Sunday October 20

A very leisurely day by the pool side.                             
              

Joan and Barb in Infinity Pool

Saturday, October 19th

We were all anxious to leave and go back to Labuan Bajo to a nice hotel and better restaurants. Tim booked a car and driver to take us back. The driver spoke no English but understood ‘stop’, a word we used a lot as we wanted to take pictures along the way.  We appreciated that he went slowly and confidently around the same up/downhill hairpin turns.                                           

Drying and winnowing rice by the roadside

 We were delighted to be dropped off at ‘LaPrima’, a beachside hotel with a pool, and a spectacular view from our 6^th floor room.  Yahoo! A shower in hot water, pool warm as a bathtub, air conditioning, and linens on comfortable beds:  one extreme to the other!

Friday October 18

Boys at the Market

Tobacco vendor at Market

            We left at 8:30 AM to take a public 12 seat minibus to Ruteng, a small town described as charmless in the Lonely Planet guidebook but also as being set in lovely surroundings. The trip was 3 ½ hours long over several mountain  passes with many hairpin turns. The scenery was amazing but, of course, we could not stop for pictures. We had not been able to reach any hotels by phone to prebook but the bus company said no problem, the driver will bring us to hotels until we found a room. The bus stopped first at a hotel for us and we took a room as we did not want to make the other 9 passengers drive all over while we selected a hotel. BIG MISTAKE! The rooms were cheap but awful – no shower, no hot water, mouldy walls, no toilet paper. An old red blanket took the place of a top sheet.  We were dismayed by our choice of room but also by the lack of places to visit. We did take a motorcycle ride to a village that had a few traditional thatched houses. Barb really enjoyed being on a bike, as did Tim of course, but I was less enthused.

Joan with children

                                                                                                                     

 We decided that the next day, we would return to Labuan Bajo. Even though we were not happy with being in Ruteng, the people were as friendly as ever-so many hellos and smiles.  It warmed our teacher’s hearts that a few of them really wanted to try to converse

in English.

Thursday October 17

Komodo Dragon

            Our trip to Rinca hit a snag right at the start.  We were loaded into the boat and pushed off from shore only to find we could not lift the anchor.  The first mate jumped into the water and followed the line, upon which we were snagged, back to a boat still tied to the dock.  That boat backed up until we could untangle the anchor, and then off we went.  The trip to Rinca Island took two hours on very calm seas.  The boat travelled through several islands – large and small, but all very dry looking.  When we arrived at Komodo National Park, we were reminded of the guide book’s description -  furnace hot.   We were met at the dock by our guide and given the dire warnings about wandering off the path and staying together with our guide.  At one point we stopped so he could point out the 39 graves of the tourists who didn’t heed the warnings.

            There are about 2,400 Komodo Dragons on Rinca.  There were at least 10 hanging about the office area.  We were allowed to get as close as 5 metres with the ranger and his forked stick at the ready.  Without the ranger we would never have seen most of the dragons.  They lie perfectly still disguised as a log.  When he pointed out a baby up a tree, I couldn’t see it even when I was looking at it.  Until it moved it was perfectly camouflaged.  We went on a 4 km hike through the forest and fields.  Several times I thought our guide was pulling my leg when he pointed at dragons.  However, every time he was right. 

            We spent 3 hours on the island before our ranger escorted us back to the dock and off we went to Angel Island for snorkelling.  We docked at a beach in the middle of a deserted island and off I went through another amazing underwater garden.  Several times when I started back to the boat I was waylaid by another fantastic sight.  I was in the water for 1 ½ hours and my underwater camera was still working.

            At night, after a terrific sunset, I downloaded my photos to my computer.  313 photos in 1 day!                                       

                           

Tuesday October 15

            We had an abbreviated tour today as Caroline and Ali left for home in the afternoon.  We went to the mother temple – the most important temple in Bali. Like 90% of the population in Bali the temple is Hindu.  It sits on the side of the largest volcano in Bali – Gunung Agung.  The temple is a large compound of buildings with Pagoda roofs everywhere.  It contains several smaller temples.  The temples are laid out on several levels.  There is a caste system in Bali: the farmers, the merchants, the warriors, and the Priests.   The lower temples for the farmer caste and the upper temple for the priests caste Today there were several ceremonies going on in the temple.  The biggest one seemed to be the cremation ceremonies.  The temple was crowded with Hindis and I was pleased to see they were harangued as much by the hawkers as we were.  I  also loved seeing so many Balinese dressed in their finery.                  

