Blogs from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 18

Bonjour, dans cette publication, vous pourrez voir des images prises depuis notre arrivée en Indonésie, de Jakarta à Bali. je vous ai aussi mis un petit supplément sur la nourriture dont nous nous régalons ici. à bientot Phil... read more

An early and very quiet morning- no school today! Lots of white bellied swiftlets flying around out the back verandah, some egrets and the ubiquitous dove (I bet they live in EVERY country of the world). A nice coolness in the air before the sun comes up. We decide to spend the morning walking the rice fields- me with my Nike Ipod (clocking up the km's) and Geoff with his new binocs spotting birds. We find the way in and head off in the same direction but at markedly different speeds. It is very peaceful out there on your own with just the occasional farmer. It gets even more peaceful, it's then I realise I have taken the wrong turn and end up at the back road - the signs in the rice fields for Ubud ... read more

So, up bright and early at 0630, there is a cool breeze and lots of bird activity. There is a school a few houses in front of the hotel and the kids are having a great time. Lots of chattering and laughter floating up to the 3rd floor. It then goes completely silent and a young boy leads a sing song chanting prayer, then silence, then it descends quickly back into play time. We sit on our balcony surveying the scene and wait for our pineapple pancake. Today is the day to do the Bali Bird Walk. We had done this a few years ago and really enjoyed it so decided to do it again. Booked pre-departure through the website. http://www.balibirdwalk.com/ The walks were started over 15 years ago by Victor Mason, birder and author/illustrator. He ... read more

Kuala Lumpur (KL) Malaysia We flew from Saigon to Malaysia and caught the bus into Kuala Lumpur Central Station. We drove through multiple motorway tollgates and past housing areas, rows and rows of identical attached houses, then a gap and another area of rows and rows of the same, same but different identical houses. Then as we got closer to KL the housing changed to apartment buildings, the side of the buildings littered with laundry drying in the heat, 20 stories high. I wonder how many times the security guard walking the parameter gets a pair of undies falling on his head! I had been getting a bit nostalgic about India and wondering if this trip was going to be such an adventure without an experience that would ever match the one we had in India. ... read more

To say I was excited to visit Bali is an understatement! It was somewhere I had always wanted to visit (and no, not because I had read Eat, Pray Love)! However, its hard to talk about Bali without mentioning the terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2005. The bombings in Kuta in '05 resulted in 20 fatalities and many injuries and as a result of this and ongoing terrorism concerns, visitors to Indonesia are warned to avoid all but essential travel. We weren't too worried as we intended to avoid the tourist traps of Kuta and Legion and instead, headed into the town of Ubud in central Bali. We arrived late and had organised a pickup to bring us there.After a long drive, we arrived at our guesthouse and checked into a beautiful villa with engraved wooden ... read more