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Sabbatical 2023
  • Kulia's adventures
  • Kulia's adventures

Sabbatical 2023

Time for a break - The Tiki family on the move
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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    1

    Cooling off in Batu & Bromo

    24 giugno 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Another train ride, this time to Surabaya where our little tour by taxi starts. First stop is Batu: its altitude, cooler climate, many theme parks a perfect getaway destination for the locals. We timed well to visit the enormous zoo including entertainment park together with all the locals whose school holidays just happened to start the day before. Well, still lots of fun and some well needed relaxation before the next challenge.

    And what a challenge it was. Being ready at 2am to enter the jeep going up all these hairpin curves, climbing a steep hill in the darkness (which was totally unnecessary… in hindsight), waiting in the cold (temperatures dropped to 10 degrees C) for probably the slowest sunrise ever. It seemed a bit too much for the kids: Poor Yuna fell asleep during moment supreme after screaming and crying. Milo almost fell asleep but the annoying drones from fellow tourists fascinated him and kept him awake.

    Once the sun is up, it is a matter of getting to the jeep quickly to go to the foot of the volcano and to avoid getting stuck in traffic amongst hundreds of other jeeps and motors. And then up to the rim of the crater through a sea of clouds and moon landscape, while also being interviewed by French television TV2. Kids did great this part so in the end worth the experience!    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    11

    Island hopping - Flores

    28 giugno 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    After Bromo, we spent an easy afternoon in Surabaya our final Java destination: visiting a submarine and museum about the battle of Surabaya (10 November 1945). From here we will hop on, hop off a few other Indo islands to start with the furthest, Flores named by the Portuguese some time ago.

    Labuanbajo is the little harbour town which is booming: fancy cafes and restaurants, dive shops, nice hotels and a lot of construction going on. It serves as the main gateway to the komodo’s, the beautiful snorkeling and diving spots and beaches of the surrounding islands. A multi-day boat tour is the best way to explore all of that but finding one was more challenging than anticipated. Apparently, the government appointed a few additional holidays around the islamic feast of sacrifice only a few weeks before and this extra long weekend resulted in a lot of bookings. Getting a boat for the days we planned seemed suddenly impossible. After lots of last minute contacting, organising, negotiating we luckily managed to find one.

    Time to relax in a Dutch owned hotel (20 years ago they started their hotel adventure here after having travelled here themselves) with one of the best views so far!!    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore

    Komodo tour part I

    29 giugno 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    What to pack for the boat trip? Swimgear - check!! Programme for the next 3 days: Snorkeling, swimming, beaches (even a pink one!!), delicious meals, surreal sunset/sunrise colors and hopefully meeting a special lizard.

    First day was just about getting into chill modus: enjoying the beautiful waters, first jumps from the boat, eating fresh fish. Unfortunately no manta rays and no flying foxes but lots of colorful fish and nice colors in the sky.

    Next day, Komodo time: the almighty Varanus komodoensis, worlds biggest lizard, alfapredator, cannibal, top of the foodchain, no one is safe for these fantastic creatures. Guided and protected (only a wooden fork stick) by a ranger we did a mini hike on Komodo island and managed to spot 8, a few big ones and a few small ones up in a tree. The weird part is that komodo’s may eat their young so once born, the young hide in the trees (where the big ones can’t climb because of their size) and live from fruits, insects, smaller lizards for 2-3 years.

    To be continued…    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    11

    Komodo tour part II

    1 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After all the Komodo excitement, it was time to swim at Pink Beach. A mix of red microscopic organisms called Foraminifera and the remains of the red organ pipe coral makes this beach pink (only 7 in the world) and with the turquoise waters just absolutely stunning!!! We ended the day with sunset on Padar island (after seeing a group of dolphins) where the viewpoint on 3 bays is the main attraction.

    Last day we enjoyed more snorkeling and swimming. The kids got comfortable with their floaters and were not afraid to jump into the deep and just float around ;-)

    What a great and unforgettable experience!! Back ashore where a car is waiting to explore more of Flores island.    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Spiderweb rice fields
    2Ruteng - hiking through rice fieldsRuteng - rice fieldsRuteng Pu - traditional village with traditional clothingCloves2VanillaBena - traditional villageBena - traditional thatched roof housesHot springHot spring

    Flores - Road Trip

    2 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Road trip again!!! But now with a driver :-) Start Labuanbajo, end destination Maumere, mainly over the Trans Flores Highway. Not that far in a straight line but the many mountainous roads, the sometimes missing parts of the road, the holes to be zigzagged (especially if going off the main ‘highway’), blocking working trucks, lack of patience amongst some of us, made the travel time feel eternal.

