan dengan mobil. Perhentian kami berikutnya adalah Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. Menurut saya itu keren, tapi tahu tidak apa yang lebih keren? Destinasi menit-menit terakhir: Rumah Masa Kecil Michael Jackson.

Di rumah Michael. 

​Rasanya cukup sureal. Lingkungannya... bisa dibilang tidak terawat, dengan banyak rumput liar yang tumbuh tinggi. Rumah Michael berada tepat di ujung jalan dan berpagar, tidak seperti rumah-rumah lainnya. Tetap saja, rasanya mengesankan bisa melihatnya dengan mata kepala saya sendiri. Kita tidak bisa tidak berpikir bahwa sang King of Pop pun memiliki awal yang sederhana. Di saat yang sama, saya kagum dengan bagaimana dia bisa berhasil melangkah dari rumah sekecil ini ke panggung dunia. Hidup ini bukan tentang di mana kamu dilahirkan, melainkan apa yang kamu lakukan dengan bakat yang kamu miliki.

​Dan itu mengakhiri tur kami hari itu, tapi perjalanan masih berlanjut. Kami berjalan sedikit ke Millennium Park untuk melihat the Bean, yang juga dikenal sebagai Cloud Gate. Indah sekali, karena kita bisa melihat pantulan jelas dari cakrawala (skyline) kota Chicago di sore hari. Ada restoran cepat saji bernama Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers di seberang jalan dan kami makan malam di sana. Es tehnya hampir seenak Teh Botol Sosro, hehe. Begitu selesai makan, kami menutup tur kami di Chicago Theatre. Kenapa kami ke sana? Karena lampu neonnya, kata tuan rumah saya, sangat ikonik, haha.

The Chicago Theatre.

​Keesokan harinya hujan turun sepanjang waktu, tapi tidak masalah bagi saya. Kenji menyetir mengantar saya sepanjang jalan menuju Rockford sambil menyetel musik keras-keras dari playlist-nya. Karena kami dari generasi yang sama, sepanjang perjalanan isinya hampir selalu bernyanyi bersama tanpa henti, menyanyikan lagu-lagu Scorpions, Culture Club, dan banyak lagi.

​Rockford sebenarnya lumayan jauh. Kami menghabiskan sekitar empat jam di jalan, dan hari sudah hampir malam ketika kami kembali ke kota, jadi Kenji membawa saya ke Restoran Garuda. Menunya terlihat enak, tapi tentu saja saya harus mencoba nasi gorengnya! Meskipun harganya dalam USD, rasanya tetap seperti makanan asli Indonesia!

Bersama Kenji, pemandu terbaik di Chicago!

​Dan itu adalah makanan berat pertama dan terakhir hari itu. Dalam perjalanan kembali ke hotel saya, Kenji menunjukkan Gold Coast, kawasan elit di Chicago. Tapi karena hujan, tidak banyak yang bisa kami lakukan, jadi begitulah akhir dari tur hai dua hari di Chicago. Vivi dan Kenji sama-sama luar biasa. Terima kasih banyak untuk mereka atas keramahan mereka yang luar biasa!

​Hari terakhir saya di Chicago dimulai dengan santai, yang memberi saya waktu untuk menulis ini—lagi-lagi di BlackBerry Classic andalan saya. Kami makan brunch di Qiao Lin Hotpot lalu menuju ke Bandara Internasional O'Hare. Sama seperti LAX, bandara ini fungsional tapi tidak mengesankan. Saya benar-benar berpikir untuk menulis tentang semua bandara yang pernah saya kunjungi, tapi untuk saat ini, waktunya bergabung kembali dengan tim SG di Las Vegas!

Tim SG yang sudah sampai duluan di Las Vegas.

The US Trip: San Francisco and Sacramento

Our first proper morning in San Francisco began too early for my liking. The jet lag screwed up my sleeping pattern, and I automatically woke up around 4 AM. Couldn't sleep after that, so I watched the comedy series The King of Queens and continued writing The Longest Saturday on my BlackBerry Classic.

After our breakfast, we went to Pier 33 for the visit to Alcatraz. Heard of it before and both Surianto and I remembered The Rock starring Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery. But to be there and listen to its story was really something. It was almost like stepping into a legend filled with fascinating details and characters: Digging through walls with spoons, the bloodiest prison break in '46, and Al Capone. The fact that all of this was real made Alcatraz larger than life. 

At the entrance of Alcatraz.

We went back to Pier 33 and walked to Fisherman's Wharf for our lunch. Since we were in San Francisco, of course we had to try the clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl. I didn't really like it, but it was still edible. After lunch, we went for coffee before resuming our walk to Pier 39. 

