What better way to start the day than with a refreshing morning run in this idyllic environment? A few mountain bikers and runners had the same idea. Big part of Australian culture are the public barbecues. It didn’t took long for a group to gather at the lake for a breakfast barbecue, or how the Aussies call it: Brekkie.

We couldn’t resist to capture a snapshot of the iconic “Beware of the Kangaroo” sign, while traveling south. Excitement and worries began to mix, when the navigation lost our way on a remote dirt road, cruising deep through the heart of a seemingly endless man made forest. As the minutes turned into an hour and the landscape stayed the same we became bored. when suddenly a colossal yet lifeless, kangaroo was laying on our path.

The next day we headed back to Caloundra. Another daring surf session awaited me. This time I started to catch waves and I could finally feel the potential of my surf board. Luckily the board was small enough to duck dive. This became an absolute life saver as a bomb set was hitting the the surf set. Each wave bigger and bigger starting to crash exactly where I was. With a bigger board I would have taken at least five waves on the head!

From Caloundra we went down to Surfers Paradise. The name can be deceiving, as it’s a bustling city dominated by skyscrapers! For me this is the opposite of a surfers paradise. We swiftly moved down south after doing our laundry. We were rewarded by the hidden gem of Burleigh Heads. Luxury apartments spiced up the landscape with a beautiful surf spot and a nature reserve nearby. This is more how we like it.

One day we parked in one spot for too long and we got a hefty ticket, which we had to pay.. The fee was quickly forgotten or at least deemed not too important with the view of the ocean and the surroundings. In the parks close to the beach, they did not only have toilets, showers and free barbecue. They also provided hot water for free. Absolutely handy if you are traveling in a van! In addition to the luxury apartments there is a street called millionaires row. It is almost an island on it’s own filled with villas out of this world. Of course we checked it out!

In Burleigh Heads I went surfing again. It was receding tide and the sand banks were shallow. The Australian surfers are absolutely insane riding these waves like true masters. I was charging a few waves as well. However II would bail from the wave early as I was so afraid of hitting the banks. One time I hit the sand bank anyways. I took of on one wave riding it down the steep edge. I lost control at the bottom and jumped into the water with my butt first. My butt crashed onto the sand bank. Luckily nothing happened to my back, but that was my call to go out and do something else, as this could have ended much worse.

In Burleigh Heads, I finally returned to the waves for another surf session. The tide was receding, and the sandbanks almost revealed themselves, their shallowness adding an extra layer of complexity. The two meter waves were breaking directly on the sandbanks. The Australian surfers didn’t seem to care, riding these waves like true masters.

I summoned my courage and charged into a few waves myself, although I couldn’t shake off the fear of hitting the sandbanks and I always bailed early if I could. This made me more confident until I caught a wave and rode it down the steep face. I struggled to maintain control at the bottom as the wave suddenly got choppy. Without a choice I was launched into the shallow water. I felt the force, when my rear end hit the sandbank. The worst scenario just had happened for me. Fortunately, I emerged with just a bit of pain and no broken back! This served as a stark reminder of safety in the water. You need to assess the dangers before every session. Especially when surfing an unknown spot. The day before I went at higher tide and had no problem at all! We went hiking for the rest of the day…

Venturing inland in search of a quiet sleeping spot, we hoped for a similar result like the Maddock dam. After navigating narrow mountain roads for an hour, we reached our destination, only to discover that the lake was closing soon. The whole are was guarded by a fence and a gate thus not suitable for a sleeping spot. Numerous ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’ and ‘Overnight stay prohibited’ signs in the area made it even more challenging to find a sleeping spot. Persisting we eventually found a sneaky sleeping spot.

The following morning we woke up and drove to a park nearby. The view of the surroundings was truly stunning. The bushland hugging the mountains, with the lake below. After a nutritious breakfast our excitement to explore the area was ignited.

However, our enthusiasm soon gave way to disappointment, when we realized that a refreshing swim in the lake was out of the question. The coastal winds were non existent in the mountains and the sun heated the land with unforgiving intensity. I just couldn’t imagine the summer here… A contrasting experience to the more cooler coast lines, especially in spring. The disappointment couldn’t diminish the thrill of our journey, as we eagerly looked forward to the next chapter of our Australian adventure.

Thanks for reading and until next time. Cheers!

Stepping out in Melbourne, we were hit with a reverse culture shock. After almost ten months in tropical climates, the cooler weather felt a bit too cold for us. As fate would have it, I soon found myself in a condition similar to what Sally experienced in Sri Lanka – a fever and a cold. Thankfully, this occurred in Brisbane, where it didn’t hinder my surf addiction.

One of the most significant culture shocks occurred as we ventured into Australia’s supermarkets. Spending so much time in Asia, where stores are small and stock limited, we were amazed at the massive, bustling supermarkets with endless selection of everything. Our jetlag and my condition meant that we didn’t explore Brisbane too much. We took short walks, and Sally hunted through second-hand shops for some warmer clothing.

Despite the challenges, Brisbane proved to be a beautiful city, especially when compared to our experiences in Asian cities. The sun eventually graced us with its presence and my health improved, signaling that it was time to pick up our camper car for our road trip adventure. We were making our way through the rush hour to finally greet the beach again.

Waking up near the beach in Caloundra was a pleasant surprise. The park was teeming with life as people jogged, walked, and socialized. I decided it was time to buy a surfboard. After some searching, I found one that seemed right, despite concerns about its size. Although the board initially felt a bit small, I persevered. The lack of success in my first surf session only fueled my determination to keep going. This board was much larger as the one I bought in El Salvador, so I had to succeed!

One of the most brilliant discoveries during our stay in Australia were the public shared barbecues. These free public hot plates allowed us to enjoy beachside barbecues without even firing up some charcoal. Our time in Caloundra helped us adapt to the newfound mobility our camper car provided, even though finding suitable sleeping spots wasn’t always easy. All the beaches have huge signs, which prohibits overnight camping.

For a sleeping spot we ventured inland on the Sunshine Coast. This led us to a beautiful park where we could sleep. After breakfast, we explored the forest and discovered a stunning little waterfall. A cold morning swim in its pristine waters was the perfect way to start the morning. The best part we had the place all to ourselves.

Our journey took us north to Noosa, a popular spot that, to our surprise, was very crowded due to school holidays. Nonetheless, the waves in Noosa were remarkable. Time to get to know my board a bit better! I managed to ride some waves and even spotted a turtle in the water. After being blessed with this beautiful surf spot I saw something else, that troubled me. A fin was disappearing in the water just as I glanced forward. I first mistook this for a surfer. After a few seconds I noticed that the surfer wasn’t resurfacing. As the thoughts cleared I knew that just have seen a shark! The Aussies were not concerned at all as it seemed. So I continued to surf, staying in the middle of the lineup just in case…

We went for a hike in the national park closely to Noosa. On the way we met an elderly German guy, who was living in his van. We met him earlier in Caloundra and the three of us continued the hike together. Soon after we were treated with something special! We saw whales swimming of the coast of Noosa! Even better we spotted some dolphins enjoying the swell! What an amazing place. We were left with our jaw wide open…

Our adventure continued as we headed north to Rainbow Beach. One of the unique aspects of Rainbow Beach is the vehicle access permitted on the beach, allowing 4×4 enthusiasts to chill by the shoreline. While we didn’t have a 4×4, exploring the beach on foot was still a fantastic experience. The towering sand dunes of Rainbow Beach, some of the highest in Australia, were a special sight. Be carfeul, when you take your 4×4 to the beach. There is a wall of shame in town of people losing their car to the sea!

