Dewi Sri Lombok

... us there for only 20,000 each - god knows how they managed that! We got into Senaru after the van broke down many many times (maybe thats why it was so cheap!) and we found out we coupldnt dio an independant treck - supprise supprise. And it would cost crazy money each - 1,000,000+ each supprise supprise! BUT we chatted with a nice guy and we aranged to move away ...

The Jungle Hideaway at Kuta Beach on Lombok is incredible value. The bungalow---there's only one--is nestled privately on the sand in Kuta Beach. It has A/C, furnished with local ikat and built with quality craftemsnship, has a western toilet and shower, a fridge, and a view to die for from the front porch. In the US this kind of luxurious seclusion would cost hundreds of dollars a night, but in Kuta Beach, it's about US $14 at current exchange rates. It ...

... and also a great trekking excursion, but unfortunately the mountain was closed because of the rainy season, so our ascent of the summit will have to wait until our next visit. Pura Kalasa is the Balinese Hindu temple located on the grounds and had many striking statues, all sporting the sarong that is ubiquitous throughout this part of Indonesia. After checking out the temple, Mary and I headed for the swimming pool to cool off. Most of ...

... pobrezi zaprselo. Zdolat Gunung Rinjani trva minimalne tri dny, smi se tam jenom z pruvodcem a cele je to dost drahe, takze jsme se rozhodli tuto cast Lomboku vynechat. Misto toho jsme jeli do opiciho pralesa kousek od Senggigi, kde je asi milion opic a krasna priroda. Soucasti Lomboku jsou take 3 male koralove ostrovy na severozapade, kam jsme vyrazili hned ze Senggigi. Vsechny tri maji hezke plaze s bilym piskem a jsou turistickym magnetem, hlavne kvuli ...

... coral garden, more vibrant and diverse than the reefs we have seen elsewhere. It now provides a nursery for tons of fish. The patches around the garden are no less impressive. We sat to watch a banded shrimp play around in the coral among a couple tiny clownfish. Nearby I spotted a very well camoflauged stonefish hanging out on the rocks. It took another fifteen minutes or so for me to see the second, much bigger one right next to it. These guys are ...

... snack (Sean ended up with a chicken foetus type thing, complete with head!) before we got on the plane. And off we went to Bali, a stupidly short flight (about 25 mins), where Uncle Andy had booked me and Stuggy into a family room with him, and in the same hotel was Stefan, Petra (who'd left a few days before), and Luke (who'd been in Bali for a few weeks now)! We'd all arranged to meet up for "reunion" drinks, so we had a feeling it could be a bit of a bloodbath in Bali.......

... drivers' who were ten and eleven. Katy at the same age, towered over them both and she was so surprised that they were so tiny. Cute, but tiny. Just like the pony. Just like the cart! We had the most horrendous trip coming back to Lombok though. The sea's turned rough and the boat - if you can call it that - really struggled. The boat consisted of two bamboo poles at each side (call it a catamaran if you like!) and was tied with a bit of string to the main hull of ...

... dated Aug 1, we updated it with some additional thoughts about two days ago). We are enjoying our stay in Bali very much. It is a chance to take a break and recuperate from the rigours of the road before moving on to the next stage of travel. However, we are also enjoying some of the small things. Here are just a few: 1) We can do laundry. The hotel even supplies a rack on the balcony for hanging clothes so it is no problem staying ...

... s a temple in the middle of the forest - hence the scared bit - so I had to borrow a very fetching sarong to wear throughout - the balinese don't just cover there knees as a mark of respect, everyone (male & female) should wear a full lenght sarong. I even received advice on how to wear it properly.

Insomnia is my friend, apparently. In other news, throwing chunks of coral at the dogs doesn't seem to deter them from gang-raping all the cats/chickens/cows in the vicinity. Far from it, in fact. The only effect I found was momentary release of my inner frustration, quickly followed by guilt when I realised I'd destroyed someone's ...