You cannot say you have visited Yangon if you haven’t gone to Shwedagon Pagoda. I mean it. For most people, Southeast Asia is a wonderful place with so many beautiful temples scattered throughout… Read More
It was Sunday morning in Vientiane. After a two-day sojourn in the Lao capital, our affection for the city started to grow. But we knew it was time for us to continue our… Read More
Long before I made my way to Laos I had heard and read about how laid-back the country was. Officially Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), or affectionately Please Don’t Rush, the country did… Read More
Last week I returned from a wonderful trip to Laos with James. We flew from Jakarta and Hong Kong respectively and met in Kuala Lumpur to catch the flight to Vientiane on the… Read More
If you think this is a post about food or culinary thing, this is not. You can stop reading now. No, I’m kidding. Please continue reading but when I said that this is… Read More
Just a stopover city was my initial thought about Medan. With more than two million residents, Medan is Indonesia’s fourth largest city and the nation’s largest city outside Java. Had it not been… Read More
Simanindo, a small village at the northern part of Samosir Island, was the last place that I visited on a trip to Samosir’s historical and cultural places. When I parked the motorbike at… Read More
Ambarita, a sleepy village 10 km north from Tomok was the second historical site which Robin and I visited on Samosir Island. We turned right as soon as we noticed a signboard which… Read More
Legend has it that King Sidabutar was the first man ever set his foot on Samosir Island. Later on he and his descendants resides in an area which is now known as the… Read More
North Sumatra, especially around Lake Toba and Samosir Island, has been known as the place where Batak people, or simply Bataks, come from and flourish. Physically, Bataks are quite different from other western… Read More
Sumatra, about 60,000 – 70,000 years ago, the largest known explosive eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years occurred. Approximately 2,800 km3 of material was released and most of it was… Read More
In the early 15th century when Ming dynasty ruled China, The Yongle Emperor sponsored seven expeditions of unprecedented naval fleet to impress other nations across the Indian Ocean and control trade in the… Read More
Refreshing breeze of Mount Lawu touches my skin. Verdant hills and clear blue sky make a perfect combination of eye-soothing colors. “My senses are definitely tickled and spoiled”, so I think. It is… Read More
