Indonesia, Bali, Diving, Temples and teaching.

Just back from a 7 week trip to Indonesia, checking out the photos and putting my thoughts into order.  When most people think of Bali they imagine a tropical paradise full of honeymooners , well that was my idea, but is that reality? Most people you meet in Indonesia are friendly and seem to be enjoying themselves. However there is also an element of tourist abuse going on. Having arrived at Denpassar airport I asked the airport information service where and when the next bus was going to Ubud, he looked me in the eye and told me the next bus was at 5 o'clock 5 hours from now and I would be better off taking one of the taxis that were vying for my business, this was a lie, the buses go every 20 minutes or so.  I asked him where the bus stop was and got a rather vague answer, I set off on my way and eventually found the bus stop and caught a bus, which costs a fraction of the price a taxi would charge.  This was endemic in Bali where it seems most people will push tourists into paying the highest price possible.  At the market when you want to buy something you have to negotiate hard! So now knowing that people will lie to you, will try to charge you much more what you going to do? Get used to it and just enjoy all the other nice things!!

Ubud and surrounding villages

Ubud is a large town close to the airport but inland from the tourist beaches, here you can buy every kind of hand craft item you can imagine.  There is a large ex-pat community and plenty of tourists.  I was really impressed by the local temples and their colours and flags and the number of people who visited them for festival days, sometimes taking over the streets with long processions  that turned the roads into car parks. Every day somebody would come around leaving little gifts for the gods, sometimes with candies other times small donations of money.

I was expecting large volcanoes and eruptions but I only found old non active volcanoes that none the less still held some charm and sense of size of when they were active, later in Java around Yogyakarta people told us of the nuisance of volcanic ash from regular eruptions and the dangers of earthquakes, much of the buildings on our train journey across Java evidenced such activity with caved ceilings common view.

Cock Fighting
On one of the days we stopped at a small village which seemed to be busy with motorbikes and plenty of flags, we had turned up just in time to witness cock fighting! The previous days we had met men stroking their cocks in public, yes we were surprised too, it turns out that cocks get a neck massage and good rub from their owners on a daily basis, yes I know what your thinking!  The cocks in this village seemed pretty aggressive and the punters were out in force putting down small sums of money on the outcome of the fight.  Blood sports are of course frowned on in many parts of the world but here cock fighting is very much part of the culture although not on the tourist activity list!!

Motorbikes and Police fines

Renting a small motorbike gives you a lot more freedom it also comes with certain inherent risks and the possibility you will need to bribe Policemen.  Indonesia is full of bikes like most of South East Asia you can see whole families on a small bike and some look ridiculously overloaded with various goods. At traffic lights its not uncommon to have 100 plus bikes jostling for position and ready to go as soon as that green light comes.  This can be a little uncomfortable if your not used to it and the air is pretty polluted at such times.  In Indonesia its a legal requirement to have an international driving
permit, most tourists do not!  The Police like stopping tourists on bikes who they will then ask for the driving license and if you do not have the correct paperwork they come back with a smile talk of a form a court appearance and a big fine!  Of course now is the time for the tourist to say is there any way this can be resolved here and now, the Policeman will of course say yes and ask you for a few hundred thousand Rupea $10-20, thats the normal situation, now if you don't have any money in your wallet I found they just tell you to not do it again and go with a warning, keeping your money in another pocket rather than your wallet is a neat trick to avoid police fines and pickpockets getting your money!
Be careful on motorbikes, I have seen too many tourists with injuries sustained from accidents that normally involve front brakes and corners, we were supremely lucky when a guy hit me from behind whilst I was turning right, he bounced off my right arm and ended up on the floor we stayed upright and uninjured, a few firm words were exchanged afterwards with out getting upset but just stating the facts and the guy drove off a few scratches to his bike and foot but no big problem and without the need for Police involvement!

Village Temple with flags

Donations for the festival

View of one of Balis calderas

My two lovelies 

Cock Fighting

Traditional Dress in order to enter a temple for a blessing

Amed and Lovina

After ten days of Ubud and surrounding areas we left for the beach, we specifically a place where we could snorkel and see plenty of fish. Jemuluk Beach in Amed.   My first impression was a little like whats all the fuss about, just another village by the sea, but once I got in put a mask on, wow, the corals were so vibrant, so many fish, different species, just like a very expensive aquarium, and with the thrill that you may see a turtle or two...  I was hooked, we met some local dive instructors from Euro Dive and soon I was on my first adventure dive, diving off the coast onto a wreck called the USS Liberty, this was my second ever dive using tanks but I absolutely loved it,so much so, I decided to do the PADI open water course and become certified.  Thanks Julia and Lorenz, had an amazing experience.

