Thank you Padang, Indonesia, for making it easy on us to go home, (working vacation, folks). Padang was badly hit by earthquakes in 2007 and 2009, so I’m not judging the decrepit buildings or the crumbling infrastructure, but the omnipresent … Continue reading →

What a luxury to be chauffeured around the countryside in a car. I could get used to travelling like this again…. Harmonious landscapes breathe an archaic strength and in some of the villages, traditional craftsmanship still flourishes. Made with heart, … Continue reading →

A thirteen hour hop, skip and leap past Parapat, Medan and Padang and we’re back at my favorite altitude- 900 meters above the sweltering Sumatran lowlands, in Bukit Tinggi- that’s high hill in Bahasa Indonesia. It’s a small mosque-studded city, (pop. … Continue reading →

Temptation struck again…. but it’s bye for now, Lake Toba. Fortunately, the lake is easy to get to. It’s only a 4-5 hour drive from Medan Airport in North Sumatra. Do yourself a favour and choose the easy transfer option to … Continue reading →

Horas!  Welcome, hello and farewell that is, from peaceful Tuk Tuk. Picturebook red steeples dot the verdant landscape around Lake Toba From afar this could be super-size Swiss scenery! Only by zooming in, do the  flamboyantly arched roofs and exotic greenery reveal another … Continue reading →

Is it really Dreaded Dengue?? Updated. Accidents apart, few situations are less comfortable for a traveler a little too removed from medical help, than to be shivering under a makeshift blanket, or lying on a twisted damp sheet in the dark, … Continue reading →

We live above a Body of Water now. To just call it a lake wouldn’t do justice to the entity that slurps burbles, slaps and swishes ceaselessly, below our (yep, rock bottom again)  $8.70 a night terrace…. Add the busy, chatty … Continue reading →