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Asia 2019/20
  • Claire Davies
  • Claire Davies

Asia 2019/20

A 84-day adventure by Claire Read more
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  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Kuta Day 2

    January 18, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Today was a hangover day!
    Spent the day with the the people I went out with last night; Caz (Canadian), Luke (British), Manuel (German) and Hidde (Dutch). Lazy morning discussing last night and playing cards and then we decided to go to the bat cave which is 5 minutes away. Pretty scary to be honest- the guy there reckoned there are a million bats in the cave. Luckily they didn’t fly around too much but- i was pleased to be out! Really pretty cave though.

    Lunch then beach - we went to one called Tanjung Aan- really quite and not a surfing beach so good for swimming. Walked up to a viewpoint for sunset which was pretty epic. Because we watching sunset it meant we had to drive back to Kuta in the dark which I was a little worried about but the guys were really good and went quite slow with me so it was all good!

    Had dinner at a seafood restaurant where you choose which fish you want- we shared a red snapper, parrotfish, prawns and squid and it was 👌🏻

    Back to the hostel and bed!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Kuta Day 3

    January 19, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Originally I had though I might check out today but as it’s so nice here and there’s such a good bunch of people I’ve decided to stay at least another 3 nights.

    An 11am yoga class was on the agenda- Caz and I have both done yoga before but the guys hadn’t so we took them along. Luckily it was a slow flow class so a good beginner class but it was pretty funny to watch them struggle a bit!

    After that we had lunch and went back to the same beach as yesterday, chilled, went back home for some FaceTime and dinner and then played some more cards.

    Pretty relaxing day.    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Kuta Day 4

    January 20, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Another chill day in Kuta. 3 of us went to yoga again at 11 (harder class today, was like doing hot yoga!). Headed to the beach (new one - Mawun) for lunch and afternoon chill. Unfortunately we passed a moped accident on the way, a Dutch guy had come off his bike in some gravel and it was pretty deep cut on his leg 😬 we drove more slowly after that!

    Beach all afternoon then back to the hostel for a couple of beers, dinner at a local Warung (the name for a more local type of food place) and cards and bed.    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Kuta Day 5

    January 21, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    A couple of the guys I’ve been hanging out with this week decided to organise a big snorkelling trip to the ‘secret gilis’ today. We managed to get a group of 13 of us to go which was great as it was nice to have lots of people but also made it cheaper!

    We got picked up at 9 and drove about an hour to the harbour for the southwest gilis. Gili means island in Indonesian and people mainly think of the 3 gilis in the northwest but these were some more small islands.

    The snorkelling was amazing- the reefs were in much better condition than in Gili Air (they used to dynamite fish there which means a lot has died 🙁). We had lunch on one island and then went to this tiny tiny island to take pictures which was amazing.
    Great day- got back at about 6.30- had dinner and went to the Rasta bar for a bit of a dance after!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Kuta Day 6

    January 22, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    One more day in Kuta! Really didn’t plan to stay this long but it’s been such a nice place with great people that we all keep extending! Manuel, Hidde and I booked flights for tomorrow to Flores- the weirdest booking process, because it was less than 48 hours before we had to reserve online and go the indomart (like small shop) and pay for the ticket within 3 hours. Super strange but seems to work for them!

    Lara (a German girl), Manuel and I decided to go for a massage this morning - was super cheap but really not hugely relaxing as they do very very hard massages! But good for you..!

    We then had a quick lunch and headed to the beach with a few more people- back to Tanjung Aan as it’s our fave. Sunbathed, swam, napped and chatted and then walked up the hill for sunset. Back to the hostel and back to the fish place for some more bbq and hung out before lots of people leave tomorrow .    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Kuta -> Labuan Bajo

    January 23, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Travelled to Labuan Bajo today on the island of Flores, with Hidde and Manuel. Had to say bye to lots of our other friends which was sad but lots of people leaving today.

