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A View Of The Big Pool

June 1, 2009 at 4:35 PM | 0 Comments

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

After seeing our Santa Barbara triple hop last week, a tipster writes in to up the ante. This pool with a view has a five-star resort around it, but that view's worth a million bucks.

The Amankila resort in Bali opened in 1992 to sell that view from its 34 suites (each an individual beach house) to vacationers craving something nice to look at. Acrophobics fret not, the beach below is also owned by the resort privately.

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Where to Find Komodo Dragons in Their Natural Habitat

March 24, 2009 at 10:52 AM | 0 Comments

Welcome to Where To Find, our growing guide to those little-known places that never seem to show up on the travel radar--until now. We're not saying they're undiscovered, but you may need to look 'em up on our WTF Map.

Once again, the the world's animals are not pleased. An Indonesian fisherman was mauled to death by komodo dragons as he was searching for fruit on Rinca Island, a deserted island and UNESCO World Heritage site that serves as a sanctuary for these dangerous lizards.

There are about 3,000 komodo dragons on Rinca and neighboring islands but while there have been some incidents of late, fatal attacks on humans are rare. Indeed, we were surprised to find that visiting Rinca Island to see komodo dragons is somewhate of a well-trekked tourist path. Still want to visit? Here's how.

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It's A Small WiFi World After All

February 24, 2009 at 1:56 PM | 0 Comments

In this brave new era of in-flight WiFi, does it still matter whether airports have a wireless network? Absolutely! For one, Internet in the air isn't so widespread as to be ubiquitous; for another, layovers and flight delays can catch up to the best of us. When Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport recently increased its taxes on domestic and international flights, one of the amenities brought up as most in need of improvement was its spotty, slow WiFi -- Changi Airport in nearby Singapore charges just a little more but includes free WiFi.

So which international airports that are better than Jakarta Know about some WiFi we've yet to list, either in the US or elsewhere? Let us know.

Related Stories:
· Bad Marks for WiFi at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport [AtLarge.com]
· Airport WiFi Map [Jaunted]

Bali Boosts Its Airport But Skips New Shops

January 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

Not many would recognize the name "Ngurah Rai International Airport," but many have flown into it: It's the arrival point for anyone visiting Bali and it's more commonly referred to as Denpasar. Whatever you call it, it's in for quite a few changes, judging by the announcements made this week by Indonesian VP Jusuf Kalla.

The problem right now is that the airport's capacity is really only 2 million passengers a year--yet 4 million people are arriving in Bali annually. Quite rightly, authorities have decided that a $110 million expansion is needed, and so the terminal that currently services domestic air traffic will be enlarged. Once it's done, it'll become the international terminal.

An interesting part of the planning is that no commercial shops will be built in the new terminal. Officials say that since Bali is known for its "traditional art markets" in the tourist areas, there shouldn't be a bunch of new airport shops to compete with them. And here we were thinking airport shops were meant to be tear-the-last-foreign-currency-out-of-you pit stops.

Shops or not, the new Bali airport is meant to be finished during 2010. But let us be the first to say that we think "island time" will make that 2012.

Related Stories:
· Bali Airport to be Renovated [Jakarta Globe]
· Bali Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: zhaffsky]

Rabid Dogs Coming To Bali Beaches

December 12, 2008 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

Uh-oh. The Indonesian island holiday paradise of Bali is not quite the paradise we thought. It's just lost the status of being rabies-free, so now we've got to warn you about it.

Last year it was the chickens that were dangerous, but Australian health authorities have just confirmed that rabies is back in town. The Balinese are denying it for now, saying three locals died of a brain infection... after being bitten by dogs. We'll let you decide.

In any case, there are now warnings for tourists to consider rabies vaccinations before they fly to Bali and to look out for dogs, cats, monkeys and other animals who might scratch or bite you. Even if they're not (yet) foaming at the mouth.

Related Stories:
· Bali Tourist Paradise Bitten Again [The Age]
· Don't Play With Chickens in Bali [Jaunted]
· Bali Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: marcomazzei]

Rihanna Stopped The Music In Jakarta

November 14, 2008 at 9:20 AM | 0 Comments

What, Chris Brown can't watch her back? Mere days after running off the stage during a concert in Sydney, Rihanna is canceling a show in Indonesia over "security concerns."

After delivering an underwhelming set in Singapore last night, plagued by sound problems and marked by truncated versions of her hits instead of bonus concert cuts, the R&B princess is now backing away from tonight's sold-out show because, according to her reps, of recently updated Australian security warnings. Apparently Indonesia's neighbor to the south is concerned that the execution of three Islamic militants this week could cause reprisals, and Rihanna just didn't want to take her chances on the 6,000-strong crowd.

The prevailing theory is that Rihanna is pulling an M.I.A. and hiding a baby bump, potentially related to the aforementioned Brown. Gossip blog Bossip has already named the baby Chrianna, which gave us a little chuckle.

