10 Days in Western Australia

After 5 months, 6 countries, 25 flights, and over 40 hotel rooms I have said goodbye to Southeast Asia.  I was sad to leave but very excited for the adventures that await me in the South Pacific.  Since the sailboat will be leaving from Cairns, Australia I decided my next stop would be Perth, Australia on the west coast primarily because I was able to find an $60 flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.   As a budget traveler, Australia would never have been on my itinerary since it's quite expensive but I figured that I could survive 10 days there.

Adjusting to life here in Australia has been much harder than I thought it would be.  When I arrived to the airport in Perth and stepped outside it was in the low 40's and after being in 80 and 90 degree weather for 5 months it was a definite shock to my system.  I had forgotten what cold was like and now remember why I avoided it.  But I do have to say that the people of Western Australia are some of the friendliest and they will absolutely despise you if you have anything good to say about the people from Eastern Australia.  

Looking back I realize now that I was actually REALLY spoiled while traveling throughout Southeast Asia.  At almost every hotel/hostel I stayed at and in many of the cafes/ restaurants there was always FREE wireless internet.  I could at sleep in a decent bed for $5 a night and eat a filling meal for $2. 

In Australia there is no such thing as "free" wireless internet and they charge $5 an hour to use the internet at the hostels.  Besides that I'm paying $30 for a dorm room and $15 for breakfast! 

For 2 nights I stayed in Fremantle which is very close to the "big city" of Perth.  The hostels here are not at all like the hostels in Southeast Asia.  The one I stayed in Fremantle had over 100 people and the majority of them had been living there for months, working in Australia, with the occasional traveler (aka me) passing through.  So the vibe was totally different and was a party scene every night! 

Two nights of that and I had enough.  I rented a car because taking public transportation would have been a headache and in the end would have cost me just as much as renting a car.   It took a few minutes for me to adjust to driving again since it had been 5 months since I drove a car and in Australia they drive on the opposite side on the car and the opposite side of the road.  Luckily driving here is nothing like driving in LA. 

My first stop was Margaret River which was about 4 hours south of Perth.  I ended up staying at this great hostel close to the beach in Prevelly Park and since it was low season I had the 4-bed dorm room all to myself!  Margaret River is known for their world class wineries and also their world class surfing - although just a few weeks ago there was a fatal shark attack on a surfer!  I stayed 2 nights here since it was such a relaxing atmosphere. 

After Margaret River I drove 7 hours to the town of Albany in the south of Western Australia.  Whaling was a major source of income and employment for Albany but the main whaling station stopped operating in the 1970's and has now been turned into a museum.  From town if you look out into the Southern Ocean you can see lots of whales spouting.

The Gap at Albany

My goal was to get up to Kalbarri in the central coastal part of Western Australia so I decided to stay the night at the seaside town of Cervantes which was a 7 hour drive northwest from Albany - a good stopping point.  The roads here are not at all like the freeways we know.  Unless you are in a major city like Perth the main road are only 2 lanes with an occasional passing lane.  You see dead kangaroos everywhere since they come out at night and don't understand the danger of cars.  I even saw a huge emu almost get hit by a big truck but luckily he escaped in time. 

The Pinnacles near Cervantes

In the morning I continued my drive north and finally reached Kalbarri after 5 hours of driving.  Kalbarri was spectacular!  The scenery was absolutely stunning, red rocks, white beaches, and blue ocean.  And because it's desert, the weather was warm and dry.  I stayed 2 nights and could have easily stayed longer if I had the time.

Kalbarri coastline

Western Australia was amazing and I wish I had more time to explore further north.  There is so much to see and do here.  In the 10 days that I was here I probably drove well over 1,500 miles.  But Western Australia is so big and so vast that in order to see this part of the country you have to drive.  They say that Western Australia is as big as Texas times 4 just to give you an idea of the size.


To see all the pictures click here:  Western Australia

Life of the Penan in Borneo

My days were filled with walks through the rainforest, exploring impressive caves, and watching billions of bats fly out at night at Mulu National Park in Borneo, Malaysia.

One of the many caves in Mulu National Park

Over 3 billion bats fly out of the cave at night

While there I also had the opportunity to visit a Penan village along the river.

