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Traveling to Bali, the Island of Infinite Fascination: The Complete Guide

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The Sidemen countryside in the interior of Bali on the slopes of Mount Agung – Photo by Matteo Bosi

It’s not infrequent to hear the name Bali mentioned along with “paradise”. This slice of Indonesia gained its fame as one of the most memorable places in Asia to vacation. Without a doubt, it’s a marriage between a varied territory suited for all forms of tourism, and an innate hospitality that has made Bali so renowned.

Moreover, over the years its offerings have improved to the point of being suitable for all budgets. From Obama to backpackers!

An island, yes, but where

Bali is part of the Indonesian archipelago. In particular, it is located between the larger island of Java and the smaller one of Lombok. The Strait of Bali separates Java from Bali and can be easily crossed by boat. Connections with Lombok and the Gili Islands have improved and increased in recent years.

Bali is a volcanic island. A good portion of its beaches are therefore typically dark sand, while the southwest offers steep cliffs along the shore with small sandy corners. The beaches in the southeast are artificially kept, which means that they are rather tranquil, or in other terms, boring. It all depends on your point of view. [Read more…]

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Travelling to Magelang in Central Java, Indonesia

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Travel to Magelang

Once used as a military outpost during the Dutch East Indies colonial era, Magelang still maintains the legacy of its military past by being home to the only National Military Academy in Indonesia. However, it never ceases to amaze tourists with its beautiful scenery, the hospitality of its locals and its tranquility, cool air, and delicious food.

It is probably the only city in Indonesia that has a mountain right downtown, called Mount Tidar. In addition, Magelang is also surrounded by seven mountains: Mount Merapi, Mount Merbabu, Mount Sumbing, Mount Sindoro, Mount Andong, Mount Telomoyo, and Mount Gilipetung, making it a perfect destination for people who love hiking!

How to get to Magelang

There are several options for getting to Magelang. Since there are no direct flights to Magelang, you will need to switch over in Yogyakarta, the nearest transportation hub.

You can fly either from Jakarta, Singapore, or Malaysia to Yogyakarta Adisucipto International Airport (JOG). From Yogyakarta Adisucipto International Airport, take the Damri Bus available at airport, which will take you to Magelang. The bus is available from 7 am to 8 pm and leaves every hour. The Damri Bus costs around 35,000 IDR per person. You will arrive in Magelang in 1 to 2 hours, depending on the traffic. Because the Damri Bus serves various destinations, you need to ask the driver if the bus is going to Magelang. [Read more…]

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Traveling to Mandalay and the Ancient Capitals of Burma

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Traveling to Mandalay

After Yangon, Inle Lake and Bagan, with this guide I’ll bring you to Mandalay and Myanmar’s ancient capitals: Amarapura and Sagaing.

A little history

Mandalay was the capital of Burma until 1885, when the English arrived and there was a decline of the Konbaung dynasty. The city is a grid of streets, and summarizes the country’s change in the modern era.

In fact, on one hand you’ll find buildings of historic value, including the royal palace and the Mahamuni Pagoda, and on the other you can find new buildings, the international airport and other modern buildings that “clash” with rural areas around it (here you’ll find my article on trekking at Inle Lake).

The city is known for its craftsmanship and the production of marionettes and wood, bronze and marble objects. Thanks to its strategic position along the Irrawaddy River, and its vicinity to China, Mandalay became an important center of trade.

I recommend that you spend at least two days there in order to fully discover its various facets. [Read more…]

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Work Away: A Guide to the Platform for Traveling while Working

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Work Away

If you’re reading this article, perhaps you’ve had the desire to take off for Southeast Asia with a backpack a million times, but between saying and doing there’s a thousand existential questions you have to ask yourself and you shelved the idea.

Am I wrong?

If the answer is “no” then keep reading. In fact I hope that this article will help you dissipate your indecision.

