Whale watching

After nearly 4 weeks I was back in sea side village Kaikoura which means in Maori to eat crayfish (kai-eat and koura crayfish) and this time I was lucky that the whale watching wasn’t cancelled.
We left on a speedy boat on the fairly calm sea to hunt for Sperm Whales, I guess this time of the year you could expect 1-5 on a trip like this so I was hopeful. After our second stop the captain heard a whale nearby as he used sonar sound equipment to spot them. Not long after that our first whale appeared on the surface and already after 5 minutes he dived down into the deep sea. Usually they stay on the surface for at least 20 minutes before they dive down again and show the ‘famous’ tail shots. So that was a bit of a disappointment and we were hoping to see one again soon. The captain moved the boat a couple of times which resulted that we spotted whale number 2 who stayed with us for at least 10 minutes so that was great. Unfortunately our time was up and we had to return however tried to spot some more sea life on our way back. We went to a small island with many seals and later on we were lucky to see three Hector dolphins who swam around our boat.
All in all a nice trip but in my view not mind blowing, it was another ‘to do’ activity while traveling in New Zealand.

Yes it's a whale....

The tale shot!

Can you spot the Hector dolphin?

6 day road trip between Queenstown - Christchurch

I left on a sunny day Queenstown to my first stop Milford Sound as this is part of the World Heritage and a must see destination in New Zealand. I travelled in my ‘Juicy’ hire car along lake Wakatipu which has stunning views with the big mountains like the remarkables, Humbold and Alisia Mountains, Coronet Peak and ski area Cardrona.
It was hard to concentrate on the road with all this beauty in front of me; mountains, lakes, green hills with sheep, cows, trees in autumnal colours and now and then a house or a street which would be a tiny village. Half way the weather started to get colder and I could see clouds and rain on the horizon. I stopped off at Te Anau which is situated beside the lake bearing its name and is the second largest lake in NZ. The town is renowned as a great starting point for the Milford, Routeburn and Kepler tracks so I decided to stay here for the night. At the hostel I was told that the road to Milford was closed due to the snow and lots of fallen trees on it and this could be the case till the weekend (I was there on Wednesday). This was a big surprise for me and I was a bit taken back that my plan wouldn’t work out as I would like to but that’s just part of traveling.

The next day I travelled part of the road to Milford till I couldn’t get any further so at least I saw some of the views and stunning alpine drive along Milford Road. I stopped off at Lake Mistletoe for a walk and drove along the route 94 with some photo stops in between rain, hail and snow.
I decided that I just had to continue my road trip instead of waiting for the weather to clear for a further exploration of the Milford Sound area.
My destination for that night would be Aoraki/ Mt Cook so I started the 5 hour trip via Queenstown to this area. Again my eyes were pleasantly entertained with beautiful views of this area and if I thought I was used to the scenery I turned another mountain pass and there were more icing-sugar-like dusting of snow on top of the mountains along the Lindis Pass and I was speechless of the views I saw. The 700km Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park is spectacular along with Fiordland and Westland National Parks, it has over 22 mountains in this park, the highest is the mighty Mt Cook – at 3755m, known to Maori as Aoraki (Cloud Piercer). When I passed Twizel I knew I was almost at my destination but not till I followed the winding road along Lake Tasman.

It was almost getting dark so I just wanted to reach Mount Cook village and enjoy more of it in the morning.
The following day I woke up with the view of snow covered roads, cars, Mount Wakefield and the tip of Mt Cook from my hostel room. The sun was shining so I decided to start the walk to the Hooker Valley with views of Mt Wakefield via two swing bridges until the final destination of the Terminal Lake at the bottom of the Hooker Glacier which should give you clear views of Mount Cook. However the clouds were in the way so it was a partial view of the famous mountain. (A couple of days after I’ve left in two separate accidents people died during a track on the Hooker Glacier which does make you think that nature is beautiful but can be dangerous too.)
After lunch I made my way via Twizel -for coffee with an apple cinnamon muffin- to Lake Tekapo. Most of the route is along Lake Pukaki, the blazing turquoise colour of Lake Pukaki a characteristic it shares with other regional lakes such as Lake Tekapo, this is due to sediment in the water. These sediments were created when the lake’s basin was gouged out by the glacier moving across the land’s surface, with the rock-on-rock action grinding out fine particles that ended up being suspended in the melt water. This sediment gives the water a milky quality and refracts the sunlight beaming down, hence the brilliant colour (and great for photo shots). Many times I had to stop for some Kodak moments but I feel that what my eyes saw the camera can’t copy in that tiny frame. I had many ohh and ahh moments by myself in the car and I’m still gobsmacked how beautiful and amazing this country is. I’m so pleased that I decided to have a mini road trip as I wouldn’t have experienced this with the Kiwi bus.
That evening I’d put my head to rest in Lake Tekapo with a hostel facing the lake so I was in for a treat with views of the lake at sunset and rise.
My day at Lake Tekapo had blue skies and sun so a perfect day for the Mt John summit and lakeshore hike. Part of the summit showed the wide country side and amazing lake views but when I’ve reached the summit it was the best view of the lake for sure. At the top there is a coffee place with the most expensive cappuccino I had in ages but it was worth the money with this view. After a short stop I carried on from the walkway in zigzags down the Eastern face of the Mt John to the lakeshore. The views were stunning with the ‘Tekapo’ blue water and it was as silent as there were hardly other hikers on the horizon.
Later that day I went to the other side of the lakeshore for more views at the Church of the Good Shepherd ( in memory of the pioneers of the area) and the Sheep Dog statue ( a tribute to the collie dog as without their help the grazing of this mountain area would have been impossible).
The evening had a great treat too as Lake Tekapo has an amazing Japanese restaurant with one of the best sashimi’s I’ve tasted with fresh salmon from the nearby salmon farm.

