Hi, I’m travelling solo for a week or two in Croatia, then a couple of days in lake bled and end up in Hungary for a week maybe.

My travelling dates are from October 7 to October 26, 2019.

Anyone who wants to join for any number of days are much invited.

Hi,
I've been searching to find the same topic, but it's old thread and I need an update situation.
Is it possible for tourists to rent a motorbike in Siem Reap right now? It is said that illegal and the rules are on-off. I prefer riding motorbike than rent a tuktuk, because I'm a solo traveler.

Thank you

Can anyone recommend Ayurveda or wellness retreats in Sri Lanka? Central region (e.g. Kandy), south coast or west coast. Suitable for solo female traveler with little to no yoga, pilates experience. Preferably easy to access via public transport and three-wheeler rather than a private car.

I spent 13 nights in this area in December 2018. Here are some photo's from the trip if you don't want to read any further: https://www.flickr.com/photos/152041040@N02/albums/72157702038401682

I stayed the first and last nights in Padang with a family who I had met in Medan on a previous visit to Sumatra. They live in a two-storey home on the edge of the city in a small village surrounded by rice paddies.
On the first day they introduced me to two foods that would become favourites during the trip: Lontong Pical and Kopi Susu.

Their son works as a Grab Car driver (similar to Uber) and I arranged for him to drive me to Bukittinggi. Fortunately, we were able to go the long way via Solok, and stay overnight along the way, at their grandmother’s original family home in the village of Malalo, on the western side of Lake Singkarak (a large lake similar in size to Lake Maninjau).
Malalo is a delightful small traditional village in a very scenic location, wedged between mountains and the lake shore, and well worth visiting if you have the chance.
I visited the small village school in Malalo and spent a couple of hours with the extremely friendly students and teachers.

It was a holiday week for Indonesian people (Independence Day?) and a lot of hotels in Bukittinngi were full. I stayed at Orchid Hotel for a total of 6 nights (200,000 p/n) and it was a good base, central to many restaurants and services. I rented a late model Suzuki motor scooter there also for 9 consecutive days (70,000 per day).

I rode to Lake Maninjau by motor scooter for 3 nights and it was really the highlight of the trip.
Most of the budget accommodation was full with Indonesian tourists and so I stayed at the Maninjau Indah Hotel (250,000 p/n) which I felt was a fair price.
I rode around the perimeter of the lake twice, which is around 60km on a smooth paved road all the way, with virtually no other traffic once you leave Maninjau town. It is the same distance whether you go clockwise or anti-clockwise!

Riding around Lake Maninjau is extremely scenic, changing between rice paddies, fish ponds, fishing villages and many small side roads leading up to smaller villages in the hills.
I came across a large weekly market which only occurs on a Sunday, called Pasar Ahad, about 8-10km north of Maninjau town. I purchased a large serving of sweet martabak (with chocolate sprinkles) and a bag of locally grown coffee to bring home. On the way back to Bukittinggi I came across a local wedding in the village of Lawang.

I went to the Harau Valley for an overnight trip, which was an enjoyable 45km drive from Bukittinggi by motor scooter. The only problem was that, because of the national holiday, every other Indonesian person in the region with a car had also gone to Harau Valley on that day! The cars were queued up at the ticket booth for 500m or more!! Aside from all the cars and people, the area did not seem to be as scenic or interesting as I thought it would be. After a couple of hours, I drove back to the nearby town of Payakumbuh and stayed overnight at Bundo Kandung Hotel (250,000 p/n), run by a very warm friendly family. I found some great street food nearby and enjoyed the evening there.

I met a guide named Habibie at the Orchid Hotel and he was a nice funny guy. I had two daytrips with him riding around the villages in the foothills of the two main mountains surrounding Bukittinngi – Merapi and Singgalang. It is a fascinating area. I had lunch with him twice at his family home also.

I found a great “breakfast restaurant” called Pical Ayang – From the Orchid Hotel, follow that street up the hill and down the other side. They have several different Lontong dishes (Pical, Sayur etc) and a sweet breakfast dish called Bubu Kampium – sticky rice, sweet mung beans, glutinous rice balls, palm sugar and coconut milk. These two dishes plus a Kopi Susu (coffee with sweet milk) made for a great breakfast for 22,000 on half a dozen mornings.

I only met six other foreigners during the trip and was fortunate to only have rain on two evenings and not once during the day. The greater Bukittinggi area is a fascinating place and with excellent roads and not too much traffic, it is a great area for riding a motor scooter and exploring independently.

Hello! In September I'll be travelling solo in Kyrgyzstan (around Karakol or Jyrgalan), roughly the 8th-14th. I'm excited for some hiking. There are tons of hikes in this area so I haven't picked a specific one - I'm open to coordinating. If anyone's interested in meeting up, message me!