The trip from h*** – lombok to Padangbai Bali

Really looking at these photos you would never guess what was going to happen after we left gili trawangan…..

It can take quite a long time to get to lombok whether you fly or go by boat.  Plan for it to take most of  a day. Then if it takes less its a bonus :)) The slow ferry  from padangbai to lembar is usually the longest and  maybe even the safest and definately the cheapest !?  On a calm day its a beautiful trip, slow and leisurely. 

Time wise and cost wise the fast boat and the plane can work out about the same depending on where you come from…..

I think going by plane  will now become  my preferred option.

My  hairraising and fearful journey back from Lombok to Padangbai  this trip has convinced me that I will never go on the fast boat again!

I have a little pendant with Kwanyin on it. Well, I clutched her in my sweaty saltsprayed palm and gazed out through the plastic window at a small cloud to the north of the boat  and contemplated what might happen, was there an escape route, where were the life jackets , would i have time to put one on? Was there anything in my life that I hadn’t done! What about my family?
OMG, in indonesian ‘ Sayang’. ….The swell was huge, the troughs were deep, we were bobbing up and down like a cork….and then the engine stopped…wallowing, people vomiting grimfaced, the workers on the boat sporting tight worried looks on their faces. Sick bags were handed out ….one of the workers armed with a screw driiver disappearing back to the motors. Coming back wet and worried looking .. all this time the driver peering out through the saltsprayed windows working hard at keeping us afloat. This happened twice!

Mmmmmm finally after nearly 2 hours we got into the lea of Bali. Here it was rough but it seemed like nothing and we were nearly at Padangbai…..

I was very glad to walk off that boat onto the jetty at Padangai.

And never again!

Pangkalan Bun Kalimantan – an awesome visit with Bu Arfa and family

My time in Kalimantan will always be remembered… never really knowing what was going to happen next,  but always knowing it would be something worth experiencing…
Bu Cathy and I arrived latish on a saturday afternoon, having flown first from Padang to Jakarta and then fromJakarta to Pangkalan bun…. a little bit disoriented is a good way of describing it.  Bu Arfa and Bapak are there to meet us…..smiles, greetings  and into the car. On the way home a small visit to the newly opened Borneo mall…..packed with people

Bright shiney and new! We mostly window shopped…. (they say they made 2 billion rupiah in a day….thats a lot of shopping!) Again on the way home we stopped off for a drink or 2 …enak sekali!!!

The next morning….4:30am to be precise we were woken by bu Arfa and told we were going to see the sunrise with some friends who were waiting  downstairs. Bleary eyed we got ready for what we thought would  be a short trip ??? Haha! Wedrove and dozed. Eventually the state of the road woke us up

Fresh  vegetables and tempe and tahu yummy !

We arrive at our destination having missed the sunrise, but a warm welcome and an interesting walk along the edge of the sea made up for our early rise.

A fisherman trawling for tiny prawns – udang,

A  boat in the process of being   built…..

A beautifully textured seed

The fisherman’s catch…

And later on a delicious picnic breakfast mmmmm!

To be continued…..

A fleeting visit to Ubud

There is a part of me that feels like I am coming home when im in Ubud. I never seem to tire of seeing the beauty in things everyday …

Like the sawah

Gunung agung early morning from my balcony

Peaceful dove on the edge of my balcony….

Sculptures for sale down a small gang

A small ular wrested from the sawah (rice fields) in front of my eyes while walking in the rice padi…

In a small warung set amongst the padi…

Dewi…goddess….

A day with the orangutans @ Camp Leakey di Taman Tanjung Puting di Kalimantan

W e were so lucky…getting up early allowed us to have the river to ourselves and the jetty at camp leakey. We were just the first of many to arrive, but we  didnt realise that until later. We moored across the river from the jetty.  Our joy and amazement knew no bounds….

There is a family that lives near the jetty….

They seemed relaxed and unbothered by our interest in them. It rained a couple of times while we waited for the 2:00 feeding to come around and they would disappear up into the trees, pulling branches over themselves to avoid getting wet.

Bu cathy and I headed off before the crowds, which did arrive in the interim. The boardwalk was easy to walk on as we passed through a small patch of swamp forest

We arrived at the camp leakey headquarters

We spent sometime reading and looking at the valuable information that was there for visitors. It is primarily a research centre.

After ourguide( everyone has to have one) registered us, we headed off again down the track through another bit of forest and then out onto a quite sandy and open piece of country where we encountered  more of our friends 🙂

In the middle of the track. This female orangutan  it seems, has a habit of biting guests so we kept our distance and stayed alert…..they too were off to the feeding station.

And there to greet us was the alpha male. We were left in little doubt about that. He was enormous,  with a mouthful of very sharp teeth and a roar on him that reverberated through the forest. RESPECT    you bet!

