Asia day 21. Thailand day 2…

04 Tuesday Feb 2025

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I’ve had an easy day today here in Bangkok. I decided that my first day flying solo would be spent catching up on planning the rest of my trip, picture editing and generally kicking back in the vicinity of my cell, sorry – hotel room!

The temperature here in Bangkok is almost identical to that of Bali and Java, only it’s not the rainy season and we’re seeing more sunshine. Well, when the smog isn’t present. The day before I arrived flights had to be diverted from the airport I flew into due to visibility being crap thanks to pollution. Bangkok’s an amazing city but the air quality’s pretty crap. To be honest, I’ve not noticed it being too bad on this trip, but then I’ve been here less than 24 hours and nowadays the most prevalent smell around Banglamphu (the area I’m staying in) is the sweet smell of cannabis due to the amount of legal ‘medicinal’ shops selling grass and the amount of people smoking it! You can buy grass of various strengths by the gram or even individual rolled joints if you so decide. Of course, if you’re travelling into Malaysia or Indonesia you’d better ensure you have not a trace of it in your luggage or on your person as both country’s have very strict drug laws. In fact, when you fly with any Indonesian airline they point out that there’s the death penalty for drug trafficking, as a few unfortunates (including some Australians) have found out to their cost in the past.

Thailand is rather more relaxed on a lot of fronts, which is why it’s so much fun sitting somewhere people-watching. This place is still an international crossroads, even if the old ‘backpacker trail’ isn’t what is was when I first came here in 1992. But then, neither’s the Khao San Rd. In those days you could be locked out of the place you were staying in of you were out after midnight (as I once found out to my cost). Now, it’s gone from being a backpacker street to more ’24 hour party people’ with loud music blaring out from so many different places and even the arrival of ‘girly bars’. Admittedly, I haven’t stayed on the Khao San for 20 years. It was becoming difficult then because of the building of big, brash new hotels and the influx of Israelis’ (ask any old Asia traveler about Israelis’ and their reputation and they’ll no doubt explain). Now the Israeli’s’ have been supplanted by Russians, who’re also doing their bit to subvert international goodwill. Admittedly, the Russians are somewhat easier to spot. Well, the women are anyway. It’s the combination of endlessly posing for selfies/tiktok videos and the combination of bleached-blond hair and industrial quantities of lip filler that makes them stand out. You see, people-watching is one of the great (cheap) pleasures of being here in such a melting pot. There’s lots of younger travelers, bright-eyed and excited at being in such an exotic place, then there’s the older people (gulp, like me I suppose) who’ve been coming here for decades and who’ve decided to spend much of their retirement in Thailand due to the quality of life and cheaper cost of living. The other demographic that changed is that the tourists are no longer mostly European or North American. there used to be a lot of Yanks and Australians who came back due to serving in Vietnam in the 60’s-70’s as Thailand is where they went for ‘R&R’ (rest and recreation). I remember passing a bar they used to frequent with a sticker in the window about ‘Hanoi Jane‘ (Jane Fonda). Now they’re being supplanted by Chinese and Indian tourists, both countries with a burgeoning monied middle-class. It all makes for a very interesting melting pot.

OK, I’m going to call it a day now as I have a lot of stuff to sort out, so I’ll leave you with a few pictures.

Thailand is one of the best places in the world for street food. He’re a chap looking at buying a drive-by meal. Bugger McDonald’s!
My lunch of squash and egg along with green beans and pork (with rice, obviously) bought from my favorite street stall. They’ve been selling food since 1974 and I’ve been eating here since 1999. This still costs 50 baht (around £1.10), They’ve not put their prices up for years. The condiment is red and green chopped chilis with fish sauce and lemon juice. It’s not for the faint-hearted but I love it.
The view from the floor of my hotel. It looks out over Wat Chana Songkhram Ratchaworamahawihan, an 18th century royal temple.
Khao San Rd in all its glory. It’s been pedestrianised for many years due to encroachment and the sheer weight of people.
It’s rather calmer and more civilised outside the place I’m staying in. Soi Rambutri.

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Asia day 20. Thailand day 1…

03 Monday Feb 2025

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The pair of us were up at 05:30 this morning in order to get to the airport in plenty of time as traffic around Denpasar can be a bit of a ‘mare that time of morning. We needn’t have worried. When we got close to the chaos, our driver took us along a near empty expressway that didn’t exist last time I was here. The airport’s changed a bit too as it’s expanded quite a bit and looks very modern. We had to do a double take when we walked past all the shops and spotted a WH Smiths!

