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- Sheila's Fast and Easy Guide to Central and East Java, Indonesia
- What To Do Around Padangbai/Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia
- Padangbai/Padang Bai, Bali - Gateway to Lombok
- Mount Batur, Bali Hiking Information
- Lunch, Kintamani and Mount Batur, Bali, Indonesia
- Gitgit Waterfalls and Batur Temple, Bali
- Lovina in Bali, Indonesia
- Tanah Lot Balinese Temple
- Visiting Three Different Balinese Temples, Indonesia
- What To Do Around Ubud and Bali, Indonesia
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Java is easy to get to from anywhere in the Far East with most airlines flying into Jakarta. Start off by surfing over to the following sites:
- West Java, Java Tourist Guide, and Indonesia Tourism
- Use BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter and search Kayak for schedules. The small Indonesian airlines are in a constant state of flux (and bankruptcy) and I've found we're better off using Indonesia tour operators to purchase and arrange flights. They are there and can easily stay on top of schedule and airlines changes. (BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter highlights the industry's best deals from travel suppliers that you trust! )
Continue reading "Sheila's Fast and Easy Guide to Central and East Java, Indonesia" »
While walking from one end of town to the other, take time to choose one of the many places to stay and eat; they're all very close together. The majority of tourists only come through Padangbai/Padang Bai to take a ferry to/from Lombok and then make their way onward to the Gilli's. I think that's a mistake. With its beautiful setting, small, un-spoilt village feel, Padangbai must qualify as one of the most attractive port towns in the world. It has excellent accommodation & food options and is well worth spending a few days here. Longer, if you use it as a base to visit sights in East Bali. Also, check out Hotel Prima Group for accommodations all over Bali.
East Bali is in the Karangasem Recency and the other big resort areas (I'm using "big" loosely here since all the resort areas are small) to park yourself (or not) are Candidasa, Amed, Tulamben and Amiapura (the capital of Karangasem) with two royal palaces.
Continue reading "What To Do Around Padangbai/Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia" »
Leaving Kintamini behind, it was back in the bus once more for us and Jasleen. Everyone else was heading for the one week extension on Lombok, including an overnight climb on Rinjani. A stop at Klungkung with a chance to visit the palace and museum. The Klungkung Palace was built in 1710 and is actually a reconstruction as the Dutch destroyed the original palace and grounds in 1908. I don't think any of us visited but there were a few antique stores (couldn't hold a candle to the ones in Yogyakarta and Ubud) and a small market selling Balinese temple paraphernalia. Temple umbrellas to shield the gods...View image, temple houses (called "spirit houses" in Thailand), lengths of cloth...View image, offering bowls, traditional headwear...View image, and more. Several women were sitting outside the market making temple offerings with paper, fruit and material...View image. There was also an unusual Hindu statue in the center of the roundabout...View image and perseverant sellers who never give up until the bus pulls away.
Another hour to the small fishing village of Padangbai/Padang Bai nestled in a cove and an important port for the ferries to Lombok. These ferries sail back and forth, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and vary in quality...View image. Most of the large air conditioned buses that we see coming off the ferries are on their way back to Denpasar.
Continue reading "Padangbai/Padang Bai, Bali - Gateway to Lombok" »
There are several different volcano climbing options in this area. The sunrise trekking tour to Mount Batur costs $65. Your $65 package includes transportation to and from Lakeview Hotel, the climb, guides, headlamps, breakfast and lunch at the hot springs after the climb. You begin climbing up from Jali temple at the edge of Lake Batur at 4:00 a.m. Mt. Batur is set 1,717m/5,633' above sea level and is an active, volcanic mountain. It first erupted in 1917, followed by a second eruption in 1926, which left a huge crater at the top with a few hot spots steaming. The round trip takes about 5 hours and the first eruption eons ago left a crater 14km/8 miles across. The current Mount Batur is the newer volcano within a volcano and dark lava covers parts of the area from recent eruptions.
An unusual part of the trek is breakfast on Mount Batur where they cook eggs in volcanic steam and then serve. "Eggs a la sulphur."
Continue reading "Mount Batur, Bali Hiking Information" »
A short five-minute ride from Batur Temple to a stretch of restaurants along the highway in Penelokan, all serving buffet lunches that cater to the hundreds of tourists visiting the area. Mob scenes both in front of the restaurants and inside. TIP: The lunches are usually tastier than hotel dinners for some inexplicable reason. And, if we do end up eating large plates of noodles or rice around 2:00 p.m., are usually not hungry for dinner. Our druthers is to just skip lunch because of that. However, the restaurant had a buffet we couldn't refuse, Ian said this was the best buffet in Bali and everything looked so scrumptious. There were pork sates, fried chicken, fried noodles, rice, onion rings, vegetables, soup, tea, coffee, tofu, beef strogonoff (of all things), fish, more items I forget the names of, fruit, black rice pudding, fried bananas with honey (my favorite), and yellow watermelon. It cost 75,000 Rupiah ($7.50), plus 21% tax/service to eat yourself into a food coma, a really good value.
Another big plus was the view from the restaurant terrace facing "Gunung" Mount Batur. An active volcano within a caldera over 14kms/8 miles across left eons ago. Inside the caldera were numerous other craters and small cones. An unbelievable sight...View image.
Continue reading "Lunch, Kintamani and Mount Batur, Bali, Indonesia" »
The Bali trip is almost over and today, a later departure was scheduled for the ride to Kintamani where Mount Batur is located. Two stops first. It was less than two hours to the pretty and touristy Gitgit Waterfalls. Parked the bus, crossed the road over to the signposted path and began walking down flights of good stairs with railings to the first drop of the falls. Even with railings, moss makes it a little slippery so watch your footing. The endless steps down are lined with small souvenir stands (one-third of Bali's income comes from Tourism) selling different spices among all the other "stuff." The women sellers were more than happy to explain each spice to you, even if you didn't buy. Nutmeg (the red nutmeg was actually mace), cloves, vanilla, etc. Lots of "retail therapy" as Ian refers to it. There is another waterfall called Gitgit multi-tier waterfall another 2kms/1.2 miles farther away but this one was too far to walk to with group time constraints.
Gitgit...View image... is a pretty waterfall, basically underwhelming with the exception of the surrounding forest/jungle greenery...View image, rice terraces...View image, the adorable children helping their families by shelling nutmeg, playing along the path and hamming it up, along with offerings to the gods...View image... scattered in auspicious forest locations.
Continue reading "Gitgit Waterfalls and Batur Temple, Bali" »
The drive down the mountain to Lovina on the northern coast of Bali continued with a brief leg stretching at Bedugul market before continuing on. Lovina is known for stunning black sand beaches...View image... made of the black lava which rolled down the volcanoes over the centuries. There is a string of three to four fishing villages which have turned into beach resorts and the entire stretch is known collectively as "Lovina." The very beautiful Aditya Beach Resort is located directly on a black sand beach, a 20-minute walk from town. Lovina has internet, restaurants, small shops, etc., with nothing major to do but relax.
Bali's north coast is known for great diving and snorkeling, Menjangan Island and Tulamben are the most popular sites. There are several certified diving schools but one day wouldn't give you enough time for this. Fishing is also a popular activity and you could even try spear fishing in Indonesia.
Continue reading "Lovina in Bali, Indonesia" »
"Crowded" is too kind a word for Temple Number Two, Tanah Lot. Tanah Lot was built by a famous saint called Dang Hyang Dwi Jendra. It is said that during his old age he was led by a holy light to an extremely beautiful location, a huge rock in the shape of a bird. The long story goes on and on and eventually, a rival teacher of religion demanded that he leave the area. Dang Hyant Dwi Jendra lifted the great rock with mystical strength and cast it into the sea, transforming his scarf into snakes to stand guard at his refuge. He then named the place Tengah Lot which means land in the middle of the sea.
A major shock when we pulled into one of four parking lots, made our way through hordes of people and ran the gamut of sellers before walking out to the temple itself. Past a large bat hanging upside down on a post...that alone stopped everyone in their tracks to take a photograph, food, clothes, hats...the variety of goods was endless.
Continue reading "Tanah Lot Balinese Temple" »
The usual routine of breakfast, bags on bus and the Imaginative Traveller group made their way to Lovina for two nights. Another long day but we had three Balinese Temples to visit. Temple Number One, Taman Ayun, is a short, 18km/11mildx west of Denpasar, and built in 1634 by a rajah to worship royal ancestors and bring prosperity to the area. Taman Ayun is a Royal Temple of the Mengwi Empire and just one of Bali's Hindu Temples visited by many tourists because it is usually on the same route of Tanah Lot Temple (our Temple Number Two). Wide, spacious...View imageView image, filled with towers, shrines, dedicated to separate deities. The higher the tower, the more important the deity. Taman Ayun was filled with busloads of students (from Borneo) who were extremely excited to meet westerners and be photographed with us.
Non-Balinese are not allowed inside Taman Ayun or most Bali temples, and you must be satisfied to just walk around the perimeter looking in the ponds, at gorgeous merus, the multi-leveled towers so that the Gods can descend to earth. There are shrines and memorials at the important temples that go back many generations.
Continue reading "Visiting Three Different Balinese Temples, Indonesia" »
If you can only spend a few days in Bali, I'd make it Ubud rather than Seminyak for the variety of tours, shops, restaurants, performances, scenic beauty and massages. There was a massage parlor every two to three feet offering traditional and therapy massages, reflexology, herbal baths, body scrubs, milk...sea salt...honey. The most unusual one is called Mandi Lular (Herbal Bath) that includes a traditional one hour massage followed by a body scrub with lular (turmeric sandal wood and rice powder) to remove dead skin and then a yoghurt splash to eliminate toxins. Costs range around 120,000 Rupiah, $12.50 for 1:45 minutes. Such a deal! I would have loved to try this but when a person is as hot and sweaty as I was, the thought of taking clothes off to be massaged was unappealing.
