December 2017 – Welcome to my Travel story

On our way to Dunedin

Saturday, 30^th December, 2017

Our good night’s sleep was disturbed with a number of calls Gerry got on his phone from Europe!! We have to learn to put our phones on “Do not disturb” mode before we go to bed, as it is most annoying to be woken up………

Anyway, it was an early start – Eve suggested that we hit the road by 8 am so we were ready and packed by 7.50 and I think Eve was rather impressed. Mind you, our alarm clock went off at 6 am!!

Ralph had a route planned for us today:

Lake Tekapo
Mount John Observatory

We drove some 400km but first we had to get to Lake Tekapo, which was some 90km further away.

Lake Tekapo is surrounded by mountains and is situated in the MacKenzie Country (named after James –Jock MacKenzie who was a sheep rustler and brought his flocks through this country in 1840’s). This lake is a result of the hydropower scheme back in the 1950’s and now the township is a holiday resort facing the lake and the backdrop of snow-capped mountains. One of the sights at Lake Tekapo is the little church of the Good Shephard. which has a window behind the altar offering a divine view on the lake and mountains.Apparently, this is such a romantic spot that even Chinese couples come here to get married!

The mountains at the back of Lake Tekapo

Inside the little church of the Good Shepherd, there is a window behind the later which has a magnificent view

the view of the mountains across the lake

When we left Lake Tekapo, Ralph drove towards Mount John. This is a mountain of 1.029 meters height with an observatory with day and night tours provided by the Mt John University Observatory. The private road wound up the mountain and once we were up at the summit, the views were just magnificent.

The Earth and Sky observatory where clear skies offer the best views of the night skies as there is no light pollution here

The view from the Mount John Observatory

High up on the mountain – some 1,029 meters high

The snow capped mountains with Aoraki range and Mt Cook

Wandering around on the peak of mount John.

View from Mount John Observatory with the lake Tekapo in the foreground and the snow capped mountains in the background

Lake Tekapo has one of the most spectacular night skies in the world. The clarity and sheer numbers of stars visible to the naked eye amaze visitors from all over New Zealand and the world during Lake Tekapo’s night.
Lake Tekapo’s night sky has interested more than just the visitors. Canterbury University operates a astronomical observatory on top of Mt John, overlooking Lake Tekapo. The clear skies and low levels of local light pollution have helped astronomers put Mt John observatory on the international map with observations and discoveries of the southern sky. Unfortunately we were not able to stay overnight and anyway that night was a cloudy one!

Once we had visited both Lake Tekapo and Mount John Observatory, we continued our drive towards Dunedin. This was really amazing! Beautiful green hills, winding roads and hairpin bends. It was all too much to take in and this resulted that I had a few naps in the car!!

And then round about 6pm, we had arrived in Dunedin! This is the town where two young Dutch boys became friends many decades ago. Ralph and Gerry are still friends and now have the time to fill in the gaps…….. When we settled down and freshened up, we drove over to Kim and Murray (Ralph and Eve’s daughter and son in law) to meet up with the family and have dinner there. It was a very pleasant evening – meeting old friends and making new ones!

at Kim and Murray’s together with their kids – a great welcome dinner!

Our last sightseeing trip in Christchurch and drive to Geraldine

Friday, 29^th December, 2017

Our last day in Christchurch (as Ralph and Eve’s program was that we should be leaving our hotel by 1.30 pm to drive to Geraldine where we would have an overnight stop.) This gave us time to do some sightseeing – and the best way was to catch the vintage tram, which had its starting point right beside our hotel. The tram we took was actually an Australian built tram from the 1930’s and our driver and commentator was nearly as old!! Although we had walked quite a bit the other day, the tram brought us to other areas, which we had not yet discovered such as the private college for boys, which survived the 2010/11 earthquakes, and a residential area where houses survived the earthquakes as they were built of wood. After we had done one ride and seen all the sights, we hopped off to have breakfast at the Arborista – a new shopping mall with a great coffee corner in the atrium. This time breakfast was coffee and cheese scones. When we were ready, we hopped back on the tram and stopped at Quake City – an exhibition telling the stories of heroism, hope and loss as well as the science behind earthquakes. It was very intriguing with photos, video footage and various artifacts, including bits that had fallen off the Cathedral.

