---

---

Kuta Lombok

Sumatra has always been a mystery for us. It seems so far away from the mainstream tourist train’s travel path. With some determination, we were able to commit to a trip to explore what Sumatra has to offer. To our surprise, it has been a very different experience compared to the other islands; the landscape is vastly different, the people are even kinder and more easy going (if that was even possible!) and the sights are absolutely beautiful with a much more different vibe.

Parapat is just the gateway to the island – you can take one of the ferry taxis from one of its ports – we took the one in Tiga Raja – the process was easy and quite unique. For 25k/pax you can take a ferry to Tuk Tuk where they personally drop you off to your place of stay – as long as it is by the lake. If you’re staying somewhere more in land, you can get off at one of the hotels of your choosing and go from there. Similarly, to get off the island, there are scheduled ferries going all over Tuk Tuk looking for passengers – starting from 7:30 am, running every hour up until 3:30pm. Just sit by the hotel’s makeshift “dock” and wave one down and they’ll come pick you up!

Samosir island and especially Tuk Tuk had a very interesting vibe around it – first we noticed that there was a ton of Christian churches and almost no mosques. For Indonesia, this is quite a surprise. The traditional buildings, offering altars and houses were also quite different. You’ll quickly notice many traditional houses with “sharp” roofs. We stayed in one of these for over a week and it was an absolute joy. Another thing of note was that Tuk Tuk – a place with heavy influences and infrastructure for tourism – was an absolute ghost town. The roads and the restaurants were mostly empty and there was hardly any noise. No loud honking, no loud bangs, nothing. Just the quiet whispers of the wind on the crater lake.

We absolutely loved our time in Lake Toba – especially since we were just coming from a very tiring and hectic jungle trek in Bukit Lawang – we needed the break, the rest, the quiet and the peace.

We would absolutely recommend renting a motorbike to explore the island – the views of the crater lake are absolutely amazing. Go south from Tuk Tuk and up the mountains to see a bird’s eye view of the area – go north and drive alongside the shores with a constant view of the water and the distant mountains. If you’re looking for a rental, I’d highly recommend Cecilia‘s Rental – Erik and his family are great to deal with – they were willing to give discounts and was very accommodating and easy going.

If you’re craving some pizza, we personally can’t recommend Ebikel’s Pizza – their italian pizza is one we came back 3 straight nights for and we wished we had come for more. The family is also very wholesome and the owners are great to chat with. They also provide a ping pong table and a pool table to entertain yourself while they make your pizza fresh in their wood fired oven.

_{I am an avid hiker and I use the Alltrails app quite frequently; in my hiking heights, some would say I relied on it. For some reason, each time I opened Alltrails on my computer, it would automatically send me to a hike trail I never searched for; to be exact, it always sent me to the hike “The Sleeping Giant” in North-western Ontario Canada. I tried everything but nothing seemed to fix it so each time I wanted to see a hike trail on my computer, I would be first staring at this blasted hike trail. So in absolute spite, I made it my number one goal during my road trip through Ontario to do this exact hike. I never knew about it, never heard about it, never seen it in any magazines, or tv ads, or heard from a friend; I just simply got forced-fed this blasted hike. (note: I eventually did the hike, it was amazing, it was an exhausting 30km day and my spite finally went away.)}

Bali’s case was very similar to this. Every ad, every pop-up, every suggested reel, every video recommendations I had for a good 6 months was nothing but Bali. Bali this. Bali that. Surf This. Party That. Beach this. Jungle that. Rice pads this. Volcanoes that. It drove me nuts; Bali was forever ingrained in my head as a must-visit. So I finally did.

First and foremost: Bali is no longer the secret, hidden, paradise get-away it used to be in the past. It can get very crowded, full of traffic, touristy and quickly modernizing. This is important to realize and learn before heading out there; to dispel any notion or idea of anything otherwise that one might make just from seeing media or videos about Bali.

