Batukaras

As I sit here on the floor updating the blog, in a puddle of sweat, I am about 20 minutes from Batukaras. This is where we are going to stay at least until the weekend. The reason is my first ever try at surfing! I know, I went around the world and never did it but here I am to rectify the situation.

We got here last night and the journey was epic. A taxi to the train station was followed by probably the 10 most enjoyable hours I have ever spent on a train. It is a very different experience. When you are sitting in your seats, loads of people come up selling all sorts from back scratchers and phone batteries to food and coffee. When the train is moving then you can sit down at the door and enjoy the view. It was a fairly class thing to do and cost about 40,000 (less than 4 euro). All the locals were so friends and were laughing at both my height and the size of my feet as well as the usual requests to have your photo taken with a little kid (not in the Gary Glitter way).

Off the the train in Banjar (I think) and a local bus to a small town where I am now. From there it was on the back of a moped to Batukaras where we got ourselves a beer and room for the night.

This morning we went to go surfing but unfortunately there were no waves, although we are expecting some shortly. So we rented some mopeds and headed to a place where you can get a boat up the Green Canyon. It was class. A boat ride through some spectacular jungle followed by a swim upstream against the current and a very quick swim back. If you are ever here it is worth it. 75000 for the boat and another 100000 I think to do the swimming part. If you are not a strong swimmer, they will give you a life jacket.

For now, I am off to check those waves but will update again soon as the moped ride here is enjoyable. I dont have a camera cable with me but photos will come later

Hasta luego

I'm BAAAACK!!

So here we are again. Its nearly 2 and a half years later and me and Matt are back at it again. In Indonesia again, for 2 weeks again. This time though we are over to visit Ian who is studying in the University of Indonesia. So far this is what has been happening...

Thursday after a long flight we got in to Jakarta airport and met up with Ian at about 7pm. From there we got a taxi to his place in Depok which is to the south of Jakarta city centre and where his University is too. We got some dinner and went for a few beers to catch up. The following day it was getting up for a swim and heading of to the Theme park in Northern Jakarta. Anybody who knows me, knows that I am not really one for theme parks and rides and what have you. This is mainly because, well, I am a pussy! But fair play to Matt and Ian who went on a good few things including the Tornado (which when Funderland is on, I believe its called the Terminator?). I stuck to one that shoots you up into the air and you freefall down for a bit called Hysteria. The feeling when upwards motion stops and gravity takes over again was about the worst feeling I have ever experienced. When I got off the ride, my bicep was sore from holding on too tight and my legs were like jelly!

We spent the weekend then in a place called Bogor to the south of Jakarta, about an hour and a half away from Depok on the A/C train. There we got accommodation in a nice hotel for 310,000 (inc tax) a night for 2 single beds, although the name of the hotel escapes me now. It was near the train station though if anybody is looking for it. We got there on Saturday and basically used every mode of Indonesian land transport there is. First it was a horse and trap looking for a place to stay after getting off the train. When we headed to Lido we were in a taxi and then on ojegs (moped taxis). After this it was a little mini bus that reminded me of a tiny hi-ace (when added to the horse we really did feel like knackers!). This was then followed by being in a rickshaw-esque bike thing.

Anywho, the reason for going to Bogor was to go to Lido which has an adventure centre. While there we went on ATV's (quad bikes) through the jungle followed by white water rafting. The quads that they had there were not hectic. They only had one big one working which Ian took because he was sharing with his girlfriend Tika. Unfortunately for them, it wasnt working great and kept cutting out. The one I had and the one Matt had suffered from one similar fault, they were too small and with not enough power, so we kept getting stuck in the mud (although me a bit more, having a few more kebabs under the belt than Matt). After the quads it was white water rafting. We wanted to do the "adventure" package but they were expecting bad weather which meant we only had time for the "family" package which meant that we didnt really have too much white water to deal with. While the above sounds disappointing for both, both were great fun and I would say to anybody looking for a bit of craic to head there. There are other things you are able to do also from the centre in Lido.

After a good night's sleep to get rid of any remaining jet-lag, we got up and headed to the botanic gardens there for a look. This place has a flower (is actually a fungus) which only comes up every 3 years or so. It grows massive and flowers but only lasts a few weeks. I am not sure what its called but I remember something similar being in the Denis the Menace film when I was younger.

We then got the express train back to Depok and had a massage, my first one ever! Why on earth people find that an enjoyable experience I do not know. It was excruciating pain and no tangible benefits that I can make out in the couple of hours since I have had mine. My first and likely my last massage.

