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Adventures in Bali /  by Kevin Hatcher

So, after a great two weeks spent building a house and exploring Yogjakarta, it was time to pack my bags, say goodbye to the Habitat for Humanity crew, and fly to Bali.

It was a very short visit to Bali, and I was going to be travelling with Mandy, Jeremy, and Alissa from the build crew.

Uluwatu - Beaches and scooters. 

We took off from Yogyakarta Adisucipto International Airport and had a very quick flight to Ngurah Rai International Airport. Once we collected all our bags, we had to organize a taxi to take us to our first destination, the beautiful area of Uluwatu. The taxi was super cheap and before we knew it we had arrived at our homestay (hotel) and it was very close to the beach. A quick bag dump, change of clothes and into another taxi to the beach to chill. What an amazing beach, with some massive waves and current. The locals were very friendly too! A little too friendly at times. 

After a great day at the beach day and a good nights rest we all decided to get scooters and do some exploring! 

 
 

A great day at a local beach resting up, playing in the surf and eating ice creams! Not too bad. 

We had the scooters for 24hrs so we got up early the next morning and went to the Uluwatu Temple
Pura Luhur. This compound is a Hindu temple and is built right on a 70m cliff. The whole compound and all the buildings are very ornate, and getting there early in the morning enabled us to beat the crowds.

 
 

Ubud - Monkeys and temples.

Sadly, this part of the trip was over far too quickly and we soon bundled ourselves into a taxi to go north to the rice fields and open vistas of Ubud. The ride was about 2hrs in a local taxi and it was an interesting endeavor to say the least. The driver was in a rush to get somewhere, and then back again. I think? 

We split into two groups and stayed in separate homestays that were just 15 minutes’ walks from the center of Ubud. The homestay I stayed in with Mandy was a family owned home which had been extended to provide rooms and a pool. The house itself was beautiful and had the families very own temple area, with ornate decorations and statues everywhere. 

Our first stop after exploring Ubud was the Sacred Monkey Forest at the north end of Ubud. We got there towards early evening and so the light was amazing, and so were the locals.  Most of the locals were long-tailed macaque monkeys. They were very curious and a little too friendly at times, which made the visit that bit more interesting.

 
 

This was a whole days’ worth of fun and after a great feed in Ubud we all slept well ready for the last days sightseeing around the Ubud area. 

This was to be our last day together as a group so we organized a sightseeing driver for the morning, who would take us to the Hindu water temple, Tirtha Empul Tampaksiring and then to the Tegallalang Rice Terrace. First stop the temple and into another sarong. It was another amazing temple with an air of real history and spiritual importance to the locals. 

 
 

After a short taxi ride from the temple we arrived at the rice terrace gardens in the middle of the day. The sun was out in full force, but we still managed to go for a walk around the fields on the hill side, followed by an ice cream. 

Tegallalang Rice Terrace, Ubud.

A farmer preparing his field for the next crop

Rice terraces.

Before we knew another day had passed and it was time to go our separate ways. Mandy was heading back home to DC, Jeremy, and Alissa where heading further north to hike a mountain and I spent the last day chilling in Ubud, and people watching. 

What an amazing three weeks. I met some great people, took some great pictures and had an amazing time. I will work with Habit for Humanity again for all of the experiences and fun that is to be had. 

Normal Iceland blogs will now resume as I have a great hiking story to share.

Thanks for reading and come back for more in a week.

Cheers,

Kev

Find and follow my stories on Instagram too!

Me and the giant monkey statue at Uluwatu Temple
Pura Luhur.

The build continues and we go to a wedding! - Habitat For Humanity (Part 3) /  by Kevin Hatcher

Back to work.

After a great weekend visiting the sites of Yogjakarta and enjoying the local food it was time to go back to work. 

We spent the next day building the walls up to as high as they needed, using scaffolding and some great teamwork. Once the walls were up, the neighbors took over and completed building the roof supports and joists. We could not do this work as it was pretty specialized and at a height that is probably not covered by Habitat for Humanity, so we spent the remaining few days throwing cement at the new walls.

The cement layer was to cover the rough cement and brick work and give a smooth surface for the plaster, and it was not easy. I think at one point everyone tried their hand at throwing cement, and consequently got covered in the bounced off cement paste that did not stick. 

Likan spent a lot of time doing this! What a trooper! 

The children watch as we work.

WWe spent the last few days of week two coating the walls, and would have to leave the house without a roof and a floor. This would be completed at a later date by the Habitat for Humanity Indonesia team and the amazingly community spirited neighbors.

Local wedding.