Related Stories:
· Rihanna @ Singapore Indoor Stadium -- Major Letdown [Emerican Life]
· Rihanna Drops Indonesia Show over Security [Reuters via Yahoo!]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ultimate Rihanna]

Bikini Travel: Almost Outlawed on Bali

October 17, 2008 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

That favorite holiday isle of Indonesia, the tropical paradise that is Bali, almost got a radical new look.

The mostly Muslim country was considering banning the wearing of bikinis in every part of the country as part of an anti-pornography bill being pushed through the Indonesian parliament by some of the more conservative Muslim parties. Which is totally their right, of course--but it probably wouldn't be great for tourism on Bali in particular.

In any case, Bali is mainly Hindu, and plenty of locals there were vowing to simply break the law if the no-bikini rule got passed. Luckily it looks like they won't have to. The bill now contains exemptions for special tourist areas so relax: You can still pack your bikini for Bali.

Related Stories:
· Bikinis Given the Green Light in Bali [news.com.au]
· Bali Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: mag3737]

Open Water Travel: Fighting Komodo Dragons Edition

June 10, 2008 at 4:01 PM | 0 Comments

We like to think of extreme sports as those that involve gravity and humans flying through the air in unnatural ways. But lately scuba diving is looking more and more like a high-risk endeavor, too.

First there was the report of the Australian couple left by their tour operator in shark-infested waters for 19 hours. Then this past weekend we learned about the group of five divers in Indonesia that got pulled away from their wooden boat by a strong rip current, survived 12 hours in shark-infested waters and then landed on the island of Rinca to confront an aggressive Komodo dragon.

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Bali Without Buses: Accidental Green Travel?

April 15, 2008 at 9:03 AM | 0 Comments

The environment's been getting an unexpected boost on the Indonesian island of Bali in the last couple of weeks. Fuel shortages caused by late arrivals of tankers to Bali's main fuel depot has meant that many gas stations simply closed up shop.

And that meant some tourists had their trips well and truly disrupted. With bus drivers unable to drive their empty-tanked buses, some travelers got stranded while others were ferried around in smaller cars that still had some gas.

Bali Tourism officials were quite concerned--especially as it's supposed to be Visit Indonesia Year--but perhaps it's just a strong shove from fate to remind people about the idea of green travel. Who knows where the fuel might run out next? We'd better start learning to walk again.

Related Stories:
· OilShortage Fuels Bali Discontent [TravelMole]
· Indonesia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: axoplasm]

Train Travel: Ride Safe or Get Sprayed

March 6, 2008 at 10:35 AM | 0 Comments

The commuter train's packed and you're late for work. Next move? Hop on top of the car and cling for dear life until your stop, right? Probably not, unless you're in Jakarta.

So many people are risking life and limb to get to work in the Indonesian capital that authorities are taking new and bizarre measures to prevent it. The latest? They're spraying people with food coloring.

Local train station guards told the BBC that warning signs and regular security checks haven't worked. Last year 23 people in the city were killed from electrocution or falling off the trains. The idea now is that these desperate commuters will stop if they think they might show up to work looking ridiculous--and the guards aren't holding back:

In the back office at Manggarai station, the team preparing the mixture told me it made victims' eyes water and their skin itch. I asked them if they aimed for any specific part of their targets. "No," was the answer, "we spray them all over."

Hey, whatever works. Maybe they could start using this stuff on unruly passengers in Manhattan.

Related Stories:
· Indonesia spray paints commuters [BBC]
· Train Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: diankarl]

Bali Zoo Wants Animals to Line Up

November 2, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

If for some strange reason you've had enough of lying on the beach during your Bali holiday, then you can always check out the Bali Zoo. It's not massive, with just 350 animals calling it home, but it likes to double as a conservation unit and has dubbed itself "Nature's Education Centre".

Thanks to a cooperation going with the Peel Zoo in Western Australia, the Bali Zoo is modernizing its animal enclosures and has the aim of making it a zoo where "animals will be lining up at the gate to get in." We'd like to see that.

The news of the moment at Bali Zoo is that it's just started running Night Tours of the zoo. Since plenty of the 350 are usually pretty sleepy during a balmy tropical Bali day, night tours should help you see animals being a bit more active. Just watch out at the front gate for that animal queue.

Related Stories:
· Bali Zoo [Official Site]
· Get To Bloody Bali Now [Jaunted]
· Bali Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: viajar24h.com]

Don't Play With Chickens in Bali

August 14, 2007 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

Last year we were urging you to get to Bali quick smart, but looks like we might have to change our tune. Headlines today are telling the world that there's been a confirmed death from bird flu on the island. Given that Indonesia is the location of almost half of the world's known deaths from bird flu, it's hardly surprising that Bali's becoming a risk too.

Tourists traveling to Bali are now being strictly warned to avoid contact with poultry, as the disease is contracted directly from birds. At the moment the virus isn't contagious between humans, although scientists are worried that could change. For now, be careful and don't play with chickens, no matter how much you love animals.

Related Stories:
· Bali Tourism Hit Again [Independent]
· Get To Bloody Bali Now [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Bali [HotelChatter]

[Photo: sillydog]