Gorgeous Gilis

I'm now facing into the last 9 days of my Asian adventure. I don't know if it's a good thing to have chosen Indonesian islands as my last port of call. It's heaven here. I'm trying not to think too much about heading home yet when I've got white and black beaches to explore and crystal waters to splash about in. We are now sitting on the shores of the Gili island trio just off the coast of Lombok. I've said it a few times to Katie along the way but we have no business being on this little piece of heaven. The sand is white, the beaches are flanked with coral reefs, the water is crystal clear and the people are the friendliest, kindest and most genuine I have met along the way. 

What have we done here on Gili-T?

Well, we did a bit of this:

And a bit of that:

And more than a bit of this:

Let's not forget this:

and I found out I can't jump:

Our biggest adventure was the snorkeling tour. We went out to about 4 or 5 hotspot reefs for the day. We were told if we were lucky we could spot some turtles going about their business. I hounded our two guides in the water with a group of fellow over-enthusiastic snorkelling buddies and luckily enough I was able to spot two massive turtles. The first was difficult to see but I could make out his outline gliding in the deep blue water below me. The second turtle was taking his time strolling along the sea bed. Both turtles were accompanied by groups of tiny fish. We were also impressed to learn that the locals protect turtle eggs by buying them from local farmers, offering another possibility of income to the local economy, let them hatch in controlled sand, nurture them till they are hardy and release them into the sea with a little ceremony. Love it. 

Looking well in our snorkels:

Glass bottomed boat that took us out:

Baby turtles biding their time to be released into the ocean:

Then we have the other side of the story. We arrived on the island without a reservation, thought we'd just go bargain hunting to see what we could get. Well we got a bargain, and a bit more. We checked into a little resort place that had a nice pool area and some lovely bungalows. We stayed in the dorm for about 4euros each. It was honestly, the worst place I've stayed in my whole trip. None of the showers were working and the toilets didn't flush. We had to use the shower in a private room (which was occupied) and even that didn't work very well. When we asked for to sheets for the beds we received winter blankets. The place seemed to be run by teenage boys who hadn't a clue. At two in the morning three of them came into the dorm room to sleep - which would have been fine if they weren't shouting and if they didn't pass out cold while one of their phones was on loud and continuously ringing. I was shouting at them to 'turn your f*cking phone off' and a Canadian girl got up and shook them awake. That's not even the worst part of it. When I woke up the next morning I was itchy all over. One look at Katie's face and I knew something was wrong. I was covered in bed bug bites. COVERED. Even worse than my encounter with them in Siem Reap. They are just horrible, horrible things and I've spent the last two days trying not to dig the bites out of my skin. Helloooo to  anti-bacterial soap, doses of antihistamines, copious clothes washing.

I looked like a leper:

We can complain about the last place we stayed in but it led us to find a jewel of a place, Edy Homestay, where we got a nice room of our own for 13eur a night, breakfast included.  Forget about the price though, the guys running it were lovely. We spent a couple of hours sitting outside on the road with them singing songs while they played the guitar. Cheesy AF but a fabulous way to spend the evening. I much prefer that to the wrecked looking girl across the way who announced to everyone she was still high on mushrooms from the night before. But then, whatever floats your boat. One of the homestay guys, Andrey, even took us on a rainy afternoon trek up the hill on Gili T. He showed us some unbelievable views of the other islands and we could see a thunder storm roll in from Lombok across the water. He showed us an old tunnel dug out by the Japanese during WW2 to hide supplies. So it goes. 

Katie, Andrey, Me:

It's our last evening on Gili T and we are turning our heads towards Lombok island for a few days. I am desperate to trek up the volcano but seeing as we have only about four days allotted to Lombok it doesn't look like it'll be possible, it takes at least two days to trek just a little part of the crater. It looks incredible though.

Who knows? Maybe next time we'll do it! 

Ubud and just Bali

Our first two days in Bali were spent lounging around on Kuta beach. Not much to report here and actually I just want to write about Ubud. 

