365Indonesia Day 13 – Bathing Elephant in Tangkahan, North Sumatra

As I promised you guys, I’m going up north. This time I stopped by in Tangkahan, North Sumatra.

What’s so cool about this place? It’s within the area of Gunung Leuser National Park, so it’s got a set of fun adventures for you. First, there’s river rafting. Second, you can trek the forests and explore the caves. Then, there’s elephant ride in the jungle. And elephant is what I came for.

Not only you’ll watch elephants, ride on them, but also you could bath them. No worries, they’re friendly and used to interact with human. So, I gave a bath to an elephant. Much more fun and exciting than I thought, he was just lying in the river like already knowing it’s the time for some treatment. Yeah, they’re the VIPs there!

If you want to experience a Jurassic Park-like adventure, come here and get lost in the jungle! Or if you wonder how it’s like to be Tarzan riding on his elephant friend, Tantor, then you can here… but you get to keep your pants on.

You can go to Tangkahan from Medan, it’ll take approximately 3 hours via the good roads. There are some other ways if you like it more adventurous.

And the entire complex has been arranged to be an eco-friendly adventure.

Very recommended for: adventurers, forest backpackers, river rafting lovers, nature/environment lovers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 12 – Kiluan Island, Lampung

From Borobudur, I’m going west again, then up north. But on my way there, I couldn’t resist to stop by Kiluan Island one more time.

I know you’ve seen the Butterfly Fish under its water, and this is what it’s like from above the water. Nice and cool. Calm wave, fresh air, just like in Cemara Besar Island.

I’m actually still trying to gather strength for the next destinations, thus no diving this time. Just chill, guys!

Very recommended for: divers, snorkelers, boat lovers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 11 – An Evening at Borobudur, Jogja

Let’s get off the water for a bit now. On my trip back to west, again, I stopped by the original and true world wonder that was recently featured on the Amazing Race series, the Borobudur Temple. Located about 40km to the northeast of Jogjakarta, this is a good place to reminiscent how great we were in the past. I mean, this blocks of stones are not only huge but also beautifully hand-crafted.

Borobudur is very famous among international and domestic tourists. Lots of public and catered transportation that go there. One time my friend told me that she was guiding a lost-with-almost-no-money backpacker from Japan to see Borobudur.

However, if decide to visit Borobudur, please add staying and touring around Jogja and it’s surrounding for a few days. Guaranteed, you’ll experience a whole different world.

The weather can be very hot in the afternoon, so make sure you have enough drinks with you. And it should be nice after 3pm.

Very recommended for: historical sites lovers, serene seekers, backpackers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 10 – Ngurbloat Beach, Maluku

So I’m back in my hometown, Maluku. And to start this week I’ma share with you this, another heaven on earth, Ngurbloat Beach in south east Maluku’s Kei Island.

Believe it or not (you’d better believe), this beach is claimed to have the softest white sands in the world but not to be mistaken as flour. Who claimed it? Not sure, but I guess all those tourists and beach lovers from all around the world.

The smooth waves, soft white sands, cool breeze, guaranteed you’ll never wanna leave this place.

This fantastic beach that will make you wanna stay here longer can be reach from Tual, the capital of south east Maluku. It’s only 2okm away but the trip could take up to an hour. I guess it’s because you won’t be speeding on a highway, instead you’ll be strolling along the cozy beach line.

Very recommended for: divers, snorkelers, beach slackers, and anybody who loves to just chill at a beach.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 9 – Sunset in Tulamben, Bali

It’s time to chill, relax…

After a beautifully thrilling and high energy adventure in the past 8 days, it’s now time to catch a breath. I decided to stop by in the north-east coast of Bali, Tulamben, while preparing for another full exciting week.

Enjoying the sunset here after diving with curious foreign tourists around the US Army ship wreck is a nice way to wrap up this week. While wreck diving is the main attraction here, you can still find other interesting stuff to do in Bali. It’s Bali anyway.

I wasn’t lucky enough to find any lost treasure in the wreck though…

Very recommended for: divers, swimmers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 8 – Sabesi Island, Lampung

I’m sure you guys know the show Survival or Lost, right? If you like them, and want to taste the real wild adventure, come here to Sabesi Island. Yeah, I was craving for some rough challenge after all the spoiling experiences on the beaches and in underwater world so far.

