Kuta in Bali, then a weekend in Singapore, then back to Bali

Thursday 25th August

Last night in Ubud I went to a food stall at the end of the road. A Husband and wife make Murtabak which is like a big savoury pancake with veggies and eggs and garlic. At the same time they make sponge cakes. I watched them stir the cake mix in a big pink bucket and then pour some of the mix into a flat tin on the gas stove. When it was ready the wife added chocolate, peanuts and condensed milk. so I ordered Murtabak, followed by cake and both were so delicious, food heaven. And both so filling. I was stuffed and waddled slowly back to the hostel.

I checked out this morning. It was a bit rainy but I soon got on a bemo to Batubulan then another to Tegal where I changed and got another bemo here to Kuta, the tourist mecca of Bali. After a bit of wandering, two helpful local guys pointed me towards this nice losmen (cheap hotel).

I walked to Kuta beach; coming out into the bright sunshine and seeing the surf and all those white bodies, I felt a bit like I had returned to the real world after 6 weeks in the rest of Indonesia. There are of course lots of Aussies here. The beach is ok and I sat watching the huge surf breaks. I walked along the Beach Walkway that runs parallel to the beach but is mostly in the shade. There were some lovely-looking luxury resorts along there.

I visited the Memorial Wall that holds the names of those killed in the Bali bombings. I had late breakfast then lunch and checked out the way to the airport for tomorrow. Also it is the Idul Fitri holiday weekend; this Muslim holiday marks the end of Ramadan so many people come here to see family or have a holiday so vacant rooms are at a premium so I was also sussing out places for when I get back. So I ended up going for a much longer walk than intended, around the backstreets of Kuta.

Back in the tourists area I bought a second hand LP that I was hoping to find. There are lots of western-style restaurants here and everything a tourist could need. Being a backpacker, I headed away from here and had dinner at a local's restaurant.


Friday 26th August

Well, considering my hotel was pretty close to the middle of Kuta's nightlife, I got a fairly good night's sleep with my earplugs in; the room was only vibrating a little from the pumping dance tunes. Funny, ten years ago I would have been out all night dancing too, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

I checked out and walked to the airport, it was a bit further than the LP indicated but I had plenty of time to stop for breaks. At Denpasar International Airport I got a flight to Singapore. I didn't particularly want to come to Singapore but I need a new visa so that I can have another month in Indonesia. I might have been able to extend my visa in Indonesia but there is potential for stuff-ups with that so I will just make the most of a long weekend in Singapore.

Took a while to get out of Changi airport but then on the skyrail and then the nice clean train into town. I got off at Bugis MRT station which is in the basement of a multi-level food court, and it was Friday night rush hour and everyone was walking slowly while looking down at the ipod/phone, so it took ages to get up to the street. It reminded me of rush hour at home. It was the first time I have seen skyscrapers for a while but the atmosphere is nice and it is not sterile.

I have a dormitory bed on the roof of the Cozy Guesthouse. The roof is sheltered but is open to one side and I can see the open skies from my bed.

For dinner i took the MRT to Geylang where there lots of chinese restaurants; I could have had turtle soup or chilli frog but I got sweet and sour pork with rice, tofu and chinese vegetables. There are big HD TVs outside the restaurants and customers sit watching Chinese soap operas while having dinner. There were a few 'massage' parlours there, and a couple of mosques.


Saturday 27th August

It was pouring with rain when I woke this morning, so I slept in a while. Breakfast is free at the hostel. After 6 pieces of toast and 2 coffees I headed out. I walked round to Marina Bay and the Singapore Flyer - the Ferris Wheel, but it was closed, like some of the shops. I since found out that it is quieter here this weekend because it is polling day. I saw the Theatre on the Bay. I walked through part of the Colonial area including the Padang sports park and the Cricket club and some old colonial buildings. And the Merlion fountain in Merlion Park and the huge Casino. After Thai for lunch I visited the small Thian Hock Keng Chinese Temple.

Next was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, which was excellent. It is five-storeys high and impressive on the outside and the inside. The main hall on the ground floor houses large Buddha statues and thousands of miniature ones too; it is a very colourful place. Monks in yellow gowns were leading ordinary worshippers in their chanting.

On the 4th floor is the elaborate room where Buddha's tooth is displayed; but it is only displayed there on 2 days of the year, the first day of Chinese New Year and on Wesak Day (and is not likely to be authentic). The room is sealed off and only viewable through a glass window. The notices brag about the room containing lots of gold as a tribute to Buddha's greatness but from what I know, Buddha was a bit more humble than that. On the 5th floor is a pleasant garden and a large Prayer Wheel. On the 3rd floor is a Buddhist museum containing relics from around Asia and telling the full story of Buddha and his life. Some of it was interesting, some of it I already knew.

I visited the outside of the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple which looks like the one in Madurai. Next I walked through Chinatown, which, as in most Chinatown parts of big cities, means a lively market. This one is set among colourful shophouses. As I walked back up towards the hostel it started to rain so I took shelter under the overhang of an office buildling. But I got moved on for loitering! A tall Indian guy came around the corner and said "You can't loiter here. I can see you on my security camera. If you stay here the Police will come." And he did point to the sign high above my head that said No Loitering, which I hadn't seen.

Back at the hostel I had a cat nap and was woken by the fire alarm going off but nothing happened. I went out to find football on TV. I had already done a bit of a reckie earlier and found a small food court with a widescreen TV. I got dinner and sat there with a few older guys who were drinking beer and some of them dozed off as it was quite late. I got to see 3 games and chatted to a young local guy called Asim. His Grandparents came here from China and Pakistan, met and lived in a village and integrated with Malays, so he speaks Malay as well as English.

Asim told me that at school everything is in English but you also study the language of your background, so he studied Malay and a kid with a Chinese background would study Chinese. The 2 guys working in the hostel spoke the Chinese dialect of Hokkein together. Asim served a a police officer for his 2 years of National service.


Sunday 28th August

After toast with radioactive orange sickly-sweet jam, I went out sight-seeing. I walked to Raffles Hotel,named after Stamford Raffles, the first Governor of Signapore. I walked in the courtyards and peeked inside; they didn't seem to mind the rif-raf hanging around, although going into the actual hotel bit was only for the super-rich. I had a look around a shopping mall since my sandals will soon need replacing; the mall was busy this Sunday lunchitme, the Singaporeans like their malls. I found the National Museum but was too lazy to go in.

