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On to Bali! Here's the front gate of Nyulingan House, a very quiet and private homestay in the town of Ubud. Most places to stay in Ubud are family compounds like this one. There is a bungalow inside the compound where guests stay, while the family just goes about it's business. It's a great way to enjoy Balinese culture! My friend Dawn, who was living in Japan at the time, flew down to meet me here. Of all the places in Bali, this was the most relaxed. (64K) |
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This is the inside of the room at Nylingan House. We ate breakfast each morning on the small porch just outside the door. Made (pronounced Ma-day), the owner's daughter, served us meals and told us about the culture. (52K) |
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Tebesaya was a relaxed area of Ubud, outside the main part of town. Nyulingan House is just around the corner. (68K) |
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Just off Tebesaya (see above), there's a little community center where these two gentlemen had come to give their fighting cocks some exercise. I didn't actually get to see a cock fight, though I would have liked to. (27K) |
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The market in Ubud, Bali was a great place to learn how to bargain. It was also a good place to eat! (76K and 85K) |
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The first stop on Java was Mount Bromo. Mount Bromo is inside a giant volcanic caldera. The guest house I stayed in is on the rim of the caldera. This picture of Mt. Bromo was taken from the front of the guest house. Bromo is the erupting peak, the top of which can be reached by climbing the staircase you can see on the right side of the cone. (22K) |
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Here's a picture after the morning fog has lifted. You can see the path across the sand sea. (57K) |
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This is at the top of Mt. Bromo. That's me, Wayne, and Mike (left to right). I traveled with them from Bali to Lombok, and then back across Bali to Mt. Bromo. We split up there because they were on a faster timetable than me, and I had received the invitation to stay with Agus (see below). Wayne's a Scottish carpenter/soccer player, and Mike was about to enter med school. (61K) |
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I met Agus and Christine at Mount Bromo. Agus invited me to stay with his family in a nearby village, and I ended up staying a week. (41K) |
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This is Agus' sister making Indonesian peanut sauce. I know what most of that stuff is, but I haven't been able to duplicate it exactly. (39K) |
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While I was there we visited the market in Turen, and ate Indonesian satay out of banana leaves. (41K and 41K) |
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Bagus took me around the beaches of south east Java, to Balekambang temple and Sitiarjo beach. Both are used by Indonesians as vacation spots, but very few western tourists ever make it that far off the beaten path. (89K) |
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Borobudur is the largest single Buddhist structure in the world, and it is an awesome sight to behold. This is just a small portion of the top of the temple. It was built about 1,000 years ago, and is about 8 stories high. Around each level, if you're walking clockwise, is the entire story of the life of Buddha, presented in bas-relief. (68K) |
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These men play in a Sundanese bamboo band. Sunda is the area on the west part of the island of Java, in Indonesia. I spent 5 days at a beautiful place called Delta Gecko Village, where this band performed for us. They do a comedy/variety show where they interspersed songs between humorous skits. We couldn't understand a word, but the humor of their gestures allowed us to appreciate and enjoy the show. (64K) |
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This is the beach at Delta Gecko. That's Jason, an Aussie surfer who was also staying there. He and his friend Chris were unhappy they couldn't surf here, but the waves were too intense and the reef is too close to the surface. I didn't mind spending time on this beach... (41K) |
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It's not just the beach that's spectacular at Delta Gecko. This is the second story of the bungalow I shared with 3 other people. This is the scene we woke up to each morning, while the proprietor had a freshly brewed pot of coffee (and I mean fresh!) delivered to our breakfast table downstairs. (54K) |
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I took a side trip up Green Canyon, a beautiful little jungle river gorge that fits it's name perfectly. |
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When I arrived at Delta Gecko, I was just traveling with Lita from Australia. We jumped on a bus for Jakarta, then caught a boat to West-central Sumatera (the correct spelling). By the time we got to Padang, our group had grown to seven. Front row, left to right: Chris and Jason (Aussie), Esmé (American), and Imke (Danish). Back row, left to right: Lita (Aussie), Phil (Brit), and Me. We spent a few days in Bukittinggi before heading to Lake Maninjau (see below). (42K) |
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Maninjau is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The lake is inside a large volcanic caldera. You can take bike rides around the lake, or hike through the jungle up to the rim of the crater for spectacular views. There is even a good bookstore! We all ended up staying at a place called Rizal Beach Bungalows, about 4 km north of the town of Maninjau. This makes it even more relaxed than the rest of the area. To get to Rizal Beach, we had to walk along a narrow path through the rice paddy. That was the only way to get there other than by dugout canoe. The first photo is from the road (note the path winding towards the main building). The second is taken from the lake side, showing the dining and relaxing area. |
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Eventually, I made it to northern Sumatra, where I stayed near an Orang-utan rehabilitation center. This is the view from my balcony, looking out over the jungle. I would spend hours sitting here, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. During the evening downpours, the lightening would be flashing all around, and the thunder was, well, thunderous... (81K) |
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This is the view looking across the jungle canyon from my room. I sat and watched the wildlife for hours at a time; everything from large birds of prey to orang-utans! (64K) |
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I was walking down the path near the orangutan center offices, and I thought for sure I had seen my friend Jennifer. I immediately dismissed the thought because I was in Sumatra. It was only when she and her boyfriend Keith started screaming my name did I realize it really was them. We had a great time that night at the restaurant, sharing travel stories and catching up. Unfortunately, my visa for Indonesia was expiring in 3 days, so I had to head for the airport before we had a chance to spend much time together. We did agree to meet up later in Thailand, so we got more chance to visit. (67K) |