I’ll start by saying that thanks to the “sharing economy”, everything has become more accessible and you can share everyday goods and services: your house, your sofa, your car and even your time. A system no longer based on purchasing but reuse, trust and collaboration.

To take off on a long trip,therefore, you can trust in collaborative sites such as Workaway, Helpex, Wwoofer and many others.

Each specializes in a field and these sites allow you to offer non-specialized labor for education or social causes for free in exchange for hospitality, and the chance to come into contact with local populations.

What is Workaway?

Workaway, in particular, is an exchange project for finding food and lodging in exchange for work: a way for sustainable travel for you and the country hosting you, for the long term and throughout the world. [Read more…]

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Traveling to Bagan: The Immensity of the Ancient Kingdom of Pagan

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Viaggio a Bagan

Myanmar is a country that has never come out from dictatorship, but still resists and maintains that spiritual and mystic aura that I haven’t found in nearby territories that I’ve explored.

If there’s a place in ex Burma that transmits that sensation, it’s Bagan, the ancient kingdom of Pagan, the largest concentration of sacred buildings in the world: more than 2,000 Buddhist temples, stupas, and pagodas.

The history of Bagan

Bagan was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan between the 9th and 13th century, in the period between 1047 and 1287 where the sovereigns of Bagan ordered the construction of more than 10,000 temples; the result was a plain full of pagodas and stupas spread out as far as the eye can see over a territory of 15 square kilometers. [Read more…]

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Three Days of Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake, in Myanmar

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Three days of trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake

Some tourism information in Myanmar

Myanmar has a rather new tourism industry and has only opened to travelers to in recent years. Because of this, there are still unexplored parts, authentic but still very undeveloped; much is due to the military dictatorship that kept the country closed and even today you can’t access certain regions without permission from the Ministry of Tourism. That said, the following guide will bring you to known and explored places that are just as unmissable and fascinating.

After visiting Yangon, I recommend you take a train for Kalaw, spending a day in this peaceful mountain village, then go on foot by trekking 60 km, more or less, to Inle Lake.

How to get to Kalaw by train

From Yangon you can take a night train leaving at 21:00, heading to the capital Naypyidaw, where you’ll arrive at 6 in the morning, after 9 hours of traveling on a train that’s rather folkloric. From the capital you’ll take another train to get to Thazi in 3 hours.

I recommend that you spend a night in the village and take a train (for just 1,800 Kyat, or a little more than a Euro) early in the morning, to get to Kalaw just after sunrise: certainly one of the most evocative routes in all of Myanmar. [Read more…]

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Traveling to Yangon, the Biggest City of Myanmar

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Traveling to Yangon

A little history of Yangon

With its 5 million inhabitants, Yangon is Myanmar’s biggest city, but not its capital, (which in 2005 was moved to Naypyidaw). Yangon is also the arrival point for the majority of tourists, being well connected with the majority of major international airports.

Although it isn’t the capital, the city has all the characteristics of being one: banks and businesses, modern and dilapidated skyscrapers, colonial buildings, traffic, a mix of religions and cultures, numerous Buddhist pagodas, Hindu temples, mosques and churches, an enormous China Town, markets and street food that will confuse you from the start.

I recommend that you stay in the city for at least two nights: that’s the amount of time that is necessary to get to know the neighborhoods, each with its own characteristics; you can then taste its colonial past, Indian, Muslim, Chinese, British-style buildings, shining stupas and other attractions you’ll discover by reading this article and walking alone through the city in its chaotic traffic.

How to get to Yangon?

Yangon has an international airport, as I said, that is well connected to the major airports of the surrounding countries, but not just those. If you’re already in Myanmar, you might have to fly from Mandalay on a domestic flight on AirAsia or for about 12,000 Kyat (the local currency) you could try the experience of taking a night train (about 15 hours), seated on one of the uncomfortable but manageable cushions, that will bring you directly from Mandalay to Yangon.

