Lombok- the Gilis

A sea turtle- I saw and swam with 3 of these just on one trip to the sea from the beach and even more on a snorkelling trip. Amazing!

Ifon takes a stroll on the beach

Local guys off to surf

Enjoying the sunset with the girls

Another beautiful sunset, this one on the Gilis

The beach on Gili Air

Boats on the stunning Gili Trawangan

Local porters carrying equipment up Mt Rinjani

The sun rising over the caldera of Mt Rinjani

As you can see, I've moved on from Bali to Lombok. I took the ferry, the cheapest option, taking about 4 hours and stayed for a couple of nights in a place called Sengiggi which was largely uneventful, apart from the fact I got a deal to climb Indonesia's second highest volcano and in doing this got included a couple of nights at a nice hotel with a pool! I had met two Canadian girls, Paige and Erin, on the ferry over and they too were keen to do the trek. We got picked up early in the morning to drive a couple of hours to the point we would start. I have to say, I don't think I expected how difficult it was going to be. Mount Rinjani is 3726m high and a place of pilgrimage for many Indonesians. Whilst climbing up, we made regular stops but it was incredibly steep in places and the heat to begin with left you sweating profusely. This then went cold as the air started to get cooler higher up and then the rain started. We had finished the first day by about 3pm and would be sleeping in tents that our porters (see picture) were carrying, along with food and cooking equipment.  Knowing a shower was not an option, you just had to make do. I didn't sleep terribly well the first night despite being totally exhausted. A group of locals arrived at some point after dark ( we were wrapped up in our tents at shortly after 7.30pm) and proceeded to have some kind of party until well after midnight. Not fun when we knew we were getting up at 4.15 am! The second day was hard due to this early start and lack of sleep, although  the views made up for it! See pictures below.

A view of the caldera at 2600 m 

Climbing this volcano was a real achievement for me as I feel that I haven't really done anything so adventurous for ages. I have suffered for it though as the blisters and aching legs have taken up to a week to recover and at one point I thought I was going to lose a toenail! The Canadian girls and I have chatted about our shared experiences (and suffering )which have made us laugh since but at the time we didn't do much laughing. But my memories of this climb will far outlast the pain so it was well worth it..

After the climb we were taken straight to the port for a short boat trip to the Gil islands. For decades travellers have come to these islands off  Lombok for the deepwater coral reefs, beachfront bungalows and long stretches of white sand. There are 3 islands in total:- Gili Air is closest to the mainland, Gili Meno is the smallest and quietest and Gili Trawangan known as the busiest and in high season a 'party' island. As it is low season, it has been pleasant on Gili Trawangan where I chose to stay and not too busy. First impressions were of a stunningly beautiful island without transport, the only way of travelling is on foot (you can walk the whole island in less than 2 hours), by bike or taking a 'cidomo' - a horse-drawn cart which is very popular. It is truly something here and many people stay longer than they planned. I've been here for a week today and love the pace of hanging out on the beach, wandering to one of the many cool beach and cafe bars, lots of snorkelling- I have seen an amazing array of tropical fish, including a sword fish, and the highlight for me was the huge sea turtles and dolphins that are regular sights in the water. I've also met some great people, particularly Janine (from Germany) and two Dutch women, Ifon and Stephanie. Sometimes it's the people you meet that help shape your experiences and I couldn't have hoped to have better company while here on the Gilis. We have truly had the best, best time. Before I head to Java for the final leg of my Indonesian journey,  I still have a few more days in paradise.

The stunning sky at sunset

Bangkok to Bali

After having spent a couple of nights on the island of Ko Chang (close to the Cambodian border) I headed back to Bangkok for my flight to Bali. This was memorable only for the fact I got a bad bug or food poisoning the day before which resulted in me being up all night vomiting. How I made it via ferry and minibus on the 9 hour journey the next day I'm not too sure. Sweating and aching all over I managed to drag myself to a guesthouse once we arrived in Bangkok and find a pharmacy (there's a Boots on Khao San Rd) before an early night. I did see evidence in Bangkok of the preparations ( see picture) against the floods that have plagued Thailand for the last 6-8 weeks or so but little water in the parts of the city I passed through. In other areas it has been a different story, however (see picture below).

So Bali, Indonesia, was my next stop.
Here are some things you may not know about Indonesia:
It has a population of 240 million, the 4th biggest in the world
One of its islands, Java, houses half of it's population making it both the most populated island in the world as well as the most crowded.
As a country it has the biggest Muslim population in the world, making up 88% of the total.
It is made up of 17000 islands, making it the largest archipelago in the world.
It has the most active volcanoes (129) in the world.
It has the worlds biggest lizard, the Komodo dragon, which I'm hoping to see on this trip.
It has the worlds biggest flower.
It has the worlds biggest snake, the reticulated python.
It is the most biologically diverse country in the world with one if its islands alone having twice as many plant species as the whole if Africa!
And despite its huge landscape diversity, it is predominantly underwater!


Bali is the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia. It is frantic and brash in certain areas with hotels aplenty for every budget. I wanted to avoid the most hectic and built up area, Kuta, and opted instead for one a little quieter, Sanur. Prices here were a little high for my backpacker budget but I ended up finding a room with a balcony in a traditional Balinese house or 'homestay' as they are known. It's location just off the main street was anything but quiet!

