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  • Amelia Wilkinson
  • Amelia Wilkinson

This side of things

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  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Boats

    April 17, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Woke up alone to pancakes. Kinda hard to be sad when you have pancakes.

    Booked myself a taxi to Sanur where the boat was and checked out. I then did a bit of expenses on my ipad and updated my book tally, I finished two books this week. Maki g it 4 this year, not a strong start but they were a very big mix of genres so I'm happy for that.

    My taxi dropped me off a little ways from the port. You had to pay extra to get driven in and I am broke so I walked the wrong way down the main road at rush hour to get there. Not my finest moment but I arrived saving nearly $2. When I put it in $ its sounds dumb but that's 20,000 rupai!

    I have heard mix things about Sanur harbour but thankfully it was a lot better than expected. Precovid you had to walk through the water but they have an actually building and grounded pontoon now. So that was a happy surprise. Dont really want to walk through the water if I dont have too.

    Our 30min boat took 1hr5min so that Linda sucked but I made it, was greeted to the usual locals yelling at me and walked to my hostel. I booked that hsotel and that boat specifically because it was a 3min walk between the two. 3mins at 3pm with a massive backpack is kind of a lot though!

    My hostel room was some truly incredible air conditioning and my bed has a curtain, my first since Europe so I was thrilled. A trio of girls was in my room when i arrived and we had a bit of a chat as per usual. They had just come from Gili T and from the sounds of it, I think I might make that my next destination.

    I have 4 nights booked on Nusa Penida but not sure what I am doing after that. Gili T is a bit of a trek to get too but it sounds really good.

    I then took myself out on a little dinner date. I realised that because aus is so expensive and then I was with Moni, I havent actually gone out to eat alone in many months. Got a mei goreng and journaled as the sun set.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    West Coast Penida #1

    April 18, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    It took a lot of effort but I managed to swallow my anxiety and asked the 3girls in my room from last night if I could join their tour today. Thankfully they said yes and so my nothing planned turned into a pre booked tour of the 'insta' hotspots.

    We headed to breakfast together before meeting our driver in his very nice air conditioned car. He did not speak much but had a great music playlist going so we enjoyed the journey immensely.

    Our first stop of the day was Broken Beach and Angel Bilabong. There is something magical about this island. The sea is the most incredible blue, it meets the dark cliffs and creates the pure white foam. My phone does not do the colours or their vibrancy justice.

    Angel Bilabong was a little disappointing as it was low tide and it looked best at high tide when the water hits it and created a massive verticle wall of water.

    Broken Beach was also a little disappointing. The rock formation of the bridge is incredible but it is very dirty and the beach is inaccessible. There was also a lot of people about and I was just expecting more. Not sure, that's instagram for you, reality is quite a good as the filtered photos.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    West Coast Penida #2

    April 18, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Well, this is a photo almost anyone visiting bali sees.

    Kelingking is the famous rock protruding out into the sea. I is sometimes described as a dinosaur, not quite sure if I see it but it was quite something.

    We arrived around 11am and it was already a good 35° so we decided to not make the climb down. It takes about 30mins to get down but over an hour to get back up thanks to the heat and the humidity. It was also a cloudless days so we decided to leave after getting our photos and headed down to our final stop.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    West Coast Penida #3

    April 18, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Crystal Beach was our final stop on our tour. A little inlet full of tiny islands and calm seas. We got a bit of food at one of the spots on the beach. I had Gado-Gado which was fine but it's just not the nicest of foods. Unfortunately it is the only veggie thing on the menu once more.

    We hung our here for a couple hours enjoying the beach and the calm water. Unfortunately there are multiple large rocks in the shallows so it is very easy to injure yourself like I did.

    After a bit we headed back to our hostel. Some more people had arrived into our room and they were brits from the Midlands, so had a lot of fun speaking with them. There is something about talking to Brits that it's just more fun. I think cause I dont need to properly enunciate or speak slower and after a few weeks of that it's a bit tiring.

    A group of us ended up going out to eat. I was in no mood for anything else fried so got a salad. It was fine. Today was not a good day for food but it be like that sometimes.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Cave Temple

    April 19, 2023 in Indonesia

    Wow, just wow.

    I'm sorry, yesterday was amazing to see the 'insta' spots of the island, but this is a thousand times better.

