Bali, Indonesia: Getting Photographed in Kuta Beach

It’s been a year since we’ve been to the island of Bali, Indonesia. Up to now, I still haven’t completed my blog series about the trip. Not sure if I’ll be writing about it sometime soon though. Still, let me let me share a few pictures taken by Efraim, budding Indonesian photographer.

Kuta Beach
Bali, Indonesia
July 21, 2012

Bali Indonesia

Jana and I were enjoying the sunset and the wide landscape of Kuta Beach when he took photos of us in our candid moments.

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A Few Tips About Mui Ne, Vietnam

For one day and a half, we headed to Mui Ne, which is 4-5 hours northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I saw photos about the place and I told myself that I wanted to visit it when I started my backpacking trip. As a reference, here are a few tips during our trip to Mui Ne, Vietnam. Please take note that the information is based on my experience.

road trip mui ne
Mui Ne, Vietnam

Transportation

Rode a bus going to Mui Ne from Ho Chi Minh City. The bus left around 8pm and we arrived around 1am. We asked the conductor to drop us at a particular stop in Mui Ne which was near our guesthouse. You have to stay alert because the conductor might forget. It’s a good thing that I woke up to ensure that we wouldn’t go beyond our stop. The tickets we bought came from the hostel where we stayed in HCMC. We took round trip tickets so be sure to keep the return bus ticket to avoid any problems when you go back to HCMC.


sleeper bus

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Chasing the Sunset at the Red Sand Dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam

“Go Go!” The jeepney driver motioned us to step off his vehicle fast. “Hurry before the sunset disappears!” He wanted us to witness the spectacle at the red sand dunes especially when this was the highlight why we took the afternoon tour of Mui Ne, Vietnam.

follow the sunset
For tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.

We just came from the white sand dunes and we were running out of time before it turned dark. Getting a glimpse of the sun still on the sky sparked hope that we could still make it.

The driver’s statements encouraged us to run faster. We didn’t want to let the opportunity pass knowing that we still had the chance to arrive on time.

red sand dunes mui ne
could still make it

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Half-Day Tour of Places to Visit in Mui Ne, Vietnam

I was scanning through photos during the start of my backpacking adventure when I realized that I haven’t showcased Mui Ne of Vietnam. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to write about each experience fast, but here’s a quick teaser on what you can expect in a half-day tour of this destination.

According to my research (hahaha, yes, I researched!), Mui Ne is a well-known place for windsurfers and kitesurfers. I’ve been recommending this destination to travellers who planned on going to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). It’s just a 5-hour bus ride from HCMC and you can see so many beautiful places in this town already.

Half-Day Tour of Mui Ne, Vietnam

  • Fairy Stream
  • Fishing Village
  • White Sand Dunes
  • Red Sand Dunes

Instead of hiring a motorbike, we took a 4×4 jeep. I believe we paid 45 USD as rental cost for the whole trip.

mui ne vietnam
4×4 jeep on the coastal road

cattle mui ne vietnam
herding cattle in Mui Ne, Vietnam

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Sunset at Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia

Just wanted to post this quick update. I’m currently in Bali, Indonesia and I’m enjoying the sun and the waves of Kuta Beach.

Sunset at Kuta Beach
Bali, Indonesia

bali indonesia
there’s always time to pause for a sunset

The taxi took us to our hotel in Bali and I got so excited when we passed by this side of the island. It’s been awhile since I last buried my feet in the sand so this was such a welcome treat.

bali kuta beach
Bali, Indonesia

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Matukad Island in Caramoan

Matukad Island in the Caramoan peninsula is one of the places we dropped by for our island-hopping adventure in Camarines Sur.

This is actually the first island that we visited and we didn’t really expect much. There were a lot of tourists who traveled to this part of the country as the attractions were really well-marketed. With the Camsur Watersports Complex and the islands that were featured in various travel shows and internet blogs.

camarines sur
water splashing

We rode a small boat and we were in awe at the beautiful rock formations that passed by before we headed to the island. If the boat were bigger, I wanted to ask them to stop the motor so we could jump off and dive into the waters. It reminded me of the pictures that we see in Palawan – and I have yet to conquer the place.

camsur
giant rocks are aplenty in the Caramoan peninsula

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Camarines Sur: Parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel

Parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel Caramoan Town Camarines Sur During our second day of the adventure in backpacking from Cebu to Caramaon, CamSur, before we had another stretch of island hopping activities for our second day (we went to the islands of Manlawi, Cotivas and Sabitang-Laya), we dropped by a church in the … Read more

CamSur: Lago del Rey at CWC

Lago Del Rey CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) I thought the wake boarding was already enough because we were pressed with time and I wanted to be able to finally ride the board on my feet. I didn't think I would enjoy it here in Lago del Rey but I did. It was raining at that … Read more

CamSur: CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC)

How We Got To Caramoan https://soloflighted.com/2009/07/01/how-we-got-to-caramoan/ After our trip to the Caramoan islands (day 1 and day 2), it was time for us to go to the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC). From Guilajo Port in the Caramoan town, we rode a boat going to Sabang Port. It was raining at times too but good thing … Read more

CamSur Caramoan: Manlawi , Cotivas and Sabitang-Laya

Manlawi , Cotivas and Sabitang-Laya Caramoan Islands Camarines Sur Our second day of island hopping in the Caramoan Islands in CamSur. This day was a bit longer but we only had 3 islands to drop because of time constraints. Hopping to the islands are definitely farther because it took about an hour for us to … Read more

CamSur Caramoan: Matukad and Lahos Islands

Camsur day 1: Matukad and Lahos Islands Caramoan, Camarines Sur From Villa Juliana Inn, we headed straight to Paniman so we could start our island hopping tour. We met some travelers as well from Manila who also dropped by the place and joined us in going to the islands. It was nice to meet some … Read more

CamSur: How We Got to the Caramoan Islands

Come South, CamSur! June 12-16, 2009 This is just a guide on how we got to Camarines Sur. I created this entry to help out fellow bloggers/readers who have plans to go to this part of the country. We’re a bunch of cheapskates and we want to make sure we get the cheapest rates there … Read more

Manila trip: Binondo Church, Luneta Park, Baywalk, MOA

More pictures of my Manila trip! These all happened last month when the account sent some of us off to Manila to help out in a new site. Anyway, I was able to hang out with a couple of friends who from Cebu who are now residing there. We first went to Divisoria and they … Read more