    Very very small propeller plane that was only half full but a very pretty ride over lots of beautiful islands. Flight was about an hour and the airport is super close to the town so it was really easy. Hostel is super cute and it feels pretty relaxed here.

    Went for a drink for sunset and some dinner - trying to plan the next week or so. We have booked a diving trip on a boat for 4 days from 2nd feb so have a week before where the plan is probably going to be a road trip on scooters around the western part of the Flores (don’t worry mum I’m not going to drive- I’ll go on the back!)

    Early night as I hadn’t slept too well the night before with a stomach ache but feeling much better!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Labuan Bajo

    January 24, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Our only full day in Labuan Bajo and mostly just spent doing prep for the trip- found scooters to rent, bought supplies (just taking small bags and leaving most stuff behind) and going to meet the people we are doing our dive trip with from 2nd-5th Feb.

    After lunch Manuel and I went for a small drive to test the bike and have a look at the views which are pretty spectacular over the Komodo national park.

    Saw an amazing sunset for a viewpoint up the hill and had tacos for dinner!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Labuan Bajo -> Ruteng

    January 25, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Day 1 of the road trip. Set off about 10.30 after doing some admin in town, and off we went. Headed pretty steeply up the hill from Labuan Bajo - views were amazing. We had 120km to Ruteng to cover so we stopped after about 2 hours to have lunch. We were of course a big attraction for the locals! So many people waved and said hello when we drove as I think tourists are still quite rare.

    We were about 30km from Ruteng when it started raining. Hard. We stopped in a shelter for about 20 mins but then decided we had to brave it. It wasn’t too pleasant so we stopped again. Again we waited but it didn’t stop. So we kept going and made it to the homestay completely soaked.

    Luckily Jeff the owner got us towels and coffee so we dried off and relaxed. Everyone staying had dinner together and a couple of glasses of Arak and an early night as we were getting up for sunrise!!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Ruteng -> Bajawa

    January 26, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Up at 5 for sunrise- Jeff took us on a walk to the rice terraces which was amazing! Back at 7 and packed our stuff to leave after breakfast.

    Wanted to drive most of the way before 1/2ish because the weather is better in the morning. Stopped a few times to eat and rest out butts/backs (sitting on a scooter is not the most comfortable) but the roads were empty and so good- well paved and sweeping turns. Was feeling much more comfortable on the back too so was able to take some pics and videos!

    Arrived just as it started raining which was great, so we checked in to our homestay and had some lunch (second lunch for the boys, first for me!).

    We wanted to visit the Malanage hot springs which were about 20km away so we headed off there. Unfortunately google maps was not our friend so we didn’t make it, so headed back and had some dinner and cards    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Bajawa

    January 27, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Had the whole day in Bajawa. Originally we had thought about travelling further north or east than here but as we’ve already done about 200km and we need to go back we decided this was our end point. So we decided to spend the day.

    First we wanted to do a small hike to see some volcanic lakes. We had a little difficulty finding the start of the trail but a local stopped to help us. After our experience yesterday we decided to trust him and follow him to his garden/small farm where he said we could park our bikes. It’s so hard because in most touristy places you always wonder what they want from you/are you being scammed but in Flores because tourism is still so small it really feels like people always want to help. So we left our bikes and walked about 90 minutes- good trail and not too steep. View was quite nice and then we walked back. Bikes and Ricky ( the man) were still there (phew) and he had made a fire as he wanted to give us his home grow coffee. He had chickens and a pig too- he wanted also to kill a chicken and cook it for us but we said no!

    We did boil us some fresh eggs which were amazing and after a while we left (gave him 50k) for his hospitality! Quick stop at the homestay and we drove to the hot springs which we finally found! They are amazing- hot water mixing with cold and all natural! Met 3 guys there - Chilean, Spanish and Austrian who all planned to go to the same sunset spot (Wolo Lobo) so we all drove in convoy.

