After the highs of Malaysia and Singapore, Indonesia got off to a slow start as we arrived on the island of Batam for our first night in our penultimate country on this trip (not including New Zealand that we are doing off of our own backs).
There was very little to do in the vicinity of our hotel, and so most of the time was spent doing planning and preparation for our time in Australia. The only other task that remained was to buy some food for the very long ferry journey that we would be taking the next day.
The ferry journey is billed as being 26 hours, but they are widely known for being late. At the time of us disembarking we had been on the ferry for 32 and a half hours (and believe me it felt even longer than that!). The conditions on the boat were dreadful, with the main problem being a cockroach infestation (although at least 4 different rats were spotted in the sleeping area as well). Just in my bed alone I had 6 cockroaches that had taken up permanent residence in the framework, as well as others that frequently joined them presumably for the cockroach equivalent of a weekend break in Margate. The soundtrack for the journey mostly revolved around dodgy Indonesian TV shows that were playing from the broken TV just along from my bed, combined with crying children and the repeated "WHACK" of the girls flip flops as another cockroach got just that little bit too close! My bed had a lingering fishy smell after a food seller spilled his seafood sauce over it just as I was getting on to the boat. The only redeeming features of the journey were a beautiful sunset on the second night with nothing else but open sea in view, and knowing that we were officially crossing the equator line around midnight of the first day.
Finally, after it seemed that we would never get off of the ferry we disembarked and set foot on Java where we would be spending the first 2 nights in Jakarta. In truth there wasn't a lot that we really wanted to see in Jakarta, and even the guide books didn't really sell it as a place to go for foreign visitors. Our time outside of the hotel and local restaurant was minimal, with 2 hours taken up by trying to find a flea market that featured on our map but was unknown to everybody that lived there!
Yogyakarta was our next destination after leaving Jakarta, and it turned out to be the point in Indonesia where the action really picked up for us. We had booked ourselves on several side excursions from our hotel here, the first of which was a morning trip to Borobudor (a 9th Century Buddhist Temple situated just over an hour out of the city). The temple is a very impressive structure made up of 6 square layers all decreasing in size as you go up to make a pyramid shape that has had it's top cut off, and carved into the walls are many images that would have been used as the "teachings" of the religion. Although some restoration work has helped we were surprised at just how well preserved some of the original structure and carvings have been preserved.
After arriving back from the temple (which we had set off for at 5am) we had a mere hour to spare before our next trip which was cave and river tubing. I'm sure some of you will recall tubing as I mentioned it in the blog back in Laos, but if you have forgotten it is basically sitting in an inflated inner tube of a tyre and floating your way down a river. Compared to the Laos tubing (which was full of bars at various stages down the river) this was a very calm and relaxed tempo, with most of the time the tubes being "towed" in a group by a man swimming at the front. How guilty did we feel?! The cave that we drifted through was full of huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and in a number of places above there were bats nesting in the roof of the cave. Aside from the guides headlamp, much of the cave was pitch black, but was frequently lit up by the flashes on people's cameras. Like Laos there are a number of places where you are able to leap into the water from, and inside the cave this required scaling some of the rocks at the side before you were able to jump down. I think a great time was had by everybody!
The next morning provided the group with a choice; a 20 hour sleeper bus journey or to pay extra and have two 12 hour journeys with a stop-over at Mt. Bromo, an active volcano on the eastern side of Java island. With the morning of the stop-over falling on mine and Vicky's 1st wedding anniversary, it took very little to decide that it would be an awesome way to spend our special day watching the sunrise over the spectacular volcanic landscape.
After arriving in the region of Bromo late the night before after a rather crazy journey (Note: I think of all the bad driving I have seen on this trip Indonesia seems to make me the most nervous, and this guy was the worst! We swerved in and out of oncoming traffic, overtook far too fast on blind bends, forced 2 bikes off of the road, and when we were approching a traffic jam he drove off of the side of the road and started haring down the verge shaking us about like a can of Green Giant Sweetcorn in the hands of a 5 year old! By all accounts the guy that drove the sleeper bus was just as bad if not slightly worse), and quickly made our way to bed knowing we had a 3.30am start in the morning.