    I woke a little later this morning and headed for breakky. It was still earlier than anyone else and literally nothing was open except one 'western' cafe. So I got a basic omelette and bread because I'm not sure how much I trusted the rest of the food. Then hired a bike from my hostel, a definite upgrade from the one in Ubud and set off.

    I had done my research like usual, so knew about this place and how few people go. And I was right. The entire cave was massive and empty of visitors. The only people inside where those there for prayer. I only took one photo inside as I did not want to disturb the proceedings and I did check was a custodian (I'm not quite sure what his role was) if I could before I did. I doubt I had too as he was very nice but I wanted to check. I felt it would be disrespectful otherwise and I didnt want to be 'that' tourist.

    The cave was beyond massive. A good three stories highly and probably 100m wide in places. It could have fit a few thousand people comfortably and many more of squished. There was a secondary level but they requested no tourists there so I simply watched their procession up and could hear the prayers from within.

    Inside it was pitch black beyond the occasional light bulb and candle. Alone, I am finding I am very good at getting the feelings of places and people. The mosre time I spend alone, better I am. But this place needed no skills, you could feel the power from the moment you walked in. The mix of nature and human dedication created an almost electric current within. You could feel the gods presence in the chambers, it was incredible.

    My route to the temple took me along the north coast of the island and it is amazing. Crystal clear water and the sun was bright enough to allow a view all the way to Bali on the left, and Lombok on the right. Beautiful. I had to stop because I kept looking at it rather then the road!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Teletubbies

    April 19, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Ok these made me giggle so much. They are super silly but genuinly look like the hills in the teletubbies. Not sure how well my camera captured them but they were great.

    I got one of the tour guides from a group to take a few photos of me and ended up nearly rolling down them trying to follow his instruction, it was hilarious.

    The ride to them were extremely scenic and a lot of fun. I managed to get lots at least twice! But the perk of being on a small island, the sea is never far away and is an excellent indicator that you've gone too far.

    The hills were right on the top of a massive hill so one way was all rolling 'teletubbies' hills, behind was forest and to the side was the south coast.

    I know a lot of people skipped these because they arent as impressive as other parts of the island. But I dont care. They made me laugh for a solid 5mins, just so completely stupid. Highly recommend for the endorphins!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Dirt track roads

    April 19, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Well this was annoying. From the teletubbies hills I headed to Manta point. A lookout point over the ocean and southern part of the island. Another truly stunning view point. From above we could see a few turtles and what might have been a manta or two but from so high up it was hard to tell.

    There was a sign saying 'stairway to heaven' and a bunch of stairs leading down but I think that was a joke as the steps looked highly treacherous and you probably did end up in heaven if you took them! There was also some seating using carved out trees which I liked.

    Back on the bike once more and I started off strong. Took a different route to see some stuff and then had to turn back. Randomly, and with little warning the road simply stopped. Tarmac became gravel in seconds and there was no way I was attempting that alone. So I turned back around and went the way I had come, past the teletubbies hills and turned east ward.

    By the time I had reached the turning from Diamond beach, my final destination it was 3pm and I had been riding for nearly 4.5hrs. So decided to skip diamond beach and head back to the hsotel. I was far enough away that I did well over 5hrs of riding today and was beyond exhausted by the end.

    Back at the hostel, I picked up my laundry, packed for what felt like an age and went to dinner. I had gado-gado again and it was fine. I'm really bored of Indonesian food now but western is twice the price.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Down and round

    April 20, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Did I wake up at 6am again, yes I did. Did I then end up driving through torrential rain for 40mins, yes i did. Once i arrived did the rain magically stop and the sun came out beautiful lighting the place i had gotten up to see, yes, yes it did.

    Despite my rather arduous experience riding through the streets of Nusa Penida at dawn in the rain, that was not the hardest part of my journey.

    The hardest part came in the 20minute descent down the edge of the cliff face on rather old, slightly dodgy, blue staircases.

    At first I was having a great time, unaware of how long it would take me. At photo 5 and 6, I was loving it. The beautiful blue sea and rain clouds holding off. By photo 8, I had lost any faith I had in my own sanity and seriously began to wonder what I had gotten myself into.

    But photo 10 made ot all worth it. The view from the bottom. Amazing.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    And round and up

    April 20, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Now this, this made me rethink my ideas of devotion.

    Yesterday, I found myself in a cave formed by nature and religion. This temple, this is a testament to the astonishingly resilient nature of man and the lengths devotion can push you too. I was blown away.