I walked to Little India. As soon as I crossed the invisible boundary into Little India, an Indian guy offered me a plate of the vegetarian food the Indians were sharing; this happened sometimes in India, very hospitable, but I wanted to look around first. The first temple was very colourful inside and there were guys in just sarongs and paint on their foreheads carrying incense and holy water from shrine to shrine, it was a bit like being back in India.

I walked towards the other temples and found myself in an area totally different from the rest of Singapore. The streets are lined with colourful shophouses where Indians own the stores and restaurants. But it is different from India because there are no cows in the street, no rickshaws and no trash; it is probably like Indian neighbourhoods of London or Birmingham.

I visited a couple more Hindu temples, a Chinese Buddhist temple, and also the Sakaya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple. Otherwise known as the Temple of 1000 lights, this temple houses a 15m high, 300 tonne Buddha, surrounded by fairy lights, as well as smaller Hindu deities. At the small of Buddha's back there is a small door to stoop through and inside is a large reclining Buddha wearing a gold-coloured sash; I liked that. Around the outside the story of Buddha is told through words and dioramas.

I walked along the mainstreet and some sidestreets it was just good wandering around. I had samosa chaat for lunch; whereas this is just a snack in India, here it was a huge plateful of tasty goodness that I just about managed to eat.

I visited the Muslim area called Kampong Glam, where there is a large gold-domed mosque. There was a nice atmosphere but the shops were a bit exclusive and I was tired by then so I walked back to the hostel via another mall. Back at the hostel I had a cat nap.

In the evening I went back to the same food court as last night. There were even more guys there tonight to watch the two big games. I wasn't hungry so just drank banana milkshake then a coffee. I sat with an older local guy and we talked about football and his work/travel in IT services. Most of the local guys sitting around us were United fans so they were pretty happy with the game and I enjoyed watching it with them.

Monday 29th August

I checked out and left my bag in reception as walked over to Little India. Had Channa (chickpea) Masala and rice for lunch. A bit rainy again today. Train and Skyrail to airport for flight back to Bali.

Back in Kuta, a bit of ringing round and found a room. Got motorbike 'taxi' from the airport. I know what things cost now and speaking a bit of the lingo makes it easier to negotiate a price.

Hiking in Tirta Gangga, cycling, walking, dancing and relaxing in and around Ubud

sorry it's a bit long, you might not want to read it all in one go :')  

Friday 19th August

I checked out of the family homestay in Amed and got a bemo 30 minutes to Tirta Gangga (Water of the Ganges). I wanted to go for a walk around the villages and the paddy fields. I managed to get a passable not-to-scale map from the hotel and set off at 9:30am along the main road.

After about 10 minutes I found a fantastic viewpoint across the rice fields. They are terraced in places but the area is basically flat. My map suggested I could walk across the fields to Tuaka and I found a steep narrow track down into the fields where a couple of women were working. I said 'Selemat pagi' (Good morning) and they didn't seem to mind me being there. Another guy gestured for me to take the long way round, I think he had some animals in his barn that he did not want me to disturb. So I picked my way around the maze of narrow paths along the top of each small rice field.

Further along I came across a group of friendly guys who asked me for 'smokes'. Instead I gave them my chocolate biscuits which seemed to make them happy and they gave me directions. I met another older guy who had just finished ploughing with his two bulls. He was only wearing a t-shirt and undies and was up to his knees in mud. 

Along the way were small thatched homes, scarecrows in the garden and irrigation canals. I managed to use my stock standard Indonesian phrases to get directions and they pointed me in the right direction; it was fun. I  saw a metre-long, slimy brown snake slither up a small embankment, he was hidden in the grass before I had chance to take a photo. Eventually a guy pointed me alongside a narrow canal and I came out on a proper road, which was a bit of a disappointment really but from there I walked to Tauka.

From Tauka I walked through the village of Peladung, exchanging greetings with locals and school kids. At the main road I walked towards Amlapura, stopping for lunch and internet. I turned around before Amlapura and took the road toward Bura Keling with no particular destination in mind; 'Jalan Jalan' means 'just walking'. I passed a few old temples and then some beautiful green and orange fields.

With more helpful directions I headed towards Tanah Aron (a temple) but couldn't get a good idea from the locals about how far it was, but the walk was uphill and it was nearly 4pm when I decided not to go any further if I wanted to be sure of getting home before dark.

Using the map I started walking another way back down the hill. I passed more villages and had a bit of chat with some friendly villagers. Just off the road was a group of guys carving volcanic stone for nearby temples. They asked me for smokes so as an alternative I offered them biscuits but they were not interested in that and I felt a bit silly for offering!
Anyway, across the road was a courtyard fronted by a stone wall that looked like something from the Flintstones. Beyond it was an amazing Balinese Hindu temple with the usual scary human and animal elaborate carvings. The 3 ladies there didn't speak English so I didn't learn much about it but it looked fascinating and I did get them to write down the name of the village - Desa Umanyar. I wish I had stayed longer but the ladies were shadowing me and I felt rushed.

I kept walking to another village which seemed to be decorated ready for a festival, but again I couldn't really understand what was going on. At the end of the village I took a left along the narrow canal, pausing to give some bathing ladies chance to cover up and then covering my eyes as I passed. With another guy's help I came out back on the main road near my hotel, at about 5:45pm.

The Water Palace was still open so I had a look round. One of the pools holds some Balinese style statues, there are two bridges decorated with dragons, and a large water fountain; it is much better than the Water Palace in Yogjakarta and a good place to finish a long day.

I really enjoyed my hike today, its great to out in the countryside away from the tourist spots, I didn't see any other tourists today.


Saturday 20th August

Egg and toast and coffee for breakfast and then onto a bemo through Amlapura to Subagan. Then a public bus a couple of hours in some heavy traffic along the coast and inland to Gianyar. The bemo slowed down a couple of times so that the guy who collects the money could make an offering of flowers and incense to the spirits at the shrines along the way, to ensure a safe journey. A nice lady on the bus gave me 2 mangosteins. From Gianyar, or maybe it was somewhere else, I waited on the corner for only about 15 minutes before a bemo picked me up for the last 10kms to Ubud.

I dragged my bag around the centre of Ubud and the backstreets looking for a cheap place to stay, but it is expensive here because there are many tourists because there are many cultural things to see and do in and around Ubud. Anyway, after 45 minutes I found a cheaper, nice place 1km out of town, thanks to the LP. The family is nice and I have a big room, ensuite with hot water and breakfast included, which is relative luxury for me. I am used to cold showers/bucket baths now but it's quite cool in the evening so a warm shower is good.

