Indonesia July-August 2010

I LOVED my trip to Indonesia. The first week I was there with Mike. The trip began somewhat rocky with a lot of rain and a bad hotel. However, a couple of days passed and Bali was completely different. We did a lot of walking and saw a lot. We also spent a lot of time on the beach. The beach is definitely the draw. You could rent out beds to lay on the beach and someone would come and bring you beer. Ladies would walk down the beach offering fresh fruit (mangoes, please!) and men would offer stranger things. Apparently if you have need for a cross-bow or a dart gun, Kuta beach is the place to go.

A couple of days in the trip, my camera broke. I almost cried. So, the pictures that follow are from the first couple of days, and from Meg's camera.

So, after a few days of lazing around, drinking cheap beers, and eating great food, we went and picked up Meg at the airport. (!!!) It was great to see her for the first time in a year, AND to be seeing her in such an amazing place.



The two photos above were taken at Yele Pulau? I think. Anyways, they are carvings in the face of a big rock. Some religious processions as well as some images of daily life are carved to see. The woman in the first photo blessed us with some water and flowers while we were there. With just a little pressure for a donation to the temple. This would be a theme.

The above photo was taken at the same place. This shows a little offering that is everywhere in Indonesia. Common items are flowers, incense and occasionally things like ritz crackers and cigarettes. Ancestors get hungry and cranky too, I guess. I blame our first 2 days of rain on Mike because he stepped on one of these. In his defense, they are all over the place.

The above three photos were taken at the Elephant Cave. There was a cave opening carved like a supposed elephant. Interestingly, elephants weren't native to Bali at all. Anyways, we took a small trek through the jungle. Meg was cute, "Are we just walking through a jungle?!" The skirts are mandatory saris you wear inside temples. The first photo was Meg and I trying to reclaim our youth. Apparently the water keeps you young!

The photos below are of the rice terraces. If you think they look cool and impressive, you're right. You also have no idea how overwhelming they are. I cried a bit. It was ridiculous. It was also the thing we were least excited to see. We thought we had already seen lots of rice fields, and we had, but rice terraces are quite different things, apparently. The photos don't do justice.


Above is a small temple. These were also everywhere. We saw this one when Mike and I were on our way to a temple up north. A temple we were not allowed in. We were told it was because the week before a couple had gone into the temple and kissed. And then made pornography. I asked if I could go in if I promised I wouldn't kiss Mike or make pornography. It was still a no-go.

The next series of photos are on beaches in Kuta, Seminayak, Tuban and Legian. You can pretty much walk up the beach all the way to these different towns.



The above was my favourite Indonesian food. Wish I could remember what it was called. It was minced fish meat on skewers, with a side of rice and a side dish of veggies and peanuts (gado-gado). We ate at this restaurant (Kopi Pot), a lot.

Alright, so after Mike left to go back to work, Meg and I continued our trip. As much as we loved the beaches on Bali, and Ubud (the cultural capital), the streets were crazy with people hassling you. This was not the relaxing vibe we were going for. We decided to take a supposed 2 hour trip to the Gili Islands which are just off the coast of a bigger island near Bali, called Lombok. The trip was really around 5-6 hours on the most horrific boat ride of my life. I think I was actually green. But we got there, and realized we were in paradise. First off, there were no roads or cars on the island. Or police for that matter. You had to take bikes, walk or if you were really feeling lazy, take one of these horse-drawn carriages, which I called "clip-clops".

There aren't tons of pictures because Meg and I were relaxing like our lives depended on it. Let me paint a picture for you: We would get up, go to a restaurant (which was essentially our own personal hut with pillows that you laid down on- sitting in chairs is for suckers), we would take a nap, order another fruit juice and perhaps some noodles, move to the next hut, order and fruit shake, go to sleep again (in the apparent restaurant) and repeat. I can't imagine how people would react in Canada to you falling asleep at the table, but I sense it wouldn't go over well.

This is me on one of our walks to the "busier" part of the island. We stayed on the northern end of the island in a bungalow that had an open-air bathroom, terrace, balcony and canopied bed. Oh, and let's not forget the hammock and pool! Everything is just on the water. If you swam out 10 feet you would see tropical fish and sea turtles.

The above pic is Meg and my "Last Supper". It was the best meal ever. We also had the best table ever, and they played our song. No complaints. Great trip. Great people!