Month: August 2019

Turtles!

What’s better than swimming with giant ocean turtles? Having a place right on the beach and snorkeling out with them multiple times a day!

Just a quick – low bandwidth update. We’re on Gili meno, and cell service is great but barely any wifi around. So – to save data you just get words, no pretty pictures (sorry).

Gili Meno is a tiny little island just off Lombok Indonesia. Last August, Lombok (and the islands) were rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake – destroying most homes, and many resorts in the beach and snorkeling paradise. Chatting with locals, it’s been a long slog to get back to semi normal. There is still much more rebuilding to do – but they’re happy to have visitors back – and with it an income stream again. I know most people reading this probably aren’t planning trips to Indonesia – but if you do come, plan some time on the Gili Islands (mostly Meno or Air – I hear Gili Trawangan is a young person’s party paradise) and on Lombok. It’s a beautiful area with wonderful people.

Of course, if you don’t love doing a lot of nothing – except for staring at the ocean, snorkeling, sitting on the beach, eating food at a beach-side cafe – maybe it’s not the right place for you. To each his own 🙂

As to the pictures (that aren’t posted yet) – there aren’t actually a ton. Some good sunrise/sunset and ocean pictures. But since I don’t have an underwater camera, the wonders under the sea will have to be left to your imagination. Next time maybe I’d get a GoPro to take the underwater snaps.

Anyhow, more relaxing to do! Two more days here, then off to Brisbane! Thanks for reading all the way through even though you knew there weren’t any pics 🙂

Life’s a Beach

Despite the first couple chill days in Ubud, we don’t sit around long. The next couple days were spent with a daytrip (car w/driver) out to Gitgit twin waterfall (there’s a ton of flowing water and waterfalls in that area) and a couple temples. Sara already got those pics up. After that, it was a LONG walking day out to see some famous rice terraces. Generally is was a nice walk through the countryside – passing beautiful rice fields on the way – but perhaps a bit too long of a walk in the heat.

Yesterday and today were perhaps the more prototypical Bali days – spent at a beach resort. This is where my Marriott status comes in handy – upgraded to a studio room which has a ladder directly out to the lagoon. I’d say pool – but the resort is surrounded by a number of fresh, and salt water lagoons. They left us an amazing basket of fruit to try – had a mangosteen and purple dragon fruit last night. WOW. I need to find more dragon fruit in my life! (mangosteen was pretty yummy too). They also left a star fruit – which Sara and I love (we had them the first time in Costa Rica) – and have saved that for last. Depending on ripeness – they vary from super tart to slightly sweet-tart. I have a feeling this one is on the sweeter side.

Anyhow, all this is to say, the past coupe days – and next 6 are all about the beach. Tomorrow we transfer to Gili Meno – a super small island – and have a beachfront villa with nobody else around. Side note: Andrew has been excited about this place from the initial planning! But, I can’t promise updates – no internet at the next property. I’m guessing there will be cell service. If not, any updates will come sporadically as we find internet on the island.

Now pics (more to come):

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#tamanayuntemple #bali #indonesia

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And bullet points:

  • Bali is beautiful but I find it a bit too busy for my liking.
  • The income disparity between the locals and tourists is obvious.
    • Last night one of the young (21 yr old) waiters was basically begging – not for a tip – but for a good review on yelp so that his management would keep him around full time (right now his hours depend on how busy the resort is). His dream? To work on a cruise ship – one of the Bali careers that is seen as lucrative.
    • In Ubud, a older gentleman was trying to sell me a wooden box for only $1 US A beautiful wooden box, and at that price a good value – but didn’t need a wooden box. It makes me feel guilty – of course I can’t give everyone in Bali $1 – and he wasn’t looking for charity! But it’s a good reminder to support local business when possible.
  • The Balinese have been super friendly. Amazing people.

Feeling like a millionaire

Well, I have taken 2,500,000 Indonesian Rupiah  out of the ATMs so far. So I guess that makes us multi-millionaires. What lofty sum does it take to be a millionaire here? $70 USD is about 1,000,000 IDR.

We arrived in Bali a couple days ago, but got in late Thursday and stayed by the airport. On Friday we transferred up to Ubud – an artsy hippy town in Bali. Kinda reminds me of Boulder (in the old days) but even more artsy hippie. Saturday was Indonesia’s independence day – and promised to be busy and heavy traffic – so that turned into a pool day. Finally got out and wandered much of the town today. They have a beautiful ridge walk leading up by rice paddies, a sacred monkey forest, and a couple bustling streets with shops and restaurants. Maybe too bustling for us.

But lets get to the sacred monkey forest. It’s a forest run by the village connected to it, with Hindu temples, and appropriately about 600 Macaque monkeys that they feed. These are the same monkeys that I’ve posted pics and videos from before, so I didn’t care about them as much. And technically the monkeys are free to leave – but I’m not so sure they’re completely wild since they get fed 3 times daily. Sounds like and all-inclusive resort to me! But alas, it was a very relaxing walk in the woods with some amazing sculptures, statues, big old trees, and streams. Onto the pics…

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#ubud #ubudbali #campuhanridgewalk #bali #travel

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Care for some bullet points?

  • Bali is much more temperate than any of the spots we visited in Malaysia. Low to mid 80s during the day, and high 60s/low 70s at night. Feels comfortable.
  • But it was a bit of a shock coming here. We had worked our way from busy places to remote places in Malaysia – and jumped right back into busy Bali.
  • Bali has a “Taxi Mafia” that makes getting around a bit of a struggle. Disappointing that Grab (essentially the Uber of SE Asia) is difficult here.
  • I say it’s busy – but that’s probably not characterizing it properly. The roads are tiny (usually just 2 lane, no shoulder). There’s a LOT of scooters. Some streets – like the one we’re staying on aren’t wide enough even for a single car. There usually aren’t any sidewalks and barely any crosswalks (we love walking). Makes it seem crazy and busy for us getting around – essentially playing frogger in real life.
  • It’s probably best to get your motorcycle license before coming to SE Asia. I didn’t and wish I had! Many people online said you didn’t need one for scooters, but…
    • Some people won’t rent you one without it
    • Even if they will, it’s not a great place to ride without some experience (they’re crazy!)
    • Apparently cops are more likely to check foreigners for licenses – so I’ve avoided.
  • OK, that’s probably too many bullets. Until next time…

Feels like 107°

I think I’ve previously expressed that it’s been hot here, but the past couple days have been a whole different level of hot. Yesterday morning when I woke up, I looked at the current conditions and noticed that it was 97% humidity. It was only 75°, but felt like 83°. This morning we got up to take a little hike out by a waterfall in Santubong National Park in Sarawak (currently in a home-stay only 1km away) . In the 4 miles that we walked on a loop trail, my entire shirt and shorts looked liked I took a dip in the waterfall – but I didn’t. Sara and I have traded off being extra “hot” at times, but rarely at the same time. Today we shared in being uncomfortable. Currently sitting on the veranda writing this (in the shade) and the weather says it’s 95° with 55% humidity and feels like 107 °. Whew!

So in Kuching/Sarawak we’ve have a ton of adventures – and a lot of luck seeing wildlife. I already detailed the Proboscis monkey and Bako sightings. Since then we’ve visited a nature reserve with Orangutans, and managed to see two females, took a road trip and passed by a very large Asian Water Monitor (we think) on the road. At Wind cave we witnessed thousands of Dusky Fruit Bats, and also some other smaller echo-locating bats. Yesterday on a boat tour we saw Irrawaddy Dolphins, some more Proboscis monkeys, and a couple wild crocodiles (which are apparently very numerous here). We’re loving Borneo for the wildlife! I guess they like the heat better than us 🙂

I have yet to dig through some pictures, so when that happens Sara will probably post more to Instagram.

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#sarawak #malaysia #orangutan #wildlife #nature #gotravel

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Pictures of Pitchers

Our first sightseeing stop in Sarawak was to Bako National park. This required a bus trip, boat trip, and a bunch of trekking. For Sara, the only IMPORTANT thing there was seeing the rare Proboscis Monkey. Sara sometimes sez promiscuous monkey (hah). They have 3 types of monkeys at the park, and at first entry we caught some of the very cute silvered leaf-monkeys chomping on a tree. No good pics (forgot my camera again, doh!), but checked that one off the list.

Next, we started hiking up a short, but steep trail. There are 3 trails that have some probability of seeing the proboscis- this was the first. We got to the top, very hot and sweaty, with no monkeys. But there was a nice overlook! About 3/4 of the way back down, we came across a couple staring into a tree – and figured we should do the same. There sat a proboscis monkey – they’re very big compared to most monkeys! He sat there munching for a while, letting us take pictures and video (just with our phones) – before moving on. Super awesome! He also made the funniest sounds – somewhere between a snore and a sigh – I’ll post a video of that. A bit later – two more crossed the path presumably following the other one.

We followed that with a LONG hike to a waterfall. Came across some Bornean bearded pigs, a couple wagler’s pit vipers, wandered through the rainforest and a very dry plateau with an abundance of pitcher plants. A biologically dense journey!

After that, while hydrating at the cafe, some Macaque monkeys (same as earlier video) stole someones watermelon. Monkey mission complete!

Sara got pics up yesterday. After the 32k+ steps yesterday, we chilled out today – but will head back to the food festival later! Yum.

And because I love bullet points..

  • Bonus! No leeches on this hike (though we wore proper shoes).
  • Kuching seems like a sleepy place. We’re staying right by the waterfront (river) – which gets lively at night – but otherwise is very calm. Generally we like it.
  • Not to keep harping on the “value” of Malaysia – but after Singapore almost everything seems like a bargain here.
  • Tomorrow is a national holiday – and a big Muslim holiday – Hari Raya Haji  We’re gonna try to get out, but will probably stay low key.
  • So much more nature to explore here. Caves, Irrawaddy dolphins, orangutans…stay tuned.

