Dec 2019 – Mar 2020

Southeast Asia

A 101-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more

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Day 66
Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 4:12 PM
🌧 24 °C
Altitude: 517 m
Malaysia Sungai Tahubang 6.06833, 116.471676°4’6” N 116°28’18” E
Labong Labong Village
February 9, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
Small Dusun village in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu. Mostly an agricultural community with the main crops being mountain rice, pineapple and latex (rubber). The 1st picture looks at the main road through the village. In the 2nd, I am learning how to gather or harvest the latex from the rubber tree. 3rd is a very young pineapple. The red is surprising and vivid, even in a drizzling rain. 4th looks down the mountainside over a pineapple field. Last is a night picture of Mt. Kinabalu on the night of the perigean full moon.Read more
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Day 66
Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 7:44 PM
🌧 20 °C
Altitude: 816 m
Malaysia Sungai Tengaran 6.03333, 116.461676°1’60” N 116°27’42” E
Dusan culture
February 9, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
We were treated to a potluck meal in the village Hall and entertained by dancers and musicians. The costumes for both the men and women are designed to reflect the hornbill, an important bird species here. The dancers showed 2 dances, one for the hornbill with the dancers' arms mimicking wings and a harvest dance with the hand motions representing the various parts of the rice harvest. The men played traditional gongs by themselves and as accompaniment for the dancers.Read more
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Day 67
Monday, February 10, 2020 at 11:01 AM
☁️ 21 °C
Altitude: 1,589 m
Malaysia Polar Park 6.01, 116.546°0’36” N 116°32’24” E
Kinabalu National Park
February 10, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Another UNESCO world heritage natural area. We hiked through the rainforest, looking mostly at plants that grow in an upland (above 1500 meters more or less) forest. The first picture is along the trail. The rest, in order, are rattan, the smallest orchid here (an epiphyte), another orchid (this time a terrestrial one), a broad leaf fern (sometimes called dragon century fern as it is a living fossil that was around then) and an ant fern where the stem has many holes that ants use as a nest while they protect the plant.Read more
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Day 68
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 3,592 m
Malaysia Kemuncak Victoria 6.08398, 116.558686°5’2” N 116°33’31” E
Mount Kinabalu
February 11, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Mountain considered holy by the local people. It towers over everything here at 4,095 meters at the summit. The trail to the top is 8 km with a vertical climb of about 2,200 meters. That's more than 1 1/3 mile up. Or a 27.5% grade on average, triple the grade of a steep road. All that is to say that these old legs didn't make the summit. I got to the lodge at about 3200+ meters but couldn't make the final climb. I barely made it back down.
In the pictures, #1 is the whole mountain from a distance. #2 is a look at a small part of the trail to give an idea of the difficulty, and that isn't even the worst part. I was too drained, both physically and mentally, to think of pictures at that point. #3 is the climber's lodge where we stayed. The rest are various views from the the lodge and/or trail on the downward hike as it was raining during the hike up.Read more
TravelerHi Skip. Yes I remember it being a tough climb. Well Done climbing to the lodge 👍 . Hope Kathy and Jamie made it. Enjoying following your posts on the 2nd half of the trip. Happy travels. Annie
2/15/20Reply
skip's retirement travelThanks, Annie. I've shown Kathy and Jamie your note. They say hi.
2/15/20Reply
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Day 70
Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 12:37 PM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 467 m
Malaysia Poring Hot Springs 6.04833, 116.703336°2’54” N 116°42’12” E
Poring Hot Springs
February 13, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Still within Kinabalu Park. The springs are natural sulfur springs, developed into baths by the Japanese during the WW II occupation. A great place to recover from mountain climbing (or at least start letting some of the legs pains go.
The 1st 2 pictures look at the baths and the stone pool of the complex. The other 2 pictures are of the Rafflesia flower. It is unusual to see these as they bloom randomly. They just happened to be in bloom now. The plant takes years from seed to bloom, and then the bloom only lasts a week. One pictured boom is in day 3. The other is at about day 5 as the petals have started to turn black and fall off. This is the flower famous for its horrible smell. Rightfully.Read more
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Day 71
Friday, February 14, 2020 at 4:11 PM
🌧 27 °C
Altitude: 9 m
Malaysia Bukit Bilit 5.49833, 118.2055°29’54” N 118°12’18” E
Kinabatangan
February 14, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
The Kintabatangan River is the longest in Sabah. We stayed at a jungle lodge reachable only by boat. The activities here all center around wildlife. We took 2 river cruises and a night walk looking for local fauna.
