Sunrise over a Lombok beach

Novotel Hotel overlooking Mandalika Beach, just a few kilometres up the road from Kuta, Lombok is a quiet, but nice upmarket resort/hotel. With a private view of quiet Mandalika beach it is a lovely place to enjoy some picturesque sunrises. 

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Klenteng Hok Lay Kiong (A Chinese Temple in Bekasi)

Klenteng Hok Lay Kiong is a Chinese Temple in the Little China Town area of Bekasi. You can find it on Jl. Kenari 1, Bekasi, Jawa Barat 17113, not far from Bekasi Junction.

Visiting close to the lunar new year, and it will be a hive of activity, incense and candles, and in the streets, with practising Barong sai or Lion Dance troop. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) , Korea is located in busy Seoul. It is a wonderfully preserved (and rebuilt) palace originally built centuries ago. During certain times they have traditional colourful Korean military guards with swords and halberds, guarding the decorative Gwanghwamun gate. 

Bandung Bus Tour

Bandung City Tour on Bus: BANDROS

Dream big. There is nothing wrong to envisage Bandung like New York City. Surely it takes time, especially courage to begin with. We acknowledge the double-deck buses in New York City and romanticize Bandung to have several like those in the Big Apple. The open-deck ones would be very nice to have. The dream finally turns into reality.

Probably Erry Pamungkas is not too familiar for us, although he is the one who proposed the name ‘Bandros’ for Bandung’s first city tour bus. Everyone thought Ridwan Kamil, the current mayor of Bandung, was the one who brought that alternative tourist transport initiative. He probably is, and whoever had the idea, Ridwan Kamil has materialized it and made it run around the streets of Bandung.

Everyone loves Bandros and rushes to ride on one of those open-deck buses. They come in red and yellow, although the red ones look very frequently in operation. If you wish to try the city tour on it, simply come to Alun-alun Bandung park and find the bus in front of the Mayor’s state residence.

Info update:Currently, the city government is evaluating the operations of the bus. During the evaluation, Bandros only serves group tour. To register, please come to Jl. Indramayu 66. (NKE)

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Nami Island, Korea

Nami Island is roughly 65km from Seoul in the middle of a human made lake, Cheongpyeong Lake in the Han River. It is small island with many theme gardens, stages, statues and even several exhibition halls and lodgings. It has a circumference of 5km and you can follow some picturesque walking trails around it. Nami island not only has plenty of birds and trees but also squirrels, deer, ostrich and rabbits.

Sentul Floating Market: Pasar Ah Poong (Apung)

Pasar Ah Poong or Abung (which means floating in English) is a medium sized food market/ open air food court on the bank of a river in Sentul, just near the large Islamic centre as you get off the toll road from Jakarta. 

Floods in Bintaro, South Jakarta (2007)

Jakarta regularly floods, however, residents believe that we receive a larger than usual dose of rain every five years. I was ‘lucky’ enough to be present in Bintaro in 2007 when we experienced the last big floods. Over half of Greater Jakarta shut down for 4 days. It was a novelty being stuck at home (schools closed due to floods) but I was lucky not to have electricty og out, water enter the house and damage all my possessions and pollute my drinking water and so on. Many other Jakarta residents were not so lucky. 

Urban Kampung around Jakarta

Jakarta is a city where rich and poor are nestled side by side. In any area of Jakarta you can find small little villages, known as kampung small houses, side streets called gangs, and plenty of street life going on around you. Poor does not mean dirty, just interesting. Homemade shacks, banana plantations nestled alongside rivers, tollroads, under major power lines and train tracks. Where ever there exists space, some enterprising Indonesians will set up shop and home, often made of the rudest materials, scrap lumber, metal sheets are enough to build a house. 

Sultan’s Palace in Cirebon

The Kraton Kasepuhan is the oldest sultan’s palace (or kraton) in the city of Cirebon,Indonesian just a few hours east of Jakarta on the north coast of Java. It is the residence of the Sultan of Kasepuhan. While the sultan still lives in the palace, several main sections are open to the public.

What to do with 3 Days in Bangkok?

Day 1

• Arrive lunch time Taxi to hotel.

(all taxis the same, you have one airport queue – I think it is 50 baht extra. Otherwise they use meter and you pay tolls)

• Take BTS (Skytrain) or MRT (Subway) or Taxi to Mall. Paragon. Near BTS Central or Siam Centre MBK (Maah Boo Krong) Food court 4^th of MBK

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?oe=UTF8&ie=UTF8&msa=0&mid=z3xLvde9L8M8.kmy3yI9liA9U

• Dinner Suda Restaurant

Sukhumvit Soi 14

Sky train Asok Station