Walked by Bumi Bali, a Balinese cooking school where a lesson was in progress. You must reserve 24 hours in advance and it costs 250,000/person. Looked and smelled great.
Continue reading "What To Do Around Ubud and Bali, Indonesia" »
ex-Marine and I were actually walking a big square. Straight from the Puri Dalem Cottages to Monkey Forest Road and make a right. Continue past the Monkey Forest Sanctuary and football field, until reaching a corner occupied by the Royal Palace on one corner, Central Market on the other and small Tourist Office on the diagonal. Make another right on Jl Raya Ubud and walk for blocks (a much quieter street) until you reach Jl Hanoman. Make one last right turn on Jl Hanoman (runs exactly parallel to Jl Monkey Forest) and there is Puri Dalem Cottages on your right. Very easy to find but a much longer walk than you'd think from reading this. By the time dinner was over, we were hot, sweaty and exhausted.
Ubud is famous for it's nightly traditional dance performances. Kecak Fire, Trance, Legong, and shadow puppets arranged for tourists on a regular schedule. Each takes place on different nights and at different locations. The Tourist office...View image... has a schedule of all performances. Almost everyone in the group was heading for one of the dances (the majority don't begin until 7:30 p.m.), but we were just too tired. "Maybe next time," a common refrain of mine.
Continue reading "Walk Down Monkey Forest Road and Through Ubud's Market, Bali, Indonesia" »
Ubud is the cultural center of Balinese life. A Monkey Forest, temples, rice paddies, famous arts and craft market in the center of town. and only 35 km/21 miles northeast of Bali's Denpasar International Airport. Ubud is attractive to tourists being centrally located in Bali with the closest beach only 15 minutes away. It is also around 300 m/984' above sea level and surrounded by rice fields which makes it a little cooler than then other tourist destinations in Bali
Ubud's neighbouring villages are each known for a speciality: weaving, silver, painting, wood carvings, stone carvings, furniture, bamboo crafts (all within a 5km/3.1 mile radius of the central market) and that's all we saw on the ride from Seminyak to Ubud. Shop and shop along the roadside with fabulous looking stuff to buy. I cried big crocodile tears all the way mourning the fact there wouldn't be any time to visit the individual villages. This was a big blow to a compulsive shopper like me.
Continue reading "One Fast Day in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia" »
The very nice Sarinande Beach Inn is air conditioned, has big rooms, swimming pool and friendly staff. A short five-minute walk to the beach in one direction, and the same distance in the other direction to the main street. With only one night here, ex-Marine and I set off to explore the Seminyak area.
First stop was the beach stretch around the Sarinande Beach Inn. Onto the black sand beach with tourists perfecting tans and off the beach towards the upper echelon area of Seminyak. This is where the Oberoi...View image, Legian, and many other five-star hotels are located. There were also villas for sale and myriads of small boutique hotels..View image....around here (without exception, every fancy hotel, restaurant and shop had guards), along with very pricy shops. I went into one stunning shop selling jewelry opposite some of these hotels and there was nothing for under $75. (What did I expect?)
Continue reading "Seminyak Beach, Bali, Indonesia" »
Naturally, today was beautiful and those who went at 4:00 a.m. to see the sunrise over Mount Bromo caught a lucky break. It was possible to get up at 5:00 a.m. to watch the sunrise (at a different angle) from the hotel but we didn't bother. Breakfast and on the road by 8:00 a.m., down the mountains to Kaliburu where we would stay one night before another long day's journey to Bali.
The drive took about six hours, two hours longer than Ian had originally thought with the usual pee and lunch stops. There were some new road sights. Birdcages hanging high in he trees, clothes drying along the road...View image, heaps of coconuts on motorbikes and by the side of the road...View image, huge, colorful, and almost gaudy mosques....View image... while Ian shared interesting bits of Indonesia information to keep us awake. Below are a few of his thoughts, along with some of mine....
Continue reading "Indonesia Travel Tips and Information on The Way to Kalibaru" »
Back down at the "Sand Sea" of Mount Bromo, it was now sunny and getting hotter by the minute. Jeeps arriving and departing filled with tourists, and men on horseback offering rides to the steps of Mount Bromo for $1.00. They follow you to the steps if you walk, probably hoping you'll collapse along the route from the altitude. Your choice - ride or take the 45-minute walk across the black/grey sands. We chose to walk and it's easy going across the sand...,View image... followed by a not easy-going walk uphill for 15-30 minutes until you reach the bottom of the 246 steps to the top. Tourists walked across the sand much faster than we did, but took lots of stops to photograph Mount Bromo, different from every angle...View image... and the changing light...View image, people coming and going, avoiding horses and horsemen who persist until you actually reach the steps, and doing our best to keep an eye out for horse shit. The main sight is, of course, smoking, bubbling Mount Bromo and whenever the wind changed direction you could smell that sulphur.
Once you leave the flat portion of the sand, the going becomes tougher and narrower on the uphill section of hardened lava flow. Horses behind and in front of you, with riders and without, constant stops to move out of the way and let them pass...View image.
Continue reading "Hiking Up Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia" »
Lava View Lodge isn't heated and it got pretty cold in the room but there were nice, heavy blankets. Neither of us slept well because of the altitude (Lava View Lodge looks down on Mount Bromo) and were up before the 3:30 a.m. knock on the door.
Dressed in layers (t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, pants, heavy socks, hiking boots) as warmly as possible, we met the group in the outside parking lot and loaded three persons to each jeep. THREE BROMO TIPS: Use a pair of socks for gloves if you don't want to buy and haven't packed any; it never hurts to throw a set of thermal underwear in your suitcase, lightweight and easy to pack; and always pack a flashlight/torch because it was difficult to see the small steps up to the viewpoint in the dark. The jeeps were pre-arranged by Ian (this is a national park) and we began jolting up the mountain road in the still dark morning. A 45-minute ride to the main Pananjakan sunrise viewpoint...View image... at 2,700m/8,858' with a major line-up of jeeps parked in the road and people selling warm hats, gloves, renting jackets, blankets and even cameras.
Continue reading "Sunrise (or not) on Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia" »
It's a four-hour drive from Malang to Mount Bromo including a change of buses in Probolinggo...View image. This smaller bus could negotiate the uphill twists and turns for the last 20 kms/9.3 miles. The ancient bus slowly ground its way up the narrow road, through small communities...View image, past the very fertile fields of corn, coffee, tomatoes...View image, cabbages...View image, into the mist with some sheer drop-offs, and finally above the clouds. Would you that last 20 kms/9.3 miles took over an hour? Believe it...
Mount Bromo is an active volcano and a very popular tourist destination in East Java, halfway between Yogyakarta and Bali. Tourists flock to Mount Bromo to witness spectacular sunrises at the crater rim and that is why we were visiting. Mount Bromo is the only active crater within a enormous caldera that contains seven eruptive centers. Once filled with a lake, the volcano perpetually emits clouds of sulphurous steam. The last eruption took place June 8, 2004 and two tourists were killed when molten lava reached as far as the Hindu Temple (see map below). It is said that you only have to worry about an impending volcanic eruption when the white smoke turns black. Hope the experts are right because if they're not, there would be no escape.
Continue reading "Mount (Gunung) Bromo Volcano, Java, Indonesia" »
Once we found the bird market, it was easy to orient ourselves. They were selling trays of grubs...View image, bees...View image, bird seed, gerbils, rabbits...View image, cats, gorgeous flowers...View image, one bat hanging upside down in a cage..., no snakes though, gorgeous birds, lots of tweeting and feathers (along with bird droppings) wafting through the air while....again "bird flu, bird flu" isn't a joke. There have been recent cases of "bird flu"/Avian Flu in Java.
Once out of the bird market, a walk around Alun-Alun park, looking at old dutch houses, elaborate mosques...View image...before beginning the walk back in what we thought was the right direction. By the way, did you know that McDonald's delivers...View image... in Melang? I was tempted because how cool would that have been to have McDonald's pull up at Enny's Guest House with a Big Mac? Past local restaurants with tasty looking food displayed in windows...View image...
Continue reading "Malang's Bird Market and A Little Identity Theft in Java, Indonesia" »
Breakfast at Enny's, served from 6:30-10:00 a.m., and then the morning free to do whatever we wanted since the group wouldn't leave until 1:00 p.m. for the 4-hour ride to Mount Bromo, the next destination. Ian made arrangements for those who wanted to go into Malang center by Becak, a 30-45 minute walk from Enny's. ex-Marine and I decided to walk to town instead. Could always hire a Becak on the way if we changed our mind. The big Malang sights are the bird market...View image, old dutch architecture, and there is supposed to be the excellent Holland Bakery...View image...near Enny's. Malang was called Paris van East Java under Dutch occupation and attracted colonial residents who built mansions and established coffee and tea plantations in the cool hills.
We hadn't walked more than three minutes towards Alun-Alun, the main square of downtown Malang when a blue bemo (shared taxi) pulled up with the driver asking, "Alun-Alun"? For only 5,000 Rupiah, about 50 cents, there was no reason not to. Such a deal, we jumped in and drove off with the driver stopping every now and then to hustle up more bemo fares.
Continue reading "Finding Our Way Around Malang, Java, Indonesia" »
Malang (pop: 710,000, altitude 476m/1,500') is a large rural, Dutch colonial town in East Java and if we left the hotel at 7:30 a.m., Ian anticipated arrival in Malang, close to 6:00 p.m. with a stay in a pleasant guesthouse just outside the center of Malang. A very long drive and day. The sellers were spread outside Wisma Gajah waiting, and hoping, for a few last minute sales. They were never disappointed. Someone always bought something.
