Singapore to Bali

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Hello everyone,

I just wanted to update you with my adventures so far… I flew from London to Singapore where I stayed just a couple of days, enough time to walk around the city and see landmarks such as Raffles Square and the Harbour front. They have a metro system just like London which makes it very easy to get around.

From Singapore I took a boat to Puala Batam in Indonesia to catch a little plane to take us to the island of Java. It didn’t take long and felt like I was in a bus in the sky!

My first stop in Java was the capital city called Jakarta. My goodness how busy and big it was! So many motorbikes, cars, buses and trains, I had to be very careful. I couldn’t stay too long because it rained and rained and the streets began to get flooded and look like rivers, people were walking up to their knees in water but I stayed safe and dry.

I decided to leave Jakarta on a train that took 10 hours to get to Yogyakarta. I saw lots of rice fields and peoples houses, they are very different from the houses we are used to at home, many are made of wood and don’t have an upstairs.

Yogyakarta was smaller than Jakarta but just as noisy and busy. One of the main ways of getting around was on a strange vehicle called a tuk-tuk, this is like a three wheeled bicycle with a big basket on the front for people to sit in whilst a man peddles them around. The roads are lined with lots of market stalls selling souvenirs, clothes, sunglasses, shoes…any thing you could want at very cheap prices.

Whilst staying in Yogyakarta I took a trip to Borobudur. This is where a Buddhist monument stands and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It tells the story of Buddha and is very important for the Buddhist religion. There were 505 Buddha statues there and by touching the foot of the main statue, you could wish for your dream to come true. I found it all very interesting.

Now I am here in Bali, this is a smaller island to the east of Java and I traveled by coach and ferry, it took a very long time, nearly 20 hours! On the way people would come on to the coach and sing for money or offer their goods for me to buy. The strangest was a fried eel snack, I didn’t try it!

Bali is very hot, I am staying right by the beach and I share my room with lots of other creatures like lizards, geckos, ants and cockroaches but apart from that it is very quiet and peaceful. When walking around I have to be very careful not to tread upon small offerings placed in front of doors by the Balinese people. These are to encourage the good spirits and keep evil ones away.

I’m planning on going into the countryside soon so I will have more stories to tell. Goodbye for now

Stripey x

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Photos

Heathrow Airport
Me and my friend Emma messing around waiting for our plane

Boat to Batam
Watching the world pass by

The plane to Jakarta
Our little aeroplane to take us to Java

Jakarta
The busy street where I stayed in Jakarta

Rice fields
Rice fields and houses from the train window on the journey to Yogyakarta

my bathroom
My barthrrom in Yogyakarta, they are not like the ones at home!

Borobudur
A statue of Buddha

Borobudur monument
One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Borobudur
The statues of Buddha sit inside these bell-like structures

Buddhist monument
A monumnet in Bali with offerings at its feet

Balinese mask
The Balinese are well known for their masks

Balinese offering
To keep evil spirits away

My guest!
One of the geckos I am sharing my room with!