Off on an adventure to Java (and a bit of Bali) (page 7 of 8)

Thanks Calyssie, the next part (and the end soon) is coming up quickly! PS: Sorry, we’ve already hit the road again! 😛

Hey Franck 🙂

Totally blown away by the Bromo photos. And the Kawah Ijen ones are gorgeous too, even if your personal experience wasn’t as great.

Always a pleasure following your adventures. Hope you’ll post the next ones on VF. True that it’s been slow to pick back up

So much sun in Bali! 😉

... but not as much as in Puglia...

Hi Franck 🙂

I'm blown away by the photos of Bromo. And the ones of Kawah Ijen are also stunning, even if your personal experience wasn’t as great.

It’s always a pleasure to follow your adventures. I really hope you’ll post the next ones on VF. It’s true that it’s been slow to pick up again

Thanks Pascale for the encouragement! Yep, I’ll keep posting them to help VF get going again 😉

Yes, it's true! Week wrapped up (I'm at the airport waiting for takeoff) with glorious sunshine! So different from Bali 😎

Day 19 – August 28 With a tally of over fifty thousand temples recorded, Bali truly lives up to its nickname as the island blessed by the gods. But choosing which temples to visit from this plethora of options can quickly turn into a Balinese puzzle… And once you’ve democratically elected a temple, you still have to earn the right to visit it. I’m not talking about paying the entrance fees here, but rather the etiquette rules you need to follow to avoid getting tossed out by the bouncer at the door. The basics—whether you’re part of the female or male gender—are to cover your legs with a sarong, that big colorful piece of fabric. Sorry if you’re non-binary; you’ll have to file a discrimination complaint since nothing’s mentioned at the entrance for that specific case, unlike the other rules exclusively for women who *must* tie up their hair. So far, so good—I’m doing fine… But a hair clip or elastic won’t help if Aunt Flo comes knocking, automatically banning you from the temple along with the dogs—no passing go! Same goes if a little one’s squatting in your baby-making department. Out you go, folks! And if you haven’t lost your first baby tooth yet, you’re also politely asked to go play with your toy cars elsewhere!

Anyway, all this to say that my poor little Flo just got rejected from the aptitude test at Taman Pecampuhan Sala temple, where we’d planned a somewhat particular activity. Despite her pocket-sized stature, Flo’s already lost her baby teeth… And no, I’m not using this post to announce the imminent arrival of a mini-Franck. So, since she’d carefully tied up her hair, the only thing left was that pesky monthly visitor that affects roughly one in two humans: "But why on earth didn’t you keep that bloody info to yourself?" The reason is elementary, my dear Watson-reader, and it’s tied to the unique activity we wanted to do at this water temple: a Hindu purification ritual!



What’s that all about, you ask? In Hinduism, purification is the process that leads to moksha. Besides scoring nineteen points in Scrabble, this word brings you spiritual liberation through the cleansing of body, mind, and soul with water… And how do you do that? Guided by a personal spiritual guide, the ritual includes a bath, a specific path in the bed of a sacred river with offerings to deity statues, plus a few sips of holy water while reciting mantras and sticking grains of rice on your forehead. There’s your menu for opening your chakras! Without fully grasping the tantric significance of each of my remotely guided movements, I still follow every recommendation to the letter, mostly enjoying the beauty of the theater of my inner quest. And what I can now tell you is that a renewed, pure, and regenerated man stands before you to recount the rest of our jaunt!







So, what do you think a pure man is meant to do when he’s in Bali? With nothing now clouding my mind, divine light naturally guides our accelerations toward waterfalls and temples! Again? Well, either I was already a pure man before this ceremony, or Bali ultimately boils down to just that! I don’t know about you, but I like to think the first reason prevails…



We start with Suwat Waterfall, which we selfishly enjoy in solo mode, then descend a long staircase with plenty of steps to the Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring temple—the first site of this jaunt I’d already explored eight years ago but that was practically begging for a comeback.

Day 19 (continued)



And finally, another temple that stole my heart—I’m talking about Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu, where an indescribably mystical serenity fills the air. Besides the koi carp that thrive in its pools, you’ll find one of Bali’s most striking features here: the *segehans*, those offerings to the deities placed in a ritual every morning on sidewalks in front of temples, but also in front of houses, shops, and restaurants. Presented in small woven palm baskets, they often include rice, fruit, flowers, incense... and sometimes even a cup of coffee and cigarettes in case Shiva and Vishnu fancy a divine coffee-and-cigarette break! Just make sure not to step on them, kick them, or crush them, right, miss Flo?















And boom—now the gods are annoyed, and it starts pouring, leaving us no choice but to finish our day with our 48th *sate ayam* on the terrace of our villa. A little extra we treated ourselves to, ending our trip in luxury and opulence for the price of a Formule 1 in France. Isn’t life grand?

Cool, so what’s it like being a pure man? 😄

Cool, so what's it like being a pure man? 😄

It made me realize I always have been

Day 20 – August 29 What’s the virtuous circle of life in your book?... For us, it’s working to travel, and traveling to forget work! Except our subconscious is starting to feel that hot breath of work creeping up the back of our necks again! We absolutely need a ruse to bury it under a few more travel experiences today. Nothing does the trick like the latest ace up our sleeve: expert hands kneading your skin as the main course, paired with a hot flower-petal bath for dessert. Sounds amazing, right? And you know what? It really is!!!

