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I finaly got round to uploading more photos

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Beijing

Beijing 27 to 29th June
Arriving into Beijing, first impresions,
the city is perminantly hazey with smog, this makes the place look a bit drab.
Beijing is by no means a poor place however,
there are new sky scrapers going up all over the place.
There are a surprising amount of people that can speak english,
it is now thought in school from a very young age.

Things are really cheap though, beer 20 cent for 600ml bottle,
and you can get 5 cent back for returning the bottle.
You can of course go to the trendy bar area and pay 10 times this price for half the size bottle, but why...
Beijing is transforming for the Olimpics in 2008,
For the moment there are still plenty of old lanes, Hutang, where you can walk peacefully between surprizing spread out blocks of the bigger streets.
The buildings in the lanes are a bit reminicent of Dublin back lanes, decaying old buildings and peacemeal rebuilding and extensions with the odd ugly appartment block thrown in.
They are however full of life, everyone strowling or cycling bike, tricicle (with room for goods) or electric bike at a leasurly pace.
You can stop to eat all kinds of odd things for next to nothing.

I went to see the Lama temple, a very colourfull Budist temple.
Spent a whole day at the forbidden city, many of the important parts are covered in scafolding as they are given a shine in preparation for the olimpics.

It doesn't strike you as being very "comunist" here,
Huge modern temples to consumerism (shopping malls), fashionable clothes, digital cameras and mp3 players are the order of the day, remember everything hi tech, or just everything, is made in China so they get it for cheap too.

The government does have a very strong influance on peoples lives though,
when you can get maried (22 for girls 24 for boys),
when you can have childern, I met one couple looking forward to having a child in three years time,
how many children you can have, 1 if your from the city, you can pay alot for a second,
if you're from a village or town, and have a girl first you can have another cild in six years time.
Children get into the cultural sights for free if they are under 1.2 meters tall.

There are loads of signs in english to (or chinglish (bad translation))
A prize goes to who can guess the meaning of the following one,
"please don't throw sundries in the pond"
no...
ok a clue...
the sign is in a bathroom stall.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is ultra modern,
after Indonesia is was quite a sight, skyscrapers squashed into every available bit of land that you could build one on.
There is natural beuty as well, the centre of town is divided by the harbour and the frequent feries are a nice trip, the hong kong island side quickly rises up to the hills behind where you can get a tram up to "the peak" for great views of the city.

Hong Kong was really hot a humid.
The sky was clear though,
that means there were great views from "the peak"

Hong Kong is described as "asias world city" and there are people from every contenent. I even met a school friend walking down the street.
Indian people sell watches, I met a guy from Togo over to import clothes for his shop.
There are 220,000 home help workers (servents) from the Phillapines and Indonesia,
on their day off, Sunday, they all sit out on every available bit of space in the center and play cards.
The steet names are hard to get a handle on, I found my new camera on the corner of Hennesey st and O'Brien st.
I learned to use chop sticks!

End of Indonesia

22nd 23rd of June Indonesia,
So I met up with my Indonsian friend again and we went together to Banuangi city.
This is the near the port to Bali, and I met all kinds of family and friends.
Indonesians eat sitting on the floor with their right hand, this is surprisingly difficult for an inflexable, clumsy lefty like me.

Then the big rush to get back to Dempasar in time for the flight.
Made it ok, 5:30 start and loose an hour between Java and Bali.
Flight to Hong Kong went fine with great sky, sunseting between the layers of clouds, cool.

End of Indonesia

So the sunrise was pretty cool.
Viewed in the times between the passing clouds.
We could see out over the volcanoes the big one put on a show for us, puffing out a big plume of black smoke.
Then back to Sitobundo

Bromo volcano

19th to 21st June, Java Indonesia
19th Situbondo
So I decided to stay in Situbondo for the day.
A delightfully random place to stop, totaly off the tourist trail, I'm pretty sure I'm the only western in town. Loads of stares and hellos, bycicle taxis, food stalls etc. I went to the beach for the morning. "Why do tourists like the beach?" my Indonesian friend asked. I found it hard to come up with a good answer, something to do with turning their skin red I think. Asians don't like to go out in the sun as it will make their skin darker and light skin is most desirable don't you know. You know the way girls at home ware loads of mascara and can look like orange skinned umpa lumpas under flash photography, well here it's skin whitening cream. Can look a bit ghost like under flash photography.

20th Mt. Bromo
Ok so better get back to doing some touristy stuff or people might think I'm getting slack, so off to see Bromo volcano. Long bus journey to Probolingo, no overcharging, change given, wuhoo. The coaches on Java are pretty straight forward, (like south america that is). Big, cheap, frequent, not too much hanging around, loads of people selling snack etc. Indonesian stomachs aren't as strong as the roads are bumpy so sick back are provided and frequently availed of.

Then it's a Bemo up the hill to the volcano, tourist sight so tourist pricing. Generally it seems a fairly straight forward calculation for much everyday stuff, tourist price = local price multiplied by two. I managed to negociate 15 down to 10 with alot of work. Bemos are small overcrowded and slow. Drivers often drive at walking speed to allow for customers to arrive further up the road. Your only chance is when one catches up with another then it's a race to get to the waiting customers.

The hotel has a great view over the active Bromo volcano which is only an hours walk up to the rim where you can look in to where all those gasses are coming from, fairly smelly, cool.

I met two dutch guys who had hired a car and driver to get there and bring them up to see the sunrise from the nearby mountain the next morning, this is the thing (touristy thing) to do at Bromo and they offer me a lift.

21st June
So a 3am start, and a jeep up to the viewing point. Plenty of time for a half an hour at the clutch of tourist stalls

Cross Bali in a day

17th 18th June
I decided to spend the day in Padang bai,
Walked to a few nice little beaches through the woods.
Helped a warung (food stall / restaurant) owner carry their supplies down the hill.
The waves are quite srong, there are Basalt cliffs and the sea traps the air which explodes out of the caves with great sprays.
Only managed two seafood meals.

Cross Bali in a day
So back to the bemos, (little busses).
It's virtually imposible to use public transport in Bali without paying over the odds.
I don't like double pricing.
Having expensive "tourist" restaurants or busses or hotels is fine.
Barganing for crafts fine, but straight forward "you're white so pay more" I don't like.
Careless travelers who say "ahh its only a few euro" just make it more difficult for whoever comes after them,
cos if there's a buck to be made there'll be a dozen people trying to make it and the whole thing just gets out of controll.
So Bemo 1 to junction 3 (prices in 1000 rupia)
Bemo 2 to Dempasar (the big city), tried to tripple the price locals pay an in the end went off with double without giving change.
This bus crawled and got a pucture.
Bemo 3 to change terminals, spent ages finding the price, arguing over 1000 rupia,
finding where they actually went from and waiting for another customer before leaving (payed 5)
Bemo 4 to port for Java, got a congratualary thumbs up from fellow passangers and driver when I handed the conductor exact change (20).
this involved a bus change to a smaller bus.

Ferry 1
The half and hour over to Java was a nice chance to relax, no rip off frequent and short, At this stage had been 8 am to 5:30pm with knees tucked under chin and head pressed against roof of vehical trying to get the price for the next link.

So back of bike to the bus terminal (3) then an entrance fee (2), you don't refuse small amounts from polite uniformed police.

Then the scamming took on a new dimension with a guy showing me to the bus but looking to sell me the ticket for double the price.
This even involved lots of shouting and saying he'll through me off the bus for the first few minuites of the journey.
His antics seem to be tolerated if not aided by the oficial authoritories and everone else, they will tell you the reall price if you ask, you just have to recognise that he's a scammer and keep your cool and head down.

I got as far as Sitobondo, I befriended one of my fellow passangers who showed me where to get good fish, I got a fancy hotel, which means tv and air con not shower or plumbed toilet, its the mandi system here (scoop the water from a big trough).
Watched the Croatia match which although it was a scorless draw in the match was by far the best part of my day.

Sengiggi to Padang bai

So time to leave Lomboc,
decided to go with public transport again, is only for the experance.
So 1 bemo to Mataram, 1 across and one to Lembar, the port for Bali.
Mataram is a bit of a sprawl, really four towns merged.
The trafic is a crazy mix of mopeds, tiny busses (bemo) a few flash cars and loads of tiny horse and carts (both tiny).
I'd say Lomboc was more picturesque,
Bali has may more cerimonies, on the boat they were bringing something important cerimonially speaking, and a group of guys were sat up the roof of the ship facing it towards Bali and sheltering it with an umbrellla. Then when we arrived we were met by a couple of hundred cerimonially dressed guys playing traditional instrument and cheering etc. nice to be back.
The port on the Bali side, padang bai, seems quite nice with the tastyest fish, baracuda no less, that I have ever tasted, mmm.

Sengiggi

So Sengiggi is a bit like Lovina,
a big sprawl of tourist development without too many tourists.
Some developments are abandoned and are being overgrown with weeds.
I rented a moped and set off along the coast to the north.
Once you clear the development sprawl it's amazingly beutiful.
The road rising to great views over cliffs and into the mountains, then falling to secluded beaches.
On the way back I took the inland road through the start of the mountains, there were loads of monkeys sitting around by the side of the road.

Paradise lost

14th June 2006
So finally got enough motovation to leave gilly trawangan.
Five unstressed days, with plenty of swimming snorkling and socialising.
The island is backpacker friendly, touristy in a good way with plenty of reasonably priced bars restaurants and accomadation.
Not much hassel from people selling things.
Bars and restaurants grouped together so you always meet your fellow travelers.
We went on an organised boat trip for snorkling one of the days,
saw loads of fish coral and big turtles, cool.
Unfortunately, my digital camera filled up with sand and broke, doh.
So not so many nice photos of Lomboc which seems more physically beutiful than Bali.
Made my way back to Sengiggi which I whizzed past on the way out.