Second of all, through the crowdedness, the sheer amount of traffic, and popularity of the island, a level of pollution can be seen in the major hubs. For example, it is hard to ignore the litter in the canals, rivers, and the ground all around the popular spots. Even worst, some of the beaches can be quite dirty as plastic washes ashore all the time. I’ve personally experienced this while surfing in Kuta beach; even over 50 meters surfing into the beach you could occasionally grab into a piece of floating plastic.

Lastly and most important of all, Bali is still an amazing spot to be; the weather is amazing, the beaches are beautiful, the people are kind and the food is great. The surf is world-class and everything you would need can still be found in this amazing island.

Hostel Recommendation : Balibobo hostel is a great little spot to be. I find that in these types of businesses, the staff form the backbone. They are very friendly, nice, outgoing, welcoming and warm; the hostel has a real sense of community. There’s also a lot of great amenities from a gym or meditation room, a great centerpiece pool, lots of lounging options, plenty of natural sun and light in the open-ceiling design, a great kitchen, great services and plenty more. This place is everything one would want and need from a hostel. I’d highly recommend staying here.

Beaches

You’re in Bali so of course, you cant miss out on the beaches. With the ocean all around the island however, there’s plenty of beach to go around. From all my visits, I’d recommend checking these ones out:

Uluwatu Beach – the iconic Bali spot. From its concrete hillside warungs to its dizzying stone steps down the iconic cave beach and to the world-class surf break just up ahead, Uluwatu is truly jam packed with all the features. Its a bit hard to miss this one due to its popularity; if you’re here to sightsee I’d recommend to at the very least visit this place once. If you’re here to surf, I’d recommend to stay awhile. The surf here is world class, and its one of the most competitive spots I have ever surfed at. My only regret is that I was not yet good enough for these waves.

Nyang Nyang Beach – One of the scariest beaches I have ever been to. No, there was not a scary clown with a chainsaw waiting for me. However, there were dizzyingly steep concrete switchbacks down to the beach; riding up and down this path with a scooter and a surfboard in tow was not the greatest idea. The waves I surfed on that day was also the biggest I have ever tried to tackle. They reached well way overhead and crashed down with a thunder. Maneuvering into the lineup here as a relative beginner is an experience I will never forget. Each time I surf in rough, towering, freezing waters, I remember my time paddling out in Nyang Nyang Beach. Immediately I feel relieved and encouraged; if I can make it out alive then, I’ll be just fine now.

Geger Beach is a very nice tame beach. At least it was when I visited. All the swells were on the other side and this beach was absolutely secluded. There was not a single soul in sight and it was the quietest I’ve ever seen a Bali beach ever be. The water looked pristine and clean. The beaches were littered with expensive-looking resorts but was not crowded at all. Geger Beach was a breath of fresh air in Bali’s crowded and noisy chaos.

Uluwatu Temple is an iconic Hindu Temple on the southern edge of Bali. Don’t let the price of entry turn you off as it almost did to me; this place is worth every penny. Its a very touristy spot, so I wouldn’t say this place is known for its seclusion. I personally timed my visit near the sunset so I could have an amazing sunset with my visit. I’d also recommend going to watch the fireshow – I regret not going because I was too cheap to buy a ticket.

Restaurants –

Java will always have my heart and my wonder; this amazing island is filled with ancient history, kind strangers and jaw-dropping natural wonders. When I visited Indonesia back in 2023, I did not really plan what to see in Java. All I knew was that it was the big island next to Bali and that my booked flight was in Jakarta. I started in Bali and somehow I had to make my way to Jakarta. So it was decided, my adventure would be from east to west. From one corner to the other.

