Bali

Up at 5.30 for Flight 727 to Bali, the island of the Gods. On arrival at the airport informed that the flight was delayed by two hours due to fog. Left at 10.15. and arrived at Demparsa the capital city of Bali at 2pm.Cost 25rupiah to Raddison Hotel in Samur. August 17th is Independence Day for Indonesia and it was obvious with red and white flags and decorations and families enjoying their time together. On arrival at the Raddison hotel, I quickly dumped my things in my room then wandered down to the beach - a ten minute walk. Motorbikes everywhere and hundreds of Balinese people bathing at the beach. Dined that night at a restaurant close by the Raddison.
August 18
Awake at 5am with Muslin religious chanting and prayers. Breakfast at Raddison - expensive at 29rph for bread and tea - continental. Much cheaper to eat out. Caught the shuttle bus to Raddison beach, where guests blob out for a day to sun bath, eat and drink. Enjoyed a massage for 20,000rph which lasted for half an hour - covered in coconut oil and felt slimy and oily for the rest of the day. Walked the length of Sanur beach which is bordered by hotels and lined with markets and hawkers. Met up with a Norwegian mid wife met the day before. Ate local. Arranged my taxi fare 15,000rph to Kuta Beach. Wrote p/c to Peter.
August 19
Up at 8am. Had breakfast in my room and watched the Indonesian news on T.V. Asian markets down due to the Russian rouble being devalued. Decided to see the well known Kuta Beach, particularly popular with Aussies with attitude i.e. those that are young and like their booze and the odd mushroom! Bemo taxi cost 15rph.and arrived at 11am to a dusty crowed and noisy throng of locals and tourists. Quickly walked to the beach to avoid hawkers e.g. Opening up boxes like jaws filled with fake watches. Hired an umbrella and mat for 15,000rph and stayed on the beach till 2pm. The surf great and water lukewarm. An elderly lady peeled a pineapple so swiftly for 3,000rph. Left at 3pm after a lunch of pork satay. Taxi back for 15,000rph.Went for a much welcome swim at the Raddison. Dinner at the Raddison. Quiet evening.
August 20th
Up at 7am to breakfast and asked for cereal only cost 15,000rph. Went down to the beach, watched a boat come in from Lemborgan- spoke to a couple and they said the snorkelling is great there. Returned for a much needed dip in the pool. Next visited the Le Mayeur - refer to Lonely Planet page 205. Enjoyed a lovely lunch right next to Raddison and at 2pm my arranged taxi driver arrived. To Ubud for 40,000rph. Exchanged $50:00 for 32,000rph. Exchange rate 32,000rph to the dollar. Dropped off at Monkey Forest to be greeted by locals in all directions trying to sell me bananas. Visited Monkey Forest and the monkeys were really brattish in behaviour possible because tourists will feed them. Of course the temple was in the forest but not open to the public. Am discovering that every home and important place has a temple. Balinese religion is Hindu and they believe in three gods- creator, protector and destroyer. No problem in getting accommodation as just walking in the street locals offer or I should say beseech you to stay in their losman which is bed and breakfast. Stayed in Monkey Forest Rd. for two nights and it was fine till night time as it was hard to sleep with motor cycles screaming. Ate in the market, my down fall as I did eventually get the Bali Belly.
August 21 Friday.
Awoke to a bout of diarrhoea heady and washed out most likely due to the heat. Decided to take a sunset tour at Tannah Lot Tannah Lot is a temple and it was stunning with the sunset. On the way passed through a Sayan village and and the well known Sayan rice terrace. Visited Menjowi- Royal Family Temple surrounded by a moat. Made friends with Helen, a Canadian High School teacher. Then onto the Holly Mountain Forest- heaps of Rhesus monkeys and bats galore. Peter would love1 Outside the entrance a local had domesticated a colony of fruit bats. I had my photo taken with one strapped across my chest - wing span armpit to armpit1 Next stop Tannah Lot. In a cave an old man encouraged tourists to touch a sea snake. At a spring water hole tourists queued up for a blessing then offered a donation. Sunset was spectacular, and our visit lasted 11/2 hours. Bought three postcards from an appealing five year old. Bidding started at 20,000- I counter offered 1,000 and it was quickly accepted. Helen and I had dinner out- rice and beer for me but at least my headache gone. In bed at 10pm with the roar of motor bikes and laundry next door.
August 22 Saturday
Up early after nights sleep- too noisy. Lovely breakfast of fruit and banana pancake and left at 8am to find new accommodation. Decided on Ketuft’s place recommended in the Lonely Planet. As I was walking up Monkey Forest Road Yannik called out. We had met the day before and he is one of many transport operators hassling tourists for transport. I can think of better ways to make a living! I was exhausted so I decided to go by his taxi to G.Batur and also arranged for him to take me to Kekufts losman there and then on his motor bike. After organising my lodgings and settling on a price of 80,000rph we were on our way. We visited Elephant Cave Temple famous for it’s drawings itched in with finger nails. Thank goodness I had my sarong as it is custom for everyone male and female to wear one when visiting every temple. They are for hire. The temple was at the bottom of the gorge and bordered on one side by rice paddies and forest. Walked as far as the waterfall before making the steep climb up the gorge, only stopping for an expensive coconut.
