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Notes on Bengkulu: A historic fort city on the wrong side of Sumatra

April 26, 2025 By James Clark Leave a Comment

Bengkulu is the capital of Bengkulu province on the west coast of Sumatra Island. The city was a British outpost for nearly two centuries, though the colonial remnants are not as well preserved as the famous Straits cities. I visited Bengkulu after going from Palambang to Lubuk Linggau by train. Instead of backtracking on the […]

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: bengkulu, indonesia, sumatra

Notes on Lubuk Linggau – At the end of the line in South Sumatra

March 20, 2025 By James Clark 3 Comments

Lubuk Linggau (or Lubuklinggau) is a city in South Sumatra, Indonesia. A train goes from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau, so that was the only excuse I needed to visit. I didn’t want to backtrack to Palembang, so I decided to stay in Lubuk Linggau and then find other transport to Bengkulu on the coast. The […]

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: indonesia, lubuk linggau, sumatra

Southeast Asia train travel guide

September 21, 2024 By James Clark 16 Comments

A guide to train travel Southeast Asia, featuring resources for buying tickets and reviews of rail travel in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia railways index Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Southeast Asia train travel resources Southeast Asia train travel FAQs Future Southeast Asia railways Cambodia Railway Operator: Royal Railway. Buy Cambodia train […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: cambodia, indonesia, java, laos, malaysia, myanmar (burma), philippines, railway, singapore, southeast asia rail, sumatra, thailand, train, vietnam

Notes on Siantar: things to do while waiting for the train in North Sumatra

August 15, 2024 By James Clark 4 Comments

Pematangsiantar (also known as Siantar) is city in North Sumatra Province of Indonesia, and it’s the second-largest city in North Sumatra after Medan. Siantar not a city on the tourist trail, but I ended up here on the way back from Lake Toba to Medan. There is a train from Siantar to Medan, and I […]

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: indonesia, siantar, sumatra

Singapore to Indonesia by ferry: A list of every port and ferry operator

June 16, 2024 By James Clark 5 Comments

A guide to every ferry service between Singapore and Indonesia, including how to connect to other ferry services in Indonesia. Singapore and Indonesia are close maritime neighbours separated by the Singapore Strait. The two countries are just over 5 km apart at their closest point, and the fastest ferry services take a little under an […]

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: batam, bintan, ferry, indonesia, singapore, sumatra

Notes on Lake Toba: The paradise lake of North Sumatra

June 13, 2024 By James Clark 7 Comments

Lake Toba is a volcanic lake in North Sumatra, Indonesia. It’s the largest lake in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. It should be more famous, yet somehow it gets few visitors. I first visited Lake Toba in 2009, and I ended up going back to spend a month there. The centre […]

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: indonesia, lake toba, sumatra, tuk-tuk

Palembang to Lubuk Linggau by train in South Sumatra

June 11, 2024 By James Clark Leave a Comment

Kertapati (Palembang) to Lubuk Linggau is one of the main passenger rail routes of South Sumatra. This is a review of train service KA Bukit Serelo from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau. I have previously been to Palembang to take the train from Palembang to Bandar Lampung. Like the Bandar Lampung service, the service to Lubuk […]

Filed Under: Train Travel Tagged With: indonesia, lubuk linggau, palembang, southeast asia rail, sumatra

Hotel Review: Hotel Royal, Lubuk Linggau – Indonesia

April 24, 2024 By James Clark

Hotel review of the Hotel Royal in Lubuk Linggau in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Hotel Name: Hotel Royal. Address: Jl. Yos Sudarso No.88, RT.2, Jawa Kanan Ss, Lubuk Linggau Tim. II, Lubuklinggau, Indonesia. I stayed at the Hotel Royal in Lubuk Linggau, Indonesia. I booked online at the rate of 330,000 IDR ($20.36 USD), and I […]

Filed Under: Accommodation Tagged With: hotel, indonesia, lubuk linggau, sumatra

Hotel Review: Ayola Sentosa Palembang

April 22, 2024 By James Clark

Hotel review of the Ayola Sentosa Palembang, a mid-range hotel in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Hotel Name: Ayola Sentosa Palembang. Address: Jalan Kolonel Atmo No. 16 17 Ilir, Ilir Timur, Palembang, Indonesia. I stayed at Ayola Sentosa Palembang in Palembang, South Sumatra. I booked online at the rate of 392,931 IDR ($24.23 USD) per night, […]

Filed Under: Accommodation Tagged With: hotel, indonesia, palembang, sumatra

Notes on Rantau Prapat, and a rant about Google, Tripadvisor, KAI, and Tourism Indonesia

April 11, 2024 By James Clark 3 Comments

Rantau Prapat is a city in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Its main claim to fame is that it’s at the end of a railway line, which was what brought me there. There are things to do outside the city, but you wouldn’t know it from the railway website or Tourism Indonesia. And I’m going to rant […]

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: indonesia, rantau prapat, sumatra

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James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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