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I’ve been through KL a few times this year due to AirAsia flying from here to Melbourne. It’s been a handy hub for connecting to destinations around Asia.
AirAsia X
Iconic buildings of Kuala Lumpur
If you stand at a certain spot at Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur you can see the most iconic buildings of the city in one view:
The Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the Petronas Twin Towers and Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower).
Iconic buildings of Kuala Lumpur
Signs: Do not squat
[Do not squat]
Do not squat sign, Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia.
Borobudur – The biggest Buddhist temple in the world
Borobudur Temple
Borobudur Temple is the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, which is impressive considering that it’s not in a Buddhist country but in Central Java, Indonesia.
[Borobudur Temple]
It’s a temple that ranks with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Myanmar’s Bagan as one of the great religious monuments of Southeast Asia.
What is more remarkable is that it doesn’t seem to rank highly on the things to see in Southeast Asia. You’ll always meet someone in a guesthouse in Thailand who has been or is going to Angkor. Less people make the journey to Java.
The temple is estimated to be built around 750-850 AD. It was eventualy abandoned as Islam spread through Java and then it was buried under volcanic ash.
It was not until 1815, when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was Governor of Java, that the site was cleared. Restoration began in the time of Dutch rule in the early 20th century, and a full restoration was undertaken from 1973 to 1983.
The temple sits on a 123m x 123m base and consists of 6 square terraces and 3 circular ones, rising up like a pyramid.
When I arrived at the temple I wasn’t expecting it to be so big. Once you get up close to the temple it’s the detail of the carvings that overwhelms. After walking the first level, taking in both the size and attention to detail in all the carved panels, you really understand that this is one of the worlds great temples.
[Fifth Level Third Gallery]
You enter the temple from the east gate and walk around each terrace in a clockwise direction (as you do in a Buddhist temple). Each terrace is lined with carved galleries of fantastic detail.
[Second Gallery Relief]
Upon completing the 6 square terraces you ascend to the first of the 3 circular terraces, where you will find over 500 Buddha images. There are 72 Buddha images contained inside latticed stupa’s, and some of the stupa’s are exposed to reveal the Buddha within.
[Exposed Buddha in Lattice Dagob]
The temple is capped with one large stupa, bringing the temple to a height of 35 metres.
[Main Stupa and Smaller Stupas]
At the top you can comtemplate the valley below and the volcanoes Sundoro Sumbing and Merbabu Merapi in the distance.
[Lattice Dagobs]
Getting To Borobudur
The most convenient way to visit Borobudur is by a day tour from Yogyakarta, which is 42km away. A day tour will also include other activities, such as a visit to the Prambanan Temple complex. If you wish to make your own way, there is a local bus from Yogyakarta which takes 90 minutes.
It is also possible to stay at Borobudur town at guesthouses nearby the temple.
Another popular way to get to Borobudur is via a tour arranged from Bali. seeing that Bali gets more visitors than anywhere in Indonesia, there of plenty of tour companies offering air or bus tours from Bali to Java. If you are planning a trip to Bali it would be worth considering putting aside a few days to do a side trip to Yogyakarta.
Yogyakarta Resources
Tourism Indonesia: Visit Indonesia.
Grand Quality Hotel Yogyakarta: Hotel in Yogyakarta.
Walking with your food
Tuk Tuk is a tourist service town with a rural flavour. A short stroll away and you will be walking past rice paddies and water buffalo, and chickens can be seen everywhere.
Chicken crossing
The Lake Toba region is home to the Batak people, who make up one of the largest Christian populations in Indonesia. This means that pork is available on the menu here.
Pig and chickens
Indonesia on $15 a day
Cost Of Living: Tuk Tuk, Sumatra – Indonesia
Indonesia is one of the best value countries for travel in Asia. To give you an idea of the cost of living I have kept track of a days expenditure for where I am staying in Tuk Tuk, Sumatra.
The following expenses are food, accommodation and other sundries. Travel expenses are not included here as I will not need to travel for a month.
Daily Expenses
The Indonesian Rupiah is highly denominated but it is easy enough to keep track of as 10,000 INR = $1 USD.
