Tips on traveling in Busan

First, I need to apologize to my blog followers for not even posting a single post in Year 2019! In fact, it's a wonderful year for us as we traveled to Europe and South Korea. I have kept up to date of our travels in my Facebook Page. Do take a visit if you are interested. 

To kickoff Year 2020, I am sharing tips that I learnt during my November 2019 trip to Busan, South Korea. I shared and updated them "on the go" in my Facebook Page on the consideration that I might forget to update later :-P. 

What to prepare, what to buy, what to avoid, what to eat......all are included. If you have more tips on traveling in Busan, please do let me know. I will include them if I find them useful :-)

Gamcheon Culture Village

1. Buy a T-money 💵 card or Cashbee 🐝 card for your public transport. You will get discount.

2. Tap when you get down the bus 🚌 if you are getting a transfer to another bus or metro 🚇 within 30 mins. The transfer will be free.

3. The English standard is still not very high. Chinese language seems to work better here if you can’t speak Korean 🇰🇷.

4. At Gamcheon Culture village, buy a 2000 won map 🗺 from the tourist counter. I strongly recommend the 2 hrs route if you got time.

5. Haggle if you are buying seafood 🦞 🐠 in the Jagalchi market. There are many stalls there and they want your business.

6. Not all restaurants got English menu. Prepare to use your mobile📱 to show pictures for your order.

7. The zebra 🦓 crossings are like non-existence here. Be bold when you use them as the drivers will not stop for you.

8. The public buses 🚌 have only Korean and English (electronic sign at front of bus) announcements of stops. The metro 🚇 has Korean, English and Chinese announcements (only for key stations)

9. Google map 🗺 can’t be used here. I used Nava Map app. Will be helpful if you prepare the Korean address in advance as the app does not recognise some English locations.

10. Be sure to eat seafood 🦞 when you are here. Using King Crab 🦀 as a comparison, you can get almost half the price compare the one you get in Japan 🇯🇵

11. A little spicy 🌶 can still mean very spicy to some people 🥵

12. You need to take bus 🚌 to Taejongdae and Oryukdo Skywalk. Not to worry if you will miss the stop 🛑. Both locations are at the end of the bus route. The bus driver will chase you down if you don’t 😂!

13. Most of the subway 🚇 has only escalator going up. If you have big luggage 🧳 and need to go down to take the trains🚆,look out for the elevators.

14. Not all shops 🏬 offer tax fund return if you buy over 30K won 🇰🇷. Make sure you check before purchasing.

15. Coffee culture is very strong here. You can almost find another coffee ☕️ cafe or outlet within the next 20 steps you take. Apparently, take out is cheaper than eat in for some for the outlets .

16. The Busan people stand to the right side of the escalators.

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Trip to Hokkaido, Japan

It has always been in our bucket list to visit all the regions of Japan. We have ticked off Toyko, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Nagoya. Hokkaido would be the next in our list. The trip nearly did not happened due to the September 2018 earthquake but we were glad that we took the decision to still fly to the northern region of Japan in October. It was autumn in Hokkaido. The rest was history.

Lake Toya

Otaru Canal

Hokkaido is Japan's largest prefecture and it is impossible to visit every part during our 2 weeks stay. Being this was our first trip there, I planned my trip on the more popular destination at the southern part of Hokkaido. I call it the "Southern Circuit". We would touch down at New Chitose Airport and took a Airport Bus Limousine to our hotel in Sapporo. Sapporo was our base where we would make side trip to Otaru, (a small romantic city famed for it's music boxes and glass wares)  and Asahikawa for it's famous Asashiyama Zoo.

Google Map Capturing Our Travel Route

The Sapporo TV Tower

After nearly a week stay in Sapporo, we traveled by JR train (our main transport beside buses and trams) to Lake Toya. Lake Toya is famous for it's onsen and amazing lake view. We simply loved our 2 days stay there. Historic city-Hakodate was next. Apart from it's super fresh seafood, this city has many historic architecture and of course it's global famous night view from Mount Hakodate.

Mount Hakodate Night View

After Hakodate, we would then proceed to Noboribetsu, another area famous for it's onsen. A major attraction here is Jigokudani, also known as "Hell Valley". Sulphuric steams raising from the streams and cracks of the valley gave this place it's notorious reputation. Beware of the many demons that "prowl"and protect this sacred place.Another highlight at Noboribetsu was also the Penguin Parade at the Nixe Marine Park.

