Phuket town, Thailand

Patong Beach - Phuket, Thailand

Wonderful Thai Food - Phuket, Thailand

Night Life in Patong - Phuket, Thailand

Sunset at Patong Beach - Phuket, Thailand

Girly Boys - Sexy Night Life in Patong
 - Phuket, Thailand

Thai Restaurant in Patong - Phuket, Thailand

Phuket town, Thailand (11/10-11/2009)

Thailand's largest island of Phuket became famous in the early 1980’s tempting visitors with its 30 or so glorious beaches.

We visited Phuket's Patong Beach (once the most beautiful, certainly the most well known) about a half hour drive from the city of Phuket. Now Patong has Phuket’s largest selection of restaurants, bars, shops as well as a vibrant sexy nightlife.

It was interesting standing on the exact spot where those horrible scenes of destruction and death occurred that we witnessed on the news media just a few years before. In 2004, Phuket suffered extensive damage from a huge tsunami killing 250 people in Phuket and 1,000’s around the region. 


A year later Phuket was back to normal with almost no evidence of the damage and tourism has almost fully recovered in 2009.

Phuket has an interesting history... It is the largest island in Thailand made wealthy in the 16th century from rubber and mining tin (then considered a precious metal).

Phuket was also on the trading route between India and China that attracted interest from numerous European countries (Dutch, British, and French).

Please see our other post about the beautiful islands of Thailand:

Kho Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

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Jakarta, Indonesia

Traditional Dance 
- Jakarta, Indonesia

National Monument - Jakarta, Indonesia

Indonesian School Boys - Jakarta, Indonesia

New Apartments - Jakarta, Indonesia

Poor Housing - Jakarta, Indonesia

Indonesia Miniature Park

Museum Indonesia

Muslim Bathing Suit
- Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia (11/7/09) - Hot and dirty, Jakarta is the kind of place you immediately want to take a long shower when you get back. 

Jakarta has an urban area population of about 23 million making it the second largest populated region in the world and one of the densest populated places on earth. Jakarta is capital of Indonesia and its economic, cultural, and political center.

In addition to obvious economic poverty, Jakarta suffers from congestion from heavy traffic, especially in the central business district. Two hour commutes each way are common. To reduce traffic jams, some major roads in Jakarta have a 'three in one' rule during rush hours prohibiting fewer than three passengers per car on certain roads.

Missing the worst of the traffic on the weekend, we visited Jakarta's most recognizable landmark, the National Monument (dedicated to independence) in the central park of the Jakarta. Housed in its base is the National History Museum depicting scenes about Indonesia’s struggle against the Dutch occupation. 

Traffic in Jakarta, Indonesia

We also visited the Indonesia Miniature Park (see photos). Nothing much is miniature about the Park with it many large pavilions representing Indonesia’s over 30 provinces. This is very interesting depiction of village life and architecture from all over Indonesia.

Map of Jakarta, Indonesia

Some history... Started as a Portuguese port in 1522, then the British came, and finally the Dutch who stayed here hundreds of years and named the city Batavia. Jakarta (renamed after independence from the Dutch in 1949 after the Japanese surrender in 1945) grew rapidly as an important port and the capital of the Dutch East Indies. 

Jakarta and Indonesia has had a violent history as many groups struggled for power during and after the Dutch occupation. It is peaceful now with elections starting in 2007. Indonesia is still a poor developing country. It will be very interesting to watch future history as this very large nation begins to take its place on the world scene.

Please see our other 3 posts on interesting Indonesia:

Bali, Indonesia

Komodo Island & Dragons, Indonesia

Makassar (Ujung Pandang), Indonesia

 

 
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Bali, Indonesia

Candi Dasa Beach - Bali, Indonesia

Resort on Candi Dasa Beach
- Bali, Indonesia 

Men at Temple Event - Bali, Indonesia

Traditional Music - Bali, Indonesia

Women Taking Offerings to Temple 
- Bali, Indonesia

Candi Dasa Beach - Bali, Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia (11/5/2009) - With a population of 3.5 million, Bali is a peaceful and wonderful Hindu island loved by Indonesians and people from all over the world.

We chose to have a beach day and went to a resort at Candi Dasa where we had a nice day swimming in the warm water of the ocean. A few years before after the disco bombing, we came to Bali with our son, Alden, for a week and had an exceptional travel experience. In Bali, the people, food, spirituality, prices, places to visit, unique architecture, etc. are exceptional. 

Coming this time to Bali on a cruise ship proved to be a different experience. The cruise port was mobbed with aggressive vendors, prices were much higher, and we were directed to overly expensive tourist oriented places.

Even so, if you slightly scratch the surface it is easy to notice the deep rooted culture and the wonderful people. The Earth is a big planet and only a very few places find a position on our revisit travel list. We look forward to coming back and enjoying the Bali again. Getting away from the typical cruise ship locations reveals a totally different and better experience.

