Bali pictures

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Back home

Have been home in Stavanger for a week, been to work again and on a weekend trip with great workmates.  Seen snow again, been driving on snow, not so much fun, but that is spring in Norway. 
Was sitting on KLIA on my last blog post, and had a long way home. The flights vent fine, the one to Amsterdam and the next one to Stavanger, arriving on schedule and got some tax free stuff with me from Schiphol, chocolate and scotch single malt.
My first, and so far my only workday was bad, was experiencing a bad jetlag, but I got true the workday, even if it felt like I was in a bubble. Can not remember that feeling from last year.
Have gotten question about what place that was my favorite, and I cant really say, but I do know that the best about the trip was the people I met on different places.
The Couchsurfers in KL, Seen and Niroshan to mention the 2 I get to know best, Keiko and Phillipa on Singamata, Roy and Sarahuss on the diving outside KK, Heidi, Valvanera and Bindi in Kuching. The Couchsurfers in Singapore, and then first of all Corinna that I vent to the night safari with, and off course lovely Lise from FB. In Indonesia, Bali and Gili T, my travel mates from Intrepid and Valvanera again, the people I dived with on Gili T, unfortunately forgotten the names of the people there, but they all made my days out there good. Have also been a lot of other people on the way, many that I have no idea what their name is or where they are in the world, but many of them have been a part of making the vacation good. Trying to think about if I have meet any people that have made my trip not so good, but I can not think about anyone, so if there have been any, they have not made a strong and long-lasting impression on me. To the ones I have mentioned here, I hope to see you again one day, somewhere out on the road or here in Stavanger, you are great. See you!
Have also gotten some question about where I want to go next time, what is the plan? I do not know for sure, but South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Ireland is for sure on my list, so is Jordan and Cuba, maybe also Rome, Barcelona and Paris.. the list goes on. Not finished with Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam – just need to win the lottery to make it all happen. See U

Lovina and back to Ubud (again)

Sitting at KLIA and writing this, and have just realised it will take me 32 hours to get from Ubud to my home in Stavanger, that is crazy long. Still, not as long as it took me by train from Istanbul, Turkey to Malaga, Spain 22 years ago, that took me a week including 1 night in a bed in Venice, the rest was spend on trains or train stations, awake and asleep. 
I also noticed one other thing on my flight from Bali to KL, Air Asia does not have any seat row 13! I had a seat on row 12, changed w someone for the seat back and ended up on row 14, not possible really to skip a number 13, 14 is still row 13 even if it says 14.  This was not what I wanted to write about., so lets get back to Lovina on Bali.

Lovina, if I remember Lonely Planet right so are the saying that you can get so relaxed in Lovina that you forget to leave, and I can sort of understand that. It is, or at least the small part I was around a quite and relaxed place. Liked it, and it was the only place during the intrepid trip that we stopped for 2 nights, great, I like to stay more than 1 night at places.
We came in, tired after the volcano he, to Lovina around 12.30, checked in to some hotel that maybe one time have been a fancy resort, a bit run down now, but still fine and w a good pool. Have the change to dive in Lovina, and that’s what I want to do.  Are so lucky that Meri from California have the OW certification and also can think to do the diving. After an good lunch together with Meri, Jess and Hans we head over and check out the recommended dive centre, looks fine, and we book our diving for the next day, March 17th is that. Nothing else than some pool time and a sunset drink and dinner the rest of this day, and pretty early to bed, was an early 3 am start, so are tired.

The diving on the 17th is good. The equipment is fine, everything goes a bit slow when it comes to keep the time. Picked up a bit late, have to wait for someone that are a bit late, have to wait for the equipment that are a bit late after we get to the port after 1h 15m drive, and the boat goes slowly out to the Menguan island, still, not really any problem, are on vacation and are not in any rush. Yeah, the dives are good, very good visibility, get to, finally to see a black tip shark, also a turtle, some scrimps (?) or cuttlefish (not sure), a school of mackerel and get a small cave entrance, what is a shame is all the garbage floating around, it is a lot. The guide says it comes from Java, not Bali, sure – blame it on the neighbour.  Meri, my buddy of the day, have not dived for some years, but are a good buddy and a excellent company, great girl. Have an excellent day out at the sea, over and under, very enjoyable.

