The Chillhouse Canggu

... t tread water. So I felt a little better after I got into my life vest and helment, and grilled the rafting guide about his credentials. He's been leading these trips for 12 years, so I finally got over my nerves enough to enjoy the experience. The river had Class II & III rapids which were just enough to be fun; nothing to treacherous. The scenery was beautiful...lots of green and bamboo trees...and carvings ...

... tasting. This area is known for a famous variety of coffee called Kopi Luwak, which is regarded as the most unique and desirable (and most expensive) coffee in the world. It's not any ordinary coffee- it goes through a "roasting" process that some might find crude beyond belief. The red ripe coffee beans are consumed in the raw by a mongoose-type animal. The stomach acids in effect "roast" the beans whole. somebody then picks the ...

... why people come here though, sea, surf, a beautiful beach and hedonistic nights on the town. Not really my cup of tea. I've booked a travel ticket to Gili Trawangan this afternoon which leaves early tomorrow morning, I plan to relax for a while on this tiny island off the north-west coast of Lombok. Will defiantly be a long travel day tomorrow, was told the journey takes at least 8 hours on various buses and boats.

... into Monkey Forest whichm, you will probably guess from it's name, is home to hundreds of common macaques. They were everywhere and were certainly not shy. Some crazy people bought bananas at the entrance but didn't get more than 10 feet before being bombarded with little grabbing hands! Will ended up with one on his head which was pretty amusing!! Despite the cheeky monkeys the forest itself was a lovely walk and had some interesting temples. That evening I went for a ...

... be like that? Who knows? Anyway, on March 7th the day after the BIG holiday, it's a day of resting. Nothing is open, no restaurants, no shops, everybody stays home and stays indoors. I guess you don't even open your windows that day, to keep the spirits out? I need to lean some more about it, but one this is for certain...Balinese live very close to their Gods and Demons. Everyday Wyan (why-ANN) in my guest house, tends to the shrines scattered all over ...

... view from our sunroom) was really nice. It is far removed from everything, which, if it had been less stingy, would have been fine. Days by the pool or on the beach would have been fine, except that the food was too expensive. They supposedly have drivers to take you into Seminyak and Kuta for free, but they were always out, so we spent a fortune on taxi rides back to the areas by which we had been staying at Ulin. Not really ...

... at the temple festivities) and guided Arvid to his family compound which is a very nice one. His family's livestock and fields are conveniently located nearby their homes, while Luhur's family has to walk a ways out of town to get to theirs. Gede and he's uncle took Arvid out to their fields where the uncle cut some grass for the two cows and pointed out the various fruit and vegetables. Later Luhur walked with us out of town to show us his rice fields ...

... So went clubbing then with the australian lads xmas nite. One thing that is funny about the clubs here.. is that most of them are free in and give you a free drink as you go in... but locals have to pay in and get no free drink.. thats completely alien from other asian places ive been where westerners are charged a lot more than locals for entrance. Stephen's day i hit the beach and surfing again and started sorting out my onward journey to Lombnok for the next few days and the new year.

... best value and ambiance. It has a very relaxing room opening into a garden, with the sounds of flowing water. Other nice touches were bowls of fragrant flowers under the massage table, and a relaxing flower peddle warm bath after a body scrub. The 1 1 1/2 hour Javanese massage was heavenly, and only 110,000 rph (US$12!). Lovina Wellness center in Lovina was the best for arm, neck, and back work. She nearly ...

... of Hamlet. I think it's starting to get to me a little bit. I've tried just standing in the street and screaming, but nobody notices. The motorbike men kept coming up and offering "taxi to hospital". I've tried covering my face entirely with a scarf and sunglasses and wearing a padded jacket like a suicide bomber, but I started getting hassled by the "polisi". I considered buying hard drugs but you can only buy them from the polisi, and I'd already blotted my copybook ...