South-East Asia Islands & Peninsula ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

Posted
30-Sep-2004 20:06
by: Laszlo

Posts: 6,067
Registered: 11/03/01

South-East Asia Islands & Peninsula FAQ

Inside this thread you'll find a collection of links to TT threads and websites about attractions, activities, travel practicalities and news about Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, & Singapore.

Before you get reading (and posting), here's some advice from the TT team to help you find the info you need:

1. Do a TT search! At least five posters a week ask the same questions. The road is well travelled. Find those threads, add a reply (which brings the topic to the top, restarting the conversation), and then see #2.

2. Be specific. How much do you have to spend? How long is your trip? What are your interests (i.e. local culture and art, or sport, or food and drink, or none of the above). The details will help the community tailor your advice and answers.

3. Please use the right branch. This branch is intended for travel questions and resources about South-East Asia Islands & Peninsula.

Finally: If you haven't filled in your profile on the TT, make sure your post mentions anything about you that would be helpful to know. An 18 year old Brit on his first trip abroad usually wants different advice from a Italian family with an infant or a couple in their 50s from Saskatchewan.

Please feel free to add any other useful advice you might have inside this thread!

Guidebook Updates
To get the latest updates to any of our guidebooks - or to add your own - visit the Guidebook Feedback branch of the Thorn Tree. See below for links to all the guides relating to SE Asia's Islands & Peninsulas.

B Bali & Lombok 11, Best of Bali 1, Borneo 1 E East Timor 1 I Indonesia 8 K Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang 1 M Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei 10 P Philippines 9 S Singapore 7, Singapore Encounter 1, Southeast Asia on a Shoestring 14

Older editions: Southeast Asia on a Shoestring 13

Note: Commercial advertising is prohibited on the Thorn Tree as per our Website Terms. If you come across any tour operators advertising or spamming their business on Thorn Tree (or by private message) then above each post on Thorn Tree you will see a row of icons. If you click on the yellow triangle with the ! you can report a post to the moderators. Please include a brief note advising why you think the post needs looking at and the moderation team will review it. You can also use the report button to request the deletion of accidental multiple postings.

Thanks!

Edited by: Trent_at_LP

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, West Papua, Maluku, Ternate, Ambon, Saparua, Banda, Kei
on VirtualTourist.com: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Caledonia, Eritrea, Djibouti
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, SE Asia Islands FAQ thread & Samoa Warnings

Posted
30-Sep-2004 20:09
by: Laszlo

Posts: 6,067
Registered: 11/03/01

1

The listings below now include contributions from daycat, steve252, ilya_troyanov, JBkayaker12 and TigerTraveller - thanks!

BRUNEI

Destination Brunei
Tourism Brunei
Royal Brunei Airlines
Brunei News

EAST TIMOR

Destination East Timor
Discover East Timor
The Unofficial Guide to East Timor
East Timor Information
Airnorth
East Timor News

INDONESIA

General Information
Destination Indonesia
Indonesia Tourism
About Indonesia
Travelling in Indonesia
Nature Reserves of Indonesia
Kawasan Konservasi Indonesia
Seeing Orangutans
Birding Indonesia
Volcanos of Indonesia
Mountains of Indonesia
Underwater Indonesia
Surfing Indonesia
Surfing Indonesia 2

Regional Information
Jakarta
Central Java
Yogyakarta
East Java
Surabaya
Bali Tourism Authority
Bali Pages
Discover Bali
Bali Forum
Bali & Lombok Forum
Nusa Tenggara
Lombok
Lombok Lovers Forum
Sumbawa
East Nusa Tenggara
Savu Islands
Riau
Riau Islands
Belitung
Kalimantan
North Sulawesi
Alor Islands

*Transport *
Garuda
Bouraq
Lion Air
Batavia Air
Bali Air
Mandala
Pelita Air
Airwagon
Pelni Shipping Lines
Riau Ferries

News
The Jakarta Post
Tempo
Inside Indonesia
Malra Posko

MALAYSIA

General Information
Destination Malaysia
Welcome to Malaysia
Tourism Malaysia
Malaysia Guide
National Parks of Malaysia
Seeing Orangutans
Birding Malaysia

Regional Information
Kuala Lumpur
Penang
Langkawi
Pahang
Negeri Sembilan
Melaka
Johor
Sarawak
Sabah
Labuan
The Kelabit Highlands
Mulu National Park

Transport
Malaysia Airlines
Air Asia
Malaysian Railways

News
New Straits Times
Vannakam Malaysia
New Sabah Times
Sarawak Tribune

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, West Papua, Maluku, Ternate, Ambon, Saparua, Banda, Kei
on VirtualTourist.com: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Caledonia, Eritrea, Djibouti
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, SE Asia Islands FAQ thread & Samoa Warnings

