Back in Malaysia we discovered that KL has a third terminal, only for AirAsia flights, and that we didn't know how to get into town from there. It was easy to figure it out though and only took one and a half hours to get to our hostel. There we met Luci&Lorenz again, the couple from Munich whom we had met at lake Toba. To be honest it wasn't so much of a surprise because we had had some contact via email and had agreed to meet each other there. It was still funny because we arrived in KL on the same day and also all leave on the 4th. We also had mainly the same ideas about what we wanted to do in Malaysia without talking about it. We ended up sharing a 4 bed dorm to save money.
Coming back to a city you have already been to always feels weird to me. You feel confident because you're not completely lost but there's still so much new to discover although I tend to go to the places I know first. We went back to the Indian place first for lunch and started to discover new places afterwards. In the evening we met our companions and watched the new Harry Potter movie (they hadn't seen it jet). We spent some time those days to wander through malls and bazaars, imagining to be rich enough to buy a watch for 2000€ or a Mac/iPad etc. On Thursday 1/9 we took the bus to Melaka, a city south of KL with rich architectural heritage. It was a two hour bus ride in a bus at least a million times better than any bus in Sumatra, and a bit of a walk before we found a nice dorm room in the heart of china-town. We went on a sight-seeing tour that early afternoon and had a look at china-town and the old dutch, Portuguese and British buildings that are still left over from the colonial era and are protected by the UNESCO's world-heritage foundation. It looks good but isn't really that impressive than we thought. It was a cloudless day and it was really hot in the sun so we went back to our hostel to lie down a while. I also managed to get a cold from all the fans and A/C's which is really annoying and stupid. I mean... how do you manage it to get a cold in such a hot country? But I could get some rest and we set off again after dark to have a look at some more stuff before we went to a Pakistani for dinner. The food was really good, spicy but good, and we had a great evening together.
We continued our tour after a long sleep in but didn't see too much new things because we had decided to leave at 4 o'clock and I only had breakfast at about 1pm. It was another hot day which made it all very exhausting and we had to make a lot of breaks in between. The bus ride back was OK but we all were quite tired so I red the whole way and tried to sleep a bit. Our hostel offers a free dinner on the rooftop every friday night and we were lucky enough to be in time for that. It was a tasty buffet of rice and sauce combinations and really cool since we didn't have to pay for it. We decided to have a look if we found a movie we all liked which was harder than we thought and we ended up having a drink (not what it sounds like... we had tea and juice) at an Indian place. Bekki and I fell in love with the Indian food over the time we were here. We had always enjoyed the Indian cuisine before but at the moment it is almost the only food we eat. They make the best bread (naan and roti) and it is really cheap as well. I usually get up late and have a roti with banana or onions for breakfast and some naan or vegi-rice for lunch or dinner. I've started to eat only twice a day (with snacks in between of course) because it is a lot cheaper and I don't really need that much. I still feel hungry some times but I'm getting over it. That is really good for our budget but heaps of my pants don't fit me anymore.
We're spending our last days relaxing and shopping, I have no idea how that works together, and I'm still fighting my illness but don't worry, it doesn't feel like fever so no malaria. We might go and see a movie tonight or just have some Indian food but we have to go to bed early tonight to catch our flight at 9am and we have to be there at 7am and the bus to the airport takes 1.5 hours and leaves at 5.30am. I don't know why but I'm really looking forward to the flight. I think it's because we have spent so much time in small aircraft where we had to pay for our food separately and couldn't watch movies. Or I just like planes...
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Uluwatu
It was sad to leave the Gilis behind. I could have spent a lot more time doing nothing except to enjoy the easiness of life over there but we had terminated our holiday before we had even started it which meant we had to stick to our schedule. We had booked a shuttle service which would bring us directly to Kuta, Bali, because we didn't want to loose any more time through inefficient traveling. The shuttle company had boats to get us off the island, then we were driven to Lembar (with only a few stops on the way) where we got on to the ferry that brought us to Padangbai, where we were picked up and transported to Kuta. It was still not even close to the standards we are used to in the western world but it was more than 200% improvement to what Bekki and I used to experience. The trip took us the whole day though, mainly because of the ferry which took more than 5 hours, we left at 8am and arrived at about 7pm. We had some problems finding a room for the night because most cheap hostels were already booked out but we eventually found one that was a bit more expensive and offered free WiFi and breakfast.
