Wednesday, July 7, 2010
min of Surabaya on Java island, to Denpasar on Bali overnight. I manage to sleep until a first stop at midnight to eat a meal included in the ticket, but the rice tastes the same as the product used to wash the dishes, poorly flushed, but everyone guzzler, I'm surely be hard ^ ^.
later and further down the road, about 1 am, an explosion woke with a start, just a tire burst. I would start to have almost always, yesterday I took the bus had the same problem, except that the rear did not support and would be lost.
This time, the driver rolls gently up a roadside wider, and one of two drivers changed the 2nd inner wheel in the rear half hour with a skill as a mechanic.
We arrive at 9am the morning in Denpasar, the capital of Bali. As at each bus arrived, full of guys trying to offer their bus tickets and a taxi driver jumps on me because I have the misfortune to utter Ubud where I was going to say, he even scare a small bemo , a small minibus, which offered to take me, but changed his mind, claiming that there is more, seeing the beefy taxi driver who does not let go and continues barking until I get rid of my ways when I have limited no sleep ... I took a
bemo, small mini-buses to local immigration office. The taxi driver still a bit special to me touts the heroine ... I extended my visa in 10 days, 10 days for a sticker and a shot buffer .... I would see later that in other offices, one day and a small bank note will suffice.
Bali tourism has a strong taste and I am worried about having to spend 10 days here ^ ^. I'm fortunate in arriving in Ubud, as I explore the streets in search of a room, not everyone speaks to me as rather expensive hotels, but looking in a small side street, a hotel or my boss shows a room at 200,000 rupiah (18 euros), I explain that I just looking for a bed and something to wash me, and she found this more than I expected to find here, a small room she rents usual the Indonesians who work here ..
(Agus Pension (0361) 973 235 - small street perpendicular to Monkey Forest Street, Ayun and her husband will welcome you!)
Lunch in the alley that leads to his guesthouse, a restaurant in a nook in the shelter, filled with things to do plates of rice, gado gado, small compact blocks of rice and some vegetables, and the woman who offered me a meal at the local price of Indonesia, fortunately, since this street, there are only restaurant tourists and the price of gado gado I eat, not even the price of coffee.
Visit the monkey forest, which gives its name to the street. Lots of small players monkeys, thieves, and sometimes mordant, fun to see this small mass energy clinging to my clothes and come and take a biscuit in my hand in the air. Later, in a magnificent temple where I had to wear a sarung to enter this traditional Hindu tissue attachment around the waist, another monkey jumps on me to try to open my bag, or tearing and biting The glutton ^ ^!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
I rent a scooter and I'm going to get lost in the vicinity of Ubud. Lunch in a snack at the roadside, a fruit salad and peanut sauce peppers, excellent, accompanied by 3 shrimp and chips' Goula copied ", coffee with sugar Indonesian prepares the coffee very fine powder, which can not not finish the glass, filled with the deposit.
I'm a ride on the crest of a hill, a view of nature. I visited a few small temples. It's everywhere, these magnificent temples. Each built his own house, on a space of about 10 m2, and install 1, 2 or more of these small monuments in homage to a deity. And always of offerings, all day, every day everywhere even before the doors of houses, the statues of Hindu deities on the car parked outside the house is a small cup of woven leaves, a few flower petals red, yellow, ... rice, a little something in it to recall the good memories of divinity Balinese in traditional dress came to its offerings.
dinner after finally found an Indonesian restaurant in this city tourists, a small local restaurant is not expensive, has just over one euro for a plate of rice, tofu and tempe ( soybean seeds, fried into small fritters, grilled crispy and crunchy peanuts few added to the donut), all cooked with a sweet and spicy sauce with white rice and a glass of ice tea, the usual drink during the meal.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Someone keeps a small bell to ring out on waking and Ayun, the owner, explains that it is a ceremony that takes place every morning. Her husband tells me a road to reach Lake Batur, a corner with a beautiful view and a temple reputation on top of a volcano that overlooks a large lake.
I spin, and it will take me almost 1 / 4 hour drive on the main road before stopping to see the stores has tourists each side of the road! Ubud finally engulfed by the tourist business and hopefully not drown me ^ ^
I take the first small road which I found to no longer be on this "great" axis which is a simple country road, but widely used and the view is not interesting. On this new piece of tar, which follows the crest of a hill, I discover breathtaking views of rice fields, most have just been sown, small clumps of rice plants just waiting to grow for more cover later this pool of 20cm depth of a green that will turn almost fluorescent yellow then.
During a break, I pay a sari holding mandatory to meet I would be visiting the temples, and that's not expensive. Going back on the bike, I realize that the kid that I ran my bag opened while her boyfriend was talking to me and I admired the view. I am really surprised when I'm in this place so famous, so beautiful, clean, ordered, a tourist paradise ^ ^! And later I would learn the sad reality, many children are on the streets in Indonesia, still repelled by the police outside the tourist areas, ie in most cities of Bali!