Our journey from Melbourne to Rainbow Beach was filled with unexpected surprises, culture shocks, and unforgettable experiences. Australia had much in store for us, and with our camper car, we were ready to find places of the beaten path, like Rainbow beach. Something you would reach, without mobility.

Thanks for reading and until next time. Cheers!

In Arugam Bay we stayed for almost a week. We were ready to experience the cuisine, the yoga places and the nightlife. Sadly Sally got sick and she had a fever for the whole time we were there. So we couldn’t do much together. This didn’t stop me however. I went out every day surfing the waves of Arugam Bay. Only problem was that everyone had the same idea. The spot was crowded the whole day, even though it breaks on a shallow reef. Usually I tried to paddle in from the beginners spot. This takes about ten minutes, but it is the safest route. A few times I just went out as is. This has proven to be a mistake, because I cut my finger on the reef. I was lucky though compared to another surfer. He came back with 20 sea urchin spikes inside his foot. This made the 15 minute paddle not to bad.

When Sally was strong enough we opted for a walk on the beach and saw a massive dead turtle lying in the sand. This is something you don’t see in the western world that often. Once there is cadavar it is usually removed. In countries such as these it let’s you accept the harsh reality of life and death more easily. You come clean, that every living being only has a certain time on this planet.

I also went on a short surf safari to a more remote spot. The Tuk Tuk was driving through a lot of land. You would see the Sri Lankan highlands in the background. The rice fields were dried out and simply black. In Sri Lanka not only the surf season moves around the island. Also the dry and wet season follows the same pattern. It made me feel like being in Africa again. I was looking for a wild elephant. Sadly I didn’t see one. We were cruising from the road to a sand path. When we arrived at the surf spot I was a bit disappointed. Of course it was too crowded as well. The locals made it a business to bring surfers here. The second thing, that I disliked about this spot were the crocodiles, that could also swim in the ocean. I went back to surfing the main break in Arugam Bay. The beach was stunning nontheless!

It was time to leave again. I was fed up with the crowds. The locals were just dropping in on you and didn’t care about any rules. I was looking forward to a nice line-up, which I found earlier in Weligama. Even it was not season yet the waves were looking promising. We packed our things and off we went.

Sally also was feeling better again and it was time to leave our cheap accommodation, where we slept on a small mattress with a wooden floor to go back to the south. Once arrived we got back into our South-East-Asian routine. Renting a scooter, going surfing and exploring the area. The difference was absolutely clear. Unlike the east coast, where everything was dry at the moment, here the rivers were filled to the brink. It also rained, when we arrived. That didn’t stop us from. As expected the line up was not filled and I had a few waves to myself. I always prefer the less good wave with fewer than a horde of egos arguing over a wave. It also paid off as we found one of the most gorgeous beaches of Sri Lanka!

Once the sun came back out, we wished that the rain would come back as it suddenly was so hot. It felt like your skin would burn instantly. The waves were still fun and manageable. On one particular spot I just watched one person surf. I didn’t go out though, because there were some heavy sets coming in. The wave also broke over shallow rocks and I could the channels working hard. I gladly passed that opportunity and went surfing somewhere else that day!

Soon enough our time was running out and before we left the country we wanted to experience an luxurious hotel for the first time. We hopped onto the train and went to Colombo. Unfortunately the train had an engine failure and we were stuck at a stop for hours. If this doesn’t make me homesick I don’t know what will… (Anyone outside of Germany reading this, it is the same in Germany with our trains. In Colombo we didn’t do anything special except enjoying the hotel. We walked around a bit and took a few cool photos.

Then it was already time to hop onto the plane again for the next adventure.

Thank you for reading. Cheers!

We all squeezed into his Tuk Tuk, because our host wanted to take us around to the local rice fields and a stunning lake. He explains that the rice fields must be protected. Otherwise the wild elephants would come and eat the rice plant. The whole premise has a small fence around it with a few empty cans. The cans make a sound when someone touches the fence. They also have a treehouse like lookout for a person. Once an elephant is heard or seen some fire crackers are shot to scare the elephant away. Some people have to abandon their families and have to live in the hut for month until the rice is ripe.

In the area of Sigiriya there are two rocks. The Lions rock, where an ancient side is found and the Pidurangala rock. Both are popular tourist attractions to watch the sunrise from. We saw the rocks from the lake already and were already planning our sunrise tour. Some locals took bath in the lake we were at. A particular one is a monk bathing in the lake talking on the phone. One of my favorite pictures I took so far!

The next morning we wanted to watch the sunrise. We chose not to see the ruins and went onto the Pidurangala instead. The decision was easy… The lions rock costs about 30€ to enter, while the Pidurangala only costs 1.50€. We got up at 4:30 and made our way there. We had to take a Tuk Tuk, because it can get pretty dangerous to walk here at night, the reason being the wildlife. This was for a good reason, because we spotted a crocodile a few days later. We made our way up and watched the sunrise. After the sunrise you could see the vast jungle wet lands that we were surrounded by. A flat jungle looks so different to a mountainous jungle! A flat jungle always looks like moss from above, in my opinion. Watching a vast landscape full of life always makes me happy. You see so much vibrant colors and so much untouched land. It makes you feel small

After that we went back by foot to our accommodation. On the way back a few street dogs trotted along with us on the dirt road. We also spotted a small ancient side and a temple, where a Buddha was sitting inside of a curled cobra. It already was hot when came back to the accommodation. We took a small shower and had some breakfast and noticed, that it was still only 7 a.m. There is an indescribable feeling, when you wake up this early to go hiking… Something I thought I would never say!

During the day we checked out a very popular temple, the Dambulla Cave temple. This temple is more than 2000 years old. There are about 150 Buddha statues inside the six caves. The cave has some interesting history, of kings hiding inside as well as religious significance. The whole cave covered in murals and paintings.

From Sigiriya we went to Kandy for the Esala Perahera. This is a spiritual festival towards the tooth relic. Every driver and every person recommended us to go this festival. On the way we tried a proper Durian with our driver. If you don’t know Durian it is basically known as the stinky fruit. The stinky fruit smells a bit like 5 day old trash. Some even say it smells like gym socks or vomit. The taste is a delicacy among South-East Asians. For me it tasted like whipped cream, in combination with garlic and custard. To be honest I actually liked the taste a lot. I even regret, that I didn’t try it sooner or ate more of them.

When we got to Kandy the whole city was already in chaos mode. People were sitting at the sidewalk in the morning to watch the march in the evening. Cars going everywhere. The usual South-East-Asian chaos, just more intense. The walkway was blocked, so everyone was walking on the busy street, which made it even more chaotic than usual.

One evening we wanted to watch the parade of the Esala Perahera. This festival honors an elephants tooth relic. It is believed, that Buddha was cremated in this part. Today it is a symbol for Buddhism in Sri Lanka. To honor the tooth a parade is happening every evening for ten days in August. The parade consisted of humans with drums, a lot of fire and elephants marching down in costumes. We didn’t like the fact, that elephants were marching there in facemask leds on it. It was way too loud for the elephants, as well as too crowded and too bright. For the locals it is the place to be. It get’s so crazy, that people sleep in the streets in the rain to save a spot for the evening.

Otherwise Kandy is surrounded by a beautiful lake and some mountains. We explored a few things. For instance the woodworking of the locals as well as a few temples. We visited one temple. It was not a particular special temple. However we met a lovely monk that even knew our hometown as he was a member of a club close to our hometown. This is so unusual, because no one knows our hometown! He told us his story how his passport and baggage got stolen in the German train. I found his story quite amusing. I got a lot of reactions of people from home, who questioned my choices of countries I visited. The stigmatization is always the same of a country being ‘unsafe’. This is the prime example, that good people and bad people exist in every country. I almost only good people as they are the vast majority!

Gladly we exchanged numbers. We also checked out the botanical garden in Kandy. It started to rain a lot though, which led to this nice picture.

We enjoyed our time and suddenly it was already time to say goodbye to Marvin. He was leaving back to Germany and we were staying a bit longer in Sri Lanka. We enjoyed our last evening with some beer. This beer got served in a mug. This confused the hell out of us. We later found out, that serving alcohol was prohibited on certain public holidays. This was the answer from the bar to this problem.

Thanks for reading. Cheers!

Many people come here to watch a spectacular sunrise and we planned to do the same. Everyone starts the pilgrimage to the Little Adams Peak early in the morning. The alarm was ringing at 4:30 a.m. and we woke up in agony and got ready. We were walking through the night guided by the stars. It was nice and quiet until a thousand Tuk Tuks were racing through the night so some tourists had to walk a little bit less. The Tuk Tuks even drove past on a small dirt road, right to the entrance. We walked instead and a lot of other people were walking, too. We were a bit annoyed by all the tourists, but in the end we came to the realization, that we were part of the problem so we let the thought go and tried to enjoy the sunrise. We also found a quiet spot to enjoy the sunrise with only a few people.

After this sunrise we went back down slowly through the tea plantation until we spotted something weird. A Sri Lankan person was sitting on the road with a weird container. He started to play the flute and a cobra was dancing to it. We only noticed after we walked past, because we were still a bit tired. When the realization kicked in we jumped a few steps away from it. The Sri Lankan laughed and the cobra hissed and tried to attack the Sri Lankan. Without any words we walked past it. What a weird morning experience… Another famous tourist attraction is the Nine Arch bridge. This bridge was constructed in 1921 by the British to export more tea. Construction was stopped soon after, because the steel was needed in the European war during that time and was later finished. Today many people come to watch the architecture. You can also walk on the tracks as there are only a few trains coming. We were watching the turmoil from above as a local shop owner approached us. He told us, that the morning train was late and we were in luck, because the train would soon arrive. We agreed on some coffee and tea and sat down at his place. We were waiting for the train to arrive as we sipped on our refreshing morning drinks. The said train never came. We have a feeling that the local is telling this story often to gain a few customers. It worked this time. I’m not complaining, though, the view was stunning nonetheless and we were the only ones up here!

We went down to walk on the tracks ourselves. We took some more pictures and crossed the bridge. Here we saw a shelter for protection against bees. Apparently there are massive bee hives under the bridge. These seem to attack everyone once they get threatened, which happens quite often. A lot of tourists fly drones to get a nice shot of the bridge. When they come to close to the hives the bees feel threatened and attack everyone. Luckily we didn’t experience this. We also saw the timetable on the other side of the bridge and decided to wait a bit more, because the next train would arrive soon. Low and behold the train actually arrived and it was the most unspectacular thing ever. I don’t know what we expected, but it literally was just a train passing through…

We wanted to check out a temple in the mountains close to Ella. For this we chartered a Tuk tuk and bargained the price again. The Tuk Tuk driver raced through the mountains. We were cruising left and right and up and down until we only went up. The road turned into a dirt road with a lot of pot holes. We were surprised just how durable and how off road a Tuk Tuk can be. Thirty minutes later we arrived at the peak. Just in time for the sunset. The vast green mountains turned into shades of blue and then finally in different kinds of grey. Mist was creeping up the mountain, which was creating a mythical experience, while the sky turned orange. We heard chanting from the temple. A few monks hurried to the ceremony. It didn’t even stop the monks, that the temple was still under construction. Sally and I were used to the Buddhist temples of Thailand, which are one of the most beautiful of all times. In this temple you could see that it is going to be beautiful in the future, since this one was unfinished. For Marvin it must have been an amazing experience. We listened to the chanting for half an hour and the sun was completely gone. It was time to head back to Ella.

We left this unfinished, but still amazing place, with no doubt in our minds. This temple will shine in the future! On our way back we encountered a wild bore. Our heart stopped a bit as these creatures can be quite aggressive. The Tuk Tuk driver took our shock as curiosity and plainly stopped. Luckily the bore was not bothered to much and just went back into the bushes.

From Ella we took the train to Nuwara Eliya. This train is one of the most famous in Sri Lanka. It cruises through the highlands along of waterfalls and tea plantations. Basically the whole ride there is a lot to see. This time we made sure to enter the right wagon. The train was also on time! We bought a chai on board enjoyed the open doors.

When we arrived in Nuwara Elyia we were struck by the climate. This is the highest town of Sri Lanka and it was cold. At least compared to the rest, which would be best described as scorching hot. Nuwara Eliya seems to be the favorite amongst Sri Lankans as well, for the same reason. Everyone we asked said this was his favorite place.

Marvin didn’t feel good this day so Sally and I went out alone. We took a short walk to the nearest park to find some absolute insanity. Apparently the locals have a week off and they all came here to enjoy the place. We find Jet skis and boats on the small lake cruising around like maniacs. The park is full of people, getting snacks and everything. We spotted some colorful busses, as we walked passed the park. I wanted to take some nice pictures so we came closer. We started to hear music blasting and our curiosity was evoked.

I took a few pictures with the camera and we were spotted by the locals soon enough. When they saw our camera they all wanted pictures taken. We started another commotion. After a while they were also taking pictures with us and their own phone camera again. This reminded me a bit of Sumatra. At some point they just dragged us into the crowd. We danced with them happy as ever. We love these random situations. Especially if the locals are so interested in strangers. We danced a bit in the dust of the parking lot and then went back to the accommodation.

