From Brisbane we flew to Cairns to see Tim and Lorraine – Diane’s cousin. Unfortunately, Tim was in hospital for an operation. We met up with Lorraine in the evening for a pleasant meal in central Cairns. The weather here is lovely just now. Warm during the day and cool at night. A far cry from the humid heat in December when we were last here. We had booked a trip into the jungle for the next day but it was canceled at the last moment. We had a quiet day and Tim got discharged. This gave us chance for a catch up and the next evening Lorraine invited us round for dinner. A terrific curry with sweet potatoes. Tim has since needed to be readmitted but hopefully is going to work out fine.
We pressed on and flew to Darwin. Back to Darwin. This is where we first arrived in Australia. In a sense we have made a circular trip although we have yet to visit Western Australia. Nothing much happened in Darwin. We were only there a couple of nights and it was disturbingly hot. We had a stroll down to the beach to watch the sunset. Next day we flew to Bali.
We flew with Jetstar. A budget airline that are sticklers for hand luggage weight. Everything with a battery has to go in your hand luggage. Fragile things like cameras and camera lenses are best in your hand luggage. For me that is a total of around 12 kg. Usually this is not a problem. Jetstar only allow 7 kg per person and they weigh your hand luggage before you board. There is no option to pay for more hand luggage. So I ended up putting things in my checked luggage that really do not belong there – like camera lenses. Why they are so pernickety about this is beyond me. Everyone could carry much more than this and still be within the safe limits of the overhead lockers. It is not about the capacity of the aircraft – they would need to start charging based on body weight if that were the case. So I remain annoyed and try to avoid using them.
Previously, in Bali, we found ourselves in a beautiful but rather isolated hotel in the Ubud area. This time, we headed out to Uluwatu in the south-west for a change of scenery. It was indeed hugely different. Far less jungle and far more people. We rented a villa for a couple of days. This was essentially a single room building with ensuite and a kitchenette. It was genuinely nice. A small pool in the compact garden and a hammock that Diane enjoyed. We had to be careful not to leave anything outside because otherwise the monkeys would have it.
First day there, we went to visit the Uluwatu temple. This is a Balinese Hindu temple and is the only Balinese Sea Temple. Established since at least the 11th century, it is popular with tourists and monkeys. The temple covers a large area and commands some terrific view out to sea. We spent most of the afternoon wandering around. When we first entered, we were given a stern warning about the monkeys and warned to keeps things in our bags. An old woman with a stick offered to come along to protect us.
The temple is inhabited by long-tailed macaques, notorious for snatching visitors’ belongings such as flip-flops, cameras and sunglasses. They can usually be persuaded into ransoming the items for fruit, nuts, or candies. Of course, this only encourages them to steal more.
Scientists and experts on primate behaviour have conducted studies on the monkeys. They learn the bartering behaviour. This trade is passed down to the young offspring. New groups of macaque monkeys introduced into the area quickly adapt and learn the new skill from the locals.
Next day, we went for a drive around. For a modest amount, you can hire a driver for a few hours to show you some interesting places. We started off looking at some of the beaches. The area is popular for surfing. There are many beaches but they all tend to be overlooked by cliffs. Access can be a bit tricky. First place we visited was a complete warren of narrow footways, steps and paths between bars and restaurants all packed onto the cliffside. It was quite remarkable. We did not actually find a way onto the beach but we did explore umpteen bars and other places all linked by tiny passages cut into the rock.
The next beach was a single steep set of steps down to the beach. This went through a crack in the cliff which was rather exciting. The steps were covered in sand which made them slippery. The beach itself was small and absolutely packed. Surfers, sunbathers, swimmers, people selling ice cream, surf schools, umbrella hire, cold drinks and everything else you might want on a sunny beach. People were laid out all over the place. There were more buttocks on display than I think I have ever seen. The sea was full of surfers. Sand was everywhere. Sticking to people’s feet, in their hair, in every bag, in the ice cream, everywhere. It was far too hot for us. Just the idea of lying in the grit while being baked gave me a headache. We had a brief look around and headed back up the steep stairway.
Final call for the day was a visit to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) statue in the GWK park. This is the largest statue in Indonesia. 121 m tall. Took 28 years and $100m to build. Completed in 2018. It is impressive and obviously can be seen from far away. We took a tram from the carpark to entrance. Here we bought tickets and rode a small buggy up to the top of the hill where the statue is. After a while gazing at the remarkably large statue, we had a look inside. The statue sits on top of a multi-story building. For a fee, you can have a guided tour. We did not have enough time so Diane invested in ice cream instead.
Walking back down seemed like the sensible option, given how hot it was. We had a gentle and enjoyable stroll back through the gardens. There were a few lesser statues and a very pretty water garden.
Next day we flew to Kuala Lumpur. The start of the journey was a bit tricky. Diane was convinced that our taxi driver was falling asleep. It was my responsibility to stop him. I have no idea how that was going to work. Fortunately, nothing happened. We arrived at the airport intact although the Princess was a little frazzled. There were some good views from the aircraft. First, we flew north over Bali where we could see the big volcano. The we headed north-west. We crossed the equator without incident, eventually flying over Singapore and alongside the Malacca straits. On the approach to Kuala Lumpur, I was struck by how much industry there is in this part of Malaysia. Endless factories and warehouse units for miles. In places I could spot the odd open cast mine and some forests but mostly it was just rows and rows of buildings.