I begin to curdle arriving atop a small hill, I'm not accustomed to temperatures below 25 degrees, and the impressive view, I'm just under the clouds to admire a panorama almost 180 degrees, rice paddies, the volcano, the lake and the small road that I follow. The other side of the volcano retains precisely the clouds. I see down the lake, a small tower at the foot of a volcano whose crater is filled with a cloud, and everywhere around these volcanic rocks dangerous for the scooter tires. I saw a few restaurants with stunning views, filled their car has bemo tourists, and I even pissed a taxi driver because I do not park in the parking lot has tourists but on the edge of the road for 5 minutes. The only unpleasant bossent in Indonesian tourism.
bottom of the volcano, the lake, a small square, 3 local snacks, and 3 sellers leave me alone after 1 minute to attempt their basket in hand full of necklaces and bracelets, no tourists for them TODAY 'hui, difficult, and I would breakfast talking with a painter very peaceful.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
I head south, a pause in a march Denpasar and Kuta I would be up. The road is very busy this time. Denpasar has quickly arrive and find the shows I've been walking, having found the correct sequence of one-way streets which the city fulfilled.
Actually walking, they are fabric stores and sarungs. I go to the end of the street and find a local mall, three floors of booths where I can find anything, vegetables on the ground floor, and jewelry, textiles and clothing on floors. I meet a star of French television, I do not know what show man behind variety shows, accompanied by a blonde with large hat and sunglasses, probably for fear that a reporter knows about it.
Lunch on the stand of a Muslim, here there is diversity and respect for different religions, unlike al'île Java, Muslim, would be very closed to other religions has what me explain. I then spun
Kuta to see what it looks like, and I quickly understood when I arrive in the center of the city, and crosses many tourists on 2 wheels, sometimes with the surfboard on the side of the scooter and full force tourists of stores, hotels, restaurants.
I'll see the beach, impeccable, and tourists to 2 o'clock in the afternoon forcing. I go in Ubud, finally I try, because the directional signs in Bali are scarce and incomplete. Once I indication for Ubud, and the next intersection, I did more. Fortunately, my neighbors tell me red light still on track, and with smile.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Depart for Batu Karu temple, a temple at the foot of the mountain of the same name. A tranquil temple and back, not so extraordinary a visit if this is the road to get there. I then continued until Luwih Jati, a small village in the middle of rice fields. This site is world heritage of mankind. And yes, it's beautiful, it's the place that I prefer on Bali. I delight in stopping every 100 meters for a new vision and a new photo. Photos that do indeed make anything, because the most beautiful is the width of this landscape and the horizon over hundreds of rice fields has floors.
I have lunch in a small snack or a woman I prepared a plate of gado gado, the price of the plate, 2000 rupiah, barely 20c euros and I have almost too much. I go quietly regaling me of that road has turns away from the traffic of southern Bali, past the houses like temples carved.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I go visit Pura Besakih, the most famous temple in Bali. Arrives at the entrance of the temple, three guides, each in turn, propose using almost mandatory reasons, I remain Zen and zap to the temple gate, or, another 3 other are guides to the small grid and block the passage by claiming a ceremony that requires visitors to be accompanied. I arrive at a fair price to visit him, but I would learn later that any Hindu temple is always free.
is great indeed, but not so extraordinary, besides the gilding on the black volcanic stone that gives a wonderful contrast with the view of Bali which extends to the sea has the horizon. After the central temple, full of other small temples, each worshiping a deity different, with these kinds of tower 7, 9 or 11 levels in a representative sort of levels of "liberation" or awakening of the deity.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
descends Denpasar I pay for my visa extension, and I am ripped off by the Customs of 5 euros, I do not know the exact price of the visa and trusted, and the officer's salary rounded as is customary in Indonesia. You should also know that to become a police officer, he had to pay for all competitions and grades that are now his meager salary, a fair return?
Friday, July 16, 2010
I leave Bali is truly a beautiful place, both in the landscape, as in the customs temples of development in each house offerings at all on which it is possible to make wishes, and very friendly people, we leave the tourist areas.
Friday, July 16, 2010
This morning, I take a minibus to join one of three heavenly islands bordering the north west of Lombok, Gili Terawagan, or it would be possible to get a good night and fiestas to feast on beautiful beaches and snorkeling spots during the day. I guess soon the atmosphere and the people of the place where I saw all the passengers in the minibus, which must arrive directly from Kuta.
In the minibus, I met a couple Polish whose husband is a biologist, who will study the Komodo dragons.
It takes 4 hour ferry to the island of Lombok, and why not get a chance to change direction ...
photos on the island of Bali