If instead you’re coming from Thailand, the closest and most practical border at the moment is Myawaddy-Mae Sot, which is about 400 Km away (about 10 hours of travel by minivan or bus. [Read more…]

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How to Get a Visa for Cambodia: The Complete Guide

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How to get a visa for Cambodia

Do you need help to get your visa for Cambodia?
Click here to see the agencies that we recommend!

Cambodia is a region with an extraordinary cultural tradition that has no reason to envy nearby Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. However, having undergone decades of war and isolation, the country has suffered instability and at times its name is associated with the words “atrocities” and “persecution”.

Today these words are slowly giving way to tourism, and the country has become a destination for thousands of tourists that especially flock to the temples of Angkor.

Besides a visa “on arrival” you can also get a visa at one of the Cambodian embassies or consulates abroad (for America it’s handled in Washington and in Europe in Brussels, Paris, London and Berlin), or online.

What documents are needed to enter Cambodia

First of all you’ll need a passport valid for at least six months from your date of entry in Cambodia.

Make sure that you have at least two blank pages in your passport, one for the stamps and another for the visa. If you go directly to the embassy, you should also attach a photocopy of the passport page with your photo and information.

You’ll also need an application filled out and signed for each passport (the form can be downloaded online on the site for Cambodian world embassies) and a recent passport style identification photo.

Some embassies require proof of a round trip air ticket and sufficient funds.

Lastly, you’ll need the money to pay for the visa.

A tourist visa for Cambodia: Costs and time it takes to get one

If you intend to visit Cambodia for a short vacation, you can get a tourist visa right at the land borders or upon arrival at one of the international airports. [Read more…]

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How to Get a Visa for Laos: The Complete Guide

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Visa for Laos

Do you need help to get your visa for Laos?
Click here to see the agencies that we recommend!

Laos is a “wild” country, representing a different way to travel and relate to nature. If you’re about to depart for Laos, then you know that, despite having a rather wild reputation, you can easily get a visa directly on arrival at one of the land border posts, or upon arriving at the airport.

I’ll say that this is the good news. If however you intend to stay in Laos for more than fifteen days, you’ll need a tourist visa.

It is also important to know that there are only few diplomatic offices. The Laos embassy in US is in Washington.

Here is the address:

Embassy of Laos
Address: 2222 S street NW Washington D.C. 20008
Telephone: +1 (202) 328 – 9148
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.laoembassy.com/

[Read more…]

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How to Get a Visa for Myanmar: The Complete Guide

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How to get a visa for Myanmar

Do you need help to get your visa for Myanmar?
Click here to see the agencies that we recommend!

If you’re planning a trip to Myanmar, remember to find out about visa requirements. In fact, unlike other countries in Southeast Asia (where for brief stays you won’t need a visa at times), if you’re planning a stay, whether it be for work or tourism, in ex Burma you’ll need to apply for a visa ahead of time.

Only with a passport from one of the eight nearby countries, (which you’ll find on this page), can you freely enter the country for 14 or 30 days, without needing to apply for a visa.

 

What is required for a Burmese visa?

 
As I said, Myanmar is the only country in Southeast Asia to require a mandatory visa as soon as you enter. This is also due to the recent opening of the country to tourism, late compared to the others, which are already ahead in the “Westernization” process.

Online procedure for getting a visa for Myanmar

 
In this section of the article I will explain in detail the online procedure, where you can apply for two types of visas. In the event you have to go to the Embassy, the procedure is similar (but in this case you can apply for all types of visas).

There are numerous accredited agencies for issuing a computerized visa, but I invite you to use the official site of the government of Myanmar, immigration section, to be more secure and avoid running into scams. [Read more…]

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Traveling to Vang Vieng, in Laos

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Traveling to Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng (in Lao ວັງວຽງ)is a town of 25,000 inhabitants, located 156 kilometers north of the capital Vientiane.

Founded in 1353 with the name Mouang Song, Vang Vieng is today known mainly for its crazy parties that younger (and not) tourists have been having since 2012.

