As we drove up the windy and rough path, and into the lush countryside, I spotted them, on the hill. Giant Bell shaped structures, layered in a square complex, all guarded by various Buddhas. The sun shone through the gaps and created a mystical vibe. We had arrived at Borobudur Temple, which is about an hour outside of the city Yogyakarta, where we were staying. It...
I’ve never quite understood the rating system given to hotels. In particular, why could one fancy looking hotel be a 4* and another at a similar price be 5*? Do the 5* hotels have a string quartet in the lobby, whilst 4* have music over a speaker? On top of this, it never really bothered me that much, as a budget backpacker, my general budget per night was...
When I travel, I like to try to keep track on my daily spending. I came to South East Asia, with a rough budget plan, and I am trying to stick to it. All my costs get recorded in a notepad, which made it easier to budget. I’m not overly frugal however, I don’t stick to the budget 100%. Some days I will spend a lot more, and others a lot less, so it sort...
I recently visited Bali, in Indonesia were I got my first taste of real Asian cooking, and I loved it. I love food. I normally have the appetite of a baby bear, and could happily graze all day. The thought of trying new foods, and at insanely cheap prices in South East Asia, made my tummy rumble. I tried to eat as many different local dishes as possible, but I did...
Often one of the additional extra’s you’ll have to pay for whilst travelling are visas. There are a number of countries that offer free tourist visas on arrival (VOA). As a British Citizen, I can travel to many countries for free – Singapore and Malaysia being my most recent two. Indonesia isn’t one of these countries. Upon arrival in Indonesia, many citizens...
One of my first observations about Bali was the amount of scooters there were on the road … weaving in and out of busy traffic. The next thing, was the sheer size of Bali, when I arrived, I thought how I’m I going to get round all these places. I later realised that if you want to get to the out of the way places. Like Amed, or further North, you will have to pay for...
My decision to go to Gili Tarwangan or Gili T as it’s often referred to as, was a last minute one, I booked my ticket through my guesthouse two days prior. I booked for Gili Tarwangan as is the biggest island, with more accommodation offers, and a great backpacker vibe. I therefore took it that it would have hostels galore and would be quite cheap. Wrong. Staying...
It wasn’t really in my plan to go to Lombok. I had heard of the Gili Islands and how amazing they were. I looked at photos and thought WOW, then looked at the prices to get there and said OW! Fast boats were being advertised online from 600,000 Rupiahs one way. There was a slow (public boat), which was significantly cheaper, but took 8-12 hours, and the thought of...
The day after my hike up Mt Batur, was due to be my last day in Ubud, and I had no plans. I knew I wanted to see some pretty rice fields and get out of busy Ubud for a bit, so after being approached by a private taxi driver on the street. I asked if he could take me to a rice field. He said yes for 200,000 Rupiah … seemed reasonable for 3 hours of driving around...
Ubud in Bali, a place I knew relatively little about, aside from what was portrayed in the popular novel ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. I had planned to visit for a few days, on my way elsewhere, but ended up staying for 6 days. However, Ubud wasn’t what I had envisaged exactly. I had imagined a peaceful, little village, where yoga enthusiasts and hippies...