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This is all I took on this
I went to Australia to attend the International Carboniferous
Congress-Permian in Perth with two of my daughters. Afterwards, my
daughters returned home and I
traveled through Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The
composed of my daily journal entries and photographs taken during the trip
(please excuse the tedious and poorly-written nature of the journal).
Or you may rather go
through my thumbnail catalog (pages H, I, J, K, L, M).
21 July 2011, Thursday
For the previous part of my trip, follow the link above.
On board the
plane I filled out an Indonesian customs form and an Indonesian
After landing, I paid US$25 for a visa and then went through
immigration control and customs. I exited the terminal and saw
about 70 or 80 people holding signs for tour participants, hotel
clients, and finally I saw an Intrepid sign with my name on it. The
driver was Dawa (Day-wa) and he drove me to Ubud. He's a very
fellow and told me lots about Bali and Intrepid. [I was signed up for Intrepid's Bali/Lombok combination trip; or one could sign up for just the Bali part.]
I arrived at the
Artini 2 Cottages hotel at 10 pm. It was dark but I could tell it was
After putting my things in the room, I went to the pool-bar area and
had a large Bintang beer and filled out my journal. Dawa told me about
several restaurants in the area and showed me an hour walking loop on
the map for tomorrow. Tomorrow is entirely free. I'm glad, because
today largely sucked. I'm too tired to go out to eat now though. There
is a very vocal and unusual frog chorus going on and I rather enjoy it.
It rises in a crescendo and the falls away, and then some frog starts
it all over again.
22 July 2011, Friday
I woke up about 5:30 but didn't get up till 6:45. I took a shower and
put on my shorts and sandals for the first time. I slept very well last
night. The temperature must have been about 70 degrees F, but I used
the ceiling fan on low.
I went down to breakfast by 7 and was amazed
how picturesque this place was. There were lots of interesting
landscaping with stone statues and exotic plants. I heard the usual
rooster and pigeons, but I also heard a number of new bird calls at day
light. I say "Selamat
pagi" (Good morning), and they ask me "Apa kabar"
(How are you) and I reply "Bai"
At breakfast I got coffee. I was shown a breakfast menu (breakfast is
included) and I ordered banana pancakes with a side of papaya and
pineapple. There is a very fragrant fruity honey which I poured over
the pancakes. Dad, you would like it. I'll try to find out what it is.
I sat next to the swimming pool. A few other people filtered in, but I'm
the only one here for the Intrepid trip (I'm two days early).
I went out and started the loop walk. I stopped at one of hundreds of
Balinese massage places and got a nice, but very oily massage. Probably
not a good idea for a very hot and humid day. I felt pretty oily and
sweaty for the rest of my walk. The walk took about 1.5 hours. I went
through the Monkey temple forest and saw lots of monkeys and took
photos as well.
- an entrance
view, a group of
rooms, interesting landscaping,
the pool area, pool, bas relief near pool, lower compound, steps
dove, closer view, monkey statue, water monitor statue,
rooms in the lower cottages,
entrance to a
room, view down pathway,
tree, Frangipani flower,
Artini 2 Cottages, another
When I got back to the hotel, I went for a swim and
then ordered Mie Goreng for lunch. This is a fried noodle (soft) with
some sort of oriental cabbage, carrots and a little chicken and some
oil and seasonings. Several of the hotel staff came and sat with me and
I spoke a little Indonesian with them. They are all very friendly and
helpful. The suggested that I try some local specialties such as
crispie duck and suckling pig. I will try the duck tonight and the pig
There are lots of kites flying in the sky, all different types and
sizes. I can see them from my balcony where I'm writing this entry and
drying my trunks. My balcony overlooks the pool too.
- the street
in front of the hotel, one
of many temples, sign
for temple, temple,
statues, ornate door, clothing shop, trays for sale, kites, video of kinetic art, more kites
of Monkey Forest Sanctuary, sign
for the sanctuary, another
in forest, one
of several pathways, one of the macaque
on log, monkey
on table, another view,
two monkeys, mother and baby, girl and two monkeys, monkeys near fountain,
on stone, mother and baby,
- Ganesh statue
in front of store, another
I left the hotel and walked to the "Dirty Duck" restaurant. It was
another beautifully landscaped and designed place. I ordered the
Crispie Duck, their signature dish. It came very quickly. It was half a
duck. I'm guessing that they put a dry rub on it and roast it till the
skin is crispy. It was served with steamed rice, two varieties of
sambal, one an Indonesian version of chipotl and the other some
mixture of onion and chilies in a liquid. There was also a side dish of
green beans cooked with sprouts and something like shrimp paste (it was
a little like Sichuan Green Beans). I pulled the duck apart and ate
every last morsel except for the bones and I ate some of them too. It
was good. I dragged the pieces of meat through the chipotl-like sauce.
