Bali, Indonesia - recap

This is a recap of a week-long trip to Bali, Indonesia I took during the last week of November 2009.  With a population of approximately 3.5 million people and 90% of the population adhering to Balinese Hinduism, Bali is a unique tourist destination renowned for its beautiful beaches and arts.

Stephanie and I in Bali

Bali's largest city is its capital Denpasar, in the south center portion of the island.  The beach resorts of Kuta are located to the wet, while the mountainous, central region of Ubud is the center of Balinese culture.  We stayed in the Kuta/Seminiyak side of the island, but took frequent trips outside of the area by booking a tour guide/driver since public transit is virtually non-existent.  For the price of about USD $30/day, we could book an entire day of festivities including dinner, which we considered a real deal. The rest of this entry will be a mostly photo-based recap of the major sites and experiences we encountered in Bali.

Pura Tamun Ayun
One of many temples in Bali we visited, Pura (meaning temple) Tamun Ayun is located in Mengwi Village, 18 kilometers north of Denpasar.  It was pretty and surrounded by a large fish pond so as to appear afloat on water. 

This was posted in front of all of the temples we visited in Bali.

Entrance to the temple.

Giant fish pond surrounding the temple.

Batubalan
As an artistic area on Bali's west side, Batubalan is famous for the Barong dance. Barong is a Balinese mythical character known as the king of spirits, leader of god, and enemy of Rangda, the demon queen or witch.  He is often represented as the lion.  You can see a clip of the Barong dance below.

Additionally, this area of Bali is home to many other arts such as a natural herb garden and painters, wood carvers, gold and silver workers, bone carvers, and batik artists. Many art vendors will run their businesses in traditional Balinese housing compounds, with the entire family involved in the artistic process.

Men carving the wood...

...and women polishing the wood.

Ubud
Located in the central foothills of Bali, Ubud was once the source of medicinal herbs and plants, but today is known for an abundance of rice paddies.  The Monkey Forest is a sacred nature reserve located in Ubud, where over three hundred Crab-Eating Macaque monkeys live.

Ubud Rice Paddies

Macaques in Monkey Forest

Pura Tanah Lot
Located in Western Bali, Tanah Lot is a rock formation home to a pilgrimage temple, which is on of seven sea temples built around the Balinese coast.

Pilgrims and tourists flocking toward Purah Tanah Lot.

Pura Luhur Uluwatu
Another Balinese sea temple is located in Uluwatu. A word on the monkeys: unlike their counterparts at Monkey Forest, these monkeys are much more aggressive and keen on stealing sunglasses and water bottles from unsuspecting tourists. I had my sunglasses stolen, as well as my hairband which was yanked out of my hair by a monkey. The traditional Balinese Kecak dance is also performed nightly in Uluwatu. Known also as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, this dance is performed mostly by men who chant "cak" to tell the story of the monkey-like Vanara helping Prince Rama fight evil King Ravana.

View from Uluwatu.

Monkey with stolen water bottle at Uluwatu.

Dreamland Beach
One of Bali's most beautiful beaches is located on the Bukit Peninsula and is the site of the failed Pecatu Graha development planned by the corrupt youngest son of former Balinese president Suharto.

Balinese Wildlife
After snorkeling in crystal clear waters where fish swam into our hands to feed on bread pieces, we spent an afternoon at a "petting zoo" of sorts on Turtle Island. Besides turtles, we saw and pet a toucan, eagle, flying fox (fruit bat), moniker lizard, and python. On another day, we also spent a morning white water rafting and riding elephants.

Moniker lizard

Flying fox

A 15 year old python snake.

Riding an elephant

Kuta/Seminiyak
This was our homebase in southern Bali. A former fishing village, Kuta is full of narrow streets with tiny cars and vespahs, and tons of touristy vendors, This is a major tourist area known for the long sandy Kuta Beach and Double Six Beach. There is an abundance of surfing, shopping, and good eats in this area of Bali.

Double Six Beach

Makeshift petrol stations in Kuta.

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Cambodia - Siem Reap

To read about Phnom Penh, click HERE, about the Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Work Project, HERE.

Siem Reap is located north of Phnom Penh.  It can be accessed through ferry, airplane (into Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport), or via bus.  The latter is the cheapest, although it takes about six hours.  This city has become a popular tourist destination since it is the gateway for the famous Angkor Wat temple.  Compared to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap appears more spread out and laid back.  Even in terms of traffic, Siem Reap is much less hectic and populated.  It also retains much of the town's original image, culture and traditions.

