Author: Wallace Jennings

Capturing the hearts of many, the Komodo National Park in Labuan Bajo, Flores, shines as one of the brightest pearl of Indonesia. Worldwide travelers were lured with the pure beauty, embarking on multiple days of Komodo trip to explore the region. This UNESCO-protected park boats a stunning landscape with fantastic scenery that was blessed by Mother of Nature. Dozen of rolling hills rise from aquamarine water, flaunting jagged texture that emits raw Jurassic park impression. Rounding the islands is endless fresh clean sea, which openness will enchant anyone’s mind with inevitable relaxing feeling.

Well, it’s easy to feel a world away when you are in a Komodo trip. The pure wildness of this region doubled up with tranquil vibe of the ‘lost world’ make it just right when you want to get alone by yourself. Because, you know, sometimes we just don’t want to run into anyone and just think about life—and immerse to nature’s best creation. While some of the good spot in Komodo has take their (well deserved) popularity, some still remains in secrets.

Behold, below are five best spot in Komodo that were just perfect to get alone, take pre wedding pictures, share intimate stories with life partner, or simply lets the mind wander.

A Nook in the Hill of Padar Island

Most people come to the hot and rocky Padar Island for the peak view. Yes, that phenomenal hilltop you see everywhere in social media. A gorgeous hill squeezed by three multicoloured bays with aerial landscape in the background. The highest peak in the island where you can see 360º panoramic scenery of the whole Komodo landscape.

As you has expected, the top hill can be a bit congested by tourist—most probably your own tour companions. The island, however, prized numerous charming spots if you are willing to look further. Move a bit on the side of the phenomenal spot, cause the hillside is not short on amazing view. There are acres and acres of areas behind the bushes where you can be away from all tourist and busy photographers. Just you alone, surrounded by swaying savannah, staring at the beautiful bays beneath.

Again, Hillside. This Time It’s Gili Lawa

You will never really get the definition of wavy hills until you get into Gili Lawa. Any hillside on this tiny island is perfect for a moment to sit down and contemplate about life. Especially in moment before sunrise, when the island is gleaming red from the creeping sun, and the sky is constantly change with pinkish and purplish hue.

Pink Beach—Special Komodo Trip to The Hidden One

Do you know that THAT famous Pink Beach is not the only pink beach in the region? Thanks to the presence of red corals, Komodo region has numerous rosy tinted beaches. The best Komodo trip leader knows hidden pink beach with less tourists around. The blend of rosy sands with bright turquoise water is a perfect set to escape into illusion of wonderland.

Feeling not enough place to fulfil the gap in your soul? Worry not, we’ll be back to hidden exploration in another episode. Just stay tuned!

There are many aspects to earn from travelling. Social, culture, and even religion are attached to each other. Thus, travelling is not simply about having fun. Learning more about the place you visit can give you many benefits. You will be more knowledgeable, you will have new point of view, you will be more open-minded, etc. Aside from excitement, there is also something positive to gain. This is why travelling to Borobudur is a great choice. Borobudur is Buddhist monument located in Yogyakarta Indonesia. It was built in 8th Century. It was then long forgotten and to be rediscovered in the 19th Century. For your information, this is one of the biggest Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

Things to know before visiting Borobudur?

There are many intriguing things when it comes to Borobudur. It holds many qualities from various aspects. Name it culture, architecture, structure, Borobudur has it all. Here is brief description about Borobudur which can make you desire to visit:

• Borobudur is Buddhist monument and one of the largest in the world. It has Mandala shape which form series of platforms. There are five square platforms below and four circular platforms above. There is a pathway to lead pilgrims through three levels of Buddhist cosmology. There are approximately 2,672 relief panels. Each panel has its own story about Buddha’s life.
• Borobudur consists of different levels. The lowest one is called Kamadhatu or the world of desire consisted of 160 reliefs. The next level is Rupadhatu or the world of forms. Then, there is Arupadhatu or the world of formlessness. Then there is a central stupa crown Borobudur at the very top. However, this level is not for visitors.
• While enjoying the structure and architecture of Borobudur, you will notice that there are different statues. They are Bhumi Sparsa Mudra which represents seal of touching the Earth, Vara Mudra which represents charity, Dhyana Mudra which represents meditation, Abhaya Mudra which represents reassurance and the elimination of fear, and Vitarka Mudra which represents preaching.
• The special event is held during Waisak where hundreds of Buddhist monks from different regions gather to make a procession which started at 2am. The procession is started from Candi Mendut to Borobudur which is 1.5 miles away. The procession consists of praying and chanting in slow mode. The monks usually reach Borobudur at 4am and proceed to the next procession which is circling the temple.
• The access to Borobudur is easy since it is only 40 minutes away from the nearest airport, Yogyakarta. You can get to Borobudur by bus or mini bus. There are various transportations to help you get to Borobudur and the cost is quite affordable.
• The entrance fee to Borobudur is also affordable. Itcost only about $20. You can purchase the ticket on the ticket office directly which opens from 6am to 5pm. Aside from visiting Borobudur, you can also visit the neighbor temple, Prambanan. You can buy combined ticket which cost you about $28.80 so you can visit both temples.

If you know Indonesia as Bali or Jakarta only then you need to reconsider the thought. Indonesia has Bandung as one of the most popular travel destinations. This is even preferred as travel destination than Jakarta since the place has cool temperature, hilly places, as well as local foods worth to try. One of the most attractions in Bandung is its cheap clothing outlet store. This is also why Bandung is dubbed as Paris van Java. This is a place where you can find the latest fashion trend. Bandung i dominated by Sundanese culture. For those who seek for romantic and peaceful travel, Bandung is a great destination to visit.

What you can do while travelling in Bandung

There are many places you can do while travelling in Bandung, Indonesia. The diversity of culture is intriguing. The people are also kind and always welcome visitors both from different region or country. Here is what you can do when you travel to Bandung:

• Learning more about Sundanese culture by watching angklung performance. You can visit Saung Angklung Udjo to watch impressive and interactive performance. Most performance is expressed musically using musical instrument called angklung. It is made of bamboo and you can even try to play it. The performers not only perform local music but also worldwide music such as pop. The performance is always along with dance performance as well.
• Bandung is home to volcano called Tangkuban Parahu. It is located 15 miles north of Bandung city center. There is Kawah Ratu, the biggest crater in the volcano. For your information, the volcano is still active until today. The last eruption was in 2015. This volcano is one of the most visited travel destinations in Bandung. Visitors can also go trekking this volcano.
• Kawah Putih or White Crater is a must-visit when you come to Bandung.  It is located in the south side of Bandung. Even though the name is ‘white’, the original color of the ash around the crater like is more of blue-greenish. Though the water looks so inviting, it is not for swimming activities. It is recommended to wear a mask when you enter the location since the smell of sulfur is quite strong. However, the view is satisfying.
• If you travel with family, it is recommended to visit Dusun Bambu family Leisure Park. This place is built in 15 hectare. You can enjoy various foods at Cafe Burangrang while enjoying the scenic view of Burangrang Mountain. Aside from cafe and restaurant, there are also playground, garden, villa, and souvenir shop in this park.
• As mentioned above that Bandung is famous for its fashion outlet store. You can get yourself great deals on branded clothing which can be spotted in every outlet store around the city. For your recommendation, you can go hunting for cheap branded clothing in main streets such as Jalan Riau, Jalan Setiabudi and Jalan Juanda. It is recommended not to go for factory outlet hunting on weekend since it is the busiest time.

With the overflowing beauty of Labuan Bajo archipelago, camera gears are definitely something your don’t want to miss. Both worlds—the land and underwater—continue to give endless supplies of breathtaking sceneries. Every corners are a perfect setting to fit afor a frame. Without questions, this place draws photography enthusiasts to stay and spend quite a long time exploring the pristine nature. It can be quite a challenge, however, to find a suitable liveaboard Labuan Bajo to support photographer traveler.

Whether you are a professional photographers, travel blog/vloggers, avid instagrammers, or simply love to take your camera anywhere you go, you definitely need a little guide to find the perfect liveaboard for you. Because you know, camera gears always need a special attention, don’t they?