We also visited a tea factory, which to our surprise was completely held in German. The sweet lady tried her best with the pronunciation. We will never forget how she pronounced all those words. The tea process is quite simple. The black tea is dried for one day, the green tea for two weeks and the white tea for a whole month. They also only use the tips for the white tea, which makes it the most exquisite, but also the most expensive.

Thanks for reading and until next time!

We landed in Kuala Lumpur, knowing exactly where we had to go. We had been to Kuala Lumpur two times prior to this visit. Their immigration is pretty easy for our passport. You basically just have to show up… We went for some amazing food, found a supermarket and went back into the airport to take the second flight. This was one was no first class and we were crammed back in. When we landed we were exhausted, but greeted by a really friendly Sri Lankan host. He picked us up from the airport, gave us a drink and some food all without ever charging us for it. The next day he brought us back to the airport to pick up Marvin, a friend of mine and my former and future roommate. We were sitting down and we were waiting with all the other taxi drivers for Marvin to arrive.

After a few hugs and some chats on what was going on, the three of us went straight down to Colombo. This was a two hour drive and the traffic was crazy, however it was nothing particularly remarkable for Sally and me. The traffic was crazy in Latin America and in Southeast Asia, too. In the end you get used to it pretty fast. One hour in the the car driver suddenly had to stop hard for a pedestrian to cross the street. A few seconds later we hear a loud smack in the back. I saw a motorbike and two people flying by the right side. We were all in shock and didn’t really know how to react. In these moments you first question if you really saw this. Luckily some locals acted quickly and helped them up. Luckily they were both still alive and at least well enough to get up. One of them was bleeding on the fingers and the other one was hurt at the arm. The driver was in shock as well, but he told us to get a different driver. We all felt quite helpless in this situation and we didn’t know how to help. In the end you can’t really help so we pushed on, hoping these people would get the right treatment. The first accommodation felt a bit weird and it only felt partially safe to walk around in the neighborhood. A sign for such neighborhoods are the houses. A few indications give you a good idea. You better watch out in a neighborhood, if everything is fenced in and even has glass shards on top of the wall or some barbed wire. Of course we also got scammed by a beggar in a restaurant. You can’t really care about this, though, because for us it is a few Euros, but for them it might feed them another day. So may this money bring him happiness.

From here we wanted to take the train to Unawatuna. This is a small town in the south of Sri Lanka. We waited at the closest train station to hop on. Of course the train is two hours late. We kill the time by playing cards, talking about what happened in each others lives and comparing the delay to the Deutschebahn, the German railway system, which is also always late. A few trains passed, but these were not the rights ones. However we were not ready, when the right train actually arrived. After asking a few people we knew this was the one we had to hop on. The train was already rolling out of the station as we hopped into a random wagon. This resulted in ending up in the third class. Let me explain why this is a problem. The third class is the cheapest and every local is using it. This can get pretty crowded. By pretty crowded I mean people hanging on the outside of the train. The second class works with seat reservation and is almost never busy at all. The first class has air conditioning, but I don’t know how it looks from the inside. At the counters they usually sell second class tickets to foreigners. Foreigners are always seen wealthy in this country, so they are not really welcome in third class and are expected to pay the higher price. At the next stop we gladly changed to second class.

Second or third class we got there one way or another and finally in Unawatuna the vibe is completely different. No barbed wires, no glass shards and no fences. Instead a colorful street with a few restaurants and beautiful beach. It is finally time to relax again. The weather is more humid and more hot than in Indonesia. We were sweating all the time, as we were acclimatizing. It also was particularly fun to watch Marvin’s reaction on some of the things Sally and I had already been used to, like bargaining, burning trash and street dogs. Nonetheless it was fun to explore new things together, too, like the famous Sri Lankan cuisine, behavior of the people and the wild animals.

The majority of people are Buddhist in Sri Lanka. This means they commonly receive gifts from other Buddhist countries quite often. In this area they received a small pagoda from the Japanese Buddhist community. This is supposed to be a beautiful place and we decided to take a short hike to said place. While hiking there we also found a small other part we happily explored.

I also tried to go surfing in the early mornings. However it was not swell season in the south and I only embarked into absolutely chaotic waves… After a while I gave up and got back to the accommodation. We decided to check out Galle, which is a colonial city close to Unawatuna. This city was once occupied by the Portuguese, then by the Dutch and later by the British. This makes it already an interesting place. Yet the most interesting fact though is, that this place was already a harbor, even before the European occupation. The port did exist long ago and traded with the Persians, the Greek, the Arabs, the Chinese and many other cultures. This mix of culture is still visible to this day. A Buddhist pagoda is almost next to a Christian church and in the same quarter as a beautiful mosque. The houses have a Mediterranean look and feel. This makes the place a cultural gem in Sri Lanka, where many tourists visit.

From here we got into contact with Cosmic Woody. He operates a small restaurant and accommodation in the middle of nowhere. Before he picked us up, we checked out the turtle beach. Here we saw at least 15 turtles peaking their heads out of the water. Cosmic Woody lives as close to the teachings of the Buddha as it can get. This guy has lived his life being vegan, hurting as little animals as he can. He had some great insights and he was happy to share. We spend two nights here, which honestly felt more like an eternity. The place was very beautiful, though and surrounded by only nature and it was the two days I didn’t consume any sugar.

He had hammocks everywhere and soon everyone took a nap. We also did a cooking class with his wife. We learnt how to create a curry spice mix and how to make coconut milk and several curries. She also cooked a lot for us, which of course was also vegan, but nonetheless very tasty every time. The last evening we went to the Bay of Weligama. I saw some decent waves grabbed a board and had a decent surf session. The afternoon light was painting the ocean and the sky in an orange color. The beach was glimmering and the few locals and tourists were enjoying the time of the day. We went for an evening swim and headed back to the cottage. What an amazing day!

Thanks for reading and until next time. Cheers!

The Gili Islands are also known as turtle hotel. The reason being are the many turtles swimming around the islands. We tried to seek out some turtles as well. It didn’t take long to find some. If you sit at the beach you can see their heads bobbing out of the water. We wanted to see a few more so we chartered a boat. Swimming over the corals and with turtles is always an amazing experience. However there were way too many tourists, which ruined the experience partly. Anyways they are still remarkable creatures and I blame no one, who seeks to see them. This brought me back to New Caledonia, where I was basically swimming alone with the turtles. That was something truly remarkable.

The evening on the island is great. Live music would be played, drinks would be poured and a bonfire was lit. The evening sun would turn into stars sooner than later. The vibe was so great and we liked it so much, that we ended up staying a whole week instead of three nights. One particular evening the sunset was truly remarkable. It reminded me of Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Bali in the background looked like mount Doom.

