Jakarta, Java

Just a short flight over green Java (where we spotted a large volcano and crater from the air, possibly Mount Bromo) before we descended into the smog filled capital Jakarta. Even from the air it's hard to see where this vast city starts and ends. The ridiculously low government-subsidised price of petrol shed some light on the immense traffic that filled every street we travelled through. Traffic which in fact started in the airport carpark where initially we thought we were stuck - double parked. Our driver however seemed unperturbed and wasted no time simply pushing the other car (purposely left in neutral with the hand brake off) out of his way.

Motorised Rickshaw (Bajaj), Jakarta, Indonesia

We soon discovered we had booked our accommodation in the older part of the city. And exploring on foot was not going to be our best option. Especially with temperatures averaging upwards of 35 degrees. The streets were littered and colourful, often winding along polluted rivers. Endless food carts, fruit, vege and chicken stalls with stray cats scavenging. The locals stared at us with surprise and intrigue as soon as we stepped out of our hotel, proud calls of "Miss" and "Hello Mister". Our meagre Bahasa vocabulary resulted in mostly gestured transactions followed by "Terima Kasih".

We spent a lot of our time exploring the local malls. Which ranged from cheap street type stalls jam packed into multilevel buildings to Mal Taman Anggrek - Indonesia's largest mall. This was a lot fancier with just about every European brand available. As well as a large indoor ice rink!

Mal Taman Anngrek, Jakarta, Indonesia

Along with an overload of fresh fruit, our diet quickly transitioned to very hot chilli! Our favorite meals included ca kangkung (spiced spinach), rendang (coconut stewed beef) and pandan cakes. We also spotted live cobra and durian on offer.

After our week in the city our road crossing skills were significantly improved.

Time to leave Indonesia and head to Malaysian Borneo, chasing our dream of conquering Mount Kinabalu!!

Final farewell, Bali

One last night in Kuta with the lovely Anni, where we put all our favorite things together in a beach picnic - takeaway fish kebabs from our favorite warung, fruit and another beautiful Kuta sunset.  

Next stop, Jakarta.  The capital and largest city of Indonesia with a population of 10million and traffic to rival this number.  

Bukit Peninsula, Bali

We bartered hard for a decent priced taxi ride down south to explore the southern tip of Bali. This included a quick stop at GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana - directly translated to eagle, God, chair) Cultural Park.

There a huge partially constructed sculpture set in an expansive limestone quarry is expected to stand 150m tall once completed - higher than the Statue of Liberty, with a wingspan of 64m.
'Made from more than 4000 tons of copper and brass, the statue is picturing Lord Wisnu, as the source of wisdom, riding on the back of the mythical bird Garuda as the manifestation of conscience toward Amerta, the perennial goodness.'

We started climbing in altitude (the first hills we'd encountered in Bali) and were rewarded with beautiful views from Kuta across to Nusa Dua (east coast to west coast) - a surprisingly narrow stretch of land.

Unsure where to start our exploring we asked to be dropped off at Suluban beach where steep stone cliffs drop off into impressive surf with cafes and surf board shops hanging precariously on the edge.

We walked for most of the day in the scorching heat with our full packs, wandering from village to village looking for a good place to stay. The road lead us to Ulu Watu Temple where we donned purple sarongs to enter and view the intricate hand masonry framed by blue seas, huge cliffs and blossoming pink Bougainville. Oh, and more of those cheeky macaques!! A banana worked well to distract a large male who had stolen a kid's shoe.

At last we found our way to Pandang Padang, to a surfers tree top bungalow perched perfectly above the water. A long steep pathway and impossible stairs down the cliff to reach it from the road, but only a few steps to reach the secluded beach below where we lay in rows sunning ourselves alongside other tourists. The sunsets proved even more stunning than promised.

Kuta Round Two, Bali

Back to the bustling streets of Kuta again! This time we stayed on Jalan Poppies 1, only a few hundred meters from the beach. Perfect for lazy days around the pool and catching waves, not to mention releasing another round of baby turtles.