Charging Stations Onboard

Embarking on a Komodo trip gonna be easier when your liveaboard Labuan Bajo has built in charging station on the dive deck. This is especially helpful if you are also a divers and underwater photographer. Charging the camera on dive deck allows you to charge the cameras without getting out from your wetsuit. Ask the operators if they have air blower in the station. The blowing air helps to dry the camera rigs faster before opening them up. Each stations usually have plenty of charging outlets; enough to accommodate the camera, strobes, flash, and other gears.

Camera Storage

Before signing the deal, ask whether your liveaboard Labuan Bajo has desgnated camera storage on board or not. Specialised dive boat and better-deal liveaboard usually have this facility. Camera storage is very beneficial to extend the longevity of your camera gear. It protect cameras from straight bump on the surface chop. Neatly arranged storage also gives significant contribution on incidental accident prevention. No more tangled sync cords on the floor twisting on slippery fin when divers roll back to the boat.

Vast and Spacious Liveaboard Labuan Bajo

Every professional underwater photographers knows just how much spaces camera gears need. Add the diving gears to that, and you would need more than a couple of square meter on the ship. It goes without saying that spacious Liveaboard Labuan Bajo make a better, suitable choice for your Flores trip. Of course you can always pick up the smaller and more ergonomic boats around. But that means you need to set up all the complex camera gears in quite cramped space with other 10+ passengers. But hey, if a couple more dollars can give you better comfort and stability for gear set up, why not?

Photo-friendly Itinerary

You come for the good pictures. It’s the subject-rich destination that you are after. Try to learn all destinations in Labuan Bajo that potentially offers amazing scenery or interesting object to behold. The famous Padar Island is phenomenal among photographers for its breathtaking aerial background. The Komodo dragons in Komodo island are fairly easy to capture—sometimes are almost too easy. These man-eating, fearsome dragons are usually spotted lying languidly beneath the shades, enjoying the slow living. However, this can be deceptive to photographers, thinking that they can go as close as possible to the chilled dragons. Always remember to take photos with caution—and within protection from rangers.

Underwater photographers will love Flores’ marine world. From macro critters to big animal hotspot, Labuan Bajo has it all. You can hunt for the ever-graceful Mantas in Manta point, see the rare pigmy seahorse, or get immersed in massive dance of school of fishes in Batu Bolong. Dozens of diving spots scattered around the archipelago, each with its own dive characteristic. Back home, you will have tons of superb screensaver-worthy pictures enough to last for a lifetime!

Food travelling is always fun to do especially for those who appreciate original recipe and the culture diversity. Travelling is not always about visiting museum. Interacting with the locals and try their original cuisine is also a great way to appreciate their culture. One of the most popular travel destinations is South Korea where K-Pop has been wild recently. It attracts lots of people around the world to get to know more about the country and its culture including foods.

South Korea is loud in promoting their local foods to the world through may tourism acts as well as film industry. There are many kinds of Korean foods shown in almost every K-drama. This makes people more interested to try.

List of foods you should try while travelling in South Korea

Kimbap

Kimbab can be found almost everywhere from street vendor, convenient store, to high-end restaurant. This is like Korean food-to-go. The appearance is similar to sushi and that’s why people also call this dish as Korean sushi. This is made of rice rolled with various fillings such as cucumber, carrot, omelet, beef, etc. They are then wrapped in seaweed. If you are used to American food style, then you can consider this dish as Korean Sandwich. You can eat it right away without using any utensil.

Kimchi

Kimchi is one of the healthiest dishes in the world. When it comes to Korean food, you cannot leave kimchi behind. Kimchi goes along with every kind of meal. This is sour and slightly spicy fermented side dish which promotes health benefits. It is made of cabbage mixed with various Korean spices then fermented until it’s ready to serve. Aside from cabbage, there are also other varieties to make kimchi such as radish or cucumber.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap is the next recommended Korean you should try. The look of this dish is so tempting. It looks colorful and fresh. It consist of rice topped with various vegetables as well as beef, and fired egg. It is then often added with gochujang, Korean chili paste. To eat it, you need to mix all in the bowl. The taste of vegetables and other ingredients is just great for your appetite.

Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki is kind of snack for Korean. This always makes appearance in almost every K-drama. You can find it in street vendors as well as restaurant. This is made of rice cake in cylindrical shape, triangular fish cakes, as well as vegetables. All of them are cooked in spicy and sweet red chili sauce. The looks of this snack is colorful and flavorful. Korean students love this so much since it’s delicious and affordable.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is made of beef which is marinated and grilled. The marinade is made of sesame oil, soy sauce, pureed pear, sugar, as well as ginger. Some people like it to be grilled after marinated but some others like it to be fried. It is best served with warm rice, lettuce wraps, kimchi, and onions. The beef is sliced thinly so it is easy to grill.

Nothing can compare to Komodo diving liveaboard experience. Waking up when the sun blasts the golden rays, floating in the middle of endless ocean. You slide on the dive gear and prepare for the first dive of the day. The instructor gives you signals to jump from the deck, and the next thing you know, you are underwater in one of world’s best coral garden and colourful marine creatures. This is how a life in a Komodo diving liveaboard looks like. Your excursion days is overflowed with scuba diving opportunities with island hopping in between while living onboard for an extended period.

Flores has long been known for its fantastic underwater with plenty of marine life, preserved biota and great biodiversity. It’s not a surprising sight to see Labuan Bajo’s dock, Flores’ port town, jam-packed with diving life aboard of all range. With lots of energy-draining diving activities, it’s only rational if you want a liveaboard with maximum comforts. A liveaboard that offers more than a deck to sleep in and filled up tank in the morning. If you are willing to pay for quality services and get what you’ve paid for, there are some qualities you need to scrutinise in a liveaboard.

Signs of Quality Komodo Diving Liveaboard You Should Pick Up

Spacious Komodo Diving Liveaboard

Like it or not, diving is way more complicated than the usual land excursion. Diving needs lots of extra spaces to store all the bulky equipments. You will also need a lot of open space for diving preparation as well as having enough wet area. It’s also importance to maintain safe space between other divers to avoid slippery accident. Choosing a spacious diving liveaboard is essential for your safety.

Quality and Roomy Cabins

Some liveaboard boats sleeps all their passengers in one communal deck. Other liveaboard build comfy rooms for the sake of passengers’ quality rest. Some quality to look in your Komodo diving liveaboard’s cabins are space, air-con, bed, ventilation, and the general layout. Will the room be spacious enough for you to move around? Does the bed clean and dry? (Sleeping on a damp bed can turn your peaceful rest to a living hell). Is the ventilation lets flowing air change? And eventually, does the room has air conditioner or fan? Remember that it can be very hot and humid in Indonesia. Staying in a room without proper air conditioner can make the stay rather feel unpleasant.

Onboard Foodie

Staying in a hotel room means you can go out every time for lunch and dinner. You can choose to walk out from the breakfast selection and find one of your preference. Staying in a liveaboard means you are ‘forced’ to eat whatever are available on the table. Back in more traditional days, divers’ diet onboard often consist of regular mie goreng or nasi goreng. However, today newer and more modern liveaboard begin to serve international cuisine. And with huge demands of physical activities during, your body needs high nutritional foods, too. Normally, liveaboard doesn’t put their menu online. For a safe bet, choose a Komodo diving liveaboard which specifically mentions the presence of professional chef in their service.

There are some other quality to indicate a good liveaboard other than these essentials three. A noise-isolated cabin will definitely gives more support to quality rest than those without. More often than not, noise-isolated cabin is quite a luxurious option appears in high-end liveaboard. You might also want stable internet connection, though most travelers in Flores enjoys their momentary digital detox. Again, this is something that’s less essential but definitely makes the experience be much better.

Your Komodo diving liveaboard can either make or break the trip—so do choose wisely!

The arrival of autumn is a cause for celebration, if only for the break from the scorching heat of Japanese summers. A lot of people enjoyed autumn through the endless supplies of delicious Japanese traditional food popular to be eaten in autumn. There’s Yakiimo, which is sweet potato, soft and warm, the food is delicious and naturally sweet, a perfect companion for the fall months. There’s also Oden; more popular as a winter delicacy, but also pretty well-sought and widely enjoyed during the fall.

Regardless of what’s your choice of food and snacks to accompany your search for autumn colors, if you do want to bask in the beauty in its full glory, then take some time to visit these places locals love to go to during the autumn.