For the moment of sunrise we made our way up a steep hillside a kilometer or two away from the volcano, which is widely regarded as the best viewing point to watch the sunrise from. It didn't disappoint, and we were treated to an incredible display of colours forming across the sky before the fiery ball finally poked it's head above the clouds. On a side note it was incredible to actually feel chilly again, as at the altitude we were currently occupying the temperature had dropped to a mere 10C. Day or night in the countries we have visited the temperature doesn't really drop below 25C, and so being cold actually made a welcome change.
After the sunrise we made our way back down to the bottom of the hill before heading across to the volcano itself. Another 30 minute walk was ahead of us to reach the summit, but bearing in mind that we were sleep deprived, it was uphill and the ground underfoot was purely volcanic ash (like walking on ultra fine black sand) it was an exhausting work. The crater that awaited us at the top though was fully worth it though, and we stood and watched as trails of steam and smoke emerged from the sulpherous pool in the middle of the crater. Much like my Birthday back in Nepal, I think this is an anniversary that will take some beating!
Another long bus ride (including a short ferry ride) later we arrived at our final destination before we head off to Australia; the island of Bali. Bali in my eyes is a mixed lot. It cannot be doubted that it is a beautiful looking island, but at the same time it really is a bit of a party haven for British and Australian tourists alike. The area is hugely popular for surfers, and it is quite entertaining to sit on the beach and watch them try and ride the waves. The area in which we are staying offers a lot of cheap (or for an hour a day free) alcohol at certain times, and while we have enjoyed making the most of these offers there are always plenty of people who just push it too far. Hence by the end of the night it can be quite noisy with drunken revelers wandering the streets trying to find their way back to their hotel.
On our final day in Bali Vicky went diving off of the North East coast of the island, while I went for a walk along the beach with Laura, Janet, Libby and Steph. Vicky had a great time diving and came back recalling all of the different fish she had seen. Meanwhile the girls and I managed to walk as far as an airport just over an hour away down the beach and stood and watched as planes swooped in over the sea to land on the runway (which literally finished in the sea).
So on to Australia next for the final 2 weeks that we will all spend travelling together. Unfortunately our good friend Jay will not be joining us in Australia having chosen to fly home, and we will miss him a lot. Good luck Jay! Anyway as we are camping through the outback for the final 2 weeks of the organised tour we will not have any internet, so don't expect to see us online for a while!
There was very little to do in the vicinity of our hotel, and so most of the time was spent doing planning and preparation for our time in Australia. The only other task that remained was to buy some food for the very long ferry journey that we would be taking the next day.
The ferry journey is billed as being 26 hours, but they are widely known for being late. At the time of us disembarking we had been on the ferry for 32 and a half hours (and believe me it felt even longer than that!). The conditions on the boat were dreadful, with the main problem being a cockroach infestation (although at least 4 different rats were spotted in the sleeping area as well). Just in my bed alone I had 6 cockroaches that had taken up permanent residence in the framework, as well as others that frequently joined them presumably for the cockroach equivalent of a weekend break in Margate. The soundtrack for the journey mostly revolved around dodgy Indonesian TV shows that were playing from the broken TV just along from my bed, combined with crying children and the repeated "WHACK" of the girls flip flops as another cockroach got just that little bit too close! My bed had a lingering fishy smell after a food seller spilled his seafood sauce over it just as I was getting on to the boat. The only redeeming features of the journey were a beautiful sunset on the second night with nothing else but open sea in view, and knowing that we were officially crossing the equator line around midnight of the first day.
The end of the sunset from the boat
Finally, after it seemed that we would never get off of the ferry we disembarked and set foot on Java where we would be spending the first 2 nights in Jakarta. In truth there wasn't a lot that we really wanted to see in Jakarta, and even the guide books didn't really sell it as a place to go for foreign visitors. Our time outside of the hotel and local restaurant was minimal, with 2 hours taken up by trying to find a flea market that featured on our map but was unknown to everybody that lived there!
