Each month, travelling duo Stephanie Brookes and David Metcalf, explore some of the lesser-known enclaves of Indonesia and bring back tales of hidden heritage and cultural journeys of discovery. Here are a few highlights from 2015. Kejawen A holy energy resides in the...
Stairway to Heaven: Nusa Penida Island, Bali I squeezed my way through a tiny gap between two huge boulders and was assured by my guide, “Yes, yes this is the way, just keep squeezing”. This was by far the most unusual way I had ever entered a temple. Within seconds,...
Arriving in Medahan Village, just South of Ubud, I was met by my Balinese friend Ketut. Stepping over gaping holes (and trying not to fall in one), I followed her to the temporary wooden shelves that housed the bones of the deceased. The bones had been exhumed from...
COLOMBO HAS PLENTY TO OFFER THE VISITOR, ABOVE ALL, ITS FRIENDLY, WELCOMING PEOPLE WHO WILL CHARM YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. Colombo is the gateway city to Sri Lanka, a small country that boasts pristine beach stays, elegant hotels in the highlands surrounded by tea...
Dieng Plateau “Abode of The Gods” Some wonderful examples of the oldest architecture in Java lie sprinkled across the Dieng Plateau in Central Java. Towering volcanic peaks surround these isolated Hindu temples, which date back to the 7th and 8th centuries when Java...
Abu Bakar, the grave keeper, recited the legend of Princess Lala Jinis to me as we sat in the 1,000-year-old cemetery that Abu conscientiously protects, near the small village of Seran, in a remote part of West Sumbawa. Princess Lala Jinis, the only daughter...
Every year, the Rajasthan desert plays host to the vibrant Pushkar Camel Fair, as well as a spiritual festival at Lake Pushkar, to purify the soul. A line of camels, horses and their traders, as well as musicians, vendors and snake charmers appeared over the sand...
A boat trip into Halong Bay, a world heritage listed site in North Vietnam is a spectacular experience. The beauty of this region leaves you spellbound as you cruise alongside hundreds of sheer limestone peaks rising out of the sea, stone mountains clad in jungle,...
Bodie: A Wild West Ghost Town It’s a long bleak road to Bodie, a ghost town left abandoned in the arid high desert plains of the Eastern Sierras, California. It’s a day trip out of Mammoth Lakes on the Scenic Highway 395 North. The lonely 13-mile stretch of dirt road...
Sri Lanka is a tropical island of legendary beauty. It is often described as the “teardrop island” as it sits off the coast of India like a tear. It is a compact island with beautiful beaches, sheltered bays, ancient relics, wildlife and is largely untainted by...
