Friends in high places

Who says when the tour ends, the adventure ends? Was that me?

I left Ubud in the early hours yesterday morning. Although I'm now by the beach and surrounded by a few modern conveniences, I'm sad to have left the quaintness behind. The Artini Cottages, which I recommend to anyone thinking of visiting Ubud, was the perfect place to relax and unwind from the rushed month and a half of travel that proceeded my stay there. The staff was wonderful, the food was perfect (they have an amazing Greek salad! yummm), and the rooms were the biggest and most comfy we had experienced so far. It reminded me much of the first place that Vanessa and I stayed on Koh Samui in Thailand that made us completely fall in love with the country.

I mentioned in my last entry that there was a couple staying there with their son from Sacramento. Turns out their pockets are heavy with cash and they LOVE to throw it around. The husband, Ed Goldberg, is a rather large Jewish man who knows everything there is to know about computers, and how to make money from them. The wife, Catherine, is a Japanese sewing machine and has spent somewhere in the thousands on silk and batiks to take home and play with. What amazing people they are. I met them in the pool on the first day and we hit it off straight away. I had a feeling these were people I should get to know.

There was also another man staying there who had basically the same idea as me. His name is Todd and he's a photographer from Atlanta. On Saturday, as I was coming back from shopping and going in for a nap, Ed, Catherine and Todd, who were sitting by the pool, called me over for a chat. Turned out that Ed was throwing a party for a relative of one of the guys who worked at Artini. It started as a small little get together with maybe 8 adults and 12 children, but then soon grew to basically the entire town, including around 52 children. They were wonderful enough to invite me to go! So the next day we were picked up and driven about twenty minutes to the village. What an experience this party was. We were welcomed into their homes and fed some of the freshest and best tasting food I had tasted so far. I got to meet the wives, fathers, uncles and grandparents of a few of the men working at the hotel. We took tours of their property and played with their kids. We even got a private father and son concert. It was definitely an experience that will stay with me for a long time. It’s really not that often that a traveler gets a chance to spend really quality time with the local people, in their homes and with their families. I felt incredibly lucky to have been invited and thanked Ed, Catherine and Todd about a million times.
We left the party early in the evening and headed back to Artini for a swim. Oh, I forgot to mention that I also met this woman named Inger from Sweden who is a portrait painter who also came to the party. Before we went for a swim, she invited me up to her room to look at a few paintings she was working on. Here’s the link to her website that you should check out: www.ingersportraits.com Her work is unbelievable. I think I stared at one of them for twenty minutes straight. She has a studio in Malibu that she’s invited me to come by and check out. Again, another good person to know. After our late night swim, we all headed off to bed with full stomachs and huge smiles on our faces.

I woke up early Monday morning to go to the day market with Todd. Ed and Catherine had bought these really pretty place mats to give to the women as gifts, and Todd and I decided that we NEEDED to have a few of them for ourselves. The market was already packed and busy at 7:30am, and the two of us had to make our way through small walkways flanked by chickens (dead and alive), spices, vegetables, fruits and flowers. We were the only Westerners there, so we became quite an attraction. Both of us with our cameras out and our eyes wide open were laughed at at least a dozen times. It’s actually quite fun to make these people laugh, even if it is at my expense. Really, it’s not like I know what they’re saying, so I can’t really be all that offended! After the market experience, I rushed back to the hotel to pack up my things and head down here to Kuta. My room mate, Gen, came with me and we’re staying in a hotel down the street from the beach. We didn’t venture out too much yesterday, but are strapping on our walking shoes and ready to see what this town has to offer us today.

The staff here at the hotel are a little hit and miss with their friendliness, but I did meet a few women this morning in the laundry room who I think are already trying to find me a boyfriend. Being single is a little taboo over here, so when someone asks if I have a “honey,” I have to respond with something like, “no, but I’m looking!” just keep the smile on their face. I’m actually experimenting with different responses to see which one makes them the happiest. Oh, and there’s a gecko living in my room.

