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Review: Jogjakarta Driver (JogjakartaDriver.com)

14 October 2015 Leave a Comment

We availed of the services of JogjakartaDriver.com during our trip to Central Java in Indonesia last month. I found them on Tripadvisor, where they have good reviews that appear legit.

Tripadvisor reviews are unverified, so take them with a grain of salt — many of them are fake ones by the companies themselves using dummy accounts. To discern whether a review is real or not, check the account age of the reviewer and if they have other, varied activity on the site besides that particular review.

I emailed them at jogjakartadriver@yahoo.com and their main man, Danar, replied in less than 24 hours. I also inquired with two other car hire services other than JogjakartaDriver.com, and their rates and inclusions were pretty much the same. I ultimately chose to go with Danar because he made the most courteous response, in the best English, that addressed all of my questions.

The vehicle we got for the duration of our four-day tour was an air-conditioned Toyota Avanza, which had ample passenger space for the three of us. Our driver was Yus, and he was a very good and punctual driver. His English was not as good as Danar’s, but we had insightful conversations during our long drives and we understood each other just fine.

Gunung Lawu (Mt Lawu), Karanganyar — M. and C. with our driver Yus at a tea plantation on the slopes of Mt Lawu in Karanganyar

All in all, we had a great time with Yus. If you’re looking for a tour driver in Central Java, we don’t hesitate to recommend him and JogjakartaDriver.com.

Itinerary: Central Java (4 days)

12 October 2015 Leave a Comment

Below is our DIY itinerary of our trip to the province of Central Java (Jawa Tengah) in Indonesia earlier this month. Folks planning a similar route might find it useful. We skipped the usual sights in and around Yogyakarta since I’ve been to them already two years ago. We got around by hiring a car with driver at JogjakartaDriver.com for the entire duration of our trip (two-way airport transfer included).

Day 1
Morning

Fly in to Yogyakarta
Drive to Semarang Regency
- Candi Gedong Songo

Afternoon

Drive to Magelang Regency
- Ketep Pass

Evening

Drive to Yogyakarta
- Check in at Hotel Dafam Fortuna Malioboro

We took the early-morning AirAsia flight from Denpasar, Bali to Yogyakarta and went to the tourist spots straight from the airport. Tip: don’t go during weekends, as these sights are popular with the locals and are very crowded on those days (we went on a Sunday, and it took a while for our driver to find a parking spot at Gedong Songo).

Tea plantation, Mt Lawu, Karanganyar, Indonesia — Tea plantations on the slopes of Mt Lawu

Day 2
Morning

Drive to Karanganyar Regency
- Candi Cetho
- Tea plantations
- Mt Lawu

Afternoon

Drive to Karanganyar Regency
- Candi Sukuh
- Astana Giribangun

Evening

Drive to Yogyakarta

Candi Borobudur, Magelang, Indonesia — Candi Borobudur

Day 3
Morning

Drive to Magelang Regency
- Candi Borobudur

Afternoon

Drive to Yogyakarta
- Hamzah Batik
- Malioboro Mall

I’ve been to Borobudur before so I stayed behind at the hotel. We took it easy in the afternoon and just went shopping as we had an early-morning flight out the next day.

Day 4
Morning

Fly out

How to apply for a Timor-Leste visa on arrival at President Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili

30 September 2015 3 Comments

It’s easy to get a tourist visa on arrival in Timor-Leste (East Timor), the former Portuguese colony that is the youngest country in Asia. The hard part is actually getting there, since one can fly there on commercial airlines from only three cities, namely Bali, Darwin, and Singapore.

Except for citizens of Portugal, all tourists are required to obtain a visa for a stay of up to 90 days.

The international airport in Dili is pretty small; there are no tubes and we had to walk on the tarmac. Just before entering the arrivals hall, there’s a window where one can buy the visa sticker (see above), which costs USD 30 (the currency of Timor-Leste is the US Dollar). They didn’t stick the visas on our passports just yet, though; for that, we entered the arrivals hall and went through immigration. The officer just asked us the usual questions: the purpose of our visit (tourism), the length of our stay (4 days), the name of our hotel (Katua’s Hotel), and the like. Satisfied with our answers, he gave us 20 days, stamped our passports, and off we went.

Travelers are also required to demonstrate evidence of sufficient funds equivalent to USD 100 for each entry and USD 50 for each day in the country. In actuality, we were not asked to do this.

How to apply for a Sri Lankan visa online

11 July 2015 Leave a Comment

It’s very easy to get a tourist visa to Sri Lanka. Out of all the visas I’ve applied for so far, this was definitely the easiest and the quickest. Yes, it is possible to get a visa on arrival, but it costs USD 5 more (USD 35 on arrival versus only USD 30 online), and you’d have to queue up at the airport. Getting an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) online beforehand is cheaper and more convenient, and it saves time.

All I had to do was visit the official ETA website at eta.gov.lk, enter the required information, pay by credit card, and voilà, I got an automated email acknowledging receipt of my application. Just two minutes later, I got a second email containing the visa approval notice (see image above).

Air and sea crew members are exempt from obtaining an ETA, as well as citizens of the Maldives, the Seychelles, and Singapore who stay for 30 days or less. Citizens of Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone cannot apply for a visa online, and must obtain one from the nearest Sri Lankan diplomatic mission.

And that’s it! The double-entry ETA is valid for six months from the date of approval, and only for a 30-day stay.

