Tag: Food and Drink

One Night in Jakarta

The world’s biggest city, Jakarta, Indonesia is home to over 41 million people. When we had a layover there on both ends of our Vietnam trip from Lombok, we really wanted to explore. While we didn’t have much time, we did get to see a little and incite our desire to see more. Here’s how we spent our one night in Jakarta.

About Jakarta

We obviously would have liked a longer layover than one night in Jakarta, because there’s a lot to do.

Jakarta is Indonesia’s capital, and is located in the northwest of the island of Java, west of Bali. It was founded as a city in the 1600s and was occupied in turns by the Portuguese, Sudanese, the Dutch, British, and Japanese before Indonesian independence in 1945.

Jakarta is smaller than New York City, covering 664 square kilometers. But with so many people, it’s overwhelming, and it takes a long time to get anywhere. Trips from the airport to downtown, a distance of 20 kilometers, average 90 minutes, but can often take more than 2 hours due to traffic. They are working on mass transit, and there is a train from the airport that is an option.

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Impressions of Bali

Since we arrived in Indonesia in November, we’ve fallen in love with this country. From the friendly islands of eastern Indonesia we moved on to the center. In between visa runs, we visited Bali a few times, staying on land and on our boat. Although our short stays are not enough to provide a definitive guide to the island, we developed impressions of Bali.

About Bali

Bali is one of the world’s most renowned vacation spots and has been called “Heaven on Earth.” We respectfully disagree. We found this paradise spoiled by overcrowding, traffic, and pollution. When we were there, it wasn’t even busy with tourists, as tourism has been down lately.

Much like Moorea versus Tahiti in French Polynesia, we prefer Lombok over Bali. Lombok is quieter and more relaxed. I know we’ve been spoiled, and after years of traveling we prefer uncrowded places. But our impressions of Bali also include some lovely places and experiences.

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Two Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary

Two weeks is never enough but we jammed  a lot into our Vietnam itinerary. We took three interior flights and multiple grab rides, and it was worth it. Hopefully, one day we can get back and spend another two weeks in Vietnam, or longer. I couldn’t get enough of this busy and beautiful country.

Last Minute Booking

Our trip to Vietnam was one of our most spontaneous ever, even more last minute than Japan. Fortunately, it was easier and more affordable to book tours and visit popular sights in Vietnam. We chose Vietnam because it’s close to Indonesia and we know we will not be going there by boat.

Ha Long Bay karsts, Vietnam
The limestone karst islands are part of what make Ha Long Bay so beautiful – and popular

Rainy season in Indonesia was wearing us down, and we needed to renew our visas again. But, we had to find somewhere safe to leave our boat and Domino for two weeks. For our first trip to Vietnam, we didn’t want to go for any less time. Fortunately, we managed to find both a mooring and a wonderful cat sitter in Gili Asahan, Lombok. Within a few days we were in Vietnam.

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