The start of our tram ride facing New Regent Street

At one of our tram stops a late breakfast – coffee and scones at the Arborista

Part of the fallen pieces of the Cathedral exhibited at the Quake City Museum

The vintage tram was full so Gerry had to hang on in there!

When we came outside again, we were on time to catch another tram, which took us back to our hotel, and still have time to do some sightseeing and manage to vacate our rooms on time and start our drive to Geraldine.

Eve and Ralph also enjoying the informative tram ride

Gerry listening attentively to the commentator

After the earthquake in 2011, shops and stores were temporarily set up in containers, however as new shopping mall constructions are finalised the container mall is getting smaller and smaller

The Liberty Arch erected to commemorate the New Zealand soldiers who died in various wars

Bridge over the Avon River – named after the river in Scotland

This building is to be renovated and until then, the pile of containers have been placed adjacent so that it is no danger to pedestrians

Captain Scott’s monument set up by his wife in memory of his South Pole Expedition

On our walk, we discovered this church which has been built completely of cardboard after the earthquake!

Ralph had suggested that we do not take the east coast road back to Dunedin, but rather go through the hills, which was more picturesque. And this was very true! After leaving Christchurch, we headed west and in no time we could see the mountains rising in front of us and our drive went through some hilly countryside. There is so much space here and most of the meadows are dotted with sheep or cows. Both the north and south islands of New Zealand stretch so far but the population is only 4.5 million. This results that you can have some pleasant driving without seeing any other cars for quite a distance while driving at a speed of 100km on the secondary roads.

Getting a better view of the mountains and looking forward to our next stop

At one point, we drove through a scenic area with a river that had carved a gorge through the hills. This was the Rakaia Gorge, where the river Rakaia was a fantastic glacial green blue colour and fed by the melting snows of the Southern Alps where it starts and ends in the Pacific ocean. At this time of year, the river waters are not so deep and the gravel bed was evident in various areas. We stopped to take pictures where two bridges cross the gorge – here one of the bridges is really narrow and still made of wood and iron but it gave an excellent vantage point to take pictures.

The glacial water from the mountains is drying up in the summer

Gerry on the wooden bridge across the Rakaia Gorge

The wooden bridge across the Rakaia river

That’s me with Rakaia River in the background

Our next stop was at Geraldine, where we spent the night. This is a pretty little village which definitely has old English vibes – old in the sense that life stood still in the 50’s of the last century. We checked in to our motel – Geraldine’s Motel, which was comfortable enough and then, made our way to the village centre. A pleasant stroll which ended up at the Village Green Inn. After a few local beers for the men and local cider for us ladies, we decided to have our evening meal here. It was ever so pleasant, sitting outdoors and the sun shining and everyone in a pleasant mood. It was still light at 9.30 pm but after dinner we made our way back to the motel as we had an early start the following morning. We were going to continue our drive and ending up in Dunedin – home town to Ralph and Eve.

Cruising Akaroa Harbour

Thursday 28th December 2017

Both Gerry and I were woken up by our alarm clock which went off at 7.30 am – we were going to have a very busy day today and were glad that we had a good night’s sleep – a complete knock out from 10.30 pm the previous night till 7.30 this morning. We certainly needed this sleep as the snatches of sleep on the plane were not enough…..

Today we were meeting Ralph and Eve in the lobby just before 10 am as we had planned a trip to Akaroa, a little picturesque waterfront town some 80 km west of Christchurch. At Akaroa we had booked a harbour nature cruise where we would be able to see Hector’s dolphins – the smallest species of dolphins in the world, fur seals and penguins as well as some nesting birds in the cliff sides.

