Destination Bali

The Munchen airport @

2007-07-03T01:05:00.000Z

Full of enthusiasm being first on the plane ...

A glimpse of Doha @

2007-07-03T10:02:00.000Z

A sweet surprise in Doha. They gave us a free hotel and breakfast before leaving for Kuala Lumpur. Impossible living conditions with over 40 degrees Celsius and strong wind. Luckily this was not our trip destination. Phew, moving on...

Grasping for fresh air in Kuala Lumpur @ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2007-07-04T13:13:00.000Z

Arrived in the middle of the night, helplessly and fully packed looking for a place to stay. Crashed in at Trekker's lodge in the Golden Triangle city district.
Woke up in the afternoon, ready to explore the city that is paved with tiles and never sleeps, at least at nights. Enjoying the sights, sounds and 'smells' in China town and Little India, as well as delicious food and shakes from the locals. Hopelessly ignoring people trying to sell you all kind of stuff, from foot massages and socks to rooms and taxies. They have never heard of wine or spirit while the beer is the only alcohol you can get your hands on.

Waiting in Mersing @ Mersing, Malaysia

2007-07-07T00:02:00.000Z

After 6 hours of freezing on the bus we finally arrived to a little town of Mersing. The hostel here is four times cheaper than in Kuala Lumpur. People around here are surprisingly not trying to sell us anything, so we are feeling quite abandoned. ;-) We can't wait to see the Tioman island, which was ranked to be one of the 10 most beautiful islands in the world. Borut is enjoying the cuisine here, while Barbara is having some trouble finding the right kind of food for her, so please send her some rice cakes. :-) See you all in a few days when we get from the islands.

Dream island of Tioman @ Pulau Tioman, Malaysia

2007-07-07T19:33:00.000Z

Fascinating beaches, breathtaking jungle trekking and not so pleasant cottages, if large spiders are not one of your best friends. We also took a jungle trek to the other side of the island to Juara beach, sweating as hell the entire time. Probably that is why the monkeys were so afraid of us. Walking back to our village it was duty free beer and wine that was in our minds all the time, half cheaper than on the main land. We couldn't help to notice that there are so many motorcycles on the island and only a stretch of road on it. We have heard rumours that the Survivor TV series is being taken on this archipelago of islands, but we didn't have the chance to see any of them survivors. Heading to Singapore now and a bit afraid of the terrorist news in Indonesia.

Paranoid and ultra clean spot - Singapore @ Singapore, Singapore

2007-07-10T19:29:00.000Z

First of all, sorry for no pictures - unfortunately the camera broke down. :-(
Getting to Singapore was the first adventure of the day. A very nice couple from Norway offered us a ride over the border; we must have been looking very confused. Lots of passport checking, filling out application forms and even some minor complications, but since we left the drugs at home, everything turned out O.K. ;-)
Singapore is really all about shopping, shopping and food tasting. And did we mention it is ultra clean? We were trying to be as obedient citizens/visitors as possible.
Since we were craving for fresh fruit for the last few days, fruit stands were our first target. And it was really tasty. Hawkers offer various kinds of oriental food but it is impossible to get a taste of everything, at least not in one day.
Sentosa island and cable car trip was in our plan, but we didn't feel like typical tourists that day, so we did most of exploring on our foot.
Leaving the Singapore by bus gave us a strange and rather disgusting feeling of beeing treated like 3rd category cattle at the customs.

Visiting historic town of Melaka @ Melaka, Malaysia

2007-07-11T20:59:00.000Z

Everyone told us Melaka was a really nice place to visit, having lots of history behind. The Portuguese and the Dutch had their influence on the local architecture and cuisine and it is quite refreshing to see a town like this, especially after the sterille Singapore and filthy Kuala Lumpur.
You can see lots of museums here, not that we are that interested in this kind of stuff, plenty of antique clay and furniture shops and most of all extremely annoying trishaw drivers.
Most of the time we were hanging around shopping malls and hawkers with food stalls, only one being destined for vegetarians. Luckily we stayed in the small 'hotel' in China town which was quite calm and quiet at nights so that we could get some quality sleep.
Tommorow we are flying from Kuala Lumpur to Medan in Indonesia, to see some orangutans and climb a sleeping volcano for starters.