I walked back to the hotel and sat at a low table near the pool and bar
(same as last night) and filled out my journal while drinking a
Bintang. Tonight is my last night here alone. The others on the tour
will arrive tomorrow and I will have to share a room with another
fellow for two weeks. I hope he is nicer than I am.
The weather for the last couple of days has been very comfortable. Lows
seem to be 68-70 degrees F and highs about 83-88.
23 July 2011, Saturday
I got up a little after 7 and took a shower. I went down to the
pool-bar area for breakfast. I ordered a fruit jaffle (whatever that
is) and had a cup of coffee. I brought some insurance forms that I have
to fill out for my Intrepid tour. At my table was Lynn, an instructor
of Egyptian archaeology at a community college in California and Ellen and
her two brothers, Jackson and Will from Melbourne, Australia. The three
siblings are on the tour with me. They are all very nice and good
company. I found out that I don't have to change rooms after all. I'll
be rooming with Andy, the trip leader. He is from Australia.
Later, for lunch, I had Nasa Goreng Special at pool side. It was
peaceful here and I didn't want to get into the busy streets just yet.
There are lots of butterflies and birds here. Most of the birds I don't
know, but there are several swifts or swiftlets patrolling the area.
This Goreng was served with fried rice (nasa). The goreng was two
chicken in a rich peanuty sauce. They also have a satay, so I don't
know how it differs from this dish.
After a bit, I went for a walk to locate an ATM, which I may need
later. I went back to the pool and swam some.
At 7 pm, all the group (minus two late night arrivals) and the leader
met in the bar area. There is a couple from England, a geography
teacher from Scotland, and the rest are Australian, one from Adelaide,
some from Melbourne. They are all very nice and in their 20's or early
We boarded two bus-type taxis and drove 20 minutes to get to the
Night Market on Gainan(?) Street. Andy explained all the food items to
us. I had a selection of batter-fried vegetables from one stand, at another, an
omlette with Indonesian chili paste on it, and later, a folded paper cone with
peanuts, spinach, beans (two types), coconut, chili sauce, etc. It was
all from three different stands and the total price was around $2.
After an hour, we rode back to the hotel and six of us sat in the bar
area and talked for awhile. I left and went to bed early.
- omlette at a restaurant
kiosk, the woks
and stove, another
view, part of our
group eating, another
view, yet another
view, my fried-food
my paper-cone kiosk,
more cooked birds,
roast pig, mixed meats, paper-cone kiosk
24 July 2011, Sunday
I woke up at daylight, about 6:15. I went down to breakfast about 7 and
I was the only guest there for about 45 minutes. I had coffee and the
banana pancakes with side of papaya and pineapple again. Slowly others
of my group arrived and we all talked for awhile. At nine, we had
another meeting and we had two new Australians that had arrived late
last night, a mother and daughter.
At 10, we walked to our small bus and drove out of town. We stopped out
in the country amidst rice paddies and walked leisurely back to town,
about 5 km. I took lots of photos along the way. We stopped at an art
gallery that looked like a temple. Apparently, that is how most of the
family compounds look. They are walled compounds with a stone portal
and protective god statues near the entrance. There are multiple
houses, a north, south, east, west, a ceremonial house, a kitchen for
each sibling family and other buildings.
When we got back to Ubud, it was lunch time. Andy walked us to some
good restaurants. Three of us opted for Ms. Oka's Roast Pig (Bu Oka
Babi Guling) restaurant. This place is world famous. I
ordered a Bintang beer and the roast pig (babi guling) special. The
three courses (served at the same time) of steamed rice,
pork-and-vegetable soup, and a plate with meat and a side of greens and
There were four kinds of meat consisting of a piece of brittle, roasted
pig skin (excellent), roasted pork (very succulent) with some kind of
chili sauce, several pieces of blood or heart sausage, and six or seven
pieces of crispy-fried cracklings. This was the best lunch I've had in
a long time. I highly recommend it.