Our trip through the golden coloured hills was magnificent -the road was winding but not too busy and strangely enough here in New Zealand the driving limit on secondary roads is 100km ( unlike in Europe where it is 80 km). On the way we stopped at Little River to have some breakfast . This place used to be a train station and the locomotives still stand there on the rails but they are not going anywhere. Most houses here are built of wood and the train station has been converted into a shop!

Little River train station with some old locomotives still parked on the rails

At Little River – time for a coffee and a croissant – breakfast on the way to Akaroa

The map of Banks Peninsula showing our drive down to Akaroa

Fascinated by the old locomotives still standing on the disused railway

After having had our breakfast we continued our drive through the hills to Akaroa. It was magnificent ! We stopped a couple of times for our Kodak moments – and it was well worth it. Akaroa is situated on the Banks peninsula (Horomaka) which was formed by two giant volcanic eruptions some 8 million years ago. This can clearly be seen when driving down to the seafront town and as the pictures show here below.

The view of Akaroa harbour – aquamarine colours

Finally we arrived at a really pretty waterfront town – Akaroa – Long Harbour in Maori – which is New Zealand’s first French settlement and where the descendants of the original French pioneers still live. Akaroa resembles very much a French seafront town like those found in Brittany or Normandy and surprisingly most streets are still called “Rue”. It is now high season and therefore the town was very bustling with tourists and what is most exciting here is that we booked a harbour cruise where we were promised that that we would be seeing the smallest and rarest species of dolphins – Hector’s Dolphins; fur seals and penguins. Although somewhat windy, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip especially as we did manage to see the dolphins at play and the seals although camouflaged by the rocks were also very interesting to watch. It was difficult to get some good pictures of all these natural beauties but i think I did manage a few shots.

Gerry and Eve have a similar picture way back in Europe but this is to show the French heritage in Akaroa

Coat of Arms of Akaroa – and i did get a stamp in my passport

Being portrayed by the local artist (statue)

At the memorial for the fallen during the World wars

That’s me – sitting in a whale oil pot – used to dissolve the whale fat

On the Black Cat Cruise

Also on the Black Cat cruise

Gerry – a proper seaman
We were given a running commentary by our knowledgeable guide and as we left this quaint little town we sailed towards the awe-inspiring sea cliffs and it was fantastic to see the various rock formations and especially the “Cathedral Cave” with its many nesting sea birds. This cave and volcanic amphitheatre clearly shows the origin of Akaroa. We were lucky to watch the dolphins at play while the fur seals could not be bothered that we were secretly observing them. Besides all the natural habitat we were able to admire, there was another species in the sea – a cruise liner – the Liberty X – Since the earthquakes cruise ships come into Akaroa harbour instead of going to Lyttelton Harbour and this has proved to be very popular since then.
one of the cruise ships berthed in the harbour.

local cormorants nesting in the cliff side

This rock formation looks very much like an elephant

part of the cave formations in the cliff side with the aquamarine colouring of the sea

Part of the cathedral dome showing the various levels of rock formations which took place during the volcanic eruptions some 8 million years ago

Another part of the dome showing some sunlight

And now time to spot Hestor’s dolphins – the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world – there are currently some 1,800 in total

our first sightings of the playful dolphins

And they remain playful

Hestor dolphins getting closer

The fur seals are somewhat camouflaged against the rocks

And they are not very interested in their spectators

This one fur seal was curious and raised his head to see what all the commotion was all about!

This one fur seal enjoyed playing in the sea

And then it’s time to return to shore after a memorable trip

Expedition Aotearoa – New Zealand

Travel days 26/27 December

It’s Boxing Day or Tweede Kerstdag back home – being either in Malta or Holland and most of our friends and family would be waking up to either inspecting all the gifts that were exchanged on Christmas Day or still trying to digest the excessive intake of food that had been consumed the previous day……. well for us it was finally waking up to a sunny day and my first prayer was of gratitude that our last day in Bali would be enjoying some sunshine after we had our breakfast and finished packing. Our pickup was scheduled for 5pm to take us to the airport well on time for our 9.30 flight to Sydney. So this was supposed to be a relaxing day before we started our 1 month expedition to New Zealand.