The following day I left the lake in sunshine to my next destination; Arthurs Pass which is based in the National Park with the same name and renowned for its tramping tacks. I started driving on the National Highway 79 towards Geraldine which was recommended by many so I stopped there early Sunday morning for brunch. This little place has a creative streak with some market stalls from locals selling their knitted range or delicatessen shops selling chocolate, cheese and pies. Within 5 minutes walking around the quiet street with shops the locals started chatting or asking if I was a tourist and what my plan was.
In the little café I had brunch and got my free Wi-Fi fix too, with a full tummy I carried on along the scenic route 72 which was stunning in the sunshine. It was hard to concentrate on the road with all this beauty around me. The mountains stayed in the background with the icing sugar dusting tops and on the lower ground I saw green fields with many cows and sheep. Unfortunately there is a lot of road kill so I had to avoid many dead rabbits, falcons and possums.
Around midday I passed Castle Hill which is an area with rock formations from limestone and have been here for thousands years. The site is very big so you can walk around them and it’s encouraged to use them for bouldering or climbing. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe were here filmed too. After a walk around the site I continued and left the scenic route 72 just after Methven which is the village for the Mt Hutt ski area. In winter this is a busy place but in summer it calms down for obvious reasons. From there it was Highway 73 to take me to Arthurs’s Pass National park via the mountain pass. Luckily the weather was good as in bad weather condition this could be harder to navigate and more dangerous.
Arthur’s Pass village is 4km from the pass of the same name and is NZ’s highest-altitude
settlement and is a tiny one road village with some places to stay, as it’s a handy base to use for tramps, hikes or skiing in wintertime.
I did Scotts track which offers 360-degree views of snow-capped peaks, many of them over
2000m; the highest is Mt Murchison (2400m), I wasn’t planning to climb to the summit as there was too much snow and clouds to get there safe. Near the highest point I met a Canadian couple that tried to reach the summit but had to return due to the weather conditions. On my return down to the village I had beautiful views of the Devils Puchbowl waterfall.

The following day I was leaving the mountains behind for the Banks peninsula;  the Peninsula and its hills were formed by two giant volcanic eruptions about 8 million years ago. The historic town of Akaroa is a highlight, as is the absurdly beautiful drive along Summit Rd around the edge of the original crater.
 Akaroa (‘Long Harbour’ in Maori) was the site of the country’s first French settlement; descendants of the original French settlers still reside here. It’s a charming town that strives to re-create the feel of a French provincial village.

The final day of my road trip was a beautiful sunny day and perfect for the scenic route through the mountains and the bays formed by the three volcano eruptions. The views are stunning as on the West side you see Akaroa and Robinson Bay and on the East side the bays with the sea and snow covered mountains in the distance.
I went down the roads to Long Bay and had a rest on the deserted beach of Le Bons Bay. There wasn’t a soul to be seen only some houses dotted along the roads or at the sea front.  The mountains are covered in green carpeted fields with cows, sheep or many trees. I followed the summit road and tourist drive before making my way back to Christchurch via the state highway 75 but not after I’ve visited Cheese factory Barrys Bays. I was expecting a tour and some tasting but it was just a shop where they also made Edam, Gouda and Maaslander cheese which tastes quite similar as the Dutch version.
The road trip came to an end by dropping off my car in Christchurch were I would join the kiwi Experience the next day.

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu

Mt Cook and Mt Wakefield

Lake Abel Tasman

Lake Tekapo

Castle Hill

Arthur's Pass

Views from Arthur's Pass

Akaroa harbour

Akaroa

Australia

I hopped over to Australia for two weeks as an in-between for South-East Asia and New Zealand. This was my second time round so I wasn’t planning much exploring but more catching up with friends in Melbourne and Sydney.
The first couple of days I was in a shock as the weather was a lot colder and it was so strange to be back in a Westernised country. While staying at my friend Sylvia and her family including dog Pebbles I could get warm and enjoy a homely environment. It took me a while to get used to the cold and all the external impulses; lovely coffees, home-made meals, rye bread with cheese, wine, Indian food and visits to the pub. I spend my days exploring Melbourne -which was busy with the film festival so I watched an Indonesian movie called; ATAMBUA 39celcius -, had some long walks with Pebbles, cooked meals and went with Sylvia out for some dinner parties.
After a couple of days I started a 3 day trip to the Great Ocean Road and Grampians National Park. The trip was with a mini-van with some other travellers from Austria, Germany, UK, Brazil, Spain, Korea, Ireland and UK and our driver/guide Campbell.

On day 1 we left sunny Melbourne to make our way as soon as possible to The Great Ocean Road but we had a coffee and biscuits break at Addis beach. The stunning views were a taster for more at Angelsea, Fairway and the beautiful Lorne. By lunchtime we stopped at Kennett River to spot wild Koalas who were luckily awake and eating their lunch too. Unfortunately, the rain came in so the views were overcast by clouds and I had to dress in full waterproof gear to stay dry for our rainforest walk in Otways Rainforest. Our lunch stop at Apollo Beach was already interrupted by the rain which meant we had to eat our sandwiches in the car park instead of on the lovely beach.
In the afternoon we went to the famous 12 Apostles the area was very crowded by that time which took a bit the limelight from the whole experience. I thought the Lord Arch Gorge and London Bridge are more impressive even with the rain and storm. At sunset we arrived in Warrnambool where we would stay the night, dinner was a fish and chips take away and a glass of red wine to stay warm.