Jimbaran Bay is a favorite of ours in Bali. With scores of fish restaurants located on the beautiful 4-mile white sandy beach, you enjoy a freshly caught fish dinner cooked by coconut shells and lightly spiced. Watching the sunset while enjoying dinner is a joy - life is good.

Kuta Beach is the nightclub and shopping mall area of Bali. Worth a visit if you enjoy shopping and nightlife. Some pretty good restaurants are located here. On Bali's northwest coast, Lovina Beach is a quieter alternative to the energetic south coast.

A trip to Ubud in Bali's interior (see photo of rice paddies) is a wonderful retreat from the beach areas to enjoy sophisticated Hindu art culture and beautiful scenery in a mountainous environment.

Rice Paddies - Bali, Indonesia

About 80% of Bali’s economy depends on tourism so the people of Bali were severely affected by the two terrorism bombing attacks in 2002 and 2005. Things are back to normal with a record number of visitors (almost 2 million) in 2008. When we visited Bali again in 2009 they are hurting because the global economic downturn - it was good time to come with less crowds and better prices.

Map of Bali

Some history... Bali is the only Hindu (93%) island in all of Muslim Indonesia. This occurred when a Hindu empire declined on the large island of Java in the 15th century and they set up on the small neighbor island of Bali. The Dutch mounted a large successful assault on Bali in 1906 where an estimated 1,000 Balinese marched to their suicidal death rather than face the humiliation of surrender.

Beautiful Bali Beaches!

Click here to see the best beaches in Bali from Rough Guide

Please see our other 3 posts on interesting Indonesia:

Jakarta (Capital), Indonesia

Komodo Island & Dragons, Indonesia

Makassar (Ujung Pandang), Indonesia

 

 

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Travel for half the cost for all levels of travel from budget to luxury and 100's of other unique travel tips! From a former Economic professor, experienced traveler (106 countries), award-winning travel photojournalist/blogger, featured speaker at large travel shows, host of the travel TV show Plan Your Escape® TV aired on the CW network, and travel columnist for the Huffington Post, our popular 5-star customer rated groundbreaking and comprehensive how-to world travel book Plan Your Escape, Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home reveals secrets how you can travel and see more for half the cost for all trips from weekend getaways to longer vacations and trips, experience more adventure and romance, safely realize your travel dreams with comprehensive planning tools and checklists, travel the world for less than $100/day for a couple, and much more!
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Komodo (Dragon), Indonesia

Komodo Dragons - Indonesia

Beach - Komodo Island, Indonesia

Wayne 'Captures' 
a Komodo Dragon - Indonesia

Komodo, Indonesia (11/4/2009)

Komodo Island is famous for the Komodo dragon (giant monitor lizard), the largest living species of lizard dating back to dinosaur times. These ‘lizards’ can grow to almost 10 feet long weighing over 300 pounds. 

Even though Komodo dragons have poor hearing and eyesight, they have a fearsome reputation having a strong tail as long as its body and lethal saliva that kills their victims in a few days. 

The Komodo dragon uses its tongue (Jacobson’s organ) to detect, taste, and ‘smell’ so they are dangerous day and night. In brief sprints, Komodo dragons can run up to 12 mph. They can swim well following prey into and under water. 

A Komodo dragon can eat up to 80% of its own body weight in one meal and can swallow a whole goat. Because of its slow metabolism, a large meal could last a Komodo dragon a whole month.

Baby Komodo dragons live in the trees for 3-4 years to avoid predators including adult dragons. A little over 2,000 Komodo dragons are located on four islands. 

Dock on Komodo Island, Indonesia

We visited the Komodo National Park on Komodo Island, now an UNESCO World Heritage site, where we saw several dragons up close and the Timor deer (carrion) they mostly feed on. Komodo Island itself is pretty surrounded by many smaller striking islands.


Please see our other 3 posts on interesting Indonesia:

Bali, Indonesia

Jakarta (Capital), Indonesia

Makassar (Ujung Pandang), Indonesia

 

 

Please enjoy 250+ wonderful places around the world, with award-winning photos, from our BLOG ARCHIVE on the right ---->

Travel for half the cost for all levels of travel from budget to luxury and 100's of other unique tips! From a former Economic professor, experienced traveler (106 countries), award-winning travel photojournalist/blogger, featured speaker at large travel shows, host of the travel TV show Plan Your Escape® TV aired on the CW network, and travel columnist for the Huffington Post, our popular 5-star customer rated groundbreaking and comprehensive how-to world travel book Plan Your Escape, Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home reveals secrets how you can travel and see more for half the cost for all trips from weekend getaways to longer vacations and trips, experience more adventure and romance, safely realize your travel dreams with comprehensive planning tools and checklists, travel the world for less than $100/day for a couple, and much more!

Buy this popular book on Amazon.com (also available as Ebook for $9.99), CLICK HERE