Hiking Mount Batur and relaxing in Nusa Lembongan

Hi guys!

Just a short update cause I need to catch my flight soon ;).  It's my last day in Bali! I'm flying to Singapore in couple of hours. The last two nights I've stayed in Legian. As soon as I arrived here I met some lovely girls and had an awesome party in Kuta (I recommend Alley cats for pre-party and the fancy Sky Garden for later ;) ). Yesterday we went for drinks in Seminyak. There are lots of beach bars with comfy chairs and live music. It was sooo chilled and nice. It's moments like that when I'm just thinking how lucky I am to be here!

While I was in Ubud I did the sunrise hike at Mount Batur, an active volcano nearby. I needed to get up at 2am and we started hiking at 3am. It took us about two hours to get to the top. We were served some breakfast there (they cooked the eggs by using the steam from the volcano!) and watched the sunrise. The view was amazing!









Between Ubud and Legian I also spent two nights at Nusa Lembongan. Its an island in the east of Bali. The beach was beautiful and snorkeling there was amazing! Saw so many fish and beautiful corals, It's quite quiet island, popular for couples... a perfect place to chill. It's quite expensive though compared to Bali so I wouldn't stay there longer than two nights. Apparently it's a popular spot for weddings.





Indonesia madness | Bali + Gilis

Hi guys!

A week in Indonesia has passed! 

As I had expected, coming from safe, organized and clean Tokyo straight to the main street of Kuta in Bali was quite a sudden change. I hid in my room for the rest of the night :D. Next day I chilled by the pool and met some Aussies. There's plenty of them in Kuta! We had a nice little pool party but I had to have an early night because the next morning I was picked up from the hostel to go to Gili islands by a speedboat. Met a nice older American man who seemed to have just as restless spirit as I have. He also had lived in many different countries, currently in China, He seeded this idea in my head that I have to go to Shanghai. Apparently I'd love it there.

I stayed three days in Gili Trawangan and during that time slept altogether only five hours... The Island was beautiful, you just have to go and see it yourself. It's insane. Very good parties in Gili T! Met loads of fun people again and had a blast! It also seems that on this side of the globe I don't get hangovers. I went snorkeling (didn't see the turtles tho) and biked around the island. I could've definitely stayed longer but I had to catch a boat back to Bali to head to my yoga retreat in Ubud (I made a quick stop in Kuta though to have a mini party).

It's my third day in Ubud and just today morning I allowed myself to enjoy the non-partyness! I was so restless the first days cause I had gotten used to the crazy nights. I have a two-hour yoga session twice a day, at 6am and at 4pm. In between I get to do whatever the hell I want! Yesterday I went sightseeing with Dianne who contacted me through couchsurfing site, we had a good time getting lost in the streets of Ubud with our bikes (do NOT rent bikes to go around Ubud...) I'm sharing a room with five lovely girls who are mostly doing volunteer work with children or turtles. I'm living a couple of kilometers from the city center by the rice fields. The locals are very kind and helpful, especially my yoga instructor who has a sixth sense :D. He always knows whats going on in my mind! Regardless of my "closed heart"(his words, not mine) he offered me a job as a yoga instructor... I guess I have to go to India to get my license then.

Lots of randomness has also happened, here's few:

Tried to buy a local sim card in Kuta from a kiosk. The guy said they are sold out but I should follow him cause his friend has one. So I did, thinking we are going to his friend's kiosk. He took me to some narrow streets and made some phone calls. I decided to calmly make my exit, haha. Could've been fine, but better safe than sorry ;).

Casually sitting on a sunbed at night after a party when a local guy comes over and starts to chat. After a while he suddenly licks my shoulder. Whaaaaaat! I kindly asked him to leave. Somebody made a good explanation for it though. Some locals use mushrooms at Gilis so perhaps he suddenly saw me as a massive ice cream and needed to have a taste. Just speculating.

I needed a ride to a monkey forest. I couldn't find any taxis so I went to some random grandpa and asked if he could take me there on his scooter. He couldn't but his brother was more than happy to do it by his car. He played Venga Boys -Greatest Hits from his USB stick. My alter ego now has a husband who's too sick in the hotel room to join me for the sightseeing...

