From Melbourne, we flew to Darwin, and from Darwin we flew to Denpasar in Bali. Our flight was slightly delayed in arriving as the weather over Denpasar was very stormy. From the airport we took a taxi in the pouring rain to our hotel, Sayang Maha Mertha. The ride through the streets of Kuta to our hotel was our first big culture shock - hundreds of scooters whizzing past, food stalls everywhere and bright neon signs. We checked into our room but realised the rain was dripping through the ceiling onto the bed, and the bed was soaked through (good start!) After waiting for another room to be prepared for us, we settled in and enjoyed our first of many cold showers before enjoying a much deserved sleep.

We were up early in the morning for our breakfast which consisted of two slices of toast and a bit of fruit. I had a Balinese style coffee which really isn't very nice, once poured it has to be left for about 10 minutes to settle before drinking. It was after breakfast that we got to sample the sights of Kuta. As soon as we stepped foot outside the hotel we were bombarded by people trying to get us into their shops, hire scooters, get us into their taxis etc. It wasn't really a nice experience and led us to becoming rather fed up of the area very quickly.

We had three nights in Kuta and after three nights we couldn't wait to leave. The place was extremely touristy and the constant hassle really annoyed us. On Thursday 10th March Emma and I got a bus to Ubud, about an hour and a half drive from Kuta. Our first impression of Ubud was very good as it was much less touristy. We walked to our hostel, Nick's Homestay, where we had a nice welcome from the receptionist and were shown to our room. Typically, our room faced part of the Homestay that was under construction which went on from 9-5 both days we were there.At least it was only two days! After settling in, we walked to the nearby monkey forest sanctuary which is home to hundreds of wild monkeys.

Both Emma and I decided that it would be a good idea to have a very early night as the next morning we were to climb Mount Batur (Gunung Batur) - an active volcano with views over Lake Batur and Mount Agung, the highest volcano in Bali. We were picked up from Nick's Homestay at 2am and drove around other parts of Ubud picking other people up. After an hour and a half of driving we stopped at a little hut just 10 minutes from the start of the climb. It was here where we were to have tea/coffee and a banana pancake each. The area was pitch black and we were each given a flashlight and told to follow a small path that would lead us to breakfast. I had my doubts that at the end of this path in complete blackness, banana pancakes awaited us - alas they did!At the end of the path was another small hut where we were served our yummy breakfast. It was quite a surreal experience.

At the bottom of the volcano we were put in groups and two guides were assigned to each group - one to lead and one to follow. Although we had small torches, the path was still very dark and we could only just make out our feet. It took about 2 hours to reach the top. The first half an hour wasn't too bad but after that it was all very steep. We stopped two or three times for water breaks and Emma stopped for a few more (with the back guide staying with her). As we got nearer to the top it began to get a bit lighter and we knew we were going to be treated to some amazing views once we reached the top. The group made it to the top at 6am, just in time for sunrise. The sun came up just next to Mount Agung and it was a beautiful sight to behold.

As we began our decent down Mount Batur we stopped to view the vast crater. There were also holes in the ground where hot steam was pouring out, and areas where hot water was tricking down the volcano. The climb down the volcano was also very enjoyable as it was too dark to enjoy the sights and views when we were climbing.

On the way back to Ubud from Mount Batur we stopped at a famous Indonesian rice field that is so green and perfectly formed it looks like a painting. Once back at our Homestay we had breakfast and a sleep to recover from our early morning strenuous climb. After recovering for a couple of hours (whilst the loud construction was happening opposite!) we booked transport to our next destination and went out to explore Ubud some more. In the evening we had a meal at a nice restaurant where Emma had pumpkin ravioli and I had a burger. Food like this is especially nice after having day after day of rice and noodles! Whilst walking back to our accommodation we watched some Balinese dancing at a temple for an hour which was very interesting and entertaining.

Next morning we got a shuttle bus to Padangbai which is a nice seaside town and the gateway to the Gili islands. We spent our first day exploring Padangbai, which didn't take very long. After a nice meal we spent the rest of the evening at our hotel - Kembar Inn. I was feeling a little unwell for the first time since being away and really could have done with a hot shower this particular night.