    The temple itself was very simple but the pure dedication that the builders must have had to their gods to pull it off is incredible. We were at the literally bottom of the cliff, the sea was splashing me at times. Hewn into the cliff face was a natural ledge that had been extended slightly to accommodate the temple and unveil Guyangan waterfall that ran down the side of the cliff.

    The cliff face itself was just as amazing. The sea holds so much power and down there, you could feel it. I was completely alone the entire time and could feel it all. Nature and religion combining once again to form this. So worth the trek through the rain and down the cliff.

    The way up, is a blacked out part of my memory. I never want to think of those 45mins again. Torturous.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    The power of the sea

    April 20, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Well this was quite an endeavour.

    I left the temple and headed west to the next spot, Tembeling forest and waterfalls. What I was not prepared for was how much effort it would take to get there.

    The roads were fine right up until the last 3k. The final 3k was an extremy step descent through the forest on a dirt track. At this point I decided that though my bike would make the journey, I would not. So I parked up and paid a local to take me down. Very glad I did as I have no fear with riding, and that journey unnerved me.

    But the view at the bottom? Worth it.

    At the base of this descent was a further few hundred steps down to the water level. From there you had two options. On the right was a cave that opened onto a rock beach with an insane view. Or left where there were some shallow natural pools and the sea in all its glory.

    One of the pools was so close to the water that the waves would spray you when sitting on the edge. I was in heaven.

    The water was all fresh from the top of the waterfal partially hidden by trees, and fed down to the pools naturally with a little help from some pipes.

    Other than another couple I was the only one there. Meaning that when they moved to the cave side for photos I had the pool to myself. The silence where ocean meets forest is deafening. All I could hear was the power of the waves crashing against the rocks. I could have been alone in the world for all i knew or cared.

    I probably spent the thick end of an hour and a half down there before finally leaving. I could have spent far longer but I was getting a little cold from the water and my driver was waiting for me. I have met some people who take the ethos that you've paid for them to wait, so they make them wait. But that just doesn't feel quite right to me. And I'm glad I left when I did as a group of Americans were heading down as I was going up and they definitely would have ruined my blissfully silent meditation.

    On the way back up I saw a monkey which is hardly my first time, however I was the first time completely wild I've seen one so that was cool.

    The ride back up was not cool. Going down was definitely worse because it was steep. But going up the bike was struggling a lot, very unnerving. Worth it though.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Views galore

    April 20, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After the temple and the forest, both being at the bottom of cliffs I had to get down, I decided to switch things up.

    I tried to go to Banah Cliff but the road dissolved into gravel but worse because it was all big rocks. I once again decided that I was not going to try that as I value my life. Turning around I decided to head to a spot I'd seen in the rain but didnt stop for because of said rain.

    Up the top of one of the big hills is a large panoramic view point over the north/east side of the island. Why there is a massive golden statue flanked by two polar bears I have absolutely no clue. Despite it being really weird, the views were great.

    I took a seat and had my packed lunch (the food I randomly had in my bag) looking over the island. 10/10 view, 0/10 on the bugs.

    After I decided to head back down as I had fallen while in the rocks a few hours before and my left leg was in a large amount of pain. The injury was superficial and only resulted in a massive bruise but the vibrations of the bike were making it hurt quite a bit. I had also left just after 6am, and it was 12,30pm so I'd been going for quite some time.

    Back at the hostel I took a much needed shower, sweat and seawater arent nice after a few hours. Then took my journals onto the balcony for a bit before heading back into my room for that lovely aircon.

    In the room was a couple more girls and I once again ignored my anxiety and invited them to see the sunset with me. I really wanted to see it over the mainland but didnt want to go alone. Thankfully they agreed and we had a very nice night chatting and getting dinner once the sun was gone. The sunset was ok, I've seen better as the clouds sort of swallowed it but the company made up for it.

    We went to a warung for dinner and yes I got Gado-Gado again. But this one was really good so I didnt mind. I also got some garlic bread because I'd only eaten my snacky lunch today and felt I deserved some.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Overbooked

    April 21, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I can safely say, this is the worst possible situation to be in when travling solo.

    After an rather arduous boat journey over from Nusa Penida, where by we had everything from arguments between people, a broken door and the dock being little more than a floating pontoon, I landed in Gili T.

