Fantastic tropical Bali down from the extraterrestrial landscape of Mount Bromo I find myself in the hectic and chaotic reality' of Indonesia. With a night bus to Probolinggo I move to Bali, where I come, stoned, at 5 am. A taxi, the meter will most likely fake, takes me away from Denpasar, the city 'more' big island, Kuta, discharging directly into the heart of the bustling and crowded tourist destination worldwide.
Bali and 'different, unique and fascinating. Indonesia and 'a Muslim country but the island of Bali' of Hindu religion, if the Indonesians are polite and friendly, the Balinese are even more '. Day after day the island reveals its many facets, as a place ... fantastic.
I rented a scooter so I can move in freedom '. Although the island is tiny compared to Sumatra or Borneo, the main tourist attractions are still separate fifty km apart.
The first days were spent in Legian, in the south of the island, a short walk from Kuta beach in the pit. The beach and 'long, beautiful, with waves of average height and capricious crashing on the shore, a great place to take their first steps on a surfboard. I'm lazy days, including baths, reading, sunsets and night sweating in hot, crowded clubs along with many Australians in jeopardy and muscular surfers.
South of Kuta beach gives way to the coastline of the Bukit peninsula that ends in the beautiful promontory of Ulu Watu. Here the strength dell'oceno Indian clashes against black volcanic rocks, high and mighty waves roar continuously against the cliffs. At the point where the sea the land meets the Balinese have built a temple, high above the waves on top of this magical cape. An exciting place, full of energy, where the eye finds no rest. Not far from the rough rock, nonsense and intrepid surfers challenge waves much more 'high for them. I find myself totally immersed in the fascinating beauty of the place, so much to come back several times during the stay on the island.
In the opposite direction to the Bukit Peninsula is rather Ubud, a town near the center of the island. Lush tropical vegetation, humidity, 'rice fields and temples are the characteristics of this area. E ', cultural capital of the island, the retreat of artists, especially painters, internationally renowned. Every day, the evenings are filled with the sounds and colors of traditional dances and theatrical performances. Compared to the bustle of Kuta here you will find yourself catapulted into a new dimension, dominated by the peace '. Many hotel chains have built luxury resort in Ubud, where splendid buildings hidden by vegetation zealous uniformed staff is responsible for the care of the body and mind of their customers, beauty treatments, various therapies, meditation, yoga, painting classes and cooking. Here you can 'happen to get lost among the rice fields, and as' happened to me, and to have addressed the right way by an elderly peasant in return please do not ask for anything but a smile. Ubud and 'magnetic: the atmosphere and the kindness of the people could be attracted for weeks.
along on a scooter on the streets of this area one comes across often in religious processions: long lines of Balinese dressed in traditional clothes - men, women and children - bring offerings to the temple, including music and fragrant incense. Shows in which no one is indifferent. Women with long hair and smooth blacks, with flowers in her hair, seem to come directly from a painting by Gauguin. Religion and 'a constantly present in everyday life in Bali, and the offers of flowers, fruits and incense sticks to punctuate the entrances of houses and shops.
My explorations of the island and then take me on the east coast, to Amed, a charming fishing village. The landscape is characterized by a succession of small coves of black sand, coconut trees and the typical fishing boat of white lacquered wood: trimarans. The villages are small and you stay in bungalows on the beach or on the high cliffs. The daunting summit of Gunung Agung, an active volcano, watch over this coast, the steep slopes of his knowledge she started to touch the clear blue sea. Not far from the beaches of Amed I dive and I see the wreck of an old Japanese warship. It 'almost completely submerged by sand, but the little boxes and' beautifully studded with coral. Hundreds of colorful fish playing hide and seek in the folds of rusty metal e una stella marina si muove lenta sul fondo sabbioso.
Alla sera, seduto sotto la veranda del mio bungalow ascolto i rumori del mare e mi lascio accarezzare da una fresca brezza. Il mio soggiorno a Bali non e' ancora terminato ma nella mente si affollano gia' i ricordi dei molteplici volti di questa terra: il traffico asfissiante di Denpasar e Kuta, i templi battuti da mare e vento a Ulu Watu e Tanah Lot, le danze e le processioni religiose di Ubud, le torride notti in discoteca, le spiaggie, le onde, la lussureggiante vegetazione tropicale, i sorrisi dei balinesi, il dolce profumo dell'incenso. Bali e' tutto questo. Turismo, misticismo, rifugio tropicale, surf, arte. Fantastica.