Penan village along the Mulu River

The Penan are some of the last nomadic hunter-gatherers living in the world. Today they are about 10,000 Penan in Borneo but less than 300 Penan still lead a completely nomadic life in the forest. Those that still live this lifestyle survive by hunting and gathering. They don’t practice agriculture or raise animals for food and have no permanent settlements. They forage for rattan, medicinal plants, fruits, and sago palm - a starchy staple. Wild game is hunted with blowpipes and poison darts. And they believe in never taking more than necessary.

Local Penan woman with traditional "stretched" earlobes

About a week earlier on my trek in Bario we came across several abandoned Penan settlements, basically shelters made of bamboo and palm fronds. Every month or so when the Penan exhaust all the wild game, jungle plants and fruits they move to a new location in the forest and build new shelters. The old settlements are left to return to the jungle. With very few possessions, they are able to carry everything in simple “backpacks” made from rattan from palm leaves.

The forest is essential to the Penan, providing them with everything they need to survive. Sadly with all the logging operations encroaching on their land, there is less food for them and many Penan have had to give up their nomadic lifestyle and settle into government provided housing in order to survive.

To see all the pictures click here:  Mulu National Park

On the Headhunter’s Trail in Borneo

Borneo is an island in Southeast Asia shared by Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Even though Indonesia occupies about 2/3 of the island much of the Indonesian side is still quite remote with very few tourists. The Malaysian side of Borneo offers many more attractions and the majority of the visitors to Borneo go there. I traveled to Borneo, Malaysia a few years ago for a scuba diving adventure and had wanted to venture into the rainforest so that is what I decided to do this time around.

Map of Borneo

I flew to Bario, a small village near the Malaysian / Indonesian border. At the airport there was a separate check-in line for those flying to “rural” villages. Here I was weighed with all of my belongings and then allowed to board a tiny 20-seater plane that had cardboard “fans” in the seat pockets since there was no air circulation and believe me, it was HOT on the plane.

20-seater plane I flew into the jungle

My original plan was to try and do a 4 day/3 night trek into the jungle with a guide. Once I was in Bario I found that it was not as easy as I had anticipated to arrange such a trek and in the end had to settle for a 2 day/1 night trek with a French couple and a guide.

To get to our starting point we drove on a very muddy and steep road, the truck sliding sideways most of the time. After driving for 2 hours we finally arrived to the village of Pa’ Dalih where we stayed for 1 night before beginning our trek. We stayed in a traditional longhouse shared by 6 families. A longhouse is a communal house built on stilts with one long roof and separate rooms for each family. Dinner was tiny fish from the rice paddies, sautéed local ferns, hearts of palm, and of course rice.

Inside the longhouse at Pa' Dalih

In the morning we began our trek on the Headhunter’s Trail. This trail was used by the local villagers to trek into Indonesia where they would attack their enemies and bring back their heads. The practice of headhunting ended around the time of WWII but then again resurfaced for a period of time in the late 1990’s. Even though the villagers no longer display the heads like they use to I was told that if you ask they will show you the heads.

After a few hours of trekking we came to a small house in the middle of nowhere. Inside was a small fire pit and on a metal rack on top of the fire pit was some kind of smoked meat. It turned out to be local “barking deer” and for lunch our guide heated up some of this meat and we ate it along with the rice wrapped in a banana leaf our host had given us before we left the longhouse in the morning. At first it was hard to eat the deer since the head and feet were nearby but once I got over that it was actually quite tasty.

Lunch:  barking deer meat

During our trek I was surprised and very happy to see that there were hardly any mosquitoes but in their place there were plenty of leeches. I had been warned about the leeches and was told to wear long socks pulled over long pants and to tuck my shirt into my pants to make it hard for leeches to find skin to bite. As soon as we stepped into the rainforest the leeches were all over our shoes, climbing up our legs, trying to find a piece of skin they could feed from. When leeches bite you it’s not so easy to get them off. It takes quite a bit of effort to pull them off once they have sunk their teeth into you, and if you do pull them off you will probably end up with their teeth still stuck in your skin. The best way to get them off is with salt or matches or you can just wait for them to get their fill of your blood and fall off. Once they do let go, you bleed quite a bit for several hours afterwards. Yuck!

