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    Edward‘s Lookout and Hoffmans Pool

    7. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We left our cool river-side campsite in the morning and went to the Visitor‘s Center across the street to charge all our appliances - we were there for quite a while. We noticed a few minutes past 4 pm that the place was supposed to close down at 4 sharp. And close down it did. All our devices were still charging in there while we were having lunch just two meters further away, sitting outside. Luckily, someone was still within reach and opened up again so we could collect our stuff. We drove a short time to our next river-side campsite. From there we went on a quick 1-hour hike to Edward‘s Lookout, enjoyed the view and took another hike to go swimming in a natural pool, called Hoffmans Pool. And wow, the pool was cool! When you go in there, the water gets deep rather quickly. It‘s not at all a wide river. One moment, the water reaches up to your knees, the next it‘s 7m deep. That‘s why we took a chance with jumping off the maybe 4m high cliff into the refreshing, slightly freezing water.
    Contrary to our plans to make it back to the campsite in daylight, we had another night in which we prepared dinner in the dark. It‘s not as fancy as it might sound, although the salad was delicious.
    The last picture shows our view from the tent.    Les mer

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    Mount Eden

    6. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Our last stop of the day, before driving on to the campsite at the Coromandels, was Mount Eden in Auckland, as we were looking for a spot to enjoy a little bit of dinner. We climbed up the mountain - or rather hill, it‘s really not that high - just in time for the sunset. Beautiful view. Even though it is Auckland. ^^
    While I was sitting on the bench, unpacking my peanut butter, apricot jam, a muffin split and cutlery, a French guy sat down next to me and commented my spread with a delightfully thick accent: “Oh, how nice! I, however, prefer this,“ and he pulled out a bottle of white wine he was about to enjoy with his girlfriend. :-D
    He didn‘t seem open to exchanging our respective culinary choices, upon inquiry. At least he was laughing. In French.
    We had to leave anyway and do the last few hours of driving to our new campsite.    Les mer

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    Glowworm Cave

    6. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    This is a post you would have read about on Feb 3, but let‘s discuss why you couldn‘t. We went to Waipu Caves that day and had a fantastic time exploring everything. It was free (most of the caves here demand you buy a ticket) and most importantly, perhaps, you could touch everything (yes, also, unfotunately, the spiders…) - unlike caves I had been to in Europe where you simply cannot put a foot or finger out of line). I had brought my camera, but not the SD-card. I went back and after a solid 15 minutes of tearing the car apart, I found it! Unfortunately, the SD-card was almost full - despite having deleted everything - so I could take a very limited amount of pictures. After our expedition, I found the problem: I‘d have to format the SD. Finally. And format it, I did. That also meant, my not yet transferred cave pictures were gone. ^^ Therefore, we went there again to rectify that mistake. I even bought festive aqua socks because entering the cave means you get wet. You have to wade through water that reaches up to your hip at times. All good fun and I didn‘t mind doing it again. In fact, I loved it. And I felt so well-equipped with my fancy headlights that can either be red or white (in case you were wondering what the red light in one picture was). You cannot see anything if you think you can make it without a light source in there. Cool, huh?
    I finally also managed to take pics of the glowworms which hadn‘t worked previously because my SD card was full by then.
    Fun fact! Stalactites are hard and slightly sharp. Yes, I have proof. A little bloody cut on my head. I mean, I‘ve tried red hair before. But that‘s in the past! All good, though.    Les mer

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    Waitangi Festival

    6. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    The reason we never got to see the camping site in daylight was the necessity to rise at 4 am to arrive just in time for the festival in Waitangi, set to begin at 5 am, where the Treaty of Waitangi - New Zealand‘s founding document - was first signed in 1840. There was a loooong traffic jam, as a lot of people wanted to be there in time for the first ceremony. A lot of people weren‘t. Like us. But there was still enough going on at 6.30 am.
    Feb. 6 is the first day of the celebrations and also the day where entry is free, so we thought, why not have a look? My highlight of the festival was the sunrise and listening to the bagpipes when the flags were raised, and also seeing a Haka (which are performed throughout the day). The rest of the festival was way too crowded and noisy, so I‘m sorry to say I did not have a good time there in spite of the historical significance (also political…), unlike Maddie, who seemed to have a ball. I had an ice-cream. So I guess, the day wasn‘t so bad after all.    Les mer