Next tourist attraction for Taty, Surianto and me was whale watching. We boarded the boat Kitty Kat, went past the Golden Gate to go to the open ocean, and then waited for our main attraction: the humpback whales. Saw some harbor porpoises and flocks of cormorants, but there was no whale to be found. I was very disappointed, thinking that I might have to do a similar trip again next time, perhaps in Alaska, as suggested by the lady from Minneapolis that sat with us on the boat. 

Taty posed with the Golden Gate as we headed to the open ocean.

The Kitty Kat turned back towards San Francisco Bay and I thought that was the end of it, but the crew was persistent. We were still patrolling the bay, and everyone was on the lookout. We eventually saw one that was quickly identified as Gordo the gray whale. Apparently, a whale looked smaller than what I had imagined, but it was still very exciting to see one and follow it around. We didn't know where the whale would surface next, until it spouted water from its blowhole and revealed itself again. It was a childlike excitement; I was exhausted but gleefully happy when we docked at the pier again.

The next morning, which again started for me at 4 AM, began differently. Surianto and I went out early to find our way to Sacramento, while the rest were planning for a visit to Sausalito. Since the first BART train to Richmond wouldn't run until 6.55 AM, we walked towards Salesforce Tower to catch Amtrak's shuttle bus instead. We soon realized that we were badly unprepared; we didn't have the Amtrak App and couldn't purchase tickets due to a system error, even after we rushed to download it and enter our details. But the bus driver was a nice fellow and he waved us in, so off we went to Emeryville.

At that station, we purchased our tickets to Sacramento from the counter. As the train departed slowly, I couldn't help thinking how Japan or China have left the train system here behind by leaps and bounds. Yes, Amtrak has history, but it lags behind while Asia pioneers bullet trains. And the view outside the window, it was nowhere near as beautiful as Europe.

Sacramento at Fire Mountain!

It took us about 1 hour and 46 minutes to reach Sacramento. We hopped into an Uber and made our way to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. It was a huge complex with Rocktane Petrol Station, but the Rock Shop wasn't that great. We completed what we came here to do and returned downtown not long after that. Our destination was supposed to be Frank Fat's restaurant chosen by Surianto, but he eventually realized that it was closed on Mondays. As a result, we missed our chance to dine at the restaurant that was established in 1939.

We had Mediterranean food at Crest Cafe instead, then walked towards Old Sacramento. Our friend BL talked about the Sacramento Kings on our group chat and coincidentally, we passed by their stadium. In the tunnel, we also saw the mural of influential people from Sacramento and the first one on the left was Frank Fat! When we came out of the tunnel, it was like traveling back in time: Old Sacramento looked exactly like a Wild West movie setting.

Surianto at the Richmond Station.

That basically wrapped up our visit to Sacramento. We bought our tickets to Richmond, transferred to the BART train and alighted at Powell Station, which is near the Mosser Hotel. We walked to Target to buy stuff, and I asked if the others would like to have dinner at Rolling Thai, only to discover that the eatery had become a Chinese restaurant and renamed itself Rolling Dumpling instead.  And I thought we could catch Masters of the Universe while we were there, but it never occurred to me that I would sleep right through the show! Never saw He-Man's tiger at all!

The last day in San Francisco began with the boys running late for the 8 AM departure because we bumped into a fellow Singaporean named Shankar. The guy was a lawyer. We talked about soccer and his philosophy of being spontaneous until we were pinged twice by the ladies at the Marriott, so we said goodbye to Shankar, met them, and called our Lyft. Thus began our journey to Santa Clara. 

With Shankar at the Mosser Hotel.

Our hotel, E Real, looked like a two-story motel from The Rookie, Season 3. It was like a scene where bad guys might appear and start shooting through the bedroom door. And Santa Clara really had the vibe of small town I normally see in American movies—no high-rise buildings, just houses and strip malls lining both sides of the wide roads. 

We walked around and finally decided to have KFC for lunch. My first KFC in the US was great, apart from the fact that they didn't have chili sauce in America. From there, we visited Apple Park Visitor Center, which turned out to be another Apple Store. We returned to the hotel after a short visit to Hankook Supermarket. Yes, Santa Clara seemed to have a large Korean population! Then, after a short rest, we made our way to Levi's Stadium for our first and only World Cup 2026 match: Jordan v. Austria!

Endrico and the ladies gearing up for the match. 

The stadium was grand. Real grand. And the Jordanians were waving flags and dancing while waiting for the gate to open. As the sun was setting, I sat in my seat and watched the big screen. The audience got excited and danced wildly every time they realized they were on camera. It was hilarious, but it also made me realize that I was in the midst of a world-class celebration. 