We left Kuta for Ubud Wednesday afternoon and it seems that our luck with transport is still a bit rotten. The bus broke down and we had to get out and give it a push up the road. Nothing to complain about apart from the fact that I did notice Katie Finn cheekily stayed in the bus while the rest of us huffed and puffed the bus up the road. Anyway, we got to Ubud and after dumping our bags in the hostel ran out the door to catch a traditional dance performance in one of the local temples. Local dancers told us the story of their legendary Sita princess in traditional costumes. The music was made by the voices of the men and we were engrossed for the full show. We rounded off the evening having some Balinese tapas before bed. 

Our continuing bad luck with transport didn't end with the bus. Just after I asked Katie - and I mean literally within a second - if she trusted me enough to drive her around all day on a moped, we skidded on some sand at the bottom of a tiny bump in the road and off we toppled off to the side. In fairness, it was the slowest fall in the history of mopeds falls. My leg was a bit scratched but no injuries to report. The biggest victim was the right mirror, smashed into pieces. We were lucky that a lady from the salon across the road, Sri, saw what happened and took us in. She cleaned up my wound and took our bike to a garage down the road where they replaced the mirrors for 5$. We struck gold with her. Such a genuinely nice person who actually apologised to us about the that the mirrors costing so much.

Happy to report the rest of our day went a hell of a lot better. We must have driven at least 50km through small villages, past hundreds of Hindu temples and not to forget the amazing rice terraces we came across. After stopping for a tea we climbed down into the terraces and found ourselves being led around the different levels by a local farmer who showed us a few things we wouldn't have found ourselves. The rest of our day was then spent finding our way back to Ubud and eating suspicious looking tofu from a local cafe. When we got back to Ubud we ended up visiting a Monkey Sanctuary in the centre of Ubud. We were a bit wary of them seeing as they were fighting with each other, grabbing things from other people and lifting up the skirts of some women. Awkwardly, one man asked such a woman if she was hiding a banana up her skirt. Scarlet for all involved. 

Our second day in Ubud has beaten all so far. We enjoyed driving around by ourselves the day before but the cycling tour we booked with Bali Emerald was unbelievable. We were picked up at 7.45 from our hostel along with our other tour members. I won't go into too much detail because this post will become a mile long but here's a rough breakdown:

- stopped at coffee plantation where we got some insight into coffee harvesting. Tried all sorts of teas and coffees - Katie got a cup of the famous Kopi Luwak or CAT-POO-CCINO as we heard someone say. Seeing as I'm suffering from 'Bali belly' at the moment I stuck to the teas.

- second stop was for breakfast with a spectacular view of Kintamani Volcani and Batur lake. Picture below, the black part to the left of the slope is lava from an eruption 20 years ago.

- freewheeeled 20KMs downhill through the most amazing Balinese countryside.

- stopped at the holy Banyon Tree on the island. We were embarrassed because a couple of tourists were swinging out of the vines, which was clearly requested not to happen. The ladies were also requested not to approach the tree if they were menstruating, cue some discrete conversations on the side between a few tourists. 

- finally ended the tour by cycling the last 4km uphill and after wiping the sweat off our faces sat down to a local Indonesian lunch overlooking rice terraces. Not a bad way to spend the day. 

Then to take the edge off our strenuous workout we called in to the salon of our friend Sri (the lady who saved us in our moped skid) for a Balinese massage and floated in dream land for the rest of the day.

Having a cup of the good stuff:

Mount Batur Volcano, Kintamani:

Banyon Tree:

Our third day in Ubud went something like this...we got up reasonably early, had breakfast and mooched around the market for a while. Katie is an awful influence. After six months of travelling almost I haven't bought one souvenir. One morning with her and I've a bag full of stuff. Anyway, one fish pedicure, one actual pedicure and one portion of street vendor noodles later we found ourselves hiring a driver (that's how we roll) to take us to the Tanah Lot temple on the west coast. Except he didn't just drive us there. He took us to another coffee plantation, the royal family temple (no menstruating ladies allowed!) and then Tanah Lot. Now, be warned, Tanah Lot is jammers with tourists but for a very good reason; it's out of this world beautiful. Then the evening we spent eating chicken and pork sate and black rice pudding from a local restaurant. Bliss.

Fish pedicure:

Ubud statue by local market:

Royal Family Temple:

Tanah Lot Temple:

That's that for now. Tomorrow morning we have an early start to go off and catch a boat to the Gili islands where I expect to snorkel to my hearts content. 

If you are interested, below is a couple things we learned about Balinese culture: (and mostly because I can't help myself). 