The next day we rented a bike and, after the worst breakfast so far, we left our bags at the information counter and drove towards the southern peninsular. Right on the south-eastern tip of that peninsular is a Buddhist tepel that didn't interest me at all, but gave its name to a place a bit further north: Uluwatu.
Uluwatu is one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Bali in the first place. It is an unforgettable sight when you walk down the steps that lead towards the wave and you can make out beautiful barrels through a gap between the cliffs. At once my heart started beating faster and I was curious to see more. More of the place I wanted to see from the moment I'd first heard of it and it was amazing. You walk through something like a little village right on the cliff, where surf shops, board repairs, restaurants and souvenir shops are almost built on top of each other, all facing the wave. When you chose one of the restaurants an sit down right above the edge you have an panoramic view over the wave and all its sections. It is another sight that is hard to describe and unfortunately my camera doesn't have a panorama function but you must imagine it as a 180°+ view from the left to the right with at least five sections (not always all of them work at the same time/ in the same conditions) from medium to big with all shapes of good waves. Along the cliff you find everything a surfer needs but it is rather expensive compared to other places. It was a small day and we spent a few hours watching the waves and surfers, enjoying the loose atmosphere on the clifftop before we went for a swim in the rock pools and headed back to Kuta in the afternoon. It wasn't easy for me to see those waves and not be able to go out (due to astronomical board rental prices and missing reef boots) because it was quite small(4ft) and I was really starting to miss the surfing and again I told myself I would come back here to surf these waves with more time.
I'm not sure why we did so but we decided to stay awake the next night before we got our flight to KL the next day. It might have been because the flight we had planned to book left at 6am (now it left at 11am) or just because we didn't want to get more money out on Bali but we stayed awake. We dropped the bike off after a shopping tour through Bali's surf shops and went looking for a bar with free WiFi. We were lucky to find one with WiFi, good food, comfortable chairs and European sport on one and a surf movie on the other screen. The only problem was that it closed at 12am which meant that we had another 11 hours to go. We decided not to go to a nightclub because we had all our stuff with us, bought some snacks and coffin drinks and sat down at the beach. It was far less creepy than the first time because there where many other people there, sleeping or chatting in small groups. We felt a lot safer than on our first encounter with Kuta's main beach and started watching movies on Bekki's laptop. That was a great way to kill time and it was almost 5 o'clock after we finished the second movie. We tried to sleep a bit as well and spent the last hour at McDonalds with a coffee and internet.
We decided to walk to the airport which wasn't far away. The flight went by without anything special happening (which probably is a good sign when you're in the air). It was great to see Bali from above. First the coastline with all its breaks and further inland the volanos and lakes. We flew almost right over the Gurung Agung (the volcano you can see during the sunset on Lombok) before some clouds came up and blocked our sight.
The next day we rented a bike and, after the worst breakfast so far, we left our bags at the information counter and drove towards the southern peninsular. Right on the south-eastern tip of that peninsular is a Buddhist tepel that didn't interest me at all, but gave its name to a place a bit further north: Uluwatu.
