Borobudur – Waiting for the sunrise
Day 74 – Borobudur, Indonesia Borobudur is famed for its Buddhist temple, built around a hill in the shape of a mandala. One of the special activities on offer is to go see the sunrise from its top. As I had a reasonably good experience at Angkor Wat, I thought it worth it to repeat…
Pine forest
Day 71 – Pasar Kedu, Central Java, Indonesia I was told that we were supposed to go to a waterfall this day, but communication obviously was a bit broken: when the other foreign guests got up, it was too late or the rental car wasn’t available, I’m not sure which. We spent the day home,…
Central Java
Day 71 – Pasar Kedu, Indonesia I’m now in Central Java, spending time in a family in a smallish town. The idea is a cultural exchange, with English practice thrown in the lot. Whereas the first bus to get there was a luxury bus, with complimentary water and snack, the second bus was… different. I’m pretty…
Yogyakarta – in double time
Day 69 – Yogyakarta, Indonesia On my way to my first visit of the day, I finally received the answer I was waiting for: I’m going to spend 2 weeks in central Java with a family, exchanging English lessons against cultural lessons. But since I’m expected there tomorrow, I accelerated my visit of the city.…
Yogyakarta
Day 68 – Yogyakarta I left Jakarta this morning for Yogyakarta. It is on the southern coast of Java, whereas Jakarta is on the northern coast (and a farther West). I took a train, in the executive class, quite luxurious. I paid 21€ my ticket for an 8-hour journey, I love Asia. I had the…
Earthquake in Indonesia: I wasn’t there.
In case anyone saw the news and worried, I am far from today’s earthquake in Indonesia and out of its zone of impact.
Jakarta – National Museum
Day 66 – Jakarta, Indonesia I started by a visit to an old and quirky shopping mall, reputed, according to Lonely Planet, for its textiles. I must have been too early, because most of the shops were closed. I mean, it was only four hours after the official opening time. Pasar Glodok So since I…
Jakarta – Wayang Museum
Day 64 – Jakarta, Indonesia I started my day by asking where to find someone to sew my future new pants, thinking that I would be directed either to a local seamstress doing odd jobs or to a tailor shop. And I was indeed directed to a local craftsman: a seamster (that would be a…
Jakarta
Day 63 – Jakarta, Indonesia I left Kuala Lumpur a bit worried because the Wi-Fi connection of my smartphone is acting up, refusing to stay on. It’s a bit difficult to download the map to Jakarta without that connexion. So I studied how to get from the airport to my hostel on my computer in…
Kuala Lumpur
Day 62 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia I’m living the high life right now, sitting in a lounge bar (picture above) at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers (picture below) with a mango smoothie. Lugging your computer all day should have its compensations. I started my day with a cup of tea, finding hot water…