• a baby does not touch the ground for the first three months of it's life.
• the husband assumes all the wife's chores for the first three months of above baby's life.
• placenta of new born is buried within family compound in a coconut to ask spirits to protect the child. 
• yellow and white means a balance between holiness and purity. 
• black and white means a balance between good and bad, meaning security.
• offerings to spirits (good and bad) are made twice a day by families. Little banana leaf trays are filled with food and flowers and left on pavements in the morning and evening.
• people have their teeth filed in straight lines to remove any 'imperfections' in their characters.
• they believe in reincarnation - but that an ancestor will come into the body of a baby - not a random spirit.
• a Balinese house (compound) is split into three; head (temple and grandparents house), body (family celebrations like funerals, weddings and baptisms) and legs (sleeping area, kitchen and toilet). 
• when people die they are buried for five years then dug up and cremated in a mass cremation. We were told this was the split the cost of the cremation.
• Bali Hindus sell their beef to the Muslims while the Muslims sell their pork back to the Hindus. 

Offerings:

Cambodia to Bali.

Since I last wrote a lot has happened. I went back to the school for my last two weeks in Cambodia. I've been to Singapore for a weekend and now I'm sitting in a hammock in beautiful Bali, enjoying my few weeks before I go home. 

Yes, home as in home, home. 

I just don't know where the last couple of months have gone, it's crazy how fast the time has flown by and my thoughts keep meandering to finding a job when I get back...but less about that for the moment.

Going back to the school in Cambodia was the best decision. I mean, I didn't get to see everything I wanted in Cambodia but that stuff will always be there. The children I've gotten to know and the other volunteers, well they won't be there if I come back in a few years. Easy decision. And while I didn't get my old classes back I got to help out in other areas I didn't the last time round. For example: supervising a Microsoft Office class, teaching ABC's to brand new beginners and also 'helping' out with PE. I also just spent a lot of time sitting out in front of the school with the kids, the other volunteers and Visal, the most head strong two year old in Cambodia.

The night before myself and Cecile were due to leave the village for good there was a party in the village, though not for us. It was an amazing way to say goodbye and see all the kids happy and dancing. What happens in Cambodia is that everyone dances around a table with flowers on it and all the kids were trying to give us flowers to put in our hair. There wasn't a flower left on the table within an hour and us volunteers looked like we had gardens growing out of our heads. It was so nice to say our last evening was spent dancing up a storm on the streets of the village surrounded by all the children we've been teaching the last couple of months.

Needless to say I balled my eyes out crying when I left the village the following morning. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it but Visal gave me a cuddle and the girls followed me out the gate waving goodbye. I cried the whole kilometer walk out to the main road in the blistering heat carrying my backpack. How embarrassing. But then when I was waiting for the 'bus' an old Khmer lady offered me a seat on her bag of rice so that cheered me up a bit. There was also an old man on the 'bus' who seemed to think my white skin was absolutely hilarious.  I'm even tanned at the moment. 

So then, I hopped a plane to Singapore to stay with pals, Katy and Matt, and not only that but to meet the one and only Katie Finn after 6 months apart. I won't go on too much about Singapore since I've already been there and we'll go back again before jetting home at the end of March. 

At this exact moment we are in Kuta, Bali. It's a bit unbelievable to be honest. We were looking at the map and just can't quite picture that we are on this little island in Indonesia below the equator.  Not that it was easy getting here. Katie asked me that morning if I'd ever missed a flight and until that day I could say that I hadn't. And we jinxed ourselves, not for the last time, because we did in fact miss our flight to Bali. Spectacularly.

Here's what didn't go our way:

- we just didn't leave early enough. It's a fact but we just didn't anticipate the rest of our problems.

- couldn't book a taxi. 

- couldn't hail a taxi when on the street. 

- had to walk to the metro station and the metro was an asshole. 

- couldn't pay for a ticket with a card and had to change money.

- had to change metro trains twice on top of everything.

- arrived at airport and proceeded very wilfully to the wrong terminal.

- check-in lady at wrong terminal didn't spot our mistake very quickly and tried to check us in for at least 15 minutes. 

- we had to take a train to the right terminal. 

- Desk staff at AirAsia less than helpful. 