Day two was unfortunately a wet start and it would stay like that for the rest of the day. We went to Logan’s Beach to spot some Southern Right whales; we did see them floating in the water but they refused to jump up for a play so we had to be satisfied with the dark spots in the water.
We left them for some views at Tower Hill National Park, Mount Rouse and Halls Gap. Before sunset and the Aussie BBQ we had a walk to The Pinnacle in the Grampions National Park. We helped to prepare the BBQ with kangaroo meat which we had to eat indoors due to the weather at Ned’s Beds.

Day 3 which was our last day started with rain so we visited the Aboriginal Culture Centre followed by a very wet visit to Mc Kenzie Falls which are magnificent even in the pouring rain.
We dropped most of the group off by lunchtime as they were catching another bus to Adelaide which left only four of us to return to Melbourne. But before we hit the highway we went to a winery for some wine tasting.
This trip was a nice taster for what the Great Ocean Road has to offer and I like to visit again only with my own transportation and in Spring or Summer to see the area in a warmer climate and with sun!

My remaining days in Melbourne I spend with The Greene family (David, Diane and Lucy) they kindly put me up and offered their comfortable sofa with a massive tv (and movies). I was lucky to have sunny days which I spend in the sun, visiting Victoria market, walk along a lake, meet some of their friends and go for local meals. It was lovely to have a couple of days with them and enjoying David’s homemade food, play with the guinua pigs and watch movies from my sofa bed.
I was totally relaxed and all my clothes were washed when I arrived in Sydney where I would stay in trendy Surry Hills with my Dutch friends Leonne and Ed.  Their flat is very centrally located and the weather was very warm for the time of the year so I was very lucky to do outdoor my activities. I had lunch with Pamela at the terrace of the MCA; enjoyed a tour behind the scenes of the Royal Opera house; went with Rob by boat to Mainly for a walk and fish and chips; had an El Chalten reunion with Veronica, David, Leonne and Ed in Surry Hills; spend a night out and day to the South Head peninsula with Eddy, Francis and dog Ella. On top of that I visited some touristy attractions too like; Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Botanical Gardens, Hyde Park, Museum of Sydney and buy a souvenir.

After almost 3 weeks chilling and meeting up with many friends in Australia I was ready for my next country and adventure: New Zealand.

Sylvia and gang

Great Ocean Road

London Bridge

Wine tasting with Gabriella

Leonne and Ed

Veronica and Dave

Francis and Eddy

Bye bye Indonesia and South East Asia

After almost 9 months it’s time to say goodbye to South East Asia. I can hardly believe that I’ve spend that long in Asia, it started in Burma followed by Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, The Philippines, Thailand and 3 months in Indonesia. I had the usual ups and downs while dealing with traveling alone or with others, the culture, the food and the basic flashpacker lifestyle. It’s been a real experience and funny enough I feel now a bit anxious to start my final three months in westernized countries (Australia, N-Z and USA).
Above my own expectations I’ve enjoyed South East Asia very much, the culture is so different than ours as it shows us how you can live your life and be happy without the money, luxury, external pressure or feeling you need to do all these things we (Westeners) feel we need to do every day. The locals I’ve met were so chilled and content with their lives, have other values and background but in the end it comes down that you have food to eat and a roof above your head. Sometimes I felt embarrassed if the locals asked me how I lived and that I’m able to travel for a year. Some of them never even left their country, region or village which really made me think how lucky I am traveling around the globe seeing all these wonderful things, with amazing experiences which will stay with me forever and may change the way I think and feel in the future.

Indonesia was a bit more special for me as I was visiting the country where part of my roots lay and I even went to the place where my dad was born. This was something I wanted to do for a long time and now finally the time had come that I was able to experience this. Looking back this gave me more than I’ve bargained for; the country, culture, food and especially the locals felt more natural for me than the other places in SE Asia. I noticed that my dad his roots were part of my life and how I was raised even back then I didn’t see it like this but now I do. The food was the best and the fragrances and tastes most be in my genes as I loved (almost) everything. I’d recognize some of my dad’s characteristics in the locals or could recognize this in my own.

I will miss; the smell of incense sticks (Bali) and the daily offerings in the street and temples, the male and kids playing sports just before sunset in even the smallest village, the “hello Mister or Misses” , the food carts with Bakso, gado gado, batagor or mie goreng, talking Bahasa which made the locals laugh as most of the time they don’t expect it but it gains respect or conversations, the lovely kids as there are many but always seem happy and curious to talk to the bule  and in for a mini English lesson or game, food and especially the sate kambing  (goat skewers) , the hustle and bustle which starts around 5 pm when the locals come out to have some food at the warungs or food carts, traveling local style in bemo’s, ojeks, tuk-tuk and I would even miss the touts or taxi drivers trying to rip you off with their trips.

Leaving Indonesia meant also parting with Teemu as we travelled almost 3 months together after meeting in May. We planned the itinerary together after we decided to continue as Team Finland/Holland and we did well and had a great time with tears and laughter, dancing, singing, hiking, cycling, motor bike trips, snorkelling, diving and climbing. Teemu thank you for a great time, your support, care and company, we will repeat it at some point with one of the many destinations on our “still to visit list”; I miss you already.

Now after almost a week in Australia I’m getting used to the big change in weather and culture. I need to wrap up with warm clothes as it’s gone with the warm weather, but I’m enjoying the coffees and able to eat dishes I haven’t had for a long time. On the flip side it’s harder to get used to all these impulses again and the luxury of the Western world.
After Australia I will hop over to New Zealand which will be a mix of beautiful country side, walks, food and activities which I will share with you along the way.
I will update you again after I’ve enjoyed my new adventures in Australia and New Zealand.

Togian Islands / Sulawesi

I heard from other travellers that this part of Indonesia should be very beautiful and quite untouched and remote. As my final destination in Indonesia I decided to spend three weeks on Sulawesi and found out for myself.

