Home Asia Asia Introduction - We went to Indonesia in 1997 and 1998, and it was one of our best trips. It combined nature (Bromo volcano, Manado Seagardens etc...), culture (like Toraja and Borobudur temple) and friendlyness of the local people. Above all, service is extremely good value for money, and this is one of the advantages over other regions like the Middle East and central America. Safety is less a concern than f.i. in Central America. - The Singapore page was also made by me. - The Cambodia page was first made with info I got from other people, and in 3/99 I went to check out things myself. - There is Myanmar page written by a friend of mine (11/98). They will probably also add a site on Laos after spending 4 weeks in 10/99. - Steven Buvens has also written a site after his trip to Northern Vietnam (7/99). I went back to Vietnam in 10/2000 and updated the Northern section, and expanded it with a Southern section. - The Laos page was made by Geert Van Vaeck who stayed there 4 weeks (10/99). Getting around Asean airpass - 6 Asian companies have joined forces in an effort to turn off crisis in tourism industry, and they are now offering an "Asian Airpass". Companies participating include Thai airways, Garuda, Singapore airlines, Philippine Airways, Vietnam Airlines and Malaysian Airlines. The deal is the following: - You have to fly to any Asian destination with 1 of the six carriers. You could f.i. fly to Singapore or Bangkok. - Then you need to buy the pass for 270 US$. This entitles you to 3 flights within Asia with 1 of these 6 carriers. This pass has to be bought at the same time you purchase your international flight, and it has to be booked outside Asean countries. - Open jaws are not permitted, except within 1 country. So travel must be contiguous. - Domestic flights are permitted except in Vietnam and the Philippines. - Maximum stay is 2 months. - Extra stretches can be purchased at 90 US$ for one. - You cannot do the same trip twice (f.i. Singapore-BKK-Singapore-BKK). - This could be of course  a very good deal. Suppose you want to visit Sulawesi. Then buy a cheap ticket to Singapore. With your pass, you can fly to Ujung Pandang (Silk Air), fly back from Manado (Silk Air), and you even have 1 stretch left, f.i. to fly from UP to Manado with Garuda. - I've not tried this myself, and I didn't get much feedback untill now. It's best you mail singapore airlines for more info. Labuan Bajo There are direct buses from Ende to Labuan Bajo.At Losmen Islas (Ende) you can charter their minibus to Labuan for 400.000 Rp. We also met some people who did the Maumere-Labuan Bajo stretch by hired car with driver. This trip can take 2 to 3 days and typically includes a visit to Moni and Bajawa (for the 3 days tour). Price is around 500.000 Rp (5/98).There is 1 ferry a day departing from Sumbawa in the morning and arriving around 5 pm "depending on the current" and vice versa. This ferry stops in Komodo, but not every day, check it out first.Update 9/98: However, 1 of the 2 ferries has broken down, so there's only 1 ferry who has to do the 2 crossings on its own.  Read more...   Sumba The Pelni ship "AWU" from Ende to Waingapu Rp. 21.500 one way economy class - i.e. sleeping on the floor, because all the benches are taken anyway. There was no first or second class tickets, because they are booked weeks in advance. Read more...   Molluccas The Maluku chapter was written by David Sills who went to Ambon, Banda and Seram from 6 till 18 December 1998. If anyone knows a better travelguide on the web about the Mollucas, please let me know. I'm pretty sure there isn't any. Read more...   Ambon We liked Ambon – it’s not as big or hectic as Manado, but the traffic can still wear you down at times (coming back to Ambon from Banda or Seram, you really know you’re in a city). There is less English spoken here than in Manado (for example). Of course some Indonesian basics will help, but you can probably survive with English, and a good phrase book. Dutch speakers are very likely to find some of the older locals to chat to. Read more...   Downtown Ambon Downtown Ambon is quite compact and easy to walk around. If you’re tired, lazy, or have a longer way to go, bemos cost 450, and tend to have regular pick up/drop off sites (i.e. you may not just be able to flag one down). We usually went to the terminal near the Pasar Mardika to catch a bemo. The confusing mass of bemos there is actually well organized into different lanes for different lines, and these lanes are well labeled. Just go to the front of the correct line to find the next bemo departing. Read more...   More... Seram - Sawai Bay Seram Molluccas - Banda Banda << Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >> Results 82 - 90 of 103