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Today we were up and out by 0830. We had a 2 hour drive to the place where we would be getting the boats to go snorkelling. On the 17th August it is Bali’s Independence Day and so for the last few days traffic has been a nightmare due to having to drive around school children marching around the city. They all are in their outfits, singing and marching about practicing ready for the 17th. We arrived at the location to meet the boat and tour leader, collected our life vests, snorkels, masks and flippers and got on the old and decrepit wooden boats and set off on a 30 min trip to the coral reef we would be snorkelling around. The day was hot, around 34 degrees by 10am and so we were really thankful that we would be spending the day at sea and in the water (which was also really warm). We arrived at the coral reef, jumped in and entered a totally different world. I’ve been snorkelling before but I have never experienced fish like it! All colours, all sizes and all very inquisitive and happy to investigate this new person to their world. I managed 6 mins of GoPro footage before my camera turned itself off but what I got I was really pleased with. This coral reef was nicknamed “the wall” and I’m not surprised at all. The reef itself was huge but suddenly you came to a huge drop off where there was nothing but a vast open ocean beneath you. You’d carry on swimming and suddenly there would be another wall of coral. Very strange but utterly beautiful! After an hour of swimming about and seeing clown fish and blue starfish, we climbed back on board the boat and headed to an island for lunch. We sat, watched the world go by, ate our lunch and then headed back to civilisation on the boats. What a morning!! The rest of the afternoon was a free afternoon and I sat and read and just enjoyed a bit of nothingness before we headed out on foot for dinner. We were taking to the beach closest to our hotel and just round the corner where a large table with 13 chairs had been placed for a private dinner. A lady had spent all morning preparing our dinner for us which consisted of plates and plates of wonderful things such as Blue Marlen, Satay Chicken, Shrimp Crackers, Noodles, Fried Rice, Green Bean and Corn mixed with chilli and various other dishes. We spent a few hours eaten and chatting and laughing and joking about the differences that Canada, England and the USA use such different words for the same thing. After dinner we thanked the lady “sooksamah” is Bali for thank you and headed off for a cocktail with the group, then bed! It had been a long day!   
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So this is it, the alarm went off at 2am..... I must have had maybe 1 hours sleep... this was going to be painful. Luckily there was tea and coffee made available so we drank a gallon of the stuff before boarding the bus and heading 1 hour up into the mountain arriving at the car park at the start of the walk with about 200 other people! We were introduced to our guides (4 in total) and donned the headtorches and started our hike. The first mile or two was relatively flat walking past tomato plant fields and the odd shack. The the ascent started. At first it was just a slight incline with winding paths that twisted and turned on the way up. More and more people were arriving behind us and the higher we got the better the view of the hundred of torches that followed us up the volcano. We stopped for a brief rest before we were introduced to the real climb. I think it was actually a good thing that it was dark so we couldn’t see what lay ahead. Things got difficult quickly, because this was an active volcano, the last eruption was back in 1963 the slope was completely covered in rock like lava. You stood on it expecting it to act like a rock but it moved with the slightest of touches as lava is very light. None of us fell on the way up, all of us fell on the way down. After 2 difficult hours of stopping and starting because of the sheer number of people we finally reached the top, it was still pitch black but we all managed to whoop and high five each other. We were one of the first group so we set up camp right on the edge facing eastwards and I set up my GoPro with precision ready for the time lapse video. Every so slowly the sun started rising. It started with a very slight blue/yellowy line across the horizon and then slowly grew and grew. About 6am you could start to see the outline of the mountains opposite and the lake below and by 6:30 the whole landscape was lit by a beautiful orange sunrise. It was pretty breathtaking and for a few times the group just sat in silence watching the world go by soaking it all in. Once the sun was up and we had started to warm up, we headed over to the volcano crater, only 300 metres from where we stood but in the dark we hadn’t been able to see the thick clouds of sulphur smoke coming from the deep. There were a number of holes in the ground which you could put your hand into and got the most lovely warm sensation as the sulphur ran over it. We then headed down the mountain which was much more difficult to deal with, slipping and sliding out way down. I’ve no idea how some people made it up and down alive in the flip flops or Crocs that they were wearing. We made it down unscathed. Next we headed back to the hotel for breakfast.... which consisted of one piece of toast and a pancake, all without any jams or sauces. Next on the agenda was the hot springs, I’m not sure what we were expecting but we pulled up to this quite swanky complex and walked in and were dumbstruck with the sheer size of the place. 