Paradise Found.
When I was a kid I wanted to be 'Joe 90'. Don't know if you remember him, but he could handle any specialized task, just by putting on a pair of dodgy buddy Holly specs' and sitting in a whirly- spinny thing for five minutes, enabling him to carry out a supreme rescue mission. The one skill I wished for was to be able to speak every language on earth. I thought having the ability to travel anywhere on the planet and understand what was being said to me would be fantastic. Well, in a way, on this trip my dream has partially come true. We've just spent a few days in the Gili Islands, they lie off the north coast of Lombok. To be precise, we stayed on Gili Air, a Salmon steak shaped island which is our favourite place yet in Indonesia. The island is almost perfectly flat, with coconut groves, jersey cows, VERY long legged chickens and foot long geckos roaming around. There are no cars or motorcycles, only horse drawn carts and battered old BMX bikes for transport. It has a farming community feel, a really laid back ambience where walking quickly is living fast in the fast lane. Incidentally, it takes takes an hour and fifteen minutes to walk around the entire island which tells you just how small it is. We stayed in another thatched hut,(this time away from any other guests), in a place called 'Coconut Cottages'. This 'development' is owned by an amiable Glaswegian lady who is married to a local man. We virtually had the place to ourselves. We were able to snorkel on the local reef,(we saw a moray eel and clown anenome fish!) and lie on the beach without being bothered by anybody. The food on Gili Air was out of this world, we ate fresh food at every meal; tuna, barracuda, marlin, red and black snapper were just some of the fish we enjoyed. The island has a feeling of true 'paradise', by that I mean it is not contrived, it is working community with a school and market and local shops, the beach just happens to be beautiful and the sea, once again, delightfully warm. But perhaps one of the best things about this part of the journey has been the contact with other travellers as well as the indigenous peoples. It has made me think that we have met SO many people from all over world, Dutch, German, Indonesian, Indian, Spanish Italian, French, Norwegian, Danish etc. The point is, we've all been able to communicate with these people because we all speak english. We are so fortunate that we have had this in common, it has meant that we've been able to share opinions and stories and educate each other as to our cultural differences and similarities. So in a way my dream of being Joe 90 has, like I said, come true. We speak a language that has enabled to travel to virtually anywhere on the planet and be understood and I don't have to wear the silly spectacles to do it!
We leave Bali later today to return to Singapore, will be in touch again soon.
Bye for now,
xgregandjox
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Did the earth move for you too Jo?...
Glad to be back on-line. We're now staying in a small town called Padang Bai on the east coast of Bali. We travel out to the Gili Islands tomorrow morning on a four hour ferry journey, should be fun.
the snorkelling is said to be some of the best in the world, so we can't wait.
We are currently staying in a two storey, thatched bamboo cottage. The sleeping quarters are on the first floor whilst the bathroom is on the ground level. The thatch is amazing stuff, it stood up to a torrential rain storm the day before yesterday and not a drop of water was felt inside. However, the foundations and sound-proofing could be a little better and I'll go into more detail about that later.. As for the price, it works out at about 3 quid for the two of us, including breakfast,(brought to our door!), not bad eh?
Anyway the most amazing thing happened the other night. Whilst still in Lovina, (the posh hotel), Jo and I were woken in the middle of the night by a strange sensation. We thought we felt the bed move. Jo and I were pretty scared and thought it strange to have had the same dream. Well then it happened again, only this time the whole room shook violently. The light fittings swung to and fro' and the windows clattered really loudly. The tremor continued for about 15 or so seconds. It was pretty scary and sent shivers up both our spines. It was pretty hard to get to sleep afterward, what with the barking dogs and the hotel staff doing the rounds to check everything was okay. We found out the next morning, that the tremor was rated 5 on the Richter Scale, and had an epicentre in the sea off Java. It wasn't too large, but it did re-enforce the importance of knowing the way out of a hotel when you check in.
