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Climbing Mount Rinjani

October 12, 2022

DAY 01Senaru Village – Sembalun Village (1,150 m) – Sembalun Crater Rim (2,639 m) We were driven to Sembalun Village for about an hour. After some health check out and registration at Rinjani Information Center (RIC), we started trekking at 9am, towards POS-1 PEMANTAUAN (1,300 m) in about 2 hours. We then continued walking to …
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Bali revisited 2022

October 5, 2022

Bali is always a good idea right? Just a short hop of 2.5 hours from Singapore, it offers all sorts of fun and activities to all types of tourists. Bali itself is 8 times as big as Singapore, so it makes for an excellent getaway to experience new stuff. From chilling in your resort villa …
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[Flight Review] Super Air Jet

September 28, 2022

Super Air Jet is a low-cost airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia, which provides a premium in-flight travel experience with high connectivity, reliability, and reasonably-priced transportation for modern generations. It was newly launched in 2021 and I was eager to try out this new low-cost airline in Indonesia. In late June, the airline’s website was launching …
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Introduction to Lombok

September 21, 2022

Previously recognised simply as Bali’s sister island, Lombok is now a full-grown destination with its own set of charms. Each year, more people are skipping Bali for Lombok’s pristine, unspoiled nature. Some say Lombok’s exotic beaches remind them of what Bali looked like decades ago – and that doesn’t include the island’s hidden, untouched spots …
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New VTLs with Vietnam and Greece

March 6, 2022

As you know, Singapore had this concept of Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) since the second half of last year. These flights are only available for those who are fully vaccinated according to WHO requirements. I was fortunate enough to visit Italy and Spain in Nov/ Dec 2021, and to come back on a VTL. If …
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Exploring Bali

May 27, 2019

On my recent trip to Bali to celebrate my bachelor’s party, we decided to stay in Canggu which is an expatriate area, away from the tourist crowds at Kuta and Seminyak. Canggu is a really nice area, with lots of hipster cafes, boutique hotels, set amidst the rice fields and also the surfing areas along …
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Bali Bites

May 26, 2019

Hotel Mexicola is a trendy and unique dining place with a colorful concept serving Mexican specialties and alcohol. With such unique decorations and even various candles surrounding portraits of the deceased people, I could not help but think back to Dia de los muertos, a festival commemorating the dead in Mexico. Unfortunately, the lighting at …
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Pekanbaru food

October 29, 2018

At the Pasar Bawah, the undercover market of Pekanbaru, baskets are piled ceiling high with the spices and other flavours that make up the local Padang cuisine famous to West Sumatra: ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, cassava chips, garlic, shallots, shrimp and chilli. Together, they spice up the most iconic dishes of masakan padang: rendang daging …
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Flight review – Silkair JOG-SIN

August 27, 2018

MI 153 JOG-SIN Sunday 12 Aug 2018 Plane: B738 There are two daily flights between Yogyakarta (JOG) and Singapore, one on AirAsia and the other on Silkair. The Airasia flight leaves JOG really early, at 7.35am, leaving you with the last day of your trip wasted as basically you are just waking up to catch …
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Bandung Getaway

August 23, 2018

Located some 150km southeast of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia’s West Java province has a quaint atmosphere that suits the tastes of the adventurous. With a population of approximately 2.6 million, Bandung has a laid-back lifestyle that is different from the country’s capital with all its hustle and bustle. Just a two-hour drive (if there …
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UNESCO sites around Yogyakarta

August 19, 2018

Borobudur Fun fact – did you know that Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country, yet it is also home to the largest Buddhist temple complex in the world? This is testament of how various religions can co-exist in one country. Borobudur: This famous Buddhist temple, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is located …
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Pinus Pengger Nature Tourism

August 15, 2018

For those who have seen my Instagram posts about the hand structure overlooking the valley, this is the new Instagram place to be for those who are visiting Yogyakarta. Situated about an hour away from the city and a winding ride up the mountainous roads, Pinus Pengger in Bantul is a pine forest area with …
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Flight review- Garuda Indonesia