In awe…

We gazed and gazed.  A truly special experience ..

Tanjung Puting Taman Nasional Kalimantan

There is enormous diversity of plant and animal life in this beautiful national park. As we travelled up the river on our kelotok we were lucky enough to see some of this. My apologies at the outset for not knowing  all the names of plants and if anyone can identify I’d be grateful. There was sooo much to see and how to share was tricky to say the least. The vegetation was amazing……

Along the edges of the Sekonyer river

In the forest epiphytes galore

Lianna and lichens

Orchids…..

Palm trees harvested for roofing materials

Fruits for those that live in the forest

Fantastic reflections, lush dense forest…habitat for the orangutans, gibbons and proboscis monkeys among others

Large monitor lizards and freshwater crocodiles inhabit these waters.

Journey up the sekonyer River Kalimantan

This morning we set out from Kumai on our kelotok with the captain, our guide , an assistant and the cook ( with her son 4years old). The sun was already hot as we clambered on board about 8:00 this morning. We were welcomed by our captain with coffee , snacks and smiles . We had a farewell cuppa with our family on board before they headed off to work and we headed up river.

The breeze was a great relief ….though its not supposed to be monsoon season, it sure is acting like it. The humidity is fierce as the clouds build up during the day.

The turn off into the national park from the Kumai river

The Sekonyer river is permanently a dark chocolate colour, mainly from the gold mining that occurs  further upstream. It is an enormous waterway which is able to accomodate large ships and barges. As we move off from the town and into the Taman Nasional Tanggung Putih,  it is bordered on both sides by a dense layer of palm trees, the branches and leaves  used for roof  thatching. 

As we move up the river it is like an unfolding story with a changing kaleidoscope of vegetation both on the edge and further inland  with the occassional waterway branching of to the side with glimpses of small villages perched in the swamp jungle.

As we get further into the day the humidity continues to mount and by the time we arrive at Tanggung Harapan it was hot, tho the odd gentle breeze eased this somewhat.

Here we rested and looked over the plant nursery and the medicine plant area. We marvelled at the butterflies  and the number of medicine plants there were…. finally  the heavens opened. The rain was welcome, the humidity lessened. Lunch was delicious kangkung, omelette, rice and sambal. It was accompanied by a welcome rainstorm which cooled things off for a time. ( I seem to have a metabolism, where I loose almost as much water as there is rain, an exaggeration of course but you can imagine, and then add glasses to that steaming away haha)

While we were having lunch tied up at the jetty,  a steady stream of kelotoks began arriving….hoolie doolie! We have to share this idyll with others?
Indeed we did…by the time we had walked through the lush green tropical rainforest we found a crowd of eager people clicking away on their cameras and this isn’t high season!

The orangutans ( oranghutan – man of the forest in indonesian) were just amazing! My viewing  of them was  somewhat conflicted….tinged with sadness because of the knowledge that their habitat is daily being decimated in search of the $, filled with awe that we humans are descended from them,  awe at how closely we resemble them, yet at the same time how different we are, filled with joy and laughter at their capacity to play, take care of their young…

A slow leisurely walk back to our kelotok  through the forest…..

An early night tucked up in our mosquito netted beds. To be cont.

Bukittinggi – Western Sumatra

A few hours drive from Padang in western Sumatra is an area called Bukittinggi. Its high above sea level and incredibly rugged. The road from Padang to Bukittinggi  is narrow and constantly in the process of being fixed up. The traffic load is immense with many large trucks coming and going from the highlands. It is possible for traffic to be held up for hours as a result of accidents which are common .

                                                                                                                        Danau Atas

There are four incredibly beautiful lakes which were formed as a result of past  volcanic activity,  which is ongoing today, and the movement
Of  the tectonic plates which meet under Sumatra.

                                                                                                                         Danau singkara

The land is intensely cultivated with vegetable gardens, rice padi, cinnamon, clove and tea plantations. The soil is fertile and of course there is  a surfeit of water so everything grows. Wherever you look there are plots of tomatoes, spring onions, shallots, chillies, cabbage and cauliflowers.

                                                                                                                               cinnamon tree- kayu manis

Here also you will find the famous durian. Its durian  season and there are durian everywhere. It is definately an aquired taste and durians can taste vastly different ! I have yet to discover one that I can say, ‘ yes this is amazing ‘. A work in progress for myself!

Oh yes this is perfect!

Lake Maninjau is famous for its incredible views of the mountains…..glorious does not describe it!

The town or city of Bukittinggi also has its attractions: wonderful padang food, beautiful views, markets that sell everything  and their very own version of   Big Ben.

The food was amazing and indescribably delicious!

The buildings are distinctive. This is a picture of the hotel where we stayed. Notice the roof line. Its a classic Sumatran roofline designed to represent the horns of the kerbau ( I think in english its ox. Maybe someone knows ?)