While we were on the snorkeling tour I saw a wave breaking. I even saw some surfers out there! I had to get out there as soon as possible. The morning before we left I woke up at 6:30 in the morning and looked for a surf board to rent. It took me a while to find one. The only board they had was a 9′ soft-top. This is usually a beginners board, due to it’s length and floatation. Doesn’t matter to me, a surf board is better than no surf board. Excitedly I paddle out to the wave. This took me about 15 minutes, because the wave is far out on the reef. I could see the reef below me while paddling out. Again I saw some turtles swimming next to me. Happiness was flowing through my body and I couldn’t believe how beautiful this place actually is. To my left the massive Rinjani, Lomboks highest mountain, looming over the place. I was glad to be at this place in this point of time. To my right I see the other Gili islands and behind I see Bali’s volcano sitting in the distance. Below I can still see the lively reef flashing in it’s bright colors.

There are only five people out in the water. First I got weird looks, because of my soft top surf board. This soon subsided as people saw that I knew the rules of surfing and that I was not a beginner. We would take turns, surfing the morning away as the sun rose up higher. I love the morning stillness. The occasional boat was passing by as we all cruised above the shallow reef. Every turn would be carefully executed. If you fall you would seriously injure yourself. After a while all the surfers left until I was alone in the water. The sun had come up so high, that the water was getting too clear. Yes there is such a thing as too clear water for surfing! I remembered a phrase someone told me on my journey. ‘If the sky is blue and the water is clear you get absolutely fucked.’ I had to admit that this is absolutely true. You couldn’t see where the wave was breaking. To make things worse you could see the reef reflecting in the wave. You would look at the wave and suddenly it would crash over you because you miscalculated the lip. However surfing one of these waves felt like floating. At this point I was filled with so much joy, that it didn’t even matter if I made the wave or not. I was just glad to experience such a natural beauty all by myself. It was just too beautiful to be true. I still smile when I think about it this surfing session.

After that we went back to Lombok. Picked up our passports at the immigration and went back to Kuta. I surfed Tanjung Aan a few times more. I developed a love hate relationship to this surf spot. On bigger days it was one of the best waves I have ridden. It was not crowded and really fun. However on smaller days it was an absolute shit show. A lot of locals give surf lessons on this spot. This in itself is no problem. The problem was, that they would recklessly push beginners into a wave even if someone was already riding it. This led to some dangerous situations, that could have been avoided otherwise. We also went to one of our favorite yoga places on the island. Here two good teachers would push us through a session. We ended up coming everyday until we had to leave. To this day it stays one of our favorite places in the world.

Soon after it was already time to leave Lombok another week passed already. We wanted to catch the ferry back to Bali. We learned one important lesson in Indonesia. Timetables are useless! Knowing this we just went to the harbor without even looking. We heard that one ferry was supposed to leave at one in the afternoon. In reality the ferries wait until they are full enough to leave. This leads to a lot of delays and confusion at the harbor. Luckily there was a ferry waiting and almost full. It soon left and we didn’t have to wait long.

After a long ride on the ferry we arrive in Bali just as the sun sets. Back in Bali we were reminded by the crazy traffic it inhabits. There is a traffic jam everywhere and it always takes so much longer than expected. This is something that was way better in Lombok. The southern area of Lombok just isn’t densely populated. In fact it is barely populated. The contrast couldn’t be higher as we were headed to the infamous Canggu. This is the absolute hotspot for expats and surfers. This means it is one of the busiest places of Bali. The line up was crowded, the streets were crowded and the beach you guessed it was also crowded. Still Bali’s culture with it’s Hinduism is truly unique in Indonesia and truly stands out to the other Muslimic islands. Instead of mosques with it’s prayer calls there are temples big and small with scented sticks and ornaments everywhere. Even every homestay has at least one temple.

From Canggu we went to Uluwatu once again. This time we took a few days to explore this part, because we like it so much the last time. The peninsula of Uluwatu is quite different to Canggu or Kuta in Bali. It is not as busy and still more wild once you leave the main road. You can also find beaches, that are not not crowded. Heads up though, there are also crowded beaches as well! For instance the beach of Padang Padang. There was supposed to be a surfing competition. We paid for parking and paid theentrance fee for the beach. When we climbed down we were plainly disappointed. People lying everywhere on this small beach. There was not even a competition going on at the moment! We looked at each other and had to had to admit, that humans are a herd driven species. The reasoning is always somewhat like this: ‘ It must be special, if everyone is lining up, paying and getting down there.’ We left after five minutes, because it was too crowded and not really different to the free beaches around. We went to the closest beach and had it all to ourselves. Humans are truly that simple!

We enjoyed our last days riding the scooter and checking out several beaches. I found a nice surf spot and enjoyed the last waves of Indonesia. It has been two month already! Unbelievable! We only have seen five islands of Indonesia. This means we haven’t even seen the other 13.461 islands. This country is so big you could spend years here, but as always time is running out and our flight to Sri Lanka is scheduled. Everything will come to an end…

Thanks for reading, cheers and until next time!

And then it was time to ascent the volcano. We got picked up at 6 a.m. and we went off to the entry of the park. It is the peak of the season to climb this mountain. This made the entrance quite busy and everyone was ready to ascent. The weird part was, that a lot of locals skipped the first part on a motocross bike. So while we were hiking a dirt bike would zoom past us every few minutes. The first day was a 1700 meter ascent to the base camp. This took us the whole day with several breaks. This was already a bit tiring, but totally managable. Spirits were high and the group was in a good mood. When we made it to the camp we would be greeted by a beautiful sunset and the clouds were flying into the crater below us. My utmost respect goes to the locals, who get all the tents, food and equipment up here in a self made bamboo rack with the weight of around 30 to 40 kg. They were also climbing this mountain with flip flops and are the true heroes of this story!

We watched the beautiful sunset. With the sun gone it got cold pretty fast. We went to bed and on the next morning we had to get up at 2 a.m. to ascent to the peak. This is a tough climb because the dry volcanic sand is acting like fresh snow. You go up three steps and you slide two steps down again. We were cold, sweating, dusty and exhausted at the same time. Once you started climbing you had no other option than to move. This became the balancing act of the night. If you would rest too long you would get too cold. If you would hike too fast you would be out of breath because of the altitude. So step by step we made our progress guided by the cloudless night. Not too fast and not too slow. It was especially cold in the segments where the wind blew the strongest. Luckily the stars would guide us through the night even as my headlamp was getting weaker. Through the darkness you couldn’t see the steep ridges, which would have been another demotivator. We kept climbing until the first daylight hit the mountain. Finally…

We were pretty miserable at this point. My hands were completely swollen from the cold. The last segment was called zombie part by the locals. This was not without a reason. It was so steep in the end, that you could even take less steps than before. Every two steps forward you would slide one step backwards. At this point I was completely questioning human behavior in general. Why does it always has to be the highest peak for a sunrise? Why do so many people try to climb the same mountain? Why would I torture myself with this useless task of climbing up a mountain in the first place? All these questions popped into my head until the light came out and bathed the surroundings in color, these questions would partially stop. Answers would slowly come in. The questions would completely stop once the sun peaked out on the horizon and we finally made it to the peak. The land would fill with beautiful colors of all ranges. You could suddenly see the vast landscape and it’s massive volcanic edges. The unseen mountain parts of the night would turn into visible vast landscapes. Shades would fill in the gaps in between the mountains and it was creating this beautiful light show. We were filled with joy and the warmth of the sun!

