Old faces/New city
Sebulan yang lalu saya pergi ke Newcastle. Ya, memang sudah cukup lama dan baru niat dan sempat untuk menceritakan pengalamannya sekarang. Kata orang, cerita harus dituangkan segera setelah kita mengalaminya, saat ingatan masih segar. Mungkin jalan-jalan ke Newcastle ini sangat berkesan sehingga ingatan saya masih lumayan lah untuk menceritakannya.
Jadi beginilah ceritanya.
Saya sempat berencana untuk mengunjungi beberapa kota di UK selama liburan Paskah. Kota-kota tersebut antara lain: Bath, Oxford, Brighton, dan di manapun Stonehenge berada. Intinya tempat-tempat yang ada unsur wisatanya. Namun akhirnya, dengan keputusan yang mendadak, saya pergi ke Newcastle yang minim obyek turis. Mengapa? Ingin mengunjungi teman-teman. Dua orang teman, tepatnya.
Bersama Weellsen yang lagi menginap di kost-an saya, kami membeli tiket bus London-Newcastle sehari sebelum berangkat. Harga tiket bus jauh lebih murah dibandingkan kereta, meski perjalanan jadi lebih lama. Perjalanan bisa ditempuh selama 2 – 3 jam dengan kereta, namun bus membutuhkan waktu 6 jam. Kami memutuskan bahwa lebih bijaksana untuk membuang waktu daripada membuang uang.
Sebenarnya tidak membuang waktu banget, sih. Perjalanannya cukup seru karena saya bisa memandangi banyak turbin angin raksasa yang keren banget, padang luas dipenuhi bunga rapeseed, dan sempat melihat secuil dari kota Sheffield, Leeds dan Durham. Enam jam tidak terasa terlalu lama.
Turbin bersaudara
Sesampainya di Newcastle, saya telepon teman saya, Ais, untuk mengabari bahwa saya dan Weellsen telah tiba dengan bijaksana di kotanya. Ais bilang bahwa ia sedang berada di rumah temannya dan akan menjemput kami dalam 15 menit.
Di sekitar stasiun bus yang sangat kecil itu, tidak banyak yang bisa dilakukan selama menunggu. Hanya ada bowling alley dan gedung besar yang disebut ‘Centre For Life’ yang berisi banyak restoran. Apakah gedung itu dinamai atas dasar ‘food = life’, saya kurang tahu.
Ais tiba setelah 15 menit. Ia berjalan kaki dari rumah temannya. Menurutnya, di Newcastle apapun bisa ditempuh dengan berjalan kaki. Klaim tersebut saya nilai selama empat hari berada di kota ini.
Life yandri.
Karena saya dan Weellsen belum makan, Ais menyarankan beberapa pilihan restoran yang ia suka. Dari antara pilihan itu, saya pilih yang paling murah. Kan katanya Newcastle murah banget, jadi saya penasaran. Berjalan sekitar lima menit dari Centre For Life, kami sampai di toko roti Chinese kecil bercat pink bernama Jasmine. Selain roti, katanya mereka juga jago bikin noodle soup. Saya pesan beef noodle soup dan memang benar, nampol banget. Dagingnya tebal namun halus. Kuahnya sangat gurih berkat kaldu daging yang kuat. Mienya juga kenyal dan, yang paling penting, banyak. Plus, chilli oil yang mereka sediakan juga mantap: pedas dan tidak terlalu berminyak, malah rasanya agak mirip sambel terasi. Meski tidak semurah yang saya bayangkan, semangkuk dibanderol seharga £5, namun oke lah dapat value for money.
Pinky and beefy
Enak, soub
Di London, apa lagi di Central London, makanan seharga £5 sangat langka. Dan gak akan bikin kenyang. Saya pernah makan ramen di Soho dan demi bisa membayar £5 doang saya pilih pendamping ramen yang paling murah: remah-remah tempura. Saya usahakan kenyang karena kenyang is a state of mind.
Namun harga makanan di Newcastle sama dengan harga-harga di daerah saya di London, Harrow, yang terletak di Zone 4. Selain beef noodle soup di Jasmine, saya sempat makan bebek, babi panggang, kangkung dan cumi pakai nasi di restoran yang saya lupa namanya di Chinatown dengan total harga £10 per orang, mirip dengan restoran Chinese, Jade Garden, dekat kampus saya. Harga makanan di supermarket pun tidak terlalu berbeda. Saya sempat beli nasi biryani dengan chicken tikka dari Tesco seharga £3-an, sama dengan harga di Tesco-nya London.
