May 17, 2026

May 17, 2026

We awoke on the 20th floor of our Surakarta, Indonesia hotel. I looked out to enjoy the view over the city and noticed two giant mountains looming over us. Oooh! The one one on the left is the 10,000 ft Mt. Merapi (Fire Mountain). It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and it is smoking! I forgot that Indonesia is a major part of the Ring of Fire.

After breakfast we drove an hour east up the slopes of another even taller stratovolcano, Mt Lawu. Fortunately this one seems to be dormant. The steep ride up the slopes is a nice change of pace. It is cooler and more scenic Our first stop is a tea plantation. Volcanic soil is incredibly fertile. The Dutch took advantage of this and introduced tea during the colonial period. After walking amongst the plants, we stop and have some local tea along with Fried Cassava and a Banana Fritter. Aimee and I are not big tea fans.

Our next stop is at Sukuh Temple. These ruins were first documented by Sir Raffles of Singapore fame. He was temporarily governor here when the British were fighting over control of the East Indies trade. Sukuh is a Hindu temple from the 15th century. It was one of the last to be built before most of the island was converted to Islam. Hindu temples are much more interesting than Muslim ruins because of the preponderance of figures. In particular, based on some of the explicit depictions, this one must have been used for sex and fertility education.

Since the temple was built late in the Hindu period, it has unique elements that diverge from the older Javanese norm. After going through a gate with a Shiva Linga, we enter a courtyard with wall stories and a pyramid at the far end.

Our last stop was at a tall waterfall cascading down the mountain slope. Aimee and I both thought a nearby wall of water was more interesting. We have seen large waterfalls everywhere.

We went to a local restaurant for lunch. Since this is Indonesia, Fried Banana was on the menu again. I filled up on Fried shrimp along with potatoes and vegetables. For dessert we had a Rice Coconut concoction wrapped in a Banana Leaf. We finished with some delicious fresh Mango and an odd fruit called Mangosteen. We had to pry it open to enjoy the garlic-shaped interior fruit.

On the way back down the mountain to our hotel, I noticed all the rice paddies along the road. Planting and cultivation is all manual in small plots. Java gets three crops per year. At one stage in the growth, the paddies are flooded. It has several purposes, but the primary reason is to control weeds and pests without the need for chemicals.

May 16, 2026

May 16, 2026

We are up very early today for a morning flight from Jakarta. I am surprised at all the bicyclists on the road. I always thought biking for exercise was a western thing. Since it is Saturday traffic is light and we make it to the airport quickly. This beautiful airport is named after Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, the first President and VP of independent Indonesia. The country name was coined from Indo-nesia or Indies Islands as compared to Polynesia (many islands) and Micronesia (small islands).

Our Garuda Indonesia flight follows the coastline east before turning south to land in Solo, aka Surakarta. It is too early to check into our hotel so we visit the nearby Mangkunegaran Palace. Like most parts of the world Java society was based on feudalism. Like the British in India, the Dutch exploited that system in a 'divide and conquer' strategy to control the population. The current king of the local municipality is still a major landowner. The legacy of feudal societies can be hard to throw off. We had a guided tour of the palace but it was not that exciting. Since we are in a tropical environment, the buildings have an open terrace design.

We have another buffet for lunch. We have Turmeric Fish again along with Fried Tofu. The accompanying sauces seemed to have a nice spice kick to them. This time I washed it down with a local Bintang beer.

In the park adjoining the restaurant is a metal sculpture of Krishna in a Chariot. This is a story from the Hindu religion. Strange in a majority Muslim country. But like Easter and the Resurrection in Catholicism, the Javanese culture has melded the two historical religions.

Our next stop is a Batik Museum. I groaned about going to a fabric museum. From past trips, I thought Batik was just stamped fabric patterns. I learned this Javanese art form actually uses a wax process to mask the part of the cloth that is not supposed to be dyed. It seems analogous to the way integrated circuits are made. The process is repeated to make intricate designs. While I found it a little boring, Aimee ended up buying fabric at the end of the tour.

Unfortunately the fun didn’t stop and we got a chance to try this technique for ourselves. We were given a piece of cloth and we used molten wax to ‘paint’ the designs. (Wax stamps are now used to automate the process). Then we colored in the design. We will get the results tomorrow after the wax is washed off by the staff.

May 15, 2026

May 15, 2026

We had breakfast this morning in our Jakarta, Indonesia hotel. I had a variety of Dim Sum. It consists of bite-size Chinese snacks. We also had a cup of 'Java' grown on this island of Java. After breakfast we joined our tour group.

