Arjana Bungalows Ubud

Official day one in Bali!
So despite the fact that Ive only had about eight hours of sleep in total over the past 72 hour period, its 630am and Im wide awake. I think the thirty two odd roosters within hearing distance may have something to do with this. I have lost track of what time it is back home... I think Im about 12 hours ahead? No ma...

We travelled to Ubud by taxi as we couldn’t find anyone who could tell us where to stop a bemo or catch a public bus. We paid 200,000 rp (about £13) for a 11/2 hour journey, which sounds quite reasonable, however we now realise is quite expensive. Had we listened to Kate and got a metred bluebird taxi, it would have probably come...

Today was a great day. We attended a
Cremation Ceremony. Cremation ceremonies are very elaborate and
expensive productions. Because they cost so much, often times when a
person dies they will be buried for five to 10 years and then when
the family has finally saved enough money the remains will be dug up
in order to be c...

When I last talked to my mom, she described my trip in Asia something along the lines of being full of "misadventures." I would certainly agree. If you factor in Vincent, creepy strange Macau, getting ripped off by corrupt police officers, forgetting keys on the motorbike, staph infections, sleeping in a haunted jungle, near accidents on the mot...

Today, we had Grade 4, my absolute favorite class! I love one of the girls in the class, Made! She is the cutest girl and character ever and is so smart and clever. She takes extra English lessons on the side, after school, and even wants to be an English teacher. So, teaching her is so great because I know she wants to learn. Another girl is al...

28.03.09: Bye Bye Hong Kong, hello Bali. After a few modern cities, it is nice to go back to a different atmosphere. When we arrived at immigration, there was like an hour queue, as you need to apply for a rip-off visa and there were only 5 customs guards for 3 full planes arriving. When we finally got out, we could not find the place we wanted ...

I woke up early enough for a run, but my stomach seized with pains that had begun the previous night. Traveler's sickness again. I took another pill in the hopes that it would cure everything. Truthfully, I did want to go for a run, but the thought of being stuck out in the middle of nowhere with the unbearable stomach pains that make you go to ...

Candidasa is a small town along the SE coast of Bali. The beaches are fairly modest as far as swimming. But it makes a good base for exploring the area. Close to Candidasa are many Bali Aga villages, home of aboriginal Balinese people. The most prolific is probably Tenganan, just eight kilometers away. The primary reason is that it has maintaine...

Ahh, what a good night's sleep, and in a great budget hotel too. The Indonesia section of the LP book scores again. After devouring a banana pancake, I headed out to the beach. Kuta is basically a larger, busier Asian clone of Rosarito, so anyone who's been there should get an accurate mental image in their head. Not that I've ever been to Rosar...

When we walk outside, at 08h50, a nice chauffeured 4X4 is waiting for us. We have no idea where we are going, trusting the people of the hotel. After half an hour of driving, we stop in at the water palace or Tirta Gangga, meaning Holy Water of the Ganges. When the raja of Karangasem (also the name of the town) built, it in 1947, it was on the b...