The magic of Bali

I went to Bali a few weeks ago and the thing that keeps haunting me is that I am not done there, at all. I need to go back, many times. Or one long time. Or several long times. The point is, I want to go back.

I went there this December with my brother and his girlfriend. We arrived with the fast boat from Lombok and as soon as we got off the boat, people were bothering us and showing us all the items they had for sale. Food, mostly. Welcome to Bali. We waited for our bags to be unloaded and when they were we looked for our shuttle bus to Ubud. We found it quickly and even as we were inside the bus, they kept showing up with products.
And here is where it gets really funny. Because you would think, that when you buy something, they will be happy and stop bothering you. BUT NO!
I bought a packet with some pineapple and watermelon, because… well, because why not? I love fruit. But instead of selling it to me with a smile, she tried to sell me two, or even more. And when I didn’t want that, she listed some of the other products I could buy. “Da da Ibu”.

The drive to Ubud was nice and when we arrived, we got dropped off in the parking lot of a supermarket. Our accommodation was 3 kilometers from there, and I wasn’t in the mood to walk with my backpack. I figured we could just hail a taxi. But apparently, that is not how things go around Ubud. There were no regular taxi’s driving around, I didn’t see any ojeks (motorbikes with drivers). So I was a bit confused. I called Blue Bird and when I finally got the right number for Ubud, they told me it would take 30 minutes before we could get a taxi, because they had to come from Denpasar. I was surprised, because why would there not be any Blue Birds in Ubud. Later, I learned that the local government (or King of Ubud, or Sultan, or just the Mayor, whatever) is keeping them out of the city. There are a lot of local taxi’s and otherwise they would be out of business. We found out later that Uber is active there, so that saved us some money in the upcoming days.

Anyway, we decided to walk, because when we asked what the price would be to take us 3 kilometers to the north and the guy replied with a price that was way way way way too expensive, we went off. And on the way, a lot of people asked us if we needed a taxi. We kept saying, yes, but for this and this price and after five minutes we found somebody who would at least take us for a sort of reasonable price (and that reasonable price already went up a lot since we arrived and had to forget about the regular prices for a taxi).
‘Ok, wait here!’ the guy said. ‘I will be right back!’
So he disappeared around a corner, and came back a few minutes later with a car. We were hysterical, because it was all so shady, but it seemed the most normal thing in the world there.

IMG_8588When we got to our destination, our host brought us to the villa we rented for three days. The pictures where beautiful, but you never know…
We had to walk along a path through some bushes and along rice fields (we even crossed a small stream), but when we finally arrived, the view was amazing. We were right next to a rice field, the villa was everything you could imagine and when our host started cutting up some fresh mango and pulled out three bottles of water from the refrigerator, we never wanted to leave.

In Ubud, we did some of the touristic activities that one must have done in Ubud. We went to the Royal Palace, we went to the Art market (which is just a huge place where you can haggle and buy souvenirs, don’t let them fool you with a fancy name) and we went to the Monkey Forest.
IMG_0244_FotorSurprisingly, I had so much fun at the market. I did not plan on buying a lot of souvenirs and I knew this meant some serious discipline, but when I got there and I started haggling in Indonesian, impressing the seller and myself, I just had the best time. I bargained for sarongs and small statues and all the other things one wants to buy there. And not just for me, but also for my brothers girlfriend (my brother did not suffer from MSD – a.k.a. Mad Shopping Disease).
The highlight was when I wanted to buy this small wood carved statue of a monkey sitting on some books. I had seen it in several places already.
So, I decided to just ask what the price was. He said IDR 600.000. Uhhh. No. And so the game begins.
I finally got it for IDR 300.000 which I thought was a pretty good deal (20 euros). But what made my day came next. He told me, in Indonesian (so just the fact that I understood made me smile with pride), that for tourists he would normally start with one million rupiah, but because I spoke Bahasa Indonesia, he started at a lower price.
Well, if that doesn’t make a person smile, I don’t know what does. (Although maybe this) IMG_0168_Fotor

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We had some plans to do a yoga class and a cooking class in Ubud, but we didn’t do it in the end. So when I go back to Bali I will spend at least two more weeks in Ubud. I want to eat at all the vegan restaurants, do a cooking class, go on a yoga retreat, rent a motorbike and explore… And many other things.