Hell Valley Noboribetsu

Penguin Parade at Nixe Marine Park

We would travel back to Sapporo for a couple more days before leaving for Singapore from the New Chitose airport. Overall, Hokkaido is a thumb up for our family. More of our Hokkaido trips in our coming blog :-)

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The Chiang Mai Trip, Thailand

Alison had always wanted to pay Chiang Mai a visit and we took the June school holiday opportunity to fly there. Just like Penang, I last visited this mountainous city more than a decade ago. The vast difference is that Penang has changed much but Chiang Mai has not. The temples, elephants, night markets, people and food felt so familiar and I was glad the old city has retained it's rustic charm. You cannot see many high rise buildings. The Thais respect their temples and it's always disrespectful to build infrastructure that rise above any of the 300 over temples in Chiang Mai.  

Wat Chedi Luang

We would visit the more famous temples like Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep . My daughter loves the elephants at Maesa Elephant Camp  and we had a whale of a time playing with the baby elephants🐘🐘🐘. There are many online debates on the controversies of riding elephants but personally I feel that it takes tremendous budgets to feed and maintain the huge appetite animals. The money must come from some revenue. 

Family Photo at Maesa Elephant Camp

We also took the opportunity to visit Doi Inthanon National Park. It housed the highest mountain in Thailand (2565m). The temperature at the peak was around 15 degree Celsius when we visited and we had to pinch ourselves to remind ourselves that we were in Thailand, which was always hot and humid. The imposing King and Queen Pagodas that are situated near the summit were sight to behold. Shrouded in mist when we visited there, the area emitted a feeling that we were somewhere in heaven. The equally impressive Wachirathan Waterfall was somewhere we would always remember. We spent sometimes enjoying the spectacular sight and cool breezes created by the water dropping from a height of almost 80 meters.

Many readers would know by now I am a "Temple man". In my itineraries, there would always be the presence of temples. But if you observe carefully enough, there is another destination I often included in my plan. Yes, Zoo is always another regular feature. We visited the Chiang Mai Zoo and enjoyed our day there. The park is massive and Charlotte enjoyed herself a lot feeding sheep, giraffes, emus elephants and deer.

I specially created a 7 mins plus video to summarize our amazing trip in Chiang Mai. Hope you enjoy it and give a thumb up!!!

Below is a brief plan of our 6 days visit. As usual, drop me a mail  if you want a more detailed itinerary. Please give us a Like at our Facebook Page before your request 😉😉😉. Let us know if you are looking for a good local driver. We can recommend the one that we used for our trip.

Day 1
-Arrived at Chiang Mai International Airport
-Checked in U Chiang Mai Hotel
-Night Bazaar

Day 2
-Wat Chedi Luang
-Wat Phra Singh

Day 3
-Maesa Elephant Camp
-Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Day 4
-Doi Inthanon National Park
-Ping River

Day 5
-Chiang Mai Zoo
-Shopping at Central Plaza

Day 6
-Checked out U Chiang Mai Hotel 
-Return to Singapore

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Tips for Hiking at MacRitchie Nature Trail

Due to certain reasons, we did not travel a lot for the Year 2016. But we discovered a new found interest-hiking at the different natural reserves in Singapore! For the past few weeks, we hiked at Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, Bukit Timah Hill Nature Reserve and most recently the MacRitchie Nature Trail. Apart from keeping ourselves fit, the hikes also opened our eyes to the natural wonders of the protected areas. We saw wild animals and plants in their natural habitats and learnt to appreciate the sound of the forest. For this article, I like to bring you all through our experience at MacRitchie Nature Trail.

MacRitchie Natural Hiking Trail

MacRitchie is made famous by it's reservoir, natural hiking trails and the Tree Top Walk. The later is a 250 m suspended bridge overlooking the rainforest below and the afar Upper Peirce Reservoir.If you are lucky enough, you can even also catch sight of the animals roaming among the trees. I will not be making a comprehensive coverage for our visit but will focus on the tips and "not to be missed" to look out for if you intend to pay a visit.

Where to start/end
We made two trips to MacRitchie recently and commenced both our hikes from the Venus Drive Carpark. But the end points differed. The first hike ended back at where we began and the second trip ended at the MacRitchie Reservoir (you can start your hike from here, pass the Tree Top Walk and end at where you start or at Venus Drive Carpark). The total distance for the first hike was about 6-7 KM and about 10-11 KM for the second.

Time to hike
The good time is early morning from 8 am or afternoon at about 4 pm where the sun is not at it's harshest. But you may wish to start off a bit early at noon if you wish to pay the Tree Top Walk a visit. The bridge actually closes off at 5 pm sharp. (We missed this place by minutes for our first visit and only got to visit only on our second visit!)