Over the course of the last week we had been working hard, we all wanted to get as much completed as possible. I think secretly we all wanted to actually finish the house in two weeks, but that is a lot of construction for such a short time period. 

As the week came to a close both teams got invited to a local village wedding. This was amazing! The wedding was bright and colorful and there was so much going on it was hard to keep up. 

The bride complete with traditional dress waiting to start the ceremony. 

The bride and groom.

The village chief. Cool looking guy!

One of the two guys of the band. Great guys!

The ring masters of the ceremony.

As we watched the wedding we had the honor and privilege to be asked to join in with the celebrations and to be in some of the photos with the bride and groom! It was great fun and we all had a lot of laughs. I will never forget this!

Bride, groom and Habitat for Humanity team. Great fun!

The last day at the build site.

All good things must come to an end, and sadly at the end of a great two weeks of building we had to leave. Before we left both teams autographed the houses that we had spent time building, and then as a final farewell we had a goodbye ceremony with a special lunch served in our family’s old home. 

The whole build team!

 
 

This was a very emotional good bye with speeches from the village chief, Jim and our Habitat team, and was truly heartwarming. I will never forget this last day; the smiles, the laughter of all of the people gathered around on the floor and the amazing food that we all shared.. 

The final farewell lunch.

Well, that is about it from Yogyakarta, and this part of my Indonesia trip. All of the support, food from the local families, neighbors and the Habitat for Humanity Indonesia was amazing! A great group of people and a really good work ethic with some amazing fun. I would do a trip like this again anytime.

Flying to Bali

As for me, I was taking a short flight to Bali to do a few days exploring with Mandy, Jeremy, and Allisa from the trip. First stop was Uluwatu and then up to Ubud. 

Come back for more! 

Cheers,

Kev

Find and follow my stories on Instagram too!

The build begins - Habitat For Humanity (Part 2) /  by Kevin Hatcher

Everyone smile.

So, after a very busy and productive introduction to Yogjakarta, I suppose I had should settle in and do some actual work. Time to meet the crew and build a house. To be honest, I was really looking forward to this part, as I have never built anything from the ground up and meeting a whole bunch of new people is always fun!

This was our crew of 14 people!

Back row top left to right: Corrine, Jon, Tanner, Bernie, Jeremy aka Jer-bear, Mackenzie,

Middle row left to right: Mandy (HFH Group leader), Likan, Alissa, Me! Valerie and Jim (Love that T-shirt! Super jealous!) 

Bottom row left to right: Kay and Joyce. The hardest working people on the team! 

We were picked up by our Habitat for Humanity liaison team; Djingga Djiwa and Nofi Fuanda. Djingga worked tirelessly all day with us to help make our stay in Yogyakarta more enjoyable. He picked us up in the morning, drove us around, organized dinners during the week for all of 16 of us, and put up with all of our nonsense! No wonder he slept in the work vehicles so much. We also had the amazingly happy and friendly, Nofi Fuanda and her impressively large and colorful collection of hijabs. I don't think I ever saw two the same for the whole build project! Impressive! 

Thanks for the pick Likan. :)

Thanks for the pick Likan. :)

The daily commute.

After introductions and photos at HFH Indonesia HQ we were driven about 1 hour south to Selopamioro village in the Imogiri Sub District. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puji Raharjo with the sharpest knife I have ever seen. We never got to do this in case we lost a finger...right Corrine. 

We were split into two teams at the site and introduced to our site foreman who would look after the running of our house build.

Ladies and gentlemen...our foreman Puji Raharjo!

He would be in charge of us, instruct us on how to use tools, keep us safe (no mean feat) and helped us build our house. Oh, and he cut up and fed us fresh coconuts!

Awesome! 

 

 

 

Some of the children and a few from the local village.

The family, mother and father. They have 3 children too.

The family, mother and father. They have 3 children too.

We were then introduced to the family that would move into the new house. They were so friendly and accepting, it was amazing. In fact, the whole local village was, and it was all very humbling. 

Our house was a 3 week build and we would be working on it for 2 weeks to get as much done as possible. 

Right let's get started!

The build plan.

So, if like me, you have never built a house here is what you need to do:

  • Move all the material (boulders, bricks, grit/sand) to site.
  • Hand dig foundations.
  • Shovel through a large sift all of the grit/sand for concrete.
  • Make concrete.
  • Lay foundations.
  • Build walls.
  • Make and install reinforcing bar (Rebar) columns and layers whilst building walls.
  • Install windows.
  • Build joists and install roof.
  • Lay floor. 
  • Move in.

