15,000 kilometers – by rail, road, on foot and under sail – through 50 Indonesian islands.
From tracking tigers (and the mythical ‘short man’) in the Sumatra jungle to the mystical Dayak tribe that lives near the geographical center of Borneo, this book touches on some of Indonesia’s most intriguing secrets.
The author meets Tana Toraja’s ‘living dead’, the Bugis people (once known as the Bogeymen) who build and sail the spectacular Sulawesi schooners and the villagers who are literally besieged by dragons in the Komodo archipelago.
He surfs the legendary reefs of G-Land, Nias and Occy’s Left (and pioneers a previously un-surfed wave in the remote Alor Archipelago).
He road-trips across Sulawesi and Flores and sails in the wake of Alfred Russel Wallace around Spice Islands that have remained largely unchanged for centuries.
“. . . a soldier of fortune or Legionnaire of the travel writing business!”—Korean Airlines magazine
With the main prasada tower soaring up to 47 metres high, a vast walled temple complex consists of 240 structures is today mostly in ruins. Only a few of those have been restored.
One big difference from Borobudur is that you can enter some of the temples here.
Very few tourists leave the main temple area. The rest I had almost to myself.
Somehow the jumble of original stone suits the confusing Hindu storylines of this vast site.
The temples were mysteriously abandoned near the half of the 10th century.
In 1918, the Dutch colonial government began the reconstruction of the compound; however, proper restoration only commenced in 1930.
I’m quite certain it will never be completely restored.
For 30 years I’ve been trying to get to Indonesia to see impressive Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.
I’d rank Borobudur alongside the Pyramids of Egypt, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Bagan in Myanmar, Petra, and the Pyramids of Mexico & Central America.
Running out of time on my 30 day visa to the nation, I splurged on a 13 hour private guided tour which included this highlight.
My guide got me #1 in line to visit Borobudur! I finally finished 1st in something! 😀
If alone, I could have rushed up to the top like a winner.
HOWEVER, everyone is guided in groups here. My guide was excellent.
Everyone must wear gifted sandals. They seriously do not work for people with bunions.
The site has been vastly improved in recent years. There’s some lovely landscaping, including many lotus flowers, a symbol in Buddhism.
There are 2 kinds of tickets: structure and ground. The ground tickets only allow wandering outside the Temple. Structure ticket holders get to climb the temple. Numbers are limited each day.
Of course everyone is keen to get the tour over with so they can scramble for photos. Me included. 😀
Though much of the stone had been vandalized and looted over the decades, there are still many impressive carved stories.
Borobudur lay hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth.
There’s no easier way to make that distance, other than flying.
I paid about CAD$289 for that trip — after some negotiation. Travelling alone, I convinced them that an old man shouldn’t have to share a 2 person room. I got my own.
The boat and trip are minimal, at best. But even the brokest backpackers sign up, all sleeping together in one communal room on floor mattresses.
It’s become one of the classic low budget Indonesian adventures.
In fact, if you were to try to design a ship to be as awkward and difficult as possible for humans over 5 feet tall, I doubt you could make transportation any more troublesome. 😀 HOW MANY TIMES did I hit my head on the poop deck?
No air conditioning on our boat. My fan didn’t work — so I borrowed another from an empty room.
Surprisingly, everyone I spoke with liked the trip. Myself included.
It was fun. Definitely a memorable experience. AND we were all happy we made it in 4 days. At one point the motor stopped working for a few hours. Water in the diesel, we were told.
There is a more expensive luxury alternative. A number of people told me it was not worth the extra. That boat is filled with older, richer complainers, needless to say.
Day 1
The company arranges transport to Kayangan Harbour in Lombok.
Just an hour after boarding you take a small boat over to tiny Kenawa island for sunset.
This was the only place I could legally fly my drone.
Sunrise and sunsets are a big deal on the boat. We had a full moon, as well.
In fact, my favourite moments on the boat were at dawn.
I’d get up at 5am. Drink coffee until the sunrise at about 6am. The moon would set about the same time.
I nearly drowned on first attempt, unable to get my snorkel set-up in open seas with choppy water. I doggy paddled back to the boat — confirming to the kids that this old man probably shouldn’t be on the tour.
I was eldest. Another woman of a certain age enjoyed the voyage. The rest were teenagers, I assume. 😀
Second attempt I put on a life jacket and took only the mask. That worked brilliantly in these conditions. I could get as close to one whale shark as I wished. Magical.
About noon the activity was to jump from the boat — and try to get back to the ladder before the current whisked you out to great blue beyond. Needless to say, I skipped that one.
The longest sailing stretch began here. Went all night.
Pink Beach was next. I managed to lose the lifejacket. And get snorkelling for real.
The beach is tinted pink from some nearby pink coral.
I didn’t have any underwater camera, but many others on my trip did. Most just used their phone in a waterproof sleeve.
Though I fear the ocean, I do love snorkelling. It helped that I had a terrific, modern snorkel.
They have rules in Indonesia — but most are universally ignored.
No drones in National Parks is respected, however.
About an hour sailing later we stopped at famed Padar Island. One of the most iconic photo spots in Indonesia. Even more memorable for the pounding rain!
I skipped the last night party top deck. These broke travellers sure spend a lot of money on beer. 😀
Day 4
The final day.
First we stopped to snorkel at Majarinte island. Looking for sea turtles.
We saw plenty of baby blacktip reef sharks. So majestic, even at a young age.
The trip ends at Labuan Bajo, former fishing village, today a luxury stop for Komodo National Park sailing tours as well as scuba diving. There are 13 five-star hotels here!
Komodo Airport is only 3 km from the centre of town. I flew from here BACK to Java.
The Komodo dragon largest extant population lives within the Komodo National Park in Eastern Indonesia. Males grow to a maximum length of 3 m (10 ft), weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb).
These deer can run about 3 times as fast. A Komodo dragon will lurk without moving near watering holes, trying to ambush a wild pig or deer.
I was surprised to see deer wandering around, seemingly ignoring the giant lizards. They know they can outrun, when healthy.
Komodo can eat 80% of their body mass in one meal — but only eat once or twice a month.
They haven’t been fed by humans for tourists since the early 1990s. Instead, watering holes have been built near to where tourists land to encourage a few to stick around. We saw quite a few in just an hour or so.
Females make many camouflage nests/holes to prevent other dragons from eating their eggs. They guard those eggs for months without eating.
Young Komodo dragons will eat insects, birds and bird’s eggs and small reptiles. Little ones can climb trees to avoid being cannibalized by adults who are too heavy.
The small city of Ubud has developed a serious tourism industry, promoted as an arts and culture centre.
More than three million foreign tourists each year, many of those NOT YOUNG. (Youth are on some beach instead.) I saw many families with young kids, as well.
Rick McCharles 
