Southeast Asia Archives

Southeast Asia

Three smiling travellers wearing sarongs pose in front of the Pura Besakih temple complex in Bali, Indonesia. The black stone pagodas and intricately carved gateways rise behind them, while crowds of worshippers and tourists fill the lush, green temple grounds.

Bali to Gili Trawangan: Chaos, Magic Mushrooms, and My First Quake

September 23, 2025 in Southeast Asia

June 2013. It was my first time going from Bali to Gili Trawangan, and I was living my Eat, Pray, Love fantasy. But the story really started a couple of days earlier, on the sulphur-choked rim of Mount Ijen in East Java. That’s where I met Martin, a Dutch traveller, […]

View from the back of a boat moving through a wide, muddy river flanked by dense green rainforest. The boat is loaded with colourful bags, boxes, and supplies, leaving a foamy wake behind. Above, the sky is bright with scattered clouds, casting light on the lush landscape.

From Headhunters to Weddings: Life in a Borneo Longhouse

September 4, 2025 in Southeast Asia

Our boat glides through the calm waters effortlessly past longhouses. The pink paint, brushed in long, faded streaks along the wooden hull, distorts in the rippled reflections stretching out from around us. My guide turns to me and smiles, pointing towards an old crimson truck parked along the banks of […]