Balinese Celebrants

On the way to a cremation ceremony

                                                         

                                                
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                              

Monday October 14

                      

      

Joan and friend

At Rest

Glass Shop

       Our hotel is close to the Monkey Forest so after breakfast we walked to the forest and joined the crowds.  The forest is a sacred forest and the terrain and the monkeys are protected.  The monkeys roam free and the humans feed them so the monkeys are very comfortable around humans.  We were warned to remove all jewellery and hats lest the monkey grab them.  Joan had a plastic bottle of water in her purse and a monkey climbed up her leg and stole it.  While she was laughing another monkey climbed over her shoulders and perched on her arm.  She looked like an animal trainer. 
            In the afternoon Joan and I went art shopping for a painting from Bali.  I have learned that negotiating is necessary but even I can’t get a $4,000 painting for a hundred dollars.  We left the first place and went to the second dealer.  We ended up with 2 paintings.  I paid $20 for my picture of Buddha and Joan paid $100 for her picture of rice fields. 

Temple detail

Sunday October 13

Ali in Dive Mode

            We changed towns today and drove to the cultural centre of Bali.  Along the way we stop off at a harbour for lunch and a swim.  Ali, Caroline and I went on a snorkelling tour.  I had my underwater camera and we spent hours snorkelling at 2 different dive sites along the coast.  The water was clear and warm and the coral reef was quite shallow.  The variety of fish was impressive.  There was one fat ugly 2-foot fish that moved very slowly and seemed to eat coral.   He would swim into the coral headfirst and then back up and do it again.  He often swam sideways.  He looked very, very drunk.

Drunken Coral Fish

                                                                                                                                                                

            On the way back to Ubud we stopped at a waterfall. I was walking across the rocks to the gras only to discover the grass was really a swamp.  Both feet up to the ankles covered in green slime.  So after taking my pictures I stepped into a nearby bath pool, sandals and all.  The kids thought I was funny.       

Bali Waterfalls

                                                                                                            

Saturday October 12

Tim underwater

The Reef

We started the day at a water sports centre near our Villa.  I had bought an underwater camera before the trip so I was keen to try it out.  I signed up for the sea walker adventure and off we went.  I put on a wet suit and they put an old diving bell over my head and down the ladder I went.  They had given me dire warning about ear pressure and panic so it was a slow descent to 5 m underwater.  A scuba diver was my guide and I walked along the ocean floor amongst the coral and fish.  Because we fed the fish they were all over.  My underwater camera worked, I got my fish pictures and I was a happy camper at the end of my walk.                   

Caroline

My daughter Caroline and partner Ali were supposed to join us on Friday night for the weekend in Bali.  Unfortunately they were bumped from the flight but they did get a flight the next day and showed up around 2 PM.  To celebrate being all together in Bali we went to a beachfront bar, drank cocktails and watched the sun set over the Indian  Ocean.           
    
    
   
   
                                                                                                       

Friday October 11

We started the day with a trip to the local theatre.  We watched a traditional Balanese dance of good versus evil.  It went on much too long, but the costumes were good.  Then we went shopping.  I got 2 universal power plugs and Joan got a silver bracelet.  We went to a silversmith shop located in the silver village of Celuk  The prices seem reasonable but not great.  Of course the price drops if you buy 2.  So, Joan and Barb bought 1 each and we got a discount. 

Restaurant overlooking Volcano

            For lunch we drove to the top of a mountain and ate overlooking a volcano that last erupted in 1972.  There seems to be a business in picking up volcanic ash in Indonesia. The trucks were carting the rocks and ash away to make bricks for temples.  In the distance we could see the clouds coming towards us but our view remained clear until we finished eating.  It was a very memorial meal.  

Thursday October 10

    

The Kings Temple

        We flew from Jogyakarta to Bali early in the morning.  After checking in we had our last cup of coffee on Java.  The flight was entertaining. We flew over a perfect round Volcano and Joan had the window seat.  The huge waves around Bali were visible from the air.  We met our driver at the airport, he took us for breakfast and we took our first pictures on the beachfront.  While I fumbled with the camera Joan and Barb posed in front on the big breakers.  As they were standing ankle deep in the water a big wave knocked both for a loop.  It’s a good thing they had a change of clothes in the taxi.

