You know when you make plans with friends that sound so great. A night out without the kids, family BBQ’s, grand holidays… but they rarely come to fruition… well somehow we have a way of making the grand holidays happen…Read more

Pete had a work trip to a site in Jepara. Now that it is decided that we are leaving to go back to Australia, I feel like we haven’t done as much travel as we would have like to, so Lachie and I headed along.

To get to Jepara, you must fly to Semarang. Only a 45 minute flight from Jakarta. We took the early flight again. I still shudder when I have to wake my sleeping baby!!  We flew Garuda so left from the new airport terminal. There weren’t a great deal of people around so it made checking in easy.Read more

I start every blog the same. You’d think i’d learn by now. DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE TRAVELLING!!

I got a whole heap of information from other friends that had travelled to Borobodur so I thought I was well equipped.

Pete’s parents had made the trip to Jakarta and we decided that Borobudur would be a great place to go with them.

Read more

In Australia there are approximately 10 Public Holidays each year. In Indonesia in 2017, there are 23 recognised holidays. In addition, there have been 2 extra holidays declared due to the election. We decided to take advantage of the quiet roads on the last holiday and headed out to the Jatiluhur Dam. Its 150kms East of Jakarta. Not far when there is no trafficRead more

Makassar is the capital of South Sulawesi. It was established in the 14th century and by the 16th century was a the main trading centre in Eastern Indonesia, trading largely in spices.

The island of Sulawesi is renowned as being one of the most scenic islands of Indonesia and is the gateway to many other remote islands in Eastern Indonesia such as Raja Ampat.Read more

We have just spent 3 amazing days in Bangkok at the incredible Siam Hotel.
Set on the riverbank of the Chao Phraya river in the historical Dusit region, this boutique hotel is head and shoulders above the rest.Read more

We started of at the Sunda Kelapa Harbour in Ancol, North Jakarta. Docked up along the 1.5km stretch of harbourside, were hundreds of boats awaiting departure or in line to be loaded with concrete destined for Sumatra.Read more

Another weekend, another getaway.

This time we have opted for the over water bungalows at Palau Ayer. This is the closest island to Jakarta so we only had a 25 minute boat ride to get there – great! Or so we thought….Read more

Well, like most of our previous trips, I didn’t research this destination at all! There was a work conference for my husband and for $60AUD return; I thought it was a great opportunity to explore for the day.Read more

We had read little bit online about the best way to get there, however, as most wives know, their husbands know best.? We didn’t make any bookings as Pete said it would be easier to get an Uber the morning of. We woke up early as it was a 3 hour drive and being the first day of a long weekend we knew we had to get moving. We successfully booked an Uber – I must admit I was surprisedRead more

Tucked away in the back streets of Seminyak, is Villa Phinisi. I booked this villa for my 30th birthday as you have the option of 1-5 bedrooms. The villa comes as a complete unit, with a pool and completely private entertaining and grassed area, no matter how many rooms are utilised.Read more

Living in Jakarta, your options for the weekend usually consist of beers, shopping, brunch, dining out, sport, more beers, finding your favourite Australian sport on a satellite channel (at the local pub…so more beers!) and sleep. Sounds great right? It is, however my weekdays consist of all of the above as well so as often as possible we take the opportunity to get out of the city on a weekend.  For Easter in Jakarta, Good Friday is a recongised PublicRead more

We flew from Singapore to Medan. The flight was quite short and had us arriving in the morning where we were greeted at the arrivals terminal by the driver organized by our hotel. I quickly stocked up on some seaweed flavor chips (we’re not spoilt for options here!) and we were on our way. The distance from Medan to Bukit Lawang is about 90kms, however because of the state of the roads, the trip took nearly 5 hours!Read more

We need a break from the city….and we are desperate for some FRESH air! Pete has been googling which islands are the best to do a weekend trip to from Jakarta and with the Thousand Islands on our doorstep, you’d think there would be plenty of choice right…wrong! Unfortunately what is even less lacking than the abundance of inhabited islands suitable for visitors, is the information online on which islands are best to visit. One island there is quite aRead more

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.Read more

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.Read more