But no!! The weather gods did not grant us this last wish as when we hadn’t noticed that the skies had turned a dark grey with thick clouds rolling in and hiding away the sunshine – in no time the flood gates of heaven were open and the torrential rains came down! We were lucky to keep our room till 3 pm and then went for lunch in the lobby and settled our bill. Our pickup arrived early but that was good as it was still raining heavily and traffic would be horrendous!

We arrived in good time at the airport and had a smooth check in. After spending some time wondering around the shops and having a coffee it was time to board our plane – we had a Qantas flight and our first experience of this company was very positive. Good (economy) seats; up front with loads of leg space and only the two of us in our row and good meal before dozing off to sleep. 6 hours later arrival in Sydney for our transfer to Christchurch. But this is where it went somewhat wrong. Qantas uses Emirates from Sydney to Christchurch and where we should have had a 2 hour transfer time it ended up with a four hour wait as the Emirates plane from Dubai had a delay due to foggy weather in Dubai.

Not much to do than hang around and have some coffee and sent a message to our friends, Ralph and Eve who where going to meet us at Christchurch airport , that we would be late arriving. Finally made our last leg of our flight and arrived at Christchurch – and went through such strenuous immigration control. My hiking boots and sneakers had to be disinfected and all luggage scanned for any illegal food being brought in to the country! Well it was after 4 pm that we finally got out of the airport to find Ralph and Eve waiting for us.

By the time we drove to Hotel Rendevous in downtown Christchurch it was already nearly 6 pm; however it was bright sunshine, so we decided to go for a walk around before dinner. This city centre had suffered badly during the 2011 earthquakes and there’s hardly anything left standing from the old colonial buildings. Gerry remarked that he has never seen a city which so many parking spaces…….. building have been torn down and temporary parking areas created; roadworks are still going on, and new buildings are being constructed still, but to us, it seemed that the heart and soul of the city have been torn away and it will take many more years before Christchurch down town gets the vibrancy back again.

The rain drops are so thick but it’s not cold at all

Our luggage waiting patiently for the pickup next to the elephant carving

the rain flooding the entrance to the resort

more statutes spilling out on the kerb – one last look as we drive to the airport

on our way to the airport – even though it’s raining heavily, the statues are all out on display and the scooters just keep on driving

landed at Sydney airport but had a 2 hour delay as the Emirates flight from Dubai could not leave due to foggy weather

At Bali airport having some fun and posing as a Balinese dancer……

In Christchurch – the destructed cathedral after the 2011 earthquake

Construction to support the remains of the cathedral

The street in from of our hotel Rendevous restored to its former glory

Oh Island in the Sun – not – Lembongan

Christmas Day – Monday 25th December

Alarm goes off at 6.30 am !! But i was up already just before the alarm went off. We had already prepared our stuff the night before so after a quick shower, we were dressed and packed for our day of island hopping – but it was raining heavily!!! Why is the weather god punishing us?????

Quick breakfast and we climbed our way back to the reception area to wait for our pick up which arrived exactly at 7.30.

Something very interesting – all the staff and now our pick up driver were wishing us all a merry Christmas! There is no Christmas spirit here although at the resort they do have some Christmas trees in the lobby and restaurant and have been playing Christmas carols but that does not make Christmas…….. Today it’s just another day on the island of Bali and we were going down to Sanur where we would be transferred on a high speed boat to Lembongan for the day.

The drive down to Sanur in the rain took some 45 minutes as the traffic was not too bad so we arrived quite early for the transfer. There was quite a lot of activity on the beach – people gathering with suitcases, backpacks and other types of luggages. We were still not completely wide awake so we just sat there and took it all in!! Actually we were somewhat dismayed that not was raining so hard – it wasn’t going to be much fun on Lembongan……

Finally our high speed boat was ready so we were called to embark – well wading into the sea and being helped onto the little platform between the high powered outboard engines and we all found a seat indoors. The bouncy trip across took some 35 minutes in choppy waters and when we arrived it was again wading through the water to reach the beach and it was still raining!!! Everything looked so dismal!!

