Wow it's stinking hot here ( hmmm could be because we're close to the equator or something) anyways cause I think I'm teflon man or maybe mirror man ( the suns rays don't affect me).. ( Carrie has a different name for me) anyways, wow I'm kinda burnt....but I look really , really , really good. It's been nice just relaxing here, alot of the tourists seem to have left.We've been diving every day and the dives have been good, with new and exciting stuff we've never seen before, on every dive..for example, and I would encourage you to google this... we saw a frogfish and a nudibranch today...very cool.
We walked the main road yesterday, which sort of goes down the middle of the island, and we saw a bunch of people dressed up for a pre wedding party on their scooters and motorcycles, driving to what looked like a temple.The women were dressed in fancy dresses, riding side saddle and the men in sarongs with white shirts and white hats, it seemed like most of the island had turned out for it.
OK is there anybody left in Austrailia, because I'm sure they're all here ...or quite possibly whistler. We've met a few nice people here, Evan from New York , a lawyer with a heart, traveling the world, Son from Melbourne, a yoga practising chef with a sunny disposition, getting away from things for a couple of weeks.
While I'm working on this very exciting post, Carrie is trying to figure out how to get our pictures online for you to see....cross your fingers, we're hoping it all works.... cause again we're old and our brains have trouble processing most anything these days.
We've decided to stay till fri the 25th and catch the ferry back to the mainland and go to Ubud, and get some hindu culture. There also is a yoga dance festival there next week ( one of the reasons Son is here) , so we thought maybe we would get in and out before the festival starts. I also would like to be diving on my birthday, so hopefully getting to the Gilli islands off of Lombok is a possibility.
Ok David... you knew it was coming...if you decided not to come , of course it was going to happen!!! So...................we ........went ..................diving ..................this morning.................to ..........a ......dive ..........site...........called........................................................................................................................
MANTA POINT. Guess what we saw at MANTA POINT, Yup dude , buckets and buckets of manta rays, they were everywhere, big ones about 15 to 18ft wing tip to wingtip and small ones about half that, they were one at a time or 5 at a time , all in 15ft of water, it was amazing. They must be used to people, or divers because they swam close enough for you to touch them, not that I did, although I think some people did.
Just for giggles...clownfish ( read Nemo) are quite territorial and aggressive, I had one yesterday swim up at me and try to brush my hand ( he touched me , not the other way around) away from his or her anenome patch... fun and suprising.
love to all
glen and carrie
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Shrines!
One of my favorite things about Bali are the shrines. They are everywhere. These are not temples, but small shrines where offerings are made to the gods to bring blessings & safety. First thing in the morning everyday, an offering of flowers & incense, as well as rice, and sometimes a bit of fruit is placed in each shrine, or on the porch or walkway leading to the door, the offering is sprinkled with water (By a flower blossom dipped in water) and prayed over for a very brief moment.
We have watched this ritual take place each morning since arriving the Bali & now Nusa Lombongan. Regardless of religious beliefs, Glen and I have both been very touched by this act. It seems a fitting way to begin a day ~ a simple act of recognition of the blessings in your life ~ and the hope that good fortune & good health will come your way!
Blessings to you all,
Carrie
We have watched this ritual take place each morning since arriving the Bali & now Nusa Lombongan. Regardless of religious beliefs, Glen and I have both been very touched by this act. It seems a fitting way to begin a day ~ a simple act of recognition of the blessings in your life ~ and the hope that good fortune & good health will come your way!
Blessings to you all,
Carrie
We're diving now
Ok this could take forever because I have the worn out keyboard and I have to guess at some of the letters. Ok we made it to Nusa Lembongan... to catch up, we got to Sanur at just before 4 pm ...the same time as the last ferry to Nusa Lembongan and of course it pulled away as we were paying for the tickets. It was actually allright cause they we're trying rip us off anyways, they had us paying for the fast boat and were going to put us on the slow public boat. Speaking of the ripping off stuff... you know your paying the foreigner price, they know ,you know, your getting ripped off, or at least after a while you realize your getting ripped off. But really they're ripping you off by 20 or 30 cents , maybe a dollar, in the long run maybe it makes a difference, but really in my mind it's the game you play. They play it , you play it, sometimes you lose , sometimes you win ...no harm , no foul.. we won on the bus the other day, he shrugged it off, just the way it goes.