Before 2012, there were on average at least two young Westerners a month (mainly Australians) that died by drowning in the river, by diving into it after taking drugs of all sorts that were easily acquired in the city’s shops, or restaurants, where shakes and pizzas were prepared with hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The Lao government then decided (also with the pressure of the Australian government) to close the bars and restaurants that sold drugs in Vang Vieng.

What was considered to be the favorite pastime during the tourist boom in Vang Vieng, was so-called “tubing”. Tubing is nothing more than a truck tire put into the water like a doughnut, which you sit on and get taken by the river’s current. [Read more…]

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Traveling to Siem Reap: Complete visit to Angkor

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Traveling to Siem Reap

Siem Reap is a town of a little less than 200,000 inhabitants, located in the northeast of Cambodia. It is also the second most well-known city in the country, after the capital Phnom Penh.

It’s most famous for the complex of temples often erroneously called Angkor Wat (which as we’ll see later on is, in reality, the name of one of the temples making up part of the Angkor archeological site).

The center of the city of Siem Reap is crossed by an 80 kilometer river of the same name that starts in Phnom Kulen National Park.

Despite not being the capital or the biggest city of the country, Siem Reap is however the most visited city in Cambodia, especially thanks to the temples of Angkor. In 1992 UNESCO declared the archeological ruins of Angkor as a World Heritage Site, inserting it also on the list to become one of the seven wonders of the world.

The best time to visit Siem Reap, and Cambodia in general, is between October and March. During the rest of the year Southeast Asia is hit by monsoons and persistent rains that make life difficult for tourists, especially in less developed towns like Siem Reap, where there are unpaved roads and there are no storm drains! [Read more…]

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Traveling to Phonsovan, in Laos

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Traveling to Phonsovan

Phonsavan is a town of about 38,000 inhabitants, capital of the Xieng Khouang region, in Laos. And like a good part of Laos, Phonsavan too is a place that remains mainly unknown to international tourists.

Since 1995 though, three areas of the city where jars from the era between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D. were found, have become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, slowly attracting more and more visitors even from far off Europe.

During the French colonization at the end of the XVII century, the Xieng Khouang region became part of French Indochina and Phonsavan was appointed as capital of the region. The French influence is still seen today in different historic buildings in the city, such as the town hall and church.

Under Paris’ rule until a little after the Second World War, few know that Phonsavan (and Laos in general) was one of the most heavily bombarded regions by the Americans during the Vietnam War (especially between 1964-73), in an attempt to stop the North Vietnamese army.

Even today you can visit the caves where the Lao population had secretly lived for almost a decade to protect themselves from American attacks.
[Read more…]

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Traveling to Vientiane, the capital of Laos

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Traveling to Vientiane

The city of Vientiane (in Lao: ວຽງຈັນ) is the capital of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. With its 200,000 inhabitants, Vientiane is a little atypical compared to other Southeast Asian capitals, especially as regards the landscape and tranquility that reigns in the center of the city.

The entire town is spread along the banks of the Mekong River, which serves as the border between Thailand and Laos. Thailand and Laos also share some traditions and customs. The Thai and Lao languages, for example, are more or less similar, and very often you’ll find Laos that understand Thai and vice versa.

In 1994 the first friendship bridge between the countries was opened just twenty miles from Vientiane. This bridge is especially important due to the fact that it’s the only rail line in the country, and also since it’s a very popular route for tourists that arrive/leave from Thailand via train.

Besides the train, Vientiane is connected to the rest of Asia thanks to a new airport, the Vientiane-Wattay Airport. Located just 3 kilometers from the city center, it is used by airlines like in AirAsia, China Eastern Airlines, Lao Airlines, Thai Airways, and Vietnam Airlines.

