A walk in Cemoro Lawang, the casuarina valley

A brief stroll at Cemoro Lawang, a small village on the Tengger Crater’s edge where we were staying for three nights during our Bromo trip in November 2009. It’s a pretty scenic place to walk around with a bit of European valleys feel…

Cemoro Lawang, East Java, Indonesia

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Tengger Caldera sand sea, East Java, Indonesia

The massive sand sea (volcanic ashes to be precise) at Tengger Caldera; the landscape is as close as it could be to resemble a desert in in this tropical region. Photos from my Bromo trip in November 2009…

Tengger Caldera sand sea, East Java, Indonesia

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Mount Bromo & horse ride, East Java, Indonesia

After the splendid sunrise at Penanjakan, we went to the foothill of Mt Bromo, hopped on one of the horses for a 10 minutes uphill ride and conquered the 250+ steps staircase to catch a glimpse of the sleepy volcano from close range…

Fumarole of Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia

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Mt Bromo sunrise @ Penanjakan viewpoint

Semeru-Bromo-Batok volcanoes – highlight of my Bromo and Java trip. Had to wake up early in the morning to catch the sunrise and breathtaking scenery of the volcanoes and caldera from the Mt Penanjakan viewpoint, but it’s all worth it…

Mt Semeru-Bromo-Batok volcanoes, Java , Indonesia

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Cha Ca grilled fish, Hanoi, Vietnam

Cha Ca La Vong is a restaurant in Hanoi famous for its grilled fish (Cha Ca) dish which was created some 130 years ago. The restaurant/dish is so famous that the street is named after it, and it’s featured in almost every single Hanoi’s travel guide.

There’s one problem though, as some other restaurants are riding on its fame with similar name and menu to take advantage of naive foreign travellers, and I was one of the fallen prey of the conspiracy during my Hanoi trip in July 2008…

Cha Ca grilled fish in Hanoi, Vietnam

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Sung Sot Cave, Halong Bay, Vietnam

Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises) is the largest cave in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Located at the Bo Hon Island, the cave got its name (grotte des surprises) from a French admiral who was surprised at the size of the cave when he discovered it.

Photos from my July 2008 visit, including an aerial view of the iconic Bo Hon Bay which often features on travel magazines and postcards…

Sung Sot Cave in Halong Bay, Vietnam

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