We hung around till about lunchtime and afterwards went on a trip on glass bottom boat to the coral reef. Gerry went snorkelling while I was the one taking the pictures. By the time we got back to the beach, the rain had stopped and a miracle took place – the sun came out!!! Finally we could relax on the beach till it was time for us to return to Sanur. Again the scrambling game of getting on board the high speed boat but this time it wasn’t too bad as the sun was shining – that makes a whole lot of difference!

Back at Sanur, we were again picked up and driven back to Ubud – we were quite exhausted and after showering and getting rid of the sand, we checked ourselves in for our flight to Christchurch tomorrow evening – yes our week in Bali is over – we’re off on our next leg of our trip: New Zealand !

Gerry with the Scoot ladies – registering to go on board the high speed boat

Not completely awake – waiting for our boat with other passengers

Petrol gerry cans being carted down to the boats

Loads of activities going on in the hiring rain – staff carrying luggage and passengers climbing onto the boats

And still waiting for our boat which finally came 15 minutes too late – departure time 9.30 delayed till 10.00

still very early for Gerry – taking in the scene at Lembongan

That’s our Scoot boat which took us across to Lembongan

at Lembongan beach – deserted and raining

the glass bottom boat that took us out to the reef for snorkelling

another Kodak moment of Gerry underwater

choppy waters – you don’t find me in there!!

Old lady putting out offerings on the beach

After our snorkel trip we had some sunshine to lap up

Again waiting…. for our boat trip back to Sanur

and finally….. red skies at night is the shepherd’s delight….. will we also be delighted with a nice day tomorrow our last day?

Relaxing at Bali Spirit

Sunday 24th December

After a hectic day yesterday, we chose to laze around the resort today. Mind you the day started off with lots of rain so we only had breakfast at the latest possible time – 10 am.

The weather seemed to have cleared in the afternoon so we decided to go down to the pool and have a swim – however not before long the dark clouds gathers and we again had another downpour – we remained under the parasol to keep ourselves dry – after all we had our drinks and a card game so we were ok for a while. I even managed to read a few pages from my e-reader…….. However after about half an hour, I had had enough and rain or no rain decided to go back to our room for a warm shower and return to my book. Gerry only came up when it stopped raining……

Being optimistic, we booked a trip to Lembongan, an island off Sanur for the following day – Christmas Day! And keeping our fingers crossed that we would have bright sunshine the following morning when we would be picked up at 7.30 in the morning. So with an early start tomorrow we decided to turn in early as well…….

the river down below was extremely swollen with the rainfall

typical Gerry – rolled cigarette and beer

my dinner – grilled red snapper with Balinese sambals

Our Beach Day

Saturday, 23rd December 2017

Today we had to rush through our breakfast as our chauffeur was ready and waiting for us at 9 a.m. As Ubud is in the middle of the island of Bali, we have not yet seen the beach and for Gerry, a true seaman, he cannot go far too long without seeing the sea………. And today we woke up to bright sunshine and perfect for our beach trip!

So our trip today was to Jimbaran Beach, some 1hr 15 minutes drive away depending on the traffic. Well traffic was bad! Not only the scooters but also so many cars and mini vans making their way on narrow 2 lane roads through little villages. It was only when we got to Den Pasar that the roads improved and then we got onto a toll road which has been built on stilts in the sea along the coast to ease the traffic towards the holiday beach resorts in Kuta and Jimbaran.