Today the airport in Vientiane offers flights to different cities through Southeast Asia and beyond, such as China, South Korea, Japan, and even Australia. [Read more…]

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Traveling to Luang Prabang, in Laos

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Travelling to Luang Prabang

In this article I will guide you in discovering the town of Luang Prabang, a wonderful village in colonial style located on the banks of the Mekong River, Laos.

Luang Prabang is a small city located 390 kilometers north of the capital, Vientiane famous for its Buddhist temples, its waterfalls and night market, and peaceful days where not even a leaf moves.

The sensation you’ll have when you enter the town is that it is a completely different place compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, simliar only perhaps to Bagan in Myanmar, as far as atmosphere goes. And just like Bagan, Luang Prabang too has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (in 1995).

The city’s size and population (50,000) isn’t very big, when compared to other Asian towns like Chiang Mai (150,000).

Its historical importance, which has given it its present appearance, is visible in three aspects:

  • It is the capital of the province of the same name;
  • In 1893 it became part of the kingdom of French Indochina (even today hotels, restaurants, and stores, are also in French style, along with baguettes with jam served for breakfast);
  • Up until 1975, when the communist party overthrew the monarchy, despite not being the capital, it hosted the royal residence.

[Read more…]

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Miho Museum: fairy tale and reality

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Miho Museum: Fairy tale and reality

Last month I visited the Miho Museum, in Japan.

It’s an exhibition building located to the southeast of Kyoto, near the city of Shigaraki.

This article is not however a tourist guide, there’s no train prices, schedules, detailed road directions or things like that.

For that sort of information there are already many sites, like this one.

I wish to instead tell you of a travel experience in a place deeply permeated by Asian culture.

In this way, if I’ve inspired you to visit here, you can perceive and understand each detail of this place. [Read more…]

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Travel to Burma (Myanmar): The complete guide

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Sagaing near MandalaySagaing, near Mandalay – Photo by Matteo Bosi

Are you looking for a tour in Burma? Click here to find out more about the tours we recommend

Here’s all the information you’ll need to take on a trip to Burma, Myanmar: here we will refer to it as Burma, just as the locals call it, being a bit adverse to the recent name forced on it by the military junta in power.

We’ll cover visas, travel insurance, security, transportation, hotels, internet and telephone; together with a bunch of advice for best planning your trip and avoid running into problems.

How to get a visa

Do you need help to get your visa for Myanmar?
Click here to see the agencies that we recommend!

If you want to visit Burma you’ll need a visa. Also, if you move for work or other necessary reasons to a controlled access zone, you’ll also need a special permit.

The application for a Burmese Tourist visa can be gotten through the embassy or online through the official Ministry of Immigration site, not more than 90 days before your expected date of entry. [Read more…]

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From China to Laos, the entrance to Southeast Asia

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from china to laos

Are you looking for a tour in Laos or Southeast Asia? Click here to find out more about the tours we recommend

Combining a trip to China and Laos on the same visit may seem strange, however it can be a very interesting thematic tour. The Chinese region of Yunnan for climate and environment could easily be considered part of Southeast Asia, especially its most southern region.

Even from a historical point of view there are many connections between the two, such as the fact that Jinghong – capital of the Chinese province of Xishuangbanna, was once the capital of the Thai kingdom of Sipsongpanna. And what about the Yuan dynasty, that from Yunnan turned toward present-day Laos and Burma in an attempt to subdue rebellious kingdoms for the will of heaven?  You too can follow the footsteps of Kubilai Khan and, if at the most you submit to a Beer Lao and a plate of noodles, you will have entered into an extraordinary land: Laos.

From China to Laos by air

For a trip to Laos from China, the starting point is Kunming, the capital of Yunnan also known as “the city of eternal Spring”. Depending on the time you have available, the trip can be made by land or air. From Kunming Changshui International Airport, situated in the Guandu district (about 25km from Kunming), the national carrier Lao Airlines offers daily flights to Vientiane. Alternately, flights to Vientiane are available also on the Chinese company  Eastern Airlines, though they offer only two flights per week. [Read more…]