On Sunday 13th after our breakfast of fruit and banana pancakes (they like their bananas in Indonesia) we set off with a driver from the hotel to visit our first temple of the day, known as the bat cave. After walking around for 10 minutes or so we were back in the car and en route to the Besakih temple complex, situated on the slopes of Gunung Agung, the holiest and highest mountain on the island. We don't know why but our driver was in a rush to get there, and there were many instances where we narrowly missed collisions. Luckily we arrived in one piece and had about an hour to ourselves to explore the temple.

Our South East Asia guide book informed us that we would be engaged by a huge number of local guides on arrival to the temple, but we wouldn't actually need one to explore the complex. When we made it to the entrance, sure enough we were approached by guides explaining that we would need to pay for their service as it is forbidden to do so without. We hesitated for a while as the guides were really adamant and we didn't want to go upsetting a culture that we know little about. However, I really wasn't prepared to hand over money when we had just paid for our hotel guide to take us out for a couple of hours. After about 15 minutes, the guides got fed up with us and just waved us forward to explore the temple with a smile on their face. Failed! Walking around the complex lots of tourists had fallen for the trap so we were happy we stuck to our guns. This is one of first occasions in Asia where we learnt some people will literally say anything to get money out of tourists. Sad thing is most of the time it probably works.

The following day we caught a boat to Gili Trawangan - a small island, one of three just off the northwest coast of Lombok. After two and a half hours on the boat we were on the mainland and went off in search of somewhere to stay using our Asia book. Once we unpacked at Edy Homestay we went off for a walk around the island and did some money negotiating for a very nice mixed rice meal each. This was our first real experience of bartering for food.

Emma and I hired a bike each the following morning and did a circle around the island which only took about an hour. Back to where we started the ride, we cycled along some of the back alleys where the locals lived and there wasn't a tourist in sight. For lunch we cycled to a beach hut with a great view of the lush blue sea, where we enjoyed a cold Bintang and a pizza to share. We continued our bike ride back through the back alleys and went through a nice wooded area that led back to the beach. It was a very nice day.

We got the slow boat to Lombok the following day. When we docked we got a bus to Sengiggi. It was a lovely drive along the coast with nice views of the Gili Islands. When we were walking towards a hotel from our trusty guide book, a guy on a moped asked us to look at his homestay. We negotiated a price and Matt got on the back of the moped to take a look. The man came back to collect me, I presumed that Matt was happy with the accommodation and that they had not kidnapped him. The room was okay, a double with fan and TV. However, we had our first experience with a non- flush toilet, we had to use water from a bucket to wash away our number ones and twos!!! At first we had no idea what to do but Matt worked it out!! We spent 2 nights in Sengiggi, the majority of the time spent relaxing. We had some nice meals across the road from our homestay. One night we watched the sunset in a bar with a Bintang, and Matt went for a swim. After we sat peacefully listening the waves, it was so nice!

The next day Matt and I packed our things and prepared for our long journey to Flores. We weren't exactly sure as always about how long the journey would take as bus journeys throughout South East Asia are notorious for being unpredictable. I can safely say that our journey was eventful and as expected unpredictable. The first leg of the journey was fine, we drove 2 hours across Lombok to the ferry port in Labuhan. The ferry journey took 90 minutes to Sumbawa, we were the only white people on the boat and got a lot of stares throughout the journey. When we docked it was dark so we could not really see much of the landscape. We had a short stop for free food in a small town which was pre-prepared for us arriving. It consisted of rice with prawns, a meat dish and veg in sauce. It was nice. The journey to Bima took about 9 hours, taking us to 5am. We slept most of the journey apart from when the roads were very bumpy.When we got to Bima we had to change buses to Sape port. We were directed to a small bus which we sat in for over an hour for reasons unknown to us before leaving. We had no idea if we were on the right bus and the journey took ages. The driver was in no hurry and we stopped lots of time to pick up locals! We didn't pick up any chickens though! We thought that the ferry was at 8am so when we got there at 8.30am and there was no ferry we were very confused. I tried to communicate with the locals but none of them spoke a word of English and my communications skills are not the best. Luckily a local guy named Harry told us that the ferry wasn't due until 4pm (part of the unpredictable nature). We ended up sitting with locals all day on a raised area. We made it comfy and had some sleep. The locals mainly lay around sleeping also so we weren't out of place! We boarded the ferry at 4pm but didn't leave until 6pm.