Posted
30-Sep-2004 20:13
by: Laszlo

Posts: 6,067
Registered: 11/03/01

2

PHILIPPINES

General Information
Destination Philippines
Travelling in the Philippines
WOW Philippines
Outdoors Philippines
National Parks of the Philippines
Key Conservation Sites of the Philippines
Birding in the Philippines
Volcanos of the Philippines
Surfing in the Philippines
Surfing in the Philippines 2

Transport
Philippine Airlines
Air Philippines
Cebu Pacific
Asian Spirit
South East Asian Airlines
Cebu Ferries
Negros Navigation
Sulpicio Lines
SuperCat Fast Ferries
WG&A Ferries

News
The Manila Bulletin
The Manila Times
The Daily Tribune
Today
YEHEY!News

SINGAPORE

General Information
Destination Singapore
Singapore Tourism Board
Visit Singapore
Singapore for Budget Travellers
Singapore FAQ
Singapore without Shopping
National Parks Board
Birding Singapore
Cycling in Singapore

Transport
Singapore Airlines
Silk Air
Valuair
Tiger Airways
Ferries to Indonesia
Ferries from Singapore to Indonesia & Malaysia
Penguin Ferry Services

News
The Straits Times

ALL COUNTRIES

Is it safe in...?
Where to find the best beach?
Are there boats between South-East Asia and Australia?
Good Causes & Volunteer Opportunities
Map Quest

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, West Papua, Maluku, Ternate, Ambon, Saparua, Banda, Kei
on VirtualTourist.com: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Caledonia, Eritrea, Djibouti
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, SE Asia Islands FAQ thread & Samoa Warnings

Posted
07-Oct-2004 20:46
by: Mermaid17

Posts: 5
Registered: 28/06/04

3

For information on Singapore:

Singapore Government
Visit Singapore
Nature Lovers/Birdwatching
Sungei Buloh
Virtual Park Tours
Singapore Parks/Beaches
Singapore Zoological Gardens
Singapore Night Safari
Sentosa Island
Singapore Jurong Bird Park
Duck & Hippo Tours

For public transport information, both train and bus network and taxi services:

Singapore Bus Service /MRT/LRT
Singapore Mass Rapid Transit
Singapore Guide
Street Directory & Map Locations

Food Galore:

24hours food
Best & Cheap Hawker Food
more singapore hawker food
Bar Guide
shopping malls
Singapore News, Radio & TV prog/guide
Chinatown
Little India
Malay Village

New to Singapore (Expatriates):

Enter Singapore
Expat Singapore
American Association of Singapore
American Club
American Women Association
British Club

Singapore tours/wildlife info:

amphibious DUCK tours
Mangroves of Singapore
Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve
Virtual Tours

Have Fun!

Raw, rare & precious.

Posted
10-Oct-2004 08:47
by: steve252

Posts: 1,263
Registered: 19/01/01

4

airlines:
· FAQ! - airline websites - Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore*
· FAQ! - airline websites - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam

• Brunei

immigration:
· Visa Information - official MOFA website

• East Timor

general info
· East Timor Information TT thread
· EAST TIMOR - AUGUST 2005 TT thread

maps:
· www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/east_timor.html - index of online maps

tourism:
· Tourism Timor-Leste - Official tourism website (in English & Portuguese)

• Indonesia

money:
· IMPORTANT - KUTA - money scams TT thread
· www.expat.or.id/info/rupiahworld.html - currency info page

transport:
· Flight schedule to Banda Aceh TT thread

• Malaysia

cycling:
· www.bikehash.freeservers.com - Kuala Lumpur Mountain Bike Hash

ferries:
· www.langkawi-ferry.com/schedule.html - Langkawi-Penang & Langkawi-Satun

immigration:
· visa requirements for foreigners entering Malaysia - official MOFA website
· Israeli stamp makes Malaysia travel difficult? TT thread

Kuala Lumpur - Menara (Kuala Lumpur Tower):
· www.kiat.net/malaysia/KL/kltower.html
· www.menarakl.com.my/main.cfm?main=Attractions

Kuala Lumpur - Petronas Twin Towers "Skybridge":
· Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur TT thread
· www.kiat.net/towers/skybridge.html
· www.petronas.com.my/internet/corp/centralrep2.nsf/frameset_corp?OpenFrameset (& then click on "Visitor Info")

official holiday dates:
· Federal Territory Public Holidays 2005 | PDF
· State Public Holidays 2005 | PDF

photography:
· www.photomalaysia.com | forum

scam warnings:
· Scam alert in KL TT thread
· WARNING - KL SCAMS ALIVE AND WELL TT thread