Clarity came into my mind. After climbing a mountain I always feel incredibly small. Look at all that land! There are so many things in the universe bigger than you! Climbing a mountain also gives you an incredible feeling accomplishment. You were miserable for some time. However you did not give up and kept pushing and fighting. You are rewarded by the beauty this earth has to offer. Just like in life you will if you reach your goal you get rewarded by a good feeling. The craziest part here, is that you could see so many Indonesian islands from up here. You could see Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and even the Komodo Islands. The rest is covered in the ocean, which made it even more beautiful as the sun was also reflecting in it.

After the short rest and the incredible feeling it was time to descent. All you think about is always how to get to the top. Never how you are getting down. On the way down we noticed what a long way we actually climbed. At some parts the track was just a meter wide with steep edges. I am glad I didn’t see this in the dark! Now instead of being cold and miserable we were sweating and miserable. We reached the base camp at around ten in the morning. We got some needed breakfast and were happy to rest for a while. The rest wouldn’t last long and we had to keep going. We would hike to the lake and then to the other side of the Rinjani ledge. From the base camp we saw the hiking path down to the lake. Exhausted and defeated Sally looked at me and admitted that she booked a tour for advanced hikers. I stared at her with disbelief. I asked what made you think we were advanced hikers? She said well I don’t know, we climbed one volcano already didn’t we? I sat there in silence, realizing that we had some serious hiking in front of us…

We were only half way done… We had to get down and then get up again on the other side. So another full day of hiking. Now each hike separately would have been no problem. The two combined was an absolute limit to the body. We went through vast landscapes, that changed by the minute. By the time we reached the lake everything hurt. There were hot springs nearby and some people jumped into the lake or the hot springs. I did neither of that because of the tattoo. Instead I took a nap. I felt like Frodo in Lord of the Rings….

After lunch we had to go up again for three hours. Hiking this trail I can tell you, particularly these three hours never felt so long in my life! It was so torturous. You just had to take step by step. Every inch of my body was telling me to stop. Everything hurt. That’s the great and miserable part about hiking at the same time. Once you commit there is no turning back. You just have to keep going. Step by step.. Stone by stone… Otherwise you get stuck. This will always push your strength because you literally have no other option.

Oh how far we have come already… The same morning we were at the peak. And still more to go… There were a narrow paths with a hundred meter ledge directly next to it. Some stairs and ropes were mounted to help us. The sun was already on the other side of the ledge. We had to hurry up. With our last strength we climbed over the ledge. The setting sun was smiling into our faces and we were smiling back. You can see how thrilled we were. The land of Lombok is glowing in an orange color. ‘It’s over Frodo’ we jokingly say to each other. We finally made it! What a day! We instantly laid down in the tent, had some dinner and fell asleep right after sunset.

The last day of descent can be described with this picture. No more words needed. Sally was literally on the her limit and took every opportunity to nap. We made it down safely.

After this torture we went straight to the Gili Islands. These are small islands in the north of Lombok. Here a lot of turtles and tourist reside to enjoy the stunning beach as well as many tourists do. The perfect place to relax after the hike. We got picked up without a shower and went straight to the harbor. At this point we must have looked like coal mine workers. I bet we were also smelling like that as well! Sitting on the boat and reflecting on this hike. This might have been the hardest hike I have ever done in my life… It sure was Sally’s hardest hike.

It was finally time to relax. Once we were relaxed enough after a few days we tried to find some turtles. They are usually close to the beach and it didn’t take us long to find them, but this is a story for next time!

We were unsure if we would even leave this place today. After more back and forth it became clear, that there was one ferry leaving at around 1 p.m. Once this was clear you could see how the locals tried everything to get some money. Confusion upon the travelers was big. Which ticket is the official one? Can we board with the ticket for a speedboat. So locals were selling ferry tickets above the official price. We heard that some travelers paid 1.000.000 idr. This translates to about 60€. For reference the official ticket costs 60.000 rupee so about 4€. In this situations you need to stay calm and figure out what the incentive of the opponent is. Once you figured this out you can relax. So instead getting to the Gili islands we went to Lombok instead. If life throws hints to go somewhere else you don’t resist the flow. You just change your destination on the spot. This is the beauty about long term traveling. You change plans and come back a different time.

At around 2 p.m. we were finally boarding the ferry. We were ready to bribe the officials if they wouldn’t let us board with our different tickets. So in the right hand we held the ticket for the speed boat and on the left hand we were hiding 100.000 idr just in case… Luckily we didn’t need to bribe them. After all this fiasco we were tired and exhausted and laid down on the ships anchor part and took a well earned nap. It would take us five hours to get to Lombok now.

It didn’t end there. When we arrived we got hassled by a million taxi drivers. It got so bad, that people would follow us, talk to the cab drivers and suddenly they would demand a ridiculous price… Later we learned that the taxi mafia has a full grip of the harbor in Lombok, as well as in Bali. They jack up prices, won’t allow any of the official Taxi companys like Grab, Gojack or Bluebird and threaten everyone who goes against this. After 30 minutes of negotiating we gave up. We took a driver for way too much money and got out of that place. At least we didn’t pay 60€ for the ferry. It took us one more hour to get there and we were going straight to bed. What a looooong day…

The next morning we woke up and we noticed how we were literally in the middle of nowhere! The second thing we noticed is how fundamentally different the landscape of Lombok looked like compared to Bali. This is something Alfred Russel Wallace already noticed in the 19th century. These two island inhabit different species, even though the two islands are relatively close together. The species in Lombok were more close to the species of Australia rather than Java and Bali. This became known as the Wallace line and helped formulate the theory of evolution by Darwin. There was a time, when Asia was almost one landmass and Australia another. During this time period the species developed differently and moved freely on the landmass. The ocean wouldn’t let these animals cross so there was a natural barrier. The continental drift of the tectonic plates resulted in the landscape we know today. So Lombok actually belongs to a different tectonic plate than Bali. This is the reason vegetation, flora and fauna are so different.

The beach Selong Belanak is usually for beginners to learn to surf. Otherwise there are cows and only a few cafes. It is still a very quiet area and has been one of our favorite places. Here Sally is eager to learn the mechanics of surfing. I am eager to teach again. She is quite afraid of waves and surfing in general. In Guatemala she got hit by her surfboard. The result was a bleeding nose and pain for month. Time to tackle those fears. The sessions mostly go smoothly and she even caught some waves! The landscape is serene. You are surrounded by many of these boats, hills and beaches. These boats were once used for fishing. Now they are mostly used for surf trips for the more advanced surfers.