Our AirAsia flight was on time, only taking 90 minutes to cover what took us the best part of 3 days by land and sea. We flew into terminal one, but my flight was from terminal two and Dawn’s from three – several hours later, so I sat with her at her terminal for as long as I could before I had to catch the Skytrain back to two. Saying goodbyes at airports is always difficult and rather emotional, especially when you’re both flying, but to different places, especially after a trip like ours.

My check-in was relatively painless, and both security and immigration were hassle-free. I even had chance to get some aircraft shots before I boarded as this is a very busy airport.

My carriage awaits..

Seen at Jakarta airport. Insert own joke here…

My flight to Bangkok took three and a half hours, but I dozed for much of it. We landed at Don Mueng  (there’s no time difference between Jakarta and Bangkok) and I breezed through. I was one of the first dozen off the plane. It took me less than 5 minutes to get my passport stamped with a visa on arrival. My suitcase was waiting for me on the carousel and I was out of the airport in no time. By 20:40 I was sat on the A4 bus (fare 50 baht, around £1.10) heading for the Khao Sarn Rd and my hotel.

It’s now 00:44 Bangkok time and I’m winding down after a long day. I’m staying in Soi Rambutri in a place I’ve not been in for years because Bangkok is busy right now. It’s the height of the season so many places are booked up. I’m in a place Called ‘Merry V’. The rooms are plain vanilla only without the vanilla! It reminds me of how this area was when I first flew into Bangkok from Nepal way back in 1992. Dawn would hate it! It’s not so much a room as a cell. Buddhist monks would feel very at home here. On the bright side – I’m only here for three nights before I move to somewhere with a few more amities – like your own bathroom!

I’ll have chance to blog further (and add pictures) tomorrow. In the meantime – goodnight!!

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Indonesia day 19. Time to fly…

02 Sunday Feb 2025

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What happened to day 18 you may ask? A good question. It was one where I didn’t have time to blog because of ‘stuff’ (lots of stuff). That said, it was nice to be back in Ubud once more.

Now we’re on the last day here in Bali as we fly back to Jakarta early in the morning. Dawn head back to the UK and I head to Bangkok. As it was our last day much of it was spent soaking up the sun around the pool. The weather’s slowly improving here as we move out of the rainy season. In fact we’ve not seen a spot all day – which makes a change. Whilst Dee spent most of her day around the pool I broke away early afternoon in order to have a wander and say my goodbyes (or more realistically au revoir) to various friends I have here. Sadly, I didn’t get to see them all – on this trip, anyway.

Despite the fact I’ve not been here since 2017 I still feel very much at home here. Of course Bali’s changed but in some ways that’s been for the better. I’m fascinated to see how the tourist demographic has morphed. Nowadays there’s so many visitors from India, China, Japan and other ASEAN nations – some of which I can’t work out. Asian women with tattoo’s won’t be from Japan, but there’s quite few here, so where are they from? It’s not a question I can ask directly. I love sitting in a busy market to people watch, trying to guess nationalities. One of the things that amuses me is how Westerners are desperate to get a tan, whilst Asians are desperate to maintain a fair skin – hence looks like this.

The old market’s changed a bit. I remember when it was a collection of small shops and a proper ‘pasir malam’ (night market) of food stalls that were set up on muddy ground. Now there’s this.

Still, some things haven’t changed, like these old wagons which have been ferrying people and goods for decades. The beauty of them? They’re not monsters.

Tomorrow involves a lot of travelling, so my next blog may be a hybrid between Indonesia and Thailand. Plus, I’ll be travelling solo which means my blogs will be more illuminating as I’ll have more time to write. As plans (which are fluid) go – I’ll be back in Java around the 15th February, but there’s going to be a lot of ground covered before then.

See you tomorrow…

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Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 17. Back to Ubud…

31 Friday Jan 2025

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Today we left our luxurious accommodation in Padangbai to return to Ubud and the final leg of Dawn’s trip to Indonesia. Still, it was an interesting day. Alison wasn’t picking us up until the afternoon so we had time to kill between then and checking out. It wasn’t a problem. Our gracious Danish host was happy for us to laze around the pool and watch the world go by until our lift arrived. As the day was overcast we didn’t get fried by the sun, instead we spent our time catching some filtered rays and enjoyed a warm shower courtesy of mother nature!

