Where 10 Bali, Indonesia --OR-- Heaven is an Erupting Volcano

Hi,

Just a few things done in Indonesia - starting in Medan (from Singapore via Penang in Malaysia)on the island of Sumatra, and then down through the island (on some incredibly long and uncomfortable bus journeys)for 2.5 weeks, to Jakarta by 33 hour ferry, through Java via train and bus, then by boat to Bali, Lombok and back to Bali.

The Most Spectacular:

- Mount Bromo in Java at sunrise was the most spectacular natural wonder I have ever seen - a huge crater containing an active volcano (only steam though) backed by another huge volcano belching clouds of steam - you'll have to see the pictures words cannot describe it !! We went down to the active crater and walked approx 1km round the rim which was only 15cm wide in places, a sheer drop on either side and crumbling as each person walked round it. There was one point where I was hanging on for .... something ..... just trying to get across whilst all the locals were almost trotting round it in their flipflops. It was a TOTAL experience the best morning I have ever spent (though some bits I may decline to do again !!)

- Mount Merapi, also in Java (the most active volcanic island in the world).
We went up at midnight to watch the lava coming down the sides (it glows bright red in the dark) and when we eventually did see lava it was bright red rock crashing and bouncing down the slope at an incredible speed (hundreds of miles an hour) and sending off fountains of sparks every time a huge lump hit the ground - absolutely incredible. Over the following few days I heard several stories of people being killed when they got just that bit too close.....

- Lakes Maninjau and Toba in Sumatra - Beautiful lakes set in volcano craters. Toba is supposedly 850m deep in places making it ... deep. The water was really clear and the p a c e
o f l i f e w a s s o s l o w . . . . . And it was so cheap US$ 3 for a lovely room with great balcony views in the top hotel...... sod the culture, I stayed there a while......

- Oran Utans in Sumatra - we went to a rehabilitation centre where they take them from captivity and make them wild again (takes about 7 years). The semi-wild apes come out of the jungle to feed from a feeding station and seeing them in their natural habitat is incredible. They are closely related to humans and it shows. They just hand around (literally - ever seen an ape hang on to branch with one hand, hand on to its baby with another whilst holding a banana with a foot and peeling it with the other foot) and chill out watching us watching them !

- Borobudur in Java - A fantastic circular Buddhist temple on many levels with some really unusual touches, great form and some very well preserved reliefs (2.5km of them) all in stone and built before 850 AD.

- The people in some of the poorer bits of Jakarta; dark narrow alleys with small houses crammed into any available space - but the people are so friendly (the friendliest I have met in any large city) even though most spoke no English, and some of the few people in Indonesia who weren't trying to get money out of me. They gave me a kite which I was trying to fly from
their tiny backyard and I ended up having a kite fight (with another kite) although I was blissfully unaware of this until they exclaimed in unison 'You've Lost' as my kite tumbled earthwards ...........

- Gili Nanggu near Lombok - a tiny island where there were only about 10 other foreigners and a few locals - great snorkelling (huge variety of fish, superbly colourful soft corals etc) and so relaxing i'm yawning just thinking about the place .......

- Another Full moon Party - a tiny affir with only about 50 people but it really mushroomed !


The Least Spectacular

- Travelling in Sumatra - my worst journey so far - 20 hours on a bus where there wasn't enough room to sit up properly - it helps if you know the person next to you quite well !

- the cities of Sumatra - more rats, pollution, mess and awful accomodation than anywhere else I have been.

- travelling on local transport in Bali - it just isn't worth the hassle. I had to bargain for nearly an hour to pay only 6 times more than the locals and just for a 10km journey !

- 5 am prayers. They even stopped the bus so all the muslims (90% of passengers) could get off and pray. And then there are the loudspeakers on every mosque ! Christianity and Buddhusm are definitely in favour at the moment as they are 'quiet religions'. I even had my head shaved as the first step to becoming a Buddhist monk but changed my mind .......


The Summary:
Samatra is Stunning
Java is Fascinating
Lombok is Relaxing
Bali is a touristy Rip Off


Anyway, about half way round the planet now in distance and time, and now for something completely different. I'm off to Oz and looking forward to seeing the Wizard !!


Luv Pete