TravelStream™ news feed for member ollie.brown on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/ollie.brown en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:56:58 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246796347/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246796347/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246796347/tpod.html Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:56:58 -0400 Indonesia - Summer 2009

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Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

The bus from Probolinggo was comfortable(ish) and brought me into Denpasar at 2am without a hotel booked in one of the busy weeks of the entire year. I got a cab into Kuta and wandered round being turned away from guesthouses and hotels for around an hour. At some point or another, a cab driver offered to find me a hotel for 100k or nothing if he failed. It took a while, but eventually he found me a place: Business suite 1m rupiah, needless to say, out of my price bracket. Luckily he managed to find one other, not particularly nice place for 200k per night. Within five minutes of checking in the guy at the desk offered to source me a prostitute, a service he has continued to offer me on a daily basis and he's not the only one to offer either, far from it, and I daren't get a massage! To be honest, I feel a little emasculated by the conception that I must need a prostitute!
The following day I found out why prostitutes are offered everywhere, your average Brit in Kuta is slightly wealthier (or at least has saved for longer) than that of Benidorm or drossy parts of the Algarve though otherwise similar. There are also many surfers and couples, as well as families, but this place makes me rather ashamed to be British in. Suffice to say, we are not well represented.
Aside from the distinct lack of class and culture, the beach makes no sense either. People huddle together in the good surfing section, even when no surfing when 100yds to the south (where I sit) the sand is of as good quality, the sun is of course the same but there is next to no-one. The worst factor is the proximity to the airport, which is still unnoticable unless you are looking for it. I sat yesterday on the beach writing a massive rant down to clear my head of frustration, it worked very well though the beer probably helped too.
Anyway... end snobbery, start story:
The first full day was spent exploring the town, finding internet and cash machines and all the usual essentials before settling down on the beach to watch the sunset. I of course sat on the nice quiet section of the beach, alone and able to appreciate the sound of the waves lapping at my feet, it was a gorgeous sunset that cast colours onto the sea that I didn't know existed. I had some really nice nasi goreng with seafood for supper, and got rather squiffy whilst watching the tennis. I was gunning for Federer in a bar dominated by Americans, this amused me almost as much as the game did and afterwards I headed home and went to bed.
Yesterday I decided to do as only mad dogs and Englishmen do and bloody well enjoyed it. Aside from getting slightly caught on one foot and the opposite knee (and I'm sure I put cream on that knee!) I came out of it none the worse for wear. I tried to look through the rockpools at low-tide but aside from masses and masses of the most beautiful crabs I've ever seen there was nothing in them. After a siesta I headed out to a bar or two, listened to some live music and headed for the beach. Again! What is wrong with these people?! They were all bunched together on this enormous beach, and yet appearing to be trying to get some privacy to appreciate the waves in the light of the full moon. I did my usual and headed a little further down and listened to some music on my iPod quietly so I could hear the waves in the background. It was a gorgeous night, but I realised that I had to head back and get some kip as I was not the soberest man in the world and had to be able to wake up early the morning after next.
Today I am but pondering, planning and packing. Though I'll probably get some sunbathing in at some point too! Tomorrow morn I must leave Kuta for Sulawesi and the wilds of the rainforest and I cannot decide whether or not I would return. I think that alone, Kuta is not the greatest place on earth to be as there is little chance of escape from the plague of tourists that descend here, I would however consider returning with other people to share the beach and bars with.
I find it difficult to comprehend that my time of freedom is coming to an end. I will of course be continuing to explore this spectacular archipelago but my movements will be limited and responsibilities increased. I look forward to it though. Jungle is not a habitat I am particularly familiar with and I am sure to be endlessly fascinated by the flora and fauna around me.
This may well be my last update for some time as I am not sure of the internet facilities in the camps though it will certainly be limited. So I bid you all farewell for now, I'm going in...

