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Ben had his first surf lesson on Pekutatan Beach beside our resort with his Dad. It really didn’t take long before he was standing up for about seven seconds! I was very impressed! The next day, we went five minutes up the road to Medawi Beach, where he had another lesson with a pro! He’ll be surfing like his Dad before we know it!
Hiring a car in Bali is so cheap and easy. So that’s what we did. Freedom with wheels is a wonderful thing. We spent one day driving right along the west coast all the way round to Gilimanuk, the ferry cross-over point to Java. Then up around to Menjangan Island – close to Mt Prapat Agung in the National Park. After a bite to eat, we made our way across to the islands to go snorkeling with a guide. It was fabulous (not so good was the realisation that the underwater camera’s battery was flat!). It was so good to be back in the water again – the fish life was extensive and plentiful and the water was crystal clear.
The next day we drove in the opposite direction but up through the middle of Bali – through the Pulukan Plantations, rice fields and through the Bunut Bolong Holy Tree, across to Pupuan, via the coffee plantations then back down again towards Balian Beach. We stopped there for lunch and a look-see. Later that night we ate on the side of the road (in what seemed like the front of someone’s house – I’m not really sure exactly what we ate, but it was ok – a little spicy – but edible!).
On our final night, we got a little taste of a sunset (the afternoon rain and clouds made it impossible to get a decent shot of any sunset).
I have to say, I absolutely loved Bali – it is a beautiful, relaxing place to visit.
We’ll be back here again in June, spending two weeks exploring the east side and a day visit to Ubud, the Gili Islands and Lombok. No bookings, no set plans, just hiring a car and going for it!
Nothing beats leaving the fun but crazy Songkran celebration in Thailand! And a trip to Bali for the first time was just what we needed! Good ‘ol AirAsia to the rescue with reasonable direct flights to Bali from Bangkok, four hours later we landed at Denpasar, the Capital of Bali.
The driver from Puri Dajuma Cottages Beach Eco Resort and Spa, Pekutatan, Negara was there waiting for us. The drive to Pekutatan took over two and half hours (a major truck accident had earlier blocked the road for five hours) so traffic was heavier than usual. All I can say is thank goodness I wasn’t driving OR sitting in the front seat – because traffic is CRAZY! Worse than Bangkok! But everyone seems to get out of the way, let each other in and let each other pass. The road is the main route from Depansar to the ferry point to cross to Java, which means there’s a lot of trucks on the road.
We stayed around the resort for the first few days, soaking up the sun rays, enjoying the peace and quiet and relaxing! Ben had some lessons in traditional Balinese decorations from the staff. The food in the restaurant was good and varied – thank goodness since there wasn’t any way else to eat!
The beach to the right was safer for swimming, paddleboarding or learning to surf or just watching the local fishermen coming in and out for the day.
On Tuesday, we drove with another couple, back to Depansar and took a look around Kuta – the rain held off for us to get just a taste of the place and a chance to stand on Kuta Beach, then Jimbaran Beach.
Take two personal days + a weekend + a cheap AirAsia flight and you too can spend 4 days in Chiang Mai, the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and the capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among the highest mountains in the country. The city is on the Ping river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river. (Wikipedia).
We stayed at the delightful little guest house, Vanilla Place (just a hop, skip & a jump away from the famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar). Our host, Kim, was extremely helpful and friendly. He can organise anything for you and nothing is too much trouble, including a pick up and drop off at the Airport.
A couple of doors down, is the Antique House Restaurant – very nice food, so we ate there twice. English wasn’t really spoken there, so you have to do a lot of pointing at pictures!
Our first afternoon was spent wandering around the local streets and of course visiting the famous Night Bazaar that is open every night! The next day we hired a Songthaew Taxi, drove to Baan Tawai, a crafts village in the district of Hang Dong 20kms south of Chiang Mai, had lunch at the Tiger Kingdom, stopped at the Butterfly Farm and rode ATVs for 45 minutes in the “jungle”.
We didn’t drive up to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep; Chiang Mai’s most important temple because the air was thick with “burn-off” smog – unfortunately that’s usual around the months of Jan-March each year. Nor did we visit Borsang, the Umbrella Village where the dainty and colourful parasols are produced, in the San Khampaeng district, 10kms east of the city. We didn’t furniture shop along Hang Dong either (a miscommunication with our songthaew taxi driver, I think). Oh well, just a couple of good reasons to visit Chaing Mai again, someday.