Things to prepare
Wear light-Although protect by the trees'shades, the humidity of Singapore will get into your skin. Wear light clothing for good cooling.

Good hiking shoes-Invest in good hiking or track shoes. Many natural path are rocky and slippery (especially after rain!). I saw two cases of people spraining their ankles and not able to continue their journey.

Insect repellent-This is a must. There are savage mosquitoes (and other insects) preparing to feast on your blood if you do not put on the proper repellent. Apply to your exposed skin before making your trip into the forest. The plastered type of insect repellent also suffice.

Water and food- Bring enough water. You can top up your bottle only at the Ranger's station. Ration your drink! For food, bring some snacks along to fill your stomach if hungry strikes. There are no cafe or restaurant in the natural reserves :-)

Zoom Camera-This is only for the photo enthusiast. If you wish to get a great shot at the wild life without disturbing them, cameras with zoom lens will surely minimize your frustration of not getting a great shot with a normal one.  

Umbrella-This is of course save for rainy days :-). There are limited shelters and you do not want to be caught in a storm in the rainforest.

Wild Life at MacRitchie

Natural Stream
About 10 mins from the Venus Carpark entrance, you will come forth a natural stream that is rare to find in Singapore. Take a stop here and observe carefully the habitats here. You can easily spot fishes and tadpoles in the stream. If your eyes are sharp enough, there are many furry squirrels hopping and scurrying among the trees here. Obviously, living near stream makes live convenient for these little mammals when they wish to quench their thirst.If you have little ones, you can play a game with them on spotting the number of squirrels in the surrounding here.

The Ranger Station
You know you are near the Tree Top Bridge when arriving here. Many people take this place as a resting place before and after walking the Tree Top Bridge. You can top up your empty bottles from the water coolers on site and relieve yourselves at the public toilets. This is also a good place to sight the monkeys. They will be among the nearby trees and the building roof. The reason is obvious-whenever there are humans, there will be food. Do not expose your snacks to the monkeys. They can become very aggressive when they see your food and will try all means to steal them from your possession.

The Tree Top Walk
This destination serves as a highlight for many people hiking here. You have to reach here before 5 pm or the Ranger in charge will actually shut the gate to the bridge. Do not think you can sneak in as there is simply no way past the gate after it is locked. In fact, a signage at the Ranger station will advise you to change your mind if you are already past the 445 pm mark. You do not want to waste your effort to overcome the slope before the Tree Top Walk.

You know you reach the entrance of the Tree Top Walk when  you see a set of stairs leading downwards with signboards showing you the animals you get to see at the bridge (if you are lucky and sharp eyes enough!). It will lead you to a sheltered gate which serves as the starting point of the 250 m bridge. A ranger is stationed there to ensure no more than 30 people load the bridge at one time.

When we were there, I saw other "guardians" perching on the railing of the bridge. The monkeys were waiting patiently for people to walk past them before snatching anything they could lay hands on. We had a difficult time getting past them as they tried to grab any of my loose items from me at any possible opportunity. Ensure you secure your items and put your backpack/bag to the front.

The bridge is meant for one way traffic and single file movement. If you want to get pass the person in front, he/she has to step side way. On the bridge, we get to see the bird's eye view of the rainforest below us. This is the only place in Singapore where you can get this kind of panoramic sight of the natural reserve. A long flight of steps await you when you accomplish the 250 m bridge walk but you will not regret your decision to visit the Tree Top Walk.

The Tree Top Walk

MacRitchie Reservoir Park 
Depend on your hiking plan, you can start or end at the MacRitchie Reservoir Park. The park offers you a scenic view of the MacRitchie Reservoir and if you are energetic enough, can opt for a Kayak adventure on the placid water. Watch out for Monitor Lizards which like to hang around the water!

We will continue to visit MacRitchie Nature Trail and add on more tips which we find helpful. Enjoy your hike :-) !

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The Osaka, Kyoto and Nara Trip

At Kinkaku-ji Temple, The Golden Pavilion

We visited Osaka, Kyoto and Nara back in last year November and December. It was a different experience compared to the visit to Tokyo two years back. The people, culture and food have their own unique flavor and we were glad to visit during the autumn. The spectacular and colourful sceneries with the sea of reddish and yellowish leaves left deep impression with us.  For the local, the fall autumn season holds equal significant meaning to the Sakura season. I was not too surprise after being very fortunate to witness the splendor of both.

