Bali - Indonesia (Kuta and Ubud)

The Journey to Bali...

Patience (or the ability to fall asleep while sitting upright on command) is definitely something that I’ve picked up along my journeys.  Take a look at any map and you would think making your way from Java to Bali would be a piece of cake. With two islands so close to each other, what could be the problem? Lol. How about a main “highway” the size of two bicycle paths stuck together for entire country’s means of transport… oversized buses, transport trucks, and interweaving motorbikes! You’re just bounded to get stuck in traffic!  Making our journey down the country, it also didn’t take long before we were desensitizing from seeing a family of four (with small children) zipping past us on a disheveled motorbike. Apparently there is no accurate translation from English to Indonesian for “local safety standards”? After a twelve hour bus ride from Probalingo to the port, a one hour ferry ride to Denpasar, Bali, and a three hour bus ride, we were finally in Kuta, Bali.

Oh Kuta, Bali… if I will ever remember anything from this place is that it was filled with persistent hawkers that didn’t seem to take no for an answer, too many narrow interconnecting streets congested with tourists “attempting” to drive their rented motorbikes, and local prostitutes stalking you down the street at night persisting on offering “nice” massages to you. I will never forget that night. As the young lady literally chased me down the street, I really just felt like telling her, perhaps if you invested in better teeth (as she was missing a few and had a gap in others) and got rid of your unibrow, just maybe you would be better advertised to others. However, fearing that her broken understanding of English may think that I was actually interested, I decided not to say anything and quickly walked away. I should say however, that there is some good to this part of the island. Apparently if you want to try surfing and learn how to for the first time, this is the place to be as the waves break consistently small offering any new beginner a good run for their money.

After two nights here, we decided to make our way to Ubud, Bali. Filled with apparent Balinese cultural/spiritual appeal, historical attractions, and beautiful architecture this place will be sure take your heart away and make you want to come back again.  Detail is something that this region takes great pride in and it clearly shows. From the intricate hibiscus wooden carved doors of your hotel room, to the stone gate statues protecting owners/tourists from bad spirits, to the quality of workmanship put forth in their in their wooden carvings and jewelry, no corner was missed at all. Aside from the occasional hawker pecking your ear for a “taxi” or “transport”, the people were genuinely friendly as well.

On one occasion, once I purchased a wooden carving from a local artist, he conveniently guided us by motorbike to our next destination. Saving a few Rupiahs, we then decided to rent our own motorbike and make our own path through the city instead of hiring a local driver. We must of saved at least 250K RP doing it this way. With roads filled with winding ways and brilliant rice fields, I was finally at my inner peace. Go straight to the artist for a buy instead of the local market and you save a considerable amount of money, we must have paid a tenth of the cost compared to what the local market was selling the same items for. For wooden carvings and sliver jewelry, head to Mas and Celuk. Don’t forget to go to Monkey Forrest as well. I’ve never had so much fun playing with “locals” here. Like a three year olds on methamphetamines or crack, I found myself extremely amused as I would get up super close and personal feeding the little guys with bananas! The only sad part would seem to be that the only food they ate (and became dependent upon) was from the tourists feeding them. Still – a great way to kill a hot afternoon. If your a coffee connoisseur, this should definitely be on your check list as well.

About a 30 minute drive out of town and you can visit a variety of coffee and spice plantations.  Fresh Chili’s, vanilla, cocoa, lemongrass, cinnamon, coffee beans, etc... You name it, they’ve got it. These “plantations” are a tad touristy as most of the setup has been made for the foreigner appeal, but still nonetheless quite entertaining. Most places will also offer free row of taster drinks as well (Lemongrass tea, hot chocolate, Bali coffee, ginsing tea, and the infamous Luwak coffee) to help advertise their products.  And for those of you who didn’t know, Luwak coffee is known to be the most expensive coffee in the world (at approx. $700/Kilo). What makes this coffee so expensive one might ask? Well for starters, it really is “shit” coffee. A cat like creature called the Asian Palm Civet eats the coffee cherries when they are still on the trees. Once in the digestive track of the animal creates some chemical reaction that makes the beans more aromatic and less bitter. After that, well...you know, they take a dump. Locals then have to sift through the grounds to find the droppings before they can process the beans. Don’t worry, before they serve it to you, the beans go through a thorough washing, sun drying and light roasting before it is served to you. If I had to describe the taste however... Nothing different than a bold roast back home but I question you to ask yourself this...how often you can say you've drank a cup that's come out of an animals ass!?!? lol.

Dolphin Watching in Lovina, Bali, Indonesia:

Indonesia - Bandung & Mt. Bromo

Indonesia -

Jaraka, Indonesia is place that is largely compared to that of the infamous Durian Fruit (google it if you don’t know). A shock at first sight…with an empowering foul odor. It’s no kidding either, especially when you cramp 10 million people in a sweltering urban sprawl. After researching about the pollution and poverty issues in advance, it wasn’t a hard decision to make like a banana and split as this would leave more room for the more delightful places of the country.