Sending lots of island love…

News from Bali

I have some bad news, ya'll. I've tried many different times in many different locations, and can not for the life of me upload any pictures to this blog. Ever since we arrived in Indonesia, I haven't been able to find a connection fast enough to get pictures up. Sometimes it takes as long as 5 minutes for just one to upload. No good.

So, I'll have to go on from here, entertaining you simply with my words. We'll see how that goes.

I arrived in Ubud on Thursday and love it so much I've decided to say a couple extra days. The tour officially ended today which means my tour mates and I are starting to go our separate ways. I've spent a month with some of these people in very close quarters and it's hard to see them leave. I will hopefully be traveling on with one or two of them this coming week, so I'm happy about that.

Ubud is so wonderful, and the best place so far to shop! There are hundreds of shops here selling mostly hand made crafts and clothing from local designers. I've already picked up a few paintings and these cool looking bowls made out of coconut shell and cinnamon bark. They actually smell like cinnamon!

We're staying in this great little picturesque place with huge rooms and bathtubs! That's a big deal, trust me. Bali is mostly Hindu, so there are hundreds of great statues of gods up and down the streets and throughout our cottages. The place also has a GREAT pool that I'm in at least three times a day. There are a lot more Americans here on Bali than anywhere else I've been, and quite a few of them are from California. There are two couples staying at our place from Sacramento and San Bernardino that I've had a lot of fun talking to. One couple has been traveling for a year with their 12-year-old son who is a little genius. I think he's taught me a thing or two in the last few days.

I've been a lazy Melissa for some time now, and plan on continuing with it in the week to come. I'll be leaving Ubud on Monday and heading back down to the beach in Kuta. Can't wait!

Since the tours and most of the traveling are over, I might not have as much fun stuff to report, but I'll definitely keep you all updated as to how many hours exactly I am spending splashing around in the waves and sunbathing. Don't you worry.

Thanks to EVERYONE who has sent emails and left comments here on my blog. You make every trip to the internet cafe worth it! Love you all.

Now, I'm off to do more shopping.

I know, my life is so hard.

Bali Ho!!!!!

I'm here!!!!!

Finally I'm in Bali. We arrived yesterday to cleaner air, dryer temps and better food. I love it here. It's going to be difficult to convince me to leave this island. We're staying in a little town called Lovina that blows me away with it's beauty. Thousands of miles away, you all will find a very happy Melissa.

Ok, so here are some pics from my time on Java....

Where the Sultan sleeps :)

Palace guards...hard at work

Remains of the Water Palace

and more...

Prambanan Hindu Temple. My camera couldn't pick it up so well because it was already dark when we got there, but this was one of the good ones! This place was AMAZING. Could have stared at it for hours.

The ballet!

The star of the show

I think this guy might have asked me to marry him. Anyone want to come to the wedding?

Borobudur - Buddhist Temple

Carvings telling the story of Buddha

Elephant!

Such a view

Up next, pics of my last few days on Java. We visited an ecological center in the jungle and took an amazing walk through the rice fields. We hung out with the children in the village and learned how to make traditional medicine. The center is funded by the WWF (not wrestling, people) and a few German guys who like the environment. I'm sure it's much more complicated than that, but you get the point. We arrived there and were shown a video called "Into the Wild." It was a video about Julia Roberts hanging out with orangutans in Borneo. So bizarre. But actually quite inspiring. I now want an orangutan. The walk in the rice fields was probably the most beautiful walk yet. I can't believe how much physical work these people do. Seriously, we have nothing to complain about. Our office jobs can not be compared.

We then drove up up and up to Mt. Bromo on Sunday. We woke up at 3:00 am to get in an old jeep and drive an hour up and down old broken roads to watch the sun rise over the volcano. Ummmm, yeah, it was pretty unbelievable. We could also see another volcano in the distance which coughed up huge amounts of black smoke every fifteen minutes. After the sun came up, we drove back down into Bromo's largest crater to watch the smoke rise from it's insides. They have ponies that take you up to the top of the crater, but I opted to stay at the bottom with a tour mate who was ill from the very windy roads. Nevertheless, it was my first volcano up close, and it was good fun!

My tour mates and I decided to change the itinerary a bit and stay in Lovina an extra night. We've been traveling so much in the last two weeks that we're just desperate for some time to sit. The hotel we're staying in has a beautiful pool that I think I was in the entire morning. I'm definitely just lazying about around here. Tonight we're off to have dinner at the home of a Balinese family. I'm starving!

I'll be back!

Love.

Off to the mountains

Our time in Yogjakarta has come to an end. The sightseeing was amazing, and despite the mood altering heat, I managed to have myself a really good time here.

After we left the Sultan's Palace yesterday, we walked over to what they call the Water Palace. This structure used to be completely surrounded by water, like a moat, until the water dried up and people started moving in. Now it's completely surrounded by houses! Last year when the earthquake hit, the Palace was pretty much destroyed.

Right next to and under the Water Palace are two under ground "bunkers." They were used in the past as a place for the Sultans to hide or prey in when it was necessary for them to be hidden. Very interesting.

That night we went to see the Prambanan Hindu Temple. The pictures I took could never do it justice. I can't even explain how beautiful it was. We ate dinner that night at a cute little restaurant overlooking the Temple. Really, you couldn't have asked for a better view. It was also damaged in the earthquake, so people are no longer allowed inside. Such a shame.

After dinner we went to the ballet. It was more of a mixture of traditional Indonesian dance and opera than what we imagine ballet to be. The story was similar to that of Romeo and Juliet, but with a happy ending. We got a chance to meet the actors/dancers/singers before the show and they were as nice as nice could be.

Today we woke up bright and early and we to Borobudur - the largest Buddhist temple in the world! All I can say is WOW. So much beauty in one place. I won't get into the history of it, but it's worth looking up if your interested. The place was built, destroyed by an earthquake, rebuilt, bombed, and then rebuilt again. I can't even imagine how many thousands of hours have gone into building and preserving it. Another sight that I'm sure will not translate as well on film.

After the temple we went to a silver factory. I ended up buying a pendant that was actually made by one of the workers there. It was only $7! Very inexpensive. I love it.

As I mentioned before, the internet is really slow, so I won't even bother trying to upload pictures. We're actually off to the mountains tomorrow for the next three days, so I won't have any internet until we reach Bali on Tuesday. I have a ton of pictures to share, so hopefully I can work something out next week. Until then, I'll leave you in anticipation!

Sending love!

A Bright Spot

In between the madness and humidity, I've managed to see two of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. Unfortunately the internet here is crazy slow, so I can't upload too many pictures, but here's a taste...

It's monsoon season here in Indonesia. Monday we watched a monsoon come through. There have been at least 6 huge pour downs since we've been here. It's amazing to watch. Since we were right on the water, we could actually see it coming our way. The thunder is monstrous. They last for about a half hour, and then it's over. Very cool.

We left the ocean behind yesterday and are now in Yojgjakarta. The sightseeing started today at the Sultan's palace. A Sultan actually lives there! Well, I thought it was cool. Pictures to come!!

Miss you all. Happy Valentine's Day! Sending much love to each and every one of you!

We're off to the ballet tonight. Time to get all dressed up!

For now, I leave you with this enchanting image...

That'll be 100,000 Rupiah please

So I'm sitting here really trying very hard to say at least one nice thing about Indonesia. I'm at a loss.

I left Singapore on Saturday and flew in to Jakarta. Thank god my room mate Jen was on the same flight as me so we could sort through all the airport madness together. The moment we got out of the airplane we were bombarded by taxi drivers and beggars. Being white to them means we're rich. The automatically assume that we have tons of money to throw around, and that we will not question or try to bargain when they ask for three times the amount something is worth. Thankfully while still in the airport a pilot approached us and gave us some friendly advice. He told us how much the taxi ride should cost us from the airport to our hotel, which was helpful when we finally made it out to the taxi stand. After being harassed by at least 10 guys asking for way too much, we found one honest driver who was willing to take us for the amount we wanted (100,000 Rupiah, which equals about $11) . 45 minutes later, we arrived at our hotel.