• Philippines

immigration
· Visa Information - official DOFA website
· Visa - Philippines TT thread

transport:
· Jeepney Transit Map (Metro Manila) TT thread
· www.oceanjet.net - Ocean Jet ferries (Ocean Fast Ferries Corporation)

• Singapore

immigration:
· Travellers' Info Guide - Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority website
· Entering Singapore, but no proof I'm leaving TT thread

official holiday dates:
· ministry of manpower - public holiday dates

online streetmap:
· www.hot-maps.de/asia/singapore/singapore

visas for other countries:
· China - with USA passport
· China - other than USA passport
· Vietnam

for South-East Asia: SEAFAQ | Good Causes & Volunteer Opportunities
for The Thorn Tree: enhanced TT search | Firefox TT search & PM plugins

Posted
16-Oct-2004 02:40
by: steve252

Posts: 1,263
Registered: 19/01/01

5

vegetarian / vegan societies:
· Indonesian Vegan Society
· Malaysian Vegetarian Society
· Vegetarian Society of Singapore
· Asian Vegetarian Union (see also www.ivu.org/asia.html)

vegetarian / vegan restaurant listings:
· www.happycow.net - more links
· www.vegdining.com - more links

for South-East Asia: SEAFAQ | Good Causes & Volunteer Opportunities
for The Thorn Tree: enhanced TT search | Firefox TT search & PM plugins

Posted
22-Oct-2004 20:30
by: Laszlo

Posts: 6,067
Registered: 11/03/01

6

BOATS TO THE PHILIPPINES

Now, this has been asked about so often that I find it worth putting here.

From Malaysia
There are boats every week from Sandakan in Sabah to Zamboanga in Mindanao.
The boat is big & safe, has bunks for accomodation, and costs about 30 USD one way.
While western Mindanao and the Sulu Islands in general have a poor reputation, passing through Zamboanga City in transit elsewhere in the Philippines is safe. It is well connected to the rest of the country.

From Indonesia
There used to be lots of cargo ships from Bitung in North Sulawesi to General Santos City in southern Minadanao when the Indonesian currency was down in 1999 and lots of Philippino traders were coming over. In that year even a Pelni ship ran to Davao for a few months. Fares were first as low as 15 USD one way. However as the rupiah got stronger and prices were rising, the traders stopped coming and the fares started rising, reaching 50 USD one way by the year 2000.
But it was a scenic run and many travellers used to take it, including myself several times.
Since then services seem to have all but stopped, and I haven't heard from anyone taking a boat on this route for years now - although the dated info from years ago keeps being circulated by guidebooks and travellers alike. If you want to try your luck, ask around at the harbours in Bitung or General Santos City, and if you strike it lucky, let us know here!
Flights between Davao and Manado replaced this shipping route for a few years, but as of early January 2008, these were suspended, too. Fortunately, Philippine budget airline Cebu Pacific has started up a Manila-Jakarta route, and that is now the cheapest way to travel between these two countries..

There are no passenger boats from the Asian mainland, such as Vietnam, China or Hong Kong, or from Taiwan to the Philippines, close as they might seem.

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, West Papua, Maluku, Ternate, Ambon, Saparua, Banda, Kei
on VirtualTourist.com: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Caledonia, Eritrea, Djibouti
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, SE Asia Islands FAQ thread & Samoa Warnings

Posted
07-Nov-2004 05:10
by: tlmy69

Posts: 36
Registered: 21/09/03

7

For Malaysian news, The Star has most recent updates on its site..even Malaysian recipes for you to download and print in the "Kuali" section

The Star

Life is not a bed of roses,it is a one-way street--All you have to do is make sure you don't end up in a cul-de-sac.

Posted
18-Nov-2004 10:20
by: Laszlo

Posts: 6,067
Registered: 11/03/01

8

BOATS from WEST MALAYSIA to BORNEO

There aren't any!
Neither from West Malaysia, nor from Singapore.
The cheapest option is flying with Air Asia from Johor Bharu to Kuching.

