Blogs from Indonesia, Asia - page 611

Not just another Saturday, but my last day in Jakarta, and what will be the beginning of the end of this trip. Endah and Ferrika pick me up at the hotel and it is finally time to take on that final great landmark, yes, it is the return to the Monas tower. The gargantuan conrete tower sits in a big plaza surrounded by worn down grass plantations and visitors and picnicers seeking shelter from the blazing midday sun under the palmtrees. The base of the tower hosts a museum detailing the history to independence through a few dozen miniature displays of famous events and turning points in history. The artists have taken some liberty with the material, most notably the inclusion of the famous red and white flag flying over freedom fighters and navy ships some ... read more

Our sightseeing trip from Bukit Lawang to Lake Toba was undertaken in a minibus, which by itself was not really uncomfortable but we felt the bad road conditions (potholes etc.) much more strongly. The first part of the trip led us back to Medan, crossing wide plantations of oil palms whose fruits were just being picked and transported to oil mills, and huge plantations of gum trees. The crossing of Medan did not consume too much time, there were relatively few congestions. Our next stop on the way to Lake Toba was Brastagi, a hill resort town established by the Dutch in the early 20th century as a retreat from the heat and humidity of the lowlands. Although the town does not have many specific points of interest, its position, surrounded by active volcanoes, is memorable ... read more

When planning my trip to Indonesia earlier this year I had no idea that my visit would coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the Republic, which was a nice surprise. Not really knowing what to expect from it, plus the fact that various celebrations would be spread out over the gigantic city throughout the day meant that I had absolutely no idea what was going on or where I was supposed to go. Luckily I had some local help. I spent the day together with residents Endah and Ferrika who took me over to the waterfront at Ancol to watch one of those mad activities that makes you break a sweat just by looking on. As you can imagine, traffic was even worse than usual, and the entire Ancol area was vibrating like a beehive from ... read more

Stan, Myself and Gary were going to Bali to meet up with Sharon and Scott, who were on a 9 month backpacking trip. During this trip they were going to, at last, have the wedding they'd dreamed of for the last 3 years. We'd never actually backpacked before so this was going to be a whole new experience. Originally the wedding was going to take place on Phi Phi Island, Thailand December 2005. However the invitations were designed and ready to post out when the dreadful Tsunami occurred December 26th 2004. The island was hit badly and was virtually washed out. In view of this Sharon and Scott quickly changed the venue to Bali. The date was also brought forward to coincide with the dry season in Indonesia. One of the reasons The Far East had ... read more

Vanessa is back at work and I am spending the day on administrative duty. After doing my laundry I head out across the road to find in the following order an ATM, a travel agent and a hotel agent. By coincidence I also find six million cars in my path (and nearly manage to get hit by one), and a slew of bajaj and ojek (motorcycle) drivers wanting to oversee my safe transfer across town. Just like in China, the pavement is the place to conduct business so you end up walking in the road anyway, past noodle eateries and bajaj repair shops. After winning the jackpot over at the bank and collecting three million rupiahs I go about spending them on plane tickets to Jambi and extending my stay at the Acacia one more time. ... read more