Our first stop is at Merdeka Square to view the National Monument. This tall obelisk was built to memorialize the Indonesian struggle for independence from the Dutch colonialists. It was declared in 1945 after WWII but took four years of fighting to achieve. The Dutch only relented after the USA threatened to withhold Marshall Plan aid for rebuilding. At the same time, the Dutch colonies tried to get their British East Indies counterparts to join them. That effort failed and they became the separate country of Malaysia. Unfortunately the first leaders of Indonesia were socialists and communists following in the footsteps of China, Vietnam, and Cuba. That is the main reason this resource rich country is still poor compared to their capitalist neighbors, e.g. Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

After walking around the square, we were dropped at the nearby National Museum. It was recently reopened after a renovation. I found it to be a little haphazard in its presentation. The Hindu/Buddhist era artifacts are the most interesting as they include intriguing figures. The relics from the later Muslim period are mostly boring because that religion forbids human depiction. So gravestones are merely decorated with calligraphic script.

Indonesia is the world's fourth largest country with just under 300 million people. It is spread out over many islands the size of the US. It consists of hundreds of tribes speaking as many languages. Like Malaysia they use Malay (aka Indonesian) as the common tongue. Over half the population lives on this island of Java about the size of Tennessee.

We next drove towards the old port of Dutch Batavia stopping at Fatahillah Square. This is the old downtown of Batavia and is surrounded by the former colonial government buildings.

Before lunch we make a visit to the next-door Wayang Puppet Museum. Puppet shows have a long history in Indonesia and was a method to teach kids about morals and religion. Wayang means ‘shadow’. Originally the puppets were just flat pieces of leather that cast shadows. Later the puppets were elaborately decorated. Our guided tour was mediocre but the relics were extensive.

Much better was the presentation we got afterwards at a puppet shop. The owner was very entertaining and informative and gave us a little show in order to encourage us to buy something.

We had lunch at Cafe Batavia, housed in one of the old colonial administration buildings. We had a nice variety of entrees to try. Aimee liked the Gado-Gado peanut sauce salad starter. I especially liked the Turmeric fish dish. Indonesia was originally colonized for these spices and Turmeric is supposed to be a good anti-inflammatory. To commemorate the Dutch history, I have a Heineken beer with lunch.

May 14, 2026

May 14, 2026

We had a late start this morning in Kuala Lumpur because we have a flight scheduled in the early afternoon. After another big breakfast we used Grab to get a car to the airport. This was the most dangerous part of our travels, a long high speed journey to a faraway airport with a driver who thinks he is in an Indy speed trial.

With the Strait of Hormuz closed and jet fuel shortages looming, I was a little worried about all the plane flights we are taking. I was relieved when I realized that Petronas is the national oil company of Malaysia and is an oil exporter. Singapore is the refining capital of southeast Asia so we will probably not have an issue getting home.

Our flight leaves on time at 1:45 pm. We follow the path Dutch East Indies traders would have sailed centuries ago down the Strait of Malacca across the equator to the island of Java.

This route is still filled with trading ships of all kinds, including container ships and bulk carriers (eg LNG). They are hugging the Malay side as the Sumatra shore is visibly shallow.

We land in the Dutch Indies capital of Batavia, named after the German tribe that settled Holland. After Independence, the name reverted back to the original name of Jakarta. Unlike Kuala Lumpur, immigration is fully automated and we make it through in seconds. The fun ends there as we have trouble linking up with our driver. In the end it works out and he drives us to our hotel downtown. Indonesia though is much poorer than Malaysia. The air seems very smoggy and we pass lots of shantytowns. We share the road with thousands of motorcycles. Jakarta is now probably the largest metropolitan area in the world with a population of 42 million. Wow!

Aimee is happy to find our hotel is like a colonial palace. After settling in, we go to the bar for a drink. We both have a glass of Bordeaux wine. It cost us the princely sum of 479,000 Rupiahs.

May 13, 2026

May 13, 2026

We ate the hotel breakfast this morning in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I tried the Thai Tom Yum Soup. It was spicy and tasty, but very difficult to eat without making a mess. Aimee is having to hand-wash my shirt every day.

After breakfast we caught a Grab car to take us the eight miles north to Batu Caves. This is a series of Karst limestone caves that have Hindu temples inside them. We visit the largest, dedicated to Murugan, the god of war. While the Hindu religion has ancient roots in Malaysia, these temples were established in the 19th century. A huge 140 foot statue graces the entrance.

It is a steep climb of almost three hundred slippery steps to reach the interior. It wouldn’t be so bad but for the climate. It is a cool 80 F but with 100% humidity, it is a sweaty exercise.

