Bali and Singapore

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I had a nice flight to Bali, I got a blow up pillow, a blanket and a meal and drink, it was ok. I was very tired when I arrived though. I shared a taxi with 2 guys and once they got dropped off the taxi driver decided to try and extort more money from me so I got a different taxi and accidentally paid him 10 times more than I should have because I didn't look at the money. I put it down to experience. Once I had found some where to stay I slept for most of the afternoon and ventured out in the evening. I met a friendly Australian couple who were very helpful with advice on how much things should cost, recommending a tour company and generally being nice. Feeling better already I had some dinner and a wander around the market streets of Kuta and tried to avoid the hawkers.
Day 2 in Bali got off to a much better start except that it was raining. I met 4 English girls at breakfast and realised that the hotel was kicking everyone out because they were going on holiday so had to find somewhere else, which wasn't too much trouble. I also booked to go to Ulu Watu, the sun temple that afternoon and bought some new sunglasses and a dress and thn it was time to go. The temple is on a cliff edge and is dedicated to the sun. It's very nice to watch the sun set there I am told but it was very cloudy when I was there so I couldn't see the sunset. There are lots of macaques monkeys at Ulu Watu who are pathelogical kleptomaniacs as my guide found out when one ran off with his glasses (he got them back) and another man discovered once his wallet went off the side of the cliff! I stopped off in Jimbaran and had a lovely sea food dinner on the beach, it was huge! When I got back I went for a beer and met some friendly people at the bar who I had a chat with and then went back.
I caught the bus to Ubud the next day and found a lovely guesthouse with very friendly staff. I went to the Monkey Forest Sanctuary and saw the temples and the little stream and the monkeys too obviously. Also went to a Balinese art museum called ARMA which was interesting to look around and had a drink in the cafe there. I went for a wander to the centre of ubud, which was far quieter than Kuta, stark contrast. When I got back I met a family who live in India but are orignally form Germany and had a good chat before bed with Helena.
The following day I went on a tour of the local area to Batu Bulan for a Barong and Kris Dance, which was fun to watch. It is about a good creature called the Barong and an evil creature. Then went to Celuc to look at lots of pretty things made from silver and gold, all materials from Indonesian Borneo. After that I went to a family art place where all of the family members paint different styles of art and you can buy it. Also visited a wood carving place and the man that showed me round was explaining a couple of the pictures to me. After that I went to a plantation where coffee, herbs, spices and fruit are grown and I sampled the coffee and tea. I also tried the coffee Luwak, made from beans the Luwak has eaten and digested the fruit only. The beans are cleaned and then roasted in the same way as usual. On the way back to Ubud I stopped at Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave which is very old and inside is a statue with a human body and elephant head. Our last stop was to see the palace in the centre of Ubud which was very pretty and my and Ketut sat and watched a group of Japanese women have a lesson on the goreng, it was interesting to watch and they all got better and more in time. When I got back I had a cup of tea and a shower, a chat about the tour I was going on with Helena and co. I went to dinner at a place called Bali Buddah where they had very lovely food.
i went on a tour with the family from my guesthouse and we went to see a waterfall to start with. There were lots of Balinese children playing on the rocks and trying to cross to the other side but it was too deep to walk across. Next we saw some more rice terraces neat Tegalallang and then visited Temple Gunung Kawi which has amazing carvings in the cliffs and is down a lot of steps to get there. We had lunch in a lovely spot overlooking the volcano and lake Batur and afterwards we visited some hot springs at the bottom. It was a lovely day. My original plan had been to go to Lovina in the North but instead I stayed in Ubud and went on the tour so the next day I had free to explore, have a massage, eat suckling pig for lunch, delicious, and a look around the markets. I booked my bus back to Kuta for the next day and sorted out stuff so I was ready to fly to Singapore the day after.
Back in Kuta I found a lovely guesthouse for the night and went to the beach. It was hot so I had a swim in the sea and I met some Argentinian girls and we played cards and had some dinner later on. I was up early the next day so I said bye to all the Argentinians and went back.

I met a girl called Charlotte from my flight and she came to the hostel I booked in Little India, which is a nice area with lots going on. Charlotte and I, being new in town and not knowing how far stuff is, decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens from Little India. Two hours later we arrived. It is a lovely Botanicl Garden though, massive and very pretty. We had a walk around and then decided to get the bus back, which we got off early, twice. Did book to go to see SATC2 the next evening though, it's a long time since I've been to the cinema and its air conditioned there. Singapore is very hot and humid. The next day we had both signed up to go on a tour of the city on scooters (push along versions) so 12 of us left the hostel in the morning on scooters and had a look around the city. Michael who's the guide was very knowledgeable and knew where to take us. We saw, the Esplanade, concert hall, Merlion, Clarke Quay, China Town, Raffles Hotel.... to name a few places. It was a really hot day so we were all looking very attractive as we zoomed around town, being a nuicance to everyone. It was such good fun though. That evening Charlotte, Laura and I went to see SATC2 which I loved and thought was really funny and very feel-good, stange to realise I was watching it in Singapore though. Had a couple of drinks outside the hostel on the nice wooden furniture before bed.
The two guys from the scooter tour came to the zoo the next day with me. It was a happy zoo with happy, stimulated, well looked after animals, which made me happy. The elephants were lovely, so were the white tigers. It rained a lot in the afternoon so we gave up sheltering and, well, got wet. Whilst it was still hot though I bought an ice cream and a drink with the 10 Singapore dollars that my Mum had given me before I left England. Went for curry in the evening seeing as we were in Little India, it had to be done.
I had planned to meet another person from the hostel once he had finished work but we must have missed each other. So I had a walk around in the afternoon sun and ate some food and later on went to the Night Safari, next door to the zoo. It is a good concept for a park and I enjoyed seeing the nocturnal animals whilst they were awake but I did find it stange they had zebras, elephants and giraffes there too that were asleep but hey ho. There was also a very reahearsed show to go and see which was good fun. I enjoyed the evening and as it was my last I again sat up talking to people from the hostel outside until late and had to get up to get my bus to Melaka, Malaysia the next day.

xxx

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Comments

[sally]

smiling
I read your latest blog with a v big smile on my face. You are just so much more confident than me, Jen - I can't imagine doing all these things on my own - finding accom, new people to talk to, tours and experiences... Makes me feel v old and set in my ways! Taking recycling a step to far if you don't mind me saying - coffee from beans that have already been in and out of an anuimal's gut!!!! Are you mad! The sun has gone to your head. I also smiled at the idea that you are on this amazing indep adventure, and your mum still has bought you an icecream. The scooter tour sounds a brilliant idea - there's an opening for you when you return - but maybe not in hilly Bristol. sally xx