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Second Week in Java: Sunrise at Mount Bromo and Sick in Yogyakarta
Visited: September 22 – 28, 2024 From Java Turtle Lodge, we made the long journey to our next volcano: Mount Bromo. It was too expensive to take a private car directly to Mount Bromo. So we first made our way back to Ijen Backpackers in Bayuwangi via a private transfer (2.5-hr) and then took a…
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Hawaii to Indonesia: From One Paradise to Another
A Quick Return to the US – Five Days in Oahu, Hawaii We spent an amazing five days in Oahu, Hawaii to celebrate our friends’ Joyce and Ronnie’s wedding. After months of traveling, it was so wonderful to see our friends and family again. My parents also came so it was really nice to see…
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Eating, Eating, and a Little Sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur and George Town
Visited August 28 – Sept 5, 2024 Embracing the Comforts of a Big City From Semporna, we took a shuttle bus to the airport in Tawau which took about 1.5-hr. Then took a 3-hr flight direct to Kuala Lumpur (KL). We arrived in KL around 2pm and then took an hour long Grab to our…
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Snorkeling and Island Hopping in Semporna
Visited: August 26-29, 2024 After nearly two weeks in the hot and humid rainforest, we went to Semporna in the south of Borneo for a couple days of island hopping to picturesque beaches and snorkeling. Semporna as a city is not considered an attractive destination. However, there are multiple islands off the coast that are…
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Sepilok and the Kinabatangan River: Seeing Borneo’s Endangered and Endemic Species
Visited August 21-25, 2024 A Two-Day Journey form Mulu to Sepilok From Mulu, we headed to Sepilok (just outside of Sandakan) to meet our friend Maddie who would be traveling with us in Malaysia for two weeks. There were no direct flights from Mulu to Sandakan so we first flew to Kota Kinabalu for one…
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One Very Hot and Humid Week in Gunung Mulu National Park
Visited: Aug 13-20, 2024 Introduction to Mulu National Park We left the modern comforts of Kuching to head to the remote Gunung Mulu National Park. Mulu is an area with spectacular biodiversity and geological history. The Park is home to many endemic species, including some that are only found within specific pockets of the Park….
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Three Days in Kuching: Our Introduction to Malysian Borneo
Settling into Kuching after Another Long Travel Day After Uzbekistan, Malaysia was our next country. Within Malaysia, we were going to spend almost a month on the island of Borneo. To get there, we took a direct, red-eye flight from Tashkent to Kuala Lumpur (KL). Unfortunately, it was one of the most uncomfortable planes I…
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A Week Tracing the Silk Road in Uzbekistan
After almost a month of hiking and enjoying nature in the countryside, we crossed the border into Uzbekistan for a week of culture and history. Uzbekistan was part of the famous Silk Road and there are still a few well-preserved cities – primarily Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva — in the country with the stunning Islamic…
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8 Days in the Alay Mountains of Kyrgyzstan
Our final activity in Kyrgyzstan was an 8-day trek in the Alay Mountains, located in the southwest of the country. Although we love hiking, we are not backpackers. So we decided to join a group trek for the first time. We booked the “Best of Alay” 8-day tour with Visit Alay. Osh. It was the…
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Relaxing at the Beautiful Lakes of Kyrgyzstan
After Karakol and the Ala-Kul hike, we spent a week traveling westward to enjoy the two most famous lakes in Kyrgyzstan – Issyk Kul and Song Kul – with a stop at Jeti Oguz en route. Jeti Oguz – the Beautiful Red Rock “Seven Bulls” After the Ala Kul hike, we originally planned to go…