Onto Mount Batur and Lake to be greeted by a magnificent view. Lunched at the restaurant and shouted my driver a buffet lunch as well. Yannet cheated me on the cost as he told me it would only cost 8,000rph when in fact it cost 158,000rph!!! I bit my tongue for the sake of a pleasurable afternoon. Weaved our way through orchards, rice paddies and craft shops on our way back. Also Yannik bumped a cyclist off his bike, however settled amicably enough as Yannik maintained that he had tooted his horn for the cyclists to move over. Arrived back at my losman at 4pm to a welcome cold shower . The family all live in the compound and on Sundays they prepared for the Balinese duck feast they serve to tourists in the evening. Women workers have been transporting baskets of stones from the road to the gully behind the compound. Phoned Peter tonight. It has started to rain.
Sunday 23rd August.
Today intermittent rain and the mosquitoes are making their presence. A quiet day as I am getting over the Bali belly. Spent most of my time relaxing at the losman reading “The Edge Of Bali” by Inez Baranay and watching women filing by transporting heavy stones in baskets loaded on their heads. Diet consisted of rice and salty tea- all I could managed. Felt better in the evening, walked to town and ended up going to se a Balinese dance at the Palace. After that to see trance dancing - amazing , it must be a form of hypnosis?!
Monkey 24th August.
Up to breakfast of luscious fruit salad and fried bread and tea- all this for 25rph ($4.00) including accommodation. I made it to the early morning fruit and vegetable market. I withdrew 600,000rph then spent time in a café that serves European food and reading the Lonely Planet and planning my trip.I decided to visit Bali Bird Park in the afternoon by bemo for transport. Really have to bargain to get a good price as there is one price for locals and one for tourists. The Park was spectacular and the best I’ve seen., housing an amazing Rain Forest Walk-in Aviary and two hectares of tropical gardens. Greeted by two large blue/yellow South American Macaws- so friendly. There were Australian cockatoos, African Crowed Cranes and Tanzanian Flamingos and two huge Pelicans floating quietly in Lotus ponds. Indonesian parrots in their beautiful colours and a rare Cassowary bird. Added bonuses were the two baby Komodo lizards no longer more a meter in length.
Back at 6pm for a much needed shower and lit a mosquito coil in my room. After dinner enjoyed seeing “ Dances with Wolves “. I always felt safe walking back to my room at night despite lots of young men loitering on their bikes and dogs barking. Often shops were vacated with their goods openly displayed. Dogs are mangy and tolerated for they are scavengers and dispose the garage left in the gutters. Ketuk gave me a fax from Peter on my return.
Tuesday 25th August
Cremation ceremony at 10.30. Many tourists present. The deceased was an important man in the village and his body carried in a chariot to the cremation site. It was festive with the usual hagglers trying the to make a buck out of the tourist. Had the company of a Dutch couple. They were seeing the world by motor bike. Back at Ubud the ATM machine swallowed my Mastercard and my Cirrus card showed insufficient dollars! What a worry. Early night.
Wednesday 26th August
Up early and anxious to get to the bank by 9am only to be told that the bank opens at 10am. Information is never consistent! Insufficient money was due to an empty machine so that problem was easily rectified. I was asked to return at 3pm to retrieve my Master card. So frustrating as I had to cancel my bus to Lovina. I whiled away the day hanging out at café’s. Met up with Helen the Canadian school teacher I had met on the Tannah Lot trip. We lunched and shopped and I was tempted to buy a large beautiful painting depicting parrots in the rain forest for 250,000rph. My Master card was returned to me at 4pm. Joined Helen for dinner at a classy Thai restaurant serving superb food. I had Tuna steamed in banana leaf.
Thursday 27 August
Shuttle bus to Lovina departed at 11.30. Arrived at 4pm after a hot windy dusty drive to Lovina beach front As usual all needs are met and we were greeted by locals wanting you to stay in their losman. I accepted the first one I saw as it was realistically priced and too hot to go comparing. After refreshments I booked the sunrise dolphin trip for the next day. Then went for a walk along the beach and predictable hassled to buy and also any number of propositions- I love you - you love me? Where you stay? etc.
Friday 28 August
Woken up at some ungodly hour to go and see the dolphins. Sunrise magnificent but the dolphins were reluctant to join us in an large numbers. After breakfast went snorkelling with Ketuk . Fed the fish with bread and hundreds of coloured coral fish ran for a bite. Met with Yus for breakfast - a Swiss guy travelling alone. He had a rental motor bike and invited me to be a passenger which I accepted gratefully. We visited the waterfalls and hot springs. Later had dinner at the exclusive Suna Lovina. Good company, Great day.
Saturday 29 August
Again on the motor bike Yus and I visited the Buddist,s temple - a stunning site high on a hillside overlooking the ocean, then onto Pulaki which is on the coastline of the West National Park to a neglected temple occupied by hungry monkeys that were grabbing our food. We just threw them our bananas and fled. The area to the West is quite barren, Muslim’s and obviously poverty stricken. Back at Lovina had a late lunch. Yus had a rest and I went for a lovely relaxing swim at the beach. At first the beach didn’t look so inviting because of the black sand however the water was like bath water and so lovely and relaxing. Watched the sunset. Later Yus joined me for another swim and dinner. He was great company and interesting.
Sunday 30th August
Up early for breakfast- impossible to sleep with the roosters crowing at 5am and motor cycles revving up soon after that. Wandered threw the village with locals