Giethoorn and Kalenberg

My next station after Zeeland was Giethoorn. After a heart-wrenching goodbye from my Couchsurfing friend Wim, I hopped on my car to Giethoorn. It was a beautiful stretch and I visited many national parks to observe animals. I was excited to see the town I visited during my childhood and yonger years. At that time we still saw Dutch tourists only but I was prepared to see Chinese and other tourists. My Indonesian friend Magda who is a travel organizer posted a lot of beautiful pictures but I silently thought that Giethoorn would be swamped by mindless Asian tourists.

Giethoorn is called the venice of the North. It has about 150 bridges connecting small islands with houses, gardens or hotels on them

I indeed decided to stay in the neighbouring village Kalenberg. It is not as crowded with all sort of tourists, has less bridges than Giethoorn. I stayed in a beautiful hotel facing the water and the harbour but this didn't keep me safe from Chinese tourists.

Kalenberg is very quiet but beautiful. It has bridges and less boat ports than Giethoorn

Giethoorn was beautiful and it allegedly has around 150 little bridges which connect small islands where people had their house or hotel. It has more restaurants and hotels and therefore prices were more competitive than Kalenberg too. The weather was a bit drizzly and in the morning there were less tourists. I could hardly see a European person around, let alone Dutchmen.

One of the many beautiful Reet houses in Giethoorn on one of the small islands connected by a beautiful small bridge

 I was quite surprised to see so many people from Saudi Arabia. The nationalities were not a problem, the problem was that I could hardly move through the streets if there were any. I took a boat trip and later hired a sloep or small motor boat. A sloep is easy to handle and basically every beginner can ride them.

I enjoyed a good Leffe beer at my terrace in Kalenberg

I had lunch in a pretty fish restaurant and had the opportunity to laugh at a Malaysian couple. The man was well-behaved but the woman licked her fingers, smacked until she finally could wash her hands. Firstly I thought I would show her where the tissues were but then thought I'll better have some fun at the girl licking her fingers. Her husband didn't lick his fingers and didn't smack although he had the same problems with tissues. But it was him who found the rubbish bin at the outdoor seating area.

From Hasselt to Zeeland, exploring my Dutch roots

We had an exceptionally hot summer in Mainz. It never rained, the temperatures were comparable to Jakarta and one could hardly leave the apartment during the day. I had a few days left and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to chill and explore my original Dutch roots. I booked some small hotels through the internet.

One of the traditional houses in Stokrooije near Hasselt

The first station was Stokrooije, a suburb of the Belgian town Hasselt. It was a nice town, a popular destination for mainly Dutch and Belgian bikers. Since I sold my car, I needed to find a wel-priced little car to rent and found a 4-door-Corsa. This class was a two/door small car but I was lucky to find a 4-door small car. It had enough space for one person, my suitcases and cooler bags. The weather in the Netherlands can be unpredictable and I needed to be prepared with a jumper, raincoat, jeans, summer clothes, sports gear and 2 dresses for a nice night out.

This cosy bedroom looks like the homy bedroom in my dreams. The hotel is built in a  mansion owned by a rich businessman

On Sunday morning I started my trip in the new rented car. It was quite new, about less than 50 000 km and acceleration was quite good. After 3 1/2 half hours drive with one break to adjust the mirrors and have a drink and snack, I arrived in Stokrooije. It was a pretty homestay called Het Goed Leven where I really felt home from day one.

The owner welcomed me very nicely like an old uncle, offered me a free drink and I ordered a good cold Dutch chocomel. It was still as hot as  in Mainz and I waited in the garden until late afternoon. This time I didn't rent a bike but decided to walk along the village and St. Albert Canal. I was impressed by the friendliness of both locals and tourists. It really felt like home and everybody greeted everybody. Most people were biking but I still enjoyed walking alongside the canal.

The St.Albert canal was close to our hotel. You can walk or bike here

The breakfast at the homestay BnB was simple but very rich. They served several homemade jams, vegetables, salads, shrimps and a freshly made bacon and eggs. I also met a Danish family on their journey back to Denmark and a lovely well-traveled Belgian couple in the low 80s who this time took a cruise on the Danube River.I just wish I could still travel like that once I am in my 80s and be both physically and mentally fit. The stay was too short and I left Stokrooije with a heavy heart to drive in direction Zeeland.

This time I have learned again to avoid passing Antwerp because I was stuck between 30(!) huge trucks. Once I passed Antwerp I drove in direction Bergen op Zoom in Zeeland. My GPS was outdated and I needed to rely on my paper map and Google maps on my smartphone. Actually I do prefer a paper map when I am not driving because it is better to plan my journey.

The hotel address was stated at St. Philipsland on Booking.com but it was located in Annajacobapolder, about 6 km from St. Philipsland. Anyway, I drove around  St. Philipsland and had a look at the typical Dutch town. Then I thought I needed to ask some people whether they know Hotel Oosterschelde or the restaurant Het Veerhuis. The restaurant was quite well/known and everybody could tell me which direction I should drive.

