2002-2005 (c) GetJealous.com, All rights reserved. http://www.getjealous.com/vagabonding/rss.xml This blog began in 2006 when I left Australia for my second round-the-world trip. My adventures led me to Hanoi, Vietnam which was my home away from home for 3 years. I am now living and working in Jakarta, Indonesia, where I continue to tell my stories, as an ex-pat, which also involves plenty of travelling around Java and the Asian region. http://www.getjealous.com/vagabonding http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2743662&go=vagabonding Over the coming days and weeks, as I start to go through the 6GB (!!!) of photos that I took while in Burma, I will re-tell in more detail about our trip from Yangon to Inle to Mandalay and to Bagan. In the meantime, this is a little summary that myself and Pio put together on our last night in Burma as we reflected on the fun memories of the past two weeks. It will give you a little idea of what ... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2743662&go=vagabonding Fri, 4 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2740849&go=vagabonding November 15-18, 2012I was craving the underwater and getting into my scuba gear so badly, it had become a yearning. It had been 10 months since I last got under the sea and blew bubbles underwater and experienced my bliss, so I was long overdue for a diving holiday. The extra long weekend in Indonesia for Islam New Year provided the perfect chance to get away and to explore some new oceans scapes.... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2740849&go=vagabonding Sun, 9 Dec 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2737758&go=vagabonding Trip taken: 26-28 October, 2012It was a long weekend and we both needed to get out of the city for a few days. Figuring out where to go was not easy- this was because we decided to get away at the last minute, meaning plane tickets were expensive and other places we might go to were all booked out.Then Pio came up with the idea to visit Sawarna, a beach he had heard about in West Java. Apparently ... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2737758&go=vagabonding Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2727246&go=vagabonding August 17-26, 2012It really was such a fun time! This year, instead of going home to Australia over Christmas and New Year, which seems to be a stressful time to be landing at home, I decided to make my annual visit over the Indonesian Idul Fitri holiday period. This meant being able to go away when the whole country was also on the move, and it meant I coould take my darling fiance homw with me a... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2727246&go=vagabonding Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2718086&go=vagabonding All the way back in June, I visited Bali to visit friends and to indulge in raw foods. It was an amazing weekend! I feel very grateful to be living in a place that is so close to the beautiful island of Bali. It would be even better to actually be able to live in the island paradise, but for now, short visits to getaway from the Big Durian are enough to nourish my soul. Not only is it beautiful an... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2718086&go=vagabonding Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2713050&go=vagabonding I'm actually writing this entry, because it is somewhat strange to me that my blog does not appear in Get Jealous searches for "Indonesia"....and I think it might if I have the word Indonesia as the first in a diary title. I have now lived in this interesting country for almost 3 years- wow! It was this time in 2009 that I was making preparations to leave Vietnam, and it was in mid-July... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2713050&go=vagabonding Tue, 5 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2713046&go=vagabonding On the same day that we explored Mt Merapi, we also toured the historical Prambanan temple complex. Jogja really does amaze me with its range of touristic places of different religious importance. The Buddhist Boroburdur and the Hindu Prambanan temples show that there is a long and interesting history in the region.Prambanan is a series of temple towers with stairs leading up to an internal entran... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2713046&go=vagabonding Mon, 4 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2712779&go=vagabonding It was quite sobering to visit Mt Merapi, the site of the massiive volcanic eruption in October 2010. Even though the land has started to regenerate, with lots of greenery and tress growing across the volcanic ash, there were still many signs that this was a disaster zone. The makeshift warungs and houses along rhe main road up the mountains seemed hastily half built as a place of shelter or a spo... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2712779&go=vagabonding Sun, 3 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2711089&go=vagabonding Since living in Indonesia, I have grown to appreciate batik fabric. I used to think it was so gaudy and over the top, but now I know that a good quality batik that has been made by hand is something to admire. I've also learnt a bit about the different patterns which indicate different regions of Indonesia.A good quality batik does take time to make. It involves a process of marking the pattern on... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2711089&go=vagabonding Sat, 2 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2711084&go=vagabonding I think it is pretty cool that there is still a royal family living in Jogjakarta, and that it still wields influence over traditional society. There is an area of Jogjakarta that is known as Kraton, and it is where the palace and other royal residences are, among other tourist attractions.This being a trip toured by my love, as opposed to the trusty Lonely Planet, I was led to Kraton, but not to ... http://www.getjealous.com/blog.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=2711084&go=vagabonding Fri, 1 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT