Blogs from Indonesia, Asia

Flores is unremittingly verdant. The west-east spine of the island is a continuous run of mountains and volcanoes, and the volcanic soil is of course extremely fertile. Even the steepest mountainsides where trees and the jungle normally struggle to survive tend to be covered in green vegetation. There is no airborne pollution as there are no factories or foundries, so the only sources of pollution are farmers' wood burning cooking fires, the ubiquitous motor bike, some people carriers for tourists, the very occasional 4WD or pickup truck for utility providers or official types, local buses and some trucks. We have not seen a single private car. There is no commercial advertising, no motor dealerships, and really no elements of what we are used to in a commercial economy apart from the occasional bank. It really is ... read more

We met up with Francis, our guide for the next week, and set off for Moni. Francis explained that the endlessly winding road we were driving along is, in fact, the one and only ‘highway’ that links the east and west of the island, grandly titled the Trans Flores Highway. It resembles a minor B road in the UK, but has relatively little traffic apart from the multitudes of people on scooters. We first took a detour to visit Sikka Lela village, the site of the oldest Catholic church on the island, completed on Christmas Eve 1899. The door was locked and it transpired that new regulations require all visitors and worshippers to wear a sarong. Odd. Francis and our driver were given traditional sarongs which they wrapped round themselves, but we were issued with a ... read more

After arriving at the very crowded and bureaucratic Denpasar airport, we stayed overnight at the incredibly convenient Novotel airport hotel – the only hotel where you can take your airport luggage trolley all the way to your hotel room! . Next morning we set off for Munduk in the north of Bali. Getting through Denpasar was no quicker than it was six years ago. The city gradually gave way to villages, but with no break in the buildings. Our first stop was the Tanah Lot temple, one of the iconic pictures of Bali. The temple is on a small island connected to the mainland by a causeway which is accessible only at low tide, so we could only view it from the shore. There are a number of other temples in a small complex on the ... read more

Good morning from Congo! What a better time between two meetings to write about the past 18 months experience of being back to Asia! Yes, time flies...imagine, we moved to Bali already in September 2022! I always believe that you should spend a certain time in any place to feel home, and that you reach the best of the experience between the 18th month and 36th month. By that time you've made yourself really home. There is perhaps less new discoveries, but it's the nice feeling that you start to belong to the place. Here we are, 18 months and some more in Bali! My lovely wife is working a lot. Yes, island life doesn't mean holiday life everyday (sadly). But her normal week is a 5 days affair, so we have ample time to ourselves ... read more

When we arrived last night it was pitch black and we couldn't see the view at all. It was amazing to wake up to the most picturesque beautiful view and it looked even better than in the photos shown when booking. The room is huge, the view couldn't get any better and it's so peaceful. Just the sounds of frogs, crickets, birds and the ocassional rooster. The perfect choice! We headed for breakfast and had the most amazing smoothie bowl. Both Louie and I loved it. The juice here is amazing. Louie had watermelon juice and I Dragon fruit juice. The restaurant also has the perfect view. We then headed into town which is a good 30 min walk up hill. Yes we are so unfit it nearly killed us to the point Louie kept saying ... read more