Indonesia

We arrived in Bali late on the 6th and stayed near Kuta for the next few nights. It was quite a shock to go from the clean, modern streets of Singapore to the crowded and noisy roads of Kuta. Simon and I couldn't walk two steps without a taxi hooting for our attention or someone trying to sell us something. We then decided to hop on a bus and head to Ubud, 'Bali's cultural hub'. It was absolutely fantastic. We stayed in this gem just outside town, which was surrounded by beautiful rice paddies and was also just on the edge of Monkey Forest.



I'm so glad we did stay there because at breakfast we got our own monkey show. In what felt like moments the dining area was invaded with monkeys stealing bread from our tables. One baby monkey even hissed at Simon!



Whilst in Ubud we went to the local market and tried out our haggling skills. I really got into it. We did the whole shocked face at their original asking price and the old pretend to walk away tactic. I won some and lost some, but its just fun to be in the game : p



We've also done a bike tour which will definitely be one of my highlights of Indonesia. First we had breakfast over looking Mount Agung, then visited a coffee plantation and then set off on our bikes for a 10k ride around the gorgeous island. There really is so much natural beauty in Bali. We stopped off at a traditional Indonesian home called a compound where lots of relatives all live together. It really was an eye-opener to see how some Balinese people live. Simple things like a fridge, which I have taken for granted, were nonexistent. Instead there was a dark cupboard with the rice and meat inside. Hygiene was clearly not too much of a concern because their food was covered in flies and I even saw a little lizard rocking about in there too... I loved our tour guide, Katuk. He came out with some really interesting facts and also some interesting old wives tales, which he did try his hardest to pass off as fact. For instance he said to me that women should never eat pineapple because it causes abortions, oh and ginger tea will make girls too masculine. Oh Katuk.



Simon and I decided to make our way to Java, so we got on another bus and headed to the port to catch a ferry. After 11 hours traveling we arrived at Yoschi's Cabin near Mount Bromo. The next morning we woke up at 3am to make it to Gunung Penanjakan viewing point, to watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo. It was definately worth the effort to get to. As soon as the sun was out, we then drove over the 'sea of sand' to get near to the peak of Mount Bromo's crater, where we continued by foot. It was amazing to be able to climb up the crater and see the heart of the volcano still smoking.



Another 13 hours in a bus and we have now arrived in Yogyakarta. I can definitely tell it is one of the most sophisticated places in Indonesia, but I feel it lacks the true Indonesian spirit and culture. It tries too hard to cater to tourists, unfortunately losing some of its spark whilst doing so.

I am now really looking forward to me and Simon exploring Kuala Lumpur.

See more photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=317291&id=223409605&l=47a18f3910