Jimbaran is located south of the airport and Kuta beach and is sheltered as it situated in a crescent bay. However, by the time we got to Jimbaran, the clouds had gathered from the sea and we had a strong westerly wind blowing that it was not pleasant to be on the beach. In no time it started raining!!! We asked our chauffeur to take us to the eastern side of this little peninsula as there we should not have any strong winds. So we drove to Sanur and indeed, it was very pleasant here – there were clouds in the sky but these were white ones and the sun was shining.

Having wasted so much time trying to get to Jimbaran, we only had some 1.5 hours on the beach – we went on a long walk and just took in the scene when stopping for a drink. Sanur is a quaint place and actually this is a point where high speed boats leave for trips to other islands such as Lembongan, the Gilli’s and Lombok. There were quite a few backpackers waiting for their trip across to the Gilli islands.

When we arrived at our car, our chauffeur had already planned to make another stop – this time for lunch and not far from Ubud – Bebek TebaSari Restaurant – situated in luscious green rice fields and built in the traditional Balinese way – little huts surrounding a pond filled with giant goldfish! Besides the service being excellent – we had Semara looking after us with her beautiful smile. Gerry ordered Nasi Goreng Special presented in a fusion way while I had a mixed satay of chicken and beef served with a heart of steamed rice. While waiting for our lunch we could take some scenic pictures of our surroundings and for me to enjoy a pot of green tea and Gerry his usual Bintang beer!

As this was a late lunch, for sure we will not be having dinner tonight! Our chauffeur said we only had 10 minutes driving back to the hotel, however as the traffic was quite horrendous it took somewhat longer and when we did finally arrive, we headed straight to the swimming pool for our daily dip! However our relaxing time at the pool was cut short as we were surprised with heavy torrential rains that we couldn’t actually leave but sheltered under the big parasol.

Good thing it’s been raining – I’ve been able to update my blog in the meantime!

hot enough to wear a sun hat on the beach of Sanur

the boats used for transfers to the Gilli islands

Gerry in Sanur – equipped with hat and backpack

Typical colourful Balinese fishing boats

very idyllic – sand, fishing boats and shady trees

Another view of the fishing boats close to Sanur beach

rice fields across the restaurant Bebek TebaSari

enjoying the rosewater drink and vegetable chips while studying the menu

these little huts along the fishpond are dining areas for groups of guests

Back at our hotel – after having had a swim the clouds burst open….

and it’s torrential rains coming down so we had to remain under our parasol

A walk through Monkey Forest Ubud

22nd December 2017

Today was supposed to be a relaxed day as we started off with Balinese full body massage after breakfast. Our muscles really needed this massage with acupressure especially our legs and thighs – we are climbing up and down so many steps at this resort! After enjoying some herbal tea at the pool area, we left for our walk down to Ubud through the Monkey Forest.

We had a simple map with the directions to get through the Monkey Forest but we still had to ask our way – all the time we were told that the pathway was straight on…….. Anyway we did end up in the forest but all alone except for the monkeys in the high trees. At one point we saw and heard some people so we climbed up through the vegetation to another pathway and we were in the middle of the Monkey Forest Park. Here there were neat pathways and different types of signs explaining among other things, not to look the monkeys in the eyes – that sentence stuck into my mind ( thinking back to the incident at the Rotterdam Zoo where a lady was attacked by a gorilla who jumped over the moat as she used to go often and just sit and stare at him!)

It was fun watching these monkeys at play – there are some 100 monkeys around and the villagers look after the park as this is a holy area for them.

Finally we made our way to Ubud Palace where there was a marriage ceremony in progress – of course we weren’t invited but we did manage to get a glimpse through one of the gates – the women again were dressed in their traditional clothes and their makeup was perfect. The guests were being transported from the central parking to the palace by means of golf buggies and we learnt that depending which caste the guest belonged to, then the invitation would be for a specific day out of the 3 day celebration.

Today we did manage to exceed our goal of 10.000 steps per day but by the time we got back to our hotel by taxi, we were quite exhausted to climb down the stairs for a quick swim and a cocktail – but we did!