It took me two internal flights (Denpasar-Makassar-Palu) to reach the North of the Island followed by a 13 hours car ride at night through the mountains to reach Ampena which is the gateway to the Togian Islands. I was lucky to enjoy a lift from our resort by speedboat to reach the Island of Kadidiri where I would spend my first week. The boat ride took 1,5 hrs on open sea but at some point the Islands appeared and you could see the beauty from the sea. Some of them were habitat with villages but others looked very remote and deserted. I felt I was in for a treat so when we reached Kadidiri I could hear Chris Martin sing “para para paradise, para para paradis “ and I felt I’ve just reached it. The sea was so clear you could see the reef and fish, the beaches were sandy and yellow with little beach fronted huts on it.

The resorts are on full board basis as there are no restaurants or shops on the island, there were 3 resorts on this side of the island so there’s a big community feeling as you meet with everyone 3 times a day for your meals and spend time at the beach or diving.

The rest of the afternoon I adapted to this situation and relaxed in the sun and sea before having my dinner.

On day two I was ready for finally testing my diving skills so I planned two dives for that day to get under water. We went out with a full boat to go to Catacombes to see some coral and fish, the water was very rough so I started to get a little bit worried how to deal with this on open water. When we finally reached ‘the spot’ the boat was moving up and down and one of the instructors asked us if we were OK to dive with heavy current…….. now I really got worried and for a nano second I thought I had to aboard this dive and try again. When I finally got in I was anxious and nervous for the first half hour as I needed to get comfortable again under water and master my buoyancy correctly before I could enjoy the rest of the dive and spot a stingray, cleaner shrimps, squat lobster, clown trigger fish and beautiful corals. The last 15 minutes I felt comfortable and was able to enjoy the underwater world again which gave me the push to continue and get my Advanced Adventure certificate in the next couple of days. My second dive that day would be part of my course so we went to the Mini Canyon for a deep dive (max 30 metres) which would allow me in the future to dive deeper than 18 metres which is the max depth if you only  have your Open water certificate.

So I went to Mini Canyon with Irish instructor Nick and travel/dive companion Teemu.  I had troubles with my left ear again to get used to the pressure so the first 5 minutes I just had to float around to get comfortable. During this dive we would do some exercises to test our skills but we started with some fun after we’ve reached the depth of 27 metres. Nick took an egg out and opened it so we could play ‘ping pong’ with the yolk, it didn’t break at all due the high pressure. 

Day three was a cloudy and rainy day again which everyone said was very unusual for the time of the year. The morning dive was to the B24 bomber which came down during 

WWII and made a perfectly safe water landing which resulted that the wreck is complete intact! It’s only 12 metres deep so the underwater vision is great to explore and swim around the wreck. Due to the aluminium it’s not eroded and the fish, coral, plants and other species have taken over the plane. It’s too small to get inside but you can see the inside of the cockpit and you can almost take a seat behind the steering wheel.

There are many lion fish – which are poisones – and I spotted a beautiful shell which is called tiger cowries. This dive was the only one for that day which in the end was a good thing as I’ve caught nasty bacteria so I was banned to stay in my room for the rest of the day. 

Day four, unfortunately I still was suffering from the bacteria and felt very weak from the loss of the fluids so I couldn’t do any dives this day and just crashed in the hammock for most of it taking in the daily life at Kadidiri. Usually after breakfast people leave for diving or just stay at the resort to relax. There’s a nice big cabana overhanging the water to lounge in one of the many cushions or deck chairs, crash on one of the bean bags which are scattered around the coastline too. The only entertainment are the dogs, our resort had Rocky, Masker, Dive, Suntu (dive watch) which became one of my best friends and Rocky tried to sneak into my room every night and sleep under the bed. One day we came back from our dive when the staff said that Rocky was locked up in our room (without us knowing) so I had to deal with a stressed dog, ripped curtains and smelly room!

They are all males to avoid an outbreak of dogs on the island - the owner tries to have a no female policy on dogs but the neighbours didn’t co-operate- so there were three adorable puppies next door to get some puppy love and cuddles.

At the end of the day I felt I was on the mend with the help from donated medications so I planned to have a dive the next day.

Day five I continued with my course, the morning dive was to test and improve my perfect buoyance so we went to Little Lempeh which was a sandy area suitable for this dive. After the exercises we searched for underwater life and saw scorpion fish, sea cucumbers, emperor shrimps, squat lobster and chocolate chip starfish.

The afternoon I had time to relax for my planned night dive; this is a great experience and so different than a dive during the day. You make your way when it’s dark to your dive site which was in my case called China Town (lots of Mandarin fish) kitted with two torches and briefed what to expect.  I was excited and anxious at the same time so after we ‘rolled’ into the water I felt a bit uncomfortable and had to adapt to the environment which is only lit by a torch. After we set off and started searching for night life I got used to and enjoy it. We had a bit of a boring night out and didn’t see much unfortunately so Nick our instructor said that this shouldn’t put us off for another one as usually you spot very different sea life which is very exciting.

Day six; today a full day with two dives to Una Una which is a Volcano Island and five quarters of an hour’s drive by fast boat.

So a group of six advanced divers went to this site which was supposed to be the best site in the area. Our first dive was at ‘Apollo’ and famous for the schools of barracudas so I was hoping to see these too. After a decent from 5-30 metres along a sandy slope we suddenly reached a strip of beautiful, colourful reef with many fish. It felt if I was transported into an aquarium as there were fish everywhere.  It was a colourful sight with still in tack reef with plants, shells and indeed the school of barracudas. It looked surreal but amazing and for me the most beautiful sight I’ve seen as a diver. We also spotted a Moreno, many shrimps, trumpet fish, needle fish, batfish and (clownfish).