    Culture and traditions are strong on this island, there are 5 main linguistic (besides bahasa) and cultural groups. On our way to Ruteng we first stop at the spiderweb rice fields: 12 ricefields shaped in what the name says, each belonging to a village of which each ‘slice of pie’ belongs to a family. In Ruteng we visit a traditional village Ruteng Pu, sleep in a homestay, have dinner in sarong with other guests and the man of house explains some of their traditions. Next morning we wake up early to see the sunrise without luck and continue with a nice hike through the (not spiderweb) rice fields.

    Bajawa, home to the Ngada people, is the next stop where we visit the traditional village Bena. Houses with high thatched roofs decorated with buffalo horns and jawbones, stone monuments for sacrificial events, the volcano Inerie looming on the background, quite the experience. Followed by a jump into a hot spring, filled by one hot and one cold stream.    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Best breakfast so far
    Riung 'Harbor'Time for another boat tripHappy facesFlying FoxesWho is the batman?BBQ timeDelicious lunch 🐟Our ride!!End of the day...Thousands of Flying Foxes

    Riung - 17 islands

    4 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We leave the cooler mountainous area of both Ruteng and Bajawa and head to tiny coastal place Riung. Here it is all about the Seventeen Islands Marine park (actually 23 uninhabited islands). Two times a daytrip by boat resulted in spectacular views of thousands of flying foxes (bats but bigger, sleeping in trees, eating fruits), delicious fish from the bbq, chilling at the beaches and snorkeling/swimming around. Making a new friend along the way ended up with Milo and Yuna on a motorcycle, ooh yeah (thanks Riiz)!Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Sheltering at Blue stone beach
    Blue/Green Stone BeachRice fields viewpoint1Sunrise Kelimutu1Quick selfie - windy & coldComplete selfie2And there it is 6.15 amWorthwile waiting for the sun to shine onto the lakes

    Kelimutu!!

    9 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We continue our road trip and stop at blue stone beach, black volcanic sand with mainly green, blue stones. After lunch we head back to higher grounds, Moni, where the Kelimutu volcano is the main draw. It has been raining a lot here for many days, unusual for the time of the year. So a bit worried we would not see the volcanic crater lakes including sunrise and more importantly our efforts to wake/hike up early (4.15am, yikes!) would be without result. Our first attempt was an immediate success: conquering the strong winds and cold we got treated by amazing colors in the sky and of the lakes. The lakes tend to change colors from time to time possibly due to interactions between volcanic gasses and minerals and oxygen levels of the lake. The colors range from coca cola brown to black to turquoise to red to dark blue to green to white, in 2016 the lakes changed colors 6 times!!Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Koka Beach
    Koka Beach from the hillRoad trip - one of the few happy moments 😂Safely dropped at end destinationPlaying the water firemanWhat are they plotting?Kayak tripKayak Trip - kids onlyGoodbye dinner with Fam BalthasarBFF'sLovely Coconut Garden Beach Resort

    Maumere

    11 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    We make 1 more stop at ‘hidden’ gem Koka beach. In the morning it seemed we had 2 huge private beaches for ourselves but we soon got accompanied by a few others, no worries we still had plenty of space. The road trip is coming to an end and our drivers/guides brought us safely in Maumere. We did not plan much here other than chill around and were quite successful in doing so in the beautiful and spacious gardens/pool/beach/sea of the 2 places we stayed. We did this together with a lovely super international German couple with 4 kids. Great fun to see the interactions between the kids, the language adaptations, the older kids taking care of Milo and Yuna, kayaking by themselves, catching little crabs on the beach - just playing around and being adventurous. Hopefully, some day (Manilla or whatever other place) our paths will cross again.Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Swimming
    Blue rice ....Yellow ricePaintingBalinese espresso timeScooter taxi - team KuYuTeam JuMi on the scooterWelcome drinkFellow guest with passion for drones making a nice video for us

    Bali

    14 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We hop to the next island, famous and popular Bali. Not just a normal day but 14 juillet, a special day for the French and for us - our wedding anniversary. We take it super slow and easy, leave the beaches, waves, parties in Kuta and surroundings for what they are and head directly to Ubud, our base for 8 days. Not too much adventure for us here: Swimming pools, pilates for Julia, Balinese cooking class for Kun, eating delicious food and lots of taxi rides on scooters.Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Sebatu rice fields
    Tegallalang rice terracesTaman Saraswati templeGoa Gajah - Elephant caveGoa Gajah gardenScary....SpicesMore spicesTempehBalinese spices baseResult

    Ubud

    16 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We did manage to see some of the surrounding rice terraces, the elephant cave (Goa Gajah) and (water) temples. Interesting to see the many temples here (Bali being mainly Hindu: mix of Balinese traditions/religion and Hinduism) as opposed to the many mosques on Java or churches in Flores.