Mingling with the Orangutans in Bukit Lawang @ Kutacane, Indonesia

2007-07-14T18:54:00.000Z

It was a bit of a shock coming to Sumatra. For most of the way we must have had an angel by our side since the traffic jams and bad road connection almost made us miss our flight from Kuala Lumpur to Medan.
We had to spend the first night in Medan before going for a jungle trekking. In the middle of the night we ended up in a horrible guest house, with no running water, disgusting toilets and nearby mosque. Not to mention power cuts at night across all over the Sumatra and that our bed fell apart before we managed to fall asleep. We would probably be better off camping somewhere in the woods.;-)
Coming to Bukit Lawang was another adventure. At first we thought our 'guide' at the guest house ripped us off, but luckily the 'mini tourist bus' did appear. A bumpy road was leading us into a jungle forrest. After changing a couple of buses and being treated like cattle we arrived into a small village, still in a single peace. Lots of kids playing in the river, with their clothes on, of course, and no more sad faces.
The next day we tried our luck to see some orangutans in the jungle. We did spot a couple of these 'cute little' creatures, but since they were showing a kind of aggresive behaviour, we were the ones that were running away all the time. Sorry for not such great photos. Rafting down the river was nice though and the guides made us a day to remember.

Climbing on top of volcanoe Gunung Sibayak @ Berastagi, Indonesia

2007-07-16T16:57:00.000Z

We took a bit of a colling down in the highlands to climb the Gunung Sibayak, a volcanoe. The peak at 2100 metres is a bit misterious and scary. This didn't stop us and our guide from having a small little picnic on the top, with sulphur gases as a side dish.
Berastagi seems to be a kind of a town where everybody knows your name and mafia takes care of its people which are mostly disappointed by their government. Notice the funky reggae buses.

Stoping by in a traditional Karo Highlands village @ Pematangsiantar, Indonesia

2007-07-17T15:43:00.000Z

On our way to Lake Toba we stoped by in a traditional Karo village. It is just a small village with no more than a dozen of wooden houses, each of them having just one big room that is shared by six families. We invited ourselves into one of the houses. Sitting on the floor and looking around you imagine yourself how this people are satisfied with their lives and really connected together as a whole. It was an unforgettable experience.

Relaxing on lake Toba @ Danau Toba, Indonesia

2007-07-17T21:14:00.000Z

Lake Toba is a really wonderful and peaceful spot in the northern Sumatra. How the hell did we deserve to get to stay in a Batak style penthouse for 3 euros per night? Barbara's stomach wasn't a match for all that unknown fruit goodies that she put inside. So we had to 'cancel' our hiking into nearby mountains, but not swimming in the lake. We were lucky to catch a traditional Batak dance and folk song performance. Batak dancing is a bit on a dull side and not really for those wanting to burn some calories.

A stopping point in Bandung @ Bandung, Indonesia

2007-07-20T17:44:00.000Z

After landing in Jakarta, Java, we decided not to stay in the city for not even a night, so we took the first night bus to Bandung. Another of them cities that you want to escape as quickly as possible. The next day we headed for the beach.

Catching a wave in Pangandaran @ Pangandaran, Indonesia

2007-07-21T15:53:00.000Z

Pangandaran is a nice little town by the coast, which was hit by a tsunami only a year ago. Some evidence can still be seen if you look carefully. Unfortunately the town is still empty of tourists and full of 'hello misters'.
The highlight of this visit was a trip to the Green Canyon not very far away. We had to rent a scooter to get there and another boat to reach the canyon. On the way back we stopped to see wood-puppet making, but didn't buy any, and coconut sugar 'factory'. :-) A typical factory looks like a bigger tent where women cook the coconut milk while their husbands climb the trees twice a day to get some juice from the coconuts. Some of the palms are even 15 meters high, and the old guys have to climb a hundred of them every single day.
It was nice staying in a bamboo cottage with an open-air bathroom - mandi. We even managed to try some arak, which is a kind of a local rice wine, but it tastes more like spirit.

Taking in some culture and arts in Jogja @ Yogyakarta, Indonesia

2007-07-23T00:56:00.000Z

The three guys in the picture helped us to bridge a gap between the two bus terminals on a way to Yogyakarta, since we missed the last bus at 4 pm. They were kind of funny and nervous since we were the first tourists they ever spoke to. Riding with their small jeep was a death ride though.
Yogyakarta is full of small little streets where 'friendly' locals try to get you into conversation and end up selling you their batik paintings. We took a glimpse of the nearby bird market and sultan palace (Kraton). Our private becak took us on a tour from one silver shop to another, until we finally found something to suit our peculiar taste.
The next day it was all about Borobudur budhist and Prambanan hindu temples. The latter ones were all closed due to recent earthquakes but we didn't pay the enormous entrance fee anyways. :-) Did we mention we had to stay up at 4.30 in the morning?