The highlight of the trip was Jungle Flight! Ziplining in the Jungle. We chose the shorter Zone A – which comprised of 22 platforms, 15 ziplines, 3 Abseils, 2 skybridges & 1 spiral staircase! Unfortunately, on our way back from the Jungle Flight Adventure, we stopped to look at a natural hot-water spring (hole in the ground with bubbling 90 degree Celsius hot water). Ben slipped into a hole in the ground by the fenced off spring – severely burning his toes and the top of his foot through his sneakers! No clean, cold water, and 35 minutes from the nearest hospital resulted in a very painful trip in the van. The local hospital staff were fantastic and his foot was cleaned, creamed and bandaged. As you can probably guess, our last afternoon and night in Chiang Mai was very quiet.
It is indeed, that time of year again. Time to go home to my own backyard. I’m looking forward to relaxing with my family for three weeks, taking a few photos to take back with me to Thailand and catching up with an old friend or two. Unlike last year, there’s no visitors coming from Bangkok to stay in our backyard, but there is a rather large crowd of my colleagues, hitting the South Island, beginning their travels in Christchurch. I hope they have a wonderful time exploring the South! Can’t wait to see their pics when they get back to Thailand.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or happy holidays to you all!
South of Perth, near Rockingham, is Shoalwater Island, also known as “Penguin Island” – home to the Little Penguins, pelicans, and blue skinks! It was a short ferry ride across to the island in time for the daily feeding of penguins. We enjoyed a gentle 2km walk around the island before the feeding of the penguins. The images say it all! Another paradise to spend the day in. I miss home ……….
Blue Skink
And these little guys were just too cute!
Later in the afternoon we stopped for icecream at Rockingham Beach. Now I really miss home ……
After a few days in the city, it was time to explore further up the coast. Off we headed towards a little town by the ocean called Two Rocks! Loved being back by the sea again, sea air, sea breeze, but man the seaweed stink I could have done without!!
The Wannero Karting track was a blast being we were the only people there!! Awesome fun!
Next goal was to find the “best fish and chips” place in Freemantle. I haven’t had fish and chips for over a year now and was desperate to enjoy the taste again! Just about every place on the coast of Western Australia has a sign that says “best fish and chips!”
And the afternoon was topped off with a bit of strolling around the Freemantle shops and finding a brilliant second hand bookstore – over an hour was spent in there! Heaven!
Tomorrow, we’re off to Penguin Island!
I really do like Perth’s philosophy that so much land must be public domain. There are a tonne of open spaces for parks, places to walk and relax.
We caught up with my Uncle today, who lives outside of Perth City near Morley. We visited the Caversham Wildlife Park to get up close and personal with Koalas and Kangaroos (and a host of other animals). The timing was just right for the Koalas to be waking – you have to be careful not to touch the gum leaves, because if you do, they will not eat them. There was one Koala that we were allowed to touch and they are SO soft! All they do though is eat, sleep and poop!
I loved the Kangaroo enclosure, where you could walk right up to the kangaroos, feed them and pat them. These guys are obviously so used to humans now, that they even let you know when you’re getting close to the bin with the food pellets in them!
First time to Perth for me and I have to say, it wasn’t at all what I expected. I’m not sure why, but I thought that it would be crowded & busy – and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a huge city – spread out but it did not feel crowded at all. And the coastline was beautiful (not as beautiful as NZ mind, but then again, you’d expect me to say that wouldn’t you?).
We spent the first few days exploring the city. The 3 CAT buses (FREE transport – yes that’s right, completely free, hop on, hop off) allow you to pretty much explore all of Perth City for no cost at all). There’s a double-decker bus tour as well (which brought back memories of my travels to Madrid & Rome) so I couldn’t resist a bit of trip on that too.
The Highway. Hardly a car on a road! Such a change from Bangkok!
A visit to Perth Mint is a must. They no longer pour the everyday gold bars there anymore – only the commemorative bars, and commemorative coins are poured there. It’s very security conscious still, and no photos can be taken inside. We watched a gold pour – the same gold has been melted down, made into a gold bar, then melted down again for the last 20 or so years and it’s still 96% pure gold!
Outside Perth Mint
The Esplanade was in walking distance from our hotel, and home to the Bell Tower. We climbed up the many steps inside the Bell Tower (but not during the time the bells ring, thank goodness!). The view from the top was worth the climb, and the bells themselves where quite impressive.
Tomorrow, we’re off to see koalas and kangeroos and catch up with my Uncle, whom I haven’t seen for quite a few years!
The girls came over to Bangkok for a week so we took off to explore Kanchanaburi province for 3 days. This was my third visit to the province but I’d never washed as elephant, bamboo rafted or Long-Tail-Boated it along the River Kwai. This is really a great province to visit and I highly recommend Good Times Travel for organised tours – friendly, English-speaking guides, excellent service.
A video of our trip highlights does a much better job of explaining/showing you it all!