    The setting for the Balinese cooking class was typical, in the middle of rice fields. A (private) cooking course by Wijan who started this new venture during Covid times. On the menu 7 dishes, from yellow rice (nasi kuning) to mushroom soup to sate lilit and more. Very enak (delicious) and everyone was happy with the doggy bag.    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Ganesha
    Garuda creatureMythical creaturesLocation of performance by dayMen singing in tranceMonkey playing with fireMonkeyGarudaWayang KulitBarong dragon2Kecak fire dance (turn on the volume!!)

    Ubud - Performances

    19 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    There was also entertainment in Ubud - Barong, Legong, Keris, Kecak and Wayang Kulit. Different performances in mystique settings (temples by night) involving dancers, puppets, musicians, daggers, monkeys, dragons and other mythical creatures, fire, 60 or so shirtless guys in sarong singing ‘chac’ and waving their hands (put the volume up!!) in a kind of state of trance either showing parts of the Hindu Ramayana epic or traditional Balinese religious ceremonies. Great shows, a bit complex to follow at times, full attention from the kids, the monkey character jumping to Milo and Yuna for high fives, all in all very entertaining.

    Bye bye Ubud & Bali! Up to the next island….    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Not to be confused with Kuta on Bali
    A few turtles just walking around in the resortHello turtleSwimming pool plus 'beach'Mawan beachHangloose & Cowabunga dudetteSunset at Tanjung Aan beachBlueberry pancakesYes me too blueberry pancakesMatchy matchy outfitsEvery day feeding the turtles....

    Lombok - Kuta

    22 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    White sand beaches 🏝, surfers’ 🏄‍♀️ paradise, turquoise bays and home to the second highest volcano 🌋 of Indonesia, welcome to Lombok. Long overshadowed by big brother and neighbour Bali, now it is getting more and more popular, investments coming in and who knows maybe in 20 years, the next Bali.

    We stay the first 6 days in Kuta (Mandalika), not to be confused with Kuta Bali, and get (perhaps a bit too??) comfortable in our resort with turtles 🐢 walking around (and fed by Milo), yummie blueberry pancakes 🥞, daily yoga 🧘‍♀️ classes, a lot of attention for the kids from the staff and a huge swimming pool 🏊‍♂️. It doesn’t matter where you explore, east or west from Kuta (Mawan, Tanjung Aan, Selong Belanak), the beaches 🏝, waters 🌊 and views are indeed splendid. Also, no matter where you explore dogs 🐕 all over the place. They are quiet but with rabies around we prefer to keep our distance.    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Scary fish
    View from Gili NangguHappy with her bucket and beach toys1Full snorkelling gear mode onSea starBut first.... a cup of coffeeWaiting for sunset on Gili KedisSunset gateWith our captain/snorkelling babysitter ;-)Final colours of the dayNot our video but an impression of what we saw at the secret Gili's

    The secret Gili’s

    26 luglio 2023, Indonesia

    A little daytrip to some Gili’s (islands). Gili Nanggu, Sudak and Kedis, also called the secret Gili’s to make the distinction to the more popular Gili Trawangan, Meno and Air a bit more up north. The secret Gili’s are popular for snorkelling, super tiny, with Kedis in a kind of heart shape being the smallest, and not even 15 minutes away from each other. Chipung is our captain and our snorkelling guide, for Milo’s first experience the snorkelling babysitter. We got treated with shallow waters, many colourful coral and fish just as you set foot in the sea. Finishing the trip with a colourful sunset and on the background Gunung Agung (volcano on Bali) and Lombok volcano Rinjani in the other direction (more on that to come) was the perfect end of the day.Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Bean bag + 2 swim beans on it
    Porter carrying someones trolley....BarefeetStart of the hikeSummit in the far... for the next dayOoo Hello monkey1Sunset at the rim of the crater - day 1Last sunrays of the day on the summit with the moon1Happy the tents stayed put, soooo windy1Final colours of day 1In the meantime.....

