I stood through the abominations you call "Ovaltine" (Argh, teh sweetness!), "Beef" (avoid, avoid at all costs all throughout Asia!) or "Sausage" (the only remotely sausage-like feature is its shape!). Like a well-raised child i ate all of the so-called "Spaghetti Carbonara", "Pesto" or "Gordon Blue" (this is not a joke, go to Lovina!) you served and even paid for it. I tried every place that promised "great burgers", only to find that none of them had just the slightest clue about the most basic rules of good burgermaking. I drank well-known cocktails like Caipirinha that seemed totally alien all of a sudden. I tried out every unknown fruit I came across (Jackfruit & Mangosteen: VERY good; Snakefruit: Interesting; Jasmin apple: Like watery apple; Rambutran: Lychee with tentacles, stone doesn't peel nicely; Durian (aka "Stinky fruit"): Run away unless you like Papaya+Onions+Garlic taste in your fruit!). I took a Thai cooking course and learned about your special ingredients, your three kinds of basil and your seven kinds of ginger root. I don't mind the neon-colored desserts in Thailand, and I have to say I did find some really interesting tastes wrapped in Palm- or corn-leaves. I say "Bring on the rice!", even though I'm a pasta- and especially potato-lover (I do miss the potatos quite a bit though). I like Bali/Java coffee in the morning, I love black rice pudding and balinese Tapioka- and Rice crackers, and I actually need my daily dose of Yakult drinking yoghurt. I drink Arak like a Balinese man and Samsong like a Thai. I eat Sate and other stuff in Thai and Balinese food stalls. I can even live with the napalm-level hotness of your dishes that seem to incinerate every carbon atom in my body..
In other words: I'm not the least bit afraid of new tastes and of trying out new local food. But honestly: Is it too much to ask for to take the fucking bones out of the meat before you chop it up to little bits? Do my teeth look like dog dentals? Is this some kind of "crunchy frog" joke I just don't get?
Sincerely yours,
Daniel
Donnerstag, 5. Juli 2007
Hi Padangbai!
Six years ago I stayed almost 10 days in Padangbai, they have two really nice beaches here and really awesome snorkelling. I went back to Mahayani Losmen where I stayed last time, and I was happy to find the place was still there and just as cheap as before!..
Last time I was here, sitting on the veranda of the temple-like front of the rooms reading a book, some lady walked in, asked about room prices, wrote something down and was about to leave again. I did ask her if she was from the Lonely Planet, and it turned out she actually was. So i checked a newer edition of the Bali Lonely Planet, and sure enough: Mahayani was added.
Strangely enough Wayan, the owner, didn't even know! Probably the place is just too hard to find, since it's in some really small back alley. So I urged him to make some signs showing the way and pointing out that it's recommended by the Lonely Planet, let's see if this gets more people to come..
I really do love it here. I'm having a great time with Wayan's three kids (the fourth one, a Legong dancer, left home already) who absolutely love playing with all my electronic and mechanic gear. They can shoot pictures and movies with my camera for hours, and also my cigarette rolling machine is hugely popular. So is the flickering lighter i got in Kuta and ofcourse the iPod. Yogi, the third one, 11 years old, plays some mean chess, although he tries to cheat all the time he's still way better than me! ;-)
Yogi and Sina, the smallest girl, showed me the dance performances they learned (ofcourse I had to pay them 10.000 rupiahs each! ;-), they're pretty good already.
Today i went snorkelling, and i was relieved to find the coral here is still as beautiful as it was six years ago, the fish seem even more varied and amazing than back then. I snorkelled for 4 hours and time just flew by, i must've taken 300 pictures (ofcourse, most of these will be deleted, but you just can't see if the picture is good underwater, so you just take lots and lots!). I saw Trumpet Fish, Parrot Fish and loads more I don't know the name of. For a second or so I even saw Nemo (Clown Fish) inside some branchy coral, unfortunately I didn't find him again.
Shock of the day: Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of snorkelling in waters where you saw actual live sharks six years ago (no man-eating ones, but still sharks!) and suddenly hitting a floating cactus with your foot....
