There are more than 41,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand, of which more than 33,000 are actively in use. The term “wat” is a Thai word for enclosure, and now refers to any Buddhist or Brahminical temple. 95% of the 70 million people in Thailand are Buddhists. In 2019, we were “templed out” on our last […]
Indonesia 20 – Bali 11 – Tanah Lot Sunset
Before leaving Bali, we decided to visit Tanah Lot Temple, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations with more than 9,000 visitors daily. Tanah Lot is still an active pilgrimage site, and there were thousands of people bringing offerings and praying at the temple. It is also one of the best locations for […]
Indonesia 18 – Bali 9 – Birds and Monkeys
We went in search of the Indonesian Horn Bill (bottom-right) after they flew past us in Central Kalimantan, flying so high we could barely see them. We were told that the Bali Bird Park would be a good place to see horn bills close up, as they are illusive in the wild. The park is […]
Indonesia 9 – Bali 1 – Holy Water Temple
After leaving Kalimantan (the Indonesian province in Borneo), we traveled to Bali, which has been voted for years on TripAdvisor’s list as one of the top destinations, with its idyllic beaches, volcanic rocks, beautiful temples and welcoming people. Bali is only one of over 17,500 islands in Indonesia, with more than 6000 being inhabited. Bali […]
Indonesia 8 – Borneo 8 – Village Life
We visited four Dayak villages along the rivers in Central Kalimantan: Pahandut, Tanjung Pusai, Tumbang Nusa and Pilang. Some of the villages had no road access, so you could only reach them by boat. They shared several common characteristics: Visitors were always welcome, there was plentiful kids, and people appeared to be genuinely happy. Tanjung […]
Indonesia 7 – Borneo 7 – Village People
Interacting with local people is a favorite part of visiting any new area. The Dayak villages of Central Kalimantan were a special treat in this regards. Not only was there a throng of adorable children, but they mostly clamored for us to take their photograph and they welcomed visitors. Some of the children were embarrassed, […]
Indonesia 6 – Borneo 6 – Orangutans
One of the top attractions of Central Kalimantan is viewing the orangutans in the wild with no fences. We took a small canoe from our Houseboat three times, along the river into the Orangutan Sanctuary operated by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS). Initially at Kaja Island, we were disappointed that we did not see […]
Indonesia 5 – Borneo 5 – River Life
As part of our tour in Central Kalimantan, we spent three days on a houseboat floating down the forest lined rivers of Palangkaraya. While I was initially concerned that we might be bored on this portion of the trip, nothing could have turned out further from the truth! Juli Kristalia, from Wow Borneo organized this […]
Indonesia 4 – Borneo 4 – Forest Dancers
We actually did quite a lot of other activities in Kalimantan, besides the festival we have reported on for the past three days. Dave Metcalf, our photography guide from David Metcalf Photography kept us busy pretty much all day, every day with wonderful photo opportunities. One afternoon, we drove more than an hour into the […]
Indonesia 3 – Borneo 3 – Festival Budaya Isen Mulang
The Grand Finale of the 2022 Festival Budaya Isen Mulang (FBIM) was the dance competition, with ten regencies (similar to Provinces or States) entering their top teams. We were told to expect traditional dances, but these are not like any traditional dances we have ever seen before! Each dance group were the winners from their […]