To see all the pictures click here:  Borneo Trek

Filipino Transportation

I found traveling in the Philippines to be much more of a local experience than in the other countries I have been to in Southeast Asia.  Countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia are visited by so many tourists that they have a nice system of organized shuttles that make life so much easier for the traveler.  Here in the Philippines there is no such thing - you take the local bus.  Buses crowded to the point that not one more single person can squeeze in, people riding on top of the bus and hanging out the doors, bus drivers driving like maniacs and dodging all the suicidal sleeping dogs that like to lie in the middle of the road.

Local Filipino Bus

Inside of the bus before it was filled to capacity

The only time I actually found the option of taking a shuttle versus the local bus was on the trip from Puerto Princesa to El Nido in Palawan.  By bus it’s an 8-9 hour hot, dusty, and bumpy journey and by shuttle it was only 6-7 hours in an air-con minibus.  But there are a few downsides to taking a minibus.  When it comes to slick mud you almost always get stuck unlike the bigger buses.  Luckily the driver only made the “boys” get out and push the minibus out.

Stuck in the mud on the way to El Nido

Except for in a few of the bigger cities you will hardly see any taxi’s on the road.  Everyone here drives a “trike” or “tricycle”.  Basically a motorcycle with a side car.  Some can even fit up to 7 people in them and you see them everywhere.

Riding in a trike!

ATM Issues in the Philippines

Since I don’t travel with US dollars I depend on the ATM for getting local currency. Normally it’s not a problem but here in the Philippines it’s a different story. After trial and error I have learned that there are only certain banks here that will actually accept “western” ATM cards. Once you find one of these banks more than likely the machines will be out of cash, especially the closer you get to Sunday. They normally refill them on Monday. Nothing like going from bank to bank to bank trying to find an ATM that will give you cash.

The ATM’s normally give you 500 Peso (about $10) or 1000 Peso (about$20) bills and trying to change these into smaller bills is no easy feat as no one seems to have change. The people here will actually refuse to sell you something or refuse to take you on a taxi if you don’t have small change. Anything over 100 is pretty much unusable. I learned early on to head to the larger supermarkets and chain restaurants like McDonalds to change big bills. Even they would ask if I had smaller change but I knew that they could change my bills and would pretend that I didn’t even though I had a stack of small bills stashed away.

Filipino Religion

I flew from Hong Kong to Cebu airport in the Philippines and I knew from the flight that I was in for a treat. In addition to all the “western” men with Filipino women there were also quite a few missionaries onboard the plane. The Philippines is predominately Christian unlike the other countries I have been to which have been predominately Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist.

I had taken a ferry from one island to another and just before we left the dock a prayer was broadcast over the loudspeaker blessing our journey. Another time I was in an extremely crowded supermarket and at 6pm a prayer was broadcast over the loudspeaker and everybody in the entire store stopped for about 5 minutes to bow their heads in prayer. It was the oddest thing and I felt a little naughty for continuing my shopping while this was going on.

Hello Hong Kong

The great thing about traveling is that there is no plan.  After leaving Indonesia I really didn’t know where I was headed to next.  One of the main factors in determining my next stop was the price of airline flights.  Being in Southeast Asia flights are relatively cheap but since Bali is a hot destination in July and August flying from there to anywhere is expensive.  Since I had quite a few airline miles on Cathay Pacific (based out of Hong Kong) I was able to book a “free” flight from Bali to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to Cebu, Philippines.  All of this for under 35,000 miles. 

Hong Kong Skyline

Since I had never explored Hong Kong before I decided to spend a few days there.  I knew that Hong Kong was going to be expensive and after talking with friends who have stayed in Hong Kong I realized that my best bet for a cheap room was to stay in the Chungking Mansion.  

Chungking Mansion

Chungking Mansion is a 17-story building in downtown Hong Kong that is well known as having the cheapest accommodation around. It is made up of five towering concrete blocks and even though the building is supposedly residential, it is has over 80 guesthouses, shops, restaurants, and other services.

Chungking Mansion

I was a little nervous to stay here since I had received an email from the guesthouse I was to stay at warning me that when I got to the Chungking Mansion there would be a crowd of Indian men outside the building trying to persuade me into seeing their “quality” guesthouse.  I was told to push past these men and take the first elevator up to the 12^th floor and there I would find the New Peking Guesthouse.  