The exterior and interior are decorated with brightly colored deities. In addition there are dozens of Long-tailed Macaques climbing everywhere. They are looking to steal food from the unaware. A horde of pigeons crowd the entrance floor. On more than one occasion something startles them and they fly directly overhead straight at me. I hope they are not carrying bird flu.

We pass on visiting the other caves at the site. Instead we take another Grab back to the city center to visit Merdeka Square. Merdeka means Independence in Malay. It used to be the cricket field of the British colonial rulers. Now it is dedicated to the freedom they won in August 1957. After race riots between the Malays and Chinese, Singapore was kicked out of the confederation in 1965.

Kuala Lumpur means ‘muddy confluence’. It was established in 1857 to exploit the tin discovered here. Recently the confluence was cleaned up in a ‘River of Life’ civic project. The oldest mosque in KL sits at the junction. It is closed to non-Muslims today.

Chinese were brought in to work the tin mine. We next visit their enclave starting at the Central Market. I bought a miniature Petronas Tower to remember our visit. We walk around checking out two Buddhist temples. Like Singapore’s Chinatown, this one also has an out-of-place Hindu temple. It has one of the southern Indian, brightly colored Tamil gates. We finish our visit walking down Petaling Street, a more traditional rustic outdoor market.

I convince Aimee to do the lunch buffet at the KL Tower. This 1381 foot telecommunication tower has a revolving restaurant at the top. To keep my clothes clean, I concentrate on eating the fried Tempura items. They are pretty good. Aimee and I both pig out on desserts afterwards. Lunch comes with a bonus of views. KL seems to be in competition with their rival Singapore for the most unique and audacious building. Petronas is no longer the tallest in the city. The highest is the recently opened Merdeka 118. It is the second tallest in the world. We get great views of this and the other tall structures in this vertical city.

After lunch we Grab over to Petronas Towers and get the next tour slot. Petronas has a special interest to me. In a former life I once had the highest office in the world. It was a closet on the mechanical floor above the Observation deck of the Sears Tower. My customer who managed Sears Tower, was seduced to come work here at Petronas to manage its opening in 1996. Our tour starts on the Skybridge on the 41st floor that connects the two towers. It is mostly boring, but reminds us of the famous finale in the Sean Connery movie Entrapment we re-watched last week.

The second part of the tour is an observation deck on the 86th floor of tower 2. Not only do we get a bird’s eye view of the sloped top of tower 1, we also get a good view of KL Tower. I had read that KL is full of hotels and apartment buildings with rooftop pools Once we start looking we see them everywhere. If we come again, I have some cool spots in mind.

Since Aimee followed me around to these lofty spots, I now have to do the same while she strolls the huge shopping mall below Petronas. Afterwards we walked back to our hotel. We make a pit stop on the way at an Irish bar to quench our thirst.

May 12, 2026

May 12, 2026

Singapore is a very nice wealthy city. Aimee loves the cleanliness. But we are not finding the city to be too walkable. Sometimes we struggled to find a crosswalk on major avenues. The city is designed for cars and subway riders. And important to me, there is a stiff alcohol tax making beer expensive. So this morning we checked out of our hotel and took Grab to the airport. We are early, so after checking our luggage, we took the Skytrain to T1 and crossed under to the Jewel. This is a circular multi-level shopping mall with the largest indoor waterfall in the center. After taking some photos of the Rain Vortex, I follow Aimee around as she window shops. Eventually we get hungry and we stop at a Chinese restaurant for a Dim Sum lunch. We get a sampler of their dumplings with some cooked greens for Aimee. Yummy!

On our way back to our terminal, we run into a Laderach shop. That is the Swiss chocolate that we brought back in bulk from Zurich in 2024. I buy all I can with the last of my Singapore dollars.

At 1:40 our Malaysia Air flight departs. Interestingly the flight path goes southwest over the Singapore Strait. There are ships as far as I can see. The narrow passage is littered with hundreds of islands forcing ships into a narrow channel less than 2 miles wide. This strait is as important to world commerce as the Strait of Hormuz. One half of all oil and one fourth of all the world's freight passes through here.

After crossing the strait, our flight veers back north to the Malay Peninsula and we land in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. I see vast fields of Palm Trees. Plantations like these now cover much of Malaysia and Indonesia to produce Palm Oil.

We head straight to border control and find a zoo of humanity waiting in long lines. Aimee says “We are not in Singapore anymore, Toto”. Fortunately our driver was very patient waiting for us. The airport is far from the city, so it takes us an hour to get to our hotel.

