Selamat pagi, apa kabar?
Good morning, how are you?
Vladi and I are now in Kuala Lumpur, Malaisia! We will travel separately for 2 weeks in this country, as we did in South America some months ago, to breathe a little and travel at our own pace
for a while... Then we will meet again and continue the journey in Malaisia together, until the 5th of december when we'll fly to Bangkok, Thaïland.
We had the chance of spending 3 weeks in Indonesia, in the islands of Bali & Lombok. To make it short: incense-smelling temples, incredibly green terraced rice fields, lovely islands and
beaches, crazy monkeys, smiling people, yummy food... and very cheap prices!!! As we had decided, we moved less and spent many days in Ubud and its beautiful surroundings, where Vladi learnt
during 4 days the art of the "Balinese massage", while I enjoyed hiking in the greenness for hours. We also snorkeled with colourful fishes and turtles on the Gili islands, and chilled out a
lot reading plenty of books. And last but not least, I became fond of indonesian food! OK, let's start: welcome to Bali & Lombok, my friends!
ULUWATU
We arrived by plane from northern Australia and landed late in Denpasar, Bali. After having paid for the visa on arrival (25$, one month), we got our luggages back and took a cab to the nearby
Kuta. We quickly found a cheap room, but were really disappointed by Kuta, which is nothing less than a horrible beach resort full of party animals, so busy-noisy-dirty it was almost unbearable.
The next day we escaped from the place and went straight to the Bukit peninsula to visit an amazingly located hindhu temple. The ancient Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple, dedicated to the
spirits of the sea, is indeed perched on the edge of steep cliffs and offers stunning views of the Indian Ocean. It was a hot day and we were sweating a lot under the fierce sun. The
open-air temple was full of nasty monkeys always trying to steal your hat or sunglasses! We also went swimming in the beautiful Uluwatu beach, considered one of Bali's best surfing spots,
attracting surfers from all over the world. The beach was right down a hill, so we had to go down several stairways to reach it, then through a surprising cave to finally bath in the
turquoise water. Marvelous!
UBUD
Ahhhh! Ubud! We basically fell in love with this town located in the middle of Bali. Arguably the best place on the island: scenic rice fields, nice villages, art and craft communities, ancient
temples, palaces, rivers, cheap accomodation. We settled down for 5 days in a traditionnal cottage (8€ per night breakfast included!) surrounded by small temples and lovely gardens. After our
tough journey in Australia, it was so good to relax here, you can't imagine!
Just outside Ubud, we went walking several times through green rice fields, and discovered the kindness of balinese people for the first time when some guys offered us some coconuts freshly cut
from their trees! Then on the way back we were given a lift to Ubud without asking anything! I was pretty amazed by the clever irrigation system in the paddy fields. And also by the peacefulness
of the place so close to the city...
In the "city center", we wandered one day in the gardens of the little Ubud palace. Nearby is the market where you can buy cheap wood-carved objects or traditionnal clothes (needless to say
you have to bargain a lot!). And temples are everywhere! Actually each house has its temple, each village has its many temples, each area its major temples... Daily the people leave
offerings (rice, fruits, incense, water...) on the streets and inside the temples. They seem very religious compared to our catholic habits. Ubud is also a touristic city with plenty of cafes and
restaurants, but still you feel like in a different world. Surely due to the beauty of its people... I indeed haven't seen such beautiful women since Bulgaria!
Ubud is full of interesting things to do: you can for example visit the Goa Gajah cave (elephant cave) built in the 9th century in the nearby Bedulu village. A fantastic carved entrance
depicts entangling leaves, rocks, animals, ocean waves and demonic human shapes running from the gaping mouth which forms the entrance of the cave. Hindhu or buddhist temple? Historians are not
sure, but the place is really impressive. Otherwise, you can gaze at the pink lotus flower gardens, or observe the behaviour of monkeys families in the sacred monkey sanctuary forest. And for
going to one place to the other? Just rent a scooter for 3€ per day!
We also met some couchsurfers in Ubud: Jay from Canada, who's building a house here, and Paulhina from Portugal, who was on holidays at the end of a one month asian trip. We shared
several lunches and dinners, including one in a great organic food restaurant in the middle of the paddy fields! Delicious food, new friends and countryside... just 15mn by foot from the town
center. Life is beautiful, isn't it!