The 1st picture is a look at the river. 2nd is the highlight, even though it's almost impossible to see. At the very top of the tree is an orangutan making a nest. The next 2 are monkeys, a probocis and a pig tail macaque. Next is a pair of rare white crested hornbills. Hornbills mate for life. So they are usually found inpairs. Last is a couple of scarlet birds asleep.Read more
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Day 72
Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 6:35 PM
🌧 27 °C
Altitude: 18 m
Malaysia Mount Robertson 5.83833, 118.116675°50’18” N 118°7’0” E
Sandakan
February 15, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
Former British administrative center during the colonial period. Now a fishing and tourist center.
The 1st picture is of the town and harbor front at dusk from a roof top restaurant. 2nd is some of the fishing fleet as they were preparing to go to sea. 3rd is the Padang or central field and square 4th is St. Michael and All Angels church, the first Anglican Church built here. 5th is the State Mosque, built at about the same time. Sandakan developed in the late 19th century. So most history dates from then.
The last picture is at the Sandakan War Memorial, located on the site of the POW camp from WW II. It is from here that the death matches began. At that time, there were about 2,500 prisoners, mostly Australian and British. At the end, none survived, except for 6 who had escaped and were helped by local vilagers.Read more
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Day 73
Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 10:14 PM
⛅ 27 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Sulu Sea 6.175, 118.061676°10’30” N 118°3’42” E
Turtle Island
February 16, 2020, Sulu Sea ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Wildlife refuge on several islands about 40 km off Borneo for sea turtles. The island where we stayed is visited by Green and Hawks Bill turtles.
The 1st pictures is a Green turtle on the nest, just after she finished laying her eggs. The 2nd picture is those eggs being transported to the hatchery where they are protected from predators. The 3rd is a completed nest in the hatchery. The 4th picture is about 60 days after the eggs were laid. The hatchlings are carried to the beach and released into the ocean. In the 5th pictures, the little ones are racing to the water. The last picture is sunrise the next morning.Read more
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Day 77
Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 6:32 PM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 25 m
Malaysia Sungai Batu 3.16167, 101.7053°9’42” N 101°42’18” E
Kampong Bharu
February 20, 2020 in Malaysia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Old KL. This neighborhood is said to be the only remaining vestige of old Kuala Lumpur left in the city, and it is shrinking. There is some reason to think that it may be gone a a couple of years, a victim of the rapid building of new skyscrapers here.
The 1st 2 pictures look at the street with its many food vendors. I was lucky to find a food tour in this area that focuses on Malay cuisine, in contrast to Malaysian cuisine. The latter is typically more Chinese or Indian than the historic local food. BTW, the food was really good.
The last picture is of a night farmer's market in the area. This operates primarily to supply breakfast and lunch operations so that their ingredients are fresh. We got to taste lots of local herbs, fruit and vegetables.Read more
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Day 81
Monday, February 24, 2020 at 9:27 AM
⛅ 29 °C
Altitude: 12 m
Indonesia Kali Krukut Satu -6.14667, 106.8156°8’48” S 106°48’54” E
Chinatown, Jakarta, Indonesia
February 24, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
The Chinese have been part of Jakarta for hundreds of years. Chinatown, here, is a lower class neighborhood. However, the 1st picture is of a rich man's house from back when the Dutch were still in charge, and the Chinese were kept segregated. Pictures 2&3 are of the neighborhood: a general street scene and the local street market. 4th is a fruit vendor's cart that looks to me like it's in a historical recreation. But it isn't. It's actively selling. Pictures 5&6 are of a temple that combines traditional Chinese religions with Buddhism, a combination that is said to be unique here.Read more
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Day 81
Monday, February 24, 2020 at 12:47 PM
⛅ 30 °C
Altitude: 15 m
Indonesia Kali Ciliwung Dua -6.135, 106.813336°8’6” S 106°48’48” E
Old Jakarta
February 24, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Batavia is the Dutch name for Jakarta during their colonial period. The former Dutch area is very different from the surrounding older areas, with European style buildings throughout. The 1st two pictures look across the square at the governor's offices, and at the old supreme court building, both now museums. 3rd is another colonial building, either a bank or insurance building from that period, also a museum now. 4th is a detail of the symbol or logo of Dutch Batavia. The last 2 are of the old harbor still used by local Indonesian traders. This is where the Dutch first set foot here.Read more
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Day 81
Monday, February 24, 2020 at 2:29 PM
⛅ 31 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Indonesia Kali Ciliwung Tiga -6.17167, 106.828336°10’18” S 106°49’42” E
Central Jakarta
February 24, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
This is the new and more upscale part of Jakarta that looks just like any other city in the region. Hence only pictures of the cathedral and main mosque, both of which are said to be the largest of their kind in southeast Asia. First is the mosque, followed by the cathedral.
