Asia Adventure:
October 16 - November 25, 2013

We arrived Jakarta from Singapore in mid-afternoon. We withdrew several million Rupiahs from the ATM machines and stopped by the info desk to ask the best way to get to our hotel. Bluebird taxi was the recommendation.

Traffic was very heavy for the 30km drive to our hotel and we were glad to get there. We are staying at the Citadines Rasuna (at tne H Tower) where we have very large deluxe rooms and didn't want to go back outside!

Sleeping and sitting areas

mini kitchen

First dinner in Indonesia

The hotel is next to the Australian Embassy and security is very high at our hotel. The guard checked under our car with a mirror before letting us pass. Ron heard a rattling boom in the middle of the night which was unsettling!

Breakfast at our Hotel

View from swimming pool area on the 21st floor.

Pool area

We took a taxi from our hotel to Koda Tua area. This is the old section near the water front. It was hot outside so we ducked into a museum and found out it was devoted to puppets! This is an interesting tradition ... and quite an art to carve and paint them. This was our guide was Daniel who comes from a long line of puppet masters.

Bluebird cab

Street scene

Making furniture

City buses. High doors match up with the elevated platforms at the bus stops. Buses have dedicated bus lanes on many major streets.

Square in Koda Tua, the old colonial center of Jakarta

Koda Tua

Puppet Museum

Large scale puppets

Puppet master Daniel

Ron with shadow puppets

Gamelan orchestra instruments

Yogyakarta/Magelang

This morning we got up early to have breakfast at our Jakarta hotel and grab a taxi to the Gambir train station We were there pleanty early for out ride to Yogyakarta. It was a 7.5 hour ride in "Executive" class.

Aboard the Argo Train towards East Java

Yogyakarta train station

Ride to hotel

At the Oxlis Reghency Hotel in Magelang ... about 40km north of Yogyakarta

Checking in

View from TomO and Ron's rooms

Outside my Royal Suite

Inside my room

This is outside my room (my room in behind the umbrella on the left)

Shower is a grotto ... ceiling open to elements

The Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple (Budhist with Hinu influences)

Ron near wall with relief that had been painted

Repairs to stone-work. Lead wedges are pounded into space between stones

I initially thought this meant you weren't supposed to scratch yourself. But it refers to scratching the stones or writing on the stones.

Many bell-shaped Stupa's. There is a Buddha statue in each one (except the large one at the top.) Nine of them were bombed by terrorists in 1985.

Resting after Borobudur Temple tour.

Bali

We left Megaleng on Friday for Yogyakarta for our flight to Denspasar, Bali. We left early thinking we'd have time to see another temple (Prambanan) in the area.

Last morning in Java (Megaleng)

Breakfast before we left for Yogyakarta Airport. Noodles and eggs.

Minnaret in the distance

Stop on way to Yogy airport

Water tower built for Megaleng by Dutch governemtn

Waiting for bus to Yogy airport

On bus to Yogy Airport

Many domestic airlines come into this airport: Tiger Air, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Airways, Wings, Asia Air, Garuda Indonesia. On our 1 hour flight to Bali, we were served beverages and a boxed lunch (cheese roll and water). To get to our "nearby" hotel, we booked an airport taxi ($8.00). We only had to go about 4.5 miles but it took over 1.5 hours because the traffic was so bad (Friday night).

Waiting for flight to Bali

Airport at Denspasar, Bali

Entrance to Champlung Mari Hotel room in town of Kuta, Bali

Kuta Hotel grounds

Kuta Hotel art

Kuta Hotel grounds

More Kuta Hotel grounds

Beach at Kuta

Kuta street near hotel

At the Beach Walk Mall with upscale western stores

Adam (from HBO "Girls") is a model for the Gap

Stopped for fill up. Diesel fuel is 5,500 Rupiah ($0.54) / liter or $2.08/gallon.
Regular gas is 6,500rph ($0.64) / liter or $2.46/gallon

Now we are on our way to the town of Ubud which is upland from Kuta.

Bread fruit? ? ?

At the silver workshop/sales room

Using hot wax in the making of batik.

More Bali

We are now situated in Ubud, an artist town located about 40km upland from the Denspasar/Kuta area. Although it is a busy community, it is more peaceful and rural-feelng. Our hotel is the Champlung Sari which is immediatedly across from the Monkey Forest park. This is where we went the first thing the morning after we arrived.

We go a preview of the monkeys at breakfast when we heard a commotion 2 tables over from us. A monkey had come up to a young woman's table and took food off of her place. The staff responded by yelling, waving a very long pole and chasing it.

Another deterant was a green laser . you can see the green dot on the face of thne monkey up in the rafters of the restaurant.. They swat at it to make it go away. Another money grabbed slices of cheese off of another table and was able to unwrap and eat them.

This is a fountain in the grounds of our hotel complex. Our rooms are up the steps at the far end of the buildings.

In the monkey forest park
Selling bananas to feed the monkeys

A monkey jumped on Ron's back! We are warned to keep everything hidden ... keys, glasses, etc. or they will grab them and run away.

Gamekeepers in the monkey forest. Yams in wire cage for daily feeding of monkeys.

Temple in monkey forest.

Bats sleep in the ceiling of the temple,

Entrance to one of many Hindu temples in Bali

Construction of modern building with temporary bamboo supports

Drinks at View Terrace restaurant (rice paddies in back ground

Door to Hindu temple

Ubud street scene

Carrying goods!