Then the match commenced. Sitting among the Jordanians, I found myself cheering for the team, too—perhaps because they were also Asians and I wanted to see them beat the Europeans, haha. The view from my seat was great. For the first time in forever, I could actually see a match clearly without relying on the big screen. It was a good game; Jordan put up a fight and they attacked fiercely. It was so exciting—there were two VAR reviews happened and one goal was annulled. But ultimately Austria was still the better team. When the final whistle blew, we all walked out of the stadium that had made our dream come true. Yes, we finally made it. We actually watch a World Cup match in the US!

Posing before the match!

That match ended our visit to the San Francisco area. The next morning, we headed to San Jose Mineta International Airport. I had a delicious El Clasico (toast, bacon, scrambled eggs and tater tots) at an airport restaurant called Mi Casa Cantina. About an hour later, we boarded flight DL2965. Another adventure awaited! Next stop: Los Angeles! 

Liburan Ke AS: San Francisco dan Sacramento

Pagi pertama kami yang sesungguhnya di San Francisco dimulai terlalu awal dari yang saya inginkan. Jet lag mengacaukan pola tidur saya, dan saya otomatis terbangun sekitar jam 4 pagi. Setelah itu saya tidak bisa tidur lagi, jadi saya menonton serial komedi The King of Queens dan melanjutkan menulis The Longest Saturday di BlackBerry Classic saya.

Setelah sarapan, kami pergi ke Pier 33 untuk berkunjung ke Alcatraz. Saya pernah dengar tentang tempat ini sebelumnya, dan Surianto maupun saya sama-sama ingat tentang film The Rock yang dibintangi Nicolas Cage dan Sean Connery. Tapi berada langsung di sana dan mendengarkan sejarahnya benar-benar luar biasa. Rasanya hampir seperti melangkah ke dalam sebuah legenda yang penuh dengan detail dan karakter menarik: menggali dinding dengan sendok, pelarian penjara paling berdarah di tahun '46, dan Al Capone. Fakta bahwa semua ini nyata membuat Alcatraz terasa begitu legendaris.

Papan nama di Pulau Alcatraz.

Kami kembali ke Pier 33 dan berjalan ke Fisherman's Wharf untuk makan siang. Karena kami sedang di San Francisco, tentu saja kami harus mencoba clam chowder (sup kerang) yang disajikan di dalam mangkuk roti sourdough. Saya tidak terlalu suka, tapi setidaknya masih dimakan. Selesai makan siang, kami minum kopi sebentar sebelum melanjutkan jalan kaki ke Pier 39.

Tempat wisata berikutnya bagi Taty, Surianto, dan saya adalah melihat paus (whale watching). Kami naik kapal Kitty Kat, melewati Golden Gate menuju laut lepas, lalu menunggu atraksi utama kami: paus bungkuk (humpback whale). Kami melihat beberapa lumba-lumba pelabuhan (harbor porpoise) dan kawanan burung pecuk (cormorant), tapi pausnya sama sekali tidak kelihatan. Saya sangat kecewa, berpikir bahwa saya mungkin harus melakukan perjalanan serupa lagi lain kali, mungkin di Alaska, seperti yang disarankan oleh wanita asal Minneapolis yang duduk bersama kami di kapal.

Taty berfoto dengan latar jembatan Golden Gate saat berada di Kitty Kat.

Kitty Kat berbalik arah kembali menuju San Francisco Bay dan saya pikir semuanya sudah selesai, tetapi para kru sangat gigih. Kami masih terus berpatroli di area teluk, dan semua orang ikut mengawasi. Akhirnya kami melihat seekor paus yang dengan cepat diidentifikasi sebagai Gordo, si paus kelabu. Ternyata, ukuran pausnya tampak lebih kecil dari yang saya bayangkan, tetapi tetap saja sangat mendebarkan bisa melihatnya langsung dan mengikutinya. Kita tidak akan pernah tahu di mana paus itu akan muncul ke permukaan lagi, sampai akhirnya ia menyemburkan air dari lubang napasnya dan menampakkan dirinya kembali. Rasanya seperti kegembiraan masa kecil; saya kelelahan tapi luar biasa bahagia saat kami merapat kembali di dermaga.