I have 5 days here so I am in no hurry. I walked to the centre of town and had a look around. At the main market I saw mainly souvenirs, some of it looks mass produced and you can buy lots of tat such as miniature rock-group-themed guitars (e.g. Kiss, AC/DC) and even boomerangs with Aboriginal patterns on them. Still, I have yet to visit the temples and there should be plenty of things to see and do outside of the centre. I came back to the hotel and pottered about here while listening to some Indian music I got in Rajasthan. My room is an individual brick building set in a garden among other more elaborately decorated rooms.

In the evening I headed out for dinner and to watch the football. I thought my only choice was to watch it in the expensive expats sports bar, but along the way a small local restaurant had a TV showing Shaun the Sheep and I took a chance and asked if they would be watching the football later; the staff guy said "Yes, I always watch the football", so I had dinner there and watched Liverpool beat Arsenal. By coincidence a guy from Taiwan who I shared a dorm room with in Jakarta was also in there.

Not suprisingly after so long on the raod, things are starting to fall apart; zips are broken, my pockets have holes in and my laptop's memory card reader is faulty.


Sunday 21st August

I rented a decent mountain bike and headed out of Ubud. The roads were fairly busy but I know how Indonesian traffic works now. After about half an hour I stopped at Goa Gajah (Elephant cave). Dressed in my sarong I went down the stone steps and at the bottom is a pool with some female statues pouring water into the pool. The small cave is carved into the rock face and thought to be 1000 years old. You enter through the mouth of a demon and inside is a small lingam representing Shiva and also a statue of Ganesh, the elephant god.

Back on the bike I visited Pura Samuan Tiga temple which is pretty similar to the other temples in Bali. They sometimes seem to me to look run down and abandoned although there were a few locals walking through, and one or two interesting statues. A bit further up the road was a cremation ceremony.

I got on to the main road to Tampaksiring and passed through some roadside villages and some rice paddies. What I hadn't known was that the road to Tampaksiring is virtually all uphill; not always very steep but a gradual unrelenting ascent for about 12 kms. I had to stop for a rest quite often, and usually did so when I saw a local whom I could ask "Berapa kilometers?" (How far?). I should have had more breakfast, I was exhausted and felt a little faint! It made me think about how tough those Tour de France guys must be (the ones not on drugs, that is.)

The steepest part was going through Tampaksiring but eventually I came to the entrance for Gunung Kawi. After lunch I walked down steep steps, with other tourists, between the lovely rice paddies. At the bottom are ten 8 metre high shrines cut into the rock. There are 4 on one side of the river, 5 on the other and the other one is a km away. Well it was fairly impressive but not overwhelming. There was a normal temple there and a Chilean TV documentary crew.

My reward for making it up the hill was that for most of the way back down the hill to Ubud I was freewheeling, stopping sometimes to take photos. I did take a different way back into town that did involve some very steep uphills so I just got off and pushed. I got some nice pictures of some girls working in the rice paddies; they were smiley. But some other young girls at the roadside were grumpy with me because I did not have pens to give them; even 2 biscuits each did not appease them.

Although I was starting to be over looking at temples, I stopped at Pura Pucak Payogan temple because there were lots of locals there and something seemed to be going on. There were some guys carving and some other men and women were crafting offerings. I asked a lady why and she said the offerings were to celebrate the temple's birthday on the 30th of August. The work was clearly defined along gender lines. I was curious as to whether this many people can afford time off work to do this. The lady said that after the birthday they will probably be at another temple, so maybe it is their full-time paid job?

I went for a ride around the south of Ubud but got a bit lost so came back the same way. I was ready for a rest then anyway after 7 hours with the bike. I had dinner here at the homestay.


Monday 22nd August

Today's mission was to do two of the 8km hikes shown in the LP. I walked down Monkey Forest Road to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary where there are monkeys in the forest! We watched the monkeys play fighting and chasing eachother around and sitting on tourists heads and taking bananas from people. I went into the temple but started to think I have seen enough temples.

I walked out of the back of the sanctuary down to the main road and off the road along a track through the rice paddies. Eventually I came out on the road to Penestanan. There are many artists' shops along the way and some of the paintings looked interesting but I am not really into that and the shops are not pushy.

Back in town I had lunch and then started my second hike. I crossed the small river and then walked up the ridge along a concrete path and past some more rice fields and local artists to a small village; it seemed more peaceful and remote up there and I preferred it to this morning's walk. After the village I walked along the (sometimes steep) main road back to Ubud.

In the evening I walked to Ubud Palace in the town centre to watch the Legong traditional dance performance. It started to rain beforehand so they moved us across the road to a sheltered meeting pavilion. I was pretty near the front and had a good view. There were two instrumental performances and 6 different dances accompanied by the Gamelan orchestra. For the first dance, 6 ladies came out in bright gold and maroon dresses and elaborate headresses. They dance with jerky synchronized moves and a kind of half smile. I don't know how they remember so many intricate movements. I watched the dancer closest to me; she was wearing blue and pink eyeshadow and she would quickly move her pupils from side to side while keeping her head still. The way she did it looked freaky and demonic.

There was a warrior dance, a dance to entertain a king, a dance representing youth, the Bumblebee dance about a courting couple and finally a mask dance. Each dance was kind of similar but with different outfits. It was very entertaining, with the music, although maybe each dance was a bit long at about 10 minutes since it was all a bit the same.


Tuesday 23rd August

Today was a day off. From sightseeing I mean. Mostly. I slept in then did some washing. I wandered into town and did some chores. Town was very busy, the centre was gridlocked with aircon vans. I went to Ubud Palace but visitors are only allowed into the front bit so it didn't take long to look around. I went into the Water Palace which was nice, with lilies in the ponds. Some bartering for fruit in the market. I bought some bananas to give to the women and children who beg in the street. It is difficult to know whether they are genuine but I figure giving them some fruit does no harm. Mangoes for me!

For dinner I again went to a local's restaurant where you pick and choose what food you want. I didn't used to like such places as the food is mostly cold, but I like it now. I had tofu, tempe, rice, a potato fritter, jack fruit and curry sauce. Again the Taiwanese guy I had met in the hostel in Jakarta was there, we had a good chat.

Wednesday 24th August

An even more relaxed day than yesterday. Mostly hanging around the homestay but I did go to the bookshop and also I bought a new money belt as my old one has finally fallen apart. Will pack my bags tonight for Denpasar/Kuta tomorrow.