Cat Scratch Fever

Singapore was a blast. We got down to the Supertree Grove (man-made trees) for the evening light show, took a trip out to the MacRichie Reservoir park to hike and walk the Tree Top Walk, and did our usual city wandering. It’s a beautiful, clean city, with wonderful architecture – but the pictures are better for showing that!

Onto the title though, we’re now in Kuching, Malaysia (Borneo) – the City of Cats! There are cat statues all over the city – and we’re headed to the cat museum today. Just arrived yesterday afternoon, but were lucky to figure out they’ve got a month long food festival going on a few blocks away. We stopped by last night for some good local eats – our favorite – street food! 🙂

Random musings:

  • One of the favorite dishes in Singapore is “Carrot Cake” (Chai tow kway), it comes in white or black varieties. However, it’s not made from carrot, and is definitely not a cake. It’s made from rice flower and white radish (“white carrot”) and we found it to be delicious. Can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
  • I did get video of some Hornbills in Langkawi that I never posted. Maybe I’ll get to that someday soon.
  • Speaking of videos, got one of river otters in Singapore. Guess I have a lot of videos to post.
  • Back to Langkawi (again), our host had a baby (maybe pygmy?) goat – and of course Sara wants one now (it would follow her around)

Time flies

A couple days ago I was posting how we just arrived in Langkawi, now I’m writing that we just arrived in Singapore (last night). As I alluded, so far Langkawi was our favorite place in Malaysia (though still Kuching / Sarawak / Borneo to go). People were so friendly, and it was just the right pace for our attitudes.

Last Friday we had aggressive plans for lots of activities in Langkawi. The first of which was the 7 wells waterfall area. That started with 50o-some steps up to the 7 ponds (wells, I guess) that feed the waterfall (which is below that). No problem, but then we saw a trailhead that went all the way up to 7 wells peak. Being the adventures we are -we started tackling it, Tevas and all. Two hours later, we were nearly at the top, in the clouds, storm coming, and having to use pre-placed ropes to get up to the peak. We got to only about 250 feet away from the peak, but retreated due to conditions. Even if we made it to the top, there was only the inside of a cloud to view! I call it an adventure – but we both kinda broke ourselves getting up and down. Sara with back pain, me with a very tight ankle. On top of that, the world taught us about leeches. Yes leeches. Yuk. Next time we’ll wear proper shoes and socks. Maybe even leech socks.

After that we went back home to tend to our bodies. We did manage to get back out to a night market for cheap dinner again. But Saturday we took it easy – there was really no other option. We drove to the highest peak, took in some beaches, had fish & chips , did laundry, and had a proper dinner at a Syrian restaurant.

Sunday we got adventurous before flying out and took an island hopping tour. Basically a speedboat ride to visit 2 islands, and see a couple other sites – a fantastic deal 50 MYR for both of us for 4 hours (about $12.50 USD). At the first island, Pulau Dayang Bunting, we had about 90 minutes to visit the freshwater lake – and rented a solar powered paddle boat (you could pedal, or use the electric motor). It was surprisingly relaxing, and a blast! The next island was Pulau Beras Basah – a very nice beach where we finally took a dip in the ocean. Most of the other beaches we visited so far didn’t seem to have very clean water – so we avoided getting in.

But alas, after the tour we had to run to the airport to catch our flight to Singapore. A very quick & easy flight – and so far the we’re liking Singapore. Of course, it’s very westernized (in terms of amenities and price!) compared to the rest of our visits. Plenty left to do here – more on that in another post. Sara already has some Langkawi pics up, enjoy!

Three hour tour

Yesterday (Wednesday) we packed up in Penang and got on the “super fast ferry” to Langkawi. Of course, what that really means is they pack 150ish people on a big speed boat, and then speed through choppy waters for 3 hours (!!) until you arrive in Langkawi. Fortunately we took some preventive Dramamine, so not only were our tummies fine, we also got some naps on the ride. Others on the boat were not so happy about it (we read reviews beforehand and knew what to expect).

Almost immediately we found this smallish island to be our speed. Just after arriving at our Airbnb, the hosts (who have 4 detached apartments, but also live on the site), offered to drop us off at a nearby restaurant. Super friendly! And the restaurant was very chill, and very good.

This morning after our host prepared us breakfast (part of the deal at this place, but it was wonderful), they also hooked us up with a rental car for a great price – and drove us to the airport to get it! Again… So nice.

Anyhow, we then spent the whole day out visiting Temurun Waterfall (nice waterfall, but mucho monkeys), Kilim Geoforest Park, Cenang Beach, and then finally grabbing dinner from the Temonyong Night Market. We only have 2 more full days here (leave on Sunday) but we’re excited for them! Onto the pics…