Pagi berikutnya, yang lagi-lagi dimulai jam 4 pagi bagi saya, berjalan berbeda. Surianto dan saya pergi lebih awal untuk mencari jalan menuju Sacramento, sementara yang lainnya berencana mengunjungi Sausalito. Karena kereta BART pertama menuju Richmond baru beroperasi jam 6.55 pagi, kami akhirnya berjalan kaki ke arah Salesforce Tower untuk naik bus jemputan (shuttle bus) Amtrak sebagai gantinya. Kami segera menyadari bahwa kami benar-benar kurang persiapan; kami tidak punya Aplikasi Amtrak dan tidak bisa membeli tiket karena ada kesalahan sistem, bahkan setelah kami terburu-buru mengunduh dan memasukkan data kami. Untungnya sopir busnya orang yang ramah, dia melambaikan tangan menyuruh kami masuk saja, jadi berangkatlah kami ke Emeryville.

Di stasiun itu, kami membeli tiket ke Sacramento di loket. Saat kereta mulai berjalan perlahan, saya tidak bisa menahan diri untuk berpikir betapa Jepang atau China telah meninggalkan sistem kereta api di sini jauh di belakang. Ya, Amtrak memang punya nilai sejarah, tetapi mereka tertinggal sementara Asia memelopori kereta cepat. Dan pemandangan di luar jendela pun tidak seindah di Eropa.

Sacramento di Fire Mountain!

Butuh waktu sekitar 1 jam 46 menit bagi kami untuk sampai di Sacramento. Kami langsung naik Uber dan menuju ke Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Kompleksnya sangat besar, lengkap dengan Pom Bensin Rocktane, tapi Rock Shop-nya tidak terlalu bagus. Kami menyelesaikan apa yang perlu kami lakukan di sana dan kembali ke pusat kota tidak lama setelahnya. Tujuan kami sebenarnya adalah restoran Frank Fat's pilihan Surianto, tetapi dia akhirnya baru sadar kalau restoran itu tutup pada hari Senin. Alhasil, kami melewatkan kesempatan untuk makan di restoran yang sudah berdiri sejak tahun 1939 tersebut.

Sebagai gantinya, kami menyantap makanan Mediterania di Crest Cafe, lalu berjalan kaki menuju Old Sacramento. Teman kami, BL, sempat membahas tentang Sacramento Kings di grup chat kami dan secara kebetulan, kami melewati stadion mereka. Di dalam terowongan, kami juga melihat mural orang-orang berpengaruh dari Sacramento, dan orang pertama di sebelah kiri adalah Frank Fat! Begitu kami keluar dari terowongan, rasanya seperti melakukan perjalanan melintasi waktu: Old Sacramento tampak persis seperti latar film koboi.

Surianto di Stasiun Richmond.

Demikianlah kunjungan singkat kami ke Sacramento berakhir. Kami membeli tiket ke Richmond, pindah ke kereta BART, dan turun di Stasiun Powell yang berada dekat dengan Mosser Hotel. Kami berjalan ke Target untuk membeli beberapa keperluan, dan saya sempat bertanya apakah yang lain mau makan malam di Rolling Thai, hanya untuk mendapati bahwa tempat makan tersebut sudah berubah menjadi restoran Chinese dan berganti nama menjadi Rolling Dumpling. Dan saya pikir kami bisa menonton Masters of the Universe selagi berada di sana, tetapi sama sekali tidak terduga oleh saya kalau saya akan tertidur lelap sepanjang acara! Sama sekali tidak melihat harimau He-Man!

Hari terakhir di San Francisco dimulai dengan saya dan teman-teman pria datang terlambat untuk keberangkatan jam 8 pagi karena tidak sengaja berpapasan dengan sesama orang Singapura bernama Shankar. Orang itu adalah seorang pengacara. Kami mengobrol tentang sepak bola dan filosofinya untuk hidup spontan. Kamek baru beranjak sesudah dipanggil dua kali oleh para teman wanita di Marriott, jadi kami berpamitan dengan Shankar, menemui mereka, dan memesan Lyft. Maka dimulailah perjalanan kami menuju Santa Clara.

Bersama Shankar di Mosser Hotel.

Hotel kami, E Real, terlihat seperti motel dua lantai dari salah satu episode di serial The Rookie Season 3. Rasanya seperti adegan di mana penjahat bisa saja muncul dan mulai menembaki pintu kamar. Dan Santa Clara benar-benar memiliki nuansa kota kecil yang biasa saya lihat di film-film Amerika—tidak ada gedung-gedung tinggi, hanya ada rumah-rumah dan pusat pertokoan (strip mall) yang berjejer di kedua sisi jalan yang lebar.