There would be pee stops. We usually stopped in the huge Indonesia State run/owned Pertamina with clean, non-flushable toilets. Step up, do your business, fill the adjacent bucket with water to flush down. THREE TOILET TIPS: Number One -Roll up your pants before stepping in. The clean water tap may not turn off, floor will be covered in water, and when you pull down pants, they get wet. Number Two - The wet floors are extremely slippery. Be careful. Number Three - Always carry toilet paper, tissues and a small hand sanitizer. The Pertamina toilets were usually free with an occasional charge of 1,000 Rupiahs (10 cents).
Continue reading "An All-Day Drive from Yogyakarta to Malang, Java, Indonesia" »
Finished with touring Borobudur, it was lunchtime and the bus worked it's way down a series of dirt roads to a tourist restaurant, Opeks Resto...View image, almost in Prambanan's backyard, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Prambanan complex is located nearer to Yogyakarta than Borobudor, approximately 18 km/11miles east, and on the way, Ian spouted some Indonesia facts,
- Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to visit Indonesia
- Indonesia has 100 snake species, Rhinoceros, Tiger and Leopard (all three of these very rare)
- Indonesia has 30 active volcanos and
- Java is the most populated island in the world!
...and since everyone was hungry, Serge enlightened us with a little "Aussie food" trivia. A "chip batty" - french fries (or chips as they Aussies and Brits call them) between two slices of bread. Add that to your food vocabulary.
Continue reading "Prambanan Hindu Complex, Java, Indonesia" »
Both Borobudur Buddhist Temple and Prambanan Hindu Temple are scheduled for visits today. Originally on the Imaginative Traveller dossier for separate days, they are being combined into one which I personally find a big mistake. My thinking is it is difficult to digest two major complexes like this without "monument overload," but not my decision to make.
Breakfast and an early start to Borobudur, one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in Southeast Asia. Borobudur is a Buddhist monument that is both a shrine to Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. On the bus with Mr. Bootie, our driver, and Mr. Harris, whose job was to open and close the doors then place stools for the group to step on while alighting from the bus. Borobudur is only 40km/25miles from Yogyakarta, and was built on top of a hill in the 9th century. There are over 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...View image...with the main dome surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside the stupa. Thinking is that when Buddhism declined, Borobudur was abandoned between 928 and 1006. Mount Merapi erupted again in 1006 and covered Borobudur in ash where it lay hidden for centuries under ash and jungle growth...View image.
Continue reading "Visiting Borobudur Buddhist Monument, Java, Indonesia" »
Up early and down for the fabulous (sarcasm here) one-egg breakfast and hired a Becak over to the Tourist Information Office on Malioboro Street for detailed information. Malioboro Street (I kept referring to it as "Marlboro" - sounds like it) is a well-known shopping promenade and very popular among Indonesian as well as international tourists. The 2km/1.2 mile length runs noth and south from Tugu Station to Sultan's square. Malioboro Street is loaded to the gills with hundreds of shops...View image and street stalls selling souvenirs, batik/ikat, along with touts offering free tours of the workshops, student art touts, and all of this on both sides of the street. This will take a while to browse but at least no one gets nasty when you say "no" or keep on walking. People are just trying to make a living.
The Tourist Information had recommended a camera repair shop because my Nikon Digital/SLR is acting ka-ka, not surprising since I dropped it on the boat in Kalimantan. Very grateful I've followed my own travel advice and brought two cameras (just in case), and thankful it worked with the orangutans.
Continue reading "Markets, Sights and Shopping in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
We spent the next 15 minutes sitting in the tunnels until the rain slowed, changed to a drizzle and walked into the busy Yogyakarta bird market where it eventually stopped raining. Lots of "tweeting" going on with cages filled with pigeons that Indonesians race (not eat), exotic birds for sale (tell me what the parrot-looking one is if you know)...
...along with pythons, and other snakes including a bright red one with black bands that Gus said is poisonous. There was a very sad looking monkey...View image, different Geckos...View image, lizards, fruit bats, mongoose, boxes of bees, bugs to feed birds, kittens and puppies for pets (at least I was told they weren't for eating).
Continue reading "Yogyakarta's Bird Market, Java, Indonesia" »
Back outside where our Becak peddlers were waiting and over to Taman Sari...View image...visible from the Becaks with tourists standing on top of the ruins. Taman Sari, or Water Castle, is a ruined complex built as a pleasure garden by the first Sultan in 1765 by a Portuguese architect, of all things. There is a story that the Sultan had him executed to keep this a secret. You don't need a guide to find Taman Sari, just look for tourists standing high on ruins.
The complex was almost completely destroyed by bombs from Diponegoro's Java War, earthquakes and eruptions from Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and only a short 60 kms/37 miles from Yogyakarta.. Gus led us up Taman Sari's ruins (no admission charges) where we stood looking towards the actual swimming pools before heading down in the direction of underground tunnels that connect the water castle to the main bathing pools used by the Sultan's harem. (The first Sultan also had a tower overlooking the area so he could choose which lucky lady would join him for a little frolic.)
Continue reading "Taman Sari (Kraton Water Castle), Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
Gus spoke good English, pedaled through more small streets where the Sultan's servants once lived, and escorted us to where you pay admission at the Sultan's Palace (Kraton). Both drivers would be waiting for us in a designated spot when we finished. No worries about them finding us since they wouldn't get paid until the end of the touring. The admission charge was 28,000 Rupiahs for two plus three camera fees at 1,000 Rupiah/camera and we did ask for an English-speaking guide. Even though we had our Lonely Planet pages explaining the Kraton, very glad we took a guide. Indong related lots of interesting trivia that wouldn't be in a book. We gave her 40,000 Rupiahs as a guide fee and thought it was well worth it. This is totally your choice.
The Kraton consists of the main palace, Sultan's residential home, two Sultan's grounds, and large residential area where servants used to reside (we pedaled through that area). More than 25,000 people still live within the greater Kraton compound. You can also visit the Sultan's Carriage Museum that has two carriages imported from the Netherlands and known as Golden Carts. (We didn't, because wanted to watch the dancing at 10:30 a.m.)
Continue reading "The Sultan's Palace (Kraton), Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
There was a sign posted from Imaginative Traveller when we returned from our "non-Cobra"meal. Ian would be our guide and available in the reception area between 9:00-10:00 a.m. if we needed information. The formal group meeting would be held at 6:30 p.m. with instructions to bring obligatory proof of insurance, passports, tip kitty, extra money, etc. to the meeting.
A sparse, schlocky guesthouse breakfast with only one egg, fruit, toast (that never turned brown) and coffee/tea. There wasn't a clue that each person could have one egg until ex-Marine asked for another and was presented with a bill for 5,000 Rupiah after he ate it. One other westerner arrived during breakfast, Susie from the U.K. who will be with us for the two week Java-Bali tour, and then go on to Lombok for a one-week add-on. Susie just flew in from Bali where she met up with her brother who has been traveling around the world for several years. Isn't youth great?
Continue reading "Basic Travel and Touring Suggestions for Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
(The uncommon and adventurous week in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) with the personality-plus Orangutans can be read in prior posts on TravelsWithSheila.) Most travelers have the common belief that airplanes depart either on time or late. That is not the case in Asia. Asian carriers call your flight, load up the plane, and leave as soon as boarding is complete. They also change flight times and cancel flights without explanations. This was the case today. An early call from Fery that the IAT flight to Semarang was now leaving 45-minutes early and to hustle. Bolted down breakfast, transferred to Pangkalan Bun's tiny airport and then waited until the plane left exactly at the scheduled time...not early. There was a 13,000 Rupiah departure tax here and that too is constantly changing.
FYI: There is very little shopping in Kalimantan with the exception of Camp Leakey (t-shirts, etc.), the Pangkalan Bun jeweler, and a few counters selling souvenirs inside the Pangkalan Bun Airport. If you come across something, buy it.
Continue reading "Travel From Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) to Yogyakarta, Java" »
Today's program was a 20-minute ride upstream to Tapinbini, a semi-modern Dayak Village, see how locals live, trap animals, and hike up to a holy place. Up before 4:00 a.m., because the Dayaks were loudly saying prayers in the village courtyard (they are not Muslim) and then the roosters started in. Sorry, but I can't sleep with that kind of racket, crabby and all adventured out, we decided to head downriver back to Pangkalan Bun for some air conditioning and a bed that was not a hard floor. Five days of adventure can go a long way at our age.
Crammed back in the little speedboat by 6:30 a.m. with goodbyes to the Dinsons, it was a 3:45 minute ride back (but who's counting) with the usual stops for gas, put the top up on the boat (it actually rained a little bit), pee and concentated on river sights just to get our minds off the discomfort. Flowering trees....View image, women washing clothes in the river...View image, a little girl fishing with her father...View image, were just a few that interested me.
Continue reading "Tapinbini Dayak Village and Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)" »
The Dayak welcoming ceremony continued on. We moved from the floor to ceremonial seats in a place of honor while they draped head scarf on ex-Marine, and one across my shoulder. Two village elders sat on the floor in front of us with the ceremonial dish. He picked up ugly chicken and touched the chickens head with the piece of iron and then with his finger touched parts of our bodies. Head, arm, leg and a few other places. I was getting a little nervous what was going to happen when he picked up the chicken. Was he going to sacrifice it? Were we going to have to drink blood? Take a bite of the chicken's head? What in hell was he going to do with that chicken? Sigh of relief when chicken part of ceremony was over and none of the above took place.
He then sprinkled grains of rice in our hair and on us (my exploding hair shed rice grains for days), and tied on the string bracelets for long life. They're supposed to stay on for three days. Next, two very heavy buffalo horns with home brewed rice wine inside were handed to us to drink from. We both just pretended to drink and I'm glad I did.
