It was only half past eight at night but the streets were mostly deserted. Alexander and I walked around the small alleys of Medan to find a place where we could have some authentic Medanese dishes, off the more touristy Kesawan and Merdeka Square. We […]
Crisp cool air refreshed my skin, the wind blew on my face, giving me a chilling sensation I have not felt for a long time from big cities in Indonesia. Yet I was in Malang, one of the biggest cities in East Java. Five years […]
Borobudur? Magnificent. Prambanan? Elegant. Plaosan? Mysterious. The ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples of Java are still the biggest draw for most visitors to Jogja. Arguably the Javanese cultural capital, the city boasts some of the biggest and most elaborate ancient temples in Indonesia, and perhaps […]
As an attempt to immerse myself in the local culture every time I travel, sampling local dishes is always on my must-do list. Many times I was impressed and delighted with the richness and uniqueness of the flavors I tasted. Or lahm in Laos and shish kebab in Turkey were some […]
Despite calling Semarang in Central Java home, I only spent a brief 1.5 years in the city since I was born. Life had taken me to live in three cities in South Kalimantan (Borneo) and four cities in Java. Until a few years ago, the […]
Being an Indonesian, there are some perennial questions that I always get every time I return from a trip. “How was the food?”, “Did you try anything weird?”, “Was the food spicy?” are some of the most frequently asked questions. Sudip, my cousin-in-law, was startled […]
Bold, savory, refreshing, mouth-watering, amusingly foreign. Turkey has some of the most interesting dishes that I have ever tried by far. During my stay in the Turkish largest city I had the chance to tickle my palate by tasting local dishes made from fresh and […]
In the midst of the freezing winter wind we walk down a quiet neighborhood of Fatih, a complete opposite of the tourist-overrun district of Sultanahmet. My hands are numb and for the first time in Istanbul I regret for not bringing the gloves. We follow our […]
It is a sunny and quiet morning in Kemang, a district in South Jakarta. The usual traffic congestion is absent, supplanted by silence, the occasional sound of chirping birds and the faint banter of breakfast vendors. I walk around the neighborhood and turn down one […]
For the first six months of 2012, my wanderlust has brought me to six countries as well as some destinations in Indonesia. New interesting stories, unforgettable experiences, memorable photographs, new friends, funny-tasting local delicacies and beautiful memories have enriched me in a way only traveling […]
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 […]
I have lived in different cities across Indonesia and traveled to a few countries. But there is one place that I call home, it’s Semarang. Semarang is the capital of Central Java province in the island of Java, Indonesia, and by population it is currently […]
What an Amazing World! 