Happy birthdays to Canada and the USA respectivly this week. Just a quick update since I have moved again... I am back in Bali. I was supposed to leave today but due to a recently acquired addiction (I am not yet sure if there is a 12-step program for this one) to surfing, I have extended my stay by two more days. Today I surfed, and I surf, therefore I am. (Does this mean that I was "not" before?) From here I am headed to BKK and then the rest of my journey will be dictated by Star Alliance, who, it [View Full Entry]

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So, I have already told you about my monkey, but I thought it was time to show you a few pictures now that I have them on my computer. It is a shame that I don't have pictures of the most amazing thing she does: Swim. But hard to carry a monkey AND a camera into the water so you will have to go with your imagination here. Lets just say that she swims just as well above as under water... Anyway... here goes: Let me introduce Captain Jack (She is a girl monkey... but they thought she was a boy [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday two divers went into the water for a routine dive. They came up, but the boat could not see them. This was circa 15:00. The search and rescue effort continued well past sundown but they were not found. The SAR operation started again at 05:00, just before sunrise and continued until 08:30 when a fishing boat from Lombok fond the two very brave divers and brought them back. Accidents like this happen from time to time when you are diving but I can not think of somewhere better to have such a challenge. The entire island, all the competitive [View Full Entry]

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So I started today just like I have started most days here in Gili -- I woke up to a wonderful fresh fruit salad and fruit shake (fruit, ice, blender). I did some Yoga by the pool and set off for my morning paddle-ski (think a cross between a Kayak and a surfboard). Normally I Just paddle the length the populated side of the island but this time I was inspired -- I wondered if I could paddle all the way around the island. I had both run and walked it before and that was manageable so how hard could paddling [View Full Entry]

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I arrived back in the Gili Islands a few days ago. I arrived via a speedboat from Kuta (Bali) that I had been on before. I could not find the details at first but while updating my blog I saw a GOOGLE ADSENSE® advert on my last Gili article for a Speedboat transfer from Kuta to Gili so clicked and booked. The boat ride was Tikda Bargus (not good). The water was REALLY rough and we got soaked to the bone. I lost another cel phone to salt water damage… still, it was fun and I was really glad to get [View Full Entry]

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If you have not read my last entry for Yogyakarta, please do. We hired this man, Jack Augusto, to drive us to Jogya to do relief work after the Earthquake last month. One morning we woke up and he was gone. With our van. With our stuff. He operates as a guide in Bali and is often in the Kuta area. We have since heard from someone in the 'know' that he sold our stuff for petrol money and simply drove back to Bali leaving is in Java to find our own way home. Note: If you see this man please [View Full Entry]

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Okay, the title is a bit alarming so I will start by saying that I am now safely in Gili Trawangan, a small Island off Lombok, near Bali. (Nowhere near Merapi.) Back in Java though, we woke up one morning prepared to go out and restock the van with supplies and head back out for another round of relief work. We had only one problem: our driver and van were missing. Yes, missing. At first I was not alarmed - perhaps he had just popped out to get some petrol? As the hours passed we became concerned for us and for [View Full Entry]

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Sorry for the BLOG-LAG... I did not want to publish this one until I had the pictures to go along with it... this is an entry fro mid-June... if you are EVER in Bali, I seriously recommend this place. Ask for Stuart, the owner, and tell him I sent you! --------------------------------------- http://www.theahimsa.com/ You never know what is next. I was planning to check into the Conrad hotel when I returned to Bali, as I was telling Stuart, a guy I met on the BKK - Denpesar flight. He agreed that it is a nice hotel and offered invited me to stay [View Full Entry]

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Warning: Please do not read this unless you are prepared for the worst. The stories and pictures contained in this entry are very unpleasant and difficult to digest. The light version is that we spent the day handing out food and doing first aid for people with minor injuries. The heavy version is, well, heavy. Please post your comments - I will pass them on to our team and to the people. I did not know what to expect. I mean, sure, I had some idea - broken buildings, injured people, smashed infrastructure -- but no real concept of how [View Full Entry]

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So, when you are quoted 8 hours drive that is definitely a “perfect world” quote and the road to Jogja is far from perfect. Bikes by the billions, narrow roads and totally insane truck drivers mean that in the end it will have taken us closer to 16 hours driving. The map system for TRAVELBLOG is not accurate enough for JAVA to really show you the route, so here it is: Drive across Bali (we started in Kuta) and catch the ferry to Java - then the trip begins in earnest. First we hit Banyuwangi and spent the night in [View Full Entry]

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