- rice paddy,
for feed, family compound,
rice paddy, another view
gallery/family compound, entrance,
our walking guide,
display, lady weaving
palm or bamboo, another
view, yet another
- our group
walking along the road, heron
in rice paddy, another view,
levels of rice paddies,
plants, several paddies,
paddies, building bamboo-framed
paddy, village, another view, big house on slope, houses on hill, another view, creek under bridge, close-up, other side, saying goodbye to our
The three of us walked back to the hotel. I got my notebook and caught
up on my journal at poolside. I also had a nice swim.
At 6:30, we all got together and walked about 10 minutes to a temple
(Hindu). We were attending the famous Kecak ("kech-ak") dance and
We were seated in a compound within the temple walls. About 50 or 60
men came out chanting and sat down in a semi-circle. They chanted,
swayed, and shook their bodies in time with the chants. Then Balinese
dancers came out and enacted the story of Ramayama. It lasted about 40
minutes and was incredible. I've never seen anything like it. In the
next dance, a group of women came out and sat down in front of the men. Two little girls
came out in costumes and danced a complex dance with fans. The final
dance was the shortest. A man made a large mound of coconut husks and
he poured kerosene over it and lit it. After a while, a group of about
30 men came out, sat down and started chanting. A man came out in a
horse costume and danced around the fire. He was barefoot and kicked
the burning coals across the ground and walked over the coals many
times. I took photos, but my batteries died, so I'm not sure what was
After the kecak dance we walked several blocks away to the Tetruk (?)
restaurant. I had beef curry and ordered it extra spicy. I also had a
Bintang beer. We all had a lot of nice conversations and then a few of
us walked back to the hotel.
I packed, filled out my journal and went
to bed. Andy came in before I turned the lights out and we talked a
bit. He's about five years older than my son, Donald.
25 July 2011, Monday
I got up about 6:30 and went down to breakfast. I was the first there
and had coffee and omelet with toast and a side of bananas, papaya,
pineapple. A few others came in and I had breakfast with them. I went
to my room, took a shower and finished packing. I paid my bill at the
desk which came to about $30. I walked to an ATM and got a few more
At about 9:15, we loaded our packs onto a van and we all got on our
mountain bikes. We rode through the crazy traffic out into the
countryside. We had some nice views but it was impossible to take
photos while riding. We made numerous stops, including a midwife
birthing center (Bumi Sehat, www.bumisehatbali.org),
organized by an American lady (a CNN
local hero). It reminded me of Frontier Nursing Service (www.frontiernursing.org)
in eastern Kentucky. I
made a small donation. We stopped at a durian farm and a lady opened
the durian and we all got to try some. Andy and I had by far the most.
Most people don't like the smell of durian. We also stopped at a place
for palm wine which we sampled. We saw wood carvers, rice planters and
other sites as well. The bike ride was about three hours and the day
was hot and humid. I think my shoulder and neck got sunburned. At the
end of the ride, we stopped at a temple pond and had green coconut milk
and the jelly-like meat. We boarded the vans and headed out. The bikes
went back on another truck.
We stopped at another place for lunch. It
was at the Senang Hati Foundation (www.senanghati.org),
a place that helps people with disabilities.
We had a buffet of very nice vegetarian dishes, rice, and one chicken
dish. It was very good. A man played a bamboo xylophone while we ate.
After the lunch we toured the facility. Many of the disabled people had
polio, but there were others as well. We went to the gift shop and I
bought a drawing made by one of the young men there. The lunch and gift
shop purchases go to help the foundation.
next to Monkey Forest Sanctuary, our
group with bicycles, fighting
entrance to Monkey Forest, monkey
view, statues at entrance
to family compound, village
for birthing center, another
of the center
through market, Andy smelling
the durian, another
- palm wine,
and our vans, smiling man
at clothes shop, father
and son on motorbike, another
paddies, another paddy,
channel, faint view of volcano
Agung (Gunung Agung) in background, wood carver, another view, video, close-up, old compound, lake, another view, shrine and tree
On our way to Sidemen
(Sid-e-men) we came along a temple festival
march. We got out and watched it go by. I filmed part of it.
Back in the van, we could catch glimpses of a very large volcano,
At about 4 pm, we arrived at our hotel in the hills at Sidemen, on the
slope of Agung volcano.