One day my scooter drove me (yes, most of the time I was driving so randomly that I considered it was leading me...) to "sunset hill". I walk for one hour and slowly but surely realized that
the youth of Ubud was using the green hill and the tall grass as a romantic meeting place! Funny how the cute couples were trying to hide on the hill slopes... The scenery was nice, with
some views of villages perched on the other side of the valley. On the way back, a ceremony with dances and hypnotic live trance music (gong, little drums, bells and cymbals) was going on in a
village. I stopped and watched, trying to ask the locals to get the meaning of it. Unfortunately they didn't speak any english and just smiled to me. It didn't matter. The music was nice, and the
giants dancing realistic. Once more it proved to me how religious the people remain here in Bali.
Jay, our friend couchsurfer, gave me plenty of tips to explore Ubud's surroundings, and that's how I discovered the Petulu village. Its lovely people have a gift for wood carving (it's
a pity I couldn't order furnitures here for my future house!) and a huge community of white herons and egrets gathers here every evening since 1956! The Sayan terraces above the Ayung
river were another gem revealed by Jay, but as the weather was turning bad, I promised myself to come back here for a long hike. As you'll read later, it was about to become one of my
favourite place in all Bali!
GUNUNG KAWI
In Tampaksiring, 11km northeast of Ubud, Gunung Kawi is an astonishing group of stone candi (shrines) cut into cliffs on either side of the fecund, plunging Pakrisan river valley. The shrines are
thought to have been carved as monuments to an 11th century royal family. Whatever their origin, Gunung Kawi, with its wonderful terraced rice-fields, waterfalls and exuberant nature, is
definitely one of Bali's most impressive sights. I allowed me a walk off the beaten path through the rice paddy fields, and got rewarded with great points of view and a serenity feeling as
never.
GILI ISLANDS
We left Ubud and took a bus to Lovina, on the northern coast of Bali. We crossed the center of the island, driving through nice landscapes of lakes and mountains (around Munduk).
We didn't like Lovina at all and moved the next day with a shuttle bus to Lombok and the Gili islands. We left at 05am and arrived on Gili Trawangan island at 06pm! One first bus
took us to Padangbai, where we boarded on a 5h ferry, then another bus crossed the east coast of Lombok from south to north. Thanks to a last small boat, we finally reached our destination. We
struggled to find a cheap bungalow in the dark, and fell asleep quickly as you can guess...
Gili Trawangan is a cool island, where you can find parties (not for us!), peacefulness (it's better!) and magic mushrooms if you wan't to get high! Our accomodation was well outside
the touristic traps, with an outdoor salt water shower and a nice staff. The first day I walked all around the island in 2 hours, to find the best stretches of white sand and snorkeling spots. A
good point is the absence of motorised traffic: on the Gili islands, you can choose beetween your feet, a bike or a pony! Vladi rescued one evening a skinny baby cat, and fed him with milk for 3
days. We called him "pumpkin" cause he was found on halloween's day. He came with us on Gili Air island, then disappeared surely to start a new life with new friends... At any rate that's our
hopes...
Gili Air was a more laid-back island, cheaper (bungalow for 2 with breakfast = 5.50€) and with less people. We spend our days sleeping, reading a lot, eating in local restaurants and
snorkeling with plenty of exotic fishes and friendly curious turtles. Great! The beaches were many and varied, with black, golden or white sand, and the water turquoise-tinted and
bathtub-warm. We met there again Marion & Christian, a french couple we had met first on the ferry a few days before. We shared excellent dinners together, chatting about - our beloved
country - France and travels among other things.
After one week on the Gili islands, we decided to come back to Ubud, cause there were still many places to discover in its surroundings. The old rusty ferry took 6 hours this time (!) for the
25km journey, and was now and then followed by dolphins shoals, while in the middle of the Bali sea, plenty of fishermen were at work among strong currents...
BACK IN UBUD
Hey we were so happy to come back to Ubud! We choosed a very comfortable room (10€ for a double!) close to our former accomodation, which was unfortunately not available. Funny gecko sounds could
be heard every night. We lived a simple life, not wasting money for transport or activities, but splurging on food!
