INDONESIA - Bali

We arrived in Bali at 11.30pm so hopped in a taxi to Kuta and I headed to the place I had stayed before, which was full, so I ended up staying in the grottiest place I have ever stayed. The sheets certainly didnt look or smell like they had been washed. Glad I had my sleep sheet with me.

After a crap nights sleep I found another palce to stay then headed to Denpasar. I argues with the Bemo driver about how it would cost, but then after watching what the locals were paying I realised for once I was wrong cos they were paying more then me. Oops!

I headed to the museum which was ok, then stumbled across the market and managed to spend some money there.

The next day I headed on the back of a motorbike to the sea temple of Tanah Lot. The scenery on route was amazing. I really love Bali.

After I returned from Flores I headed to Sanur and over on the boat to Nusa Lembongan just off the South East coast of Bali. It was amazing. I stayed with a couple I had met previously so it was nice to have a bit of company, but we still did our own thing. I did a couple of dives which were amazing. I had hoped to see the huge Molla Molla fish, but no such luck. Next time! I did a bit of a walk round the island and the villagers were so friendly. The island is great cos it is so underdeveloped and only recently got electricity.

Back from Nusa Lembongan I headed into the highlands of Bali to Bedugul where I got cold and wet, but enjoyed walking round the lakes there. I am sure the scenery would be amazing when there are no clouds. I had a wander round the botanical gardens which were nice too. I even seemed to ahve my own personal guide. A stray dog followed me right round and it was like he was there to protect me. It was cute!

Back down the road to the cultural heart of Bali in Ubud. I visited the Elephant Cave called Goa Ganjah, but considering it took and hour to walk there and only 5 mins to walk round it was a bit of a let down.

Finally I was back to Kuta to enjoy my last 2 days of shopping and eating and left having posted home 15kg of goodies which are pretty much all for me. Woopee, happy Christmas me!

INDONESIA - Mt Bromo

One of the worst trips I have ever done is this 2 day trip from Yogya to Mt Bromo then on to Bali.

The bus was due to pick us up from Yogya at 9am, but didnt appear until 11.30am. For some reason sitting doing nothing in Indonesia is not a problem, but if I was in the UK I'd be jumping about going mental!

Anyway, there were 8 of us on the bus, which at least had air conditioning, and I spent 12 hours gazing out the window watching the scenery whizz by. We arrived at our accomodation, which mysteriously had changed names from what we had booked. We kicked up a stink, but then we actually looked at the rooms and were very impressed. So I had about 3 hours sleep before my alarm went off and I chucked on my clothes and we jumped in the jeep for the drive to the viewpoint.

It was still dark on teh drive so not much to see, but it was amazing how many people were at the top of the viewpoint. It felt like we were waiting for ther hogmanay bells to ring! Anyway I shoved my forward to the front and got some ok fotos, although the clouds came in. Back in the jeep we headed back down to the foot of Mt Bromo and it was a quick 20min walk to the rim of the crater which was smoking away.

Back in the jeep we drove back to Yoshi's guesthouse and with the sun up we were able to appreciate the spectacular scenery. But not for long though. Soon we were bck in the minibus to Probolingo then on the local bus squashed like sardines for 12hrs to get the ferry and over to Bali.

Never again!

INDONESIA - Yogyakarta & Solo

It was a pleasant 8hr journey to Yogya on the executive class train. Nice comfy chairs, air con and fantastic scenery.

Yogya was pretty busy with Indonesians enjoying their holidays and most places were full, but for once I followed a tout and got a room straight away for 2 quid a nite. Woosh!

On my first day I did a tour to Borobudur, Prambanan and Mendut temples. Breathtaking! Borobudur was in good nik, but Prambanan had been destroyed by the earthquake last year when 6000 people were killed. There were only 5 pagodas still standing out of the hundreds that were there originally. Felt like quite the celebrity there as all the Indonesians were asking for my foto. It was funny at first, but after the 100th time I was getting a bit p*$$ed off.

Mendut was a smaller temple, but I was more interested in the monastery next to it, which was so peaceful.

I met Jen again on the tour, who I had met in Jakarta so we hung out together and had dinner that nite. She was cool and we had a lot in common, mainly diving.

The next day I did a walk about of Yogya itself. I went to the Kraton then planned to go to the museums, but they were shut for the holidays. So there was nothing much else to do than wander the shops. Woopee! I still cant get over how cheap everything is. I really am in heaven. At nite I went to the Ramayan Ballet at the Prambanan temples. The scenery was fantastic with Prambanan all lit up, and the dancing and costumes were spectacular. Although after 2 hours my arse was a bit sore cos I'd paid for the cheapest seat.

Today I headed to Solo. I got up early but still managed to miss my train cos I was at the wrong platform, so I jumped on another train and crossed my fingers it would go via Solo. Solo is another town about an hour away. It was a bit boring. I went to the two palaces, which werent the most impressive. I went to the batik market, but there were hundreds of stalls and I just felt idzzy being surrounded by all the batik. On the way back on the train a girl started speaking to me and when she got off the train she gave me a present of a big bag of crisps. The people are so nice and it was so sweet of her (although my hips wont appreciate it!).