After a lunch and needed rest on shore we packed up and the captain drove is in the pouring rain to the next site called ‘Pinnacle’ this is a reef which unfortunately has been affected by dynamite fishing. This is in my eyes a very lazy way of fishing; you dump some dynamite into the sea which means that the fish its bladders gets blown up which helps them to stay underwater. The fish die and the fishermen just rake them in with nets and have month’s supply of fish and money. Most importantly the dynamite also blows up the coral reef and this won’t be able to recover any more or at least for the next half a century.

As soon as we jumped in and went underwater we were able to see fish, corals and this massive ‘wall’ of corals ahead of us. This area is very deep but you’ll see most fish around 12 metres so we just circled around the pinnacle to see explore this amazing site. At some point I just didn’t know where to look anymore as there were fish everywhere! The only thing you could see were colourful schools of fish, eating from the healthy coral or chasing each other. We slowly swam around the pinnacle and just took in the surroundings, at some point we saw turtle no 1eating and later on turtle no 2 who came to us to find out who these bubble blowing creatures were. Before we went up to the surface we saw a school of jack fish and some of us an octopus.

Day seven; after a couple of days of diving my left ear was in need of a rest so today no underwater fun planned. After a late breakfast and talking to other travellers it was time to enjoy the sun from the cabana and later on exploring the island. In the afternoon I wanted to walk through the jungle to an empty beach but people at the resort were quite protective about that and say you shouldn’t go too late and take some dogs! So we left with food, water and 3 dogs who would guide us through the jungle to the beach. It didn’t take long but the jungle is dense as there isn’t a path at all. The beach is beautiful with nobody else and due to the biscuits the dogs stayed with us too. After a couple of hours we made our way back but that was a bit more of a jungle trek as the dogs took another route more suitable for dogs rather than humans but we found our way back long before the sun would set.

Day eight; I had to finish one dive for my course which was the search and rescue dive with Teemu. We went to a dive site called little reef to do our exercises with instructor Nick. Once we were underwater we played ‘treasure hunt’ this meant that Teemu and I had to find a hidden plastic bottle in the sand by searching the area metre by metre. Angel was in the middle with a rope and Teemu at the other end of it swimming a 360degree circle and look for the treasure, after each circle I released the rope with a another couple of metres until we found it. The second task was to find the treasure (plastic bottle) to follow a 10 metre line of rope both from one end, when arrived at the other side we both measured 5 metres further and repeated the same until we found the treasure.

Then it was time to ‘recover’ some weights to the surface with a bag full of air (you blow air from your mouthpiece into the bag bit by bit until it start moving upwards) ones up you go down again to switch places and do it all over again. 

After we successfully finished this it was time to have some fun and explore the reef but we used a lot of oxygen so not much time left to see that this reef is still intact and beautiful with lots of fish.

That was the end of my course and diving at Kadidiri and as a tradition you need to celebrate that with the locals. That evening after dinner our Indonesian dive assistants Jenley and Fenley took a guitar and some bongo’s to the cabana and started playing songs. After we gathered a crowed it was time to get some Arak (local palm tree wine) to finish the evening in style. Jenley told us that we had to go to next door accommodation and ask for it and it shouldn’t cost more than 50.000 rupiahs. Teemu returned with 3 plastic (freezer) bags of clear liquid for that price which filled half a jug and many glasses. As this is a much cheaper way to have fun we went back for a refill later on as for 50.000 rp 6 people could drink two cocktails which is the same price as for one large Bintang beer! We continued the evening listening to music and singing till lights went off at 23.00.  We enjoyed the amazing sky with many stars for a while before heading back to our rooms .

Nick and Zena thank you so much for all the dives, instructions, patience and moral support which took diving for me to the next level. Both you are stars and made my stay at Black Marlin such a success and my appetite for diving.

Jenley and Fenley your enthusiasm for diving and the masters in finding the most little shrimps or fish between the anemones will stay with me for ever including your big smiles at any time of the day. Keep on enjoying diving and become a dive instructor!

Hope to see you all at some point underwater…..

Time for the second part of the Togians; after a 2 hours boat trip to the Island called La Bomba I arrived at a place called Island Retreat for a week of chilling. This resort is very small and is focused on treating their guests to good food and service. 

On arrival there was only one other guest and the newly arrived dive instructor Jazz who would stay there for the next 6 months.

The resort is very quiet and my beach fronted cottage has a big veranda with two hammocks for Teemu and me. The many dogs and cats are as chilled as the Island so it must rub off on you after a while. Soon after our arrival we enjoyed a delicious lunch which looked promising for the other meals to come. The rest of the afternoon I enjoyed the sun from my hammock till the rain came in and it got a bit colder too. The retreat has a beautiful garden with grass and now I understand why as there’s enough water to feed it!

The evening meal was a big fish with beans, salad and fried rice which may sound a bit boring but they use and know how to season food here so my taste buds love it very much after a week of bland, basic food.

The rest of our stay we enjoyed some trips to a Gypsy village, watching sunset, snorkeling and diving with the other guest as within 2 days the place was almost fully booked. You enjoy your meals together in the open air dining area so that creates a bond and you might go for a dive or snorkel trip later that day. Unfortunately, after 2 sunny days it was cloudy and we had lots of rain – even a storm- which was a real shame but good for catching up on my blog and reading e-books. Leaving the Island Retreat I will miss the Western style food from Ujung and the chilled time on my terrace watching the beautiful views. 

It was time to slowly get back to internet, supermarkets, restaurants/bars, ATM’s and noisy/busy traffic.     

Room with a view at Kadidiri

Island Retreat jetty

Sunset at Island Retreat

Una Una diving trip

Like fish in the water....

or maybe turtle....