Your only option by sea is going via Indonesia.
Cross first from Singapore or Johor to Batam, Karimun, or Bintan in the Riau Islands of Indonesia.
You will have to pay for an Indonesian visa!
From Batam or Karimun there are Pelni ships every few days to Jakarta's Tanjung Priok harbour (1 day), where you can change for another ship to Pontianak (1 day) in West Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). From Pontianak there are daily buses across the border to Kuching in Sarawak (8 hours).
From Bintan (Kijang harbour) there is a direct Pelni ship every fortnight to Pontianak (2 days) via the remote Natuna Islands.
I have also heard of direct hydrofoils from Batam to Pontianak, but can't confirm it myself! Anyone?
For Sabah, you could take a Pelni ship from Jakarta to Tarakan (min. 3 days), from where daily speedboats go to Tawau (3 hours).
All these options are more expensive than flying!
BTW, if you head this way, it's worth pausing to look around comparetively unexplored Indonesian Borneo - see the Kalimantan link under my signo. ;-)

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, West Papua, Maluku, Ternate, Ambon, Saparua, Banda, Kei
on VirtualTourist.com: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Caledonia, Eritrea, Djibouti
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, SE Asia Islands FAQ thread & Samoa Warnings

Posted
04-Dec-2004 21:37
by: Zonnegloren

Posts: 2,704
Registered: 02/01/02

9

ok, I can't believe I am actually having to point this out, but these questions are asked almost every day:

+Yes, in a *rain*forest, it is likely to rain.

The monsoon season in Sabah & Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo), Brunei, Indonesia (Borneo) is approximately from November-March.

Yes, you can be lucky and the weather will be great, but you are just as likely to be unlucky and have rainy weather.

Yes, the heavy rains will affect what hiking you do.

The best time to visit is from April-September. Yes, it will still rain, just not as often during the monsoon season.

It is not really a monsoon season - more a "rainy" season. There are no monsoon nor typhoons, however the seastate and wind are affected by the typhoons that hit the Philipines and Taiwan. +

travellingtrixie: "I get re-plastered on the weekend." wapsy: "I can ask for wine, cock, fags and count to 20 in around 20 languages btw. It's all I've ever needed"

Posted
20-Dec-2004 00:01
by: NaffNaff

Posts: 2
Registered: 19/12/04

10

Narff Narff!!!!

Harlow! Very comprehensive links on Singapore. Very impressed.... Thought this link might be very handy too: www.thevisitorscard.com - The Visitors Card also known as Singapore's Official Tourist Incentive Card. Very useful for short trips in Singapore. Cost about S$40 for a 3D pass. You get good discounts at tourist attractions, shopping centres and restaurants all over Singapore. Plus it is also what the locals use on the public transport. Good deal!

Much Love! Narff Narff ; )

Posted
22-Jan-2005 03:21
by: Laszlo

Posts: 6,067
Registered: 11/03/01

11

Ternate Tourism - in Indonesian only!

So I might as well put here the link to my Maluku Tips as well - at least those are all in English! ;-)

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, West Papua, Maluku, Ternate, Ambon, Saparua, Banda, Kei
on VirtualTourist.com: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Caledonia, Eritrea, Djibouti
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, SE Asia Islands FAQ thread & Samoa Warnings

Posted
19-Feb-2005 19:38
by: RAK

Posts: 1,468
Registered: 31/01/03

12

This is an excellent resource for anyone living in Indonesia or planning to:
Living in Indonesia
Lots of reference data, plus forums for questions etc.
It includes a detailed section on all types of visa.
But some sections are written by sponsors and focus on their own products, so beware of these (it says when a page is written by a sponsor, and who it is.) Sadly this includes the Medical section, so you could think that the only clinics around are those run by International SOS; theirs are very good but there are many others.

Links: Which Budget Airline * Asian budget airlines * Jakarta pub & bars

Posted
20-Apr-2005 03:48
by: daycat

Posts: 12,482
Registered: 06/06/03

13

Ways of getting from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore or vice versa, new bus line.

www.aeroline.com.my is the one to look at.

The other one is www.plusliner.com.my, which is a bit of a letdown, when you want to find out prices and schedules for some trips.

And the booking online capabilty on Aeroline seems to be available, as opposite to Plusliner.

I don't work for either of them, just saw the ad for Aeroline in the Star Malaysia newspaper.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi, Oi, Oi...

Posted
25-Apr-2005 21:25
by: Laszlo

Posts: 6,067
Registered: 11/03/01

14

Protected areas of Sarawak - covers several newly declared ones not yet developed for tourism

My info & thoughts:
on East-Indonesia.info: Indonesia, West Papua, Maluku, Ternate, Ambon, Saparua, Banda, Kei
on VirtualTourist.com: Papua New Guinea, Philippines, New Caledonia, Eritrea, Djibouti
on Thorn Tree: Seeing Orangutans, Kalimantan, SE Asia Islands FAQ thread & Samoa Warnings

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