The Famous Dotonbori Street

The Osaka Castle

We would spend about two weeks exploring the Kansai region. Osaka was our base with side trips to Kyoto and Nara. Being fans of Japanese gourmet, we decided to reside in hotels near the famous Dotonbori street. This was one of the best decisions made as we conveniently managed to savour the different delicacies for our meals. The only regret we had was the limited capacities of our own stomachs :-(.

Let's Start Running with the "The Glico Running Man"!

All my readers shall know by now I am a "Temple Man". The beautiful Japanese temples and shrines were "Must Have"items in my travel plan. Top in my lists were the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto and Nara. To name a handful-Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Todai-ji temple and Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine. The last name is not a UNESCO World Heritage site (yet) but we were always fascinated by the Senbon Torii (thousand of Torii gates) situated along the mountain trails behind the shrine.

The Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

The trip would not be completed without including plans for my young daughter, Charlotte. Her best memory would be the time spent with the deers at Nara Park and the snow monkeys at Iwatayama Monkey Park at Arashiyama. We would also indulge ourselves at the different theme rides at Osaka Universal Studios and the sight of wonderful sea life at Osaka aquarium (Kaiyukan).

At Osaka Universal Studios 

Charlotte feeding a Nara Deer

With LARGE Stingray At Kaiyukan

More posts and tips will be shared in my later blogs for this trip. Below is my itinerary for this trip for your planning and reference:

(For a detailed itinerary, please Like our Facebook page and contact me by Email)

Day 1

-Arrived at Osaka
-Checked in Metro 21 Hotel
-Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi
-Tombori River Cruise

Day 2

-Osaka Castle
-Umeda Sky Building

Day 3

-Sumiyoshi Taisha
-Shitennoji Temple
-Shinsekai
-Tsutenkaku Tower

Day 4

-Arrived at Nara
-Nara Deer Park
-Todai-ji Temple
-Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine
-Higashimuki Shopping Street

Day 5

-Universal Studio

Day 6

-Arrived at Kyoto
-Checked in Amenity Hotel
-Kiyomizu-dera Temple
-Gion District
-Yasaka Shrine

Day 7

-Nijo Castle
-Kinkaku-ji Temple
-Ryoan-ji Temple

Day 8

-Arrived at Arashiyama
-Tenryu-ji Temple (with Bamboo Groves)
-Saga Scenic Railway Ride
-Monkey Park Iwatayama

Day 9

-Tofuku-ji Temple
-Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

Day 10

-Yasaka Pagoda
-Higashiyama District
-Arrived in Osaka
-Checked in Naniwa Hotel
-Dotonbori

Day 11

-Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan)
-Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi

Day 12

-Hozen Temple
-Kuromon Market
-Tennoji Zoo
-Shinsekai

Day 13

-Back to Singapore

Have you been to Osaka, Kyoto or Nara yet? Share your experience at the comment columns below!

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Why We Travel?

Scenic Sagano Train Ride at Arashiyama, Japan

I always admire those travelers that have the courage and determination to give up what they had and went to explore the World. It was and will never be an easy decision. Although I am unlikely to do this in my lifetime, I will always try to see the other parts of this planet whenever I have the opportunities.

The older generation of people used to share with us that we shall work hard and earn lots of money when we are young. When we grow old, the money will enable us to enjoy life and travel the world. My philosophy of life is actually exactly the opposite. I think all of us shall see the world when we have the health and physics to do so. We may have the money to travel but our bodies and legs will let us down at certain stages of our life.

I remember very clearly when I visited the Great Wall of China many years ago. The whole bus was overjoyed when we finally set eyes on the magnificent structure. I was determined to climb a section of the Great Wall which would take me to a hill top and a breathtaking aerial view of the surrounding. Almost everyone had left the bus apart from these old couple who huddled together at the back of the vehicle. "Are you coming down to join us?" I asked them. The old man replied me: "The weather outside is too cold for us. Our frail bodies will also not allow us to climb the Great Wall." These words still rung clearly in my ears and acted as a good advice for me to do things whenever I have the abilities and capabilities to do so.  

Charlotte and Japanese Gal

Seeing the World, taking great travel photos, experiencing other culture, savoring great and exotic food, making new friends etc are always common and good enough reasons for our travel trips. But sometimes without realizing, there are also other great reasons for us to do so. I like to share with you on my other reasons here:

Bonding & Learning the Other Sides of Your Family and Friends

Be it traveling with family and friends, traveling together will always help to create the extra cohesiveness among your traveling partners. You have to consider each other interests and feelings when planning the itineraries. Your traveling members may also show you a different side of themselves which you never expect to see in your normal life.