Uluwatu is one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Bali in the first place. It is an unforgettable sight when you walk down the steps that lead towards the wave and you can make out beautiful barrels through a gap between the cliffs. At once my heart started beating faster and I was curious to see more. More of the place I wanted to see from the moment I'd first heard of it and it was amazing. You walk through something like a little village right on the cliff, where surf shops, board repairs, restaurants and souvenir shops are almost built on top of each other, all facing the wave. When you chose one of the restaurants an sit down right above the edge you have an panoramic view over the wave and all its sections. It is another sight that is hard to describe and unfortunately my camera doesn't have a panorama function but you must imagine it as a 180°+ view from the left to the right with at least five sections (not always all of them work at the same time/ in the same conditions) from medium to big with all shapes of good waves. Along the cliff you find everything a surfer needs but it is rather expensive compared to other places. It was a small day and we spent a few hours watching the waves and surfers, enjoying the loose atmosphere on the clifftop before we went for a swim in the rock pools and headed back to Kuta in the afternoon. It wasn't easy for me to see those waves and not be able to go out (due to astronomical board rental prices and missing reef boots) because it was quite small(4ft) and I was really starting to miss the surfing and again I told myself I would come back here to surf these waves with more time.
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| Hmmm... why isn't that me??? |
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| The entrance cave to Uluwatu |
We decided to walk to the airport which wasn't far away. The flight went by without anything special happening (which probably is a good sign when you're in the air). It was great to see Bali from above. First the coastline with all its breaks and further inland the volanos and lakes. We flew almost right over the Gurung Agung (the volcano you can see during the sunset on Lombok) before some clouds came up and blocked our sight.
The Gili islands
Although we spent over 5 days on the Gilis there's not much to tell about our stay. It wasn't boring or anything and those islands are truly beautiful but we spent most of our time chilling and hanging around which is why I don't have any really interesting stories.
But I'll start with our arrival. We took the shuttle bus from Senggigi and then one of the public boats to the island. We had decided to go to Gili Travangan, the largest of the three Gili islands because it has the reputation of the party island and it's the cheapest. Even with a shuttle service it can become quite hectic in Bangsal, the harbor from where the boats leave, and we were glad to get on to one without too much trouble. The boat was slow and played one noisy and high pitched Arabian song all the way to the island but at least we had enough space. It was still quite early in the morning and a lot of people were arriving or leaving the island so the beach and the road were full of tourists and guides but the crowds cleared quickly after walking a few meters. As usual there were a lot of people trying to get you to the "cheapest place in town" but we ignored them and headed towards the cheapest in the Lonely Planet. On the way we heard someone calling rooms out for 50-60k and we decided to follow dis directions to the Sunset Bungalows. These simple bungalows were a fair bit out of town but the cheapest option we could find. Tired of all the walking we relaxed for a few hours and then decided to go for a swim. The bungalow was a little bit past the southern point of the island and because the wind blew fairly strong from the east we decided to go north to look for a beach. After a short walk, some sun baking and a swim in the shallow waters between the coral (I didn't find a proper beach to swim) we went back to the bungalow because it was meant to be the best spot to watch the sunset.
After the sun had gone down we walked into the town. I keep calling it town but it is more the one spot on the island where there are more than five houses together. The main road which runs parallel to the beach around the whole island has got everything you need. There are surf shops, diving centers, all sorts of accommodation, food carts, restaurants, mini markets cafes information etc. It is particularly nice in the evenings when all the restaurants open and offer a fresh seafood BBQ with huge selections of freshly caught fish.
The next day was a bit different than the others because we rented sets of snorkeling gear and spent the whole day down at the beach. The underwater world of the Gilis is highly praised and we where keen to finally do some snorkeling. It is always so beautiful to dive underwater, back everything else out which is above the surface and enjoy the quietness around you. It was great. We saw heaps of fish and also a few sea turtles. I love it how they just float around with so much tranquility, just drifting through the water. The coral were a bit disappointing though. We thought we could see lots of colorful coral and sponges and that sort of stuff but the ground was dominated by grey an brown and a lot of dead coral pieces. Also the second and third dive were not as good as the first because we saw the same fish and coral and never anything else. It didn't spoil the fun but helped us with the decision whether we should go snorkeling the next days.
