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Bali

Words are difficult right now...This place is simply unbelievable.

The flight into Bali was epic enough, passing over smoldering volcanoes and heading inland with a new swell movement bringing 8-10 foot (3 metre) waves to the Peninsula. We found a great place in Legian called 'Su's Cottages' to stay at which is a 5 min walk to the beach and surrounded by lovely restaurants and cool little shops. After a great pizza dinner we hit the sack early and woke up early to fantastic weather and a fresh start - No Ramadan, No need to be fully clothed and just the freedom to enjoy the beauty Bali possesses. Which is a LOT!

We have strolled the beaches, Motorbiked around to the world famous surf breaks, visited temples such as Tanah Lot and eaten and spent lots of money (which actually isnt much hahaha)!



Right now were in Ubud, Bali's 'Cultural Centre' and chilling like crazy. We have seen a 'Kecak' Dance last night which blew us away. 50 guys chanting and surrounding a beautiful female dancer who struggles to find her true love after she is kidnapped by an evil King. Wonderful stuff.



Shireen is busy now getting massaged so im doing the admin :) Payback time is tomorrow though as we plan to head back to Legian and surf/chill/relax for the next 5 days and try to spend a little less money. hmmmmm

Banda Aceh & Pulau Weh

We came to Banda Aceh, a region renowned for its intense Muslim culture, for its persisting fighting between rebels and other forces, and of course the Tsunami in 2006 with completely open minds. We heard of an Island called Pulah Weh just north of Aceh which we immediately took a 2 hour Ferry to. It was extremely beautiful and we stayed first with Mama (our lovely homestay owner) in Gapang Beach for 2 days, did some snorkelling on the reefs and eased into island life quite effortlessly. Being Ramadan however it was pretty quiet and we were pretty much alone travellers which was wonderful in some respects, but also a little spooky and attention grabbing on the other. On the other side of the island was Simur Tiga and this was absolute paradise (see above!). It was owned by a lovely South African guy called Freddie who welcomed us in and the reef there was Epic. Not to mention the lovely people, both locals and other travellers we met and the FOOD! On our last night at Santai Simur Tiga Freddie hooked us up with a traditional Aceh meal which was unreal. Fresh fish, and typical Acehnese specialties. Enak fred!



Back on Mainland Sumatra we decided to spend 1 night in Banda Aceh where the Tsunami hit the worst. This experience was pretty impossible to imagine. We visited the Huge Cargo ship which was washed a few kilometers inland and wiped out everything in its path. The feeling of what it must have been like for the locals really hit in and we both felt an immense sadness for those it affected. We stayed with Yudi, a local up and coming professional surfer whose family survived and are rebuilding their homestay. It was lovely to help support them and see their strength and passion towards life and family.




Back in Medan (cough cough) now we booked 2 one way tickets to Bali and are out tomorrow morning to allow the ramadam period to pass and to kick back and enjoy travelling with a little more ease than we have experienced here in Sumatra. It was particularly tough for Shireen having to be fully clothed most of the time, Not being able to eat during the day out of respect for the locals, and the cost and length of journeys we have endured getting around this huge and vast area. Thanks for the messages guys, my english phone is still on and shireens dutch mobile is also. Lots of Love, us.

Sumatra part 1

We landed in Pekanbaru, a relatively unvisited place on the travelers trail and it was immediately obvious why. It was true old school Indonesia, and the people hadn't seen white faces for a while it seemed. There were definitely NO other tourists in sight and its been that way for the last 2 days now. We tried to book a flight to Medan in North Sumatra straight away but all flights for the week were booked. Plan B - 15 hour bus journey to Medan on a local bus. Sweet as. It was such a beautifully raw experience being thrown in with such friendly, warm and smiling people the journey was an absolute treat. The Indian hip hop music on the way played with the BASS UP! was classic and the food stops just had people in awe, they couldn't believe we were visiting and it felt extremely special for us to be there.

Now in Medan, we trekked all over the city and back taking in the heat, the smoke and the sights with lots more smiles and curious questions along the way from the locals. Tomorrow we head to Banda Aceh and Pulau Weh for some beach and snorkeling action away from the roads and cities. Now we are off for some enak makan Padang (Lekker Padang food) and an early night!

The Singapore Fling

After a 13 hour flight we got into Singapore and found an excellent hotel 'Changi Village' a 4 star joint only 10 minutes from the airport with infinity pool and amazing food stalls. Needless to say we took a dip, watched the flights roll in over the bay and went and got well fed and finished the night with some Teh Tarik (Indian-Malay sweet tea). We left early for Pekanbaru in Sumatra which was definitely a different experience...