Blogs from Indonesia, Asia - page 8

Hello to everyone I said I wouldn't write on here but y ried to compose a message on fb and it was taking ages to add everone. Time is money people :-) But Iwill make this quick because it's bopring for everyone else to read. So, I'm in Kuta 'part capital they tell me'. Everyone here is a surfer from Oz. I'm doing a surfing course. Very fun. I'm learning all the surfing lingo. Going to do canyoning and white water rafting this week hopefully. Then going to ubud. Otherwise I'm exploring, eating and relaxing. It's sooo HOT. p.s. I'm not nearly going to be on this thing as often as everyone else but will try when I can. p.p.s I don't have time to upload photos. Will try next time. sorry :-( muchos love xxxxxxxxxxx ... read more

Today is the day I have been waiting for! Finally started my advanced open water diving course. Early start got picked up at 7am and had a 2 hr drive to north coast of Bali to tulamben bay. First dive was around an old world war 2 cargo ship wreck called USAT liberty. It was sunk by a jap torpedo and got washed close to the shore after a volcano eruption. Was eerie bit cool. Second dpractise practicing buoyancy control and last off was navigation. Had instructor to myself which was cool. Saw pufposh fish, angel, trigger, butterfly fish a sting ray and garden eels. Asides from diving the headlines are that we are disgustingly tanned, found some cool places playing decent music which attracts hot men (had issues with only going to young Aussie gap ... read more

First post...here I go! :) My plane landed in Denpasar, Bali. It literally flew over the blue (yes, BLUE...not blue-black or polluted blue), sandy beach. I found that surprising since I never flew over a beach. The airport was quite modern. The people were helpful and there were plenty of tour guides all over the place. One thing that bothered me was the visa queue. It was long. LOOOOONG. And time-consuming. So once you get there..be prepared for the wait. Especially if you're arriving in the daytime. Hotels are available, plentifully. Rooms, not really. I saw so many backpackers walking around cluelessly asking for a room. There are other facilities such as laundromats. They're cheaper than the hotel laundry service...but Lord knows what they use for detergent. The beach was SO CLOSE BY. And the weather ... read more

Wow Bali is beautiful, arrived to blue skies and friendly faces. Immediately things feel more chilled here. No more beeping car horns and littered streets! This section of my travels isn't technically travelling as I have accommodation booked for the duration of my stay, so updates will be less but am hoping to get some quality diving done here. I have renamed Bali my honeymoon holiday as me and my travel buddy Natalie have been made to feel like honeymooners. The people are so helpful and everything is very peaceful. Our hotel is pure decadence and I intend to make the most of it after India and before south America! Day 2 After a lovely morning chilling by the pool and watching the surfers on the beach we watched the sun go down sipping cocktails. It ... read more

On how many levels does a journey exist? Is the journey sometimes a destination unknown or unexpected? Ive spent my adult life watching for the Oh Not Again! Disapproving face my mother would pull every time I would casually mention I was going diving..in a couple of days..in papua new guinea. I wanted to show my mum the side of me that comes alive when I am travelling and diving, a new world to explore, where I feel my best. I wanted her to understand why I travelled alone to parts far flung and on the Smart Traveller website as reconsider need to travel. So, I took her to Cubadak. A tiny island off the west coast of Padang in Sumatra. On that ohh so sexy Sundra Arc (You will have to excuse the geomorphologist im ... read more

Just a quick note as not much to report. Spent the last few days lording it around our beautiful hotel and sunbathing. Weather is brilliant despite the forecast of thunder every day. Took a lesson in fruit carving yesterday which will come in handy one day I am sure.... Can now confidently say that I can carve my name and a flower into a melon. Sad to report that Delhi belly finally caught up with me, currently averaging about 10 dashes to the toilet per day, although I am not unhappy about this as the toilets here are so posh that there is a button to push to give your bum a little jet wash after your business, so i don't even need to exert myself wiping! Hope it passes soon as dying to go diving. ... read more

Since my last blog entry, our lives have been "full" and we've had many adventures. My sister Kim and her daughter Sharaya visited us from Canada for 3 weeks during their spring break. It was fun to be a “tourist” exploring Bali and visiting the Gili islands again. Gemma was happy to show her cousin around and finally have a "buddy." We went whitewater rafting, hiking up a volcano, visiting waterfalls, snorkeling on the Gili islands, and of course shopping. Our house was full as Lucas’ friend Justin is still with us – so there were 7 of us in total. We spent lots of evenings playing games, telling stories and laughing. We worked well together taking turns doing dishes, etc. It reminded me of how many people in the world live - with their extended ... read more