And so back to the thatched hut. Padang Bai, is a small port. It's a place where people pass through on their way to Lombok and the afore-mentioned Gili's. There are alot of Dutch people here, probably due to the fact, that the Dutch East India company was based in Indonesia a couple of Centuries ago. There is a laid back ambience to the town. People freely lie on a beach naked(innapropriate in a Hindu/Muslim country) and seem to be totally ignored, (except by us). There seem to be alot of single, bronzed, pierced, paunched and gold clad, old men about. There are also numerous nubile, and hospitable Balinese women living in their droves in the locality. Anyway, a Dutch gentleman just happened to move into the hut next to ours last night. We thought nothing of it and said 'Hello' as he passed our door on his way to the bar. Funny thing was Jo and I were once again woken in the night by a tremor shaking our hut. However this time it wouldn't have registered on The Richter Scale and didn't go on half as long.....
We have, at times, genuinely found paradise here in Bali. Some of the beaches have been beautiful, the rice paddies were so picturesque, the food has been great and some people,(when they were'nt trying to sell us something), have been really friendly.
Anyway, bye for now, and onto the Gili's,
xgregandjox
Glad to be back on-line. We're now staying in a small town called Padang Bai on the east coast of Bali. We travel out to the Gili Islands tomorrow morning on a four hour ferry journey, should be fun.
the snorkelling is said to be some of the best in the world, so we can't wait.
We are currently staying in a two storey, thatched bamboo cottage. The sleeping quarters are on the first floor whilst the bathroom is on the ground level. The thatch is amazing stuff, it stood up to a torrential rain storm the day before yesterday and not a drop of water was felt inside. However, the foundations and sound-proofing could be a little better and I'll go into more detail about that later.. As for the price, it works out at about 3 quid for the two of us, including breakfast,(brought to our door!), not bad eh?
Anyway the most amazing thing happened the other night. Whilst still in Lovina, (the posh hotel), Jo and I were woken in the middle of the night by a strange sensation. We thought we felt the bed move. Jo and I were pretty scared and thought it strange to have had the same dream. Well then it happened again, only this time the whole room shook violently. The light fittings swung to and fro' and the windows clattered really loudly. The tremor continued for about 15 or so seconds. It was pretty scary and sent shivers up both our spines. It was pretty hard to get to sleep afterward, what with the barking dogs and the hotel staff doing the rounds to check everything was okay. We found out the next morning, that the tremor was rated 5 on the Richter Scale, and had an epicentre in the sea off Java. It wasn't too large, but it did re-enforce the importance of knowing the way out of a hotel when you check in.
And so back to the thatched hut. Padang Bai, is a small port. It's a place where people pass through on their way to Lombok and the afore-mentioned Gili's. There are alot of Dutch people here, probably due to the fact, that the Dutch East India company was based in Indonesia a couple of Centuries ago. There is a laid back ambience to the town. People freely lie on a beach naked(innapropriate in a Hindu/Muslim country) and seem to be totally ignored, (except by us). There seem to be alot of single, bronzed, pierced, paunched and gold clad, old men about. There are also numerous nubile, and hospitable Balinese women living in their droves in the locality. Anyway, a Dutch gentleman just happened to move into the hut next to ours last night. We thought nothing of it and said 'Hello' as he passed our door on his way to the bar. Funny thing was Jo and I were once again woken in the night by a tremor shaking our hut. However this time it wouldn't have registered on The Richter Scale and didn't go on half as long.....
We have, at times, genuinely found paradise here in Bali. Some of the beaches have been beautiful, the rice paddies were so picturesque, the food has been great and some people,(when they were'nt trying to sell us something), have been really friendly.
Anyway, bye for now, and onto the Gili's,
xgregandjox
Friday, April 16, 2004
Hello Everyone,
I'm happy to say Jo and me are back to normal and feel completely well again. We're still in Northern Bali, (Lovina). The weather is still hot and humid but bearable. We are staying in the most luxurious hotel of our journey so far. The room is the size of a suite, with a huge balcony overlooking green palms and banana trees. We feel like a king and a queen and all for 8 quid a night including breakfast(expensive for this part of the world!). Seriously, if you ever decide to go on holiday in Indonesia or South East Asia, don't come on a package, do it independently, the rates are always negotiable.