For instance, here are the details of a mean lunch in "Biah-Biah", one of our favourite restaurant:
- Ayam Sambal Matah (deep fried chicken mixed with fresh onion chili sauce)
- Sayur Pelecing Kangkung (boiled water spinach dressed with balinese spices)
- Sate Asem Babi (pork satay with peanut sauce)
- Vegetable Lawar (vegetables, coconut and special sauce)
- Mie Goreng (fried noodles with vegetables and balinese spices)
Vladi followed during 4 days a 30 hours "balinese masage" class in a local school, Menari Nari. Of course I volunteered to be her model each evening when she was
back! The training was a success and she has already decided to take some other classes in Thailand! And I'm very happy of her new "vocation": how great it is to be married to a
masseuse!!! Below you can see some pictures of the school, the teachers, her degree and first real customer! You can book a massage with comments on the blog...
One day, leaving the guesthouse, Vladi and I had a little scooter accident. I was still sleeping I think and somehow lost control of the scooter for a few seconds in the narrow path going out of
the accomodation. Enough to scratch my right calf badly against a low wall, and to twist Vladi's toes on the ground. Cleaning my wounds was horribly painful, and it took more or less one week to
turn enough "crusty" andallow me to walk normally again... Vladi put a home-made splint on her toes and it got better faster than me... Well, we are survivors, yes or no?
AYUNG RIVER, SAYAN & KEDEWATAN
OK as usual I kept the best for the end... Remember that I promised myself to explore the Ayung river gorge? I held to that promise and went off hiking in search of adventure
and authenticity. From the view point I took one of my favourite pictures of Bali (the first below), then went down thanks to some damaged stairs which quickly turned
into a muddy path. It was so slippery that I took off my shoes to find some grips with my feet and toes! I managed to reach the river, walked along it as long as possible, then met a
nice old woman who explained me how not to get lost. I walked up and down the hills until I got a first glimpse of the Kedewatan terraced rice fields. I found a path rising to the top of a
hill, and from there the scenery was once again incredible: paddy fields, palm trees, river and little wooden shelters. I came back to the river by other stairs leading to a small hidden temple
under the sprawling roots of a huge tree. I was weary and therefore had a long pause in the shade of one of the wooden shelters. One hour later, I tried to continue along the river, and as it
seemed impossible, I turned back but guess what? I had trouble climbing up the muddy slope to reach my scooter... Ah ah! What a great day-hike!
While Vladi was learning massage, I was chilling out in our room reading (I'm reading a lot actually!) and eating most of my meals in a cool restaurant (named "Ijolumut") with free
WI-FI to update the blog and plan the trip a little bit further. In our last days in Ubud & Indonesia, we met again our friend Jay in the Sari Organic restaurant, bought some cheap
clothes at the market, visited the local bookshops and also went for a last walk into Bali's greenness . Finally yesterday we flew to Kuala Lumpur, so next news from Malaisia in a few weeks,
my friends! Take care, and see you soon!
IN FRENCH FOR THEO
Salut Théo! Après l'Afrique, l'Amérique du Sud, l'Amérique Centrale et l'Océanie, ton parrain se trouve actuellement en Asie du Sud-Est!!! Et plus exactement en Malaisie, à Kuala Lumpur. Avec
Vladi, nous avons décidé de voyager 2 semaines séparément dans ce pays, pour respirer un peu, car être tout le temps ensemble depuis 1 an, c'est pas toujours facile! Notre voyage se déroule
toujours sans problèmes majeurs (on a eu un petit accident de scooter sans gravité), et nos 3 semaines en Indonésie étaient géniales: jolis paysages (tu as vu un peu, toutes ces vertes rizières
en terraces?!), multitude de temples, belles plages, tortues dans l'océan, excellente nourriture et petits prix! La plupart du temps il faisait beau, mais quand il pleuvait, c'était le déluge (de
quoi inonder Merville je pense!). L'hiver doit être arrivé dans le Nord maintenant, si tu as froid essaie de m'imaginer en short et débardeur ici! J'ai de la chance, n'est-ce pas? Par contre,
c'est vrai que Noël approche, et j'aurais bien aimé le passer avec vous tous (même dans le froid!). Enfin je ne vais me plaindre non plus, la vie est belle autour du monde... Bonne continuation à
l'école et au foot, et à bientôt pour d'autres nouvelles de ton troubadour de parrain. Bises. David
Ecrire un commentaire - Voir les 3 commentaires - Recommander