The birdlife around the pool was amazing. Various species were attracted by the plants so I managed a couple of decent shots using my new Nikon S series 100-400m lens which is proving to be a really useful bit of kit – even at very silly slow shutter speeds that you’d never have got away with in the past.

Nope, I’ve no idea what this one is either…UPDATE: Mystery solved, a Malaysian friend (Alan Bligh) has identified it as a female olive sunbird.

Part of me would have enjoyed staying longer as the hotel was fabulous and the location was so peaceful but there’s just too much to see and do – and ground to cover. On the way back Alison introduced us to another different world. We stopped at a natural sea salt farm in Kusamba, where a lovely old chap called Nyoman Warta and his family produce sea salt by traditional (and rather labour intensive) methods by harvesting sea water off the beach, Nyoman takes it through several natural processes to refine and dry it before it’s bagged and sold. Here’s a few pictures.

Having filled his bags with sea water from the sea behind me, Nyoman scatters the water on the volcanic black sand beach as the first part of the process.
The second part of the process takes place inside his wicker building, where the volcanic soil is washed and the salt separated.
The final part of the process takes place outdoors where the salt is washed in these long troughs, then the water is allowed to evaporate, leaving behind the pure sea salt which is then dried and bagged up.
Inside his workshop, with equipment that hasn’t changed in generations.

Needless to say, we couldn’t resist buying a couple of bags to take home with us. This isn’t something you get to see everyday. We get to see something different on Saturday too, as we’ve been invited to a local family ceremony – but more of that tomorrow…

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Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 16. Beach time…

30 Thursday Jan 2025

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Well, that was the plan. Sadly (like many plans) it didn’t quite go the way expected. When we woke up this morning after a night of torrential rain we found the day was dull and overcast. That wouldn’t have been a show-stopper, but Dawn’s digestion decided to interject (or in her case eject). A grumbly tummy isn’t the most ideal thing to have when you’re well away from sensible sanitation, so Dee decided to have a day lounging around our luxurious accommodation. I opted to stay with her in order to be around if needed and also sort out some work and travel stuff.

I’ve now altered my flight so that I’ll be staying on in Asia after Dawn flies back. I’ll be here until the 20th February in order to have a look at various rail projects in this part of the world – including the high-speed line between Jakarta and Bandung on Java. I’ve not planned all my trip yet but the intention is to visit Thailand and Malaysia to catch up with progress on rail schemes there as well. It’ll be a bit of a whirlwind tour but doing it solo means I can separate the trip into first having a holiday with Dee before exploring in more ‘backpacker’ mode (and covering a lot of ground). This means you’ll be getting insights into Asian life, travel (and railways) for some weeks yet.

I had considered staying even longer but I received an invitation to go on a press trip to Norway on the 25th February which was too good to miss. So, I’ll be flying back to the UK and swapping singlets and shorts for something slightly warmer!

As I’d sorted out some business and Dawn was happy to relax at the hotel I ventured out to visit an old haunt – Bias Tugel Beach, which is hidden behind a headland not far from where we’re staying. I’ve fond memories of spending time here back in the 1990s but I’ve not visited since 2003. Getting there involves a trek as there’s no road access, you have to use steep footpaths through forest. Now the locals charge 10,000 rupiah (around 50p) admission in order to keep the beach clean, which it is (just don’t look too hard at the condition of the footpaths). There used to be a couple of ramshackle warungs (eating houses) at the back of the beach. Those have now multiplied and they’ve added sun-loungers and umbrellas, but it’s still a lovely little beach on a gorgeous sea where you can watch ferries and small boats to-ing and fro-ing from Padangbai harbour whilst sipping a cold beer or basking in the sun. Here’s how the beach looked in January 1995…

Here’s a similar view that I took today. Sadly, the dull skies don’t show off the clear waters.

As I was on my own I stayed long enough to have a beer and a bite to eat whilst reminiscing about past times here and watching the ferries ply their trade. Otis Redding eat your heart out!

One of the Lombok – Bali ferries passes a local outrigger canoe taking people on a diving trip.