Me Diving on a small wreck Padang Bai

Sea Horse we saw, also a massive Eagle Ray, very majestic!

Whilst we were in the north of the island of Bali, we decided that we had to extend our visas which were only valid for a one month stay.  This meant a trip to the immigration office, well in fact it means three trips five days and 35 us dollars, rather bureaucratic, but no way around it other than paying somebody else to do it for you.  Lovina is a small resort close to the old capital of Bali Singaraja, most famous for its daily dolphin trips and small Buddhist temple.  We avoided the costly dolphin trip touted by our guest house but succumbed to the offer of a local fisherman on the day of Lilies birthday. Dolphin harassment is what comes to mind, 50 boats chasing small pods of dolphins around the ocean, when one spots the pod all the other boats change direction and start chasing the dolphins, which then dissapear and emerge somewhere else, starting the process again.... Not the best trip I ever did in my life or would reccomend.

One year ago we were in India celebrating Lilis 2nd birthday this year In Indonesia, next year who knows, its been a fun time and we have learnt so much, experienced many things met some great people and slept in places you may not want to!! Hey thats the travellers lifestyle, so many people ask us what its like to travel with a young child, well Lili, its been great, people love you and you love them back, yes you have plenty of moments where your upset and screaming but you soon bounce back with a smile and a laugh.. happy third birthday baby, I love you!

Happy Birthday Lili

Dolphin Trip 

Sunset behind local fishing boats

Full Moon Eclipse Party

Just before leaving Bali to go to the Lombock and then Gili Meno we stopped at Padang Bai after being invited for a full moon eclipse party, literally a full moon which had a total eclipse, it got dark, then it got light again after the eclipse had past and the full moon resumed normal service.  The party itself was on a deserted beach and involved local tribes as well as tourists, no alcohol except the local moonshine! The local tribe also did a tribal dance and song which added an authentic tribal feeling to the whole evening as well as the brilliant total full moon eclipse!!

The moon appearing again after the eclipse.

Lombock and Gili Meno

We took the slow ferry to Lombock and then shared a taxi to the next ferry to catch the local boats to the islands, sounds simple but you run the gauntlet of men trying to sell you expensive fast boat tickets and high priced taxis all the way, even the on the ferry we had to pay extra for a foam mattress to have something to lie down on.
We finally reached Gili Meno a day after we had left!  I got in the water after reaching our place of sleep and after a short swim I saw a turtle!! Such graceful creatures and amazing to  swim with them.`

Java

If Bali was a little spoilt at its social fabric level due to tourism then Java did not suffer such issues.  The ferry from Bali to Java gave us an opportunity to meet a great man and his family.  Fendy was eating at the same road side food vendor as ourselves, we started chatting and got along very well, he told us about the train that we should take to cross Java and when it would leave, we checked and the train would leave in two days time, Fendy invited us to be guests at his home as he was a member of couch surfing, he even had a three year old boy just like Lili.  Fendy  also runs a turtle sanctuary, taking eggs, incubating them then releasing them into wild after hatching, he is part of a generation of Indonesians who want to protect the amazing biodiversity they have so that their children can enjoy it... go Fendy.

We travelled from Banyuwangi to Jogyakarta on the train, it took us 14 hours so that was plenty of time for Lili to charm the carriage of passengers and make new friends.

Fendy does his trademark jump and pose, I'm not as flexible.

Lili and Rafa

Lilis mates on the train

Yogyakarta is an old city with world famous temples, Klaten a city just 20 minutes away is not known by tourists!  We spent 1 week there teaching English to school kids and meeting local people and doing stuff that local people do, like go to a wedding on a Saturday morning with 2000 guests, what 2000!! That apparently is a medium sized one in Java! The ceromony happened at the same time as singers were singing and food was being served, as soon as desert was eaten everyone left!!  Then we had pictures with the bride and groom!  Damn im tall! especially in Asia.  We met some lovely people in Java and people trying to make a difference to their community like Rani and Heni and the rest of their team

So our trip to Indonesia was coming to an end, I had one last opportunity to go diving, so did at Padang Bai, the first dive we saw an amazing Eagle Ray a huge fish above us, my air ran low, really fast compared to my previous dives, much quicker than the other divers, on he second dive my air ran out completely whilst at the bottom so I had to quickly inform my guide and take his secondary air supply, on the way up he saw a reef shark above us and a seahorse so pretty nice things to see, but I learnt to check my air supply more often, running out when you are 25 metres under the sea was not a cool thing to do!!  