We did drive by the main square with the obelisk topped with a "flame" covered in gold as a symbol for Jakarta. However, I couldn't get a picture.Read more
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Day 83
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 8:40 AM
⛅ 29 °C
Altitude: 10 m
Indonesia Pananjung -7.685, 108.651677°41’6” S 108°39’6” E
Local business in Pangandaran
February 26, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
We visited a number of local businesses. 1st is the large traditional market. 2nd are tapioca crisps drying in the sun. Next they will be fried in coconut oil, producing a light snack that is pretty tasty. In the 3rd picture a woman is cooking a snack made of sweet sticky rice over an open fire. These will go to the market. And they are way better than any rice crackers I've had.. The 4th is some of the palms tapped for palm sugar. There is a previous post from a couple months ago in Myanmar showing this process in more detail. The 5th picture shows the tanks for a small domestic fish farm that seem quite common here. Last is a look at some tempeh prepared for saleRead more
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Day 83
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 10:02 AM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 18 m
Indonesia Cibenda -7.68167, 108.557°40’54” S 108°33’0” E
Traditional Javanese Puppets
February 26, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
This is another local business that rates it's own post. This is a traditional puppet carver who is also a player who does puppet shows. These puppets are characters in the Mahabharata, the ancient Indian epic. All the puppets in the pictures are hand carved, hand painted by the artist and all the costumes are hand made by his wife. He enacted a brief scene from the Mahabharata for us. A highlight.Read more
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Day 83
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 11:24 AM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 65 m
Indonesia Karangpaci -7.73167, 108.447°43’54” S 108°26’24” E
Green River and Canyon
February 26, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Near Pagandaran. During the dry season, the Green River really is green. This is the wet season. So the water is high and brown. The striking feature is the natural bridge at the head of navigation. It might have been a cave, but it is short. The 1st picture looks through the space the river carved through the rock. 2nd is the small cataract at the upstream end cave. The rest are photos along the river.Read more
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Day 84
Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 10:07 AM
☁️ 31 °C
Altitude: 12 m
Indonesia Pananjung -7.685, 108.653337°41’6” S 108°39’12” E
Pangandaran
February 27, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Small town on the south coast of Java. If you look at the map, you can see that the town is on an isthmus between the mainland and a large rock formation, probably coral from when seas were higher. This is a favorite getaway from Jakarta.
Lots of local fishing and other small businesses. (See other posts).
The 1st picture is of the sculpture at the town entrance suggesting a local sport opportunity. 2nd is a look at the beach on one side of the isthmus. 3rd is some remains from the most recent tsunami to hit the town. 4th is a nearby village, sort of a suburb of Pagandaran. The last two are in the national park that is on the high group at the end of the isthmus. The porcupine is in a cave, and the Java deer is a type of barking deer. Also seen but not show are flying squirrels and flying foxes.Read more
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Day 85
Friday, February 28, 2020 at 6:46 AM
☁️ 23 °C
Altitude: 241 m
Indonesia Nglaran Satu -7.60833, 110.206677°36’30” S 110°12’24” E
Borobodur
February 28, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Located near Yogyakarta, this is said to be the largest Buddhist structure, at least in SE Asia, if not in the world. It is another UNESCO world heritage site, started in the 8th or 9th century. This is not a temple, per se, but is a giant stupa. There has been some restoration work done. So some of the stones are original; some are not. The 1st restoration attempt was early in the last century by the Dutch. The yellow color you see is ochre that they painted on to increase the contrast to make the sculptures more visible.
The whole design reflects Buddhist philosophy. It is multiple levels high; each level a step closer to Nirvana. However, the top levels, Nirvana, are not visible, except from the last of the lower levels, and the lower levels are not visible from the top. You can't see back from into the past, i.e., back into the old life, once you reach enlightenment.Read more
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Day 85
Friday, February 28, 2020 at 10:30 AM
⛅ 31 °C
Altitude: 118 m
Indonesia Ngasem -7.80667, 110.363337°48’24” S 110°21’48” E
Palaces in Yogyakarta
February 28, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Actually, 2 palaces plus a unique mosque within one of them.
The 1st two pictures are of the sultan's palace: one of a courtyard and buildings. Mostly this is now a museum displaying royal possessions. The next two pictures are of the water palace or water castle. This is said to be where the sultan's wives, his concubines and all the children would bathe.