            We headed towards the middle of Bali where they grow the rice.  Along the way we stopped at the Royal Temple and then a coffee grower.  They let us try the 7 coffees for free but we had to pay to taste the Luwak coffee.  This coffee has passed through the bowels of a civet cat/fox.  The civet eats only the finest beans and the strong acids in his stomach cause the beans too mellow.  The coffee was indeed mellow.

            The rice fields have been cultivated for centuries and sit on the hillsides in terraces.  There is a reservoir

Rice Terraces in Bali

at the top of the hill and the water runs from the reservoir to all the fields below.  The terraces are mud walls planted with grass and some of them are quite slippery.  By the time I had finished picture taking my sandals were too slippery to get back up the steep parts.  I had to use my tripod as a cane.

Wednesday October 9

     We are at the Manohara Hotel in Borobudur.  It is a resort complex that borders on Borobudur so we have free access to the temple at all times.   I made another early morning visit (6 AM) to Borbudur and took pictures for the last time. There are several visitors to the temple at this hour, but it is still a quiet place.  Everybody is polite and all talk in hushed voices.

Recovered from a destroyed Village

                     

Removing the lava stones and dust

            We had arranged for a taxi driver to drive us all day.  The plan was to drive to Prambanan and then return to Jogjakarta.  We detoured on the way to visit     Mount Merapi.  This volcano erupts every 3 or 4 years and it last erupted in 2010.  It killed 300 people and did major damage to the area around it.  Work is underway to repair some of the damage.  There is a local industry to show tourists the sights and see the devastation.   We took a Jeep ride into the worst area and visited a small museum where they had melted television sets and frames of motor scooters that had been cremated by the lava flow.  The Jeep driver was slow and careful, but is still seemed like a circus ride as we careened around the makeshift roads.    

Joan and Barb on a Lava tour

                                          

            We did make it to Prambanan for a late afternoon visit.  It is a Hindu temple site but it also suffered damage during a 2006 earthquake.  Most of the site is open but some areas required a hard hat to enter.  We are now south of the equator.  The sun rises at 5:30 and sets at 5:30 so we are having trouble adjusting to the early evening and rapid sunsets.  However we did get some sunset shots of Prambanan.

Tuesday October 8; Borobudur

Borobudur Temple entrance

View from top top

AdMaking ceramics with a toe driven turntable

I have a new travel phone with a new Indonesian SIM card.  I set the alarm for 05:30 so I could be at the temple for 6:00 AM.  When my alarm went off I got up and got dressed and started eating a banana. I made too much noise and Joan woke up.  When she checked her watch, she told me it was 1:30 not 5:30.  When I checked the phone I realised I had received a text message and no alarm had gone off.    Stupid phone.

Borobudur was as good as advertised.  At 05:59 the sun began to shine and at 06:00 I was inside taking my first picture.  Borobudur is a large temple.  It was built between 600 and 700 AD. The crowds were few and the photography was easy for the first hour.  The visitors were from all over the world, but the Indonesian school children were the most fun.  They asked questions and wanted to take a picture with me.  In return I asked to take a picture of them.  They obliged happily.

            In the afternoon we rented a car and driver and toured the surrounding countryside. We visited small communities and went inside people’s homes to watch them making tofu, ceramics and producing tobacco.  Whole families were involved in the production.  It looks like the kids that go to school are the lucky ones.

Monday October 7, Borobudur

We flew from Singapore to Yogjakarta today.  The sights and sounds of Asia are a lot more intense in Indonesia than in Singapore.  The people are poorer, the goods are cheaper and the barganing is necessary.

  We changed plans at the last minute and we are ensconced in a luxury hotel at the gates of Borobudur.  The taxi driver taking us into Yogyakarta made us a great offer so we pulled a u-turn and headed for Borobudur instead of the city.  We are in a small town, where supper cost $1.50 and everybody drives a motorscooter.  We wandered the town to eat and watch the families of 4 ride by on their bikes.  

We have seen the temple from a distance and it looks enormous.  We will be up early tomorrow to check it out.

Saturday Oct 5: Mount Faber and Southern Ridges:

We took a taxi to the top of Mount Faber and walked back down through various paths and parks.  Singapore has tried hard to preserve the rainforests, and they have several parks in the city where there is still the original ground covering.  The southern ridges are a series of parks that are linked by walks and bridges.  At times we were 20 meters off the ground and still in the trees.  Other times we went through flower gardens.   Again the weather was hot and humid, so after our walk we retired to Caroline’s place for the pool and hot tub.

            We went to the Night Zoo after sunset.  Having just been at the day Zoo 2 days earlier we were less than impressed with the Night Zoo.  The introductory tram ride lulled us to sleep.

