If you peruse most travel itineraries to the island of Java, you will find three major tourist attractions: the temples of Yogyakarta, sunrise at Mount Bromo and a night hike to the blue flame/sunrise at Mount Ijen. Unfortunately, the latter was off the table for us due to a July eruption so we settled on Bromo for our volcanic adventure-o-the-month. …
Some say that Yogyakarta, commonly called Yogya or Jogja, is the true essence of Java…where the heart and the soul collide in its history, arts and culture. It is a destination that is on nearly every travelers’ Java itinerary for this reason, and because of its proximity to the wondrous and notable ancient ruins of Borobudur and Prambanan. So...Borobodur or…
While in Surakarta, aka, Solo, we went $2.82 over our daily budget and…at the same time, stayed in our first FIVE-star hotel. There was no travel hacking, free stays, or craftiness involved. It’s simply what it cost with our Agoda “VIP Platinum” status (which anyone can get simply by using the app regularly). Needless to say, life can be very good…
Now that we had completed our three-week tour of Central and Eastern Java, we could more accurately evaluate the cities we visited and of them, Surakarta, also known as Solo, easily ranked in as our favorite, and one we’d love to return to. Granted, this is based on first impressions because we only spent one night, but it had a…
Getting to Malang from Surakarta (Solo) Despite its swarming roads and bustling cities, the miles between them can be a simply ravishing and serene journey while traversing Java, which we did in August 2024. And perhaps there’s no better way to see it than on the rails. Our longest train journey would take us six-hours from Solo to Malang through…
East Java’s Tumpak Sewu is one of the most impressive waterfalls in Indonesia. It tumbles down in a semi-circle sheet from the perch of a precipitous cliff, creating a marvelous curtain of water. And, even better….when you research blogs on things to do in Java, supposedly Tumpak Sewu is a stunning “off the beaten path” site you can see as…
Arriving to Mount Kinabalu National Park After a three hour escape from the wilds, we still had an endless five-hour bus journey to bask in our grime before arriving to our refreshingly cool next destination of Mt Kinabalu National Park. If we had to plan this again, (which we won’t but maybe it’ll save you), we’d definitely stay in Sepilok…
We spent three weeks on the Malaysian side of Borneo, the third biggest island on earth, traveling from west to east, and also made a stop in the tiny Islamic sultanate of Brunei. Our experience was mostly very positive and we’d highly recommend a trip here most notably for the diverse and unbelievable array of wildlife, but also with some…
