There are many places that conjure up elements of fantasy and are high on my list of must visit destinations. One such place has always been Zamboanga and a room at the Lantaka Hotel with a view out into the foreboding Sulu Sea. So, when I decided to celebrate a big O birthday on Boracay, I mapped out a journey from Borneo to Zamboanga and through the Philippines, taking in Boracay and somehow finding my way on to Manila. A lot of people tried to talk me out of it, even my travelling partner, and advise me not to go anywhere [View Full Entry]

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"Where do i catch a bus to Surabaya?", I asked the travel guide at my resort hotel in Legian. "What, you want to go to Surabaya by bus" was the incredulous reply. It seems Bali has become such a world tourist destination that any thought of independent travel is not cool. People fly in and fly out or get on a boat to Lombok. But the idea of catching a bus off the island is so outrageous that it's beyond the comprehension of a hotel travel hostess. Still, I persevered and found out that Ubung bus terminal was the place to [View Full Entry]

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The plan was to fly into Batam from KL on Air Asia and visit a few islands i had missed in the Riau on my last trip. But you have to expect the unexpected with budget airlines and 2 days before my flight, Air Asia decided to can their KL - Batam service. Instead they put me on a flight to Singapore. The Lion City is not one of my favourite destinations, especially when you are trying to travel cheap. But the option of catching a boat out of Singapore harbour to Indonesia was appealing. Arrived in Changi and immediately caught [View Full Entry]

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Kalbar - the name meant nothing when I first saw it. But the more I came across it - on banks, football guernseys, government signs; the more I pondered on its significance. Then in a moment of clarity, I took an educated guess and realised it was the usual Indon abbreviation - this time for Kalimantan Barat. With this knowledge in mind, I began to imagine a new country, pretty much isolated from the rest of the world. Just one road connection winding through highland country to Kuching, Sarawak. No roads as yet to the rest of Kalimantan and only a [View Full Entry]

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I plan to go to Pontianak after Hari Raya so needed a visa to enter Indonesia at the Tebedu/Entikong border because they don't have Visa on Arrival facilities there. You need to obtain a pre-arranged visa from the consulate in Kuching. So I jumped on the 11.30am boat from Sibu to Kuching. Such a smooth trip downriver to Sarikei and Tanjung Manis and across the Sth China sea to Cat City. For once the water in the open sea was blue instead of the usual dirty grey. With a bit of imagination, you could be cruising the Med instead of charging [View Full Entry]

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Belaga is about as far as you can go up the Rajang river by either boat or 4WD. The Bakun Dam is 60 kms further but I dont really want to see an environmental disaster; the whole project is probably just an excuse for intensive logging. Belaga's isolation is attracting travellers and you see more orang putih in this village than in Sibu. The peaceful tranquility absorbs you though there is nought to do at night except drink a cold ale or rice wine at 1.50 rgt a shot. But Belaga is a base for long house visits and travellers tend [View Full Entry]

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Mukah is a pretty coastal town about 160 kms from Sibu. The road to Mukah though is in a deplorable condition which is a pity because once you get there, there is an excellent new coastal highway that will eventually link Mukah to Bintulu. Because of the road conditions, I decided to take a boat part way and got on the 10.30 am very un-express express boat to Igan where the Igan distributary of the Rajang reaches the sea. There isn't much to Igan town; basically just a kampong, so I jumped on my bike and pedalled off towards Mukah abt [View Full Entry]

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One week into Ramadan and succeeding beyond expectations. For an orang putih who enjoys a beer in the afternoon; fasting is a mind control exercise to get through the day to celebrate with food and drink on sunset. Not easy but when you are living with your wife's family, its a must do. The reward comes at days end so with any luck I'll make it through till the end of the month. Meanwhile, I am settling into this bustling micro city on the impressive Rajang river which is to be my future home. Renovating a shophouse floor into hopefully a [View Full Entry]

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