A South Asian jaunt without a massage would be like an Indonesian trip for Flo without sate ayam—especially in Bali, where legend says the best massages... are Balinese! So if you’ve never had the chance to experience this once in your life, go for it before they’re all gone! To convince you, here are three common misconceptions about massages in Bali. The third one might just win you over...

Number one: Is the Balinese massage the ultimate zen experience?... Yes, yes, and yes again—I’m all in! A blend of Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, the Balinese massage has that cocoon-like vibe that transports me to another dimension. Add some relaxing music and the scent of frangipani massage oil, and I’d vote for the candidate who promises Balinese massages covered by national healthcare to cure all of France’s woes!

Number two: Do you only step into a spa if Santa gave you a "Wellness for Two" Smartbox? I get it—the price of a Balinese massage in France is steep. But it’s still way cheaper than a flight ticket to Bali. And if you’ve already made the trip, five massages at the price of a single Smartbox meal at McDonald’s, and you’ve already made back the cost of your airfare! Case closed!

And I saved the best for last to squash your *ahem* lurid imagination: Does a Balinese massage inevitably end like a porno scene? Uh, no. That extra euro for the "finish" is just your Jacquie et Michel subscription talking! Sure, the line between spirituality and sensuality can get a little blurry, but the pros stay totally professional—even in front of my oily self...



Relaxed, rested, and rejuvenated for the next ten years, we pick up our moto-restaurant-hiking rhythm again. I could’ve just thrown these three words at you with the photos, but that’s not my style! So, Flo’s 695th sate ayam is devoured at Bamboo Kitchen.

Day 20 (continued) And our hike takes place in Sangeh Forest, where the towering trees shelter the moss-covered Bukit Sari temple and a whole colony of long-tailed macaques that aren’t shy at all! There are so many that you don’t know where to look—or where to offer a banana, to be more precise... Because as soon as they see you holding something that resembles food, you instantly become their best buddy, with the clear goal of scoring a snack!











Watch out—they’ll also swipe your flip-flop or your phone in a flash. Isn’t that right, Bobby?... Bobby the macaque is currently on my back, vainly trying to unzip my bag with the barely concealed goal of snatching our scooter keys without consequence. "I want the name of your buddy who told you our scooter seat foam was tasty!"

Come on, a bit more scooter riding to reach yet another temple, Taman Ayun, and our last real day of Indonesian wandering ends lazily in the opulent comfort of our villa. "Honey, what’s for dinner tonight?..." A question you shouldn’t ask her... So, you know what happens next...

Day 21 – August 30

For the very last time, I turn the key in the lock of our Balinese villa door. If all our modes of transport have lined up like pearls on a string, I’ll do the same with the key to my home sweet home in twenty-eight hours.

Because yes, this is the end of the jaunt. I repeat, this is the end of the jaunt. This is not a drill. Writing about this day rings out sharply like the final clap of an enchanting journey we’re not crying over because it’s over, but rather wearing a huge grin because it happened. Let’s not beat around the bush—we absolutely loved these three weeks. Three is also the number of islands we visited on this road trip: Java, Karimunjawa, and Bali. And while we’re crunching numbers, how about a few more?...

1,000. That’s the number of kilometers we covered on the back of a scooter. 7,924 potholes dodged, versus the 124 we hit. Add to that 37 gecko shrieks, 7,635 chicken satay skewers for Flo, 4 tiny nights for just as many epic sunrises at the summit of majestic volcanoes, 9,437 genuine smiles exchanged—and that’s the tally! If you multiply it all by the daily cost, divided by the number of satay skewers Flo devoured, you’ll get the only number that truly matters from this jaunt: 1. A fierce desire to return to Indonesia. And soon, please!

Now, the question that might be nagging at you is whether our rocker hearts lean toward Java or if its little neighbor Bali stole the show. Drumroll... The 2025 Ballon d’Or goes to... Java!!! Now, don’t get me wrong—Bali hasn’t stolen its reputation, but you’ll have to seek out the authentic spots where mass tourism hasn’t yet taken over. On Java, the island still breathes authenticity! In terms of landscapes, food, vibes, satay... they’re pretty much neck and neck. But Java has that little feather in its cap that makes all the difference...

Aaaand that’s it... The jaunt is over... Indonesia is over... The scooter rides are over... Summer’s coming to an end too, but our freedom isn’t! So no worries—we’ll be back on the road soon, and you’ll be the first to know! Sound good?

Thanks for this lovely travel journal. As usual, I really enjoyed reading your posts. Françoise

Thanks Franck for this little adventure! We really loved Java, and you showed me some beautiful little spots. We’ll have to go back sometime 😊

Yeah, of course—I’m waiting for the next one! 😊😍

Mission accomplished, satisfaction guaranteed.

We wish this could last forever! We console ourselves by thinking about the travel journals you have in store and the ones that will come to tell us about your future trips.

See you soon for the next part, then?

Thanks Franck for this adventure... We really loved Java and you showed me some beautiful little spots... we’ll have to go back someday 😊 Yes, of course, I’m waiting for the next one 😊😍

Watch out—the next one’s happening now! ;)

We’d want this to never end! We console ourselves thinking about the travel journals you’ve got in store and those yet to come sharing your (and your) future trips.

Who said it was over? Same team, let’s do it again! Posting the first day of our All Saints’ Day jaunt... today!!!

Want more???

The next part of our adventures is here:

Off to explore Puglia! | Travel journal > Italy | Voyage Forum