Indonesia

Yogjakarta/Central Java

October 1, 2023

Yogja is a special place. We came here to find out the soul of Java and therefore an important part of modern Indonesia. It’s where school students from all over the archipelago dream to go on their school trips. My Indonesian tutor Gusde was so excited to hear I wanted to go there, and quickly gave me a list of things to see and do. Indonesia is a diverse land of many cultural groups and within its short history of being a united nation, Yogja is super special as it has been an ...

Bali, Indonesia

Auto culture: finding Holdens in Indonesia

July 25, 2021

As our car crawled along the narrow roads between Yogyakarta and Surakarta, I stared out the front passenger window, marvelling at the everyday lives of the locals as they milled about the roadside stalls; billows of steam were coming out of the big pots of the warungs, and children, chickens and scooters were weaving around us. My husband Mr J and daughter Miss E were sitting in the back seat: bored, with headphones on. Scrolling through something on their phones. They were over the great ...

Indonesia, Wunderkammer

Wunderkammer #3: Piggy tales: The Chinese zodiac and Balinese Babi Guling

July 24, 2021

I bought this dear little piggy at Bali Domestic airport before heading over to Solo (Surakarta) in East Java. It was 2019, the Chinese year of the pig, and I wanted a little piggy dressed in Balinese batik to have as a memento. I still remember buying him in the little gift shop- as he was ridiculously expensive- and I keep him as a talisman of my time in Bali and being able to remember that feeling of excitement and anticipation about revisiting the beautiful city of Solo. The Year of the ...

Indonesia

Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia.

June 28, 2020

Get a taste of this spectacularly located, bustling fishing village on the western edge of Flores, overlooking the islands of Komodo National Park. Twenty-one years ago, a girlfriend and I spent a month island hopping easterly across Nusa Tenggara, taking the public ferries and rickety busses across the stunning landscapes of Bali, Lombok, and Sumbawa. During those long, languid days, we practised our Indonesian with phrasebooks, played card games with fellow passengers and made some ...

Indonesia

Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

April 9, 2020

Manado is located on the north coast of the wildly unusually shaped island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) and is the second-largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar and is the capital of North Sulawesi. Although on the coast and surrounded by beautiful ocean and coral for snorkellers and scuba divers, the waterfront has no beach- it is lined by volcanic rocks breakwaters. The islands to the north, accessible by boat, are the starting points for underwater adventures. It’s a prosperous place ...

Indonesia

A Royal Heritage Tour of Solo

March 11, 2020

We recently flew Air Asia to Solo (formerly named Surakarta) in East Java for a few days to explore the heritage and culture of the royal city and to visit the famous antique markets and Batik Museum. Solo is an elegant, clean city with tree lined streets. I loved the history and the culture; my husband and daughter loved the fireworks shops and the cineplex! On the first day we were impatient to get to the Triwindu Antique Market, a short becak (cycle rickshaw) ride from our hotel. The ...

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