Wandering and Wondering

The photos in this blog is from two trips separated by six months (-: One in Jan 2013 and other in August 2013. As it is famously called, the cultural capital of Asia, it lives to its title. Constant eruptions of nearby Merapi volcano and earthquakes often threaten its existence but Yogyakarta has stood the test of time till now. But then, as much as Mount Merapi threatens its existence, as much it ha given to this place. The fertile land, the volcanic rocks of Borobudur and Prambanan and the volcanos themselves!  It is best to visit Borobudur in morning for sun rise and it is better to visit Prambanan for sun set. Ramayana ballet is also in evening at Prambanan, hence an evening visit saves an effort of coming twice. Please check the ballet calendar before planning a trip as it is not on everyday. Best months to visit would be from April to September, when it rains very little. Following goes the things one can do in Yogjakarta.  1. Borobudur A 9th ...

Advanced open water diving!! but by no means an "advanced diver". It was my second dive trip, I opted for Advanced Open water certification at Koh Lanta with Lanta Diver . How to get there: Nearest airport is Krabi, but ferry and van services are available from Phuket, Phi Phi and Ao Nang also. Ferry is more convenient but check for their timing. If you are arriving at Krabi airport in afternoon, Van might be the only option. Koh Lanta: Is it one of the laid back places, complete contrast from chaos of Patong in Phuket. Beaches are serene and sedate, sometimes all for yourself. There are parties also at various locations if you are looking for one.

Humans have achieved tremendous architectural marvels in pursuit of divine. Yangon and Bagan are vivid examples of these architectural excellence. The pagodas in Yangon and Bagan are timeless presentation of Myanmar's glorious past, the on going belief and golden future that may await. For past few decades Myanmar was in news for Ang Sun Su Kyi struggle, with her, of many. But things have changed in last few years. The government has opened up and it is taking steps in right direction. But it is still early days for tourists and we took this as an opportunity to explore the land of thousand temples. A three hour flight from Singapore, Yangon was our first stop of the 2 places. The second being Bagan. We actually started our plan with 3 guys and slowly other friends showed interest and we became 7!! But it was still kind of off season, (Peak Season:- Mid Nov - Mid March), in Myanmar, Hence the temples were all for ourselves in Bagan.

First things are always special... First love, first scuba dive and similarly it was for first skydiving. It has left a long lasting impression that could last for a lifetime.  Tandem skydive! It is a popular bucket list stuff and I chose my Oceans'13 conference trip for the dive. For a first time jump, there are three options i.e. a tandem jump where one is strapped to the instructor, a solo jump with 2 instructor holding on to you (requires 4-5 hours of ground training) and a static line jump (least popular) where a rope is attached to you to deploy the parachute.  The tandem jump is by far the most common and popular method for first skydive. The reason i chose tandem and not Solo was simple, I was a bit scared. I wanted to get a feel for the complexities. But now I am etching find a window for another jump :).  I chose San Diego Skydive for my first skydive and it will always remain my first. The skydiving with these guys was awesome. They were a good com...

The may day in year 2013 was wednesday. The only way to use it was to take the whole week off. With this excuse, me and my friend were off to Manila for nine days. However our final destination was Palawan. We took Air phil express flight to Puerto Princesa from Manila as soon as we could. Our intent was to see the Sabang subterranean river and El Nido. Ever since we landed in Puerto Princesa, we were greeted by Edward Hogedorn, Mayor of Palawan, everywhere, not personally but with his posters - big and small - all around. It seemed as if he was part of natural land scape. Though later this year, he lost the election.  Our trip didn't go as per plan. Sabang had become some natural wonder and local and international traveller were flocking in They number of permits per day were limited and we could get the permit for 3 days later. The permit office for underground river is in Puerto Princesa. It is possible to obtain this permit from the home country through travel agents ...

Mount Merbabu, standing tall at 3142 meter, is a dormant stratovolcano and the perfect place to view skyline of east java filled with volcanos. Mount Merapi, only few hundred meters from here, stands out among those. This mesmerizing view from the top of Mount Merbabu is perhaps only a stroll away for the fits trekkers but for a lazy occasional walker, this was some effort but a worthy one.