Okay so there wasn't much to report today so I thought I would use the opportunity to wrap up the Bali Trip and any hints and tips that might be useful.
Firstly my trip to Bali wasn't a traditional holiday so I didn't stay in a main area of Bali. Where we stayed was a small village called Tianyar and it was a place with no hotels or accomodation for tourists. The only people there not from Bali were the volunteers staying at the project. It really gave us the opportunity to experience the real Bali and it's people and cultures. The trip was part of a volunteer program with the North Bali Reef Conservation Project. The aim was to help rebuild the coral reef area that has been damaged through various different factors, including dynamite fishing, using the coral for building, and boat anchors to name but a few causes.
The project has been running for the past 5 years and already the structures that have been deployed, have started to grow coral on them and marine life has started to take up habitat in them.
The working week starts Monday from 9am -11am building the concrete structures on a shaded area of the beach. You then have a break and lunch at 12pm then don't start again until 2pm when the sun isn't at it's hottest. You then work 2-4pm, but what I would say is, they don't make you work the full shift if you get everything done sooner. Once we tasks that need doing are complete you are free to do your own thing again.
Tuesday, Tuesday you start to dig up the structure from the previous week that have managed to dry. This is done by digging a small hole under one side of each structure and then using a large piece of bamboo and a log as leverage to pry them out of the ground. The excess sand is scrapped off the undersides so they aren't as heavy. These are then transported to the beach using a long piece of bamboo with someone at each end. A looped rope in the middle is hooked around the structure and the two people carry them one by one to the beach. There are bout 3 bamboo teams transporting the structures to the beach and volunteers take turns doing these roles. The structures are cleaned of excess sand from inside using a hose pipe on the beach.
Wednesday the structures are carried from the beach onto the waiting fishing boat and then transported to the coral reef area and deployed overboard.
Thursday you get kitted up in diving gear and enter the water then swim out on your backs to the coral reef area (it's not that far about 4/5 metres from the shore). Once in place you deflate your BCD and sink to the bottom of the sea bed. When everyone is at the bottom you remove your fins and hand them to one of the organisers to collect them all together and tie up. Working in pairs you pick up the recently deployed structures and walk them along the sea bed to the are they need to be and stack them approx 3 high. After these have all been done you replace your fins an d continue onto a fun dive around the are to see. all the fish now inhabiting the structures old and new.
A word of note, this is not for the weak and feeble, as there is a lot of manual work involved, so those not pulling their weight just create more work for the rest of the group. So if Mummy and Daddy are paying for your gap year and you can't be without your Quinoa and must have silk sheets to sleep on, then this aint for you. It's pretty much like camping, there are no mirrors, it's outdoor showers and everything ends up feeling full of sand lol. There are other less physically demanding roles, such as teaching the local children English and playing games etc, but this is a different role to apply for and may require different qualifications than the coral reef conservation role. For this role you need your PADI Open water qualification, which you can obtain before you go or if you are going for more than one week, it is available to do when you get there.
The set up is very much like a hostel type situation in that you could be sharing a tree house kinda accommodation with strangers. If there are two of you though you tend to share with each other. You all eat meals together outside on the bench and table-style seating so if you are not particularly a social person, this may not be for you. That said it's a great way to throw yourself out of your comfort zone and meet new people.
There is the opportunity to go out with the fishermen on their small boats to watch the sunrise (around 5am start) for a small fee (about £8 when we were there). It's an amazing view out on the water and there is the chance of seeing dolphins.
As I said previously this part of Bali is very traditional with a lot of culture. There is a daily offering that is done by every household and business (which we requested to learn how to make). These are made n d offered to appease the god as well as keep the dark elements happy to. Every house has a very elaborate temple where they place these offerings as well as in front of their doors.
If however, you are looking for something with a bit more familiarity and recognisable foods etc, I still think it has that to offer. From what I saw of Sumar and Kuta it looked very commercialised and you could definitely see the western influences so there is still something for everyone if that's your thing. I saw everything from Starbucks to Irish bars and there were also lots of big brands shops to the extent that you could have been somewhere in America not Bali.
Tips:-
Definitely take an insulated water bottle with you like Chilly's so that you can fill it up at the
base camp or hotels that offer large drink fountains. It saves keep buying plastic bottles (which just add to the recycling problem) and also keep the water cold, unlike plastic bottles. It's very hot and humid in Bali so having water available with you all the time is a must.
Take a mosquito net with you. Even though when we got there the camp provided them over our mattresses they were quite snug so kept coming untucked when you moved. The ones we bought were nice and big so had lots of excess to tuck in. The ones we bought were HERE.
You need to pack lose fitting clothing to allow air to circulate around you and not be too hot, tight-fitting clothes will be wet through in ten minutes. Modesty is required for women on the beach though so no bikinis or bit of dental floss up yer bum. T-shirts are required over the top of a bkini.
Pack a towel as you will need these not only for the showers but also when you are carrying stuff on the bamboo poles it's handy to fold one up to put on your shoulder to protect it from rubbing you.
Amazing xx