Amed, Jemeluk and Tulamben, in East Bali

Tuesday 16th August

I left the hotel in Lovina at 8:30am, heading for Amed in East Bali. First I got a bemo (local minibus) 5kms to Singaraja city, then across town in another bemo from one terminal to, well, another bemo at the roadside. The driver was taking his family as well as passengers to Amed. His wife and daugther were friendly and I chatted to another local lady as we went along. The road was broken in places, but mostly ok. The bemo takes a little longer than the tourist shuttle bus because it stops to take on passengers, but it is much cheaper and you get to hang out with the locals. For a while the bus was jam-packed with ladies and their large baskets of fish, veg and tofu, I couldn't see my bag under all of it, but actually it was being supervised in the front seat.

They dropped me off in Amed which was fine. Unfortunately the driver had decided to tell the tourist that the price was now 70,000 rupiah rather than the 30,000 we had agreed before I got on the bus. I kept my sense of humour and gave him 40,000 since that was kind of what I had originally expected. It was just a bit disappointing after thinking that I had had a nice time with his wife and daughter and then the guy tries to blatantly rip me off. So there were no happy farewells to the wife and family, I just walked off without saying thanks or bye. Very mature of me!

When this happens I find it harder to trust and be patient with the next local person I negotiate with and I was not going to just accept the first room I was offered, and there were plenty of offers. But a German guy pointed me towards a warung (small family restaurant) where a lady had a room available in her house and after having a look, I accepted. It is a small brick room round the back of the family home, past the chickens and the small shrine wearing a checked sarong. She said her son sleeps here when they don't have guests so I feel bad about her son being ousted but I am glad that my cash is going directly to a local family rather than some resort. There are plenty of places for the mozzies to get in so I put up my mozzie net.  

Isabelle and I had a plan to try to meet in Amed, since we were travelling here seperately. Text messages were not working and the beach is pretty long so we were both surprised how easily we found eachother on the beach.

I walked a km along the beach to Jemeluk and got in the ocean for some snorkelling. The water was really clear and the coral and fish were good. I liked the fish that had purple and yellow horizontal pin-stripes. The sand here is volcanic black, to the west stands Gunung Agung, the volcano that erupted killing thousands of people in 1963.

There is a bar playing reggae across the road, seems like a tourists cliche.


Wednesday 17th August

We got a bemo to Tulamben which is famous for it's shipwreck, a WWII cargo ship called USS Liberty. It is only about 50 metres offshore so easily accessible for snorkelling. After settling down on the pebbled beach I swam out to where I could see other snorkellors and soon enough the huge bulk of the rusted ship came into view, about 10 metres below, running parallel to the shore. It is covered in brown coral which is at it's best on the far side. Some of the scuba divers had Indonesian flags attached to their equipment, as it is Indonesia's Independence Day.

The second time I went out to the wreck I followed some scuba divers and along the wreck and we came to a huge school of thousands of silver Jackfish, each one about the size of a chopping board. They were swimming around together in a spiral circle from the sea floor to the surface, all in the same direction, round and round like on a roundabout. The sun was shining through the water onto them and they looked translucent. At times, air bubbles would come up from the scuba divers and the fish would swim through the light and the bubbles and it was a fantastic sight. I swam through the fish until I was surrounded and watched them quietly swim around me. I enjoyed swimming round and round with the fish more than the wreck. I could have gone diving with Isabelle but I figured it wouldn't be all that different from the snorkelling and I am saving my diving for later in my trip.

By the time we were ready to head back 20 kms to Amed our transport options were limited so we had to hire a guy with his private vehicle. Apart from the flags under the water, there were no Independence Day celebrations around here, it seems you have to go to the bigger towns.


Thursday 18th August

This morning Isabelle left for Ubud; it was fun travelling together for 10 days, she was a good travel buddy and friend. After 2 pancakes I walked along the road 2kms to Jemeluk and with some helpful directions found the rocky path heading up to Gunung Seraya (1175m). It is a 6 hour round trip to the top but I was never going to walk that far as it was a really hot and sunny day with little shade along the way. At first the path was steep and not well defined. The first time I stopped for a rest my heart was pounding.

The path became much clearer and I saw a few small small villages along the way but not many people, only a few yappy dogs who ran away as soon as I picked up a rock. As I got higher I turned round for great views of the ocean, the coastline and Gunung Agung. After an hour I came to a concrete water tank with pipes attached, so the locals do have running water. I found a great viewpoint looking down between two ridges to the sea so I sat there and ate bananas, drank water and read my book.
On the way back down I met a girl and her brother on their way back from school, her English was really good.

After lunch at the family warung and some chill out time out of the sun, I headed along the beach to snorkel at Jemeluk again. The water was clear and I saw some crazy-looking fish again, I wish I knew their names. I walked back slowly and sat on the beach to watch the sunset over a small peak behind Gunung Agung, I felt very lucky to be in such a lovely place.

Lovina, in the north of Bali

Saturday 13th August 

This morning I walked the 3kms to the centre of Lovina and to where I had yesterday booked my snorkelling trip; I arrived just before the agreed time of 9am but there was no one there, but then the self-proclaimed 'Captain of your ship' arrived and hurried me around to the beach on the back of his motorbike. Just as we got there, my boat zipped off into the distance. It was ok, they put me on another small boat with 3 Parisiens.

The boat went out about 1km and then we jumped in. The coral was mostly brown but it looked good and is still alive I think. I watched a few big fish chomping on the coral, having their breakfast, and there were lots of smaller colourful fish. We sat on the boat and chatted for a while and then headed back after a pleasant start to the day.

I was just looking through a locked gate, into a cemetary when an older local guy came up to me. He seemed friendly enough and we started chatting. After I had said I live in Australia he said his name was Gooday (G'Day); I assumed he was joking but Gede is his real name, a common Indonesian name.

Anyway, we talked a little about Hinduism (the main religion in Bali) and India and karma and he (inevitably) showed me some of the jewellery he had for sale. But he seemed to be genuine in his conversation and not just being the friendly salesman. So I asked him about the cremation ceremonies we had heard about that are supposed to take place in Bali this week. He told me about it and I asked him if it was appropriate for tourists to go and observe and when he said 'yes', I asked him if he would take us, as our guide. I definitely wanted a guide so we can be sure that we 'culturally sensitive'(!), and that we don't upset anyone, and so that he could tell us what was going on. So we agreed a price and we will meet G'Day tomorrow morning. Of course, he gave me a lift to his jewellery store, but there was nothing I wanted to buy.

