Thursday the 14th of October THE PLAN? THERE IS NO PLAN...

After some interesting words it was time to make choices. Too much rain now to discover Flores on a motorbike. Get to the airport in the packed Bemo with all these laughing school girls and book a flight. Easy done, 60 euro's to Bali. Why is it so hard to get cheap transport from Denpasar? Always that discussing with the dodgy taxi drivers and no Bemo's here. Karin and I still travel together today, arriving in lovely Ubud. A touristy place with loads of restaurant, Dutch people, art shops, beggars and spa's. We did our own thing today. The visit to the Monkey Forest was funny...baby monkeys eating chewing gum, attacking tourists and not to forget...bumping into a TV camera-team again. This time it was one of the Yorin reporters that started talking to me, having a chat with Raymond Sluiter and Fatima Moreira de Melo. How random can your day in Ubud be? Time for a Balinese massage I guess with a washing session at the end. I lost Karin today and she had the key of our wonderful bungalow. Well bungalow...? It's more a temple in a rice field that's even bigger than my own house! So no chance to get in, only option is to walk around Ubud in the evening. A night with some strangers in a warung was what followed. Large Bintangs, local food, a lot of fun with some dudes from Amsterdam. The crew kicked us out, cause nightlife stops in Ubud between 10 and 11pm...seriously?!

Friday the 15th of October MOTORBIKE - VINCENT - POLICE - CORRUPT BUSINESS :-)

It was a long time ago to wake up without any strange noises or anoying sounds. Get a new motorbike for 35.000RP a day and send that oversized baggage back home. You need an international drivers licence here, I was pulled over by the police and using a dark smiley face seemed to help. Karin was feeling a little bit sick, but still everyone wants to do something on their trip. I took her on the motorbike to the craterlake. Stopping at some rice fields, getting crazy of all the locals that jump at you with the most redicilous items to sell. Even a simple can of Coke is sold for Ibiza-prices here. Getting higher into the mountain means getting cooler. But not only cooler...this is raining season baby! Karin was in her extra sexy mood today, so not that many clothes to cover her body. Maybe that was the reason why the police stopped us? I was looking like a local, speaking a few words of Indonesian. First it was a warning and later we had to pay because I was driving without a drivers license. But this is not Holland, this is Indocorruptia. 'I won't give you a fine, but you have to give me something.' 'Well, you're not getting my travelbuddy dude!' So I payed him off with 50.000Rp, where the hell in Holland can you get away with a fine after paying 4 euro's!?!?!? Hilarious. Raining hard, just shelter at a warung and eat something while you don't know what you're eating exactly. After an hour or so it became less cloudy and we drove down to the hot springs next to the crater lake. High entrance fees so drive back. Stopping in the middle of nowhere and still being approached by so called painters and people that want to sell you something. Grey was a local farmer and showed us around in his area and showed us his big family. Karin was getting nervous about what should follow...she was right, he asked for money in the end. But you don't have to do these things. Another long drive to the biggest Temple of Bali; Pura Besakih. More ticket hassle; guides that say that you need them. Just leave us alone and let us enjoy. Well for some parts they only open the gate with a guide, we had one that 'only' asked for a donation, when he got one he thought it was too small :-) Oh and Karin, even with a sarong you walk around too sexy ;-) On the way back to Ubud it was sometimes hard to find the way. In Indonesia they don't really know what road signs are. And if they have one, they place them in the trees! So just ask your fellow motorbikers on the road 'Permisi, Ubud?'. We went to the worst restaurant so far, never go to the Art Cafe on Monkey Forest Rd. The plate is big, but the amount of food is hard to find (maybe the monkeys stole it?). For example 5 small pieces of wedges next to your not even 100 grams of meat? Ice cream and Speculaas at the mini market to fill the empty holes in your stomach makes me happy :-)

