I've been feeling quite lonely the past few days, and it's not just due to Bali/USA withdrawal. Recently I've been plagued with yet another wave of uncertainty and distress, feelings of nostalgia and loneliness all rolled into one, and recent events haven't really helped all that much.
Specifically recent events such as the Pixar exhibition have left me feeling even more neglected than ever. I suppose I shouldn't feel this way, but really, when your friend asks you to go for an outing, then turns it into a group outing with you as the sole outsider, it's almost inevitable to feel this way, and the feeling was heightened through the events of the day. I may as well have gone for it myself. But it's not just that of course, I find myself feeling left out, neglected and lonely. I've also come to the realisation that most of the time, events which I try to initiate always seem to get rejected whereas I find myself caving in to the demands of others, and flashbacks of events such as the A levels release day don't help.
Who do I have to blame for these? My friends, for leaving me out or not taking heed? No, I believe I have to blame myself, at least mostly, for feeling this way. How can I, after all, blame my friends for having others they value more than me? It's their right after all. Who am I to detract from their friendship with others? Friendship isn't just something I can demand, it has to be given freely. And it's not as though they don't give the friendship, they do, just that somehow I never feel satiated. It's like a neverending hunger of mine.
I just wish that sometimes, people would make me feel as though I mattered. Maybe it's just my luck, or the fact that the people I'm friends with don't see things the way I do, but I never really get this from most people. I know, consciously, that they regard me as friends but sometimes my heart just needs more. Sometimes I just feel like a friend of convenience, that people call if they need me or want company, but otherwise they'd rather not go out of their way. I guess it's the differences in the way I see things, I regard each person as an individual and treat the friendship as such, while most people would be happy with anyone's company, not caring who it is.
This loneliness and unjustified jealousy and possessiveness is something I need to get rid of, but I have no idea how, really...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 09, 2010
Indonesia 2010 Day 4
This post hasn't been posted live because the day offered no chance for me to blog at all. It was a pretty eventful one, and I'm glad that all the problems are solved now.
We woke up, finally, after the sun had risen, and went for breakfast at the hotel. It was a buffet, with some pretty good food. We then headed back to the room to rest a while before heading out to shop.
Our shopping trip wasn't very fruitful though. We walked around trying to find a specific CD, but couldn't. In the end, we bought 3 souveniers, for Huijun, Yethong and Jinjun's friend, but try as we might, we couldn't find anything else. This was probably due to the fact that most of the shops were, for some reason, selling nothing but large wooden carvings of a particular section of the male anatomy.
We headed for the hotel, packed, had our final lunch with my final orange juice, then set off for the airport in an unofficial cab. Along the way, Calvin and I were showing our passports to each other. Big mistake, I think.
At the airport, disaster struck. Calvin found that his passport was missing. We had an hour before the flight, and we frantically searched for it, but to no avail. The only thing to do was to find the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta, and at this point I was thanking God we had chosen to fly back via Jakarta, as there is no Singapore Consulate in Bali. After some searching for a police post to make a report, we gave up and headed for the plane. Some panic arose as Calvin forgot his bag and phone, but thankfully they were found.
The airliner, PK-LGK was a 737-900ER, the first time I'd flown this type. We passed by numerous interesting airlines on taxi, including some Pacific Blue airliners, Cathay, Thai, China Airlines, a BAe-146 and for some strange reason, a Trimotor. Took off straight west and headed for Jakarta.
The flight was really uneventful, save for me noticing that the safety card consisted of a series of prayers for the Islam, Hindu, Catholic, Protestant and Buddhist faiths. Somehow this didn't encourage me. Nevertheless landing in Jakarta was uneventful, and we taxied to our gate in Terminal 1, parking next to the Dreamliner special livery that Lion Air painted on their first 737-900ER. Something I found ironic was that the planes were parked directly in front of jetways, but they used airstairs instead. Still, I always like walking on tarmac.
A strong sense of Deja Vu as we found that Jinjun left the tent on board the aircraft. Upon realising this, he sprinted back across the tarmac and climbed the airstairs ... of the wrong aircraft. Calvin and I shouted after him, but he seemed oblivious, and only the flight crew of that aircraft managed to convince him. He then sprinted across the tarmac again to the correct aircraft and retrieved the tent.
We cleared baggage claim and headed for the shuttle bus to the international terminal, with Calvin calling the embassy along the way. The bus took us past the ex-SQ Lion Air 747-412 and an Emirates 777-300ER.
