Lombok Indonesia

Greetings from Lombok, Indonesia.
Lombok is the next island east from Bali.
Far less populated than Bali...Life moves at a much slower pace here.
Jelli arrived a few days ago and we rented a scooter for a ride around the island.

Senaru waterfalls was our destination on this journey.

This giant waterfalls in the jungle was super cool.

As of most of Indonesia the landscape is beautiful here.

Along the way, we came across the Monkey Forest.
A mountaintop jungle with lots of monkeys sitting along the road greeting the tourists.
We had some peanuts and decided to share...

All was fine
till I ran out of peanuts.....

Bad Monkey!

The strongest bond.

Keep checking back as we discover more of Lombok and the Gili Islands....

Padangbai, Bali

I am now in the small beach town of Padangbai in southeast Bali.
The town thrives because of the port and its ferry connections to nearby islands.

Padangbai is a mix of Hindu and Muslim.
The Hindu temples are scattered around the town.
The Muslim prayer calls can be heard throughout the day.

Last weekend was a Hindu holiday and this beach temple was the place to prey.

On the hilltop is the main temple.
The locals really dressed up for the occasion.

The snorkeling is great in the little bays away from the main port.
I go everyday.

Here is the best tofu stall in the main square.
Fried tofu mixed with veggies and spicy sauce is a local favorite.

Check back often as I continue to explore more of Bali...

Bali Motorcycle Tour - part 3 -

The tour around Bali allowed us to see both sides of the island.
The ugly tourist towns where everybody is on the hussle...
to the quiet mountain towns where the locals are content with a smile and a wave.
Just ouside the tourist town of Ubud I found this giant tree.

10 minutes north of Ubud we took a little used side road to explore the rice terraces.

Around every corner we found scenes like these..

A perfect motorcycle road to explore this area!

At first we were stopping every 5 minutes to take photos.
The scenery went on like this for a few hours.

This area was the highlight of the journey for me.
A beautiful island when one leaves the tourist trail and goes exploring.

Bookmark this page to follow more adventures from the road...

Bali Motorcycle Tour - part 2 -

The second leg of our Bali motorcycle tour took us from the northern port city of Lovina 
 across the northern coast then down the center of the island to Ubud.

The colors of Bali are everywhere.

Some areas of Bali are Hindu while others are Muslim.
This Hindu temple in Lovina is typical of the Hindu style.

The motorcycle gave us the freedom to stop and explore.
This large Hindu temple seemed abandoned on a mountaintop in small town Bali.

Next stop Ubud and the wonderful rice terraces...

Bali Motorcycle Tour - part 1 -

I just finished a 3 day motorcycle ride around Central Bali with Jannis from Belgium.
Traveling by motorcycle is the best way to experience the sights and smells of Bali.

The two sides of Bali.
The tourist towns have traffic jams, noisy bars and locals selling whatever they can.
The countryside has scenic open roads, old temples and lots of smiles as we cruise by.

We started in Medewi on the southwest coast.
The first day we made it to Lovina on the northern coast.
A nice ride thru mountains, rice terraces and temples everywhere.

The motorcycle gave us the freedom to explore...

Check back as I add the photos from the central mountains to Ubud...
A great adventure!

Greetings from Kuta Beach!

Hello from Kuta Beach, Bali Indonesia.
I am in front of the memorial from the 2002 Bali bombings...2 blocks from my guesthouse.
A sad reminder of the real world here in Kuta which seems so far from reality. 
While Indonesia has been a dream for travel...Kuta is the nightmare.
Locals selling sunglasses, tours, motorcycle rides, t shirts and any other crap you can think of..
to thumping discos and bars full of drunk Ozzies rocking all day and night.
Also so many scammers on the streets...
I can see why the the radicals wanted to wipe this neighborhood off the map.

Indonesia still has its magic...even here in Kuta.

I have been hanging out with Jannis from Belgium.
Tonight we had BBQ fish...Bali style.

Check back often as tomorrow I will head off to remote Bali in search of empty waves.....

More Yogyakarta Experiences...

I have spent the last week exploring the nice city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Located in Central Java this small city is surrounded by many temple complexes.
Many friendly locals wanna chat with the many travelers who wander past.

The food carts and small restaurants made for many great meals.
This grilled fish with BBQ sauce one of my best here.

I was very impressed with the temples just outside the city.
Highly Recommended!

Last Saturday I stumbled on a music competion with local bands playing Indonesian pop songs.
The kids were really talented and fun to watch.
Here is a sample....enjoy!

Borobudur Temple - Java Indonesia

Yesterday I rented a motorcycle and left at 5 am for the one hour drive to Borobudur Temple.

The predawn ride was chilly with patches of fog.

Borodudur was built in the 8th-9th century.
It is typical Javanese architecture with Buddhist influence.

The early morning mist was a nice change from the hot sweaty days here.

As the sun rose the light gradually changed from golden yellow to bright blue sky.

A peaceful spot for a temple.

These panels surround the temple depict the Buddhist influence.

There is no inside to this temple...all the details are on the outside levels.

Like other temples I have visited in Indonesia the stone carving is wonderful.

The are over 1400 different reliefs decorating Borobudur.

Borobudur Temple was built using over 2 million carved and fitted stones.

The traffic made riding the motorcycle in traffic was a real challenge.
Even before dawn many bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses were racing somewhere.