Culturally, the Balinese experience is very different to India. Tourists are also currency here, we're constantly being asked if we'd like transport or would like to buy souvenirs. It gets warring but if that is all we have to worry about, then so be it. Australians seem to be prolific here and the tourist culture is really built around them(lots of lager happy hours). It's so quiet right now, it's hard to tell whether this is because of the low season or if it has anything to do with the terrorist bomb which happened almost 18 months ago. The scenery is lush and I've never seen light like it. I know it's a long way away but I can imagine the paintings in Polynesia by Gauguin being painted here; the people have the same appearance and the flora and fauna is so similar. We've seen butterflies as big as your hand and spiders in metre wide webs the size of small rodents.
We went snorkeling yesterday. The water was warmer than a hot bath at home, I couldn't get over it. It was actually too warm at times! We got to see live coral reefs and some massive fish. There were purple and green parrot fish the size of jack russel terriers at the tips of our fingers.
Jo got very sun burnt and had to lay on the bed last night covered with a damp towel...narsty!
There's not much more to say really as we've not experienced many other people or alien culture. It's meant that we've had a lot of time to think. I've particularly, been thinking a lot about home and friends and family and have felt a bit homesick, afterall we've been away for two and a half months now. I knew this would happen sooner or later but moving onto another place (Padangbai) on the East of the island will hopefully pep things up a bit.
All the best for now,
xgregandjox
I'm happy to say Jo and me are back to normal and feel completely well again. We're still in Northern Bali, (Lovina). The weather is still hot and humid but bearable. We are staying in the most luxurious hotel of our journey so far. The room is the size of a suite, with a huge balcony overlooking green palms and banana trees. We feel like a king and a queen and all for 8 quid a night including breakfast(expensive for this part of the world!). Seriously, if you ever decide to go on holiday in Indonesia or South East Asia, don't come on a package, do it independently, the rates are always negotiable.
Culturally, the Balinese experience is very different to India. Tourists are also currency here, we're constantly being asked if we'd like transport or would like to buy souvenirs. It gets warring but if that is all we have to worry about, then so be it. Australians seem to be prolific here and the tourist culture is really built around them(lots of lager happy hours). It's so quiet right now, it's hard to tell whether this is because of the low season or if it has anything to do with the terrorist bomb which happened almost 18 months ago. The scenery is lush and I've never seen light like it. I know it's a long way away but I can imagine the paintings in Polynesia by Gauguin being painted here; the people have the same appearance and the flora and fauna is so similar. We've seen butterflies as big as your hand and spiders in metre wide webs the size of small rodents.
We went snorkeling yesterday. The water was warmer than a hot bath at home, I couldn't get over it. It was actually too warm at times! We got to see live coral reefs and some massive fish. There were purple and green parrot fish the size of jack russel terriers at the tips of our fingers.
Jo got very sun burnt and had to lay on the bed last night covered with a damp towel...narsty!
There's not much more to say really as we've not experienced many other people or alien culture. It's meant that we've had a lot of time to think. I've particularly, been thinking a lot about home and friends and family and have felt a bit homesick, afterall we've been away for two and a half months now. I knew this would happen sooner or later but moving onto another place (Padangbai) on the East of the island will hopefully pep things up a bit.
All the best for now,
xgregandjox
Monday, April 12, 2004
Hello Folks,
I have muscled in before Greg this time to fill you in on our escapades.
After our brief introduction to the delights of airconditioning in Singapore, we fell hopelessly ill with a chest infection and shivers. We just about limped onto our flight to Bali where we then settled into to a beach resort bungalow in Kuta. We felt thoroughly miserable for a good 3 days after this, until we visited a clinic for some jumbo antibiotic tablets. That sounds appallingly spoilt of us, as we were surrounded by lush greenery, a beautiful swimming pool, hibiscus and frangipani flowers and large butterflies, but we felt so wretched!
Moving on from Kuta Beach, we headed north to Ubud. This is apparently the cultural centre of Bali, and there is PLENTY of art here. There are wood carvings, paintings, wicker-work, batik fabrics, ceramics and some wonderful furniture. However, we aren't here for the shopping, so we took a stroll around the area instead, along 'the ridge', a path alongside a small ravine and looked at the fantastic rice terraces and palm trees.