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    Mt. Manaia

    5. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    As we had even more time after the Quarry Gardens (and going shopping for camping equipment!), we drove to Mount Manaia and walked 2 km to reach the summit (it‘s “only“ 420 m high). The total 4 km hike that was supposed to take at least two hours, was conquered by Maddie and I in 1:25 minutes. I can‘t say I enjoyed carrying my backpack all the way, though. ^^
    It was a bit of a rushed hike to be back at Al‘s and Sue‘s in time for a delicious last dinner in Whangarei, but the view from the mountain was awesome.
    After our dinner, we set off for our campsite near the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The campsite was a beautiful place, at least I think so, we never actually got to see it in daylight. However, we did have a breathtaking view of the stars while we were putting up our tent.    Les mer

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    Quarry Gardens

    5. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Do you like plants? Never mind, I‘ll decide for you. You love them! How convenient that I‘ve got just what you were looking for: plant pictures. The Quarry Gardens in Whangarei are amazingly beautiful, one of the best gardens I‘ve ever been to, with little streams, a quarry pond, and a waterfall. Feel free to identify all of the the plants I took pictures of. If I do it, I‘d only take the same (for some people infuriating) approach as when identifying cars: a red one.Les mer

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    Canopy Walk

    5. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    I left my AirBnB (can‘t say the same thing about the mouse that was roaming free in there) and went to join Maddie and Al, her cousin, to do the Canopy Walk in the A H Reed Memorial Park. Before and after going into the park (like in many other places, you ought to properly disinfect your footwear so as not to harm the precious Kauri tree, of which only very few remain. The second picture shows the impressive Kauri tree, the third its bark. We still had a lot of time in the day, so after a little snack, on we went.Les mer

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    Matapouri

    4. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After a huge portion of lunch (ever since I got here, I‘ve never eaten as much) and a great view of the marina, we drove to Matapouri Bay. What a fantastic beach! A few decent waves but nothing extreme (unlike Piha). There was more planned for the day, but fatigue took its toll on us and we decided to call it a night. More to explore tomorrow. :)Les mer

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    Whangarei

    4. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    My Scottish friend - Maddie - has got distant relatives in Whangarei, so we decided to go there together. Even though I just wanted to drop her off and go to my AirBnB, I was immediately invited to dinner and to join in the activities planned for the next day. So off we went. First, we had a ride through Whangarei and ended up at a looking point which gave us a great view of the town and its surroundings. We drove on to check out Whangarei Falls. It was stunning. Both the nature and the fact that people right out ignored the multiple signs saying that they cannot swim there. Thanks to Lightroom, let‘s pretend they weren‘t. ^^Les mer

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    Piha Beach

    2. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Together with two girls from the hostel, I took my car out for a stroll to Piha Beach. Once we got out of Auckland, the drive was so scenic. For the other two girls in the car, that is. My eyes were firmly attached to the road - but not to all the speed bumps. I‘d still give myself a pass. I did see the vast majority of them. ^^
    Piha Beach is a black sand beach. The sand was so beautiful! But also incredibly hot to walk on. I did try. At one point, I ran. Not for the sake of exercise, but to ensure my feet wouldn‘t look like the lower end of a marshmallow on a stick that has been in the fire for too long.
    First, we went for a short hike up the large hill that separated the two beaches. Unfortunately, most of the trail had been closed down for repairs. We took it under advisement. For a few meters, at least. The second time, the obstacle wasn‘t an inviting hole in a fence but a solid wooden obstruction.
    We decided to go for a dip in the sea after a yummy ice-cream. And boy! What had looked like calm waves one moment, suddenly turned to huge waves and currents ready to have their way with you the next moment. It was good fun although you really had to be alert at all times not to be swept too far away and to stay within the flags. After an hour or so of swimming (rather fighting the waves, there was no way to be able to swim properly), they did close the beach down since the waves were too strong and too frequent. Still, we had a blast while it lasted.
    I almost forgot the most important bit: There were purple seashells on that beach. Purple! Isn't that awesome?    Les mer

