ABOUT ME

I was a journalist and a news editor with >10 years experience (yes, i am that old!), then moved to PR and Communications industry. Currently i worked as senior media consultant for Indonesian Medical Association.

I am books nerd and food lover. My passion is traveling and writing. I am a traveler and a journalist in heart :)

I travel a lot but most of the time is always coming back to the same cities or country to dig more about that place. Prior join CS, I prefer to stay in hostel than hotel, because I like making new friends.

After joining CS, I combine my trip by stay in hotel or hostel and stay with host. Stay with CS host makes me feels more alive because I am not only meet new person/people, making friends with them, but also learn new perspective of life and everything. You never know what and where life can brings you!

Share me your travel, host, or CS experience and when you add me in facebook.com/eswanti or follow me in instagram: nonamungil or twitter: nonamungil.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to meet new people and listening their travel experience and why they do traveling. Every person has different life experience and it strengthen my personal reason to enjoy life more and do more to others.

We host guest every month, and most of them stay from 2 days and end up to stay up to a month (our record is host a person who stay in our house for 2 months) and back again in the other year:) all of them coming as a friend (more often a strangers) but leave our house as bestfriend and even part of our family!

For last few months, I do not host often because I spend most of my time travel outside the city or country for work. But when I'm in home country and not too busy, I open my door to host any traveler.

So, don't hesitate to write me if you need places to stay or even just meet up only. :)

Update: our guest room is under renovation, so we only can provide sofabed with comfortable additional matrass in living room.

Interests

Traveling, adventure, reading, writing

• arts
• writing
• organic food
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• hiking
• sports
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: The Corrs and The Piano Guys to boost my mood day.
I can read The Bliss of Happiness by Eric Weiner for many time without boring.
My new favourite is watching Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel (only when I have 'Me Time')

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I can't write one. I have too much amazing thing I've seen and done!

Teach, Learn, Share

I learn lot of new things by meet new people everyday.
I can teach you how to cook some local cuisine, or share my knowledge and experience as journalist.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Authentic cultural, local life and cuisines in Surabaya - my hometown

My home located strategically in between residence area and campus area (Institute Technology Surabaya). Its nearby Mangrove forest, Suramadu Bridge, and Kenjeran local theme park. Its also surrounded with local food court with super affordable price (since this is college student area)

- 30-45 min to Juanda airport.
- 15-25 min to downtown / central of the city
- 10 - 15 min to nearest shopping mall (galaxy mal - which is 2nd biggest shopping mal in east java)
15 min to enter highway / toll to Malang and other cities in East Java
- Traditional market open from 4 am to 6 pm
- Convenient store (lot of them) only 3 min walk
- Food stall, restaurants 3 min walk open from morning to midnight

About house in Jakarta:

Our house located strategically in central jakarta near main tourist attraction: great mosque istiqlal, jakarta cathedral, national monument, passer baru night market (the first and oldest market in jakarta), Gambir train and bus station, and many museums.

Our place also surrounded with lot of delicious food places with affordable price (most of them even cheaper than in other area in Jakarta), easy to walk around and get public transports.

From Soekarno Hatta airport (international and domestic flight) or Halim perdanakusumah airport (domestic flight) take airport DAMRI bus go to Gambir station (around 30-60 min depend with the traffic). Then walk 15-20 min to my house or send me message before you arrive and I can arrange to pick you up from airport or gambir station.

Things to see walking by from my home area:
- national monument: 10 min walk
- Museums near national monument area: 10-15 min walk
- Great mosque istiqlal and cathedral: 10-15 min walk
- Headquarter of post office: 10 min walk
- Art center: 10 min walk
- Passer baru market: 5 min walk
- Old town and museums surrounding there: 5-10 min with commuter line ( i will prepare commuter card to use)
- Ancol bay and theme park: 15 min driving (with traffic 60 km/hr)
- Thousand island marina (with fast boat): 15 min driving
- Thousand island port (with regular boat): 20-30 min driving but accessible with public transport around 45 min. Its not far actually, its just because traffic in jakarta is really bad.

Around house:
- Traditional market open from 4 am to 5 pm
- Passer baru market open from 10 am to 5 pm with foodstall, shoes store, clothes, garment store. then night market open from 6 am to max 9 pm (misc things except foods)
- Convenient store (lot of them) only 5 min walk open 24 hour
- Food stall, restaurants 5 min walk open from morning to midnight
- Commuter line station (sawah besar station) 8-10 min walk
- Free hop and hop tourist bus around jakarta, walk about 10 min near passer baru
- Old dutch and chinese building from colonial era

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Indonesia, Malaysia, Poland