The evening brings something that I never would have thought that I would do, karaoke singing. I am so stupid the day before that I say that I will never ever sing karaoke, no matter how much alcohol that should be involved, which someone take as a challenge to make me break. After dinner we head for the karaoke place (one of them) and I now soon that I will join in behind the mic, even without a lot of alcohol that I can blame it on. NO solo, just joining in on group singing on some songs,and it is good fun, must admit that. Must also say that it was just us there, and some hookers waiting for the men, so not really any listeners there, just some of us having fun. (Will get a picture of me sooner I hope.) A fabulous day in Lovina.

The day after, is not 100 %, just like 90%, and that is not bad, still, was not a very late night out, midnight only. Get some early morning shopping done, till morning special price, get a nice blanket/quilt to put on top of the bed home, very nice and get it for a good price, 230 000 ( or around 160 NOK).Shopping here can be a bit fun, get the "looking looking, free to look or looking only 10 000". It can be a bit dangerous to touch stuff, when it other places is sign that say if you break it you bay it, here it is a bit more like if you touch it you bay it. Not really, but feels like that sometimes.
 
After a great lunch at a local woman's home we are back on the road at 1300, heading slowly south toward Ubud. Having a stop at Banjar hot springs for a swim, to warm, it is much better with the dip in the Munduk waterfall we stop by when we have a hike true the coffee and cacao plantations. So refreshing, and it is the first time in many days that I don’t feel or in fact are sticky, amazing.

Our last overnight stop before we get back to Ubud is in Bedugel, most known for the temple of the lakes (Lake Bratan). Staying at a great hotel, Strawberry hills, nice and cold outside, and have my best sleep for a long time, good unsweaty sleep.
A week in a group is maybe not enough to adjust after solo traveling, since I feel a bit irritatet sometimes (hope it don't show), not big stuff, just some nagging and complaining about small stuff. Most likely just me getting a bit tired. For, the last week traveling on Bali have been great, good people and so much we have seen in a few days, amazing.

Before we head back to Ubud on Saturday, 19th, we stop at the temple at the lake, it is nice and the one temple in Bali you do not want to miss, and the location is the nicest ever. Do some more shopping at the marked, not planned, but ending up with a lot of spices, hope that the are tasty, and if not, it did not cost much.
Ubud, lazy, just Chilin. Or, go to look at a cook fight, can not really see anything, to much people around, and maybe for the best, not sure if it is fun to see cooks kill each other, but still a bit interesting to feel the atmosphere, not any other foreigner there. Good dinner as a finish at Bali, not time to see Valvanare again unfortunately, she is busy when I can and I am to tired when she can. That's it from KL

Sideman to Mt Batur

The hotel in Sidemen is nice, great pool looking up to the highest mountain in Bali, Dunung Agung – 3142m. Room to is good, and it has a partly outdoor bathroom, fresh.

After a good night sleep are we going for a hike true Sideman. Having a good 4 hours hike true the rise fields and a loot of other fields of farming”stuff”, big areas of farmland, and it is all worked by hand, no machines, quite impressive. The people we meet on our way, or most of them say “hallo” even before we do it. It is not the richest people in the world, but it seams not to be the worst place to have little if you have land to farm. We also have a stop at a weavery in the village of Sideman that does not seams like the best place to work for me, and some of the girls sitting there an work looks very young, and are maybe destine to sit there for the rest of their life. On the hike are we also passing an injured dog, most likely hit by a car. Our tour leader ask around for a veterinary and if someone cold help, but no such luck. Even if it is many dogs around, and someone own most of them they will not use money on them, expect maybe against rabies. Sad.



We finish our trip having lunch packed in bananaleaf and eating it with our fingers, Indonesian style, tastes fantastic!

After some pool time we drive further up the mountain to get to Kedisan, where we will do a volcano top – Mt Batur 1717 meter - hike from the next morning. Not any fancy hotel here, but it works. I am buying some paintings from a guy hanging by the restaurant. He have his gallery in a box at his scooter, say he he have made them, but I do not know if it is true. Nice picture, and I like them, and they are cheap. they will go on my wall, original or not.


