2025

Stopover in Jakarta

These two giant masks were leaning against a tree behind an abandoned food stall.

I just spent a couple of days in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, The city is huge and its downtown is hyper modern with giant boulevards, high rises, and large plazas and parks. Jakarta is full of gorgeous trees and vines. It is also sinking! Parts of the city are sinking at a rate of 11 inches a year. In response, the city is installing some innovative dams and building a new capital in Nusantara on the island of Borneo. Within the next 20 years, many of Jakarta’s 33 million people will have to relocate as well.

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Manila, the Philippines

Mural in Intramuros, the walled part of Manila the Spaniards built in the 17th century.

The Philippines was never on my short list, but I found a cheap ticket from Tokyo to Manila and I’m glad I had a chance to visit. The people here are very friendly and relaxed. I’m staying in a beautiful neighborhood full of parks, high-rise commercial buildings, and great restaurants. The Philippines seems underrated as a tourist destination — among its 7,641 islands are a lot of gorgeous beaches and it’s very cheap to travel here.

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Konnichiwa Again, Japan

On Friday, I left magical Japan after three weeks there with my sister, Laura.  I’ve written a lot about Japan during previous visits, and this trip was re-visiting a lot of what I loved. https://kimmie53.com/category/japan/  So I decided to write a single post with a few captioned photos. Like a lazy writer writing for lazy readers. Good for everyone.

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