That was about all we did except from hanging around. Our days started to structure themselves. Every day we woke,had a banana pancake, went into town, had a juice and checked the internet, went to the beach, swum, sunbathed, walked around, ate, went back to the bungalow, watched the sunset, walked to town and had dinner. At night we usually watched a movie and that was it. It sounds like a lot but it's really not, when yo have a whole day to fill but that was great. It felt like exactly the thing we needed and we enjoyed it every day. One night we decided to spend some more money on local drinks and I really regretted it the next morning. And it was Bekki's one year travel anniversary so we took ourselves out for dinner in one of the better restaurants of the island. It definitely was the most enjoyable time of the trip and came exactly at the right time, after the exhausting bike trip and all the traveling to Lombok.
But I'll start with our arrival. We took the shuttle bus from Senggigi and then one of the public boats to the island. We had decided to go to Gili Travangan, the largest of the three Gili islands because it has the reputation of the party island and it's the cheapest. Even with a shuttle service it can become quite hectic in Bangsal, the harbor from where the boats leave, and we were glad to get on to one without too much trouble. The boat was slow and played one noisy and high pitched Arabian song all the way to the island but at least we had enough space. It was still quite early in the morning and a lot of people were arriving or leaving the island so the beach and the road were full of tourists and guides but the crowds cleared quickly after walking a few meters. As usual there were a lot of people trying to get you to the "cheapest place in town" but we ignored them and headed towards the cheapest in the Lonely Planet. On the way we heard someone calling rooms out for 50-60k and we decided to follow dis directions to the Sunset Bungalows. These simple bungalows were a fair bit out of town but the cheapest option we could find. Tired of all the walking we relaxed for a few hours and then decided to go for a swim. The bungalow was a little bit past the southern point of the island and because the wind blew fairly strong from the east we decided to go north to look for a beach. After a short walk, some sun baking and a swim in the shallow waters between the coral (I didn't find a proper beach to swim) we went back to the bungalow because it was meant to be the best spot to watch the sunset.
After the sun had gone down we walked into the town. I keep calling it town but it is more the one spot on the island where there are more than five houses together. The main road which runs parallel to the beach around the whole island has got everything you need. There are surf shops, diving centers, all sorts of accommodation, food carts, restaurants, mini markets cafes information etc. It is particularly nice in the evenings when all the restaurants open and offer a fresh seafood BBQ with huge selections of freshly caught fish.
The next day was a bit different than the others because we rented sets of snorkeling gear and spent the whole day down at the beach. The underwater world of the Gilis is highly praised and we where keen to finally do some snorkeling. It is always so beautiful to dive underwater, back everything else out which is above the surface and enjoy the quietness around you. It was great. We saw heaps of fish and also a few sea turtles. I love it how they just float around with so much tranquility, just drifting through the water. The coral were a bit disappointing though. We thought we could see lots of colorful coral and sponges and that sort of stuff but the ground was dominated by grey an brown and a lot of dead coral pieces. Also the second and third dive were not as good as the first because we saw the same fish and coral and never anything else. It didn't spoil the fun but helped us with the decision whether we should go snorkeling the next days.
That was about all we did except from hanging around. Our days started to structure themselves. Every day we woke,had a banana pancake, went into town, had a juice and checked the internet, went to the beach, swum, sunbathed, walked around, ate, went back to the bungalow, watched the sunset, walked to town and had dinner. At night we usually watched a movie and that was it. It sounds like a lot but it's really not, when yo have a whole day to fill but that was great. It felt like exactly the thing we needed and we enjoyed it every day. One night we decided to spend some more money on local drinks and I really regretted it the next morning. And it was Bekki's one year travel anniversary so we took ourselves out for dinner in one of the better restaurants of the island. It definitely was the most enjoyable time of the trip and came exactly at the right time, after the exhausting bike trip and all the traveling to Lombok.
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| Yeah, I caught that Barracuda with my bare hands! |
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| And jealous? If not I must tell you that that bottle of beer is 700ml and still half full... |
Days on a bike
It was sad to leave such a magical spot like desert point after such short time but the swell had dropped over night to nearly nothing and we wanted to explore a bit more of the southern coast and look for some waves around Kuta.