    When we got there it was completely in the cloud, so we weren’t too hopeful but about 15 minutes later a whole layer of cloud cleared and we had the most amazing view- impossible to even describe. Probably the best sunset I have ever seen. The bad thing about sunsets is that you then have to drive back in the dark- 10km back to town but the convoy was helpful for seeing where to go and our bike lights are pretty good.

    Had dinner at a Warung opposite and played some more monopoly deal.    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Bajawa -> Ruteng

    January 28, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Back to Ruteng today. The drive was quite easy- had a few stops to stretch the legs and lunch and back at Sun Rice (the same place we already stayed) by 2.30. Met a french couple there who had also just arrived and we all decided to go to the ‘Hobbit Cave’ about 10km away. It’s a large cave where they have found lots of interesting archeological findings including remains of a tiny human in 2003. It was quite interesting and also an interesting drive- the road was in bad condition for the last couple of Kms- and Manuel didn’t come so I had to drive my own scooter 😬😬. Think I’ve passed the advanced course now!

    Back to the homestay and Jeff took us for sunset nearby, before all having dinner, Arak and playing some games.    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Ruteng -> Sten Lodge

    January 29, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    No sunrise walk today - too tired but a lovely breakfast at about 8. Set off around 9 to visit the spider web rice fields that we had missed on the way here due to rain. Just a short walk to a view point and a great view - the rice fields are laid out like a spiderweb which is pretty cool. Tried to find a waterfall nearby but unsuccessfully- think we would have had to drive down a non paved road.

    So back on the road- 100km to cover today to a small place in the hills before Labuan Bajo. Pretty easy driving- stopped for lunch halfway and enjoyed the stunning views- this island really is beautiful! Got to Sten Lodge about 3.30 which is a small garden/farm place with 5 bungalows and nothing else! Chickens, goats and cats were fun o play with! We were the only people staying so we chilled in the hammocks and then headed just up the road for sunset. Back for dinner which was beautiful, and the electricity was off quite early so early night!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Sten Lodge -> Labuan Bajo

    January 30, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Last day of the road trip, and not that far to go so we took a morning trip to a nearby waterfall, was beautiful and we could jump and swim in the water.

    Stopped for lunch nearby (noodles) and then headed back to Labuan. Got back to the hostel about 3pm- very relieved to have made it back in one piece!!! We checked in and enjoyed the air con for a good while and then I went to get an early evening massage at a lovely little place. Tried for sunset drink but it was too cloudy so we went for pizza- exactly what we needed after only local food (eg rice, rice, rice) for a week. Bought some cards so played some games for a while with some beers before bed!Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler
    1

    Labuan Bajo (again)

    January 31, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Have 2 days to wait until we are going on our 4 day diving liveaboard so decided to spend them chilling, and moving to a fancier hostel with pool. Manuel went diving today so Hidde and I had to do the moving and returning of scooters- I have barely driven the scooter so I was worried about having a last minute crash but it was all good ( though I did drive around 10kph around town!).
    The new hostel (Seaesta) is super super fancy, definitely flashpacking so after we’d done everything in town we just lay by the pool for the afternoon.

    I found a yoga class on top of the hill so I went there at 5 which was nice and then went back to the hostel for dinner- bumped into the Chilean guy we had seen at the hot springs so he joined us for cards and beers.    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Labuan Bajo (again again)

    February 1, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Another free day in Labuan Bajo. Had a lie in and breakfast and then had decided to have a pamper day so booked a massage and a facial at the spa- total is £16 so can’t really go wrong (and this is expensive for Indonesia!). Really relaxing!

    Bumped into the Chilean guy in town so went for lunch at the taco place with him and then chilled at the pool for the afternoon. Packed stuff for tomorrow as leaving the big bags here and then had WhatsApp call with Lizzie, Lisa and Izzy and the Fran after (sorting out more thailand stuff!).

