{"id":1022,"date":"2013-12-30T19:32:08","date_gmt":"2013-12-30T19:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/?p=1022"},"modified":"2025-04-20T19:02:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T19:02:15","slug":"2013-travel-summary-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/2013-travel-summary-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"2013 Travel Summary, Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

Resuming the travel summary of 2013, the nomadic year… Read part I here<\/span><\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

JULY \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Timor-Leste \/ The Gili Islands<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you need to leave Bali for a visa run\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 why not go completely off-script and head to Timor-Leste<\/strong>? Practical info about the place is scarce<\/em>, so I went in blind \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which may be why I loved it so much. That, and my love for raw, unpolished, under-the-radar destinations. It felt like a\u00c2\u00a0trip for “advanced” travellers<\/a><\/strong><\/span> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d full of new experiences – like eating dog<\/a><\/strong><\/span> and meeting fascinating people. Definitely a top 10 contender on my “favourite destinations” list.<\/p>\n

\"stunning
stunning landscapes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"the
socialising with the Timorese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gili islands<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

After that wild ride, Douglas and I took a breather in the Gili Islands<\/strong> to meet up with some friends from England. I made it my mission to visit all three Gilis \u00e2\u20ac\u201d research purposes, obviously. Lazy beach days, fresh grilled fish, Bintang beers, and snorkelling with sea turtles. The perfect beach bum intermission.<\/p>\n

\"lazy
lazy days<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"happy
happy island kids<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AUGUST<\/strong><\/span>\u00e2\u20ac\u201c Borneo, Malaysia<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wrapped up August with a week in Sabah, Borneo<\/strong>. You might not believe it, but traveling around that much can get quite tiring<\/strong><\/span>. So\u00c2\u00a0I slowed it right down<\/a><\/strong><\/span>: massages, seafood feasts, long naps on white-sand beaches.<\/p>\n

But I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go full sloth \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I hiked in the mountains, saw wild orangutans, and visited a refugee village built on stilts above the water (a story that deserves its own post). Kota Kinabalu didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t impress me at first, but by the time I left, it had quietly worked its way into my heart.<\/p>\n

\"village
village on stilts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"wild
wild orang utang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SEPTEMBER – The Philippines<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I had a travel dream. It took me 13 years to make it happen<\/span>. But I finally made it to The Philippines<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and oh, it was so<\/em> worth the wait.<\/p>\n

I spent most of my time in Palawan<\/strong>, jaw-dropping beauty around every corner. Every single day I turned to Douglas and said:
“LOOK at this! How is this even real?!”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"el
island hopping<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"jeepney\"
driving in the country side<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But what really sealed the deal for me was the people<\/em>. My Pinoy friends showed me the heart of the Filipino spirit \u00e2\u20ac\u201d kind, vibrant, humorous, resilient. This country is full of flavour \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the good, the bad, and the totally wacky (looking at you, Manila<\/a><\/strong>!<\/span>).<\/p>\n

If you missed my full-on gush fest, check out my Palawan recap\u00c2\u00a0part I<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00c2\u00a0part II<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"paradise
paradise beaches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

OCTOBER – Home sweet home, Bali<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For the first time in months<\/em>, I stayed in one place for a full four weeks \u00e2\u20ac\u201d sweet, peaceful Bali<\/strong>. It felt like a deep breath after a marathon.<\/p>\n

I finally had time to explore the island beyond Ubud: diving and snorkeling trips to Lembongan<\/strong>, swimming alongside majestic manta rays, watching temple sunrises before the tourists rolled in. I signed up for an Indonesian course (I can now survive a conversation and<\/em> swear like a local), started a yoga practice, and joined a writing workshop during the Ubud Writers Festival.<\/p>\n

Routine never felt so rich.<\/p>\n

\"bali\"
visiting temples<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"galungan\"
immersing ourselves in the culture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NOVEMBER – Vietnam<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Visa time again! I visited South Vietnam on a quest to understand why so many visitors dislike it as a destination. Though I understand why, <\/span>I expereinced nothing but rainbows, sparkles, and chocolate-covered kittens<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The food blew my mind. Fresh, fragrant, complex \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Vietnamese cuisine might have changed my life a little. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re hungry for the details, read about my trip here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mui
Mui Ne beach front<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Vietnamese
Vietnamese food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DECEMBER – Sulawesi<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m writing this blogpost from Sulawesi<\/strong>, Indonesia \u00e2\u20ac\u201d surrounded by friends, wrapping up a year that feels like a lifetime.<\/p>\n

I’m writing you from Sulawesi, Indonesia<\/strong> where a couple of friends and I will be celebrating the end of a fantastic year and welcoming a new one. Hopefully a new year filled with laughter, friendship, love, adventure and realisation of goals and dreams.<\/strong> Those are my wishes or you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy New Year, Everyone!<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What was the travel highlight of your year?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Resuming the travel summary of 2013, the nomadic year… Read part I here. JULY \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Timor-Leste \/ The Gili Islands If you need to leave Bali for a visa run\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 why not go completely off-script and head to Timor-Leste? Practical info about the place is scarce, so I went in blind \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which may be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,117,103,118,137,119,114,126],"tags":[63,41,12,31,33,32,6,42,39,19,58],"country":[203,240,220,262,269],"class_list":["post-1022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-destinations","category-indonesia","category-lists","category-malaysia","category-personal-story","category-the-philippines","category-timor-leste","category-vietnam","tag-bali","tag-borneo","tag-experiences","tag-indonesia","tag-islands","tag-lombok","tag-malaysia","tag-sabah","tag-the-philippines","tag-timor-leste","tag-vietnam","post_format-post-format-image","country-indonesia","country-malaysia","country-the-philippines","country-timor-leste","country-vietnam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1022"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4513,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022\/revisions\/4513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1022"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=1022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}