I arrived at the polder late afternoon. It looked like the Zeeland I imagined from my childhood although I have been driving through the polders. For anybody who don't know the word polder.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polder

My room was shady and I could have a one facing the diving point and the water. The room was not cheap but I preferred to enjoy these few days I had to relax from my daily life. At the same time there is always a way to explore nature, the polders, watch how  the crabs were caught and hung on pales. I also decided to give myself a treat and had two dinners in the restaurant. Not cheap but worth the effort. I met so many people in the hotel, primarily from the Netherlands and Belgium.

View of the water and the polders in Zeeland

Everyday I could cross the Oosterschelde from Annajacobapolder to Bruinisse 

Nearly every morning I took the small ferryboat to cross the polder from Annajacobapolder to Bruinisse. I met people I already met in the hotel but in addition to that I met locals and enjoyed my time at the harbour. The weather was scorching hot though and sometimes I felt too exhausted to stay on the beach at Grevelingen Meer for too long. The water was crystal clear but I was not lucky that I didn't see many sea creatures.

Their age was between mid 40s and mid 80s. I really admired those people because some of them were disabled and wheelchair bound. And yet it didn't change their life and travel spirit. I wish I could be like them when I am their age. At first I made contact with two local Couchsurfing hosts. Both of them were single gender hosts who hosted females only. I didn't find it necessary to clarify whether what they offer was a sex couch.

The sun is going to sleep and I enjoyed a candle-lit dinner from here

I waited until the sun was going to sleep totally

The first guy had a sailboat who invited me for a copious dinner and at least he tried to make me drunk. The references he received from girls were excellent and I thought he was intelligent with interesting activities. But being smart and socially pro-active is something different from wanting to have sex. Apparently some women understood when the couch offered was a sex couch and therefore gave positive feedback. But could you imagine myself just enjoyed the alcoholic drinks and a copious dinner on his sailboat, then I needed to defend myself and try how much of my martial arts skills was still there??? After that I would have enjoyed to throw him into the polders. It would be a huge damage and pollution to the polders though.

I am glad that I could have my candle-lit dinner not on a sailboat with an ambiguous stranger but with friends from Belgium that I made at the hotel

 Of course I could ask him directly.  I felt that he was not sensitive to my needs and therefore I decided spending time on his boat wouldn't be worth the effort. We had different views on how to meet up and I found it not necessary to talk to him about the matter. I could have my candlelight dinner with the friends I made at the hotel. The second host was from Rotterdam and the online communication was a lot smoother. He seemed to be sensitive to my needs and I decided to meet him in the safe area of my hotel.

What a delicious dinner: Fried mussles with salicornes, French fries and salad

We had nice conversation and since I had the second breakfast for free I invited him to have breakfast together. He had over 100 references from females which I didn't even notice. but he told me about it and I asked him why. His answer was that men only talked about football and he enjoyed the company of females more. The football thing was not really the truth but I cut him some slack and thought it would be understandable that he was embarassed. Anyway, I enjoyed my time with him and I also felt that he would never jump on a woman without her consent.

So it is clear that you don't have to travel too far from home to have a new socio-cultural experience and enjoy different types of people in different social settings, learn a lot from them. I also enjoyed nature, a walk through the polders every evening and I came nearly too late to watch the sunset over the polders. The little town of Tholen was different, it was beautiful nature, architecture and Dutch lifestyle. You always discover something new in an environment you think you are very familiar with and go on a journey into your own inside.

The beauty of the nature, architecture and culinary delicacies around Lago Maggiore

The proximity to the Lago Maggiore and the Italian part of the lake made us do trips every day. It was cold here up in the mountains and every night I had trouble sleeping with my cold feet and nose. But it didn't keep us from exploring the area everyday.

Gradually my rusty Italian knowledge came back and at least I could do the basic things like shopping. We went to the market in Luino and the honey I bought was a little bit cheaper than in Germany. On our way home we had dinner at the restaurant Mazzardit which enjoyed a lovely fish dinner and enjoyed the beauty of the Lago.

Lago Maggiore

A beautiful beach at the Italian part of the Lago Maggiore

We drove up the hill and saw this beautiful house

Very seldom do I show a picture of myself. But the Lago in the Italian part is something I can't resist. The memories, the people, the food and everything make me realise how much I love Italy

Ticino and the Grisons(Graubunden ) border near Lago Maggiore

We were very lucky that my daughter's friend offered us to rent their holiday house for a very low price. It was located in the Salanca valley near the Grisons(Graubunden) border. We had a wonderful car ride through southern Germany and later enjoyed the view of the huge Gotthard massive mountain range.  The tunnel was long and boring but we were very happy as we reached the other end, the maritime side of the Alps.

We arrived at our destination after it was dark and it was quite cold compared to the Mainz summer. But the view was breath-taking and I took a walk everyday. Just on our last day we had a typical local dish in a local restaurant on top of the hill. As usual we saved nearby locations until the last day.