Island paradise

9th - 11th June, Gilly Trambagan, Lomboc Indonesia,
So next a shuttle (tourest) bus ride along stunning coast to the port where you can get a boat out to the "gilly" islands.
A short enough boat ride and we land at the bounty ad version of paradise.
Beutiful island with the advantages of no dogs, mopeds, cars or police.
This all adds up to no stress and the perfect place to relax for a while and meet other travelers going up and down the small strip of restaurants and bars.

You can go snorkeling as there is correl and loads of multi-coloured fish just off the beach. I saw a turtle today and all, really cool.
If you walk just past the developed side there is plenty of quiet walking, you can walk around the island in about an hour and a half so you can't get lost really.
Hard to know when to leave...

Trip to Lomboc

7th 8th June Lomboc
So I dropped off the moped in Ubud and spent a day walking allong the river vallies and paddy fields.
Then it was time to get moving again.
Detination Lomboc, the next island over.
So time at last to give public transport a go.
I got a bemo, (little bus) to Gianar, then changed to get a bus to Padangbai.
The game on public transport is to try to figure out the price of the journey before you get there. This involves asking your other passengers in the indonesian that I have managed to learn so far, (things like "thanks", "how much", "good" and the numbers etc.)
Then they have to tell you kind of on the quiet because they are spoiling the chance of the bus conducter to overcharge you.
They also would ofter prefer to hire the whole vehicle to you for a big price so you have to watch out for that.
Then a third bemo (bus) to get the last two km to the port
At this point when you approach the port two guys get on to direct the driver to take you to their ticket office where you are informed that the ferry costs 50,000 rupia and is leaving in 5 minuites, which are both lies.
So you walk up to the ferry terminal and are decended on by touts who want to sell you the ticket for 25,000 then 22,000 then 20,000.
I refuse them all because I hate pushy touts.
In the end it costs 22,000 from the official office when it finally opened.
I think then only give tourists the 1st class even though they are the only ones foolish enough to sit out on deck for the journey.
I met some nice other travelers with the same destination.
They were going to stop in a seaside resort Sengigi before heading to the gilly islands.
When we arrive I tried to negociate my way onto their tourist transport but the touts were playing hardball about the price and the driver drove off.
So I got onto a bus to Matram again playing "what is the price" asking the other passeners etc.
One of the passengers said that their brother was going by moped to Sengiggi for work tonight and would take me so I got off the bus with them.
I was shown great hospitality with all sorts of fruits and buns while we waited for the brother.
The mother had very few teeth and would casually kick or whip one of their 13 dogs.
The father was wirey, I'd say they both looked about ten years older then they were.
The brother turned out to be working untill 4am so they offered me his bed for the night.
Wonderfull hospitality with dinner and all, the house was very basic with one bedroom.
I slept in the single bed, the father daughter and grand daughter in the double, (no real matresses). The mother and son slept outside.
The next morning the son gave me a lift to where I could get a bemo to Senggigi.
I met up with the other guys and managed to negciate my way onto their transport for the rest of the journey.

So

Fish and a volcano.

5th and 6th of June, Bali
So the place that I was staying in Lovina turned out to be quite nice.
Every morning the fishing boats would arrive after fishing through the night.
The women would go out to meet the boat and carry the buckets of fish up the beach on their heads. Then the women would stand around the buckets and sort out the buisness end of things, who get what and prices etc.
The beach is crowded with traditional fishing boats, chickens a tethered pig and there's even a monkey tied to a tree. With so few tourists the hawkers are desperate for a sale and hassel the few there are alot.
I ended up spending alot of time talking to middle aged french people.

Then back on the moped along the coast and up to the Batur volcano.
The tourist that the town had were me another Irish guy and a Scotish guy and in the evening we sat around the coconut fire.
I climbed the Batur volcano the next morning.
The route that I took was tough enough with loose volcanic sand and gravel under foot most of the time and alot of really steep bits. It was hot too, the sun above and steam coming from below. There were a few cool steaming surpherous bits.
Got back to Ubud by the evening.

Touring Bali

1st June to 4th June Bali
So I decided to get out and about and explore a bit more of the island by moped. So packing a very light bag I headed out on the open road. Esentials only, a coat for the hills, a serrong for temples, and don't forget the toothbrush.
I stopped off is a monkey temple.
You get two body guards to spot the monkeys from attacking you and they also take photos of you with monkeys.
Then up to the hills and stopped for the night in a town called Candikuning. This turned out to be a muslem area with lots of head scarfs and hallal food. My accomidation was a bit more basic then up to now in a town where you can pay to go to "delux western toilets" a whole in the ground style with no flush seemed to be the going standard. This was a pity because I suffered my first real case of food poisening since leaving home and spent the night being sick etc. Oh and the next door mosque started prayers at 5:30am, I wonder what they did before loadspeakers? The next day I headed on to the collection of scruffy fishing villages turned beach resort called Lovina. There aren't many tourists here at the moment but I got a nice place on the beach to relax. So using this as a base I did a bit more biking in the mountains.