Our hotel, which was dirty, run down and falling apart, was in what people called the "backpacker area." Unfortunately, there weren't many backpackers around. As I mentioned before, there was some severe flooding in Jakarta just a couple days before we arrived, so I'm sure that many of the tourists left. Jen and I put our things in our room and went across the road for food. After we ate, we decided to walk around for a bit. Big mistake. For the entire fifteen minutes that it took us to leave and get back to our hotel we were harassed by every single man we saw. There were NO women anywhere to be found. Now, no one approached us or tried to touch us, but the comments, stares and whistles were enough to make us feel more uncomfortable and unsafe than we had in the last two weeks. We rushed back to the hotel to find more of our tour mates and stayed there the rest of the night. Eesh.

We left Jakarta early yesterday morning and spent the next 12 hours traveling by train and bus (where smoking is allowed, and everyone does it) to Pangandaran, the home town of our tour leader. It's a cute little fishing town right on the water, and our hotel is much nicer than we expected. Still, it's not giving me a great impression of the country, or at least of the island of Java. Of course coming from Singapore, everything is going to look poor. We're here for the next two days and then move on. I have a feeling these are going to be a rough two weeks. The accommodations for at least the next 8 nights are going to be very basic and we'll be traveling for many hours on public buses. But, I'm trying to keep as positive as possible. I just checked the temp and it's 101 degrees. The humidity is probably at about 90%. I'm sweating like crazy. I'm sure there's a little pool under my chair right now! :)

Ok, I'm off to the beach to swim and try to cool down.

Before I go, though, I just want to thank everyone for your emails and blog comments. It is SOOOO nice to hear from all of you!!

Love you much!

More stamps on my passport!

First thing first, here are a few pictures from Cameron Highlands. These are a few shots of the tea plantations...

We went to the BOH tea plantation and got a tour of the facility. We also got to see how tea goes from the ground to the bag...

Then we went to a strawberry farm. Yummy.




Then we took a VERY long and VERY windy and VERY hot 6 hour bus ride to Kuala Lumpur.


Ok, so I realize now that I need to wait before judging a part of the country I've never seen before. Kuala Lumpur was B-UTIFUL! What an amazing city. So innovative and modern, yet still full of beautiful old buildings and some serious culture. My room mate and I took the "Hop on, Hop off" bus that took us to all the major sites in the city. We mostly rode it around a couple times (I think we were on that bus for a total of 8 hours!), but did get off and to see the Petronas Towers - the tallest twin towers in world! Such a fantastic sight! There's a bridge connecting the two towers on the 41st floor that we got to walk across to see the view.

View of the towers from the bus

View from the ground

The city!

The bridge

View from the bridge

Another view from the bridge

Me on the bridge!!

This is a city I would really love to come back to, and one I would highly recommend for everyone to visit. There's so much to see there, and one and a half days was definitely not enough to even scratch the surface.

After we left KL we took a short bus ride to a city called Malaka. We were in Malaka for less than 24 hours so we didn't end up doing much. Actually, we found out that a really nice hotel down the street from our guest house allowed non-guests to pay to use their pool, so most of us jumped at the chance. We really ended up spending most of the day swimming around and sun bathing. It was some serious relief from the 90 degree temperatures.

We left Malaka early yesterday morning and crossed the border over to Singapore. This is another place that I would really love to come back to. We're staying in China Town which is quite clean and lovely. This country is the most developed one we've been in so far. It's really expensive here, so I did the two things I was told I HAD to do while here which was, go to Raffles for high tea, and go to the night safari. Raffles is a very expensive, very posh hotel here in Singapore that offers an excellent high tea experience. The food was yummy and my rose tea was great! The night safari is actually world renowned and is considered the best in Asia. It's actually won a bunch of tourism awards as well. It was SOOO fun. We saw so many animals up close. The rhinoceros was HUGE. Good times. We couldn't take any pictures inside, so here's me with the sign :)

Yay!

After the night safari we walked around China Town. Chinese New Year is coming up on the 18th of February, so everyone is getting ready for it. Everything is covered here in red lights and there are a million stalls set up selling decorations for the festivities. Unfortunately I'll be in the mountains on the 18th, so I'll miss the celebrations, but it's been great watching people prepare for it.

