Ren & Andrew

RENanDREW

Ren & Andrew

This blog documents the feeding of our travel addiction - one country at a time.

Travel is an essential part of our life, and we'll continue to travel until our addiction wanes (which probably won't be in this lifetime)! The more we travel, the more we see; and the more we see, the more we understand that we know so little - which is a brilliant thing.

We love the little corner of south eastern Australia we call home, but we are at our happiest when throwing ourselves into a new adventure and experiencing new cultures. Rather than doing round-the-world trips, our preferred style of travel is to spend a block of time in one country or region and get a real feel for that area and its people. We also love love love eating and drinking! We think that getting to know the food and its associated cultural nuances is a brilliant way to understand a country...so our posts are bound to contain many epicurean details.

If you are interested in our travels please feel free to Follow us, or if you aren't a Travel Blog member and wish to receive an email alert whenever we add a new blog entry, you can subscribe to this blog. If you have any questions or comments, you can contact us through the Comments section at the very bottom of each post or via the Message function.

Hope you enjoy our travel stories as much as we enjoy writing and sharing them with you! 😊
Cheers
Ren and Andrew


And if travel is like love...it is mostly because it's a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end. ~ Pico Iyer




Asia » Indonesia June 2nd 2023

Where the land is stepped, there the sky is upheld… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... I had two very small points of reference for our Indonesian adventure – surfing and vegetarian food. And to be honest, even these were relatively unknown to me. My knowledge of Indonesian surf was derived entirely from surfing magazines, and my knowledge of Indonesian food was derived entirely from a small eatery in my home town of Hobart. I knew little about the country, because I had never travelled there. This was my first trip, which somewhat defies the stereotype of the quintessential Australian tourist. Most Aussies travel to Indonesia at some point in their early adulthood. For some, it's considered a rite of passage. The proximity of exotic islands such as Bali to our northwest corner makes this coming-of-age ritual ... read more
jakarta - national gallery
purwokerto - soto ayam (chicken soup)
pangandaran - tempeh market stall

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Sanur May 31st 2023

Like an owl yearning for the moon… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling back to Australia from Bali – via Melbourne and Hobart. The check-out time of our villa at The Pavilions in Sanur was 12pm, and our flight was at 11:10pm. We didn’t relish the thought of 11 hours in Bali’s heat and humidity without access to a shower or air-conditioning, so we negotiated an extended check-out with the friendly reception staff, which allowed us to keep our villa until 8pm (for half the normal price). It was a lifesaver. We organised our packs, settled in the villa’s comfortable open plan lounge and relaxed into the late afternoon and early evening. I freshened up in the outside shower for one final time at 7pm, dressed for the five-hour flight to Melbourne, then ... read more
denpasar airport
denpasar airport
denpasar airport

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Sanur May 30th 2023

There is a prawn hiding behind the rock… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today (and tomorrow) we were continuing to explore Sanur – by foot. Locations > Sanur is a bustling coastal town in southern Bali. Transport Walking (and the occasional resort shuttle car). Accommodation …The Pavilions, Sanur… This enchanting resort is tucked away from the madding crowd in a magnificent tropical garden just one block back from Sanur Beach. It offered us a very welcome retreat at the end of our Indonesian adventure, and we’d booked it especially as a treat for my birthday – which we’d celebrated in style the previous day. Cuisine – Day 1 …Breakfast (The Pavilions, Sanur)… Breakfast is a big deal at The Pavilions. You order your breakfast preferences a day in advance (via an online app), and it is ... read more
breakfast at the pavilions
sanur beach
sanur beach - patal temple

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Sanur May 28th 2023

Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today (and tomorrow) we were exploring Sanur– by foot. Locations > Sanur is a bustling coastal town in southern Bali. Transport Walking (and the occasional resort shuttle car). Accommodation …The Pavilions, Sanur… This enchanting resort is tucked away from the madding crowd in a magnificent tropical garden just one block back from Sanur Beach. It offered us a very welcome retreat at the end of our Indonesian adventure, and we’d booked it especially as a treat for my birthday. I’ve described its key features at length in the highlights section below. It was a huge improvement on Bumi Ayu Bungalows, our accommodation on the first night we arrived in Sanur. The less said about the Bungalows, the better. Cuisine – ... read more
the pavilions - entry
sanur beach
sanur beach