Saturday the 16th of October TEMPLE TIRED, MOTOBIKE MUST BE WATERPROOF IN BALI

Cultural sightseeing today. Wrap yourself in a shiny sarong and jump on the motobike. Most visits are around Ubud today and the weather looks good for a change. Last night was the heaviest rain and thunderstorm so far, and nice to sleep outside on our temple veranda. The closest thing was the Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah). A small cave wich you have to enter bij walking in the devils' mouth (although he doesn't look scary at all). There are some temple thingys around the cave and there is a jungle trek down some slipery muddy rocks to a river with some hidden ancient temples in caves. Really cool, but you couldn't enter them all. Some bats and a local kid that helps you with everything. Just pay double the price for a Coke to let them earn some money. Greedy Dutchies as we are, paying the smallest donations. But yeah, the prices in the most rescent Lonely Planet are 1/3 of what it is now. Expect to pay around 15.000 Rp per entrance. The Jungle temple was an interesting hike. Next stop was the Temple of the Three Sisters (Pura Samuan Tiga). No tourists and not that interesting. If you think this was uninteresting, just go the Jeh Pulu. Some rock carvings and some old chick that holds her hand up for throwing water in your face and on your camera. Ok, the Pura Penetaran Sasih is maybe worth a visit? The one with the biggest drum in Bali. Well, you can't play the drumm and there is not much to see. Are we getting temple tired?! We visisted another one and were happy we didn't had to pay, because it as filled with garbage. Warung pitstop and ask the cook to let us spit fire. Not out of 'Las knalpot' but out of our mouth...make it spicy honey! One more temple and we stop ok? Gunung Kawi was recommended. Oh no, it starts to fucking rain again, and hard! The temple complex here is a big surprise, it actually looks like you're in an Indiana Jones movie. Ancient stuff and Flinstone look-a-like buildings. Be carefull with unexpected deep waterholes and slippery surfaces :-) This last one was I think one of the best. A 45 minute drive back through the water; yeah, flooded roads are not uncommon during the day in raining season. This time it was Karin's turn to get wet and let me shelter :-) But damn, that smelly raincoat of her jagh! Spend our last Rp at a cheap warung and save some money for Cornetto Sweetheart Brownies and Bintangs.

Sunday the 17th of October SHOP TILL YOU DROP, BALINESE DANCING

Karin and I had a sort of bet who spends the most time with shopping today. Well, she walked the wrong way for miles and miles so that's not completely honest. But for me it was just hardcore Dutch bargaining. Batik pants, Asian pants, Ballibong flip-flops (don't buy them!!!) and after a long walk, kroepoek and lunch with the owner of a drumm factory I managed to buy one of muy favorite instruments; Bongo drumms. Just for 4 euro's, you gotta be kiddin' ?! So that will be many sleepless nights for my fellow guests in the hostels :-) More shopping; singlets for 1 euro...I love this place. Even free fruit when you buy some mango's on a dirty market. Hours later I had to help Karin making decisions for her interior and choose some Indonesian lamps. It took ages whahaaaa. I also had to rent a scooter to pick her up, she was exhausted. Balinese dancing shows for a laugh, damn those guys were funny. Half of the orchestra was falling asleep in the beginning. But they were making so much fun with eachother not to get bored. And they also know where tourists get sick off here in Ubud; 'Massage? Painting? Transport? Taxi, maybe tomorrow? Sarong?' It was good to have a brochure to understand the story, the monkeys were hilarious. After being soooo hungry (at least a few of our favorite ice creams made us relax) you have to eat more. Indonesian Tapas in one of the hidden Warungs, delicious! 2 Bintangs and Karin was already tipsy, lol. Ubud was hot and steamy, Ubud rules!

Monday the 18th of October THE HIDDEN BEAUTY OF SHITHOLE AMED

A shuttle from Ubud to Amed, through Padang Bai. Efficiency is far beyond in Indonesia, people in and out the car, putting them on other cars, bad time management and we all seem to go to the same directions. A 2.5 hour drive to Amed, some Gooi Dutchies in the car. It was fun to see Padang Bai again, good memories. But wow, how busy it became in just 2 weeks. Amed was exactly what I expected...dry, hot and notghing to do. A small fishermens' town with heaps of Warungs and unfinished Homestays, including people that try to sell you salt. Uhm, this is what we taste when we jump in the sea?! Beach is black and full with stones and many many boats. It getting hot hot hot in Amed :-) Booked our dives for tomorrow, had a few drinks and ice creams, where are the Sweethart Brownies?! And getting a 40.000Rp massage on a bed on the beach with a great sunset with the volcano in the back.Take your pants off for a dip in the black sea, this timd I was attacked by a small Triggerfish. A 'romantic' dinner with our table on the beach with some candles. Having a barracude on my plate. Delicious! Besides the anoying Indo-tunes in the background, this place (Amed) was not bad at all!

Tuesday the 19th October DIVING LIBERTY WRECK, ARAK ATTACK!

