Category: Indonesia
The Kindness Of Strangers
| August 18, 2012 | Filed under China, Indonesia, Personal Musings, Thailand |
The main thing I’ve learnt from travelling is that people are really nice and the world is quite a safe place. Not exactly headline material, but an observation made through personal experience. Bouncing around Asia for the last six months, I’ve been continually impressed and surprised by the kindness of strangers who then became friends, either for a fleeting moment or a while longer, and always leaving me better than they found me. In June I spent a month in Indonesia without Tyrhone, so it was probably the time that I was… more
Rinjani- The Journey To The Summit
| July 12, 2012 | Filed under Indonesia |
Well, I made it to the summit of Indonesia’s second highest peak. 3,726 meters to be exact. I still can’t believe it’s over, and I’m so grateful to have shared such an epic adventure with three amazing new friends – Alli and Clare who I met in Bali, and the lovely Jenny, who I met just the day before the trek. more
Swimming With Turtles On Gili Meno – The Proof
| July 3, 2012 | Filed under Indonesia |
By my sixth day on Gili Meno, off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia, I’d seen so many sea turtles, I was beginning to get a bit bored with them. So I slapped myself around the face (a bit hard to do in water) shouting, “Get a hold of yourself woman! You’re swimming with TURTLES!!!!!!!” (a real challenge through a snorkel, let me tell you). more
From Bali To Beyond
| June 30, 2012 | Filed under Indonesia |
To say I had a wonderful time in Bali would be a grave understatement. So much so, I haven’t been able to put down in words all the wonderful experiences I had with old friends and new ones, travelers and locals. I’m actually having a problem with words at the moment (yes, it’s true!), unable to find enough value in them to express the feeling of love, gratitude and connectedness I was blessed with during my time there. I will… more
The Secrets and Lies of Ubud
| June 25, 2012 | Filed under Indonesia |
I’ve had a thing going with the girl around the corner. From the day she picked me up on her motorcycle the first day I arrived, we’ve been seeing each other on the sly. “Don’t tell the old lady,” she instructed (referring to the landlady of my home stay), as she wheeled out a shiny new mountain bike from a dusty corner of her compound. “Tell her you got this on Hanoman street, not from me, okay?” “O…kay,” I reluctantly agreed. It… more
Life in Ubud
| June 21, 2012 | Filed under Indonesia |
I’ve been here three days, and like, I’m totally part of the furniture. Kidding. That’s just the thing, I’m not part of it at all. I’m an observer, an outsider, a tourist. I’m living in a Balinese family compound, alongside them, next to them even, but not with them. And I’m okay with it. A few hours ago, I brought my lap top to the communal, ‘once-was-a-restaurant’ area. It’s a high-roofed, open aired space, with a nice heavy-wooden tabel and chairs, and… more
Being Looked After In Bali
| June 19, 2012 | Filed under Indonesia |
I have a cold. Or a flu, I’m not sure what it is other than a snotty, yucky, my-head-is-going-to-explode thing. I mean, it’s not like I’m bed-ridden, or need to go to emergency, it’s just been with me for the last few days, and it’s really giving me the shits. It’s not right to be sick in paradise. There’s just something wrong with sniffling and coughing on the beach. Yesterday, I woke to swollen glands and a tight chest and thought… more
First Glimpses of Bali
| June 13, 2012 | Filed under Indonesia |
God I love this place. From the moment I caught a glimpse of these volcanic peaks spearing the cloud line, I was filled with the wonder that is Bali. It’s a land I have visited so many times, throughout so many stages of my life, and each time I am given a renewed perspective on it. After the most luxurious sleep last night (what else can you call sleeping for eleven hours in a four-poster bed?), I grabbed a bicycle from… more
My Most Memorable Travel Moments
| November 26, 2011 | Filed under India, Indonesia, Turkey |
I’ve been reflecting on my most memorable travel moments. Those moments abroad that shaped the way I viewed myself, travel and my life forever. Who am I kidding, there have been heaps of those moments over the years, but here are just a few… 1. My First Trip to Bali When I was Twelve It seems fitting to start here, as this was the first time I ventured out of Australia. My love of air travel was already firmly… more
An Over-Eater’s Guide to Ubud, Bali
| October 31, 2011 | Filed under Bali, Indonesia |
I met my Mum at our accommodation in Ubud. I had been on a yoga retreat for a week, and Mum was flying in from Perth. I had booked a home-stay in a small village just outside town, called Lod Tunduh, and though my driver had assured me that he knew where that was, he didn’t. I was a ball of anxiety when I arrived at Pondok Langon (meaning house on the rice field), mainly because it had taken me two and a half hours to make… more
