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South-East Asia Explorer

June - August 2018
A 68-day adventure by Mates on tour Read more
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  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 1

    Kuta

    June 14, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After an surprisingly short 6 hour flight we stepped off the plane in Denpasar on the island of Bali. We made it through immigration and customs in about an hour but then we weren't able to find a proper luggage storage, after some research we found a shop about 3km away. With Grab we got a really good rate for the drive (1/4 of the usual price of taxis) and arrived there just in time when the shop owner came. Mark an Aussie married to a Balinese was really friendly and gave us a good rate for at least a week of storage. He also gave some tips in the area regarding money exchange, SIM card and information center. But first we needed to have a lunch!! Happy about the cheap prices we went into the first restaurant and got ourselves a big meal :) Well deserved!! In the afternoon we made our way to the hotel to get rid of the remaining stuff and then to explore the surroundings and the beach. Even though the beach was crowded with people it didn't feel much like it and we enjoyed a beer over the sunset. Before going back to the hotel we stopped at a massage salon and Julia got a long awaited pedicure and I enjoyed the Balinese massage which was much more relaxing than the Thai massage ;) I started watching the World Cup opening match but fell asleep during the first half hour...
    In the morning we went for a swim in the pool and then had "American" (Toady with egg) and Indonesian (Fried Noodles) for breakfast. As there is not much to do in Kuta itself except for binge drinking we booked a bus to Ubud. Afterwards I went to a barber shop to get the long due haircut :) Then the bus headed off to the North...    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 2

    Ubud

    June 15, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We arrived in Ubud in the early afternoon. After a short stop at the tourist office we went straight to the Palace and markets. Julia got herself a pretty new hat. We had booked a night at Ojek's Homestay which we thought meant that we stay with the family but it was more like an ordinary hotel. The Town had a completely different feeling than Kuta but they share the crazy traffic. Of course there are the normal markets but here are also more traditional and innovative storefronts.
    It's also known as Bali's cultural heart with many artists. So we checked on performances of the traditional balinese dances in the evening and we found one that was named something like 'Dance and fire'. The performance was in a temple with two rows of chairs overlooking a round plaza. The first ones to come out were a group of about 60 men who sat down around the circle and started singing. After some time female dancers and other figures joined and narrated a classic balinese tale. It was an exciting show ending with a guy in some kind of horse costume kicking around glowing wood. Afterwards we wanted to watch the World Cup match but didn't find a bar and the match wasn't too interesting anyways. So we just got ourselves some beer and relaxed at the hotel.
    We got up at 6 in the morning to go trek the Campuhan Ridge Walk to see the sunrise over the rice terraces. It was about 4km one way on a stoney path. Unfortunately it was pretty cloudy and the rice terraces were tiny ;) But we still enjoyed a bit of time outside of the town... After waiting for 45 minutes we took the bus to Amed.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 4

    Amed

    June 17, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The bus to Amed was a crazy ride and we needed to sit in the front because it was already full. But we made it there alive!! After checking in to our homestay we stopped by an old lady to grab some food. The Mie Goreng consisted basically just of MSG but we were hungry ;) Then we stopped by at least 8 diving centers to get the best deal for diving the next day... In the end it cost us around 38€ each for two fun dives. Sweet :) For the evening we made plans to meet with our diving instructor from Koh Tao to watch the world cup match. Afterwards we went to a Reggae bar to get some cheap beer. She told us then that the diving company isn't a good one because they dump the prices in the area. But obviously it's a concurrent company...
    We had a pretty good experience with them the next day! For the first dive to the shipwreck USAT Liberty we were alone with our instructor and after a few minutes underwater we felt pretty comfortable again. Besides that was the dive spot A class with an abundance of different fish, corals and we even went into the cargo room and to the steering wheel! The second dive was to the Drop-Off which is a wall that goes straight down for 70 meters. Going down for 18 meters was plenty for us but the sights weren't as great as at the first stop. Unfortunately I had too much movement therefore we could only stay for 38 minutes under water. Also my Action camera failed because the case must have leaked at some point, still trying to fix it but it seems to be dead :( We had dinner right on the beach while watching the sun set over the mountainous area that shelters Amed, pure magic!! Then we went back to the homestay to relax and mentally prepare for the upcoming Worldcup match Mexico vs Germany. Most of the viewers were German but the Indonesians cheered for Mexico so it was equally distributed.
    We rented a motorbike for the last day in Amed to go to a famous temple nearby. First I wasn't sure if it's a good idea to get on the streets with this traffic but it went much better than expected and the motorbike even managed to make it all the way up to the scenic temple on top of a hill. We spent about an hour there before heading back with a short stop at rice paddocks, then having breakfast and boarding the fast boat (there was no budget option available...) to the small island Gili Trawangan.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 5

