Days 99 - 104 On to Bali

Decked out Kuta style!

So on 11th July, 4pm local time we jetted off to Bali from Singapore. We were slightly confused and unaware what was needed on landing. Bali does a visa on arrival, but we wondered how we get that. It turned out very easily. Many desks cashiers offer it for $25 or the equivalent in Indonesian Rupees. So no problem and onto the customs desk. The immigration officer looked like he may have trained in the USA. Questions like "what are doing  in Bali?" seemed to invite sarcastic replies which I knew to be unproductive so didn't. He questioned where I had been and seemed to have difficulty understanding that I'd been travelling for over 3 months now. The men seemed to get a hard time from this guy, but this is where he would deviate from his American counterpart. He treated the ladies with more leniency. American immigration will not think twice about reducing an elderly lady in a wheel chair to tears if there is the slightest chance she will get well, start walking and find an illegal job in Wendy's.

Days 99 to 102 - Kuta

We knew little about the country apart from the guidebook we bought over a month ago and a middle aged Chilean couple in Bangkok instilling us the beauty of the Indonesia Island. I've known people who've been in the past and heard mostly good reviews. The questionable reviews I've heard is that it's a Benidorm for Australians. I guess this was our first impression when we arrived in Kuta on the South Coast.

Kuta we saw on the map was very near to the airport. It was dark when we arrived and a quick journey to hotel was ideal. On leaving the airport, and here is a tip, taxi drivers surround you. The first price they gave us was Rp400,000 making its way down to maybe Rp250,000 (because of traffic). The guidebook said Rp50,000. The difference even in the weak and large currency is substantial. Rp400K is about £27 ($44) Rp50K is £3.5 ($5). Simply ignore these men who are picking on those literally just off the plane, walk right and find a taxi kiosk and you will get one for nearer Rp50K to Kuta. On arriving in our taxi through Kuta we saw immediately how touristy. We found a hotel straight away booked 2 nights which we later extended to 3.

I managed to get my taste buds back in entirity and also after the food incidents I'm brave again. My first meal was Indonesian and was it cheap. Beer (and whether you drink it or not it's always a good indication of the cost of an area) was cheap at only a £1 a glass. The meals usually come in at about Rp80K at most without alcohol thats £2.50 each for 2 courses. What I loved is the availability of snapper fish. It will more than double your meal cost in Thailand, but here it is so cheap and tastes perfect. All the goodness of fish the firmness of chicken.

Our days were spent on Kuta beach. The weather was just right the waves were big. The sea, less stagnant than Koh Phi Phi and the Pehentians, was refreshing. The sand being volcanic doesn't look aestetically pleasing being a muddy grey, but none the less it's still as soft. We hired boogie boards on both our beach days. Sarah 'got it' straight away and had some long rides. I was chasing the big waves every time and wasted most of them. The second day I sussed the timing and when to put my weight on and a where. I was proud to catch a pretty big wave (I don't know the measurement), but being on top of it looking down a wall of water, then pushing forward to slope down it like a tabogan, with the white of the wave carrying me nearer shore was exhilaration in extreme. So enjoyable it wasn't until afterwards I noticed my boogie board nipple burns. Now Kuta was great but we needed more than beaching and wanted to see the real Bali. Ubud in the interior was a step in that direction.

Days 102 to 104 - Ubud

Warsi Bungalows Ubud. £13 a night.

Anyone who's seen Eat Pray Love, Ubud is where Elizabeth finds Love after eating in Italy and praying in India. I don't think we were chasing the film but we were definitely chasing the green rice fields and a more majestical backdrop. We caught the bus at 1pm and were in Ubud by 4pm. It was pouring with rain so we took the first place that looked ok for a price no more than Rp200K. We found the Warsi Bungalows, and what a bargain. The architecture is like a temple. Our bungalow is at the end after a short walk over quaint bridges spanning gold fish ponds. Such a large bungalow with a huge veranda overlooking our own pond and statue and a rice field. A bamboo three piece sitting area makes it perfection and worth thrice what we paid.

