Travel

Thoughts on my travel experiences.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes

Image source here.   Of all creatures living on this earth, none is more deserving of hatred than mosquitoes. With their buzzing in your ear and biting into your vein, no wonder a small feeling of victory follows when you’ve successfully slapped them dead: you...

Indonesia: Bali’s Cohesiveness

There are many ways to be a tourist. For example, one can remain in one’s own vacation bubble, as is necessary sometimes for recovery and rest from daily toils, or one can break through and be immersed in the world and culture on site. I tend to like cultural...

Indonesia: Tour de Bali

Breathtaking sights merged with a culture that is so rich and pervasive. That's Bali, a Hindu island in central Indonesia east of Java. Famous to international tourists and travelers, it took a huge hit when the first bombing happened in 2002, and again after the...

Indonesia: Its Underappreciated Talents

Two Sundays ago my mom took me to a place in Jakarta that I had never visited before, even though I was born and raised in the city. Located in the recreational complex in North Jakarta (Ancol) where you would find amusement parks, marinas, Sea World, etc., Pasar...

Indonesia: Jakarta’s Facelifts

Or, The Thrill of Being in a Developing Country Each time I go home, I have to reacquaint myself to Jakarta because it’s always a different city that I come home to. My 3+ years absence makes this process much more noticeable, since a lot has happened during that...

Indonesia: A Familiar Rabbit Hole

Coming from the US to Indonesia feels a little bit like being Alice in Wonderland for me – the world seems to shrink in size. Cars are smaller, roads narrower, furniture and doors more compact, etc., and people stand and drive much closer to each other. And in case...

Indonesia: The Prelude

In about 15 hours, I'll be taking off to Hongkong and Shenzhen for the first four days, and Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali) for the rest of this 22-day trip. They're all familiar territory, except for Shenzhen, but it just has been a while. The last time I went home over...