We only spent one night and one full day in Siem Reap after spending a week in Phnom Penh and just before departing for Bali.  Supposedly, the main reason to come to Siem Reap is the visit Angkor Wat and Ta Prahm, so that is what we did.

Angkor Wat

This UNESCO World Heritage Site contains the remains of the ancient Khmer civilization and is characterized by its five towers and thousands of feet of wall carvings devoted to Hindu mythology.  The best time to visit Angkor Wat is first thing in the morning.  Arrange for a tuk tuk to take you there before sunrise (dozens, if not hundreds, of tourists do this), and head in early to stake out the perfect spot to watch the sun rise from behind Angkor Wat.  Bring a camera, tripod, and a flashlight.  Elephant rides are also rumored to be available, if that is your fancy.

Ta Prohm 

Many smaller but impressive temples are located in the same region as Angkor Wat; buying a pass to see Angkor Wat will typically allow entrance into multiple temples.  This temple was originally founded as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university, but was left in ruin and largely privated.  It wasn't until Angelina Jolie's blockbuster Tomb Raider was filmed here that the temple opened to the public.  Ta Prohm is currently one of the most popular temples in the area.  It is still in ruins, but that is likely just part of its appeal.  Spend at least an hour getting lost in the remains of this temple and its jungle surroundings.  Also, look for the stegosaurus!

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Cambodia - Phnom Penh

To read about Siem Reap, click HERE, about the Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Work Project, HERE.

Throughout the weeklong Habitat for Humanity Carter Project, there was no time for cultural excursions or touristy activities.  There was, however, a great opportunity to eat in many buffet style Southeast Asian restaurants for each night's dinner, and the chance to see authentic Cambodian dancing at both the  opening and closing ceremonies.

Self-navigating Cambodia is not terribly difficult, as Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are tourist attractions and English-speakers are abound; Cambodians are also generally very friendly and polite.  It's also worth noting that native Cambodians are known as Khmer, and their language is also called Khmer.  As in Naples and most other non-US cities, expect traffic to appear crazy and loosely-regulated; if you want to cross a street, you need to abandon cautiousness and run at any openings you see.  Motorbikes (vespahs) are the vehicles of choice, and it's common to see entire families situated on one bike with the youngest clinging to the handlebars up front.  The local "bus" is usually a motorbike pulling a wooden cart with wooden planks for seats, and taxis are "tuk tuks," motorbikes with wheeled carriages in tow.  Everything in Cambodia is relatively cheap and negotiable, so don't be afraid to barter.

In this entry, I will highlight some of the main attractions in the Cambodian cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.  Many of these are "must-dos" for anyone planning to visit Cambodia.  A good plan would be to fly in to Phnom Penh and visit the sites there, and then either fly, bus or boat up to Siem Reap.  We took a 6 hour bus ride to Siem Reap, stopping at a pit stop that allowed for the buying and sampling of fried tarantula.  Though it might sound disgusting, it's truly not that bad.

Russian Market

This market has existed since the 1980's communist era and currently hosts dozens of shops under a roof.  You can get fresh produce and meat, tropical fruits (try dragon fruit, rambutan, and mangosteen), local crafts, clothes, silks, home goods, jewelry (silver is charged by weight), CD's and DVD's, etc, all at decent if not high quality, and stunningly low prices.  Don't forget to bargain!

The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is where King Norodom relocated the country's capital in the mid-1800s.  Prior to this time, the capital was in Oudong, located an hour's drive away from Phnom Penh, where the Habitat for Humanity build site was located (see previous blog for details on the build).  I unfortunately was unable to visit The Royal Palace due to ceremonies occurring on the day I was there, but you can read more about the palace here.


The National Museum of Cambodia

Located next to The Royal Palace, this museum is the world's largest exhibit of Khmer artifacts, with prehistoric, pre-Angkor, Angkor, and post-Angkor items.  It's great for history buffs (in other words, after 15 minutes, I was bored and ready to go).