The following day we took a walk down the road to The Sacred Monkey Forest. Again I'm not sure why, as we've seen so many monkeys and frankly they are trouble. Although this time Sarah was the victim. One threw a potato hard and accurately at her shoulder and seemed unashamed. Some monkeys were a bit vicious, but lucky for me they tended to pick on women and children. Apart from the monkeys, the forest is  more like a temple area with Balinese sculptures gathering moss and slowly being reclaimed by Banyan Trees.

16th July, My Birthday

Sarah wanted elephants for her birthday and I wanted a volcano for mine. We booked a tour for Rp150K each taking us round temples and a viewing of the volcano. I really had a lovely day and I think this is my best birthday ever. However, that won't stop me having a moan about a few things if only to tip off readers into what they may get from a similar tour. Now bring money and preferably in Rp20K and Rp10 denominations. As with most tours the temple entrance fees are not included. That said the driver gets a kick back from taking you there. This shouldn't really be moaned about too much as a typical entrance fee is about £1 ($1.60). It just seems you are reaching for your wallet a lot on the tour. The temples are of Indiana Jones ilk. The rocks and architecture put you in another place and completely deliver on the Bali experience.

Another part of the tour which niggled the whole group was the Volcano viewing. The tour was called The Volcano Tour, but should have been a temple tour. On arrival near the volcano we had to pay Rp11K each to drive up the approaching road. The driver went past what I thought were perfect volcano viewings including the lake next to it. Wondering when we were to stop he kept going. I was even hopeful that he was getting really near it as looking down into the volcano valley it seemed a road meandered closer to it. No he decided to stop for a spot of lunch at a restaurant decided by him. As the jeep approached restaurant staff opened the car doors gave us hot towels and beckoned into a restaurant none of the group asked for. The menu was three times the cost of central Ubud making it about as cheap as the UK. The view was of volcano, lake and valley was spectacular and with our own choice the option to sit and eat staring at it was far from unpleasant. Sarah took a hot towel and we took pictures of the view, but concensus in the group indicate we weren't to be held captive audience and shamed into purchasing. On reading the guidebook, it warns many guides will drive you to a restaurant where the buffet lunch will be about Rp100K (ours was offered at Rp120K) where the guide gets half of that in commission. Our guide would have got half of what we purchased in that restaurant, so that meant he pocketed (let me reach for a calculator), absolutely naff all. A gentleman asked why weren't eating there and we replied "too expensive" he said its not and besides they have tax to cover. My reply "what's your tax here 200%?"

Enough moaning because prior to the volcano I didn't see on the tour list but was very pleasantly suprised to go to a coffee plantation. A small little outfit which grows coffee beans and produces coffee. Along with cacao, cinammon, vanilla and other stuff. Now they offered free tastings so we could have walked away without parting with a penny. We tried vanilla, ginseng, coconut coffee. I love coffee and this was a real treat to see it roasted and ground in front of me. However the real treat was trying the most expensive coffee in the world pound for pound. Luwak Coffee. Its expensive as there is no fast way to mass produce this. Essentially the Luwak is a ferret like creature who eats the coffee beans then shits them out. The shit out beans are recovered and the time its taking in Luwaks tummy being attacked by stomach acids creates both a strong flavour without the bitterness. This is the fermentation process. It cost £3.50 for a small cup, but it was my birthday and I wanted to try it and was encouraged by Sarah and the group to. The taste is.. well it's quite good. I'm sorry to be holding back on the praise but for the price and reputation I expected more. However, it delivers on flavour smoothness within a dark roast. I would have been very pleased if I picked it up at Sarah's old organic shop for a competitive price, but I don't think I'm about to order it shipped over en masse when I settle at last.

That evening Sarah said I could eat wherever I wanted being my birthday. However, I had a great day and when you are in Ubud Bali you don't have to choose an expensive place to be in a perfect setting and the restaurant on the high street advertised as 'The Cheapest in town' finished off the day perfectly. Happy birthday to me!!