Continue reading "The Dayak Hornbill Dancing Party Got Hot in Kalimantan (Borneo Indonesia)" »
Dinner time and about 7:00 p.m., preparations got underway for the our big Dayak welcoming ceremony. The bonang, a series of kettles in a rack related to gongs...View image... was set up and the Gamelan ensemble musicians...View image... began arriving to tune up, smoke and play. Some people call the bonang "gong chimes." Mrs. Dinson had a big bowl of Betel Nuts ready for the village guests, ceremonial objects...View image... were placed on the mat along with the ugliest chicken I've ever seen wrapped in a plastic bag , and the children were still glued to the television.
It seems that every single man, without exception, chain smokes in Indonesia. It's a marvel that the longhouses don't burn down but Fery said he's never heard of one burning. By coincidence, an article appeared in an Indonesian magazine while we were there that stated, "...cigarettes are sold individually from rolling carts outside school....there are no age restrictions...15 year olds are chain smokers...Indonesia is on par with India and China as the countries with the world's biggest smoking problems..."
Continue reading "Bakonsu Dayak Welcoming Ceremony, Kalimantan (Indonesia Borneo)" »
Even if you have the best bladder in the world, after jolting over the river for one hour and surrounded by water, a person has to pee...or at least, I do. Crammed into the speedboat seat with ex-Marine hogging the limited space, I asked Fery where to "go." Fortunately, there are little pee huts all along the river on individual jetties that each homeowner uses for toilet facilities, to dock their boat, bathe and swim off of, etc. Passed the word to speedboat driver. He'd scan the shoreline for a likely looking toilet hut, pull up to one, we'd get off on the jetty, pee and smoosh ourselves back in the boat.
On the way we passed villages...View image, small houses and mosques...View image. Some houses appeared to be nothing more than a shack while others had satellite discs in yards and on roofs...View image. Since I am a klutz, the steep grades from the river to houses always amazed me. Stop to think how many times a day the women scamper up and down with ease to wash clothes, use toilet facilities, etc. without falling or getting hurt.
Continue reading "Speedboating Up The Sungai Lamandau River to Bakonsu, A Dayak Village (Indonesian Borneo)" »
Lots of mosquitoes last night on the Sungai Kumai River and the crew woke us during the night while chopping away Nipa Palms as the tide rose and fell. Breakfast and the short, 1-1/2 hour ride back to Kumai. I bruise easily and am covered with amazing black and blue marks from navigating around the different boats, sleeping on a thin mat, and bumping into objects. On the plus side, neither of us fell down the klotok hatch or on the morning dew-slicked slippery decks. I'm going to miss our little boat, the jungle sounds, looking for monkeys and orangutans in the foliage and peacefulness of sitting, watching the river, no telephones, Internet or television.
Goodbyes (and tips) to the captain and boat boy, off the dock, a car met us for the drive back to Pangkalan Bun...View image... where there was actually some time to walk around the markets. The boat cook and Hary went to buy food for our one night Dayak longhouse stay while we browsed. A small jeweler in the market was selling semi-precious jewels. I found an Amethyst (not "gem quality") bracelet for 75,000 Rupiah (less than $7.00) to have as a remembrance of this trip since Amethysts are mined only a few hours away from Pangkalan Bun. FYI: There are diamond (Cempaka diamond fields), gold and agate mines in the Banjarmasin area and visitors are allowed.
Continue reading "Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) and Upriver to The Dayaks" »
Feeding time at Tanjung Harapan Orangutan Reserve...View image... is at 3:00 p.m. This reserve had the longest, and most difficult walk to the feeding platform. The dense forest was swarming with mosquitoes. The walk led over slippery branches, through mud, always keeping an eye out for those nasty fire ants and other beasties, e.g. poisonous snakes. (Man, does it hurt when fire ants bite. I accidentally put my hand on a piece of fence in Cambodia loaded with fire ants and speak from experience.)
A grand total of 12 tourists stood around the feeding platform created out of a small opening in the trees. The most extreme humidity of the trip with not a breath of air stirring, but it didn't take long before many orangutans began approaching the platform. More orangutan mothers with babies (one looked very young), orangutans coming out of the bushes...View image, sitting high in the tree branches...View image...View image, making their way to an ample supply of food.
Continue reading "The Orangutans of Tanjung Harapan, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)" »
Today was our last full day and we headed back downstream for visit number one, back to Pondok Tanggui Reserve for the 9:00 a.m. feeding. Pondok Tanggui had only the gigantic Alpha male orangutan last time and, impressive as he was, we were hoping for more orangutans today. There were five boats tied up at the jetty and ex-Marine and I made the short boardwalk walk to the feeding platform. Where, guess what...huge Alpha male orangutan was sitting in regal splendor in the middle of the platform, chomping away on bananas with gusto..View image...and slurping milk while other orangutans watched nervously from the trees...View image, and bushes hoping for a chance to snatch at least one banana...View image.
Greed, intimidation, fear, and respect is all part of the Orangutan world, especially once the big Alpha male made his reappearance. There's probably no way he would miss a free meal. Have to keep up all that bulk to fend off other competitors for the Top Male position.
Continue reading "Another Visit to Pondok Tanggui's Orangutans, Tanjung Puting Reserve in Kalimantan (Indonesia Borneo)" »
A person could spend most of the day in the little cold shower run by generator...View image. Hotter than blazes during the day, it becomes surprisingly comfortable at night. ex-Marine kept muttering that the last time he stood still and sweated like this was during his Marine Corps stint in the Philippines, circa 1958, and, not to dwell on the heat (though I am), my backpack thermometer showed 90 degrees in the shade with not a wisp of air moving! Can't imagine what it is out in the sun. The captain, boatman, cook and Fery spoil us shamelessly. There is plenty of bottled water, soft drinks, snacks, tea and coffee available at any time of the day or night. Fery even tucks an extra bottle of water under the mosquito net in case one of us gets thirsty during the night.
Last night's excitement was a bat hovering around over the toilet, swooping around the little light bulb in the ceiling. ex-Marine was the first to discover the bat and urinated over the side of the boat rather than keep the bat company (the waste goes from the toilet into the river regardless), informed me and that settled that. I'd just have to hold it until dawn.
Continue reading "Lazy Days on The Sungai River in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)" »
Dr. Birute Galdikas uses up to five Dayak trackers who have no trouble climbing into the rainforest canopy for fieldwork since tracking the orangutans on the ground isn't easy because of swamps. It is probably thanks to her groundbreaking work that there are any orangutans left at all in Borneo with rampant tree cutting. She, Jane Goodall, who studied chimpanzees, and Dian Fossey who studied and protected mountain gorillas, truly were "Leakey's Angels."
It didn't take more than a few minutes of ranger calling before the trees began rustling, treetops moving and orangutans began approaching from all directions. Even though these older orangutans have been reintroduced into the rain forest, a free handout of bananas and milk is never to be disdained. Did you know that a male orangutan's arm span can reach 7 feet (2.13 m) or more? Take a look at this orangutan's arms.
Continue reading "The Camp Leakey Orangutans, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)" »
While eating lunch, the boat continued motoring upstream for another 2-1/2 hours before heading up a side creek to Camp Leakey. A definite difference in the water color as we approached the Sungai Sekoyner. The color changed from muddy brown to dark black due to tannin in this side creek. Incredible and gorgeous reflections...View image... in the black water along with some agile maneuvering by the captain. Pieces of land, branches and islands are continually breaking off and reforming. Each time we approached a stream-block, the "second mate" would grab a pole and try to break it apart so we could slip by...View image.
Dr. Birute Galdikas first came to Tanjung Puting Reserve, Indonesian Borneo in 1971 to study orangutans in their natural habitat. Not much was known about this African great ape at the time and Dr. Louis Leakey with the National Geographic Society helped Galdikas set up this research camp to conduct field studies. Dr. Galdikas became the "third Leakey angel" and a pioneer in orangutan ("Old man of the forest") study. She began by taking in rescued orangutans and studying their behavior and habits.
Continue reading "Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting Reserve, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)" »
Tanjung Puting National Park...View image... is located on the south coast of Borneo in the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. (I'll refer to "Borneo," the third largest island in the world, as both Borneo and Kalimantan throughout these articles.) This park began as a reserve to protect Orangutans in 1936 and is now a National Park. Besides Orangutans, the main focus of our visit, there are gibbons, sun bears, crocodiles, over 200 species of birds and the rare "blowing mushroom." I haven't a clue as to what a "blowing mushroom is...educate me if you know...
Up very early, after all, it is almost impossible to sleep on a deck in bright light with forest/jungle sounds all around you, and tried to get organized. This was not easy and will take a while to get into a routine. First step is to forget about wearing contact lenses this week and attempt a "decent to scuzzy look." Anything more than that will be a losing battle. Breakfast of coffee, french toast, omelet and juice before chugging upstream to Pandok Tanggui.
Continue reading "The Orangutans of Pondok Tanggui, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)" »
A great buffet breakfast at Hotel Ciputra with whatever food a person could desire. Chicken, eggs, stirfry (developing a real taste for spicy noodles in the morning), really good banana bread and chocolate muffins. Reinvigorated and stoked up, we were transferred back to Semarang airport but the plane was delayed two hours. Didn't get to Pangkalan Bun...View image... in Kalimantan until 2:00 p.m. where we were met by Hary (local Borneo Discovery boss) and Fery, our guide. The schedule would have to be rearranged again since it was too late to make any of the Orangutan feedings this afternoon. No worries, though. We'd manage to visit all the available Orangutan Reserves during the next few days. It's less than a half hour car ride from Pangkalan Bun to Kumai where the boat was waiting.