Overall the journey took 35 hours to get to Labuan Bajo in Flores. We arrived at 2am and had not booked accommodation so set out around Labuan Bajo with our bags on our back. We walked up the road but most hotel receptions were closed. Luckily a guy offered us a room which we accepted after looking at it. The next morning we moved to another hotel though as it had its own shower, instead of a bucket to wash in, and a proper toilet.

We only spent one full day in Labuan Bajo and made our way across the island to Bajawa. It was not a stop we wanted to make but it was the only way to get to Kelimutu which is where we wanted to be.We got a mini bus to Bajawa via Ruteng. The journey to Ruteng took 4 hours through lovely countryside and small villages on hill sides. The journey was very up and down. We got to Ruteng and were told to change buses. We had to wait an hour and a half so went in search for food. We went to a small local food place. They did not speak a word of English but we were able to negotiate two chicken curries for 20,000 Rupee (just over £1). It was another 4 hours to Bajawa although we did a lot of stops. We arrived in Bajawa very tired and were dumped outside the town so we had to get an Ojek (motorbike with driver) to hotel. We arrived at a hotel to very grumpy staff but we were too tired to look elsewhere.

We stayed in Bajawa for two nights but mainly relaxed trying to recover from all the moving around we had been doing. Our next stop was Moni which is a town at the foot of Kelimutu Volcano. We got a public bus there which is basically a no frills bus with no air con. The hotel had over charged us for the bus which we were not happy about and they refused to give us our money back. Very annoying!

The journey to Moni was lovely, especially before Ende (large town) where we drove next to the sea. When we arrived in Moni, we booked into a homestay which provided us with a nice room with beautiful views of the hills. Once we had settled in we went in search for food and for a walk around the town. The scenery was amazing and we did not get hassled which was a refreshing change. We walked to the next village to a book shop which was basically a room in someone's house with a few books. The walk was worth it though as we walked through a nice village with lots of local children playing football. In the evening the owner's family made us some local food of rice, eggplant, noodles, sweet potatoes and omelette. It was all very nice and very filling!

The following morning Matt and I were up at 4am to get ready for our climb up Kelimutu. We were taken by motorbike for about 30 minutes to a car park close to the summit. We were expecting to do a big climb to the summit (like Mount Batur) but it only took 20 minutes to walk and was not very steep. We were able to see the 3 craters which were filled with different colour water in each. The two lakes to the east were turquoise and khaki, and the one to the west was black. The lakes colour changes depending on climate and oxygen levels, and is mainly due to the minerals in them. When the sun rose we were able to see them more clearly. After spending time admiring the scenery we began the long walk back to Moni. We initially followed the road back but we ventured off to follow a shortcut. Our intention was to follow a guide who was guiding another couple but we let them get too far out of our sight and lost them. Although we got completely lost and very tired, the views were spectacular, rolling hills down to the sea and we walked through some lovely villages. The locals were very friendly and helpful in directing us back to Moni, even when we trampled through their gardens. After about 4 hours of walking we arrived at a waterfall (air terjun) next to the town. I dipped my feet and we had to walk over a bamboo bridge to get to other side. We returned to the homestay and had some much needed rest.

The following day we decided to go back to the main town, Ende, to plan the next part of our journey. We had no internet access in Moni so could do little planning. We got a local bus back to Ende. The bus was very full so we had to sit on a little stool between the seats. When we got to Ende we found a hotel for the night, and then walked to the airport, yes walked! It was in the town and was the smallest airport we have ever seen. We booked a flight back to Bali as this was the only place we could fly to.

We spent 2 nights back in Kuta. We chose to stay at a different hotel in a different area. It was still very busy but the road the hotel was on was nice. We had a few nice rice meals in the area and booked our exit from Indonesia. We had already booked a flight from north Indonesia but we would not have been able to get there in time for it and it would have cost more to get there than a flight from Bali.

We had spent 3 weeks travelling only a small proportion of Indonesia but we were looking forward to our next country.

A joint effort by Matthew (because he takes so long to write) and Emma