    The first few minutes were blissful. Not cars on Gili T and noone trying to sell me something as soon as I arrived. There was a line of horse drawn taxis waiting for people and that was it. After weeks of being hassled by everyone it was great. Unfortunately that is where it began to get interesting.

    I arrived in my hostel to a very long queue and to be told they were overbooked. I had booked 2 days before and seem to have just missed the cut off. A large number of people had booked with less than 24hrs and that was not good for them. Most simply left in disgust, finding accommodation elsewhere. A few who had rooms left because they were not eaht they booked, but I was one of 5 who did not get a room and dodnt want to go elsewhere. Everywhere else was quoting twice the price or more than the place I had booked.

    After much pleading they offered the 5 of us the loft. Essentially a shelf above the common area. No walls, no fan, no bedding, just a mattress on a shelf. After confirming it was ours if we wanted, we decided to go see if we could find something else. Multiple places turned us away until we finally found a villa. Between the 5 of us it was still more expensive than a hostel but it had a pool and it wasnt a shelf. So we split that, grabbed our bags from the hostel and went to find food. At this point I had eaten a brioche bun and it was 3pm. So I was starving.

    The 5 of us found a nice ish place to eat before splitting up. Myself and one of the guys, Will, headed back to the room to use the pool while the others went shopping. The pool was great and worth the added cost.

    For dinner, 4 of us headed out to the local market and got some criminally cheap food for dinner. It was divine, though I am getting a little sick if rice and noodles. The market overlooked the ocean and the lights of Gili Meno next door. There was a massive procession along the beach front as the end of Ramadan festivities continued. The festivities are the reason why everything is so busy but that literally nothing is open. Almost everyone had returned home for it.

    We headed to a bar after dinner for some drinks. It was a reggae bar and they were playing loads of songs, some reggae some normal but 'reggaefied', it was a really good atmosphere. But because of Ramadan everything closed at midnight so we ended up getting a rather early night.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Lazy beach

    April 22, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today was a beach day. We left our villa pretty early so we could 100% confirm we had the loft for tonight. We were unable to find other accommodation and Ella (one of our 5) had decided to leave a day early. The exhausted look on the guys face when we returned said it all. Apparently they had 15 check outs today, but 26 check ins. They had to find something for 11 people and the 4 of us were not part of that number. At this point we all felt really bad for him as apparently this happens quite often. Ramadan ending had just made it worse.

    As they couldn't house us last night they did offer us the free breakfast this morning so obviously we took that. The pancake was ok, the papaya made it better.

    After breakfast we said goodbye to Ella and hit the beach. White sand and calm waves, the paradise we were previously promised. But as Indonesia is prone to, it got hot fast so we retreated to the shade for a bit before going for a walk.

    There was a strip of beach further down that you were supposed to see turtles from, we did not succeed. So headed back to the main area for lunch. It was a bit pricey but directly on the beach was worth it.

    I got an iced tea and buddah bowl. I went proper bali bimbo. The bowl was fine but nothing special, not quite sure what the hype is. It did look very good though, all the colours.

    We then headed back to the hostel as they were supposed to have a happy hour starting at 3pm. They did not in fact have one, we are unsure why. We had this plan tot have cocktails in the pool and be boogie for a bit, but alas we did not. There was also a group of French people by the pool and they were judging us so hard. Not sure why, but they were weird. But when you live out of a backpack and sleep on a shelf, you stop caring what people think.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Party time

    April 22, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After the pool was a bit of a bust we hit the beach and headed for 'sunset point'.

    Gili T is perfectly positioned so that the sun sets just behind mainland Bali, illuminating Mt Agung, the bigger of the volcanoes. It is the one Moni and I saw at sunrise last week. Once again my phone does not do the view justice. The shore is full of rocks that absorb the waters movement making the image reflect near perfectly on the water. If I had an photography skill, I'd have gotten a good photo. Alas, I don't but that's ok. Still worth it, especially with a beer.

    We then got dinner from the same market as last night. Again super cheap and bought a bottle of wine with it. This wine is one of the best from Indonesia and it was awful. I think we may have been mislead somewhere as it was a very sweet desert wine. The boys didnt like it either but we drank it anyways.

    We headed back to the reggae bar for a bit. They had a massive party on to celebrate the end of Ramadan and it was a lot of fun, but the boys wanted to hit the clubs.