Do you need to bring a print-out of your ETA? I didn’t think it was necessary, but the lady at the AirAsia X check-in counter at klia2 in Kuala Lumpur insisted that we print out our ETAs and would not hand over our boarding passes without them. However, the immigration officer at Bandaranaike International Airport barely looked at the print-outs and just stamped our passports wordlessly without even asking for return tickets.

Review: OK Express, Myanmar

28 February 2015 Leave a Comment

If you’ve been Googling the web for information on buses plying the Mandalay region, look no further than OK Express. We rode their minibus from Nyaung U to Mandalay on our trip to Myanmar earlier this month, and we were quite pleased with their service.

Routes

Mandalay to Myingyan to Taungtha and vice versa
Mandalay to Myingyan to Bagan, Nyaung U and vice versa
Pyin U Lwin to Myingyan to Bagan, Nyaung U and vice versa

Telephone numbers

Myingyan – 066-22623 / 09-33134444 / 09-256273337 / 09-256273338
Nyaung U – 09-33814444 / 09-31222244 / 09-256273331 / 09-256273336
Taungtha – 09-33133133 / 09-256273335
Mandalay – 09-33824444 / 09-31222233 / 09-256273332 / 09-256273334
Pyin U Lwin – 09-256604445 / 09-256604448

Pros

Convenient door-to-door service. This is its biggest selling point, because the other bus companies only do station-to-station. OK Express picked us up at our hotel in Nyaung U and dropped us off at our hotel in Mandalay. It saved us two extra trips to and from the bus terminals.
Price. We paid only 9,000 kyats (around USD 9) each for our tickets, which included free bottled water and wet wipes. I found a few sites selling tickets on other buses online, but I don’t know if they’re legit, and besides, the tickets they sell are more expensive at around USD 12-15 each.

Cons

No online presence. OK Express doesn’t seem to have a website or even a Facebook page where you can reserve tickets in advance. We bought our tickets at their office at the bus station in Nyaung U, which was at least convenient for us since it’s the terminus of our overnight bus from Yangon, JJ Express.
Frequent stops. The minibus isn’t actually an “express” service, but more like a local one that drops off and picks up passengers along the way. I didn’t mind this so much since I dozed off through most of the journey. The two toilet and snack breaks were also welcome, since they allowed us to stretch our legs for a bit.
Scant luggage space. I assumed there would be some space at the back of the minibus for luggage, but they pretty much maximized the interior for seats. My suitcase wouldn’t fit in the overhead compartment nor under the seats; luckily there was some space up front next to the driver.

Ultimately, the cons are relatively minor and far outweighed by the convenience of being delivered straight from hotel to hotel. All in all, I don’t hesitate to recommend OK Express.

Itinerary: Yangon – Bagan – Mandalay (5 days)

27 February 2015 4 Comments

Below is our DIY itinerary of our trip to Myanmar earlier this month. Folks planning a similar route might find it useful.

Day 1
Afternoon

Fly in to Yangon
Check in at Clover City Center Plus Hotel
Yangon Circular Railway

Evening

Sule Pagoda

We took a taxi from the airport for USD 15. The ride to our hotel in the city center took around half an hour. We boarded the Yangon Circular Railway train from Yangon Central Railway station, which is within walking distance from the hotel. Tickets for the entire loop, which takes around three hours, cost 300 kyats (around USD 0.30) each.

Sule Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar (T Mendoza) — Sule Pagoda

Day 2
Morning

Shwedagon Pagoda

Afternoon

Feel Myanmar Food
Kandawgyi Lake
House of Aung San Suu Kyi
Marketplace by City Mart
Sharky’s

Evening

Bus ride to Nyaung U

We pre-arranged for a minivan with driver at Yangon Rent-A-Car. At the end of the day, our driver dropped us off at Aung Mingalar Highway Bus station, where we took the JJ Express overnight bus to Nyaung U.

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar (T Mendoza) — Shwedagon Pagoda

Day 3
Morning

Bagan Archaeological Zone

Afternoon

Green Elephant Restaurant
Check in at Zfreeti Hotel
Shwezigon Pagoda
Bu Pagoda

Evening

Irrawaddy River
Thiripyitsaya 4 Street

We arrived before dawn at the bus station in Nyaung U, where we hired a van for the day. Upon entering the town, we had to pay USD 20 each for tickets to the Bagan Archaeological Zone. In the evening, we took a short sunset cruise along the Irrawaddy River for a change of scenery (we were templed out already). Our driver dropped us off at Thiripyitsaya 4 Street, which is bustling with restaurants and souvenir shops and a short walk from our hotel.

Bagan Archaeological Zone, Myanmar (T Mendoza) — Bagan Archaeological Zone

Day 4
Morning

Minibus ride to Mandalay

Afternoon

Check in at Hotel Yadanarbon
Mandalay Royal Palace
Kuthodaw Pagoda
Atumashi Monastery
Shwenandaw Monastery
Mandalay Hill

Evening

Cultural show

Mandalay Royal Palace, Mandalay, Myanmar (T Mendoza) — Mandalay Royal Palace

We took the OK Express minibus to Mandalay. Upon checking in at our hotel, we arranged for a van with driver to take us to the sites of the Mandalay Archaeological Zone, tickets to which cost 10,000 kyats (around USD 10) each. In the evening, we watched the free cultural show at our hotel’s rooftop restaurant.

Day 5
Morning

Fly out