IMG_0442_FotorOn our last day in Ubud, our host drove us around the island a little bit. We went to a coffee plantation where we had a small tasting, we saw a huge mountain, we went to a very popular rice field (which made it all the more unattractive) and we went to this amazing waterfall (where the stairs made me realize I am not exercising enough). It was a great day where we got to see some of the island of Bali and in the end the driver dropped us in Denpasar, where we were spending the next two days.

On the first day in Denpasar (Seminyak, to be exact) we walked along the beach. I found a seashell (yay) and we had a very expensive lunch in one of the beachside restaurants. We figured we would check out the central square (sort of) after that, but there was not much to do and all the tourists made us kind of crazy, so we went back home for a dip in our private pool and to relax.

I also want to share a joke that the waiter at the restaurant made. When we were finished and were about to leave, we asked the waiter where the toilet was. And before I continue, let me just stress that the restaurant was very fancy and expensive. And he just flat out told me that they did not have a toilet. He looked so serious and then told us that we could go outside and around the corner. I think I may have had an annoyed look on my face, because toilets in Indonesia are always so much trouble and I saw it coming. But then he started laughing and told me he was joking. And I totally saw the humor in it because it was very funny and playing into one of the worst fears of their customers, no doubt.

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At the end of the afternoon we wanted to go to Tanah Lot to see the sunset. It’s supposed to be amazing there. We got a taxi at five o’clock, but didn’t realize there is only one way that leads in that direction… and it was full of cars. People use that road to go home after work and it leads to a different area of the city.
As you may guess, this story ends with a sadly missed sunset. We arrived there when it was already almost dark and by the time we reached the view… There was nothing left to see.

The next morning we went to the DMZ, where they had 3D trick art which made for some amazing pictures. It was raining very badly that day and after the museum it was time for me to say goodbye to my big brother and his girlfriend and go back to Jakarta.
When I went back to the airport by Uber I felt pretty awesome. My Uber driver was very nice (offered himself up if I ever need a boyfriend in Indonesia) and at the airport I sat and ate some lunch/dinner by myself and I was walking around the airport like I knew the place. Security was a breeze, because by now I know what to do there (and they are just not as secure here as what I am used to) and watching everybody else struggle really made me feel good about myself.

It gave me a great ego boost for my upcoming travels and I look forward to that every day. But for now, I will enjoy more of Indonesia and I am already writing a list of what I have to do here when (not if, when) I come back at one point in the future.

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For more pictures, click here.

Living the life

I recently came to an important realization. I won’t see snow this year. Of course this is never certain, but usually, at least there is hope. In Jakarta there is no hope. No hope at all.

What I will see, is rain. A lot of rain. Flooding the city kinds of rain. But that’s okay. Because my life is awesome.

Every time I tell people my plans for the coming weeks, months (year!) I still almost cannot believe this is my life. I am doing so many amazing things, seeing so many great places and meeting tons of lovely people. Even though I was living towards this part of my life for quite some time, It still didn’t seem real. But it is real. And I never want it to stop.

And the great plans keep on coming. Besides the global planning I already had, I have some more concrete ideas about what I want to do when I travel through Southeast Asia. The trips that I have planned in December are approaching rather quickly and even my ‘regular’ days in Jakarta are great.

I feel so grateful being able to do all of this and I feel like I’m learning something new every day (and not just words in Bahasa Indonesia, although… that too). It’s already such a great experience and the best part is…

I’m nowhere near finished. IMG_0635.jpeg

 

 

The ups and downs of a mountain (and travel)

This past weekend I have visited the magical town of Dieng, Indonesia. Let me tell you, there is a lot of natural beauty here. I took so many pictures and love to watch them over and over again, and dream away. You can find them here.

