Out of the frying pan into the fire
In the morning Jakarta is as alert as in the evening. Big Cars and deft motorcycles crowding the worn streets. On every corner workers are fighting against the overboarding lush green, trying to grow over the rust painted concrete. The smell of fume and food is overwhelming and you can even see it: a grey yellow haze tinting the sky. Jakarta is ranked high in air pollution worldwide. We will come back later to explore the capital of Indonesia. First we have to go to Bali to meet the family.
The air in Denpasar is clean and the smell is flowery and light with a smoky cinnamon touch from incence. The traffic on our ride to the hotel is as chaotic as in Jakarta but as soon as you leave the road everybody seems very relaxed and friendly.
Time to meet the family: The welcome is so warm that we are overwhelmed. And as it goes around here, we have to eat a lot. After the first half day on Bali we fall into bed as we stay.
On the next day we hit the road with two members of the family to visit the biggest hindu temple on Bali. During the ride we catch microscopical glimpses of balinesian life in the patios. Of course we took the chance for a snack on the way and ate some fresh wild durian fruits on the road.
The Besakih temple lies at aroung 900 metres and the base stone must have been build before 2000 years. As it is a minor holy day, a lot of poeple are praying in the smaller temples, which are part of the Besakih.
On our way back we stop at a restaurant with a beautiful view of rice terraces – gado gado and fresh cononut-water. We decid to take stroll on the beach before the next meal and watch the sunset.
The chinese style meal in the evening is epic. Parts of the family from Bali gather and the amount of food nearly exceeds the capacity of the two long tables.
In that night the fever comes again – this time accompanied by diarreah and heavy headaches. After a sleepless night and no improvement in the day the doctor comes and diagnoses gastro-enteritis. After two drippings and a lot of medicine we fell asleep. Now we have to reschedule our plans.
IQAir 2021: Jakarta Ranks 12th among Most Polluted Cities in the World