Waterbom Bali (top travellers choice amusement park in the whole of Asia) kept us well entertained for a day. Video to follow.

Had our first night partying in Bali pretty much for free at a huge waterfront bar. Awesome fire dancing (kecak)and bottomless Bintang, fruit cocktails and buffet dinner.



Spent Indonesian Independence day on the beach with the crowds, eating piles of fruit and watching Kuta's famous sunset followed by fire lanterns.

Sanur, Bali

We had only planned to pass through Sanur but quickly fell in love with this sleepy seaside town (aptly nicknamed "Snore" for the profound lack of surf).  A town of chocolate (99% cocoa) and coffee (Civet digested - we spotted a mum and her baby in a large cage).  We happily spent every night eating local dishes at the famous night markets, dishes like bakso, 2inch thick banana pancakes and buffets of foods we couldn't even distinguish.  Evenings were also filled with music, local bands and music shops, but mostly kids playing large marimbas and drums for hours on end to no particular tune.

Most mornings we indulged in breakfast on the beach.  We were spoilt for choice with hundreds of sandy cafes to choose from lining the long white coast. Jetskis hooning around amongst the swimmers. We couldn't believe our eyes when we stumbled across a huge Hardy's Store - where you could buy anything and everything imaginable in one shop! A big contrast to the tiny but numerous repetitive open-air souvenir stalls that lined the busy streets.      

Nusa Lembongan, Bali

We liked this place so much we ended up staying a week. No wonder it was rated by trip adviser as travellers' choice of island for 2013. It forms part of the Nusa Penida archipelago along with Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. During our stay we surprised the locals by walking almost the entire length of Lembongan and Ceningan (connected by a rickety suspension bridge that caters to the many scooters and motorbikes). To one side of the island is a large mangrove forrest, on the other, huge surf and prime diving spots. We found beautiful beaches including Mushroom Bay and Dream Beach. Expanses of huge cliffs where waves splash almighty heights, some advertised as safe for jumping from!! 

A proud local man showed us around a huge underground house (Gala-Gala) built by his ancestors. Our double storied surfers bungalow faced Jungutbatu beach with a beautiful view of Bali's coastline. When the tide was out we could walk out to the seaweed farms. After just a short boat ride, we were back on the mainland ready to explore Sanur for a few days.

Ubud, Bali

We had our first glimpses of rice paddies as we travelled towards Ubud.  What a beautiful town. Stone carved entrances to guest houses, ornate temples on every street, art galleries everywhere.  We climbed up off the dusty cobbled streets in search if some lunch and stumbled into the most picturesque restaurant overlooking a large rice field.  We bargained for a "bungalow" nestled in the valley with only the roosters and frogs to wake us.  Had our first scooter ride with a local showing us around accommodation.

Ubud's main attraction is the Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana (Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary) where we got up close and personal with the local Macaque troupes.  Here the monkeys roam freely through the temples and forrest grounds, hassling tourists for food.

Well worth the 10km uphill cycle were the rice terraces of Tegallalang Village, reputedly the most scenic in Bali.  

Next stop... Nusa Lembongan!

Turtles!

Small video clip from the other day at Kuta beach where we released day old turtles back into the wild. Make sure to watch it in HD. 

Kuta, Bali

First taste of Kuta, Bali. Arrived at the airport millionnaires! Two days in and we're already at ease dodging scooters in the narrow dust roads. Perfect surf breaks at Kuta beach, countless surf schools and miles of umbrellas and the offer of massages and cold bintang. On our first day exploring we stumbled across a turtle restoration sanctuary and had the amazing offer of releasing one day old babies back into the ocean - after watching them race to the waters edge. We also paused to view the Monumen Bom Bali, the only obvious evidence of the 2002 disaster. Today we're off to Ubud chasing our rice paddy dream. The ultimate adventure continues.