Days 1 to 3 - We arrived in Jakarta (Java) then the next day caught a train to Bandung. The following day we continued the train journey to Yogykarta, where we watched a dance performance from the Ramayana.
Day 4 - We took a tour to Borobudor (the largest Buddhist temple in the world), Kaliurang (a mountain with bamboo forests), a local market and Prambanan (the second largest Hindu temple).
Day 5 - We rented a becak (bicycle rickshaw) for the day to tour Yogyakarta. We started with the kraton (palace) and listened to a gamelan band. We then walked around the old water castle and catacombs. We explored a local bird market and saw how shadow puppets were made (including watching a show).
Day 6 - We left after midnight to hike Mt. Merapi, an active volcano, so that we could get to the top before sunrise in order to still see the glowing lava. In the afternoon, we went to the Gembira Loka zoo. The enclosures and treatment of the animals was extremely sad.
Days 7 & 8 - We spent a day on the bus to get to Mt. Bromo. At 3 am in the morning, we took a jeep to the volcano and then walked an easy 1.5 miles to the top. We arrived just before sunrise. We then caught a bus and ferry over to the neighboring island of Bali and found a nice bungalow in Ubud.
Day 9 - We spent the day exploring the local temples and food and enjoying an evening Gabor dance.
Day 10 - We went to a local monkey forest, Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave), and Pura Penataran Sasih temple (with the largest bronze gong in the world). In the evening we watched the Barong dance.
Day 11 - Together with two other tourists, we rented a car for the day. Our first stop was Klunkung (the old court justice from the 15th century). We then visited Goa Lawah (a bat cave) and went for a swim in the harbor of Padang Bai. Our last stop was the Royal Palace swimming pools.
Day 12 - We took a tour to a cremation ceremony. The body was loaded into an ornate platform and then burned. In the evening, we went to a village Keckak trance and fire dance.
Day 13 - We took a tour which started with an overlook of intense green rice fields. We then went to the Taman Ayun temple in Mengwi, which is known for its moats and stacked roofs. After that was a war memorial at Margarana, the temple of Alas Kedaton, and a roadside stop to hold some Kalong bats, a pangolin and a couple pythons. We finished the say with a sunset tour at the beach temple of Tanahlot.
Days 14 & 15 - We took a day of rest. The heat has been quite brutal. The next day we rented a small motorbike for three days then headed north. We stopped at Gunung Kawi (11th century graves of kings chiseled into a cliff), Batur temple on top of a volcano, then got a hotel in Lovina on a black sand beach.
Day 16 - We left at 5 am to go on a dolphin watching tour. After watching them jump and play around the boat, we went snorkeling in the emerald waters.
Day 17 - On the drive back down to Ubud, we first stopped at Gitgit waterfall. We had just entered Bedugul botanical garden when it started to pour. We got soaked! A bit further down the road, we were forced to pull over in another heavy downpour. But eventually we made it back to our old bungalow, dried off, and took in an evening Legong dance.
Day 18 - We watched a huge festival parade go through town. In the evening we went to another village for a local ceremonial dance.
Days 19 & 20 - We took another day tour that brought us to several craft centers (wood, gold & silver). At Denpasar, we visited a museum as well as a large local market. We then headed to Uluwatu temple on Nusa Dua Island. Monkeys ran everywhere! We had a short walk on the white sand of Kuta beach then returned to Ubud. Again, we visited our favorite temple for its evening dance performance, this time the Mahabharata dance. The following morning, we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport.