In a few hours I'll be on a plane to Jakarta. I'm really looking forward to Indonesia, especially because I hear it's really cheap!! Two weeks of tour and then two weeks of beach life. It's going to be great!

Love!!!

I HEART MALAYSIA

It's true. I love it here. I'm not sure I thought it could be more beautiful than Thailand, but it is.

We left Krabi early Saturday morning and headed South for the border. We exited out of Thailand (yay, one more stamp on my passport!) and then crossed over into Malaysia (yay, one more stamp on my passport!). Unfortunately we ended up having to leave one of our tour mates behind. She's from Columbia and it turns out even though she had a visa, they are no longer letting Colombians walk over the border. It was a serious bummer and our tour leader was wrecked by the fact that she had to leave her there. Anyway, she made it back to Krabi and is hopefully going to meet us in Singapore on Friday.



So we moved along after that from the main land, across the third longest bridge in the world to the island of Penang. I LOVE PENANG! The island is small, but full of amazing culture and even more amazing food! The people on the island are a mixture of Indian, Chinese and Malay. We stayed in China Town which was just a few blocks away from Little India, both of which are in Georgetown, Penang's capital city. On the first night, we went for the most delicious Tandoori chicken dinner I have ever had in my life. For reals. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at Indian food the same again. I'm completely spoiled over here. Yummm. Yesterday I went with a few other tour mates of mine on a half day tour of the island.


We visited Fort Cornwallis which was built by the British founder of Penang

Entrance to the fort

They put me in jail. Thought I was trying to steal a cannon.

They have wild horses there. This one tried to bite me.

Chinese stilt houses

The Botanical Gardens- with monkeys!!

And a couple of temples

One of the MANY reclining Buddhas in Asia

I think this statue was hitting on me...

It was great. We then proceeded to eat two more Indian meals that day. I tell you, it's THAT good.

Yummmmmmmm.

We left early again this morning for a 6 hour bus ride to Cameron Highlands, where we are now. Cameron Highlands is way up in the Malaysian mountains and is considered the "fruit bowl" or "salad bowl" of Malaysia. It's called this because about 90% of all fruits and vegetables in the country are grown here. The views are breathtakingly beautiful. It's cooler up here (around 72 degrees, which feels cold to me now), and it rains more, so everything is so lush and green. We're staying in a little town that's close to a dozen or so tea plantations. We've only been here couple hours and I've already tried three different flavors of tea. So far, the passion fruit wins! I'm going to try to buy as many boxes of the stuff as I can fit in my bag before we leave.


We're off tomorrow morning to take a tour of a tea plantation as well as a strawberry field. From there we take off for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital. Our guide has made it sound like it will be the highlight of the trip, but I'm doubtful. I imagine it to be just a big city, and I'm sure it won't be as beautiful as it is here, but I suppose I won't know until I get there. We stay in KL for a few days and then head down to Singapore.


I'm not sure if ya'll have heard about the crazy flooding in Jakarta, but I'm due to fly there this coming weekend. I've been reassured by the tour leader that where we're going hasn't been flooded, so we'll see how that goes!



Oh, and I found these tandoori chicken flavored chips here in Malaysia. I wish I could ship a crate of them home. So so so good.



Ok. I think that's all for now. I'll write again when I'm in KL!



Love

Pictures!!

Here is just a taste of the pictures I've taken so far. Enjoy!

Krabi beach

View in the park

River running through the park

National Park

View from guest house in the jungle

Me and and baby elephant!!! This was a second before he turned and head butted me. He was feisty.

Washing the elephants

Our bamboo rafts

My Chaing Mai tour mates

I took this picture because it looked like the elephant had a cigar in its trunk. This one's for you, dad!

Muay Thai - these guys were crazy!

Beautiful waterfall in Chiang Mai

View from the mountain, walking to the village during the trek

Koh San Road, Bangkok

Entrance to the Grand Palace

At the Grand Palace

At a temple in Bangkok