3 hot spring pools, one with a bar and infinity pool out over the lake and a view of the volcano we had just climbed. We all congratulated ourselves with a beer and wallowed in the pools for a few hours before picking up our luggage and heading off to our hotel for the next two nights in Kalibubuk, right on the coast. Beautiful hotel with a lovely room, two pools and a nice restaurant. My favourite so far.      This morning we pottered down to breakfast at 0730 after quite a chilly nights sleep. We are higher up now so it’s a little colder at night. Breakfast consisted of tea, toast, scrambled eggs and pancakes which were lovely! We all met at reception at 0900 and met our guide for the morning. And then we commenced the 2.5 hour walk. The starting temperature at 0900 was 28 degrees so you can imagine the state that we were in by the end. We started by walking through the village of Sidemen and our guide showed us all of the chillis, lemongrass and cloves that grow wild along the road. He then invited us into his home to meet his wife who would spend 8 hours a day for 10 days straight making ceremonial sarongs for weddings, funerals and festivals. Each sarong, dependent on size, would take around 80 hours to complete. They were beautifully intricate with wonderful colours. Considering her “work station” consisted of sitting on a dirt floor with a few poles cobbled together to make a weaving loom it was fascinating to watch. We then headed off the road and started walking along the start of the irrigation system to the rice fields. We walked for about 10 minutes before turning a corner and being presented with the most incredible view of miles and miles of rice fields all twisting and turning to form intricate patterns. I’ve said before, these are purely used for agricultural purposes so the fact that they are so beautiful is just pure coincidence. We proceeded to then spend the next hour walking along the irrigation system taking care not to fall in, some of us more careful than others. We made a few stops for water and to mop the sweat off and then proceeded to where our lunch would be, underneath a huge Banyan Tree. Lunch consisted of traditional banana leaf parcel with soya bean cake, spicy shredded chicken, rice and vegetables. It was delicious. Once finished we walked another ten minutes back into the village and back to the hotel where we spent the next two hours by the pool before packing up, getting into the bus and heading off to Batur for our hotel for the next 6 hours before our trek up the volcano!        This morning we set of towards Sidemen but stopped off 30 minutes in to be met with a spectacular view of some rice fields. It was full of tourists so photos were difficult but it is still an amazing place to visit. Considering these fields are used solely for agricultural purposes the fact that they are so beautiful is just a happy coincidence! It was about 30 degrees whilst we were there and even just walking up and down the terraces was tough work. Next was our bike ride!! Luckily enough when we arrived at the place to pick up the bikes the sun had disappeared behind the sun. So I haven’t ridden a bike in years so was a little unsure about how a three hour “offpiste” bike ride would go. With very little padding on the bike seat and a very fetching helmet we head off into the “real Bali” as the tour guide explained. The ride itself wasn’t really that taxing, with it being mostly downhill, however every so often we had to go off road and that hurt, a lot! We stopped off at a house that was growing Mandarin, Chillis and had fighting chickens that they kept caged up by the house. We picked the slightly yellow mandarins and ate them straight from the tree which was lovely! They tasted like diluted orange juice. From there we had another hours cycle before stopping at a restaurant for lunch. None of the items were cooked without peanut oil so I went without and just enjoyed the views. They kept frogs in a small pond that they dipped into every so often when someone ordered frogs legs.... 🤢. After the bike ride we all collapsed by the pool of the new hotel which was lovely. We drove into Sidemen which is smack bang in the centre of all of the rice fields. The hotel looks out over a small forest with waterfalls cascading underneath, utterly paradise!    This morning was a very civilised start of 0900. Breakfast had, walking boots on we boarded a very tiny very rickety minibus and headed for the Campuhan ridge within Ubud. We started our walk in a tiny village situated among small rice fields and were invited in a mans home. Each home consists of 2/3 buildings and a temple. 1 room for the kitchen, 1 room for sleeping and another room for prayer, celebrations and funerals. We had coffee and tea while our guide explained about the traditions of a local Balinese person. We learned a few words to speak to locals and then headed off up to the ridge for a short walk with huge valleys either side. The sun went in for a short period which meant that there was a lovely cool breeze. Just what was needed! After the walk we had a free day so 5 of us decided to head off to eat and then go see a few temples. Trying to explain that I have a nut allergy was interesting and after landing on a gesture that seemed to do the trick my meal turned up of a chicken leg with a sauce (looking alarmingly like Sate but wasn’t thankfully) and rice. All done in a nice slice which was lovely! After lunch we headed to the Lotus Temple which