Balinese dancing

Balinese dancing

To date, however, a combination of the after effects of the bug and some pretty poor weather (yes, the monsoon is here big time! ) I did very little the first couple of days. I did manage a gentle bike ride along the beachfront ( the first in Bali) and came across a Hindu ceremony ( Bali is predominantly Hindu) which involved a blessing for a recently deceased priest. This was to eventually involve sending his ashes out to sea in coconut shells. The men and women were dressed in white as the pictures show. I have also included a couple of pictures of some traditional Balinese dancing I stumbled across on the beachfront in Sanur.

A Hindu ceremony

After a couple of days recovering in Sanur (my budget couldn't take it any more either!) I decided to move on to Ubud. This is the other side of Bali, away from the beaches towards the mountains, it is a tourist town with plenty to offer to people on all budgets. Here I managed to find fantastic and cheap accommodation at Gandra House. A thermos of green tea was permanently on the table outside your room and the breakfast banana and coconut pancake one of the best I've tasted. And even better, breakfast was included in the price of the room!

The rice fields from the Sungai Ayung

Ubud celebrates Balinese culture through its hundreds of traditional craft shops and popular dance and music shows. You can do courses on anything, ranging from meditation and art to woodwork and cookery. It is in a beautiful setting, famous for its steeped paddy fields and coconut trees. It is home to numerous chilled out restaurants , bars and cafes and was the perfect place to spend a few days walking, cycling and generally wandering the streets, cafe hopping and shopping. One of the best places I ate was the Warung (traditional Balinese restaurant often on the streets) Dewa which served a delicious aubergine curry and mint and lime juice and after dinner ginger tea for a little over 20,000 rupiah (2 USD). Wonderful food at wonderful prices!

Next stop: Lombok 

Cambodia part 2: Siem Reap to Battambang

After a few days in Kampot I headed back to Phnom Penh to meet Andrew and Amy who I used to teach with at Ellis Guilford.Both now teach at an international school in Malaysia.They decided to come out to Cambodia for a few days over their half term with another colleague, Linda.It was super to see them. We had one day in Phnom Penh together and visited the Royal Palace and Central Market for a spot of shopping ( more hareem trousers for me!) and then headed to Siem Reap. As we travelled by bus though central Cambodia it was easy to see the evidence of the recent floods that have been the worst in decades in this part of the world.Siem Reap itself has suffered although we arrived as the waters had receded thankfully. Siem Reap is the town that is the life blood for visitors to the famous Angkor Wat.
I've included some pictures so you get the idea. It's a huge site with many temples, the most famous being Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (the one with the many facies, said to be a remarkable likeness to the King that commissioned it, Jayavarman VII), along with Ta Prohm (made famous in the Tomb Raider film).
We did the famous sunrise on our first day which mean a 5am pick up! Despite the crowds is was very special to see and experience albeit with hundreds of others, and we continued visiting the various temples throughout the rest of the day. The following day (I had a 3 day pass)  I went cycling with a couple I had met earlier in the trip, Sam and Lucy. We did some of the less well known temples and it was a great way to do it, on bikes. It was surprisingly cool as much of the site is under trees, so despite the mid  30s temperature it was manageable (and a great work out!) On my last day (I did manage a sneaky day off too) I took a tuk-tuk to visit Banteay Srei, a Hindhu temple and probably the best preserved in the whole site. (Again, pictures  included). I also made a stop to visit the Landmine museum. This was set up by a former Khmer Rouge soldier, Aki Ra, who was only a boy at the time of the conflict. He has now dedicated his life to clearing mines all over Cambodia and worked for the UN on various projects and campaigns. It was a sobering visit as alongside all the exhibits was information about all the children who the museum helps, themselves the victims of landmines. I was shocked to read that the Khmer Rouge were still laying these mines up until 1998! I have included images with a link to a website for anyone who is interested in reading more about this,

After Siem Reap I made my way to Battambang, closer to the Thai border in north western Cambodia. It was a pleasant change to be back in the 'real' Cambodia after Siem Reap, and I ended up staying an extra day over what I had planned. One reason for this, other than the fact I fell in love with the place, was the opportunity I was afforded to visit a school. I met Bunnarath as I was walking along the riverfront after a ride on the 'bamboo train' (a not to be missed experience that is soon to be no more- see pictures). He gave me a leaflet about a school he provided for children to learn English. Whilst I was not willing to give a donation there and then, I did arrange a visit for the following day. Many of the children who attend the school are denied regular education due to the financial implications. Started in 2005, the Slarkram English school is based 7km from Battambang in an agricultural based community that has little in the way of amenities we take for granted in the West. The idea is that a basic working knowlege of English will greatly enhance a child's career prospects, particularly with the growth of tourism. I met the staff and students during an afternoon visit to the school and it was one of the most rewarding experiences. I even got to teach part of a lesson! If you want to find out more check out http://www.brick-for-cambodia.net/

I enjoyed it in Battambang so much that I hope to go back next year and work at the school. Watch this space!
 The pictures I have included are the crowds and sunrise at Angkor Wat, me at Ta Prohm, the carving at Banteay Srei, victims at the Cambodian Landmine Museum, sharing a ride on the 'bamboo train' with fellow traveller Jonas and some of the class I taught.