Indonesia 2010

Saturday16October

After 3 hours of road from the Kawah Ijen volcano, we arrive in Ketapang, departure point for ferries joining Bali.

1 hour is enough to cross the Bali Strait (barely 5 km wide).
From the boat, Bali, faithful to its reputation, already offers us its sandy beaches...

Barely arrived, we must find a means of transport to reach Lovina located in the north of the island 80 km away. We are guided to a bus station from where bemos depart.

The bemo is the Balinese "bus" to move the "user" between different cities... This small vehicle is supposed to hold a dozen passengers and some luggage... Ah yes, but not here... Here, the golden rule is to have more passengers than seats, and especially have a single blue string holding all the luggage above said passengers...;Note that my bag was the central base holding the whole pyramid, and I can say it came out brilliantly 

Barely arrived, we must find a means of transport to reach Lovina located in the north of the island 80 km away. We are guided to a bus station from where bemos depart.

The bemo is the Balinese "bus" to move the "user" between different cities... This small vehicle is supposed to hold a dozen passengers and some luggage... Ah yes, but not here... Here, the golden rule is to have more passengers than seats, and especially have a single blue string holding all the luggage above said passengers...

Note that my bag was the central base holding the whole pyramid, and I can say it came out brilliantly 

Woah! What is that guy doing with his camera!?

Sunday17October

And here we are in our new Balinese base, Hotel Padang. Cheap bungalows in a superb setting and with a pool!

The central square of Lovina dedicated to Dolphins. One cannot say they are shown to their advantage...

Facing the beach, a small temple "Pura Dalem" with improbable guardians...

Lunch break accompanied by the usual lemon juice...

End of evening under the cloudy sky of Lovina.

Like all coastal towns on the island, Lovina is a fishing village.

The Balinese jukung, outrigger canoe used by fishermen, covers a whole part of the beach and adds its touch of color.

A group of Balinese schoolchildren roams the beach to question "in English" the few tourists in the area  

Jukung and coral

Dinner...

Monday18October

We dedicate this Monday to visiting a few sites in the region. After negotiating (once is not custom  ), a car with driver, we start this tour with the "Gitgit" waterfall.

The Gitgit waterfalls are the highest in Bali.

Near Lake Buyan, a group of macaque monkeys spends time on the side of the road making walkers stop in search of animal photos...

The anthropomorphism of our primate cousins always makes a hit with photographers... And I am no exception to the rule!  

These are crab-eating or long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), called "kera" in Indonesian.
"[...] These monkeys are despotic and exercise a strict dominance hierarchy. The ranks of adult males are higher than those of females. The ranks of females are more stable, males can lose their status. High-ranking males generally have more chances to reproduce, and high-ranking females have more chances to make their offspring survive. [...]"
© Wikipedia

Our "car with driver"!

In the valley, Lake Buyan.

Lunch break at the Ngiring Ngewedang restaurant from where the view is superb!

From the terrace, we spot perched high in a tree a clove picker  

Another waterfall in the area. This time, I'm going to wet the swimsuit and try to confront the pouring floods!  

Waterfall's Rico

Small stop for a total immersion in the rice fields of Bali!

Oryza sativa, Asian rice.

Here no sulfur carriers but rice bundle carriers! The atmosphere is rather relaxed. Happiness!

Bamboo and ribbons. To scare birds away?

Platform on stilts to keep an eye on the rice fields and feet out of the water.

Thermal relaxation session in these pools of sulfur water naturally heated to 32 °C and with a tropical setting.

In this Buddhist monastery (the only one in Bali), we stroll in "sarong" through the various rooms and gardens open to the public.
It should be known that Indonesia is majority Muslim, except in Bali which practices the Hindu religion combined with a touch of Buddhism.
"The sarong (from Malay sarung, "sheath") is a rectangular piece of fabric at least one meter wide whose two small sides have been sewn together to form a cylindrical sheath. It is a simple, and unisex garment, worn by women or men, women or children. It can be tied on the side, in front, or simply rolled on itself at the waist"
© Wikipedia

1 - "Avijjâ paccayâ sankhârâ"
Through ignorance are conditioned volitional formations
 

2 - "Sankhârâ paccayâ viññânam"
Through volitional formations is conditioned consciousness

3 - "Viññâna paccayâ nâmarûpam"
Through consciousness are conditioned mental and physical phenomena

Sleeping Buddha

Several rooms with altars covered with offerings and incense.

Buddha with hands in "position of turning the wheel of Dharma" (Dharmachakra-Mudrâ)

A stupa, like those located at the top of Borobudur.

"The stupa originates from the tumulus and consists, at its beginnings, only of a pile of stones in the heart of which a relic of the Buddha is enclosed. Indeed, according to tradition, after the cremation of the Buddha, his relics are shared into eight parts which are distributed to the eight kings who came to pay him homage on this occasion"
© Wikipedia

Representation of Buddha meditating under the tree.

Statue of a monk. Brrrr... I don't know who it is, I didn't dare approach it!

At the back of the garden, a replica of the Borobudur temple with its stupas

Return to Lovina Beach where people are busy on the beach pulling a jukung up onto the sand.

This evening will be the most Balinese of the trip because we will spend it with locals!  
And more precisely at Annie and Yasmine's, the managers of this small clothing shop facing the beach. From time to time, when the vibe is good, they offer to cook at their home for the price of a small restaurant.
Very nice!

The shop

The family is there. The two little sisters hard at work for school.  

We are received like Gods! All that won't fit in our bellies!