Rene'
Wuthering The journey from Jepara (the city 'home to the Swedes) in Probolinggo and' a perfect example of "slow travel by bus" in Indonesia. Another ... You think. It 's the rule ... I got it. Use almost 13 hours to do 250km of road. Exhausting. The fact that you are on Java, the island more 'populated country, has done nothing but make things worse.
The bus without air conditioning, and 'cluttered and, as tradition has no fixed stopping points, but stops when someone wants to raise or lower it. And there are only passengers. For long stretches and is' in the company of groups of guys trying to pick up some money playing the guitar or selling soft drinks, peanuts and snacks. As the only foreigner on the bus I am overwhelmed dagli "hello mister!" degli indonesiani.
Arrivato a Probolinggo mi faccio scaricare di fronte ad un hotel, sulla strada principale, e mi sistemo in una camera economica.
Il giorno successivo prendo un taxi collettivo (pulmino) e salgo a 2000m fino ai bordi del cratere del vulcano Bromo. E' una delle principali attrattive turistiche di Java e ci sono parecchie guesthouse nel piccolo villaggio ai margini della caldera.
L'aria fredda e una sveglia puntata alle 3.30 mi costringono a letto presto. Quando lo squillo del cellulare mi rianima mi trovo alle prese con una spasmodica ricerca di vestiti caldi: camicia, maglione, cappellino di lana, persino la giacca invernale. Sembro in procinto di partire per una spedizione alpina.
Mi butto in strada alla ricerca di un passaggio per il punto panoramico dal quale ammirare l'alba, posto a 2600m di altezza. Di fronte alla guesthouse, c'e' un gran movimento di jeep e 4x4 ma i veicoli sono gia' tutti pieni. In lontananza addocchio un ragazzo indonesiano in sella ad una moto. Appena mi avvicino mi offre un passaggio. In moto? Ma รจ sicuro? chiedo. No problem mister, mi rassicura. Negozio la tariffa e salto su. La strada scende all'interno del cratere: e' buoio pesto, fa freddo e c'e' una nebbia che impedisce di vedere a piu' di 10m di distanza. La carreggiata e' una striscia di sabbia nera, vulcanica. Ci si muove in difficolta'. Il ragazzo deve mettere giu' i piedi un paio di volte e fermare la moto perche' le route si bloccano nella sabbia fine. I begin to doubt that we will succeed. Yesterday afternoon, with the eye, the crater seemed to me at least 2 or 3 miles wide. At one point the road starts to climb. We're leaving the caldera and we started to climb up one of the edges. The white cloud of water vapor and sulfur gives way to a serene sky illuminated by stars of last night. The facial skin has lost sensitivity 'and I have the forehead and eyebrows dewy drops of icy water. I try to nascodermi as much 'as possible behind the body of the driver, to minimize the impact of cold air.
After an endless series of switchbacks finally reach the parking lot of the viewpoint. I shot a coffee 'boiling and eating a packet of wafers that had hidden in his jacket. 5 and we are the next morning.
The balcony and 'full of people. Someone has' deceived by the equatorial latitudes and around in shorts and sandals, try not to show it, but is suffering terribly. At an altitude of 2600m it is cold all over the world, especially if it is not 'yet risen sun.
The first segment gives a nod to 5.30, gradually illuminating the caldera and the volcano's slopes. It 's a spectacular view. Inside the crater there are two volcanic cones, smaller, one active. The dense white smoke coming out from the top 'and' an unstoppable flow. In the distance, beyond the deep crater of Bromo, the perfect cone of another volcano rising over 3000m. Every ten minutes, with the precision of a Swiss watch, shoot the arrogants of black smoke, rising into the sky, take the form of a mushroom.