Koshikawa Korakuen

The Koshikawa Korakuen is one of the most popular spots when it comes to catching the autumn colors in Tokyo. It’s a Japanese traditional landscape garden with breathtaking beauty with emphasis on the gorgeous landscape. Stunning views of maple trees with their vibrant red shades are in abundance. The Japanese garden landscape frames Japanese aesthetics and appreciation towards nature and aged scenery. The traditional garden uses aged materials reminiscent of ancient times. The materials used for the paving are all natural, it includes gravel and other natural stones. The Japanese traditional landscape garden is also highly influenced by mostly Shinto and Buddhist philosophies.

Icho Namiki

This park is located near the Meiiji Jingu Gaien Park, which is home to the Jingu stadium. The  place is a set of outdoor facilities which is a heaven for photographers alike during the fall season. There are lines of neatly trimmed trees, an excellent example that Tokyo is always at pea form. The sight of golden hues lining the street is simply gorgeous. It’s a great way to spend time; simply relaxing at the cafes around the street is a pleasant way to spend your day.

Showa Kinen Koen

This park is located near the Tachikawa station, where lines of ginkgo trees flaunting gold is a sight. Not just autumn colors, the park also boasts neatly organized seasonal flowers with gorgeous hues spreading throughout the place. There’s a bonsai museum that people can visit in the Showa Kinen Park. The park is a great place for family outdoor activities, as it’s complete with a large playing area for children with slides and all sorts of playground equipment.

Yoyogi Koen

The Yoyogi Koen is located at central Tokyo, Shibuya, Harajuku, to be precise. If you enjoy going to the infamous youth subculture and enjoy its wealth of fashion and quirks, you’re going to enjoy looking for autumn colors in Yoyogi Park. The vibrant youths of Tokyo often use this park for a lot of artistic activities and if you’re lucky you might even catch a rehearsal in place. Musics, dance, and all sorts are often spotted in the park, as Yoyogi park attracts all sorts of talents. To see the autumn shades, go away for a bit from the central and go to the Southern part of the park.

If you’re planning to go to Tokyo in the near future, then you’ve probably heard of the public transportation that has a consistently excellent reputation during your planning trip. You’d most likely take the trains one way or another when you’re in the heart of the metropolitan.

The railway companies have issued IC cards that can be used by basically anyone. IC cards are prepaid cards and you can choose between either PASMO or Suica. What’s the difference between them? Not much. Both of them have the exact same use, with only minor differences as they’re issued by different companies. Whichever you choose, it won’t affect the everyday use of the card. With these IC cards, you’d essentially have an electronic money that can be used in most places you’ll go in Tokyo. IC cards are extremely useful and are live savers. Seriously, don’t travel in Tokyo without these cards.

Less hassle overall

With IC cards in your pocket, there’d be no more working out places for several minutes in front of the ticket machine. No more remembering station names as you fiddle with the buttons to purchase the ticket, every time you’re going to go somewhere. Also no more looking for small papers of ticket stubs, easily forgotten, as you walk out of the trains onto the ticket gates. No more clutter as well as fiddling with bills and coins, getting the bills out and the changes inside your wallet. It would literally make your life easier.

Saves you so much time

You won’t have to spend more time more than necessary every time you want to go somewhere. There’s also the fact that there’s generally always a queue on major train stations, therefore, not having to go to purchase tickets every time would save you so much time that you could be spending doing more important things. All you have to do is swipe the card at the ticket gate, you hear a beep, then off you go

Use your card for shopping

All of convenience stores in Tokyo commonly accept IC cards as payment methods. Most, if not all supermarkets in Tokyo also accept PASMO/Suica. A lot of major stores, as long as they have the machines or signs would accept the cards. Take Matsumoto Kiyoshi for example, a general drugstore and beauty shop, that you’re going to take notice sooner or later, is one of the most common examples of the many shops accepting the card.

Less to no coins

You’re likely going to learn this lesson only after you’ve visited Tokyo. There’s just going to be coins, so much coins. Every time you spent a 1,000 Yen, you’re going to end up with coins as change if you use cash as a payment method.  Not all money changers back home are willing to exchange coins, and you end up with a pile of coins that you wont be able to use back home. With IC cards, purchasing everyday needs at the convenience stores or the supermarket as well as some restaurants won’t contribute to your piles of coins.