The last two pictures are of the so called underground mosque. I've not seen anything even close to this before. The structure is round with circular corridors on 2 levels. Then there is the interesting staired structure with the central platform, located in the open center of the circle. The mosque is entered through a nondescript doorway, leading down to a tunnel that leads to steps up into the lower ring. The upper level is only reached by the stair structure in the center. Nothing like any other mosque I've visited.Read more
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Day 86
Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 9:01 AM
⛅ 30 °C
Altitude: 67 m
Indonesia Jurug -7.85, 110.3657°51’0” S 110°21’54” E
Villages near Yogyakarta
February 29, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
We spent a morning cycling through a village area where much is still quite traditional. The 1st two pictures are of the process of making tempeh or fermented soybean. First are bins of soybeans that have been boiled but not yet fermented. The 2nd picture is of half fermented, not yet tempeh (you can still see the beans); the other is finished tempeh, ready for the market. Next are hand made bricks, set out for air/sun drying before being fired. 4th is a farmyard with strawberries, lemon basil, chilis and more growing as a kitchen garden. Next is a large field of lemongrass. Last is a picture of several women working on batik, a traditional craft that uses wax as part of the many step process. The final fabrics are spectacular. They are even used for kimonos.Read more
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Day 86
Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 6:27 PM
🌧 27 °C
Altitude: 146 m
Indonesia Bogem -7.75333, 110.488337°45’12” S 110°29’18” E
Ramayana Ballet
February 29, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C
Traditional Javanese dance, telling the Ramayana. An English synopsis of the story (a 24,000 line poem from about the 6th century BCE, I'm told) is included in the last photo. You should be able to blow it up enough to read.
The 1st picture is of the Pramanan temple ruins next to the theater. It had been one of the largest in Indonesia. The performance during the dry season is outdoors, with this as the background.
The rest are pictures during the performance, starting with the musicians. An enjoyable 2 hours.Read more
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Day 88
Monday, March 2, 2020 at 8:49 AM
⛅ 27 °C
Altitude: 372 m
Indonesia Pungalo -7.60833, 112.5857°36’30” S 112°35’6” E
Seloliman
March 2, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Small, agricultural village. The main reason for stopping here is the environmental education center. This site focuses on organic agriculture and related environmental issues. This includes an herb garden of plants used medicinally. We stayed at the center where we were served meals using mostly their own produce. And they brewed up a wonderful medicinal tea.
The 1st4 pictures are of various plants and gardens and the center. The 2nd one in particular is of the best ones of the vanilla plant. The last 2 pictures are overlooks from the village.Read more
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Day 89
Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 5:10 AM
☁️ 16 °C
Altitude: 2,129 m
Indonesia Gunung Pananjakan -7.91833, 112.941677°55’6” S 112°56’30” E
Mount Bromo, dawn
March 3, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Mt. Bromo is an active volcano whose last eruption was last year. These pictures were taken before and after sunrise from the top of the Sandsea Caldera. Mt. Bromo is a cinder cone within the Caldera. Sandsea Caldera is within the even larger Tengger Caldera. Java is one of the most active volcanic/seismic areas on the planet.
The 1st picture is of Mt. Bromo just becoming visible in the early light. Next is sunrise. Then views of Mt. Bromo and the surrounding area as daylight made things more visible.Read more
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Day 89
Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 8:00 AM
☁️ 19 °C
Altitude: 2,292 m
Indonesia Gunung Bromo -7.94907, 112.951567°56’57” S 112°57’6” E
Mount Bromo at the crater
March 3, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
I'm at the lip of the crater of the cinder cone of Mount Bromo the mountain that is visible from the previous post. The 1st 2 pictures look down into the crater. That is probably steam, not smoke, as it is the rainy season, and I'm told you don't see this in the dry season. The next 3 pictures look at the area around the cinder cone from the top. The last picture is of some carvings someone did along side the path to the top.Read more
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Day 90
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 9:00 AM
☁️ 27 °C
Altitude: 195 m
Indonesia Jolondoro -8.3501, 114.048038°21’0” S 114°2’53” E
Glenmore Plantation
March 4, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Large privately owned plantation near Kalibaru. The primary products are rubber, coffee and cacao. They also grow various tropical fruits and spices.
The 1st 2 pictures are coffee: the trees and a look at the entire cycle of flower, immature fruit, mature fruit and finished beans. Next are the rubber trees, followed by immature cacao fruit. 5th is dragon fruit that will turn red when ripe. Last is the process for preparing raw latex into a saleable product.Read more
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Day 90
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 4:16 PM
🌧 29 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Indonesia Kawasan Wisata Batuampar -8.13667, 114.568338°8’12” S 114°34’6” E
Pemuteran, Bali
March 4, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
1st day on this fabled island. Spent the day relaxing. Only 3 pictures: the view from poolside; the view from my room; and my bed the way I found it when I checked in. And the massage was wonderful!!
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