Toul Sleng Genocide Musuem (S-21 Prison)

Located in Phnom Penh, Toul Sleng (meaning "Hill of Poisonous Trees") was a high school before it was transformed into Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge during its reign of terror from 1975-1979.  The building was enclosed with barbed wire and classrooms were turned into prisons and torture chambers, all evidenced by the remaining iron bars covering windows and in some cases blood staining the floors.  There is also a posting of the security rules of regulation, which give a taste of how strictly controlled the prison was.  An estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Toul Sleng, and many were tortured and killed there.  The museum is open to the public and averages several hundred visitors a day.  Ironically, the man accused of running this prison Comrade Duch, was on trial and flooding the BBC news channel while we were in Cambodia.  Read article HERE.

The Killing Fields of Cheoung Ek

This is the infamous site where at least 200,000 people were executed and buried by the Khmer Rouge during the late 1970s.  Cheoung Ek is presently the representative monument of the Killing Fields and it is presently a Buddhist memorial to the terror.  The large white temple has stacks of human skulls and bones encased in glass, and the surrounding fields are presently green, peaceful, and teeming with wildlife, although wooden signs point out now grassy pits where corpses once rotted.  While Toul Sleng is located in the city, the Killing Fields are a 30 minute tuk tuk ride away from town.

Stung Meanchey Garbage Dump

As a third world country, many expect poverty to be rampant and obvious, but I was surprised to find this was not the case, especially in Phnom Penh.  While it's not London or Manhattan, Phnom Penh seemed much more modern and richer than I had expected.  That's not to say that tragic poverty does not exist.  Visit the garbage dump for a real taste of what poor Cambodians such as the recipients of the Habitat for Humanity houses we built are experiencing.  I wasn't able to visit, but I definitely would if the opportunity presented itself.

NagaWorld Casino/Hotel

The only legal casino in Cambodia, this monster of a building is hard to miss and it colorful outdoor water shows attract locals and tourists to sit on the lawn across the street to enjoy the show.  I didn't actually visit this casino, but its gargantuan size and modernity attract attention, especially since our little hotel was a stone's throw away from NagaWorld.

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Cambodia - Carter Project

Read about Siem Reap HERE, about Phnom Penh HERE.

In November 2009, Stephanie and I embarked on an adventure to Cambodia in Southeast Asia to participate in the annual Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.  The Carters selected the Mekong region for their 2009 project, with work sites in Vietnam, Laos, China, Thailand and Cambodia all occurring during the same week of November.  It is a very unique project that differs greatly from domestic US Habitat builds and even the smaller Global Village trips through Habitat International in the sense that approximately 300 hundred volunteers from all over the world gathered at each work site to help build homes from the ground up for families in need.  We were lodged in Phnom Penh, and every morning caught a 7AM charter bus that took us 90 minutes outside of the city to Oudong, the location of the former capital of Cambodia and where our build site was.

See a Habitat Cambodia video created by Jason Asteros HERE.

Building materials and techniques differed depending on what country you were building in, but in Cambodia, we were working with soy-based bricks weighing around 20 pounds each.  The process was basically dipping bricks into a bucket of water to wash them, and then using trowels to slather mortar on the preceding foundation to build up.  It was tough work, both physically and sometimes mentally since we were working with Cambodians, most of whom didn't speak much English.  But like any other difficult project, this one was well worth it in the end, seeing as 300 volunteers built 21 homes in one week.  We were even visited by the Carters during the housing dedication ceremony, which was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.


The Project.

The Team. (courtesy of Don & Maggie Irwin)



Welcome ceremony




The process...dipping and laying bricks.


Mortar, or as we called it, "mud."


Toilet with a manual flush comprised of a bucket and your arms.


Teamwork. Everything was done by hand.


We always put safety first.


Lunch. The same thing every day. The water company was called "Steve." Each person drank about 10 Steves a day, since it was in the 90s.


Jay hard at work.


Cute kids sold crafts every day, hounding us on the way to the bus.


It wasn't all hard work, as Andy and Phillip demonstrate. Happiness was had after dinner every night.


All pau!


The New Life Community.


The recipients of the home we built.

The Carters even stopped by to say thanks!

But perhaps the best part of all, we were invited to view the transitional living quarters of the family whose home we were building. It was just up the street, not far from the build site, and it was a definite step up from the garbage dump site they had previously been living in.


Follow us!

Transitional home.


Baby Daniel (named after the Australian project sponsor) and his father Hok.


The eldest daughter (age 7).


Maggie and the matriarch of the home compound (she was in her 70s).


The family's adoptive son and mother in the background.

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