www.travelagys.com

   THIS IS IT ... I couldn't think of any perfect time to launch my new travel blog Travelagys but today. I've been blogging for almost 2 years now, never thought at the very beginning I started my own travel page I would actually go this far. My goal was pretty simple, traveling has always been one of my passions, I want to record all my trips and share about budgets, accommodation, photos, useful travel information with the readers and it turned out in only 2 years it's unbelievable how the universe in a very magical way brought me to see lots of amazing places where I met so many interesting people left marks, lessons and colors into my life. The inspirations keep flowing as I received supportive letters and emails from incredible readers and friends that made me realize I don't want to stop here, I want to explore and create more, create a better travel page with better photography, more travel features because my readers simply deserve that, and knowing that I will always travel, this blog definitely means more than just a travel diary.
  I do hope you guys enjoy the new Travelagys. The blog represents confident, brave, smart, funny, sexy women out there who dares to step out of her comfort zones and try new things, dream big, travel the world - get lost and find herself celebrating life and love again. She respects herself and others, she is an inspiration, she knows how to have fun, being grateful and humble, strong and unbreakable. 

Saturday !

Taking stroll along Winter Park

Winter Park

Altamonte Springs

Afternoon walk in Winter Park, Orlando

    Photo by : Chanapha Makao

   Easy weekend taking stroll along Winter Park and Uptown Altamonte Springs, loving those sunny days when I get to walk around the park, dress casually, grab ice coffee , long chat and laugh with good friends, daydream, stare at the clear blue skies...having a little conversation with the universe that I always see it is pretty amazing we can always ask anything, dream, then the universe will conspire to make it happen. And yesss let me say it again, here I am counting down the days til the new Travelagys officially go online !! Can't wait to share a better travel page with you guys, something that I really look forward to do after two years blogging and visiting different places - I realized I wanted to present a beautiful page for my readers and  friends !

Central Park, New York

   On my birthday trip in New York last June, I was so happy to stay for few days at Broadway Hotel, which is only 10 minutes walking distance to Central Park - that one morning I decided to wake up early and run around the park. My mission was I wanted to have quality me-time, refresh my mind, maybe time travel or a little flash back to years ago, being grateful of what life has given to me, set some new goals, as in few more days I'd be turning 25...it's all about another year full of adventures. I got my coffee, chocolate croissant, and new songs in my Ipod, was really in a good mood - even the receptionist lady in the hotel noticed how happy I was. Oh wait, who doesn't feel happy when it comes to celebrating birthday or traveling to New York ? 

   As I stepped out the hotel, I checked my phone, scroll up and down the song lists and listened to "A Tout a L'heure" by Bibio, one song that my best friend gave me few months ago before I left to America, and we both agreed this song will be a perfect song to listen while taking stroll along Soho or Times Square. I smiled for a second, we both have worked really hard and through some ups and down the past year, who would have thought i'd make it here ? Well, she believes in me since the beginning.

    I started to run, enjoying how quiet the Central Park in the morning. Nice weather, saw bunch of New Yorkers playing some sports, ladies walking the dogs, a guy just sitting on the bench reading newspaper, little kids giggling and running around...reminded me of how naughty and active I was when I'm at their age. I was my mum's little girl ( and still is... ), already a good poser in front of camera, really active in singing and dancing classes, grew up watching MTV and fell in love with Times Square. Had this dream to be MTV VJs and work in Times Square, of course at that time I didn't know where exactly Times Square is - til my parents sent me to English classes and saw some brochures about summer school to America, then I came home and told my Mum I wanted to go to New York....Didn't know how to get there, but I knew I was on my way...

   Here I am now. It was a long and beautiful journey, through lots of failures that I realized every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better. No regrets, never look back, stay positive... Today, being in New York at a very special day means like a big reward after all the hard work. A prove that nothing is impossible, dreams do come true, but I'm not finished yet, I won't stop. What I see now around me ;  those skyscrapers, people, theaters, blue sky, colors, trees - they all motivate and inspire me to work harder, dare to climb a bigger mountain and never give up. Life is always full of surprises, they offer thousands of opportunities you never know where you're gonna end up if you really search for it. I can't wait to explore this city, write new goals, dream big then begin again....