Entrance to my guesthouse

Luckily I was staying in Block A so the elevator was near the entrance to the building.  If I was staying in Block E I would have had to walk for what seemed like miles (when you’re fighting off Indian salesmen) to get to the elevator.

There are 2 elevators per block and one goes to the even floors and the other to the odd.  The elevators are tiny and you can cram about 8 people in them.  There are always long lines to get onto the elevator and if too many people try to cram into the elevator and the weight limit has been reached, an alarm will sound and the doors will not shut until someone reluctantly gets off.  Since there are 17 floors you spend a lot of time waiting for the elevator.  I came to dread taking the elevator and unfortunately I was on the 12^th floor and with 90 degree heat I was not so inclined to take the stairs.

The room I stayed in was $30 a night and was similar to a jail cell.  There was just enough room for a bed - I could touch all four walls when lying on the bed.  And the bathroom was nothing more than the tiniest sink I have ever seen and a toilet. 

My tiny room

The view from my room was the backside of Block B and mountains of trash down below.  I do have to say that is was very clean and there were several amenities like TV, aircon, towels, blankets, soap, WiFi.

View from my room

Many of the people staying in the building are laborers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and parts of Africa.  Needless to say that riding the elevators and staying in Chungking Mansion you meet some very interesting characters.  

Back to Bali, Indonesia

After several days on Lombok I decided it was time to leave this paradise and head back to Bali.  A public ferry makes the crossing over to Bali in about 3 hours so I jumped on that since it cost me only about $4.00.   

I arrived to the port of Padang Bai on Bali and took a minivan heading to Kuta.  Even though Kuta, one of the main touristy areas in Bali, is so overcrowded with tourists in July and August, it’s still a great place to use for exploring other areas.  I arrived to Kuta around 8pm and I figured that the hotel I had stayed at before would have room available but sadly on this night they were full.  Luckily I met this couple from the Czech Republic on the street also searching for a room and after going to well over 20 hotels (although I would not call them hotels by our standards) and hearing that all were FULL we finally found 1 room and ended up sharing - all 3 of us!  I’m starting to really hate the word “full”!

Every country I’ve traveled to is a little different when it comes to basic accommodation but here in Indonesia basic accommodation means that you pay around $10-15 for a private room/bathroom, surprisingly there are very few hostels (dorm rooms) here which are ideal since they are typically much cheaper ($5/night) and it’s easier to meet other travelers.   

Most places I stay in only have bottom sheets that may or may not have been washed, toilets with no toilet paper and sometimes no toilet bowl just a hole in the ground, sometimes no sink, cold water showers or sometimes only a bucket with a plastic scoop for your shower, if you're lucky an oscillating fan otherwise just a ceiling fan, and no towels so I’ve gotten into the habit of using my sarong as a towel and also as a top bed sheet.

The problem with traveling so much is that I rarely stay in one hotel long enough to have my clothes washed and dried.  Most of the washing is done by hand and then hung on a line to dry so you need at least 2 days in one place for that to happen.  I’ve gotten use to constantly wearing dirty clothes.  It might sound horrible but I find that you adjust quickly.

On Land in Lombok, Indonesia

The boat arrived to Lombok and I was surprised to see that instead of taxi’s they use “horsepower” as a means for getting around.

Very typical to see horse "taxi's" on Lombok

We ended up staying in the touristy town of Senggigi on the west coast of Lombok and decided to spend the night in a somewhat nice hotel to recoup from not getting much sleep the previous 3 nights on the boat. Senggigi was a really beautiful place and since John had been there on previous trips he suggested that we all meet that evening at the Sheraton for a drink and a dip in what John deemed “the best pool he’s ever been in”. It was a great way to end our amazing and unforgettable journey.

Sunset from the Sheraton's pool

Boat crew enjoying a drink at the Sheraton

The following day John’s travels with me ended and he returned to the US. I stayed in Senggigi and along with 2 other people from the boat, hired a car with driver to take us around the island. The driver took us to some amazing waterfalls at the base of Mt. Rinjani, Lombok’s volcano.

