Bali Food
By on December 29, 2011 1:19 PM
Food from Bali
Dining in Bali is generally a highlight.
You may choose to eat in a five star hotel restaurant, or you may prefer a
breezy open sided bamboo cafe. Hotels and restaurants in Bali offer guests a
wide variety of excellent dishes to satisfy every budget and taste. When you
feel like venturing outside for a meal, there are dozens of good restaurants to
be found in the main streets of Kuta, Legian, Ubud, Candidasa, Lovina, Sanur
and most of the major tourist areas.
The simple and relaxed restaurants, often
with grass roofs, cane furniture and the latest top 40 singles blasting through
the hi-fi systems are almost everywhere. Even more simple, are the warungs, the
snack bars and the mobile carts that cater mainly to local workers and
adventurous travellers who have discovered that low cost hawker meals really
can be safe to eat.
The night markets are traditional outdoor
eateries that come to life at dusk, and are famous all over Southeast Asia.
Even if you cannot work up the courage to eat in the markets, you must visit
one to experience the thrills, the smells, the sights and the noises that
define this part of the world.
Surprisingly, authentic Balinese food is
rarely enjoyed by the island's thousands of visitors, simply because it is
rarely served in hotels and restaurants. True, a wide variety of exotic dishes
are available, but the typical fare is Indonesian and Chinese.
The true Balinese cuisine is, like all
else in Bali, a matter of contrasts. Just as there are men and women, good and
evil, night and day, there is everyday food, and there is festival food. The
staple of daily fare is rice, accompanied by vegetables, a small amount of fish
or meat, and a range of condiments, usually cooked in the early morning, and
consumed whenever the need arises, often as snacks. Most Balinese meals are
eaten quickly and without fanfare. Dining out and in groups is not a normal
social custom.
Festivals are the major exception. Food
is prepared in an elaborate and decorative manner and is eaten communally,
marking the occasion as something out of the ordinary.
Some tourist restaurants present special
Bali nights, featuring dishes such as suckling pig, a Balinese banquet
favorite. Unless you are invited to dine with a local family, these special
events may be your only way to sample the true Balinese cuisine.
From
The Online Travel Guide
Maluku Islands.....The Spice Islands
By on October 6, 2011 2:00 PM
In a few weeks time the Raja Laut will be setting sail for the Maluku Islands. If you have not heard of the Maluku islands before you're not alone. Today they are an isolated group of islands which lie off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The islands do however have another name, a much older name, which recalls a very different time for the islands, they are the "Spice Islands".
There are in fact, a few places in the world that lay claim to be the "spice islands" but the Maluku Islands were certainly the original and the most important. For centuries the trade of spices from east to west made people incredible wealthy. Almost no one had an overall picture of the trade and people in Europe had no idea of where the spice were coming from.
At one time the Maluku islands were the only source for spices, such as nutmeg and cloves, on the face of the planet. The extraordinary profitability of the spice trade had created power struggles thought history. The ancient Egyptians traded in spices, as did the Greeks and the Romans, but with the fall of the Roman Empire, Spices were hardly seen in Europe for 500 years until the Crusaders reopened the trade route. The return of spices to Europe made some areas very rich, such as Venice which rose and fell with the spice trade.
Some of the great explorers of the world - Marco Polo, Columbus, Magellen and Drake - were driven to find the source of the Spices and therefore "cut out" the middle men, and make massive profits. When Columbus set out to west he was not looking for the Americas he was looking for a new route to the Spice islands.
It was Magellan who in the early 16th century opened up the way to the Spice islands and the rest of Europe where not far behind: the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and the British all left their footprints on the islands. But it was the Portuguese and the Dutch that fought each other for control of the island group, building forts and ruling the area with an iron fist.
The British took control of the islands for a very short period of time, after their victory in the Napoleonic wars. It had been impossible to get live seeds off the islands for hundreds of years, now the British had open access to them. They quickly went about cultivating spices in their other colonies. This ended the monopoly on spices that the Maluku islands had held for over a millennium and their importance quickly diminished.
Today the islands offer a magnificent experience to any visitor. With over a thousand islands in the group, being on a yacht is a great way to explore the area. Each island has it own story, traditions, and geography: from towering volcanic slopes to idyllic coral islands.
September Update
By on September 12, 2011 1:19 PM
For the "winter season" holidays Raja Laut will be in the idyllic islands of Indonesia and the South Pacific! Raja Ampat near West Papua, the "Spice Islands" of Indonesia, and the South Pacific archipelago of Palau. If there was a benchmark for pure, undiluted, eco-paradise cruising this would be it.
