Just arrived back from 1 week in Bali and 1 week in Java. Spent the first week at Matahari Bungalows in Kuta. Met lots of lovely people and did the usual things you do in Kuta....shopping,eating,etc. The following week went over to Java...had a driver and car. Left Bali early in morning and caught the ferry over, about a 1 hour trip on the ferry. Spent the first night at Yoshi's Hotel in Bromo. Up at 3 am to see the sun rising over Bromo and then hiking up to the rim of Bromo. Lots of young Muslim girls wanted their photo taken with me, I was the only foreigner there with blonde hair so presume this is why they wanted my picture ( or maybe it's just my blinding beauty!!!! ) That day headed to Jogjakarta. Found a hotel.....100,000rp per night breakfast, pool, air.con, and hot water all included and very clean. Food, accomodation, etc all very cheap in Java. Got up early and headed for Borobodur Buddhist Temple. It is 1200 years old and the largest Buddhist temple in the world and an absolutely amazing place.Spent a couple of days looking around Jogja then started heading back to Bali. Unfortunately on the way back a bus driver coming the opposite way fell asleep and came over our side of the road and hit us head on....just saw this bus coming for us and thought I was a goner. Somehow we managed to walk away, me with just a broken thumb nail! Car was not so lucky. Spent the next 10 hours at the police station. They took me to a cell and I thought they were locking me up, but it turns out they just wanted me to rest in there. Very basic, just a wooden bed with a mat on it and a squat toilet. I must say that the police and all the people there were lovely, they kept bringing me food and water and fussing around me. Think I was a bit of a novelty because all the policemen's wives got wind that there was a foreigner at the station and before long they were all there with baskets of food for me...have never eaten so much in all my life!!!! One of the young policemen and his wife insisted that I stay the night at their place but I was in desperate need of a hot bath at this stage and so they took me to a hotel a few villages away. That night I woke up with the bed shaking and windows rattling and I thought great, now an earthquake but decided I was so tired and stressed from the days events that I was just imagining it. However the next day heard and read in the paper there was in fact an earthquake in Central Java. Anyway, I thought the car was a write off, but this is Indonesia we are talking about....the locals all gathered around and spent the next 24 hours straight banging, bashing, pulling, that car until they got it reasonably together again...don't ask me how, the drivers side wheel was up under the steering wheel after the accident so I don't know how they achieved what they did in a day!!! Well, headed off once again. Car was making terrible noises so decided the best option might be to catch plane back, however no flights back to Bali for 3 days so decided to tempt fate again and try driving back. We eventually got to the ferry and caught it back over to Bali. I tell you I have never been so glad to see Bali in all my life!!!! Stayed at Aquarius star hotel which I have before, great hotel and fantastic breakfast. Rooms from 80,000rp per night with fan and hot water and pool and breakfast. Spent a few days getting over the trauma...still having nightmares about that damn bus coming straight for us. The driver was so upset, kept saying bad karma, bad karma, but I told him to look at it that it was good karma, I mean how many people have a head on collision with a bus and walk away without a scratch? And then to experience an earthquake the same day...how lucky are we? I will never take life for granted again. I did some shopping in Kuta, bought about 200 dvd's, no problems bringing them back. Got Komang to take me to do some shopping on my last day, anyone wanting a good driver his number is 62 81 236 59105 email komangsw@yahoo.com he is fantastic and I know many people on the forum use him and will back me up on that. So, now I am back home. I must say to anyone worrying about going to Indonesia, I have never felt safer appart from the roads in Java. Anyone thinking of going there it is a fantastic place but the roads are treachorous, saw many, many accidents. So, I would suggest flying there, it is reasonably cheap and much safer. The people were lovely, no problems at all....both in Bali and Java.