Flying into Bali from KL we first headed to Sanur, where we found the most beautiful guesthouse with balinese carved wood, stonework and a kitchen (!). So we bought some local veggies - kang kung - and cooked ourselves up a feast, it was great to cook again. We received much attention on the walk back from the supermarket with nearly every local looking at our veggies and pointing calling out 'kang kung!' one guy even shouted 'what are you doing?!' in amazement. They had obviously never seen tourists setting about cooking for themselves...!
Next we hit Kuta... hmm.... quite a urban dive really but the waves are reasonably small for Bali so we took to them, great to surf again in warm seas, surprising myself that I had not forgotten how to do it in over a year out of the waves. James was very happy to feel the ocean's almighty force again and we both had a great time in the tumbelling surf despite the lack of natural beauty and the unsightly cranes dotting the beach.
So, Bali... beautiful as it sounds we were a little disappointed after visiting Sanur and Kuta which is more of an Aussie's Ibiza than the Bali the name evokes in your mind. However when we arrived into Bingin we really saw the Bali we imagined - peeling walls of water, amazing surfers and beautiful scenery... definately the place for the kool kids - bikinied hotties and pro surfers everywhere.
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| Padang Padang going off! |
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| Bingin - perfect waves but knee-deep water over razor coral |
Nusa Lembongan was more the place for us... low key and beautiful. A chilled-out atmosphere and no tourist shops selling t-shirts and crappy bracelets. The island's main export is sea weed, used in cosmetics or as a gelling agent in some fancy icecreams. So there's a smell about the place that is not completely unpleasant. Seaweed drying along the beach and farms of it growing in the shallows (it grows in 2 weeks, which is a pretty quick growing cycle for any crop!).
Not a bad view from the 'office'
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| Seaweed farming |
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| Now that's a house-boat! |
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| Conducting an oceanic orchestra |
We spent our days here doing yoga, scuba diving, eating loads of fish and watching the mind-blowing sunsets. The diving was surely our highlight - many drift dives where we were swept along by the current, giving a feeling of flying with no effort through the most spectacularly colourful underwater gardens. We were lucky enough to see some big marble rays and a huge 2.5m-long eel. The 'piece de resistance' was catching a glimpse of the massive "mola-mola" or atlantic sunfish - the one we saw was just a baby at 8ft high! What an impressive creature.
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| Fresh tuna on the bar-bie... yum! |
Back to Bali and inland to Ubud, land of yoga and rice paddies. We found a very welcoming and homely homestay which included a delicious breakfast of pineapple pancakes and had a bakery attached so James was very happy. The town reminded me of Chiang Mai in Thailand for its alternative medicine, an ayurvedic doctor on every corner, yoga classes everywhere and all the alternative healthy eating you can imagine.
Bali is soaked in tradition - the people are hugely proud of their unique balinese religion and culture. Men and women both wear fresh frangipani flowers in their hair, make offerings of incense, flowers and food multiple times a day and in mass quantities.
We were lucky enough to witness a cremation while we were here, which is a big thing in Bali - many deceased are cremated together in a very elaborate ceremony every 2 months. Group ceremonies first came about so that loved ones could give their deceased the grand send off they desired so families shared the cost of the occasion. There are no tears at these cremations, it has more of a carnival atmosphere with the whole town taking part and celebrating the event. The casks are set underneath a papier-mache bull and set fire to at the finale, sending ash across the whole town.
We enjoyed our time here not doing too much. Taking long walks among the rice paddies, visiting an organic farm and I took a batik painting course while james caught up on some work on his beautiful balcony/office. I awoke very early as the cockerels next door were pretty keen to let me know it was time to get out of bed, however once I was awake I enjoyed many a sunrise and tropical bird song. A very peaceful time.
We discovered that a colony of large red ants had claimed the frangipani tree just outside our balcony... they entertained us for many an hour (with a bintang - the local beer) while they made their 'grand designs' in the tree by manipulating the leaves together to make vessels for their nests. On a windy day they tried 4 times before final success and worked all through the night... by morning their new home was complete and they'd transported all their eggs from the old nest where the leaves where dying... very impressive hard-working creatures.
A long and bumpy 11-hour bus ride later, across to Java by ferry we arrived to the town of Probolinggo back at sea level. We took a ride straight up to 2300m to the small town of Cemoro Lawang, located right on the crater of Gunung Bromo, an active volcano. That night and following morning gave us our first taste of cold climate since Nepal, and we realised our one jumper and hat between us was not quite up to the cold mountain air... so we wore everything! The town itself has been evacuated on many an occasion. we climbed the nearby mountain for a spectacular view just in time for sunrise... and wow was it worth the 4am wake up and steep sleepy trekking...
Then we took a jeep across the volcanic desert to the crater and hiked up the black sand to peer into the smoky cauldron. The terrain felt nothing like Indonesia, more like Nepal or Mongolia. Black sand and dust blowing into every corner of your body, not a plant in sight, like a moonscape. The soil is hugely fertile in the lower lands growing leeks and cabbages in abundance.
Some thought high-heels were appropriate volcano-climbing attire!
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| Richard embracing the local snacks |
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| Eating posh |
The final journey through Asia didn't disappoint us - travelling "business class" on the night train to Jakarta where every 20 minutes throughout the night the train got invaded by hawkers shouting at the top of their lungs "NA-SI-GO-RENG" "KOFI-KOFI-KOFI". All we wanted was sleep not fried-rice and coffee (surprisingly). So we said farewell to a continent and left Jakarta for the cold shores of Kiwiland!
Certainly feels like the end of an era - so many amazing places and wonderful people - it's been an amazing 10 months, experiences we'll never forget. Asia, you've been good to us, but now we're ready for jumpers, wine and cheese!