Kami berjalan-jalan di sekitar area tersebut dan akhirnya memutuskan untuk makan siang di KFC. Pengalaman pertama saya makan KFC di AS terasa mantap, terlepas dari fakta bahwa mereka tidak menyediakan saus sambal di Amerika. Dari sana, kami mengunjungi Apple Park Visitor Center, yang ternyata isinya cuma Apple Store lainnya. Kami kembali ke hotel setelah mampir sebentar ke Hankook Supermarket. Ya, Santa Clara tampaknya memiliki populasi orang Korea yang cukup besar! Kemudian, setelah istirahat sejenak, kami menuju ke Levi's Stadium untuk pertandingan Piala Dunia 2026 pertama dan satu-satunya bagi kami: Yordania vs. Austria!

Endrico, Susana Any dan Taty bersiap-siap sebelum pertandingan.

Stadionnya megah. Megah sekali. Dan orang-orang Yordania tampak mengibarkan bendera dan menari-nari sambil menunggu gerbang dibuka. Saat matahari mulai terbenam, saya duduk di kursi saya dan menyaksikan layar besar. Penonton menjadi heboh dan menari dengan liar setiap kali mereka sadar wajahnya masuk kamera. Kesannya sangat lucu, tetapi juga membuat saya sadar bahwa saya sedang berada di tengah-tengah perayaan kelas dunia.

Kemudian pertandingan dimulai. Duduk di antara para pendukung Yordania, saya mendapati diri saya ikut bersorak untuk tim mereka juga—mungkin karena mereka sesama orang Asia dan saya ingin melihat mereka mengalahkan tim Eropa, haha. Sudut pandang dari tempat duduk saya sangat bagus. Untuk pertama kalinya setelah sekian lama, saya benar-benar bisa melihat pertandingan dengan jelas tanpa harus bergantung pada layar besar. Pertandingannya seru; Yordania memberikan perlawanan sengit dan mereka menyerang dengan gencar. Suasananya begitu mendebarkan—bahkan sampai terjadi dua kali peninjauan VAR dan satu gol dianulir. Namun pada akhirnya, Austria tetap menjadi tim yang lebih baik. Ketika peluit akhir dibunyikan, kami semua berjalan keluar dari stadion tempat terwujudnya impian kami. Ya, kami akhirnya berhasil. Menonton langsung pertandingan Piala Dunia di AS!

Satu foto bersama sebelum pertandingan dimulai!

Pertandingan itu menutup kunjungan kami di area San Francisco. Keesokan paginya, kami menuju ke Bandara Internasional San Jose Mineta. Saya menikmati menu El Clasico yang lezat (roti panggang, daging asap, telur orak-arik, dan tater tots) di sebuah restoran bandara bernama Mi Casa Cantina. Sekitar satu jam kemudian, kami naik pesawat dengan nomor penerbangan DL2965. Petualangan lain sudah menanti! Perhentian berikutnya: Los Angeles!

The US Trip: The Longest Saturday

This is the story of the longest Saturday in my life. It felt almost like 24 hours multiplied by two, although in reality it might not have been that long. I spent the first half of Saturday exploring Seoul and returned to Incheon Airport in the afternoon, only to begin the same Saturday again at 10 AM the moment I landed in San Francisco. It was just mind-boggling.

The story started in October 2025, when Endrico and I bought our World Cup 2026 tickets. We planned for the trip to the US right after that, and since we'd be flying back from Las Vegas, I opted for Korean Air as it was reasonably priced and allowed us to fly out directly from the US without any further transit in Los Angeles.

At Incheon International Airport.

So there we were on Friday night, departing from Singapore at 10 PM and touching down in Incheon at 5:42 AM. Thus began the longest Saturday in my life! We headed to the city by taking AREX at 7:05 AM and parted ways at Seoul Station. Endrico, Surianto, and Taty continued their journey to Myeongdong. I exited the station to meet my ex-colleague whom I interviewed before for South Korea: Inside Out. After more than eight years, I finally met Sangdon!

Sangdon was a nice guy, very polite and soft-spoken. He brought me to Focal Point and we chatted as I had my morning coffee. We talked a bit about work and mostly his life and hobbies as a Korean. Let's just say that life in a first-world country could be challenging, but also rewarding! 

With Sangdon.

After that, I joined the rest in Myeongdong. The area somehow reminded me of Ximending in Taipei, but with a Korean culture vibe. We ate our brunch there at Hadongkwan. The Michelin-award-winning restaurant sells only beef soup rice, which tasted like watery porridge that didn't blend well, so I kept adding salt to the beef, haha.

From Myeongdong, we went to Dongdaemun. God knows what Surianto actually wanted to see there, but we ended up exploring the traditional Gwangjang Market. He looked cheerful when he saw a lot of ajumas selling Korean pancakes, though. 

Taty, visiting Gwangjang Market. 

