Many people arrive in Indonesia with limited time to travel through this sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands; typically they pick just a couple of islands to focus on, with Java being high on the list of choices. Many times during our travels through Java we’ve been asked about which places should not be … read the full post

There’s a new kid on the Bali mall block, and, for a mall, it’s rather pretty. We’ll put aside arguments about what our beachside Bali dream might be for now and look at the curvy new Beachwalk, across from Kuta beach, for what it aims to be. In summary, if we absolutely had to have … read the full post

When I did my cooking class at Bali Asli recently, chef Penelope Williams told me it was worth checking out the cooking classes offered at Hotel Tugu due to their lovely surrounds. So I booked in for a half-day class, comprising a pick up, market visit, then cooking in the “warung”, a kitchen set up … read the full post

I was poised to write something about roti canai and how it’s the simple things in life that are often the best… and then I remembered we’d written about roti prata over on our Singapore pages. I had a peek, and that’s exactly how we kick off talking about this delicious, basic dish over there. … read the full post

Many people arrive in Jakarta without a clear plan of where they will go in Java. In many ways, this is a mistake because this first impression of Java can be a very poor one and can encourage travellers to move as quickly as possible across the island. But with a bit of research, you … read the full post

Suck on a lemon, then a lime, then a lemon again, the lemon will seem much sweeter; take a slice of kencur, a root essential to Balinese cooking, bite down on it a little and it will leave your tongue anaesthetically numb; take slices of ginger and smear over sunburn for relief — it’s cool … read the full post

After almost a week in Bali I had still only managed to acquire one two-word phrase of Indonesian, which is more than a little sad really. Fortunately, terima kasih is a phrase with a lot of mileage; it got me all the way from Denpasar to the magnificent volcanic highlands at Munduk and back again, … read the full post

Bandung is one of those cities that people visiting Java tend to skip through rather quickly, mainly because the surrounding activities all seem like too much of a hassle to get to. Kawah Putih to the south of Bandung is a case in point, but those with persistence will find a crater lake of staggering … read the full post

What exactly does a travel writing scholarship entail? We’ve been busy finding out with New Zealander Hanna Butler, winner of the World Nomads/Rough Guides travel writing scholarship for 2012. We’re only two days in and we’ve surfed, been massaged, eaten and drunken and yes, we have driven quite a few miles. But what exactly is … read the full post

One of the great things about Java is that it’s home to an intense concentration of geological activity due its location on the rim of fire. This means frequent earthquakes, regular volcanic eruptions and an abundance of interesting active geological sites. Garut is one area on the island that in particular punches above its weight … read the full post