It's the Uma Agung Villa, a nice
resort. I got a room to myself. Many of us went for a swim (nice after
the hot bike ride). I took a shower and joined the others. They played
cards and I caught up in my journal. My pelvic bones are pretty sore
from the bike seat.
At 7:30, we went to the big dining table. I ordered Black Pepper Sauce
Pork which came with carrots and green beans, French fries, and a
couple of slices of cucumber and tomatoes. It was alright, but a bit
sweet. I tried a drink called Arak (or Arrak), which is a strong
After I signed my bill, I went to my room and went to sleep.
26 July 2011, Tuesday
It rained all night, sometimes heavily. I got up at 6:30 and went to
the restaurant area. All of the cottages, pool, restaurant are built on
the side of a steep hill. I can hear the sounds of rapids not far
below, but I can't see them for the trees. The edge of the restaurant
drops steeply and forms sort of an overlook. The landscaping is
stunning. This resort seems to be very isolated from the usual tourist
I had coffee and Mie Goreng (fired noodles with vegetables) with a
fried egg over it. I was up about an hour before I saw anybody else.
Our large table slowly filled up and everybody stayed to talk. It's a
very sociable group of people.
I went back to my room by 9 and packed. We will take our packs to one
room to be stored while we do our morning walk.
At 9:30, we gathered at the lobby and started our village walk. We made
frequent stops for discussions about crops, etc. We stopped at a
weaving place where a lady had a belt or waist loom (backstrap loom). She was weaving an
intricate design and using embroidery for the design (songket weaving).
Our local guide
met us there and we walked through several villages. We went to another
weaving company that used tie-dying to color the threads. The threads
are then put into a loom and intricate designs are woven (ikat
weaving). We continued
the walk through rice paddies and farming plots. Some of the paths were
fairly steep and slick. We walked across a swinging bridge and stopped
for arrack (distilled spirits) at one place. After three hours of
walking, we came to a large bridge across some shallow rapids. The wife
of one of our bus drivers had prepared lunch for us, each in a folded
banana leaf. My lunch leaf had fried noodle dish, steamed rice, tofu
paddies, hard-boiled egg, soy bean-fried bars (tempah), chili paste
sambal. I had three bags of sambal which people gave me and I used them
We rode back to the hotel and had a nice cool swim for an hour or so. I
then had a shower and caught up in my journal.
About 4 pm, we went to the lobby. I paid my meal bill and we loaded our
packs on the vans. We drove a long way up to the mountains, but stopped
at a supermarket to get snacks for our climb tomorrow. We stopped at an
overlook and saw for the first time, the large volcano, Batur
(Wikipedia entry), and the
large caldera lake within which it sits. I took several photos from the
caldera-rim overlook, but it
was dusk and the light wasn't very good.
for our morning walk, fountain
in reception area, valley
next to resort, threshing
view, video, yet another
hillside, view of our
resort, our group walking along
the road, video of irrigation works
for songket weaving shop,
backstrap loom, video,
yet another view,
weaving, songket fabrics,
yet another view
- horned building,
roadway, balancing baskets, chopping leaves, store, drying rice
- tying off
threads before tye
dying, video, combining and combining threads on reel, video, dyed
at loom, video, another view,
offering, another view, lotus pool, our group taking a
break, another view,
yet another view,
- local market,
snake skin fruit
(Salak, Wikipedia entry), walk past houses, slippery steps, another view, viewing farmland, creek, our local guide, two-bamboo crossing, another view, yet another view, yet again, walk between fields,
(manioc) roots (Wikipedia entry),
close-up, drying cassava, another view, swinging bridge, creek under bridge, other side, another view, other end of bridge, resting at small
store, snake skin fruit,
close-up, dog with eyebrows, family at their store,
slope of volcano, drinking
berry, dead snake,
boy on stilts,
steps, young girl,
man at shop,
motorbike ice-cream shop,
kids, chilies drying, friendly group at
steps, beans drying
other side, another view, our lunch stop, my banana-leaf lunch
(minus toothpicks), inside
We then drove down to the bottom of the caldera and went to our hotel
Segara Hotel, with a great view of the volcano. One can see steam
coming from a secondary cone, and the black carpet of a large lava
I got a room to myself. At seven, we met in the restaurant and all sat
at one big table. There are many French tour groups here and they
outnumbered us, three to one. I got the buffet, which included fried
fish from a fish farm in the caldera lake, plus fried rice, fried
noodles, tempah, fritters (corn and coconut?), potatoes, sambal, etc. I
had a Bintang for drink.
