Hong Kong and Indonesia

The journey shifts to Asia, and the food improves dramatically. Quick stopover in Hong Kong and then on to Bali.

Hope this finds you well, with friends and family, enjoying the holiday season. I send you warm (and rainy) greetings from SE Asia.

I mentioned that I did not plan to blog or inundate your email boxes with updates, but I am slightly breaking with tradition and sending some form of a Christmas newsletter. I’ll try and send these updates every couple of weeks, both to orient you on where I am, and when (if ever) I plan to return.

Also, I am trying to be as respectful as possible of everyone’s time/attention span/download speed – I’m sending a highly edited number of small shots.

So for the airline/airport geeks among you, my trip out here was ORD-BOS-JFK-YVR-HKG-CGK, or Chicago to Boston to New York to Vancouver to Hong Kong and finally to Jakarta. Mileage availability dictated the rather odd routing, but it was all in premium cabins, and thus I have nothing to complain about. I had a nice long layover in Hong Kong, and was able to do something that had been on my “must-do” list for a while.

There is a giant Buddha on one of the islands in Hong Kong. Getting there used to require a lurching one-hour bus ride up the mountain, but there is now a very cool cable car ride. It is 25-minutes long and rises about 2000 feet. I went in one with a glass bottom, which oddly is not as scary as it sounds, except for this initial steep rise, with one long stretch over the water, before it begins its run alongside the Hong Kong airport.

As the ride nears its end, you get a nice view of the Buddha, at the left. The return was more chilling than the ascent. I came down in a cabin all by myself, and it had turned quite windy. The cabin has slats that allow air in, so it was not only noisy, but swinging rather aggressively on the wires – much fun. (I know at least a few of you who will definitely not be joining me on this!)

From Hong Kong, it was on to Jakarta, known for its debilitating traffic and intense, unpleasant smells. I generally like all cities, even chaotic smelly, hot and humid ones. Jakarta did not disappoint. I rode the bus with the locals, but couldn’t find the time (or negotiating skills) to take their version of a tuk-tuk, or this, one of the most brightly tricked-out horse and buggies I’ve ever seen.

The main reason to go to Jakarta was to catch a small plane to take me to this hotel I had read about in a remote surfing village in South Central Java. I flew with Susi Air on one of their Cessna Grand Caravans – there were four passengers, so I got to select my seat with great ease.

Java, despite high population density, is a stunning landscape of lush mountains, active volcanoes, and the ever ubiquitous rice paddies. From the air, the views were breathtaking, including this geometric interplay. I was a bit apprehensive about the flight, as the airline has had a couple accidents as of late, but am very glad I flew with them. Great flight.

The airport was a tiny paved field near the water, and we were the only flight of the day. And after a rather bumpy trip in the airline van, I arrived at Batukaras, with this view stretching out in front of my hotel.

I had the most amazing meal that night, at a cafe owned by a German woman who had married an Indonesian man. I tried to take a picture of the tiger prawn I had, but my camera fogged up from the humidity — and by the time it cleared, only the shell was left. But this gives you a sense of the aftermath. That’s a spoon in the middle plate, along with the shell from only one tiger prawn.

From Batukaras it was a long, bumpy ride to Bandung, where I rested in the exquisite Hyatt there (notice I’m mixing high end with low end as much as possible). Then to Bali. I wanted to get a broad sense of the island, so I stayed in four different parts over the next nine nights.

Any discussion of Bali often starts with the sea, but I’d first mention the temples. There are hundreds if not thousands of temples on the island, illuminating the landscape and providing a dizzying array of opportunities for worship. There are several that integrate water into their surroundings, either by being built on small islets just off the main island, or by jutting out into lakes. These are two examples below.

I spent most of my days on the coast. The vast difference among the beaches was striking. In Seminyak, it was all huge crashing waves and massive undertow. I didn’t venture much past my ankles. Sanur, where the first major developments on Bali occurred, was tranquil, almost lagoon-like. There is a coral reef offshore, so the water along the beach is crystalline and calm. I sat in the rain for an hour one day, just looking at the ocean, enjoying the drops.  But the most unexpected delight was in the north, in Lovina. I went to a small beachside inn and just bummed around for three days, talking with (and buying stuff from) the locals. Very laid back, and with stunning evening sights like this one.

The interior of Bali is also incredibly rich, and I spent my final days there. I stayed in a hotel that was a former home owned by a member of the former royal family — I had the entire hotel to myself the first night, and lolled about the infinity pool nestled among the rice paddies for most of a day (earning me my first sunburn).

Along with the beautiful rice paddies Bali is also blessed by waterfalls. I trekked to see one — I was expecting them to be like there in Kauai — stop the car, take a picture, drive on. This set of twin waterfalls required a bit more climbing, but was well worth it.

And finally, Bali is blessed by stunning flora. I am taking a separate set of pics related to flowers and the like, but i thought I’d leave you with some of the animal friends I met. I bought this monkey his lunch outside of Bedugul. I love how he’s prepared – banana in one hand, second one in the other hand, and a third held by his feet. He fought to get more than his fair share.

and this greeted me one evening on my way back from a swim.

I’m in Singapore now, just back from dinner with some friends. Tomorrow I celebrate Christmas here in Singapore, and then head to Malaysia.

Warm holiday wishes – cheers.