For 30 years I’ve been trying to get to Indonesia to see impressive Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.
I’d rank Borobudur alongside the Pyramids of Egypt, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Bagan in Myanmar, Petra, and the Pyramids of Mexico & Central America.
Running out of time on my 30 day visa to the nation, I splurged on a 13 hour private guided tour which included this highlight.
My guide got me #1 in line to visit Borobudur! I finally finished 1st in something! 😀
If alone, I could have rushed up to the top like a winner.
HOWEVER, everyone is guided in groups here. My guide was excellent.
Everyone must wear gifted sandals. They seriously do not work for people with bunions.
The site has been vastly improved in recent years. There’s some lovely landscaping, including many lotus flowers, a symbol in Buddhism.
There are 2 kinds of tickets: structure and ground. The ground tickets only allow wandering outside the Temple. Structure ticket holders get to climb the temple. Numbers are limited each day.
Of course everyone is keen to get the tour over with so they can scramble for photos. Me included. 😀
Though much of the stone had been vandalized and looted over the decades, there are still many impressive carved stories.
Borobudur lay hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth.
There’s no easier way to make that distance, other than flying.
I paid about CAD$289 for that trip — after some negotiation. Travelling alone, I convinced them that an old man shouldn’t have to share a 2 person room. I got my own.
The boat and trip are minimal, at best. But even the brokest backpackers sign up, all sleeping together in one communal room on floor mattresses.
It’s become one of the classic low budget Indonesian adventures.
In fact, if you were to try to design a ship to be as awkward and difficult as possible for humans over 5 feet tall, I doubt you could make transportation any more troublesome. 😀 HOW MANY TIMES did I hit my head on the poop deck?
No air conditioning on our boat. My fan didn’t work — so I borrowed another from an empty room.
Surprisingly, everyone I spoke with liked the trip. Myself included.
It was fun. Definitely a memorable experience. AND we were all happy we made it in 4 days. At one point the motor stopped working for a few hours. Water in the diesel, we were told.
There is a more expensive luxury alternative. A number of people told me it was not worth the extra. That boat is filled with older, richer complainers, needless to say.
Day 1
The company arranges transport to Kayangan Harbour in Lombok.
Just an hour after boarding you take a small boat over to tiny Kenawa island for sunset.
This was the only place I could legally fly my drone.
Sunrise and sunsets are a big deal on the boat. We had a full moon, as well.
In fact, my favourite moments on the boat were at dawn.
I’d get up at 5am. Drink coffee until the sunrise at about 6am. The moon would set about the same time.
I nearly drowned on first attempt, unable to get my snorkel set-up in open seas with choppy water. I doggy paddled back to the boat — confirming to the kids that this old man probably shouldn’t be on the tour.
I was eldest. Another woman of a certain age enjoyed the voyage. The rest were teenagers, I assume. 😀
Second attempt I put on a life jacket and took only the mask. That worked brilliantly in these conditions. I could get as close to one whale shark as I wished. Magical.
About noon the activity was to jump from the boat — and try to get back to the ladder before the current whisked you out to great blue beyond. Needless to say, I skipped that one.
The longest sailing stretch began here. Went all night.
Pink Beach was next. I managed to lose the lifejacket. And get snorkelling for real.
The beach is tinted pink from some nearby pink coral.
I didn’t have any underwater camera, but many others on my trip did. Most just used their phone in a waterproof sleeve.
Though I fear the ocean, I do love snorkelling. It helped that I had a terrific, modern snorkel.
They have rules in Indonesia — but most are universally ignored.
No drones in National Parks is respected, however.
About an hour sailing later we stopped at famed Padar Island. One of the most iconic photo spots in Indonesia. Even more memorable for the pounding rain!
I skipped the last night party top deck. These broke travellers sure spend a lot of money on beer. 😀
Day 4
The final day.
First we stopped to snorkel at Majarinte island. Looking for sea turtles.
