Its sort of appropriate that I ended one post and started another whilst driving across Bali. Why? Because Nyepi, the Day of Silence, is coming! (Actually, by the time this is posted it will by over.) But to prepare for this event people take to the streets, and we had to pause our drive to let this parade of parishioners pass. They seemed to be having a good time, and tho’ we were invited to “follow us to the temple,” we drove on to our next destination…

Our next stop was the Ulun Danu Beratan, a Shaivite Hindu temple, which kind of expands into a playground and amusement park next to Lake Beratan. Nice grounds, lots of statuary…

More of the Ulun Danu Beratan, our amiable guide Abraham, and a very cute species of mouse deer, more statuary, etc…

We stopped for lunch at Billy’s, another statue museum full of carvings, etc. Cool scooters and chicken curry…

Before arriving in Sanur, we had one more stop at a chocolate shop – actually a chocolate factory, Junglegold. After a free and educational dessert, we arrived at our hotel, Bumi Ayu, and said goodbye to our driver, who got alotta love for delivering us safely. I immediately had to take a walk to suss the sitch, including some fancy hotel action. Later, we had our farewell dinner and said goodbyes, tho’ some of us reconvened for Ogoh-Ogoh…

After breakfast on our last day of the tour, I spent hours trying to get legit wifi and a VPN. It took way too long, but resting for a day was both necessary and a Nyepi rehearsal. I eventually got out and took another long walk around Sanur, again scoping some luxury bubbles…

The next day, before switching hotels to the Swastika Bungalows, I rented a bicycle and did the Sanur bike path all the way to a mangrove swamp that featured a camel riding option and a couple of temples nestled deep in the mangroves…

Having hit a turn-around point (see GPS screen shot above) and having an agenda for the day, I went back and moved to my pool palace, taking a swim before heading out for Ogoh-ogoh. Pix from the path…

More pix from along the bike path in Sanur, from my last Bali hotel, etc…

In the afternoon, the Nyepi hardcore of our group met for drinks before going to appreciate the Ogoh-ogoh festival. We added to the growing crowd at what is called the “McDonald’s Intersection, but that seemed to be mostly tourists and after an hour or so, we started asking the barely effective traffic police for more information.

At one point, I left my seat on an intersection divider, and walked up a road. Eventually, I came to what was a staging area for a bunch of Ogoh-ogoh creatures. Rather than a parade as we understand them, this is more an event where the creatures and their entourage converge at an intersection (Macca’s, as the Aussies say), and swirl about and square off in a chaotic sea of people, gamelan players, and Ogoh-ogoh bearers.

This batch starts at the intersection before the mob completely descended, and a pic of Milos taking a pic of me from across it. It then shows the staging areas and the first part of the procession….

This next batch shows more of the mayhem in the giant moshpit of the McDonald’s Intersection. But these pix don’t capture the excruciating details of some of the swirling sculptures, nor the massive crowds swirling to the cacophony of the gamelan groups. Later, I hope to post more videos that show the undulating masses and the exciting soundrack. Note the guys profiling in the last three pix…

At some point, the excitement having crescendoed, the crowds slowly started to dispurse and a bunch of us started walking back to our respective hotels. After the craziness of Ogoh-ogoh the calmness and serenity of Nyepi was a relief. I slept in, spent the day reading and swimming, with no wifi or TV. I’d stocked up my hotel fridge the day before as it was forbidden to leave the hotel, and while I turned on a light or two for a spell, I honored the spirit of Nyepi and kept silent and contemplative most of the day.

With the exception of the last shot – the Bali Airport – the rest of these were taken by others and included in our Beautiful Bali WhatsApp group….

The next day I flew to tomorrow and back to yesterday – from Bali to Auckland to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Join me there won’t you…?

Our next destination was Mt. Batur, a technically active tho’ currently dormant volcano. We arrived at another cool hotel with a spectacular view of the volcano, the higher mountain leftover from the ancient caldera, and the large lake between them. Read the signage…!

