Semenggoh Wildlife Center

... a place to see semi-wild Orang Utan ... and I got to see them ... huge animals.

Sarawak Cultural Village

a pure tourist setup, but a must-see if you dont have the time to visit the tribes and villages individually. its like a museum that exhibits houses, homes, customs and tools of the various tribes throughout Sarawak. The best part of it is the cultural performance showing the dances of some of the tribes. Entertainment guaranteed.

Kampung Annah Rais

I went to visit an original Bidayuh Tribe's Longhouse that still houses over 80 families. The kampung (or town) is known as Annah Rais and its about 60 km south of Kuching near the border to Indonesia.



We were able to see how the people here lived, though nobody invited us into their home. So we were confined to exploring the town, including a visit to a model home (to get a rough idea of how people live, though these days homes have TV).

Bako National Park

I got up early to do some trekking in the jungle (and i did a lot of it in the end)... the place is called Bako National Park and its famous for proboscis monkeys and pitcher plants, both of which i was able to see ... lucky me. There was a whole bunch of them going about their business and we got really close.

Kuching on Borneo

...i have only been here for 1 day at the time of writing. but my first impression is this : Kuching seems like a nice, peaceful and chilled-out place. The sights can easily be explored by foot. Locals are very friendly and welcoming. And there are plenty of food options. Could it be any better ?

Padangbai

... spent a few days here relaxing, snorkeling [Blue Lagoon Bay its where its at!], drinking and eating. the town is tiny, the locals are friendly and tourists are in low numbers. what a nice place...

Ubud

Ubud - Bali's cultural centre. I spent the entire time here with 3 dutch people named Harmien, Yolanda and Ernst. We had such a good time. Our stay in Ubud coincided with a cremetion ceremony at which the King's oldest son was being burned. Ubud's streets were packed.





Ubud's surroundings are beautiful. Lots of rice fields and terraces...



You can observe people going about their work ...



... and you can see traditional dances in the evening

Bali

lots of relaxing, lots of eating and some more relaxing ... the perfect holiday. I stayed 6 days in Ubud and another 5 days in Padangbai ... it had been a fantastic time, i met very nice people and i recharged my batteries.

Mount Bromo

I then took a privat bus from Yogyakarta to Bromo ... an all day affair. It was after 10pm when we arrived in Cemoro Lawang with all people already in their beds. I got lucky getting a room as most hotels (there only are a few) had no vacancies. I had a quick bite and then went to bed.

I was gonna rise 3 am the next morning to hike up to the viewpoint seeing the sunrise as everybody did .. only they were taken there by jeep. I had no idea how to get up there, was only told that there would be a path leading up there. Sounded easy, but wasnt as the path was disconnect quite often and due to the darkness it was difficult for me to see anything. however I made it up there just before 5 am. But that time most of the tourists had already arrived and the viewing platform was packed. Nethertheless, the view I had was worth it...



The hike down was much more pleasant. Back at the hotel, I had breakfast (well deserved), when I met a couple from Germany. They told me they were going to hike up Mount Bromo and I asked to join. Shortly later i was back on my feet descending to the valley, then crossing it before climbing up to the crater. There was heavy smoke rising from the inner of the crater and the air was filled with sulfur. Back in the hotel I chilled for the rest of the day enjoying the view...

Yogyakarta

as a group of 5 we arrived in Yogyakarta ... Annika, Sean, Annush, Jonly and me. We would be spending the next 3 days together [at least for dinner].



the town itself is quite busy, but much nicer than Jakarta. All you need is situated in the city centre .. with Marlioboro Street for shopping, the area around the Water Palace for cultural exploration and the area near Tugu Station for food, cafes and accomodation.



Yogyakarta, however, is more famous for Prambanan ...



and Borobudur, which we visited on our motorbikes [in that order].

Bandung and Garut

the bus ride from Bogor to Bandung took forever and was unpleasent except for the Puncak pass [that we passed on our way] which offered a nice view. Bandung in itself isnt worth visiting, but the surroundings in particular the area around Garut. In order to see what was worth seeing we booked a tour with our hotel - By Moritz [a nice place]. The tour was kind of pricy but well worth it [in our case at least]. Our Guide - Ade [God bless him] - was so much fun to talk to. Not only that, he also threw in some extras...

We stopped at a rice field - here we were meant to take pictures - but i took it much further...I participated in the harvesting process ...



Back in the car, we passed a fest shortly afterwards ... which turned out to be a wedding. Ade asked if we wanted to see it - we said : YES. We were welcomed with open arms, then ushered inside to get our stomaches stuffed, then asked to perform [maybe it wasnt performing, but we were on stage] before we finally met the newly wed couple...



Next was the waterfall ...



From here, to the volcano ... pretty smoky up here, huh !?



... and before i forget, we went to a Hot Spring to finish off the day. It was like a proper swimming pool, the water being as hot as 35 degrees centigrade. A bit warm, but pleasant. A BIG thanks to Ade, our guide for such a memorable tour !!!