    Gili Trawangan

    June 18, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The boat ride did cost quite a lot for a 40 minute service where you could even see the other island... Anyways, we made it to Gili Trawangan, or just Gili T the most developed island of the three Gili Islands and an infamous party spot. On arrival in the port we were greeted by steel blue water and next to a beautiful beach. On our way to the homestay it was clear that it's just the promenade that is well developed. The back alleys are dirtier, in line with other Asian countries we've seen so far. What's really funny is the non-existent drug control on the island, which is in a sharp contrast to the Indonesian laws up to death penalty for drug possession. But here many bars openly advertise magic mushroom shakes on the streets... In the evening we watched the sun going down over Bali at the Sunset Bar and the sky was shining with red and yellow colours 🏝️
    The next day we slept in for the first time since arriving in Indonesia, at least we tried because we woke up at 6:30. We planned a bit our next legs and then went to the beach even though it was cloudy. There we rented snorkeling equipment and explored the corals, fishes and turtles along the coast line. After an relaxing afternoon we took the Island Hopping boat to Gili Air.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 7

    Gili Air

    June 20, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    In the afternoon we arrived by public boat at Gili Air, the smallest island of the three Gili Islands. And even though it's just about 8km away from Gili T, the feeling is a lot more laid-back and relaxed. There is less of a party crowd but instead more older couples and families. Despite that we were offered magic mushrooms just a few steps after we set foot on the island. After checking in to the hotel, we went back to the harbour which is just a mere 10 minutes walk. There we had a stark beer right next to the beach called '1945', a pretty decent beer compared to the Bintang Indonesian standard beer...
    Afterwards we had dinner at a great place, Bambu Warnung where we tried a Indonesian specialty made of a fried dough filled with vegetables and chicken! So far the food has been amazing, I tried new dishes every day and each one tasted great. Only the dessert, fried bananas, were lacking a bit of taste.
    The next day we took the public ferry to mainland Lombok, and fought (the touts here were crazy!!) our way to the main bus terminal in Mataram to embark on our journey to Flores...    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 8

    Labuan Bajo

    June 21, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    In Mataram we boarded the bus to Bima on the island of Sumbawan. It was an adventurous 14 hour drive with a 3 hour transfer on a ferry. I guess you have to be insane to be a bus driver in Indonesia so he honked basically straight for the 14 hours 😂 We were able to sleep quite some time which was rather unexpected in the beginning. So we arrived in Bima at 5 in the morning, luckily we immediately found the public bus which brought us through some small townships located up the hills to the ferry harbour. There we boarded the huge ferry which brought us in a strenuous 8(!!) hour ride to the small harbour port of Labuan Bajo. Overall we traveled about 500km from Lombok to the island Flores.
    The town is also called the gateway to the Komodo Islands and that's why we're here :) So we checked out some tour operators to get us to the Komodo National Park the other day.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 9

    Komodo National Park

    June 22, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We booked our tour together with a diving company which made sense to us as they know where the good spots are for snorkeling. Additionally they offered to go to the Komodo National Park after the dives... Besides offering the best conditions they were also the cheapest!! So we went to the harbour at 7 in the morning and got on board of the tiny vessel, later one of the divers told me that the usual boat is currently being repaired 😊 So the boat ride was incredibly loud but we had found a cosy spot so it wasn't too bad.
    Then we went to our first snorkel spot and it was just pure magic!!! The corals here consist of both hard and soft corals, together with an abundance of different fish and big stuff (turtles, sharks, dolphins). It was unlike any other diving or snorkeling experience before because of the colours and that there's so much going on... We spent more than hour underwater watching many different turtles in all sizes. But we still didn't have luck with seeing any sharks :(
    After a quick lunch we arrived at Rinca Island which is part of the Komodo National Park and offers the best chances to see a Komodo Dragon. We're not completely sure if the dragons that are near the Ranger Station are actually roaming freely or are fed for entertainment purposes... Our Ranger didn't say anything about it but currently is mating season so the dragons are usually more elusive and go into hideouts. Therefore we suppose that they keep a small number around by feeding them. At least I hope they will make good use of the income in actual conservation efforts... On the way back I already felt that I will be getting a really bad sunburn.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 12

