Videos of Jakarta and North Sumatra

Take a trip with me through the hustle and bustle of  Jakarta.

Take a trip with me through one of North Sumatra's incredible rain forests.

Bali

Among the incredible surfing, clubs, and malls (none of which I took part in) lies one of the most incredible destinations on earth; the island of Bali. I have been fortunate enough to be able to spend just under two weeks on the island throughout the month of June. I spent nine days traveling around with my Mom in the beginning of June, and have just recently returned from a three day volunteering trip through EF and UNESCO.

Bali has an abundance of touristic amenities but venturing off the beaten trail (gotta love that expression) will help bring the local culture into a much better perspective as well as lead you to sites, views, temples, and people that will undoubtedly make a lasting impression on you.

As I often do, perhaps because of excitement or because I can’t imagine waking up so early, I stayed up all night for my 6 am flight. There’s no remedy for exhaustion like sleeping on a beautiful beach all day while your Mom brings you beer. It really helps you appreciate Mother’s day.

The next morning I’d say we fell into what you may call the “proverbial tourist trap,” you know ‘Oh this sounds awesome!’ We’ll go to an island called Turtle Island and swim with turt… Oh It’s the most tourist friendly, mini zoo in the world. Oh and it isn’t even an island! We just drove there on a boat so most people would feel it suffices as an island in some capacity, though  I assure you, we were still on the mainland. However, playing with animals is fucking awesome so I wasn’t too bothered. Not to mention anytime you can have fish eat the dead skin, callouses, and other disgusting bacteria you’ve accumulated on your toes, you just have to do it. Oh, and it feels AMAZING.

After relaxing on a beach nestled in between rock formations, a photo from the bridge seemed more than appropriate.

Having a sunset dinner on the beach after the second day.

This is Kuta. Known for being extremely busy with vendors, tourists and too many people. Perhaps we came on a good day, but it was fairly calm and although the vendors were quite frequent, it was never too bad..

These two photos from below are from Blue Point Beach. This beach is just North of the famous Uluwatu Temple. The trail to get to the beach was incredible and at the bottom there were small pools of water that were perfectly refreshing.

We left Blue Point and headed to Uluwatu, oh and we found some of these guys on the way.

Sure, they look cute...

I got really lucky to capture this guy, mid yawn, with the holiest part of the area in the background. 

Uluwatu Temple is on the most Southwestern tip of Bali with the Indian Ocean on one side, and the Pacific on the other. If you headed due south for a fair bit of time you could also run into a place some call “Antarctica.” You must wear a sarong before you can’t enter and they had a number of sarongs that you could borrow without having to purchase one.

Uluwatu is filled with monkeys. They really are a bunch of savages, cute perhaps, but they can be horrendous.  At one point my Mom and I were posing for a photo and her friend Traci was about to snap a photo when My Mom let out a yelp:

“Traci!”

Traci turned around and saw a half dozen monkeys next to her feet. She jumped and the monkeys promptly stole one of her thongs. On cue, an Indonesian lady selling fruit to feed the monkeys walked over threw some fruit at the lot of them and stepped on the sandal. She proceeded to pick it up, and say ‘Dua ribu’ (two thousand rupiah, or the equivalent to about 23 cents) no need to negotiate lady you got yourself a deal!

Uluwatu with the sunset in the background, truly amazing.

Rice paddies are seemingly everywhere in the Balinese countryside.

Pura Tanah Lot temple...

Renting a motorbike is an absolute must in Bali. I rented one in Nusa Dua which is in the Southeastern pocket of the island. From there I headed up through Kuta, Denpasar and then veered left to see one of Bali’s most famous sites ‘Pura Tanah Lot.’ This temple is not always accessible from land. Depending on the tide, and the season, you may have to settle for a picture from a restaurant with a view overlooking the temple. Though not a bad alternative, and a must, walking up to the temple and exploring its inner beauty is phenomenal experience. This was actually my favorite temple in Bali. The area is filled with tiny shops, and restaurants, and more but as you walk down the stairs onto the beach it feels as if you’ve removed yourself from that entirely. 

Central Bali

We left Nusa Dua, I don’t know perhaps the 6^th of June and arrived in Ubud. Ubud has long been known as Balis cultural capital. It serves as a mini metropolis for the people residing in villages, and towns throughout the center of the island and away from the coasts. Woodcarving, painting, sculpting and more types of art can be witnessed as you walk through the streets. Ubud is an amazing area. Seemingly millions of miles from Kuta or Nusa Dua beach yet in reality, just north. The rice paddies, lakes, mountains and temples that surround this region are nothing short of breathtaking.

