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Trains, Visas, And Laptops
2008-03-08 06:09:00
I pried myself out of bed early to drop off my Visa application at the Indian consulate on Hong Kong Island. The errand afforded me my first trip on the Mass Transit Rail (MTR). I bought an Octopus card which is a renewable debit card for Hong Kong’s public transit system, as well ...
More About: Laptops , Trains , Visas

Getting My Bearings
2008-03-07 06:05:00
I awoke the next morning to the comings and goings of those in the hostel room.  The bathroom was very tiny ? a square with a toilet, small sink, and hand-held shower head.    You wash yourself standing right next to the toilet.  The setup didn’t bother me to my surprise, maybe because I had gotten ...
More About: Hong Kong

Touchdown In Hong Kong
2008-03-06 06:58:00
In the early evening, I arrived parched and famished in Hong Kong . After passing immigrations and customs, and collecting my bag, I bit the bullet and grabbed dinner at Burger King in the terminal. If I haven’t mentioned it previously, flying with the discount Australian airline Jetstar (and it’s Asian contingent) has meant ...
More About: Touchdown

Final Thoughts: Singapore
2008-03-05 06:51:00
My memories of Singapore will be forever tied to the variety of delicious foods available, and Ian’s hospitality. Many people will claim you can see the city in a day, however I found 4 days to be far too short to truly get a feel for the life and culture of this wonderful city/country. Highlights ...
More About: Thoughts , Final

Sayonara Singapore
2008-03-04 06:58:00
  Ian saw me off to the train on his way to work. He was entirely too generous with his time and money. While hostels aren’t particularly expensive in Singapore , I saved quite a bit of money by staying with him when you factor in the internet, laundry, food, and transportation costs. ...

Hello Malaysia, Goodbye Malaysia
2008-03-03 06:57:00
  The next day, I joined Ian on a short trip across the border to Singapore for a travel fair sponsored by Malaysia Air. Despite high hopes for cheap fairs, the event was a dud, and we got lunch and a few shirts at a nearby mall. The prices were super cheap ...
More About: Goodbye

School Daze, Crab A La Bourdain, And Durian
2008-03-02 06:55:00
On my second full day in Singapore , I ran an errand with Ian to his alma mater, the National University of Singapore. It was fun to walk through the halls, and eat in the cafeteria, with all the students. It brought back memories from my own college years.   Afterwards, I opted for ...
More About: School , Crab , Durian

Merlion, Snakes, And Singapore Slings
2008-03-01 06:51:00
  After a comfortable sleep, I spent some time on my federal/state taxes. It was a luxury to have access to Ian’s computer with fast broadband connection after so many slow sessions in Indonesia. Ian has a PhD, and seems like a regular Renaissance man. He works at night based on ...
More About: Snakes , Singapore

Couchsurfing Singapore
2008-02-29 06:41:00
  During the first part of the flight to Singapore , there was frequent turbulence and flashes of lightning through the clouds. Initially, I was engrossed in a conversation with the Australian women next to me who was on her way to do the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal by ...

Odds And Ends After 3 Months Of Travel
2008-02-28 07:35:00
Here I am, 3 months into my long-awaited trip around the world. Hard to believe I’ve made it so far. More than anything, I feel a sense of great accomplishment for making this experience a reality. Dreaming big, working hard, sacrificing multiple trips to Las Vegas, and punching through my fears ...
More About: Travel , Indonesia , Odds , Ends , Months

Final Thoughts: Indonesia
2008-02-27 19:24:00
I am leaving Indonesia a changed person. I can feel it, though you may not be able to see it on here. I’m less naive, more assertive, a slightly better negotiator (with still a long way to go), and more in touch with my emotions, which often felt amplified. It feels bittersweet to ...
More About: Thoughts , Final

Adios Amigos
2008-02-27 07:11:00
It wasn’t until after I cleared security at the airport on February 18th that I realized my flight was the following night. I gave myself a good swift kick in the behind for writing the departure date down wrong in my notebook, and then caught a taxi back to Ronta Bungalows in Kuta ...
More About: Indonesia , Amigos

Partying In Kuta
2008-02-26 07:53:00
After a few nights back in Kuta , we were due for a night on the town, especially since I thought Feb 17th would be my last night before heading to Singapore. After a drink or two in Linus’ air-conditioned room, we hit the street (er alley) around midnight for the Expresso Bar.  A quick ...
More About: Partying

Off To Ubud for Suckling Pig and Monkeys
2008-02-25 19:20:00
I turned Sara’s monkey dare into a 1/2 day trip to Ubud in central Bali. First, I had lunch at Bu Oka, a renowned food stall for Babi Guling (suckling pig). My culinary hero, Anthony Bourdain, chomped on the special for his Travel Channel show “No Reservations” just as I did. I can’t say it was love at first bite, however I really liked the way different bits of the pig are presented together. In the photo, you can see there’s quite a bit of meat, some green veggies, and rice. The shiny flat bit is crispy skin, though you can feel/taste a bit of fat on the underside. Underneath, and to the left, you can just make out a bit of yellow. I’m not sure what it was - fried pig’s ear or something. It was crunchy, and didn’t do much for me. There was also a bit of black sausage which was really tender and spicy. After lunch, I fed the monkeys, and watched them chase each other around the sanctuary, go swimming, and generally lounge ...
More About: Monkeys