    Mt Bromo

    June 25, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    48 hours on the bus and ferries 😩😩😓 I got pretty sick due to a ridiculously high A/C and also suffered from a sunburn on my whole back... In between we rode for about two hours on top of a mini bus and all the kids (also some adults) were waving and cheering at us. I suppose that usually the Westerners are not going on top 😁 We made another stop in Denpasar to get our big luggage back before moving on in direction of Java. At 6 in the morning we finally arrived in Probolinggo from where the mini buses departed to Mt Bromo. They told us that it may take a while until the bus is completely full but we thought that they were just trying to scam us... Unfortunately we waited for 4 hours with just four more people showing up so we decided to pay more to go straight away! Blood suckers!!! But the driver also suggested a homestay which was nice, clean and cheaper than other options...
    After a badly needed shower and a bit of rest we went out to see Mt Bromo even though it was raining and foggy. It was quite a spectacular sight being right on the rim of the crater and seeing the smoke coming out so close. There we also met the other two couples again that shared the bus with us, they are a really nice company and we enjoyed the late afternoon together.
    At 8 we went to sleep because we got up at 3 in the morning to hike about 6 kilometers along a ridge line to get to a viewpoint to watch the sunrise. I was still a bit weak from being sick so the hike wasn't as easy as I thought it would be... Anyways we made it up there in time to see the sunrise! But it was a little bit cloudy so it wasn't as spectacular as Uluru with the sunray slowly enlightening the whole structure. But still worth it!! :) We treated ourselves with a all-you-eat breakfast buffet 🤩    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 14

    Borobodur

    June 27, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After an unplanned detour to Malang (it does sound too similar to Magelang 😁) we arrived a day later than planned in Magelang, close to Yogyakarta. There we got a hotel room for the same price as the homestays and guest houses that we were used to. This turned out to be a good thing because we could watch the world cup in the evening...
    After a few hours of rest we went out to see the nearby Borobodur Temple. Unfortunately we couldn't find a place to rent a scooter so we took a Grab (like Uber) to there. The entrance fee was with 25 USD very high for tourists compared to other attractions/temples. At least a drink was included ☺️ The temple complex is located pretty prominent on top of a hill and after two major restaurations in good shape. But there are public holidays so it was most of the time pretty crowded. We still enjoyed the trip and even found a calm spot on the backside of the temple to embrace the view. It's the largest Buddhist Temple in the world and of great importance. But there were no Buddhist monks around, just Indonesian Tourists who completely ignored every sign telling people not to smoke or sit on the pyramid steps...    Read more

  • TravelerSouth-East Asia Explorer
    Day 17

    Bandung

    June 30, 2018 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A pretty quick (less than 24 hours 😉) bus ride later we arrived in Bandung. Even though the city itself didn't have a spot in our itinerary it was one of the most anticipated stops on our route... Because we had the opportunity to visit Indonesian friends of ours who are currently at home to celebrate their wedding at the beginning of August. We feared that they were too busy with the preparations but luckily they had a wedding planner who organised everything for them :) So they had time to show us around this unexpectedly big city known as a shopping and foodie getaway. Especially on the weekends it fills up pretty fast due to visitors from Jakarta that enjoy the bargained prices in Bandung.
    With our local guides we discovered hidden street food stalls, old colonial buildings and several other spots... Overall it was a hidden gem off the usual tourist spots. Besides the city we also went to the 'White Crater', a sulphur lake located about two hours south of Bandung. The colours were as impressive, maybe even more than in Rotorua.    Read more

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