Back in Mabul

Indonesia made me miss Malaysia. So after one minute thinking I booked a flight to Kuala Lumpur for the next day where a friend of mine was hanging out with some of his friends. Where I hung out with some of his friends. But after 2 nights in the city it was time to get out and do some diving again. So off to Tawau -> Semporna -> Mabul. I was here already at new year and the diving in Sipadan is just spectacular. Can't go wrong with this choice.

I booked a dorm bed & Sipadan permits with Uncle Changs. Didn't know the place would be full of chinese... Oh well... Can't always win. At least most of them just snorkeled and I didn't have to dive with them. But still, why the F do they have to be so loud??? And the place is not gonna run out of food...

On the arrival day I had 2 dives in Mabul and one in Kapalai. Basically the same as 7 months ago. Didn't see more, didn't see less. But this time I've got photos! Yayy! So here u go! I didn't really know of what I was taking photos of coz the camera is fucked but they turned out quite alright. Maybe I shouldn't be able to see too much.

2 days later it was time to return to Sipadan. The place which ruined my diving last time for quite a while. Not many places can compare with this underwater paradise. This time it was especially shark time. So many white tips! We also checked out a cave where you can see some skeletons. And yeah, got photos again, with a half broken camera...

After Sipadan I hung out in Mabul for a few days, had a bit too much Tanduay and did only one night dive. The plan was to spend my last night of the holiday in KL but I kinda missed the morning boat meaning not a chance to catch a flight. Oh well. The party in the evening before was worth it. Anyways Mabul was a great place to end this trip. Though I still think that maybe next time I should spend the last days in a place I hate. That would make going back home a bit easier. As now it for sure is not being much fun.

Volcanoes & temples in Java

From Lovina I took a bemo to Gilimanuk, where ferries leave every 30 mins to Java. In the same bemo was a really nice Javanese dude who lives in Lombok but was on his way to spend a few days with his parents in southern Java. All got also so much easier when you hang out with a local, though in the ferry terminal in Java even he didn't scare off the bullshit speakers. But I made myself proud by ripping off the bemo driver who tried to rip me off :) Everyone paid 5000 rupiahs, from me he wanted 10 000 and I got pissed off and gave him 2000 and just left. Ha! That felt good. I know we are speaking about way less than an euro here but this rip off the white woman business is getting really annoying.

In the bus I met two young british students with whom I ended up traveling for the next days. Nice guys, who didn't speak constantly and traveled the same way than I do. We got to Bromo late in the evening and took a cheap room in a home stay. The next morning alarm clock went on at 2.45 as we wanted to walk to the viewpoint in the opposite mountain to see the sunrise. It was supposed to be a 2 hour walk. We did it in less than an hour. So there we were, freezing for quite a long time before the first sun rays hit the slopes of the volcano. That was so surreal! Well worth the hours or traveling!

From the viewpoint we hiked to the crater of Bromo. Luckily the tourists who had booked a jeep tour (basically all except maybe 10 people) were already leaving so we got the huffing&puffing huge smelly hole basically just for ourselves.

And then it was time to leave. I thought of staying another night and do some hikes in the area but I was freezing the whole time. Everyone was wearing a hoodie or a jacket but I don't have such a luxury with me :( Just a thin long sleeve. Maybe I should have put the wetsuit on.

Again we took a bemo to Probolinggo, then bus to Surabaya and a 8-9 hour bus to Yogyakarta. Took 14 hours traveling to get there. I was really getting tired of sitting in busses. Maybe a bit too much in a few days. We go there at 2 am and took the first hotel who had still doors open. The next day I moved to a smaller&cheaper&nicer home stay and took a look at Yogyakarta. What a lovely town! The best was just to get lost in the backstreets and chat to people there as there they don't wanna sell you anything or drag you to a art shop. 

Photoooo mister!!! Tidak lelaki, saya perempuan!!!

I went to a shop to buy water and was greeted by loud power metal. Hehe. I ended up chatting the cashier boy for quite a long time about music. But immediately when you go near to some tourist attraction all the people who approach you want something from you. Either money or men want to hang out and hope for the best. So annoying. And yes I still know that I have nice tattoos ya!

About tourist attractions. Kraton in Jogja is cheap to visit but also not very interesting. As one of the british dudes said: it kind of looks like a bus station. 

The nearby temple Prambanan and Java's sight nr 1 Borobudur are really impressive and worth the high entrance fees (around 20 dollar). Usually people visit them by organized tours in a minibus, which are actually quite cheap. It doesn't make any sense to go by public busses just to save money as you might save one euro. But I don't like time tables and I also don't wanna listen to what countries people have “done” (argh!!!!) so I made my own way to both places. And if you go first to Prambanan and then to Borobudur, you avoid the huge crowds. All mini&tourist busses visit the sights in opposite order. I had Borobudur almost all to myself, in the afternoon there was only a handful of other people. Here are a few crappy photos as I managed to drop my camera and there's a crack in the mirror inside. Taking photos is quite challenging as they turn much lighter as usually and the display is almost black :(I hope there's a good Olympus doctor in Kuala Lumpur, where I'm heading next. Soon it's beer o'clock with my buddy Cliff.  

What a wreck!

