Monkeys, rice padis and castaway islands – we’ve landed in Asia

Our first port of call in Asia is Indonesia. Indonesia is a country with over 17,500 islands, slap bang on the equator it is fourth in the world in terms of population (after China, India and USA) and is the world’s largest Muslim country. It also has one of the most diverse eco-systems on the planet and is home to a tree-kangaroo, a frog with no lungs (it breathes through its skin) and the orang-utan (which we’re hoping to see!) as well as much more.

Our room - first night in Indonesia

From Darwin (a very small, hot and humid Australian city) we decided to opt for a few days in the cultural centre of Bali – Ubud - instead of the drunken Aussie filled beaches of the south! Bali, in particular Ubud, was a brilliant entrance point into Asia. The island of Bali is predominately Hindu which in itself is fascinating as it sits in a Muslim country. Every day walking around Ubud we saw offerings to the Hindu gods being made, the smell of incense was always present and the ornate temples scattered around the town were very impressive. After all the over-priced Australian and New Zealand backpacker hostels we happily found ourselves staying at an immaculate complex of bungalows with infinity pool in front and a bright green rice padi at the back – all for about a quarter of the price of a dorm bed!

The view of the rice terraces

Lunch...

On one of our five days in Ubud we took a walk to a sacred monkey forest at one end of town – imagine a tropical forest complete with temples and a few hundred local monkeys. We were both fascinated by how human they behaved – combing and grooming each other, fighting over bananas and protective mothers keeping a close eye on their mischievous off-spring.

I signed up (and dragged Tom) to a couple of hardcore yoga and pilates classes (very amusing watching him stand in various ballet positions all in the name of good posture). Also with almost every other shop offering massages we couldn’t resist and booked ourselves in for full body massages complete with warm bath filled with flowers to relax in afterwards – Tom thought he was in heaven!

From Bali we took a boat trip to the Gili islands just off the coast of Bali’s neighbouring island Lombok. Gili Trawangan is known for being a laidback, hedonistic island - it is a castaway-type place with awesome snorkelling, crystal clear water and we’re staying in a bungalow run by a local family spanning four generations.

There are no cars or motorbikes on the island (which is the opposite of bustling Bali) so instead they use pony-drawn carts (it’s a tropical version of Zermatt!). One other noticeable difference between here and Bali (and South America) is the apparent lack of stray dogs, instead the island is populated by very slim versions of my mum’s tabby cat Milly (RIP). Trying to sleep through the nearby mosque’s morning call to prayer has been interesting but definitely adds to the island’s exotic feel.

"Gili Milly"

First impressions of Asia have been good to say the least.