Bali Break

Six days in in the Legian / Kuta / Seminyak area was more than enough for me, not being a beach bum left only motorcycle watching, people watching and the odd tourist spot to see, I also spent a fair bit of time in the hotel pool as well. The hotel I stayed at deserves a plug, Legian Guest House was a great place to stay, a small complex, 8 rooms in total, a very nice little pool and run by a family that couldn't do enough to keep you happy. Positioned in a quiet location away from the tourist and beach strip yet central enough to access restaurants, beaches, shops etc quickly on the Honda scooter.

While in Legian I checked out the local sights including the Bali bombing Memorial in Kuta. I also rode the scooter to the near by Safari Park. I tagged along really, a English woman had organised with the hotel to be pillion on the back of a hotel security guards scooter, they asked if I was interested, so why not, I went to.

Along the way I was  introduced to how the Indonesian police operate. I rounded a corner to be faced with a police road block randomly stopping drivers for who knows what, they make up some infringement on the spot, fleecing you for 300,000.00 rupiah and sending you on your way. Deny, deny, deny was my instinct, and after several minutes and an appearance by the hotel security guard who didn't get pulled over, he bargained down to and I payed 100,000.00 rupiah (AU$10) and continued on. I still don't know what the infringement was for, the cop tried on several, in the end I just wanted out of there.

 

Ubud was my next destination, situated about an hours drive from Denpasar, it is away from the coast, set at a little bit of altitude and a bit cooler than the coast. It is more of an arty, cultural place than Kuta. Kuta and the coastal area I found a little bit like an episode of the Australian TV series Housos holidaying in Bali.

 

Ubud was also easy to get round, on a little Yamaha scooter this time, I visited many of the temple sites, including Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Goa Gajah and Gunung Kawi.

 

 I also went on another tag along from the hotel I stayed. This time the young guy from the hotel was taking a young Swedish girl (Yar) on the back of his scooter to see where Luwark coffee was made. The young lass was on a mission set by her brother in Sweden to sample and purchase Luwark coffee. Luwark coffee is made after the coffee fruit containing the bean is fed to fury little critters similar to a mongoose, the critters pass the whole coffee bean, the bean is then retrieved and processed. Yes, we sampled the coffee and several other types of coffee and tea they made, the Luwark coffee is said to be stronger than normal coffee (though that could have been in the making of the test cup) who knows, but it was nice.

 

 



 

Six days in Ubud was also plenty, so I was off to the airport for a flight to Dili, Timor Leste. That is where I currently am, waiting for my motorcycle to arrive on the ship from Darwin. I have made contact with the shipping company, paid the local fees, just waiting on an email to say come and pick up your bike. I can't wait to get on the road for a quick visit to a few towns here in Timor Leste, then across to West Timor, Indonesia then begin island hopping my way towards Thailand.



Hurry Up and Wait

Darwin has been a great place to visit for a short period while waiting for the ship to transport my motorcycle to Dili, East Timor. Darwin is very laid back, casual, friendly and easy to find my way around on my bike or walking.

While in Darwin I visited a reptile and crocodile zoo within a building in the city centre. They have barramundi in an aquarium, though I would prefer to have one on the end of a fishing line, then on my plate as a meal. These fish were big and fat and would not have the taste of a wild caught barra. They also have native lizards, snakes and small crocodiles for handling. I always enjoy crocodile encounters while fishing rivers in Cape York Northern Australia, so holding a croc was a bonus.

But Darwin was my stepping stone to South East Asia, so faced with a three week stay due to shipping delays an alternative plan was hatched. I needed somewhere cheap with a direct flight back to Dili to pick up my bike once the ship was repaired and sailed from Darwin.

Where else would an Aussie go for a cheap and cheerful holiday, Bali Indonesia of course.
So, I am currently relaxing in a fabulous little guest house with a pool side room and a little Honda scooter to get around on.

Motorcycle Change

I set out on my Moto Adventure on a big old BMW R100 GS PD, not entirely happy with the bike right from the get go I spent a day test riding 4 or 5 different bikes for a possible replacement. I persisted with the PD to Cairns, but on arrival decided it was now or never to change bikes, it would be to late once I exited Australia. The decision was made to replace the PD and the test bike I rode that ticked the most boxes for me was another BMW, an F 800 GS Adventure. The bike was source in Townsville, thanks to the boys at Moto Life, the PD was trucked home and I will now continue my adventure on a mid size adventure motorcycle.

While in Cairns I took the opportunity to ride some of my favourite roads including the Captain Cook Highway, Cairns to Port Douglas and up the Gillies Highway, Cairns to Atherton.

Upon leaving the familiar surrounding of Cairns, biding farewell and a big thank you to my great mate, his equally great partner, their lively daughter and urban farm yard collection of animals I rode the Gillies once again for an overnight stay in the cool climate at Ravenshoe.

The cool climate has now given way to the heat and after a week of 40 degree temperatures with stays in Normanton, Edel's Grove (Lawn Hill NP), Mt Isa, Three Ways, Katherine and Litchfield NP I am in Darwin.