by Roy -

This article is written by Kalyan Verma. Kalyan is a leading travel photographer and blogger.

Divya Mudappa admiring the base of a massive Ficus tree growing on a dipterocarp

Its not the orangutans or the colorful diversity of birds, neither is it the primates nor the hornbills. Its the giant trees that take your breath away in Borneo. You feel as if all the trees that you have seen in your life were Lilliputians and now you have come and bumped into Gulliver himself.

These trees are spectacular. One has to work really hard to see the whole tree. From the ground, the top of the tree either disappears into the canopy or into the mist, either way, the only part of the tree that you will ever get the see is the main trunk.

They look very still, but in the rainforest, they are working every second – for water, nutrients, light, and space, and to fend off a host of parasites and predators of all kinds.

View from the canopy platform

But one amazing thing about Borneo is that, one can climb up and stare at these forests from the top — see the top canopy at eye-level, and still have canopy emergents towering above you. Climbing itself is quite an amazingly exhilarating experience and once again, you really realise and appreciate how tall these trees really are. Many biologists say that the true life in the rainforests is up in the canopy. From up there, you get a feel of the world view that the primates and hornbills enjoy.

I’ve always found that in nature, trees are the most difficult subjects to photograph. Its very difficult to do justice to the grandeur of some of them. One of the most spectacular trees in the world is the Koompassia excelsa (also locally known as Mengaris) and on my recent Borneo trip, I had decided to photograph this tree. Koompassia excelsa is one of the tallest tropical tree species. In an undisturbed forest, its very difficult to see the whole tree. Most often you just see the trunks, while rest of the tree merges with the others in the canopy.

Light painting of a Mengaris tree

But if you find one in an open or logged forests, you really can feel the size and scale of the whole tree. We found this particular one in Tabin Nature Reserve, right by a road and on a night safari. It was amazing to see this tree against the sky full of stars. So to photograph it, I setup my camera on the bag and took a long exposure shot of this tree.

I thought something was missing and thought, it might be a good idea to light up part of the tree. So I decided to Light paint the tree. Divya and I panned the trunk and the canopy with a LED torch light while the camera was on its 30 sec exposure.

The clouds were building up and in one of the subsequent tries, a lightning lit up the horizon and created a very dramatic effect. Every time I look at the photo of this tree, it transports me to Borneo.

Kalyan Verma

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 288 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Hem Bhandari, an avid travel writer and photographer based in Mumbai

An  everlasting  Impression  of  a  foreign  land  which  touched  me  the  most

Friends , in this travel blog , I would like to share with you , one very special feeling of  mine , after one of my visits to  foreign lands. Its quite natural that after accomplishing something, what you cherish,   you are very relaxed and pleased to carry on the pleasant memories of your accomplishment. This applies to your leisure-travels or trekking expeditions too.

Bali, Indonesia

There are  many experiences which you like, but still out of them there is   A  Specific One , which  knocks at your memory again  &  again, but still does not perturb you, on the contrary, you welcome its recurrence  in your mind. This particular thought is the one, which has impressed you the most, and this is the one which leaves an everlasting effect on you.I am pleased to share one such  Very Specific Impression  with  you, which goes as follows ; I had very keen desire to visit Bali, which ultimately was fulfilled, when I visited this place in March 2010, with my Wife, exclusively as tourists. I am really not happy with me that I could not do it earlier, despite the fact, I lived in Kualalumpur for four years, but still could not make it, due to the  unending professional and  personal commitments, which kept me  occupied, so long I was there. Anyhow eventually. I did it with my better half, to the best of  our leisure time, in  our private capacity. We  had preplanned our visit and stays at three different  regions  in  Island  Bali, which is 140 x 95 Sq. Kms. in area, reasonably large for an Island . At planning stage itself, it appeared so interesting that we could not reduce our intended stay here for less than eight days, otherwise we were confident that we will miss quite a few things of our interest, and we did not want to remain deprived of  it, due to curtailment in our Bali stay. The  three  regions, we selected for our visit & stay were “ Ubud ” ,   “ Gianyar”  & “ Sanur “.