We took a car up near Lake Batur and Kintamani Mountrain. Though at the time we wereblanketed by a thick fog we recommitted to cycling from Kintamani to Ubud. Through local celebrations, small towns, and wonderful countryside, we made our way 20 km down the mountain to Ubud. Giant Spiders, friendly people, and of course sunshine, helped pave the way.

The following day I again elected to rent a motorbike. From here I drove North to Kintamani, and then East around Lake Batur, South to visit the Besakih mother temple of Bali, and then south west through Denpasar and finally north to Ubud. Besakih is the oldest temple in Bali. The collection of temples and buildings within Besakih are gorgeous. The ancient Hindu architecture in Bali truly is astounding. 

On the UNESCO trip we were constantly busy. First we arrived at the airport at 7 am on Sunday June 24^th

We headed directly to the beach where we did some team building activities. Later in the day we released baby turtles from the beach and planted coral. I was more enthusiastic about this than the kids were because baby turtles are cute as hell. I didn’t have my camera on me but, trust me, they are. It was also fantastic because all of these girls in my group were like “Mr. Tony I don’t want to touch them, can you put them in the water” and as if I’d been waiting my whole life for the opportunity I started freeing the **** out of those turtles.

The next day we visited what will hopefully soon become an UNESCO World Heritage site; the Rice Paddies in Jatiluwih. There we witnessed a Hindu prayer, learned how to harvest the rice, and witnessed a wonderful display of Balinese dance, music, art, and food.

On the third day had us playing games, and laying around the beach. Two things I am very good at. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I appreciate the opportunity that EF, and UNESCO put together for the volunteers. 

Krakatau

I never could have imagined such an incredible place. In 1883 a volcano (Rakata), lying in the Sunda Strait between the Java and Sumatra islands, exploded. This produced the loudest noise that had ever been recorded on Earth. Some say it could be heard as far east as Central Australia and as far North as China or Mongolia. The sound was about 15 times as loud as the atomic bomb the Americans dropped on Hiroshima. The eruption did not just cause the loudest sound Earth had ever bear witness too, it also created life; three new islands. The three areas of land have since grown into decent sized islands with flourishing wildlife.

To get to Krakatau we left from Anyer beach on the coast of West Java. Anyer is about three or four hours west of Jakarta depending on the traffic. Our boat departed around 11 am and we arrived at Krakatau for lunch and we’re joined by some unwelcome guests who didn’t exactly keep their space.

Large monitor lizards patrol Rakata Island itself as we witnessed during our lunch. The islands as a group are called Krakatau but the island that erupted is called Rakata. It’s hard to imagine these lizards surviving such an explosion but they were certainly present. Nearly 4,000 people died and the deafening boom, and debris annihilated the wildlife that was there. Not long after, grass, and trees began growing. Today animals, birds, insects, and lizards call the area home. How did they get there? That’s one of a number of questions surrounding Krakatau.

It's hard to imagine a more beautiful color of water, and on an abandoned island to boot...... Paradise.

Rakata from the boat as we head to Anak Krakatau.

Anak Krakatau from the boat.

After snorkeling we boarded the boat and headed to one of the 20th century’s great natural creations, and mysteries, Krakatau’s child (Anak Krakatau.) Anak Krakatau was created in the aftermath of Rakata’s eruption and it has been existence since 1927. The island is home to a sensational collection of fauna and flora. Luscious green plants, beautiful trees, huge lizards, insanely beautiful black sand beaches as well as rock formations and sediment resembling areas of Kona Hawai’I cover the small island. What’s more is that on the North side of the island there lies some phenomenal aquatic wildlife that is nestled against the rocky perimeter. Giant clams, needlefish, and creatures I couldn’t describe even if I tried, fill the area.

These long dents are imprinted on the islands surface, similar to empty riverbeds. What was flowing here?

Hiking Anak Krakatau and seeing its mother!

Win, scaling the mini mountain like a champion...

From near the top of the Volcano you can check out this breathtaking view of the Volcano that rocked the world......

A beautiful sunset...

Fascinating rock formations fill one side of the island. Snorkels up!

The island is getting bigger, about five inches per day and also getting taller each year. The volcano remains active and camping near its base, on a beautiful beach in the Sunda Strait, was an experience I’ll always remember.

Sampai nanti! Until later Krakatau... What a beautiful place...