Blogs from Mentawi, Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia

Mentawai had been on my bucket list for many years, and I and two friends decided to visit it in July this year. We decided to go with the Tour of Mentawai, travel agent which took care the trip arrangement. The fast ferry connecting Padang city to Siberut island, the biggest island in Mentawai region, runs twice a week on Saturday and Tuesday. We opted to leave on Tuesday and arrived at Muaro port by 6 am, which was packed with people, luggages, not to mention surf boards. Despite the chaotic and unorganized boarding process, all passengers and their belongings were timely boarded by 8 am. Afraid of getting seasick, we took the non-airconditioned seats at the upper deck. Thankfully, the sea was quite calm and we enjoyed the ride. Unfortunately, one of the four ferry ... read more

I had an aunt and an uncle who went to South West Rocks 36 years in a row for their January holidays. Why? “South West Rocks has everything you could possibly need. A beach and a bowling club with a top Chinese Restaurant” they said. Uncle Sid and Aunty Jean living on the edge. What is it that draws people back to the same holiday distination on a regular basis? Perhaps that particular locale ticked all the boxes required for their hit and run vacation time and there’s a sense of comfort in the familiarity. I suppose that’s pragmatism defined but, “Where’s the adventure”? Having said that, there are quite a few dots on this earth we’ve retraced and would do so again given the chance. Offer me a ticket to Paris tomorrow and I’ll go ... read more

As the name suggests, Resort Latitude Zero sits within spitting distance of the equator. A hedonistic oasis, the resort is snuggled cosily amongst the Telo Island chain. The what chain? If you are not a surfer, it's an archipelago incognito. Even the good people of Sumatra, a couple of hundred kilometres to the west, would struggle to point it out on a map. That resonated of a decent enough reason to call in for a fortnight. This was my second visit to the ballpark but Telo Island Lodge, while upscale in a surfer kind of way, isn't the genre of place to drag the blushing bride. Not so RLZ. The brainchild of a group of Oz surfers, what they have created from the foundations up in this off the grid locale is a cocktail of vision, ... read more