21.o9.2o18 • Denpasar / Bali

sun sea & surfboards .. this is what an endless summer in `Bali´ looks like !! after two flights with one short stop in `Jakarta´ we finally arrived in `Denpasar´ .. the capital of the dream island `Bali´ in Indonesia. the first thing we did was renting a scooter to get to all the different beaches & seasides. but you have to be careful !! there are a lot of corrupt policemen in `Bali´ who stop tourists for no reason just in order to get money. even if we did not get into any trouble we heard stories from other travellers .. just be aware & try to avoid contact with policemen !! so on our first day on `Bali´ we explored the south western part of the island. first stop: `Balangan Beach´ .. huge waves & fantastic views from the top of the cliffs. we just spent some time there watching the surfers out at sea taking waves & tubes .. amazing !! next stop: `Padang Beach´ .. pretty crowded but the perfect spot to take a dip in the super clear water of the indian ocean. but watch out !! there are a lot of monkeys who might steal your clothes !! after this vitamin sea refreshment we took a walkaround along the ocean road where you can find various cafés & restaurants & all kinds of surfer brand shops like `BillaBong´ or `Ripcurl´. we had lunch in a small café, drank some cold lime juice (the best drink against thurst & heat !!) & watched all the motorbikes with installed `surfboard holder´ passing by on their way to the beach. `Bali´ .. the paradise for surfers, beach lovers & travel enthusiasts !! in the evening we enjoyed the stunning sunset at the beach right next to our airbnb. surrounded by palm trees, white sand & huge waves rolling onto the beach we finally realized we arrived in paradise !! the next day began with some super tasty fruit granola bowls at `Secret Spot´ .. a small yoghurt bar & café in the middle of `Kuta Selatan´ .. the southern part of `Bali´. strengthened & curious about what our second day on the island would be like we started our scooter ride to one of the most popular & most amazing beaches of whole `Bali´: `Pandawa Beach´. the perfect spot for all seashell collectors .. a beautiful white beach with thousands of small & glittering shells & stones !! after some hours of relaxing here we finally moved on towards the south east. next stop: `Nusa Dua Beach´.. the place where all the luxury resorts & hotels are located & where people drink cocktails while relaxing in the shade next to their infinity pool .. not quite our level !! nevertheless we enjoyed the good beach vibes & took some deep breaths of salty `Bali´ air !! our last evening on this island came faster than expected .. time goes so fast right when you`d like to stop it. but in a few days we will already be back in `Bali´ .. after having explored another paradise spot .. i`ll keep you posted :))

25.o9.2o18 • Trawangan / Gili Islands

there are three islands between `Bali´ & `Lombok´ which are called the `Gili Islands´. we visited the biggest one of them named `Trawangan´ where we arrived by boat just before noon. as motorbikes & cars are not allowed on the island we had to find our way through all the small & dusty paths on our own. we finally had to ask a local for the way to our hostel & his respond was just the best one ever: `at the next mango tree turn left & then you`ll see it´ !! well at least he was right & we finally  found our homestay `Jawa House´ where we would stay for three nights. even if the island is not big (1o min from one side to the other) we decided to stay two whole days here just to enjoy the (almost) last days of our journey. and this is what we did !! on our first day we relaxed at the beautiful beach, explored the promenades of the island, walked through deep jungle & ate lunch in the best restaurant of the whole island: `Pituq Waroeng´. this cowzy place offers delicious local food & the best iced coffees & teas .. but the MUST try is the `Gulai Curry´ with cloves, cardamom & nutmeg .. just amazing !! in the evening we joined the open air movie night at the beach on the west coast of the island. first we had a drink & watched the sunset & when it got dark the movie session started.. what a great evening!! it was quite funny that they played `Ted´ & `Ted 2´ on the two evenings we came there :)) on our second day we went snorkeling in the reef where we saw wild living sea turtles .. an amazing experience !! after spending too much time in the water & under the sun we went around the island by bike, ate pizza & watched another wonderful sunset at the beach. by the way .. do you remember the heavy earthquake on `Lombok´ about three weeks ago ? it is sad to see that even on `Trawangan´ there are still so many collapsed buildings & broken roads .. unbelievable what the power of our earth can do. nevertheless we really enjoyed our time on this small island .. no hurry, no duty, no MUST see tourist attractions .. just the sea & us !! so today we are already back to `Bali´ near the city `Ubud´ in the northern part of the island. we are going to spend our last days here before leaving to Germany again. so here come the last days .. but not the least !!

here you can see `Pituq Waroeng´ .. the best restaurant on `Trawangan´ island !!

28.o9.2o18 • Sanur / Bali

we spent our last two days on Bali in `Sanur´ .. a small town on the east coast of the island. on our first day we drove to the western coast by scooter to get to `Kuta Beach´. the waves out there are fantastic & pretty popular with surfers. so of course we had to take a shot & rent two surfboards for the day !! the water was quite warm so we didn`t need to wear a wetsuite which i really appreciated (it`s much more comfi). but be careful !! as soon as you get into the water you will be pulled out into the sea by the strong wake of the waves. so don`t paddle too far !! anyway the waves were pretty good & also pretty high for our kind of intermediate surfers .. but at least we tried :)) the next day started early. our plan was to drive up into the north of the island to see some of the famous balinese waterfalls !! it took us about 2 hours to get up there .. but the way was worth it. we came accross a lot of rice terraces, typical balinese gates, old temples & the one or the other strawberry field !! it`s crazy .. up on the `Strawberry Hill´ in the north of Bali strawberries grow through out the whole year !! furthermore you have a fantastic view from up there & can even see the famous `Agung´ vulcano. we drove further along lakes & little villages & finally arrived at `Banyumala Twin Waterfalls´ !! a steep path leaded us down towards the waterfalls .. banana plants, excotic flowers & palm trees all around. after about 15 min we finally arrived at our first waterfall .. an amazing sight !! as we stood up quite early we had the whole waterfall for us alone. sunshine, sparkling water & silence .. the pure beauty of nature !! in whole we visited 4 waterfalls .. one more imposing than the other .. an absolutely MUST see when visiting Bali !! all in all we have really seen a lot on this beautiful island but there is still such a lot to see .. i`ll come back some day i promise.