Last time I was here, sitting on the veranda of the temple-like front of the rooms reading a book, some lady walked in, asked about room prices, wrote something down and was about to leave again. I did ask her if she was from the Lonely Planet, and it turned out she actually was. So i checked a newer edition of the Bali Lonely Planet, and sure enough: Mahayani was added.
Strangely enough Wayan, the owner, didn't even know! Probably the place is just too hard to find, since it's in some really small back alley. So I urged him to make some signs showing the way and pointing out that it's recommended by the Lonely Planet, let's see if this gets more people to come..
I really do love it here. I'm having a great time with Wayan's three kids (the fourth one, a Legong dancer, left home already) who absolutely love playing with all my electronic and mechanic gear. They can shoot pictures and movies with my camera for hours, and also my cigarette rolling machine is hugely popular. So is the flickering lighter i got in Kuta and ofcourse the iPod. Yogi, the third one, 11 years old, plays some mean chess, although he tries to cheat all the time he's still way better than me! ;-)
Yogi and Sina, the smallest girl, showed me the dance performances they learned (ofcourse I had to pay them 10.000 rupiahs each! ;-), they're pretty good already.
Today i went snorkelling, and i was relieved to find the coral here is still as beautiful as it was six years ago, the fish seem even more varied and amazing than back then. I snorkelled for 4 hours and time just flew by, i must've taken 300 pictures (ofcourse, most of these will be deleted, but you just can't see if the picture is good underwater, so you just take lots and lots!). I saw Trumpet Fish, Parrot Fish and loads more I don't know the name of. For a second or so I even saw Nemo (Clown Fish) inside some branchy coral, unfortunately I didn't find him again.
Shock of the day: Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of snorkelling in waters where you saw actual live sharks six years ago (no man-eating ones, but still sharks!) and suddenly hitting a floating cactus with your foot....
The Bemo Experience
I chose to go to Padangbai by Bemo, firstly because i thought that the Perama price (100.000 Rupiahs) was way too much and secondly because I hadn't travelled by Bemo this time, and i felt I should, because i always liked it!..
I knew that Balinese people pay 20.000 Rupiahs for the whole trip from Lovina to Padangbai. In the end I made it, changing Bemos like 5 times, for a mere 42.000 Rupiahs - hooray! And for this I had to fight HARD, these Bemo drivers really do stick together once they realize you do not know the actual price absolutely 100%! So NEVER EVER a) ask how much it is, b) show in any way you don't know where you're going or what it costs (e.g. taking out the Lonely Planet in the Bemo is a BAD BAD idea i noticed!) - Wait with asking which Bemo you need to go next until AFTER you paid, and make sure the Bemo-drivers don't talk to each other!...
And if you ever hear the sentence "How much you pay?" after entering the Bemo - Run for your life and look for another Bemo! This means they somehow got the idea you just chartered the whole Bemo and they can charge you Perama-prices!
What you do is you get a lot of thousands and 5000s and then at the end you just give the driver a few thousands (or maybe a 5000, depending on the length of the trip!). If it's too little, he'll tell you, don't worry! ;-) It's a bad idea to carry 10.000s, 20.000s and 50.000s, because then you'll have to get change back from them, which ofcourse they'll be very reluctant to give). If he's trying to get you to pay outrageous prices after you get off (trips that may cost more than 5000 would mostly be 1 hour minimum!) just laugh, give him a thousand more and walk away (it does help to remind them they're a freaking Bemo and not Perama I noticed!)..
Well, it was one hell of a trip (about 4.5 hours), and more than once i thought i was stuck in the middle of nowhere. But it was worth it, i learned a lot about the Bali mindset and also got to see some beautiful scenery (awesome rice paddies!) and coastline on the way!...
I knew that Balinese people pay 20.000 Rupiahs for the whole trip from Lovina to Padangbai. In the end I made it, changing Bemos like 5 times, for a mere 42.000 Rupiahs - hooray! And for this I had to fight HARD, these Bemo drivers really do stick together once they realize you do not know the actual price absolutely 100%! So NEVER EVER a) ask how much it is, b) show in any way you don't know where you're going or what it costs (e.g. taking out the Lonely Planet in the Bemo is a BAD BAD idea i noticed!) - Wait with asking which Bemo you need to go next until AFTER you paid, and make sure the Bemo-drivers don't talk to each other!...