After settling in, we head out for an early dinner. Or at least we tried to. We called a Grab car, but it took quite a while for it to reach our hotel. KL rush hour traffic seems worse than Chicago. It takes another twenty minutes to creep the mile to the Traders Hotel. Shockingly the taxi fare was a pittance. This driver is making almost no money. We recently read that Malaysia is a great place to retire because it is friendly and extraordinarily inexpensive (except alcohol).

We take the elevator to the hotel SkyBar on the 33rd floor. We are reasonably early so we get a nice booth with the best view in town of the Petronas Towers. While the view is stupendous, the seating location next to the indoor pool is kind of weird. We ordered another Satay dish along with Tempura Cauliflower. I was disappointed to discover that Malaysia has an even higher alcohol tax than Singapore.

At sunset we leave and walk towards Petronas Towers. Shockingly there are hundreds of joggers on the hiking paths through the downtown area. Who knew Malaysians were so into exercise. As we cross the KLCC park at the base we see lots of people sitting by Symphony Lake watching the lighted fountain show. The Islamic-inspired Art Deco view of Petronas looking up is very cool.

May 11, 2026

May 11, 2026

Last night we took the Metro to the large urban park, Gardens by the Bay. There we ate at the Satay by the Bay Hawker Center. Aimee and I shared some tasty Chicken Satay we bought at one stall with a green bean dish from another.

At sunset we walked towards the SuperTree Grove I have often seen in photos of Singapore. I stopped to take a picture at a group of three. After glancing at my phone map I realized that the Trees are spread out. The main grove of twelve is on the other side of a long building. By the time we push through the crowd to get to this main grouping, the Garden Rhapsody light and music show has begun. The trees glow and pulse to the orchestral music of Star Wars. It is pretty amazing. Someone had to have had a wild imagination to build this venue.

To beat the crowd we leave before the end walking west toward the Marina Bay Sands Resort. In the basement we find a Metro station to carry us back to our hotel.

This morning we did a brief exploration of the Kampong Glam neighborhood north of our hotel. This is the old Malay-Muslim enclave. We see lots of Turkish restaurants and rug shops. Aimee is pleased to pass several fabric stores. We end at the Sultan Mosque.

We then hop on the Metro and take it back to Gardens by the Bay. We start at the south end and walk north. It is filled with curiosities like fish ponds and sculpture. One is a large floating baby called Planet.

We pass through the SuperTree grove. It looks so different in the day with no crowds. Surprisingly the trees are not just decorative but also support the mechanical needs of the nearby visitor center, gift shops, and restaurants. The center tree has an observatory at the top and there is an elevated walkway connecting the trees. We continue walking and find a nice view of them against the Water Lily Pond.

We next visit the two greenhouses but find the Cloud Dome is closed for its monthly maintenance day. Only the Flower Dome is open. It is the world’s largest glass greenhouse. It contains gardens representing habits from around the world. We are happy to find it is partially air-conditioned. I spend some time photographing some of the unique flowers. There is a special exhibit on Tulips.

We have a burger lunch next-door. It was very tasty but the fries came well after we had finished the burger. Aimee says this isn’t McDonalds. We finish with ice cream cones at a real McDonalds. Aimee makes a mess eating hers because the heat was melting it faster than she could eat it.

Because the Cloud Dome was closed we were given a ticket to watch a show at the nearby IMBA Theatre. We sat on bean bags and watched an in-the-round story of the life of the artist Fernando Botero. It was actually interesting. I had never heard of this Columbian but recognized his paintings of obese people. Botero said he didn't draw people fat, he just gave them volume.

Our timing was good because there was a brief rain shower while we were in the theatre. We finished our day at the Marina Bay Sands Resort. This very unique building consists of three towers connected by a surfboard rooftop. After walking the length of the three lobbies we take the elevator to the 57th floor for a drink at the rooftop bar Ce La Vi. There is a stiff cover charge but it comes with one free drink. Because of the rain shower we get prime seats along the edge. It comes with a great view of Marina Bay. I have another Singapore Sling while Aimee has wine. Unfortunately the setting sun is making our seats very hot.

On the way out we check the views in the other directions. One is to the swimming pool of the hotel. It is the world’s largest infinity pool. It is only open to guests. We thought about staying here our last night but found the price exorbitant for even the cheapest room. Aimee also said she wouldn’t get anywhere near the pool edge.

We also check out the view to the east overlooking Gardens by the Bay. We get a great view of the SuperTrees and the Flower Dome. In addition we see hundreds of ships moored offshore and the coastline of the Indonesian island of Sumatra across the narrow Strait of Malacca. Singapore is the second largest port in the world.

