Bali Adventures #3 - On The Road

Immediately on arrival in Denpasar one of the first things that struck me, and many others I am sure, was the traffic. Not necessarily just the volume, but the driving habits and the frequency of motorbikes and scooters.

Scooters are everywhere. Not only do they transport people, but they can also carry an amazing array and amount of loads. These photos give some idea of how they are utilised.

In addition to this, the scooter is also the family car. But no child safe restraints here, in fact it was not uncommon to see Mum and Dad wearing helmets, with the kids (including very young babies) totally unprotected. A younger child was often seen standing at the front on the scooter between Dad's arms, with Mum cradling a baby. This would certainly raise more than a few eyebrows in NZ!

However, my observation of the Indonesian people is that they are pretty laid back. As is indicative of this, road rage was non existent. A gentle toot of the horn to advise of their presence is constantly made by drivers. Defensive driving seems to be an innate skill, especially for the scooter riders. Same with a finely tuned sense of balance and quick reactions. The rules of the road and traffic signals were unclear to me as a passenger. Because of all this, I would have expected to see several accidents, however the only one I saw was on the open road on our way to our diving destination, when the motorcyclist simply didn't look behind him. But in the hurly-burly of the built up areas, where traffic was thick and constant, I didn't see a single crash.

It is the patience, consideration for other drivers/riders and adherence to (likely unwritten?) "road rules" that appears to enable safe travel in what looks like a certain disaster zone to the novice visitor. We could learn from that here.

Bali Adventures #2 - Christmas at Jimbaran Beach

Christmas Day 2012 was the most laid back Christmas I think I have ever had. Yes, it was weird to be without my family, but it was also very cool to be doing something completely different somewhere far from home. We ended up travelling to Jimbaran Beach in the late afternoon, at the suggestion of our taxi driver (always keen for a longer fare, though to be honest, pretty cheap travel).
The plan was to watch the sunset, which we did as we supped cocktails and watched both tourists and locals go about their business. A longboat was, we believe, completing the final stages of a funeral. Other locals were digging for shellfish. Some were searching for other treasures... amongst the rubbish. This was the one disappointment of the beach; an incredible amount of litter, both on the shore and in the ocean. We were not keen to take our Christmas dip because of this.
Whilst the sunset was not especially spectacular, there was a peace to the evening, which belied the hurly-burly that sometimes accompanies a celebration such as Christmas. So it is for the relaxing vibe that I will most remember the day.

Bali Adventures #1 - Under the Ocean

It's been a good 13 years since I have been diving. The same amount of time since I reconnected with my then-and-now-again fiance, and yes, there's a connection with him and the diving too.
Not one to be renowned for things physically adventurous, it is really only because of his encouragement that I even learned to dive in the first place. Diving in Bali was again his suggestion, and one I was a little dubious of... 13 years is a long time between dives, even with a planned refresher course.

Fortunately for me, Shane's daughter, also with us in Bali, completed her Open Water training while we were there and I was able to piggy-back on her pool sessions to have a proper refamiliarisation with the experience. This meant I could go in to the ocean dives with greater confidence and therefore enjoy them more.

Enjoy them I did. Our refresher dive was off the beach at Sanur, an amazing array of colourful marine life in warm, clear water. Only a shallow dive, but perfect for re-learning.

 

Next day we headed away from Denpasar, travelling over two hours to dive the Liberty wreck at Tulamben. The wreck lies very close to the shore, and whilst nothing is visible from land, the sea was peppered with snorkellers and divers, which clearly gave the location away.

Looking out to where the Liberty lies

 I hired a little digital camera for the experience, and although the photos I took could have been so much better (I was grappling a bit with concurrent safe diving and effective picture making!) I am very happy to have these digital reminders of our time beneath the waves.

Mind you I came away with other reminders as well... A tasty fist-sized graze on my calf from the first Sanur dive, a sting rash from some marine flora on my first wreck dive, (gotta love short wetsuits) and a decent bruise on my shin from falling on the rocks whilst exiting the water at Tulamben. They are now fading, but (vomitous cliche ahead) the memories of an incredible experience will remain for a long while yet.

A Little Moment of Skitey-Pride...

This week was the final 'Salon' club night of the year for Manukau Photographic Society. It was the first of these events I had attended, so I was unfamiliar with the format until I got there.

