On to Bali via K L

19/3/2013

Handing over the van went without any problems which is how it should have done, how can you make a heap of scrap look anything else? The camperman seemed a bit miffed when I told him the front tyres would be illegal in the UK but he was ok about it and gave us a lift to the airport.
Some hours later, as we crossed the Australian coast, south of Brisbane, we realised how much further we had to go. Like all air travel the journey was rather tedious but at least we were on an aircraft with enough legroom, the food was pretty dire though.
Kuala Lumpur airport is very smart and after a mooch around the shops we found a bar with some comfortable armchairs. We had a couple of beers then settled down for the night.

20/3/2013

We departed Kuala Lumpur just after 9am after a reasonable night and 2 ½  hours later we found ourselves in the madness of Denpasar airport Bali. The usual hassle followed having to queue to buy our visa’s ( US $25 each ) then queue at immigration before standing in line once more at customs. All forms to be filled in ask the same questions, why one form for all isn’t used is a mystery. Through the scrum and there was Indy waiting with a nice car, Jonno the driver, ready to take us to a hotel he has found us up in the Central Mountains region.
 It was good to see Indy and he has come up trumps with this hotel though it is a bit pricey. The hotel has good and bad points like the lack of a fridge in the room and no kettle. There isn’t a house phone, which we found rather odd so if you want to make a cup of tea  ( there are tea bags cups and saucers and sugar provided ) you have to wander off to reception, a 5 minute walk, ask for hot water, then go back to your room and within minutes hot water is delivered. A kettle would be far easier.
The position of the hotel is superb and being so high in the mountains the temperature is a good deal cooler than at sea level. The hotel’s claim to fame is that David Bowie once stayed here and there is a plaque on the wall says so………… Well it actually says he stayed for a coffee in 1996
The food is pretty average with a limited menu but the dining area has spectacular views over the valley towards a volcano and is surrounded by a typical rainforest garden.
Indy has left us here to chill out for a couple of days then we will phone for him to take us back down the mountain to, probably, the town of Sanur which is a bit more lively with a good choice of restaurants and bars.

21/3/2013

 Our comfy bed with it’s fancy mosquito net is just what we needed after a month in a tin box followed by a night in an airport. We crawled out this morning onto a small veranda and sat looking at the magnificent view. From here we can see mountains and rain forest and in the distance the north coast of Bali. Unfortunately being up so high, we get lots of rain clouds rolling in so one minute the mountains are there, the next they are gone.
 After Breakfast we wandered down the road to the local village of Munduk, dodging the manic motor cyclists and crazy car drivers who all think they are Lewis Hamilton. There is not a lot to the village, just a steep road with a few shops and warungs on either side. There seemed to be great excitement in the village and when we asked what was going on were told that there was a wedding taking place in one of the houses. The house entrance had been decorated with a huge arch in beautiful silks, hand made wicker ornaments with lanterns and other stuff. We hung around for a while and had a sprite in one of the warungs, but we didn’t see any of the wedding party.
 At another shop we bought a packet of coffee Luwak for about £10 which seems expensive but single cups of this go for $50 in Australia. We will give it a go back in the U K. At dinner we had a traditional Balinese band playing for Balinese dancers. We didn’t see any of the dancing, but listened to the music which is very different.  Two xylophone type instruments and a flute with about 8 notes. Melodious but never ending.


 22/03/2013
  When Indy dropped us off here at Puri Lumbung Cottages (our hotel) the other day we sort of made a plan to go site seeing today but nothing was cast in stone. However Indy and driver Jonno turned up just after breakfast and away we went. We were taken further up into the mountains where the real Bali is, no tourist traps up here. Stopping every now then to take photos and buy exotic fruit from roadside stalls. We tried Durian, a big spiky fruit similar to jack fruit , eating just the slimy middle. I didn’t mind the taste but Jane thought it was nasty. . We had mangosteens which we have had before ( and like) and also lizard fruit, named  because  of its’ skin. Then we had Cerorin (pronounced ch/ts roing)   that looked like jersey royals but once peeled tasted a bit like lychees.
  Half way though the morning we stopped for a soak in some hot springs used mostly by local Balinese. We were charged 35p for the privilege. Jane had paid a fortune for a similar soak in New Zealand. The springs’ hot water is fed into three baths similar in size to small swimming pools, each one a different temperature but none of them too hot.
 From the baths we dropped down out of the mountains to look at the north coast of Bali where there is some tourism but  not a lot as it is a long way from the airport. Here we had lunch, our shout , about £30 for 4 three course meals and bloody good grub. The northern beach resort of Lovina is a bit shabby and has black shingle for it’s beach with hawkers wandering up and down trying to sell Bintang  T shirts, wrappers and plastic dolphins. We had thought about staying up there but now we have seen it we are glad we didn’t. Anyway, we are nuffed with mountains and are moving down south to the coast at Sanur tomorrow.

23/3/2013

Our stay in the mountains was excellent and we had a very pleasant time but three nights is probably enough. Once we had walked into the village and had a look round and wandered the hotel gardens, there wasn’t much left to do. We could have gone trekking in the bush but we think our mountaineering days are over. So we paid our astronomical bill ( mostly bar ) and came down out of the clouds with Indy and Jonno to Sanur and the same hotel we stayed in over a year ago. We have negotiated a long stay room rate getting a reduction of US $20  per night off the usual rate.
 On the way down the mountain we came across a large group of monkeys by the side of the road with a mongrel dog living amongst them, not sure who bossed who! We stopped at a lookout above a lake where we took photo’s. We could have had our pictures taken ( for a price ) with a huge fruit bat or an enormous python that a couple of blokes were hawking around, we didn’t bother.
Now it’s chill out time, a month by the pool or beach, probably a few excursions with our Mr Fixit, Indy, or anything we fancy.