Author

jodiemellor

TRAVELS

Borneo/Bali Photography Tour

posted by jodiemellor November 25, 2015 0 comments

In November 2015, I had the pleasure of joining David Metcalf and Mark Rayner for an 8 day photography tour through Bali and Borneo. I was a complete beginner with photography and had barely switched on my camera when I went on this trip. I learnt so much so quickly and am grateful I had two amazing photographers showing me the ropes.

We started in Ubud, Bali for 2 days photographing local scenery and temples before setting off to the river in Palangkaraya, Borneo where we spent 3 days on a riverboat. We captured wildlife, including the incredible orangutan, and spent a day in a Dayak village where we got treated to an amazing performance by the local Dayak community.

davidmetcalfphotography.com

http://www.tailoredphotography.com.au/

Unfortunately I lost the majority of my photos from this trip. The above are the only ones I managed to save

 

TRAVELS

Pulau Sepa

posted by jodiemellor October 31, 2015 0 comments

This was our first trip out to the Thousand Islands off Jakarta. We really had no idea what to expect, given the pollution and lack of beaches and fresh swimming water in Jakarta, it was safe to say our expectations weren’t sky high.

We arranged our trip during the week, getting a local Jakartan to organise and pay for our transport and accommodation as there seems to be a discount for locals.

Saturday morning arrived and we jumped in a taxi out to the Ancol Mariner. There were lots of people around and little English being spoken, but we managed to find the pier our boat was docked at and patiently waited for our name to be called. The speed boat was packed to the brim with tourists and we departed right on 8am.

2 hours later after island hopping to drop other tourists and locals off at various islands, we arrived at Palau Sepa. First impressions were good. There was a sandy white beach and clear water which was all we needed for a nice weekend away

We disembarked and made our way to check in. We had to wait a few hours before our room was ready so we decided to go for a swim. The water was amazing. Clear and warm. We floated around for a few hours hen headed to check out our room.

There are a few different types of accommodation available on the island but we opted for a stand alone hut. It only had the basics (bed, t.v, coffee, toilet and cold shower). It was clean and well kept so we were happy.

There are all kinds of water activities to do on Palau Sepa. Jetskis, boats, paddleborads and snorkelling to name a few. We opted for a double kayak and made our way around the island, stopping on the uninhabited side for a fun photo shoot! I think my husband missed his calling as a swimwear model, he really has the moves!

The rest of the weekend was very low key. Dinner is served as roblox unlimited pro a buffet style and you can purchase a small selection of alcohol. We retired to bed early and woke to do more swimming and relaxing the next day.

The boat came to pick us up about 1pm on the Sunday and we began the journey home, arriving back in Jakarta just before 4pm.

If you are looking for a weekend away from Jakarta to do nothing, that is relatively well priced, this is your ideal location.