We saw plenty of baby blacktip reef sharks. So majestic, even at a young age.
The trip ends at Labuan Bajo, former fishing village, today a luxury stop for Komodo National Park sailing tours as well as scuba diving. There are 13 five-star hotels here!
Komodo Airport is only 3 km from the centre of town. I flew from here BACK to Java.
The Komodo dragon largest extant population lives within the Komodo National Park in Eastern Indonesia. Males grow to a maximum length of 3 m (10 ft), weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb).
These deer can run about 3 times as fast. A Komodo dragon will lurk without moving near watering holes, trying to ambush a wild pig or deer.
I was surprised to see deer wandering around, seemingly ignoring the giant lizards. They know they can outrun, when healthy.
Komodo can eat 80% of their body mass in one meal — but only eat once or twice a month.
They haven’t been fed by humans for tourists since the early 1990s. Instead, watering holes have been built near to where tourists land to encourage a few to stick around. We saw quite a few in just an hour or so.
Females make many camouflage nests/holes to prevent other dragons from eating their eggs. They guard those eggs for months without eating.
Young Komodo dragons will eat insects, birds and bird’s eggs and small reptiles. Little ones can climb trees to avoid being cannibalized by adults who are too heavy.
The small city of Ubud has developed a serious tourism industry, promoted as an arts and culture centre.
More than three million foreign tourists each year, many of those NOT YOUNG. (Youth are on some beach instead.) I saw many families with young kids, as well.
It was no “Magic Bus” experience. They did this trip the hard way — independently.
They didn’t have the first Lonely Planet guide, rather only the first BIT (“Bible of the East”), a free half a dozen or so duplicated foolscap sheets stapled together with no cover.
Rick’s posted travel photos of himself and best pal Gene reflecting on how the journey through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal changed his life.
My own travels in Europe 1976 in an orange Volkswagen van were a piece of cake compared with the Hippie Trail. I had no interest — though a High School friend, Ian Baird, did end up in Kathmandu drinking Chai and eating pie on Freak Street. He got quite sick as did almost all the westerners who tried that adventure.
I’m not really the Yoga / Beach Bum / Party Harder kind of tourist — but how could I avoid Bali forever? 😀
… are you concerned for the eldest backpacker on the beach?
NO WORRIES. I had a Spa give me a Bali makeover. Now that I have a man bun, I fit in better with the kids.
For advice on this super popular island, I relied most on The Broke Backpacker, Will Hatton, and his team — many of whom live in Bali.
I use Broke Backpacker quite a bit deciding on hostels around the world.
Will opened Tribal Hostel in Canguu and recommends it as a good starting point for first time visitors. He promotes it as a digital nomad coworking environment.
Tribal Hostel
Pretty much everyone in the public areas here is on a laptop. Seemingly doing something important.
I believe this makes me officially a legit YouTube creator. 😀 Working out of Bali is a requirement, I believe.
August is highest season in Bali — but there still seems to be next day accommodation everywhere.
The restaurant at Tribal is quite good. If consumed by some project you are working on online — you can chow down while keeping at it. 😀
From the hostel I walk parts of the 10 km-long beach a couple of times a day.
Surf lessons are popular here. Beginners tend to get drowned quickly. NOT ME, of course. I stay dry and use A.I. to create a totally believable image of me mastering the surf.
One slight problem is the number of dogs running free.
There’s no shortage of lean beach bodies. Drop-in at the fitness club across the street is CAD $50!
Everyone is out on the beach for sunset. Many enjoying dinner and drinks.
A tourist trap, for sure. But that didn’t bother me. Traffic and second hand smoke are the biggest hassles.
Though Indonesia is mostly Muslim, Balinese Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of the population on this island.
Looking to join me?
Walk down the beach until you see the Statue Gajah Mina (fish body and elephant head) ➙ turn inland a few blocks and you’ll find the hostel. 😀
Rick McCharles 