So the plan for the remaining time here. Tomorrow we are up at a sparrows fart to get the economy train en route to Batukaras. From what I understand this will be a full days travel and we probably wont arrive until 10pm tomorrow. Once we get there the plan is dependent on Ian's college commitments. If he has to be in the following Monday, then me and Matt might stay on there a bit longer or head to somewhere else for a few days. Otherwise it is back to Jakarta and from there get a boat out to an island from there for a couple of nights.

The blog will probably only be updated a couple of times on this trip but sure since we have it, may as well use it

Matt and Ian on the rollercoaster

Squashed into a horse "carraige"

Ian and Tika

Ian on the back of an Ojeg

Me and Indonesian Stig

Ian on the big quad that would eventually keep breaking down

Me on the tiny quad... it turned out to be the fastest one we had though

All of us before rafting

Locals kids like the chance to have photos taken with us. I don't think Matt noticed the young lad's hat!

The economy train

Matt and Ian hanging out

Unwanted attention

Well here's what you get for wearing a steelers jersey in Dunedin
http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/other-spor...
It was also in the print version.

For the record, I thought I would be fitting in. I was the only person wearing a jersey. Which made me a target for our american friend and also the photographer.

Dec was just out of shot btw, not important enough to make the cut:)

Christchuch and Dunedin

Just a quick summary of what we've been up to so far.

Arrived in Christchurch last friday, no hiccups on the journey but was ridiculously tired. Journey took about 38 hours from start to finish. We spent the day on Saturday on the Christchurch Gondola, which has really nice views over the city and also over Lyttleton and the harbour there (photos should follow shortly). We did a lot of walking there which was enjoyable but tough beacuse of the heat (30C). One positive effect is that the walk seemed to get rid of any jetlag.

On Sunday we drove to Dunedin. It seems to be a lot nicer than Christchurch, which felt like a overly planned city without a proper centre. Today we did a tour of the Cadbury's factory and myself and Dec watched the superbowl. I wore my Steelers jersey which got me some unwanted attention in the pub we were in.

Anyway, we are off to Te Anau in the morning which is our base for Milford Sound. It'll be the first trip where ill be driving.

South America Guide

So I am back home now. 3 months and 8 countries after leaving Australia! Here is my summary of things that we saw and did in South America. Anybody thinking of doing it, stop thinking and just do it. You won't regret it...

Firstly is Buenos Aires. We stayed in the Centro area but the main party area is Palermo. Its a great city and very European. Kind of like a mixture between Madrid and Bangkok. We spent 4 nights there and that is enough there. We walked around a lot but there is a metro system there if you get lazy. Things to see are the Bombenera where the Boca Juniors play and Caminito area in la Boca which is beside the stadium. There are tango dancers in cafes and plenty of other things to do and see around the city. We just wandered around aimlessly for most of the time.

After that we flew to Rio. This is my favourite city in the world. There is so much to see and do or if you are lazy or hungover you can just chill at the beach. We spent some time in Copacobana but mostly in Ipanema. If you are going there I'd recommend Ipanema. Christ the Redeemers statue is one of the wonders of the world now and you can make your way up there on your own. For a similar price though you can get a city tour which takes you there and other places so we did it that way. Try and get to the statue early though because it gets very busy and hard to take photos although if you are patient you will get the photos you want. When in Rio dont miss sunset on the Sugar Loaf. Everyone claps when the sun goes down but not sure what else they might have been expecting. Games are on in the Maracana most Wednesdays and Sundays and if you are lucky you might get to see a local derby. Flamengo games are meant to be the best because most people in Rio support them. You can go on your own and buy tickets there or for 3 times the price you can go with a group (bealocal.com). Lapa is the going out place on Fridays and Saturdays where there are street parties. That is really cool. The favela tour is good too. Its a little voyeuristic but it gives you a better understanding of what goes on there and is definitely worth seeing. Rio has a bad reputation of being dangerous but if you have common sense, dont walk too far at night, dont carry around more money than you need and dont give money to muggers unless you are sure they have a gun/knife, it isn't bad at all. No worse than any city really.

From Rio we went to Ilha Grande. There are no cars or ATMs on this island but its worth chilling out there for a few days. Ferries only go once or twice a day and leave from Angra dos Reis (there is another town too but I forget the name of it). The last one at 4.30 when we were there but there are other boats that bring you to the island for a bit more money. On the island there are plenty of beaches and walks you can take but there are lots of mosquitoes so bring repellent.

After Ilha Grande we went to Paraty. This is an old colonial town between Angra dos Reis and Sao Paulo. We were meant to spend 2 days there but spent 5. Our hostel was called Sierra del Mar and was probably the best place we stayed in. It was cheap too for what you got. Maria runs it with her boyfriend and both were really sound, Maria is hot too! There are waterfalls outside the town that you can cycle to or get a bus, don't try to walk it. We did and were walking for 4 hours and barely saw a river. Was nice to walk around the smaller towns around it though. Paraty itself is a class town and really beautiful. There is a beach across the road from the hostel too for chilling out on and you can rent kayaks etc.