    In the end this became an idea they regretted as the clubs were so full the bar was inaccessible and we ended up just dancing on the street with around 200 other people. We called it an early one around 12 as everything began to get quite again. For an island famed for its parties, it was a bit disappointing.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler
    2

    Sleeping in the roof

    April 23, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I dont really have much to say in this post, just wanted to add these photos of us in separately.

    The four of us up on the shelf, the common area beneath our shelf and then it empty. It is hard to tell but in the second photo you can see Ary climbing up the ladder. That was how we accessed the shelf.

    Sometimes you just have to do something weird. For the plot line!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler
    2

    Gili Meno

    April 23, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Now this island was a shock to the system.

    After perhaps the worst night sleep ever. Our shelf was surprisingly comfortable but the mosque opposite began at 5am. Then dawn came straight after, followed by the cockerels and some guy who decided to call everyone he knew extremely loudly. All of this resulting in very little sleep for me. Plus I had had a lot to drink and was suffering as a result. Note to self, I am never having a joss shot again. Ever.

    If I had been alone, I would have suffered on Gili T and gotten the later boat off the island. But Will and I had decided to go together to Gili Meno. He had been on T for over a week and was sick of it so wanted to leave immediately. Meaning I dragged my extremely hung over dumbas 15mins to the harbour, trying not to be sick carrying my bags for the 9am boat.

    We said goodbye to Ary and Tom as they were staying another night on T for the proper end of Ramadan party tonight. Something myself and Will wanted to avoid.

    The boat was not fun and we had to do the thing I had been hoping to avoid. Wading through the water with all our stuff to get on the boat that was moving an awful lot. 0/10 would recommend. Especially hung over.

    The boat was vile, but we made it in less than 20mins and was soon at our hostel. Will had booked it for us and neither of us was quite sure what to expect from the Rabbit Tree. Both of us had heard some interesting reviews as the owner had built and designed it to be like you have fallen down the rabbit hole from Alice in wonderland. Honestly, I think he did a great job.

    They took us on a tour to show us all the design parts and it was very clever. Almost every room could access all the others though trapdoors and cupboards that were actually doors, it was immensely clever. Every room was themed different. One was a creepy child Rooney, another a maze and so many more. Our room was the ball pit.

    Honestly, the best thing ever. I must have spent hours just floating in the pit. Insanely comfortable and weirdly cathartic after being so hungover. The room was also in the centre of the hostel so had no windows making it an even stranger experience. The only downsides was the amount of noise they made and the fact I ended up losing my watch, bracelet and rings to it. They were tied together and no clue where they went. Got swallowed by the balls.

    Once dragging ourselves out of the ball pit, we grabbed some lunch from a near by spot. Where as mainland is full of dogs, the Gilis are covered in cats. Very cute but being begged by a cat for food is not the most relaxing way to spend lunch.

    Back at the hostel we relaxed again and I gradually returned to normal before going to dinner with some of the people in the hostel. They chose somewhere 'cheap' (it was not), and they only had one veggie option so gado-gado it was once more.

    After the girls we went to dinner with had prepared a hostel quiz (they were social volunteers there) so we joined in. It was surprisingly fun even though Will and I came last. We do however have the argument that neither of us was born in the 90s so missing all the music history questions were not our fault (I know exactly what you are thinking mum, but it's a valid excuse).

    We then switched so some card games before the workers began turning the lights off around us and we got the hint to leave. All in all, I was knocked by this point. I'd been up since 5am, and it was 11pm so not surprising.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Snorkeling

    April 24, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Will and I did snorkeling this morning. We had tried to do it on T but with the festival a lot of things weren't happening. Thankfully with it over, we managed it.

    The boat took us and a guy from our hostel out to the main spots. We first hit turtle lookout. The turtles were once again illusive and so far down we could only just see them.

    Our next spot was Meno wall. The coral just ends randomly creating a nearly perfect drop to the ocean floor a few hundred metres below.

    Next we jumped in a little way from the spot as one of our guides spotted a Turtle. This guy was massive and swam directly beneath me it was amazing.

    A little swim down was the iconic spot for diving on Gili, the statues. These statues are really quite something. A perfect circle of them, just in the middle of the sea. Very random and a tourist hotspot.