To experience Mt. Batur, we left at 5:00 in the morning (not 3:00 – thankfully – due to cloud cover), and drove up to the temple at the base. From there, we hiked in the dark, eventually reaching the rim, albeit not the highest point. There were a few vents, but nothing like the action from Mt. Bromo. Instead, there were monkeys! Note the pix of the sunrise, and the young lady from whom I bought a present for the birthday girl. In addition to pix of tiny flowers and more signage, there’s one of our hotel back across the caldera & historic lava fields.

The first pic in this batch is from the Lakeview at Mt. Batur. The rest of them are of the Rambutan in Lovina where we got to spend two nights – very nice grounds, and two swimming pools. Note an interesting item on the spa menu…

I took a walk down to Lovina beach…

The next day we went to the Banjar Hot Springs to take the waters…

At some point we went to a local market to buy some fruit and take in some sights…

While at Lovina, we drove to where I’d already gone snorkeling – Menjangan Island – near the end of the Java trip. Slightly better equipment, slight different dive spots, similar sights…

Lots of coral, a few fish, and some bubbles…

More snorkeling off Menjangan Island…

This last batch from Menjangan Island includes some of the deer there.

After two nights in Lovina, we headed across Bali to our final destination: Sanur. But we had several stops along the way, the first being the Git Git Waterfall. Check it out…

Again, I am adding some pix from my fellow travelers. Some of these, including the drone shot, come from professional photographer Milos, from Australia (formerly Serbia), and a great guy (tank top in this first one)…

Writing from Sanur, post-trip, I’m planning to have only one more post from Bali, including a special event – Nyepi! Stay tuned…

Getting out of Ubud, we made a stop at a picturesque view of hillside rice paddy terraces. Note the work, the terraforming. Note the Chinese Tesla…?

We arrived somewhere on our way to Undisan to take a bike ride along some country roads and rice paddy pathways…

One of the stops on our bike ride – a family home in Bali…

A few of us were able to take a slightly more challenging, longer route through the countryside. We had a lovely lunch overlooking rice terraces…

The temples, and there are many, have a variety of statuary, similar but different. Communities are getting ready for “silence day” – Nyepi, and working on their versions of Ogoh Ogoh, the scary guy below. Note the varieties of offerings at the end of this batch…

We made it to the De Umah Eco Resort in Undisan, a particularly lovely place to stay, and they had bicycles, so four of us went off in search of waterfalls. A more rigorous ride, we did manage to find ’em and make it back…

Here are some pix of the De Umah Eco Resort…

The next morning we took a walk around part of Undisan, visiting a family that makes the metal ornaments for brides & grooms in a traditional Balinese wedding. (A couple of couples posed.)

Count on some temple pix everywhere, these as we walked through rice terraces, some of which had marigolds, essential in the many offerings at those temples, and everywhere.

We had a really great picnic lunch with coconut milk out in the fields. Afterwards, we had some flower tea that changed from blue to purple when you add lime…?!

Eventually, we made it to Sibetan where we had a home stay with different families. We arrived at their community center, saw their version of Ogoh-Ogoh, and went off to spend the afternoon with our respective families. Dr. Rob, an Aussie of English descent, and I were assigned to a family right next to the community center. Andi Goneng, the dad, greeted us and we had more than one conversation about his family and their village. We had bought some toys on the way, and they seemed to be a hit with the kids, who reminded me of Charlie & Veronica almost 20 years ago…

That evening we went for another non-restaurant-but great food dining experience overlooking the ocean on the east side of Bali in Pemuteran. At night you can see the lights of Penida and Lombok islands. We went back to Sibetan and watched the young folk rehearse for the Nyepi celebrations, and for some, to practice the gamelan. The next morning we had breakfast and said goodbye to Andi’s sweet family…

We took a walk through the village and spent some time at one family compound learning how to weave baskets. (It was challenging to see how the grandma was living, not to mention the pets, etc.)

Along the way our vivacious local guide – who had explained our dinner and played in the gamelan band the night before – explained a lot about the local plants, especially salat, also known as snake skin fruit, which this village is known for (and which would be horrible to harvest, the low growing fronds covered with spines & thorns)…

We went to another local spot for another delicious picnic lunch. Then, we had an arak tasting session! Arak is a local liquor (a step up from moonshine) made from palm trees and flavored with various fruits and flowers. From there, we motored on to our next destination, Mt. Batur…

I’m posting very early on a Monday morning before our ascent of Mt. Batur.

