Category: South East Asia

Kuta beach sunset 3

Indonesia / South East Asia

24 Dec, 2012

Paradise island Bali: popular Kuta beach and cultural Ubud

I’ve finally arrived in the place many people call paradise. A popular honeymoon getaway for couples and lovers. However, it’s not all just about lovey dovey couples here in Bali. Before getting arrival, I had no idea that Bali was such a big island. I’ve always thought it was a rather small island with resorts and honeymoon suites but to my suprise, the island itself is pretty big and there’s actually more to do than just lie around on the beach. Kuta beach One of the most popular tourist areas in Bali is Kuta. Because of its long broad Indian...

Amazing view from Mount Penanjakan 2

Indonesia / South East Asia

23 Dec, 2012

The volcano tour to Mt. Bromo and Ijen crater/plateau

After spending a few days in and around Yogyakarta I got on the train and made my way further east to visit some more volcanoes. The first one on the list was Gunung Bromo, Mount Bromo. There’s an extensive railway system running all the way across Java which makes it really easy to travel from city to city. No need for long distance buses and personally a really pleasant change of scenery as well. I was heading to Probolinggo from Yogyakarta, but had to transit in Surabaya. However, the connecting train was about 3 hours late which kinda ruined my...

Another temple in the Prambanan temple complex 4

Indonesia / South East Asia

22 Dec, 2012

Visiting Prambanan and Borobudur in Yogyakarta

The next stop on the Java island is Yogyakarta, one of the main touristic destinations in Indonesia. Mainly because of the 2 major sights around the cities. First major sight was the temple complex of Prambanan. Its the grandest and most evocative Hindu temple complex in Java that features some 50 temple sites. Many suffered extensive damage in the 2006 earthquake though. The temples survived but there are tons of stone blocks collapsed on the ground or cracked. The Shiva temple is the biggest one and also suffered a lot of damage. At the time of visit the temple itself...

Everyday traffic in Jakarta 0

Indonesia / South East Asia

21 Dec, 2012

Jakarta aka The Durian and the white crater at Bandung

After the modern commercial metropolis of Singapore I was really looking forward to my visit to Indonesia and Jakarta. I did some research on Jakarta and apparently they gave Jakarta the nickname “The Durian“. Now for people that haven’t been to Asia much, the durian is a quite famous fruit around many Asian countries. It’s distinctive for its large size, stomach-churning odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. Western people often are appaled by the strong smell before even letting it touch the their tongues, but in most cases, there are always people that love it and hate it. With this said,...

Stunning laser show at Marina Bay from the Sands hotel 1

Singapore / South East Asia

20 Dec, 2012

Night Lights 2012 and garden city Singapore

On friday the 24th of august, several museums in Singapore organised the Night Lights 2012 festival. We were lucky enough to catch the opening on friday and check out what the fuss is all about. It’s presented by the Singapore Art Museum and features light installations around Singapore Art Museum and School of the Arts. Visitors can enjoy a series of art works and light installations in and around the museums. They also have projections on the walls of the museums accompanied by music. We actually have a similar festival in Belgium called “Licht Festival” a similar concept using light...

One of the many shopping malls with excellent architecture 0

Singapore / South East Asia

18 Dec, 2012

Intercultural city-state of Singapore

Before arriving in Singapore, I already knew I wasn’t really going to spend a lot of time here. Mainly because there isn’t much to see, but then again, it really depends what you’re into. But I think for the average tourist, there isn’t much “new” to discover. Even when I told some of my local friends that I was going to stay about 9 days or say they already questioned me, why? First impression of Singapore was that it was so neat and clean everywhere. There wasn’t a single piece of trash on the ground this mainly because of the...

Melaka - World Heritage city 1

Malaysia / South East Asia

16 Dec, 2012

UNESCO World Heritage site, Malacca or Melaka

Malacca or Melaka in Malay is an UNESCO World Heritage site just a few hours away from Kuala Lumpur. It’s the capital of the state of Malacca on the westcoast of Peninsular Malaysia. Back in the days the city was a major port hub for all the different nations that have occupied Malaysia, hence the influence of different countries you find in the city itself. First there was the Chinese, then came the Portugese, afterwards the Dutch and finally the British. The most interesting and scenic part of Melaka is Chinatown and partly Town Square, also known as Dutch Square....

Impressive sight at night, Petronas towers 0

Malaysia / South East Asia

15 Dec, 2012

Gathering of ethnic groups in Kuala Lumpur

Come to think of it, I really didn’t stay that long in Kuala Lumpur. not that I have anything against it but, at this point in my trip, I was getting tired of all the traveling and the exhaustion of having to move from place to place was getting to me, therefore I think my enthusiasm for visiting new places has dropped significantly compared to the beginning of my trip. However, I tried to make the best of it coz… if this is the hardest thing I had to endure, I had a pretty good life. 🙂 Anyway, in Kuala...

View from top of hill between my accomodation and the main beach 0

Malaysia / South East Asia

9 Dec, 2012

White beaches and great diving on Perhentian Islands

I’ve always said I’m not a beach bum and that I’d rather visit other places than “just a nice beach”, but to be honest… all these nice beaches one of the other are starting to get to me. It took me time to really enjoy the peace and serenity of these amazing beaches and just sit back in the sand, enjoy the breeze and go for the occassional swim or snorkel session. I must say I’ve grown more fond of beach destination, given that they have things to do other than just lying on the beach, such as snorking, surfing...

Hawker food and street food stalls in Georgetown 0

Malaysia / South East Asia

5 Dec, 2012

UNESCO world heritage town of Georgetown in Penang

After the mindless partying and the chill-out beach islands it was time for a change of scene in the highly religious country of Malaysia. I went to Malaysia as a kid before but I’ve only stopped by Kuala Lumpur for a week or so, so I don’t really think that really counts as a real trip. This time around I was opening up more to the culture and the people in Malaysia. It wasn’t until in Kuala Lumpur near the end of my trip that I actually realised what Malaysia was made of. There are so many different ethnic groups...

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