Blogs from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 38

Call off the search parties we are still alive!! We know its been ages since we last wrote a blog so apologies if you have been eagerly awaiting an update. The problem is we have been in Bali for a few weeks doing absolutely nothing!! Well continuing from our last blog we left Mt Bromo and headed for a small non tourist town called Bangiwangi (great name). It was just an overnight stop before we headed off to catch the ferry to Bali the following day. There's nothing really to tell you about Bangiwangi. We checked into a plain hotel and took a room right next door to a mosque. Naturally we were woken up at 4am by the bellowing prayers. We had dinner in a locals home which consisted of fried noodles proceeded by coffee ... read more

It's not just Bali..... I notice this as soon as I reached Indonesia. People just respond with a smile. I am told that in Bali there is a smile for every emotion. Everyone just smiles - it could be the guard that checks the front seat and boot (this is done religiously now since the bombings) as you enter the carpark or some random person riding by on their bike who happens to catch your eye. And here in smile central, as I sit at the front of this little cafe having dinner I get this beautiful passing parade of men who've just been to the temple because they were wearing flowers in both ears, dots on their foreheads and BIG SMILES all beaming at me! Smiles must carry some kind of happiness charge because I'm ... read more

oooo what a sad day!!!!!!! I started my day by heading over to Senang Hati for my goodbyes, this was the start of many goodbyes and alot of sadness!! There are so so many AMAZING people at Senang Hati and it will be hard to ever forget how welcoming and incredible they are! I have certainly learnt one hell of a lot from them and will always treasure the very special times I have spent with them!! Ginny, myself and max then headed to ubud for some lunch...yumi spag bol....sooo good then over to Yayassan (the orphanage) for the hardest of the goodbyes!!! We took the children on an outing to goa gajah (elephant cave) near bedulu and spent the afternoon there just playing around and being kids (thats mainly the adults)...then we headed back to ... read more

Once again I find myself plotting ways through which I can organise to live in Bali full-time. I love it here! A marriage of convenience to a local lesbian is currently high on the list of possibilities… Fam and I returned a couple of days ago after a planned expedition to the wilder islands East of Bali turned into a battle with gastro and an extended sunbathing session on a perfect island. Gili Trawangan is heaven if you’ve been slogging around in the filthier parts of Indo for a few months; a cinema, white beaches, waters teeming with sea life, some cool bars and plenty of good food provide the distractions. I guess it’s like Kuta, minus the bogan Australian element, schnick-schnack sellers and penis bottle-openers. And it’s popular with Scandinavian “backpackers”, most of whom actively ... read more

You guessed it, I've made my way to Southeast Asia! For over two years I've been dreaming of traveling this part of the world, and now I'm here!! Sometimes it's even hard for me to believe. About two weeks ago I booked my flight from Sydney to Bali, a small island in Indonesia. Leaving Australia, I didn't really plan what I was going to do with my 5 days in Bali. I knew that I wanted some good beach time as well as experiencing some Balinese culture. I didn't even know where I was going to stay my first night, but I wasn't worried because I had heard that you often just walk up to your chosen hotel/homestay and bargain a good price. Which is a whole other basket of problems because I am pretty bad ... read more