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Eat, Play, Tough Love
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 24 September 2011
“What do you mean a bicycle tour? Leave the villa and the pool?” I screeched in hysteria. I was in one of my lazy moods. “It’s time to wean you off this luxury,” Tony replied mockingly as he continued packing for the trip to Ubud, the place where Elizabeth Gilbert found love in Eat, Pray, [...]
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New City, New Field Partner: Getting to know VisionFund Indonesia (Part 2 of 2)
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 22 September 2011
By Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia When we last left off in this new adventure, I hadn’t yet stepped foot into the office of my Field Partner, VisionFund Indonesia (VFI). It’s amazing what a difference two weeks makes!
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Lazing at the Surf Villa
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 22 September 2011
Uh oh, I think Thomas might be getting a little too used to life in the surf villa. We may never get him out of here… Ummm, Thomas, you don’t know how to surf!!!
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Uluwatu
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 20 September 2011
The ferry from Java to Bali is only a short thirty minute ride, but the transformation is quite astonishing. Everything is different. Sparsely developed East Java gives way to trendy beach developments and tourist traffic jams. Mosques are replaced by Hindu temples and the call to prayer gives way to ritual gamelan music and chanting. [...]
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Java by Train
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 18 September 2011
If we could travel everywhere by train, we would. There’s nothing more relaxing than sitting back in comfort and watching the outside world roll by. Especially when the outside world looks like Java. Terraced rice fields, water buffaloes, coconut palm plantations and dense patches of jungle are interspersed with traditional terracotta-tiled houses and steep volcanic [...]
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Sunrise over Mt Bromo Paart I, Indonesia
Blog: Mood to Travel - 17 September 2011
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On Edge at Bromo
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 16 September 2011
Smiling at sweet victory Indonesia has more volcanoes than any other country on the planet. The landscape of central Java is dominated by a series of fierce smoking cones which thrust out of the plains giving the island a mystical air straight out of the cheesiest B-grade dinosaur flick. I love it. So it should [...]
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American Express Kindly, Accepted in Central Asia
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 14 September 2011
This summer we were approached by American Express Canada to test drive their new American Express Gold Rewards Card and after using it for the past few months, we're big fans.
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Prambanan and Sewu
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 14 September 2011
Not only is Java the site of the spectacular Buddhist temple-stupa of Borobudur, just a short distance east of Yogyakarta lies the monumental remains of Prambanan, a magnificent Hindu temple which testifies to Java’s early links with India. Prambanan is the largest and grandest of Java’s many surviving Hindu temples and is considered one of [...]
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Javanese Food
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 12 September 2011
“Aren’t you sick of Asian food?” a German friend asked recently. Interestingly, I’m not. Well, not yet anyway. True, Tony and I are a little sick of rice, deep-fried foods, and the surprising lack of vegetable dishes here in Indonesia. This is especially strange because the markets are full of fresh produce – if only [...]
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Flying a kite, Monas, Jakarta
Blog: Mood to Travel - 11 September 2011
Flying a kite, Monas, Jakarta, originally uploaded by Homdaum.I caught this kid flying one of the many kites on a Sunday evening at the National Monument in Jakarta.
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Borobudur
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 10 September 2011
Although there is some debate as to how demographics are measured here, Indonesia is generally recognized as the world’s largest Muslim nation. So to many, it might come as some surprise that the country boasts one of Buddhism’s most significant architectural achievements: breathtaking Borobudur. Borobudur, constructed in the 8th century, has often been described as [...]
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Borobodur Temple at Sunset
Blog: Mood to Travel - 9 September 2011
Borobodur Temple at Sunset, originally uploaded by Homdaum.This is the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere and at sunset it was spectacular. #Indonesia
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Echo Beach in Bali Surfing Pictures and Video
Blog: Malaysia Asia - 7 September 2011
Echo Beach in Bali Surfing Pictures and Video from my last trip there in June 2011. Echo Beach is located in the Canggu area just out from Kuta. It is also one of the secluded beaches where only locals and surfers come to enjoy.
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New City, New Field Partner: Settling into the “Big Durian” (Part 1 of 2)
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 6 September 2011
By Laurie Young, KF16, Indonesia A little over 4 months ago Kiva welcomed a new field partner headquartered in Jakarta, VisionFund Indonesia (VFI). VFI operates out of the two largest cities in Indonesia: Jakarta and Surabaya. Because it’s a relatively new relationship, a fellow has yet to spend time with VFI or be placed in Jakarta.
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Becky’s Great Adventure
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 6 September 2011
Arrogant old fogies, Thomas and I, often sit around complaining about how young twenty-somethings no longer know how to travel. These young’uns don’t know how to have a good adventure anymore, we grumble to ourselves. And then suddenly, somewhere around Derawan, along comes Becky to prove us completely wrong. Adventurous souls still exist and Becky [...]
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Crossing the Equator
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 5 September 2011
Spokesmodel and adventuress, Becky, demonstrates how to stand in the Northern Hemisphere AND the Southern Hemisphere at the same time. I guess it’s suddenly winter!!!
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Jamu Making Classes in Bali, Indonesia
Blog: Malaysia Asia - 3 September 2011
Jamu Making Classes in Bali, Indonesia is one of the most interesting activity that I have seen a hotel or resort offer in a long time. Back then, many hotels were offering local cooking classes but here at Hotel Tugu in Bali, a traditional herb mixing class was on their main menu.
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The Orangutan Experience
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 3 September 2011
The moment I left the mountain gorillas in what was then called Zaire, I knew that Thomas and I would one day track wild orangutans in Borneo. (Great apes are the holy grail for us wildlife fanatics.) What might have seemed like a distant dream for many people was a very clear series of obstacles [...]
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The Indonesian, the Dutch and the Indian experience
Blog: Indian Bazaars - 2 September 2011
This blogpost is an interview with Hasti Tarekat, a Heritage professional from Indonesia now based in the Netherlands. 1. What parts of a Dutch weekly market do you find most interesting and different from the Indonesian experience?
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Running Group in Jakarta
Blog: Dawn Abroad - 2 September 2011
With the pollution, traffic jam, and scarcity of public parks, outdoor running in Jakarta would seems impossible. But seems that few passionate residents and dwellers of Jakarta refuse to give up. They gather together to find the best time and place Jakarta can offer, and do what they love to do: to run.
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The Friday Photo: Kayan Woman, Borneo
Blog: Travels with a Nine Year Old - 2 September 2011
I photographed this lady from the Kayan tribal minority in Sarawak, once an independent kingdom, now Malaysian Borneo, during our big trip upriver there last year. She’s chewing betel, the...
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Orangutans of Kutai National Park
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 31 August 2011
As Tony promised in his latest posting, we are once again turning the camera back on the wildlife and jungle. Hours and hours spent watching orangutans high up in the trees was quite a treat, but it may also require future treatment for a serious case of neck strain. That said, after viewing our video, [...]
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Jungle Fever
Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 29 August 2011
From Chitwan to Kinabatangan, our postings on “the jungle” have mostly focused on the wildlife – and rightfully so. But as we explore Kutai National Park, we thought we should take a moment and turn the camera on ourselves as we track wild orangutans, providing a little glimpse into our daily routine. Becky and Thomas [...]