Amazing waterfall (notice how tiny the people are)

After swimming in the waterfall we stopped off at a local village. There were about 20 families living in this village and soon we were surrounded by villagers asking for cigarettes. In Indonesia it seems that practically everyone smokes. I was really shocked when a boy of about 8 years old asked for a cigarette and actually started smoking it.

Visiting one of the local villages

Very disturbing to see such a young kid smoking!

The 4-day / 3-night Adventure

Since we had taken the “easy” way and flown to Flores we decided to see if there might be another way back to Bali.  Sure enough… there was a boat departing Flores and heading for Lombok, the island next to Bali.  I had heard great things about Lombok anyway so it was perfect.  

It was to be a 4 day/3 night journey with stops along the way to hunt the komodo dragons, snorkel with the manta rays, and visit local waterfalls.  It sounded like a dream!  Before signing up for this adventure we asked the owner of the company to show us the boat we would be going on.  Turns out that the boat was just arriving from Lombok so we were able to not only see the boat but also talk to the people who had just “survived” the trip. 

The boat looked like it would definitely be an interesting experience and most of the comments from the passengers were really positive, and the only negative thing they had to say was that the first 2 nights the seas were really rocky and it was hard to sleep.  Being sailors ourselves, John and I figured we’d have no problem plus the owner assured us that even though 20+ people had just gotten off this boat that he only likes to put 8-12 people onboard otherwise it’s too crowded.

In the morning we arrived to the boat and realized that there were 16 of us total.  So much for only having 8-12 people.  Plus the boat was slightly different than the one we had seen the previous day.  It was a basic cargo boat with a covered upstairs area for sleeping and a big covered deck but with no place to sit other than the floor. 

Home for the next 4 days/ 3 nights

John took one look at the boat and decided that he wasn’t going to sit on the floor for 4 days and marched back to the office and arranged that he would sail to our first stop on Rinca Island in order to see the komodo dragons, stay the night there in what they call “basic accommodation”, and then jump on another boat heading back to Labuanbajo and fly to Bali.  I figured it would be a little uncomfortable but it would be an experience not to be forgotten and that’s why I travel.

We departed the harbor and stopped off at some remote island to pick up 2 additional passengers.  As we approached the island we ended up hitting the coral reef!  Out came the long bamboo poles to try and dislodge us from the coral reef.

Stuck on the coral reef!!!

We stopped off at Rinca Island and also Komodo Island to see the komodo dragons.  We hiked with guides carrying sticks in case a komodo dragon should try and attack us.  The komodo dragon bites its prey and the bacteria in its saliva is what eventually kills the prey.  It’s a slow process and can be anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks before the prey actually dies but the komodo dragon will follow the prey until that happens and then eat it.  On Rinca Island, John’s “basic accommodation” consisted of a small room on stilts with 2 komodo dragons under it.  He decided at that point that the boat was a much better option and decided to continue on with us.

Hunting the komodo dragon!

A komodo dragon!

A komodo dragon getting ready to attack its prey!

Back on the boat mealtime came and a blanket was spread on the floor, the food placed in the middle, and we sat all around.  It was like a feeding frenzy!  There was never enough food and if you were late to eat most likely you were only eating rice.  Never once were they any leftovers and we always left still feeling a little hungry.

Mealtime 
Our favorite time of the day since we were starving!

Nighttime came and we were given mattresses, blankets and pillows.  The mattresses were about ¼ inch thick and smelled of mildew or worse and the blankets were made for someone 5 feet tall and probably had never been washed since you could see the dirt and feel the sticky salt on them.  It did not make a pleasant sleeping experience.  Since there were so many people on the boat some slept upstairs in the covered sleeping area and others slept on the deck.  The problem with sleeping on the deck was that the spray from the waves would completely soak you - as John found out.

Upstairs sleeping area

Sleeping on the deck

During the daytime we had opportunities to swim and snorkel.  Living with salt water on our bodies became the way of life since the only fresh water we had on-board was in 2 small containers to be used sparingly.  On the 3^rd day stopped at a fresh water waterfall giving us the opportunity to actually clean up a little. But afterwards we had to swim from shore to the boat so that clean feeling was short-lived. 