East Java

Mount Ijen – Taking the hour-and-a-half bus ride from Bali to Gilimanuk drops you off to a ferry port town where you can buy tickets to the ferry that crosses Java and Bali. I did not really have any plans so I booked a home stay where I booked a guided tour to Mount Ijen. Beforehand, I did not really know what Mount Ijen was but after talking to fellow travellers there and the friendly man who owned the homestay, they sold me on the idea of a “blue fire” active volcano. What they did not sell me on was the 12am wake up alarm I had to set up for this guided tour. I did not mind since Mount Ijen is supposedly only one of two volcanoes in the world that spits out blue fire and it was only possible to see this in pitch black. So a handful of other travellers and I were rudely woken up by our 12am alarms and we sleepily filled up the van. The cold night breeze of mountainous Indonesia challenged my drowsiness during our hour ride there and the strenuous hike up kept me plenty awake. The hike itself is not challenging, its merely a dirt path going endlessly upwards. It can get very crowded especially since there are local workers “taxi-ing” people up the mountain using a wheel-barrow. Once you get up there, the views are amazing all throughout and the pastel blue lake in the middle of the volcano is a sight to see. There also many vendors at the crest of the volcano selling sulfur memorabilia for cheap. Unfortunately I did not see this infamous blue fire as the rainy season filled up the lake and prevented the fire show.

If physically able and ample energy left in the tank, I would highly recommend going around the volcano lip, further out. To do two things: (1)get away from the crowds and the Instagram influencers hogging every photo angle and (2) to explore. There is merely so much more to see other than the entrance of the volcano lip; there is a great rolling hills valley view right behind, there is a rocky ledge with a path to take you to a nice flat secluded picnic spot. The surrounding area is a sight to see and being on top of a sulfuric volcano is an experience I suggest you don’t miss.

---

_{Note: the peak of Mount Ijen is surrounded by a thick atmosphere rich of sulfuric gas and other gasses from the active volcano. It is recommended you bring a breathing apparatus with the proper filter. Our tour guide provided this for us. Some of the times I found it not necessary at all; however when the wind blows just right, the gasses can quickly surround you, suffocate you, and leave you with burnt nostrils and lungs.}

---

---

Mount Bromo – After summitting Mount Ijen, talks about another active volcano reached my ears; just a little eastwards is another active volcano called Mount Bromo. This is also considered a special Hindu religious pilgrimage site; but for the low-low cost of 50$, you too can desecrate this holy pilgrimage site and ride jeeps up this ancient volcano and live your all-wheel-all-terrain dreams. Jokes aside, I was too cheap to pay for the guided tour and I was confident I could get the same experience just exploring by myself. I rented a motorbike that cost 10$ for the day and I woke up at 5am to catch the sunrise with mount Bromo in the background. The views itself was amazing but I enjoyed far more the feeling of freedom to explore, the ride to the site, and the views and little towns I passed through on the way there.

Nothing feels more of an adventure than waking up at 5am, underestimating the frigid mountain cold, opting for shorts instead of pants, enjoying the rural Indonesian mountainsides with teeth chattering and numb fingers. and zipping by cliff-side roadways hairpin turns on a scooter at 100km/h because you wanted to catch the last train to the next town.

---

_{Helpful note: be Filipino with dark brown skin and learn some simple Bahasa to avoid the entrance fees western foreigners have to pay at the entrance gates to get to the viewpoints. The attendants would find it so surprising and funny that you are not Indonesian and they’ll let you go for free (in my experience)}

---

Driving near the region of Mount Bromo, you will also see common sights of people on horseback. I’m not 100% sure what the story is, but the Indonesian cowboys look like they know what they are doing.

Madakaripura waterfalls – Probolinggo was the city I stayed in when visiting the Mount Bromo area. This city was not chosen for anything particular. Though the fact that it is directly connected to the train lines that runs across Java and it is on the North-east side of the Volcano helped me finalize my choice. The importance of the train lines is self-explanatory; easy hop on, hop off. But being on the North-East side is a little harder to explain. Being on the North-east side meant I could get two birds with one stone. The first pretty birdy was visiting Mount Bromo. The second was Madakaripura waterfalls.