So we ended up staying in Sanur for the night, we ended up staying at the hotel right next to the ferry dock, right on the beach, all for $20 US...who would have thought.OK not the greatest hotel in the world but close to all the happening stuff, ( not that, that mattered , cause I think we were in bed by 9 or 10 , something old like that) decent mattress, NO call to prayer and tea waiting on our veranda ( fancy huh!!)( is that the word for table outside our room?) in the morning.
So the guide book says: and I can't remember the exact quote, but it's something like: there is no dock, the ferry just comes into shore, YOU WILL GET WET!! so.... don't be a dumbass and bring your wheeled luggage through the sand...people will laugh at you. TA DAH...a whole bunch of dumbasses.
We're staying at a pretty nice place on the beach, the island is a little more developed than we expected, but still it's very nice...hmmm seem to be doing alot of staring at the screen so I will get out of here with this: Saw Nemo today, I was very excited to see him , we exchanged pleasantries, he said to say hi and hoped everything was well...great fish!!
love you all
glen
So we ended up staying in Sanur for the night, we ended up staying at the hotel right next to the ferry dock, right on the beach, all for $20 US...who would have thought.OK not the greatest hotel in the world but close to all the happening stuff, ( not that, that mattered , cause I think we were in bed by 9 or 10 , something old like that) decent mattress, NO call to prayer and tea waiting on our veranda ( fancy huh!!)( is that the word for table outside our room?) in the morning.
So the guide book says: and I can't remember the exact quote, but it's something like: there is no dock, the ferry just comes into shore, YOU WILL GET WET!! so.... don't be a dumbass and bring your wheeled luggage through the sand...people will laugh at you. TA DAH...a whole bunch of dumbasses.
We're staying at a pretty nice place on the beach, the island is a little more developed than we expected, but still it's very nice...hmmm seem to be doing alot of staring at the screen so I will get out of here with this: Saw Nemo today, I was very excited to see him , we exchanged pleasantries, he said to say hi and hoped everything was well...great fish!!
love you all
glen
Nusa Lombangan ~ OR: Just another day in paradise!
We are currently on Nusa Lombongan, a small island off the coast of Bali. I think Glen is telling the tale of our journey, so I will just say this is a lovely village. We are in a small cottage just off the beach. We are on the West facing side of the Island, so the sunsets are incredible.
There are a lot more tourists here, despite the small size of the island, so the people are not quite as excited to see us, but still very nice!
We went on our first dives today, and the reef was the most incredible thing I've ever seen diving. The visibility out into the deep was not great, but was fine for upclose viewing. Thousands of fish. I was very excited to see clown fish (Think finding NEMO) I guess clown fish are not that exciting really, but since I have only been diving in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Panama, clown fish are new to me since they aren't found those places. Also many different types of corals and some big blue starfish which were pretty cool.
The local economy here, aside from tourism & diving, is mainly the harvesting of seaweed. Everyone has a long boat, which they push out to the reef with a pole (No motors) where they farm the seaweed. They bring it in, and lay it on tarps to dry. They then keep only half the seaweed, and tie the other half to ropes, which they take back out to water so the seaweed can re-grow. Apparently, most the seaweed is sold to the cosmetics industry. I was a bit worried when I saw all the seaweed being harvested, but when I learned more about it from a local lady who explained it to me, it seems it is farmed very responsibly, so that it isn't being depleted as a resource!
Not a lot to do here, but dive, read, and look out over the water. Which is exactly why it is perfectly wonderful!
Cheery Wave,
Carrie
There are a lot more tourists here, despite the small size of the island, so the people are not quite as excited to see us, but still very nice!
We went on our first dives today, and the reef was the most incredible thing I've ever seen diving. The visibility out into the deep was not great, but was fine for upclose viewing. Thousands of fish. I was very excited to see clown fish (Think finding NEMO) I guess clown fish are not that exciting really, but since I have only been diving in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Panama, clown fish are new to me since they aren't found those places. Also many different types of corals and some big blue starfish which were pretty cool.
The local economy here, aside from tourism & diving, is mainly the harvesting of seaweed. Everyone has a long boat, which they push out to the reef with a pole (No motors) where they farm the seaweed. They bring it in, and lay it on tarps to dry. They then keep only half the seaweed, and tie the other half to ropes, which they take back out to water so the seaweed can re-grow. Apparently, most the seaweed is sold to the cosmetics industry. I was a bit worried when I saw all the seaweed being harvested, but when I learned more about it from a local lady who explained it to me, it seems it is farmed very responsibly, so that it isn't being depleted as a resource!
Not a lot to do here, but dive, read, and look out over the water. Which is exactly why it is perfectly wonderful!
