Bromo Lewang

Bromo Lewang is the home of one of the most impressive sights of volcanic activity in Indonesia. Indonesia as a whole is clustered with volcanoes. (you can read about them on the side of the newspaper at home). The active Bromo lies in a valley that is routinely flooded by lava, so you can see the remedies of past eruptions at all times. We then walked up to the ridge and circled it a little bit. Steam is coming out at all times in a big display of thermal energy (potential). In the morning I got up to enjoy the beautiful sunrise over the foggy valley. Afterwords I was of back down to high temperatures and 12 hours later - world famous Bali.

Ubud

Ubud is located in the inner Bali Island and is quite touristy. On the way there I met Jesper (Sweden) and Lorena (Chile) who were fighting to bargain with the cabdriver. They were both Republicans concerning spending, so I was glad to join the group to earn back some dollars of the 150 USD cab in Australia. In Ubud we found the cheapest place, with really friendly staff. The first night we got drunk with some Arak (wheat spirit) from the supermarket after comparing prices for about 1 hour. The next day we rented some bicycles (extreme low quality) to see some rice paddies and the monkies in the parc. It was really cool even though the weather was ridiculously hot. The public market was buzzling and the Hindu temples gave some meditation conference. In the evening we spilled some Bintang down our throat and played Janish.

Kuta

Kuta - the main tourist town in Bali has been strucked by two bombings by Jemaah Islamiyah in this decade. In the more powerful twin bombing in 2002, most of the victims were Aussie, closely followed by Indonesians and then maybe 40 other countries. A big memorial has been set up at the place where the bombs went of. But the most interesting part is that apparently nothing has changed in how things are down in that town. Bali of course (Hindu) is more liberal then the Muslim part of the country, but the hedonistic tourists are partying every night and getting as pissed as possible. Thats what we did as well - that was especially funny because Neil (a taxi driver from Newcastle) had no manners worth talking about, had his funny gypsy English and could dance better than John Travolta in his best years. Kuta also has a beach, but not comparable to the postcards you get from Bali. After arranging a flight to Jogyakarta I was off to the countryside to see the rice paddies.

Surabaya

After I had to change the already boarded plane in Kuala Lumpur, I arrived in Surabaya late at night. After struggling with the immigration officials about the visa I ended up sleeping at the airport. Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia and an "economic powerhouse". Traffic is massive and difficult to understand. The hostel I found without a Lonely Planet had rats and a squad toilet. Walking around in Surabaya is not that funny because sometimes you have to wait 5 minutes until you can cross a road while running. Especially the huge amount of mopeds and the apparent maverick interpretation of traffic rules make it difficult to operate. The smog and the blazing sun make it a nice ambient to take rescue in a shopping mall. Though the next day I felt like I had to do something, so I went to Madura Island northeast of Surabaya for a day trip. People are all really friendly - maybe the friendliest nation I have got to know so far. But even the nicest fairytale has to end at some point - so I left Surabaya in the search for more sane cities.

Brisbane

Gabi and Michael live in Brisbane for one year, because Michael (Germany) works with a genetically modified cotton tree experiment. So I learned a lot about GM food and how good it is. I was a good listener, because I was a believer to begin with. Gabi (Swiss, pregnant in the 5 month) took us to the city during the day and showed us the best spots. On the Brisbane River you can get just about everywhere with the City Cats (ferries). We checked out the Botanical garden, City Hall and the old powerhouse. If Australia is California, Brisbane is Santa Barbara. In the evenings we ate tacos and the Gerber-fondue Carolin brought along from Switzerland. So we had a really nice and warm stay with the temporary ex pads. Thanks again!
They even gave us a lift to the airport. But when we arrived I had to learn that I was at the wrong airport 2 hours before my flight was about to take off. And airasia.com has a strict rule that you have to check in 1 hour in advance. So I ran down to the taxi drivers (without saying bye to Carolin - sorry) and talked with some Pakistani cabdrivers. They told me it is 310 AUD to get to Coolangatta Airport in 1.5 hours. Luckily an Australian guy came - he looked hungover - and said that he can do it in one hour. I had to suggest a price tag and he accepted 150 AUD but he had to check with his supervisor before, to get the job done of duty. And of we went. Rushing down the highway 15% above the speedlimit. 1 minute late I stood in front of the check in, but the girl helped me out when she heard the number 150 AUD. Relief, huge relief...

North Stradbroke Island

Fraser Island was an option at the beginning, but when we saw how far north of Brisbane it is and how much they charge, we decided to go to Straddy. An island of the coast of Brisbane. After 3 buses, a ferry and a train we arrived at Point Lookout. Another walk through town and along the cliffs was next. We saw some turtles and maybe a stingray.
The next day we dropped off our luggage at a local maritime cub and took a cap to the Blue Lake. A nice relaxing place with hippies smoking ganja next to us. The way back we walked - the sun was relentless and after about 8 km in the sun we were able to hitch the rest. Next on the list was visiting Carolin's friends in Brisbane.

Byron Bay

Heaps of tourists visit this place all year to enjoy carrying the surfboard around without a shirt and some also surf. The ocean also offers a nice swim for the normal people and the semi turquoise water offers beautiful vistas from just about everywhere. The lighthouse is the main thing in Byron Bay, that has not been built for tourists. The walk up takes you through dry rain forest (hope this exists) and you can see dolphins surfing the waves. The party hostel was packed with French and German people getting pissed all day long.
A word of the god (yes, that's me): "If you get drunk - do it with style"