That’ll be next…

In my free hours, between tours, I visited the Museum Puri Lukisan, specializing in Balinese Art. Another great manifestation of fun landscaping…

The museum features some of the finest Indonesian Art, particularly Pita Maha style painting, unique to Bali, and similar to a particular exhibit in the National Museum in Jakarta (see my first post of this trip). Serendipitously, I followed the general historical pattern of old to new as I walked through the four building of the museum…

What may be lacking in perspective, is made up for in detail, as these do – and which I love. The intricate, the baroque, the Byzantine labyrinthine…

This next batch focuses on statuary, wood sculpture being another notable Indonesian art form. So, note the flowy, liquid forms…

More of Museum Puri Lukisan, going hard on the Pita Maha style…

This batch features more modern art, living Balinese artists, and some history. Walter Spies was one of the Pita Maha founders, and note the letter from RFK…!

This batch is from my walk back to the hotel from the museum. Nick’s has a great garden and one of the only bridges connecting to the main street…

The next morning we were driven to a spot outside town, given some instruction in Balinese religion – their variation of Hinduism – including making our own offerings, and we walked back…

Then, rather than going to the hotel, I kept walking on a scenic route through some rice paddies. First tho’, a school and some kids, and more objets Balineses. Note the shrines, the ducks, and the custom stepping stones, etc…

Note the craftsman above!

Note the barber below. And back to the hotel…

Before dinner we went to a Kecak Fire & Dance Show, which was perhaps more about rhythmic singing? Ya gotta know the story first…

Just leaving Nick’s Pension this morning – sadly. Perhaps there’ll be more Ubud, but this post is stacked. Thanks again…

On the way to Ubud Bali, the last stop on my first Indonesian tour, we witnessed a funeral procession. And we stopped at a view point to see two lakes, as we drove to experience coconuts…?

Next stop on the way to Ubud: The Taman Ayun Temple. Note the swimming lizard, the offerings (ubiquitous in these parts), the sculptors, etc…

Our local guide at the Taman Ayun Temple, and some vistas…

Lotus flowers at the Taman Ayun Temple, more angles & perspectives, some butterflies & flowers, etc…

My umbrella has proven to be a useful item, for both rain and sun. More of the Taman Ayun Temple, flowers and fish…

There was a movie theater and museum at the temple. Here are some photos & artworks. Parental Advisory: One of the pictures is rather provocative!

Some parting shots at Taman Ayun Temple…

Of the road and on the road…

Finally arriving in Ubud, we checked into Nick’s Pension. Like a lot of Ubud and this part of Bali, the art and nature are everywhere. These pix are all of the grounds…

After a rest, I took a walk around town. This batch starts with some local construction projects, and features mostly shops and shrines…

Are you starting to see some themes?

While I took a meandering loop through downtown Ubud, my destination was the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. These next few batches feature the many sculptures, trees, and monkeys found there…

Look at the teeth on that guy. Wouldn’t want to get bit, and to avoid that you’re not supposed to look ’em in the eyes! But that’s not hard ’cause they kind of ignore the humans anyway…

More of the sculptures, some signage, some panos, and of course, some more monkeys in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary…

In addition, I can’t get enough of the banyan trees and the koi ponds. This batch also features some of the monkeys who have left the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary for the telephone & power lines, etc…

Walking back to Nick’s. Found a cool shop full of carved skulls. This batch ends with our farewell dinner at a nice restaurant in Ubud. It was a great Intrepid group (again), and our tour leader Isa Al Islamy was outstanding…!

Part 1 brings my first tour to an end, but there’s a part 2 that features some hours in between and my second tour that focuses on Bali. Thanks for coming this far. Perhaps we can go farther (further?)?

Let’s go…!

