Articles from this Category
5 February 2023
The big procession Today is Capgomeh (the fifteenth or last day, but literally night of Chinese New Year), the big day that we have specially come for. I’m two years late for this event, originally due to come here in 2021, but delayed due to the pandemic. We headed to town at 0645 where it […]
4 February 2023
Above: Vihara Tri Dharma Bumi Raya or Tai Pak Kung Temple with the minarets of Masjid Raya Singkawang in the background. Breakfast Today is the eve of Capgomeh. With nothing officially on the published programmed, I didn’t set the alarm and woke around 0700 to find a message from Tim and Elena next door. They […]
3 February 2023
Above: Sambas palace. Departing Kuching We checked out from the OYO Golden Lounge before 0600 for our ride to Singkawang in West Kalimantan, the venue for possibly the most colourful Capgomeh (last day of Chinese New Year) celebration in the world. Our ride would depart from Siang Siang Corner food court across the road. Boo […]
8 February 2020
Inland Temples Today I had booked through Traveloka a 12h rental car-and-driver for IDR130K (USD9.50) plus petrol and driver’s lunch allowance of IDR50K. I had the itinerary all decided and it was all within their “In Town” zone. With a pickup at 0930, I lay in bed and decided to check the zonal map once […]
7 February 2020
Leaving Singapore I tried to spend some time with my aunt in the morning as it was a very short visit on my part. At her age and with her special condition, she keeps to a certain routine. It appeared she wasn’t too fussed with my presence so I didn’t push it. Heading to the […]
5 February 2020
I had a leisurely morning at the museum. Pekanbaru’s museum is named after Sang Nila Utama, the prince from the broader region that founded Singapore, changing its name from Temasek to Singapura (which the English later changed to Singapore). It was a simple museum where I learnt new things about the familiar, things that I […]
4 February 2020
Leaving hometown Today I make my way from hometown Kuching to Pekanbaru via Kuala Lumpur, so that I’d end up in Singapore and then Bali in a few days time to get back to New Zealand. The Pekanbaru stop was brought about by some frequent flyer points which were expiring. So why, not?! My departure […]
20 January 2020
Long awaited arrival We descended into Bali airport and landed at 0050 with the cabin lights dimmed rather than off. It was still plenty bright, just like during take-off some six hours ago. I wonder if there is a maximum permissible brightness. Other airlines I fly with simply turn the lights off completely. There was […]
22 September 2019
Paotere Port Despite sleeping late last night, I woke around 0630. Today I leave the big country with 17,000 islands in the evening. With my flight to Kuala Lumpur at 1730, my plan was to do some minor sightseeing before returning to eat and rest till checkout. I wanted to revisit Makassar’s Paotere Port as […]
21 September 2019
Leaving Gorontalo After the bad sleep on the ferry, I woke at 0550 after nearly 9h of sleep. Not hungry, I spent some time writing before having breakfast around 0800. With my flight to Makassar in South Sulawesi at 1115 I thought I’d leave at 0900. With an estimated journey time of 45 mins to […]