It all started on a Friday afternoon. The itinerary said to be at the meeting point at six, and we would leave at seven. I was already prepared to take this schedule with a grain of salt, and planned to be there at seven at least, but when I looked out the window in the end of the afternoon, there was a major storm going on. The rain came poring down, and even though the sun sets at 6 pm, it was already completely dark outside at 5 pm that day.

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So, I decided to go earlier. I ordered a gojek and was a little bummed that i would get completely soaked, but I made my peace with it. When I got downstairs, however, the gojek driver had a rain-cape for me! It didn’t completely keep me dry, but at least I wasn’t soaking. The trip only took me 15 minutes, so I was there even before six. There was nobody there.
At six: Nobody.
Half an hour later: Nobody.
At some level I knew that this was probable, but I still got worried. I called the two organizers: no answer.
Finally, at ten to seven, one of them arrived. Of course she got stuck in traffic, and so did a lot of other participants. Eventually we left around eight. Got to love Indonesia.

I was afraid the bus would be a wreck and sleeping through the night was not an option, but it turned out to be a really fancy bus. Even though I sat in the middel of four seats, which was a bit uncomfortable, I slept through most of the trip.

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We saw some sights on the first day and although I loved seeing all the nature, it felt a bit weird to be on the trip by myself. It was an organized tour and everybody had a companion. Besides that, everybody spoke Indonesian. So I felt a tad secluded at some moments, but there were also people who spoke English and it gave me the opportunity to practice my Indonesian.

The local guys of Dieng were really nice, but when I introduced myself to them, they immediately gave me another name. Juminten. Apparently this is an old traditional Javanese name and everybody called me that during the weekend.

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Another thing I learned during this trip, is that there is no need to be ashamed of taking selfies during a trip in Asia. Everybody does it. Proudly. I told the female tourguide that in Europe it was something to be a little giggly and embarrassed about. Here, it is the most normal thing. Not only that, but there were SO MANY grouppictures. We had to do a group shot everywhere. And not just one. Oh no, we had to make one with everybody’s camera.
It took so long and there were so many. At one point I started taking pictures of the picture takers. Ha. Got ya.

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According to the program, the next day we would get up in the middle of the night and leave to climb up to a hill, from where we would see the sunrise. I went to bed very early (around 8 pm) and set my alarm. It was 2 am when we woke up and without any breakfast (or even water) we left to go to the hill. I think I wasn’t completely awake yet, because of course I had to eat something, even though it was not arranged. Or at least have a drink. But I didn’t really think about it until later and we were already on the road. After driving through empty and silent mountain roads, we arrived at a place that was bustling with people. Guess we were not the only ones to watch the sunrise.

We were told to bring a flashlight and warm clothes. It was cold, but it was okay for my thick Dutch skin and once we started walking uphill, I became rather warm quickly. The beginning was okay, but the trek was tougher than I had imagined. Not only was it completely dark, it was also very misty, which created a wet slope to walk on. I kept going and figured we would arrive soon, because the guy told us it would only be around 30 minutes.
He lied.
We walked and climbed about an hour and I slipped once, causing me to glide down in the mud. Well, I’m not one to let that get me down, but I was a bit scared going further and I so was ready to sit down and see this damned sunrise already.

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Finally we were sort of on top and someone told me we had arrived. I plopped down on the ground (I was already dirty, so whatever) and waited, but then they told me we were going to another hill nearby. He pointed in the distance to some walking flashlights and it looked so far away. Too far. And when we walked in that direction, we already had to pass a slippery slope (no pun intended) and I was just not up for it.