Lovina is a bit touristy and there are quite a few locals hassling you to buy tours or trinkets but wandering the streets this morning there was a nice atmosphere. There are quite a few stone shrines and temples dotted along the streets and also some stone archways across the roads. The stone carvings usually include mystical creatures with sinister, evil looking faces. The shrines usually have a black and white checked sarong around the lower part of them; one lady told me this is so that they are in balance  with humans, since humans are also normally clothed; we don't want to see naked temples. The shrines often have a yellow or white umbrella on the top also.


Sunday 14th August

After breakfast we met G'Day and his son and we went off on motorbikes to the nearby village of Tukad Mungga where the cremation ceremony was taking place. We passed through the village centre and parked up in a field where there were already many other bikes, and groups of people sitting on the grass. During the day G'Day explained what was happening but some things were lost in translation so this is just my understanding of what we saw.....

The cremation ceremonies happen once a year, or maybe less often (maybe). It involves cremating the souls of those who have already been cremated when they passed away. While the Balinese are Hindu, theirs is a variation on the Hinduism of India and I think this ceremony is unique to Bali. G'Day had asked us both to wear sarongs, like the locals, so I wore my sheet/sarong and it suited the occasion perfectly.

Before we arrived, the relatives of the dead had removed some soil from the grave of their deceased relative(s), and this contains the soul of the person. (It is not only the recently deceased who are involved, it is anyone deceased from any time). The soil is then gathered into a rattan(?) basket along with some other offerings. When we arrived small groups were sitting with the baskets.

We moved along to watch the Gamelan orchestra play, like we saw in Java and Sumatra, I really like the music, especially the gong and the wooden whistles. The players invited us to sit with them while they played, some of them know G'Day so we felt comfortable.

G'Day then ushered us back to the field where the burning had begun. The relatives set fire to the rattan baskets; it was quite a scene with the baskets burning all around. Once it has burned itself out the ashes are placed in a clay bowl and mixed with holy water. The holy water is brought by the distinguished-looking holy man who has an refined grey beard and wears a king's crown

The ashes are then wrapped in white cloth and placed in half a coconut shell. The relatives sat with the coconut shells under a marquee and a holy man addressed them and they prayed. We sat under a tree and waited. G'Day pointed out that there was a group of mourners who were not burning baskets. These relatives have lost young family members and these deceased are not cremated in the same way.

G'Day had said that the cremation ceremony involves the 4 elements; earth, wind, fire and water. I can see that the soil represents the earth and burning is the fire element. The next stage was 'water'. The relatives left the marquee and on bikes and in cars and the back of utes, they carried their ashes 2kms to the beach; we went ahead of them. At the beach there was Gamelan music again and some prayers. Then the mourners took turns to take the ashes and other offerings down and into the ocean. It was fairly chaotic and the sea was left with a lot of debris.

I didn't exactly understand, but some of the mourners pulled a white rope out of the water, apparently pulling the soul back onto dry land. They then walk around in a procession, doing a little dance as they go; this is to represent happiness that the soul has been retrieved from the sea. They then take the soul to a temple in the village for the end of the ceremony. At that stage we felt we had seen enough so we left the relatives there and G'Day and his son brought us back to Lovina.

I suppose you could call it a communal cremation. It was not really a somber occasion. There were a few tears but also some smiles. Like in India, these things are all wrapped up in the ritual. I also thought that either deliberately or otherwise, by mourning together, the people are supporting eachother, sharing their loss. It was certainly very interesting for us and I was glad that we had employed G'Day to come with us.

We had lunch and then walked along the beach and sat on the black volcanic sand for a while.



Monday 15th August


First chance in a while to sleep in. We walked to Lovina along the beach rather than the busy road. There were a few obstacles such as boats and small estuaries and dogs. We passed by the back of people's houses and their cows and chickens and pigs. After second breakfast at noon we went to the beach and sat on the black volcanic sand, under the shade of trees. I had a short swim, the water is pretty churned up but it was ok. We chatted and read books and enjoyed the calm beach atmosphere.

There were many hawkers at the beach; almost every few minutes somebody would come by trying to sell sarongs, or massage or fruit or drinks. It gets a little tiresome and you start to feel bad saying 'no thank you' all the time. Young kids come by with menus offering soft drinks. Maybe this is child labour? What happens to the money they make? Well one 11 year old girl said it was to help pay for her schooling and we wondered if this was true. A short while later G'Day came by to chat and he told us that, yes, parents have to pay towards their child's education at Junior High and Hign School. If the parents can not afford it, then the kid just does not go to school; that's pretty bad.

In the evening we went to the nearby rasta bar where a reggae-type band was playing their versions of Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and of course Bob Marley; they were good. I had an orange juice, I haven't had alcohol for ages, simply because at this stage I don't want to spend money on things I don't need.

The amazing sights of Bromo and Ijen volcanos in East Java, and on to Bali

Wednesday 10th August

In Malang, I met Isabelle at the dutch cafe and we got a bemo out to the bus station and we were soon on another bus, 2 hours, to Probolinggo. At Probolinggo bus station, Toli came to meet us; Toli is organising our trip to Bromo and to Ijen. We took cycle rickshaws to the hotel, whereby the passenger sits in the front and the driver cycles from behind, it was fun. Probolinggo is a one-long-road town.

Had a lazy cat nap in the afternoon and only woke up at dusk when the mozzie bites started to sting. Toli came by and told us the plan for the next couple of days and we paid him 750,000 rupiah each (about $85 each). We went out to the supermarket to get some fruit and snacks. The female shop assistants soon gathered around and made a fuss of us and two of them insisted on escorting us around the shop, carrying our shopping baskets for us, it was sweet, and funny; maybe they do that for every customer?

We got our small backpacks ready for the morning......


Thursday 11th August

At 2:30am we were picked up by our driver in a snazzy Toyota 4x4, for our trip to Bromo. Bromo is one of 3 volcanos within the 10km wide crater of another volcano, and a popular tourist destination for itself and for watching the sunrise. I did not do too much research beforehand as I prefer not to know exactly what to expect. After a couple of hours drive we arrived at a village near Bromo and after a short wait in an alpine style restaurant we piled into another 4x4 with a french couple and a Bavarian guy. Another 30 minute drive uphill and then we got out and started to walk up to the viewpoint, with a quite a few other tourists (mainly Dutch and French), a half hour dusty walk, but not as cold as we expected even at around 2300m.