Before long I headed back to check on the ‘patient’ who’d recovered enough that we managed to grab some time together in the pool. Where we’re staying is very quiet so you’re surrounded by birdsong. I’ve managed to grab a couple of long-lens shots of some of the local feathered-friends, although for the life of me I couldn’t tell you what this one’s called!

Tomorrow we take our leave of Padangbai to head back to Ubud. I’d liked to have stayed longer, but this trip was very much a taster for Dawn – who’s never been to Bali before, so it’s a bit of a whistlestop tour.

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Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 15. Stepping back in time…

29 Wednesday Jan 2025

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This morning we left Ubud for a couple of days on the coast, courtesy of my old friend Alison who was driving to Candidasa with a friend for a couple of nights and kindly offered to drop us off at Padangbai on the way. I’ve not been back here since 2003. It was a place I used to know well so I was curious to see how much it’s changed. The entire trip was a voyage of discovery for Dawn as it’s her first trip to the island.

The first thing I noticed en-route was just how many more vehicles are on the road nowadays. What makes it worse is they’ve all grown in size – even the scooters have been taking steriods. As for the SUVs – God help us. None of the bloody things are capable of navigating the narrow, winding roads, especially when they’re driven by tourists. Traffic is becoming a real problem on the island and public transport seems to have ceased to exist. The old Bemos and local buses I used in my youth were conspicuous by their absence.

Still, Alison’s been living over here for many years and is a relaxed driver. Giving way isn’t an issue even if the language from behind the wheel can be a bit fruity at times! Thanks to her co-pilot we found the place Dawn had booked without a problem. Villa Aryani is just outside the town towards the coast. It’s a new building commissioned by a Dane and his Balinese wife – and it’s gorgeous (as you can see from the link). It’s a 10 minute walk from the town and not far from the best beach in the area (more of that tomorrow). If you don’t fancy the beach there’s a fantastic swimming pool at the villa. Oh, and we made a friend. Here’s Hugo, their 12 week old puppy saying hello…

I’ve a sneaking suspicion that he was just tasting me…

Having checked in and met our hosts we wandered into Padangbai itself. It’s changed a lot since I was last here. Now the town beach is rather dirty as the bay isn’t just a terminal for ferries to Lombok. Instead, there’s dozens of fast boats that will take you straight to the Gili Islands. They’ve started crowding out the local fishing boats, many of which have become truncated in order to fit into the space available. Plastic litters the place which is really sad as you know most of it will end up in the sea. But then, plastic has become an endemic problem in so many places I’ve travelled to over the past 40 odd years.

Despite that, there’s still some of the old Padangbai left. We called in for a bite to eat at the Ozone cafe, a place I’ve fond memories from back in the 1990s. It’s changed a bit, but the food’s still good – including the Balinese yellow curry.

Padangbai’s always been great for fresh fish and today was no exception. The old Warungs that I remember lining the back of the beach are long gone so we took a punt on a place at the back of the ferry terminal. We ended up in the Warung Bu Jero which had a selection of fresh fish on display outside. I opted for the Barracuda whilst Dawn went for the Red Snapper.

Freshly grilled barracuda with garlic and lemon, served with a fiery local sambal and a mixture of onions, tomatoes and herbs.

We weren’t disappointed as both were delicious. What was nice about the place was the mix of westerners and locals who frequented the place – plus the people running it – who were a delight. I’m not a fan of Karaoke (at all) but the staff had a little competition between themselves and the woman who was minding the cash had an excellent voice.

I always remember Padangbai for live music (oh, the old stories I could tell and pictures I could post if I had the time) so it was lovely to see such melange of nationalities enjoying themselves and smiling and laughing together.

Walking back to the hotel was so different to built up Ubud, instead of streets lined with shops and restaurants we were soon in the country with just the odd local warung. We could see stars aplenty whilst watching the lighting behind us heralding the arrival of the next rainstorm. Tomorrow the plan is to have some beach time. In the meantime, here’s a few pictures from today.

As you can see, we’re really slumming it here in Padangbai. This is our 1st floor room (one of only 4). Outside is a large common area with seating and a massive TV with a balcony to the left. Wait until you see the communal kitchen…
The port beach with the ferry terminal with one of the Lombok – Bali ferries docked. Sadly, this beach is getting crowded and polluted. I’ll add comparison pictures from the early 1990s to tomorrow’s blog.
Engine overkill. This is why the fast boats are fast. Quite how this is economic (never mind environmental) is a very good question…
Some things never change. Whilst we were out we passed this group of local people on their way to one of the local temples for a ceremony.

