Most guidebooks helpfully classify types of accommodation into three categories: top-end, mid-range, and budget. This is most certainly an oversimplification: it fails to take into consideration that the budget category alone is home to a universe of different types of abode, ranging from the flea-ridden pit of hell, to the bog of eternal stench.

After eleven months of sleeping, almost exclusively, in some of the cheapest digs in Asia, I have begun to consider myself a somewhat of an expert in the subject, and yet I still come across hostels that have the capacity to surprise me.

Read the rest of this entry »

Situated on Gang Ronta just off Poppies II, Ronta Bungalows offer a clean and fresh retreat from the buzzing streets of Kuta. The room comes with a nice cold water bathroom and one of the best roof fans we’ve had to date. Free breakfast comes in the form of a banana jaffle (toasty) which can be enjoyed on the balcony area outside the room. We paid Rp 75,000 – a reasonable price for the area. Because of the central location, it can be quite noisy at night, so do make sure you pack earplugs. Rating: 7/10

Denpasar is a dive and we hated it from the moment we stepped out of the Bemo. Part of our hatred probably stemmed from Adi Yasa Hotel – our Lonely Planet for Indonesia painted this hotel in a reasonably favourable light, but we were wholly disappointed with our barren and damp-smelling room. The bathroom also left a lot to be desired with dirty and broken furniture and fittings. My recommendation: steer clear of Denpasar altogether, but if you have to go there, don’t stay here. 1/10

We were at the mercy of our two Ojek (motorbike) drivers when we arrived in Tetebatu, and for better or worse they took us as far up the main road as possible to Soejono Hotel. This isn’t the ideal budget backpacker’s haunt – one night costs around Rp 100,000 – but you do get a decent amount for your money. We managed to negotiate a private bungalow with a cold water western bathroom for Rp 90,000 including breakfast. The charming thatched bungalows are split into two floors, with the (very basic) bathroom and an entry-room on the ground level and a double bedroom and small balcony on the upper level. The view from the balcony is stunning:

Breakfast is fairly standard and a little frugal: banana pancakes, banana jaffles etc plus coffee or tea. I’d recommend the banana pancakes – they are some of the best I had in Indonesia! The hotel also offers good but expensive tours of the surrounding area. We took a tour through the rice padis to the nearby waterfall (Rp 250,000) and were pleased with our extremely friendly guide.

Better than average but a little pricey for our liking. 6/10

When you’re introduced to the world your life is full of prodigious ‘firsts’: your first step, first word, first tooth. Everything is new and exciting. Then, as you get older, and your ‘firsts’ become significant in a new way: first kiss, first drink, first love – ‘firsts’ that make you tingle. But as we get older our ‘firsts’ become fewer and further between. Gradually they come to a halt, and what rare ‘firsts’ arise we barely notice, instead choosing to reward longevity instead of newness.

This trip has opened up a new world of ‘firsts’ for me, and I don’t want them to go unmarked. Here are a few of them, some you will have read about, and some that will become apparent in the fullness of time:

• #1 First ride on a motorbike
• #2 First monkey on my head
• #3 First active volcano
• #4 First dog bite (and hopefully last)
• #5 First leech (see above)
• #6 First fall into an open sewer (ditto)

Item # 4
If you are curious about item number four on my list, first dog bite, then read on. Read the rest of this entry »

Once we had escaped the evil clutches of the beautiful Gili Trawangan, we decided it was time to get some mountain air. That meant that our next stop was the capital of Lombok, Mataram, followed by a journey to the mountains.
Read the rest of this entry »

We stumbled over Oka Homestay while looking for Viktor Hotel and were instantly attracted by the clean room and decent price – Rp 60,000 per night including breakfast. The room was basic, with a fan and a rickty double bed, and the bathroom was a squat affair with a cold shower. Breakfast was toast and jam and was served on the nice verandah in front of the room. Staff were friendly and happy to advise us on public transport to our next destination (while trying to rent us their motorbike). The homestay is located on Jalan Repatmaja, 5 minutes walk from the Mataram Mall and 10 minutes in the opposite direction to the water palace and hindu temple.

A reasonable room for a reasonable price, but nothing special and with a disappointing breakfast. 5/10

There are some places so surreal, where your experiences are so unusual, that entering them feels like stepping into a different world.

Gilli Trawangan is one such place.

We had been traveling for exactly 1 month when we stepped off the tiny, rickety wooden boat, waded through knee high water and dropped our bags onto the sandy shore of this minute island.

Find paradise…
If someone were to ask you to picture the most perfect island, chances are that what you would see in your mind’s eye would be Gilli Trawangan.
White sand beaches stretch around a tiny lush and fertile island; the sea is the clearest you can imagine, and it shimmers a thousand shades of blue; the sun rises and sets in a kaleidoscope of colours, in reds and oranges, purples and pinks that leave you breathless; electricity is optional and there are no cars or motorbikes, or pollution of any kind (except the steam rising from the deposits left by horses).

Sunset on Gilli Trawangan

On facebook – check them out

One reason we went to Gili Trawangan was because it is cheaper than the other Gilis and I think Ricko’s might be the cheapest place on the island, as well as the hardest to find. Luckily, we were accosted by a chap from Rudy’s Bar (they seem to own the place) as soon as we stepped off the ferry and taken straight there. You can ask at Rudy’s for availability and directions or, to find the place by yourself, follow these directions:

Take the road directly opposite the jetty into the village. Keep going past several Warungs on the right  until you see the schoolyard on your left – take the left-hand road after the school and look out for Hendry’s Laundry on your right. Go into Henry’s laundry and walk right through – Ricko’s is at the back. If there is nobody there (we never saw anyone that looked like they worked there during our stay), go and ask at Rudy’s.

We paid Rp 50,000 per night for a clean, no frills room with two double beds, a fan and a cold water western style bathroom. A reasonably breakfast at Rudy’s is included. Take earplugs if you want a lie in – there’s a Mosque right behind the rooms and prayers start very early in the morning.

Cheap and cheerful – few negative points, but nothing much to shout about either: 6/10