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    Rotoroa Island

    1. februar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Formerly used as a rehabilitation facility for alcoholics by the Salvation Army, Rotoroa is conveniently located just next to Waiheke island - an island famous for its dozens of vinyards and wineries. Do you love the irony of that? I certainly do! ^^ Rotoroa has a great size, you can easily explore the whole island within one day. A Scottish girl and I certainly took our time with the south track and decided to go faster to have enough time to check out the north track. That was BEFORE we discovered areas of black sand on Men‘s Bay. We just had to take a whole hour to play with it and build a family of snowmen - made of sand. Sandmen?
    There are lots of birds to discover on the island! For example, the famous kiwi. Which is nocturnal. So we didn’t see it. What we did see, however, was a Weka (woodhen (the brown feathered guy)). Lots of them, in fact. Also, we saw Takahe (the two fat birdies). Takahe are an endangered species with only 500 birds remaining worldwide. Around 6 of them on Rotoroa island. Unfortunately, a bird couple broke up and are in the process of getting a divorce, as we were told. They have to be parent-trapped, though, to procreate and ensure the survival of the species. Fascinating, isn‘t it?
    Late in the day, we took the ferry back to Auckland and had a good look at the volcanic island Rangitoto - an island that just appeared one day about 600 years ago. Man, I wish I had been there… So cool!
    In other news, I am now a car owner. My white Toyota IST from 2002 is ready to go exploring with me. Only problem, the car isn‘t blue. I‘m still processing. ^^    Les mer

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    Kelly Tarlton‘s Underwater World

    29. januar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After having run a few errands and thanks to a tip as to where to go here in Auckland, I took a scooter and sped down the scenic bike lane next to the water at 25 km/h to get to the aquarium. Yes, I wore a helmet. Though, it was such a bad fit, I would have been safer without one. I was absolutely strangled by that thing every time I moved forward because it kept sliding down my head. ^^
    The underground aquarium - while more targeted towards kids - is amazing for anyone. I mean, just look at the pictures! My absolute favourite animal there: jellyfish. With the lighting they were uniquely mysterious to marvel at. There even were seahorses, sharks and manta rays! I was also surprised just how large the whole thing was, especially some of the single aquariums. At one point, there was a conveyor belt to stand on that circled around a spacious overhead aquarium with truly cool fish. The manta rays were huge!
    All in all, the aquarium is a great place for kids and anyone who marvels at marine life with childlike wonder (guilty as charged, but then again, I also like rocks and outer space…). ^^    Les mer

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    Auckland Zoo

    28. januar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I finally felt better today and - dressed in good habits and copious amounts of sun screen - went to the zoo. It’s a cute place with country-specific areas and their respective animals. A lot of the animals were masters in hiding, though, and remained unseen. Like the redback spider. Though the saying “ The only thing worse than a spider is a spider that isn’t there anymore“ comes to mind…
    While the zoo itself was really nice, all the children/students there weren’t. Their screaming was uncomfortable for everyone, let alone the animals. There even was a group of students who thought it was funny to spray deodorant directly at the animals. The nonchalant reaction of their teachers left me speechless.
    On the whole, however, walking through the zoo interspersed with beautiful little waterfalls and lots of nature, was a relaxing activity.
    Directly next to the zoo, there is a park with a lake that I went to next. I was surprised to see so many birds, especially roosters, ducks and pigeons.
    The guy on the bench certainly figured out how to make friends: food. It’s all about the food.
    Being a fan of kombucha, I had a great time at a kombucha bar here in Auckland. 5 flavours to taste, all of them delicious. Especially the blue one.
    All in all, it was a productive day and I sincerely hope that the sun screen paid off… ^^    Les mer