You can just imagine the sweat coming off us. Although Katie said travelling must suit me because if this was six months ago I probably would've tortured and murdered a few innocents along the way and I 'seem calm' now. So nice when friends can be honest with each other. In the end it only cost us 35eur each to catch the next flight out at midday which, as luck would have it, we were just about on time for. 

So, after our interesting journey we finally arrived in Bali. We are staying in a little hostel called Granny's where we've met great people, spent the day on Kuta beach watching surfers getting bashed by waves and later today we are heading to culture capital Ubud further inland. 

We might have missed our flight but, whatever. 

Kampot

Valentines weekend this year was spent in the sleepy, French colonial town of Kampot about 3 hours south of Phnom Penh with two fellow volunteers, 'Teacher Khai' as the kids call her and Elzanne. I took the bus up from Sihanoukville which, let's face it in Cambodia a bus journey is always an adventure, was an hour too long. The reason being that our bus driver didn't bother to check the tickets of his 'pick-ups' and had to spend an hour sorting out passengers with a rival company. No problem, just amusing. 

I got to Kampot and went straight to Bodhi Villa which is 2km just out of town. I can't say enough about Bodhi Villa, in fact I even wrote a Trip Advisor review for them I liked the place that much. It's an old French Villa right on Kampot river with a deck on the water and the most chilled out common area/restaurant. We met some people there who just kept extending their stay, it's that kind of place. 

The best part of Kampot isn't the town, although nice, it's the access you have to the surrounding countryside and farmland that makes this place a winner. The guys at Bodhi Villa sorted us out with two Motos and after a quick lesson off we went on our travels. We drove up along the river and had a pitstop at some mild rapids where local kids were having a laugh splashing around. We had a quick look and continued on our way to find 'Coconut Mountain'. We drove about 45minutes out the other side of town down dirt roads that wandered through miles and miles of farmland. We stopped for a second and realized that the farms around us were all salt farms. Really amazing to see for ourselves how this salt is harvested, it's extremely laborious work. In the end, we didn't reach 'Coconut Mountain' as we were running out of fuel but spent the evening listening to the sleepy music of a Ukranian Musician performing in Bodhi Villa. 

Salt farms outside of Kampot, below. 

Kampot countryside.

The next day was by far one of the most interesting days I've had in Cambodia so far (away from the school). We went off on our motos in search of the Phnom Chingnok caves. We had a little trouble driving up and over some rail tracks but a local boy came to our rescue. We got chatting and he offered to be our guide for the day, so we took him along. We were so glad we did, there is just no way we would have found the caves ourselves and he showed us so much more. Our tour guide, Seyha was his name, took us down into a little passage in the rocks and we crawled, climbed and slid our way through the dark with thousands of bats sleeping silently in the cracks of the walls. After the caves we took a spin out to some Pepper farms (Kampot Pepper is world famous) and then out to eat some delicious noodles in a little hut on the banks of the 'Secret Lake'. We never found out why it was called that. 

Entrance to Caves:

'Teacher Khai', Elzanne and tour guide Seyha at local pepper farm:

Secret Lake:

That wasn't the end of our adventure for the day. Our tour guide, Seyha, and his younger brother invited us out to a concert in Kampot centre and then on to a Khmer club which was a totally new experience for me. There were 5 of us, so naturally we bought 4 tickets for 3$ each and were given a 'tower' of beer. Seyha asked us if we had ever been to a place like that, and I can honestly say that I have not. The music runs in shifts, that is they play four crazy dance 'chunes' in a row and then four of the mildest, cheesiest ballads in between. I won't be able to describe the whole experience properly but we just surrendered to it and danced our brains out with the locals. Also, Seyhas 14yr old brother took a very keen interest in 'Teacher Khai' which just made my evening altogether. 

In the Khmer club below:

As I write this I'm back sitting in a classroom in the school in Som Ruong. It was a quick decision but one I'm more than happy with. Two weeks ago I left with the full intention of seeing the whole of Cambodia but when I met the other volunteers over the weekend I realized I'd rather spend my remaining time with the volunteers and children I've gotten to know over the last two months. The touristy things will always be here but this group of people won't be. As soon as I got in the door last night I felt like I was back home not to mention the heart melting hug I got from our little resident 2yr old. I don't have my own classes to lead this time round but I'm busy helping out the other volunteers where they need it most.

