Indonesia

Wanderlust beholds me.
My girlfriend happened to have gone to high school in Indonesia, so I joined her for her 10 year reunion.
Alas, I arrived in Indo to find my camera broken. (Never put your camera in your checked baggage...) What's more...I lost my girlfriend's camera in a taxi the 2nd day :( ! ...Luckily, a friend of hers brought a spare, so all was not lost.
5 days in Seminyak for the ruinion--near the main tourist area of Bali--not much but shopping, lounging, and traffic--of which there was heaps! :( . With some death-defying scootering, I did find some nice adventure into the outskirts of town and along the coast; alone, I had no camera to catch it.
Not much photo-worthy in the tourist Kuta/Legion area if you ask me...
Although we did check out the Kecak dance at a cliff side, monkey ridden temple.











The real fun began when we left the touristy Kuta/Legion/Seminyok area for the Gili Islands. A $60, 2.5 hour, 1000 horsepower speed boat ride to the east, the most expensive thing I paid for all trip.
This was as close to that 'idyllic remote tropical island' as I've ever come across. No engines--cars or motorbikes. Only horse carriage and bicycles. My kinda place (!).
Perfect turquoise blue water.


Great views of the ocean and neighboring islands,



of the sunrise,

and of the sunset.

Beautiful beach,

that gave way to coral as the tide went out in the evening.

With great snorkeling all around the island, what more could you ask for?
turtles,

fish


coral

mermaids


and me.


In contrast to my first taste of Central America in Nicaragua, Indo has great food.
Gado Gado,

Curry...mmm, yum,

and heaps of seafood,


After 4 precious nights in paradise, it was back to the mainland for Ubud. On the touristy side, again, Ubud has become something of a hippie-hangout. Heaps of Aussie's seemed to come here for the spas and yoga. Not one to pass up the cheap massages, I got myself a few. As usual, I prefer the young guys, but one guy laid it into my calf so much I developed rashes on my legs, ha!
Ubud has a great market: 3 levels, tons of stuff (for tourists). A bargaining bonanza!





Went for a wander to some outlying rice fields/villages, as I love to do. Amazing landscape. So easy to get lost on small/dirt roads that take you through tranquil valleys with views like this all around.


On a tip from one of Nicole's friends I sought out to find an organic restaurant that was said to be in a rice patty. I had to ask a couple locals just to find the sign that points to the drive way to the place. Arriving at the driveway, it is not clear where to go. Having known that it was "in the rice paddies" I set out walking by moonlight on the small paths between the water filled paddies.
My first two attempts brought me down dark paths, only to be chased away by howling dogs. The third path took me around some houses and I heard an oncoming scooter--a human! English speaking no less! And he said I was on the right trail, about 800 meters that way he said.
I end up walking another good 15-20 min by starlight, surrounded by crickets, frogs and flickering lightning bugs, with only a couple local farmers (who I mistook for dogs as they were in the dark squatting on the side of the path) who recognized the word 'organic' for the restaurant and pointed me onwards.
I have never had such a journey to find a measly restaurant. And I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw 4 other people there. Boy these people are ballsy, I thought to myself, to put a restaurant in the middle of nowhere!
The food was good. But I should have gone during the day, the view would have been much better.

The Balinese, who are mostly Hindu (vs. the rest of Indo which is mostly Muslim), are very religious. More so than the Thai, I think. Religion so pervades their culture, it is often difficult to distinguish their homes from temples. Most domiciles have elaborate archways and religious sculptures in the entrance.

and everywhere you go, people put out these offerings along the sidewalks--they're everwhere.