Next stop is an 8hr bus ride to Gunung Bromo. Ouch!

INDONESIA - Bogor

After my 3 days in Jakarta it was time to move on. My Lonely Planet book said whatever you do, do not try to travel at anytime around about the end of Ramadan. What do they know!

So I headed to Kota station and bought a ticket for the Pakuan Epress to Bogor, which was seemingly a nice comfortable train with air conditioning. Well not the one I got on! I got on the one that had wooden seats, barely any room to stand and the only air coming in was from the doors which were wide open. After about 20mins I started to feel really ill and I think I might have even conked out for a split second and opened my eyes to see my sunglasses falling from my head in slow motion and all these faces staring at me. I fell to my knees and once I got my vision back started slugging the water back. I kept trying to stand up, but couldnt manage so I had to stay on my knees most of the journey and downed all my water. Everyone looked really concerned and one woman gave me a tissue, which was nice.

What made things even worse was that one of the straps on my backpack had bust right off so the thought of even standing up let alone having to drag my bag was all I needed. Anyway, by the time we arrived in Bogor 2 hours later I was ok and managed to drag my bag and my ass over to the station and I just sat and munched on some biscuits.

Bogor had been described in my book as a lovely place where 'traffic passes idly by'. Well not today! It turns out that all of Jakarta had descended on Bogor and it was total chaos. I managed to stumble out the station and was bricking it I wouldnt find anywhere to stay, but thankfully I found a place just roudn the corner which was really nice (Wisma Sartika).

I dumped my bags and headed to the Botanical Gardens, where once more the population of Jakarta was to be found. I was quite the celebrity there with everyone shouting 'hallo mister'. The gardens were ok and I only wish I could have visited the Istana Bogor where the deer were grazing, but I could only view it from behind locked gates.

I spent a couple of hours in the gardens then headed back to my room to dry off. I really cant remember sweating this much last year. Not sure if the gardens were really worth the effort, but the experience of getting there was certainly worth it.

My next plan was to head to Bandung, but then I found out there were no direct trains so change of plan and back to Jakarta. And this time I got on the correct train and had a very pleasant 1 hour air conditioned journey.

INDONESIA - Jakarta

Arrived in Jakarta in the morning and was in such a great mood as I stepped off the plane and sucked in Asian air once more.

I treated myself to the luxury of a taxi ride to the city and wondered if something had happened that I didnt know about as the streets were deserted, which I certainly didnt expect in a city of over 9million people! Anyway I should have known it was the end of Ramadan 'Idul Fitri' and the weekend was a public holiday so everyone had gone to their home towns.

I thought I had booked a luxurious hotel, but it wasnt actually that luxurious. I'd paid for the luxury of a swimming pool and gym, but it turned out that my hotel didnt have them and I had to cross the road and use the sister's hotel and I couldnt be assed! So now it is back to paying a fiver a nite.

My first day I headed out to the National Museum and managed a quick scoot round before it closed. It's amazing how I adapt to money. It cost 750 rp to get into the museum, but the guy didnt have change and I got stroppy over 250 rp, which equates to less than 1p. God I am so tight sometimes!

Anyway, next stop was Merdeka Square and up the National Monument. At the top was a 360 degree of Jakarta, which isnt really that stunning. However, if you looked straight down at the landscape gardens directly below the monument they were quite stunning. There was also a cool museum in the basement.

I headed out again and round the outside perimeter of the square. I tried to get a foto of the Presidents House, but got chased away by a guy with a big gun. Oops! Next I headed to the huge mosque and to the cathedral, but I couldnt get across the road and decided that sacrificing my life for a couple of fotos probably wasnt worth it. So it was back to my 'luxury hotel' for a few hours in front of the box.

The next day I headed out to the old town now called Kota. I decided to brave the local public transport and was surprised how great the bus service was. I headed up to Taman Fatahillah square, which is certainly more of an eyesore than a tourist attraction. The museums were shut for the holiday and there wasnt much else to do other than to look at the crumbling buildings. Anyway I spotted a guy looking at his Lonely Planet and got chatting to him. We headed for a walk up to the harbour area and checked out the massive boats. Dave decided to climb aboard one whilst I became the official photographer. We walked back to get the bus, but Dave decided he wanted to get a bajaj (tuk tuk) for the last 1km. Ridiculous! Anyway we did, then got the bus back and had lunch in the Jalan Jaksa area. Sometimes I hate meeting people. Hangin with him was more of a hinderance and too much effort!

After Dave left I went to check out the shops, but managed to resist buying anything.

On Sunday I had a day trip to Bogor then came back and spent another day in a shopping mall, but this time it was the posh one with Armani, etc. I am sure everyone was staring at me walking about in my trainers and scruffy clothes. Once more I resisted buying anything.

I checked into a place called Bloem Hostel which is an 1/8th of the price of the Ibis Arcadia and I am much happier there. Tomorrow it's the executive class train for me to Yogyakarta. Nothing but the best for me!