This small village was called Santa Maria in Calanca nameď after the beautiful church Santa Maria. People were laughing about well-fed American ladies who arrived exhausted and puffing after the pilgrimage up the hill to Calanca. The language spoken here was Italian with a for me unfamiliar accent.

Due to the closeness of the Italian Lago Maggiore, we made a couple of trips to this wonderful area and explored the nearby valleys. It is a very expensive area but we enjoyed every day and every valley we could pass through. The Luino market was beautiful but a little bit too touristy, the Bellinzona market was less  swamped but we would never forget the fine cheese and meat products we could buy there.

 Litte tip: Come early to the market to enjoy it and find proper parking for your car

On the last day in Santa Maria we went up the hill to the grotto or restaurant and enjoyed a local dish

The weather was nice enough and I felt free and satisfied as I walked down the hill and took photos 

Coming closer to Santa Maria in the calanca valley I just realise how beautiful the place was

We went to the bellinzona Market and bought so many local specialties that I don't remember the name of

This was the valley next to Santa Maria where we were impressed by the beautiful murals

Before we entered the Gotthard tunnel to drive through the Gotthard massive mountain range

When we look back to the Gotthard massiv once we arrived at the maritime side of the Alps

Bali off the beaten track 2

This time I was very lucky to stay with Couchsurfing host Edy. He lived in the non tourist area of Nusa Dua which can be easily reached from Ngurah Rai airport by motorbike.

Nua Dua, the non touristy part.
We found very good and cheap food at the market or secret places where businessmen from Jakarta buy food while they have a couple of hours time around Denpasar. We didn't miss out on the beach though we visited a multi-religious worship place where there is a mosque, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist and Hindu temple in one vicinity. The market was near his house, we got cheap and excellent food around the corner.

Mengwi: Tooth filing ceremony

On Sunday we were invited to a Metatah or tooth filing ceremony of his cousin. It is a crucial ceremony in Bali. This is the time when young people say good bye to their teen years and cleanse their body and soul from evil energies. We hopped on Edy's motorbike. He already had his traditional clothes on but I had them in my backpack.

The ceremony was held in Mengwi and I could remember too well my time here in 2016. The venue was beautiful and we were given good food and personal presents. The most impressive experience however was the real tooth filing ceremony. Edy suggested to bring a present instead of money because a present is individual and stays forever in your memory. Edy brought a traditional sarong( kamen). I decided to bring the Pope to Rome and brought them a beautiful kamen woven with golden threads.

After I handed out my present, the family invited me to sit in a separate cottage with them. From here I felt like being with my own family and apart from this I could watch the tooth filing ceremony close corner.

My journey by bus from Singaraja to Malang

I asked my friends in Singaraja and wondered myself whether I should travel by plane or by bus. I needed to hire a car from Singaraja to Denpasar. My original plans were to stay in Ubud for a couple of days and then fly back to Jakarta.

Instead, I decided to go to Malang by direct bus from Singaraja to Malang. I have never been to Malang and I would see much more on a land journey. My host Edy went to Singaraja with me to look for a bus company. They recommended Restu Mulya to us for Idr 190.000 or roughly 15 Eur.

The bus started in Singaraja about 5.00 pm. Staff were friendly and eloquent, we got a chocolate bread roll and a glass of Aqua water. As it was still light and the journey was along the coast, I could see Lovina beach, a few smaller beaches and the national park in the background.

We needed to change buses in Gilimanuk, the port where the ferry crosses the Bali Strait to Ketapang near Banyuwangi. A fair bit of patience is needed to wait for the connecting bus especially since it began to rain cats and dogs. We could walk a little bit around the port but it was still too dark to see. I prepared my raincoat on top of my backpack but the downpour was so sudden that I still became soaking wet as I entered the bus.

The ferry lasted a bit less than an hour but it was already dark and the rain troubled our sight even more. From Ketapang we drove along the coast and a bit past the villages. We had dinner along the coast, the driver told me the name of the place but I forgot again. I loathe public toilets but it is still possible to find a little spot under the tree. They also sold fruits like mangoes or salted fish.

The food was not so bad, several tasty vegetarian  dishes, fruit, tea and just one piece of chargrilled spicy chicken. The bus was comfortable enough with reclining seats and a blanket in sealed package. There was wifi for my big smartphone but no TV or DVD but I was sleeping for most of the time.

I could book and choose my seat because the bus wasn't crowded despite level 4 status for mt Agung. Overall I would recommend a journey by bus outside the high season, school holidays or in this case the eruption of mt Agung. Most passengers were locals, the bus staff didn't speak English and guess they haven't learned their manners from Emily post. For me it was enough because they were caring and responsible.

We arrived in Malang around 5.30 am. I caught a flu in the rain but happy enough to reach Malang. I was too lazy to make pictures because I didn't expect I would see that much before it got dark.