So, after seven islands and some wildly different cultures, it’s time to pack the bags and wend our way home from Indonesia.
Bali, one minute hectic, noisy and full of taxi and massage touts – the next peaceful and serene with water rushing along channels to soak the terraced rice paddys, is our departure point.
Images from the last few weeks will linger in the mind:
So, as the sun sets, the road home looms for tomorrow…
Back in Bali, and in Ubud, our hotel cascades down the hillside to the river below in a riot of tropical plants. The sounds of frogs and insects compete with Balinese music to form a fitting soundscape.
Our room is 110 steps down, almost at river level, down where the magic spa offers massages with the sound of rushing water below.
Graven images abound, here, and throughout the village. From the fertility god outside our room, to a frieze of cavorting monkeys above the shady pool.
No trip to Ubud is complete without visiting the Sacred Monkey Forest, or a dose of Bali Belly, or trying the cheap cocktails at happy hour (which variously runs from 4pm to 10pm).
Our final day in Jogja and it’s time to visit the Sultan’s palace and see a traditional Javanese dance performance. On the way, there are signs and symbols a’plenty: some graffiti likens me to a panda bear; trees walk across the road; and at the palace, dragons cavort wildly.
In a huge pavilion, 20 seated musicians play discordant sounds accompanied by insane caterwauling whilst dancers in amazing costumes make minute movements, bend their hands backwards, and end up stabbing each other in a ‘bitch-fight frenzy’.
Afterwards, the palace resembled a tatty fairground with bric-a-bracket from Camberwell market in comparison.
Later that evening, more dancing with a rendition of the Ramayana story, complete with prancing demons, mad monkeys, burning rooftops, and prancing golden deer!
Monday dawned and it was time to move on. But to where?
The signs were clear – back to the Island of the Gods. Ubud – lotus ponds, silk umbrellas, frangipani and happy gods in the street.
Oh, and of course shopping (and Bintang!)
After successfully avoiding the Karaoke, the Intrepid explorers rose early, dressed for the occasion, and headed off to the massive Buddhist temple of Borobudur.
After promising not to remove the stones, we (and thousands of others) explored the temples mysteries.
Regularly covered by volcanic ash, and subject to earthquakes, it’s a miracle it has survived almost 1400 years.
Nearby villages have temples of their own, with Buddhist monasteries attached.
Despite the public holiday crowds and carpark filled with temple hawkers, we, like the buddah, found serenity amongst the lava stones.
The intrepid travellers arrive in Jogjakarta at the start of a four-day public holiday.
The atmosphere is festive, the markets are teeming, girl scouts have set up camp at the temples, and Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes is hidden by heat clouds.
Breakfast is consumed, trips are booked, and we set out on foot for supplies (tonic!).
Windows and walls display their wares and we learn of processions and dancing to come.
Late in the afternoon, we visit Prambanan – an amazing temple complex buried under volcanic ash for 900 years.
The intrepid adventurers get photographed frequently by locals who are amazed to see a foreigner. Temples still to be reconstructed lie waiting in enormous piles of lava rock. Above it all, Merapi waits in silence.
Friday night at the hotel promised traditional Javanese dancing and a BBQ buffet. Things soon turned towards Karoake and an early start for Borobudur tomorrow gave us the excuse to turn down the microphone and head upstairs to break out the tonic.
Palm trees, waves crashing on the beach, snorkeling over coral gardens, cocktails by the pool… Where are we again?
The volcano of Bali looms on the western horizon, so we must still be in Indonesia.
By Wednesday, the sun is shining and we visit Gili Trawangan, a bright little holiday island where people ride bicycles or take horse-drawn carriages (just like in Buyakada Island off Istanbul).
Tomorrow it’s off to see some big cities: Surabaya and Jogjakarta.
Fresh from her close encounter with the Komodo Dragons, Explorer Heather spent the day with her arm in a sling. G & Ts, for medicinal purposes only, were called into play, along with some good Italian food from downtown Labuan Bajo.
Heather 1: Dragons 0
Labuan Bajo is the hottest town in Flores, and the action next door was intense.
Preferring the peace of our hotel, we had to partially draw the blinds to keep out the noise.
So come Sunday morning it was off to Komodo airport to play “Aeroplane Lotto”. The rules are simple: 1 point if the airport is open; 2 points if any staff turn up to the check-in desk; 5 points if someone remembers to take the lump of wood with the string through it out to the runway to chock the wheels of the luggage trolley; 10 points if the extension lead reaches from the Commodore 64 to the power point; 20 points if your plane turns up within three hours of your scheduled departure time.
We scored a maximum 52 points as eight staff were needed to weigh the passengers. Many on our flight scored zero as they were scheduled to leave the day before!
Miraculously, we have arrived by the beach in Lombok. Tomorrow, snorkeling swimming and chilling.
Eastward to Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores – a base to explore Rinca and Komodo, home of the Komodo Dragons.
Rinca, the closest island, is two hours by boat across water dotted with islands, coral reefs and good snorkeling spots.
Even a sprained wrist doesn’t stop Heather from snorkeling then it’s back home to our 5-star hotel for a gin & tonic, and sunset across the shining white sands (at least some of these statements may be an exaggeration!
A relaxing morning followed by a Balinese massage and lunch meant we had to stir. The bikes beckoned so we set off to explore the local area.
Villages, rice paddys, temples and beaches – all full of colour.
Nearing sunset, the ducks had been rounded up for the night, and the intrepid explorers headed home before sunset.
The intrepid explorers rise late and call for breakfast.
A swim in our private pool, then we think about experiencing Balinese culture – on the way to lunch.
A jug of icy Sangria at Seminyak, a frantic search for Gin, then it’s back home for sunset over the rice paddys and Balinese chicken curry.
Must try not to have such a busy schedule tomorrow!
Rick & Heather go troppo 