Sydney Australia

My first impression of Australia was from the air, our flight was 8 hours long and after 4 hours we were flying over Australia, its big!  On the ground was pretty much nothing other than sand coloured mountains, and small mountains more like hills!
Approaching Sydney our captain advised us of high winds and duly our plane was pushed from side to side  and tossed around, soon enough we landed safely.  One thing to be said about the 8 hours on the plane, remember to take money or pre pay for the meal with AirAsia as they do not accept cards for food purchases, perfume yes, food no!  We arrived a little hungry.
We had two reunions at the airport, one was Prunelle after 5 months travelling by herself, the two sisters ran together and slid on their knees towards each other to embrace, very sweet! The second was our friend Amy whom we had met in Turkey at Bodrum EcoFarm some 11 months previous, she hailed from Sydney and had agreed to let us stay with her and her parents whilst we found a van to buy to start our Ozzie road trip. (Thanks Amy, Neil, Lorraine and Matt.)

CBD from the ferry

Family selfie

Sydney is a beautiful city, abet cold in the winter, and rather expensive. We caught a ferry down the river which would take us into Darling Harbour and then under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and dock next to the Opera House.  Blue skies the views were superb and the hype of the opera house was realised.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

City by night

Giant Chess in the park

Anzac bridge traffic

Sunset on the ferry

What struck us about Sydney was how clean it was, how unpolluted, maybe the benchmark had been left low after 10 months in India and Asia but all the same, a pretty good job.
We took the time to visit the iconic Bondi beach, which in my head was a massive stretch of sand that went on for miles and miles, it does not! Quite a small beach in fact, with cliffs on one side that give you great views.

Bondi Beach

Graffiti on Bondi beach

The world cup foot ball was in full swing, but with matches starting at 2 am you did feel you were the other side of the world from everything else, needless to say I did have a few late nights.
Our search for a van was a little frustrating with very few vehicles available in our price range, but we were starting to get the hang of what was out there and what it cost, in the end we settled for an older ford van, did a little renovation to the existing conversion and were ready to cruise.
Sandrine had an old friend living on Manley beach where we spent a couple of nights camping in the van and seeing people and sites during the day.
Sadly we had to say goodbye to our new friends and to Prunelle whom is staying with a lovely family close to Bondi and working as an au-pair.

Hasta Pronto Sydney!

Kebun Kaki Bukit, Kuala Selangor, Malaysia

Arafats farm, Kebun Kaki Bukit, part two.

You can follow the farm on their FB page, and contact them if you wish to volunteer.
Face Book Link


For the first time in our trip we returned to a place, why? Firstly it was about air planes our next stop was going to be Australia and we found an amazing deal with Air Asia to fly from KL to Sydney.  So we decided to go back and see our friend Arafat and the farm that he is building..

When we originally arrived in February he had been there just one month and everyone was living in shipping containers and cooking on the industrial part of the property, there were no growing beds and no water irrigation systems, when we had left we had moved to the new accommodation moved the kitchen to a new place and cleaned up the area and started digging fields for crops.

We arrived for our second stay in the evening and immediately felt at home reuniting with a good friend and some other great volunteers who would also quickly become friends.  One thing that shocked me was the presence of new buildings, a kitchen, a place to eat protected from sun and rain, the main house had walls!! Wow it was great to see how much can change in just a three month period with a little effort and help from willing hands!

The next morning I woke up and had a look around some of the land and was happy to see that there were crops growing in the soil!  Not everywhere but a good area,  Okra, Spinach and Corn were planted and ready for harvest... and of course weeds!! A new water irrigation system had been built with sprinklers to help the plants in the dry season.

The first morning we started weeding, which is back breaking monotonous work or great meditation depending on you! We had a great team of volunteers which made the time at the farm the more enjoyable and we hope to stay in contact with all and see you all again.

On one of the night on the first week we had an incredible storm, the rain and lightning were intense and we had thoughts of Noah and his ark...!  After many hours of torrential rain it finally stopped, the sun came up and we got up to see what the effect was of that much rain in such a short period... the moats were full, but holding.  This time round the Malaysian wet season had forgiven us it did not rain again so the waters dissipated after a few days and returned to hot and dry conditions.

Arafat also organised that we volunteer at the KL zoo with some kids, we went along and helped were we could that the kids had a good day out at the zoo, Lili was sick that day, so we put her in a wheel chair to push her around the zoo, she fitted in well.

Sandrine has started making jewellery and hopes that she can make a business from her talents, so far every item has been a real work of art, although very time consuming, but well loved by all.

We also returned to the waterfall where we had previously lost our camera, this time it was a necklace and Arafat told us that previously one volunteer had fallen and broken her leg!!  The place is obviously cursed.. stop going there Arafat!