Babi dan Bebek
Jika harga bukanlah suatu perbedaan yang besar antara kedua kota, ukuran kota-nya lah yang sangat terlihat berbeda. Satu hal yang kerap saya ulang-ulang saat menjelaskan pengalaman saya di Newcastle adalah betapa segala sesuatu bisa dijangkau dengan berjalan kaki. Klaim Ais benar. Di London, kalau saya ingin pergi belanja makanan segar di Borough Market saya harus naik tube ke London Bridge. Kemudian jika ingin mengunjungi toko-toko plat harus naik tube lagi, selama 20 menit, ke Camden Town. Dari situ, kalau ingin ke Chinatown harus naik tube lagi selama 10 menit ke Leicester Square. Rute yang aneh memang (bawa-bawa sayur mayur segar ke toko plat lalu akhirnya ke Chinatown), tapi intinya saya tidak akan mengunjungi semua tempat itu di hari yang sama. Lain halnya di Newcastle, saya bisa dan bahkan sempat melakukan itu.
Hei, kamu
Setelah sarapan di Chinatown, teman saya yang satunya, Gupita, mengajak kami ke Grainger Market. Cukup jalan selama kurang lebih lima menit, kami sampai di sebuah pasar indoor yang menurut saya mirip dengan Pasar Modern BSD. Di Grainger Market tidak hanya ada sayur, buah dan daging segar, namun ada juga toko game antik, toko plat, toko memorabilia film dan komik, toko baju-baju ala ITC, dan masih banyak lagi. Gupita menunjukkan toko favoritnya, yaitu toko buah yang memberi diskon gede-gedean untuk mahasiswa. Saya sangat menikmati Grainger Market karena variasinya dan kerapihannya. Jalan-jalan ngasal melewati blok-blok di dalam pasar itu seru karena bisa menemukan toko-toko aneh tapi asik.
ITC Newcastle
Tidak jauh dari Grainger Market ada sebuah daerah bernama High Bridge Quarters, tempat toko-toko vintage berderet. Ibarat Brick Lane Market-nya London versi Newcastle. Mekah-nya hipster. Weellsen senang sekali di sini karena bisa belanja baju-baju gaul nan modis sementara saya hanya mengecek price tag untuk mencari barang yang harganya manusiawi. Ada satu: kaos hitam polos.
Tempat-tempat lain yang kami kunjungi adalah kampusnya Ais, kampusnya Gupita, kafe QB buat minum teh dan makan kue, kafe Pitcher & Piano di pinggir kali buat ngebir, Millennium Bridge, kost-annya Ais, kost-annya Gupita, toko komik Forbidden Planet, dan Grey’s Monument. Semua tempat itu kami kunjungi dengan berjalan kaki. Benar-benar sekecil itu Newcastle. Saking kecilnya saya jadi merasa aneh. Rasanya seperti terjebak dalam sebuah kotak kecil. Seakan tidak punya ruang gerak yang luas dan kebebasan untuk berjalan kemana-mana tanpa bertemu tempat yang itu lagi dan orang yang itu lagi. Sebenarnya ironis juga saya mempermasalahkan hal ini. Di London bisa berjalan kaki ke semua tempat adalah suatu kemewahan. Kadang hidup menawarkan kesederhanaan di saat kita sudah terbiasa dengan yang ribet-ribet.
Kalau lebih niat, foto ini bisa terlihat rapih dan artistik
Di Newcastle banyak sekali orang Indonesia. Sebenarnya kota-kota UK lain juga banyak. Namun karena ukuran Newcastle kecil, orang-orang Indonesianya jadi lebih keliatan, lebih mudah berpapasan di tengah jalan. Dan lebih dekat satu sama lain. Berbeda dengan London yang sporadis.
Saat kami berada di Newcastle pun sedang diselenggarakan turnamen futsal antar pelajar Indonesia se-UK. Ais sempat jadi wasit dan Weellsen sempat berniat ikut-ikutan main di tim London. Saya nonton doang.
Acara Indonesia manapun tidak lengkap tanpa hadirnya makanan Indonesia. Di jam makan siang, banyak booth yang menjual beragam macam masakan Nusantara dibuka. Saya beli (dibeliin sama Weellsen) nasi goreng dan ayam rica-rica yang unik rasanya. Bumbu rica-ricanya tidak pedas, malah ringan dan segar seperti salsa.
Makanan enak, harga oke, jarak antar tempat yang dekat, apa lagi yah yang menarik dari Newcastle?