I woke very early that morning. Most of the surfers were still sleeping, only some early birds were catching the last waves which were small and inconsistent. I took a walk along he beach, looking for shells and enjoying the morning. It is my favorite time of the day, even though I often sleep in I really like being awake before the others and have some time on my own. I had actually planned to go out and try my luck in the waves but they were so small that it wasn't really worth it to rent a board. I felt really bad about that because I had told myself to wait the day before because it was still quite big for me and going down to low tide which made it very shallow and dangerous for an inexperienced surfer but I wanted to surf that wave, only to be able to say that I have surfed desert point. When I got back from my walk the others were up and we had breakfast while watching the fading waves. Later Bekki and I went for another walk together to say goodbye to this beautiful place before we packed our stuff and ourselves on the bike and started our journey to Kuta.
On the map the most direct way is along the coast and we planned that we would need about 3 hours to get there. We were wrong.
The road led us through nearly untouched regions of the wild Lombok, in which we found tribes that have never seen a "white" man before and discovered formerly unknown species of flora and fauna.
Well... to be honest... it wasn't really that wild but it didn't seem as if a lot of tourists took that road, which is much better described as a path or a track, because everyone we saw on our way would make a huge fuss if they saw us, wave and shout at us and the kids came closer to get a good look. But the "road" also gave us the impression that not too many people who care about such things as a road came along that way because the asphalt was mainly washed away by the rain and it looked more like the course for an off road motorbike challenge than something you would want to travel on. It was very exhausting to drive on such an underground because I had to concentrate on every bump in the road and therefor not take my eyes off it and the seats of such a bike aren't that comfortable anymore after you have spent more than three hours on them. At one point I almost ran over a snake which was on her way across the road because I didn't realize it was one. It was a green snake that was so green that it really looked like plastic and I kept driving towards it because I thought it was a toy. Another time I almost drove us down the side of the road as I lost control over the bike because I had allowed my mind to slip away for a few seconds. I drove straight into a big hole and the bike slipped away underneath us.
The landscape down there however is amazing. Only a few kilometers inland from the flat coast the hills rise up and, mainly in the north, soon become to mountains. It changed so quickly that we didn't even notice at first and once you are on top of the hill you look down on to the reefs and bays that lie beneath you in a beautiful turquoise.
Finally we arrived in Kuta, exhausted and in pain. My bum was hurting like hell because we didn't take a break and we were stuck on that motorbike and because I had our big bag between my legs my feet didn't have enough space on the foot board and my knees were bent outwards which started hurting really badly after some time. We had a look around for a hostel and found one run by a really nice family which was cheap and offered breakfast. We went back into town and I had a swim, glad to wash all the dirt and sweat off at last.
Kuta once was a little fishing village before the first surfers came and made it their central to explore the southern coast of Lombok which offers a huge range of waves hidden in tiny bays and reefs far away from the coast. After the surfers the tourists came and Kuta changed more and more into one of the tourist hot spots on Lombok. Now the main road along the beach is full with souvenir shops, bars and restaurants and all sorts of accommodation and you will not find a single local hut at the beach and no local place to buy food, except the market for which you have to get up early. It has the flair of a town that has been growing too quickly and forgotten the essentials. The beaches and bays around Kuta and the majestic headlands separating these are beautiful though and definitely worth to be seen when you are on Lombok.
We left our hostel after banana pancakes and tea in a very friendly atmosphere under a huge mango tree. Unfortunately the mango season only starts in October and the fruit were still hard and sour. It must be so good to be there when they're ripe. The trip back to SenggigiKuta and Materam. It was about the same distance than the way from desert point to Kuta but we made it in about 2 1/2 hours. It really didn't take us long but I must say that it was really boring to take that way. Always straight ahead, lots of trucks and buses passing and only a few mountains to see in the distance. Back in Senggigi we got our room back and booked a shuttle to the Gilis for the next day. We had rented the bike til 7pm that day so I took it out for another ride up the coast to find a nice beach for a swim. The rest of the day we spent relaxing and started to organize our flight back from Bali to KL.
