Great Ocean Road Australia

I have my rental car ready and I am heading out along the coast for a road trip. In my research I found that a drive down Great Ocean road is a must. A road trip along great ocean road is the plan. I am starting from Melbourne (or Lancefield – guesthouse location) and will ultimately end up in Adelaide where I will return my rental car.

I drove near Hanging Rock yesterday so I am not a total novice to driving on “the wrong side of the road” but I admit I am a little nervous on driving on curvy cliff-side roads in traffic. I will drive slowly and cautiously. Hopefully locals won’t want to kill me for backing up traffic.

My little car seems to do well. Things do get a little curvy at some points but I make it through ok.

As soon as I reach the coast I am rewarded with beautiful views. My first stop is in Torquay for some lunch. I originally planned for lunch at another restaurant in another town but I discovered the restaurant I originally wanted to dine at is closed for the day. I instead stop at Fishos for some fish and chips.

Torquay

It takes me longer than usual to order because I have never had any of the types of fish on the menu. I ask the cashier lots of questions to get an idea of the different fish types and how to compare them to fish I know. I settle on one finally and of course order it fried – because fried. I like the nice little outdoor area. The weather is perfect.

Weirdo birds that just lay in the grass like this. Must be nesting.

I am parked across the street at a park that overlooks the water. I walk along the trail, taking in the views. I notice many birds along the way.

I drive on but stop on my way to Lorne to get some spectacular views of the coast.

Lorne

I stop at Lorne to take some pictures. I enjoy the shale-like flat rocks and watching surfers at the beach. It looks like a nice area. I would have liked to spend a night here and explore a little more.

Again I am on my way and stop at another lookout.

I slowly move away from the coast as I head to my final destination for the day north of the Great Otway National Park. Oh how I wish I scheduled more days on this drive. There are so many areas I would have loved to explore more….

Yogyakarta Food Tour

Last night I was supposed to go on a food tour of Yogyakarta. Instead I set circle K on fire. Tonight I am trying to do the food tour again.

I am attending the Jogja Food Tour. Luckily the weather cooperates and I meet my tour guide at the a white monument in town. I am not the only one on the tour this time, two girls from the Netherlands are also on my tour. I am delighted because they stand out even more than I and they are the ones getting the picture requests while I am around them.

Meat skewers are first on the menu. We pick out two to try.

To be honest I don’t remember which type I chose but one of them is probably the signature skewer of the region sate kere (made from beef or chicken intestines). It wasn’t terrible and I probably would try it again sometime.

We try some charcoal coffee. Yes, you read that correctly. We drink coffee with a large piece of charcoal inside. It tastes mostly like coffee with only a slight charcoal taste.

*Kopi jos* is named after the sound made when hot coal is dropped into a glass of coffee

As we are walking to our next food location in the popular Malioboro street we make it just in time for a performance of a popular band. The main attraction is the wooden instrument called the Angklung. It produces a unique sound. The angklung plus drums and dancers makes for an entertaining performance. Luckily our guide secures us great viewing spots.

Wow! So much fun to watch.

Jajanan pasar and other sweets

After the music we are off to get some local sweets.

**Kutu** (rice flour called suji and coloured green with extract acquired from pandan leaf, filled with palm sugar, and served with grated coconut.) and ***onde*–*onde*** (glutinous rice balls dessert)

We take a Becak (motorbike rickshaw) to another part of town to try Java’s famous Gudeg.

Gudeg: jackfruit stewed with palm sugar and coconut milk.

Gudeg served with rice, tofu and I forget the other dish.

Jamu

We stop for Jamu drinks: Indonesia’s system of traditional herbal medicine used by many for the prevention and treatment of a variety of ailments. Each Jamu have their purpose.

Beras Kencur (Extractions from *kencur*, rice, ginger, and a bit of tamarind)
temulawak (Extractions from curcuma, tamarind, palm sugar, pandan leaves, and cumin)
Kunyit asam (Extractions from turmeric and tamarind).

