Blogs from Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Asia

For the months leading up to my departure I was often surprised at people’s reaction to my plans. The idea of setting off with an itinerary consisting of a rough brainstorm at best, alone around the world seemed to terrify most. Having had the opportunity to explore a vast portion of the globe with family as a child however, I put their reaction down to a lack of understanding and naivety. As I sit in seat 28A on my way to Denpasar however, I feel it may have been me that didn’t entirely understand the sheer magnitude of such a journey. I love to travel. And I should, as it’s a passion passed down through my family as if a genetic trait. My mother often toyed with the idea of becoming a travel agent, only held ... read more

Efter en kort flyvetur på 4 timer, ankom vi til Melbourne omkring kl. 9 om morgenen. I Melbourne havde vi hjemmefra booket et hostel og vi skulle derfor kun finde stedet. Uden de store problemer (vi var jo ved at være trænede i lufthavne) fandt vi en bus ind til byen og den leverede os lige til hoveddøren. Vi skulle bo på Nomads tæt på centrum og det passede os meget fint. Omkring kl. 11 havde vi nået hostellet og fået vores baggage opbevaret. Nu var vi voldsomt sultne. Vi havde ikke spist noget siden morgenmaden kl. 4 om morgenen i New Zealand, så vi gik ud og spiste morgenmad på en Café. Efter morgenmad gik vi på sightseeing i Melbourne. Vi kunne først tjekke ind kl. 14 og havde derfor rigeligt med tid. Timerne slipper ... read more

Week one... Its been quite the week! So, after leaving Hong Kong (which has a huge airport. You have a subway station taking you from one terminal to the other), we arrived in Denpasar, Bali. Walk off the plane, and immediately you notice the slower pace here. The locals are so nice and seem pretty casual in their everyday life. Every morning and night (from my observations), they place offerings in front of every building or on alters. It is normally a little box made from banana leaves, with food and coins in it, with an incense stick burning. I accidentally stepped on their offering box.... oops! But, as you walk down the street, there are so many of these little offering things. Apparently its not disrespectful once they have said their prayer and set it ... read more

So much has happen since my travel to Loas back in 2009...which i forgot to finish and post back then. For those who dont already know, ive been living and working here in Bali Indonesia for almost 2 years. As always i've had my highs and lows but in all and all i am proud to say that i have achieve another goal in my life "LIVING AND WORKING ABROAD ..immersing myself with the locals and learning the language and culture ". The other day someone asked me where is my home?.. i said "here in Bali" Here have built a life completely from scratch, from not knowing anything about the country, or anyone, the language, culture, finding working, making friends and of course exploring and continuing to push boundaries and personal fears. I have been ... read more

Today and Yesterday's distance: 135km Total distance: 1250km Time on bike: 9 hrs combined At the suggestion of a friend, it was high-time to try the climb over the Mt Batur volcano to eventually reach Denpasar. There are multiple ways to get there from Lovina Beach, and the route I chose was the longest and most difficult. What else is new. But compared to the Mt Bromo volcano, Batur was a piece of cake. I was actually able to go up into the crater, settle into some nice town accomodation, get a view of the crater lake, and go up and over. It was a truly beautiful ride. Thanks to a late start as usual (you can blame the morning massage and other pampering for that) I wasn't on the road until 11am, so I figured ... read more

Hello family, friends, colleagues and others who are interested in my travels. I thought I would make this entry to provide some background info. For the past 9 months I have lived in Bali. Much before this time though, I have had a dream of traveling and seeing the world. However, I did not want to simply travel to a place, see the usual tourist spots, then go back home. What I have wanted was a chance to be involved with the culture, come to understand how different parts of the world work and be able to really enjoy what the world has to offer. Very recently, I have just accepted an offer to work Middle East. Some people have asked how I felt about going to the Middle East. In reply, I believe that there ... read more

It's one helluva year as I start my new journey. OK, nobody really care about it, but everything goes right in this year as work gives me opportunities to see around. But the big (er little) Monster in the room is another new job which is a big game changer as it gets. We live only once, so let's live life to the fullest. Life, to coin a cliché, will never be the same. And it's daaaammmmnnn great thing. Now with 2010 still looming, stay tune for more adventures. Starting from Bali and ending who knows where...... read more

Bali batiks are famous world-over among those whose quilt, sew, or who are otherwise entranced by fabric. Visiting fabric stores was high on my list of things I wanted to do on this trip. Jalan Sulewesi is the street in Denpasar to find fabric, lots of it. For three solid blocks, just about every store on both sides of the street is a fabric store, with the odd motor scooter repair shop thrown in for spice. Like Singapore, and I’m sure many other tropical cities, Denpasar’s architecture makes good use of the five-foot way. Essentially this means the second story of a building extends five feet over the sidewalk below, providing much needed shade and protection from torrential rains. It also provides the shops on the ground floor an extension of their stores, and everyone takes ... read more