We got to the viewpoint before 5am and it was still dark so we were not sure which way to look but soon there was some light on the horizon so people started to gather together and we managed to be kind of at the front of the crowd of about 100 people. The increasing light in the distance ahead of us was cool but I also started to notice that to my right and below there was a desolate grey space and beyond that I could just make out the volcano in the crater, beginning to emerge in the light, it was ash grey. This was far more interesting than the sunrise and I was captivated as I hadn't known it was there.
Over the next hour more light gradually shone on the crater revealing the 3 volcanos: the closest and most striking volcano, Bromo smoking to the left and another volcano behind; the scene definitely looked like it was from another planet. Mars? It looked like the front cover of a sci-fi fantasy novel except it was right there, for real. Definitely a trip highlight.

We stayed at the viewpoint until the sun had come up over the distant hill and then we walked back down to the 4x4. We were then driven down into the crater and hopped out again. With the other tourists we walked across the crater floor about 800 metres and then up some improvised steps, up the side of Bromo volcano. When we reached the lip of the volcano we were able to look down into the crater and see bellowing gas coming from within. This was pretty spectacular too, although I preferred the volcano in Sumatra since we had conquered that by ourselves and without other tourists around.

The 4x4 took us back down to the village and our driver took us back to Probolinggo where we had late breakfast and packed our bags. At 11:30am a different driver, Herman, picked us up in the same car, for our journey to Ijen Plateau. Herman was a great guy, with good English and we had some interesting conversations with him. He has worked for Toli for 4 years, they were at school together, but inbetween Herman has worked in a hotel, got married, had a child and lived in Kalimantan. His son lives in Bali, his wife lives in Surabaya but Herman lives in Probolinggo because that is where he can earn money. He says his Grandmother is 115 years old, but we are not convinced! He fasts only on the first and last day of Ramadan: "better than not all", he said! He also told us that Toli has 2 wives and that it is still fairly common for men to have more than one wife.

The journey took us to the north coast of East Java and then inland along some very bumpy broken roads. A good road passed through the forests and hills and we arrived at Hotel Aribika in the Kebun Kalisat coffee plantation at about 5pm. The room was nice but the only choice of meal was a 'buffet' which was well over-priced and not much food so I had a bit of a whinge about that. I was asleep by 10pm......

Friday 12th August

And at 3:30am we packed our stuff up, had bread, boiled egg, jam and coffee for breakfast then Herman drove us to the Ijen Plateau. We arrived at the start of the hiking trail at about 5am and didn't see any other tourists at that point. Herman pointed us towards the path and off we went into the darkness, with just a head torch. The path was a bit slippery with dust and gravel and a bit steep. We soon came across a sulphur collector. These men collect huge slabs of sulphur from the Ijen volcano and it is used in products such as medicine and cosmetics. They carry about 80kgs in each load.

As we walked up, daylight emerged and we could see some hills and we looked down on the clouds. There were a few monkeys in the trees. As we got closer we could smell the sulphur from the volcano and I coughed a bit and you can feel it up your nose and in your throat. About 6am we could see the the ridge of the crater; it looked lunaresque but when we got to it we could not see down into the crater because of the cloud. We walked a little way down into the crater to the viewpoint and I could just make out through the clouds, some of the workers down below.

A local guy said we would have to be patient and wait for maybe a couple of hours for the cloud to disappear. So in the meantime we walked back up to the lip of the crater and further along the ridge. After only about 20 minutes we stopped, the clouds had disappeared and we were able to see right down into the turquiouse crater lake, with the yellow sulpur rock and the gas spewing from one side. And beyond the crater we could see forest and hills. Then the sun came up and lit up the lake, it was a beautiful sight and we just sat there and enjoyed the scenery with only a few other people around.

At about 8am we walked back down the slippery path and to the car park and met up with Herman. He drove us away from Ijen along more broken roads, and through some lovely little villages and rice fields. We stopped briefly to look at some coffee plants and beans in a coffee plantation, all of which are government owned. We were a bit sleepy in the back seat and woke up when the car stopped in Ketapang, the port town for the ferry to Bali.

we had lunch, said goodbye to Herman, and after a longer than expected wait, a bus picked us up and drove us across the road to the car/passenger ferry. The ferry took us from Java to Bali and we put our clocks forward by one hour; it only took about an hour on the ferry but it seemed longer since I was a bit tired and impatient as well as looking forward to getting to Bali. Our understanding with Toli was that our tour included the bus to Lovina, here on Bali's north coast, but upon arrival in Lovina the money collector said we had to pay. I think he was honest and the mixup was elsewhere so we paid up. So except for that small hitch, Toli's tour was very successful and he provided what he had promised.

Before the trip, I hadn't wanted to take a tour to Bromo and Ijen since I prefer to work things out for myself but the accommodation at both places was booked out when I called last week (booked by the tour companies of course). I imagined that the tour would mean being cramped into a minibus with 10 other tourists, but it was just Isabelle and I in a comfortable Toyota with our own driver for 36 hours and we never felt rushed or obliged to head back to the car. It wasn't so much of a tour, more the case of hiring our own driver.

Watching the volcanos at Bromo emerge into the daylight, and sitting perched over lake Ijen were two unforgettable times.

Malang

Monday 8 August

I walked to the Dutch bakery cafe and had a dutch pastry and cake for late breakfast. Dutch Isabelle from Yogja, and her friend Sebastian, came by looking for the same place so they joined me and we spent the rest of the day together. We walked through the town to see the dutch colonial houses but they were not very inspiring. We went to another bird market; a guy was buying crickets which the stall owner scooped out of a box with his bare hands. I asked the shopper what the crickets were for and he said they were for his bird and without hestitating he threw a cricket up into a bird in its cage, through the bars, and the bird starting munching away. They also had owls and small monkeys for sale though I don't know why anyone would buy a sick animal.

I expected Malang to be nicer, it's ok but still a bit noisy and average-looking. The park near the mosque was ok, and we walked to the Chinese temple. I finally allowed myself a McDonald's ice cream, now that my stomach seems ok.

Tuesday 9th August

I met Isabelle and Sebastian at the Dutch cafe and we got a bemo to the bus terminal and straight on another bemo to Singosari. It dropped us off on the main road and we walked along to the Hindu temple. Although today we went to see temples, it wasn't so much about the temples as the getting out into the countryside on a bit of an adventure. But Candi Singosari was ok, and nearby were a couple of stone guardians. Here we met Russian Cyril and invited him to come along with us.