West Papua
West Papua, Raja Ampat, Triton Bay, Agat. Names that are making people dream. Dreaming of lushness, remote hidden bays, tropical seas and reefs teaming with life, thickly-jungle covered islands, and fascinating Papuan tribes. The area between Raja Ampat, Triton Bay and Agat is magnificent and casts a spell on all who visit. Scientists, photographers, divers. This majestic area is as stunningly beautiful above water as it is below with rare and exquisite creatures in abundance..Maluku
Maluku, also known as the Moluccas or the Spice Islands. Banda, Ambon, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore: all these names latterly synomymous with the history of the spice trade, but today with a mind-blowing sense of adventure, and scuba exploration. Above water are 1000s of islands: remote, pristine, and spiritually uplifting, Maluku is the fascinating transition zone between the Asian and Australian fauna and flora, and also between the Malay-based cultures of western Indonesia and those of Melanesia..Palau
The islands and beaches of the Palau archipelago are stunning, and most tourists who come here like to spend their time underwater, for Palau is among the world's most spectacular diving and snorkelling destinations. It features coral reefs, blue holes, wartime wrecks, hidden caves and tunnels, more than 60 vertical drop-offs to play with, and an astonishing spectrum of coral, fish, and rare sea creatures..
Schedule & Spaces Remaining in 2011
By on June 28, 2011 11:00 AM
[Click here to download schedule and spaces table]We are very lucky this year to be visiting some rare and gorgeous destinations. In Dec 2010 Raja Laut was in Thailand, and from there sailing to Sri Lanka, followed by a month in the Maldives before returning to Thailand and onto Singapore in April, and now finally in Bali and Komdo.
The adventure goes on and we hope you can join us. From now until the end of the year the vessel will be in Indonesia and we have coming up a sumptuous menu consisting of "paradise", "heaven", and "wonderland", a.k.a "Komodo National Park", "Raja Ampat - West Papua", and "Spice Islands - Maluku" :-)
Komodo - Truly magnificent above water and underwater, Komodo National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. Primarily famous for the giant lizard known as the Komodo Dragon, it isalso one of the worlds top 10 scuba diving destinations. The scenery is breathtaking, with islands of savannah and emerald coves, it looks like an African safari park except you are sailing in tropical paradise.
West Papua - West Papua, Raja Ampat, Triton Bay, Agat. Names that are making people dream. Dreaming of lushness, remote hidden bays, tropical seas and reefs teaming with life, thickly-jungle covered islands, and fascinating Papuan tribes. The area between Raja Ampat, Triton Bay and Agat is magnificent and casts a spell on all who visit. Scientists, photographers, divers. This majestic area is as stunningly beautiful above water as it is below with rare and exquisite creatures in abundance..
Maluku - Maluku, also known as the Moluccas or the Spice Islands. Banda, Ambon, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore: all these names latterly synomymous with the history of the spice trade, but today with a mind-blowing sense of adventure, and scuba exploration. Above water are 1000s of islands: remote, pristine, and spiritually uplifting, Maluku is the fascinating transition zone between the Asian and Australian fauna and flora, and also between the Malay-based cultures of western Indonesia and those of Melanesia..
Ahoy!
Team Raja Laut
Conrad's Voyage: A journey back in time
By on April 20, 2011 10:04 AM
Inspired by the writer Joseph Conrad and adventurer James Brooke, Conrad's Voyage is a 2 week journey that takes you from the port of Singapore to the islands, rivers and jungles of Borneo.
A voyage for an ambitious adventurer, it is a journey that reminds us of why Southeast Asia holds a mystique matched by few other areas on earth: A crossroads between Eastern and Western civilizations, with its ancient spice routes, amazing cultural diversity and, at it's heart, the jungles of Borneo, with its history of headhunters, traders and explorers.
The journey begins in Singapore, a port the young Conrad was very familiar with during his time working aboard the trading ship S.S. Vidar as first officer. From Singapore we sail to Kuching, the capital of the state of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo (ancient land of headhunters), where we visit the remnants of the Brooke Raj (a dynasty of British men known as the "White Rajahs").