Not only was I a little tired, I felt nauseous and a little dizzy. Guess I should have eaten. I asked the guy leading us if it was okay if I stayed on this hill and watched the sunrise from there. It was okay.
So I stayed.
And I sat down.
And I felt really, really sad.
I don’t know why, it sort of overcame me. And thinking back to it now, it seems a bit surreal. Here I was, sort of on top of this great mountain, in the middle of freaking Indonesia, living the freaking dream. And I was sad? Really?
A feeling of terrible aloneness came over me, seeing all these people together. I felt like I was left out a bit, even though I chose to stay behind. And one of the guys who led the tour even stayed with me, and sat nearby. We didn’t really speak, but he was still there with me. What may also have played a small part is that I had been without an internet connection the past two days, which made me unable to vent about the experiences to my friends (or my mommy). I told myself to snap out of it, but in that moment I even wondered if traveling alone was a good idea if it was gonna be like this. Well, without elaborating any more, let’s just say it was a very depressing moment. I got even more annoyed when the sun did start to rise and everybody was taking selfies and I was in the background. Even on this touristic site I was the only white blond girl and I felt like a monkey in a cage. This feeling grew when two girls asked me to take a selfie with them. When I got back to the guy, the female tourguide was there too. I suppose she just arrived. She said: let’s go to the other hill! The sun was already up a bit and it was light outside now. I don’t know what exactly the guy and girl said to each other in Indonesian, but I gathered that he told her I had a little trauma, which even then, I thought was a tad funny. She told me it really was not far and the road was not tricky and now that it was light, I could see she was right. So she took my one hand and the guy took my other, and we slowly went in that direction. The path was not hard, at all.

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When we saw the group, they were already heavy into one of the main activities of this trip: taking pictures. Once we reached them, one of the tourguides yelled something that I could only interpret as: “clap your hands for Juminten”, because the next thing I know, they did. It felt like my birthday. And it felt like I was part of the group. I felt even more stupid for my teeny tiny breakdown earlier and smiled on each of the selfies they wanted to take with me.

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I hope if you took the time to read this long story, it was not uninteresting for you. In all honesty, I mostly write this blog for my future self, and I wanted her to remember this, which is why I was so elaborate.
I guess the lesson I got out of this is that a lot of the world we live in, consists only in our heads. I felt like I was left out of the group, while in reality, I had a really special role in it. I felt like the path ahead was going to be hard, and really it was not.

My mind told me traveling alone was a bad idea and I should want to go home. But in reality, I really don’t want to go home.

Daily life in Jakarta

12196142_1154910351187510_6672215356182971_nThe morning starts the same every day: with the horrific sound of my alarm clock and me snoozing at least three times. Next, I get up. I go into my bathroom and if I am unlucky, there is no water. I don’t know how this happens, but I have spent two mornings rather cranky because I could not take a shower. But, as the positive person I am, I choose to be grateful for all the other days I do have water.

I live in a “kost” which is a boarding house. I have a room with ac, a double bed (heaven) and a private bathroom. The boarding house is run by four or five amazing women who spend all day working. The service in a place like this is amazing: let me give you some examples.
They clean my room, every day. In the beginning they also made my bed, but I didn’t like this because I had to arrange the pillows every time, so with the help of my colleagues I wrote them a note, telling them I loved the service, but if they please could leave the bed as is (did I mention they don’t speak any English?) Anyway, they clean. All the rubbish I collect in a day, I put in a bin outside. Also, every day they will wash four pieces of clothing for me – by hand. And there are about 30 rooms in the place, so you do the math.

