Indonesia

And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for, ’cause it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something, and if you find that moment… it lasts forever… — Richard, The […]

After a short walk along main street on Gili T, Linus and I washed up and headed out for dinner. We noticed the most crowded restaurant to be The Beach House, so we headed for a table – well Linus did. I stopped short, next to two Danish girls. I looked at Linus, then at […]

Gili Trawangan is a small island off the coast of Lombok, an island the size of Bali just to it’s east. There are many small islands (gili’s as they’re called) around Lombok, however Gili Trawangan is the most popular one. It is 8 km in circumference, and there are no motorbikes or cars, just carts […]

Linus and I were picked up by our shuttle in Sengiggi, and whisked north along the coast to a staging area 200 meters away from the beach where we’d be boarding a small wooden boat to ferry us over to Gili Trawangan. As we sat around, the “boatman” who would take us the rest of […]

It felt fortuitous to be leaving Kuta, Bali the morning after the theft incident. Leaving for a new destination always feels empowering, and I was heading to Lombok to experience the potential tropical island paradise I had pictured when coming to Bali. The first person on the shuttle after me was a guy named Linus. […]

The Lonely Planet warns readers against prostitutes that ride around on scooters and hassle men walking around alone at night. It specifically warned of one gang (alley), so I made it a point to stay clear of it. At the same time, I had little sense of how this “danger and annoyance” might present itself. […]

  I found nomad4ever.com in early 2007, when I first entered the world of travel blogging.  The man behind the scenes is Chris, a German expat who retired in his early 30’s to live the good life in Southeast Asia.  After a stint in Thailand, he moved to Bali where he’s been living for about […]

After getting a feel for life in Kuta, I decided to bite the bullet and venture inland for a day-long tour. Believe me, it was hard after all those spa treatments to tear myself away for some sight-seeing, however I knew it had to be done. Our itinerary was a bit flexible, however the first […]

The good life for Westerners in Bali includes massages and spa treatments, and I was ready to feed the local economy with my hard earned greenbacks. My daily schedule in Kuta was rather simple: AM sleep in enjoy free breakfast at accommodation (very common offering – usually some combination of eggs, toast, pancakes, coffee/tea/juice) use […]

By my second and third days in Bali, I was starting to fall for the place. I figured out the various ways to escape the street vendors and intense mid-day heat – hanging out in your accommodation which would have plenty of shade around either a pool or garden and ducking into restaurants and internet […]