We only stayed one night at the Margo Utomo Eco Resort, but it was lovely and had a pool. The next morning we went for a tour of an organic, multi-crop plantation and learned about coffee, cacao, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and a variety of tropical fruits. Cute kids & kitties, along with some tasty treats…

Next, we took the ferry from Java to Bali, first enjoying some crazy guys diving for money…

On Bali, we went to our next hotel, Kubuku Eco Lodge, an absolutely delightful place. This batch starts with a kind of welcome gate to Bali, and the welcome gate at our hotel. They acknowledged me, “Frank,” both in my room and on my breakfast plate (note the cool motorbike). Right off the bat, I took a walk around a lil’ peninsula not far from the Kubuku Eco Lodge, checking out the fishermen, some tidepools, and a cool Hindu sculpture/shrine. Note “that Pemuteran tree,” an angry lil’ dog, and more gates, in walls and on roads…

The next day we were free to choose among optional activities and we all went for snorkeling. We boated out to one snorkel spot, then another, and had some lunch on Menjangan Island in the Bali Barat National Park. This batch features views from the boat and on the island, some interpretive signage, and more than a few shots under the water. Unfortunately, the focus on my iPhone fails to capture the beauty. However, there has been some significant coral bleaching which may only get worse as the seas warm up due to global climate change. Hold your breath…

After a short rest and a brief dip in the pool back at the hotel, all the guys went fishing. Most of us caught something, but all were rather small. Nonetheless, the hotel restaurant cooked them up for us. Our captain was great, baiting & waiting. After dinner, there was a lil’ dance performance (note Andrew jumping in!) to end a wonderful first stay on Bali…

Again, for a last batch, here are some pix from my fellow travelers. Just one shot on Java, the rest from our Balinese adventures – Ian with his fish, me & Tony snorkeling, and our haul of fish…

This was the second to last full day of my first Indonesian tour. The next day we headed to Ubud where this round ends and the next one begins. Thanks for coming along…

After three wonderful days & nights in Yogyakarta, we took our third Indonesian train trip across Java. Hard to tell, but this first batch is all about trains: the engine in the locomotive, the train station, a dining car lunch, and the view! Choo choo…

We had to drive over an hour after our train trip to get to the Seloliman Nature Reserve – PPLH. Nestled in some jungly mountains, this ecotourism destination was more rural, very green, and hot. First up, some of us walked up to one of many Hindu temples – Jolotundo – in the local mountains. We observed some people taking the sacred waters, some homies hanging out, some unrestored ruins, a closed museum, and an open store nearby. It was a steep walk up, and a slippery one down. Back at the lodge, we had a wonderful homegrown dinner…

The next morning we walked through the Seloliman Nature Reserve – PPLH – discovering the herb & vegetable gardens, the many native plants & flowers, a few critters, and the swag in the souvenir shop…

Going beyond the Seloliman Nature Reserve – PPLH – into the neighboring village we discovered more flora, flowers, fungus, farming, and families, not to mention bugs, chickens, and 1945 – the year of Indonesian independence, etc…

More of Seloliman, especially the terraced rice paddies…

Back at the PPLH ecolodge, we had some lunch, then a demonstration on how to make secang tea…

An early dinner, because the next morning we were off at 3:00 am to explore Mt. Bromo…

After a vigorous drive up a windy road in Toyota Land Cruisers – which everyone uses – we arrived at the top of Mt. Pananjakan, overlooking Mt. Bromo in the Tengger Caldera – an active volcano. It was still dark, but a full moon lit the area as the sky lightened with the rising sun. In addition to the rising steam, we were offered an explosion of smoke that rose from the volcano in classic form. There were crowds and clouds, but it was a magical experience (except for the nimrods with the headlamps)…

More from the top of Mt. Pananjakan…

A little bit after 6:00 am we went back to our Toyota Land Cruisers and drove to a view spot…

Then, we drove to the base of Mt. Bromo in the Tengger Caldera and hiked up to the rim to look in. It was a long walk, first through sand, then up stairs to get there, but it was spectacular…

Many take horses from the parking area to the base of the stairs, but we did the whole thing on foot. As did a lot of fellow travelers. We saw the sights and made our way back to the vehicles…

After going back to our hotel for lunch and to freshen up, we drove on to Kalibaru and checked into the Margo Utomo Eco Resort. Along the way we saw some celebrations, and I took a dip in the pool before dinner…

This last batch is another collection of pix from our Whatsapp group taken by others…

Tomorrow we will leave Java and head to Bali…!