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246253957/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246253957/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246253957/tpod.html Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:03:01 -0400 Indonesia - Summer 2009

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Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

In the morning of the day I left Bandung I was still uncertain of my next destination. I was sorely tempted by Pandangaran with its sea turtles and pearly beaches. Time and of course money eventually decided for me and I bought a rail ticket for Yogyakarta (Yogya) with great excitement. This excitement was mainly down to Yogya's proximity to Borobudur - an ancient Buddhist temple that I had planned to visit since my gap year travelling that never happened. The only problem was that my train would get in at 3am; never a good time to arrive alone in a strange town.
The train journey was pleasant and I even managed to get 30 seconds kip at one point. At this point I was planning an all night bar jaunt to avoid ending up in some absolute dive although I relented upon arrival as it was very hot, very dark and somewhat intimidating when dead on your feet. I did indeed end up in an absolute dive, and being the middle of the night and one of very few places open it was able to charge me a somewhat elevated fee of 100k (6 quid). The room was large and even had a toilet but it was full of bugs, and had nowhere to hang my mozzie net. And so, I got undressed, drenched myself from head to toe in DEET and crashed. In the morning I awoke without a single bite and promptly ran out to find somewhere else to stay.
I found a lovely family run hostel (known as a losmen) with a spacious room, real toilet (with a seat and everything!) and a balcony that overlooked the busy alleyway that I found great for people watching and only 40k per night. It was even right next to a quiet bar/restaurant with friendly staff and everything I needed within 100yds; there had to be a catch! And so I checked out of my carp-hole room and moved into this great room I had found. It wouldn't be until the evening call to prayer from mosques 1,2 and 3 (never at once though!) that I discovered the catch, but for 2.50GBP a night I couldn't give a toss!
I was dragged into a batik shop a little later on the first day and had absolutely no intention of buying anything. They gave a damn hard sell which tempted me and the continuous flow of absolutely divine tea nearly made me feel guilty about not buying anything. I was just wandering around, about to say tidak (no) and then I saw it. The most spectacular piece. It had various images in it that just touched upon something within me and I had to have it. It cost a fair bit, but I knocked off a fair whack of the asking price and was happy to pay what I did. After this I kicked back for a bit and then went to Bedhot, the awesomely named resaurant with spectacular artwork on the walls (something akin to my batik strangely enough) where I had lunch and a couple of Bintangs. I was lounging at my table beer in hand and the waiter came over and started to chat. He told me he wanted to practice his English so I of course obliged as I was far too tired to be attempting Indonesian. We spoke of each others lives; he had a wife and two daughters, lived out by the sea on a rice plantation, I told him about my family and friends and so on and so on with him popping off occasionally to attend to the odd customer. Eventually, he offered to show me around Yogya for free once he finished work an hour or so later.
That time eventually came and I got on the back of his motorbike and he showed me the Kraton and the pet market and some place where they do public theatre before going off out into the countryside to meet his family back at his village. He then took me back to the losmen and we said our goodbyes. He was a genuinely nice guy and we had a couple more chats in my extended stay in Yogya. It is for this reason that I am seriously pissed off with myself for forgetting his name!
The next morning I woke up and booked some transport out to Borobudur for the following morning, did some shopping then returned to my room for the hottest hours of the day. I then became rather... ill, shall we say and was forced to spend the rest of the afternoon running to and from the bathroom. I was terrified for my trip the next day which I was regarding as something of a pilgrimage after the length of time I had wished to go.
When I awoke in the early hours to catch my 4am minibus I actually felt alright, but loaded up on Immodium all the same. I arrived at the temple just as dawn was breaking and was dumbstruck by the scale of it. I went straight to the top in order to watch the mists floating over the surrounding landscape, a sight I will never forget, which is useful as it's bloody hard to take photos of mist from within mist in low light levels! Anyway... I returned to the base of the monument and began to walk around its various tiers examining the intricate carvings that tell of the Buddhas life and so on and so forth. All of a sudden I got a terrible rumbling from within and knew that I had to find a toilet and very, very quickly. Unfortunately, loos at the monument are few and far between and those I could find were inexplicably locked. Eventually I made it back to the entrance before solving my problem and returning to the monument... not a short distance. I continued around the panels feeling absolutely crap and not enjoying it as much as I had hoped, I was bitterly disappointed to find that by the time I got to the top again, the hordes had arrived and it was not possible to appreciate the tranquility that I had believed the monument to give.
Feeling rather glum we continued to a small temple next to a Buddhist monastery. The temple was pleasant enough and it had a wonderful tree next to it that looked like one in a certain film I like... anyway I was walking round this monastery and was stunned to find that even right next to and I mean RIGHT next to a fairly busy road, the site was near silent. It was so peaceful, calming and made me feel amazing. Were it not for the sleeping sitting up lark I think it would be amazing to live there.
I returned to Yogya at around midday and spent the rest of the day doing nothing and feeling very relaxed. I left the following afternoon.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246537226/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246537226/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246537226/tpod.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:15:55 -0400 Indonesia - Summer 2009

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Probolinggo, Java, Indonesia

It has been a manic few days! I will update Yogya separately as there
is loads for that little town alone, though have no time right now.

