I just realized it’s been 40+ days since I posted the first batch of pictures.  Since then, I have 2418 (just checked) additional files in my media folder -meaning pics and vids from the camera, the GoPro and both iPhones- . So I have some serious catching up to do.  And honestly, not only for the viewing pleasure of you all (sorry), but also because if I don’t force myself to do a periodic selection, a few months from now it will simply be unmanageable. Need to keep the records up to date… you know, for the grandchildren (for now I should actually only able to say “for my niece and nephew”, but one is too busy partying -she’s 18 and probably doesn’t even know we are traveling-, and the other -the great Stefus, a digital native- most likely thinks pictures are obsolete).

So here some image selection, location-based:

Padangbai

Very small and not-so-attractive port-village, where ferries to the Gili Islands depart from. We spent two nights there at a home-stay so good that we used our own sleeping sacks for the first time, out of fear of touching their sheets. We met some nice folks and took a day tour to the mother temple of Besakih (main temple in Bali) and other important spots in the region … let the images do the talking.

Where the ferries depart from (yes, you have to wet your feet) // De aquí parten los ferries (toca mojarse los pies para subir)

Blue lagoon beach (no trace of Brook Shields) // Playa Blue Lagoon en Padangbai

This would be a door // Pintoresca puerta

Luwak coffee (still with Luwak poop 🙂 ) // Café Luwak (todavía con un poco de caquita)

Roasting the poop-coffee. // Tostando el café pufisero

Water palace of Tirtagangga // Palacio de Aguas (así se dice?) de Tirtagangga (una ganga)

Grrrr. // Grrrr. (took a while to translate this one)

Klungkung Palace, former Court of Justice // Klungkung, antigua corte de justicia del reino

Great balance // Buen equilibrio

The bat cave (see the golden bat at the top) // La cueva de los murciélagos (vean arriba en dorado)

Mother Temple of Besakih // Templo Madre de Besakih.

Don’t I look good in a sarong? // Me queda bien el look pareo o qué? 🙂

Ikat textiles and more. // Telas Ikat y más -compre caserito-

Gili Islands

And then we went to the Gilis. No man’s land, as I’ve said before. Gili Trawangan is the “party island”. You walk its “boulevard” and don’t know if you are in Indonesia, Tenerife or Jamaica. Gili Air is way more laid back. Beach parties, rastafara vibe, a bit higher average age, good food. Very nice. We liked it more (our age being an important factor for it)… on that, I liked something I read about travelers’ age groups… looks like we are in the “young enough to still carry a backpack, but not quite to party all night long” bracket. As my dad would say, such is life in the tropics.

Good days, I regret we didn’t stay longer.

“Fast Boat” from Padangbai to G.Trawangan // Ferry veloz de Padangbai a Trawangan.

Yup, Gili “T”. // La misma que viste y calza

Our room in Gili T (the one of the DEET episide). // Nuestro cuarto en Gili T. Aquel del incidente con el repelente.

Jus, makes more money helping out at the Guesthouse than harvesting Chili Peppers back home. // Jus, gana más ayudando en el hostal que cosechando ajíes en su pueblo.

Gili T (to see Sandra on the left…click on “view full size,” here below, don’t be lazy). // Gili Trawangan (Sandra a la izquierda, para verla, click en “view full size” aquí abajo).

Rain is approaching. // Se viene la lluvia.

Turtle race. // Carrera de tortugas.

Hey buddy. // Hola amiguita.

Different beach fashion styles. // Diferentes estilos de moda playeros.

Exploring the deep. // Explorando las profundidades.

Close encounter (of the third kind) with the reef. // Encuentro cercano (del tercer tipo) con los corales.

Waiting for the sunset // Esperando el sunset.

Moment of stress. // La vida es dura.

hmmm… I’ve got this. // Experta en Yenga.

Sorry girl, it’s my turn now. // Lo siento muchacha, me toca.

Good-old Donnie, whom we met in Ubub, climbing the Batur. // El buen Donnie, que conocimos trepando el monte Batur en Ubud.

Beerponging, main sport at Gili T. // El deporte favorito en Gili T.

Local delicacies. // Exquisiteces locales.

And off to Gili Air. // Y nos vamos para Gili Air.

Looking for your hostel? Just follow the arrow. // Buscando tu hostal?.. .sigue la flecha.

Trying to get directions. // Tratando de orientarse.

Walking around Gili Air. // Dándole la vuelta a Gili Air.

Street art? // Arte callejero?

Deep philosophy everywhere. // Pensamientos profundos por todos lados.

Showers with a view. Saves water when it rains. // Ducha con vista. Ahorra agua cuando llueve.

hmm…or maybe not.

Exactly. // Eso mismo digo.

Posing for the lens. // Fintera.

Chinese little friend who managed to get Sandra down from the swing. // La chinita que logró que Sandra se baje del columpio.

Average depth = 40 cm. // Profundidad promedio de 40 cm.

ommmm

Reggae night….. la la la la la… ♪ ≈ ♫ ≈ ♪

Someone got dizzy on the way back and got a free massage. Masseur had just had a manicure. // Alguien se mareó en el camino y recibió un masaje gratis. El masajista venia de hacerse la manicure.