Balinese people are so attractive and charming. Everyone says hello and even if you don't take up their numerous offers of 'transport' , 'marijuana' or 'shopping', they will still stop and help if you get lost. (Greg has even been offered a Balinese lady ["very spicy"], but he respectfully declined.)
The Balinese houses are works of art - the carved concrete entrances often have fierce gargoyles either side of steep steps leading up through a narrow entrance. Once inside, the housing 'compound', there are various raised covered platforms for eating and sleeping, joined by carefully maintained paths, dotted around with beautiful bushes and shrubs. The roof tiles are very ornate, but many roofs are thatch. We have stayed in a couple of these family areas now, it's so peaceful and the whole family just go about their daily business.
The culture in this part of Bali is Hindu, and every evening at around 6pm, they place little dishes made of palm leaves outside houses, temples and their workplaces. Each little dish contains frangipani flowers, a little rice or sweets, and a wonderfully scented jos stick. The bearer of the dishes also sprinkles a little water over the area too, and the whole act is so magical and the whiff of scent in the warm air will always be evocative of this.
We have been sampling some Indonesian cookery whilst we've been here - it really is delicious. They really know how to make you feel comfortable in restaurants and everything is presented so well.
We went to watch a 'Legong', a traditional dance involving 5 women dancers. It was fascinating - they use their hands and feet in a particularly expressive way, and wear eye makeup to accentuate their eyes and the glances and eye movements are very poignant. The musicians were so talented also, and bashed out some amazing tunes on what looked like pressure cookers and triangular xylophones!
I have run out of time now, but will speak again soon.
Jo.
I have muscled in before Greg this time to fill you in on our escapades.
After our brief introduction to the delights of airconditioning in Singapore, we fell hopelessly ill with a chest infection and shivers. We just about limped onto our flight to Bali where we then settled into to a beach resort bungalow in Kuta. We felt thoroughly miserable for a good 3 days after this, until we visited a clinic for some jumbo antibiotic tablets. That sounds appallingly spoilt of us, as we were surrounded by lush greenery, a beautiful swimming pool, hibiscus and frangipani flowers and large butterflies, but we felt so wretched!
Moving on from Kuta Beach, we headed north to Ubud. This is apparently the cultural centre of Bali, and there is PLENTY of art here. There are wood carvings, paintings, wicker-work, batik fabrics, ceramics and some wonderful furniture. However, we aren't here for the shopping, so we took a stroll around the area instead, along 'the ridge', a path alongside a small ravine and looked at the fantastic rice terraces and palm trees.
Balinese people are so attractive and charming. Everyone says hello and even if you don't take up their numerous offers of 'transport' , 'marijuana' or 'shopping', they will still stop and help if you get lost. (Greg has even been offered a Balinese lady ["very spicy"], but he respectfully declined.)
The Balinese houses are works of art - the carved concrete entrances often have fierce gargoyles either side of steep steps leading up through a narrow entrance. Once inside, the housing 'compound', there are various raised covered platforms for eating and sleeping, joined by carefully maintained paths, dotted around with beautiful bushes and shrubs. The roof tiles are very ornate, but many roofs are thatch. We have stayed in a couple of these family areas now, it's so peaceful and the whole family just go about their daily business.
The culture in this part of Bali is Hindu, and every evening at around 6pm, they place little dishes made of palm leaves outside houses, temples and their workplaces. Each little dish contains frangipani flowers, a little rice or sweets, and a wonderfully scented jos stick. The bearer of the dishes also sprinkles a little water over the area too, and the whole act is so magical and the whiff of scent in the warm air will always be evocative of this.
We have been sampling some Indonesian cookery whilst we've been here - it really is delicious. They really know how to make you feel comfortable in restaurants and everything is presented so well.
We went to watch a 'Legong', a traditional dance involving 5 women dancers. It was fascinating - they use their hands and feet in a particularly expressive way, and wear eye makeup to accentuate their eyes and the glances and eye movements are very poignant. The musicians were so talented also, and bashed out some amazing tunes on what looked like pressure cookers and triangular xylophones!
I have run out of time now, but will speak again soon.
Jo.