Shopping and partying at Kuta Beach on Bali @ Kuta, Indonesia

2007-07-26T14:10:00.000Z

First impression: Dutch invasion on Bali, besides the Aussies, of course. You wouldn't believe that our budget accomodation for 7 euros per night includes a breakfast, swimming pool and a fully equiped bathroom (with a shower, a western style toilet, a sink and a mirror).
Bali is all about surfing, shopping and partying and you shouldn't miss a massage on the beach. For those wanting more, there is also manicure, pedicure, reflexo-therapy, hair styling, all kinds of facials and temporary tatoos. The narrow streets are overcrowded with traffic since you can rent a scooter for less than 4 euros per day.
Speaking about money, a man at the 'licensed' money changer tried to rip us off by 'accidentally' slipping some of the already counted money under the counter. But we are no fools, are we.;-)
Otherwise it's a shame we can't stay any longer than 3 days because there is still so much to see and we are eager to visit the Gili islands already.

Stopping in Senggigi on the way to Gillis @ Lombok, Indonesia

2007-07-28T15:30:00.000Z

Senggigi was our one day stop on the way to Gilis, that wasn't really planned. Public transport on Bali is something to be avoided at all costs since the public bemos don't leave until they are full, not to mention that some of the bus terminals turn into market places in the late afternoon. Ferry to Lombok took us nearly 6 hours, enough time for the freshly painted stairs to upper deck to dry. Still have some of that ugly green paint on our shoes.
Otherwise Senggigi is nothing but a poshy beach resort with expensive hotels and restaurants, probably quite the opposite of the rest of the Lombok.

Chilling out on Gili Air @ Pulau Meno, Indonesia

2007-07-29T15:31:00.000Z

Gili Air is the first of the three Gili islands laid out close to each other. It is a quite little place with cozy guest houses along the beach where you can enjoy beautiful sunsets and taste delicious food, particularly seafood.
There are no motobikes and cars on the islands, just bicycles and horse rickshaws. The only problem is that there is not much to do but to sit around and wait for the food service. It gets really annoying after a while since you are a kind of tired all the time.

A day trip to Gili Meno @ Pulau Meno, Indonesia

2007-07-30T15:34:00.000Z

If you want a place where no one will bother you and no one will even know that you exist, then you should visit Gili Meno, an island just around the corner to Gili Air.

Back to Gili Air @ Pulau Meno, Indonesia

2007-07-31T12:37:00.000Z

Back to Gili Air, we decided to do an introductory scuba dive with our instructor Beth from Guernsey. Does anybody know where that is? Anyways, while we were still trying to catch our breath, she was already dancing and making fun in the pool. After getting used to the equipment we took an unforgettable dive, enjoying all the beauty of the nearby coral reefs. Turtles were probably the highlight of the dive.

Monkey business in Ubud @ Ubud, Indonesia

2007-08-02T13:40:00.000Z

In Ubud we visited the sacred monkey forest sanctuary, where around 200 macaques are running around the forest complex with almost no supervision whatsoever. Some of them even end up wandering around the nearby road.
At first sight they are really cute little things, but soon you realize that you would rather kick their little asses, while they are jumping all over you without your permission, even stealing your drinks.
Enjoy the photos like we had while we were taking them.

Freezing on Lake Bratan in Bali highlands @ Danau Bratan, Indonesia

2007-08-02T22:44:00.000Z

If it was not so cold and foggy, we would have really enjoyed ourselves on Lake Bratan. The first day we went hiking to Gunung Catur (2096m) but didn't really reach the top because the days in Indonesia are short at this time.
The next morning was an early one. Eager to see that unearthly sunrise from the middle of the lake that Lonely Planet is talking about, we took a paddle boat and patiently waited for the sun to appear - unsuccessfully, due to foggy weather.
Otherwise the market with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly strawberries and corn, did make a very good impression.

Cycling from Lake Batur in Kintamani to Ubud @ DANAU BATUR, Indonesia

2007-08-04T15:27:00.000Z

This was a four hour mostly downhill cycling experience through the rural backroads of Bali, with lots of rice paddies on the way and really pleasant locals, plenty of wood carvers, coffee, vanilla, cocoa and vegetable plantations.

The last day of our trip @ Kuta, Indonesia

2007-08-06T21:49:00.000Z

One massage and off we go!