Our last savory dish is at Soto Sampah restaurant where we try Soto Ayam (Indonesian style chicken soup). It is a great comfort food.

After our soup we walk to the square I visited earlier with the two large trees. The square is lively with games and fun cars you can rent to peddle around the square.

It is corny but everyone is doing it. It is a unique experience.

Here is video of the experience…..

After our little buggy ride we head to the area near the trees. Our guide tells us of a game where if you walk blindfolded and make it between the two trees then you will receive good fortune. It has rained too much recently so we skip that game in order to avoid getting trapped in mud. We did try walking on sticks. I was not good at it but a girl in my group was.

To finish off the evening we try a sweet ginger drink.

I am so glad the weather held up. It is a great way to end my time in the great Yogyakarta. I hope to return to this special city one day.

Bali Cooking class

If you have been following me previously you will have learned that one of my favorite things to do when traveling is to take a cooking class of the local cuisine. I still have a couple months of travel left but I believe Ketut’s Bali Cooking Class is the last time I attend a cooking class during my travels.

Like most programs this one begins with a trip to a local market after a pickup at my hotel.

I am always fascinated by local food items. It is always so much better to wander around a market with a guide who can answer all your questions.

After our market visit we go to our kitchen and gather all the ingredients….

They put me to work doing some mashing and grinding.

My arms are getting pretty tired. Making these sauces are hard work. Each one is used for seasoning distinct dishes.

Ayam Bumbu Bali (Balinese fried chicken)

Sate Ayam Sauce Kacang (Chicken Satay with peanut sauce)

Kolak Pisang (Banana in palm sugar gravy)

For my cooking I am paired up with another solo traveler from the United States. She is a delight to chat with. She is on her own sabbatical journey. It is great to see others following similar paths as myself. I don’t approach too many people during my travels so it is always nice to be paired up once in a while.

Ubud breakfast post

My fancy hotel in Ubud (Adiwana Monkey Forest) has breakfast included at the fancy cafe next door Watercress Cafe. It is a limited menu for the free breakfast but as you can see the choices are not your average free breakfast items.

The following is a post of all my posh breakfast dishes.

Quinoa Granola Yogurt, Strawberries, Banana, Mango
Dragonfruit, Coconut, Rainforest Honey

Skillet Hotcake Mixed Berries, Toasted Almond, Chantilly Cream
Honeycomb Crunch, Edible Flowers

Le Croissant “Croque Madam” Fried Egg, Bechamel, Gruyere

Sprouted Goodness Miso, Avocado, Tomato, Feta
House Grown Sprouts, Sourdough

Ubud

I am now in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. I picked a week in Ubud because I knew I would be a travel break and from what I read this is just the place to do that. Ubud has a reputation for being easy going and relaxing if not restorative. I book a comfortable hotel here to spend a couple days. Good timing since I end up getting sick (post on that later). It is so much better to get sick in a high end hotel then it is in a discount hotel (Truth!).

Adiwana Monkey Forest Hotel

*Fancy Ubud hotel (yea credit card points)*

It is time again for a hair trim. With all the traveling, poor water and cheap shampoos my usually nice hair becomes unmanageable again. I find a salon down the street that can take me in for a last minute appointment. Their instagram photos show Chrissy Teigen as a former client so it can’t be too terrible? Once again not loving my cut (oh how I miss my hairstylist back home) but it will do for traveling.

It is time to chill and get a snack to finish off my first day.

The next day I take it easy and get a massage. Prior to the massage I fill out a questionnaire that determines my Dosha. The massage is catered to my primary Dosha. In the past I have learned about Ayurvedic stuff but it always great to get a refresher course.

The massage and pool time and a nice dinner rounds out my day -> I did say I wanted to take it easy.

This is a fun sign

My dinner out.

Grilled chicken, green beans, spinach mashed potatoes

I have some amazing breakfasts during my stay (so much I’ll dedicate a post to that later).

Also a cultural thing I learned about Bali first names is that they are given based on birth order. You will notice a ton of businesses with seemingly the same names. I discovered the reason why.