Bali and The Gili Islands

So, there's Erika and I thinking we've seen it all when it comes to beaches and islands. It reminds me of our attitude before we visited India, which pretty much went along the lines of "We live in Bangkok, Delhi we can handle". As if. What I'm trying to say is, next time you meet someone who says "If you've seen one beach, you've seen them all", politely direct them to this post.

We went to Bali last year (which you can read about in our previous posts) and fell in love with the place. How can you not? Everything a traveller in Asia wants to experience is here, be it a vibrant culture, excellent food, beautiful scenery, amazing beaches and friendly people. It's on my list of places to retire, hopefully you'll see why.

We revisited Ubud and everything it has to offer, be it restaurants on a golden rice paddy or shopping for that perfect wooden sculpture, but our real highlight was staying on the Gili Islands which is a couple hours boat ride from Bali. Any fans of evolution out there would know this stretch of water is where Alfred Wallace had his eureka moment. It's been called The Wallace Line ever since. But I digress: this was all about Bintangs on the beach and snorkeling with huge sea turtles...


Bali and Gili Islands, 2013 from Oh My Travels on Vimeo.

We stayed at Gunung Merta Bungalows, Ubud. This is the view from our room.

Our bungalow (just the ground floor).

Some local artisans creating a bas relief.

The beautiful art and architecture at AMRA Museum, Ubud. 

We visited a local batik factory on the outskirts of Ubud as Erika researches her school trip to the island.

And then onto the mask museum, where character masks used in traditional Balinese dance are displayed.

The Kecak Dance, a version of the Hindu epic "Ramayana". 

No, it's not photo shopped. Yes, it is that blue. This is Gili Air Island, one of three islands that dot the approach to Lombok from Bali. This was the view from the restaurant of where we stayed (Sunrise Bungalows). 

One of the great things about this island, and why people come here to cure stress, is that motorised vehicles don't exist. All transport is on horse and cart. 

You can walk around the island in an hour or so and it's pretty empty (apart from the main stretch near the pier and the village which is inland).

Till next time...

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Koh Mak, Thailand

We bought a car! So, as we had a week off during the Easter holidays we did a road trip through Chantaburi and parked at the Long Ngop Pier in Trat. We then hopped on a speedboat to Koh Mak for a few days to brave the sandflies...and we weren't disappointed. The beaches aren't the stunning white powdery type that we got in Koh Lipe, but if you're after peace and quiet, this is the place for you. I found my new happy place. Families, this ones for you. Out of all the islands we've visited, this is the most untouched and unpolluted which is probably why they have some problems with sand flies. Don't fret: they're only about in the mornings and evenings, and if you put some Deet on before you apply your sun lotion you'll be fine. There are plenty resorts with pools if you don't want to brave it. Koh Mak is located just below the large island Koh Chang, off the Thai/Cambodian border. We stayed at Happy Days Bungalows on Ao Soun Yai, which is dominated by Koh Mak Resort. The latter have amazing white bungalows on the beach but were just out of our price range, so we stayed at the former which is a new place right at the other end. If you want a hut on the beach that overlooks the sea, this is your best bet. They don't have a website or anything, we just turned up. Anyway, you're sure to find somewhere to stay on this beach, which is arguably the best beach on Koh Mak. We took the motorbike out one day and went to every beach (the island is small) and although there were some nice little bays, this beach is the main draw. 

  

This was the view from our porch...

And here's the hut...

Suchanaree Bungalows, in between Koh Mak Resort and Happy Days Bungalows. We couldn't sleep due to the old mattresses, so moved on. The kitchen was hardly open. Shame, these digs have so much potential.

 Koh Mak has been added to the list of places titled "We'll be back".