Blogs from Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 19

Hopefully no more stories about unexploded ordinances, wars, or killing fields. No guarantees, though, because we only have tickets through Australia and New Zealand; we don’t know where we’re going after that. From Cambodia, we went to Bali; the volcano had already erupted by the time we arrived, and life was pretty much back to normal. We met in Bali in 1991. We were both backpacking, Pete for six months, me for five weeks. We were in line to go through customs at the airport, and I was unsure of how to get from there to the beach. So I asked the stranger in front of me if he had a place to stay that night. He didn’t have any plans, so I asked if he wanted to figure something out together. He was game, and ... read more

Le chauffeur de taxi à Bedugul nous avait dit qu'il nous déposerait devant notre hôtel mais comme nous n'avions pas internet là-haut dans les montagnes, nous n'avions pas pu regarder les hôtels. Heureusement, Connor, un américain qui travaille en Alaska et que nous avions rencontré à notre auberge de jeunesse à Singapour, m'avait donné le nom de son auberge de jeunesse sur Canggu. Nous avons vu sur la carte qu'il y avait un café avec wifi pas loin de son auberge de jeunesse et c'est donc là que le taxi nous a déposé. A peine avions nous commandé quelque chose à manger - et entré le mot de passe pour le wifi sur nos téléphones - que Connor entre dans le café. Nous avons discuté pendant un bon moment avant de trouver une chambre d'hôte et ... read more

Bali, the only place on earth I’ve ever been with all three of my wives. I even managed to go with the first two together, showing what a special place it must be. The island has a longstanding reputation for romance, allure and intrigue which may explain how all this came to pass, despite my only ever having been married the once. To solve the puzzle we’ll need to indulge in a spot of time-travel, skipping back a couple of decades to the days when I was still genuinely young, free and single. Youthful exuberance had seen me jack in the day-job and head off adventuring round the world, the spirit of freedom leading me to first let my hair grow unchecked, and then, in a moment of madness, to shave it off entirely. Interestingly this ... read more

We had 2 days to explore the wonderful island/country of Singapore, an incredible modern and dynamic city. The first day we arrived and went directly to Little India where we sat under cover enjoying some delicious Indian food (not Darold’s favorite but we had no other choice as the buckets of rain fell) that was simply served on a sheet of paper. Our day was filled with shopping in street markets, riding the flyer (a large Ferris Wheel with incredible views), watching the light shows on both sides of the unique and amazing development of the Marina Bay Sands (3 towers with what looks like a huge cargo ship resting above the towers) and ending our evening in Chinatown for dinner and nightlife. The next day we took a river cruise to see the famous SeaLion ... read more

Bali. Everyone has been there. A common perception of the place and certainly one that I had, was that it was a place full of obnoxious young Aussies and Kiwis there to get f*cked up. The Magaluf of Oceania. It is part of the reason why perhaps I have taken so long to get here. Indonesia also doesn't seem so different to Malaysia, so it perhaps didn't excite me too much either. But you can of course escape the crowds to see other parts of the country that are apparently beautiful and relaxing, so it seemed like a nice, logical stop for me on the way back home - the last country I will stop at on this epic journey. Japan had worn me out as have the previous two years and to be honest I ... read more