The boat is a traditional "Klotok" river boat about 12m by 2m with a roof that forms the upper deck for viewing the rain forest while gliding down the river. There was a hatch in the center of the deck that led to a wide open space below where the staff slept and a minute kitchen area. There was a simple, sit-down toilet (waste empties into the Sungai River) at the back of the boat and a shower, powered by the generator. Fery would have Captain turn on the generator to power up camcorder, batteries and computer as well, whenever needed.
Continue reading "Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) At Last" »
A long (to put it mildly) killer journey to Indonesia. Read and weep -- On United Airlines from Chicago to Tokyo's Narita Airport took close to 12 air hours followed by four hours in the lounge until the next flight to Singapore, a little less than 7 air hours. We left on a Friday and it was now almost midnight on Saturday. Into the Singapore Airlines Lounge to collapse for the next seven hours (they give you pillows and blankets if asked) until the Sunday morning flight to Jakarta on Garuda Airlines left at 7:50 a.m. Grueling, yes? But...we're still not there!
Landing in Jakarta, Indonesia, both pieces of luggage there and, once again, a cinch to get Visas on Arrival. TRAVEL TIP: They just raised the rates from $20 to $25 US. All you need are passports, two photographs, money, get in line, they slap a visa in your passport and done. Just one more flight to Semarang... Walked over to the Domestic Terminal, Garuda e-tickets issued by Borneo Discovery worked fine, paid the domestic departure tax of 40,000 Rupiah/person and sat for another five hours until this hour flight took off.
Continue reading "The Long Journey to Indonesia" »
No one I knew had any recommendations for a tour operator in Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of the Island of Borneo. What to do but start surfing and looking at different tour operator's websites. I don't like looking for a reputable specialist on the Internet but there was no way around it. After a few days, I pared the list down and came up with three, good possibilities, all responsive to e-mails. Oranghutan Tour, Borneo Discovery Tours and Komodo Travel. They all had the exact same boilerplate itinerary and prices were about the same. Several weeks of waffling, agonizing, and e-mails. I finally decided to go with Borneo Discovery based on the length of time they said they'd been in business and because they seemed to have a strong Kalimantan presence. We shall see....
Selected the Orangutan and Dayak 6 days/5 night tour, beginning and ending in Pangkalan Bun (a small town in Central Kalimantan with limited plane transportation) which added a new set of "what to dos" on arriving, e-tickets, etc.
Continue reading "Planning Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)" »
Air? Another complicated itinerary for many reasons. The easy part was to fly United Airlines, Chicago to Singapore, and then turn in United Airlines miles to get two free open-jaw Singapore Airlines economy tickets from Singapore-Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali) back to Singapore. After that, still needed tickets from Jakarta (CGK)-Pangkalan Bun (Kalimantan) with a return from Pangkalan Bun to Yogyakarta where we'd meet the Imaginative Traveller group. You can try to purchase on-line through BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter and search Kayak for schedules, a difficult task. The small Indonesian airlines are in a constant state of flux (and bankruptcy) and I've found we're better off using Indonesia tour operators to purchase and arrange flights. They are there and can easily stay on top of schedule and airlines changes. TIP: Try to use miles accumulated on airlines for First or Business Class on long-distance flights (the only way we can afford to fly in those sections) and economy on short-hauls. It may only be 20,000 miles for a short-haul ticket.... .
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Visas? Visas are required for all visitors to Indonesia. Eleven countries are eligible for a "Visa Free" facility. Read the visa information section on Safari Tours & Travel site. As U.S. citizens, we could get a Visa On Arrival in Indonesia. You need a valid passport, onward or return tickets, and two color passport photos. There is a $25 U.S. charge for a 30-day visa. Check your nearest Indonesian Embassy for up-to-date information.
Continue reading "Planning An Kalimantan/Java/Bali, Indonesia Vacation" »
An intensive visit to Sulawesi, Indonesia left both ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and myself wanting more. Kalimantan to visit the Orangutans and Dayaks, Java and return to Bali. The two days spent on Sanur Beach in 1980 can't really be called "visiting Bali." I also wanted to delve into the Baliem Valley, in what was formerly called Irian Jaya and now just known as Papua. Bought a new Lonely Planet Indonesia book (Spend US$40 at the Lonely Planet Shop and receive free delivery and a free gift ) and began contacting tour operators.
Baliem Valley was eliminated almost immediately from my tight budget. The land costs were manageable but there is no such thing as cheap intra-Indonesia air and the airfare was exorbitant. This trip will have to wait. Researching more tour operators, I finally found a 14-day Imaginative Traveller trip, bookable through Adventure Center (see side bar) that would take care of the "East Java and Bali" portion.
Continue reading "Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Java and Bali" »
I'm forever being asked, "What's your favorite country?" To which I reply, "Where? Europe, Asia, Africa? Pick one continent and I'd still have trouble deciding on a favorite." There is so much to see and do anywhere you go, but I can narrow it down (not easy, and I left off Vietnam, another wonderful country to visit) to my 7 favorite "Asian countries, two with populations in the billions, and all with friendly, helpful people. Here we go, listing the smaller countries first....
- Cambodia. Cambodia has the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat, chaotic but interesting Phnom Penh, the beaches of Sihanoukville, don't miss the Genocide museum/prison, good food and gorgeous hotels ranging from extreme luxury to rock bottom. I could happily veg out in Siem Riep (gateway for the temples of Angkor Wat) for several days and do nothing. The country shares borders on the north with Thailand and Laos, and Vietnam on the east.
Continue reading "Sheila's 7 Favorite Asian Countries" »
The last day in Sulawesi with time to walk around and reflect. Of course, today was gorgeous and sunny. Too bad there wasn't another opportunity to hike up Mount Mahawu. Ah well... Walked into a bakery (move over Dunkin Donuts)...View image... and total strangers invited us to sit down with them for a while. Visited a nice-sized supermarket (always walk through local stores to see how the people really live) and again had trouble walking out when more people wanted to know what country we came from, shake hands, what's my name, etc..
Lunch with Jeremy and his friends at a wonderful restaurant, Raja Sate BBQ & Asian Resto, JL Pierre Tendean Boulevard No. 39, Manado. Very yummy sate, including goat sate. Delicious and wouldn't have known what it was if Jeremy didn't tell me. Got to try a shrimp in curry and coconut milk concoction called Udang Masak Woku. Also, yummy and don't miss Raja Sate when you get to Manado. The absolute best meal we had in two weeks excluding that great noodle dish and the fried sweet potato chips.
 lunch at Raja Sate
Continue reading "A Manado Rest Day and Sulawesi Hindsight" »
Instead of the sun coming out tomorrow, it came out after lunch. Too late to retry the hike up Mount Mahawu...visible in the distance...View image... Continued onwards with the Highland Tour. The Japanese occupied this area during World War II (1939-1945), and forced the locals to dig extensive caves near Lake Tondano where they stored food, water and holed up during air raids. There are five different areas in North Sulawesi with caves like this and approximately 50 Japanese soldiers with ammunition took shelter in each cave. Today, the caves are a tourist attraction but very few are open to visit because they are filled with bats.
Pulled up to one and A.J. pulled one unlocked gate back to enter. The other two were padlocked. The inside was dark and spooky and none of us wanted to explore too deeply. A.J. pointed out the air holes in the rock ceiling and places in the walls to hang kerosene lamps. (Watch the video...) Backbreaking labor for those poor Sulawesi people to tunnel into the very hard rock.
 inside a Japanese cave
Continue reading "Japanese Caves and Lake Linow/Leno, North Sulawesi" »
Into the Tomohon Local Market. This time having difficulty trying to keep upright in the mud along the outside, and avoiding slimy floors inside. There were the communal taxi cabs and buses lined up in a big parking lot and buyers and sellers making their way, umbrellas hoisted above. ...View image... A.J. brought us here because I expressed a desire to see one of the typical Minahasan foods, rat. Have absolutely no objection or moral qualms about dead rats skewered and ready for sale but alas, they were sold out.
Instead, dead dogs for sale. I'm not judging what people eat but had a hard time reconciling the fact that we, Americans, usually consider dogs to be pets and "members of the family." I don't have one myself but seeing dogs in a cage ready to be killed and barbecued, then laid out on the table for sale, gave me major heebie-jeebies.
 line-up of shared cabs waiting in Tomohon
Continue reading "Tomohon Local Market and Lake Tondano, Sulawesi" »
A long "you win some, you lose some" day scheduled with two "soft" adventures. First, to Mount Mahawu (Ma-ha-woo) for a one-hour trek to the crater's edge and then a Highland Tour. Freddy (Safari Tours & Travels) was ill today and A.J. is our new guide.
None of Sulawesi's volcanos are exactly dormant and Mahawu is no exception. Set at 4,344 feet, you can see Bunaken and Manada Tua Islands as well as the bay of Manado. The deep crater has a steaming lake and smelly sulfur pools and there are also two pyroclastic cones (volcanic rock fragments) in the northern flanks. Sounded great, right? But, it's pouring down buckets of rain today. A very heavy downpour. Nonetheless, we were game and headed through Tomohon to the base of Mount Mahawu.
Continue reading "The Mahawu Volcano Trek and Sulawesi Prefab Houses" »
The Tarsier Spectrum (Spectral) is the smallest monkey in the world. Only 10-15 centimeters long/4-6 inches...that's tiny! Tarsiers are nocturnal (that's why we have to hang around until dusk) and eat insets only. Have hair like a bear, trails like rats, big eyes like owls and can even be compared to bats. Why? They are active only at night and their little ears stand up, Endemic to North Sulawesi, we were ready and primed to see these tiny things.
