Bali
Bali in a Nutshell….
5 Top Things About Bali Beach sunsets – cold beer, cool breeze, great views Banana pancakes for breakfast – an age old backpacker tradition Cheap cost of living – Hotel room $15-$25 NZD a night, car and driver for the day $50, entry to a temple 50 cents, bottle of water 50 cents, Nasi Goreng $3 [...]
Senggigi, Lombok
I jumped on a boat across to the Lombok mainland. I caught a shuttle down to Senggigi. I arranged for a motorbike and driver (and helmet!) to take me on a tiki tour around, along the coast, down through the forest to see some monkeys and to Mataram, the capital of Lombok. The combo of mountains [...]
Welcome to my Paradise – Gili T
Caught the bus from Lovina all the way back down South to Padangbai, a quiet little beach town, where most of the boats leave to go to Lombok and the Gili Islands. I decided on a fast boat (1 hour) rather than the ferry (6 hours) to get to my next destination – the Gili [...]
Why do Indonesian Cats have short tails?
A quick net search revealed the following possible reasons, although I’d still like to see some serious scientific research on the matter. 1. Because the evil people of Indonesia cut them off. For fun. 2. It’s a genetic defect caused by inbreeding. 3. Because the weird people of Jakarta cut them off. For aesthetic purposes. [...]
A Holiday from my Holiday
I’m parked in Lovina for a few days. It’s a gorgeous area of beaches on the Northern Coast of Bali. When I arrived here it felt like I was stepping into a comfy pair of pajamas. It is relaxed, low-key, laid back, and a great opportunity for me to read, laze by the pool/beach, sleep, eat some [...]
A Volcano? Really?
Right now I’m sitting on the edge of the crater lake of a volcano. I’m in Toya Bungkah. The trip here was via Pura Besakih which sits 1000 metres up the side of another nearby volcano Gunung Agung. Unfortunately there was pouring rain and a misty cloud had set in. It was very difficult to see anything. Apparently on a clear [...]
Around Ubud
Again I negotiated a car and driver for the day and he took me into the central eastern resion of Bali. The area is rich in horticulture and is where Bali’s coffee and cocoa plantations are. I stopped to see the range of fruits and spices grown and sampled some home made teas and coffees. [...]
Monkey Business in Monkey Forest
Just a few minutes walk South of Ubud is Monkey Forest Sanctuary. There are about 500 monkeys that live here and they make for great entertainment. I watched captivated as they played in the pond, swung through the trees, groomed one another, relaxed, played, fought and ate. The sanctuary is set within beautiful natural forest [...]
Balinese Cooking School
I enrolled myself in a cooking class and I was lucky enough to be the only student in the class (Hooray for the tourist low-season)! The class began with an excursion to the market, pointing out many of the typical Balinese ingredients. Over the course of the morning I made: Base Gede – A basic spice [...]
Ubud – An Artist’s Dream
Ubud is the cultural hub of Bali and the streets are lined with galleries and shops with arts and crafts, wood carvings, masks, kites, jewellery, clothes, shoes, bags, beads, shadow puppets and other local crafts. There are also an abundance of beauty salons and spas and I do plan to have a day of treating [...]
