Final moments of daylight, surfers and fishermen have retreated. The relentless dance of waves make the black stones of Medewi Beach shine. Sprinkled around the sand handfuls of the most impressive seashells. Walking past the fishing boat armada, the air carries a musky, fish smell, soon we start spotting the first bodies, a bloated puffer […]
Read more "Puffer fish cemetery"Anak Agung Pandji Tisna [1] (1908 –1978), also known as Anak Agung Nyoman Pandji Tisna, or just Pandji Tisna, was the 11th descendant of the Padji Sakti dynasty of Buleleng, Singaraja an area in North Bali. He was an interesting character, born into a powerful family essentially becoming the king of Buleleng after the death […]
Read more "Betting your hard earned Dolphin money"Just off the northwest coast of Lombok three small islands dot the Archipelago. Tiny, tropical and surrounded by coral reefs paired with a laid back atmosphere they have become a huge magnetic force for tourists. Gili Air (Air (AH-yer) means water in Indonesian) is the closest to Lombok, a mere 10 minutes on the boat. The […]
Read more "Water Island Blues"Mt Rinjani is an active volcano in Lombok, at 3,726 m the second highest in Indonesia. Up until now it was hidden behind a cloudy curtain but on the morning of the hike, just before sunrise the clouds have withdrawn revealing the volcano in its full glory. The path starts from the village of Senaru […]
Read more "Tiptoeing on the back of a sleepy Volcano"North Lombok is dominated by Mount Rinjani, an active volcano with smaller satellite peaks. The main road circumnavigates around the mountain except for one single branch that snakes to the west side and crosses over. Opting for this scenic route you are bound to pass through the kingdom of Mountain Monkeys. A group of grey […]
Read more "Monkeys and Fish on Sticks, on the way to the Volcano."Lombok is the next big island east of Bali, less developed internally, more quiet and with a distinctively different atmosphere. Predominantly inhabited by Sasak people who are related to Balinese in language and race but not in religion. Clocks tick slower here, halfway through Ramadan energy is preserved for the sunset.
Read more "Everything is fair in Love and Rupiah."Nusa Penida is the wild untamed cousin of Bali. Believed to be home to evil spirits, black magic and the dreaded demon Jero Gede Mecaling. It is the negative balance to the positive equilibrium. It is also a rugged, arid island with hilly interior and spectacular vertical cliffs on its south side. These reasons along […]
Read more "Nusa Penida"Southeast of Bali there are three distinct and less crowded islands that often miss the tourist waves. The most famous of them Nusa Lembongan is primarily a dive or surf destination together with the odd cyclist. Small enough that you could easily traverse by foot. On the public boat from Sanur to Lembongan there are only […]
Read more "Nusa Lembongan"Final stop, Stasiun Yogyakarta. A 523km ride from Jakarta to reach the cultural soul of Java. Arts, crafts, education and a more creative undercurrent blend in a slightly less chaotic mixture. First explorations with a rented scooter, the ideal vehicle for transitioning the hive traffic. Fuel from small stalls with off license gasoline for our […]
Read more "Yogyakarta the Soul of Java."Jakarta is a tough megapolis to love and not a desired stop for our Indonesian exploration. The soul of Java is said to lie in Yogyakarta (or Jogja) in the center of the island. Where a heavy cultural heritage, many universities and smaller sizes have created a calmer blend.
Read more "A train ride through Java’s backbone."
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