After a couple of very relaxing days on Derawan island, we chartered a speed boat with some other travelers to visit the nearby islands. Sangalaki, which is even smaller than Derawan, houses an upscale dive resort and a sea turtle …

Baby turtles on Sangalaki island Read more »

For the second part of our honeymoon trip we scheduled 7 nights on Derawan, a tiny island a couple of kilometers off the shore of Kalimantan. After the wonderful but exhausting hikes at Kutai NP, we wanted something laid back …

Snorkeling with turtles on Derawan Island Read more »

I have never been a great tennis fan, but with the Australian Open in the city, it was time to see some games live. Luckily, a friend and former childhood tennis player from Sydney visited at the time of the qualification matches, …

Melbourne – Australian Open 2013 Read more »

The first item on our travel agenda for Kalimantan was the Kutai NP, a 2,000 km² protected rainforest with an estimated orang utan population of 600. Only a tiny fraction of the park is open to visitors, allowing them to …

Kutai NP – Meeting wild orang utans Read more »

Spontaneously, a colleague and me decided to go to Wilsons Promontory NP for a (long) weekend. The park is on a peninsula about 3 hours drive from Melbourne. We started Friday in the early afternoon and arrived in time to …

Wilsons Promontory – Overnight hike to Waterloo Bay Read more »

On the next day, we drove to Warrumbungle NP, a park known for its volcanic rock formations and its koala population. Soon after we arrived, several kangaroos approached us, feeding on the grass right next to where we pitched our …

Warrumbungle NP – The Great High Tops Walk Read more »

I booked a flight spontaneously to Sydney to join several co-workers of mine on their post-conference road trip in New South Wales. With the car already booked, the week-long trip started in Sydney, following the coast up north towards Brisbane, …

Road trip on the coast of New South Wales Read more »