Wandering Fractal

Rice fields in the countryside. Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng national park has become world wide famous for it hosts the world biggest cave. It takes around 5 hours to go from Hue to the touristic village of Phong Nha with a bus. It's basically 4 km of houses along the Son Con river. It's the hub to reach the national park. You can find accommodations, shops and restaurants. When I got there, it was raining for days, thus all the caves where closed. I was lucky to have good weather the next two days. The first day, the water level was still too high, so I rented a bicycle and went to see the local villages. I went in the Bong Lai valley, strolled along the rice fields and rivers, high-fived all the kids on the side of the road and ate delicious bamboo cooked pork and vegetables in  Moi Moi . The second day the water level went down and I booked a tour. I went for the Abandoned Valley tour. It's a 12 km jungle trek with visits to two caves. The back entrance of the Dark Ca...

Tea plantation Four hours of bus north of Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands are a welcome escape from the heat of the city. I stayed in the small town of Tanah Rata, 1400 meters above sea level. At this altitude the air is refreshing, even cold during the night. I stayed at De Native Guesthouse where a camp fire was made every night to keep us warm while we were drink beer and chatting. The region is packed with tea, strawberry, flower and other plantations. It also has some jungles where you can spot some amazing plants like the biggest flower in the world or the pitcher plant. I saw the rafflesia with a guided tour. You have more chance to see it like this because the flower blooms only for a few days and the guides know exactly where to find the next blooming one. The next day we went with others from the guesthouse for a trek to the mount Batu Brinchang, the highest mountain of the Cameron highlands. After a taxi to the town of Brinchang we started the trek. We used...

Danau Kaco, a cristal clear spring in the middle of the jungle with blue color given by the minerals at the bottom. The Kerinci valley is a hidden gem of Sumatra. Hard to access, only three roads to go in or out and one small airport that has just recently started to do daily flights to Jambi (Apparently it's still expensive for an Indonesian local flight ~850'000 IDR). If you want to experience preserved jungle with loads of wild animals and traditional villages then the biggest national park of Sumatra is for you. The center of the valley is home to a multitude of villages. The biggest of them and the place you will probably arrive first is Sungai Penuh. From there you can go trek into the jungle. The best way is to contact Luke Mackin a guide that can arrange different tours with him or local guides. Check his website, its the best source of information about Kerinci:  WildSumatra.com . The first day, I did a night safari. We went with a car in the jungle duri...

From Cairns I took a plane to Bali since it was the only direct flight to Indonesia. I quickly went away from the airport and the party places around Kuta and headed to Ubud. This town is still touristic (can't walk on the street without people yelling at you "Taxi !?") but it's more a cultural and artistic center. Inside the city you will find many Hindu temples and traditional houses. Outside of town you can stroll along rice fields and old villages. But one thing you must not miss is the traditional Balinese dance. The mix between enchanting Gamelan music and mythological story told through dance is truly exceptional. You can find many places in town performing each night. I went to the Ubud Palace and payed 100'000 Indonesian rupiah. Ubud has many sleeping offers, so you won't struggle to find a bed. The aggressive competition is also lowering the prices, making Ubud the cheapest place I stayed in Indonesia. I stayed at the Happy Mango Tree...