Winter Park, Orlando

Lynx Central Station

Super girl

That happy girl, Chanapha Makao

Chanapha is all smile and dreaming about...someone in India, eh ?

    Last week Chanapha Makao and I decided to explore a bit more of Orlando. As much as we love hanging out in Disneyland, to be honest I haven't been to many places in Orlando and we both think it's time to see and experience something different outside Disney's bubble. Couldn't be more excited to start the little adventure with Chanapha, as the first time I met her several months ago - my first impression about her was she's adventurous, random, crazy and really fun to hang out with. In only 4 months working together in Disney, she's just like a little sister to me, I saw her falling in love, dance, sing, eat and then I learnt no matter how far I go, my best friends and family back in Indonesia will always be my first home at heart while currently I am thousand miles away from them, I am doing great with new friends, new family in a new home...and still missing Teh Botol Sosro and nasi padang !!!

     We left early morning from our apartment in Lake Buena Vista, grabbed coffee at Starbucks then took I-ride Trolley from Orlando Premium Outlets at Vineland Ave, to Orlando Premium Outlets at International Drive. From International Drive, we took Lynx Bus no. 8 for $2 to Downtown Orlando. You can actually catch Lynx no.8 from Vineland Avenue straight to Downtown Orlando, but we love riding with I-Ride Trolley simply because it looks like mini tram. Arrived in Lynx Central Station, we took Sunrail train for $2 / one way to Winter Park. Read the train schedule carefully because they're not always departing every 30 minutes, but another transportation option will be several Lynx Bus departs from Lynx Central Station to Winter Park.

     I definitely love the concept of Winter Park, you can feel a bit of European street atmosphere while taking stroll along the arrays of restaurants, boutiques, museums, coffee shop and bars. It wasn't so busy or crowded that day we went there, sometimes Chanapha and I stop for few seconds in front of the shops to admire the designs, take photos and continue walking again, giggling, sat for hours and having coffee at Barnie's Coffee Kitchen after big delicious lunch at Siam Garden Thai Restaurant - which highly recommended to try if you happen to be in the area. Siam Garden Thai restaurant located around 15 minutes walk from Winter Park, try their tom yam, papaya salad, pad thai, fried calamari and ooohhhh iced thai tea !!! Cheap, delicious, excellent service, can't wait to return there and order lots of food. We're going to explore some more places tomorrow, stay tuned on Travelagys for more photos from Orlando

Barnie's Coffee Kitchen, Orlando

One fine day exploring Winter Park, Orlando with my Thai beauty Chanapha Makao. It's been 4 months now living in Orlando, as coffee drinkers we have to admit being thousand miles away from home, we really miss real good Vietnamese and Indonesian coffee... and ahh of course, can't never get enough of Asian food !!! Was so happy to find Barnie's Coffee Kitchen while walking around Winter Park, it's all about the homey atmosphere, wide selections of coffee, perfect companion, a little garden, small bookstore and the smell of Sumatra coffee made me feel like I'm home when I stepped into the coffee kitchen.

Little gem like this place is my favorite spot to spend hours just drowning myself in ideas and dreams, writing what I want to do next, drawing, sitting at my laptop reading good articles or stalking on some great blogs, people-watching, editing photos from my previous trips, and definitely working on my new website which hopefully will be launched in few more days. To be honest, I've never felt so good and this confident being a 25 year old girl. I have learnt a lot, been through ups and downs, experienced different things and traveled to many places, I feel so grateful to live such an extraordinary and colorful life surrounded by bunch of incredible people, with my current job with Disney and got bunch of interesting projects - I couldn't be more optimist and excited for the better things to come in the future.