    Moving away from everyone we found a ship wreck. The hull was upside down on the bottom of the ocean. Seeing all this had made me realise how much I want to get my PADI and learn to scuba dive. I would have loved a closer look but have no clue how to manage it. One day I will be able too.

    Back at the hostel they were having a Lord Of The Rings marathon so we joined for a bit to watch and plan our next steps. Neither of us had accommodation booked for tomorrow so needed to do so. Will is going down to Kuta Lombok and I'm stopping off at Senggigi first. There doesn't seem to be much there but it is far closer to Mt Ringani which I want to check out. I'd rather stay in the north and then head south than have to ride the 2hrs back up to see it.

    I then began the arduous task of writing my Findpenguins updated. I have barely had a chance since Moni left. I began on simply compiling the photos for each post and then got bored so Will and I went for lunch.

    We found a cute, slightly dodgy looking restaurant so obviously checked it out. I got a dragon fruit juice which is officially my favourite thing ever and some satay with rice. Very nice but bit too much peanut sauce, I felt very heavy afterwards.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Sunsets and family meals

    April 24, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Returning to the hostel for a chill, I enjoyed the ball pit again for a bit before heading out too see the sunset.

    Gili Meno has a massive fishing lake in the middle of it. Yet another beautiful sunset over Mt Agung, being reflected on the water. There was more cloud this time which hid a lot of the colours but we didnt mind.

    Back at the hostel I found a massive net which was such a vibe. I'm kind of sad we are leaving tomorrow as I can see myself relaxing in Meno for a while. But I guess it's a good thing we are leaving then as I dont have much time in Indonesia left and I want to see Lombok before I go.

    The hostel was hosting a family dinner tonight so we joined that. The locals made us a selection of different currys, all veggie, it ws great. The Gado-Gado was nice and the onion tempe but I found I wasnt a massive fan of the gudek (the yellow one). But that makes another Indonesian food ticked off of my list.

    Everyone was pretty chill this evening and after the last few nights we decided on an early one.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    A strong start

    April 25, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    And that is sarcasm.

    We managed to miss out boat this morning. Neither of us is entirely sure how, but we both thought the boat was 8,30. It was not. It was 8am. So we watched as it floated away and we became stranded on Gili Meno. As there was both of us and we really wanted to get off this island, we hired a private boat transfer. Around 10× more expensive but our only option.

    Once on Lombok, we walked to our shuttle transfer and waited. And then waited some more. And then, just a little longer. After nearly 2hrs waiting, our shuttle finally arrived and we began the bumpy journey down.

    Senggigi is quiet. And not in the nice way Meno was quite. In the there is nothing here and I somehow have to fill the next 2 days.

    My hostel is an interesting experience. I am in a 20 bed room, but there is only 2 others in it. So that is weird but at least I can hopefully use the wifi without it lagging too much. Maybe? That's the only upside I can see right now.

    There is a beach somewhere and tomorrow I think I will hire a bike again and take a drive around. There doesn't seem to be much to see but I will do a little research this afternoon and find out. I think there is a textile place somewhere that you can learn about Indonesian textiles so might try to find that. If not, there is always the beach.

    Around 11,30 I finally managed to find somewhere for food. Breakfast finished at 10,30 so I had to settle for an entree of spring rolls and fritters. Not healthy but I am starving and there is nothing here open so taking what I can get.

    I believe the rest of my day will consist of writing all these blog posts, doing my bali notebook, booking accommodation for may and relaxing. The one perk of an empty hostel, its silent!

    It began raining while I was at the cafe and did not stop so I got drenched getting back to my hostel. I did stop for snacks half way so I didnt have to leave again if the rain didnt stop. Which was good as it continued all afternoon.

    Was it lazy not leaving my hostel, yes. But I've been writing these blogs since 12 and it's not 5,30. So I had a shower from the rain and a real one, but other than that I've been just doing these and they are only now ready to post. It will be worth it in the end, but my god the effort these take! Much love to anyone who reads these, as many are very long and I have given up with spell checking!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Senggigi is not where its at

    April 26, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Omg this is proabbly the deadest place in the world. Basically there is nothing to do here. People come here when they are on their way off the island in whichever direction they are going.

    There are minimal things to do. The beach is dirty and far enough away you have to ride there. The volcano is currently closed because of the rain and other reasons noone will tell me. The only things to see are the waterfalls but you cannot go alone as a woman. So I would have to hire a driver and I dont want to hire a middle aged Indonesian who speaks minimal english to watch me explore the waterfalls. I also am not allowed in them either.