Tet, Bayee & Paulo at Terrace of The Leper King at Siem Reap, Cambodia

For example, during my recent trip to Japan, I was discussing with Alison at a Osaka's train station on the best route getting to a planned destination. We were still in the midst of sorting out the way when Charlotte suddenly pointed to the map and said: "Daddy, I think we shall take this route to our destination. It seems the most direct and shortest." We were really taken aback as we did not expect any input from our young daughter. The  biggest surprise was that she had pointed the solution to us! I would learn later that she had been picking up the  knowledge since our first family trip to Tokyo two years back and would put them to good use for the later trips. Rather than just discussing with my wife, I always want to hear Charlotte's opinions also after this incident!

Dad, Mum and Paulo at a Thrilled Ride at E-Da Theme Park at Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Another good example happened during our trip to Taiwan together with my aged parents. I had included E-Da theme park at Kaohsiung for my daughter but was worried that my parents would be bored. But how wrong I was to be. They (especially my father) thoroughly enjoyed their day and took on the challenging rides whenever they had the chances. This was something I did not expect to see from them.

Knowing Where and Who We Are

It's important to know where and who we are in the planet. This applies especially to the privileged children of our country. They are born with no worries for the basic necessities and are comfortable with their life. Many of them have taken this for granted. Instead of always planning trips to the developed countries, I also try to plan at least a trip per year to visit the less developed countries. These trips served as eye opener for Charlotte that there are less fortunate people in the World and life is not a bed of roses.

Children playing at a ruined temple at Siem Reap, Cambodia

During our trip to Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Charlotte had the chance to see young children working hard under the hot sun to earn a living. She saw children almost the same age as her or some even younger helping out their parents at their stalls or pestering tourists to buy souvenirs from their self-carried stocks. She would then question me: "Daddy, shall these children be studying at this time of the day? Why are they working?"  I took the opportunity to tell how lucky she is to be not working but having a good education at this stage of her life. Not everyone in this world enjoy the same privileges. I feel this is very important and send a strong message to our young ones that they shall strive hard for themselves if they want to have a fruitful life in the future.

Taking Well-Deserved Breaks

When I mean well-deserved breaks, I really mean WELL-DESERVED BREAKS!  I am referring to holiday that really help me recharge my often drained biological batteries. I made mistakes in my early travels and often cramped the itineraries like a can of sardines. In the end, I felt more tired as though I had not taken a holiday at all. The experience taught me to be more relaxed and accommodating when planning for my trips. I learnt that it's perfectly OK not to see everything when visiting a country. The key thing is to enjoy and recuperate. More importantly, Alison and Charlotte would minimize their complaints on my hectic traveling schedules :-P !

Alison and Charlotte at The Fisherman Wharf, Macau

Satisfaction

Nothing beat the Satisfaction that I had after every travel to see that everyone has enjoyed the trip. Though I have invested days and sometimes even months to do research and plan for the trips, it is always a happy feeling that we have benefited from the breakaways. The smiles that my parents wore on their faces after the Taiwan trip, the grateful thanks from my traveling mates after the Cambodia venture, the sweet dreams that Charlotte has after the Japan travel, the unending recollection of the good traveling memories with Alison are good enough reasons for the efforts put in to arrange a great trip for everybody.

Sweet Family Photo taken at Umeda Sky Building at Osaka, Japan

So what's your reasons to travel? Do share them in the comment column :-) 

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Mount Merapi Jeep Lava Tour

The Jeep that brought us around

Touring Mount Merapi by a jeep at close proximity was not part of my initial plan for this trip. When Yanto suggested to me to visit the (in)famous still active volcano, my thought was that we would be watching the fiery mountain from a safe distance. Added bonus would be under the shelter of a restaurant, just like when we admired Mount Batur in Bali.

But I felt something was amiss when he pointed at the 4 x 4 jeeps bumping their ways through the rough terrain of lava rocks (created by Merapi's numerous eruption) during the way to our destination. My instinct was proven right when we reached a place parked full with the jeeps we seen earlier. When I questioned Yanto in more details, he told me Merapi must be visited by a jeep to "see better"in his halting English. When I shown hesitations, he referred me to the photos  displayed near the ticket booth. I scanned through the photos and was somehow impressed by them. Most of them were pictures of the past visitors with the jeep and Merapi as the backdrop. After some self convincing and the difficult part of convincing Alison (Charlotte was always adventurous and needed no sweet talk :-P), we agreed to take up the 1.5 hours tour around Merapi. The price was RP 400 000 for a jeep (I read up later and understand you can get one for Rp 350 000).