All of the 'Honours' images from across the year were presented for judging prior to the evening. These 130 or so images were running as a slide show as we arrived. In doing a count, I was rapt to see 11 of my images in that group, which was amazing to me, considering the amount of images entered across the year, and the number and calibre of photographers who enter.


The process then narrowed down the selection to 27 images for judging for annual awards. One of my images made the cut. The judge then delivered her pre-considered critiques of the images, highlighting the reasons why they were so awesome in her view. When it cam to commenting on my pic of Lily, she said only four words - the shortest critique of all - "Beautifully crafted, classic portrait". Oh well, I thought, she had very few words to say, she can't be that impressed.

So imagine my surprise when I was called up to receive one of three Honours awards for that image! One of the top 6 images of the year! The photographers I stand beside in this photo (and many others in the club) I admire greatly, and I am humbled to be in such amazing company.

I have, of course, to thank the lovely Lily for being such a delightful subject. The photo is one I actually took early on in my photography journey; Lily is now well over two years old! I have recently arranged with her Mum to take some more shots of her family in the near future. Maybe she will again provide me with a winning shot.

"Lily #2" (7 months)

Lily today (2 yrs 8 months)

What last night's achievement has done for me is fuel the belief others may have in me that perhaps I do have some talent? and also re-ignote my passion for photography, which has taken a sideline position since I have been writing my Masters thesis. Bring on my Bali trip - and look out 'Footwear'; the first 'set subject' for 2013.

PS Here are all the images I received Honours for this year. The first three received Open Image of the Night for the month on which they were entered.

 

My other honours pics:

 

  

 

Bittersweet

As the title suggests, it's a bittersweet day for me today. I am both happy and sad about the outcome I am about to reveal, but currently feeling like a 'bad mother' as well as feeling very sorry for myself.

Today my darling Stirling goes for a trial at a new home. There are several genuine reasons for this, but none of them seem adequate as I sit and reflect upon my decision here, once again with tears rolling down my cheeks.

I am trying to put myself into the shoes of the people who will be Stirling's new family. I am trying to imagine how excited they are, and how much love they will pour on him. He will be the absolute centre of attention, and will therefore be in Stirling heaven.

Stirling has brought me much joy and pride; he is, of course, a breed champion, and the feature of many posts here on my blog, in fact his name is the post tagged word on my blog. So clicking on this will let readers relive the many happy moments we have shared.

Whilst I have to be strong and let him settle in his new home - should it work out -  I am lucky that he will literally be loving around the corner, so I will still see him from time to time. Hopefully the other two boys and I will meet him regularly at our reserve, which will placate my fear that they will miss each other.

Right now however, my heart is breaking.

Not Particularly Attractive...

I reckon a tourist attraction should be representative of its area, unique, fun and relatively good value for money.
Kelly Tarlton's is an iconic destination for locals and visitors alike, and I have positive memories from my previous visits there. However yesterday we visited during a period of refurbishment which, in my mind, severely compromised its reputation.

I am not complaining about the fact that there are necessary upgrades taking place, just that for an adult entry of $34, there was bugger all to see. I felt sorry for the penguins that were 'on display' in a plain, small room. The Novus glass repair guy sitting in an empty aquarium doing his thing held about as much interest as they did. Things just looked dowdy and disheveled in general.
Our tickets come with a voucher for $10 off a subsequent visit. I for one will not be redeeming mine. In my opinion this $10 should have been taken off the original ticket price, to be a little more reflective of the current state of the place.

"Crap" Coffee???

Kopi Luwak originates in Indonesia.  Touted as the World's Most Expensive Coffee, the product's uniqueness is attributed to its unusual journey through the digestive system of the civet, a tree-cat. Basically they eat the coffee berries, and crap the whole beans out the other end. These are then collected, cleaned and processed for sale. Having a partner who lives in Indonesia who knows my appreciation of a good coffee, he was kind enough to fork out the big bucks to bring a packet home for me to try.

So the verdict? For me it was different, and after reading the Wikipedia article about it, I understand this is because it lacks the bitterness of the coffee we are used to, and I admit that I usually select coffee based on their strength and bitterness. I also wonder if having ground coffee as opposed to beans may have affected it's freshness. But it was definitely not crap.

PS Kopi Luwak appeared in this scene of the movie The Bucket List. Quite funny :)