Back on the main road we got a bemo a bit further along and then got off and walked along another road looking for Candi Sumberawan (a Buddhist stupa). We didn't really know the way but asked the locals for help and they kept saying it was 2kms away. Well, it was further than that and we walked through a few villages greeting the locals as we went. We stopped to watch a woman who was etching designs onto ladies shoes, by freehand. The men had carved the shoes out of wood.

Eventually, with the Russian rushin' ahead, we made it to the signpost to Candi Sumberawan. We walked alongside a small canal and past some small paddy fields; now we were in the countryside. After less than a km we came to the stupa, which again was not spectacular, but it was set in a pleasant garden and we sat on a rock under a tree and rested and made plans for Bromo for tomorrow; Cyril went off in search of more temples.

We headed back and after a while flagged down a ute carrying building materials. Isabelle got in the front and Sebastian and I sat on the stones in the back. The ute took us most of the way back, and by chance we ended up back near the first temple; it was 6kms so I am glad we didn't walk all the way.

Back in Malang we had late lunch of fried chicken, chips and veg. Then we went to a coffee house where I had strong Javanese coffee and then sped off to the internet and then sped back to the hotel, stopping for noodles with chicken and veg from the foodstall across the road.

So today we today we achieved our goal of seeing the Javanese countryside and having a bit of an adventure.

Yogjakarta, Borobudur, Gedung Songo and Malang

Friday 5th August

Last night I went for my final evening stroll along Marlioboro Street. There was a group of young guys playing Javanese music with traditional instruments, I must find out the names (gundung?). The band was really good and some older local guys danced and even coerced some shy but brave white girls to dance with them, it was a fun atmosphere and a good send off for me.

This morning I walked down Marlioboro street and caught the bus out of town to Jombor, and from there onto a bus to Borobudur, 1.5 hours. A longer than expected walk brought me to this large brick and bamboo hotel at the other end of town. It seems quite posh but I have a cheap, clean dorm room to myself so keeping a low profile.

I hired a good bike and went for a leisurely ride. Rode out to the Buddhist Mendut Temple, 3kms. Inside the small temple is a large Buddha statue that is unusual because he is seated western-style, rather with his legs crossed. The outside of the temple has excellent intricate carvings. There is a big banyan tree in the courtyard and I visited the monastery next door, which has a Buddha statue that was a gift from the Buddhists at Nara in Japan.

I rode back into Borobudur and it was so quiet because it was Friday lunchtime, like a ghost town. I carried on through and out the other side of town to explore the surrounding villages and countryside. I stopped on a bridge to see a couple fishing with a net in the river. Further on I stopped to chat with and get directions from a nice older guy. The scenery was beautiful: green fields (growing tobacco plants, unfortunately) and low mountains in the distance, it did seem to be different from places I have been before. There were people working in the fields, and kids and adults flying kites. I chatted to a few people and they were nice. The countryside is beautiful and seems a millions miles away from the big cities.

After about 2 hours on the bike I happened to look back to see where I had come from and was surprsied to see the massive Borobudur temple (which I will visit tomorrow). It must be huge cos I was a long way from it. And then I looked up and for the first time saw Gunung Merapi (Mount Merapi, Merapi means 'Fire Mountain', it really does look like the dangerous volcano that it is).

I cycled as far as the next village (Karang?) but then my stomach started to get funny again so I turned around and headed back. Had to dive in to the bushes and relieve the pain in my stomach at one point; was ok after that.

Today I saw a lizard (of a type I haven't seen before), baby chickens in a plant pot, a lotus flower, and a gaggle of large geese.


Saturday 6th August

By 6am I was waiting for the ticket office to open at the World Heritage Listed Borobudur Temple, the biggest Buddhist Temple in the world. I was the first one through the gate (except for a few who pay big money to be there at sunrise). I walked along the path and part of the temple comes into view. I quickly walked up the steps and turned round, and watched the sun come up from behind the volcano, the sun casting light on the early morning mist and the palm trees.

I went back down to the lower level and proceeded (as you always do with Buddhist monuments) to walk clockwise around the outside. After a circuit I moved up to the next level. The temple was built between AD750 and AD850 and has 2 million stone blocks, many of which have intricate carvings depicting Buddha, his mother, Buddhist stories and Javanese life. Each carving was made before being put into it's place. The sun shone brightly on the carvings facing east.

There were not too many people there and with a bit of maneuvering I was able to have some of the small outdoor corridors of the temple to myself for a few minutes to enjoy the atmosphere and the quiet while looking at the carvings in the temple and the mountains beyond.

I walked around the next two levels and then came to the to top level where there are 72 patterned stupas, each one hiding a Buddha statue, on another 3 terraces leading up to the top platform. The terraces are currently closed for restoration work but that was ok. I had a chat with a trainee guide who wanted to practise his English.
The temple has been restored more than once, and photos in the museum show that it was a mess before it was restored.

After a couple of hours I went and sat on the grass to eat an apple and look at the temple from a bit of distance. It was still quite peaceful; apparently during school term they sometimes get 30,000 kids a day! Really?

Back at the hotel I got two fluffy pancakes for late breakfast and then checked out and walked to the bus station and straight onto a bus (45 mins) to Magelang. The bus driver invited my bag and I to sit up front with him and I contentedly munched on the second pancake as we went. At Magelang the driver pointed to my next bus and I switched to a bus to Ambarawa while the traffic waited. Along the way it seemed like we were in volcano valley with craters in the distance on either side of us.

We arrived in Ambarawa after an hour or so and after lunch I got 2 minibuses to the junction for Gedung Songo; for a while I had my 20kg bag on my lap. At the junction I soon found a guy with a motorbike taxi to take me 3kms up the hill to Gedung Songo. The hotel was more than I had expected. My room and balcony have a view across the valley to a volcano, and another to the east. It would be too easy to just hop between the major tourist sites of Java, especially on a tour in an aircon bus! I was looking for a bit of an adventure and to get away from the tourists and among the locals so I was glad I took the time to come here, and the view is my reward! I had a short walk to check out the ticket office for tomorrow, it's a pleasant village.

While I was reading my book there was, I guess, a this-is-a-test type loudspeaker announcement. This was followed by the well-known emergency siren. I guess this is preparation for if/when there is an imminent eruption. This was followed by a fairly constant stream of Qur'an recitals; it sounded like a young child was getting some practice. Even when it stops you can hear it coming from another mosque in the distance. It's a bit chilly up here. For dinner I got tasty packet noodles which the guy cooked for me out the back of his shop.


