One week in Bali - volcanoes, beaches and the dreaded bedbugs!

Between South East Asia and Australia I planned to have Bali as a decompression period. I needed to change my travelling style from totally crazy everything everyday and constantly on alert to a much more chilled outlook because finally in Melbourne I wasn't going to be alone, so everything could be a lot more relaxed. Bali kind of worked out as planned... But mostly not quite!

Ubud was the dream. Temples, palaces, rice terraces, monkeys, mountains - everything! I took in an evening performance of traditional Balinese dance at the Royal Palace which was such a highlight. The costumes, the dancing, the gamelan, everything had been crafted to create a bubble of intensity and excitement within the palace courtyard. Balinese dance specialises in contorting the face and the hands in order to mimic animals and convey stories so expressively it's an incredible experience to watch. Just spectacular! The costumes are so bright and detailed and the music is so absorbing that somehow you've been sucked into a whole new world for an hour and a half before you even realise 5 minutes has passed.

Climbing Mount Kinabalu

Intense and awe inspiring, Mount Kinabalu is the 20th most prominent mountain in the world and the most exciting, challenging, and humbling experience I have ever had. 

Day One

6am

Nailed it. Bag is 50% clothing, 50% snacks. All over this.

More likely to lose a foot to diabetes than hypothermia on this one

Just about to leave my hostel when the head chef calls me back and asks where I'm going. In his soft, old grandpa voice he speaks slowly:

"Ooooh. The mountain... You know people died in June? ... Nobody saw the quake coming... 7am, just after the sunrise... Schoolchildren, you know? ... No warning... Nature can be cruel..." And then, with a Professor Trelawney type snap of voice he said:

"Do not leave your guide, Miss Kirsten. Never leave your guide. Stick to him, and don't leave him."

My van horn beeped outside and I bid Hostel Grandpa adieu, thanking him for his advice and simultaneously trying to shake it off.