Oh iya, Newcastle juga adalah kota party. Inilah keunikan lain yang berkesan dari kota ini. Menurut Aryo, bekas kakak kelas saya yang kini kuliah di Newcastle, kota ini punya klub terbesar di Northeast England, bahkan hampir menyaingi klub-klub besar ternama Inggris. Saya tidak mengunjungi klub itu. Malah saya lihatnya banyak sekali klub-klub kecil dengan jendela besar yang memamerkan seluruh isi klub dan hampir semuanya punya tata lampu dan musik yang katro. Katanya setiap Jumat malam kota ini bersik karena orang-orang yang berpesta dan gila-gilaan. Alunan sirene mobil polisi berpadu dengan dentuman bass dan teriakan jiwa-jiwa yang menanggalkan kesadaran.
Kalangan anak Indonesia di sini juga gemar party. Selama tiga malam saya di sini, selalu ada alasan untuk party. Malam pertama ada party. Malam kedua nyaris ada party. Malam terakhir, ya jelaslah ada party. Hebat juga orang-orang di sini kuat dan rajin untuk berpesta.
Demikian pengalaman saya di kota baru ini. Saya dan Weellsen meninggalkan Newcastle di hari Sabtu pukul jam 10.30 pagi di kala kota masih tertidur. Sepi sekali jalanan. Hanya ada tukang-tukang bangunan yang sibuk dengan tugas mereka. Kita menuju stasiun yang kecil itu dan naik ke bus yang membawa kami kembali ke ribaan metropolitan London.
Sepuluh menit setelah cabut dari stasiun, kami melewati sebuah bukit di mana ada patung malaikat besar berdiri gagah. Angel Of The North, namanya. Ais kerap mengajak kami untuk pergi ke situ dan berfoto-foto, namun tidak jadi karena malas/hujan. Yah, setidaknya kami sudah lihat lah simbol kota yang kelihatannya ingin menyambut dan merangkul setiap pengunjung.
Sekian dan terima kazeh, Newcastle.
//
Same people/Different photo
I went to Newcastle a month ago. It has been quite a while and it is only now that I have the time and motivation to write about it. Some people say that it is best to pour out a story as soon as you experienced it, while it is still fresh in your head. I guess this trip to Newcastle left a strong impression that my decent-enough memory can still tell the story.
So here’s how it went.
I had a plan to visit some cities in the UK during Easter break. Those cities are: Bath, Oxford, Brighton and wherever Stonehenge is. The touristy places, basically. But then, I decided to go to Newcastle instead. And Newcastle has very few tourist attractions. So what drove me to go? Well, I wanted to visit some friends. Two friends, to be exact.
I bought two London-Newcastle-London bus tickets a day before the trip. One is for Weellsen, who was staying at my flat and wanted to visit Newcastle as well. Bus tickets are far cheaper than train tickets, although it meant having a longer journey. A London-Newcastle train journey would take about 2 – 3 hours, while a bus journey would take 6 hours. We decided that it is wiser to waste time rather than money.
In fact, we weren’t really wasting our time. The journey was fun because I got to see awesome, gigantic wind turbines, gaze at fields filled with rapeseed flowers and even caught a glimpse of Sheffield, Leeds and Durham. Six hours did not feel that long.
And it was all yellow
As soon as we arrived at Newcastle, I called my friend, Ais, to come and pick us up. He told us that he’s currently at his friend’s house and will meet us in 15 minutes. There weren’t a lot of things to do around the bus station. There was a bowling alley and a huge building called ‘Centre of Life’ that is filled with quite a lot of restaurants.
Ais arrived after 15 minutes. He walked form his friend’s house. He said that anything in Newcastle could be reached just by walking. Throughout my four days in this city, I was curious to see if his claim was true.
Weellsen and I hadn’t had any meal. Ais recommended several restaurants. I chose the cheapest option because he said that Newcastle is a really cheap city. So I’d like to see how cheap is it.
After a five-minute walk from the Centre of Life, we arrived at this small, pink Chinese bakery called Jasmine that apparently also serves good noodle soups. I ordered a bowl of beef noodle soup and it was amazing. The beef was thick yet tender. The noodle al dente and they put a lot of it. Plus, the chilli oil was great: spicy, not too oily, and it even taste a bit like sambel terasi. Even though it wasn’t as cheap as I expected, with a bowl costing £5, I did get value for my money.
Bridging the earth and sky
In London, especially Central London, food that costs you £5 is very rare. And it won’t fill you up. I once had a bowl of ramen at Soho and to be able to pay just £5 I ordered the cheapest topping: tempura flakes. I forced myself to feel full because being full is a state of mind.
Food prices in Newcastle are similar to prices in my area, Harrow, though, which is located in London’s Zone 4. Aside from the beef noodle soup at Jasmine, I had a chance to eat roasted duck, crispy pork, stir-fried kangkong, deep-fried squid and rice at a restaurant in Chinatown that I forgot the name. The meal costs £10 per person, which is rather similar to Jade Garden, a Chinese restaurant near my campus. Food prices in supermarket are also not different. I bought a box of rice with chicken tikka from Tesco, which costs around £3, the same as what London’s Tesco charge you.