    Went to the night market with the guys and had delicious prawns! Sorted out final stuff for tomorrow as up early!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Komodo national park day 1

    February 2, 2020, Selat Sumba ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    First day on the liveaboard- with a company called Wunderpus (they get amazing reviews online). It’s a ‘budget’ trip (still 755USD for 4 days) but that’s actually super good value when that include all food, accommodation, 12 dives and Komodo dragon visit. Quite punchy for me to do this when I’ve only just done my open water course but I wanted to do more diving and Komodo is supposed to be one of the best places in the world so I went for it!

    We met the boat at 7.45am- there are 6 of us so me, Manuel, Hidde, a kiwi called Laura and a Czech couple Jay and Zlata. We have two diving instructors, Ari and Dolin and 5 crew for the boat and looking after us. We set sail and got briefed and did our first dive about 10. It wasn’t my best dive, as the rest of the people are more experienced than me it was very quick getting ready and getting down which I found slightly stressful, but I did it and felt a little better by the end. For the second dive they split us into different groups- Hidde and I were together as we are the least experienced and we went with Ari. This time it was much better and I really enjoyed it.
    The third dive was absolutely amazing, we went to a spot called Mawan which is known for Manta Rays (it’s one of the main draws here) and we got to the ‘cleaning station’ (they come here for the small fish to clean them!) and so we sat on the bottom of the sand and watched them for like 15 minutes. It was amazing they came so close and they are so graceful, and huge!
    Fab end to the diving and then the boat moored in a secluded spot for us to have dinner and then sleep. We sleep on mattresses on the upper deck, which was pretty nice. Sleep by about 9.30 - everyone was knackered and we knew we would be up early tomorrow!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Komodo national park day 2

    February 3, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Day 2 and we were awake with the sun, so about 5.45. Bit too cloudy for a sunrise but didn’t matter as were diving and 6.30 anyway!

    Went to a sea mountain called Batu Bulong which had an amazing sloping reef and reef wall which was spectacular. Little chilly but not too bad and we loved it!

    Back on the boat for breakfast and a rest before the second dive at 10.30. This one was a drift dive with a medium current- meaning you don’t try and swim just let the current take out and the boat will pick you up at the other end. This can be more challenging as you need to get your body in the right position but I think I did ok!

    Had lunch on the boat and a little more chilling before the third dive at Manta point. Saw more Manta, some huge huge ones and then Ari spotted a tiny tiny blue ringed octopus which he was super excited about (he’d only ever seen two before) so that was pretty cool!

    Back on the boat and we sailed to Padar island to climb the mountain for the amazing view- the one you get on google if you search Labuan Bajo! Was pretty spectacular- we were there just before sunset so the light was beautiful. Back on the boat for 3 of the guys to do a night dive ( you need to have done your advanced open water to do that) so the rest of us showered and had a beer. Delicious dinner and then another early night!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Komodo national park day 3

    February 4, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Up again at 6 to dive at 6.30. 3 dives today- secret garden, siaba kecil and Tatawa kecil. Visibility wasn’t so good today, especially in the last dive but still all very enjoyable.

    To be honest, the dives are starting to blur into one, but we saw some amazing rays (as well as mantas some eagle rays, devil rays) and so many other reef fish. I also feel a lot better in my dives- more confident and have much more control!

    Plenty of time to chill as well- bit of swimming and the boys went off for a sunset kayak!

    👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Komodo -> Labuan Bajo

    February 5, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Last day!

    Started off with a visit to Rinca island for dragon trekking. As usual up at 6, and on the island by 6.30. This was actually great as not only is it much much cooler at this time but the dragons are much more active. We were the only people there to which was great. When we got to the village we were waiting for the ranger and a dragon just strolled past 😬😬. They are really prehistoric animals.

    The ranger took us on a walk around the island for about 45 mins- we saw about 8 dragons which was pretty cool! Kinda scary but he seemed calm enough..!