Coming back to What  impressed/touched me the most after Bali visit, I was very pleasantly surprised to observe the  influence  of the  Hindu mythology, culture,   traditions, the brotherhood/friendly  feelings for Indians, more so if  they come to know that your are  Hindu. I am quite convinced that Balinese folks, in general have soft corner for  Indians. I will now elaborate my observations & actual experiences, right from the time we landed at Bali Airport till we bade goodbye  to this Island.

Ngurah Rai International Airport Bali

At Bali, the Visas  are  given to  foreign  tourists  at Visa Counters, on arrival, irrespective of  nationality of  visitors. This invariably  ends up in  long  parallel  queues  at multiple  Visa Counters, calling tourists turn wise for  visa -documentation/ formalities. What I experienced here was, the  European  visitor immediately prior to me was diverted to adjoining counter, by the  Officer on Duty, for the reason, known to him only. Next in the queue were we two  and looking at us he immediately called us to him. I was really surprised by his call, when he had diverted the man before  us  to other counter. Anyhow before even I could hand him over our travel documents, he promptly asked us “Are you from India”. Yes was the answer. “O, I love India, so nice people there, I want to go to India” was his  next expression, not bothered about  his checking our papers. “How long you wish to be at  Bali“ was his next query. For 8 days was the reply. “Why only 8 days, I am sanctioning you Visa for 6 months”, told that officer, making all necessary endorsements on our documents, welcoming us to Bali and wishing us pleasant stay. This entire thing took not more than five minutes. Believe me, that Officer closed his counter, immediately after he finished with us  and left for the day, otherwise he  had called it a day immediately before us.

Even today this incidence gives me the  pleasant feelings.

Statue of Ghatotkacha inBali

After this we  were  heading to our first  Hotel in  “Ubud “ . It was about One & Half  hours drive. We had engaged a local guide for the entire Bali trip, who accompanied us right from our  arrival at Bali  till  departure. It proved to be a good decision, as his presence made our trip very convenient from every point of view. On this drive, a huge  white  colour  statue  at the first main road crossing, attracted my attention, so I instantly asked the Guide, whose statue is it. He started explaining, he is the son of a one of the pandavas of  Indian Mahabharat, called Bhima . He is known as “ Ghatotkacha”, continuing his explanation, till I told him that  I know about ‘Ghatotkach’ They pronounce it as “ Ghatotkach-a”. I could see his smile of appreciation. From there on he became very friendly with us. He then told Sir, many type of tourists come from India, who need these explanations about Indian things, so as a duty I was trying to explain, but I am happy you know about “ Ghatotkach-a”. Picture below I clicked, is that statue, I am talking about. Is it not amazing , such lovely statue of  a Mahabharat figure finds place at an important Road junction in Bali?

A statue of Lord Ganesha in Bali

Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 based on 192 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Cyrus Dadachanji, an avid food journalist, storyteller, non-fiction film and TV scriptwriter, researcher, advertising copywriter and poet, based in Mumbai

The only way to really soak in the natural and cultural wealth of Bali is to drive around the island, stopping of for a swim here, a visit to a temple there…

Bali is one of those islands that has always been perceived by the world as a tropical paradise that commercialism hasn’t touched. Well, if you land there thinking it’s a land that’s free of touts and agents, you’re in for a rude shock. On the other hand, Bali has such a rich cultural and natural heritage that it’s impossible to see it all at one go. This tiny island is a natural pot pourri of aquamarine seas, golden beaches, lush tropical forests, volcanoes and lagoons which gives it the image of a world like no other. A land lives and breathes through a culture that seemingly hasn’t changed for over two millennia. And that’s what makes the island a magnet for tourists form around the world.

This is not one of those whistle-stop destinations, where you can spend a night or two and then carry on. It’s a whole world that’s waiting to be explored. And the best way to do it is by road. So, starting from the capital city of Denpasar, let’s take a drive through the various regions of this tropical paradise and see what surprises it has in store for us.

Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar)

The capital city,  Denpasar is the largest city of Bali but has a population of only 370, 000 people. That in itself should give you an idea of the population of the other town and villages on the island. One of the most interesting sights in the city has got to be the central market, Pasar Badung. This three-storey building is the largest public market in Bali and most of the activity here is at its peak well before dawn. So, remember to go early if you want to see everything. The Bali Museum and the Art Centre are also worth visiting, for they’ll give you a taste of the Balinese lifestyle, culture and art, before you embark on your own voyage of discovery.

A few kilometres east of Denpasar lies the sleepy, seaside village of Sanur . It’s an easterly-facing beach with a coral reef that creates a calm pool, which is perfect for snorkelling. You could even stop off at Sanur for a swim in the afternoon, as it’s actually cooler than beaches on the West Coast at this time.

If you want to go surfing rather than snorkelling, drive on to Kuta. This beach town, complete supermarkets, large department stores and excellent restaurants, is the hangout of the young and the restless. Kuta has a fine, long beach that is great for surfing and also has many options for the surfers to unwind at night.

“Bukit is an extremely picturesque place, with paved roads leading to remote, quiet, natural places that were hitherto unknown to the average tourist.”

From Kuta, we drive on to Jimbaran, which is undoubtedly one of the finest beaches in Bali. Jimbaran has several kilometres of pristine coastline, dotted with a wide range of luxury hotels. Pick up a souvenir or two at Jimbaran’s art market and then sink your teeth into some delicious, grilled fresh fish, from a warung or food stall, along the beach. Just around the corner from Jimbaran lies the recently “discovered” area of Bukit. So, what was once wild rocky terrain, populated only by farmers and cattle herders is now a complex of golf courses, and hotels perched atop 50 metre high cliffs that overlook the sea. Bukit is an extremely picturesque place, with paved roads leading to remote, quiet, natural places that were hitherto unknown to the average tourist.

Bali is surrounded by the sea and a string of islands along the East Coast; many of which are worth a visit. Nusa Penida is a tiny island that’s reachable by boat from Sanur. Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan, a small sandy strip that lies off the Northwest coast of Nusa Penida, are great surfing and diving centres. Lombok, on the other hand is the second largest island after Bali and has a string of black sand beaches, dotted with hotels, to suit every budget. Spend a day or two on these enchanting islands and soak in all the sun you want.

Central Bali is hilly region, covered with lush tropical forests and more temples than you can ever imagine. As the area is at an altitude, it is cooler than the coasts and has many pleasant stopovers. Gunung Batukuru, for example, at a height of around 7, 500 feet, is the second largest mountain in Bali. The mountain is covered by lush tropical forests and offers spectacular views of the coast from its hillsides.Mengwi, near Denpasar, is the home of the temple complex known as Pr. Taman Ayun. The entire complex is surrounded by a moat, which s indicative of the violent times in which the Balinese ancestors lived. While you’re in the region, drop in at the Alas Kedaton temple. The temple is infested with monkeys, who are rather friendly, but seem to love caps and sunglasses so just watch it!

Average Rating: 4.9 out of 5 based on 200 user reviews.

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by Roy -

The warmth of greeting and the ready smile is what charms you first. People are always polite and wish you the time of day whether you interact on the telephone or personally. Even the police officer, who nabs you for a traffic violation, will smile. When you grease his palm he will say, ‘thank you, sir’.

Driving here is a pleasure with good roads and petrol at one third the price back home, not to mention the large air-conditioned cars. Vehicles scrupulously stick to their lanes and meticulously follow traffic rules. Quite a contrast from good old Kanpur where one can suddenly be confronted with a car or scooter coming from the opposite direction with the driver audaciously waving at you imperiously to give way. Noise levels are low, hardly anyone blows a horn and there are no loudspeakers blaring film songs. I experience a sudden bout of nostalgia for Ganeshganj in Lucknow during peak traffic hours: horns blaring; cows, buffaloes, dogs squatting on the road while on the pavement loiterers spit out ‘paan’ & ‘paan-masala’ with a satisfying sound of ‘peetch.’