Cheery Wave,
Carrie
Flies in my beer!
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly,
Oooh! Yes, actually I do, It is because the fly went swimming in her BINTANG (Local beer), and she didn't look in the glass before taking a swig!
This has happened twice now! Although the fly didn't actually get swallowed, as I felt it in my mouth and spit it out! You would think this kind of thing would only happen to a girl once, but apparently my learning curve on this is a bit slow, especially after the first beer!
I don't know why she swallowed a fly,
Oooh! Yes, actually I do, It is because the fly went swimming in her BINTANG (Local beer), and she didn't look in the glass before taking a swig!
This has happened twice now! Although the fly didn't actually get swallowed, as I felt it in my mouth and spit it out! You would think this kind of thing would only happen to a girl once, but apparently my learning curve on this is a bit slow, especially after the first beer!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Random stuff
We're in Borobudur now, site of the world's largest buddhist temple.. and it's pretty impressive. I think Carrie is going to fill you in on our travels and, crap, we've been busy, I just wanted to touch on some stuff that I thought was funny or wonderful or both.
So we're in Yogayakarta that 1st night, we dump our packs off at the room and set off to explore the area and grab some food. We meet Tree..or the 3rd born , he's trying to sell us tours and stuff ,but he's very nice about it , not pushy and really, he helps us get our bus up here.Next Glen and Carrie trick is to see if we can do the public bus thing back to the airport in Yogyakarta. I know, I know it's seems like we're traveling alot and we are ,but it's been really quite fun and well we are off to Bali tomorrow and you know what that means ...YES, DIVING BABY!!!!! although it will be a miracle if we make it to Nusa Lembongan by tomorrow, so it's public bus in the morning from here to Jombor station in Yogyakarta, taxi from jombor to the airport, flight to Denpensar, bali, feel free to get a map if you want.Taxi to minibus station, minibus to Sanur on the coast and then ferry to Nusa Lembongan ( I think I'm spelling that right) Hmmm... actually I guess I'm just telling what we have planned.
OK back to Yogyakarta, so we walk around and decide to have some dinner at the New Superman restaurant, recommended by the lonely planet. Menu is huge, we order, we talk about whether we want to stay here or go to Borobudur, dinner comes, 2 girls ( german or dutch maybe ?, doesn't really matter, not locals) come in and take the table ,kitty corner to us, we hear this rattling in the eaves of the restaurant and this HUGE rat drops out of the ceiling onto the floor next to the girls, they scream , we laugh because we know if it had dropped next to us we would be screaming too, I'm serious about the big thing, we're talking small cat size or big large mouth bass like on those fishing shows, not that I watch those things.
Carrie IS A ROCKSTAR, She was grabbed again by locals, serious about the grab thing too. this time by a group of muslim ladies, dressed head to toe in clothes, on the steps of the temple and had pictures taken with her. It's kind of great, I'm not sure whether it happens with other caucasian tourists and we actually haven't seen alot of tourists so far, but we've only seen it happen with Carrie so far...so therefore Rockstar!
Our room up here in Borobudur is beautiful, we have a little sitting area just outside our room with a view to a rice paddy out back. We saw an Indonesian bird scaring machine today..A guy smacking to wooden sticks together... aww come on it wasn't that bad.
OK the first call to prayer , here anyways, is at 4:30 in the morning, with 4 or 5 more throughout the day, and the REALLY loud guy here...WHEW..is not melodical at all, they call him karoake man, just brutal and he goes on for a long time, it seems.
We walked around a buddhist monastery yesterday in the rain, it was beautiful, we noticed the gate was open and the gaurd said we were free to walk around and then it started pouring, we both got drenched. We ended up in a bell tower I guess you would call it, waiting for the rain to subside..one of those soul warming moments in life.
On the way out to the monastery, probably 4km away, I'm pretty sure we said hello to every person on the way there, and yup I mean hello in english, after a while it's a little surreal and makes you sort of proud to be human. It wasn't just kids , who all want to say hello, it was toothless old ladies, chubby construction workers, dirty bike mechanics, teenage muslim girls waiting for the bus, food vendors on the side of the street, you can see it their face. They want to say hello , but they're holding back...so you say hello and a big smile comes over their face and they say hello enthusiastically back.Needless to say we're loving it here.
I'm off now , I want to see what Carrie has written, my ass is starting to hurt and well that's all I can think of right now. Hi and love to all.