Saying bye to the Gilis. // Y se acabaron las Gilis.

West and South Lombok

Lombok, unlike its western Hindu neighbor Bali, is mostly Muslim. It’s way less touristy and also less developed. Different atmosphere (btw the Gilis do actually belong to Lombok, but it doesn’t really seem so). We stayed at a guesthouse owned by a fun crazy Dutchman, unwillingly took the scooter off-road to explore some waterfalls and -as I believe I mentioned before- also crashed into a 5-star hotel’s gym. Intention was to pay for the day, but the door was open and the desk by the entrance empty. We didn’t complain.  Further south, in Kuta (not to be mistaken with Bali’s Kuta), we found the best beaches so far. Less crowded and -finally- full of white sand, no rocks or coral, meaning no need to walk as if you’re stepping on Lego bricks when entering the water.

One of the biggest mosques in the region. // Una de las mezquitas más grandes de la región.

Crazy John, owner of Rumah Putih Abu-Abu (The Gray House). // Con el loco John, dueño de Rumah Putih Abu-Abu (La Casa Gris).

Lekkere sapje. // Rico (=”lekker” en holandés) juguito.

Gym crashers. // Colones de gym.

Once again, waiting for the sunset. // Una vez más, esperando el sunset.

…and there it is (kind of) // … y ahí está (maomeno)

“Yes, it’s me, from the TV”. // “Sí, yo soy el de la tele”.

Off-road scooter. // Motito todo-terreno.

Special GPS device and high-tech holder. // Dispositivo especial de navegación con su sujetador de alta tecnología.

Rice fields all over. // Arroz y más arroz!

Looked more impressive in person. // Se veía más impresionante en persona, la verdad.

Yeah, make me famous. // Fílmate ésta!

Behind the waterfall. // Catarateando ando.

Pharrell Williams gave us a ride. // Nos tocó Pharrell Williams de taxista.

Kuta’s catwalk. // Modelando en Kuta.

Yup, it works. // … y mi ganchito aguantó

Testing if my hook holds. // Probando si mi ganchito aguanta.

The white sand beaches I was talking about!. // A estas playas me refería.

My improvised shadow device. // Sombra improvisada.

An expert with the pineapple. // Todo un experto con esto de la piña.

Enjoying some Nasi Goreng. // Disfrutando de un rico Nasi Goreng.

…and a Mie Goreng . // …y de un Mie Goreng.

Comfortable pose to catch up on the diary. // Cómodamente actualizando el diario.

And making yet more new buddies. // Haciendo más y más amiguitos.

At some point, it’s fishing time for all the village behind the beach. // Como a las 4pm, todo el pueblo empezó a entrar a pescar.

Buy prrrracelet? // Compra pprazalate?

And that was Lombok! // Y eso fue Lombok!

Back to Bali: Uluwatu and Seminyak

We still hadn’t visited the south of Bali (Bukit peninsula), so we came back from Lombok and spent a few days there, before crossing to Java. We watched surfers searching the perfect break at the legendary Uluwatu, spoilt ourselves at a fancier hotel to celebrate the first month abroad -also mentioned it in the last post- and went to Seminyak, one of the most touristy parts of Bali. Wasn’t our cup of tea, as we had been warned, but we were curious and hey, time is kind of on our side.

Famous Thomas Beach. // La famosa playa Thomas.

Kites in the sky. // Cometas al viento.

Making some Couchsufring friends. // Haciendo algunos amigos en Couchsurfing.

And once again at night. // Y otra vez, de noche.

At Uluwatu Temple. // En el templo de Uluwatu.

Surfers in the waves of Uluwatu. // Surfers en Uluwatu.

Jimbaran’s beach… you don’t miss much if you skip it. // No pasa mucho con la playa de Jimbaran.

Sleeping without mosquito net, such a luxury. // Durmiendo sin necesidad de mosquitero!…

Enjoying the facilities. // Aprovechando la infraestructura.

…and the food.. and WINE!!! // … y la comida… y el VINO!!

Searching for WiFi to get an Uber. // Buscando WiFi para pedir el Uber.

Very practical crossing path when you have a rolling bag. // Crucero peatonal extremadamente funcional, sobre todo si anda uno con maleta.

AirBnb can be a great thing. // Grande, AirBnb.

Exploring Seminyak. // Reconocimiento de Seminyak.

Fancy mall in Seminyak. // Mall de lo más refurinfunflais, en Seminyak.

One design, three brands. // Tres marcas, un solo diseño.

Yup, that’s the color. // No ajuste su televisor. Es verde.

No UNO cards, so we played it with regular ones. // A falta de UNO, aplicamos Ocholocos.

The winning hand. // La mano ganadora.

Promoting the country. // Promocionando el país.

Java, there we go. // Allá vamos, Java.

Supersonic jet to fly to Java. // Nos tocó volar a Java en un Concorde.

… and so much for Bali and Lombok…  I’ll soon do Java in a separate post, as we still need to finish our stay in Jakarta (spoilers alert: if you ever have to choose, stick to Bali and Lombok).

Bonus track…

– yes, also here –

Cheers!

Jakarta, Java – 1.Aug.2017