And if you ever hear the sentence "How much you pay?" after entering the Bemo - Run for your life and look for another Bemo! This means they somehow got the idea you just chartered the whole Bemo and they can charge you Perama-prices!
What you do is you get a lot of thousands and 5000s and then at the end you just give the driver a few thousands (or maybe a 5000, depending on the length of the trip!). If it's too little, he'll tell you, don't worry! ;-) It's a bad idea to carry 10.000s, 20.000s and 50.000s, because then you'll have to get change back from them, which ofcourse they'll be very reluctant to give). If he's trying to get you to pay outrageous prices after you get off (trips that may cost more than 5000 would mostly be 1 hour minimum!) just laugh, give him a thousand more and walk away (it does help to remind them they're a freaking Bemo and not Perama I noticed!)..
Well, it was one hell of a trip (about 4.5 hours), and more than once i thought i was stuck in the middle of nowhere. But it was worth it, i learned a lot about the Bali mindset and also got to see some beautiful scenery (awesome rice paddies!) and coastline on the way!...
Lovina Beach
Last time i was on Bali, i didn't have the time to visit Lovina Beach. And it seems I did not miss much, there wasn't much happening (almost dead at night, although they were atleast trying by having bars and even live music, unlike Ubud!) and not alot to see there. I went for snorkelling and to the nearby hot springs one day. Snorkelling was okay, lots of fish, but the coral was almost completely dead - someone should tell the tourists not to touch them or step on them more often i guess! I got to try the underwater thing i got for my camera for the first time, and it actually works: I did shoot some pretty nice pictures, and no water got inside!
The hot springs were nice though, sulphuric water from the volcano is weird to swim in. I skipped on the Dolphin watching, since I've had this by coincidence in Padangbai when i went shark fishing already.
There aren't many tourists on Bali right now, even though it's high season, and even less seem to find their way to Lovina. So the hawkers on the beach are pretty desperate, and they won't even leave you alone when you're reading a book (which is usually the case). But they're only trying to make a living, so i did buy some of their handmade merchandise, which was pretty nice - small stuff i can carry, cause my backpack is completely stuffed already, mostly with Terry Pratchett books! ;-)
The hot springs were nice though, sulphuric water from the volcano is weird to swim in. I skipped on the Dolphin watching, since I've had this by coincidence in Padangbai when i went shark fishing already.
There aren't many tourists on Bali right now, even though it's high season, and even less seem to find their way to Lovina. So the hawkers on the beach are pretty desperate, and they won't even leave you alone when you're reading a book (which is usually the case). But they're only trying to make a living, so i did buy some of their handmade merchandise, which was pretty nice - small stuff i can carry, cause my backpack is completely stuffed already, mostly with Terry Pratchett books! ;-)
Coming back to Ubud
I've been here six years ago on my first trip to Asia, and i really liked it. Nightlife is even more non-existant than six years ago (=the only bar in town closed), but i knew that before i came. I met Jenny from Scotland on the Perama Bus and we found a really nice cheap Losmen called "Arjuna House" just across the alley from where i stayed last time.
Full ceremonial gear for the Galungan festival: Headgear, Sarong, Sash (waistband) and long sleeves...
Like planned i had a good dose of Balinese scenery, festivals and performances. Jenny and me saw Monkey Forest, Galungan at the local temple, the Kercak Firedance, Wayan Kulit (Shadow puppets) and the Legong Dance, which is still the best and a must-see event for anyone visiting Bali.
Kercak dance - No Gamelan, just alot of chanting men. At the end some guy on a hobbyhorse kicks around burning coconut shells
The Jauk demon-solo-performance in the Legong Dance
Special Ubud dance (Legong)
Behind the scenes of Wayan Kulit (basically a glorified Punch-and-Judy-show (Kasperletheater))
We also went on a one-day trip around the Batur Area, saw lots of temples (big celebration on the Holy Fountain temple, really nice!) and Mount Batur in the mist. It had been raining all day long before, so we were lucky that we barely escaped the rain this day. Strangely enough my favourite stop on the trip (besides the Holy Fountain) was Sai Land, where we were shown all the stuff they grow and process there (Coffee, Cocoa, various Balinese/Asian fruit).