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    K‘Road

    26. januar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    My goal is to constantly explore new places. That‘s why I decided to go to a cozy Emergency Room last night. Apparently, the solar exposure I had endured during my 20 km hike on the 24th meant business - sunstrike-business. The night was fine, but in the morning the symptoms started. The helpful staff at the hostel looked over my semi-fainted version on the wooden bench and said: “Well, there‘s a hospital not far from here, but we‘re not qualified to do first aid.“ So I kept lying there. Eventually, I did make my way upstairs to my dorm - my searingly hot dorm - where I wasn‘t really able to do much of anything, let alone stand or sit up. That, on the bright side, gave me the chance to catch up on some sleep which I had neglected during my travels so far. It turns out, however, that a combination of sunstrike, dehydration (I wasn‘t even able to get up and get some water) and an involuntary day of fasting does not make for a great combination. So, later at night, when people returned to the dorm, a truly kind girl from Germany went to the Emergency Room with me and stayed for the 4 hours we were there. It would have taken longer, but I just wanted to lie down and rest, so as I started to feel slightly better, I decided we might as well leave.
    Gladly, I feel better today. Still not awesome, but getting there.
    All the activities I had planned for the last two days obviously didn‘t take place. However, I did take some lacklustre pictures of Karangahape Road (K‘Road), where my hostel has the pleasure of residing among lots and lots of party joints that just love a heavy bass. Until 5 am.    Les mer

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    First Proper Day in Auckland

    23. januar 2025, New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After I had landed in Auckland, I took 3 buses to get to my hostel. When I asked a local guy for that one bus stop, he told me, he‘s pretty sure, that‘s not even a place in Auckland. It was. And 30 minutes later, I found it. But yes, Auckland. Honestly, after the first few hours and the first night there, I couldn‘t wait to get far away from here. From the airport to the hostel you get to see various industrial sites, homeless people and drug addicts. The place where I‘m staying is conveniently located in an area where wild, loud parties are celebrated until late in the night. How do I know that? It‘s almost 3 am and the beat out there is quite something… Also, the first few interactions with people here (locals and most people at the hostel) reminded me too much of Germany. Distant and disinterested. All of that plus being tired from not having slept in 40 hours, made me miss Bali and regret coming here.
    On the next day, the 24th, I found another girl here, who had the exact same impression of this place, and we decided to go exploring together. We went to the harbour and just kept walking in all directions. We ended up watching a performer from Japan, who was doing his best to entertain the crowd with his skill set (balancing on a plank of wood or breathing fire and swirling a burning rope around). He was definitely entertaining with his whole demeanour, and the crowd was very patient with him. He took his sweet time getting to the point and I am pretty sure that people in Germany just would have walked away. Nevertheless, he was fun to watch and made us smile a few times. Something neither of us did the previous night.
    Thankfully, we got another perspective on the city. Buildings and the environment in general were a lot better around the harbour, and we truly enjoyed nature. Towards the end of the day, we went to Devonport via ferry, where we were able to see a stunning sun set. Let‘s see what the next few days bring. Apart from a terrible sun burn. 😬 But I maintain, I can‘t wait to get out of Auckland.    Les mer

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    Last Day in Bali

    22. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Yesterday morning I asked at the front desk if I could check out in the late afternoon today, not at noon since my flight departs shortly after midnight. They said, sure, no problem at all. Nice! Yesterday night I wanted to confirm the exact time of my checkout. The staff kindly told me it‘s still no problem, but I should pay them around 30€. Which would be a little more than a single extra night would have cost me at this hotel. ^^
    At least I could leave my luggage there throughout the day. When I further inquired where I might be able to charge my phone when I get back to pick up my luggage, I was told I better do that in Denpasar. Around 30 minutes away from my hotel via car. I asked if there was no chance I could do this in the lobby. The guy said, oh, yes, of course I could. So… I‘m still a little confused.
    As I mentioned yesterday, had I gone to a spa on my first day here, I wouldn‘t have done anything but that for the days to follow. So, yes, I went to another spa today. The massage part was relaxing. The supposedly relaxing beating with some searingly hot leaves of some plant I had to take was more than a bit too much to handle. I was relieved when it was over, maybe that counts as being relaxed.
    I took an extended stroll along the promenade and found a fantastic restaurant with a beautiful view of the beach and the setting sun, “Gioi Ocean Gourmet“. Another great experience with the staff, though there is the point where too much kindness is a little exhausting. I‘ve never said ’thank you’ so many times a day. Or a week. Though my favourite and most sincere ‘thank you‘ was when the waiter handed me my peanut butter/vanilla milkshake. Yeah, yeah, shame on me. But it was my last day.
    When I was walking on the beach for the last time, watching and photographing a semi-cloudy sunset (like a thousand other people) and looked back at my time here, I got a little sad that it was over. That feeling faded quickly as soon as I got back to the main road and got asked by every shopkeeper for 2 km if I wanted to buy their stuff. I‘m not exaggerating. And it’s not like they accept your ‘no‘. They keep talking, get more insistent and sometimes follow you for a bit. Also, cab/grab/gojek drivers honked at me to ask if I wanted a ride continuously. There is a lot of traffic here. And the aforementioned drivers make up at least two thirds of the vehicles. Just in case you were wondering how many times I was honked at. As enjoyable as Bali was for me most of the time (not on Jan 13), this is something I’ve grown to hate and won‘t miss. It was my impression, however, that men have an easier time here and aren‘t badgered as much.
    Oh, fun fact. While I'm writing this in the hotel lobby, I get to listen to the reggae versions of the world‘s most famous Christmas songs on repeat. ^^

