Bali & Lombok - Jul '11
Very special trip to Bali & Lombok for some kind of ceremony, celebration then relaxation.
Catching up with family and friends and various official duties made the start of this trip very busy. An amazing trek across Mount Rinjani was pretty tough.
Finally, after all that we had a few days to relax in style and come back home refreshed.
All in all an amazing trip!
On a related note... the official wedding pictures.
Tuesday 12 July 2011
The obligatory 'just killing time at the airport' shots...
Tuesday 12 July 2011
Villa Seminyak Estate. Free upgrade to a private villa with pool. Niiiice 
Wednesday 13 July 2011
A brief respite from the crazy schedule of the day: Lunch at Made's Warung, Seminyak. Very nice!
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Broken clippers at home meant this barbershop visit had to be squeezed in. $1 with real cut throat clean up. Bargain!
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Pratiwi seeing what it's like to be pampered. Strange as it might seem, in readiness for a trip to the beach!
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Gusde busy taking official 'pre-wedding' shots this afternoon. Nice work if you can get it 
Wednesday 13 July 2011
The sunset wasn't so bad, either! We left the photographers sipping beer in the bar by this beach - lucky buggers!
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Dinner with the girls at Menega Cafe, Jimbaran beach. Nom, nom, nom, nom! 
Thursday 14 July 2011
Enjoying Babi Guling (roast pork) at Ibu Oka, Ubud. Like a lot of local warung, basic but soooo gooooood!
Friday 15 July 2011
Morning scenes from the villa garden, looking out onto rice terraces. Incense burning. Morning Dew. Very relaxing
Friday 15 July 2011
Macro shots taken while waiting for some kind of rehearsal to happen. Lots of cool bugs in Bali
Friday 15 July 2011
2 girls & 1 duck: lunch at Bebek Tepi Sawah. Think I prefer Bebek Bengil but the view makes this place worth a look.
Friday 15 July 2011
The Monkey Forest at Ubud. Nice place with mostly well behaved residents, but watch out for those that aren't!
Friday 15 July 2011
Dinner at Naughty Nuri's Warung. Still cooking on the pavement, and luckily no pictures of me eating this year!
Friday 15 July 2011
Back at the hotel tonight found a show in progress. Colourful outfits. Musicians with hammers. Confusing story. Nice!
Saturday 16 July 2011
A bit of wildlife from the garden this morning. Who knew there were squirrels living in Bali!
Sunday 17 July 2011
Trip to a Kopi Luwak plantation for Coffee connoisseurs. Interesting, but lucky there was tea for the rest of us!
Sunday 17 July 2011
Durian tasting at the roadside. Not at all smelly but still not a favourite. Think it has a very strange texture.
Sunday 17 July 2011
Wish I could tell you where this is. Just a lookout on a road somewhere in Bali. And the door on a hut over the road.
Sunday 17 July 2011
Cicak warming themselves by the roof lighting. A sign of good luck apparently, even though they are found everywhere!
Monday 18 July 2011
A giant snail found in the garden this morning. Seemed keen to pose. Or perhaps not moving much is just their way?
Monday 18 July 2011
Antonio Blanco Museum, Ubud. Flowers, birds & views in the grounds, but you'll have to visit yourself to see inside.
Monday 18 July 2011
"The Bridge of Hope", by the exit of the Antonio Blanco Museum, Ubud. Should be X-rated!
Monday 18 July 2011
Lunch (of frogs legs) at Murni's Warung. This is a great place built right into the side of the ravine by the river.
Monday 18 July 2011
Offerings for safe passage on this footbridge in Ubud. Perhaps a few new planks would also help?
Monday 18 July 2011
Tanah Lot is allegedly the most photographed place in Bali, so here's some... erm... tourist photos from there
Monday 18 July 2011
... and here's some sunset shots from Tanah Lot.
Monday 18 July 2011
... and finally, Tanah Lot in HDR. Seeing as this is HDR have gone with a very saturated look.
Monday 18 July 2011
After sunset we saw a Kecak (Fire) Dance. No instruments, but think I prefer the rhythmic chanting of these dancers.
Monday 18 July 2011
Padang food for dinner. If you don't know: sort of a buffet of traditional dishes. This one by the side of the road.
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Waka Sailing Adventure to Lembongan Island for some snorkelling (sans UW housing) and relaxation. Thank you Meli!
