Figuring out where to go on a world trip is one thing. Visas are another. The Dutch are fortunate to hold a powerful passport. Number 8 in the world, according to the passport index. We can travel visa-free or buy a visa-on-arrival in most countries and solely need a visa in 31 countries which is often easy to get, pending your time and money.

A Pakistani – who we’ve met in the bus to Siem Reap – told us how he desires to travel the world and the struggle he faces to do so because of strict visa requirements in no less than 159 countries. It’s hard to imagine to be in his position with the dreams we have and at the same time it’s inspiring to see how it does not stop him in chasing his dreams. He already has come as far as Cambodia to visit the magnificent Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument on Earth.

Even though we, as Dutchies, are rather welcome around the world, by times we also grow weary of all the visa stuff. Fill in application forms, get photographs, arrange exit tickets, write letters of declaration… Again, and again. It’s not a big deal, it’s just that it takes time and moreover frustrations as we often lack printers and strong WiFi connection.

Some countries like to add a little extra spice into the process. The Russians demand a whole portfolio extended with a booked day-to-day itinerary, statement health insurance and even an employers’ statement.

The Indian application is an endless questionnaire. “Why they need to know my parent’s profession?”; “Hmmm, in which year again are they born?”; “How to fill in all countries ever visited in a 250-character box?”; “Dear UX designers, please do not put all countries of the world in a never-ending scroll box that stops you from typing the first letters and can we agree The Netherlands can be found under the ‘N’, not the ‘T’, not the ‘D’ of Dutch and not the ‘H’ of Holland. Thank you.” Connection lost… Aargh.

China takes the cake. Next to a portfolio of all sorts of things, Tibet in your itinerary is out of the question. However, to travel to Tibet, you need a permit and for that… you need a Chinese visa. 🤔 We call that visa fun.

Anyway. We should not complaint, in the end we had an amazing time in every single country and Russia, China and India are high on our top pick list.

At the moment we’re fully into the Indo visas. We aim to stay in Indonesia for about five months with no more than a rough plan: starting in North Sumatra and travelling down to Bali or somewhat further. No commitments. No hurry. Stay if we like a place and move on when it’s time to move on. A simple plan that becomes complicated when you dive into the world of visas. Indonesia under 30 days is visa-free, a 30-day visa-on-arrival can be extended for one month at designated immigration offices and an extendable 60-day visa can be obtained at the embassy in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

It took us some head wrestling to make it fit with our rather fluid 5-months we-have-no-clue-where-we-will-be plan but figured out that another city trip to Singapore was the way to go. Besides, we couldn’t wait to taste some other flavour than Nasi Goreng AND to go shopping. Did I tell clothes wear quickly on a sailing boat?

A city trip to SG meant travelling back to Jakarta. Given we don’t like to travel backwards, and especially not for 12 hours, we opted for the air and ended up in a Cessna Grand Caravan. Marketing wise I would never call a plane a caravan, but I give it to Cessna: it’s like a caravan in the air. Bumpy and noisy but o so cool. We sat straight behind the pilots and could observe everything from take-off, navigation to landing. Simply fantastic and we enjoyed amazing views. Sun rise, rice fields and volcanoes. Java at its best.

>>> Check out our flying caravan adventure in the Quick Story <<<

Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with 5.5 million people on an island four times smaller than Luxembourg. And yet you hardly come across traffic jams or find yourself short of air in crowds. It’s a friendly, safe and clean city. The city flows, if that makes sense. Shining sky scrapers, modern subways, an overload of luxury shopping malls and more than 50% of its area covered by greenery. Singapore calls itself rightly the garden city. It’s wonderful to wander around in this bubble to forget Jakarta’s dirt, smog and honking vehicles.

There is plenty to sight-see, however we’ve lived the SG expat life a few months, several years ago. Therefore, all the high lights fall into the “been-there-done-that” category. Instead we focused on the national hobbies: shopping, eating and apparently, the cinema. More than once. Unbelievable, how much you can enjoy a movie in a cinema after a long time. The last time we’ve watched a movie on a couch, let alone in a cinema, has been more than a year ago.

The city-state is populated by a medley of Chinese, Malay, Indians and expatriates and that guarantees, to our great joy, delicious food. Especially Indian food is on our program. Reason enough to find a capsule in Little India, a piece of India in Singapore. The area is way too clean and organized to pass as India – and there are no cows – but the smells, the food, the people are enough to revive great Indian memories. 🧡

Singapore, a hypermodern city. A big bubble in Asia and a world apart from neighbouring countries. To our taste it’s a bit too perfect, too clinical. But hey, we’ve enjoyed ourselves and not to forget, after bumping into a few pillars and posts, a 60-day visa is stamped in our passports. 👊🏻

Back to Indo! 😃