http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/pnaka/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from pnaka en-us Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:34:54 +0000 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:34:54 +0000 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 fin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Boracay/blog-367947.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Bali/Kuta/blog-354588.html 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 chea http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Riau-Archipelago/blog-350144.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Kalimantan/Pontianak/blog-334637.html I plan to go to Pontianak after Hari Raya so needed a visa to enter Indonesia at the TebeduEntikong border because they don't have Visa on Arrival facilities there. You need to obtain a prearranged 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 t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sarawak/Kuching/blog-328100.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sarawak/Sibu/blog-322930.html 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 unexpress express boat to Igan where the Igan distributary of th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sarawak/Sibu/blog-321935.html 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 set http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sarawak/Sibu/blog-321077.html