still to come
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Java
A day after returning to Legian from Ubud we were off to Java with nine Balinese friends.
Fist stop was Bandung where we caught up with Ketut, Wayan Reti's youngest sister. I hadn't seen her since 1991 so it good to meet her again. She's now 47.
In Bandung we went to a volcano, a hot springs and a floating market. And many shops! Bandung is in the mountains and much cooler than Bali.
After two nights in Bandung we went to Jogjakarta. Here we went to Sultan Palace, Borobodur and Prambanan temple. And a batik studio and shop.
Borobodur and Prambanan are both UNESCO world heritage sites and Borobodur is one of the seven wonders of the world.
Travelling with nine Balinese was trying at times. There's no doubt that we come from two different cultures!
Fist stop was Bandung where we caught up with Ketut, Wayan Reti's youngest sister. I hadn't seen her since 1991 so it good to meet her again. She's now 47.
In Bandung we went to a volcano, a hot springs and a floating market. And many shops! Bandung is in the mountains and much cooler than Bali.
After two nights in Bandung we went to Jogjakarta. Here we went to Sultan Palace, Borobodur and Prambanan temple. And a batik studio and shop.
Borobodur and Prambanan are both UNESCO world heritage sites and Borobodur is one of the seven wonders of the world.
Travelling with nine Balinese was trying at times. There's no doubt that we come from two different cultures!
Ubud
On November 12 we headed to Ubud, just north of Denpasar and into the mountains. It's only about 60kms away from Legian, but very, very different. We'd travelled through here often but never bother to stay more than a few hours.
In what way is it different? Ubud is more sophisticated and even the shopping reflects this. Gifts shops with quality stock compared to cheap shirts, imitation watches, penis-shaped bottle openers and 'Russell is gay' stickers. They do exist in Ubud but to a lesser extent.
So each place attracts a different crowd.
We had very nice accommodation at a hotel called Bumi Muwa. It's on Monkey Forest Road which is one of the main shopping drags so Heather was very happy. A number of the restaurants have views of rice fields at the rear.
Monkeys visited on two of the four mornings we stayed. They appear to be regarded as pests as staff came from everywhere to chase them away. They certainly ripped the garden apart.
Our main adventure at Ubud was white water rafting with Bali Adventure Rafting. We had a great time and enjoyed the views of the Ajung River valley. More than 600 steps down to the river and 400 steps up at the finish saw us with jelly legs for the following couple of days.
In what way is it different? Ubud is more sophisticated and even the shopping reflects this. Gifts shops with quality stock compared to cheap shirts, imitation watches, penis-shaped bottle openers and 'Russell is gay' stickers. They do exist in Ubud but to a lesser extent.
So each place attracts a different crowd.
We had very nice accommodation at a hotel called Bumi Muwa. It's on Monkey Forest Road which is one of the main shopping drags so Heather was very happy. A number of the restaurants have views of rice fields at the rear.
Monkeys visited on two of the four mornings we stayed. They appear to be regarded as pests as staff came from everywhere to chase them away. They certainly ripped the garden apart.
Our main adventure at Ubud was white water rafting with Bali Adventure Rafting. We had a great time and enjoyed the views of the Ajung River valley. More than 600 steps down to the river and 400 steps up at the finish saw us with jelly legs for the following couple of days.
Monday, 10 November 2014
The Barong
Barong is a lion-like creature and character in the mythology of Bali, Indonesia. He is the king of the spirits, leader of the hosts of good, and enemy of Rangda, the demon queen and mother of all spirit guarders in the mythological traditions of Bali. The battle between Barong and Rangda is featured in Barong dance to represent the eternal battle between good and evil.
Saturday, 8 November 2014
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