Madakaripura sits on one of the small-town roads that branches off the main highway to Mount Bromo. According to Google maps, it is a thirty minute scooter drive from the viewpoints I planned on going to. With my sunrise visit to Mount Bromo, and my train to Malang scheduled at noon, I figured an hour visit to see this waterfalls would be a nice detour.

I did not particularly know much about this place; didnt see a video about it, didnt hear someone rave about it, didnt even know it existed. I checked Google maps and I saw some pictures of this waterfalls and it looked amazing; better yet, it was just on the way. So I set out after seeing the sunrise on my detour. Arriving there in the early morning is what I would recommend; I had arrived around 30 minutes before opening. Well, I didn’t know there even was an opening time. Apparently visitors are not allowed in until then and I was just expecting a nice open ledge to see the falls. Its so much more than that. The area itself is managed by some local tourist government agency and there is a fee to enter.

Upon arriving, as per my usual Indonesian experience, a local man came up to me speaking Bahasa and mistaking me for his fellow countryman. Used to this, I politely told him I was a tourist and he immediately saw his opportunity and offered to be my tour guide for a whopping fee. Used to this as well, I started to politely refuse him since I can manage myself quite well. He insisted and told me I will not be let in before the opening time in thirty minutes. There was an elderly woman minding a shop telling me I cannot enter until then. This proved to be true. Fate worked well for him as I was on a time crunch; my booked train was departing for the next town Malang in 2 hours. So I went against my usual and hired him as a private tour guide, though I made sure to haggle him down on his ridiculous price.

I sat behind him on his scooter as he drove me further into the entrance, through a closed gate and saved me a bit of time. Despite this, I was honestly pretty grumpy; I had pretty much gotten peer pressured into paying extra money to have a man walk with me. I can walk just fine on my own. Nevertheless, you win some, you lose some and I take my losses gracefully.

Going deeper into the Indonesian jungle, we started passing waterfalls; they were nothing but small trickles down the green gorge we were walking through, but they were beautiful nonetheless. It also tremendously helps that I was here before opening time, before any of the crowds took a step inside. So on we went. Me and my surprise date, my tour guide.

As soon as you start to pass a party of moss-covered rocks, walk under small waterfalls, and wade through a shallow pool, you see the first glimpse of Madakaripura. Your ears start to get used to the constant sound of water falling. Your body gets used to the touch of water; drenched is a light way to put it. Your nose can smell nothing but the air drops fully soaked in nature. The experience is humbling. The main waterfalls looms over you on a ledge ceiling full of roots, fauna, and trees.

The falls is gentle from afar but unforgiving up close; the water falls from a dizzying height of 200 meters into a cold pool. The canyon provides many scenic spots to take pictures in. At this point, I am absolutely thrilled to be there; I am no longer salty about my extra expense of a private tour guide nor do I even worry about the train ticket I am surely wasting. There I stood, enjoying the awe-inspiring and beautiful Madakaripura. With no chatter or noise from the crowds. From my worries. All alone. Well. Mostly.

In all seriousness, my tour guide was nothing but kind, patient, helpful and friendly. He showed me the way to the falls, and where to place my steps to avoid slipping. I got to learn who he was; he was a farmer who also works at the waterfalls for some extra income to help feed his family. Sufficed to say, I paid him his original ridiculous price that I haggled him down on. He got me in 30 minutes early, showed me this amazing place and even took great pictures. I suggested he change careers and be a photographer instead.

---

Malang – My next stop from Probolinggo was a place called Malang; this city is in the West side of the volcanic area of Mt Bromo. My journey here was quite an eventful one; read all about it here. I found the city very typical for a city close to a major natural landmark like Mt. Bromo; its crowded, lively, and a lot of businesses geared towards tourism. There are hotels, convenience stores, hostels, restaurants, and businesses that you could book a tour off of. Plenty of warungs to choose from, and plenty of delicious Indonesian food all around. A personal favourite was the kind uncle right across the street of my hostel serving cheap but delicious nasi goreng in huge servings.

