Blogs from Indonesia, Asia - page 11

Call me travel crasher: not only I self-invited joining three friends on a their supposed to be pilates-trip in Bali, but I diverted their plans too! Thankfully, they agreed to the idea of going to Nusa Penida Island, South East of Bali. Nusa Penida is known among divers to spot Mola Mola or Sun Fish, which appeared usually in August, but its current tends to be strong. A few cruise offers day trip to Nusa Penida and its neighboring island, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Of the three islands, Nusa Penida is the largest, with total population of 45,000. After making the travel arrangement the day before, four of us headed towards Sanur, where the plenty of boats were waiting. We didn't expect our boat would be full. It had 20 rows with 3 seats on ... read more

Land of Waterfall, Ciletuh Geopark It’s another hidden gem of Indonesia located in Sukabumi, West Java, about five hours drive from Jakarta. Recognized by UNESCO in 2015 as a National Geopark, it covers an area of 128,000 hectares over 8 subdistricts and 74 villages. Ciletuh Pelaburah Ratu was awarded as a Geopark not only because of its geological component but also because of its culture and scenery. One thing unique about Ciletuh Geopark was its combination of lush green mountainous landscape, surrounded by paddy field and located along the Southern coastal of Indian Ocean. Interestingly, little is known about this Geopark even among the locals like I. The drive from Jakarta was painless as one third of the journey was on a toll road. Before reaching our destination, we stopped by at Pelabuhan Ratu, where we ... read more

Karimun Jawa is an area consisting of 27 islands North of Jepara, Central Java, of which 22 are inhabitated. Covering land area of 1,500 hectare, it has long history. It dated back in the thirteen century, during which Chinese Army, sent by Kubhilai Khan, mentioned the island on its historial record, of which fact was supported by the finding of porcelains from the Ming Dynasty. It's no surprise the islands were mentioned as they were part of the Spice Trail through which ships from the Molucca islands passed through the area enroute to Europe. It was also said that the islands were home to some pirates after the Dutch left the settlement in the 17th century. Only until recently, it was not accessible by air. Thanks to Wings Air, which operates ATR 72, Karimun Jawa is ... read more

I had a long wish list, indeed, and Dieng Plateau was one of them. I and my friends decided to fly to Semarang from Jakarta and continued by road to Dieng. We arrived late in the evening at Semarang International Airport, where our driver picked us up and took us directly to Dieng. The drive took about four hours; reachingD Dieng at 2 am, I realised I had mistakenly left my camera bag at the airport! Thanks to the airport staff who have kept it safely and had it delivered the next day. We stayed at Lovebird homestay near Dieng and continued our journey the next day. First stop was the famous Sikidang volcano crater, of which molten lava was hot enough to boil eggs. Next destination was Batu Pandang Ratapan Angin, from which hill we ... read more

.... read more