Indonesia is all about diving, especially when you're travelling with someone like Karin hehe. Well, I love to do this wreckdive. The Liberty Wrech is an old US Navy vessel that's laying 10 - 30 metres below the surface. You enter the dive site by the beach after a 20 minute drive from Amed. The dive is easy and with many cool fish. Lot's of them I've seen before, but some things are different; big school of thousands of trevallies (including a Giant Trevally) and hati hati! A fuckin massive barracuda!!! More than 1,5 meter long. It was chilling out inside the wreck. Luckily there are always divers with complete filmsets under water and lights. When it opened it's mouth you can see how big the teeth were and it was looking really aggressive. Further on there was more, manta shrimps and scorpion fish. Back to the surface after 52 minutes, reaching a maximum depth of 25 metres. The 2nd dive we went inside the wreck. Finally I was doing better with my amount of air and Karin and me started playing under water. Making loops and drop offs inside the wreck. Such a cool dive. Huge groupers, Surgeon fish attacking Madi (the dive master) and blue spotted stingrays. Loads of cool stuff here. Back on shore it was even more chaotic than under water, dive groups everywhere (at least 14 different busses from different dive companies). And it was like being in Holland, Dutch was the main languiage today. Lunch was provided in Amed. The rest of the day we took a motorbike to Tirga Gangga for an illegal dip in the watertemple :-) Well, there is actually a pool where you can swim here. The rice fields before the water temple were so damn nice, one of the best I've seen (mostly wet rice fields). Continue the road to Amlapura to get some unknown sort of meat. Madi told us that Tirga Gannga and Ujung were waterfalls, actually is wasn't...is was just someting with water. Ujung was a floating temple. Not really worth a visit. Is was getting dark and the map that Madi draw was not that easy. Even using the roadmap was not helpfull. We got lost in the mountains, but smart enough to get some extra petrol. It was the start of a long 30km drive through the mountains. Crossing dozens of small villages, steep roads with big holes (very bad conditioned) and trying to excape all the damn jumping frogs on the road. All the time 'Permisi, Amed?' Amed is easy to pronounce. We arrived after hours and hours, taking a completely wrong route. Be aware of burning pigs on the road that people drop there for a ceremony! This trip is sick hahaaa. Time for Kibbeling at Warung Mama, Karin was not that lucky with her food. Back to homestay for sleeping...no way! We were picked up by a bus with 2 funny locals and a Swiss girl to enjoy some live music at Pacha Cafe. 5 persons, 6 bottles of Arak was the damage. I'm not sure if the locals were that sober when they dropped us off for free though :-)

Wednesday the 20th of October FEELING HOT HOT HOT AND KUTA MADNESS

'Karin, wake up!' Still smelling like Arak and she had to watch out for tiny 1cm sea horses whahaaa. Good luck with diving ;-) I'm over my budget so I have to do something else today. Chicken nuggets for breakfast and start to run. 1.5 hour in extreme heat, steep hills up and down, 16km. Pfff... Jumping in the so called shuttle bus (just a private car that never reaches 100km an hour on these Balinese roads). Almost 3 hours, getting bored in busy traffic, road works everywhere. And still getting surprised about traffic rules here...do they have any? You can decide if you wanna be on the wrong side of the road or not and try to squeeze your car between 2 big trucks all the time. Late arrival in Kuta and hell yeah, this is Spain for young drunken Ozzies :-) The beach sunset was relaxed with many locals and no Ozzies on the beach, together with the sounds of the waves...I can live on the beach. Shopping is funny here, so much crap and everything is fake ofcourse. Bargaining is not that difficult here, even without saying too much you will get it for 15% of the starting price. 20.000Rp for some Eau de Toilette from Armani, but it smelled fake so don't buy! Warungs are here between all the McDonalds, McDonalds, KFC and a Pizza Hut. A funny 1 hour massage before I leave Bali :-( A short night, saying goodbye to Karin? Yes, I can't change the ticket at the airport. Otherwise I should stay a few extra days. A last heavy rain shower before jumping on the motorbike with my heavy stuff. Selamat Tinggal Bali!

The days after Indonesia was hit by a massive Tsunami around the Mentawai Island (surfers paradise) of Sumatra, volcano Merapi on Java burst...it was a good choice not to extend the Indonesian Visa and skip Java and Sumatra this time. Disasters of nature are getting close. Philippines is also of my list because of typhoon Megi. It's the right time to leave South-East Asia.