    Back on the boat by 8.30 for breakfast and then two dives. The first dive site we had to wait a while as the tides and currents were changing but when we got it in it was great- good visibility and a really nice dive. Saw some tiny Nemos which was amazing! When we were getting out a white Manta came super close which was a nice bonus too! Second dive was the last of the trip and a lovely way to end it. 11 dives in total so now I have done 15 in total and really enjoying it. I’ve decided to do my Advanced so I can dive deeper and at night, so I’m going to go to koh Tao early (before Fran arrives) and do it there (it’s cheap there and my ex-colleague Glyn’s brother runs a dive shop who have said I can have mates rates!).

    Arrived back to LB around 4.15- we were all staying in Seaesta so we headed there and showered before going to Paradise bar for sunset cocktails, Ari one of the dive instructors joined us as well (such a lovely man!). Dinner and more drinks at le Pirate but bed by 12 as it’s low season so nowhere open very late!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler
    4

    Labuan Bajo (still)

    February 6, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Finally the last day in Labuan Bajo! Had a wonderful time in Flores but must admit that I am not sad to leave this town tomorrow- it’s not a particularly nice town and mainly just acts as the departure point for boat trips or road trips inland.

    Saying that we are staying in the flashpackers hostel so it’s not a bad place to hang out for the day. Laura (the Aussie from the boat) and i went for a massage and then we chilled by the pool. Laura left for her flight at 4 and as it’s the last night Manuel, Hidde and I will all be together we decided to go back to the pizza place because it was delicious delicious food! Had a lovely meal, an then went back to the hostel where Hidde and i took part in beer pong and managed to win so we drank our winnings and played some cards.

    Very sad that it’s the end of travelling with these guys but looking forward to the next part!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Labuan Bajo -> Surabaya

    February 7, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    Time to leave Flores after 2 weeks. Hidde and I are both heading to Java and to mt Bromo so we’ve decided to do that together before going our separate ways! So our flight was at 14.30, so just had a slow before heading to the airport. We’ve had pretty amazing weather here given it’s rainy season but it actually was raining by the time we go to the airport which was a sure sign it was time to leave.

    They announced the flight was going to be delayed due to the weather but actually we took off only 10 mins late so we landed on time in Surabaya. Took a grab ( the Asian version of Uber) to the hostel. Quite a shock to be in a big city again (it’s the 2nd biggest in Indonesia after Jakarta) and not a particularly pretty city (as these big Asian cities often aren’t). A lot of traffic.

    It’s not a particularly big place for backpackers- most people just pass through on their way to or f Mt Bromo so our hostel was ok but nothing special. The owner gave us some options on Bromo so we headed out to the nearby mall to browse and think about what to do. I needed to replace a lost pair of sunglasses and watch which i managed to do successfully in H&M and a Casio shop (£5 each ✅). We decided in the end to do Bromo without a tour as it’s loads cheaper and just to get a Grab for the 3 hours to Ceromo Lawang and then walk ourselves. So nothing to book so just went for dinner nearby (in the pouring rain) and then had an early night after chatting to some of the other people in the hostel.    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Surabaya -> Cemoro Lawang

    February 8, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After our planning yesterday we needed to make the plan work! We decided to order a Grab all the way there (3 hours ish) but were a little worried that it might not work, but all went without a hitch!

    Made it to our guesthouse by about 1ish so had some lunch in a lovely little cafe and then headed off towards the crater. There’s two things to walk to at - Bromo itself where you go onto the crater an the viewpoint on another hill (called King Kong hill). The general system is to go to the viewpoint for sunrise and then to the crater just after, but we’d read that the crater is also good in the afternoon so we decided to do that. We also had some tips from a guy at lunch about avoiding the 320,000 entrance fee by taking a back route so we also did this! Great walk and the crater was amazing- being that close to an active volcano was pretty incredible but also a bit scary!

    Walked back to town and then had some chips and a beer before freshening up and having dinner. Bumped into a few people we’d seen before including the Spanish guy from Bajawa and then went to bed very early as we’re up at 3.30 tomorrow!!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Cemoro Lawang -> Probolinggo

    February 9, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Alarm went off at 3.15 this morning 😬😬 was raining a bit when I woke up which wasn’t a good start...