Another personal favourite of mine is the colourful villages; otherwise known as Kampung Warna Warni and Kampung Biru Arema. The backstory is quite inspiring. The local government had a plan underway; this impoverished neighborhood was set to be destroyed in favor of new development. This plan would displace the families who live here; families who cannot afford to live anywhere else. A group of students and artists set out to paint one of the villages in vivid colours and the other in a cool blue. The result turned out to be a hit for tourists all over and it became an attraction instead. This changed the government’s mind and scrapped their plans. Now it stands as a cool piece of art on the side of a busy main road for all to see and it provides a source of income for the locals. Most importantly, it still stands as a home for families in need. Exploring the maze of narrow alleys that disorients even my sense of direction was a cool experience; better yet was seeing the people living their lives and knowing that the arts contributed some good in this community.

---

Tumpak Sewu – If you enter this into a google search, you’d be led to a massive picture collection of a waterfalls that seemed to be out of this world. Its many many streams of water falling into place from dizzying heights surrounded by the wild thickets of Indonesian jungle is an absolute wonder to be hold. To put it simply: you can’t skip out of this place.

It all started at Malang where I found myself in yet another hostel called MADOR Malang. I’d heavily recommend this spot due to its great location in the middle of town and other stuff to see in Malang and its great accommodations and services available. Its a hub for other travellers and they have a very friendly atmosphere. Another reason why I chose this one specifically is because I made a friend in eastern Java, went on our own ways, got back in touch, and met back up in this city.

We had both decided to accompany each other to the infamous waterfalls. At first, we were trying to find motorbike rentals. When that wasn’t panning out, we opted on signing up for a shared van instead. It was much more expensive as it was only the two of us signed up at the time, so we had both went to bed crossing our fingers that more would sign up. Waking up in the early morning we found out that three others were signing up; I could not be more excited. It wasn’t the fact that we were finally going to see this amazing natural wonder. It was due to the fact that with three others, the shared van option would cost me less than our previous plan of renting scooters with much much less efforts.

---

_{It all starts at the drop off station. At the entrance of the park, you’re required to pay a fee. There are different tiers: (1) would only buy you the overhead view of the whole falls, (2) would allow you to go all the way down to the falls and the (3) allows you to make a loop through the back and into the exit back to the entrance.}

---

Arriving at the entrance, you’re immediately spoiled by the overhead view of the falls. There is a platform to really appreciate its beauty and grandeur. The initial view itself is worth all the effort and travel to get here. Here, we saw what laid ahead of us. The water cascades into many different streams all coming together in an eerily natural geometric shape. It looks as if some giant took a gigantic spoon and carved out a huge chunk of the land and the rivers naturally all fell into it.

After initially taking it all in, our group of five decided it was time to head down and see it up close and personal. The trek down is no joke. It is downhill all throughout as you scale its walls and hills; Even in seemingly dry days, the paths can be muddy and wet, especially since the hike down crosses numerous smaller waterfalls! Worst yet is the traffic on the way down. There are some who choose not to complete the loop and go back up the way they went down. This means that there is a two way traffic of uphill and downhill hikers in very tight quarters and sometimes extremely wet corridors. Another thing to worry about are the others going down with you; there are many making the pilgrimage down who are inexperienced, scared and slow the hike down to a crawl. Often, there would be groups at a complete standstill. All of this together can prove to be challenging and I wish anyone making the trek down all the luck and patience in the world.

Once we’ve made the treacherous trek down, we found ourselves in a huge open ravine, surrounded by tall walls covered in the jungle. Following the stream made by the waterfalls and through the entrance checkpoint, we eventually started hearing the crashing sounds of water. Droplets were felt in the air and the wind raged on. It was a completely different environment at the base. It was wet, cool, and loud. It was chaotic and the hikers were all scrambling up to the best viewpoints where one could get the ideal insta shot.