We were stunned by Lombok. It seemed so empty and wild. It seemed to be the complete opposite of the insanity of Balis traffic. The coast is still underpopulated and you can find empty surf spots, unmarked surfspots and small villages. It becomes clear to us that we might end up here longer than expected. I had to pinch myself, that I was not dreaming.

We ended up staying for a week. In the week I did a few boat trips to more remote surf spots. This was more or less successful. I went to Mawi two times. It is a surf spot that is protected from the south eastern wind trades. However it is a treacherous fast wave. It is breaking over a sharp reef and gets quite big on the smallest hints of swell. The first time I went there I was quite overwhelmed. Big sets would roll in now and then. The surfers were fast agile. I watched the waves go by. I tried to stay on the outside and not get caught by the massive waves. I gave up at some point and went back to the boat. As I watched the waves I noticed that I could maybe catch some on the far left of the spot. Here some other intermediates were trying their luck. Determined to catch at least one wave I went back out again. After some fine tuning I paddled into a wave. The sheer excitement went through my whole body. When I was looking down I saw the reef flying by below my feet. In my head only one thought went off. “This is how it feels to surf such a fast wave!” Just as I finished this thought the wave started to break and ripped the board away under my feet. I was caught tumbling. Damnit should have turned faster… We headed back soon after, but was happy!.

I tried to surf Mawi a second time. This time the waves are about four to five meters big. The sheer power these monsters posses is beyond my understanding. When these things start to form and clash on the ocean they make a terrifying thundering sound. I was too afraid to even surf these. In the end I gave up and wanted to paddle back to the boat. Just as I wanted to paddle back to the boat I see the biggest set approaching. I paddle for my life. I can’t seem to make it over the monstrosity. It is too late… It starts breaking directly over my head. I dive as deep as I can while the first wave rolls over my head. There were three more of those. Diving as deep as I can every time. I am so relieved when the last wave of the set rolls over me. This is my queue to get out. The ocean often puts your ego at place. This was not a successful surf session. Yet again it was a brilliant lesson of life. Never overestimate yourself. In the end you can only control your breath, not the ocean. I am happy to surf somewhere else and I never went back to Mawi. After that experience I had some fun on the beginner beach and on an undocumented surf spot. This is more fun as you are not constantly afraid of looking for the monstrosities of big waves. THe undocumented surf spot only works when the south east trades are not blowing. This basically means to get up as early as possible and go to the spot. Since our scooter didn’t have a surf board rack sally had to hold the surfboard. I had some fun completely alone on these waves. They were not too terrifying and yet had enough power to carve out some turns.

After this we headed to Kuta Lombok. We expected something as bad as Kuta Bali. However we were blown away. It had just the right amount of tourists, so you would have enough western food as well as local warungs. (Warung means something like restaurant). Some Warungs at the beach were catching their own fish locally with a spear fish. You could get a whole feast of barbequed fish, rice some vegetables and other stuff for 3€. We ended up staying another week in Kuta Lombok. Taking it slower than usual. The beach of Tanjung Aan has become one of our favorites. The sand so white and the water crystal clear made us come back many times.

I ended up surfing Tanjung Aan everyday. It became a love hate relationships. On the small days I would curse the surf schools. They were just pushing anyone on a wave. Even if you were already on it. They didn’t care. This can become very frustrating. However since this is an mellow wave I can’t really blame them. You have to learn somewhere. On the bigger days it was the perfect wave for me. Not too soft and not too hard. One morning I was up early watching the tide come in. Nobody was out and I was enjoying the silent morning. I thought it was going to be a quiet day with easy to no surf. Suddenly I see five or six guys coming out with really small surfboards. This is often an indicator, that the swell is about to hit the coast. In thirty minutes the wave transformed from these lush small half meter waves into an absolute fun park of intermediate and advanced surfers. The wave ended up being bigger than me. I went in and had some of the best waves of my life.

Our visa was close to expiration. We couldn’t believe it. Had another month already passed? Of course it did. So we headed out to the ‘imigrasi’, the Indonesean immigration office. Luckily Lombok had one of this office. So we created all those documents in a copy shop neatby. Packed everything and drove one hour to get to the office. It is friday and we have to hurry since the immigration is closing doors at around 4 p.m. I was driving the scooter like a madman. Overtaking people everywhere I could. We just arrived in time about 3:30 p.m. We get everything ready until Sally is suddenly searching for our passports. She says that the passport might still lay at the copy shop… The anxiety kicked in. What were going to do when the passports were lost… Where would the next German consulate be. More questions and more anxiety flashed into my head while we were driving all the way back. This was one tedious hour. To our dismay the copy shop was already closed when we came back. After asking some locals they got in touch with the owner. People in Indonesia often live behind the shop. Luckily this was the case as well. We got there and the owner was already smiling at us and waving with the small case with our passports. I am so glad, that these people are so honest and kind. So far we never had any problem with stealing. Well except when one sunscreen disappeared after surfing (small hint, locals don’t use sunscreen). Other than that we had no problem. Luckily our passports were still here. Whew.

Thank you for reading and until next time!

After a much needed night of sleep we directly travel to Medewi, which is in the northwestern part of Bali. We drive three torturous hours. The driver is really friendly, but like every other Indonesian driver an aggressive driver. We would often overtake trucks and scooters without any visibility. This is pretty normal here. You just honk the horn of the car and hope for the best. This seems to work surprisingly often…

After traveling so much time without surfing I am more than ready to enter the water! It is finally the time. Medewi is a surfspot that is best entered on high tide. Unfortunately it was low tide, when we arrived that evening. I tried anyways… The whole black beach is covered in beautiful round stones. The sun was setting and it took me half an hour to walk over the stones to even get to the water. I paddled out and noticed a very strong current to the right side. After getting blasted by three massive waves I had enough and started the walk of shame. Frustrated and humiliated I went back over the stones. The next day I tried again. Everyone in town was already talking about the massive swell that would arrive this day. I met an older Australian and we paddled out together. On high tide all the stones are covered so it was much more easy. The waves were huge, but I have never seen such clear and long waves. Medewi is a wave that you can surf for 300 meters on such days. Luckily the Australian told me to stay on the outside first and watch the waves roll in. I listened and soon I would know why. The big set soon started to roll in. These were terrifying five meter walls of moving water. Maybe this was still above my level after all. When a big swell hits everybody is in the water. I am always more cautious of other surfers than the actual wave. I am afraid of another surfboard hitting me. This is one of the reasons I never paddle into the main take off zone. This resulted in me not catching a wave on that dreamy but terrifying day. Again I have to try another day… The next day I paddled out and didn’t catch a wave either. I just can’t navigate the crowd. I don’t trust most of them handling their board so I don’t want to come near. After a while of not catching a wave I was so frustrated that I went to the beach break instead. Surprisingly the beach break was absolutely empty. This is not a three hundred meter wave, but you can still surf. For me the choice is clear. I’d rather surf a not so perfect wave alone, than handling big crowds. I had the time of life. Finally enjoying some waves until a big set came. I had to duck several times. Until the biggest wave of the day came. Of course my leash ripped… My board was going to the direction of the beach without me. I had to swim like Michael Phelbs to catch up to my board. Waves crushing over my head. I can say that Bali waves on a big swell are absolutely insane! The things you go through, just to get a wave is sometimes beyond understanding. I can tell you the few waves I got in the big swell were beyond worth it!