Close to noon time, we headed back to the metro station where the machine dispensed our single-journey tickets slowly, then boarded the All Stop Train back to Incheon International Airport. We shared sweet fried chicken, odeng (오뎅), and tteokbokki (떡볶이) during our brunch, and off we went to the US at 4 PM Korea Time!

The flight was long, more than 10 hours long. But it was still the same Saturday when we landed in San Francisco. To be precise, it was Saturday morning at 10:22 AM. It was as if we were traveling back in time. The magic of crossing the International Date Line and many time zones! It was as if our Saturday was reset, and we started our day again!

Here we are in San Francisco!

The immigration process was interesting, not as advanced as one would expect from the US. The process was still manual. The officer was loud and direct, asking questions such as why we came here and how much cash we brought with us. After clearing immigration, we eventually met our fifth member, Susana Any, who flew directly from Singapore. Arriving an hour earlier than us, she was already waiting for us outside.

Now that all members were here, I booked an Uber. The driver was Chinese from Hebei, giving us our first impression of how diverse and multicultural San Francisco is. We headed to the Mosser Hotel in the city. On our way there, I saw the road sign saying "Candlestick Park." So that's where the Beatles performed their last concert ever!

What we ordered at Cafe New Honolulu. 

The Mosser Hotel was located in Downtown. We checked in, and since it was still early, we left our luggage at the front desk and walked to Pier 39. We passed by Chinatown, had our lunch there at Cafe New Honolulu, and encountered my first tipping experience in the US. Quite confusing, as even the 15% tip, which was the lowest, could feel like a lot of money.

As we continued walking after the Cantonese meal, the environment suddenly changed when we reached North Beach. Gone was Chinatown, and it felt like we were entering Little Italy. I remember being impressed by how unique this area is. It was hilly, with lots of ups and downs, literally. Surianto pointed out that the layout was quite amusing, as the buildings were lined up properly, creating roads that stretched straight ahead. 

Sea lions, through the lens of Surianto.

After that, we eventually reached Pier 39. Hard Rock Cafe! Since it was the World Cup 2026, of course my first US t-shirt had to reflect that! Then we walked a bit after that, even spent some time to see the sea lions, before I started feeling wobbly. Turned out that the jet lag had kicked in, and I felt sleepy.

Endrico was fast in finding the right transport for our way back, and for the first time ever, we needed to activate the Clipper card on our Google Wallet or Apple Pay. It reminded me of the transport card on Alipay! We jumped into a slow-moving Muni bus #8 and returned to the hotel.

Endrico, inside the Muni bus.

Now that we could enter our rooms, we were in for a surprise. No wonder the hotel was unusually cheap for one in Downtown San Francisco. The room was so tiny, with a shared toilet and bathroom outside! The ladies found it unsuitable and quickly moved to Marriott across the street, but I was so sleepy that I had to lie down for a while after showering. 

And what was supposed to be a while became a few hours. I woke up around 8 PM local time, when Taty, Endrico, and Surianto were already having dinner at Super Duper Burgers. I went to meet them, but didn't feel like having a burger, so we walked back to Marriott, and I eventually had linguine at Delarosa while the rest had a bite of margherita.

Inside the cable car.

The last attraction for the night was the cable car. It was a charming, classic ride that brought us to Buena Vista in Fisherman's Wharf. San Francisco at night was beautiful! I had my first Irish coffee there, prepared by Joseph Shaw, the bartender that was locally famous and just celebrated his 50th year there. It was good stuff. A little alcohol and songs such as "It Never Rains in Southern California" were a match made in heaven!

We wanted to try the driverless ride, but were put off by Waymo's late-night pricing, so we called an Uber instead. Our driver for the night was Zahra, a young woman from Turkey who came here to chase her American dream. A passionate young fashion designer, she shared with us her story in the US. Not as glamorous as one would think, but there she was. Hopefully, she'd make it someday.

San Francisco at night.

As we alighted in front of our hotel and watched Taty walk back to Marriott, I drifted away. It took us four years of waiting for the World Cup and one long Saturday to make it happen. Still couldn't believe that we made it to the US. It had been a long journey, even longer for a boy from Pontianak in me, but there we were, standing as Taty entered Marriott. Oh yes, we had really made it thus far...

Liburan Ke AS: Hari Sabtu Terpanjang 

Ini adalah kisah tentang hari Sabtu terpanjang dalam hidup saya. Rasanya seperti 24 jam dikali dua, meskipun kenyataannya mungkin tidak sepanjang itu. Saya menghabiskan paruh pertama hari Sabtu menjelajahi Seoul dan kembali ke Bandara Incheon di sore hari, hanya untuk memulai hari Sabtu yang sama lagi pada jam 10 pagi saat mendarat di San Francisco. Benar-benar mencengangkan.