WWII plane wreck 

My Indonesian birthday

After returning from Mt Rinjani I was in need of a couple of day’s rest which started with the next day as it was my birthday . My Indonesian birthday in Senaro / Lombok started with a Happy Birthday, sang by guesthouse owner Yusuf, his wife Umi, daughter Letha (pic 8) and Teemu. A local backed a heart shaped cake at 3am in the morning including text and candles so that was my breakfast followed by pisang goring and chocolate sauce (pic 1).
It’s really strange to celebrate your birthday in another country while you’re traveling. Due to the time difference you have to wait half a day to claim your birthday wishes or speak to relatives in Europe. Due to my massive cake I treated the neighbours and local children on a piece of the cake and made instantly friends. Later that day Lim and Jen came over to share Mt Rinjani stories and experiences while we enjoyed tea and birthday cake but the real celebration was that evening when Yusuf and his friend Bruce took us to local traditional dancing. After a 15 minute motorbike ride which ended in a dark bumpy road near a local house with roughly 100 locals (adults and children), load music was playing and three ladies dressed in traditional clothing were on the ‘dance floor’ (sandy pitch). We sat down and Bruce bought a bottle of the local rice wine which they brew themselves and sell in plastic water bottles. The liquid is bitter and awful but most of all lethal as you can get really drunk after drinking a couple of shots but combined with some lemonade it tastes better and reduces the chance of getting drunk (pic 2)…. We were clearly the only ‘white’ people there and especially the children were very interested in us so I tried to have a conversation and made some pictures (pic 4). We were forced to have a dance too as that would amuse the locals so I had a go with one of the ladies (pic 3). After a couple of hours we left the party and I thought it was a great way to end my Indonesian birthday.

The next day we went with Yusuf and Bruce to a stick fight, in a nearby village. This is apparently a tradition in Lombok . On arrival I could see this is a social event for the locals; women and children sell (homemade) food and drinks, the men are sitting together eating, drinking and chatting. On a raised platform three men were playing some instruments with high pitched music that kind of agitates you and later on I understood why (pic 1). We had some drinks and food till most of the men created a circle in the middle of the field and started shouting (pic 2).The whole fight is a bit of a theatrical play with two ‘coaches’ pointing at men and pushing them into the circle to invite them to fight. If one is chosen they look at the other coach as it’s his turn to find someone in the audience to fight this person. Of course money is involved so people start shouting as it could be that this wouldn’t be a fair fight between these guys. This could go on for a long time till finally 2 men were chosen and the bets were fixed so the game could begin. Both fights didn’t last long as it all goes very quick and they hit very hard (pic 3). The stick is a wooden stick with some wire wrapped around it at the end and the shield is a plastic one with a handle at the inside. You can hit anywhere and only  the referee decides who wins or if it’s a draw. The rules weren’t really clear but maybe there aren’t any. Sometimes the men run in the heat of the moment towards the audience so you have to be on the ball and get out if needed. It was fun to see and quite entertaining. When both fights were finished a guy came over to us and apologized, I asked him why and he said that the fights were a bit tame and only two of them as usually is it is a lot more exciting! I said I’ve seen enough to get an idea and was grateful to have experienced this. He told us that the next day a big fight was planned in another village so most of the key fighters were there and not here to show the real thing. I thought it was really kind and endearing of him to explain this to us.

Pisang goring for breakfast

Local rice wine

Local Lombok dance

Stick fight; the music

Stick fight ;the equipment

The fight

Umi, Letha and Yusuf

Mt Rinjani / Lombok

The three day and two nights started with a 6.30 am breakfast (banana pancake and coffee) at John’s Adventures in Senaru before meeting our guide Sar and our porters (Amel, Amed and Ari). A pick-up truck was loaded up with lots of baskets, equipment, food, water and our backpack (pic 1). We were seated in the car and drove off through a very bendy and hilly country side to the starting point of the track. After we registered at the office (they need to know who’s in the park and you’re required to pay a fee) we started trekking from Sembalun Lawang. I was only carrying my camera and Teemu a small day pack with water, snacks and raincoats so we could focus on walking without any extra weight. The porters were carrying our rucksack, tents, chairs, food and water for the three days track. We started walking at 7.30 am with green hills and rice fields as views, slowly we got higher and had some climbing to do but before I knew Sar our guide said that we’ve reached Pos 1 at 1300metrers where the porters were preparing a lunch for us in a small concrete cabana. Within 5 minutes we had a warm cup of tea in our hands and were requested to sit and watch the four men prepare a lunch. I could see that they’ve done this many times as it was a clockwork operation with chopping wood for fire, chopping vegetables and cooking rice. They do cheat a bit with a camping gas stove to boil the rice but after half an hour I was presented with a big meal of noodle/vegetable soup and rice followed by a whole pineapple as dessert. Unfortunately, this was only for us and not for the porters and guide, they had rice and a bit of chicken so I felt immediately guilty but also knew that I needed the energy to climb the remaining 1372 metres in height for that day. Meanwhile, the clouds and drizzle came in so the next three hours we had to climb heavily which made me realize that this was not going to be easy. Sometimes I only could walk 10 steps and had to wait to catch my breath before taking the next 10 steps. The combination of humidity, height and climbing was really challenging but encouraged by guide Sar and Teemu that we were doing extremely well kept me going. We finally reached pos 3 at 1800 metres in clouds and completely soaked –more from sweat than rain- and only saw the amazing view of the crater later when the sky opened briefly (pic 2). It made me so happy to see this and it gave me the needed energy to walk the remaining half hour to our camp at Sembulan crater rim / 2679 metres (pic 3). Now we could see the benefits of excellent and experienced porters as they’ve arrived ahead of us (with 30 kg of luggage) to secure the better spots in the camp. We had a small spot with the view of the crater lake in front of us and not based at the big patch with many others and less privacy. Within 5 minutes I had a warm cup of tea in my hands and could take a seat in one of the camping chairs while they put up our tent. Dinner was again a massive meal but I had no problem in finishing it after my long day of trekking. By 8pm I was ready for bed as we would be woken up at 2.30am for our 3 hours climb to the summit the next morning…..