Our bad luck seemed to continue as one day it started to rain and it didn’t stop for the day straight. The garden in our accommodation turned into a temporary river. I went to the surfspot anyways. Nobody was out. I met a few other surfers. Under them an older gentleman from Australia. Turns out he came to surf this wave for thirty years! He had some great knowledge about the wave, how to time it and most importantly how to identify the big sets. He told me he would get up in the morning and watch the waves. He would time the interval of two big sets coming in. This is almost consistent over the day. So this old man was sitting far on the outside on the smaller waves. He then looked at his watch he would paddle in but further out than the others. He would take a wave of the big set and would repeat this process. What a legend! This was great insight for me and something I will keep in mind on my next session.

The life in the rural part of Bali is easy going. We didn’t really realize until we went for a coffee in a surf shop. We were enjoying the ocean view with rice patios directly in front of it. A few locals were flying some kites on the rice terraces. After a while we realized our key of our scooter was missing. We went to the scooter and apparently we left it in the ignition. When we looked around we saw that from the other ten scooters that parked at the surf shop about eight had left the key in the ignition, too! We had laugh a bit about the paranoia I had. But hey what can I say? This would never fly in Latin America….

After our time in the north west of Bali we decided to go back. We made only one mistake. We didn’t do research before. We were just booking something close to Kuta Bali. Now if you’re wondering why Kuta Bali is not the place I want to be. Let me explain. Kuta Bali is the equivalent of the Ballermann in Mallorca, or Cancun Mexico. People may be very happy there. Especially on a short vacation to let loose. It is just not the place for long term backpackers. We checked out the beach. It was packed with two hundred surf schools, thousand people on the beach and even more vendors trying to sell something. I have nothing against the people that enjoy this. I just like more remote and wild places that’s all. We rented a scooter to check out Uluwatu. This is one of the most famous surf spots around the world. We didn’t expect much though, because we thought it might be as crowded as Kuta. So we sat on a scooter and cruised to Uluwatu. We were blown away by it’s initial beauty. There were still secluded beaches, beautiful cliffs and and crystal clear water! Also some restaurants, that were more health oriented than in Kuta. I didn’t go surfing here. If I couldn’t handle the crowd in Medewi I most certainly couldn’t handle the crowd of Uluwatu. I enjoyed watching though.

This is definitely more how we like it! We were exploring a few more empty beaches until we decided to check out the ancient Hindu temple Pura Luhur. This is one of the temples of Bali, that is believed to safeguard the island from evil spirits. This temple is standing here since the 11th century. We were blown away by it’s initial beauty on the cliffs. You have to be carful with phones, glasses and everything loose. Monkeys will try to steal it. They wait for an exchange for food afterwards. Otherwise you will not be able to get your things back. Pretty smart if you ask me. We walked around more and watched the astonishing cliffs. When we were overlooking the ocean we even saw some turtles poking up their heads down in the water.

After the temple we had an appointment in the Istana. It is a beautiful place also on top of the cliffs of Uluwatu. At the reception you have to give up your phone, as this place is a phone free area to disconnect. Here we had a specific appointment in the deprivation chamber. This is a completely dark soundless place. You float in a magnesium salted water brine. This is supposed to allow the brain to enter a deep relaxed state without any visual, auditive queues. I entered the dark chamber and tried to relax. It was difficult at first and my thoughts went everywhere. I was locked in this dark thing for an an hour. I thought it might feel like an eternity. After a while my brain entered a flow state. My thoughts brought me back to all those places I traveled almost vividly. It brought me to the beginning, where I was stressing out about everything. “How would I get from place A to place B?” How would I manage this crazy task of traveling the world? I almost laughed out loud when these thoughts came into my head. I learned, that it is not worth it to stress about something you don’t know. I also learned, that when the time comes just figure out a solution relying on myself or by asking others. Eventually you will work it out. Today I am not stressed about this at all. This is something I hope to apply in my normal life after my travels will end. To take one problem at a time, not stressing about the others that are too far in the future. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door. Is it already one hour? That is crazy! In the end it only felt like ten minutes not an eternity… When I got out I was happy to greet the sun and hear the sound of the waves. What a crazy experience!

We stayed in this absolutely beautiful area way after the sunset. People were just reading, taking an ice bath, going to the sauna, were meditating or they were just sun bathing. The no phone policy made it such an amazing relaxed atmosphere. No one trying to post the best picture of the experience and no one was focused on the externalities of life. instead everyone was focused inwards. In my opinion we need more places like this!

After this we went to Ubud. We tried to take the local bus. The bus drivers were telling us that we needed a card and the places that were supposed to sell the cards were telling us they wouldn’t have it. I suspect this is designed on purpose. Maybe locals don’t want cheap backpackers sitting on their local busses. We had to take Grab driver to get there in the end. So we ended up paying ten times more than on the bus, which resulted in paying 6 bucks instead of 60 cents…

Ubud is a weird mix of temples, rice fields and tourism resorts. The water system of the rice fields belongs to the UNESCOs World heritage sights. These water canals date back to the 9th century. Rice itself is seen as a gift from the gods in Hindu culture. The volcanic nature of the soil makes it very fertile. Usually in agriculture there is a crop rotation happening every three to four times to not deplete the soil of certain minerals. In this part the farmers are incentivized by the government to only grow rice. This is not because the soil is so rich or fertile. To the contrary the only reason is the booming tourism. The green and lush rice fields attract more tourists and look more exotic than corn or other crops. We also felt a bit uncomfortable watching the hard working farmers. A lot of people were taking pictures of the farmers. White person watching the hard working rice farmer. Like that never happened in history before…

We managed to get lost in the rice fields of Ubud. Sometimes you need a day where you allow yourself to get lost and see what it brings. We admired the irrigation system. It is truly remarkable. Wherever you go you find at least one stream of water flowing. Sometimes there were three or four streams flowing on different levels at the same time! While we were lost we met a local artist. He showed us his paintings. We were snacking a coconut and then exploring the waterfall and river he told us about.

In the evening we watched a fire show of the local Hindus. This is a dance that is telling an ancient story. The men create music by chanting. I have never seen something this strange. It was a beutiful experience and a good way to end our stay in Bali.

We like Bali surprisingly well. We thought it might be overcrowded with too many tourists. This may be true for parts of the island. However if you take the time to look past the touristy spots you can still find beautiful places, that are not too crowded! Until next time cheers!