Our last stop is in the basement wandering around the huge indoor shopping mall. Every luxury brand from around the world is represented. There is even a Venice-like canal down the middle. Apple and Louis Vuitton even have island stores connected by underground passages. We have a Chinese dumpling snack at the food court. We wash it down with Coconut Water.

May 10, 2026

May 10, 2026

I had a quite tasty Malaysian Laksa soup in New Zealand a few years ago and wanted to try it again in its real home. We found a restaurant serving it last night not far from the hotel. It was delicious (and spicy) but served in a bowl with noodles. There is just no dignified way to eat a bowl of wet noodles (no matter how tasty) with a spoon.

One reason we wanted to come to Singapore was watching the cute movie Crazy Rich Asians. It was filmed in this fantasy-like urban playground. We went walking after dinner to find a scenic spot to have an after-dinner drink. We started at the rooftop of the National Galley. It had a beautiful view overlooking extensive soccer fields but the bar for some reason was not open. Seeing the Fullerton Hotel in the distance we next checked it out crossing the Singapore River over the antique Anderson Bridge. The rooftop was closed for a special event.

Punting we took the hotel viaduct across to Fullerton Promenade. We easily found couch seating at a bar overlooking Marina Bay. I ordered the signature Singapore Sling. Aimee had Ginger Beer. We stayed long enough to watch the light show.

Afterwards we walked along the promenade to the Helix Bridge that crosses Marina Bay. It is lit up colorfully at night. We were a little stymied though by lots of construction. Exhausted we took the subway back to our hotel.

This morning we left our hotel using the Grab App. It is the Uber of Southeast Asia and works almost identically. We took it fifteen minutes west to Fort Canning Park. This hilltop is the old military command center of British Singapore. To cross the road we took the pedestrian Tree Tunnel. The open stairwell is shaded by a tree that is an Instagram favorite. Not surprisingly there is a long line of young females wanting to do a selfie. Aimee and I chuckle and make our way uphill.

We signed up for a 10 am tour of the underground bunker Battlebox complex. Guarding the narrowest point of the Strait of Malacca choke-point, Singapore was considered the Gibraltar of the East. After Pearl Harbor, Singapore was the next most important target of the Japanese. They attacked just two months later.

A retired Singapore Army veteran gave us an interesting introduction and then got us going on the audio tour. Each room of the tour is filled with life-like models and related a different phase of the battle. The Japanese had done their homework and caught the British flat-footed. Despite a large numerical advantage, the British surrendered after only a week. The Japanese commander was relieved. He didn't have the supplies or men to fight a longer battle. Churchill was stunned, calling it the worst defeat in British history.

From the Battlebox, we walked across the park to Clarke Quay on the Singapore River. This former port facility is now a tourist mecca. To honor the British I have a lunch of Fish and Chips while Aimee had Chicken and Rice.

After lunch we walked east along the river to Raffles Landing Site. This monument honors the Brit Sir Stamford Raffles who chose Singapore in 1819 to be the new capital of the British Straits Settlements. He chose it because of its strategic location at the narrowest point of the Malacca Strait. It flourished and grew rapidly.

We finished next door at the Asian Civilizations Museum. We are here for the history and for the air conditioning. We begin with the Tang Shipwreck exhibit, the highlight of the museum. Discovered only twenty-five years ago, this 9th century shipwreck illustrates that the Asian communities traded far and wide for millennia. It was far more important than the land-based Silk Road. Living at the choke-point of that trade, the indigenous Malays were a key player. And their Malay language became the ‘lingua franca’ of the commerce. Surprisingly this Arabian ship was full of Chinese pottery for probable trade with the Middle East. Tens of thousands of standard size bowls were found packed in large clay vessels. All were decorated uniquely.

We breezed through the rest of the museum. The religious beliefs provide insight on the interactions. At one time locals had converted to Hinduism and Buddhism because of trade with India. Later when the Arabs started dominating this trade, Islam become the primary faith. There is a special exhibit on games that got Aimee’s interest, partly because she plays Mahjong with a local ladies group. Gaming is an intrinsic human phenomenon.

From the museum we walked along Marina Bay again. We stopped for a photo of the Merlion, the iconic symbol of Singapore. Singapura means Lion City in Sanskrit, so a ‘Sea’ Lion seems an appropriate symbol. We took a Grab car back to our hotel to rest for the afternoon.

On a lark we checked out the hotel pool and were delightfully surprised to find an open rooftop oasis within this urban jungle. The huge pool has mattress seating within islands of greenery. And they have a bar serving Singapore’s Tiger beer. We spend a couple hours relaxing; something Aimee rarely gets to do on her Mike tours.