Well that is a bit simplified, but you get the idea and all this is done by hand. There was no machinery involved during our build. 

The first few days of the build. 

Now the first few days we dug foundations, moved material and laid the first foundation stones. We were also very lucky to have the neighbors help too. When we left for the day they would pick up where we left off and continue. That meant our build came together very quick. It was great! 

One of the greatest things was how happy, friendly and inquisitive the local kids were. It made working in the baking sun all worth it. 

During the third day I met the one pictured below on the right. His name...Kevin...What a great name! But I never could get him to smile in photos.

Kev on the right....Kev on the left and Riza in the middle. Both not looking impressed.

The other major part of this particular build was reinforcement bar (Rebar). It is long pieces of metal that had to be hand cut to exact sizes, and then bent and then wired tied to the beam/column for the house. It was a long process but a great way to chat to the guys and get to know people. 

 
 

During all of this rebar making our blue tarp/tent (it was just like being in a U.S. campground) that shielded us from the sun collapsed in the wind. So in true "get your hands" dirty fashion we helped to fix the tarp, and held up ladders and supports until the locals fixed it. Then it was straight back to making rebar.

No rest for the wicked!

In the first week the house made great progress, and we completed: digging the foundations, constructing foundation walls, started to build the house walls on the foundation and made some great friends with the locals and each other. 

The weekend arrives.

So after a very productive and busy few days it is the weekend and we all have time to relax, and do some site seeing around the wonderful Yogjakarta area. What better way to do this but to return to Borobudur to see if we could all see the sunrise! 

After a really early start, and along bus drive we all arrived in the dark to climb the stairs of this amazingly peaceful temple to wait the sunrise. There was a slight sunrise which was cool, but I also got more time to explore the temple afterwards, which gave me a real appreciation of the intricacy and detail that went into building the world's largest Buddhist temple.  

Borobudur Buddhist Temple just at sunrise.

After such an early cultural start it could only be topped off with thrashing around in a jeep around Merapi to see the remains of the last volcanic eruption. The jeeps where great fun, and we all had a blast! 

What a week! I took it easy on Sunday while others explored the city center. Next Indonesian blog update, we continue building the house, we get invited to a local wedding, we explore a cave and we have an emotional good bye ceremony with the family and all the HFH team. 

Come back for more! 

Cheers,

Kev

Find and follow my stories on Instagram too!

 

Back to the Peninsula... /  by Kevin Hatcher

A few weekends ago the weather report suggested that it would be amazing blue skies and warm. So we decided to go back up to Snæfellsnes peninsula for some camping, hiking, and adventures. We also had the added benefit of a friend visiting from France for the weekend, who had rented a camper van and was going up there too. Let the fun begin! 

Saturday

Travelling up to the Peninsula with Snæfellsjökull glacier.

After driving for a few hours we reached the area that we were interested in exploring. We had investigated doing a hike up a mountain called Mt. Stapafell to get a good view of the surrounding area. We arrived and stopped at a lay by just below the Snæfellsjökull glacier. The ridge that we wanted to do was ahead of us and we could not find the start of a trail, so we decided to take it easy and explore the coast line between Port Arnarstapi and Hellnar.

Getting ready for a hike up...

...Stapafell ridge. Maybe next time.

This was only a short walk over a few kilometers but it was along an amazing lava field and the sea. It was quite an amazing contrast! 

Port Arnarstapi

Coast line between Port Arnarstapi and Hellnar.

Hellnar Church with the Snæfellsjökull glacier in the background.

That guy took a picture of me and took great interest in my 35mm film camera from 1978!

So, after a nice walk we head off to find our friends and find somewhere to camp. This is quite easy in Iceland as there are a lot of campsites and there all super easy to use. So we stayed at Langaholt campsite and pitched the tent. (Queue time-lapse fun with surprise drive through!). 

Langaholt camping

The beach and surroundings are beautiful around the campsite. Well worth a visit, but it is a bit rustic, with no showers and the bathrooms are just a shed. Loved it! 

Sunday

After a quick breakfast and some planning we decided to go for a hike. Re-packed the car and drove to the approximate center of the peninsula to spend the day on a hill. What a great day! Sunshine, no clouds in the sky and no one there. 

 

Hiking to the top. 

Panoramic of the top.

GPS route.

Playing in the snow.

Once we had finished the hike Scherie mentioned a waterfall close by that we had not yet seen, and you could walk behind it! So back into the cars for a short drive to see the waterfall. WOW! What an amazing place. 

Waterfall with Scherie.

Long exposure of the river Fossá. Click for a big version!

Aims behind the waterfall.