After dinner, I went back to the room and prepared for tomorrow. We
have to get up at 3 AM.
- Danau Batur
(the Batur caldera lake), another
view, yet another
view, lake and caldera
of Batur and lake, Batur
Batur and lake,
Batur, caldera rim
27 July 2001, Wednesday
I got up at 3 AM, dressed and waited till we mustered at 3:30 at the
restaurant. We rode the vans and drove a short distance to where the
climbing guides were.
We started the trail up Mt. Batur and we used
flashlights to see where we were going. I had a 6-LED flashlight that
works very well. It took almost 3 hours to climb to the summit and
it was somewhat difficult going because of all the loose volcanic
cobbles, pebbles and granules sliding under your feet. When we got to
the top, we waited for the sunrise and when it came we took lots of
pictures. The most recent eruption of the volcano was the year 2000,
but one could see several fumeroles, traces of sulfur, steam, and a
sulfury smell in a few places. When the sun came up, I also saw a
"glory" (Wikipedia entry) in the opposite direction.
It was a shadow of myself in the
mist, with a rainbow halo going around my shadow. I also took photos of
steep crater walls. For a snack, I had a packet of durian-cream-filled
cookies. We then spent about 1.5 hours walking down by another route.
At the bottom, we got in our vans and drove back to the hotel. We were
there by 9 AM.
At the hotel, I took a shower and repacked all my things. I also caught
up in my journal.
- at the top
before sunrise, start of
sunrise, in the
cloud, video A, our group,
flash, Abang volcano
on caldera rim, lighter sky, video B,
with guide, another view,
yet another, crater rim of Batur, Abang and caldera
Batur crater, video, crater rim, panorama of
crater (note fumeroles), a fumerole,
sunrise, video C, closer view, another view, yet another view, yet another, closer, Abang, Abang overview, Abang clouds, glory, another view, village on lower slope
- old lava crust,
taking a break
at the bottom
At 10:30, we met at the restaurant, loaded our packs
onto the vans and spent 2.5 hours driving to Lovina, on the beach. We
stopped along the way and ate some fresh mangoes and banana and had a
nice coconut candy that was chewy.
we got out next to the beach and went to an open-air
restaurant. I had a mixed seafood grill and a Bali Hai beer. The lunch
consisted of steamed rice and three skewers with tuna, squid, prawn,
tomato, green pepper and onion. I thought it was pretty good.
After lunch we walked a couple of blocks to our hotel, Angsoka Hotel.
stay here two nights so I'll get some laundry done. I have a room to
myself again. This area is hotter and more humid than Ubud and the
rooms are purported to have air conditioning. I also see a ceiling fan,
which will probably do for me. The temperature seems to be in the upper
80's F (sweaty). I went swimming to cool down. There are a lot of
European families here, I noticed.
I booked a massage at a place our tour guide recommended and a driver
picked us up and took us there. It was more expensive, about $17, but
it was the best by far. I got back to the hotel by 7 and I met up with
all the others at a nearby restaurant. I had curry chicken with a sauce
of chopped thai peppers and steamed rice. We all stayed long after with
lots of conversation. It certainly is a nice group of people. I went
back to my room by 9:45 and went to bed by 10. I'm very tired from
being up since 3 AM and the long climb up the volcano.
28 July 2011, Thursday
I woke up at 6, but got up at 7. I got my dirty laundry together and my
notebook and went to the restaurant area. The restaurant doesn't open
till 7:30, so I worked on my journal. I said good morning to everyone
and "How are you?" (Apa
kabahr). Everyone is busy
cleaning everything and getting ready for the day. The drivers are
washing their vans and cleaning them out.
We are within half a block of Lovina Beach. It has sand but a muddy
bottom and no waves. It's more of an estuarine environment. Today, we
will go snorkeling, but not at the beach.
Some of the others found an Internet cafe, but had a difficult time
using it because the keyboard wasn't set up for English. At 7:30, I
ordered breakfast. I had coffee, fruit plate and an omlette. On the
fruit plate were slices of papaya, banana, watermelon and a slice of
At 8:30, we met with our day packs. We got into the vans and headed
west. We stopped in one town, Seririt,
and visited a market. We walked
around and looked at the various food items, herbs, tobacco, etc.