Friends, prepare for an extra-long post. Yogyakarta – AKA “Jogja” – has got a lot going on, and this is just some of it (but it’s a lot).

This first batch is random – gelati, street art, in the van, and some lovely lotus blossoms at the entrance to the spectacular temple complex of Borobudur…

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, and has a fascinating history, having been lost and buried for centuries. Indonesia does a fantastic job in restoring, preserving, and presenting its historical treasures, and Borobudur is just an example. This batch starts from afar, including the Essig boys, our local tour guide, and the volcanos in the distance.

Further down, you’ll find pix of Prambanan temple and the architectural similarities are obvious. Buddhism and Hinduism share a lot, including aesthetics. What is amazing is that fact that Borobodur dates from the 800s CE, and Prambanan is even older. Borobodur sports over 2500 relief panels mostly telling the story of Siddhartha. Here are just a few, our guide, etc…

This batch features the stupas at the top of the temple, each containing a statue of the Buddha. As above, there’s a shot of the volcano, Mount Merapi…

More of Borobodur…

How about a nature interlude? Butterfly, dragonfly, small flowers, big leaves, and a fungus among us…

After Borobodur, some of us took a walking tour of the royal palace in Yogyakarta. We had a local guide dressed like a palace guard, and like other palace tours, saw not just the buildings, but clothes and table settings, etc…

Next, we visited a puppetry workshop, learning that some of them are made of buffalo hide, and take days to cut and paint. This batch includes a bit of the old neighborhood…

Next, now with a new and different local guide, we explored more of the royal palace, Taman Sari Yogyakarta, specifically the Umbul Binangun Bathing Pool, used by the sultan, his wives, and perhaps some courtesans. These buildings date back almost 300 years…

After a thorough exploration, we traveled back to our hotel via tuktuk, these more exposed than most…

That was our first full day in Jogja. That evening our group convened for dinner, and here are some more street art examples found along the way…

The next morning we got to take a bike ride through a more rural section of the Jogja area which included several stops along the way…

In addition to some cultural/historical stops, we learned about tempeh making from an award winning chef – and got to each some…

Moving on the building and construction trades, we learned about brick making. This batch also includes a cemetery, some locals, a poisonous snail, the Indonesian air force, and some bamboo toxins, etc…

Next, we took a coconut break at a fabric/textile shop, learned about the process of making batik, and met a local artist, Tatang Elmy Wibowo. I loved the guy, his carefree artistic style, and political statements, especially about environmental degradation and human hazards caused by mining, etc. I bought the orange volcano piece at the end of this batch…

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at an old colonial building for some coffee, some coffee tasting, and a bit of history…

All that and it wasn’t even noon yet. Back at the hotel, I took another swim, had some laundry done, and prepared for an afternoon activity – a trip to Prambanan temple, etc. Not only is this Hindu temple older than Borobodur, it is significantly older than Angkor Wat, and was the inspiration for its construction four centuries later! In this batch, I went hard on the interpretive signage. Read on…

Like Borobodur, Prambanan temple is large, spread out, and features a plethora of relief panels telling many stories from Hindu literature. There was some praying going on, and our local guide here was equipped with a flashlight for showing interior carvings – and bats…

More of Prambanan temple. the relief panels, and the bats…

More of Prambanan temple…

It was a rather long walk in the humid heat, by a couple more temples before we got to Candi Sewu, a Buddhist temple built in the 8th century. The process and necessity of restoration was more obvious here, and it was evident that the bats did not discriminate between Hinduism and Buddhism…

What a day! I didn’t have it in me to do the next optional activity, going to a Ramayana play. But I was able to join three of our group for a great dinner at the Mediterranea restaurant…

As I write these words from the train, we are on our way to the next destination: Seloliman Nature Reserve and the sacred volcano, Mt Penanggungan. More about that in my next post…