I woke very early that morning. Most of the surfers were still sleeping, only some early birds were catching the last waves which were small and inconsistent. I took a walk along he beach, looking for shells and enjoying the morning. It is my favorite time of the day, even though I often sleep in I really like being awake before the others and have some time on my own. I had actually planned to go out and try my luck in the waves but they were so small that it wasn't really worth it to rent a board. I felt really bad about that because I had told myself to wait the day before because it was still quite big for me and going down to low tide which made it very shallow and dangerous for an inexperienced surfer but I wanted to surf that wave, only to be able to say that I have surfed desert point. When I got back from my walk the others were up and we had breakfast while watching the fading waves. Later Bekki and I went for another walk together to say goodbye to this beautiful place before we packed our stuff and ourselves on the bike and started our journey to Kuta.
On the map the most direct way is along the coast and we planned that we would need about 3 hours to get there. We were wrong.
The road led us through nearly untouched regions of the wild Lombok, in which we found tribes that have never seen a "white" man before and discovered formerly unknown species of flora and fauna.
Well... to be honest... it wasn't really that wild but it didn't seem as if a lot of tourists took that road, which is much better described as a path or a track, because everyone we saw on our way would make a huge fuss if they saw us, wave and shout at us and the kids came closer to get a good look. But the "road" also gave us the impression that not too many people who care about such things as a road came along that way because the asphalt was mainly washed away by the rain and it looked more like the course for an off road motorbike challenge than something you would want to travel on. It was very exhausting to drive on such an underground because I had to concentrate on every bump in the road and therefor not take my eyes off it and the seats of such a bike aren't that comfortable anymore after you have spent more than three hours on them. At one point I almost ran over a snake which was on her way across the road because I didn't realize it was one. It was a green snake that was so green that it really looked like plastic and I kept driving towards it because I thought it was a toy. Another time I almost drove us down the side of the road as I lost control over the bike because I had allowed my mind to slip away for a few seconds. I drove straight into a big hole and the bike slipped away underneath us.
The landscape down there however is amazing. Only a few kilometers inland from the flat coast the hills rise up and, mainly in the north, soon become to mountains. It changed so quickly that we didn't even notice at first and once you are on top of the hill you look down on to the reefs and bays that lie beneath you in a beautiful turquoise.
Finally we arrived in Kuta, exhausted and in pain. My bum was hurting like hell because we didn't take a break and we were stuck on that motorbike and because I had our big bag between my legs my feet didn't have enough space on the foot board and my knees were bent outwards which started hurting really badly after some time. We had a look around for a hostel and found one run by a really nice family which was cheap and offered breakfast. We went back into town and I had a swim, glad to wash all the dirt and sweat off at last.
Kuta once was a little fishing village before the first surfers came and made it their central to explore the southern coast of Lombok which offers a huge range of waves hidden in tiny bays and reefs far away from the coast. After the surfers the tourists came and Kuta changed more and more into one of the tourist hot spots on Lombok. Now the main road along the beach is full with souvenir shops, bars and restaurants and all sorts of accommodation and you will not find a single local hut at the beach and no local place to buy food, except the market for which you have to get up early. It has the flair of a town that has been growing too quickly and forgotten the essentials. The beaches and bays around Kuta and the majestic headlands separating these are beautiful though and definitely worth to be seen when you are on Lombok.
We left our hostel after banana pancakes and tea in a very friendly atmosphere under a huge mango tree. Unfortunately the mango season only starts in October and the fruit were still hard and sour. It must be so good to be there when they're ripe. The trip back to SenggigiKuta and Materam. It was about the same distance than the way from desert point to Kuta but we made it in about 2 1/2 hours. It really didn't take us long but I must say that it was really boring to take that way. Always straight ahead, lots of trucks and buses passing and only a few mountains to see in the distance. Back in Senggigi we got our room back and booked a shuttle to the Gilis for the next day. We had rented the bike til 7pm that day so I took it out for another ride up the coast to find a nice beach for a swim. The rest of the day we spent relaxing and started to organize our flight back from Bali to KL.
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