Asia reading
I'm devouring this book, The Malayan Trilogy, by Anthony Burgess. "There was no beer in the wardrobe, nor under the bed, nor in four of the drawers of the dressing-table. But the fifth drawer revealed treasure. Nabby Adams looked, like hungry Gulliver eyeing Lilliputian sirloins, at a neat collection of tiny bottles containing single glassfuls of various liquers." -quote from book.
Bali is "tube city"
July 31st 2006 A hastily arranged (and free, courtesy of China Airlines) 2.5-day trip to Bali was, as they say, just what the doctor ordered. Kuta beach was "tube city," a surfer's dream, and my 6am swim was bliss. This was my second trip to Bali, and I found myself liking it more this time around, despite the fact that we missed the sunset at Jimbaran Beach because our "herbal oil massage" lasted nearly 3 hours
... read more Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Kuta
The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hos... ... read more 
