We’ll assume you already know about the casinos. So what do you do if you’re not into gaming? 1) Go to a museum! The Macau Museum of Art is in a wonderful new building on the waterfront, and had two world-class exhibits when we were there. Go to our Macau museums page for […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Museums & Art Galleries' Category
Welcome to Macau, city of tradition and leisure
Whether it’s spelled “Macao,” or “Macau,” millions of people visit here every year as their “Fun HQ,” the gaming headquarters of Asia. There’s a lot to do here too, even if you don’t gamble. We recommend seeing the classic Colonial Portuguese architecture, embodied in her colonial churches, and a couple of the museums are […]
Read the rest of this entry »Magnificent Panataran Temples in Java, Indonesia
The temples at Panataran are noted for their architecture as well as for their extraordinary sculptures, and are located in a beautiful setting. Considered by several scholars to be among the best examples of East Javanese architecture and sculpture, they were initially constructed in 1200 ACE, but took another 300 or so years to finish. […]
Read the rest of this entry »Sukarno Museum and Memorial sites in Blitar, Java, Indonesia
Born Kusno Sosrodihardjo, Sukarno (also spelled Soekarno) was the first president of Indonesia. He was born in the city of Blitar on June 6, 1901, was overthrown by one of his generals, Suharto, in 1967, and died June 21, 1970. Known affectionately as Bung Karno in his native city, his body was eventually transferred from […]
Read the rest of this entry »Javanese Shadow Puppets at Jogjakarta’s Sonobudoyo Museum
Traditional shadow puppet theatre is an art form that attracts many to the island of Java, and one of the finest Javanese troupes we’ve seen performs nightly from 8 pm to 10 pm at Jogjakarta’s Sonobudoyo Museum. In this Ramayana show, the Walang Kulit Performance, you’ll see master puppeteers play out an elaborate story, accompanied […]
Read the rest of this entry »Borobudur, Indonesia’s World Heritage Site in Central Java
In our opinion, a visit to the ancient temple of Borobudur on the island of Java is worth a trip to Indonesia in itself. It’s on a par with any temple complex in SE Asia, as compelling as Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, or Burma’s Bagan. Built between 700 and 800 ACE, it consists of some 60,000 […]
Read the rest of this entry »The Ambarawa Locomotive Railway Museum in Central Java
This open air train museum can easily be visited by WoWasis travelers visiting the nearly Indonesian sites of Borobudur and Gedung Songo in Central Java. The museum is housed in the Ambarawa train station, built in 1873. In addition to viewing the locomotives, vistors can take a 20 km excursion (try to book in advance, […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis discovers Bali’s Top 6 museums
Most Balinese museums of note are right in the town of Ubud, a couple of others within short driving distance are well worth a visit, too. Bali has inspired artists for generations, including a number of exceptional expat painters active in the 20th century, such as Rudolf Bonnet, Arie Smit, and Walter Spies. In Ubud […]
Read the rest of this entry »Vigan: the Philippines’ jewel of colonial architecture
The picturesque west Luzon town of Vigan is relatively little-known, probably because it’s so damn hard to get there. A good 8 hours north by car from Angeles City-Manila, this town of fascinating colonial homes and two-wheeled carriages was founded in 1572. It makes for a wonderful 2 day stop, and if you can plan […]
Read the rest of this entry »Christina Aben’s fascinating Ganduyan Museum in Sagada, northern Luzon
Founder and curator of the town of Sagada’s Ganduyan Museum, Christina Aben is a national treasure. But neither she, nor her family knows it. Through decades of meticulous collecting of tribal pieces, Aben amassed a spectacular collection detailing a vanishing Igorot (Philippines mountain tribes) culture. “When we were kids, we were always stepping over the […]
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