At the terminal, we made it to the Lufthansa check-in counter, and tried to organise Calvin's ticket. Thankfully they agreed to waive the change fees if Calvin could provide the documents to prove that he had indeed lost his passport. I withdrew some money for Calvin, as well as to pay the departure charges, and we checked in. At this point, we bid Calvin farewell as he headed for the embassy. I felt really bad leaving him behind, and would have rather we stayed together, but in this case circumstances such as our tickets having to be paid for to change and our NS obligations prevented it.
We started queueing at immigration for about 10 minutes before realising we had queued at the queue for Indonesians. We then joined the back of a foreigners queue, and I was cursing the fact that Soekarno-Hatta airport did not have a priority lane for business class passengers. Just as we reached the front of the queue, Jinjun realised that he could not find his departure card. We had to go all the way to the Turkish Airlines check-in counter to get one, then rejoin the queue at the back.
Nevertheless we did make it through with a bit of time to spare, and after a couple of quick photos we headed for the lounge. I left for a while to try (and fail) to photograph our 747, while Jinjun hit the buffet. When I got back, we enjoyed relaxing in the lounge, which is pretty luxurious, to the point that there's a guy who does nothing but open the restroom door for you.
We woke up, finally, after the sun had risen, and went for breakfast at the hotel. It was a buffet, with some pretty good food. We then headed back to the room to rest a while before heading out to shop.
Our shopping trip wasn't very fruitful though. We walked around trying to find a specific CD, but couldn't. In the end, we bought 3 souveniers, for Huijun, Yethong and Jinjun's friend, but try as we might, we couldn't find anything else. This was probably due to the fact that most of the shops were, for some reason, selling nothing but large wooden carvings of a particular section of the male anatomy.
We headed for the hotel, packed, had our final lunch with my final orange juice, then set off for the airport in an unofficial cab. Along the way, Calvin and I were showing our passports to each other. Big mistake, I think.
At the airport, disaster struck. Calvin found that his passport was missing. We had an hour before the flight, and we frantically searched for it, but to no avail. The only thing to do was to find the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta, and at this point I was thanking God we had chosen to fly back via Jakarta, as there is no Singapore Consulate in Bali. After some searching for a police post to make a report, we gave up and headed for the plane. Some panic arose as Calvin forgot his bag and phone, but thankfully they were found.
The airliner, PK-LGK was a 737-900ER, the first time I'd flown this type. We passed by numerous interesting airlines on taxi, including some Pacific Blue airliners, Cathay, Thai, China Airlines, a BAe-146 and for some strange reason, a Trimotor. Took off straight west and headed for Jakarta.
The flight was really uneventful, save for me noticing that the safety card consisted of a series of prayers for the Islam, Hindu, Catholic, Protestant and Buddhist faiths. Somehow this didn't encourage me. Nevertheless landing in Jakarta was uneventful, and we taxied to our gate in Terminal 1, parking next to the Dreamliner special livery that Lion Air painted on their first 737-900ER. Something I found ironic was that the planes were parked directly in front of jetways, but they used airstairs instead. Still, I always like walking on tarmac.
A strong sense of Deja Vu as we found that Jinjun left the tent on board the aircraft. Upon realising this, he sprinted back across the tarmac and climbed the airstairs ... of the wrong aircraft. Calvin and I shouted after him, but he seemed oblivious, and only the flight crew of that aircraft managed to convince him. He then sprinted across the tarmac again to the correct aircraft and retrieved the tent.
We cleared baggage claim and headed for the shuttle bus to the international terminal, with Calvin calling the embassy along the way. The bus took us past the ex-SQ Lion Air 747-412 and an Emirates 777-300ER.
At the terminal, we made it to the Lufthansa check-in counter, and tried to organise Calvin's ticket. Thankfully they agreed to waive the change fees if Calvin could provide the documents to prove that he had indeed lost his passport. I withdrew some money for Calvin, as well as to pay the departure charges, and we checked in. At this point, we bid Calvin farewell as he headed for the embassy. I felt really bad leaving him behind, and would have rather we stayed together, but in this case circumstances such as our tickets having to be paid for to change and our NS obligations prevented it.
We started queueing at immigration for about 10 minutes before realising we had queued at the queue for Indonesians. We then joined the back of a foreigners queue, and I was cursing the fact that Soekarno-Hatta airport did not have a priority lane for business class passengers. Just as we reached the front of the queue, Jinjun realised that he could not find his departure card. We had to go all the way to the Turkish Airlines check-in counter to get one, then rejoin the queue at the back.
