Then really early in the morning (1:35 AM) of July 26 we got on a Qantas plane for our flight to Australia.

This link will take you straight to the part about experiences in the Northern Territories of Australia.











The walk down was much easier since it was now light and we could see where we were going. After we recovered, it was on to the north coast of Bali. On the way we went through some areas where they grow spices and we saw cloves being dried along the roads. We spent two nights and one day on a quite beach on Bali's north coast. There was no real border between the hotel and the beach. Below you can see us having breakfast next to the beach.
That night we attended a performance of the Wayang shadow puppets. This is the only part in our itinerary that I would not recommend to the next person going to Bali. The traditional puppet show was completely incomprehensible to us. If it had not been for the funny additions in English, by the puppet master, it would have been real boring.

On day 4 of the Bali tour we left our hotel in Ubud in the morning. On our way North we made a side trip to the Bat Cave temple, and finally Besakih, which is the mother temple of Bali. This temple is surrounded by 40 other temples. As a result it is an impressive site, even though as non-Hindu we are not allowed to enter any of the temples. But since all temples consist mostly of open structures surrounded by low walls, you can see almost everything. Below you see Diederik and the boys standing at the bottom of the staircase to the entrance of the main temple.
That night we stayed in a small village at the bottom of Mount Batur. This is a volcano that is re-building itself in-side a very large crater that is left over from an eruption long long ago. There is a small hotel on the edge of a big lake that covers about one quarter of the large crater. They all say that it is really beautiful to see the sun rise from the top. So very early in the morning, we started to climb the volcano with a poorly prepared guide. He had brought one flashlight for the five of us. Luckily he was able to talk another guide out of one of his flashlights. Because it was pitch dark and there was barely a path, it was hard to see where we were going. Nevertheless, we made it to the top with the help of a second guide who carried Stephen part of the way on his back. We had breakfast on top consisting of eggs and banana sandwiches. However, when the sun finally came up, it was so pretty that it was worth all the effort.
Finally, we visited a gamelan maker. It was a long morning, but it left us enough time for Stephanie to have a nice 2 hour Boreh Massage on the edge of the river by our hotel. That evening we watched the Kecak and Fire dance.  These dances are quite different from what we are used to, especially this one where there is constant chanting in the background of only one word "Kecak"; hence the name of this dance.

Our third day in Ubud started with the Barong and Kris dance. We were quite early in the theater and had a chance to look behind the stage at the preparations taking place. Getting the dancers dressed up is a very time consuming affair. There are many fresh flowers used in the girls costumes, so you have to start all over every day. Before you do anything important in Bali, you have to make an offering. Thus on the stage of the theater were offerings set out. Because there are many people involved in this dance, these offerings were more extensive then what you typically see, but they contain all the standard components.
Our last stop on the way to Ubud was at the Royal Temple Taman Ayun.

There are still many traditional crafts people to be found on Bali. We visited some of them on our second day in Ubud. First, we went to the woodcarvers in the village of
Mas. There we bought a beautiful carved statue of an old farmer carrying fruits and vegetables. Next were the gold- and silversmiths in Celuk, where we bought some souvenirs for Nicole. We also stopped at the batik makers in Tohpati. We bought several Sarongs there. On the picture you can see Stephen showing his.
The second stop was by the temple in the Alas Kedaton holy monkey forest. The monkeys here are used to being given peanuts and coconut pieces by the tourists. As you see, they are not shy.
Our 2001 Vacation, the vacation of a lifetime (page 3)


Our Tour through Bali
For the second week in Bali, we found a travel company that specializes in Bali, who organized a wonderful tour for us through many facets of the Bali. We began in Ubud the cultural center of Bali. Our travel agent found us a nice hotel, with one house on the property. This house was once the residence of the artist Walter Spies. We have rented this house for a couple of nights.

On our way from Club Med to Ubud, we made three stops. The first stop was at the Sea Temple of Tanah Lot (that deserves a second link). As you can see this temple is build in a really pretty location. As always in Bali, the best things are saved for God and his temples. While we were there, a family ceremony was taking place in one of the peripheral areas of the temple.
The second stop was by the temple in the Alas Kedaton holy monkey forest. The monkeys here are used to being given peanuts and coconut pieces by the tourists. As you see, they are not shy.
Our last stop on the way to Ubud was at the Royal Temple Taman Ayun.