Day two started at 2.30am with a wake-up call with hot tea and jam sandwiches from our porters. After a quick check we went with guide Sar on our way to reach the summit for sunrise at 6am. It was dark, cold and after an hour the rain came in so not the best circumstances to climb. It also got harder and harder by the minute so I was really struggling at some point but cheered up when Sar said that we were doing really well that at some point we had to wait somewhere for half an hour otherwise we would arrive to early at the summit where it would be freezing could. It got busier and busier with people climbing and I never will forget the last half an hour that I had to climb which was sand so it was three steps up, rest, three steps up and rest…. Finally, Sar said the words I wanted to hear “we are here” so the remaining climb was so liberating to reach Mt. Rinjani Summit at 3726 metres! Unfortunately, the clouds made it impossible to have the wanted views (pic 4,5,6) of the surrounding area but it was the personal achievement which counted for me.  After half an hour at the freezing summit we made our way down which is a lot easier! You can ‘ski’ down the sand and run parts of the rest of the track so 2 hours later we were enjoying the banana pancakes, spring rolls and fruit salad breakfast. I was ready for a rest but there was no rest for the wicked as Sar said it was time to decent to the lake. The porters will break up camp and join us later so there we went down a very rocky path down from 2679 metres to the lake for our lunch time break. It took us three hours to get to the lake and I was exhausted and feeling my legs who worked overtime but the thought that I only had to walk for 1,5 hrs. after lunch kept me cheerful. Of course during our decent we were taken over by our three porters so they were waiting for us with lunch at the lake but we had one more stop before that and that was the hot springs. What a treat to strip down to your swimwear and sit in hot water for half an hour and relax…… After this treat I enjoyed the lake view and lunch which was Gado Gado with fried tempeh. After lunch I was planning a little nap before our 1,5hrs trip to our camp for the night but Sar had other plans and said “better to leave early and have more time there to rest” So off we went again and my tempo was clearly a lot slower as my legs were complaining and not happy with all this exercise. After we left the lake behind us I could only see a very high wall in front of us and I started to fear the worst. I started to ask questions to Sar and Teemu but they just said keep on walking one step at the time. After two hours I knew that it was going to take a lot longer than the 1,5hrs to get to the top of the crater rim and my mood dropped by 1000 metres. My two men said that I just had to take it easy and one step at the time but in the end we had to reach camp at some point and it should be worth it. When we climbed higher and higher we could see stunning views of Mt Rinjani, the lake and the mini volcano in the middle of the lake. That gave me spirit and energy and you could clearly see the route we’ve already achieved that day. After 4,5 hrs. I could see the end of the hell of a trek and my camping chair waiting for me. With clear skies and sun we reached the Senaru Crater rim at 2641 metres and again we had a top spot with one of the best views of the lake, Mt Rinjani and the second volcano in the lake. I was so tired and couldn’t move my legs but felt amazing as it was a hell of a day/trek but so worth it. We had dinner by sunset with views to the lake but also to the Gili Islands and Bali; it was just stunning (pic 7). My body and mind were clearly tired and after sunset it was freezing cold so it was time to warm up in the tent and my sleeping bag.

Day three after a long but cold sleep I had breakfast and sunrise from my chair before our final trek all the way down to Senaru village. My legs hadn’t recovered overnight so I was prepared for this when we started our trip at 7.30am.  The decent was a mix of rocks, sand, jungle paths and climbs but with some stops and lunch at pos 2 (1300 metres) we finally reached the final destination where a car was waiting for us to take us back to the village. In a way I wasn’t tired but more excited of the three day track but my body was in need of a lot of rest for the next couple of days.

I could kiss the ground the porters walked on as I have total respect for these guys who walk this track in their flip flops, shorts and t-shirts and 30-40 kg of weights on their shoulders. The two baskets are attached to each other by a bamboo stick which they support on one or both of their shoulders. I couldn’t walk 2 metres with it but they walked or better to say ran as mountain goats up and down the track as it was a piece of cake. Most of these guys start when they’re 16 yrs old and say that they cry the first time but they are told to get on with it and after a couple of times you just get used to it. When I’ve asked them how many times they’ve walked this route they couldn’t tell me as it could be hundreds of times. Some of the porters become guides after a couple of years so they lose the weight but not the climbing! If you ever follow my footsteps you will understand what I’m talking about and agree that this is a hard job and in my opinion totally under appreciated by travel agents and tourists. Amed, Amel and Ari (pic 8) thank you so much for all the lovely food prepared with big smiles and while having fun, motivating us during the trek and entertaining me in the evening with your care and stories but most of all for carrying my backpack as that made it a lot easier to climb this damn mountain !

our luggage for 3 days........

at 1800 metres

view from basecamp 

Mt Rinjani summit

View from Rinjani summit

View from camp at lake crater rim

Dropbox links to pictures of my travel adventures!

Below a couple of links to my dropbox account with photo albums of various adventures of my last 7 months of traveling...............

Elephants

In Laos I did a three day Elephant mahout training with my lovely elephant Sophie...

www.dropbox.com/sh/7ssr1rqr0f1q7ky/8ztqjsBA2o

Orphanage

In Cambodia I helped out at an orphange for 3 weeks as a volunteer to entertain the children and teach them some basic English. It was a great experience and the children are just amazing...

www.dropbox.com/sh/be6udh6mw81wcqw/tOLYqx1dNp

Gunung BROMO

This mountain has always been one of Indonesian most breath-taking sights, Bromo is the Javanese translation for Hindu God of creation.