Jakarta by night

Jakarta has a large number of four wheelers and traffic jams are normal. The same journey can take 15 minutes on one day and an hour on another. I was amused to see three wheeler Bajaj scooters, imported from India in 1965, still running.

The country has more then 100 volcanoes, a number of them still active. Earthquakes are therefore common and I recall a tremor while I was at work on the 27th floor. It appeared as if some force had gripped the building and was shaking it violently.

We were witness to a momentous event when the first democratic election took place after almost 50 years. Flags of all political parties were displayed at important crossings by the Govt. and each party was allocated a particular day (by draw of lots) for their election rallies. These were very orderly with participants wearing T- shirts emblazoned with images of the leader or election symbol of the party. There were no loudspeakers blaring nor posters and banners on display.

The country is liberal in its religion and attitudes. The majority of the population follow a very liberal and modern form of Islam and one can spot churches, temples and gurudwaras. There is equality of the sexes and equal opportunity in the work place. I also did not come upon any incidents of eve teasing.

People are generally punctual and take pride in their work. Most employees wear uniforms displaying the logo of their company and there is great dignity of labour. A salesperson in a store sporting a tie will not hesitate to mop the floor if necessary. Tipping is a way of life and everyone expects tips, even the guy wearing a tie. Tea and coffee are savoured sans milk and in mild strength. Both are sipped so slowly that it may take up to an hour to finish a cup of tea.

Personal hygiene is taken very seriously and people bathe two to three times a day. Indonesians dress according to the occasion and invitation cards mention the dress code. Quite a change from what I had got accustomed to at places where staff comes to work in all manners of dress and even slippers. People are very health conscious and one hardly sees anyone who is overweight or displaying a paunch. On Sunday mornings, kids, adults and even the elderly, can be seen jogging, walking, cycling and playing football. Weren’t Sunday mornings meant for sleeping late?

Indian culture has greatly influenced the local culture. The Rupiah 20, 000 currency note has a picture of Lord Ganesha printed on it. There is a huge Arjuna Rath built in the centre of Jakarta and names of Hindu gods like Gayatri, Sanjaya, Lakshmi and Laksamana are common. Indian philosophy recommends detachment from material things and also the inevitability of death and rebirth, but this still leaves Indians amongst the most worried people in the world. I noticed Indonesian’s follow the Indian philosophy of detachment and do not weep when someone dies.

The Indonesian language, called Bahasa Indonesia, contains a number of Sanskrit words. Incidentally, the word Bhasha in India means language. Local TV channels and many movie theatres show either dubbed or sub titled Hindi movies. ‘Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai’, the title of a movie, is a frequently used greeting towards an Indian. The beautiful woodcarvings made here with skilled hands, often depict scenes from the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharat. Indonesians have a tremendous sense of art and aesthetics and the flower decorations, gift wrappings and cut fruit displays are exquisite.

You will wonder what the irritants of living here are. A guest is not expected to criticise his host. I love the country and its people. What I possibly value most about my stay here, is that I learnt a great deal about how to enjoy life.

B.S. Bhasin

2011

http://indiatravelogue.com/trav/impr32.html

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 214 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Coffee collected from the droppings of an Asian Palm Civet is served at the AYANA Resort and Spa.

Coffee collected from the droppings of an Asian Palm Civet cat (creatures similar to weasels or mongooses in appearance but not actually related to felines) may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but some are willing to pay top dollar for the rare flavour, now available at hotels throughout Indonesia.

Civet cats love chowing down on the ripe, red cherries grown on coffee plants throughout the region, but they can’t digest the hard pit in the centre. That means the full seed comes out the other end, where farmers collect the remains, wash away excess debris and lightly roast the resulting beans.

The natural fermentation that occurs in the civet’s digestion system means the beans produce a more aromatic, less bitter brew.  This enhanced flavour profile paired with the scarcity of the beans makes Kopi Luwak (“civet coffee” in Indonesian) the world’s most expensive caffeine-jolt, fetching up to 1.5 million rupiah per kilogram.

Lindsey Galloway

11 Oct 2011

http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20111010-worldwide-weird-sip-a-catpoocino-in-indonesia

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