Side-note: myself and Khai hired a Tuktuk to take us back to the village last night. Believe me when I say you have not known true fear till you've been driven 20km along national road 5 in Cambodia in a Tuktuk in the dark with the driver using his phone for a headlight. 

Sickness and Sihanoukville

So, change of plans. The last time I wrote I was ready to go trekking in the northern wilds of Cambodia in Rattanakiri. Unfortunately, I became a bit ill. I probably panicked just a tiny bit and jumped on a minibus back down to Phnom Penh. Why panic? Well, I had a horrible sore throat and the most unbelievable pain down my left side. I thought I was getting pneumonia.  I was told there was no English speaking doctor in the area nor up further in Rattanakiri. I was so annoyed at myself for going all the way back down again. Anyway, I went to the doctor, got antibiotics for the second time in Cambodia and all is good again. 

The aftermath of my 'health-scare' has been that I decided to forget about the north for the time being. Right now I'm parked up on Otres beach in Sihanoukville updating my fading tan. As per usual the bus journey mysteriously turned into a 5 1/2 journey after being promised it would only take 4. Cambodian bus companies will pick up anyone on the road if they have a spare seat. Scratch that, they'll pick up anyone even without a spare seat and make you sit on tiny plastic chairs in the middle of the aisle. Safety first, you know.

So I booked into a place called 'Footprints'. I arrived and the guy at reception (not Cambodian), clearly having smoked a bit too much weed in his lifetime couldn't find my booking, 'wasn't in the system'. Showed him a screen shot of my confirmation email and TOLD him it was a screenshot, he asks 'I can't see the rest of your email', frantically trying to scroll. So he puts me in an 18 bed dorm and says to wait a minute til he shows me the room. Fine, I'll just get something to eat. He actually laughs at me and says the kitchen is closed between 3-6. Then he tends to other people and their stupid requests for 15 minutes while I'm ready to chew my arm off. When he's finished he asks if he can help me. No joke. I say that I want to go to my room and he looks absolutely mystified. I tell him he just checked me in. He asks me what room and I remind him about the 18 bed dorm. This rings an ever so feint bell in his brain and he takes me there, asking me 'are you enjoying Cambodia so far?' Pretty sure I've been in the country longer than he has by the look of him. Anyway, the room was fine but that guy at reception......grrrr.....

And then, just I make sure I'm at max frustration, the five times I've ordered something here at Otres beach, it's been forgotten and I've had to re-order after a half hour. And each and every single time they give a little giggle and expect me to join in the joke. Maybe I should lighten up but they can all feck off with their stoned heads on them.

But then it's not just the staff that are d*cks. Lying on the beach yesterday a guy next to me calls over a local selling sunglasses, asks him how much the 'Ray-bans' are, not even waiting for an answer he laughs in the locals face and says 'oh just joking, I have originals'. I was so mad and I'm kicking myself for not saying something. That guys original pair of Ray-bans probably cost more than a months income to that local. Does he really think that local wants to be out selling crappy, fake sunglasses to idiot foreigners in the blistering heat? Pretty sure he's doing it to make ends meet. Come on, don't be a dick. In my own way I tried to make up for that fool (as usual I take things nothing to do with me really personally) I bought a pedicure and a massage from the next local to approach me on the beach. I didn't even bother to negotiate and it cost me a whole 7$ for an hour and a half of her time. We chatted the whole way through and learned she's studying at night school in the town and spends her days working on the beach to earn a living. I looked over to my 'companion' to see if he caught on but he was too busy negotiating a 4$ hair removal on his toes down to 2$. I know it's a bit annoying to be harassed at each and every turn because we are tourists and seen to have a bit more money but if you took a minute to talk to people you'd understand why. Anyway, it's great to be perfect. 

It probably sounds like I've had a terrible time here at the beach but that's not the case. Those are just the stories that stick out in my mind. I've had 4 days of relaxing in the sun and catching up on some reading. I'm now staying in a fabulous little dorm room, shaped like a giant mushroom (it's amazing what amuses me sometimes) and my bed is a huge circular mattress on the ground encased a big net. Love it. I managed to hang out with some other fellow travellers and even had my fortune told while sunning myself, I can't help myself, I'm a sucker for those types of things. He told me some interesting bits and pieces, most of it fairly standard but that I might not be good at writing right now but I'll write something worth reading when I'm 35. Great, looking forward to that. 