    Quick update: After a long day/night, a sleepless 8-hour flight, extensive passport checks and declarations, I have safely arrived in Auckland, NZ. Further updates will follow.    Les mer

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    Ice Ice Bali

    21. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Since the day was still young, I went to Bali‘s first and only Ice Bar which I had discovered the previous day. Provided with gloves and a jacket, in I went. Everything is - as the name suggests - made of ice. The bar, the slide, decoration, chairs, even the glasses! I was instructed not to touch ice with my tongue. It‘s hilarious to think that people would do that in there. I‘m sure there are some… I was in the bar with 3 other people. Not much going on. Especially if you consider that the 3 other people were the present staff… ^^ I got a few drinks (all Mocktails, considerably cheaper than anything with alcohol) and chatted with the staff who were very nice and curious people. The lady for sure animated me to get the most out of that experience. It was fun to see how motivated and happy she was. We took pictures, lots of pictures, played air hockey (I assume that‘s what it‘s called) and took more pictures. The music was terribly loud, unfortunately, so I left after about 35 min (you had 1 hour in there, also, it was -7°C and I was freezing).
    Then I went to the spa and got a massage. Had I done this on my first day here, I probably wouldn‘t have done any of the other stuff but gone from spa to spa.
    Last but not least, I strolled along the beach and attempted for probably the last time in Bali to catch the sunset on photo. It‘s the closest I‘ve ever come here. But there is room for improvement.
    For dinner, I went to a highly praised sushi bar and I promise, I didn‘t have a milkshake! (Though it wasn‘t for lack of trying. Apparently they were out of all the milkshakes that late in the day…)
    P.S.: I‘ve added two pictures to make you see how awesome rocks are here!    Les mer

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    Cooking Class

    21. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    It finally worked out, I got to join a cooking class today! Another one of those days with an early start. I was supposed to wait for my driver at my hotel, who then texted me and showed me a picture of his flat tire. I then booked my own car and made my way to Nia‘s cooking class in Seminyak, north of Kuta. Upon arrival, we left for the local market to be shown all kinds of typically Balinese ingredients, some of which you can see below.
    We then were brought back to the cooking class where I had the pleasure of being in a small group of three - with a couple who lives in Munich! (It was only towards the end of the class that the chef asked us why we were speaking English all the time and not a single word of German to each other… But since he was raised British, it seemed only right.)
    We were instructed to follow three rules:
    1. Don‘t chop off a finger (not sure if he specifically ruled out other body parts).
    2. Only say nice things to others.
    3. Don‘t talk about politics, religion, Australian football.
    Our group kinda broke the third rule every now and then. Yep, you guessed it. Australian football again. Can‘t stop talking about it.
    All of us went on to make 9 dishes in total. This cooking class (Nia Bali Cooking Class) is one of the best rated ones out there for Bali and this is absolutely justified. They ran a tight, efficient ship. While we were watching and listening to the chef explain something, his staff cleared out stuff we wouldn’t need anymore (we hardly ever noticed), brought in the next trays of utensils etc. Highly efficient and well-organised. All the chopping, mortaring and frying finally paid off, when we all sat together and enjoyed our 9 dishes. There were so many leftovers! None of us, however, thought to bring tupperware. Ah, what could have been.
    All in all an awesome experience, the chef really knows his stuff, I learned that candlenuts are a great laxative (you never know when that knowledge might come in handy) and I met 2 great new people! Also, the food was yummy.    Les mer