Dare #5 - Completed - Monkey Business
2008-02-25 07:10:00
#6 - From Sara: I have a good first dare for ya. After seeing your picture with the fluffy koala bear, and reading about the monkey forests full of gray monkeys in Bali, I?ve decided that your dare is the following: I dare you to load your day pack with bananas and head into one of the ...
More About: Business , Indonesia , Monkey , Dare , Dares

Back To Kuta And Ulu Watu
2008-02-24 07:39:00
I splurged on my trip back to Bali, paying quite a bit to take a 2.5 hour speed boat directly from Gili Trawangan. The first half of the trip was rather rough and it didn’t take me long to get the feel for what happens after the boat goes up the crest of ...
More About: Back , Kuta

Come Waste Your Time With Me
2008-02-23 07:51:00
I woke up the morning of my last full day on Gili Trawangan with a new sensation - energy! Apparently a night without alcohol can do that for a person. I walked through “town” and got an Indian chai tea and mini croissants from Scallywags - an organic restaurant I’d heard good ...
More About: Indonesia , Time , Waste

The Day After
2008-02-22 07:39:00
I could skip over the next day, pretending I didn’t feel a bit lonely after Linus left the island (for Komodo), except it wouldn’t be true to my experience. I did feel like something was missing after he left. I took the opportunity to upgrade to a stand-alone bungalow at about $15/night. ...
More About: Indonesia

Beach, Bikes, Sunset, Seafood, Drinks
2008-02-21 07:51:00
I chose to spend 3 weeks in Bali and Lombok to allow myself a chance to unwind after the fast-paced itineraries of New Zealand and Australia. While I was accomplishing my goal in Kuta, it included the constant hassle from street vendors and women offering massages, and noise of motorbikes and honking taxis. ...
More About: Beach , Drinks , Sunset , Seafood , Bikes

Island Life
2008-02-20 07:52:00
And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for, ’cause it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something, and if you find that moment… it lasts forever… —- Richard, The ...
More About: Life , Island , Island Life

Night 1 on Gili T - Making Friends
2008-02-19 07:24:00
After a short walk along main street on Gili T, Linus and I washed up and headed out for dinner. We noticed the most crowded restaurant to be The Beach House, so we headed for a table - well Linus did. I stopped short, next to two Danish girls. I looked ...
More About: Friends , Indonesia , Night

Gili Trawangan - Welcome To My Paradise
2008-02-18 07:00:00
Gili Trawangan is a small island off the coast of Lombok, an island the size of Bali just to it’s east. There are many small islands (gili’s as they’re called) around Lombok, however Gili Trawangan is the most popular one. It is 8 km in circumference, and there are no motorbikes or ...
More About: Paradise

World?s Most Expensive Mosquito Coils
2008-02-17 07:39:00
Linus and I were picked up by our shuttle in Sengiggi, and whisked north along the coast to a staging area 200 meters away from the beach where we’d be boarding a small wooden boat to ferry us over to Gili Trawangan. As we sat around, the “boatman” who would take us the rest of the ...
More About: World , Indonesia , Most Expensive , Mosquito

SPONSOR POST: Vietnam visa entry online
2008-02-16 07:51:00
We provide service of visa upon arrival for those enter by air. If you enter Vietnam by air & want to get visa upon arrival at the airport, please apply online with us www.Visa -Vietnam.Org or please scan your passport then send to us with date of enter/exit Vietnam to info@visa-vietnam.org Vietnam visa upon arrival - an ...
More About: Post , Online , Sponsor

Heading East to Lombok
2008-02-15 18:00:00
It felt fortuitous to be leaving Kuta, Bali the morning after the theft incident. Leaving for a new destination always feels empowering, and I was heading to Lombok to experience the potential tropical island paradise I had pictured when coming to Bali. The first person on the shuttle after me was a guy named ...
More About: Indonesia , East , Heading

Scooter-Born Prostitute Rips Me Off
2008-02-15 05:54:00
The Lonely Planet warns readers against prostitutes that ride around on scooters and hassle men walking around alone at night. It specifically warned of one gang (alley), so I made it a point to stay clear of it. At the same time, I had little sense of how this “danger and ...
More About: Indonesia , Scooter , Prostitute

3 Travel Bloggers Survive Torrential Rains
2008-02-12 06:18:00
  I found nomad4ever.com in early 2007, when I first entered the world of travel blogging.  The man behind the scenes is Chris, a German expat who retired in his early 30’s to live the good life in Southeast Asia.  After a stint in Thailand, he moved to Bali where he’s been living for about a ...
More About: Travel , Indonesia , Blogging , Bloggers , Survive

Exploring Inland Bali
2008-02-11 06:05:00
After getting a feel for life in Kuta, I decided to bite the bullet and venture inland for a day-long tour. Believe me, it was hard after all those spa treatments to tear myself away for some sight-seeing, however I knew it had to be done. Our itinerary was a bit flexible, however the ...
More About: Indonesia , Bali , Exploring

The Good Life - Massages and Spa Treatments
2008-02-10 06:07:00
The good life for Westerners in Bali includes massages and spa treatments, and I was ready to feed the local economy with my hard earned greenbacks. My daily schedule in Kuta was rather simple: AM sleep in enjoy free breakfast at accommodation (very common offering - usually some combination of eggs, toast, pancakes, coffee/tea/juice) use internet spa treatment ...
More About: Life , Treatments , Good , Massages , The Good

Bali Living 101
2008-02-09 06:32:00
By my second and third days in Bali , I was starting to fall for the place. I figured out the various ways to escape the street vendors and intense mid-day heat - hanging out in your accommodation which would have plenty of shade around either a pool or garden and ducking into restaurants ...
More About: Living