Nevertheless we did make it through with a bit of time to spare, and after a couple of quick photos we headed for the lounge. I left for a while to try (and fail) to photograph our 747, while Jinjun hit the buffet. When I got back, we enjoyed relaxing in the lounge, which is pretty luxurious, to the point that there's a guy who does nothing but open the restroom door for you.
All too soon it was time to board our flight. We headed for gate D5 and boarded the 747, turning left instead of right at the jetway and taking our seats in 2H and 2K, forward of the nose landing gear. We were presented with a welcome drink as the safety video was played, then the airliner taxied out and made ready for her takeoff.
Now, I know I'm about to wax lyrical, but the 747 and I share an emotional connection of sorts. The feeling of takeoff on this aircraft is vastly different from any other, even the A380, and on this, Jinjun will agree. For me, taking off on a 747 is always a special experience, and usually, it's heightened by the fact that normally the flights I take on a 747 are homeward bound, as it was in this case. We surged skyward as I felt a small lump in my throat, as is normally the case with the 747, simply because of its power and my connection to the plane. The sound of the nose landing gear being raised was quite magnificent, as the plane shot to the sky like a bat out of hell, heading home for Singapore at a 3000fpm climb.
The service on this flight consisted of what must be Lufthansa's idea of a "light snack". I'd hate to see what their main meals must be like then, because it turned out to be a full four-course meal, with a main of fish in butter sauce with ratatouille and pasta. Really delicious, but not as much as Singapore Airlines, I have to say.
Throughout the flight Jinjun was like a kid with a new toy, playing around with the business class seats, and I don't blame him, remembering my first time on SQ's business class. For my part, I relaxed a little, explored the seat and just thought about how happy I was to be flying again, under such great circumstances. At the same time though, I wished Calvin were around to share in the experience.
All too soon though, the flight turned over Singapore for landing. Surprisingly we landed on 20R, 20 minutes ahead of schedule. The feeling was quite fun, as the main gear touched down before the nose gear, we were suspended with the nose above the ground for about 10 seconds before we felt the nose gear slam into the ground. We took a long taxi around the north cross, then parked at E24. We deplaned after taking some good photos of the cabin, though sadly, none of the flight deck.
We met Jinjun's parents at the airport, and I managed to catch a ride home from them. But the story doesn't end here. Calvin faced a couple of snags in his passport process, and in the end came back on the same flight two days later. I met him at the airport, and it was my turn to give him a ride home.
Overall, besides the snag with Calvin's passport, this trip has been really enjoyable. Short of the Hong Kong trip, this has to be the best so far. I will never forget all the moments, the big moments, like summitting Batur, seeing dolphins swim during the sunrise and flying, or the small ones, like walking around Kuta, playing Pokemon with Jinjun in the rooms at the Vilarisi or sleeping in Surabaya Airport.
Much as I felt Calvin's pain at the end of the trip, I felt really happy seeing Jinjun so happy during the trip and on the LH flight, the first time I've seen him really enjoying himself in a while, and I'm really thankful, for him, that he got the chance to spend his birthday this way, and for myself, that I got the chance to share in the experience, and I hope Calvin felt the same way. I guess it's true about friends, that you share in their joys and their sorrows, and I really hope this won't be the last time we share the joy together. (*cough*)
All good things must come to an end I guess. Indonesia Raya, and on to the next trip. Advance Australia Fair!
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Indonesia 2010 Day 3
040410 0030 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
Happy birthday Jinjun!!!
Damn I hate waking up at this time. We have a little time to prepare, Jinjun's cooking Maggi using my mess tin. Oh well, got to rush!
0300 local time (GMT +8)
Mount Batur, Indonesia
1100m ASL
Wow. Batur looks imposing at night. What a starry sky though.
We took a 2 hour drive to get here, where we met our guide and prepared to head up. Just starting now, all the best to us!
0700 local time (GMT +8)
Mt. Batur, Indonesia
1600m ASL
Wow, the sunrise is simply stunning. It's almost surreal.
I can't really describe it, the vista with clouds below and Mt Abang and Mt Agung shrouded by mist in the distance.
The climb was much easier than Mt. Ophir. Took us 3 or so hours to get to this point. It's not the summit but it does give us good views of the sunrise.
