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 journey to the north, where the world-famous town of Luang Prabang is […]
All posts filed under: Southeast
Vientiane: The Rush-Free Capital
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 give a very strong impression that we should really not rush into […]
Lao Food: I Lao You!
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 following day. That gave us enough time to wander around the Malaysian […]
What an Exquisite Deli!
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 not a post about food, I mean it (I thought some of […]
Medan: Unexpectedly Interesting
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 due to my visit to Lake Toba, I wouldn’t have intended to […]
Dance and Swing Until The Egg Breaks
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 Huta Bolon Simanindo, I could hear some traditional music instruments were being […]
The King, The Missionary and The Trial Stone
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 reads Batu Parsidangan on the main road. Then we navigated our way […]
The Legend of Samosir’s First Settlers
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 small town of Tomok, 5 km south of Tuk Tuk. Before the […]
The Intriguing Culture of Samosir Island
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 Indonesians (although to foreign eyes they all look the same). They have […]
Lake Toba: Nature’s Wrath Turned Into Eden
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 blown to the west. According to some research and measurements, at one […]
A Legacy of The Great Admiral
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 region. The great expedition, however, was commanded by Zheng He, a Muslim […]
Candi Sukuh: The Naked Temple
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, I think. It is a nice welcome after three-hour drive from Semarang, two-hour two-bus rides, half an […]
What an Amazing World! 