After I am showered and ready, I get my clean clothes from the hallway and walk out the door. When I am out of the front gate, I make my way to work. I walk, and it takes me about 25 minutes. In the time here that I wasn’t able to walk anywhere, let alone walk 25 minutes to work, I went to work with a grab-bike. It is this amazing application, where you enter where you are and where you want to go, and what do you know, next thing a motorbike driver shows up at your location and takes you to said location. All for the sweet low price of 15.000 rupiah (1 euro. Let me repeat: 1 euro!!!). It may be needless to say I use this a lot. It is so much quicker than a taxi. The only downside for a bule (foreigner) like me is the fact that they usually call you to verify your booking and check to see where you are. The drivers often don’t speak English either, so this occasionally causes some confusion. Sometimes I answer the phone and all they say is: ‘sebentar ya?’
Okelah pak. And I hang up. This, I can do. If they ask me where I am, I can also still answer. But any follow-up questions cause major confusion on my side and I have to look for someone to take the phone and explain to the driver where he has to go. If I am with a friend I just let them answer the phone right away, which is much easier. Although, one time when a guy answered the phone for me, the driver was a bit surprised when I showed up.

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The first thing I do in the office is have some breakfast. When I first got to this neighbourhood, I used to go to the supermarket and buy a lot of mangos, sometimes pineapple or watermelon. I would get up in the morning, cut everything up and eat it. But the longer I was here, the later I wanted to get up. So the next step was cutting everything up, putting it in plastic containers, and taking it with me to work. But during the time I couldn’t walk, the supermarket was a challenge I wasn’t ready for, and because of the one-way traffic the driver arrived at my office from the other side of the building, taking a different route. And on the way there, we passed like three different fruit carts! The fruit is already cut in pieces and even cheaper than in the supermarket! So now, every morning, I walk to work with a small detour, and I buy fruit. The price, you may ask? IDR 3.000 per piece. I usually buy six, so I pay delapan belas ribu rupiah (18.000 rupiah). Oh my god, you are so fast with comparing it to the Grab-bike ride! Indeed, it is a little bit more than a euro.

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The workday differs. Usually we all hang out in the office, do some work. Sometimes the concentration is gone for a while, and then there is a lot of talking and laughing. If the internet doesn’t work, we have to resort to other measures, such as playing a game (werewolves/mafia, for instance).

During lunch, we have three options. Well, there are more options, but these are the three we use often. We can eithFullSizeRenderer go next door, where I always get gado-gado, which is so good there! We can also go to
RNI (I don’t know what it stands for), which is a bit of a longer walk (5 minutes instead of 2). We go there often because of the chicken guy. I won’t elaborate on that. And lastly there is the third floor of our building, when we get sick of these two options. But sometimes we also go somewhere further away. To a mall nearby, for instance. Usually I don’t pay more than 15.000 rupiah for lunch (do you see a pattern?)

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The food here is great. So great. I may have mentioned this before, so I will just say this: the food here is great. Sangat enak sekali!

In the middle of the afternoon, around three, the smell of fried deliciousness penetrates the office doors and with great enthusiasm we walk to the other side of the hallway to buy gorengan. It is food that is fried and there are a lot of variations. It is a great mid-day snack and tastes so good. The guy always jokes by replacing the word thousand with million when talking about prices, which causes a few giggles. It is a great distraction from the workday and because he is not here everyday, it is always a nice surprise.

After work, I go to a nearby hotel that is on the way to my house, where I do some exercise in the gym or I swim (in the pool). Afterwards I go into the sauna and relax. And I am revived after a shower and ready for the evening.

IMG_8143I usually get some food in my neighbourhood, either at a food court, or at one of the many warteg (small restaurants, kind of buffet style). I always get it to go, because I cannot let go of my habit to eat while watching a tv-show. And I’m sure you already guessed it. The food: never more than 15.000 rupiah (1 euro).

On some nights, I don’t go home, but I eat with friends and hang out somewhere. A couple of times I went to the cinema here. The caramel popcorn is to die for and the velvet class is totally worth the money. See the picture below. Even for a bed like this, you pay less than a cinema in The Expensive West.


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Conclusion, short and sweet: Indonesia is fantastic, money is worth so much here and it is all great. I wish I could tell you more about all my disappointments, to make this blog more juicy. But I am (not) sorry to say, there are none.

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