My plan for after the beach? Well I'm here in Kampot with two fellow volunteers, about 2 hours from the beach and I've booked a two day trip to an elephant rescue centre back up in the north of Cambodia towards the end of my stay in the country. 

I just realized I've 'only' five more weeks left in my Asian adventure....where did the time go?! 

Cracked about Kratie

Ok, so I've met a few obnoxious travellers the last few days...asking me with their condescending snorts 'Three days in Kratie? Eh, why? We just spent 12 hours on a bus here from Laos and we are out of here first thing in the morning to Phnom Penh - where there's some life.' Yup, two solid days on a bus sounds like a great plan, good luck with that. 

I don't know what their problem was because Kratie to me is an absolute no-brainer. I extended my stay by an extra night I loved it so much. Okay, I didn't get off to the best of starts with the bus journey, it took 9 1/2 hours instead of 6. The bus seats weren't even bolted to the floor but we got there in the end. An unexpected highlight of the journey was stopping at a roadside restaurant and realising the locals were buying and eating big, hairy TARANTULAS. I was tempted but I didn't indulge. Sorry to say the below isn't my own picture but I wanted to 'play things cool' being the only non-Cambodian on the bus and all, didn't want them laughing at the funny 'barang' (foreigner) who doesn't like snacking on big, hairy spider legs. 

When I got to Kratie I was fit for nothing. I managed to catch up on a bit of reading and went to bed at 9 like the party animal I am. The next morning I got up and queued for the ferry across to Koh Trong. I sat in the boat for 45 mins, watching the local 'strong men' carry anything and everything up and down the steps to the boat for a couple of riel. Then off we went. But not before changing seats having realized the boats dirty, diesel engine was pouring toxic fumes into my lungs. No one else seemed to mind so much. We got to the island, walked the 1km over the sand bank to the local tourist office to rent a bike for the day. The office was packed full of children practicing traditional dancing, it must have been a lunch-break or something but was nice to watch. Then I got cycling. 9km circuit round the island. There's lots to do here but I just went off by myself. I actually went off the road. No joke, I found myself negotiating marshy meadows with cows staring at me. But I found the track and on I went. The highlights of the island are the following:

•     Possible home-stay with local families.
•     Rice planting
•     Reforestation projects
•     Floating Vietnamese village
•     And then the island itself is just unbelievably beautiful to spend a few hours there. 

I ended the evening with a quick cycle around the town. I managed to get stuck in mud so thick it looked like my sandals were platform shoes and my bike wheels were all jammed. A local couple stopped to help me fix my bike. When they were finished I tried to offer them some money (in fairness I could see the ramshackle house they were living in) but they refused and were embarrassed. I must have looked like such a western d*ckhead. 

My third day in Kratie, I booked a days tour with Sithy, a local the same age as me, who gives tours around the less-explored West Bank of Kratie where he grew up. Sithy is basically everything I want to be; young with a beautiful family, has his own business and bags of potential to grow it. He basically wants to grow from doing small basic tours of the village and surrounding ares into more adventure-type tours, focused more on the experience. He can totally do it. He has a nod from the Lonely Planet, glowing TripAdvisor reviews and a popular Facebook page. I learned more from Sithy in a couple of hours than I could have had from any book. He told me all about ancient Khmer society, the background to the Khmer Rouge and the years following, how Buddhism and Hinduism intertwine and all about how local people make a living. He even went out of his way to show me a local beauty spot where children and the rare Irrawaddy dolphins were splashing around within metres of each other. If you find yourself in Kratie make sure and look Sithy up at www.cambodianpridetours.com 

Sithy showing me a local farming family harvesting crops. 

House for drying tobacco leaves.

Local women making noodles from rice-flour.

So you see my dear, condescending, rat haired, hippie-pants wearing, travelling friends, 3 days in Kratie was very much needed and I think I'll stop here again on my way back down from Ratanakiri next week but we'll see about that in a few days. 

Right now, I'm taking it easy in anticipation of my early bus tomorrow morning and drinking lots of tea since I seem to be slowly but surely losing my voice.