So sorry for the delay in posting. The internet in Indonesia is terrible...or maybe we are just having too much fun. We are pretty behind on posts so bear with us.
Posted by: Jonathan
The gravy train ended abruptly after wishing the GM's farewell. First off, the room we stayed in was in shambles, the staff was aggressively unfriendly, and the grounds pitiful. That coupled with a late night in the Internet cafe (trying to overcome Indo's painfully slow Internet to get a post up) left us with no eating options open besides the 24 hour quick mart serving steaming soup (Ramen). This roller coaster is in free fall.
Posted by: Jonathan
The gravy train ended abruptly after wishing the GM's farewell. First off, the room we stayed in was in shambles, the staff was aggressively unfriendly, and the grounds pitiful. That coupled with a late night in the Internet cafe (trying to overcome Indo's painfully slow Internet to get a post up) left us with no eating options open besides the 24 hour quick mart serving steaming soup (Ramen). This roller coaster is in free fall.
The next morning we set out first thing to upgrade hotels. Luckily upgrading doesn't necessarily cost more in Asia, you just have to know where to look. We went from a dirty dungeon to a clean comfortable room with balcony overlooking the pool and perfectly manicured gardens for just one US dollar more.
Next on the agenda that day was to extend out visas another 30 days. The Indonesian visa extension process is simple yet they somehow make it frustratingly complicated. Your first visit consists of filling out forms and waiting in numerous lines. You leave your passport there and receive a slip instructing you to return in two days. Two days later you return expecting to get your passport back, except now after having navigated several different windows (all with lines) you are told to pay and are given another slip telling you to return in three days. Why don't you pay when you drop off the passport or pick it up you might ask? Well, that just makes sense and therefore not an option for Indonesian bureaucracy. Three days later you return to the office and play the waiting game, listening for the muffled incoherent sounds of your name being called for you to collect your visa.
During the two day window (after dropping the passports off but before paying for them) we rented a motorbike and explored some of the wider stretches of beach north of Kuta. Our trip culminated at Tanah Lot, a seaside temple accessable by a natural rock bridge.
During the two day window (after dropping the passports off but before paying for them) we rented a motorbike and explored some of the wider stretches of beach north of Kuta. Our trip culminated at Tanah Lot, a seaside temple accessable by a natural rock bridge.
During the three day window waiting on our visas (after paying but before collecting them) we grew tired of the honking and hassles of Kuta Beach and picked up an over night bus/ferry/bus ticket to Cemoro Lawang on the Island of Java. The small town of Cemoro Lawang balances on the edge of a giant caldera filled with smoking cones and a sea of sand and ash from previous eruptions. We spent the day we arrived catching up on lost sleep from the overnight journey and exploring the small town's views between sand storms.
Evidently it gets really cold here (mid 30's) during the night, which we were unaware of as we left our big bags in Bali, packing only shorts, t-shirts, and flippy floppies. Luckily our hotel lent us a pair of very becoming knee length jackets for the evenings. We survived during the day with rain jackets and Jenn adding her sarong for extra warmth.
The next morning we woke up early (4:30 am) and hired a jeep to take us partway up another volcano to watch the sunrise. It was a surreal sight watching the early morning sun rays invade the caldera awaking multiple smoking cones.
Around 7 A.M. we loaded back into our jeep and rode down into the caldera, across the sea of ash, and to the base of Gunung Bromo.
From there we huffed and puffed our way up to the sulfur smelling, smoke billowing rim. It was somewhat intimidating looking down the throat of a volcano, especially since the rim you were standing on was two to three foot wide and made of shifting sand (railings? - please this is Indonesia).
From the volcano we thawed out as we made our way back to Bali, picked up our passports, and then I began looking for a surfboard to buy (one I hadn't already broken). I ran into a guy from Austria who was flying home the next day and wanted to get rid of his. I talked him down from 1.5 to 1.2 million Rupiah, but he wouldn't move lower. Seeing a pack of double stuff Oreos in his bag (which are coveted here like cigarettes in prison) I had him throw a few in and we had a deal. A 6'4" shortboard, fins, leash, board sock, travel board bag, and double stuffed oreos for $140.
Wasting no time to try the new board, Jenn and I jumped on a boat minutes later headed for one of the outer reef breaks. As the boat pulled around the outside of the break, my heart began to beat fast and my jaw dropped. The waves were HUGE. Now surfers describing waves are a lot like fisherman describing the size of the fish they once caught, but scouts honor, these waves were truly huge. Jenn hopped out of the boat and watched one set roll through before promptly paddling back to the boat and riding back to shore. The line up was a bit crowded (25 guys jockeying for a spot in the take off zone) but I was able to fight my way into a few, getting barreled more than once.
That night we got together with some friends at our hotel whom we had met previously in Bali several days before. It is nice to see familiar faces to share meals with and hang out with in the evenings since we have been separated from our friends back home for so long.
Wasting no time to try the new board, Jenn and I jumped on a boat minutes later headed for one of the outer reef breaks. As the boat pulled around the outside of the break, my heart began to beat fast and my jaw dropped. The waves were HUGE. Now surfers describing waves are a lot like fisherman describing the size of the fish they once caught, but scouts honor, these waves were truly huge. Jenn hopped out of the boat and watched one set roll through before promptly paddling back to the boat and riding back to shore. The line up was a bit crowded (25 guys jockeying for a spot in the take off zone) but I was able to fight my way into a few, getting barreled more than once.
That night we got together with some friends at our hotel whom we had met previously in Bali several days before. It is nice to see familiar faces to share meals with and hang out with in the evenings since we have been separated from our friends back home for so long.
The next day Jenn and I explored the southern peninsula of Bali stopping by the Padang Padang Rip Curl surf contest and finishing at the temple topped cliffs of Ulu Watu.
I spent another day surfing before we packed up our things and headed east to Lombok.