east java

Singosari Temple – Remnants of a Forgotten Kingdom

Posted on February 3, 2012

The Singosari Temple in Malang, East Java is an unfinished remnant of the Singhasari kingdom (1222-1292). The city of Malang in East Java was our unconventional southern jump-off point to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, which is popularly accessed from the north via Surabaya and Probolinggo. Once the center of a lesser-known Hindu-Buddhist empire – the pre-cursor of the Majapahit – in East Java, Malang has a few archaeological sites worth dropping by. You may have heard of the Srivijava andRead More→

Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park (East Java, Indonesia)

Posted on February 28, 2011

A Tenggerese horseman rides across the Lautan Pasir (Sea of Sand) Since January, Gunung Bromo has been continuously belching lava and ash. During our visit to the park last week, the volcano periodically explodes, sending shock waves that ripple throughout the Tengger Caldera. At Cemoro Lawang – a village on the caldera rim where tourists stay, windows and ceilings would rattle with every thunderous explosion day and night. Colorful traditional houses at Cemoro Lawang village The powerful eruption last JanuaryRead More→