Mount Bromo: Visiting an Active Volcano in East Java
10 December 2012
Categories : Adventure - Hiking, Trekking, and Eco - Sightseeing - Travelings
Stumbling out of bed, I skipped the shower, brushed my teeth, and stepped outside into the cool darkness. Craning my head toward the night’s sky, I was greeted with a scattering of white stars. It was a good sign. In a trip filled with early mornings, getting up at 3 AM to watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo in East Java was the earliest. We’d been warned to dress warmly, as temperatures can drop close to freezing, but I didn’t even find a hat...
Tag : Mount Bromo
Komodo Dragons in the Wild
10 December 2012
Categories : Adventure - Hiking, Trekking, and Eco
The stories began on Rinca Island. A park ranger ambushed in his office when the door was accidentally left open. An elderly villager attacked. A local child killed. Our guides seemed to take it all in stride, having grown up amongst endangered Komodo monitors, the world’s largest living lizard, all their lives. As a visitor, I was both fascinated, and increasingly worried. The only tool guides carry to fend off aggressive Komodo dragons, as they are...
Tag : Komodo National Park
Experiencing Bali, Four Years Later
11 December 2012
Categories : Culture and Heritage - Adventure
Dig far enough back through the archives on Go Backpacking, and you’ll find Bali was the first place in Asia I visited on my trip around the world. It was my first time in Asia, too, so the culture shock hit me hard and fast. Walking around Kuta my first day, I quickly learned to stop making eye contact with vendors and touts, and focus on going about my business. My hotel the first few nights had a beautiful swimming pool, complete with Swedish girls. I...
Tag : Kuta Beach, Bali Spirit Festival
An Orangutan Experience in Tanjung Putting, Indonesia
11 December 2012
Categories : Hiking, Trekking, and Eco - Adventure
When I received the schedule for my trip to Indonesia one of the first places it said we would visit was Tanjung Putting, which was on the island of Kalimantan. I had never heard of these places before but knew we were going to see wild Orangutans and was excited to visit. Once in Indonesia I heard a couple people say “Borneo”. Previous to this I wasn’t sure where I thought Borneo was and I kind of thought it was its own country and then I found...
Tag : Tanjung Puting National Park : Re-introducing Orang Utans to the Wild
Lesson Learned from the Klotok - Travel Makes Us Humble
11 December 2012
Categories : Hiking, Trekking, and Eco - Adventure
Have you ever felt that travel makes you humble? As a part of #Travel2Indonesia trip, I spent the first two days in Borneo jungle (Kalimantan). We slept, ate, worked on the klotok – wooden boat, and the weather was scorching hot and humid. You can imagine how dirty and sweaty we all were.Because the orangutan camp can be visited only by a river-boat, we had to maintain our lives on the boat. I loved the experience. The simple life - it's not easy to get...