    Lombok - West Coast

    28 luglio 2023, Indonesia

    Time to leave our paradise resort and move to the west coast of Lombok, Senggigi. Again a beautiful coastline and combined with 2 amazing swimming pools in the next resort, another perfect place to chill. Nipa Beach, Coco Beach, Milo acting like a seal with his new swim goggles, jumping on bean bags in the swimming pools, all you can eat buffet breakfast…

    Meanwhile, I started a 3-day hike from Sembalun to climb the Rinjani volcano. Yeah, did I already mention? I did not stay in Senggigi but ‘dumped’ my family in this luxurious resort and continued my way to Senaru to meet the rest of my hiking group, all voluntary. Only luxury for me were the porters who carried up to 35kg (tents, food, water etc.) in two baskets connected by bamboo on their shoulder. Most of them on flip flops (but also barefoot) and a pace of a bullet train.    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    No sunrise yet... This is the moon, never seen an orange moon like this before...
    1Final part of the most horrible ascent I experiencedYip, 100% proof that is me with a Mount Rinjani sign hahahaAlmost didn't make the sunrisePanoramic view....Better proof of reaching the top ;-)In the far the campsite with all the tents lined up at the rim of the craterFinished... Also kudos to my teammates Jitu, Pieter, Elias, LaureOur ride back to the homestayA well deserved beer if I may say so....

    Mount Rinjani

    29 luglio 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Day 1 was a warming up, starting through green grassy hills followed by a misty forest reaching the rim of the crater above the clouds, from 1.156m to 2.688m. Rewarded with beautiful vistas on lake Segara Anak, sunset and an ever changing colourful sky. Quickly to the tents as not only temperatures dropped but also an icy strong wind made its way.

    Day 2 started, in not only my opinion, a bit too early, 1.30am and not 2.30 as initially briefed. Armed with some ‘powerful’ crackers, tea and headlight, we had 4 hours to reach the summit at 3.726m altitude for the sunrise. The cold wind, the loose stones, the dust, the steepness, the desire to turn back, the fatigue…. neverending and all voluntary. After almost given up more than several times, the summit was finally there and luckily there was some time to enjoy the reward: high fiving the group, the sunrise colours, the sunrise itself, reaching the top and the amazing vistas. Time to get back, that went way quicker by sliding down through the loose, dusty stones and at the campsite we got treated with pancakes. And then…. then the normal day started and a 3-hour descent to the lake and another 3-hour ascent to the other side of the crater rim was on the program, still all voluntarily. Despite the relaxing afternoon hot spring near the lake, this was definitely my most intense hiking day (close to Inca Trail and light altitude sickness on Mount Meru in Kenya).

    Day 3 was mostly going down and not too difficult despite the tired legs and feet. Happy we made it but never (Rinjani) again. Back to Senggigi, all stinky and sweaty, to reunite with the family.    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Waiting for the public ferry
    Gili AirTiki JungleGreat hammock...Full (super) moonThe typical beach around here...TJ's - our company TJ should also open a branch here...1Definitely had to try espresso with these beans2Carrot cake & pssion fruit cheese cake mmmmNo cars allowed here - click clack cliack clackRock 'n Roll 🤘🤘

    Gili Air

    1 agosto 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    The last island to be hopped, Gili Air: one of the three idyllic small islands between Bali and Lombok. Only a 15-20 minute boat ride away from Lombok and you arrive in a carless little island (5km around the island) where horses with carts and bicycles are the main means of transportation. A bit of repetition here but again treated with beautiful beaches, waters and views. The snorkeling and boat tours we left for what they were and just took it really easy. After the hike, I could easily have spent the whole day in the hammock at arms length of our front door as it really felt like I ran the marathon but some movement seems to accelerate the recovery. So walking like an old man to the beach and after 2 days riding the bike indeed helped and even a morning run around the island was possible.

    Almost 2 months we spent island-hopping around in Indonesia. Each island with its own characteristics and it really felt like different trips. The good food, fantastic views and warm/friendly welcome were always the things we could rely on. Each time Milo and Yuna made their appearances, we saw smiles and heard what a cute baby/boy everywhere. Like at home, Yuna proudly resisted, I am not a baby, I am a big girl. Julia is happy she could see and experience the roots and history of her new family and being able to put things in a new perspective.