Finding our way through the Monkey Forest

The map to the official pathways in the Monkey Forest

A family of monkeys observing their spectators

And most importantly: don’t look a monkey in the eyes!

Gerry trying to get the monkey to look into the camera!

The Monkey Forest temple also full of monkeys

three little monkeys swimming in the pond! So cute!

One offering basket was not enough for this monkey

One of the entrances to the palace heavily guarded by the security guards

The royal gates decorated for the marriage ceremony

Ritual dancing during the marriage ceremony

Various guests put up signs of good wishes for the bridal couple all along the street

So Gerry’s beer is waiting for him once he gets out of the pool

Balinese Theatre, Kampongs, Rice Paddies, and Coffee Plantations

21st December 2017 – Getting to know another Bali!

Alarm clock went off at 7.30 this morning as we were going to have a busy day sightseeing with our guide Madi, or better known as Open. And……. the rain had stopped!!. When we planned this day trip with Open, he said he would be praying to his gods that the rain would stop for today – well he must have prayed hard!!

After an early breakfast, Open, together with the chauffeur Tomy, were waiting for us at the reception exactly on time – 9.am. Our itinerary was as follows:

~ visit the village of Batubulan to watch the Barong and Kris dance theatre; the story goes that the Queen Mother offers her son to Rangda, the god of evil . However the Barong, the god of goodness intervenes so that the son is saved. The costumes, dance and characters were really wel played and danced and the music – gamelan – was played by a full orchestra sitting on the side of the stage.

The Barong, god of goodness makes his entrance on stage

The Queen Mother comes on stage and is sad that she has to offer her son to the Randa, god of evil

~ Our second stop was at the Kampong – a traditional family house dating back to the 1920’s and hardly changed since then. Typically there would be a number of families living in the enclosed areas with houses for the children in the south, for the parents in the west, the kitchens and cleansing areas in the south and the shrines and temples in the north. In the middle of the enclosed quarters there is also a main area used for official gatherings, weddings, funerals, births and special family meetings.Till only a few years back, the families would also have their own cows and pigs roaming on their own land just outside the kampong enclosures but nowadays this is no longer permitted especially due to the complaints from neighbours.

our guide, Open, explaining how a Kampong is set up in Bali

posing in front of the Kampong gate together with Open, our guide

The oldest living family member of this kampong in his kitchen

the main area of the kampong – the bale banjar – used for important family meetings

~ Our next stop is at the temple – The Desa Adat Batuan Temple – built nearly 1,000 years ago is a local Balinese Hindu temple looked after by the local residents of Batuan countryside. The temple is designed exquisitely, full of Balinese ornaments and the roof temple building is made from the fiber of chromatic black palm tree.
It is strategically located beside the main road from Denpasar to Ubud. The village of Batuan is well known for over a thousand years, as being a village of artists and craftsmen, old legends and mysterious tales.

Once the men had their sarong draped around their waists, we could get into the temple.

Gerry wearing his sarong to get into the temple

Just before entering the main gate into the temple

~ our last stop before lunch was at the Tegenungan waterfalls offering us a glimpse of natural beauty against a lush valley landscape. The 20m-tall falls are located in the village of Sukawati. Of course we were not the only tourists and it was quite busy also with all the shops spilling over the sidewalks. Naturally everyone wanted to take the same picture from the same vantage point. Our guide informed us that we could walk down to the bottom of the waterfall by taking some 165 steps – as it was the middle of the day and quite warm, we were happy to admire the view from the top of the stairs.

The river flowing from the Tegenungan waterfall

A closer look at the bolders in the river

~ after enjoying a light lunch we made our way to the Tegallalang Rice Terraces which are famous for the beautiful scenes of rice paddies involving the subak (traditional Balinese cooperative irrigation system), which according to history, was passed down by a revered holy man named Rsi Markandeya in the eighth century. Tegallalang forms the three most splendid terraced landscapes in Ubud’s shared region, with the others being in the villages of Pejeng and Campuhan.