Borneo is also an opportunity for Wildlife and Rainforest adventures. This is the overland section where you visit the UNESCO World Heritage Mulu Caves, and the discover the spectacular wildlife of the Kinabatangan River. The Kinabatangan is one of Borneo's largest rivers, where you can see Orang Utan, pygmy elephants, pythons, crocs, and other wildlife up close. Our guests rejoin the Raja Laut in Semporna and the journey continues to Sipadan an oceanic island with world class scuba diving once described by Jacques Cousteau as "an untouched piece of art".
Finally, we sail from Sipadan to the Berau islands in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), including Kakaban, Maratua, and Sangalaki. The area has a variety of dive sites including pristine reefs, wall diving, drift dives, caves and lagoons. Manta Rays sometimes gather in great numbers on Sangalaki, which is also a year round nesting site for turtles. On the mainland is the Berau river, the original setting of Conrad's first novel Almayer's Folly. For those who want to continue the journey there are proboscis monkeys in the delta, and further up river the town of Berau (formerly the seat of the Sultan of Gunung Tabor, who had bestowed William Lingard with the "Raja Laut" title). Further still, in the heart of Borneo, are indigenous Dayak people who live in longhouses and love to share with you their love of rice wine and dancing.
Day 1: Embarkation in Singapore. Sail to Riau islands.
Day 2: Riau islands
Day 3: Riau islands
Day 4: Sarawak, Kuching. Explore the remnants of the Brooke Raj
Day 5: Fly to Miri and then to Mulu National Park
Day 6: Mulu caves tour
Day 7: Fly to Sandakan for Kinabatangan river and wildlife tour
Day 8: Kinabatangan river and wildlife tour
Day 9: Rejoin the vessel in the Semporna Marine Park
Day 10: Mabul and Sipadan islands
Day 11: Mabul and Sipadan islands
Day 12: Maratua and Kakaban islands
Day 13: Sangalaki island
Day 14: Transfer to Tawau Airport for return flight home
Further Reading:
Conrad and the S.S. Vidar
Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad
The White Rajahs
William Lingard
Borneo Wildlife and Rainforest Tours
Berau/Derwawan Marine Park
We also recommend this account of overland travel from Singapore to Berau by Eric Madeen called
"In Conrad's Wake"
Behind the scenes look at the filming of Emden Men
By on April 19, 2011 3:50 PM
A behind the scenes of the filming onboard the schooner Raja Laut for the feature film 'The Emden Men' (working title) that was shot in January 2011 in Galle, Sri Lanka.
The story is about the historical events that happened in 1914 when 50 German marines, who were stranded on the Cocos Island, after their ship the SMS Emden was sunk by the Allies, set sail on a dilapidated schooner called the 'Ayesha' in an attempt to make it home to Germany.
The schooner Raja Laut was chartered to play the role of the Ayesha by the German production company Behrengar Pfahl who chose to film in Sri Lanka because the Dutch fort in Galle and the natural beauty of the Sri Lankan coastline allowed them to represent both the Cocos and the port of Padang in Sumatra (which was where the Emden Men ultimately sailed to and which was at the time a Dutch colony) without having to change locations.
The Emden Men's journey was an incredible one. They not only crossed the ocean with no charts and very little supplies, they then fought their way through the Arabian desert to arrive months later, and against all odds, to a heroes welcome in Berlin.
The ultimate tragedy in the end was that most of these men would perish in the Battle of the Jutland the following year.
The Filming Begins
By on April 6, 2011 5:03 AM
What an exciting start to 2011 for Raja Laut with the first charter of the year taking her to the exotic port of Galle in Sri Lanka. A German film production company are planning on using her as a set in a WW1 historical drama about a landing party of 30 German soldiers from the SMS Emden who are sent ashore in 1914 onto Keeling island, in the Cocos. After landing onshore they find themselves stranded as the SMS Emden is attacked and sunk by the HMAS Sydney.
Titled "Die Manner der Emden" or "The Men of the Emden", the film retells the real odyssey they undergo to make it home to Germany after they commandeer a schooner called the Ayesha which is to be played by Raja Laut!
The film's director is a guy called Berengar Pfahl who incidentally last made a film in 2007 called "Shanghai" Baby with starred none other then one of the "Bros" duo, Luke Goss (in case you were wondering where this original boy band star had disappeared to that is!).
Malaysia: Gateway to the Andaman Sea
By on September 4, 2010 10:28 AM
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the way air travel in Asia is growing so fast, getting to the islands of the Andaman Sea and Phang Nga Bay has never been easier. Especially from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, and also from Singapore. These are, of course, the two most advanced countries in Southeast Asia today and while perhaps not quite as exciting and alluring for the traveller as neighboring Thailand, they are nevertheless ideal gateways to the region with truly modern, world-class airports.