There are quite a few people here, not to mention a bunch of playful and smart monkeys who love stealing our food and producing babies in front of us.
We'll be heading to look at the crater soon, then pressing on to the summit.
0900 local time (GMT +8)
Mt. Batur, Indonesia
1717m ASL
Summit!!!!
The view is brilliant.
The climb up took us up slippery slopes of volcanic soil. Kept slipping down, but I found it easier to get a comfortable footing as compared to rocks.
On the way we heard about a Swede who fell into the crater and perished. Sad, really.
We carried out a flag raising ceremony on the summit, using of course the Raffles flag. Really nice to plant our colours on the summit.
I feel really happy for Jinjun, to be able to spend his birthday this way. I know it means a lot to him. It means a lot to me too, as his friend, to be sharing this with him. I really have him to thank for making it here. Calvin too. I never had any motivation to climb myself, so every inch of the way, my main motivation was not to let them down.
Should be casing the colours and making our way down soon, as rain clouds are coming in. Agung looms in the distance, but I'm thankful we didn't climb her. We wouldn't have made it, not to mention missing out on the dolphins and stuff.
Facebook on the summit is fun.
1200 local time (GMT +8)
Kintamani, Indonesia
1300m ASL
The descent was pretty ok. Had a taste of skiing as we delberately slid down the volcanic sand on our feet. That was really fun. The rest of the descent was easy, checking out stuff like volcanic vents called fumeroles and cooking combat rations on them.
Now on our way to buy Babi Guling, or roast suckling pig, which is one of the most famous Balinese delicacies. The mountain looks like Totoro from here. Hope we get back soon, we need to change room again and I'm exhausted.
2100 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
A strong case of Deja vu. I left the room for a while to use the net downstairs and when I came up, Jinjun and Calvin had both fallen asleep, leaving me locked out. They didn't even wake up to the repeated excerpts from William Tell Overture. In the end I had to find a spare key once again.
We wanted to watch the sunset that night. However, Calvin and Jinjun slept through, and no matter how hard I tried, I failed to wake them up.
Dinner was KFC. Not as bad as I remember it, but nothing fantastic. Now at the restaurant having a LAN session with the other two guys.
Back home tomorrow, it's a bittersweet feeling.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Bali, Indonesia
Happy birthday Jinjun!!!
Damn I hate waking up at this time. We have a little time to prepare, Jinjun's cooking Maggi using my mess tin. Oh well, got to rush!
0300 local time (GMT +8)
Mount Batur, Indonesia
1100m ASL
Wow. Batur looks imposing at night. What a starry sky though.
We took a 2 hour drive to get here, where we met our guide and prepared to head up. Just starting now, all the best to us!
0700 local time (GMT +8)
Mt. Batur, Indonesia
1600m ASL
Wow, the sunrise is simply stunning. It's almost surreal.
I can't really describe it, the vista with clouds below and Mt Abang and Mt Agung shrouded by mist in the distance.
The climb was much easier than Mt. Ophir. Took us 3 or so hours to get to this point. It's not the summit but it does give us good views of the sunrise.
There are quite a few people here, not to mention a bunch of playful and smart monkeys who love stealing our food and producing babies in front of us.
We'll be heading to look at the crater soon, then pressing on to the summit.
0900 local time (GMT +8)
Mt. Batur, Indonesia
1717m ASL
Summit!!!!
The view is brilliant.
The climb up took us up slippery slopes of volcanic soil. Kept slipping down, but I found it easier to get a comfortable footing as compared to rocks.
On the way we heard about a Swede who fell into the crater and perished. Sad, really.
We carried out a flag raising ceremony on the summit, using of course the Raffles flag. Really nice to plant our colours on the summit.
I feel really happy for Jinjun, to be able to spend his birthday this way. I know it means a lot to him. It means a lot to me too, as his friend, to be sharing this with him. I really have him to thank for making it here. Calvin too. I never had any motivation to climb myself, so every inch of the way, my main motivation was not to let them down.
Should be casing the colours and making our way down soon, as rain clouds are coming in. Agung looms in the distance, but I'm thankful we didn't climb her. We wouldn't have made it, not to mention missing out on the dolphins and stuff.
Facebook on the summit is fun.
1200 local time (GMT +8)
Kintamani, Indonesia
1300m ASL
The descent was pretty ok. Had a taste of skiing as we delberately slid down the volcanic sand on our feet. That was really fun. The rest of the descent was easy, checking out stuff like volcanic vents called fumeroles and cooking combat rations on them.
