Climbing a volcano in Java

Hi,

Lots more adventures since I last wrote...

1. Climbed a volcano in the island of Java. We started at 4am to get to the top for sunrise. I decided to hike up, rather than takes the jeeps which just seemed way too touristy for me. Well, I got lost. Yep, I couldn't find the trail markers in the 4am darkness in the "sea of sand" on the way to the cone of the volcano, even with a headlamp. I must say, that I really started to wonder if I had made the right choice.... alone, in the dark, lost in a volcanic crater in the middle of Java, and the terrain was starting to get more difficult. Well, I started climbing up a mountain, but didn't know if it was the correct peak. As the sun started to come up, I saw the summit, but not until I was at the top, did I realize where I was. I had climbed the wrong peak. Luckily, the correct summit was an easy scramble from where I was.
The horde of jeep tourists had gone to a different viewpoint first and wouldn't arrive for a couple hours.
It was pretty amazing being up there alone, watching the sunrise light up all the peaks in the area.

2. Took a bus trip from Java to Bali, which was supposed to take 9 hours. It ended up taking 15 hours, some of it with no AC in 35c temps. I felt totally baked. We finally arrived at 2am after having to charter a truck from some very sketchy individuals at midnight, to go the final 50k. Local buses here can really be pretty painful.

3. Traveled with an Australian guy in his 70's. Really interesting man, who has traveled for 2 months every year for the past 15 years. He lives on an island off the east coast of the Gold Coast in Australia.

4. Got asked to join a University tour group in Jogjakarta, Indonesia by a bunch of giggly teenage Muslim girls. We toured Borobudur, one of the most interesting ancient Buddhist Temple in SE Asia. Their professor provided really good background information to the sights. A really fun group of students.

A few more photos are posted at
https://photos.app.goo.gl/72JfgUDSySBACoEa8

Cheers,
Dave

Malaysia breakfast - spicy coconut soup with bean sprouts, quail eggs, prawns, shredded chicken and dried bean curd

Hi,

I'm currently in Melaka, Malaysia, and will fly to Jogjakarta, Indonesia in a couple days.

For breakfast today I had Laksa, which is a noodle dish in a spicy coconut soup with bean sprouts, quail eggs, prawns, shredded chicken and dried bean curd. Let me tell you, it sure beats oatmeal porridge.

I recently spent 4 days relaxing on a remote Andaman Sea island National Park in the south of Thailand. I stayed in a very basic bamboo hut(the only accommodation available), which was shared with 3 twenty year old Swedish guys. We did some sea kayaking, jungle trekking, and mtn biking. The powdery white sand beaches, and clear blue waters, and lined with jungle forests. Lots of monkey, lizards, sea eagles, and colorful birds. There might have been 20 westerners on the whole island. I didn take many photos, but have posted a few more photos from Georgetown, Malaysia and Melaka.

Photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xELeGCDaxTcXwaRA9

Thoughts by Dave #2 - What makes SE Asia really interesting

Hi,

A few more thoughts on what makes SE Asia really interesting for me.

31. The friendly people of the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam waving and laughing as I floated through the narrow river channels. And yes, the women all wear the pointed conical rice hats. I wanted to get one, but apparently men don't wear them.

32. Crossing the streets in Saigon. I thought I knew how to cross a street, but I was wrong. With a solid flow of hundreds of motorbikes, I stood for 20 minutes waiting for a gap that would never come. After watching the locals carefully, I finally got across the street. The trick is to step very slowly into the oncoming traffic(yep, you heard me), while looking directly at the motorbikes heading straight at you. You keep moving very slowly at the same pace, without stopping or pausing. The traffic just flows around you. If you stop, change your pace, or run, you're dead ! To practice, I stood beside a local who seemed to know what she was doing. At least she had the pointed hat.  While we crossed 30 lanes of motorbike traffic, I stayed within a few inches of her. When she looked at me and realized I didn't know how to cross the street by myself, we both started laughing like crazy. I was eventually able to cross the street by myself. It takes a bit of nerve and concentration, but it works, and is the only way to "safely" cross any major street in Saigon.

33. Vietnamese Coffee. It will strip the enamel from your teeth, but if you like strong coffee, my God is it good. They make a version where the coffee beans are fed to Weasels and the beans are collected from the excrement. No word of a lie! I've tried it and it's very tasty. Mmmmm, weasel.

34. Hiking through the mountains in northern Vietnam, and meeting and talking with the Hill tribe people. Communication is pretty basic, but smiles go a long way.

35. Getting lost in the maze of trails thought rain forests and rice paddies in the mountains of Northern Vietnam. Off-trail means hiking on the narrow dams around the rice paddies, which requires good balance or you end up in the mud. But you can always ask directions from the friendly hill-tribe people and sometimes even get pointed in the right direction.

36. The upright posture and confidence of beautiful Vietnamese women riding mopeds in the insane traffic, with their traditional long, white, silk gowns flowing around them.

37. Climbing down to a fresh water Lagoon in the center of a tiny, jungle covered island in the Andaman Sea. The descent involved hanging onto vines and ropes that someone had left behind. The lagoon was surrounded by 100 meter limestone cliffs full of caverns and huge stalactites hanging almost down to the surface of the water. The walls where covered with giant ferns and vines. The calls of tropical birds echoed off the cliff walls, as a steaming mist rose from the waters. When it started to rain heavily, I knew the steep, slippery route back up the ropes would be interesting.

38. Kayaking through a maze-like Mangrove Forest on a seldom visited tropical island in the Andaman Sea. Three Swedes and I were on a 'Quest' to find a cave once inhabited by Salt Water Crocodiles. Although we never found it, the monkeys, large green snakes, and lizards kept the search interesting. Getting lost in the maze of mangroves channels, while the tide was going out made the journey a memorable adventure.

39. Sitting on a deserted 2 km long beach of squeaky, powder white sands, and watching the setting sun change the colors of the world from deep blues and vibrant greens, to warm reds and oranges.

40. Sitting on a remote tropical beach at night, watching distant lightening bolts on the horizon, as they pierced the surface of the sea and illuminating the water and sky.

Cheers,
Dave

Vietnam and Beaches of Thailand

Hi,

Not sure what the weather is like in Calgary, but check out the Beach photos from southern Thailand..... ha ha ha.... :)

Since I last checked in, I flew from Hanoi to Bangkok, and then took a train to the Adaman Sea in the south of Thailand. Did some amazing sea kayaking in a Mangrove forest, and some great snorkeling near Phi Phi Islands. Time is just flying by.

Cheers,

Dave