Friday Oct 4, Little India

   Today was a compromise between seeing the historic little India district and browsing the brand new shopping district. We started with the Little India district.  The first temple was undergoing major renovations and was very crowded with a major festival going on.  The festival included a meal at the temple and families were sitting and eating all over the floor.  I would have joined the food line but I didn’t know if Christians were allowed.  So after a short visit we headed for the second temple on our list.  The second temple was much more spacious and quiet.  We wandered for a while and then Joan and Barb headed for the shopping district while I stayed behind and took pictures.  The temples in Singapore have signs posted telling visitors when to remove shoes, where and when pictures are allowed and where visitors are not allowed.  All signs are in English so this makes for a very comfortable visit.                              
  In the evening we dined at a cheese and chocolate restaurant.  The restaurant is situated at the top of a 3-tower building with a boat on top.  We were able to wander around the “boat” and enjoy the views of Singapore at night.  I was a model of decorum at dinner and I kept it down to 3 plates of cheese and 2 plates of chocolate tidbits.     

         
 

                 

Sands Hotel and Casino

Thursday Oct 3 Singapore Zoo

Proboscis Monkey

Hamadrys Baboon

                    We have been to several zoos in our lifetime, but the Singapore zoo was highly recommended so we gave it a try.   It was delightful!  The whole zoo is under a canopy of trees, so we were seldom walking in the hot sun.  Most animal enclosures were separated by a moat, rather than a fence.  The Orang-utans were roaming free and stayed up in the trees along the path.  It was only after a branch fell on me that I looked up and discovered a mother and 2 babies right above me.   Joan got to see her Orang-utans, I got to see my Komoto Dragons, and Barb got to see her Mandrills.  (Barb is a great fan of the Lion King).

            The weather is consistently 30c and high humidity.  After a day of walking we are hot and sweaty, so we went up to the pools and hot tubs to refresh ourselves.  Jetlag is kicking in so we had a very quiet evening and early bedtime.

Wednesday Oct 2 Chinatown

Our first day in Singapore was a quiet day walking around the city.  We walked to the hawker’s market in Chinatown and had our first street lunch. Similar to a food court in Montreal there are 50 different vendors each with their own speciality Several tables are available for people eating right away.  I chose the Pork offcut vendor and I had Pig’s tail soup.  Pig’s tail tastes like pork hocks.

            After lunch we walked around Marina Bay – a 2km walk around the water in the middle of downtown.  We then went back to Caroline’s place to use the swimming pool and hot tub.  A gentle first day.

Flight from Montreal to Singapore:

We departed Montreal at 12:05 right on schedule.  Our flight took us from Montreal to Newark to Hong Kong to Singapore.   The leg from Newark to Hong Kong went right over the North Pole, so 4 hours after departure we flew over Montreal on our way north.   The skies were clear in southern Quebec and we had a great view of the Eastern Townships and Lanaudiere.   Later we also had a great view of Siberia and Mongolia.  The snow is already on the ground in Siberia.

            All flights were on time and we arrived just before midnight on Tuesday.  It took 24 hours to fly to Singapore.  We did have a problem finding Caroline’s place, but after circling the block for half an hour we tracked it down.

Countdown to Singapore

My oldest daughter Caroline is living in Singapore.  Joan and I and Barb (Joan's sister) are heading to Singapore on  Sept 30 for 6 weeks.  We fly for 24 hours from Montreal to Newark to Hong Kong to Singapore.  We arrive midnight October 1st.

Saturday October 20, 2012

Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Pointe Claire, Quebec

Total distance traveled 3095km.   Total height climbed 16,089m vertical climb

All we have to do today is get to the airport on time.  We left our hotel at 11:30, picked up the bike boxes at Fort Lauderdale airport, drove on to Miami international airport and started the packing. 

The escalator man

Problem number 1; we were missing the correct tool to remove one set of pedals.  An escalator maintenance man, walking down the hallway, saved us.  I saw his bag of tools and asked him for a wrench.  Within 3 minutes he had both pedals off and we chatted about our trip.  This is typical of Americans – very willing to help and very friendly.

  Problem number 2; we had to pay for the bikes to fly home with us.  Our tickets cost $212 each.  The bikes cost $198.  I expected the bike to be in the seat next to me.

No more problems!  We had a smooth flight to Montreal, a lift home waiting, and a nice cup of tea. 
     

Miami

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