Well, as always, all good things must come to an end. We said are farewells and hit the road back to Reykjavik to start another week.

We will back to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula as it has so much to offer for so little travel time. But the next adventure awaits. We are off to the Westfjords of Iceland which is not on the normal tourist track of the well beaten route 1 circular. I can't wait! 

Thanks,

Kev

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The gang at the top of the hike. Left to right. Aimee, Scherie, Me, Cedric

Hiking in the wild. /  by Kevin Hatcher

The weather in Iceland for the last week has been wet! I mean it has been raining for days! No fun! Now I don't mind hiking in the "weather" but not when it is pouring down with rain to begin with. That being said I have managed to get out and try to take some pictures, it is just the light doesn't always cooperate. 

Hike 1 - Hvalvatn lake. 

I have hiked towards this lake twice now via a Western approach trail to Gymur falls, but have never quite made it to the Hvalvatn lake or the summit of Hvalfell. This time I wanted to try and catch the sunset over Hvalvatn, and approached the lake from the West. I drove up as far as I could in my Skoda Octavia 4X4 estate, before the "roads" turned into a serious 4X4 track only, and hiked the rest.   

Road Warning to adventure!

Road Warning to adventure!

Start of Hvalvatn hike.

Hvalvatn GPS Route.

I started at 5:00pm and the sunset was about 9:45pm, and I had a long way to go. The weather started with hail and wind, and thankfully eased off. It never really cleared however it did provide me with some amazing images of the snowy hills against the storm filled clouds. (New website Image!)

Unfortunately, I never made it to the lake, as the light was not in my favour and it was getting late. I reluctantly headed back, and as you can see from the GPS route below I still had a long way to go. The elusive Hvalvatn lake and Hvalfell will have to wait for another day.

Lesson learned today, always give yourself more time than you think.

Hvalvatn GPS Route

Hike 2 - Pverfell.

Fast forward a few days and the sun is splitting the sky in Reykjavik, so I am up and out to see if I can go further into the wilds. Travelling just under an hour and half to hike Pverfell, and see if I could take a few images of the lake behind it. The greatest and worst thing about Iceland is the weather. I had only just left Reykjavik and it started raining, but I pushed on. 

Pverfell hike location.

Pverfell GPS route.

As you can see, a short route, but it was nice to be away on my own in the wilderness.

Reyðarvatn Lake.

The light and weather seemed to be against me again, as when I reached the summit the clouds came in and engulfed me in fog. So no view today, but it was great to get more experience hiking in Iceland. 

Hugging the cairn at the top of Pverfell.

What a great few days hiking and there is still so much more to see! 

This weekend I am going to the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the famous Kirkjufell mountain and then next week down South East to Jökulsárlón to see the glacier lagoon and do some hiking in the Vatnajökull national park!

I can't wait, but the blog may have to wait until I get back.

Onward to the summer and camping in the wild. 

Cheers

Kev 

If you can't wait until the next blog find me and follow me on Instagram 

Hiking in the snow in Iceland. /  by Kevin Hatcher

The route from the car park and back.

Last weekend, Aimee and I went hiking up a mountain called Móskarðshnjúkar. It is a height of 807m (2647ft) and is a simply 9.2 kilometer (5.7 mile) there and back trip. It is only 20 minutes’ drive from Reykjavik, but it is well worth it as you feel like you are miles away from anybody.

 

Móskarðshnjúkar. It is the furthest right in this picture.

Móskarðshnjúkar is still very much covered in snow and we were the first people to hike it since the last snowfall. This meant that we post holed across the higher sections of the mountain, in our crampons and with our ice axes out. It was wild and very windy but what a great view! 

Aimee hiking in the snow.

Me hiking in the snow.

Aimee on the last push to the top with Reykjavik in the background and Esja. 

The view from top was spectacular, and we had not met anyone all day. This was until the summit where we bumped into a pair of hikers who had skis! They proceeded to pick a line down in the fresh snow and ski down. Very cool, and the best way to get down! I think I need a split board and bindings.

Fresh tracks from the summit.

Unfortunately, we didn't stay on the summit for long due to the biting cold wind and the weather on the horizon looked like they it might close in from the north. Still we headed down very happy with our accomplishment and stopped further down for lunch overlooking Esja and Reykjavik.

Esja on the right and Rejkjavik in the background.

What a great days hike and with fantastic weather. I am looking forward to more of this in the future.

But, maybe I should buy a splitboard and skins to make the return journey more interesting.

Kev

Remember you can also follow me on Instagram.

Me, on the saddle just before the top of Móskarðshnjúkar