Stories to tell . . .: October 2011

Indonesia - Bali, Ubud

October 2011

Bali

Spent enough time in amazing Bali to see a fair portion of the country including Ubud, the artisan's village; Tulamben on the east coast for diving, the central mountains, & the north west coast. Travelled with friends Christine, Deanna, & Mike. From Bali we all went on to Borneo to Central Kalimantan to see the orangutans and then for a short stay in Manila where we met up with Carole & Barry so that we all could travel together to Palau for more diving.

Bali is an incredibly beautiful country; kind & generous people, verdant peaceful countryside, and delicate temples of all sizes.
Christine and I shared our photos - so I give her credit for many of the photos on on these posts.

Ubud

Ketut's Guesthouse

Ketut's
Jalan Suweta Nomor 40 Sambahan
Ubud, Ubud, Bali 80571
Indonesia+62 361 975304

Best buddies & travel partners.

Streets of Ubud

An easy walk through the rice fields

Christine and I came across this home in the middle of the rice paddies. We met a very friendly young man there who offered us coconut milk and showed us the path to "the" bamboo bridge that led to the next village.

Dancers, Gamelan, Performances

Walking through side streets one day, we came upon a group of children getting ready for their performance. Later that night we went to a an open-air Gamelan performance in the courtyard of a neighborhood temple. The casual environment brought tourists and neighbors; during the performance children played and neighbors visited.

Indonesia - Bali, Road Trip

October 2011

Travels across Bali

Ketut arranged a driver and a SUV for us - Madé arrived with a flower in his ear and scattered across the dashboard... and off we went.

But first...

Padangbai & Tulemben

Christine and I spent a couple days on the west coast for a little diving!

Day Trip North to Gunung Batur

North to Pemuteran Coast

Our driver, Madé took us to the school where his sister teaches. We created a real commotion with the kids; but they had so much fun singing for us an chattering away. Later Madé invited us to him where met his whole family who live in mountain village.

We snorkeled a couple of times in Pemuteran; once off the mainland shore to see the BioCoral project success (rebuilding the reef using a low electrical current) and once off the shore of Menjangan Island.

Indonesia - Borneo

October 2011

Central Kalimantan

We flew from Denpasar, Bali to Jakarta to pick up our flight into Pankalan Bun, Central Kalimantan-Borneo. We were soon on our way to our own klotok for 5 amazing days cruising up & back on the Sekonyar River to Camp Leakey in the Tanjung Puting National Park. We were about to find the Orangutans of Borneo!

Typical klotoks ready for passengers

Raman the owner & captain of our klotok was a pleasant, cheerful man who managed his crew to provide top notch quality service. The crew kept the klotok in immaculate condition, the meals were outstanding, & we cruised at a leisurely pace to take in all the incredible wildlife of the river.

First day, settling in. We lived on the top deck day & night - eating, sleeping, viewing wildlife. The crew lived below but were so attentive to us.

We travelled down a branch of the Sekonyar River to reach the narrow branch leading to Camp Leakey.

Sekonyar River

Within 30 minutes of traveling down a narrow branch of the river we spotted our first orangutan. One this far from Camp Leakey had not been habituated to people. He/she kept pretty hidden but stealthily gathered a palm root to eat. You can spot just a portion of his head just below the upended palm root below.

All along the river our guide, Isy, showed us proboscis monkeys, crocodiles and a variety of tropical birds. Isy spotted all sorts of creatures we never would have seen.

Several times a day we stopped to hike jungle trails to viewing stations. The least habituated orangutans would only reach for bananas on the feeding platforms.

Orangutans in the park

Percy - our favorite

Tom - the largest male at Leakey Camp

Itué, our boat chef treated us royally with amazing dishes - even mid-day coffee & treats. Meals often included fresh fish caught by Madé in the evenings. One evening Itué served up the most amazing banana soup - incredible!

Itué actually cooked 6 meals a day - for each meal she cooked for us, she prepared a separate meal for the crew.

Banana Fritters!

Topîc, Madé's son & crew

Fun loving Isy - our guide!

Simple daily routine

Lazy morning - slow to rise

Palau - Diving

October 2011

Rock Islands - Palau

The Bubbly Six: Christine, Carole & Barry, Mike & Deanna, & I flew from Manila to Koror, the capitol of Palau. After spending 5 days on the klotok in Borneo - enjoying the quiet serenity of the Sekonyar River, Palau was a perfect place to make the slow transition back to civilization. Our final days away from home settled into an easy routine of community breakfasts, boating out to dive sites among the Rock Islands, diving with incredible creatures; all wrapping up with pleasant evenings and lots of Backgammon.

Christine & I shared our above water photos posted below. Barry & Frank provided all the underwater photos.