What to do after Nusa Lembongan? Like usually, I had no plan. In the last evening I decided that next day I'll go to Lombok. I woke up in the morning and went to Bali instead. Bali has never interested me much but I wanted to dive the ASAP Liberty wreck, so why not do it now. And it was for sure worth it! Amazing! I did 2 dives there, one in the afternoon and one in the morning. Same wreck, different light. In the afternoon it was like a ghost town, lots of weird light. In the morning the visibility/light wasn't as good but we found much more fishes. F.ex a huge grouper just waiting for food to swim in :)

After one night in Tulamben I had to make decisions again. Should I go to Lombok or Java? Well, I already wanted to see mt. Bromo last year but ended up in Sulawesi so why not go there now. I stayed one night in Lovina in Bali on the way and got again really annoyed about almost everything. The bemo driver tried to rip me off with the price, then basically pushed me to an ojek who took me to a hotel. I made no promises, took a look at the room and it was okay, wifi worked and price was cheap so why not, I'll stay one night. And of course the ojek dude was a dive master or whatever and tried to sell me basically anything. As I wasn't interested in diving, snorkeling, dolphin watching why not try if the woman just wants to get wasted and who knows what happens then... Yea think again... Argh. 

Also walking at the beach wasn't really a relaxing experience. I really don't wanna be rude but at the end I just start ignoring everyone and don't bother to answer even to a hello. As it never is only a hello. And yes I know I have nice tattoos. I did though meet a nice older man in a bakso booth in the evening. He told me loads of ramadan and what kind of meaning it has to him. And he didn't try to sell me anything or tried to made me pay his bakso.

 So, off to Java! The island where you never should ask how much something costs as then you out yourself as an unexperienced tourist and end up getting ripped off. Just hold small money in the pocket and ignore everyone who approaches you near bus stations, tourist attractions or hotels. Excited!

Where's your Mola Mola's, Lembongan?

 After one night in Sanur Beach I took an early public boat to the Nusa Lembongan island just 30 min off the coast. And noticed, I'm for sure not in Malaysia or Philippines anymore. The homestay owner couldn't tell me where to buy a boat ticket or if the take off place is in walking distance. So I took a taxi, who tried to rip me off with the price. And actually had no clue where to drive to. In his opinion I should have known. Argh. He asked the way for a few times and clearly got wrong directions but still followed them. At the end I started asking the way. A direct way would have been just a few kilometers, but we drove around for maybe half an hour. Grrrh. And of course the driver wanted to have more money exactly because of that. Well think again! And now I stop complaining.

Next negotiations were with the boat agency, as the shown price is never the end price. I got a pretty ok deal and also got into a boat which left immediately. And there I was, in the Mola Mola and Manta country!

I had exchanged a few emails with Two Fish Dive shop in advance, checked it out, liked what I saw and booked dives immediately with them. Their accommodation was a bit too expensive so I stayed in a small & really nice home stay almost across the street. Good choice! Got a really cosy bungalow for small money and the staff was extremely nice.

So, diving! Mantas! More Mantas! The whole idea of going to Lembongan was finally to see those magnificent huge creatures moving gracefully in the ocean. At Manta Bay we saw 4-5 different ones, but the sea was really rough and visibility quite poor. I also lost my buddy & DM for a while but we found eatch others on the surface again. The next day we went to Manta Point. I had to swallow some anti sea sickness pills as I had some beer & arak the evening before and the waves looked too huge for a half-ok stomach. All went well (not a sequel to Moalboal) and this time we enjoyed the Mantas during the whole dive. How much can you smile in the water? A LOT!!! I had to do a really corny american “WOW” on the surface after the dive. First time for everything.

I also went twice to Chrystal Bay hoping to see Mola Molas but they were hiding :( Nice spot, but nothing compared to the Manta madness.

Except diving I did jumping (video coming later...). Two South African dudes were going to jump from a 13 m cliff and hell yea, me too! The place was closing, but this time it was quite good as now we didn't have to pay the 50 000 rupiah fee. Doesn't matter that they had pulled up the ladders as you can actually climb back. Nice jump. Was I scared? Hell yea! From there we drove to another jumping point where you have to aim to a small round sandy area between corals. Easy, easy! Even in low tide. What a fantastic day! First the mantas, then jumping and a party in the evening. Which wasn't really my cup of tea but a day is always good to end with cold beers and good company.

Poser.

The captain is a disaster.

End of the diving in Lembongan for me. Next day we went to the mangroves, tried to steer the small boat with not so much success but got good laughs. In the afternoon we went back to the jumping spot again as an Irish wanted jump & loose his camera in the ocean. Mission accomplished successfully!

Lembongan was really good fun. Lovely island, fantastic smily locals and I met some great people.  Now some wreck dives in Bali before I head to Java.

Trying to try out the sea weed. 

Back in KK

When I came to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo the first time last year I could have never thought that one day I'll actually come back here just to visit the city. I thought KK was quite uninteresting, ugly and it has too many malls. I loved the food though. But I traveled through the city again a few times in January and the place started to be more and more appealing. Hell, I could live there! So I flew back there from Malaysian Peninsula, especially as a few friends were in town I really wanted to meet again.

I basically just stayed in the town for a week (thanx Cliff first for the couch and then for the whole room), enjoyed cheap beers & not so cheap cocktails in good company & ate loads of seafood in the filipino market. I did one day trip again to Mamutik island for some snorkeling and an overnight trip to Kinabalu park with a friend. I still didn't climb the mountain though. Drunk more beer instead. That means I have to make a new trip back here again maybe still this year, maybe next year.

Not much to tell or to show. I took maybe 5 photos. But I enjoyed the week tremendously. Good to be back!

I'm actually really sad to leave but it feels like it's time to move. Next destination: Nusa Lembongan in Indonesia. I really hope to spot some Mola-Molas & Mantas!

Hello Gunung Kinabalu. Next time I'm climb up.