Sunday 7th August

At 7am I walked up the hill to the Gedung Songo temples which are 6 Hindu temples spread out along the hillside. The temples are not so special but the views across Java are great; or they probably are when it's not misty. It was a quiet walk along a proper path with forest either side, and pleasant enough but you couldn't really make out the mountains in the distance. There was a stream of suplhur blowing from a hole in the side of the mountain; it was hissing and squealing and if it had been a kettle on a stove you would have rushed to turn it off.

After, my plan was to try to make it to Malang by tonight. And by 5 buses and 2 motorbikes, I did it. At 8:30am I got a paid lift on a bike down the hill then in a minibus to Ambarawa. There, a helpful old man knew enough English to help me, and from across the road I got a minibus to the bus terminal. From there I got to Saltiga. After a short wait I got a minibus but it was the wrong one, so I got off and soon flagged down another passing bus, to Solo. I could have gone directly from Solo to Malang but it seemed a bit quicker to go via Surabaya. From Surabaya I got the bus to Malang and then on the back of a bike to this hotel, arriving at 8:30pm. phew. Total time waiting around for public transport was virtually nil today; I always seemed to be able get straight onto the next bus. The scenery was good, mostly flat and green fields growing crops.

Until I arrived in Malang, I had only eaten one apple and a few biscuits, as I did not trust my stomach on the bus; evenso I had a few pains. Seems ok now. I got tasty noodles near the hotel. Started to watch the Community Shield match on the Tv in the lobby with a couple of the staff, but then the picture kept dying so we gave up.

Yogjakarta and Prambanan

Monday 1st August

Well it seems it probably wasn't last night's chilli that made me sick. I think I caught my travel buddy's virus; Tamara was sick for three days, until we arrived here in Yogjakarta and now I have the same symptoms: a high temperature, no energy and frequent visits to the bathroom. At least I have someone to whinge to and to bring me water. This comfortable hotel room has ensuite and and nice owners. I have been taking the rehydration salts and a few paracetomal. I did make it out a couple of times to meet Tamara for dinner but just got fruit to takeaway.

Tuesday 2nd August


A bit better today; went for a walk to the tourist information office, and the market. Bought some fruit but my stomach didn't approve. Had rice for dinner and that was better. It is frustrating as I was really looking forward to Java and this puts things on hold, but I still have plenty of time.

Wednesday 3rd August.

Mostly better. I walked down to the kraton, which is a palace area with a wall around it. The palace is still inhabited and has a sultan. There is usually a cultural performance on, but not during ramadan. When I first walked into the courtyard it looked nice and there are some colourful pavilions. Then there are many one-room buildings containing historical artifacts and photos mainly about the sultan, but very little information is in English so it didn't mean much, and like other tourists I seemed to be just quickly passing through most of it. In hindsight maybe I should have a hired a guide but normally that is information overload for me.

I had lunch from a small food stand and got chatting to a security guard; he speaks French as well as English so we spoke French together most of the time which was fun. Only after I had started eating did he say 'I am fasting'. Oops, I had forgotten it is ramadan; it is more polite not to eat in front of fasting muslims during this time. But he was ok, and his friend was eating. I asked him when he had last eaten: '5:40 this morning', and when he would be having dinner with his family, '6:40 this evening'. Anyway I struggled to eat a small plate of rice.

I walked through a kampung (village) to the water palace. I wasn't the only tourist who struggled to find the proper entrance. I had a rest in the part that has been damaged by war and earthquake and where kids were playing. When I found the main entrance, I just skipped along with the small Italian tour group as if I was with them before anybody asked me for the entrance fee. I wouldn't normally do that, it just kind of happened. The architecture was nice with some scary faces carved into it and there were some pools which made me fancy a swim. In the courtyard at the back I kicked a football around with some kids for a while, until some little old lady came out and seemed to be telling us to stop?

I had agreed with myself not to over do it today so I was back at the hotel by 4pm and slept for a couple of hours; crazy dreams. Just before dinner I watched the local young kids throwing fire crackers around the courtyard next to the alley, while the adults (their parents?) sat chatting - that would be scandulous at home. Had dinner with Tamara, the clean Dutch girl Isabella, and a German girl. Said goodbye to Tamara who is moving on tomorrow.

I had a walk along Marlioboro street. I like the atmosphere there at night and there were a few people playing instruments and locals just sitting and chatting. And not many tourists about; maybe they are in the pub with other tourists? The market stall holders were just packing up clothes and jewellery for the day; they have probably been there for 12 hours or more?

Thursday 4th August

I took the clean, efficient, local bus 1 hour to Prambanan to see the Hindu temples. I wasn't sure what to expect but when I saw them from the street I was glad I came. They date from between the 8th and 10th centuries and the 3 main temples are next to eachother; 1 each for Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. As I got close, 2 little teenage girl trainee-guides asked if they could guide me for a while. The shiva temple is still damaged from the Java earthquake of 27 May 2006 so we couldn't go inside, but we did go inside the other two, where there is a statue of it's keeper. And around the outside of each temple the volcanic rock is minutely sculptured to display characters and stories from Hindu stories and epics such as the Ramayana. The detail and artwork is amazing. My guide knew all the characters and the stories carved into the rock. Those stones that have been replaced since the earthquake have a small mark to identify them.

Opposite each main temple is a smaller temple where each God's transport was stored, apparently. We saw Shiva's stone bull which weighs 3 tonnes, we couldn't enter Brahma's other temple and when we entered Vishnu's smaller temple Garuda was not there; 'it's missing' said my guide. 'It must have flown away'. After I had thanked the girls and we said goodbye I took some photos and then walked up to the Buddhist Sewu temple which was ok.

The museum had some old temple photos and some intact sculptures. Outside, I got some great pictures of ants on a hose pipe.

I got the bus back to Yogja and on another one to the bird market. Not sure why I went there really, except its where tourists go. There were lots of small colourful exotic birds in cages for sale, most originating from Africa. If they were supposed to live in cages, why do they have wings? Sometimes there were 20 or 30 birds in one cage. I kind of felt bad taking pictures as it might indicate that I think it's ok, but then the sellers surely don't care what I think anyway. I also saw small snakes, mice, and rabbits in plastic boxes. There was a cage holding about 60 lizards, like the type we saw in Pulau Weh, but you could see that these ones were nothing like as healthy. And there were a couple of animals that I didn't really recognise (maybe feline) stuck in a box panting, looking miserable. I know it's a cultural difference but I still wanted to say to the sellers 'look what you are doing to this animal'. But there is no point, so I left.

Stomach still a bit strange but ready to move on tomorrow.