We left Paraty and got a bus to Sao Paulo and then on to Iguazu. Book the Sao Paulo to Iguazu bus in advance. Its about 100 euro. In Iguazu the most popular place on the Argentinian side is Hotel Inn. We stayed in some little shitty place though nearer the town. The falls are better to be seen from the Argentinian but people say to see it from both. On the Argentinian side you can take a boat under the falls, bring spare clothes, you get wet!! You can also do a day trip to Ciudad del Este in Paraguay for some cheap shopping and black market goods.

Salta was our next stop, where we stayed for a weekend. I cant tell you too much about it coz I got the worst hangover of my life here and spent a full day in bed. Its a university town and as you can guess, really good to go out in! From Salta we went to Bolivia. The border crossing is a pain coz Bolivia dont open their border til 8 am. Its cold there and finding the border walking isn't too easy either.

On the Bolivian side we got the bus to Tupiza. We started the Salar Tour from here. It cost about $100 for 4 days. You spend an awful lot of time in the jeep and it gets to about -15c at night. After that there is nothing bad about the tour and is well worth it. The food they give you is good and considering where you are you are well looked after. Have a look at the photos for yourself to see just how good it is. The tour stops in Uyuni and the best advice possible is get out of there ASAP! Its a shit hole. We had problems because the election was the next day and no buses were running. We eventually paid a guy from a tour company to drive us to Potosi. Potosi is the highest city in the world. The main attractions there are the mines and a huge mountain (about 6300m I think). We didnt do either, walking up a hill at 4800 is though enough never mind trying to climb a mountain. The mines are full of asbestos too so didnt want to take the risk.

Sucre was next up and we stayed here for 3 weeks. 2 weeks to learn Spanish and 1 week because we got blockaded in. This is a common occurance around Sucre so if you are tight for time don't go there. There was no trouble inside the city itself. We spent 2 weeks doing Spanish with Aida Rojas. Shes was really good and cheap and I have her email, etc if anyone wants lessons in Sucre. Her parrot is cool too. Sucre is a great town. Its really small and all the people there are really friendly. We even took in a soccer match while we were there. The shisha bar is good for drinks too.

From Sucre to La Paz we went by plane because of blockades but they were of course lifted the day we booked our flights! We stayed in the Wild Rover hostel. Its a bit of a party hostel and sells Barrys Tea!! Excellent. From there we organised the bike ride with Gravity and our trip to the midget wrestling. Also our bus out. La Paz is a big city and isnt much different from any other big city. Do the bike ride dont bother with the wrestling and probably get out of there soon after. We visited San Pedro prison, the one from the book Marching Powder. It was expensive and not that great but we had to see it after reading about it. Read the book if you are going to go. Stuart is the guy you go to see in there. Stay away from Jacques, he's meant to be crazy. If Stuart is gone, try looking for Daniel. There is a big cocaine culture in La Paz if you are into that too but I have no info for anybody on that.

The bus from La Paz to Cusco is fine. No dramas. Cusco is where you do the Inca Trail from. If you want to do the original book it at least 6 months in advance to be sure of a place. If you dont want to be tied by time then you can do an alternate trek when you are there. Matt did one but I didn't so cant really advise people much about it.

While Matt was on the Inca trail I headed to Trujillo in the North of Peru (this will be new to anybody who has been reading the blog). I spent a couple of days there and waited for Matt to catch up. It is Perus second biggest city which I didn't realise until afterwards. There is Chan Chan, an old archaeological site and the temples of the sun and the moon. I didn't visit any of them! I stayed in Casa de Clara which was a nice hostel but a bit weird. Judging from the look of the rest of the places though was the best pick.

After Matt met back up with us we went to Huanchaco. This is a nice little beach town. Its quite the whole time but there are more people around at the weekends. It is very popular for surfing. I am told that it is unique because the surf is so consistent. Basically you can surf all day every day. Not that I did. I spent most of the time lying down and drinking. It was the first place that we had been able to wear shorts since Sucre! We stayed in My Friend hostel. It was very cheap and the food there was class. I would definitely suggest it. For a little bit more, hostel Rubalong looked good too. It has a class view of the beach.

What I dont recommend is a bus from Trujillo to Quito! 29 hours on a bus is too much. It was very tough work and painful. Have money to buy stuff at the stops or it is awful. I can't give much advice on Quito because we didnt stay there very long.

That is about all I can think of about South America the way we did it. Any specific questions, just ask!! :)