Female solo travel to places that intrigue and inspire
Bandung, a city in West Java, is often referred to as “the Paris of Java” or “the Paris of the East” due to its colonial history and enduring appeal as a place to which Jakarta residents escape for a weekend…
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I remember one Saturday afternoon, shortly after I had graduated from university and got myself a “proper” job, flicking idly through the television channels and coming across an old black and white movie, Krakatoa East of Java. Krakatoa, a volcano…
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After a busy week of running around North Sumatra looking for orangutans in the jungle and chasing a volcano or two, I thought it was time for a short break before making my way to Malaysia to begin my ten…
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Sometimes a particular volcano will take a hold in my mind for some reason; perhaps because it was or is a significant one, like Mount Vesuvius and its surrounding legacies of Pompeii and Herculaneum, or Krakatoa, which I disappointingly haven’t…
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I’ve always wanted to see the orangutans in Borneo (and still plan to, later on this year!), so when I discovered that I could potentially see them in Sumatra, Indonesia, too, it became one of my must-dos for my time…
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I never imagined I’d be happy to see Jakarta, but when the plane from Singapore touched down at Soekarno-Hatto airport, I felt glad to be back in Indonesia, and excited for the adventures to come. The immigration officer, glancing briefly…
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Two months into my Asia trip, and by now I’d seen a fair few volcanoes. I was yet to find that Holy Grail however; a big bad beastie in full eruption swing (thank you again, Sakurajima, for waiting for me…
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One of the many great things about travelling in the way that I do now is meeting other travellers, all at different stages in different types of journeys. In hostel kitchens and cheap bars you’ll share stories of where you’ve…
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There are roughly 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia. I have four weeks, plus another couple of weeks later on in my trip. There’s no way I’m going to get round even a fraction of them, but on Day 2 in…
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I’m still getting used to this country-hopping – going onto another foreign land rather than going home when my time somewhere is done. I’ve wanted to go to Indonesia ever since I was a child, reading books about volcanoes. As…
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