Archive for the ‘Indonesia’ Category
April 25th, 2006 | 
Author: Indonesia has been a real mixed bag with some very contrasting elements. Indonesia is a step backwards when compared with the more developed countries of Thailand and Malaysia which we have travelled through previously. One way to describe it would be to say it has elements and similarities with India in places. This was particularly so in Jakarta, Java, where some of the streets gave you settings which were very reminiscent of street life in India. The similarities don’t end there either, there were pockets of dire poverty which looked identical to the shanty towns which exist on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Read the rest of this entry »
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Reaching Kuta was straightforward as we had asked for our accommodation host in Ubud to arrange the transport which seemed to be at a reasonable price.
Kuta is a large and very developed area of southern Bali. It has a huge beach front which is dominated by people surfing, and is a hot spot for the Australian holiday maker.
Of course the bombings in recent years have since had a devastating effect on an area whose primary income is from tourism. Read the rest of this entry »
Kecak is one of Bali’s most well known and popular dances. It’s different to most other dances as it doesn’t have the traditional Balinese orchestra (Gamelan) as an accompaniment. Instead the bakground music is carried by up to 100 bare chested men known as the ‘Monkey Army’. I have to say that if you ever get the chance to see a traditional Balinese dance make sure you include this one. The performance is lively, vibrant and dynamic with not a dull moment to be had. Read the rest of this entry »
By the time we’d finished at Tirta Empul the weather was starting to turn, and it was looking like we might be in for some rain. You could easily miss the road that takes you to Gunung Kawi, but because we were on bikes we had plenty of time to spot the turn off. It’s a bit of a hawkers’ avenue and you’ll probably be asked to buy a sarong all the way down to the ticket booth and it doesn’t stop there either as there are hawker stalls on the steps on the way down too into the temple area itself!
To reach the carvings you had to descend a long run of steps and just before you entered the temple complex you were asked to sprinkle holy water over your head ( provided for you in a small bowl ). Gunuing Kawi was described in the guidebook as “Ten rock cut candi (shrines) memorials cut out of the rockface in imitation of actual statues”. Read the rest of this entry »
Having had such an excellent day on our eco cycle trip, we thought we’d hire bikes for an independent trip to Gunung Kawi. We purchased a map of Bali from the tourist information office the previous night so we could plot our course and that was it. The following morning we got our bikes and were underway. The eco tour was downhill all the way, what we were doing was the opposite, going uphill all the way!
For our route we had chosen to take the small back roads which are a little like country lanes and are void of any notable traffic. It was a bit of an effort because it was uphill but we passed through some amazing countryside. As always seems to be the case, the map didn’t seem to match the road layout on the ground. Honestly they may as well print a map and only put the town names on it without any roads to join them up. The map was off course at the first road junction and from then on it was guesswork which is a bit of a pain. The trouble is you don’t want to end up miles out of your way. Read the rest of this entry »
After our visit to the bamboo maufacturer’s family we visited a traditional woodcarvers. Unfortunately, because of a village ceremony, there was virtually no one around, normally there would be quite a few people here working away. Despite this we could see large piles of Buddha carvings which had already been produced. We were told that a single person could produce about 3 of these carvings per day, an impressive output. I don’t think I could’ve produced one of these in a week, let alone 3 a day. The type of wood used was a variety of balsa wood but different to what you know it as at home. It’s still light but is much denser than the lightweight easily breakable wood we know. Read the rest of this entry »
If you recall from earlier postings we ended up in Ubud having changed our plans because getting to Penelokan (Kintamani) to see the active Mount Batur volcano was too difficult, expensive and a pain to organise generally. Well, it’s funny how your luck can change. At the place where we were staying they had a flyer for an eco and educational cycling tour and guess what! Yes, it included a trip to Mount Batur. Not only would we see Mount Batur but it was a whole day’s cycling through the Balinese countryside and amongst other things it would also include a traditional Balinese feast. Read the rest of this entry »
Ubud is the renowned centre for Balinese art. Some notable and famous artists have made their homes here, no doubt drawing inspiration from their cultural surroundings. Ubud is a far cry from the traditional Balinese lifestyes that exist where the net of development and tourism has yet to reach.
On the surface it’s easy to say that Ubud is just another Phuket, but somehow this doesn’t quite seem to be true. The centre of Ubud has the usual abundance of amenities feeding the tourist’s needs, and no doubt in peak season it would probably become a little too much for the independent traveller. Despite this I don’t think it would be a fair comparison to compare it with Phuket. For a start, it’s not a beach resort and doesn’t really cater for the nightlife scene that the clubbers would be after. Talking to locals it sounds like these factors, and the fact there are a lot of arts and crafts here, mean that it is more suited to the slightly older generation. Read the rest of this entry »
Although we had decided to give the volcano on Lombok a miss, there was another on Bali that we thought we would take in after Tirta Gangga. However, once again the transport hassles struck. It has just got to the point that travelling around on public transport in Bali became a pain in the backside. The distances on Bali are small compared with many places we’ve been to and the fares seem pricey and out of step with the rest of the economy. We decided to get a lift to Amlapura, the next main town down the road from Tirta Gangga. From here we wanted to get a lift to Kintamani or Penelokan where we would base ourselves for climbing Mount Batur. We just got quoted ridiculous prices and you knew that it was over and above what you could reasonably expect as a tourist rate. Due to this, and then finding that it was a pain to work out the transport connections as well, we changed our plans again. Later by coincidence we found this to be a good move.
This time we decided to go to Ubud which was cheaper, easier and would take less time to reach. Having made the decision, that was it, and an hour later we arrived in Ubud.
The rice terraces start off with the young plants being immersed under several inches of water. The terraces are, where possible, built below a higher source of water such that it can continously keep the terraces flooded. At an appropriate time the water can be diverted allowing the terrace to dry out. The rice plant continues to grow up to approximately 24 inches or so. At the point when the rice is ready for cropping the rice plant starts to turn to a yellowish hue with the rice seeds clearly visible. The best way to describe the rice plant is that it looks very similar to barley and wheat crops back home. The rice itself is located at the tip of the plant where, at this stage, it can be seen very clearly as rice.
The rice is then cropped by hand and bundles of it are then thrashed against the ground onto a sheet or sometimes directly into a bag. The rice will then usually be spread out onto a sheet and allowed to dry in the sun. At this point the rice is unrefined but is ready for sale. I dare say that the raw product is refined further thus removing the husks before it ends up in the packets on the supermarket shelves.