Now writing from Bali where we arrived about a week ago. Headed straight for the beach going over to an Island called Nusa Lembongan. Really loved it there as it was like the Bali I imagined but thought probably didn't exist anymore. Had hindu temples and shrines everywhere, peaceful villages, lots of little farms and gorgeous beaches. The beach we were staying on was made better by the fact it hadn't been taken over by resorts there were just quiet little bungalows and most of the beach life consisted of the locals who did seaweed farming their paying no attention to the tourists there. You could sit on the beach at low tide and watch them carrying the big baskets on their heads of the seaweed they harvested from segemented off squares in the sea only visible when the tide was out.
Also saw one of their religious ceremonies which involved most of the village crowding the streets and shouting, cheering and throwing water as 3 elaborately decorated floats made their way down the street changing direction and coming back the way they came whenever they decided to. They were accompanied by a whole band playing brass gongs and drums and it was complete chaos but the good kind. The whole of Bali is very religous and we are always seeing people wearing their ceremonial clothes, overhearing cermonies or finding offerings outside of our guesthouse rooms.
After Lembongan headed to Ubud, supposedly city of spiritual enlightenment and inner peace etc. Have seen lots of hippies wandering the streets in enlightened trances and their are health cafes and spas everywhere, microbiotic pasta anyone? Still lots of more earthly things to do here though. One morning (or perhaps night time?) we got up at 2.30 am to climb a volcano called Mount Batur for sunrise. This involved trekking for about an hour and a half in the pitch black up the volcano lighting our way with torches. It was really misty as well to add to the mystical effect but as soon as the path got steeper I was too busy looking at my feet to take much notice of this. Once we were there it was worth the climb with huge clouds rolling ahead of us sometimes completely covering the view and bringing with them a heavy layer of mist and other times moving away to show the pink sunrise sky and the view of the lake and village down below. We only glimpsed the actual sun rising a couple of times but was still very beautiful. Once it had risen and we had eaten our breakfast of fruit and banana toasties (I'd also carried up eggs which I was very relieved to find out only when we were at the top weren't soft boiled and therefore a recipe for disaster in my care) we walked up to one of the craters normally a dramatic view but completely obscured by mist. This lack of a view was made up for once we were halfway down and could look down on the lake at the bottom and the mountains on the opposite side. Had a stop at a coffee plantation on the way back for a much needed caffine fix although declined trying a cup of their 'special' coffee - made from beans which are fed to weasel like animals and then collected from their droppings.
Off to the Gilli Islands today, have opted for speedboat option after taking public boat over to Nusa Lembongan for 2 hours of rolling up and down in the waves, getting drenched with water and fighting seasickness along with every other passenger - when the locals are actually crying you know it can't be good!