I was much more interested in something else: seeing it up close and personal and experiencing it from underneath. So as the trail forked and we were given two choices of either going up to a green rocky path for the best photos or down the muddy and soaking wet base, I opted to choose the latter. I was happy to see others in my group also follow my lead. As we reached the bottom, we were treated to a majestic, chaotic, amazingly beautiful waterfall and all it had to offer us; and we had it all to ourselves!

After finishing with the main waterfalls, we opted to go finish the loop. This way, we wouldn’t be going against the flow of traffic and we’d see some new cool stuff. Personally, I did not have much expectations with the rest of the loop; especially right after bathing and showering under the thunderous Tumpak Sewu. Boy was I wrong. The other end half of the loop is just as great with a new set of adventures and things to feel and see.

This time, the trail is uphill. Following the path, you’re led to numerous new waterfalls. Sure, they’re smaller but their beauty is just the same. These waterfalls are also a lot friendlier to the faint of heart and is a delight to be underneath. We explored its many limestone caves. The many different nature formations was great to see. My only complaint was that at this point, we were very tired and very hungry. If I could do it again, I’d pack more water and more food for the adventure. I left Tumpak Sewu starving but my hunger for adventure sated.

---

Central Java

Nestled in the middle of the island is Java’s special region, its cultural and religious hub: Yogyakarta.

Semarang is a city in Central Java that is ripe with Historical significance and a beautiful Old Town with plenty of its roots on display. All around the city, you will notice its Dutch and colonial heritage in full display. Especially in Old Town Semarang where the streets are lined with cobble stones and the architecture is a stark reminder of the its Dutch past. All around however is an unmistakable Indonesian taste to everything from its food, its bustling traffic, its people, its markets and everything else around.

---

Excerpt from my Blog Post about Semarang: ‘ I had decided to stay in Old Town Semarang as it is renowned for its historical beauty and antique Dutch-era architecture. It is also a hub for tourists to take pictures of the beautiful buildings so I figured it would be a great spot to stay half a week in. I did not head to Semarang for anything in particular; I had found myself fleeing from Yogyakarta and its expensive tourist priced temples and attractions. With nowhere to go, I decided on going for a middle point from my final destination of Jakarta which is how I found myself in this city.

With no plans, I would spend my days and nights just wandering through its streets. I got to see, explore and quickly leave its China Town. I even got to enjoy a delicious meal during iftar at some random carnival event I accidentally stumbled on to. One of the main things every day I set out to find was a place to eat. I didn’t want any of the fancy restaurants in Old Town or any of its fast foods chains. The Indomarets (popular Indonesian convenience store chain and a personal favourite of mine) were good in a pickle but I truly just wanted to find a local Warung to sit down and have a nice, cheap, homemade meal in. I found nothing while exploring the main streets of Old Town so I had to go a little farther; I did not go far but I found myself in quieter streets.

Quieter streets where people actually lived. Where the light was not so blinding. Where the only noise you hear are my flip flops flopping. I knew I was in the right area, I just had to find the right place. ‘

Read More about it here

---

I would personally really recommend this city. Exploring its streets and Old Town was a delight to have. I stayed in one of the hotel pods right in the middle of town. The people are very nice, the city is lively and the food is amazing.

Speaking of food, I’d heavily recommend a local Warung just across the bridge from Old Town: Nasi Goreng Babat. This is a very local spot, so the food is cheap, the taste is delicious and the people are very patient and kind. I knew basic Bahasa and they knew basic English so I got by.

---

Jakarta does not only have great restaurants and places to eat. It has so much more to offer. Checking out the Monas was quite a treat with many national galleries and museums littering the area. Explore the different areas and neighborhoods in the city – all with a different vibe and feel. This is all made possible with a pretty decent public transport system. Overall, I enjoyed my time in Jakarta.