At the monkey forest one of the monkeys took my Hello Kitty key ring and ATE it! Piece by piece. It was ugly anyways.

There's more... But just to give you an idea, haha.

I haven't taken many pictures here. At Gili T it was too sandy to carry a camera around.

I do have a few though ;).

From Gili T:


Just an unclear pic with my underwater camera :D
Smoothie bar Gili style







Ubud:




hahah my honest opinion about the monkeys climbing on me...
Yay, fun!






Postcard from Tokyo

Hi guys!

Tokyo was absolutely amazing! I couldn't have wished for a better kick start for my trip! I've met up with lots of locals as well as some other backpackers.

Some of the highlights of my trip...

  • Lovely Yae (whom I met through couchsurfing site) showed me around in Shinjuku. We ate, took PRICLA pictures, walked around national garden and she explained me a lot about working life in Japan and about the dating culture. She even showed me the "shady side of Tokyo" ;D. I found especially interesting the places where you go and pay a lot for the drinks but in return the young good looking staff will chat and flirt with you :D. Love hotels are also popular especially among teenagers, because sometimes you don't have your own room at home...


  • I had a great time at a couchsurfing event in a Japanese restaurant/bar Izakaya (and afterwards park...) at the awesome area of Kichijoji. We were a group of about half locals and half either travelers or foreigners that had moved to Tokyo. Awesome people!


  • Great shopping, food and city lights at Shibuya and Shinjuku. More great food at Ikebukuro, charming old town Asakusa with beautiful temple area.


  • People watching in Harajuku (teenagers' street style!)


  • Thank you thank you thank you Tokyo for having free toilets everywhere for the thirsty tourists like me! (YES, it IS a highlight :D)


  • I ate not only sushi but all the rest of the amazing Japanese food. But definitely there was a lot of sushi involved. So much so that during the last days I started getting an allergic reaction whenever eating it. My body is full of mercury.


  • Seriously Japanese people are so nice and considerate. I was always traveling without a map because I knew the locals would show me the way if I got lost. This is why it's difficult for me to understand why would you have a culture shock here! I'm for sure getting it in my next destination in Bali, when I actually have to take care of my stuff.


  • Little did I know that by attending a couchsurfing event where we walked around Tokyo station area I'd finally end up spending the next 18 hours with some of the people :D. After the tour the 18 hours involved many, many bars and night clubs, eating, karaoke, four different areas in Tokyo, drinking games, sharing about our cultures and of course amazing people. One of the most random and funniest nights I've had :).


  • ...also, who would have known that at the night club I'd accidentally ask for a help from a yakuza member to show me how the lockers work... He was very helpful though.


  • I can warmly recommend Sakura hostels if you're looking for a cheap accommodation in Tokyo. My hostel was in Ikebukuro where I had an easy access to everywhere. The staff was friendly and helpful!


My hostel kitchen

One of the hundreds of Sanrio stores - Shinjuku

Hello Kitty Selfie stick :D

Shinjuku

Choosing the PRICLA machine (photo sticker) - Shinjuku


Shinjuku


Shinjuku

Shibuya

Shibuya

Shibuya

Manga...

Shibuya

Shibuya

Couchsurfing meetup in a japanese bar/restaurant Ikazaya in Kichijoji
Ginza

Mochi -the riceball sweets - Ginza




Yesss!


Asakusa - the old town


Asakusa- the temple area







Pancakes -Asakusa


What a gloomy day!

Attended a couchsurfing event - walking around Tokyo station area



Shibuya, the statue of loyal Hachiko, who came to wait for his owner at Shibuya station even nine years after the owner had died.
Harajuku

Harajuku

Harajuku



Harajuku




Guys, as I promised to keep you up to date, I've also safely arrived in Bali! For the first night I booked a fancy ass hotel room (33 €, uuuuuuu!!!) but after this I may or may not have a working WiFi. All I know is that on Thu-Sat I'll be in Gili Trawangan Island at Gili Backpackers (I don't think there's even address for that cause there are no proper roads). On Saturday I'll probably come back to Legian for a night and on Sunday I'll head to Ubud for a week to do some yoga ;).

 
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