August 14, 2018

Flight: GA855 from Singapore to Surabaya 8 Aug 2018 19:30 SIN – 20:55 SUB Plane: B738 It was my second time flying with Garuda. With a one-way ticket at $100 to Surabaya, it was a good deal as it was around the same price as Scoot and it had in-flight services. The previous time, I …
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A foodie’s guide to Pekanbaru

August 4, 2018

Pekanbaru is not your typical destination to visit in Indonesia. While it is not really off the beaten track, the international airport only serves two international destinations – Singapore and Malaysia. Being the capital city of Riau province in Sumatra, it serves mainly as as the largest oil-producing capital in the whole of Indonesia and …
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Pekanbaru for the weekend

July 29, 2018

Since Scoot launched their 4 times weekly flight to Pekanbaru, it has been much easier to visit this capital city of Riau province. The economy was originally built on coffee and coal but now relies on oil. The Riau Province produces half of the crude oil for all of Indonesia, 650,000 barrels per year. Pekanbaru is …
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Flight Review: KLM

April 3, 2017

Update: 5 May 2019 I flew with KLM again to Bali. KLM offers a flight between Amsterdam and Bali, with a stopover in Singapore. This flight is popular with European revellers who are headed to Bali for their beach vacation. Since I had not taken a KLM flight before, I booked the Singapore-Bali return journey …
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Eat Pray Love Bali

March 21, 2017

What a tropical paradise Bali is. I had long avoided visiting Bali because it is touristy and filled with drunk Australian tourists. However, I was so wrong! I found my inner peace in Bali. This Indonesian island known for its forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches and coral reefs is more than meets the eye. …
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Bandung ain’t the place for rose syrup drinks

October 29, 2016

Bandung is the capital of Java Barat province of West Java in Indonesia. It is well known for its fashion and wide varieties of flowers, trees and parks. Café and boutiques are spread throughout its street. The climate of Bandung is very pleasant throughout the year. This city is situated at an elevation of 768 …
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How to get to Bandung

October 28, 2016

There is at least one daily direct flight on AirAsia from Singapore to Bandung. Silkair flies to Bandung thrice a week. However, since I was looking for an evening flight and also due to budget, we decided to fly to Jakarta, then take a bus to Bandung. From Jakarta airport, there is a direct airport …
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Love it or hate it Jakarta

April 2, 2016

Jakarta is a typical metropolitan city in Asia, filled with congested roads that can drive you crazy, shrouded with smog everyday and skyscrapers being built at an alarming rate as the city expands. It is a dynamic city filled with rickety slums built around train tracks to the glitzy upmarket gated communities around Menteng or …
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Day trip to Curug Nangka

April 2, 2016

With a strong urge to get out of the noisy city of Jakarta with its incessant traffic and bad pollution, I decided to make a day trip to Curug Nangka, a famous waterfall located at the base of Mount Salak. It is about an hour’s travel from Bogor, a city south of Jakarta, in the …
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Climbing Mt Ijen without a tour

August 12, 2015

This is how to do Kawah Ijen without a tour: Kawah Ijen can be accessed by either Banyuwagi or Bondowoso. If coming from Bali, Banyuwagi might be more convenient while Bondowoso is more convenient for those coming from the west (like Mt. Bromo or Surabaya). From the bus depot in Bondowoso, a morning bus leaves …
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How to go to Mt Bromo without a tour

August 10, 2015

welcome to Mt Bromo national park Here is how I went to Mount Bromo without joining a tour and I did not pay the admission charges. Mountains are part of nature and I think they should be made free to all, hence I do not like to pay hefty admission charges or even for tour …
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Kelong day 3

June 12, 2010

C’est très vite que trois jours sont passé et aujourd’hui, nous sommes retournés à singapour. Notre vacances en Indonesie a fini et nous devons retourner au camp demain soir. Nous sommes fatigués ce matin parce que tout le monde sauf moi ont dormi tard hier soir. Je me suis levé à 6h30 du matin pour …
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