The volcano is still active which its last eruption in 2011 and its expected to continue for some time to come. I climbed this to view the sunrise followed by a motorbike trip to the viewpoint to see Bromo (through thick clouds).

www.dropbox.com/sc/pnv0hcw5znejj8k/140VVH2IxV

GUNUNG BATUR

This is one of the volcanoes in Bali which you can climb and to get the best views it is suggested to do this by sunrise. However if the clouds are taking over the view you will see the following:www.dropbox.com/sc/x695fn6qqzejady/ZXqH1ZBH1H

TEGAL

I went to my dad’s birthplace in Java/Indonesia to see where my roots come from. It was an emotional but exciting experience but also recognizable for myself and my dads background. I planted a small bush in the communial park to remember him, I was welcomed by the locals with their big smiles and inquizivative personality. When I left I felt a bit sad as it was saying goodbye to family. The pictures show views from the town and my meeting with the locals (mainly kids) and a daytrip in the area with views Gunung Slemat.

 www.dropbox.com/sc/5n4xoqrw0eyz73h/N7iq1Ww4t2

UBUD ceremony

In Ubud/Bali I stayed at a lovey homestay and the family was very welcoming.

The mother of the owner (Nyoman) passed away two weeks prior to my visit and as a tradition a ceremony should take place to purify the house with her and evil spirits before the divine powers are addressed. This is done by offerings, holy water and hand gestures. The pictures give a view of the ceremony, the monkey forest sanctuary and Ubud surroundings like rice paddies and temples.

 www.dropbox.com/sc/b5pxbv4ytnqk53m/92RmO1qqbm

Gili Air: 

This is one of the Gili Islands between Bali and Lombok. The Island is beautiful with white beaches and blue water. The corals, snorkling and diving must have been amazing ten years ago as I only spotted dead coral along the beaches. A lot of dead coral ends up on the beach but gets recycled for buildings (kind of pebbledash), decorations; key holders, curtains or in the gardens.

You can view the pictures from the Island:

www.dropbox.com/sc/r1a3ikqrbmdehao/9v2sDau0PA

Ubud

In Ubud I stayed in a homestay with a lovely family.  Here you could see a traditional Balinese family who lives together in a house with its own temple. The buildings are in a beautiful Balinese style with colourful painted doors and the walls have typical Balinese carvings in the outside walls. There is an entrance to an outdoor temple which is used for ceremonies and I as lucky to experience one when I stayed there.
The mother of the owner (Nyoman) passed away two weeks prior to my visit and as a tradition a ceremony should take place to purify the house with her and evil spirits before the divine powers are addressed. This is done by offerings, holy water and hand gestures. Prior to the day of the ceremony the family members were busy with preparations which mainly is making offerings from coconut leaves, these would vary from small square boxes to umbrella shaped versions with creative sized attachments to house the offerings (rice, flowers, sweets). The whole family including the young girls were busy with this.
On the day of the ceremony I was woken up by females singing / chanting and when I looked outside my window they were in the temple area, than walked around the whole building complex from offering area to offering area. This was to connect with the spirits and greet them, one female would put some flowers at the area and sprinkle some alcohol on it too. The smell of the incense has the purpose to make you feel happy, this works for both for the spirits and for us.
The offering area was a big cross shaped pile of flowers, coconut leaf offerings which were filled with flowers, food and as my hosts explained it has a meaning: NORTH facing is associated with the color red and the highest hierarchy which is the duck with number 88 SOUTH; black and has the lowest level the dog with number 8, WEST; is the color yellow with and EAST; is the colour white with the chicken. Each area had a coconut decorated with the colour and the years in Chinese coins.
I’ve met the dog Bobo who was a young puppy and was killed that morning to be offered to the gods as it would re-incarnate as a human.
The process of the women went on for a while till they felt the spirits were satisfied and by waving the incense smoke upwards they were guiding the spirits out of the house. The final was a procession of loud noise and chanting to finally ‘clear’ the offering areas and literality brushing the spirits away with a brush and a bunch of burning incense. Suddenly, everyone started clearing the offering areas and the coconut leaf and flowers were all put into bags for burning at the sea. Within 10 minutes the place looked tidy and the next stage would start which as that the priest would go round and give his blessing to the whole area and finish at the temple where a praying ceremony would take place. All family members gathered into the temple as they had to be ‘cleaned’ too with water and rice and when this was done the ceremony was finished and we enjoyed a traditional Balinese meal of rice, jackfruit curry, chicken and pork packages of banana leaves.
The cremation would take place in September with another family member that passed away so till then the bodies are kept in a special place till the ceremony in the sea.

I found the whole process very fascination as I could see that this is a tradition and people are following it out of respect of the spirits. It is beautiful but nothing different than other religions where people follow the founder or foundation of this religion but here it feels that is has emotions and comes from the heart without forcing outstanders to join or follow. As Nyoman (guesthouse owner) said; we are open and liberate so please join the ceremony as it is my pleasure to have you here.

In Bali they call their children the same in the following order: Child no 1; Wayan or Putu, No 2: Made or Kadet,  no3: Nyoman or Komang,  no 4 Ketut and with no 5 you start again at no 1; etc. Usually one is also given another name to identify themselves too.

The pictures give a view of the ceremony, the monkey forest sanctuary and Ubud surroundings like rice paddies and temples.

 www.dropbox.com/sc/b5pxbv4ytnqk53m/92RmO1qqbm

The offerings

The lovely Nyoman Murjana family