Blogs from Amed, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 2

I was invited, by a few neighbors at my home stay, to join them and go to Badang Bai, a small village and a dive destination. You can also get the ferry to Lombok, Gilis and Nusa Penida islands from here. Our driver took the scenic route from Ubud and I enjoyed the many villages we passed through, and green rice fields, with Mt Agung very prominant. Mt Aguing is one of the highest volcanoes on Bali and adds some drama to the scenery. We each got a room at the 'Kerti Beach Bungalow'. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, overlooking the sea; had lunch at Kerti's restaurant, which was good. We walked down the road and up a hill and came upon the 'Blue Lagoon', a good size lagoon with turquoise water, white sand ... read more

To avoid arriving Bali during the wee hours of dawn, we broke up our flights with an overnight in Kuala Lumpur. Despite being tired from the rush of leaving Shanghai, we were completely overwhelmed to be back in Southeast Asia: the fragrance of the tropical flowers, the balmy air, the palm trees, geckos, and empty streets. Everything was just so COLORFUL. We flew into Denpasar the next day and took a taxi to Sanur, a 20-minute drive southeast of the capital city. Sanur was a nice little collection of kitsch shops and restaurants stretched along the coastline. There was a relaxed beach scattered with fishing boats where local children splashed around in the shallows. It was the low season, so not a lot of tourist business. We were frequently cornered about taxis and tours as we ... read more

I sang as I scrubbed the dishes today, the fact that I can cook or do laundry whenever I want has made me happier than it should any sane person. I have great admiration for backpackers that can live out of one small bag, moving from hostel to hostel and eating only street food, but I am not that person and neither is Matt. We may have been when we were younger but the benefit of traveling when you are -ahem- a little older is that you know yourself better and you stop wanting to be something you're not. After six weeks rinsing out underwear in hostel sinks, we knew it was time to call it. The little house we've rented in Amed - around 50 - 60 sq meters - is more than ... read more

Leaving Lombok with my return fast boat ticket, I soar through Bali Sea back to Padangbai. In Padangbai I decided I was going to work my way around the coast so my next stay was Amed. I got dropped at the Galang Kangin bungalows, as I had made no reservations, my driver obviously knew they were ok. I went out for a walk and across the black sanded beach, when all of a sudden, "CHARLIE!" was shouted. Ketut, one of the guys I met in Sanur jumps down from a guesthouse and gave me a big hug. I sat with him and a couple of his friends, tried some palm wine (which doesn't smell too good in honesty, but I held my nose) then Ketut took me on his motorbike to a local warung and to ... read more

Pour la video, cliquez sur le lien: Video - Bali & Java, Indonésie - Août 2012 Panorama ci-dessus: lever de soleil depuis Mt. Merapi Certains voyages nécessitent un peu de temps avant d’être racontés, afin de mieux en saisir la magie. Et je déroge un peu à la règle du tout immédiat que internet nous impose aujourd’hui pour vous raconter ce voyage cinq mois après. Mais à la suite de la lecture du récit, et surtout âpres avoir visionné la vidéo (lien ci-dessus), je pense que vous comprendrez que l’attente était justifiable, voire nécessaire ! Car ce voyage était bien sûr unique du fait des paysages grandioses que l’on a découvert, et dont la vidéo vous donnera j’espère un bon avant-goût, mais aussi du fait de l’occasion qui a donné lieu à ce voyage : le ... read more