Anyway, I left Yogya by train and arrived in the small wee hours in
Surabaya. Aside from being not the nicest looking town (as far as was
discernible by night) in the time it took me to discover that there was
nowhere even vaguely affordable with an available room for the night
and then head for the bus station which I promptly left on a bus
(surprise surprise), I realised that my swiss army knife had fallen out
of my pocket, I was conned, had my guidebook pinched and generally felt
uncomfortable with the unusually intimidating behaviour of the locals.
Gutted.

On I went all the same and had two sweaty blokes snoring on my
shoulders for the two hours it took to get to Probolinggo, needless to
say; this had not been my favourite day of the trip. I arrived in the
small town known only for its apparently high quality mangoes (not that
I saw one anywhere) and as a stopover for travelers on their way to
Gunung Bromo as I was treating it. I got a crappy little room full of
geckos, cheap though, which is always a plus.

In the morning I ventured out to find transport to Bromo, nice and easy
meaning I could shop around and haggle a bit. In the end I went on the
back of a motorbike with my enormous rucksack on with my daysack
strapped in front of the main seat. It was a somewhat interesting
journey as my back was knackered due to the awkward position the bike
forced me to wear my bag and the roads were of the usual rural
standard. Also, halfway up this hillside to the rim of the caldera the
clouds began to pour over the edge and I was soaked and frozen within
minutes! The hotel where I spent the night was at around 2500m asl and
very cold, at least in the cheapo rooms! It did however offer the most
astonishing views over the volcano massif from the restaurant and
outdoor area. I arrived at around 3ish in the afternoon so after a
quick freshen up and a bintang, I went for a walk across the massif and
"climbed" Bromo itself. The area was hauntingly beautiful with islands
of tough grass within what is known locally as the "sea of sands".

In the morning I was up at 2.30 in order to hike up the hillside to the
highest point from where the dawn views of the area are said to be
astonishing. I arrived exhausted at the top and found the reports to be
more than justified. So much so in fact that I found it necessary to
run my camera's battery down!

The journey back down was somewhat eventful after a slight misjudgement
on my part but I came out of it mostly unaffected. Nothing half a
gallon of Savlon couldn't solve anyway!

I left Bromo in a bizarre mood after the glorious sights and near-death experiences... but onwards! To Bali!


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246252251/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246252251/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246252251/tpod.html Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:38:44 -0400 Indonesia - Summer 2009

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Bandung, Java, Indonesia

The tour began at 8am and was exciting virtually from start to finish. We started off through the insane traffic that I have become perfectly used to after a day driving in it. The decision to stop for breakfast was made 100yds down the road from where we ate so we reversed back up the dual carriageway as if doing so was the norm. I've no idea what it was called but what I ate was the local equivalent of bubble & squeak and, though simple, absolutely delicious and washed it down with tea served in the Indonesian way: In a glass, black and quite freshly from the field.
After this we continued for another hour or so until we reached a volcanically active location with geysers and bubbling mud and the stench of sulphur all around us. The walk back to the car was nice though as it took us through jungle with crickets chirping and what were apparently woodpeckers calling to one another. From there we continued to a rice field where we walked in the midday sun for about an hour looking at the rice and various fruit crops grown there on the terraces. The views were spectacular with fields covering virtually every inch of the enormous valley in which we were stood.
Then came another long drive up the worst road in the world with potholes you could bury cars in. I of course was sat above the rear axle and therefore had something of a bumpy ride! At long last we arrived at the foot of this volcano. Seto told us to get out and we began a good hike up the hillside. I was in my element; jumping from rock to rock and taking slightly tougher, though more direct, routes. We saw various steam vents and a great lake that bubbled ominously as well as encrustations of sulphur that I was fascinated by.... ahem.... The views across the volcano were astonishing with burnt trees, steaming vents and in places just great barren spaces. On the way back down we were sliding down screes (I of course was going somewhat faster and less cautiously than the others!) and I spotted various insects peculiar to the region. The butterflies around here are amazing btw: Some with wings as big as your hand!
On the return journey we stopped off at a restaurant where some play was going on... very odd, and ate some good old nasi goreng before returning to Bandung.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246007227/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246007227/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1246007227/tpod.html Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:18:22 -0400 Indonesia - Summer 2009

