Shervin and I made a stop at Jalan Malioboro and Jalan Sosrowijayan before heading to Prambanan. We asked the travel agents around the area if they sell bus or train tickets for Surabaya, en route to Probolinggo, our next destination the day after. Unfortunately, they could only be bought from the bus or train station….
Author: Gay Mitra
Yogyakarta Walking Tour
It was a Friday (observed as a holiday in Islam), and the Main Court of the kraton (Sri Sultan’s Palace) was closed so Shervin and I didn’t bother entering the compound. We headed to Taman Sari instead. Taman Sari or Water Castle (open 8AM-2PM), is located west of the kraton. Built by a Portuguese architect,…
Borobudur: A Chaperoned Monthsary
As planned, we got there for our monthsary (pardon my mushiness). Our Couchsurfing host Sandi, who didn’t have work then because of a public holiday, drove and accompanied us to the magnificent-but-darn-crowded Borobudur. Boroudur’s stupas. Thank goodness I managed to take a photo of a deserted spot. My desire to visit Borobudur was almost the…
Philippine Passport Renewal: What Da Heck To Really Expect
I finally got my E-Passport last week, after waiting for 2 months and 2 weeks. So how is this (not so) new DFA Passport Appointment System? Hmmm, let’s just say it didn’t/doesn’t/won’t make a lot of Pinoys happy. Machine Readable Passport (MRP), Green Passport, E-Passport.DFA’s website is very straightforward. Most of the information below were…
My First Overnight Train: Jakarta-Yogyakarta
Our kind Jakarta hosts not only took us to Gambir Station, they also helped us look for an available trip to our next stop, Yogyakarta. They unanimously discouraged us though to take the economy train because according to them it’s “really not safe”. Since it was a holiday the day after, we figured the economy…
Kuching-Jakarta
On our last night in Kuching, we drank (potent) local rice wine, and was able to have a good sleep despite incessant pain from our bed bug bites. Kuching’s Sarawak Museum. Uhm, photography inside not allowed. Cheap, but very strong wine. And that’s our trusted small portable stove. Before we checked out Kuching Hotel (RM35…
Backpacking Borneo: Bako National Park
Bako National Park can make you feel like you’re on the set of ‘Lost’, with its a la choose-your-own-adventure trails. It is Sarawak’s oldest national park, gazetted as a protected area in 1957. It covers an area of 2,727 hectares (with an incredible variety of plant species) at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula.
Magalawa Island: The Babymooners
The term “babymoon” these days pertains to the final vacation of a couple who are expecting a baby. Babymoons almost always are spent in luxurious resorts which provide pampering services, especially for the soon to be mom. In our case, it’s far from such. Even at six months pregnant, our weekend babymoon was the usual…
Backpacking Borneo: Kuching, Sarawak
After spending two nights in Miri, we moved west of Sarawak. A butt numbing sixteen-hour bus ride (for RM70) took us to the colorful city of Kuching. Our Borneo trip thus far. View Miri-Kuching in a larger mapWe arrived at Kuching’s regional express bus terminal a little past 4:00 AM and went straight to the…
Backpacking Borneo: Niah Caves
We arranged a tour with Highlands, our accommodation-cum-travel agent for a hefty RM60 each. We were picked up by our guide, a Miri local who speaks fluent English with an Aussie accent at exactly 9:00 AM. There were five of us: Shervin, me, Keran (Scottish), Toby (British) and his French girlfriend. Niah National Park is…