Yogyakarta was our next destination after leaving Jakarta, and it turned out to be the point in Indonesia where the action really picked up for us. We had booked ourselves on several side excursions from our hotel here, the first of which was a morning trip to Borobudor (a 9th Century Buddhist Temple situated just over an hour out of the city). The temple is a very impressive structure made up of 6 square layers all decreasing in size as you go up to make a pyramid shape that has had it's top cut off, and carved into the walls are many images that would have been used as the "teachings" of the religion. Although some restoration work has helped we were surprised at just how well preserved some of the original structure and carvings have been preserved.
Borobudor temple. Notice all of the Buddhas
Steph limbos under the largest stalactite in the cave
The next morning provided the group with a choice; a 20 hour sleeper bus journey or to pay extra and have two 12 hour journeys with a stop-over at Mt. Bromo, an active volcano on the eastern side of Java island. With the morning of the stop-over falling on mine and Vicky's 1st wedding anniversary, it took very little to decide that it would be an awesome way to spend our special day watching the sunrise over the spectacular volcanic landscape.
After arriving in the region of Bromo late the night before after a rather crazy journey (Note: I think of all the bad driving I have seen on this trip Indonesia seems to make me the most nervous, and this guy was the worst! We swerved in and out of oncoming traffic, overtook far too fast on blind bends, forced 2 bikes off of the road, and when we were approching a traffic jam he drove off of the side of the road and started haring down the verge shaking us about like a can of Green Giant Sweetcorn in the hands of a 5 year old! By all accounts the guy that drove the sleeper bus was just as bad if not slightly worse), and quickly made our way to bed knowing we had a 3.30am start in the morning.
For the moment of sunrise we made our way up a steep hillside a kilometer or two away from the volcano, which is widely regarded as the best viewing point to watch the sunrise from. It didn't disappoint, and we were treated to an incredible display of colours forming across the sky before the fiery ball finally poked it's head above the clouds. On a side note it was incredible to actually feel chilly again, as at the altitude we were currently occupying the temperature had dropped to a mere 10C. Day or night in the countries we have visited the temperature doesn't really drop below 25C, and so being cold actually made a welcome change.
Volcanoes behind us just after the sun has risen
After the sunrise we made our way back down to the bottom of the hill before heading across to the volcano itself. Another 30 minute walk was ahead of us to reach the summit, but bearing in mind that we were sleep deprived, it was uphill and the ground underfoot was purely volcanic ash (like walking on ultra fine black sand) it was an exhausting work. The crater that awaited us at the top though was fully worth it though, and we stood and watched as trails of steam and smoke emerged from the sulpherous pool in the middle of the crater. Much like my Birthday back in Nepal, I think this is an anniversary that will take some beating!
At the top of the crater with Walter the bear
Another long bus ride (including a short ferry ride) later we arrived at our final destination before we head off to Australia; the island of Bali. Bali in my eyes is a mixed lot. It cannot be doubted that it is a beautiful looking island, but at the same time it really is a bit of a party haven for British and Australian tourists alike. The area is hugely popular for surfers, and it is quite entertaining to sit on the beach and watch them try and ride the waves. The area in which we are staying offers a lot of cheap (or for an hour a day free) alcohol at certain times, and while we have enjoyed making the most of these offers there are always plenty of people who just push it too far. Hence by the end of the night it can be quite noisy with drunken revelers wandering the streets trying to find their way back to their hotel.
On our final day in Bali Vicky went diving off of the North East coast of the island, while I went for a walk along the beach with Laura, Janet, Libby and Steph. Vicky had a great time diving and came back recalling all of the different fish she had seen. Meanwhile the girls and I managed to walk as far as an airport just over an hour away down the beach and stood and watched as planes swooped in over the sea to land on the runway (which literally finished in the sea).
So on to Australia next for the final 2 weeks that we will all spend travelling together. Unfortunately our good friend Jay will not be joining us in Australia having chosen to fly home, and we will miss him a lot. Good luck Jay! Anyway as we are camping through the outback for the final 2 weeks of the organised tour we will not have any internet, so don't expect to see us online for a while!
Another great blog Dan will look forward to the Aussie saga !!!! Enjoy your outback experience and will be in touch as and when.
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