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  • Ward-eringTheWorld

Indonesia

A 22-day adventure by Ward-eringTheWorld Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 6, 2024
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    Jakarta

    Nov 6–8, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Jakarta: Indonesia's capital city and where our journey began! Jakarta is the second largest city in the world and has a blend of cultures - including big Dutch and Chinese influences.

    Our first day was a trip to Jakarta's National Monument - Monas. This is a 132m tall structure in the city centre surrounded by the beautiful Merdeka Square. We were surprised that we were actually the main tourist attraction - with lots of domestic tourists and school groups coming up to us and asking for photos! Luckily we did also get to see views of the city from the top of the tower before going back to the hotel to chill by the pool.

    Day 2 we explored Kota Tua - Jakartas "old town". This was once the centre of trade in Indonesia and the original Dutch settlement. It almost seemed out of place seeing grand Europen buildings alongside shanty towns, however added to the uniqueness of the city. Next we explored the city's 'China town'. This was not all that it was hyped up to be, walking through cramped, narrow streets with market stalls of raw food everywhere was not quite what we had envisaged!

    Jakarta definitely isn't my favourite place to visit, happy to have ticked it off the list but doubt I'll ever be back.    Read more

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    Yogyakarta

    Nov 8–11, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Yogyakarta or "Jogya" as known by locals is the cultural and art capital of Java. It is still a bustling city but with less chaos than Jakarta. The city itself is centred around the main street "JL Malioboro" a mile long street filled with shops, markets and street food. By day it is relatively calm, by night it comes alive with thousands of people soaking in the atmosphere from the street performers and live musicians.

    Cultural stop number 1 - Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia. Constructed in the 8th century, there are 240 temples in total, with the 3 main towers reaching 47m high. Much of the complex has been damaged by earthquakes but they are gradually being rebuilt - this is estimated to take 200years until it is completed! We were lucky to have 2 students who wanted to practice their English act as our tour guides, which gave us an insight into the history of Prambanan.

    Borobudar, the largest Buddhist temple in the world was our second cultural stop of the trip. This temple was also built in the 8th century, consisting of 9 levels with over 500 Buddha statues. The temple itself is vast, each segment unique and telling a different story. Our guide was quite the character - at one point taking my palm, taking a quick measurement of my fingers and read my palm.... finally coming to the conclusion that I am most likely to be a nurse or into pharmaceuticals - I was very impressed!    Read more

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    Malang

    Nov 11–13, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Malang was stop number 3 of our journey and we packed so much into 24 hours. First was a trip to Kampung Warna Warni - the colourful village. This area was a slum the government wanted to demolish. In 2016 a group of university students proposed painting the houses bright colours and having art muriels to create a tourist attraction and save this community from being displaced. And it worked! Weaving though the narrow streets you are humbled by the locals and how welcoming they are to tourists.

    Stop number 2 was to Tumpak Sewu waterfall which is 120m high and overshadowed by the highest mountain in Java. The panoramic is perfect... but the walk to the base a little sketchy! Once at the base you could really appreciate the force of the waterfalls and get an appreciation of their height.

    Our final stop was to Mount Bromo, an active volcano. We arrived late at night, set our alarms for 3am to see the volcano at sunrise. The hike started through the paved streets of the local town and finished with a scramble at the top. As we climbed, the sky came alive and by the time we reached the top we witnessed a stunning sunrise over the volcano. The views were breathtaking and well worth the early start. Following this we climbed Bromos crater and could hear the roar of the volcano as we stood on its rim. The surrounding landscape was stunning and you could see how Bromo has sculpted it surroundings.

    And all that happened in less than 24 hours!!    Read more

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    Uluwatu

    Nov 14–16, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Bali's southern peninsular is the home of Ulu watu temple, which, according to Balinese scripts, is a magical portal that had the potential to transport those who set their eyes on it directly to heaven ✨️ With cliffs reaching 70m high and endless views over the Indian Ocean it also gives rise to spectacular sun sets.

    Be careful of the temples monkeys - they might look cute but the are cunning and will steal sunglasses and mobile phones in exchange for food!

    We were mesmerised by the spectacular Kecak dance during our visit - one of the iconic displays of Balinese culture. This unique Balinese dance is accompanied by a choir of men chanting "chak chak chak" and no other music. Dancers in flamboyant costumes perform with fire, creating quite the show!    Read more

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    Komodo National Park

    Nov 16–18, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    The only place in the world to see Komodo dragons in the wild is Komodo National park. Leaving from Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores we joined a speedboat tour for the day and saw the best of what the national park had to offer.

    Firstly we stopped at Pulau Padar which was a short steep climb to the top to see stunning panoramic views of the archipelago. From here we went to the beach which has pink sand from the coral reef. We did some snorkeling and saw a wide variety of marine life and some very colourful coral.

    Next stop was to try and find some komodo dragons! This is not guaranteed as their camouflage makes them a tricky reptile to find. Luckily we managed to see some and even saw a baby which is really rare as they hide in the trees until they are 2 years old to prevent them being eaten by the adults! They are incredible animals to watch as long as you dont get in their way and become their next meal!

    To finish the day off we did some more snorkeling. One of the places we did was at Manta point - a place where Manta rays can be found. Again we were in luck, seeing about 15 Manta rays!! The currents were strong so we had to swim hard to keep up with them. We also were lucky enough to see some turtles at another snorkeling point. A truly unforgettable day 💛    Read more

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    Nusa

    Nov 21–22, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Nestled off the coast of Bali, Nusa Penida is a place eveyone should explore! With its rugged cliffs, crystal-clear waters, and lush landscapes, it truly is a tropical paradise.

    Kelingking (T-rex) is the most famous beach on the island. Most people come for the view and the photo at the top but you can make your way down to the beach ... if you're brave enough! What starts out as big steps ends up being a steep slippy slope with a rope 😬 Not to be done in sandals!

    The island also has other beautiful beaches including "broken beach" and "diamond beach". They too have steep descends but thankfully are geared up more for it!    Read more

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    Ubud and Beyond

    Nov 22–26, 2024 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Ubud in the heart of Bali is a magical place where the wonders of the jungle meet the rich Balinese culture. In the centre of Ubud is "The Monkey Forrest", a nature reserve and temple complex where over 1200 long tailed macaques live. It is amazing to get so up close to them and see how much they are like humans!

    Out in the countryside there are lush green rice terraces, volcanoes and waterfalls galore! We went out to explore all of these, taking in the cooler air as we left the city. Mount Batur is an active volcano which last erupted about 25 years ago. The affects of this can still be seen and the locals now thrive off the fertile land surrounding it.

    There are so many waterfalls surrounding Ubud, each special in their own way. Going for a swim in them was a great way to cool down from the humid heat and even if you didn't go in, you'd still get wet from the force of the spray!    Read more

    Trip end
    November 27, 2024
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