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Indonesia days 11-14. We’ve been sociable…

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

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Sorry for the gap in blogging but the two of us have been busy catching up with old friends of mine (and meeting new people too) so there’s been little time for blogging. Plus, we’ve had one day where the weather changed to glorious sunshine so we kicked back and spent most of our time by the hotel pool, making the most of it before the rains returned – which they did – with a vengeance! It’s not that it rains all day, every day, but we’ve had some spectacular thunder and lightning storms with torrential downpours to accompany them. Then, everything dries up and the heat and humidity make a return. Having such variable weather’s actually rather nice. It gives you a break from temperatures that hover around 31-32 degrees and sunshine that’s really intense – especially when you’ve come from the UK where we’ve had such a miserable summer that we’ve not had chance to catch much of a tan.

Here’s a small selection of pictures of life in Ubud.

Not a sign that you’re likely to see in many places, but then – this is Monkey Forest Rd!
Yes guys, that sign means you! These critters have spread beyond the confines of the forest with one troupe taking up residence in a half finished multi-story building, from which they raid the surrounding area.
Needless to say, the monkeys are represented in local art and sculpture like this…
Moneky Forest Rd is one of the main North-South streets in Ubud and it gets incredibly busy at times. Here it is during a quieter moment.
These scooter-based food stalls aren’t as common as they once were in central Ubud (compared to less touristy towns) but they still provide a service of cheap eats to the people who work in shops around town.
The band – again! We went out again on Monday night to catch the guys playing at a place down the road from where we’re staying. Only this time I took the camera…
We passed this gathering of the local men earlier today. I’ve no idea what it was about but it lasted for several hours.
Another old friend I had time to catch up with at his cafe (Maha on Monkey Forest Rd) was Putu Sukalawa. It’s as if I’d never been away…
How’s this for a splash of colour? Some of the guys from the local Vespa scooter club.
Mingling at Mingle cafe on Jalan Dewisita. A great place to sit and have a coffee (or something stronger) and watch the world go by.
Needless to say we’ve not been slow in trying various local Indonesian dishes. Here’s a Nasi Campur, which is different to the standard Nasi Goreng in that it contains sweetcorn and comes with a sliced omlette and chicken satay.

Tomorrow we take a break from Ubud to spend a couple of nights in Padangbai, which is a little town on the coast. It’s the port for ferries between Bali and Lombok, but it also has a couple of really nice little beaches. Oh, and great seafood! Expect updates from there…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 10. It may be raining, but at least it’s warm!…

24 Friday Jan 2025

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Today we woke up to the sound of rain bouncing off the swimming pool and roofs outside our room, so it seemed as good a day as any to relax and enjoy a bit of a lie-in. Apparently, Bali has had a very wet wet season so far this January. But, it’s a minor inconvenience compared to back in the UK as – if nothing else – it’s warm rain and it can be quite spectacular, as it was the previous evening.

By mid morning the rain had abated and the sun popped out for a while, drying out most of what was left, so the two of us ventured out to explore different parts of Ubud before ending up at Mingle cafe for brunch and a rendezvous with my old friend Alison. We timed it well as the rain returned whilst we were there, a great excuse to linger and chat for longer whilst also watching the world go by. People watching is a particular pleasure here due to the combination of nationalities, backgrounds (and dress). Plus, the food’s always good. I tried something different, crispy fried tempe and tofu with a home-made sambal sauce.

Finally, the rain called it a day, giving us the opportunity to explore more of the backstreets, nooks and crannies of Ubud before returning home to relax. Here’s a couple of shots from our explorations.

A woman lies out offerings to the Gods on a street corner next to a sigh advertising just how many shops and places to stay there are down that particular street.
There’s nothing like hedging ones bets! A house displays both Hindu and Chinese symbols for prosperity

We tried somewhere different for our evening meal – a cafe just a few doors down the road from where we’re staying. The food was perfectly edible, but nothing to write home about. What was far more enjoyable was our next venue. Alison had told us that Made (another old acquaintance) was playing with a band at Otokafe, on the corner of Monkey Forest Rd and Jalan Pengosekan. I’ve been coming here long enough to remember when the site was rice paddies, but I was impressed by the venue and Made and the band were excellent. They covered a lot of rock and blues classics with real style, so much so that we stayed right to the end of their set. Gosh, a late night in Ubud, whatever next?