Kuala Selangor is the local town and it has a market where Arafat started taking his produce to sell, we also visited the local nature park where you can see lots of crabs and mud skippers, and crazy aggressive monkeys who will steel your food.

At the end of our stay we spent two days in KL and stayed with Arafat's friends in there art cafe Findars, which is a very cool place, art gallery and music jam seasons plus a place to chill have a coffee etc.  Lili was allowed a free reign of the drums and the stage and loved it!!  The room that we stayed in was like a small oven but I kept reminding myself that our next stop was Sydney and it would be winter!! OMG

Chiang Mai; Coups, curfews, dentists and dragons

CHIANG MAI CITY OF DRAGONS

After arriving to Chiang Mai by train from Bangkok we were welcomed by a wall of heat..  Chiang Mai is in the far north of Thailand and renowned for its cool temperate climate... well at least for two months of the year, we happen to visit in one of the hotter months when daily temperatures are in the late 30´s...  mid afternoon early evening can be quite unpleasant if you have to do anything physical.. better to just relax in the pool or head to the mountains... we did both oh and a little A/C from time to time.

Lili finds the perfect place to keep cool.

We were staying with Carol a lovely American lady whom after 20 odd years living in Fiji has now retired to Thailand... we were couch surfing which is hit and miss to what you get, but its generally free... we have been very lucky so far with couch surfing and this occasion was no different.  Carol let us stay in her spare room, with very comfortable beds and an on suite bathroom, even had a fan..perfect.. she then went even further as to invite us to stay for the entire time we were to stay in Chiang Mai, we accepted her invite for around 2 and half weeks.  Thanks Carol!!

It seemed it wasn't just the weather that was hot in Thailand but politics as well and shortly after we arrived the army took a decisive move into the arena... originally not a coup d'etat  it soon was with troops visible on the streets and a curfew put in place... for us being there it seemed very low key and did not effect us one little bit.. some of the messages some of our fellow travellers were getting from friends back home seemed a little more excited than was reality... get out now.. was one that I remember from one American friend...

No loose triggers boys! Children present

We hired a moped to get around as parking in Chiang Mai is an art form, even if your into visualising that parking space just for you, you have little hope as there just are not any, mopeds however ..no problemo amigo!  The moped we hired though did seem to have its own issues, constantly smelling of petrol, in the end it did break down and need to go to a garage, plus a puncture and running out of petrol twice, which I believe was not my fault but the bike losing fuel whilst being parked, others may disagree!

Chiang Mai is full of temples, and Starbucks according to one other visitor, I want to add dentists to that list. Sandrine took advantage of the good quality dentistry and very good prices, she now has new front teeth!  The temples were not just in the city but outside in the countryside, one time I took the bike out for a cruise, drove into the middle of nowhere and suddenly came across a newly built 4 storey temple, accommodation etc... the only thing there was a dog, quite strange... Of all the temples and there weird and wonderful designs, colours and various animals dragons were the common factor.. Chiang Mai could be named city of dragons, there are hundreds. If stairs are needed to ascend to the temple then the dragons body will follow you all the way to the top with its head at the bottom facing you when you approach, a fierce looking security guard for sure.

Chiang Mai has zoos, safari parks and botanical gardens, that are well priced and offer a good day out for dad and his busy little daughter... Lili got to see some of her favourite cartoon friends up close and personal Kong Fu Panda was one of my favourites and hers too.

Feeding an animal with the longest tongue I had ever seen

Lili meets Bambi

Between dentist trips we decided to go to the mountains.  Thailand's highest mountain is in the Doi In national park.  Situated about 50km south of Chiang Mai we decided to take the Moped and spend a few nights in the park.  We arrived at the foot of the park entry and the bike stopped working...trip to a local garage to replace a snapped drive belt.... better it happened at foot of mountain not halfway up... the mountain was pretty steep in places and at times I wondered if the bike would make it to the top, well on the first day it did.. it got us to the camp site, which is halfway to the top.  The weather was refreshingly cool.. fortunately we had bought some rain protection at the bottom and it got used several times over the next few days... the wet season had arrived!!  On our second day we attempted to get to the summit, which we did, just not on our bike... straining on an almost vertical climb, crawling at 4 or 5 km an hour,  she just could not get up one final slope.. we went back to the checkpoint, the guard kindly offered the use of his bike.. we accepted and stood on the highest point in Thailand.  Doi In is a national park and the forests are fantastic with plenty of bird life and great waterfalls to wonder at.`

Beautiful Sunbird

View from the summit

We had made a decision to go to Australia, largely based on very cheap air fare tickets becoming available.. so Australia in the winter!!  Its been a while since I felt cold!  In the meantime we have returned to our friends farm just outside of KL, and its raining...