First stop – Bangdung! Quoted as the "Paris of Java" by the Dutch, they couldn’t have been more wrong than ever! Maybe if Paris were tossed in a trash can and spit back out would this be a fair statement. Make your way by foot around the city and you will soon realize that there are no sidewalks anywhere. Road shoulders are fully occupied by decaying sewers, parked motorbikes, and local food stalls (Stalls – to be compared to the same level of cleanliness as a public bathroom). The public transportation system is quite interesting to point out though. Converted 1970’s Volkswagen like vans painted vibrant green with side-benched installed seating rule the streets everywhere and in every direction. Wave a hand in the air a few times on the side of the street and rest assured you will be picked up by one of these "cabs"… A city wide ride shouldn’t cost you more than 6000 Rupiahs ($1CAD = 8900 RP). For some retail therapy relief, this place is also renowned as the manufacturing and export town of merchandised goods (Jln. Cihampelas). Manufacturers which exceed their quotas or fail to pass the QA testing have their excess thrown onto the local markets for "cheap" sales. Walking through the streets though, you will soon realize that many of the clothing stores conveniently have the term "outlet" made within their signage which can make it difficult to distinguish between a legitimate outlet and one that is just reaping the benefit of the name. After freshening up ourselves and recharging our batteries, it was time to make a move. Next stop…Surabaya (1hr flight East)! This city was used as a connecting hub to eventually get to the beautiful Mt. Bromo (The active volcano site). A 4hr private taxi ride to the base of the mountain costed 400,000RP. If you’re in this neck of the woods, make sure that you clearly communicate that you want a ride to go up to the mountain and not just the base. We got screwed and had to pay extra. If you don’t mind being with a crowd, you can get a much cheaper rate at 25,000RP using a public shuttle bus. Once arriving at the peak, be prepared to pay some monopoly prices for accommodation and food. The guesthouse owners will catch you (and your wallet) by the hook and there’s not much you can do. However, the view is worth it. The hotel I stayed at sat on the tip of the adjacent mountain facing Mt. Bromo, viewpoint 1 & 2, as well as other surrounding giant mountains (300,000RP/night for a standard room). Any amateur taking a picture over the fence will be sure to grab a timeless postcard shot here.

The word “panoramic” is put to a whole new definition here. Since the elevation above sea level is so high, you’re right up in the clouds. The mornings are quite foggy, but as the mid-day reaches, the vast white cape of clouds eventually dissipates. Look directly across from the hotel and you will see several mountains jetting up across the plain. Mt. Bromo, the active volcano, can be easily seen as it "passes gas" about every twenty minutes or so.

Time for some fun…trek to the top of Mt. Bromo’s Volcano. At 3am, be you will be awakened by local kids renting out jackets, winter hats and flashlights. Apparently it’s suppose to get as cold as zero degrees here...In reality, not so much. I wore shorts and a windbreaker jacket and was giving sweat a whole new meaning! A good LED headlamp or flashlight came in extremely handy though. From most hotels, you will have to climb down a mountain, before crossing a valley to climb back up another mountain (the actual volcano). The trail will be pitch black, so any light will definitely help. As your make your way crossing the middle valley, you will see a vague and gloomy image of the mountains. The ambiance is surreal but creepy at the same time. The only noise around will be your footsteps and surrounding night-life (insects?). So if you ate the spicy local food the night before, it’s safe enough to feel free that no one will hear you pass gas. As you make way to the base of the mountain, you will know you went the right direction when you see the upwards concrete steps…all two-hundred and fifty or so steps. After your glut’s are burning from the climb, you may also notice some burning in the lungs and the eyes. The smoke from the volcano gives away some toxic gases, so be sure to cover your face for the potent smell of sulphur! We lucked out on the weather and at 4:50AM, we saw enlightenment (literally…lol). The sun rose against the brilliant blue night’s sky before us! In my disillusionment of fatigue and hunger - if I had to describe the view with my appetite at the time…it was as though pink and blue cotton candy had been blended and mixed around a fresh orange creamsicle. I have never seen any sunrise as beautiful as this. On the way down, if your legs are still too tired to do the walk back to camp, know that there are many locals with donkeys for a brisk ride back.

Volcano climb check! On to Bali………


Video of Mt. Bromo:

Yes waiter... I'll have a Singapore Sling please!

Singapore -
 
At around 700 square kilometeres, Singapore is a microstate and quoted as the smallest country in South East Asia. Not only that, it’s also mentioned to be the 5th wealthiest nation in the world and the 10th most expensive. You can now understand why only 2 days were spent to visit this country! With a demographic quite similar to Malaysia, there are “singo-indi-asians” everywhere! AND with temperatures reaching in the high 30’s attached extra humidity as the norm, be prepared to be soaked with buckets of sweat and melted anti-pirspirant dripping down your shirt. Most blogs and guidebooks will tell you that there are many affordable accomodations to be found around Little India or China town (for the high-milage backpackers), however if you use a discount broker like agoda.com you may be lucky enough to find yourself a deal. Hotel 81 it was called - on 25 Lorang 16 Geylong! $38CAD/night! With average prices ranging around $100US/night, surely this sounded like a superb deal. It wasn’t until our customs officer at the immigration office kindly questioned our intentions within the country before explaining that the Geylong district is Singapore’s Red Light District equivalent. Opps. If you fall for the same mistake, know that the city has cleaned up a lot of it and it’s not too bad anymore. No happy endings here! If you wonder why the streets and sidewalks look brand new as well, take a deeper look within the convience stores and you will notice that they don’t sell chewing gum anywhere making it almost as clean as Japan! After two months of constant stop-n-go, I will be honest and say that the majority of my journey here was dismissed and substituted by catching up on sleep!  However, with high-end shopping malls (Orchard Road), Changi Village (the rural Singapore from back in the day...), and Marina Bay (some crazy theatre) there are defintely many things to do and see. But after checking my bank account again, it wasn’t a hard decision to fly to another location that is much cheaper (in purchasing power), more exotic, and actually relaxing!