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    Kuta

    20. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Yesterday I contacted the AirBnB support and was able to arrange another accommodation here in Bali for my last 2 days, since the original one in Uluwatu was anything but clean. I chose my new place to be in Kuta, which ideally lies just north of the airport. While this is better, a little bit cleaner and in a much nicer location with better surroundings, it‘s also not what the pictures might have led you to believe. It‘s a shame, but it‘ll do.
    But first, I met with my friend from yesterday at a cafe and had a healthy start with a yummy avocado sandwich for breakfast, accompanied by a matcha/avocado milkshake. (I‘m open to debate how healthy the latter is… But it‘s the only one for today, I promise!)
    After a surprisingly long drive to Kuta, I wanted to explore the area. Very touristy, but at least you can just go out and always find something to do, unlike in Uluwatu. Also, I prefer Kuta over Ubud so far. It‘s similar, but less crowded and the shops aren‘t squeezed together as much.
    I strolled along the promenade, considering to see the sunset there later, but boy, it was rough out there! Cloudy, strong winds, and later, rain. Lots of it. The waves were so strong, they washed a few fish ashore. The reviews for this beach said that it wasn't polluted. Well, see for yourself. I sought refuge from the bad weather in a restaurant I had been meaning to try, called Daily Social. It was a chic place with incredibly kind staff and, from what I could tell, delicious, meticulously prepared food. And - hang on! Is that another milkshake on that picture? Oops… But two are enough!
    Also on my schedule for the day: My first trip to a Hardrock Café. I had a blast! And… another milkshake. Shame on me. But it was so good. The best one ever. The most calorie-dense one, too. That cream was heavy! (Insert comparisons to body parts with high fat content here.) Maybe this should be the last milkshake for the time being. Only maybe.
    I figured I’d better get back to my hotel, though not without getting something to protect me from the rain. Ponchos were sold out. I therefore had the choice between parasols or a proper umbrella. I chose the umbrella and I use it with pride.    Les mer

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    Dinner!

    19. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Dinner deserves its own post! We met up again and since we share a love for sushi, we found a little gem called Yuki Uluwatu. It cost a bit more there (still less than ordering sushi back home), but that was money well spent! The food was just exquisite. We each needed a moment to regain our composure after tasting everything we had ordered. Our taste buds were too overwhelmed with joy. The place itself was also cool, the staff very kind. Enjoy the pictures!
    Taking a look at my new watch, we decided to call it a night. That also had something to do with the amount of rain coming down...    Les mer

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    Nyang Nyang, Uluwatu

    19. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    Next stop thanks to semi-safe scooter transport: Nyang Nyang - a rather long beach with beautiful, huge waves and a strong current. That meant no swimming for us, even though now we felt like it. Instead, I took pleasure in collecting seashells. It is quite the pastime to collect those amidst piles of trash on the beach…
    We rested before preparing for the steep hike back to the top (really steep!). We rewarded ourselves with food at the local restaurant, though we both regretted that choice. We had a serving of frying oil, spring rolls on the side. My friend had frying oil with fish and chips on the side. And I ordered what turned out to be the saddest attempt of a BLT I have ever seen. I needed a moment to process my disappointment. A moment kindly given to me by a gecko above us, who took the liberty of doing its business on my phone…
    After lunch, I trekked to the cliff that was only 1.5 km away from the restaurant. Nice view, though a few monkeys around, waiting to take your stuff.    Les mer

