INDONESIA - SULAWESI - MANADO - 14 TO 16 FEBRUARY 2019

I stayed at the Swiss-Bel in Manado. The entrance foyer looks quite grand and the staff are good.

As far as cities go, I think Manado is pretty good. I stopped there on the way to and from Morotai. It was an easy place to get around either by walking , the mini vans or taxi. I preferred the walking as you can see/experience more. 

I had one long hike that went for hours through the streets and along the waterfront. I visited temples, churches, shops, malls and the seaside. I finished by having a great iced latte.

Indonesia - Bali - Bike tour - 2008

There are a number of downhill cycle tours through the Balinese countryside. They all seem to offer similar activities but the route taken by bike is different.

We went on the Bali eco tour. The tour agent recommended this as she said this group was better with children.

We were picked up by air con van and driven to a number of locations in Ubud picking up other riders. There were three family groups in all.

The first stop was by some steep and beautiful rice field terraces. They made excellent backdrops for photos.

The next stop was Kintamani, where we sat in a restaurant and had breakfast. The views over Gunung Batur and Danau Batur were excellent.

The next stop was to pick up the bicycles. All bikes were adjusted for each person and safety instructions were given. We were given time to cycle around to get use to the bikes.

The guides lead us to a number of venues at a leisurely pace along quiet rural roads. A van and truck followed in the rear in case there were any problems.

The main guide was very informative and very alert for any dangers or problems.

We stopped at a:

1. Temple. We were explained Hinduism and the function of the temple in Balinese society
2. Primary/elementary school. The kids were on a break when we arrived. We caused a certain amount of mayhem as we walked through the classrooms and chatted with the teachers and the students.
3. Home. We walked through the family compound and were explained the functions of all the buildings. Some members of the family compound were present.
4. Rice field. Once again the informative guide explained the importance of rice and the stages of rice growth. Ducks were wandering through the fields eating insects.

While all this was happening, we were greeted as we cycled by small children yelling ‘hello, hello’. I was in Bali in the early 80’s and this reminded so much of a time that I thought was long gone.

We finished with lunch at the company owner’s family restaurant. The food was a selection of various dishes and it was excellent. Finally, a bit tired we were driven back in air con comfort to our hotels

Best points: exercise, sights, guides, hellos

Worse points: started to get uncomfortably hot just as we were finishing, it ended

Costs

275 000 adult 200 000 child (April 08)

Here are some sites to check:

www.baliecocycling.com
www.jegegbalicycling.com.
www.balibintangtour.com
www.balisobek.com

Indonesia - Bali - Padangbai - 2009

 

Padangbai is a seaside village and ferry port. Traditional fishing boats line the beach and various sized motor boats are moored to the shore. At the middle part of the bay is a small jetty where boats leave for the Gilis, Senggigi and Nusa Lembongen. Further down is a boat for Nusa Penida. The south end of the bay is dominated by a large ferry terminal for ferries to Lombok. The large ferries arrive and leave frequently.

Beach

The beach at the middle and north end of Padangbai is white sand. The water is clear and reasonably clean for swimming with a sandy bottom.

Accommodation

The town has various levels of accommodation. The more up market hotels are at the north end of the beach. The road in this section is more like a small boulevard. Some hotels in this area have pools available for guests only.

Restaurants

There are a small number of nice restaurants. The food is good and varied. Whole fish with whatever you want is cheap and good. Cheaper food is available in the middle and south end of Padangbai and the more up market restaurants are at the north end.

Activities

At the north end of the bay and following the road to the right is a nice temple Pura Silayukti) with great views. If you follow the steps or walk through the small jungle on the point (lots of mosquitoes here).



The north end of the bay and to the left takes you after a ten minute walk to Blue Lagoon. There are two restaurants with reasonable food, showers, chairs and snorkeling gear. The coral reef is right up to the shore and is very pretty. Entry into the water is best at the north end as it avoids stepping on coral.



Walk past the ferry terminal on the south end of the bay and partly up the hill and you will come to sign directing you to little beach (Bias Tugal). A 15 minute walk through the bush gets you to a beautiful white sandy beach. Good for swimming though the currents can be strong. There are several restaurants to eat at but they are not very good. Drinks are okay.



If you continued over the hill and follow the road, you will eventually come to a long, black sand beach. The fishing boats come very close to the shore and with Nusa Penida as the backdrop it can be a very pretty scene, especially very early in the morning.

Pick a spot to sit and watch the local Balinese people in their daily lives. The beach, the small wharf and the ferry terminal provide a variety of daily life scenes.

Swimming and snorkeling off the beach at the northern side of bay

Surf – right - south of bay – needs to be a big swell

Bicycle ride or walk around the town

Visit the local market

Diving tours

Watch boats leaving and arriving to/from Nusa Penida, Gilis, Lombok mainland, various tours and fishing.


Activities nearby to Padangabai

Candidasa
• Puri candi dasa, lagoon
• Pura gomang, east on hill,
• snorkel off shore islands and in an behind breakwater

Pasir Putih

Balian Beach

Amlapura
• Markets
• Puri Agung Karangasem
• Puri Gede

Tengagan – Bali Aga village

Ujung
• Puri Taman Ujung - water palace
• road views east towards Amed

Tirta Gangga

Gunung Agung

Gunung Batur

Gunung Lempuyang – turn off to ngis tista – stone steps to top

Goa Lawah - bat cave