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Bandung, Java, Indonesia

I took the train from Jakarta at 10:30 and saw some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen. Expansive fields of rice (which I have to say is a beautiful crop), great valleys of rainforest and huge volcanoes in the distance all gave me the opportunity to run my camera's battery halfway down. This truly is a beautiful country. I also got some nasi goreng on the journey which was delicious and really filled a hole after my night of sleeplessness, not helped by the fact that muslims obviously never sleep as the morning call to prayer began at 4am!
I arrived here in Bandung to meet a really nice guy who told me of a hotel where incidentally I had already intended to stay. After a quick ciggy he escorted me to the front door and I checked in for 80k per night (a fiver) for a single with en suite. We sat outside for a while as I got through a couple of Bintangs and he described the day trips the hotel offered which I jumped upon and will be going on tomorrow with a Dutch couple.
Bandung seems to be a lovely place, the air is much fresher than that of Jakarta and I look forward to a starry night. I am enjoying this journey immensely now. Though I miss you all greatly, like hell would I change this for the world!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1245854518/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1245854518/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1245854518/tpod.html Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:06:17 -0400 Indonesia - Summer 2009

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Jakarta, Java, Indonesia

The flight into Jakarta was a grueling one at 14hrs from start to finish. I nodded off to the Goldberg's shortly after take-off and awoke to see my first glimpses of Indonesia just as we crossed the equator. After a little hassle at passport control (sodding bureaucracy) I finally got a cab into central Jakarta. That journey was nothing short of fascinating, in particular what I learnt of local driving habits. Lanes are apparently no more than guidelines and if a road will fit three abreast then cars will do so. Also, motorbikes seem to be exempt from one way regulations and can often be found whizzing down the street in the wrong direction. The smell too is amazing, a blend of two-stroke fumes and a strangely sweet aroma that I couldn't quite pin down. My driver was pleasant enough and we had a nice conversation about Indonesia, Britain and one another.
Eventually, I arrived a my room for the night: Simple, but adequate. I had a double room with air-con for 120,000Rp (7.50) in a traveller friendly area. I found great pleasure in my discovery that I was a multi-millionaire!
The following day I went for a wander and happened upon an internet cafe which I later discovered to be hopelessly slow and incapable of loading any site through which I could communicate to anyone back home! I had a good go at doing the local thing of crossing the road in the narrowest of gaps which was terrifying, though good fun! In the end I decided suicide was not the best of options and got a taksi to a great marble column with golden flame atop which was rather disappointing. En route I managed to get dropped off in the middle of a protest and did my best to avoid the crowds. Afterwards I got a bajaj back to Jalan Jaksa where I sat at Pappa kafe for a few beers, most of which were bought for me by a kind australian man called Kevin. Later his friend Mark from Detroit turned up who turned out to be rather 'in-your-face' and told us of his adventures on acid in junior high!
Eventually I returned to the hostel and struggled to sleep for much of the night, I woke up at 9am and ventured out to the train station with the intention of travelling to Bandung...

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1245768102/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1245768102/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ollie.brown/1/1245768102/tpod.html Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:47:13 -0400 Indonesia - Summer 2009

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The flight here was a strange escape from the nerves I had been ruled by for the previous few days. By immersing myself in film, music and television I felt as though I could have been at home. At one point Sir Humphrey made me feel as though I was sat on my bed with a DVD, it was only for fleeting moments that panic regained control at what the future may hold.
Emirates have soared to the top of my favourite airlines, if only for the external cameras and the fact that food was served in triangular dishes (as everyone knows; food always tastes better in triangles). Also I was strangely fascinated by their bread rolls that were both brown and white, silly I know, but it tickled me for a moment.
Dubai airport is rather surreal. The splendour of the marble floors, cavernous celings and bizarre miniature gardens complete with fish ponds kept me entranced until I found a bar where I could smoke. I sat for a while drinking leffe and smoking a few fags; nothing short of a wondrous relief from the stresses of flying, lack of sleep and what was to come.
I witnessed an aussie trying to by his drinks with Scottish bank notes but chickened out of using the "that's legal tender" line.
At this point I still felt rather anxious, who knew what could come next?!

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