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    Padang Padang, Uluwatu

    19. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    This morning I met up with a friend from the hostel in Nusa Penida. We checked out the area and focused on beaches. The first one, Padang Padang, is rather easy to reach, touristy, but it‘s a decent beach for swimming (not for us today). It‘s mainly a beach for surfers, but we also spotted some climbing behind us. Ever present: locals who ask you about buying their stuff. Repeatedly. Just in case you change your mind 5 minutes later.
    For avid fans of fun with flags, this is an exciting one! The red and yellow flag indicates the area patrolled by lifeguards. Yes, this is something you should know about. Not necessarily the flags. Only the reference to The Big Bang Theory.    Les mer

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    Uluwatu

    18. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    I signed up for a boxing class this morning, 8 am. Mainly, it was a great cardio workout, but a bit of shadow boxing was involved. 400 burnt calories later, a few of us enjoyed a round of billiards and then, I had to check out. A shame, really, the hostel was a great spot with a bunch of cool people and helpful staff.
    I made my way back to the harbour, as the picture shows below. You can see the main island of Bali at the horizon. At some points of Nusa Penida, you could actually see Mt. Agung (biggest volcano on Bali) and Mt. Batur really closely. It was a stunning view - though no pictures…
    When I reached Sanur, the harbour on Bali, I tried to book a driver online. Apparently, there are restrictions with where Grab drivers (it‘s an app) can pick you up and the harbour was one of the restricted areas. Unfortunately, my driver failed to communicate this and kept telling me to keep walking and keep going to different places with no end in sight. However, there are seemingly hundreds of normal taxi drivers around that area and they are amazingly aggressive when it comes to securing business. They lie to you, give you extremely high prices, contact their colleagues via Walkie Talkie about where you want to go, they follow you, they pester you relentlessly, they gradually decrease their prices a bit the further you walk away, but they don‘t leave you alone. Eventually, I gave up as my original driver had a few problems with communication. I think I negotiated a somewhat decent price, though and usually - as soon as the people get your business, they turn out to be really nice. But every time this happens, it is extremely uncomfortable. At the hostel I heard from another girl that she too, was dragged into a shop by a relentless woman, and the girl actually ended up with a pronounced hematoma from that grab around her wrist. However, I also hear that this gets even worse in other places, e.g. Thailand. I can‘t confirm that yet, of course, but it is interesting, how many times I‘ve heard it now.
    Late in the afternoon, I had made it to my new AirBnB. Well… It certainly looks nice in the pictures. I‘m in the white house, unfortunately not in the cooler looking cabins. There‘s a pool and a kitchen area that looks like a pool bar. So far, so good. The inside of my place, though, is anything but clean or appealing. There are fleas in the bed and moth flies everywhere else. The lock on the wardrobe is a joke. You can turn it around all you want. Nothing gets locked. ^^
    I thought I might cheer up when exploring the area. I booked a scooter driver to get closer to the beach Padang Padang (what a ride, you better hold on tight and definitely ask for a helmet - they often don‘t have two or you might end up getting theirs, which is a nice gesture, but not safe for them either). I had dinner first (another disappointment, sadly, (I did have a fantastic breakfast, though)) and wanted to go to the beach, but an impressive thunderstorm was forming and hitting, so I got back instead. Yeah, so far I don’t really like Uluwatu. We‘ll see what the next few days will bring.    Les mer

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    Previously Unseen Footage

    17. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    A slow day, finally. After having gotten up anytime between 1 am and 6 am in the last week, I allowed myself to sleep in today and had nothing scheduled. I swam 2 km in the pool, played some basketball and chatted with a few people. Therefore, there are no new, exciting pictures for you today, instead you get a collection of all those pictures I‘ve taken since I got here, that would otherwise not have made it here. Most of them were taken in Ubud, some here on Nusa Penida. Like the guy sitting in a tree like a monkey, trying to take a picture of Kelingking Beach or the sentiment about coffee shared by those who don‘t wanna face the fact that there are, in fact, other beverages out there. But then again, according to the song the employees of the hostel listened to on repeat and sang earlier today, all you need is coffee and a joint.

    In case you‘re wondering what these little packages with mentos are, you find them everywhere here. Just the packages, not the mentos. They are considered offerings and mainly contain an incense stick, plants/flowers, often a drink, and usually some kind of food. I‘ve seen baked goods, mainly. Crackers or cookies. I just found the pragmatic use of a wrapped, reusable mentos hilarious in comparison to other offerings that easily spoil. Cleverly done. Let‘s hope the gods approve.