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Sanur May 27th 2023

Even ivory has its cracks… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling to the coastal town of Sanur– by road. Locations > Lovina is a relaxed coastal town in northern Bali. > Bedugul is large town in Bali’s central mountains. > Saba is a village in southern Bali. > Sanur is bustling coastal town in southern Bali. Transport We travelled from Lovina to Sanur (via Bedugul and Saba), by minibus. Wide awake at 4:45am thanks to a very loud call to prayer, we prepared our packs for the final road trip of our Indonesian adventure. We were travelling from the northern coast to the southern coast of Bali, and our southward journey was taking us through the island’s central mountains. We had a long day ahead. After settling our laundry bill and relaxing briefly ... read more
tropical fruit plate
fried rice
banana pancake with honey

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Lovina May 26th 2023

One stroke at the paddle, two and three islands have passed… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today we were exploring the coastal town of Lovina and the coastal waters of Menjangan Island– by minibus, boat and snorkel. Locations > Lovina is a coastal town in northern Bali. > Menjangan Island is a small island off Bali’s northwestern coast. > West Bali National Park covers the entire northwestern tip of Bali, and Menjangan Island is part of the national park. Transport We travelled from Lovina to West Bali National Park by minibus, semi-circumnavigated Menjangan Island by boat, then returned to Lovina by minibus. We woke early, breakfasted early and set off for West Bali National Park around 8:30am. We were traveling in a westerly direction along Bali’s northern coastline. On-route we had a brief market stop in ... read more
lovina market
lovina market
lovina market

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Lovina May 25th 2023

Different culture means different custom… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling to the coastal town of Lovina. Locations > Kintamani is a small village in northeast Bali, perched on the caldera wall of a collapsed volcano. > Lovina (our destination) is a coastal town in northern Bali. > Banjar is an inland town in northern Bali, notable for its hot springs. Transport Minibus. After checking out of Hotel Caldera in the mid-morning, we clambered into a minibus and climbed a steep winding road to the large town square of Kintamani. Some of the corners were hairpin bends, and there was little room to move when cars, buses or bikes were coming in the opposite direction. We turned onto a busy road and started our long journey northwest to Lovina. The narrow road was ... read more
rambutan hotel - our villa
rambutan hotel - the greenery around our balcony
global village kafe

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Batur May 24th 2023

Your skill is only a rumour until it reaches your muscles… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling to the spectacular Mount Batur. Locations > Sibetan is a remote rural village in eastern Bali. > Kintamani (our destination) is a small village in northeast Bali, perched on the caldera wall of a collapsed volcano > Mount Batur is a volcano in northeast Bali. Transport We travelled from Sibetan to Kintamani by minibus, then explored Mount Batur by foot. We left Sibetan in the early afternoon and headed northwards to Kintamani. The road was narrow and winding. We ascended high mountain roads, sped through small villages, passed slow trucks on blind bends and bounced over rough patches of bitumen. The landscape was green and lush, and the tree canopy often hung low over the road. ... read more
streets of kintamani
hotel caldera
view from hotel caldera

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Sibetan May 23rd 2023

A smart man is usually humble… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling to the tranquil village of Sibetan. Locations > Sidemen is a small mountain village in eastern Bali. > Sibetan (our destination) is a remote rural village in eastern Bali. Transport We travelled from Sidemen to Sibetan by minibus, then explored Sibetan by foot. We left Sidemen in the mid-afternoon and headed a short distance (about 12 kilometres) east to Sibetan. We drove along narrow mountain roads with forest on either side. We drove through tiny villages where dwellings had been built right to the very edge of the road. We crawled around sharp corners, and we shared the road with cars, trucks and motorbikes. We stopped at a supermarket and picked up some Bokashi balm for Ren. We suddenly slowed and ... read more
homestay - entrance
homestay- our bungalow
homestay - family temple

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Sidemen May 22nd 2023

Rippling water shows lack of depth… ~ Indonesian Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling to the mountain village of Sidemen. Locations > Ubud is a bustling mountain town in central Bali. > Sidemen (our destination) is a small mountain village in eastern Bali. Transport We travelled from Ubud to Sidemen by minibus, then explored Sidemen’s peaceful streets and lush rice fields by foot. After lunching at Warung Pondok Bali (a small local eatery on the outskirts of Ubud), we clambered into a minibus and set off toward Sidemen. As we climbed in altitude, the roads narrowed and the distance between villages increased. The villages themselves were remote and small, and there were times when the temple structures outnumbered the actual dwellings. The forest was lush and green, and it occasionally encroached onto the road. Mount ... read more
uma agung villa
uma agung villa - our bungalow
streets of sidemen




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