Accommodation 60,000 INR ($6.00 USD)
Internet (2 hours) 30,000 INR ($3.00 USD)
Bottled Water 5,000 INR (50 cents USD)
Breakfast
Banana Pancake 9,000 INR (90 cents USD)
Coffee with milk 5,000 INR (50 cents USD)
Sumatran Coffee
Banana pancake
Lunch
Nasi Goreng 12,000 INR (1.20 USD)
Banana Shake 10,000 INR (1.00 USD)
Nasi Goreng
Banana smoothie
Dinner
Veg Rendang 15,000 INR (1.50 USD)
Rice 4,000 INR (40 cents USD)
Sprite 6,000 (60 cents USD)
Vegetable Rendang
So tallied altogether my expenses are:
Accommodation 60,000 ($6.00 USD)
Internet 30,000 ($3.00 USD)
Water 5,000 (50 cents USD)
Breakfast 14,000 INR ($1.40 USD)
Lunch 22,000 ($2.20 USD)
Dinner 25,000 ($2.50 USD)
Total: 156,000 ($15.60 USD)
This total is kept down as I have no daily travel expenses here. I also only eat meat a couple of times a week so a vegetarian diet tends to be less expensive.
My $6 accommodation consists of a cottage room with a king size bed, a bathroom with hot water and a view of the lake. Rooms without hot water and a view can be found for $3.
If you are a meat eater and like to snack more during the day you will still come in under $20 USD a day. If you really wanted to you could get the expenditure down to $10 a day, making it one of the best value countries in Asia.
Oh, give me a home where the (water) buffalo roam
The domestic Asian water buffalo are a common site around Samosir.
Water buffalo
Mud buffalo
6 things to see in Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta in central Java makes for a handy base to explore the surrounding region. The city is nearby to the world heritage sites of Borobudur and Prambanan temples, as well as the smoking Gunung Merapi volcano.
It’s also a great place to just hang out for a few days. There are plenty of interesting sites, and the city is well set up for travellers. Here are some highlights of Yogyakarta.
Kraton
The Kraton is a walled royal enclave in the heart of Yogyakarta. It is a city in itself with residences within the walls as well as palaces, museums, temples and the home of the Sultan.
[Kraton Entrance]
Jalan Malioboro
JL Malioboro is the main thouroughfare of Yogyakarta. Here you’ll find street stalls and cheap souvenir shops sitting beside air conditioned shopping malls. A great place to find Indonesian products such as batik art, topeng masks and wayang golek puppets.
[Jalan Malioboro]
Taman Sari
Taman Sari (Water Castle) is a complex that can be found within the Kraton. The area was a system of palaces, pools and canals, which is mostly ruins today.
[Water Castle Area]
Pasar Ngasem
Walk around the lanes of Pasar Ngasem (Bird Market) to see thusands of birds as well as exotic and domestic animals for sale.
[Bird Market]
Pasar Beringharjo
Pasar Beringharjo is the main market of Yogyakarta. Wander through the food and spice markets, check out the antiques and curios, or shop for batik or other souvenir items.
[Pasah Beringharjo]
Dutch Yogya
There are still building that remain from the era of Dutch colonial rule in Yogya. The most notable are public buildings, such as the post office, and bank offices.
[Post Office]
[Old Amsterdam]
Yogyakarta Resources
Tourism Indonesia: Visit Indonesia.
Grand Quality Hotel Yogyakarta: Hotel in Yogyakarta.
Mango season in Sumatra
There are mango trees everywhere in Tuk Tuk. It is not uncommon to see mangoes on the road that have fallen from over hanging trees.
Mango tree
I had never stopped to consider where a mango grows. If you had of asked me I might have said that they grow on a tree about the size of an orange tree. In fact mango trees grow up to 35–40 metres in height. In Tuk Tuk I have seen mango trees this high, with mangos in the top branches unable to be reached by even the biggest ladder.
mangoes on tree
In the southern states of Australia a mango can sell for up to $3 each, though the variety grown in Australia is twice the size of a Sumatran mango. Here in Sumatra you can buy them for about $1 a kilo.
Wheelbarrow full of mangoes
Tomb with a view
The family tombs of the Batak people can be found all over Samosir Island.
Tomb with a view