is exactly that. A temple with two large Lotus Ponds on either side. We had a look around and took some photos then headed to one other Temple in the hopes that we might be able to go into one of the temples, unfortunately this one was closed too but was still very impressive even just from the outside. Everything has ornate carvings and is covered in gold leaf. With a few hours to kill before meeting up with the group again I passed out by the pool and then headed off to a traditional Balinese Dance Show! Well that was ... interesting. We all walked down this dark alley and sat in a semi circle outside a small temple. We were told we would be watching three dances, we didn’t realise each dance went on for 25 minutes! There must have been at least 50 people involved in these dances, each in traditional costumes and all of the music was done just by the “choirs” voices. They went into some kind of trance when they were in the middle of each song. It was quite an experience. The dance ended with a man dressed as a horse setting fire to coconut shells and then kicking them around the floor very nearly hitting the audience... we came away not quite sure what we had witnessed but it was interesting none the less!       I awoke (early bearing mind I’d gone to bed at 3am) to the sounds of birds and the scurrying of lizards over my bedroom walls. The air con was on full whack so had to do the “cold dance” whilst running round the room trying to find the remote. I headed down to breakfast by the pool and had a lovely greeting by the staff. They sat me down and drew on a map places to go today but said that they would reserve me a sunbed by the pool for when my late arrival this morning got the better of me. After breakfast I packed up (I’m moving rooms tonight to be with my roommate for the trip who I haven’t met yet) and headed off to walk to the Monkey Forest. My god...... I think I’m melting... already! Arrived at the monkey forest already glad to be under canopy for a while. Aimlessly wandering down tiny little hill walks and through huge open canopies of trees with monkeys quite literally everywhere. None bothered me as I was sensible and didn’t engage with them and didn’t get too close with my camera to be of interest. Those that didn’t pay attention to the rules had monkeys climbing all over them, pulling their hair, breaking into backpacks and generally just running riot. There were guards about with slingshots in case things got a little out of hand! This place really is quite something. After the monkey forest I decided to take an amble up one of the main roads in Ubud. Every shop has offerings of flowers and paper creations outside and there is a wonderful smell of incense floating about. After having a sit down in a lovely little cafe and having a “yellow smoothy” I also treated myself to some grilled pineapple with coconut icecream. It was lovely! I then took myself off into the main part of Ubud and walked to the Campuchian Ridge where we are doing a long walk tomorrow. I went up to the top to take a few photos and there was a lovely breeze. I didn’t want to go too far as I didn’t want to duplicate effort tomorrow so turned back and headed for the cottage. The rest of the afternoon was spent snoring on a sunbed by the pool. No seriously, I woke myself up mid snore, clearly I’m exhausted! At 6pm I went down to meet the rest of the group who all seem like a nice bunch. A couple from Belfast, a couple from Bristol, me, a lady from Munich, a girl from Switzerland, a mum and daughter from Montana and three ladies from Canada. We went out for a group meal afterwards and got to know one another a little better. I’m now just going through some photos and then it’ll be bed time!        Afternoon started with a train to LGW well in time to catch the National Express Bus to LHR which, other than the odd moron complaining that the bus wouldn’t take them directly to their home, the journey was very plain sailing. LHR bag drop was a nightmare, a good 500 people queuing just at the Emirates desks, apparently it was such a busy day that Emirates were offering people a free flight if they chose to travel another day, not a chance mate I’m off on Holibobs! The first half of the journey was on the Emirates A380 which is an absolute beast, only the second time I’ve flown on one but I was sat on the 2nd row so got a really good idea of just how vast the plane is! We arrived on time at Dubai at 0230 in the morning and at 34 degree heat!!!! No time to go round duty free so headed straight through connections and found my gate and just sat there for a good few hours attempting to get some sleep to no avail. Second flight was the B777 a much older plane and a lot less swanky, food was good though and there was a lot on the entertainment system which was a relief as after 15 hours of flying I managed about 20 mins of sleep. A really odd sensation happened as we crossed the equator. The sky was blue and the sun was still out on our approach, once across it was almost as if there had been an eclipse the sun disappeared and darkness appeared! We arrived on time and proceeded to spend the next 2.5 hours waiting for my bag! After a 15 hour journey and at 1 in the morning I am not the best person to be around! Finally it emerged to a cheer from me and I called my taxi driver who had patiently been waiting for me for 2 hours whilst I stood there questioning the demise of my suitcase. An hour later and many a hair raising close call with other cars, mopeds, vans and dogs we arrived at the hotel. 2am and I’m ready for bed!!   |