After the market, we kept heading west. We finally turned into the
parking lot of a small pier at Labuhan
Lafong. The pier was used for
snorkeling and scuba trips to a small island offshore. I paid for a
banana-leaf lunch to take to the island. It included steamed rice,
sambal, tempeah, lots of sardine-sized fried fish, chicken, noodles,
mixed peanut blend, and some mixed green vegetables. We got our
snorkel, mask and fins and headed out to the island in two narrow, but
long wooden boats, powered by outboard motors. It was very, very windy
and there were big waves and many whitecaps. We were following the
wind, so we didn't get splashed much. We could see 3 large volcanoes on
Java including Merapi (not the famous one).
After a half-hour boat ride, we arrived at Menjangan Island. I
we were going to crash, because of the large waves, but they managed to
drop the anchor. We hopped on one boat and out the other side to the
pier. The small beach was very crowded, but very few people were
snorkeling. The waves were just too much. Andy suggested that
inexperienced snorkelers should not go here, but five of us went in. I
didn't use fins, I just walked into the water in my Teva sandals, waded
into the waves and started snorkeling. It was magnificent! It was worth
all the effort and was probably the best snorkeling I have ever done.
I've snorkeled in the Florida Keys, Bahamas, Hawaii, the Great Barrier
Reef, Fiji, and other places, but this would rate at the top. Just a
few tens of meters from the shore was the wall, a drop off that
descended to deep waters (couldn't see the bottom). Regardless of the
large waves, the water was crystal clear, no turbidity at all. There
was a great diversity of fish and a great abundance as well. I swam in
schools of brightly colored fish. I saw all the usual characters, such
as parrot fish, surgeon fish, trigger fish, small wrasses, angelfish,
tangs, etc., just different coloration (and species) than I've seen
before. There were great varieties of corals, soft and hard, sponges,
small giant clam (Tridacna,
etc. I hated to leave.
got out of the water, I joined the others and had my lunch. Everyone
else from other snorkel boats had left to the leeward side of the
island, so we had the beach to ourselves.
After lunch, we reboarded the
boats and headed to the leeward side as well, passing a large statue of
Ganesh, the elephant-headed god. We anchored near the other boats and
there were almost no waves. Everyone snorkeled here. Oddly, the water
wasn't as clear here as on the windward side and the density of fish
less. However, it was still worthwhile. We snorkeled here for about an
hour. I saw the usual fish and corals again, but also saw two pipe fish
and a couple of groupers or sea bass. But I was really excited to see
all the stemless (comatulid) crinoids (Wikipedia entry)
nestled in all the corals. There were green
ones, black ones, black and white-banded ones and yellow banded ones.
They were in a little bit deeper water at the edge of the wall here.
I was the last to get back on the boat.
- another view,
fossil coral head,
yet another, and
another, another one, another with foot for
scale, small one,
few people at
landing at lunch, closer
view of pier, banana-leaf
The boat ride became pretty
rough when we got to the windward side and every bounce brought large
cascades of water to douse us. There was just no way to avoid it. I got
my day pack and covered it with a towel, but it was still wet. We
one place on the island where waves were crashing along a rocky cliff
line. We started our way back across open water when the engine quit on
our boat. The wind was starting to turn the boat perpendicular to the
waves, which is not a good thing in a long, narrow boat. We were also
drifting back toward the rocky cliff. Because we were drifting along
the waves, it looked as if we were staying in one place, but this was
an optical illusion, we were definitely drifting back pretty quickly.
The boatmen finally got the engine running; it must have gotten
saltwater in it from all the waves crashing. The more-than half-hour
trip back to the pier was slow going against the very stiff wind.
Everything was soaked by the time we got back to land.
We then headed back to Lovina. After an hour or so we stopped
at Air Panas hot
springs park near Pengastulan
(near Banjar). There were three pools. I started at the
top one which was the warmest, then the deeper one which was small-pool
sized, and another small one where the water falls on you from a
greater distance. The water in the top pool had a sulfury smell, but
the others had lost that smell.
We continued to Lovina and got there by 6. I took a shower to get all
the remaining salt or sulfur off me. I hung my wet things to dry and
filled out my journal.
