Vacation in Bali

We are taking a holiday from 'Callisto'by spending a few days in a Marriott in Nusa Dua, Bali. I have taken advantage of the gym and the spa,and feeling really civilized. We are enjoying Long showers ,king size bed ,room service ,and air conditioning...bliss. As far as  food in Bali the vegetarian options are very good,usually it is gado gado for me also fruit and vegetables are plentiful. After the remote islands in Indonesia Bali is a bit of a culture shock ,so very busy, people everywhere,especially on scooters and motor cycles,in fact at a red light it is like being centered amongst a swarm of bees!. In fact a hair raising experience driving around , also its a free for all when it comes to traffic signals etc.No one takes much notice.😱 Bali in contrast to eastern Indonesia is filled with Hindu temples, every home ,shop, hotel seems to have their offerings displayed at the entrance and a small compound house even  has its own temple. Bright yellow, red ,white materials drape carved and clay figures,or cover the umbrellas .Elaborate palm hangings drape the house entarances and line the streets,Little woven baskets containing flowers , rice or maybe an egg plus some incense sticks are placed close by. This island is full of art and culture when it comes to dance ,puppetry / theatre. There are many artisans hand carving wood, placing pearl shell intricately into furniture, basket weaving ,pottery and  ikat weaving. Ikat, is the traditional hand spun cotton ,dyed and woven on a wooden loom. The fine threads with intricate designs and different colors show which area in Indonesia they are from,as you can see in the photos they are worn by men and women usually as a skirt .  We have a few more days to tour around before we set off for Borneo.

Lembongan

We are now in Lembongan and have been on mooring for the past three days. It has been nice and calm here so far, just a little roll at high tide and this mooring seems secure. At least four boats dragged their mooring on Gili Air in the 30 kt. winds we had there. One hit the reef and another collided with another boat. We were fortunate and had no problem but could not really leave the boat for fear that it wouldn't be in the same place when we got back.

Lembongan is only about 15 miles from Bali and we allegedly have a berth there as of tomorrow. There are many resorts and tourists on this island and this is a taste of what we will see once we get to Bali. We did a tour of the island yesterday on a motorbike, another first for the Admiral. Not much of a motorbike and the rear brakes were almost non existent. I don't suppose you can expect much else for 7dollars a day including gasoline.

We did survive the horrible roads and a very narrow bridge to the neighboring island and we were able to see a great deal of Lembongan. We had lunch overlooking Secret Point, which is a surfer hangout with great views.

The majority religion here is Hindu as most of the people are Balinese and there is a temple on every block sometimes in every house.

Lots of photos to follow.

Scooter Grandpa

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Photos

the beach at Gili Air

The Admiral learning how to weave

The Admiral doing traditional dancing

Sunset on Gili Air. The mountains of Bali to the west

Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia

We left the north east corner of Lombok a few days ago after spending the night in the protected waters in the strait between Lombok and Gili Lawang tucked in behind the reef. We went on to Medana Bay where there is a marina of sorts. It didn't look too safe so we anchored out and went ashore to explore the facilities. There was a bar with the usual Bitang beer available and a small restaurant. on the following day we took a walk on the beach and discoved the Oberoi Resort Hotel, a  world class hotel, in the company of Dave and Marion from Kilkea II.
We had tea in beautiful surroundings with great service instead of the usual drinks and very enjoyable it was too.
That evening, the marina laid on a buffet and some local dancing for entertainment. Photos to follow.
A considerable roll began in the anchorage that night so we moved to our current spot, Gili Air, a party island a few miles from Lombok.
We found a mooring and did a quick tour of the island , mainly bars and backpacker eateries but a very pretty spot.
Yesterday, we had a long day which began with a boat ride to the mainland and then a  tour of Lombok in air conditioned comfort for a change with a driver and a guide. We visited various Bhuddist, Hindu and ecumenical temples and also  villages that made furniture, ikan and songket weaving and pottery. There were some very skilled artisans making some outstanding products using hand tools only.
We planned on snorkelling on the reefs here today but the breeze came up to over 35 kts so we stayed on the boat. Just as well we did as more than one boat here dragged on their  moorings this afternoon. Much excitement before getting everything sorted. It's still blowing tonight but hopefully it will settle by tomorrow and we can do some stuff ashore and on the reef.
Not long to Bali now.
Lots of photos to be edited and added,maybe tomorrow.

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Gili Lawa Laut on Komodo Island. Great water clarity and diving

Cigarette lighters on the beach Indonesian fishermen's navigation lights



The internet cafe on Gili Lawa. We had to climb up to the ridge to get a 3G connection

the entrance to the Komodo Dragon Reserve




sunset at the Atlantis restaurant at Labuan Badjo

 

Motorcycle momma in Mausambi