Thursday 21 July 2011
Sunrise on Nusa Dua beach. Just a couple of sleepy looking tourists and the odd fisherman about at this time.
Thursday 21 July 2011
Bali-Lombok flight. All of 30 minutes. Check out the cabin humidity visible once the A/C came on!
Thursday 21 July 2011
Arrived in Lombok to find the pace very relaxing. Some flowers from Sheraton Senggigi's beautiful gardens
Thursday 21 July 2011
Lunch on arrival at Sheraton Senggigi... & a nice treat in our room after... & a local we had to fend off
Friday 22 July 2011
After 3hr drive from Senggigi, getting read & setting off through the fields on a 3 day trek across Mt Rinjani.
Friday 22 July 2011
Lunch in a shady spot, then more trekking into the clouds. Plus one of the porters caught mellowing out on a break!
Friday 22 July 2011
NE rim of Mt Rinjani after a little walk. 8½ hours, 11½km, 1800m climbed to be precise. In up to 34°C heat! Nice!
Friday 22 July 2011
Sunset on the NE rim of Mt Rinjani. Spectacular! Altitude here was over 2700m and getting pretty chilly already.
Friday 22 July 2011
The night sky from our camp on the rim, with the silhouette of Mt Rinjani trailing off into the heavens.
Saturday 23 July 2011
Chilly & hazy (thanks to bushfire smoke) morning on the rim. Luckily it soon warmed up on the walk to the lake.
Saturday 23 July 2011
Lunchtime treat - the only wash of the trek in a thermal spring by the crater lake. Luxury!
Saturday 23 July 2011
Afternoon walk along the lake shore & back to the rim. Under 8km for the day but almost 900m down & back up again.
Saturday 23 July 2011
Camp day 2. Views from the other rim where we spent the previous night, round to the Gili Isles and across to Bali.
Saturday 23 July 2011
Stars from our second night on Mt Rinjani. Sky so clear the Mikly Way was visible even before total darkness!
Sunday 24 July 2011
Waking up to a warming fire and the chance to see sunrise from above the clouds for a second day.
Sunday 24 July 2011
Morning views from our final day trekking. The girls with our guide Amet & a local monkey at one of the rest areas.
Sunday 24 July 2011
Our final meal on the trail and final few km of walking this arvo. Some tired but smiling faces at the end
Sunday 24 July 2011
Back at the Sheraton Senggigi & time for dinner with a well deserved beer... after a very much appreciated shower.
Monday 25 July 2011
Sunset on Senggigi beach. Time to go fishing by the looks of it!
Tuesday 26 July 2011
After 3 days of being held together with string found along the way, boots are off to the great trail in the sky 
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Visited Sukarare, allegedly known for hand-woven rugs, wall hangings, etc. Yes, something like that was going on
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Our last night in Lombok, dinner at Bumbu, Senggigi. Nice place. A lot quieter than Bali (even Ubud).
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Lombok-Bali flight. All of... erm... 30 minutes
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Arrived at Kintamani just as clouds roll in to engulf the view. Still warm enough to have a cold one & enjoy though.
Thursday 28 July 2011
Sights from one of the many temples at Kintamani. Kindof small and quiet, at least when we visited (before lunch).
Thursday 28 July 2011
More views from the... erm... Lake View Hotel, Kintamani. First one from the balcony in our room. Not bad at all!
Thursday 28 July 2011
Jumping spider spied while having drinks at Kintamani. Look closely & see my reflection in his eyes in the 1st one
Thursday 28 July 2011
A very late lunch at Bebek Bengil (aka. the dirty duck). Yes - I think it is better to go grilled... hmmmmmm
Friday 29 July 2011
Cloudy sunrise from the Lake View Hotel, Kintamani.
Friday 29 July 2011
Strawberries & Champagne on the house @ Intercontinental Jimbaran Bay. Couldn't wish for a better final night
Friday 29 July 2011
Sunset on the final night of our Balinese honeymoon. While walking along Jimbaran Beach on the way to dinner.
Friday 29 July 2011
And the final dinnner. Oh, go on then... just one more lobster... and some fish... and some clams (at Menega Cafe)
Saturday 30 July 2011
Late evening flight so our final day was spent lounging around the hotel. Very nice place, could do this more often.
Saturday 30 July 2011
About to head to the airport. Time for one last sunset stroll on Jimbaran Beach first though.