Cerita ini dimulai pada bulan Oktober 2025, ketika Endrico dan saya membeli tiket Piala Dunia 2026. Kami merencanakan perjalanan ke AS tepat setelah itu, dan karena kami akan terbang pulang dari Las Vegas, saya memilih Korean Air karena harganya yang cukup terjangkau dan memungkinkan kami terbang langsung dari AS tanpa perlu transit lagi di Los Angeles.

Di Bandara Internasional Incheon.

Kami berkumpul pada Jumat malam, berangkat dari Singapura jam 10 malam dan mendarat di Incheon jam 5:42 pagi. Maka mulailah hari Sabtu terpanjang dalam hidup saya! Kami menuju ke pusat kota dengan naik AREX jam 7:05 pagi dan berpisah di Stasiun Seoul. Endrico, Surianto, dan Taty melanjutkan perjalanan mereka ke Myeongdong. Saya keluar dari stasiun untuk bertemu mantan rekan kerja saya yang pernah saya wawancarai sebelumnya untuk South Korea: Inside Out. Setelah lebih dari delapan tahun, akhirnya saya bertemu Sangdon!

Sangdon adalah tuan rumah yang ramah, sangat sopan dan berbicara dengan lembut. Dia membawa saya ke Focal Point dan kami mengobrol sambil saya menikmati kopi pagi. Kami berbicara sedikit tentang pekerjaan dan sebagian besar tentang kehidupan serta hobinya sebagai orang Korea. Anggap saja hidup di negara maju bisa sangat menantang, tetapi juga sepadan!

Bersama Sangdon.

Setelah itu, saya menyusul yang lain di Myeongdong. Area tersebut entah bagaimana mengingatkan saya pada Ximending di Taipei, tetapi dengan nuansa budaya Korea. Kami makan siang menjelang sore (brunch) di Hadongkwan. Restoran pemenang penghargaan Michelin tersebut hanya menjual nasi sup daging sapi, yang rasanya seperti bubur encer yang tidak menyatu dengan baik, jadi saya terus menambahkan garam ke daging sapinya, haha.

Dari Myeongdong, kami pergi ke Dongdaemun. Entah apa yang sebenarnya ingin dilihat Surianto di sana, tetapi kami akhirnya menjelajahi Pasar Tradisional Gwangjang. Namun, dia tampak ceria saat melihat banyak ajuma yang menjual pancake Korea.

Taty di Pasar Tradisional Gwangjang. 

Mendekati waktu tengah hari, kami kembali ke stasiun metro di mana mesin mengeluarkan tiket perjalanan tunggal kami dengan sangat perlahan, lalu naik All Stop Train kembali ke Bandara Internasional Incheon. Kami berbagi ayam goreng manis, odeng (오뎅), dan tteokbokki (떡볶i) saat makan siang, dan berangkatlah kami ke AS jam 4 sore waktu Korea!

Penerbangannya lama, lebih dari 10 jam. Namun kami mendarat di San Francisco di Sabtu yang sama, tepatnya Sabtu pagi jam 10:22. Rasanya seperti melakukan perjalanan menembus waktu. Keajaiban melewati Garis Waktu Internasional dan banyak zona waktu! Seolah-olah hari Sabtu kami disetel ulang, dan kami memulai hari kami kembali!

Tiba di San Francisco!

Proses imigrasinya menarik, tidak secanggih yang dibayangkan dari sebuah negara seperti AS. Prosesnya masih manual. Petugasnya bersuara lantang dan blak-blakan, mengajukan pertanyaan seperti mengapa kami datang ke sini dan berapa banyak uang tunai yang kami bawa. Setelah melewati imigrasi, kami akhirnya bertemu dengan anggota kelima kami, Susana Any, yang terbang langsung dari Singapura. Tiba satu jam lebih awal dari kami, dia sudah menunggu kami di luar.

Karena semua anggota sudah berkumpul, saya memesan Uber. Sopirnya adalah orang Cina dari Hebei, memberikan kesan pertama kepada kami tentang betapa beragam dan multikulturalnya San Francisco. Kami menuju ke Mosser Hotel di pusat kota. Dalam perjalanan ke sana, saya melihat papan penunjuk jalan bertuliskan "Candlestick Park." Jadi di sanalah The Beatles menggelar konser terakhir mereka!

Apa yang kita pesan di Cafe New Honolulu. 