Crispy and quite spicy
If prices aren’t that big of a difference between London and Newcastle, it is the distance between places that is actually the significant and apparent contrast of the two. One thing that I keep emphasising when telling about my experiences in Newcastle is how everything is within walking distance. Ais’ claim was right. In London, if I want to buy fresh food from Borough Market I had to take the tube to London Bridge. Then, if I want to go to my favourite record stores I need to take the tube again, for 20 minutes, to Camden Town. From there, if I want to go to Chinatown I have to take another 10-minute tube journey to Leicester Square. It is a rather weird journey (bringing fresh vegetables to record stores before finally going to Chinatown), but the point is I will not go to all those places on the same day. In Newcastle, I could and actually did that.
Walking is mandatory/Driving is a choice
After a breakfast at Chinatown, my other friend, Gupita, took us to Grainger Market. Just by walking for about five minutes, we arrived at this indoor market that I think looks like Pasar Modern BSD (Google it). Grainger Market does not only offer veggies, fruits and meats, but they also have an antique game shop, record stores, film and comic book memorabilia stores, clothing stores and a whole lot more. Gupita showed us her favourite shop, which is a fruit shop that gives huge discounts to students. I really enjoyed Grainger Market because of its variety and orderliness. Wandering aimlessly through the blocks within the market is a rewarding experience because I got to encounter interesting shops.
Did not buy anything, though
A blast. Not from my past, though.
Not far from Grainger Market there’s this place called High Bridge Quarters, where all the vintage stores are. It’s Newcastle’s answer to London’s Brick Lane Market. The Hipster’s mecca. Weellsen was really happy here cause he got to shop cool clothes while I was just busy checking the price tags to see if there’s anything affordable. I found one item: a plain black t-shirt.
Other places that we visited were Ais’ campus, Gupita’s campus, a café called QB where we had a nice tea time, a bar called Pitcher & Piano by the River Tyne where we had some fine pints, Millennium Bridge, Ais’ flat, Gupita’s flat, a comic book store called Forbidden Planet, and the Grey’s Monument. All of those places we visited by walking. Newcastle is that small. It is too small that it felt weird to me. It felt like I was trapped in a small box. As if I don’t have a lot of space and freedom to roam around without meeting the same people and places again. To be fair, it is ironic that I even complain about this. In London, to be able to walk everywhere is a luxury. Sometimes life offers you simplicity when you are too adjusted to the complicated.
Trafal… I mean, Grey’s Monument
There’s a lot of Indonesians in Newcastle. Actually, there’s a lot in other UK cities as well. But because Newcastle is small, the Indonesians are more ‘visible’ and the chance of bumping into one on the street is very high, which also made them close among each other, though, unlike London that’s more sporadic.
While we were at Newcastle there was even a futsal tournament between Indonesian students in the UK. Ais refereed several matches and Weellsen attempted to sneak in to the London team to play. And I just watched.
Ballin
Any Indonesian event would not be complete without Indonesian food. During lunchtime, a lot of booths that sell various Indonesian foods were opened. I bought (Weellsen bought it for me) fried rice with ayam rica-rica that is quite unique. The rica-rica was not spicy. Heck, it was light and fresh like salsa.
Good food, good prices, good distance between places, what else am I missing?
Oh yeah. Apparently, Newcastle is a party city. According to Aryo, an old acquaintance who is now studying in Newcastle, this city has the biggest club in Northeast England that even rivalled the famous, big-name British clubs. I did not go to that club. I only had a chance to pass through a lot of small clubs that have huge windows that showcased the entire club and most of them play crappy music and use crappy lighting. Supposedly every Friday night this city is very noisy because of all the partying. The sound of police sirens blends with pounding bass and the voices of the souls that distanced themselves form sobriety.
Duality
The Indonesian kids here also love to party. During the three nights that we were here, there was always a reason to party. There was a party on the first night. There was almost a party on the second night. And on the last night, there was a party, obviously.
And so that is my experience in this new city. Weellsen and I left Newcastle on Saturday at 10.30 am, while the city was still sleeping. The streets were quiet. There were only a couple of construction workers busy with their job. We walked to the station and got on the bus that would take us back to metropolitan London.
Ten minutes after we left the station, we passed this hill where a huge angel figure was standing proudly. Angel Of The North was its name. Ais kept on telling us to go there to take pictures with it, but ended up not doing that as we were lazy/it was raining. Well, at least we saw the symbol of your city that looks as if it wants to greet and embrace every visitor.
So yeah, thank you Newcastle.
2 Toned. 