So we're in Yogayakarta that 1st night, we dump our packs off at the room and set off to explore the area and grab some food. We meet Tree..or the 3rd born , he's trying to sell us tours and stuff ,but he's very nice about it , not pushy and really, he helps us get our bus up here.Next Glen and Carrie trick is to see if we can do the public bus thing back to the airport in Yogyakarta. I know, I know it's seems like we're traveling alot and we are ,but it's been really quite fun and well we are off to Bali tomorrow and you know what that means ...YES, DIVING BABY!!!!! although it will be a miracle if we make it to Nusa Lembongan by tomorrow, so it's public bus in the morning from here to Jombor station in Yogyakarta, taxi from jombor to the airport, flight to Denpensar, bali, feel free to get a map if you want.Taxi to minibus station, minibus to Sanur on the coast and then ferry to Nusa Lembongan ( I think I'm spelling that right) Hmmm... actually I guess I'm just telling what we have planned.
OK back to Yogyakarta, so we walk around and decide to have some dinner at the New Superman restaurant, recommended by the lonely planet. Menu is huge, we order, we talk about whether we want to stay here or go to Borobudur, dinner comes, 2 girls ( german or dutch maybe ?, doesn't really matter, not locals) come in and take the table ,kitty corner to us, we hear this rattling in the eaves of the restaurant and this HUGE rat drops out of the ceiling onto the floor next to the girls, they scream , we laugh because we know if it had dropped next to us we would be screaming too, I'm serious about the big thing, we're talking small cat size or big large mouth bass like on those fishing shows, not that I watch those things.
Carrie IS A ROCKSTAR, She was grabbed again by locals, serious about the grab thing too. this time by a group of muslim ladies, dressed head to toe in clothes, on the steps of the temple and had pictures taken with her. It's kind of great, I'm not sure whether it happens with other caucasian tourists and we actually haven't seen alot of tourists so far, but we've only seen it happen with Carrie so far...so therefore Rockstar!
Our room up here in Borobudur is beautiful, we have a little sitting area just outside our room with a view to a rice paddy out back. We saw an Indonesian bird scaring machine today..A guy smacking to wooden sticks together... aww come on it wasn't that bad.
OK the first call to prayer , here anyways, is at 4:30 in the morning, with 4 or 5 more throughout the day, and the REALLY loud guy here...WHEW..is not melodical at all, they call him karoake man, just brutal and he goes on for a long time, it seems.
We walked around a buddhist monastery yesterday in the rain, it was beautiful, we noticed the gate was open and the gaurd said we were free to walk around and then it started pouring, we both got drenched. We ended up in a bell tower I guess you would call it, waiting for the rain to subside..one of those soul warming moments in life.
On the way out to the monastery, probably 4km away, I'm pretty sure we said hello to every person on the way there, and yup I mean hello in english, after a while it's a little surreal and makes you sort of proud to be human. It wasn't just kids , who all want to say hello, it was toothless old ladies, chubby construction workers, dirty bike mechanics, teenage muslim girls waiting for the bus, food vendors on the side of the street, you can see it their face. They want to say hello , but they're holding back...so you say hello and a big smile comes over their face and they say hello enthusiastically back.Needless to say we're loving it here.
I'm off now , I want to see what Carrie has written, my ass is starting to hurt and well that's all I can think of right now. Hi and love to all.
BOROBUDUR
We are currently in Borobudur. Home of the largest Buddhist Temple in the world. (It is an ancient temple, built by hand, with incredible intricate stone carvings of amazing detail, especially for the time when it was created.) Absolutely beautiful, and definitely worth taking the time to come here.
So, to back up a bit, we traveled here by bus on Thursday after paying a visit to the Sultan's Palace in Yogyakarta. We are staying at the LOTUS II, a lovely guest house recommended by lonely planet. We have a huge four poster bed covered with a lace mosquito net ~ a romantic fantasy bed except for the blue bedspread with cows printed on it! Our bathroom is larger than our whole room in Yogyakarta was, and we have hot water ~ yay! We have a balcony overlooking rice paddies. I sort of thought that a swarm of mosquitoes would rise from the rice paddies when evening fell, but they haven't really been a problem, although I am diligent about repellent anyway! We are served tea, meals, and semi-cold beer on our balcony.
The only downfall to this wonderful place is that when the call to prayer from the nearby Muslim Mosques begins, which is broadcast over loudspeakers, the mosque closest to us has a horrible chanter, truly. There must be 3 or 4 mosques close by, and the ones further away have lovely chanters, but the one next to us is just terrible! I can't imagine that it is easy to bow in reverent prayer to this man's voice! In addition, the early morning call to prayer is at 4:30am!!!
Yesterday afternoon when we arrived, we walked to a couple small temples in the village, and were able to walk around the grounds of a beautiful buddhist monestary. We got caught in the afternoon rain, and even though we had raincoats, ended up soaked to the bone by the time we got back to the LOTUS. All those people offering us rides all day completely dissappeared! So we walked home in a raging downpour singing SINGING IN THE RAIN & RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD.
Our experience with the friendly people here continues to be very positive, although there is somewhat of a circus atmosphere around the temple here in Borobudur with people selling wares of every kind ~ Buddhist temple ashtray anyone? There was even some kids carnival rides & arcade games! Luckily all these people are kept away from the temple itself. The temple brings a LOT of money to this village, with as many as 90,000 people visiting on Festival days, luckily there was nothing like that number here today!
The people here, especially the children shout Hello as we walk by. I am sure we say hello to everyone we pass! It turns out I am something of a curiosity here with my pale white skin. I have been asked to take pictures with quite a lot of the people here. Mostly Muslim women whom I look like a giant standing next to. (Vanessa, if you are reading this, you would feel tall here!) Even Glen gets comments from the men about how tall he is. I was worried about not being covered from head to toe, as many women here definitely are, but after being asked to pose for pictures with these lovely women, my worry is gone. I am just a curiosity! (People have asked for pictures with Glen and I together also.) We are finding that most people DO NOT think we are married. I guess the idea of an interracial marriage is a bit foreign too them.
Well, I guess I will close for now. Tomorrow we are off to BALI!
Salamat Malam (Goodnight)
Carrie
PS. Did I mention this wonderful room with such hospitable hosts cost the grand sum of 150,000 rupiah, (about $17.00)!
So, to back up a bit, we traveled here by bus on Thursday after paying a visit to the Sultan's Palace in Yogyakarta. We are staying at the LOTUS II, a lovely guest house recommended by lonely planet. We have a huge four poster bed covered with a lace mosquito net ~ a romantic fantasy bed except for the blue bedspread with cows printed on it! Our bathroom is larger than our whole room in Yogyakarta was, and we have hot water ~ yay! We have a balcony overlooking rice paddies. I sort of thought that a swarm of mosquitoes would rise from the rice paddies when evening fell, but they haven't really been a problem, although I am diligent about repellent anyway! We are served tea, meals, and semi-cold beer on our balcony.
The only downfall to this wonderful place is that when the call to prayer from the nearby Muslim Mosques begins, which is broadcast over loudspeakers, the mosque closest to us has a horrible chanter, truly. There must be 3 or 4 mosques close by, and the ones further away have lovely chanters, but the one next to us is just terrible! I can't imagine that it is easy to bow in reverent prayer to this man's voice! In addition, the early morning call to prayer is at 4:30am!!!
Yesterday afternoon when we arrived, we walked to a couple small temples in the village, and were able to walk around the grounds of a beautiful buddhist monestary. We got caught in the afternoon rain, and even though we had raincoats, ended up soaked to the bone by the time we got back to the LOTUS. All those people offering us rides all day completely dissappeared! So we walked home in a raging downpour singing SINGING IN THE RAIN & RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD.
Our experience with the friendly people here continues to be very positive, although there is somewhat of a circus atmosphere around the temple here in Borobudur with people selling wares of every kind ~ Buddhist temple ashtray anyone? There was even some kids carnival rides & arcade games! Luckily all these people are kept away from the temple itself. The temple brings a LOT of money to this village, with as many as 90,000 people visiting on Festival days, luckily there was nothing like that number here today!
The people here, especially the children shout Hello as we walk by. I am sure we say hello to everyone we pass! It turns out I am something of a curiosity here with my pale white skin. I have been asked to take pictures with quite a lot of the people here. Mostly Muslim women whom I look like a giant standing next to. (Vanessa, if you are reading this, you would feel tall here!) Even Glen gets comments from the men about how tall he is. I was worried about not being covered from head to toe, as many women here definitely are, but after being asked to pose for pictures with these lovely women, my worry is gone. I am just a curiosity! (People have asked for pictures with Glen and I together also.) We are finding that most people DO NOT think we are married. I guess the idea of an interracial marriage is a bit foreign too them.
Well, I guess I will close for now. Tomorrow we are off to BALI!
Salamat Malam (Goodnight)
Carrie
PS. Did I mention this wonderful room with such hospitable hosts cost the grand sum of 150,000 rupiah, (about $17.00)!
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