At 7, I walked to our rendezvous point, the nearby Jasmine Restaurant,
a Thai restaurant. Andy had saved a large table for the group. I had a
spicy mince chicken curry with steamed rice and a Bintang beer. It was
a good meal. We all stayed and talked for awhile. I walked back to the
hotel and was in bed before 10.
29 July 2011, Friday
I woke up at 6, but didn't get up till 7. I took a shower and then went
to breakfast by 7:30 (when they open). A couple came in and said hello.
They asked me how I liked the dive yesterday (they must have seen our
group there). I, of course, said that it was magnificent and they
agreed. The edge of the wall, at just 1.5 meter depth, dropping to the
depths suddenly, was most impressive, we agreed. They were
French-speaking, but spoke excellent English and bahasa Indonesia. I
met them latter as they were checking out and we talked some more. As
it turns out, they were professors studying geomorphology and geologic
hazards associated with the recent eruption of Merapi (the big volcano
in central Java). I told them that I was a geologist. We talked about
geology and volcanoes. His name was Dr. Wassmer Patrick. I told him
about potential tsunamites and seismites (Wikipedia entry)
in Kentucky. He gave me his
business card and we talked about doing collaborative work in Kentucky.
His wife, also a professor, is studying the impact of lahars (Wikipedia
population, and trying to predict where the greatest lahar areas might
be. They also study the impact of pyroclastic flows (nuée ardente, in
I went back to my room and caught up in my journal, and began packing
I walked the beach road between our hotel and the main street
that enters the Lovina Beach area. There are lots of hawkers here. I
got a quick massage from a beach-massage lady (Niti) and bought a bag
of fruit from her friend. The fruit was mostly rambutans, but there
were also a mangosteen and a snakeskin fruit. I asked Andy to pass
them around to the group later.
We gathered in the parking area after
paying our laundry bills and we loaded our packs onto the van.
At noon, we walked a few blocks to a lady's house. She had prepared a
special dinner for us. There were about ten Indonesian dishes plus
steamed rice and bananas. I can remember chicken satay (sate), tuna
satay, fried fish and coconut cakes, corn fritters, potato cake, sweet
potatoes in sauce, several other skewers, several mixed vegetable
dishes, cucumbers, tempeah, etc. Andy ordered a special hot sambal for
the both of us.
After the excellent lunch, we walked back to the hotel and got into the
vans. We rode for about an hour till we got to Munduk Falls. We walked
along a path through several spice plantations (which just looked like
forest). Andy showed us clove trees, coffee, cacao, and many others. We
saw one variety of coffee called Loak Kopi (Wikipedia entry).
A wild civet cat loves
coffee beans. The cats choose the ripest and best tasting seeds to eat.
After they digest the seed, the bean is defecated and locals collect
the droppings. The beans are washed, roasted, and
made into very nice smelling coffee (and expensive). The civet cat only
digests the flesh surrounding the bean. We continued our walk and got
to a very high falls. I changed into my trunks and got into the water.
The water, falling from a tremendous height, made a powerful wind,
spray, and current. I tried to make my way to the falling water but the
wind was too strong. I tried backing in and got pretty close. No one
else got in, which surprised me, but they did take photos.
We continued our walk through the hillside family houses and trees.
After about an hour, we ended at a family-owned coffee
processing shop. We sat around the drying coffee beans and the
lady served us
some very nice coffee. It was a very relaxing time.
After the coffee, we got to the vans and headed to Bedugal (pronounced
beh-DOO-gle). We stopped at an overlook into another caldera, a remnant
of Batukau volcano. We could
see two lakes, called the twin lakes, in the caldera. There is a third
lake, but not within our view. We could also see the ocean.
- our path,
our group, cloves and coffee (and
a few other things), another
view (the coffee is Loak)
- Munduk Falls, video,
mist at base
of falls, another view,
houses, closer view,
berries, dried coffee
berries, closer view,
snake skin fruit
growing in forks of its tree
- the coffee
coffee, the grandfather,
We headed down the rim of the caldera to
our hotel, Strawberry Hill Hotel. This is a very nice hotel and I have
my own cottage. I took a shower, took some photos, and caught up in my
At 6:30, I went to the hotel restaurant and shot two games of pool with
Jackson. At 7, we all sat a one big table and ordered dinner. I had a
three meat satay that came as skewers over a charcoal broiler. It was
served with steamed rice and a dish of satay sauce. I ate every bit of
it and dumped the satay sauce on the rice to eat afterwards. We are up
in the mountains and it is cool. The staff built a fire in the
fireplace and everyone enjoyed sitting in front of it. I went back to
my room by 10, filled out my journal, and went to bed.