The band belting out some classics…

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If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 9. Getting into the swing of life back in Bali…

23 Thursday Jan 2025

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The pair of us are beginning to unwind after all our travels. This bit is the real holiday, where there’s no pressure to do much of anything other than enjoy being here. Of course, there’s slightly different perspectives. For Dawn, all this is new, for me, it’s a bit like slipping into an old and familiar routine. Whilst things have undoubtedly changed sine I was last here in 2017 a lot also feels very, very familiar – such as meeting up with Alison.

Alison’s an old friend of 25 plus years. We’ve met in many different countries in that time but for many years after leaving her native Australia she’s been living here and running the ‘Mingle’ cafe here in Ubud. Despite the gap in seeing each other we just took up where we left off, reminiscing about old times whilst at the same time talking about the present and future. It was a lovely interlude.

The weather’s been cool today. Well, cool for Bali. There’s been a fair amount of cloud around too, which meant I rejected the opportunity for a swim in order to catch up with some work and picture editing back at our room. Having edited over a hundred pictures from this trip I managed to upload them onto my Zenfolio website. You can find the travel pictures here and the railway ones here. Oh, there’s a bonus gallery. I took a series of shots of the rag-bag of ferries used on the route between Java and Bali. They’ve been added to the shipping gallery which you can find here.

To be honest, it was a good day to be staying close to home as late this afternoon the heavens opened and we were treated to another torrential downpour. Earlier, Alison told us that Bali’s experienced a very wet rainy season this year, which has caused a number of problems and led to the death of two tourists in the nearby Monkey Forest when a tree whose roots had been eroded eroded fell and crushed them.

Fortunately, by the time we headed out to eat the rain had abated. Tonight we tried a new eatery on Monkey Forest Rd called Tulasi vegetarian which specialises in Balinese food. This was my meal – and it was delicious!

Tomorrow’s plan is to have some pool time – and to get more pictures edited and on my website. After that who knows? Besides, when you can walk straight out of your room (ours is the first on the right) into this, why wouldn’t you want pool time?

See you tomorrow…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Indonesia day 8. Bali and relax…

22 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bali, Indonesia, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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After 9 days travelling from Manchester to Jakarta, then overland through Java to Bali, today’s been one to kick back and relax. We’ve travelled nowhere – unless you count walking around the town of Ubud, which is where we’ll be based for the next week and more. The bags can finally be unpacked for a while.

Admittedly, I’m still waking up at 06:00 every morning. For some strange reason it’s my built in default every time I come to Asia. It’s different for Dawn as she’ll still be in the arms of Morpheus for several hours more if allowed. I have to be careful so as not to disturb her – which means always leaving the sound off on my laptop for a start!

Once we finally got our acts together not long before noon we went for a stroll along the famous Monkey Forest Road in search of sustenance. It was also a chance for me to see just how much has changed since I was last here in 2017 (short answer? A lot). Having dodged monkeys and dodgy pavements we ended up at Bumi Bali, a large restaurant and bar which is sheltered from most of the traffic noise. The attentive staff soon served dishes we’d ordered from the Balinese section..

My Balinese brunch. Yellow rice with satay skewers, egg, green beans and all the trimmings. Both well presented and delicious.

Replete, we worked off the food by exploring further as I rediscovered some old haunts whilst mourning the loss of others. To Dawn’s eyes it’s all new, so the effect was rather different. Having stretched our legs we retreated to our hotel where I couldn’t resist trying out the pool. Dawn tried an alternative relaxation outlet and used the hotel’s massage service. Dee tells me they’re very good. Well, she certainly came back relaxed, which us what matters.

After returning to Bumi Bali for our evening meal we’re now relaxing at the hotel before another hard day of doing nothing much at all. We’ve earned it. Hopefully, I’ll have loads of pictures from this trip added to my Zenfolio website tomorrow. Watch this space…

It’s nearly midnight so the hotel pool is quiet. As our room has a private entrance from the balcony I’ll be making the most of this over the next few days.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312