Tangkuban Perahu is the only active volcano in Indonesia (there are many of them) that one can drive to, so we did. As I’ve started to learn, some of the tourist infrastructure here is rather old, well done, but in need of revitalization. And, while looking into the caldera of an active volcano should be exciting, stinking steam ain’t hot lava. Nonetheless, it was worth a visit, and a short walk. Got a double pano of our tour leader Isa, appreciated some plants for sale, and learned more about Indonesian geology and volcanology…

Next, we went to Ciater Hot Springs to take the waters…

On the way back to Bandung, we checked out a tea plantation and learned about the business…

Almost back to the hotel, we stopped at Gedung Sate, something we missed due to the previous days thunderstorm. Unfortunately the museum was closed, but you can still check that link…

We were up early to take our longest train ride in a very well appointed carriage. Here are some Indonesian views from the train to Yogyakarta…

The Greenhost Hotel in Yogyakarta is exceptional! Not only does it have a lovely pool, but there is a hydroponic farm on the fifth floor…

A short walk around the neighborhood revealed some of the Street Art in Yogyakarta…

The last batch for this post are some pix from our Whatsapp group taken by my fellow travelers…

We’re still here…!

Interestingly, just like my little museum cadre, our relatively small Intrepid group all got on an elevator, a necessity when the hotel lobby is on the 7th floor. We had a nice dinner, turned in early, and I discovered the breakfasts here rivaled the banquet spread at my first hotel. The giant mask is a lobby decoration.

Our first visit was to the Jakarta Cathedral. Note the sexier Maria in batik. Saw the organ, thought of Uncle Jimmy. Enjoyed some gothic loftiness. (BTW, since we were in colonial Holland, Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Its area was equivalent to present-day Jakarta.)

Then, we walked across the street to the Istiqlal Mosque, largest in Southeast Asia with an enormous capacity. However, as it was a Friday during Ramadan, we were not allowed in and had a video presentation instead. Did not as much enjoy the brutalist parking structure style, but did a perimeter anywayz…

Next, we went to Chinatown. After checking out the interesting architecture of a modern skyscraper surrounding an old Chinese house, we walked to the marketplace. In addition to the exotic critters for sale were many exotic things to eat, from tropic fruits to frogs, etc. A phantasmagoria of sights, smells, and sensibilities.

From there (more here), we went to the port (harbor) of Jakarta. Perhaps a must in covering the historical aspects of Batavia (capital of the Dutch East Indies), but, not unlike the many canals around town, it’s kinda funky (not in a good way).

The last pic in this pile is of an old cannon in the old town, Si Jagur. You can read the legends, but if you don’t know what the hand gesture depicted here means, just know sometimes its appropriate to be inappropriate…!

Given some time before lunch, and on the recommendation of our guide Isa, I went to the Wayang Museum to check out the puppet show culture of Indonesia. Not only is it great art and theater, it shows a sensibility of humor and fun…

We had a great lunch at the classic Cafe Batavia in nice colonial building in old town Jakarta. Great room, great food, and as I’m understanding more, great people…

Still jet lagging, when we went back to the hotel, I let my nap extend through the night, skipping dinner and catching up on sleep. It paid off as I was quite refreshed in the morning, and ready for another great breakfast, afterwhich we went to the train station to catch a lovely ride to Bandung…

Bandung, while damp from rain, is more relaxed than Jakarta, but still a bustling metropolis. Met some nice kids and we lunched in another iconic restaurant, the Purnama Coffee Shop.

Next, we went to the prison where Indonesia’s first president Sukarno was held, perhaps the crucible of Indonesian independence. There, we experienced a significant thunderstorm and lots of rain, so returned to our hotel…

I, however, was still in exploration mode, braving the rain, and discovering a fun alleyway to my destination, another shrine to Sukarno. Note the guy fishing from his balcony!

The Gedung Indonesia Menggugat, a courthouse, now Indonesian heritage site, was between our hotel and my next destination, Jalen Braga, the rue des pietons of Bandung. I strolled its length, then made my way back to the hotel…

I’d already vetted the Braga Art Cafe and persuaded four of our group to go there for dinner (an Indoburger with green buns!). We taxied there, walked back, after strolling the avenue and popping into the Grey Art Gallery featuring an exhibit in black & white. Worth the 30K rupiah (<$2) …

More Bandung tomorrow…?