Again this was a real hotspot for Kodak moments and of course we were there to take part. Mind you it is very scenic and just like the pictures in most guide books. Am really glad we did get to see these rice fields.

in front of the rice fields which incidentally had just been harvested

~ our last stop was at the coffee plantation and exotic spices nursery. This coffee plantation specialises in the production of Luwak coffee. Luwak coffee is the world’s most expensive coffee. The main factor of it’s high price is the uncommon method of producing such a coffee. It has been produced from the coffee beans which have been digested by a certain Indonesian cat-like animal called the palm civet or also civet cat. This is the reason kopi luwak is also called cat poop coffee or civet cat coffee. The feces of this cat will be collected, the coffee bean extracted, then roasted and ground. The short supply, in comparison with the high demand, the different taste and the uncommon production methods define the value of kopi luwak – the most expensive coffee in the world. Of course we did buy 200 grams of this coffee after having tasted a cup of this coffee which I must say is tasty!! We will only be using this coffee for special occasions, needless to say!

on the way down for our tour of the coffee planation

the faeces from the cats containing the coffee beans

Gerry assisting with the grinding of the coffee

the shop where we bought our 200 grams of Luwak coffee

Monsoon in Bali and Temple Festivities

20 December 2017

Yesterday late afternoon, we were greeted with torrential rain when we arrived at DenPasar airport. The chauffeur who came to pick us up had to drive really slow and it took us some 1.5 hours to get to our hotel – The Bali Spirit Hotel just outside Ubud. It was difficult to make out where we were going as the traffic jams with all the motor scooters were all so chaotic! As I’ve been to Bali before some 7 years ago, i knew very well that the Balinese are very friendly people but this was new to Gerry!

At the hotel we were shown to our suite overlooking the jungle and river – from our balcony we could constantly hear the rushing murky brown waters of the river. After having freshened up we went down to dinner. This hotel complex is built on a hillside so it has steps and pathways going up and down between the luscious green foliage of the cultivated jungle. So we literally made our way down to the restaurant armed with umbrellas as we did not dare take the chance of getting wet on the way back. Our dinner was simple but ever so delicious – Gerry had a carrot ginger soup followed by a fillet pepper steak ( note this is imported as cows are while I had a soto ayam (chicken soup – good for my cough!) followed by a seafood nasi goreng (fried rice).

We woke up quite late this morning but on time for breakfast – I’ve turned quite local here – fresh watermelon juice, slices of mango and pineapple……….. and simple nasi goreng zand green tea. This morning we were meeting with our travel agent to book a couple of activities and later on we both had a full body acupressure massage. Ee had such good masseurs that we booked another session for Friday. Well tomorrow we are going on a trip to a few villages, the waterfall and rice fields and some temples . Looking forward to this but also hoping that the monsoon we are having right now will have blown over. It has rained constantly for more than 24 hours!!

In the afternoon, we took the shuttle into Ubud town centre and although it was still raining, there were quite a lot of local people around as well as tourists. We’ve been told that right now because of the danger of the Agung Volcano erupting any moment now, tourists are staying away. Actually our hotel has only 6 rooms occupied right now…….

We visited the palace, the Puri Saren Agung which was the official residence of the royal family in Ubud. The intricate rock carvings and statues within the palace walls are magnificent – however there was quite some activities going on as though preparing for some festivity. Well later on we learnt that today was the last day of a religious temple ceremony held between 17-20 December to commemorate the day the temple was founded as well as Sang Hyang Widi Wasa ( the day of the Gods). The ceremonies were held at the Desa Ubud Temple and there are various elements of offerings – all men and women are dressed very beautifully and carry offerings to the temple. There is also trance music and dance. Unfortunately we could not stay as we were not dressed appropriately.

By the time our shuttle came to pick us up, we were totally drenched even though we had umbrellas but then the water was gushing around our feet and it was a miracle that we did not slip…….. Great to be back for dinner and a shower afterwards. nd looking forward to tomorrow’s trip! Goodnight all !!