Now on our way to buy Babi Guling, or roast suckling pig, which is one of the most famous Balinese delicacies. The mountain looks like Totoro from here. Hope we get back soon, we need to change room again and I'm exhausted.
2100 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
A strong case of Deja vu. I left the room for a while to use the net downstairs and when I came up, Jinjun and Calvin had both fallen asleep, leaving me locked out. They didn't even wake up to the repeated excerpts from William Tell Overture. In the end I had to find a spare key once again.
We wanted to watch the sunset that night. However, Calvin and Jinjun slept through, and no matter how hard I tried, I failed to wake them up.
Dinner was KFC. Not as bad as I remember it, but nothing fantastic. Now at the restaurant having a LAN session with the other two guys.
Back home tomorrow, it's a bittersweet feeling.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Indonesia 2010 Day 2
030410 0300 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
Got turned out just now. We were supposed to wake up at 1:45 to catch our ride at 2. We ended up being woken by our driver. Now on the way to the north of Bali, Lovina beach, to see dolphins.
1300 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
Wow. We did manage to see a whole load of dolphins and some beautiful corals, as well as some cool night views of the mountains, such as Batur and Agung. The dolphins and sunrise were really pretty. I've always loved dolphins, and the sunrise was vivid. Bali is really a beautiful place.
Back in the hotel now, lunch was traditional local food from McDonalds. Later we aim to watch sunset from Kuta beach.
2000 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
Mission CX due WX. Nothing much left to do but camp in the hotel, use the net and play Pokemon. Sad, right? Hope we get a good few hours of sleep, since we have to wake up at 12. We were actually supposed to sleep by now, but I'm not nearly tired enough.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Bali, Indonesia
Got turned out just now. We were supposed to wake up at 1:45 to catch our ride at 2. We ended up being woken by our driver. Now on the way to the north of Bali, Lovina beach, to see dolphins.
1300 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
Wow. We did manage to see a whole load of dolphins and some beautiful corals, as well as some cool night views of the mountains, such as Batur and Agung. The dolphins and sunrise were really pretty. I've always loved dolphins, and the sunrise was vivid. Bali is really a beautiful place.
Back in the hotel now, lunch was traditional local food from McDonalds. Later we aim to watch sunset from Kuta beach.
2000 local time (GMT +8)
Bali, Indonesia
Mission CX due WX. Nothing much left to do but camp in the hotel, use the net and play Pokemon. Sad, right? Hope we get a good few hours of sleep, since we have to wake up at 12. We were actually supposed to sleep by now, but I'm not nearly tired enough.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, April 05, 2010
Indonesia 2010 Days 0-1
020410 0033 local time (GMT +7)
Surabaya Airport, Indonesia
I'm back with another trip report, less than 3 weeks after my first. This one will be much shorter of course.
Mad rush down to the airport after work, where I met up with Jinjun, Paul, Hafiz, Calvin and Shuotian in that order. Had a bite at Popeye's and presented Jinjun with his birthday present. Hope he likes it.
We then ran for the gate, having only 15 mins before scheduled tine of departure... only to find that the plane was delayed. Luckily though it turned out to be a special livery.
Eventually we boarded, and were soon on our way, passing by stuff like a CX 777-367, a JAL 777-346ER and 9V-SPP. Takeoff at 2217 was slightly rough, but not very.
The flight itself was possibly the longest sector the 3 of us had flown together. This says a lot considering it was 2:15. Dinner was chicken with potatoes or seafood rice.
Landing on runway 10 at Surabaya was rough, with an on time of 2208, during which we noticed that the tower resembles a lighthouse. Also, the first plane we saw was a CX A343, B-HXA.
We cleared immigration after deplaning and were treated to the realization that the landside of the airport isn't air conditioned. The night's not going to be comfortable. At least there's a 24 hour place here.
0733 local time (GMT +8)
PK-GZI over Bali
Yay we survived the takeoff!
The night was a little restless, but at least I caught some sleep. Still feeling dead tired though.
Walked out to the plane at gate 8 and took off at 0713. Pretty ok so far, except for a rough takeoff, albeit with a powerful climb.
The volcanoes we saw on the way were really scenic. Also Jinjun tells me we can see Agung. Time to go find it.
2100 local time (GMT+8)
Bali, Indonesia
That was a pretty good pair of landings our plane did. First aircraft we saw was our own 9V-SRC.