Full ceremonial gear for the Galungan festival: Headgear, Sarong, Sash (waistband) and long sleeves...
Like planned i had a good dose of Balinese scenery, festivals and performances. Jenny and me saw Monkey Forest, Galungan at the local temple, the Kercak Firedance, Wayan Kulit (Shadow puppets) and the Legong Dance, which is still the best and a must-see event for anyone visiting Bali.
Kercak dance - No Gamelan, just alot of chanting men. At the end some guy on a hobbyhorse kicks around burning coconut shells
The Jauk demon-solo-performance in the Legong Dance
Special Ubud dance (Legong)
Behind the scenes of Wayan Kulit (basically a glorified Punch-and-Judy-show (Kasperletheater))
We also went on a one-day trip around the Batur Area, saw lots of temples (big celebration on the Holy Fountain temple, really nice!) and Mount Batur in the mist. It had been raining all day long before, so we were lucky that we barely escaped the rain this day. Strangely enough my favourite stop on the trip (besides the Holy Fountain) was Sai Land, where we were shown all the stuff they grow and process there (Coffee, Cocoa, various Balinese/Asian fruit).
Reunion in Bali
I met the Aussies Natalie and Bec again in Kuta, i first met them in the Tropical Garden on Kho Phi Phi. Alex from Sweden also joined us - unfortunately Ted couldn't make it, because his temporary passport wasn't good to enter Indonesia. Alex had two other swedish friends with her though to keep her company, and two nice dudes from Canada completed the merry bunch. The Aussies and me stayed in New Arena - pretty posh place, really expensive, but very nice rooms. If it only wasn't for the Gestapo lady at the reception, who was after the money like Uncle Scrooge!
We hit the Kuta clubs after some warm-up Arak Attack boozing at the OZ room in New Arena (I played "I never" for the first time - fun! 8) and had a fucking awesome night. I'd say this was my best night on the whole trip so far, even beating the last night in Kho Phi Phi!
Thomas from Sweden overdid it with the boozing and had to leave us early, but the rest went on till 4am, first in the Bounty Club and then in Embargo. Kuta may not be like Bali, but it sure can be fun! ;-)
Goodbye Australia! See you again in Malaysia!
From Thailand to Bali
So I flew to Bali via Malaysia. Unfortunately i had to shell out 5000 Bath (100 Euro) for a plane from Kho Samui in order to make my flight from Kuala Lumpur - and all because i was woken up 30 minutes too late and missed the ferry+bus i had already paid for. You bargain all the time, look for the cheap rooms, save 100 Bath here and there, and suddenly bam: 5000 Bath (Bangkok Airlines owns Kho Samui - Their slogan is "The Boutique Airline" - Maybe someone should tell them that "boutique" as an adjective only means "horribly expensive for no reason")..
Well, I guess stuff like this just happens every now and then, and the flight sure was more comfortable than a bus. And i found this amazing shop in Kho Samui that builds movie characters (Alien, Predator, various Starwars characters, Terminator) from scrap metal. A 2 meter Alien is yours for only 50.000 Bath - including free shipping, which is certainly a bonus, since nobody wants to check in 50 tons at the airport. I ended up buying a small Alien to hang on the wall (900 Bath), which I've been carrying around in my backpack since, hoping it doesn't break until i send it home..
Hans-Rüedi Giger would just love this - or maybe not, since I'm pretty sure he doesn't get royalties from this! ;-)
Well, I guess stuff like this just happens every now and then, and the flight sure was more comfortable than a bus. And i found this amazing shop in Kho Samui that builds movie characters (Alien, Predator, various Starwars characters, Terminator) from scrap metal. A 2 meter Alien is yours for only 50.000 Bath - including free shipping, which is certainly a bonus, since nobody wants to check in 50 tons at the airport. I ended up buying a small Alien to hang on the wall (900 Bath), which I've been carrying around in my backpack since, hoping it doesn't break until i send it home..
Hans-Rüedi Giger would just love this - or maybe not, since I'm pretty sure he doesn't get royalties from this! ;-)
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