Freddy hiked us over to a "Tarsier Tree" without any other tourists around. The guides usually congregate at one tree they know and there were quite a few tourists standing around, waiting. Sat around at Freddy's tree for at least 30 minutes while it got darker. Freddy and local ranger kept shining flashlights/torches into the tree crevices looking for one until Freddy decided that the Tarsier's had packed up their belongings and moved to another tree somewhere in the forest. The Government has never done a Tarsier census so who knows how many Banyan trees are inhabited by them and exactly how many Tarsiers are in Tangkoko.
 tourists waiting for Tarsiers
Continue reading "The Sulawesi Tarsier Makes an Appearance -- It's About Time!" »
There is much to be said for making independent travel arrangements. Whenever something of interest struck us, either Jo-Jo or Freddy would instantly say..."do you want me to stop"...we'd leap out of the car and investigate. Certainly can't do that on a tour and without a guide, who knows what's happening. Invest the extra money and get a guide in a remote destination. Worth every Rupiah.
Bumped into the reserve in the afternoon with Tangkoko volcano looming above. Entered the park, registered and was assigned an "official" local guide to accompany us along with Freddy. Local guide in vehicle with us, drove further into the park past a few home stays. Jeremy had suggested not staying overnight because he considers the home stays to be beyond basic and didn't recommend it. Your choice.
 Banyan tree
Continue reading "The Great Tangkoko Tarsier Spectrum Hunt, Sulawesi" »
Time to meet with Jeremy, across the street at Safari Tours & Travels my "go-to" tour operator who did such a fantastic job coordinating Sulawesi for us. ... View image...
Decisions, decisions. Should we white water raft or visit the Tangkoko Nature Reserve to see the Black Crested Macaque and Tarsier Spectrum (the world's smallest primate). A chance to see a Tarsier won out even though both of us chickens were a little nervous about jungle trekking. ex-Marine's mantra is...snakes, damn it...snakes! We needed to take a good flashlight/torch, cameras, wear long pants, shirts and slather up with insect repellent. There are lots of "no see ums" in the forest, gooknownee, part of the mosquito family but not malarial. Met new guide Freddy, settled logistics and went off to do a few things since we didn't have to leave for Tangkoko until noon..
 Jeremy and Freddy, Safari Tours
Continue reading "An Excursion to Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Sulawesi" »
After breakfast, set out for the last long drive to Manado, capital city of North Sulawesi. We're looking forward to Manado, the major stopping-off point for spectacular diving and snorkelling at Bunaken Marine reserve and lots of day excursions to choose from. Already waffling back and forth on rafting or Tangkoko Nature Reserve for one day. Perhaps the Volcano hike or Highland Tour on the other free day. So little time...so much to do...
But right now, really looking forward to a respite from the long drives. We drove and drove. Lunch time came and went because every local restaurant Jo-Jo investigated along the way was either too dirty or served typical Minahasan food. To remind you, Minahasan food consists of bony dried fish, dog ((rintek wuuk in Minahasan), rat (tikkus) and fruit bat (paniki) usually prepared with large quantities of red-hot chilis. Now you know the Minahasan words for these exotic foods while traveling in Sulawesi. Eat...or not...
 heading to Manado
Continue reading "Manado, North Sulawesi" »
After breakfast... Let me tell you about breakfast. There was rice. Jo-Jo went to the market and scrambled up a few eggs. Bless the man. Coffee? Sulawesi grows and exports excellent coffee. Their method of brewing leaves just a little bit to be desired. (At least at "Hotel" Asmora Guesthouse.) They put coffee grounds in a cup, added boiling water and waited what seemed forever for the chewy grounds to settle to the bottom before drinking. Don't ever try to drink "to the last drop" because the bottom is 1/4 inch of sludge. Sure perks you up! One scrambled egg and two cups of sludge later, it was back in the vehicle. Even Jo-Jo was dragging today and said he had to finally tell all the happy election campaigners to shut up during the night. And poor Odin looked as if he'd been run over by his car. Ten hours yesterday. Aother six today. His leg must be numb.
Back in predominantly Muslim areas, there are small workshops that concentrate on making metal mosque tops. ...View image... Every now and then, we'd pass by a group along the road...
 for want of another word, mosque toppers
Continue reading "Another All Day Drive From Moutong to Gorontalo, North Sulawesi" »
This was going to be a brutal driving day. Probably over 10 hours and Jo-Jo said the worst of the trip. Oh...good grief. Meclizine down the hatch and off we went. Village after village. Rice field after rice field. Nothing new or different and finally lunch in the village of Tolai. ... View image... I would go back to Tolai only for the best fried noodles ever, $1 U.S. for a gigantic plateful, and the all time greatest home made sweet potato chips (crisps), 10 cents a bag. Had I only known that these noodles and sweet potato chips would be the best, and only time, we'd ever see them again, would have taken bags to go. Without exaggeration, must have snarfed down in seconds without taking any time to chew.
Next up. Wera Salopa in Tonusu, a 12 step waterfall. All right. I'm prepared for your comments..."Sheila, stay home, yadda yadda..." ...but, if you've seen one waterfall in your life, you'll be underwhelmed. I'm going to assume that if you are in Sulawesi, or plan to visit Sulawesi, you've seen waterfalls before. Pretty...okay? ...View image...
Continue reading "From Tentena, Sulawesi to Moutong with Wera Salopa Waterfall Along The Way" »
Finally, something a little different. Balinese Villages along the way. The Indonesian Government began an initiative to move people from densely populated areas of Indonesia (Bali was one) to less populous areas like Sulawesi. The Government stopped this program in 2000. Of course, everyone has an opinion, pro or con, as to whether the program was helpful. Jo-Jo believes it was. The Balinese people have done very well in this area of Sulawesi with its extremely fertile soil.
It was easy to pick out the Balinese Villages with distinctive and graceful architecture. Each house has a main gate for each entrance, the north and east corners are considered holy and sacred and this is where the house temple is located.
Continue reading "Balinese Villages in Central Sulawesi" »
The Pendolo market was nothing special with the exception of our slicing/dicing demo man. But a walk through the Tentana market was something else. Bats for sale. Bats roasted with a blow torch. Bats being scrubbed clean. Bats with wings, and bats without wings. Something for everybody.
These are fruit bats from the jungle. The locals catch them in nets when the bats come to the fields looking for fruit to eat. Duh.... The farmers wait until they've collected about 20 bats to a cage before bringing them to market. The cost is 25,000 Rupiah per bat (less than $3.00 U.S.) and couldn't get a definitive answer whether one bat is enough for a festive dinner..."I'm serving 8 at dinner...how many bats should I buy?"
 scrubbing the ickies off bats
Continue reading "Fascinating Markets of Sulawesi and Tentana" »
Today was a long driving day and the remaining few days in the car would turn out to be equally long or longer. (Oh...my poor butt...) The majority of road traffic consists of bicycles, motor bikes, SUV's and trucks. That's it. It's striking how courteous the Sulawesi drivers are compared to some other countries. No "fingers"...honking...cursing. They let each other pass, signal when the way is clear and no road rage. How unique is that!
At very long last, Pendolo, a small village on the south shore of Lake Poso that is a transit spot for visitors from Toraja before heading on. It's possible to visit the Megalithical Bada, Besoa and Napu Valley or ghost grinding stone or proceed to North Sulawesi (our goal). The Hotel Mulia Lake Hotel was so crowded 10 years ago you couldn't get in. Then came the terrorist attacks and intra-religious warfare in this region, and now, no tourists. One night. One dinner and breakfast before hitting the road again.
 tranquil Lake Poso
Continue reading "Pendolo on Lake Poso, Sulawesi" »
After breakfast, we left for Pendolo on the shore of Lake Poso. The drive would take us through Palopo, a small Muslim port and the capital of the Luwu regency, and perhaps have a chance to encounter Sago making and other sights along the way.
First stop was to visit a very, very old water buffalo, 28 years old, which is extremely old for a water buffalo especially after seeing all the previous sacrifices. Big "Buff" is the only one left with each horn spanning 2m/6' in Toraja Land. But this poor old guy was going to be sacrified in December for the Buffalo owner's dead father's funeral. This was July and father's corpse was still peacefully reposing in the family house. I read an interesting fact about this: If you visit a home with a dead person, you are supposed to pay your respects both on entering and leaving the house as if he/she is still your host!
 buffalo boy tending his long-horned water buffalo
Continue reading "From Toraja Land to Lake Poso: Big "Buff" and Sago in Sulawesi" »
Until we visited Sulawesi, I had no idea that some of the world's best diving takes place here. This is one of the few places that has such unusual bio-diversity within a small area. Deep vertical walls and droff offs, clear waters, and little "critters." It's simple to either base yourself in Manado and do day-trips to the reefs, or just outside Manado at one of the dive resorts that offer all-inclusive packages
If you don't dive, or perhaps only one of you is here for the diving, there are quite a few places close to Manado to relax. Perhaps, Gangga Island Resort & Spa, Tasik Ria Resort & Spa (a resort 40 minutes outside of Manado. The three main diving locations are: Bunaken Island, Lembeh Straits and Bangka Island, all close to Manado. Non-divers, there are also glass-bottom boats that give you a chance to marvel at this extraordinary coral reef.
Continue reading "Diving in Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
I promise...no more hanging graves, coffins, skulls, bones after this article but several extremely interesting stops today. The first was a visit to "The Baby Tree" and what secret is buried within. This was a baby grave tree for dead infants between the ages of newborn to two-weeks old. The parents believed that if they buried their baby inside a living tree, the baby would still be alive. The Torajans ceased doing this about 70 years ago and now bury babies in graves.
Odin parked the car and we walked down a shaded forest trail to a big Banyan Tree. This was The Baby Tree with the burial openings covered. Pardon me for being fanciful, but I could imagine bereaved parents bringing their baby to this quiet, peaceful area for burial. And it really felt as if the baby's spirits were there with us.
