Natural world
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Gili Air – laid back vibe, vibrant skies and turtles
The 3 hour fast ferry from Nusa Lembongan to Gili Air was spent sunbathing on deck, watching dolphins and getting a glimpse of Gili Trawangan. Gili Air is beautiful, its sunsets are fabulous with the volcano Mount Agung on Bali silhouetted and reflected in the shallow sea and coral reef. Gili Air is fabulous for snorkelling amongst turtles, you don’t have to go out on a boat, just rent fins and snorkel set and swim off the beach. Amazing experience, saw green turtles and hawksbill turtles amongst a million colourful fish We have loved our stay on the island of Gili Air. There are no cars or regular mopeds on…
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Nusa Lembongan and its vibrant sea
After the 30 minute fast ferry from Bali we arrived at the floating harbour of Jungutbatu on the Island of Lembongan and stepped into a little bit of paradise, we have a few days here for a slower pace of life… not that we were rushing anyway. What a fabulous stay we have had on Nusa Lembongan. We hired a buggy to tour this small island and walked across yellow bridge to the neighbouring island of Ceningan. These islands have some spectacular coastline, apart from the white coral sand beaches and seaweed farms there are the rugged cliffs and the formations of devils tears and blue lagoon which were mesmerising.…
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Bali – Ubud, rice terraces, temples and monkeys
So now we are in Bali, short ferry ride from Ketapang, Java to Gilimanuk Bali. Then a 5 hour taxi to Ubud, the cultural and spiritual centre of Bali. Our home for a few days is tranquil and overlooks rice fields yet just a short walk to an array of bars and restaurants. This is Bali, a place of beauty coupled with mass tourism, will we like it? Only time will tell. We have now seen two sides of Ubud, Bali. The first was a quick stop at the famed Tegallalang rice terraces. (Couldn’t bring myself to take photos here) Once a place of beauty, now more of a theme…
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Malang – volcanoes and colourful villages
Just 2 days in the town of Malang, the main reason for this visit was the famous Bromo volcano trek for sunrise. The trek to the viewpoint was steep but so rewarding. The sunrise with the clouds beneath us was awesome. Followed by a trek across the sea of black volcanic sand to the rim of Bromo, the constantly smoking volcano, absolutely amazing. Even the giant cone of mount Semeru, the highest mountain in Java was spewing out ash into the atmosphere. We have had the most incredible experience today. One other place of interest in Malang is Rainbow Village. Previously known as one of the worst slums in Indonesia…
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Indonesia – Sumatra – volcanoes and lakes
From jungle humidity of Bukit Lawang to the cool air of the Sumatran highlands, a 2 day stay in Berastagi. The village is culturally dominated by the Karo people, the main highlights of this village are the active volcanoes of Mount Sinabung and Mount Sibayak ( you can climb this one) the golden Buddhist temple of Lumbini and a fruit market. As we were recovering from our 3 day trek we chose not to climb a volcano but we did chill out around town…… We have just spent a few tranquil days on the beautiful island of Samosir in Lake Toba, Sumatra. This is the heartland of the Batak people.…
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Indonesia – Sumatra – Bukit Lawang
Following our jungle adventure in Borneo we flew to Sumatra having a luxury 2 night stay in Medan, the capital city. From there our base has been the jungle village of Bukit Lawang. Great little rustic village in a great setting on the banks of a river. We have spent 2 days exploring the village and its surrounds, walking amongst rice fields, clambering through bat caves and learning how they make brown sugar, tempeh and tofu. We have had our fair share of rain and storms too but then we are in a rain forest! Tomorrow we embark on another adventure, a 3 day jungle trek and wildlife spotting in…
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Borneo – in search of the orangutan
We have just had the most amazing trip which exceeded expectations. We flew out to Pangkalan Bun in Borneo (known as Kalimantan in Indonesia) to meet up with our klotok (traditional wooden boat) our home for a couple of nights. Apart from the wonderful experience of sleeping on the deck of our boat surrounded by the sounds of the jungle and eating fresh local food, our main reason was to view orang-utans in their natural environment, what an incredible experience this was. I will let the photos talk…….. Although our time in Kalamantan was mainly about orangutans, there was so much more to the trip. The boat was fun and…
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Indonesia – Postcard from Java
After 1 night in Jakarta, a fabulous 3 hour panoramic train journey took us to the city of Bandung, West Java and after good night sleep we got over our feelings of jet lag. Today, our first day exploring the region’s amazing places, the highlight, White Crater, a volcanic crater lake. Other sites …. tea plantations, rice fields, volcanic hot pools and a walk across what is claimed to be the longest suspension bridge in South East Asia. Our time in Bandung is done, heading back to Jakarta now. Bandung is not a particularly interesting city, with really just one cool street and a handful of art deco buildings however…
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The Final NZ Chapter: Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo & Akaroa
Another long drive, yet another great cafe stop. Honestly, the ability of New Zealand to keep coming up with unexpectedly good food in terrific little cafes is ridiculous and after all these weeks we still haven’t found a bad one. Today, eggs benedict and a long black in Kurow, delicious as ever, served with a smile and, wait for it, a 15% surcharge because it’s Easter Monday. We’re en route to Lake Tekapo but detouring to Aoraki Mount Cook, the highest of all of New Zealand’s mountains at 3,724 metres above sea level and another of this country’s iconic sights. Unfortunately the cloud cover is stubbornly thick and the famed…
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NZ Road Trip: Wedding Weekend In Warrington
My nephew Jack, my sister’s boy, came out to New Zealand with his girlfriend on a short term work visa, liked what he saw, applied for residency, and soon started his own business. That was fourteen years ago or thereabouts, and it’s abundantly clear that returning home will never be on his/their agenda. So here we are, after another long drive along these spectacular routes, back on the east coast of South Island in the hamlet of Warrington some twenty minutes north of Dunedin. The rather lovely ceremony is, in keeping with both the character of the happy couple and with kiwi culture, unconventional and innovative, taking place in the…
