Bali Eco Bike trip

We needed to get back to Bali (for the 3rd time!) to fly to Peninsular Malaysia and had several days in Ubud again.We took a really fun Eco Mountain Bike Tour of the countryside (almost all downhill!) and saw lots of cool sights with lots of fun people.

These dudes are harvesting rice in 30 degree heat.Nuff respect.

Volcanos

We left Malang at 1.30 am(eek) to head to an active volcano - Mount Bromo in East Java. We arrived in time for sunrise and were gradually able to see its smoking cones.For the first time since leaving the UK we were cold and it felt good ! Next we headed into the stunning Caldera and were able to ride horses up the side of the volcano.The view was so spectacular I got a bit overwhelmed and admitted to Lizzy I was having a "moment". The smell of the sulphur was not so good (hence the masks) and Lizzy's cough wasn't helped much but despite this we were both loving every second of it !

We wandered around a stunning Hindu temple at the base of Bromo too





















The 2nd volcano was Ijen about 7 hours east and this was a hard 2 hour trek to the top.Lots of men mine, then carry 80kg of sulphur (used for cosmetics) down the volcano twice a day for 50 pence a go.Hardcore ! The view was once again stunning and after such a hard slog to get up it was even more rewarding.

Its safe to say these 2 volcano's were the most incredible moment of the trip yet for both of us and we were both surprises how much we got out of this part of our trip.It goes to show that you can never predict which places you will enjoy the most AND that Lonely Planet (great thought it is) doesn't always get it right.

Malang

We finally left Yojya for Malang at 3am after the 1.30 am train was late and headed east across rice paddies and amongst snoring passengers in the "Executive"class train which really wasn't so posh ! Poor Lizzy has a cough + cold so after one night in a 70's fleapit we hit the upgrade button and now are in a wonderful place that is a world apart and full of art and antiques.

Java - Yogyakarta

And so after another brief stop in Kuta (Bali), we arrived in the charming town of Yogyakarta. Perhaps for the first time on the trip I was struck by the poverty around us and there were some very under-employed and struggling people everywhere you look.However it's also apparently the cultural capital of this very crowded and over-whelmingly Islamic island and we had a great time - we were also struck by the very friendly locals.Almost straight away we met this lovely Bajak rider/driver who took us to the Sultans Palace. The driver Guillormo is 62 and is still pedaling around this very,very hot city all day looking for work-it was heart breaking to discover we were his first fare for 4 days.His bike was poignantly labeled with "The Struggle of my Life" on the front and he was very proud to tell us its seat was slightly wider than most and that he was never grumpy with his clients.He was fluent in French and English whilst clearly having learnt these on the job with no formal schooling.When we later couldn't find him and took another Bejak I wanted to try driving and was surprised to find they don't have a free wheel - so in an already tough job,there is no prospect of free wheeling and relaxing when going down hill !





After one 4.30 am start to fly here,we repeated this crazy feat of getting up too early and thus caught the 6am opening of Borobador.This is a UNESCO world heritage site Buddhist Monument was very impressive and our wonderful guide really brought it to life.

The Gili Isles + Lombok

We left Ubud rather sooner than we would have liked. This was because but the much hyped Gili Islands were calling so we decided to take the fast boat there and see what all the fuss is about.

The fast boat was incredibly fast and made for an hour and a quarter of white knuckle riding across some pretty hefty waves with the boat jumping completely out of the water and crashing down again.At one point the engine failed whilst the wave next to us was so high it was above to top of the boat ! After that heartstoping moment we were off again and arrived safe if rather shaken.

We spent 5 nights on Gili Trawangen (there are 3 of the Gili Isles and this is the biggest with most nightlife) and watched a lot of films,football and did a lot of snorkeling. It was good fun and the party vibe was ever present but neither of us really are proper beach bums so eventually we got a craving to move on.We found the Gilis rather over hyped and dirty which is a shame as they are very pretty indeed and there is no motorised transport - only push bikes and donkey carts ! We chilled out so much it started to sap our energy in a strange way.

So now we are in Sengiggi in Lombok which is a charming if quiet seaside town. We rented a bike again and had fun zipping along the very scenic coastal road. The boat ride here was much easier too!

Ubud

Next up was the centre of Balinese art and culture - Ubud.Its a stunningly beautiful place with so many statues,carvings and art galleries.The Dutch started this trend back when they were in charge and the locals have carried it on ...and some ! The vibe is very relaxed and friendly and we were very happy to explore the area for a few days and lounge around in our lovely hotel. Again we explored the area on a moped and took in some scenic rice padi fields and temples.

The most interesting thing we saw was a cremation where 2 old people were set alight a wonderful ceremony with dancing,music,art and colourful costumes.It was a fascinating insight into a side of Bali that is very far removed from what we had seen in the glamorous and chic Semiyak a few days before.Too bad that a few tourists were shamelessly poking camcorders right into the thick of the action rather than keep a discrete distance.A large procession preceded the burning and it was all rather exciting.Not to mention damn hot !