This island, even though it’s got not less stunningly beautiful beach and underwater, offers a combination of off road adventure as well. It’s rocky, beachy, woody, and freshy! Look at the pic above, as soon as you land on the beach you can get lost in the jungle and start your adventure. Once done and tired, you can go back out lying on the beach or swim around in the fresh water.

By the way, this island is actually a mountain just like Anak Krakatau, but no worries, it’s not as active and it’s inhabited.

You can get here via the same route to Kiluan Bay. Hmm, two killer spots next to each other, it means combo adventure!

very recommended for: backpackers, trekkers, swimmers, Survival and Lost lovers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 7 – Cemara Besar Island, Karimun Java

Yeaaaaaaah….woohooooo…! ‘Sup everyone!

This is where I wanted to land actually before getting swept over to Bloam Bay. This chunk of island is fantastic yo! It doesn’t have free Starbucks on it, but whatever. Look around, it’s so amazing I can’t describe it anymore… it’s Cemara Besar Island, within the block of Karimun Java islands cluster, in the northern of Central Java province’s offshore.

I mean, the beach, the water, it’s like your private swimming pool. Although you gotta watch out for rays and sharks when diving too far away and deep, but I don’t think they show up too frequently. And hidden in the Java Sea, it’s waves are pretty smooth.

You can reach this natural private swimming pool of yours from the capital of Central Java, Semarang, or Jepara. It takes a fun 4 to 6 hours ride on a motor boat to the islands cluster.

Very recommended for: snorkelers, divers, coral reefs lovers, white sand lovers, adventurers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 6 – The Hidden Beauty of Bloam Bay, Lombok

From Kiluan Bay I was planning to stop by in the middle, but the waves brought me to this beautiful Bloam Bay in Lombok. Yeah, even though I know you might have been very familiar with Lombok, but this spot is very irresistible.  Just look at that, blue water, fresh air, white sands…

Another feat, Bloam Bay is a turtle conservation site, so you might wanna check ‘em out while they’re little and cute before they turn into ninjas.

You can reach this cool place by car in about 2.5 hours from the freshly opened Lombok International Airport. Pretty easy?

Very recommended for: herpetologists, biologists, nature photographers, backpackers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 5 – Butterfly Fish in the Water of Kiluan Bay, Lampung

Wasup guys!

As you can see I’m still underwater… still enjoying the view, so I decided to swim across the Java Sea to Lampung’s Kiluan Bay. And as I said before, there’s bunch of other underwater paradises in the sea of Indonesia. One of them is definitely Kiluan Bay, at the tip of southern Sumatra’s island.

I wanted to share how amazing the above-water views, but you probably have seen much of other strikingly beautiful scenes, so this time I just shared with you this cute colorful little fish, the Butterfly Fish. If you like the movie Nemo and pretty fish in general, this place is one of their homes.

To land get there you can first go Bandar Lampung (from Jakarta or other cities serving this route), then take a car to Kiluan for about 3 to 4 hours. After that, you’re off to the water by taking a small boat.

By the way, the fish here say ‘Hi’ to you all!

Very recommended for: divers, snorkelers, fish lovers.

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.

365Indonesia Day 4 – Plebon Ceremony in Ubud, Bali

Alright, this was actually from my Bali trip earlier this year, and I’m still enjoying the water of Pulau Kambing. But I think it’s worth sharing, the Plebon Ceremony in Ubud, Bali.

It’s a cremation ceremony for the royal families. Here’s some description from My Bali Info:

In Hindu Bali belief, a cremation ceremony symbolizes the cleansing of the soul of the one who has passed away, by returning the physical remains to the original elements from which living creatures are created and thereby releasing the soul from its worldly bonds. A pelebon or ngaben is not a mournful occasion, but rather a way to soothe the soul of the departed and ensure that it is not disturbed by the sobbing of those left behind.
In Balinese tradition, the body is merely a vessel for the soul. When a person dies, it is believed that his soul, or atman, remains near the body. A person’s body consists of five elements: fire, air, water, earth, and empty space. These five elements must be returned to nature, to be released so they can find the way to heaven and unite with the Creator. The cremation ceremony is a lengthy process, with many steps both before and after the cremation itself.

What’s interesting is that this became a popular tourist attraction. Well, it’s Bali to begin with, so there’s bunch of foreign tourists, and this ceremony shows a strong vibe of Balinese culture.

But of course, there are more fun stuff to do in Bali. And how to go to Bali? Y’all know that already…

See you around!

Regards,
Mad

Check out my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri.