Bali

It feels kind of awkward to write about such a tropical and beautiful place as Bali in a regional train in the north of Germany. I am back home and continuously scrolling through my pictures, archiving, editing and deleting. It would be a pity not to write about Bali considering all the material. So be prepared for a little spam over here, as I was not feeling like it on instagram.

Despite other people I don’t get very tanned. Some friends wondered if I really was in Southeast Asia considering my barely noticeable tan. But hey, there still are some mosquito bites left and if you look closely you’ll find some freckles covering my nose and cheeks as a proof. So let me take you through our route around the island.

We arrived in Gilimanuk with the ferry from Java. Our first Bali spot was Munduk, where we saw spectacular waterfalls.

After staying in Amed for one night we took the ferry over to the Gili Islands. We stayed on Gili Trawangan and did quite a lot of snorkeling. The greatest snorkeling trip was the one we did with Gili Eco Trust. This organization is really doing something good by helping the growth of coral reefs by placing eco rocks and fighting against more extinction of those incredibly rich ecosystems. They do also organize beach clean ups and other initiatives.

Also on Gili T, Casa Vintage was a very stylish cafe with vintage store in the first floor.

Then we went to Ubud. From there we did several day trips to a couple of temples such as the Tirtia Empul Temple where you could bath yourself in the holy water. It was pretty crowded though because of special religious festivities.

We saw a traditional dance and chant audition. Those vocals really got it and you felt enchanted by the whole atmosphere. The fire dance in the end was quite scary.

Of course we couldn’t miss the Tegallalang rice terraces. The green there was the greenest colour I ever saw.

We took an amazing cooking class at Ketut’s Cooking Class.

I took a Yoga class in one of the beautiful studios of The Yoga Barn.

The last days went by with good breakfasts in Canggu. My favourite places were:

• The Betelnut Cafe
• Shady Shack
• Crate Cafe

Make sure you don’t miss the Pretty Poison on Tuesday nights to see the real cool skaters showing what they are capable of doing. Next to it you’ll find the Black Cat Minimart, where a bar is hidden behind a “broken” freezer.

Apart from skaters you’ll also see many surfers. It’s incredible how young some Indonesian surfers are who do perfectly fine on their tiny boards while you struggle hard on the biggest of them all. Well, I gave it a try. The waves are breathtaking and and when I was in front of the first one I was really scared. In the end it all worked out more or less.

Besides all of this and all those beautiful things you could buy all around Bali, that would make great souvenirs for everyone at home, I enjoyed those unexpected authentic moments a lot. Many drivers were happy to tell us more about the history and rich culture of Bali. About dialects, names and families. About tradition an religion. One thing I want to highlight about Bali is, that you shouldn’t get soaked up in this whole western owned super fancy Bali scene, because as appealing as it seems, it isn’t the authentic Indonesia I experienced in Java. Still, I enjoyed every single day in Bali and it is really amazing how many activities you can do on one single island. Just be aware and conscious of the gentrification the mass tourism is causing to Bali while traveling.

And if you do so, you’ll be totally ready to also enjoy the amazing super duper spectacular food in those incredibly fancy cafes. You are welcome. (The Shelter in Seminyak).

Back to real life now and getting used to the fact that spring just started in Europe after coming from the eternal summer.

XX Sofia

Indonesia (Java)

Well, here I am. At the end of this incredible three months trip through Southeast Asia. I still can’t imagine telling people that I’ve been on this trip instead of saying I will be traveling for three months. That’s because it’s been ahead of me for such a long time. I’ve worked so much for it before. Still it feels incredibly good to come home. Sometimes you have to be on the other side of the world to realize how much home means to you.

That being said I want to share a couple of impressions out of this last amazing month in Indonesia. It is such a diverse country. Rich in both nature and culture. I only saw several parts of Java and I went to Bali and the Gili Islands. But there still is so much more to explore. I will be coming back at some point of my life that’s for certain.

Woman clearing a yard in Yogyakarta

Parked rickshaw in the streets of Yogyakarta

Me in the Borobudur temple complex

After Yogyakarta we visited Semarang, the city where my Dutch grandma grew up, where she was captured by the Japanese for three years during World War Two. Everybody wondered why I wanted to visit this non tourist place. When I told them the story of my grandma and that I wanted to see all of this with my own eyes, they understood. It means the world to her that I visited the town where she was born, after she was there in 1992 for the last time and won’t have the chance to ever return.

Toko Oen – the Dutch Restaurant where my grandma got an ice cream on special days.

The Ereveld Kalibanteng, in memories of all those dying during the Japanese occupation. Luckily I can still show my grandma a picture of this and there is no cross for anybody in her family.

Her church where she got baptized and had her first communion.

The travels through Java continued. We had the most awful train ride ever, but it made us more experienced I guess. We arrived in Malang where we found a second Toko Oen. Same as in the other one, time seemed to stand still in this place. The furniture and everything seemed as if the last the century had never passed.

Places to have coffee in Malang.

Colourful village Kampung Visata Jodipan in Malang.

The adventure in super rainy Java continued with the incredible natural spectacle of the Gunung Bromo Vulcano. We drove all the way up in Jeeps. Unfortunately there was no sunrise for us.

Maybe two nights without sleeping because of seeing natural spectacles were a little tough on us, but hey it was worth it and I only had the opportunity to see the blue fire down the Ijen Plateau once I guess. Even though I nearly died because of the sulfide…

After this, we took the ferry over to Bali, the very last station of this journey. I loved it there and I will share my impressions of that island too. Anyways, I am happy to have experienced the real Indonesia, away from big tourist masses. Of course this also came with the rain season, which happened to not be completely over yet. It taught me what it really means to be raining.

XX Sofia