- van ride
to Bedugal, another view
for hotel, reception area, fish pond, view from my room, other cottages, my balcony, my room,
yet another view,
ceiling, bathroom, another view
- dining area
(with fireplace in back), Jackson
making a shot
30 July 2011, Saturday
I woke up at 4, but didn't get up till 6:30. A little after 7, my
breakfast arrived at my door. Breakfast at this hotel is brought to
your room. We all filled out our breakfast forms last night. I had two
poached eggs, two pieces of ham, two pieces of toast and jam and a bowl
of cut strawberries, bananas, papaya, and pineapple. This mountainous
area produces lots of strawberries, probably because of cool
temperatures. Outside, it is very foggy this morning.
After packing, I paid my dinner bill. In the restaurant loft, I found
an Internet computer (a Mac) with an English keyboard. I sent out
several quick e-mails telling everyone that I was OK. Soon after, we
loaded the vans.
We made a short drive to the Eka Karya Botanical Gardens. We got out in
middle of this very large park. I walked through the orchid collection,
the cactus house, the medicinal plants garden and the rose garden. Then
I walked down to the main gate. I was very impressed by the quality and
quantity and landscaping in the gardens. This is worth some effort to
get to. There were many other areas that I didn't get to including an
adventure area with sliding cables and tethers. Will and Jackson spent
most of their time there.
At 11:30 we got back in the vans and went to one of the lakes in the
caldera, Lake Bratan (Danu Bratan). This is the source for much of the
water for Bali. We got into
outrigger canoes, three to a canoe, and paddled a very short distance to a Hindu
and Buddhist temple complex, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan. We took lots of photos and
walked around the temple compound.
for the botanical gardens, steps
leading to orchid gardens, sign
for orchid garden, tree
white and purple spurred
orchids, another sign,
orchids, tree fern canopy,
pink lady slipper,
pink and white orchids,
canopy, white orchids,
pink and yellow orchid,
pink and white drooping
for cactus collection, cactus
room, knobby cactus-like
(prickly pear cactus of the Americas), barrel cactus and
at medicinal plant area, the poisonous Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia), sign for health
- unusual tree, sweeping leaves, god and eagle statue, closer view, candi bentar (portal)
for gardens, closer view,
male and female
statue, another view
We then loaded onto the vans again and drove to a bakery. We all
ordered lunch. I had a nice ham and cheese baguette, others had pizza,
savory pies, rolls, etc. We also walked around a local marked and
looked at the fruit and vegetables.
the outriggers, part of our
from my canoe, video, the temple
for the lake goddess, another
view, closer view,
view of both, near the temples, one of the canoes, another view, temple complex, candi bentar (entrance
portal), the pagoda-like
- two couples visiting
the temple, closer view,
temple with umbrellas,
offerings, ornate door, mosque, mythical lion,
five gods, another view, family in front of
one, colorful gods,
mother and daughter,
We had an hour and a half drive back to Ubud and returned to
cottages. I got a much nicer room and Andy is my roommate again.
I went for a swim and caught up in my journal. Three of us then went to
a massage place that Andy recommended and got an hour massage for
We had an organizational meeting at the hotel at 6:30 for those going
on the Lombok tour. Four of us from the Bali tour are continuing with
the Lombok part. The rest of our Bali group are returning home. We met
the new people, six in all, three from England and three from different
parts of Australia.
Then at 7:30, our Bali group got together for a farewell dinner at the
"Dirty Duck" restaurant. I had the crispy duck again as did about four
others. For dessert, I had mocha ice cream. We all went back to the
hotel and had a beer and said our farewells. I went back to my room,
added to my journal and went to bed by 10.
31 July 2011, Sunday
I woke up at 5, but got up at 7. I took a shower and went for
breakfast. I had coffee and pineapple pancake with honey and side of
fruit (they were out of bananas or I would have had banana pancakes). I
then walked to an ATM to get cash for Lombok. Lombok has very few ATMs
or money exchangers. I finished packing and gathered with the group.
The missing Dutch woman showed up, so our group is complete now. We
loaded the vans and headed to the coast. Continued at the following