Bandung to Jakarta

With an early start at 4:30 am, we had a quick bite to eat before catching our bus to Jakarta.

Saying good bye was difficult. Even though we just got to know Aunt Gitta, we already felt a deep connection with her. She is an inspiration to all those that have the pleasure to get to know her. Her departing words to describe our time together was “unforgettable”.

Three and a half hours later, we were back in Jakarta at the mall that we left from. Making the lazy choice, we grabbed some KFC from an empty restaurant as it was still the fast of Ramadan.

Then we crossed the street and got a cab to the port.

Sunda Kelapa

Unfortunately our driver “missed” a key turn, so we ended up doing a 30 minute U-turn through the center of the city. We eventually go close enough that we got out to walk.

The port area was quite seedy. A kid on broad daylight was using a Slim Jim to break into car. Maybe he forgot his keys?

We walked by the Maritime Museum and continued walking to find ourselves at a dead end. A suspicious guy on a scooter with a face mask slowly trailed us. We stopped so he would have to pass us and saw him busily texting on his phone. Calling all friends, “tourist with cameras and cash!”

We decided to use a tuk tuk for a few minute ride to Sunda Kelapa.

After paying the 2,000 rupiah fee at the entrance, we went around and snapped a few pictures of the traditional Indonesian sail boats. These Pinisi,are two masted and primarily serve as transport of fishing vessels.

Another traffic laden ride to the airport, we checked in and caught our flight to Denpasar, Bali.

Bali

After 2 hours in the air, we touched down, rented a car (US$25/day), got some cash and snacks, filled up on gas, and were on our way to our hotel, Puri Mangga.

In our left hand drive silver Toyota Avanza minivan, we weaved through the scooter traffic to leave Depensar and the busy downtown.

The sun soon set, which meant we had about 100 km to drive through the poorly-lit mountainous area with no updated map. According to google, it would take about 2 hours.

Unfortunately google maps turned out not to be too reliable for Bali. From the main road, we were directed onto smaller roads which turned into a tiny dirt road which eventually turned into a footpath!

We made our way down the awful mountain road dodging giant potholes and the occasional scooter. Asking half a dozen people for directions we eventually found the main road and started seeing signs to the hotel.

A staff member was waiting for our arrival and showed us to our room.

The peaceful garden we walked through immediately calmed our nerves from the “lost in the mountain” road trip. Having travelled 18 hours, from 5:15 a.m. to 11 p.m., we were exhausted and welcomed a good night’s rest on a comfortable bed.