Very early start of the day, 3 am, an on the way to the top 1 hour later. Dark off course, so we need to use flash lights, and it is raining most of the way to the top. Not optimistic about the sunrise, and we don't get to see any either even if the sun rises as always this day too. The hike is not very hard, just a little.First time i wear shoes in 5 weeks, and that is a bit hard. The trip back down is a bit slippery, but not dangerous.

Foggy camera

Left Kedisan at 10 am for Lovina where we gonna have the 2 next nights.

Back in Ubud and onward to Sideman

After a bumpy ride back to Bali from Gili T a was back in Ubud around 12.30 at Saturday March 12th. A lot better accommodation now, when it is included in the Intrepid trip than when I have done my own booking. Still, no AC or hot water in the shower.  Vent almost straight for lunch up the street at Kafe with a K. Sms’s Valvarena that joined me for a chat later on. We also hung out for some hours the next day, lunch and some scooter riding, fun, even with me driving. The traffic was not that bad when you where a part of it.

Meet with the intrepid group at 1900 at the hotel, full trip, which mean that we are 12 persons + 2 tour leaders and 2 drivers, well, 1 of the tour leaders are in training. My room mate for this week is Hans from Belgium, seems to me a nice travel companion and room mate for a week. Not everyone are here the first evening, but it seems to be a nice group to travel with. Think I might be the oldest this time, but I am young at heart, so it does not matter. (Not the oldest one after all)

We just vent to a marked for food the first evening, dead cheap. Hoped that someone would join for a drink after, but not any interest, tired maybe. The next day we vent for a small hike, very small hike – more of a stroll, but it was some nice scenery along the rise fields. Evening, Balinese dance show, which was pretty good, but not as good as the one in Cambodia last year, or different is maybe the correct word. We get some heavy rain during the dance, so when I step to quickly up a stair a sleep and bang my ankle into the next step, and it hurts a bit, and bleed a bit under the band aid that some luckily have with them.


Had a plan about shopping when I was in Ubud this time, just haven’t found time for it. Maybe when I get back in a week.
Monday 14th is sort of the start for the trip, and we start on bicycles out from Ubud. Getting some rotten bikes, not good and not in good shape, but they works mostly. Are doing a 20 km ride, in a very low speed. Having a little bit rain, which sort of is better than sun, not that hot and the rain is still warm. We are taking some back roads towards a Monkey forest, changing for cars just in time to avoid the heavy rain that comes down then. Raining also in the forest, not much to see, a nice temple, but can not really study it because of the rain. Some of the group members are getting their picture taken w a monkey on them, I choose not to, don’t like them that close. Rather have the python around me again then. 

Stopping for lunch at some disability centre, good food witch is cost a bit since it is for supporting the centre. Most of the people have had polio and are badly crippled. They do a good job it seams like, and we have a look in their gallery where they sell paintings, and there are some very good ones. I buy some cards that I hope to find a frame for back home.
The stop for the day is in Sideman, where we get a nice hotel under the biggest volcano on Bali and are surrounds of farmland, rise and cacao fields. Excellent!

View from bathroom, when standing on the toilet.

Gili T (or dive dive dive)

Arriving Gili T

or Gili Trawangan as the name is. It is biggest out of 3 small islands just outside Lombok, or 1 hour on a speedboat from Bali.  The island have no motorised traffic on land, no cars, no scooters, only horse carts and bicycles. The island is known to be one of the old stopovers on the hippie trail, which mean that is has been, and still is quite a bit of drugs around. It is no police on the island, so it is pretty free for the ones that want to use. It has been raids from the police on Bali/Lombok, so it is not as much as it have been earlier as far as I understand. And when you know you can get the death penalty for drugtrafficing some people are taking a big risk, stupid.


As Indonesia is the country in the world with the biggest muslim population, you are bound the hear their calling for praying 5(?) times a day, so you do here at Gili T. and it is kind of nice in a way, even if I think it is enough with the church bells home. My accommodation is of the simple ones, my own small room w/bathroom for 1000 NOK for 8 days says it all, but it works and are safe and relatively clean. Sometimes been out of water and the water in the shower is salty and sometimes the electricity goes away on the hole island, just charming.

Came running for a pose when she heard the click from the camera.

I choose Gili T from back home and booked a room here for 8 nights, mainly because it seemed quite and that it might be some good diving here. And diving is all that this 8 days have been about. Found out that I could make my 500th dive on my birthday, and that is what I did. 17 dives in 7 days, maybe a personal record for me. Have been hard some days, but not much alcohol and early to bed and early up, it has worked out well. The diving have been very good, mostly good visibility, more than 20 m, lots of nice corrals and plenty of fish. Some sharks, lots of turtles, murene, lionfish, octopus’s, cuttlefishes, nudybrances, seen a big sea snake, the biggest nudybranch that exist, Spanish Dancer, pygme seahorse, maybee the smallest seahorse around and a lot of stuff I have no idea what the name is, mostly fish of some kind. Unfortunatly my flash stopped working, and also my underwater casing for the camera wasn’t totally ok, so not many picture from this place under water. A good excuse for coming back. Have been diving with the Blue Marlin, a good company w good staff.For the teck. divers they also have courses and dives. Showed my instructore licence, and got 25 % off the price, and have gotten more freedom, but also some responsibility in the way that I have taken over the group if the guide have gone up with some divers that have been low on air. Good or bad, have given me longer dive time, and the divers I have taken over have been good.

Expect diving, not much, eaten and had a few drinks in the evening, but it have all been about diving… and I have liked it. Socially, the people I have met have also only been divers, and mostly hung out w them during daytime and between the dives, so the evening have been quite socially.
  Tomorrow am I going back to Ubud, to meet up with my Intrepid group, that I going to travel with my last week, looking forward to it and wander what kind of people that I will travel with this time, have been really lucky to last times, and are pretty sure I will be that now too. Will also meet up with Valvanera again in Ubud, most likely. Fun.

Taxi, you want taxi?

Is a question you get a lot of times when you are out walking around in Ubud at Bali. And my answer is all the time “no thank you, I walk”, “ no thank you are also used in a lot of other situations whenever someone is trying to sell me something, t-shirts, Rolex, massage a

About taxies, I did take a taxi from the airport till Ubud, lots of traffic and it took around 1,5 hour, and the price was 195 000 IRM (130 NOK), not bad comparing to Norway. The scooter traffic reminds me about Vietnam, not quite as many, but more than enough to make it a bit difficult to cross the street.

The Hostel, or the homestay is great, but that you can read about under.


Ubud, I like this town, it is small town, good to walk around in, lots of shops, galleries and small restaurants, and if you just take a small stroll down one smaller side street you all of a sudden find yourself surrounded by rise fields. Like it, and that is good since I will come back here 2 more times when I am here in Indonesia. Since I will meet my Intrepid group here in Ubud haven’t I stressed to much about seeing that much, have walked around, palace, shopped, Monkey forest, eaten to much, not drinked enough, sweated a lot, enjoyed it.




Tried to get together some CS’rs the night I arrived, but there was absolutely no interest at all, sorry about that. But are meeting up again with Valverena from Kuching at my last night for now in Ubud, looking forward to that. Good to get some company again of  an“old” friend.

Update Friday: We met at the Laughing Buddha, my favorite place in Ubud. It had live music, which I new, but not what kind. It turned out to me great jazz with vocal this time. A Balinese woman with a great voice, loved it. It was also open for guest to join  in, and it was some very good singers among them, and a drummer. Had an amazing evening, great music and good company by Valvanera and some others at the table, even the food was good today, and that have only been average the other times. Have, by the way, had all my dinners at this place in Ubud.

Have also forgotten to mension that it is Balinese new year on Friday, and that I am missing it, sorry for that, but the downside is that they have silient day tomorrow, Saturday March 5th, which mean that one are not allowed to go outside, everything is closed, even the airport at Bali, not enough time to have an indoor day.

At the writing (updating moment) am I at Gili Trawangan, and it is very very hot, sweating just by sitting down. Will go diving tomorrow, 2 dives for sure. Got a good price, -25 % because I am an owsi, so to all that say that you should not use your black card, think about it again. Have btw always had good experiences with showing the black one.

See you:)