    Speaking of incense, do you want to bring the smell of Bali to your home? Now you can! With this easy, three-step, natural ingredients recipe, you too can feel authentically Balinese. All you need is: Exhaust fumes. Spread everywhere, be generous. Next, take a ridiculous amount of incense sticks, place them all over. You really can‘t go wrong here. The last ingredient: Soffell - Your trusted mosquito repellent spray. Just apply it to whatever you think might profit from being safe from mosquitoes. (A secret but brilliant tip: That stuff also works great as a perfume. Not even lying.)

    Lastly, let me conclude by talking about safety. Bali knows that when you get there, you want your stuff to be safe and kindly provides you with lockable storage options. They really do work. I mean, you have to de-rust the mechanism first to be able to actually lock it. And then you just pray nobody has larceny in their hearts paired with upper body strength. Another inside tip: If you‘re travelling with toddlers that are prone to temper tantrums, keep them away from the lock. They WILL be able to open it.    Les mer

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    Another Beach Day (Tembeling Beach)

    16. januar 2025, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    4 am. That‘s when we (3 friends from here and I) got up and were driven to Diamond Beach - which we already saw yesterday) to see the sunrise. If you‘re now waiting for pictures of said sunrise… So am I… It just got less dark. No sun in sight. Well, we were there, so we just hiked down to the beach to enjoy the view. On the way there, we saw that two guys down there were writing something in the sand. They might have forgotten the little word “need“, but we all had a chuckle. Having hiked down to the beach was when my inner hobby-geologist was triggered. I found so many cool rocks! What I will do with them? Yes. It just matters that I have them.
    When we got back to the hostel, the day was still young and we decided to go to yet another beach, Tembeling Beach, which has got two natural pools to relax in. Well, one of them had apparently burst on one side the previous day and was being fixed while we were there.
    You can either get a scooter to the beach or walk. Everyone I‘ve met said that the scooter is way easier, 3 km takes too long to walk, it‘s rather a difficult hike. What a load of waffle. It was challenging because there are parts that are incredibly steep, so walking up/down with added slipperiness has its challenges. Honestly, the biggest challenge was just declining all those aggressive offers for a scooter ride again and again - on the way down and up. Also, the scooter ride actually seemed way more dangerous than just walking…

    The beach itself was stunning. The waves were so big and strong that they easily carried big, heavy rocks to the shore. It‘s therefore too dangerous to just walk in the water and let the waves wash over your feet. Guess, how I found out… A few decorative cuts on my feet later, I went for the natural pools there, but the water was just too murky because of the work that was being done on it. I didn‘t stay long, as we needed to get back up in time for our next destination: lunch. Mie Goreng to gain some strength for the last stop of the day, another trip to Kelingking Beach (just like yesterday). We encountered monkeys there, just like last time. These monkeys are a lot more aggressive than at the Monkey Forest in Ubud. They got too close to a kid there, who got scared by them, started crying, which aggravated the monkeys. The kid‘s mum took her son‘s ice-cream out of his hands and threw it at the monkeys. One of them caught it and went off, followed by a bunch of other jealous monkey mates. While fun to watch, I had to take precautions with my own ice-cream, which I decided to eat closer to the shops, further away from the monkeys. I also got a coconut water. While I was eating my ice-cream, I was rearranging the napkin on my cone and placed the coconut water next to me. Next time I checked, a monkey had grabbed it and run off. When I tried to return to the others with an inedible part of my cone, there was a hoard of monkeys blocking my way. I had to “pay for passage“ by throwing my cone towards them and watching them catch it diligently in midair. We were even bullied out of our little hut in which we sat while we were waiting for the sunset (took too long, we left before that happened). The monkeys just got too close and aggressive for comfort. They probably got that way because of tourists who are/were constantly feeding them against instructions. Now the monkeys insist on their right for food.
    Upon returning to the hostel, we joined a yoga-session in progress and soon after, a “family dinner“ with everyone there.

    P.S.: I took the liberty of adding a few photos of a few of the residents in my hostel here. ^^    Les mer

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