Enjoying the "fresh water" waterfall

In Search of the Komodo Dragon - Flores, Indonesia

The purpose of heading Labuanbajo on the island of Flores was to visit Komodo Island National Park.  I had heard from friends that this area has some world class diving and that the deadly komodo dragons are only found in this part of the world. 

We ended up flying to Labuanbajo from Bali and as we walked out of the airport we were surrounded by a swarm of Indonesians offering transportation into town.  Feeling a bit overwhelmed we decided to stick with a guy who promised free transportation if we went to his hotel.  Since we had no plans of where we would stay we decided to check it out.  It turned out to be just what we were looking for and had the most amazing view of the bay.   Lucky for us that of all the people getting off the plane he happened to grab us because later we found out that all the other hotels in town were FULL! 

View from out hotel at Golo Hilltop in Labuanbajo

We ended up spending 5 nights in Labuanbajo, moving hotels almost every other night due to them being full, and other than diving there was not much to do in town.  The diving is probably some of the more dangerous diving in the world due to the quickly changing and strong currents but luckily we had great dive masters who know what they were doing and what to look out for.

Dock in destruction in Labuanbajo

Most days were spent diving and since the dive sites were about 2-3 hours by boat the days were long, leaving just after sunrise and coming back just after sunset.  Most nights were spent drinking the local “Bintang” beer or local palm wine “Arak” and beating John at rummy.  

One of the many amazing sunsets on Labuanbajo

Hello Indonesia

Indonesia is a sprawling and intriguing country. Located at the equator, it consists of over 13,000 islands, encompassing 3 time zones, of which close to 250 million people call home. Indonesia has some of the world’s best surfing, scuba diving, and rainforests. But it is also very susceptible to disasters. Indonesia has well over 129 volcanoes and experiences its fair share of earthquakes. The most notable earthquake was the one in 2004 causing the tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in many countries.

Rice terraces in Bali

I decided to start my journey of Indonesia on the island of Bali since I had heard such great things about it from many people. My friend John from Santa Barbara had decided to travel with me for a few weeks and since he had been to Bali many times before he was a perfect tour guide.

Local fishing boat in Bali

I knew before arriving that July and August were the high season in Bali since everyone tends to be on vacation (or on “holiday” as everyone calls it) but I never realized just how bad it was going to be. High season means that the prices are double what they normally are and that hotels are hard to come by unless you have booked in advance.

Upon arrival to Bali we headed to Kuta which is a beach town close to the airport and also the most heavily populated area of tourists – in a way it reminded me of Cancun during spring break. Lucky for us we found a hotel and John rented a car so that we could escape the tourists and explore other parts of the island the following day.

It was only $11/day to rent a car and once we saw the car we realized why it was so cheap. The car was barely drivable and it took three cars before we finally felt we’d be somewhat safe driving. The first stop after getting the car was the gas station since they had only left us just enough fuel to make it there. John had warned me that the people in Indonesia won’t steal from you but they will try and cheat you out of money at every chance they get. Sure enough… We asked the gas attendant to give us 100,000Rp worth of fuel. By not watching him carefully he had left the meter running from his last customer and continued to fill our tank up. We figure that we probably got about 50,000Rp worth of fuel and he pocketed the other 50,000Rp.

Bali roads are extremely tiny and because there are so many people driving cars and motorbikes it makes driving (or just riding as a passenger) very nerve wrecking. To get from our hotel to the main road we had to go down an alley that was just as wide as the car (with our mirrors pulled in) and at the same time try and dodge all the people and motorbikes coming at us. There were several times where I just had to shut my eyes to calm my nerves.

Driving down one of the many tiny alleys

One night we were high in the mountains in search of a hotel. We had been following the signs to the only hotel in town and before long the road started to get smaller and smaller. At one point the road was as wide as the car. On one side there was a ditch and on the other side a sheer cliff drop-off and part of the road had broken away. Both John and I felt very unsure about crossing this piece of road but there was no way for us to backup so we had to go forward. As we were crossing I remember thinking that this could be the end of me but fortunately we made it across.

Bali is different than most of Indonesia in that the majority of the people in Bali are Hindu whereas the rest of Indonesia is Muslim. While driving through Bali we stopped at several Hindu Temples. In order to enter the temples both men and women had to wear sarongs around their waists (which could be rented at most temples) and posted signs indicated that women who were menstruating were NOT allowed to enter.