 The Baby Tree, Toraja Land
Continue reading "One Last Day in Toraja Land at Kete Kesu and The Baby Tree, Sulawesi" »
It was always a pleasure to return to the Toraja Heritage Hotel, usually by late afternoon, relax, digest what unusual things we'd seen each day and eat dinner. Three meals a day were included and a few days during the trip, we skipped dinners after eating lunch around 2 or 3:00 pm. Just not hungry.
Londa with its hanging graves was exciting but there was still Lemo, the Royal Graves of Suaya (the oldest effigies) and "The Baby Tree" to see. Stick with me! Each sight was unique and only can be experienced in the Tana Toraja area of South Sulawesi but these action-packed days were also filled with other interesting encounters, one, of the "third kind" when we came across a brilliantly colored Millipede...looked at some old wooden spoons in a local shop....View image...darn...why didn't I buy one!
 striking millipede
Continue reading "Lemo Effigies and The Royal Graves of Suaya, Sulawesi" »
Didn't want to leave Toraja Land without a visit to the Rantepao daily market, the first stop today. Outside the large market, many palm wine sellers. Some wine jugs had a very high alcohol level...View image... Inside the large market, we learned about and saw:
- Blue duck eggs ...View image...speckled pigeon eggs...View image...mixed in with ordinary eggs;
- Eels are raised in rice paddies and is one of the Torajan's favorite foods. The eels, sold alive, resembled nothing more than slithery snakes, one of my bugaboos, big ugh;
- Sago is sold in blocks. We'd see sago processing along the road into Central Sulawesi...View image...(we hoped)...more later on Sago;
- Rambutans. A red hairy, spiny fruit that you crack open, pop out the seed inside and eat the remaining white Litchi/Lychee flavored fruit. They were just coming into season and not completely ripe. One of my favorite fruits in Asia.
 slimy, slithery eels for sale
Continue reading "The Rantepao Market, Monoliths and Tombs of Londa, Sulawesi" »
In the previous articles and videos, you've seen how important funerals are to Torajan culture, visited a village where future funeral preparation were in full swing but there are still more details to consider when a person dies. The most important is a final resting place. Will you be buried in a modern grave? ...View image... A big rock? (Exactly how many big rocks are left for burial in Toraja Land.) Or in one of the dramatic village cliffs only available for burial if that is your village's site.
Of all these final resting places for the Torajans, today's hiking route took us past both some modern graves... and the extremely picturesque and interesting huge rock tombs where each person in the family is piled one on top of another when they die. ...View image... Some had effigies sitting outside in front of the tomb, or on top of the rock. A few had the coffin litters on top never to be used again and crumbling with age. ... View image... And still others had intricate and beautifully decorated doors with offerings to the deceased in front of them. Soft drink bottles filled with palm wine, and food.
 offerings to ancestors
Continue reading "Hiking Past The Stone Graves of Toraja Land - Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
The two of us definitely had vivid dreams last night and all the animal carnage did cause a temporary drop in food consumption. The Torajans aren't the only people in Indonesia to include sacrifice for special occasions. The Sumba of East Nusa Tenggara. and Dayak, both Borneo and East Kalimantan (the Indonesia side of Borneo) are two other tribes that still sacrifice. With two full days left to explore the area around Rantepao, there was still a lot to see and do. The weather looked good this morning so Jo-Jo decided to take us on a half day hike between villages. He asked a very wise question, do we prefer uphills or downhills to help make a decision. Uphills every time. Easier on the knees and with the mud everywhere, less chance of sliding down the hill.
In the car, bounced and jerked the way up a mountain outside of Rantepao until Odin stopped and let us out. He'd wait for us in Batutumonga. If you are interested in a long distance hike, easy to arrange for as many days as you choose. Just remember that it is very hot and humid, trails are extremely slippery (it almost always rains during the night even if it isn't rainy season), and you'll sleep in local houses. The Heritage Toraja Hotel even leaves huge hats scattered all over the property to protect from the rain instead of umbrellas. ...View image...
 Sheila wearing her rain hat
Continue reading "Hiking In The Mountains of Toraja Land - Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
The second and, thankfully, last funeral of this trip was called a reception to pay condolences to the family. Jo-Jo's wife comes from this village and he was REALLY looking forward to taking us there. Greeted by the sight of colorfully dressed Torajans in native dress. Taken aback at the bright colors, Jo-Jo said the only difference between clothing for a wedding or funeral is the people were wearing a black shirt under the outer garments. Oh...
Past the entrance and the main village square stretched before us filled with the already sacrificed buffalos being butchered and hacked into pieces for distribution. Major dismay and consternation on our parts, exhilaration for Jo-Jo as he merrily greeted members of his family and friends from distant villages. Raw meat (and the odor of raw meat) everywhere with entire buffalo heads littered on the ground and I felt as if the dead eyes were looking at me. ... View image... (Stop looking at me...)
 meeters and greeters and the funeral
Continue reading "Paying Condolence Calls in Ba'tan Village....e-e-wwww - Sulawesi" »
There was no way either of us wanted to eat lunch after the Buffalo bloodbath. Instead, Jo-Jo took us on a little excursion to see a stone statue of a man who lived to be over 100 years old and his stone sarcophagus. The only stone sarcophagus in Sulawesi. ...View image... The peace and quiet was wonderful. Wandered by fields of sweet potatoes, cacao pods, the inevitable rice fields with people harvesting and trees laden with coconuts... View image...
Took a turn down a narrow road with schools on either side. Small children gaping at us. Teenagers...View image... on the other side buying snacks from a local vendor. Tofu and Water Buffalo meatballs. Back in the car and heading for lunch, Jo-Jo told Odin to stop. We could hear some kind of drumming from a village along the road and jumped out. Jo-Jo said, "I want you to see this. It's a future funeral."
 frying up some tasty buffalo meatballs
Continue reading "And now, for something different before Funeral Two in Sulawesi" »
Odin left us off on the road at Bori and we started slip-sliding our way up a very muddy incline into the center of Bori. Sweating buckets in long pants, dark shirt and sarong, Jo-Jo led us to a place of honor next to a son of the deceased inside the newly erected viewing stands. His father was 90 years old and died 8 months ago. There were only about 12 other tourists and at least 200 locals, predominantly family.
The stands surrounded a big square and a parade of water buffalos was taking place while the elders tried to reach a concensus. Which buffalo will be donated to a church? Which ones to sacrifice and in what order? Decisions, decisions...all broadcast over a handheld microphone and speakers. Jo-Jo changed our viewing spots to the one directly under deceased Dad's coffin, primo seating. A loud quabble between eldest son of deceased and another village chief on how much buffalo meat his village was going to receive from the slaughter. This went on for a while with a big shouting match (not that we understood what they were saying). We just sat watching the buffalos standing patiently awaiting their fate...
 this big guy didn't have much longer to live
Continue reading "Funeral One Began With Buffalo Prayers - Sulawesi" »
Ready for Torajan Funeral Number One in Bori Village, Jo-Jo picked us up carrying black sarongs to wear. There was a downpour last night which resulted in mud. Not just ordinary mud but boot sucking mud The sarongs would have dragged in the mud, the sun was out and the humidity was incredible. Instead of wearing the sarongs, we just draped them over our shoulders.
Funeral rites are elaborate and expensive. If you are a nobleman, you have a very big death feast with thousands of attendees lasting several days to one week. A middle-class family will customarily observe over 4-5 days. The funeral season usually runs from June to October during the dry season. What happens....you may ask when someone dies in the rainy season?
 deceased's beautifully decorated casket
Continue reading "The Elaborate Toraja Funeral Customs in Sulawesi Are Not to be Believed" »
Ready for lunch in Rantepao (pronounced Rant-A-Pow), the cultural center of Toraja with hotels and tourist-oriented restaurants. By the numbers...there are four restaurants, six big hotels that are 3*** and 4****, smaller hotels and home stays. It will cost about 200,000 Rupiah ($22 U.S.) to stay at a backpacker hotel including breakfast and for cheap...cheap....cheap...a homestay runs around 100,000 Rupiah/night ($11.00 US).
Typical and distinctive Tongkonan houses on all sides of the road on the way to lunch. The bamboo (or tin) roofs are shaped like boats which supposedly honors the ancestors that sailed from southern China as early as 3,000 BC. This graceful and colorful architecture, set on pilings and grouped among the mountains and rice fields, was an jaw-dropping sight.
 typical Torajan village
Continue reading "Rantepao, Capital of Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
The loud call to prayer at 4:30 am even with ear plugs in from the dueling mosques...View image...of Sengkang. This was going to be another exhausting day in the car but also exciting entering Toraja land with its unique traditions. Approximately 1,000 tourists visit Toraja each year with Dutch the majority. Sulawesi is promoted big in Europe and more tourists visit as a result.
First stop, the Sengkang local silk weaving industry village. Under the stilts of each house in this village, women were toiling away at the extremely loud looms.... ( Wonder what kind of hearing loses they are subjected to after a few years...View image.) Changing threads of different colors in intricate patterns, weaving scarves and sarongs, and then exporting and selling in the local cooperative. My favorite parts? The colorful bird in a cage and indigo dyed thread drying in the sun...
 beautiful bird
Continue reading "In Tana Toraja (Toraja Land), A Most Unusual Sulawesi Destination" »
- The majority of tourists come from Holland, Spain, France and Germany.
- There are 32 provinces in the Republic of Indonesia. The North Sulawesi terrain is extremely mountainous and hilly.
- Indonesia has some of the most active volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The most active volcanoes are Kelut and Merapi on Java. Mt. Soputan (located in Tombau, around 60 km from Manado, Sulawesi) vocano is still active and steams and spews volcanic ash occasionally.
 Lokon Volcano outside of Manado
Continue reading "A Few Interesting Sulawesi, Indonesia Facts" »
The best part of the Lake Tempe boat trip was walking through town afterwards back to the Apada Hotel. There are three big mosques in Sengkang (pop: 600,000), and the evening call to prayer was a major loudspeaker duel between them. Each one calling out the prayers in a different fashion, at a different place in the prayer, with no one in unison. Quite amusing.