Getting our bags proved to be a snap, and we then caught a cab to our hotel, the Vilarisi in Kuta.
The hotel was nice, but despite our need to rest, the room wasn't ready. We dropped off our bags and decided to "Jalan-Jalan", hoping for A Vision of thr Isle of the Gods, as Bali is otherwise known. We saw Kuta beach, with it's many sunbathers and surfers having a good time, and the more subdued Bali bombing memorial.
We then returned to the hotel to rest. Calvin and I concussed almost immediately, while Jinjun, who had managed enough sleep in Surabaya, managed to stay awake long enough to find out that...
Mt. Aging was closed! He woke me up with this shocking piece of news, and, faced with this huge problem, decided to go for lunch at the hotel restaurant.
We discussed plans and settled on climbing Mt. Batur instead, our original plan. We tried, but failed to wake Calvin up to enter our room, so we had to ask for a spare key.
After resting a while, we took a walk out again, to watch the sunset near the beach. On the way, we decided to plan something for the next day, and had a tough choice between watching wild dolphins or white water rafting. In the end, the dolphins won.
We then took a cab over to Barong beach to watch sunset and planerise. The sunset was simply beautiful, but far away, shrouded in mist, Agung stood taunting us.
After it got dark, we set off for the return trip to our hotel, and had dinner at the hotel restaurant again. We then decided to turn in early, for tomorrow will be a long day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Surabaya Airport, Indonesia
I'm back with another trip report, less than 3 weeks after my first. This one will be much shorter of course.
Mad rush down to the airport after work, where I met up with Jinjun, Paul, Hafiz, Calvin and Shuotian in that order. Had a bite at Popeye's and presented Jinjun with his birthday present. Hope he likes it.
We then ran for the gate, having only 15 mins before scheduled tine of departure... only to find that the plane was delayed. Luckily though it turned out to be a special livery.
Eventually we boarded, and were soon on our way, passing by stuff like a CX 777-367, a JAL 777-346ER and 9V-SPP. Takeoff at 2217 was slightly rough, but not very.
The flight itself was possibly the longest sector the 3 of us had flown together. This says a lot considering it was 2:15. Dinner was chicken with potatoes or seafood rice.
Landing on runway 10 at Surabaya was rough, with an on time of 2208, during which we noticed that the tower resembles a lighthouse. Also, the first plane we saw was a CX A343, B-HXA.
We cleared immigration after deplaning and were treated to the realization that the landside of the airport isn't air conditioned. The night's not going to be comfortable. At least there's a 24 hour place here.
0733 local time (GMT +8)
PK-GZI over Bali
Yay we survived the takeoff!
The night was a little restless, but at least I caught some sleep. Still feeling dead tired though.
Walked out to the plane at gate 8 and took off at 0713. Pretty ok so far, except for a rough takeoff, albeit with a powerful climb.
The volcanoes we saw on the way were really scenic. Also Jinjun tells me we can see Agung. Time to go find it.
2100 local time (GMT+8)
Bali, Indonesia
That was a pretty good pair of landings our plane did. First aircraft we saw was our own 9V-SRC.
Getting our bags proved to be a snap, and we then caught a cab to our hotel, the Vilarisi in Kuta.
The hotel was nice, but despite our need to rest, the room wasn't ready. We dropped off our bags and decided to "Jalan-Jalan", hoping for A Vision of thr Isle of the Gods, as Bali is otherwise known. We saw Kuta beach, with it's many sunbathers and surfers having a good time, and the more subdued Bali bombing memorial.
We then returned to the hotel to rest. Calvin and I concussed almost immediately, while Jinjun, who had managed enough sleep in Surabaya, managed to stay awake long enough to find out that...
Mt. Aging was closed! He woke me up with this shocking piece of news, and, faced with this huge problem, decided to go for lunch at the hotel restaurant.
We discussed plans and settled on climbing Mt. Batur instead, our original plan. We tried, but failed to wake Calvin up to enter our room, so we had to ask for a spare key.
After resting a while, we took a walk out again, to watch the sunset near the beach. On the way, we decided to plan something for the next day, and had a tough choice between watching wild dolphins or white water rafting. In the end, the dolphins won.
We then took a cab over to Barong beach to watch sunset and planerise. The sunset was simply beautiful, but far away, shrouded in mist, Agung stood taunting us.
After it got dark, we set off for the return trip to our hotel, and had dinner at the hotel restaurant again. We then decided to turn in early, for tomorrow will be a long day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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