There are still many traditional crafts people to be found on Bali. We visited some of them on our second day in Ubud. First, we went to the woodcarvers in the village of
Mas. There we bought a beautiful carved statue of an old farmer carrying fruits and vegetables. Next were the gold- and silversmiths in Celuk, where we bought some souvenirs for Nicole. We also stopped at the batik makers in Tohpati. We bought several Sarongs there. On the picture you can see Stephen showing his.
Finally, we visited a gamelan maker. It was a long morning, but it left us enough time for Stephanie to have a nice 2 hour Boreh Massage on the edge of the river by our hotel. That evening we watched the Kecak and Fire dance.  These dances are quite different from what we are used to, especially this one where there is constant chanting in the background of only one word "Kecak"; hence the name of this dance.

Our third day in Ubud started with the Barong and Kris dance. We were quite early in the theater and had a chance to look behind the stage at the preparations taking place. Getting the dancers dressed up is a very time consuming affair. There are many fresh flowers used in the girls costumes, so you have to start all over every day. Before you do anything important in Bali, you have to make an offering. Thus on the stage of the theater were offerings set out. Because there are many people involved in this dance, these offerings were more extensive then what you typically see, but they contain all the standard components.
After the dance, we went to Bali's Bird and Reptile Parks. They had many very pretty birds in the park, but all but one were not from Bali. The reptiles also were mostly from other places in the world.

That afternoon we visited a Dukun, the traditional Medicine Man. He still plays a very important role in a place where many people have limited access to Western medical care. He told us extensively about his work and how he had learned his knowledge from his Grandfather. On the picture you can see him showing his books to Stephanie. 
That night we stayed in a small village at the bottom of Mount Batur. This is a volcano that is re-building itself in-side a very large crater that is left over from an eruption long long ago. There is a small hotel on the edge of a big lake that covers about one quarter of the large crater. They all say that it is really beautiful to see the sun rise from the top. So very early in the morning, we started to climb the volcano with a poorly prepared guide. He had brought one flashlight for the five of us. Luckily he was able to talk another guide out of one of his flashlights. Because it was pitch dark and there was barely a path, it was hard to see where we were going. Nevertheless, we made it to the top with the help of a second guide who carried Stephen part of the way on his back. We had breakfast on top consisting of eggs and banana sandwiches. However, when the sun finally came up, it was so pretty that it was worth all the effort.
That night we attended a performance of the Wayang shadow puppets. This is the only part in our itinerary that I would not recommend to the next person going to Bali. The traditional puppet show was completely incomprehensible to us. If it had not been for the funny additions in English, by the puppet master, it would have been real boring.

On day 4 of the Bali tour we left our hotel in Ubud in the morning. On our way North we made a side trip to the Bat Cave temple, and finally Besakih, which is the mother temple of Bali. This temple is surrounded by 40 other temples. As a result it is an impressive site, even though as non-Hindu we are not allowed to enter any of the temples. But since all temples consist mostly of open structures surrounded by low walls, you can see almost everything. Below you see Diederik and the boys standing at the bottom of the staircase to the entrance of the main temple.
The walk down was much easier since it was now light and we could see where we were going. After we recovered, it was on to the north coast of Bali. On the way we went through some areas where they grow spices and we saw cloves being dried along the roads. We spent two nights and one day on a quite beach on Bali's north coast. There was no real border between the hotel and the beach. Below you can see us having breakfast next to the beach.
Finally on our last day we traveled back to Denpasar, the capital of Bali. Along the way, we ran into a group of women on their way to the temple for an important ceremony. Therefore, they had made much larger offerings than normal. Like everything else they carried them on their heads.
At one point, we stopped at the Munduk waterfall; it was a little bit away from the road so we had to walk. Close to the waterfall, we walked by an old farmer working his little fields.
We also stopped at Lake Beratan (that is a crater lake) and the biggest spice market on Bali. In Lake Beratan was like always a temple.
Then really early in the morning (1:35 AM) of July 26 we got on a Qantas plane for our flight to Australia.

This link will take you straight to the part about experiences in the Northern Territories of Australia.