406 replies to this topic

[paulgila]

join us as we return to indonesia in june of 2011,this time determined to see some new sights!

the 1st leg of the trip is from los angeles to taipei.


actual ticket stubs from the actual trip,actually.



here we are somewhere over the pacific...
but still in the plane.
you know what i mean.


after the meds wore off i woke up enough to notice that we are nearing japan.


looks like we are right over osaka,"food capitol" of japan!

[paulgila]

airplane food is getting worse.this is allegedly "breakfast."


everyone eats,though,cuz it keeps you occupied for a while.


i learned some chinese words,all of them were "xiexie."


the anticipation builds.

[paulgila]

this little girl looks sweet here,but she kept everyone within a 12-row radius up most of the night.
i felt sorry for her parents,they were simply at a loss to keep her quiet.the look on their faces was similiar to
that of shell-shocked WWI troops i have seen in pictures.


heres what japan looks like to chinese people.


it looks nice out there but its really 70 degrees below zero,or something equally ridiculous.


finally we reach taipei after 14 hours or so & we must trudge down the longest corridor EVER.

[paulgila]

6:30 am local time.


on the train from terminal I to terminal II & the spirits are running high!


if this is a Rohrschach test all i see is colonel sanders.


remodeled resto at the taipei airport!

[paulgila]

perrier costs 200 taipei dollars.
you do the math.


soup comes with a bewildering array of condiments.
i ate all mine & jes' too.


jes doesnt like fish cake(the white thing with the pink center) so i get all hers.
cha-ching!


the massage chair was free if you walked to the other end of the terminal & got tokens.

[paulgila]

most airports overseas have "prayer rooms." what we were supposed to pray about right before getting on a
plane was NOT what i wanted to think about.
all the major religions were represented.




the weird light around the door was creeping me out.
i expected to see a sign saying "the deity is IN."

[_Wal]

something tells me this will be the longest thread of them all.

goodie

[Kim]

Comfortable chair and cup of tea at the ready! Bring it on!

[MattyB]

Do the Nazis pray to Hitler?

[Trópico]

Realistic Paul, I also feel like I took the day-long trip and am still sitting at the airport.

Matty, that is hinduism. The swastika is a very ancient solar symbol that the nazis adopted giving it a bad stigma. Hinduism has always used it. C'mon, don't jeopardize this thread; leave it for the end, after Paul is done posting the last pic.

[John in Andalucia]

Paul, I've always admired your covert photography. You're a pro at this now. Can't wait to see "what happened next"!

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

I see that you are still not out of the airport yet.... I'll come back later.

[paulgila]

after a short 3 hour lay-over in taipei we board for our final destination.
ummm,bali,yeah,thats it.




only 5 & 1/2 more hours!


taiwan from the air.

[paulgila]

lets see if the computer graphic corresponds to the view out the porthole...


yep,looks good to me!

[paulgila]

still over the coast of taiwain.


somewhere over borneo,i think.


getting closer to bali!


the plane was so new it still had that "new plane" smell.

[paulgila]

finally we are there!
our plane lands at about 2:30 pm & it takes about 1/2 hour to get thru customs &
collect our luggage.


we are pretty worn out by the time we get to our room at the keraton hotel in jimbaran,
so i grab my 1st beer of the trip,a bali hai from the fridge in the room. the 1st one
always tastes the best!


i get to the pool as quickly as possible to avoid any serious medical complications from
too little relaxment.

[Jeff Searle]

did you see any palm plants?

[ariscott]

Hey.... that is a nice hotel. I like the pool. I can add to your thread later, Paul... Some nice garden pics from the Bali Bird Park

[paulgila]

that would be cool,ari.

[paulgila]

jes enjoys the complimentary "welcome drink."


jimbaran beach is right out back of our hotel. its one of my fave beaches due to its laid-back
atmosphere.


the sun is getting low.


a newly married couple heads to the shore for some beachy "just-married" pix.

[paulgila]

behind me you can see the airstrip where we landed about 2 hrs.earlier.


newlyweds are still at it.


nearly sun-down and once its below the horizon it gets dark fast!


the other awesome thing about jimbaran is the seafood restos right on the beach(on the sand!)
we usually have lobster but its kind of expensive so this time we got a grilled fish & it
was excellent.

[paulgila]

its the beginning of the busy tourist season so there were alot of
people out enjoying the evening.

[paulgila]

we were pretty tired after a full 24 hours of travel.


still,i managed to get some plant shots as we stumbled back to the hotel.


the next morning i got a few more before breakfast,like this spider lily.

[paulgila]

nice coloration on these elephant ears.


the keraton hotel has an awesome garden!


licuala grandis.


ptychosperma species.

[paulgila]

incredible bonsai collection on the hotel grounds,well-documented with tags
telling how old the plant is.


cool way of displaying orchids so i stole this idea for my own
evil purposes.


musicians play traditional music as we eat breakfast.


we both LOVE bali coffee!

[paulgila]

nice view looking over the pool towards the beach.


after breakfast & a little pool time we venture out.
i needed to buy a new sim card for my indonesian cell phone.




"feed me!"

[paulgila]

biggest cereal bowl ever!


trying to get used to local time by walking in the midday tropical sun.
genius.


temple guardian near the hotel.


some queen palms at the keraton hotel,the only ones i've seen in bali.
i noticed them on a previous stay & they are still lookin' good.

[paulgila]

this would be cool in my back yard.


they are a crafty people.


"i'm hungry!"


we ate lunch at a small warung right across the street from
the hotel. much cheaper & usually better than hotel food,although there are some
exceptions.

[paulgila]

its always a good idea to eat where the locals eat.


the market has lotsa neat stuff,like these little baskets made from palm leaves.


we stopped at a little shop to buy a sim card that was also a photo studio & about
a dozen other things.


the bundles on the right look like palm leaves since they are kinda yellow in the middle.

[paulgila]

bamboo along the street tied together,perhaps to keep it out of the way of passing vehicles.


jes has a continuing fascination with what balinese people can put on a bike or motorbike.


balinese for "gas station."

[bgl]

Palms and planes! What a combination! And we are still only on day two!? Definitely looking forward to the rest. And I'm curious about Java!

[MattyB]

Did you try the Vodka?

[sur4z]

[quote name='pohonkelapa' timestamp='1310002852' post='473786']

behind me you can see the airstrip where we landed about 2 hrs.earlier.

Where planes taking off and landing and generally disturbing the peace?

[paulgila]

it was too far away to be an issue,pedro,if thats what yer asking.

[paulgila]

Did you try the Vodka?

yes,& it gave me "gas."

[nachocarl]

Did you try the Vodka?

yes,& it gave me "gas."

Pretty high octane stuff?

[nachocarl]

we were pretty tired after a full 24 hours of travel.


still,i managed to get some plant shots as we stumbled back to the hotel.


the next morning i got a few more before breakfast,like this spider lily.

Nice! I can smell from here. The spider lily that is!

Edited by nachocarl, 07 July 2011 - 07:50 PM.

[paulgila]

haha that was a "barking spider" lily.
i am fool you!

[paulgila]

back to the beach for some quality "lounging."




"under the spreading chestnut tree,i sold you & you sold me."
name the book.


oh yes!

[paulgila]

boy flying a kite. it was "kite season."


i have no idea what these people were doing but they were doing it for a good 2 hrs.


nearing sunset.