The moment the jeep started moving, I knew "we were in for a ride!" The designated roads for the jeep was littered with rocks and we were bumping up and down on our seats. We were "clinging for dear life"at times on the uneven roads and there was no safety belt on board. The driver tried to communicate with me in Indonesian but I could understand little of what he say. Luckily, we still could get through each other with universal language (sign languages :-) ) and the help of a brochure which shown details of the jeep trip in English.

The Jeep trip was mainly divided into different stations where we would stop to visit and take photos. The 1st station was furthest away from Mount Merapi whereas the last station was the nearest. I would narrate our adventure based on the stations that we had visited.

The House of Memory

Our first stop was at a village that was destroyed by the recent Merapi's eruption. It resembled some kind of museum which displayed the things that were over-ran by the destructive lava. We could see potteries that were melted and became out of shape, a set of cattle's skeleton (obviously killed by the eruption) and the photos taken during and after the eruption. The most eye catching display was a clock that was jammed and shown the time of the eruption.

Ruined Village

Warped glasses and cups 

Cattle's Skeleton

The Jammed Clock

The Alien Rock

The "star"of this stop was the "Alien Rock". It was part of Mount Merapi till being tossed a few kilometers to this location during the eruption. From a certain angle, the rock looked like a giant Alien's head. You could see how big it is from the photo we take with us standing beside it. From this vantage point, we could also see the lava channel all the way from Mount Merapi. From our photo, you could see how massive it is by observing and comparing to the small yellow lorry within. Imagine red hot molten lava flowing through the channel during the volcano's eruption!

Family Photo with Alien Rock

Alien Rock from another angle

See the massive Lava Channel behind us!

The Burning Lava Rocks

With the help of cigarette's ashes and some fanning motion, our driver was able to "reheat" some of the lava rocks. I was asked to hold some of the rocks to feel their heat. The heat became unbearable after a while and I had to release them from my hands. Note that the last eruption was about 5 years ago in Year 2010 but yet we could still feel it's heat after such a long period of time.

Our driver digging out the active lava rocks

Burning Lava Rocks

The Bunker

This was our last station and the closest distance to Mount Merapi (about 1 kilometers). During it's heyday before the destructive eruption, many photographers and adventurers would make this place their base to take beautiful photos or climb the holy mountain. It was now in a state of ruin. Our driver shown us an underground bunker which was meant for people to hide during any eruption. But it failed it's purpose when two person died of suffocation by the fumes after using it during the last eruption.

The Bunker

Close proximity with cloud-covered Mount Merapi

We were kind of relief after completing the trip and returning back to the jeeps'base. This trip was not for the faint-hearted and I recommend you read my tips before deciding to "take the plunge". Alison had a fall during an uphill climb and my heart was in mouth when the driver almost drive over the edge of the road which would bring us almost 30 meters downhill! Only my shout alerted him and he steered the wheels to safety in the nick of time.

Ride with us!

Experience our bumpy ride!

Tips for Mount Merapi Jeep Lava Tour

1. I had mentioned this ride is not for the faint-hearted. I would not recommend this ride for young children (below 8 years old) and the elderly.

2. For those who have motion sickness, please do not take this ride. The jeeps are travelling on uneven and bumpy rock-strewn paths and can make you real uneasy. The area is also very dusty. If you have breathing-related illness, this ride is also not recommended for you. A mask will be issued to protect you from the dusty environment.

3. Bring lots of water. This is a volcanic area and the lava rocks are still emitting heat. The hot weather at Indonesia does not help the situation. Drinking water will keep you hydrate.

4. Wear comfortably with long pants/jeans and flat heeled shoes. You are required to come down from the jeep to explore the different stops. Some of the stops would require you to perform climbing up slope. Wearing flat heeled shoes would make your climb easier and the long pants/jeans would minimize your injuries if you trip and fall.

5. Always be on the alert. Although the Jeep's drivers know their way and are experienced, do not let your guard down. You are acting as a second pair of eyes for him. Do not hesitate to shout out warning in advance if you foresee something risky on the roads.

6. I use yogyadriver for my trip around Yogyakarta. Write a comment and drop your email address (I will reply you) at the comment column below to enjoy up to 10% discount off the normal rate if you decide to use their service.

Have you taken the Mount Merapi Jeep Lava Tour before? Share with us your adventure!

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