Mosser Hotel terletak di Downtown (pusat kota). Kami melakukan check-in, dan karena hari masih awal, kami menitipkan bagasi di resepsionis dan berjalan kaki ke Pier 39. Kami melewati Chinatown, makan siang di Cafe New Honolulu, dan saya mengalami pengalaman memberi tip pertama saya di AS. Cukup membingungkan, karena tip 15% sekalipun, yang merupakan pilihan paling rendah, bisa terasa seperti uang yang banyak.

Saat kami melanjutkan perjalanan seusai menyantap makanan Kanton. Lingkungan sekitar tiba-tiba berubah ketika kami mencapai North Beach. Chinatown telah hilang, dan rasanya seperti kami sedang memasuki Little Italy. Saya kagum dengan betapa uniknya kawasan ini. Daerahnya berbukit-bukit, dengan banyak jalanan yang naik dan turun secara. Surianto bergumam bahwa tata kotanya cukup unik karena bangunan-bangunannya berbaris dengan rapi, menciptakan jalan-jalan yang membentang lurus ke depan.

Singa laut, dilihat dari kamera Surianto.

Setelah itu, kami akhirnya sampai di Pier 39. Hard Rock Cafe! Karena saat itu adalah momen Piala Dunia 2026, tentu saja kaus AS pertama saya harus mencerminkan hal itu! Kemudian kami menjelajahi Pier 39, bahkan meluangkan waktu untuk melihat singa laut, sebelum saya mulai merasa limbung. Ternyata efek jet lag mulai terasa, dan saya merasa sangat mengantuk.

Endrico dengan cepat menemukan transportasi yang tepat untuk jalan pulang kami, dan untuk pertama kalinya, kami perlu mengaktifkan kartu Clipper di Google Wallet atau Apple Pay kami. Itu mengingatkan saya pada kartu transportasi di Alipay! Kami melompat ke bus Muni #8 yang berjalan lambat dan kembali ke hotel.

Endrico di dalam bis Muni.

Sekarang, setelah kami bisa masuk ke kamar, kami mendapat kejutan. Pantas saja hotel ini tidak lazim murahnya untuk lokasi hotel di Downtown San Francisco. Kamarnya sangat kecil, dengan toilet dan kamar mandi bersama di luar! Para wanita merasa kamar itu tidak cocok dan dengan cepat pindah ke Marriott di seberang jalan, tetapi saya sudah sangat mengantuk sehingga saya harus berbaring sebentar setelah mandi.

Dan apa yang seharusnya hanya sebentar menjadi beberapa jam. Saya terbangun sekitar jam 8 malam waktu setempat, ketika Taty, Endrico, dan Surianto sudah makan malam di Super Duper Burgers. Saya pergi menemui mereka, tetapi sedang tidak ingin makan burger, jadi kami berjalan kembali ke Marriott, dan saya akhirnya makan linguine di Delarosa sementara yang lain mencicipi pizza margherita.

Di dalam kereta kabel. 

Wahana wisata terakhir malam itu adalah cable car. Itu adalah perjalanan klasik yang menawan, yang membawa kami ke Buena Vista di Fisherman's Wharf. San Francisco di malam hari sangat indah! Saya menikmati Irish coffee pertama saya di sana, yang diracik oleh Joseph Shaw, bartender yang terkenal di daerah setempat dan baru saja merayakan tahun ke-50 bekerja di sana. Rasanya mantap. Sedikit alkohol dan lagu-lagu seperti "It Never Rains in Southern California" adalah perpaduan yang sangat serasi!

Saat pulang, kami ingin mencoba taksi tanpa pengemudi, tetapi urung karena harga larut malam Waymo yang mahal, jadi kami memesan Uber sebagai gantinya. Sopir kami malam itu adalah Zahra, seorang wanita muda dari Turki yang datang ke sini untuk mengejar impian Amerika-nya. Sebagai seorang desainer fesyen muda yang penuh semangat, dia membagikan kisahnya kepada kami selama di AS. Tidak seglamor yang dikira orang, tetapi di San Francisco dia berjuang. Semoga suatu hari nanti dia berhasil.

Malam di San Francisco.

Saat kami turun di depan hotel kami dan melihat Taty berjalan kembali ke Marriott, pikiran saya melayang. Butuh waktu empat tahun menunggu Piala Dunia dan satu hari Sabtu yang panjang untuk mewujudkannya. Masih ada rasa tidak percaya bahwa kami berhasil sampai ke AS. Ini adalah perjalanan yang panjang, bahkan lebih panjang lagi bagi seorang anak dari Pontianak di dalam diri saya, tetapi di sinilah kami berpijak saat Taty memasuki Marriott. Oh ya, kami benar-benar telah melangkah sejauh ini...