Home!

I'm now home and settling back into America--almost a reverse culture shock. I definitely missed good beer, but I have to say I am going to miss how good the food was. Good thing I have a cookbook from our cooking class in Bangkok! I love that I can actually change clothes whenever I want now!

It's quite the luxury after only having 4 outfits for 6 1/2 weeks. I brought everything in a school backpack and daypack--and I definitely got some surprised faces at the airport when I told them how long I'd been gone. "And you're not missing ANY luggage?" It gave me a good laugh.

Like I said before, when I have a bit more time I plan on doing some reflection pieces and maybe adding more to previous posts (like location information or background). For now I need to do laundry and sort out gifts and pictures. Soooo many pictures.

Thanks for reading so far, and if you are on your way to Asia happy travels! If you have any questions feel free to ask in comments and I'll help as much as I can.

Back in Bali, about to head home!

I had a great time dive bumming in the Gili's, but unfortunately due to rolling power outages had a hard time getting Internet to post updates. I got into Seminyak, Bali last night pretty late and treated myself to a nicer hotel room so I could get one good sleep before the 30+ hour travel marathon to begin. I also went to Seminyak beach today, and was in awe of the "everyday" swells that surfers come to conquer.

I will probably post more when I get home as reflection pieces on my time, but for now I have to pack for the flight! I have fallen in love with Southeast Asia and, though there is much of the world left to explore, I can say for certain I want to come back here some day. Until then: Goodbye, beautiful Bali and wonderful Southeast Asia. And thank you for the experience of a lifetime.

Gili T--fun in the sun and water

I'm safely arrived in Gili Trawangan and did a first dive an hour after getting off the boat. I did another this morning. The island is beautiful and I have already seen so much just from the first two dives! We've seen a couple octopus, a couple sharks, a sea snake, lionfish, a cuddlefish, and a giant clam, just to name a few.

The second dive I was able to see my first wild clownfish and another white tipped reef shark. On our wall dive this morning we went to 40 meters (130 feet), which is the deepest dive I've done. They gave us bigger tanks so we were still able to get in a 65 minute dive. "going deep" is a big deal here, as the owner of our dive shop at one point had the world record for deepest dive with a rebreather and discovered his own WWII wreck off the island (which we will be diving tomorrow morning) at 45 meters deep.

I also love the island at night. Because we are on a small island next to a slightly bigger one and neither has a high population density, there is almost zero light pollution. Last night the moon wasn't even up either, and I was able to clearly see the Milky Way for the first time in my life. It looks like a thin, light cloud stretched across he sky. How appropriate that when you are on a remote island, miles from "real civilization", you're also reminded of how small you are in the great expanse of our galaxy. And, because I'm in the southern Hemisphere, I was also able to see the Southern Cross for the first time. Closer to home, there is also a good amount of phosphorescent plankton the glows blue whenever disturbed--so you see little blue lights flashing as waves break and the waves will leave them twinkling on the shore as they recede back out to the ocean. I feel like I could have stayed out there for hours, but since I had a morning dive I called it a pretty early night.

I'll be in Gili T today through Wednesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon I'll get some shopping done in Bali and then head home on Thurs! So if anybody has specific gift requests let me know before Tuesday night your time!

What I'm glad I brought--a six week traveling perspective

I haven't talked about trip practicals in a while, but as I've gone through this journey I think it's a good idea to share some information as my vacation wraps up. I'll compile a list on this post (possibly to be added to later) with some of the things that were essential to making this trip easy. Lonely Planet and other guides have similar lists and, who knows, they may be essentially the same. That's for you to find out, because I have no reason to look back at them again :)

• Torch/flashlight/headlamp
• Earplugs and Eye mask (especially for sleeping on night trains/buses and hostel dorm beds)
• A small towel or sarong (in case your hostel doesn't have one or other unexpected times you need to dry off)
• A plug adapter
• Two of EACH: credit cards and debit cards (I will explain why in another post--but basically just have your bases covered)
• Some cash in US$ (sorry, people from other countries, but USD is almost universal)
• Lots and lots of ziplock bags and a couple trash bags
• Quick drying clothes
• Liquid detergent for doing your laundry in the sink in a pinch
• Laundry line that can be put up anywhere (lots of places have drying contraptions, but not everywhere)
• Lots of DEET lotion for bugs--it really is miraculous
• A medical kit--used it the second day all the way up to yesterday for myself and other people
• Good sunscreen that will stay on with water, time, and sweat--don't cheap out on this
• Shoes or sandals with arch support--you will be walking a lot! I have Chaco's (below) and they were fantastic. I mixed them up with flip flops every few days--it's nice to give your feet variety, and avoids weird tan lines :)

         

• A backup camera (mine was my iPhone)
• iPhone or similar (Skype is cheap, FaceTime is free, backup camera, watch and alarm, computer for when your hotel has wifi but no desktops--which happens frequently, it has pictures of home and family to show curious locals... Should I keep going?) 
• If you do bring your iPhone or iPod touch, back it up on iCloud and make sure you can find it with the "find my iPhone" app. That way, if it does get stolen, you still have your pictures and you can lock it and wipe it remotely (and locate it if you're lucky) so none of your information is in a thief's hands.
• Clothes that are temple worthy (pants and sleeves for men, skirt covering knees or pants and sleeves for women)
• Long pants, though they sound impractical for the heat, are helpful because they keep bugs and sun at bay, help you blend in more (people here don't wear shorts) and are generally better accepted at nice restaurants with dress codes. And I don't even think there's that much of a temperature difference anyway.

And for the random things:

It's a good idea to memorize your passport # and expiration date. You'll need to recall it so much that saving the hassle of taking it out will be a huge relief.

Knowing hello, goodbye, and thank you in every language you encounter is really probably all you need--and it works wonders

Monkeying around

Just visited the monkey forest sanctuary and had a great time communing with the cute, albeit aggressive, monkeys. Luckily, once they realize you don't have food they leave you alone.

Dorothy, we're not in backpacker land anymore

Ubud has been very lovely so far. Unlike the rest of Indonesia which is predominantly Muslim, Bali is Hindu, and a very unique breed of Hindu at that. They mix it a lot with animism and it is very prevalent on a day to day basis. So, on top of the fact that the island is beautiful and blooming, as you walk by every shop they have carved chairs, statues, etc. with small fruit and flower offerings set aside that are changed multiple times per day. The doorways and walls of most dwelling reflect a style much more ornate than you should expect for such a small plot of land. Beauty isn't some goal of the Balinese--it's a given and essential to their way of life.

Because of this and its close proximity to Australia, Bali has been on the forefront of the backpacker scene for quite a while now. And what follows when backpackers call a place paradise too long is an expected conversion to more touristy travelers that have more money and more needs. They won't settle for third rate accommodation or food, so nicer places crop up and prices rise everywhere. Even the museum price has doubled since my guidebook was written. I have seen families with children for the first time in my trip, and they are everywhere! Bali seems to be the Quintana Roo of Australia. Luckily, that means they have good diving close by.

I went to the art museum yesterday, and fell in love with the rich, cramped style of Balinese art. I saw a few temples and then did a three hour traditional wood carving class, which was fun but definitely not easy! Today I'm headed to the monkey forest, complete with temples, and some traditional dancing tonight.

Tomorrow I head off to the much anticipated Gili islands for some world class diving. I may do a wreck dive on Sunday and will see what other sites they have for Monday and Tuesday. Then I have one day to relax and enjoy the main island before heading home! Crazy how the time flies.

In Ubud, Bali

I am in Ubud, Bali, which is beautiful and has absolutely mouthwatering food. I'll update more later but for now, bed!