Aug 26, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
Flores 21st August We relax in Labuanbajo, in a modern cafe overlooking the bay, with a delicious vegetable pizza and some iced tea. Located on the far west coast line, it’s billed as Flores’ next big tourist destination, probably a result of its setting within a...
Aug 20, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
2nd August We leave Manado early and head to Gorontalo, to catch the ferry to the Togean Islands. We had two choices for our return journey, drive 750miles all the way back round, or pay for the car ferry which would firstly drop us in Wakai on the Togeans and then...
Aug 1, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
Northern Sulawesi 22nd July We decide to drive to the top of Sulawesi, Manado and visit the Togean Islands on the way back down. It is a mammoth 750 miles from Ampana to Manado. On route we stop at a Toyota garage in Poso, where we have the tracking realigned. It...
Jul 24, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
15th July Pantai Bira As soon as we leave the port, there are numerous calls of ‘Hello Mister!’ as we pass people on the roadside, and we wonder if we will be given even more attention here than everywhere else. We pay a 5000Rp fee at the toll booth before being...
Jul 15, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
Lombok Part 2 5-6th July Senggigi We say goodbye to the tranquil Gili islands, speeding past all three on the way back to Lombok and make the short drive to Sengiggi. We go to Windy Cottages, but arrive to find they are full, so head into town instead. Later we...
Jul 4, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
Lombok 21st June The ferry docks at Lembar in the south west of the island. We immediately drive north to Bangsal, the jumping off point for the Gili Islands via Matram, the capital; the drive is under an hour taking us up over monkey lined mountain roads. Around...
Jun 21, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
Bali We arrive in Bali, also known as the “Island of the Gods”, due to the 20,000 Hindu temples that are scattered around the island. The island is small in comparison to Sumatra and Java, a mere 95 miles wide and 69 miles north to south, which allows us to visit its...
May 24, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
Java Landing in Java, the most developed island in Indonesia, the country’s political and economical powerhouse, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, we will spend a couple of days in Jakarta before heading east to Mount Bromo, one of the most active of the...
May 17, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
9th May Bukittinggi Martin wakes up early and heads into town to try and find a guide. On route he stops at a mobile phone shop to pick up a 3G sim card; the shop owner kindly takes him to D&J’s cafe where he meets up with a guide. At 930 metres above sea level,...
May 8, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Indonesia, South East Asia |
We arrive in Sumatra, Indonesia, famed for its rainforests, wild orangutans, tigers, and rhino, in addition to its beautiful beaches, volcanoes, and lakes. Sumatra has an area of 163,557 square miles (423,611 km2) and is about 1,050 miles (1,690 km) long and up to 250...
Apr 26, 2011 | Asia, Blog, South East Asia, Thailand |
Bangkok 7th -9th April Back in Thailand again, we intend to travel down the east coast after a stop in Bangkok, a three and a half hour drive from the Cambodian border. Or so we think…just three miles away from our hotel, we are stuck in a massive traffic jam,...
Apr 6, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Combodia, South East Asia |
1st April Cambodia, our 26th, is a country which conjures up conflicting images of magnificent wats, iconic Angkor Wat, Khmer Rouge atrocities, poverty and corruption, and with a history unlike any other, we can’t wait to explore. As Cambodia emerges from a long...
Apr 1, 2011 | Asia, Blog, Laos, South East Asia |
LAOS 22nd March We wake in Laos, a country which is said to be one of the 20th poorest in the world, a stark contrast to Thailand just a few hundred metres across the river. Despite this, trade in recent years with China, and the influx of tourism, which accounts for...
Mar 21, 2011 | Asia, Blog, South East Asia, Thailand |
18th March We wake to find the skies are still overcast, but decide to head out to the Sukhothai historical park, the walled old capital city of Siam. It is filled with ancient Wats dating back to the mid 13th century and remains of the old Kingdom. The dynasty...