Landscape and 'surreal. The crater of Bromo and 'still covered by a thick white cloud that hides the black sand, occasionally the cloud, like a glass of water filled to the brim, overflowing, spilling over the village on the edge the crater. The tips of two small volcanoes in the center, springing from the white expanse, the thick fumarole sulfur rises vertically to the sky and a high volcano in the distance, from the steep slopes, watch the scene. Except for the green fields and forest surrounding the crater of Bromo could have the sensation of being landed on a planet in space. Black and gray are the predominant colors of this landscape.
are not lost in the universe, I'm just enjoying another aspect of the tumultuous, wild, lively and unpredictable land of Indonesia.
Rene '
Journey to the Center of Java Imperative: leave Jakarta; away, forget it. Go to Jodja and immerse in the city 'more academic' large in Indonesia. Culture, after the madness.
Return to a pace more 'appropriate to the trip: wake up early and sightseeing before tropical temperatures make it untenable to move around. Spending quiet days to discover architectural treasures Borodbur as the stupa (a Buddhist stupa more 'big in the world) and the ruins of Hindu temples of Prambanan, seriously damaged by a recent earthquake.
I am in the middle of the island of Java and, unlike Jakarta, the region and the city 'of Jodja are rich in tourist attractions: the royal palaces, museums, cultural performances, exhibitions of handicrafts. In the evening the streets of Jodja are filled with college students and students on a trip, mingling with tourists in the frantic search for cheap souvenirs. Itinerant restaurants, stalls and rickshaws 'pedal crowded every available space and the air is already' wet his office is more of odors and flavors.
The City 'to Solo, a 1 ora di treno da Jodja, non ha lo stesso appeal della sua illustre vicina, ma vale comunque una visita per ammirare le piantagioni di the e i templi induisti che caratterizzano le verdi colline a est dell'abitato. Sull'isola di Java immergersi nella natura per scoprire angoli incontaminati non e' altrettanto facile come nella selvaggia e immensa Sumatra: la densita' della popolazione e' molto alta e sull'isola si contano oltre 120 milioni di abitanti.
Raggiungo poi la costa settentrionale dell'isola e mi fermo a Jepara dove incontro gli imprenditori svedesi, padre e figlio, conosciuti a Singapore. La zona pullula di mobilifici e saloni d'arredamento; dev'essere la Brianza dell' Indonesia. Ho giusto il tempo per passare una notte perche' il mattino successivo sono gia' su un battello in direzione dell'arcipelago di Karimunjaya, una delle poche zone ancora inesplorate di Java. Gli svedesi mi ospiteranno al loro resort!
Il vecchio traghetto, arrugginito dagli anni e dalla salsedine, arranca in un mare abbastanza mosso. Resto ancorato per 6 ore alla mia poltroncina, incapace di alzarmi, camminare e mangiare. Prima di arrivare nel resort di proprieta' degli svedesi devo ancora sorbirmi oltre 1 ora di trasferimento su una barca di legno, lunga una decina di metri. Disteso sul tetto, insieme ad un gruppo di operai diretti al resort, scruto le prime stelle di questo caldo crepuscolo nei mari del sud.
Arrivato sull'isola, privata, vengo sorpreso dal luxury of a 5-star hotel. In my bungalow octagonal shade of coconut palms, there 'air conditioning, satellite TV, a large double bed and bathroom with hot water. To the restaurant is 'already' a hot meal and a cold beer waiting for me, a royal welcome!
The next day I'm going to poke around. In less than one hour I have walked the entire circumference of the island and I could ascertain that, in addition to Lax - the owner - her brother and a group of workers on the island there's only me! The resort 'still closed and the activities' maintenance and' busy in the upcoming reopening.
Being alone on a tiny island tropical paradise or trap? The answer is probably 'related to the period of stay. In my case, there are only 2 per day, the feelings are very positive. A fiery sunset, as the mosquitoes I massacred her ankles, has closed a lazy day, so lazy that I did the first bath at 4 in the afternoon. I immersed myself in the vicinity of pier, surrounded by a bunch of sardines, I swam among thousands of shiny things that moved in perfect sync: amazing.
another excellent dinner in the evening, along with his brother and Lax. Only one regret: the next day and 'already' planned return to Java. See you at the Kura Kura Resort (www.kurakuraresort.com).
Rene '