We walked away from the shore, past little shops, always on the lookout for motorbikes and cars zooming around the corners, taking in the local activity. (Loved the name of the local chicken franchise, Dobby Chicken.) Hotel Apada arranges a typical Bugis dinner on request. Jo-Jo requested and we dressed for the occasion...shorts and t-shirt. The Apada would supply sarongs to dress us up a bit. Kept mispronouncing "Bugis" with the emphasis on "bug" instead of the correct way, "boog."
 Dobby Chicken
Continue reading "A Typical Bugis Dinner in Sengkang, Sulawesi" »
A fast lunch, great fried chicken, and a wedding being held behind the small, local restaurant (neither bride nor groom had arrived yet) before continuing on today's long ride to Sengkang unrelieved only by pee stops, people sightings...View image...pedicabs...View image...laundry drying on hedges...View image and the omni-present rice fields.
Sengkang is the capital of a former Bugis kingdom. A very busy and historic market town overlooking Lake Tempe. Checked into the Apada Hotel in the center of Sengkang. The Apada Hotel had very simple accommodations and was formerly the house of the last Buginese princess. No matter. Dropped the bags and immediately set off by motorized canoe (long tail boat...and a very uncomfortable long tail boat to whit) to cross Lake Tempe and visit the floating villages.
 local children for the send off
Continue reading "Lake Tempe on The Shores of Sengkang, Sulawesi" »
After breakfast, it was off to Sengkang, a small village in the former Bugis Kingdom on Lake Tempe. Pretty hungry this morning because average meals haven't exactly been "Whopper sized" -- more like a skimpy "happy meal." It was going to be an all day ride to Sengkang with a boat ride on Lake Tempe once we got there. A museum stop was scheduled to see a collection regarding former Bugis Kings but today was Sunday and it was closed.
The lush, rice fields spread in all directions laden with stalks heavy with grains and golden under the abundant sunshine. People in the field were harvesting what is the third crop of the year in some parts of Sulawesi. I happen to love rice and could happily eat it daily but it's always a shock to see exactly how labor intensive growing rice is when you are accustomed to buying a box in the grocery store.
 lush rice terraces of Sulawesi
Continue reading "Rice, Wonderful Rice Growing in Sulawesi... Do you REALLY know how it gets to your table?" »
The beautiful and sweet children in the Seaweed Village came running from every direction to call out their names...View image..., say hello and practice their English. Took lots of photos and promised to send copies to one and all. PLEASE: If you take pictures of people and casually say you'll send them a copy...DO IT! It may be the one and only photograph they'll ever get of themselves and the Sulawesi people treasure them. Hard to believe but they do. Jo-Jo said it's common to prominently display both photos of themselves and any picture with a tourist. That's how proud they are of them.
It wouldn't be a vacation if I couldn't do my world-famous rendition of "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes) in Sulawesi with the children. Guaranteed to bring down the house, entertain the kids and adults and...so much fun! Left this legacy in Mali, Tibet, Ethiopia, Cambodia...along with the "Hokey-Pokey" in a Laos orphanage and along the banks of the Green River, Utah with my grandchildren, trying to warm up after a chilly downpour....
 adorable seaweed village kids
Continue reading "Eventually, we'll get to Bira...Sulawesi" »
Some quick Sulawesi facts from Jo-Jo:
- Indonesia is the biggest Muslim country in the world with approximately 250,000,000 followed by Pakistan and India.
- Cacao is the biggest export along with rice, and in case you weren't aware, this is where ex-Marine's dearly beloved CHOCOLATE comes from. Also known as "Nectar of the Gods" by the Mayans (and billions of other people in the world). We'd see many Cacao plantations along the entire distance of this route, over 2,400 kms/1,491 miles on our way from South Sulawesi to North Sulawesi. The unripened green pod resembles an avocado, turns yellow when ripe, and red after that. The pod is split, beans removed, dried, bagged and sold.
Continue reading "Salt Pans and Seaweed Villages, Still on The Way to Bira, Sulawesi" »
Up very early from jet lag, ex-Marine and I spent some time enjoying the Hotel Panti Gapura. The main restaurant is in an old boat....View image... There is a nice sized swimming pool, traditional island-style individual cottages, and the main hotel building with ordinary rooms. Very attractive and I was already sorry that we didn't spend an extra day here to just relax and explore Makassar. Makassar is the biggest city in Sulawesi but we had very little time (actually none) to explore it. Supposedly the market sells dogs and rats. There are 10 small islands off-shore Makassar inhabited by fishing villages. We watched the boat traffic coming and going...View image... with people bringing in their daily catches and going to work on Sulawesi.
Checked out from Hotel Pantai Gapura by Jo-Jo, our guide for the next 12 days. Jo-Jo is Torajan, has been guiding for 17 years, spoke great English, and is very personable. Into a big Caraka Travelindo van with Odin (from Papua), our driver. Sulawesi was called the "Celebes" during the 16th century by the Portuguese and the island remains much as it did then, ethnically divided. South Sulawesi is split between the highland Torajans and the lowland Bugis. It is thought that the Toraja people originally migrated from Laos, Vietnam, Yunnan and Malaysia. The isolated tribes in the central highlands date their ancestry from China, and the Minahasans in the far north are of Filipino-descent. During the late 19th century, the Dutch began controlling the entire island.
 Hotel Panti Gapura cottage
Continue reading "Tana Beru on The Road To Bira, Sulawesi" »
What a long, backbreaking journey. Chicago to Singapore via Hong Kong arriving in Singapore at 11:45 pm so we thought. Instead, a five-hour delay right off the bat at O'Hare meant a 1:30 am arrival in Singapore. Certainly not worth going to a hotel since the next leg was a 7:00 am flight to Jakarta. By the time we picked up luggage, taxi'd in to Singapore and then headed back to the airport at 5:00 am - for three hours sleep? Forget it. There are a few other Singapore options. Discovered the Singapore Airlines Club was open all night and crashed on couches until the Garuda Airlines flight left. Definitely not happy about flying Garuda, one of the world's unsafest airlines but it was the most convenient choice. And then was really unhappy reading the Asian Wall Street Journal with an article how all Indonesia airlines are so unsafe that the European Union bans them from flying to Europe.
In Jakarta, Indonesia with both pieces of luggage (a big PLUS) it was time for Visas On Arrival Very easy but -- TRAVEL TIP: They just raised the rates from $20 to $25 US. All you need are passports, two photographs and money. Walked from the International side of the terminal over to the Domestic side for check-in and discovered there is a departure tax of 30,000 Rupiah/person. Oops...hadn't changed into Rupiah yet. Paid in dollars that converted to two extra dollars than if we had paid in Rupiah. Know he hosed us but what can you do.
Continue reading "It's A Long Journey to Sulawesi" »
Air? We did a convoluted itinerary for multiple reasons. One, was to fly United Airlines, Chicago to Singapore, and then turned in United Airlines miles to get free Singapore Airlines economy tickets from Singapore-Jakarta. Two, needed tickets from Jakarta (CGK)-Makassar (UPG) with a return from Manado (MDC)-Jakarta (CGK). Purchased Garuda Airlines through our travel agent, something we rarely do. Safari Tours & Travels would have purchased e-tickets for us but with all the connections, etc., I felt more comfortable using her. You can certainly purchase on-line through BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter and search Kayak for schedules. TIP: Try to use miles accumulated on airlines for First or Business Class on long-distance flights (the only way we can afford to fly in those sections) and economy on short-hauls. It may only be 20,000 miles for a short-haul ticket.... .
BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter highlights the industry's best deals from travel suppliers that you trust!
Visas? Visas are required for all visitors to Indonesia. Eleven countries are eligible for a "Visa Free" facility. Read the visa information section on Safari Tours & Travel site. As U.S. citizens, we could get a Visa On Arrival in Indonesia. You need a valid passport, onward or return tickets, and two color passport photos. There is a $25 U.S. charge for a 30-day visa. Check your nearest Indonesian Embassy for up-to-date information.
Travel Insurance? Some don't buy travel insurance, we always do...just in case. These trips are too expensive to risk losing everything if any problems arise. Contact Travel Guard for insurance needs. I recently read a big article in a reputable magazine advising against travel insurance and saying people don't really need it and can afford the expense if they lose money by cancelling. Are they kidding? Afford to lose $5,000 U.S. when ex-Marine had kidney stones two days before a trip? We said a big prayer of thanks for Travel Guard. Yes. There are lots of papers to fill out, but they reimbursed the entire amount. I say...TRAVEL INSURANCE.
 
Continue reading "Planning A Sulawesi, Indonesia Trip" »
Indonesia. When Indonesia is mentioned, I think only of Sukarno, Bali...or Jakarta...or terrorists kidnapping tourists...and have never gotten past that. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I did visit Bali and Jakarta as part of our first whirlwind trip to Asia in 1980. Ah yes...I remember Bali well. Steve's back went out on the beach and completely locked up in spasm. He crawled back to the room and one of the tour group had heavy-duty muscle relaxants that we massaged down his throut (similar to force-feeding a goose). Jakarta? We spent one day there and I remember nada.
The good news is the U.S. State Department has finally removed Indonesia from the "warning list" after seven years. There was a conflict between Muslims and Christians in the center of this island but that's over now. And then I stumbled across an article in an adventure magazine about Sulawesi. I never realized Indonesia has 17,500 islands...that would take a few lifetimes to visit them all! Contacted Safari Tours & Travels, Manado, a highly recommended tour operator in Indonesia specializing in Sulawesi and a slew of e-mails from Jeremy instantly started flowing.
 Sulawesi map
Continue reading "The Island of Sulawesi, Indonesia" »
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