    So that leaves the one cheap cafe that has like no food. An expensive restaurant, the beach club or staying in my hostel. Oh and I cant hire a bike cause the police are on the road literally outside and noone is willing to rent a bike to a foreigner with them right there.

    Everyone in my room checked out this morning so I am the only one in the hostel. As a result I have basically just spent all day on my own in the room. It began raining around 12, and literally hasn't stopped so that put a stop to me doing anything really.

    I went out for a massage in the afternoon because why not. Got a full hour body massage, felt better afterwards. I was begining to go a little stir crazy inside, and the power had cut out in the hostel so I was literally going insane,boiling and not doing anything.

    After dark a braved the weather again and headed to a restaurant that I had seen early. The food looked good, it's more expensive then where I usually eat but it's still cheaper than most everywhere else, and they have a large menu. The servers were really sweet and seated me out of the rain and made up a table for me.

    I got a butter chicken because I am sick of Indonesian and didnt want to order western. Also butter chicken is usually really great, this one wasnt quite. Still super nice but I dont think I would call it a butter chicken, not creamy enough. I then also got a desert cause it was an Indonesian specific desert, the first I have seen advertised as such and it was amazing. Kolak Pilsang is my new obsession. Coconut milk and sugar base boild with fruit added *chess kiss* (I know it looked gross but it was amazing).

    The worst part however was the prayer that began. I am trying very hard not to be antisemitic but literally blasting the chants on loud speakers throughout town, multiple times a day, especially the 4am one, is really begining to get to me. If it was just for 5 mins, that would be fine, I could deal with that. But a half hour, multiple different people, including kids, and that speaker is not good. If this happens every day, why is noone speaking about it? I cannot with it.

    I then just went back to my room, showered for the thousandth time today (no power meant no aircon all day), and went to bed. On my own, in a massive room, in an empty hostel. It was weird.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Definitely haunted

    April 27, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Ok that hostel was 100% haunted. It was just me there all night, not even any kind of staff and it was weird. The building kept creaking and I definitely heard giggling on more than one occasion. I chose to ignore the noises and try to sleep because I did not want to become that white chick at the start of the horror movie who dies. -10/10 would recommend.

    I grabbed breakfast from the market next door and waited for my shuttle pick up at 11am. It arrived after I had multiple people offer me a ride. I nearly laughed aloud when I declined a guy and he looked me dead in the eye asked why. I seriously wanted to say, because your creepy, but I just ignored him. I am looking forward to being away from all that nonsense.

    My hostel in kuta is lovely. Top tier. The room is capsules so I get almost complete privacy in my little cubby hole. And it has a pool. I am in heaven. Did I do anything today after arriving, no I did not. I enjoyed my personal fan that cooled me down, and then sat in the shade by the pool. No complaints.

    At one point one of the workers dogs showed up and it made a beeline for me. Dude was adorable, 10/10.

    I went for dinner and regretted it. My god this place has no cheap food. I ended up settling on the only place that wasnt more expensive than Australia or dissolving into a club and had my first western food in weeks. Easy, simple pizza, and noone bothered me. It was great.

    Back at the hostel I relaxed outside and did some journaling. Though this place has people noone is really talking to each other but that's fine. At least there is people.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Dumb decision

    April 28, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Well today started off great, the middle was a little concerning, but it ended solidly.

    Woke up, had my free breakky of an omelette and toast with tea, I was buzzin. Decided to go do some 'exercise'. Ie, I went to a yoga class.

    Honestly it was a great class. Can I do yoga, no, but I had fun. Ended up in the same class as Ella, a girl I met on Gili T. She was one of us who didnt get a room but she choose to leave the next day rather than hang about. Turns out, shes on a week long yoga retreat at the place two doors down from me. Shes enjoying her solitude but we might meet up again later this weekend if shes up too it. Travelling has hit here hard, shes only 3 weeks in. So I think she is more of an all inclusive traveller than a budget backpacker.

    Back in the hostel, I decided I really didn't want to spend any longer there today as I was kinda bored. So I forced Will (from T and Meno) to hire a bike with me and go for an explore.