    We had met a Swiss girl in Surabaya who was doing a private tour and she said that we could hop in her car this morning to drive halfway up the viewpoint, which was excellent and probably saved us about 30 mins of walking. Nevertheless we still had to walk a long way up in the dark (about 3km and 400m of up!) which was tiring! All the way it was very dark and misty, but we hoped that when we got to the top and the sun rose it would clear up. We got to the viewpoint we were aiming for about 4.45 so we had 45 mins to wait and it got cold- luckily I had brought all the layers.

    Sadly the cloud did not clear so we saw nothing! There were about 10 of us up there so we all had a laugh and headed down. At least we did some early morning exercise! We saw a German couple we had chatted to yesterday- turned out they were headed to Probolinggo same as me and same hostel and had a taxi booked so we arranged for them to pick me up after breakfast.

    Said goodbye to Hidde as he was off to Ijen with the Swiss girl and got in the car. We arrived at Probolinggo about 10 and luckily the hostel let us check in at 11 so I had a nap. There’s not a lot to do here so when I got up I had lunch, bought some more phone data and walked to the train station to collect my ticket for tomorrow and then headed back. Had a chilled afternoon catching up on some Netflix and then spoke to mum dad and Laura.

    Went for a dinner near the hostel- got chatting to the owners who were Indonesian and had just got back from living in the US. Lovely Indonesian/Japanese food!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Probolinggo -> Yogyakarta

    February 10, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Another early morning (must have a lie in soon!) to get the train to Yogyakarta- 6.50am. All worked perfectly, id booked executive class (there are three classes but it didn’t cost much more to get the best one so I did!). The seat was pretty comfy as reclined quite far so I settled in for the 7.5 hour journey!

    All very uneventful and the views were amazing. When we got the Surabaya the train went back the same way so a man came along and turned all out seats around so we were facing forwards again! At some point we started running late but I have no idea why- but we ended up being about 45 minutes late so I arrived in Yogyakarta about 3.15. Quick Grab to the hostel which is in an old building and is pretty cool. Went for a quick wander around the area and had an ice cream before going back and showering. There was only one other person in my room- a British guy called Scott who is cabin crew from BA, we had a drink an went for some dinner. Was pretty knackered after another early morning so went to bed quite early!    Read more

  • Claire DaviesAsia 2019/20Traveler

    Yogyakarta Day 1

    February 11, 2020 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    There are two main attractions just outside of Yogyakarta; a Buddhist temple called Borobudur which is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and a Hindu temple called Prambanan- which is second to Angor Wat. Yesterday I had chatted to the guys in the hostel and they had said they could take me to both over two days on a scooter. However when I got up- two German girls had arrived and were keen to go to see both in one day so I said we could do that and they took us all in the car they had.

    So we set off about 10am and headed to Borobodur first. Lots of people go here for sunrise, but I couldn’t face another 3am wake up, and the weather is a bit hit and miss so I’d already decided to give that a miss. We arrived about 11.30 and spent an hour there. It’s a really beautiful temple- not too big so you could walk around the whole thing in about 45 mins. I also had so many people asking me for photos as well, I now understand what it must be like to be a celebrity!

    We left there about 1pm and headed 10 minutes up the road to the chicken church. Yep it’s a church that is built in the shape of a chicken. Well actually it was supposed to be a dove but everyone says it looks more like a chicken. Google it for more info!!

    We then stopped off for lunch at a local Warung and then headed to Prambanan; another temple but this time a Hindu temple. It actually looks a little bit like Angkor Wat in style, though not as big. But equally beautiful. It started to rain while we were here which was actually quite nice as it meant everyone left so there were barely any people!

    Left here about 6 and back at 6.30. I had got chatting to a guy at Prambanan and he agreed to go to the night market later so I met him for dinner and we had a few beers around the Marliboro area- the main shopping street. Took a gojek back (the motorbike Uber equivalent)- I’m such a local now!    Read more

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