Koh Samui

by Gay Mitra - August 9, 2010August 13, 20144

Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand (bordering the South China Sea in the Pacific Ocean). It is part of the Surat Thani province, and is only a two-hour express boat ride from Surat Thani’s Ban Don Pier. One of Koh Samui’s sights, the Grandfather Rock.It is one of Thailand’s largest islands and…

Hat Yai-Surat Thani

by Gay Mitra - August 5, 2010August 13, 20140

Hat Yai (Haad Yai/Had Yai) is a city in Southern Thailand near the border of Malaysia. From Kuala Lumpur it is an eight-hour bus ride (50 RM) to its city center. We arrived at around 5:00 PM and bought tickets for an overnight bus straight away. It costs 500 THB including ferry and transfer from…

Kuala Lumpur

by Gay Mitra - August 2, 2010August 13, 20142

After spending 2 hours in Singapore, we took a bus (S$25) to Kuala Lumpur. It was the cheapest available since it wasn’t ‘VIP’. We were concerned that the ride won’t be comfortable and seats might not have much leg room for passengers. Lo and behold, we found out we were the only passengers on the…

Indonesia-Singapore-Malaysia: 3 Countries in 1 Day!

by Gay Mitra - July 27, 2010August 13, 20147

Shervin and I woke up almost three hours before our 7:00 AM Bali-Java bus ride. We packed our bags, checked out of Bali Duta Wisata, and walked to the main road for a cab. A driver agreed with our 60,000 Rp offer. Since we got a cab straight away, we were at the Denpasar bus…

Legian and Kuta Beach, South Bali

by Gay Mitra - July 24, 2010August 13, 20140

On our second day in Bali, Tamie (our Couchsurfing host) took us to Legian Beach. It is slightly quieter than Kuta Beach, but waves in this area are as constant. It’s a mere hundred-meter walk from Tamie’s place. A surf instructor about to give lessons along Legian Beach.Along the way (in front of almost every…

Probolinggo-Denpasar

by Gay Mitra - July 22, 2010August 13, 20140

From Yoschi Guesthouse in Cemoro Lawang, a van took us to our travel agent in Probolinggo. Then we transferred to a big bus and headed to Denpasar (Bali’s capital). The transportation was still part of our Gunung Bromo tour package. Lunch at a stopover, check out the gigantic jar of krupuk!If you’re not traveling under…

Gunung Bromo

by Gay Mitra - July 18, 2010August 13, 201410

We arrived at Yoschi Guesthouse in Cemoro Lawang around 7:00 PM. The guy at the reception told us we have to wake up the next day at 3:00 AM for breakfast. And at exactly 4AM, a jeep will fetch us and drive up to the viewpoint of Tengger Caldera. So we ate Sandi’s mom’s packed…

Yogyakarta-Cemoro Lawang

by Gay Mitra - July 15, 2010August 13, 20145

The clothes we washed the night before were not completely dry when we packed them in our bags. It would already be stinky by the time we get to Probolinggo, the trip is ten hours long. We couldn’t give them more time under the sun because we needed to be at the travel agent’s stall…

Prambanan Temples

by Gay Mitra - July 11, 2010August 13, 20147

Shervin and I made a stop at Jalan Malioboro and Jalan Sosrowijayan before heading to Prambanan. We asked the travel agents around the area if they sell bus or train tickets for Surabaya, en route to Probolinggo, our next destination the day after. Unfortunately, they could only be bought from the bus or train station….

Yogyakarta Walking Tour

by Gay Mitra - July 6, 2010August 13, 20140

It was a Friday (observed as a holiday in Islam), and the Main Court of the kraton (Sri Sultan’s Palace) was closed so Shervin and I didn’t bother entering the compound. We headed to Taman Sari instead. Taman Sari or Water Castle (open 8AM-2PM), is located west of the kraton. Built by a Portuguese architect,…