    We ended up in the village of Sukarara, which is an old weaving village. We arrived rather lost as google didnt say exactly where it was but we got picked up by a local and he showed us around his home. His wife was doing the weaving and he showed us all the local houses, rice fields and animal farming. Women do the weaving, men deal with the animals. Our guide ended up being so nice and explained a lot about their way of life and the celebration they were preparing for. Apparently tomorrow is a big day in the Muslim calendar. I'm not quite sure for what exactly, but it seemed important.

    Two girls,both my age were weaving out front of the shop and they let us have a go. The way they weave is fascinating and was giving me a massive headache trying to keep up with the movements. Old western wooms all have pedals you press, but this was just getting strapped in and all hand done. Absolutely incredible. It did unnernve me a little that when a woman can weave, she is ready to marry. Both girls being 21 was not quite what I liked to hear. Apparently if I could weave then I am ready too. Thank god I can weave!

    Unfortunately this was were our day got a little messy. I have done some dumb stuff in my time. Leave an idiot alone with money and no responsibility, and it's going to happen *Mum ease stop reading!* Riding a motorcycle, with faulty breaks through torrential monsoon weather is definitely up there with the dumbest. I'm sorry.

    In my defense, we have no choice. We were stuck otherwise and the weather was only going to get worse. And only the first 5 mins were bad road, the rest was properly tarmaced with diving white lines and everything. So it wasnt bad. But going more than about 40km/h makes the rain really painful. And the cars dont slow down so we did get splashed alot. Those 30mins were definitely some of the dumbest I have been through. On the bright side, the rain made the police go in so we didnt get stopped. Yay!

    Dinner was cool. Met 2 dutch sisters, one of which I am going to do surfing with tomorrow, and we went out for pizza. The most expensive meal since being in Indonesia but that burrata was amazing. And yes, that is pizza twice in two days but I dont care anymore. I only have a couple days left before aus and I dont wanna go!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Surfing photos

    April 29, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    The guy finally sent me through the photos from our surifng. Some how he sent 54 photos but only 8 of them had me in them. Not entirely sure I'm pleased by that but ok. Thankfully it was only 50k so it wasnt expensive. I would have been annoyed if it had had been more. Particularly as the quality is not good and he didnt get one of me actually standing.

    For the record, I did stand and this camera guy sucks!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Surfing

    April 29, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Hehehehe, I did it! Who ever said I'm not achieving anything this year is incorrect. I have learnt to surf.

    I booked my lesson through the hostel with a girl in my room. We needed up getting very lost on the way to there but we made it eventually. 2hrs of surfing and I managed a good couple times. The photos dont really look like me because my hair is flattened to my head but it is me.

    I love the photo of the collision between myself and Eliza. She couldn't manage to go forward and kept running into me. I now have one hell of a bruise as a result but it was worth it.

    After getting us back on a bike that was definitely falling apart, I literally did nothing else all day. We didnt get back until 4pm, and I was exhausted! So I basically became a hermit and hid in my little cubby hole of a bed all evening. It wasnt until around 9pm that I realised I was the only one in the room and everyone had gone out for the saturday night. Honestly no regrets not going too, I needed a bit of time alone.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Relaxing days

    April 30, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Ok, I did almost nothing today and I loved it.

    I woke for breakfast and was the literally only one up and then went to yoga again. It was with a different teacher this time and I was struggling. He had us constantly switching between positions with no rest for the entire hour. Add in the sauna like conditions and I was sweating like there was no tomorrow!

    Back in the hostel I packed and tried to organise my transport back to Bali. They tried to quote me 500k which I knew had to be wrong. Turns out instead of taking me to Lembar harbour like I requested, they were going to take me to Bangsal in the north and put me on the fast boat I specifically said I didnt want. Needless to say i was less than pleased. I tried again to get to Lembar harbour and they quoted me 300k. Now I know this still not much but when all of the signs say 150k, I'm not going to pay more. All it took was walking outside to one of those and I got my shuttle. I mean, he still tried to sell me another option but he at least gave me what I wanted when I insisted. Who would have thought it so difficult to get a taxi to the harbour.

    I then met Ella, the girl I met on Gili T, for a coffee in cake. We pretended we were in europe and went to one of the cafes that cater to digital nomads. The view of the hills was amazing and the cake wasnt half bad. I got a lemon tart because it has been forever since I had something sweet and sour. Was very pleased.

    And that was my day. I only have 2 left in Indonesia so wanted to have a stress free day before 2 travel days.    Read more

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