Emerald Isles - While most people know of Phuket, the Malaysian island of Langkawi (only 120 miles south of Phuket) is a very convenient but often overlooked, gateway to Phang Nga Bay and the Andaman Sea. Langkawi today is an established 5-star resort and yachting destination, surrounded by stunning beaches and a backdrop of lush rainforest-covered mountains.
Marine Gateway - A short sail from Langkawi brings you to the beautiful Tarutao Marine National Park, and from here you can hop northwards among the hundreds of islands of Phuket and Phang-Nga Bay, Similan, Surin and the Mergui Archipelago. Though not nearly as well-known as Phuket, Langkawi has long since attracted yachts from around the world, and there are now 3 marinas serving the many yachts based here:
Location - Langkawi is just a 45 minute flight northeast of Kuala Lumpur.
Getting there - Today there are over 10 flights per day from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi with several airlines to choose from:
- AirAsia has regular services from Kuala Lumpur
- Malaysia Airlines has regular services from Kuala Lumpur
- SilkAir has regular services from Singapore
- Firefly has regular services from Penang
11 Facts about Komodo National Park
By on July 20, 2010 11:39 AM
The Komodo National Park lies in the Wallacea Region of Indonesia, identified by WWF and Conservation International as a global conservation priority area. The Komodo National Park (Taman Nasional Komodo or TNK) is one of the 7 New Wonders of Nature's nominees. And these are the 11 facts you probably didn't know.
- TNK is populated by roughly 2,400 komodo dragons, the greatest lizard in the world.
- TNK comprises the islands of Rinca, Padar and Komodo.
- The Indonesian government officially announced TNK in 1980.
- TNK is 173,300 hectares.
- Topographically, the islands are hilly. And the valleys are home ranchs to komodo dragons.
- UNESCO has decided TNK as a World Heritage since 1986.
- Not only has the komodo, TNK is also splendid for maritime tourism. I'm talking about snorkeling and diving.
- There you can find also komodo dragon's preys, e.g. wild buffalos, wild boars, deer, and maleo birds which are indigenous to Komodo Island.
- You may see the juvenile komodo living on the trees, like the small other lizards. Hatchlings, the little dragons emerge from the nest and immediately scramble up the nearest tree to avoid being eaten by the adults. Yes, komodo dragon is cannibal creature.
- TNK is two days trip from Bali by land (and sea) lane. And from Bali (Ngurah Rai Airport) to Komodo Airport is about 1.5 hours trip by air lane.
- The Sape Straits in west side of TNK is area where two main oceans in the world, Indian and Pacific Ocean, meet. It's dangerous because the whirlpools and great waves sometimes happen.
The Dragon Princess of Komodo
By on April 20, 2010 11:13 AM
Lying 200 nautical miles east of Bali, Komodo National Park nestles between the large islands of Sumbawa and Flores, all of which are part of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara on current maps).
Long, long ago, a mythical princess lived on Komodo, whom people called Putri Naga or Dragon Princess. She married a man named Najo and bore him twins: one was a baby boy, and the other a baby dragon. Her son, named Si Gerong, was raised amongst men; the dragon she called Orah, and reared it in the forest. Neither knew anything of the other ...
Years later, manly Si Gerong shot a deer whilst hunting in the forest. But as he stepped forward to take this quarry, a large lizard appeared from the thicket and seized it hungrily. Si Gerong tried hard to chase the beast away, but in vain. It stood firm over the carcass, warning him off with bared teeth and hissing sound.
Si Gerong raised his spear to kill the lizard, when suddenly a radiantly lovely woman appeared: the Dragon Princess. Swiftly, she pared the foes, telling Si Gerong, "Dont kill the animal, she is your sister Orah. I bore you together, consider her your equal because you are "Sebai" (twins)."
From then on, the inhabitants of the island treated the Komodo's with kindness. Old Komodo's who could no longer fend for themselves were fed by their human "brothers".
The name of the cave where the egg hatched is LOANG ATAWINI, "Woman's Quarters". It is situated on the Southern part of Komodo Island. It is also the place of the grave of Najo, the man who was the husband of the Dragon Princess. The tomb is sacred, and the Dragon Princes is supposed to be there at all times ...