    Terima Kasih Indonesia! Time to explore the next country…..    Leggi altro

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  • Kulia's adventuresSabbatical 2023Viaggiatore
    Apartment with a view
    Jalan AlorB-day cake!Wanna go for a ride?Petronas twin towersB-day girl and dinnerNice dinner + wineDurian tasting timePointy....I like it!!

    Malaysia - KL

    4 agosto 2023, Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    We kick off our Malaysia trip with a weekend in Kuala Lumpur. We set ourselves comfortably in a nice apartment complex on the 36th floor in Bukit Bintang, Star Hill, where lots of action happen. Streetfood, streetart, bars, restaurants, shopping malls…. Very lively. A perfect place to celebrate Julia’s birthday with some cake in KLCC park and a fancy dinner. And as we heard but of course could also smell that the durian season is in full swing, it was time to taste it, first time for all of us…

    We armed ourselves with plastic gloves to avoid smelly durian hands and not being able to enter a lot of places. We learned there are more than 200 different variaties. The most popular of these super spikey fruits is the Musang King, bittersweet, rich and creamy, some say toasted marshmallows. One of us did not like it so much…. To our surprise it was Julia and not the kids, especially Yuna asked for more and more.

    We managed to ditch half of our travel stuff at an acquaintance so we could travel a bit lighter. Very welcoming in these brutal temperatures and on our way to the bus station!    Leggi altro

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    Cameron Highlands

    7 agosto 2023, Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    The Cameron Highlands, a plateau at around 1500-1600 meters altitude famous for its tea plantations, resorts and also all kinds of different farmings, such as strawberries, corn, sweet potato, flowers and bees. Treated with spectacular views and a welcoming cooler climate but also felt a bit tourist trapped by all the different farms to handpick strawberries, feed sheeps, try the local ice cream (of course we have to try lavender and strawberry ice cream) etc.Leggi altro

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    Ipoh

    9 agosto 2023, Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We continue our way to Ipoh. Once the richest area of Malaysia, because of the tin mining industry. Those glory days came to an end in the 70ties followed by decline and neglect. Now it is becoming a tourist destination again with an interesting old town, old colonial British-Malay architecture and lots of mural art. The inhabitants are predominantly Chinese so we enjoyed tasty noodle dishes and dim sum!Leggi altro

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    Penang

    11 agosto 2023, Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Penang is our next stop, an island in front of the northwest coast, and after a bus and ferry ride we arrive in Georgetown. We took it very easy these few days here. We visited the Kek Lok Si temple, being the largest Buddhist temple complex in Malaysia, with an impressive 7-storey pagoda and a 36.5 meters high bronze statue of the goddess of mercy Kuan Yi. We got treated by family friends to a nice dinner including driving an electric and rainbow lit bulldozer. Julia wondered how long this would last, well… until she had to push the car back to the start. And of course we enjoyed some of the specialty foods here as Penang is a foodie paradise: assam laksa, char koay theow, wantan mee, mee goreng, teochew chendol, nasi kandar just to name a few. We ended Penang with moonlight bay to enjoy the beach and strolling through the shopping mall to seek shelter for the rain.Leggi altro

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    Langkawi

    15 agosto 2023, Malaysia

    Our trip is almost coming to an end and it seemed like a good idea to chill on beautiful Langkawi island. Emerald coloured waters, white sandy beaches, kids activities, duty free shopping, not bad after 4 months of travelling, planning, organizing, being parents 24/7…..

    But the weather forecast was not too great, rain rain rain. Is the rainy season not supposed to start Sept-Oct? Hey… didn’t we have almost only rain on Jeju island in South Korea and is this going to be a repeat? Well, let’s then start in a 3D art ‘museum’ and we will take it from there what Langkawi is going to bring us.    Leggi altro

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    Langkawi - sunshine

    18 agosto 2023, Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After 2 days, luckily the sun came out. We managed to explore some of the wide white sand beaches (Pantai Tengah, Cenang, Tanjung Rhu) and cool off in the sea. Also a highlight were the spectaculair views from the world’s steepest cable car and the skybridge. The 4D dino ride included in the package was quite thrilling so fortunately the crocodile farm afterwards was more quiet, like statues they were just soaking up the sun until time for a snack. The sunset colours and the hot fireshow on the beach were a nice way to end the day and the mini holiday.Leggi altro

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