One of the many Hindu temples we visited

One of the more scenic temples is that of Uluwatu. But the monkeys there are notorious for being vicious and taking your sunglasses, hat, and camera. We made sure to leave all those items in the car and walked with a stick to ward off any monkey attacks.

Uluwatu temple

Uluwatu is also known as a great surf spot. John and I spent an afternoon drinking beer and watching the surfers tackle these big waves.

On the way to watch the surfers at Uluwatu

Surfing the waves at Uluwatu

Since learning to drink coffee in Guatemala (aka lukewarm watered down instant coffee with lots of sugar) I have never been too particular about drinking good coffee but Bali Coffee is in a league all its own. They take powdered coffee, add water, and serve it to you. The powder does not dissolve and after you finish your cup you are left with what I call “sludge” at the bottom. It takes a while to get used to this but it does grow on you. Still what I wouldn’t give for some “real” Indonesian coffee – all of which unfortunately is export

Travels through Vietnam

Of all the times to visit Vietnam I think I picked the hottest time of the year. When I got off the plane in Hanoi (northern Vietnam) it was a steamy 95 degrees with 95% humidity. You could not even walk 2 minutes without breaking a sweat. Ironically, the further south I went the less hot is was. You’d think that the closer you got to the equator the hotter it would be but that was not the case.

Supposedly rainy season starts in July but luckily there were only a few times that it rained and oddly it was always when I landed in a new city. Vietnam is a very LONG country and to get from one end to the other takes over 30 hours by bus/train.

Map of Vietnam highlighting the places visited

Luckily there are cheap in-country flights ($40/one-way) so most of my travel was by plane. Even flights to other countries from Vietnam are cheap. I was able to score a flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Bangkok, Thailand for $0.00 and with taxes it came to $23.00. Hard to beat that!

The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (VND) and the US Dollar is also widely used since the dong is so worthless. 1 USD is equivalent to about 20,000 VND and there were a few times that the bill was over 1,000,000 VND. Certain things are extremely cheap… like beer. A glass of beer cost $0.20, just as much as a bottle of water. A typical meal in a restaurant (stir fry and rice) would cost me 2 -4 USD. Vietnam is known for french baguettes, good coffee, and pho (a type of noodle soup). Coffee is either served as “white coffee” or “black coffee” and a lot of times it is iced. Black coffee is obviously just black coffee but white coffee is served not with milk but with sweetened condensed milk. Makes for a very sweet and tasty treat.

The traffic in Vietnam is unlike any other place I have been. It’s absolute insanity! Like the rest of Southeast Asia there are many more scooters than there are cars but in Vietnam a lot of bicycles share the road too. In Hanoi, about 7 million people live there and there are about that many scooters on the road! Add to that the absence of traffic lights, nonstop honking of the horns, and you have chaos. Crossing the street is a bit like parting the Red Sea and goes against everything I have every learned. Imagine a nonstop stream of hundreds of scooters, buses, cars, and bikes. You could wait for a break in traffic but you’d be waiting forever since that won’t happen. After following in the tracks of a few locals I discovered that the key to crossing the street and not getting hit is to start walking slowly into oncoming traffic and just keep walking and don’t stop. It’s when you stop that you’ll get hit. It’s very intimidating looking at all the scooters and cars coming at you but as long as you keep walking they will swerve around you.

In the smaller towns traffic is less intimidating and in Hoi An I rented a scooter to explore the outskirts of town. Driving down the road the local people would drive by me and give me a thumbs up. At first I had no idea what was going on but I spoke with one local and she said it’s because they are surprised to see a foreign woman driving a scooter. I guess that doesn’t happen too often.
 The Vietnamese people (and the Thai’s also) worship white skin. In the stores you see plenty of skin care products advertising “whitening” abilities. They see dark skin as a sign of someone who works in the fields and see “white” as a sign of beauty. Since the majority of the people ride scooters or bicycles you will see them covered from head to toe in clothing. It’s common to see them wearing long sleeve shirts, sandals with socks, gloves covering their hands, and almost everyone wears a face mask (even when they are just walking around) to block out some of the pollution.

The Vietnamese covered head to toe