November 14 2009 - November 22 2009 TRANSPORT: Padangbai (Bali) to Gili Trawangan--Rp150,000 (includes ferry to Lembar, bus transfers to Bangsal and boat to Gili Trawangan) Gili Air to Senggigi--Rp75,000 (includes boat to Bangsal and bus transfer to Senggigi) HOTELS: Snapper Bungalows (Gili Trawangan) Twin, fan, cold water, western toilet--Rp150,000 inc breakfast. Not a bad value place just opposite the beach. Restaurant serves some great food and for once a pretty decent breakfast! Tao Kombo (Gili Meno) Double "platform", outside squat toilet, cold water--Rp100,000 inc. brea [View Full Entry]

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28 October 2009 - 13 November 2009 TRANSPORT: Banyuwangi to Gilimanuk by ferry--Rp5,700 (1 hour) Gilimanuk to Denpasar by bus--Rp 50,000 (4 hours) Kuta to Denpasar by bemo--Rp10,000 (1/2 hour) goes to Tegal Terminal Denpasar to Candidasa by bus--Rp40,000 (2 hours) goes from Batubulan Terminal HOTELS: Hotel Sari (Gilimanuk) Double, cold water, western toilet, fan--Rp100,000 (incl. breakfast). Very nice place with good value for money rooms. A couple of km's from the port but it's a nice place to stay for a nice. Almost resort-like. LA Inn (Kuta) Double, fan, cold water, wes [View Full Entry]

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27 October 2009 - 28 October 2009 TOUR: Coffee Plantation and Ijen Plateau 2 day tour, including transport to Ijen and then Banyuwangi port, one nights accommodation--Rp400,000 Tired but satisfied we had enough time for a warm cup of tea and some breakfast before we set off on our platation tour at 9.30am. This is how the agent described it: " We will drive to probolinggo where you will be transferred onto a nice big air conditioned bus that will then take you to Ijen. We will take you to a coffee plantation and factory and there you will stay at [View Full Entry]

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25 October 2009 - 27 October 2009 TRANSPORT: Surabaya to Probolinggo by train--Rp 50,000 (2 hours) Probolinggo to Cemoro Lawang (Bromo) by bus--Rp 25,000 (2 hours) HOTEL: Cemara Indah Resort--Rp Right on the edge of the huge Tenggera caldera, the only major upside is the view. Rooms are ok, albeit a bit on the pricey site, but it isn't the warmest place (both in terms of temperature and personality). The staff are downright rude and you'd be better off eating (and maybe staying) somewhere else! Sardines? Read on.... Setting off from Jogyakarta we started our journey to Mou [View Full Entry]

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20 October 2009 - 24 October 2009 TRANSPORTATION: Pangandaran to Yogyakarta by private minibus & executive class train (booked through travel agency)--Rp250,000 (5 hours) HOTEL: Setia Kawan Losmen Double, fan, cold water, western toilet--Rp90,000 incl. breakfast and free tea & coffee all day! Very cute guesthouse down a quiet little alley owned by a local artist who has painted each room himself with interesting murals. Great value place, even if the rooms are a little tight and dark. We had a great (and huge) breakfast at our plush hotel before setting off to the cultural capita [View Full Entry]

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16 October 2009 - 20 October 2009 TRANSPORTATION: Bandung to Banjar by train (3 1/2 hours)--Rp120,000 (Business Class) Banjar to Pangandaran by chartered bus--Rp 50,000 HOTELS: Muara Laut Resort Double, aircon, TV, cold water, western toilet, swimming pool--Rp160,000 incl. breakfast (low season rate) Just opposite the beach, this brand spanking new motel-style hotel is clean, friendly and convenient. Sunrise Beach Resort Double chalet, satellite TV, aircon, western toilet, hot water (that didn't work)--Rp 385,000 incl. breakfast (low season rate) A bit of a walk to all the [View Full Entry]

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13 October 2009 - 16 October 2009 TRANSPORTATION: Jakarta (Gambir) to Bandung by train--Rp 25,000 business class, 3hrs HOTEL: By Moritz Hotel Double, fan, cold water, western toilet--Rp 90,000 inc. breakfast A pretty decent and friendly hotel south of the train line within walking distance from the train station. The area is a bit rough and the hotel isn't located near to any decent eateries. We left Jakarta's Gambir station at 10am for the three-hour train ride to West Javas capital, Bandung. This was our first experience of the Indonesian train system and by this experience we [View Full Entry]

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Hi folks, Just a quick update as it's been a while since we have been able to update our blog with Melaka, Penang and Sumatra. As you may be aware there has been a series of devastating earthquakes in Sumatra with the worst hit being Padang. We are glad to say that we are not affected by this, but we were in Padang about a week before the earthquakes struck. We are now in Jakarta and hopefully the blog will be back to date!! Amy and Dan! [View Full Entry]

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24 September 2009 - 06 October 2009 Exchange rate as of 24 Sep 2009: 1GBP = Rp15,300 TRANSPORT: Padang to Jakarta by plane (Mandala Airlines)--Rp 560,000 per person (1 1/2 hours) HOTEL: Margot Hotel, Jalan Jaksa Double, A/C, hot water, cable TV--Rp220,000 inc. breakfast Not worth the price but still a pretty decent choice in one of the better locations in Jakarta. The flight from Padang was one of the best we have been on so far, and including any we have taken in Europe. Theres a lot of bad press regarding Indonesian aviation, but Mandala have certainly redeemed themselves a [View Full Entry]

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September 22, 2009 - September 24, 2009 Exchange Rate as of Sep 23, 2009: 1GBP = Rp15,928 HOTEL Padang: Immanuel Hotel Double, fan, TV, shared bathroom--Rp125,000 inc. breakfast. Small homely place within walking distance from Padang Beach. Price is slightly high for the quality, but it's still a spotless place. TRANSPORT Tuk Tuk to Parapat by ferry--Rp7,000 (1 hour) Parapat to Padang by bus--Rp450,000 (16 hours) Super-Executive Bus Travelling around Indonesia is never going to be easy, so why on earth did we think that it would be?? We had a 6:30pm bus to catch from the [View Full Entry]

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