The Digital Nomad Index!

I've made this tool in Tableau using 2017/2018 data to have a quick glance at countries to consider if you are a digital nomad or remote worker with flexibility and want to try out living somewhere new for a while. You can compare cost of living (measured in various ways) and internet speeds (measured by average or by peak speeds) and filter by geography (by clicking on the colourful buttons on the top) or just look at all the countries at the same time. If there is a country you are interested in that you can't find, just find it in the alphabetical dropdown list under "Highlight Country" and it will pop out. If it is not in the list, it is not in the data!

Hope you find it fun and useful (or at least interesting!)

https://public.tableau.com/profile/rachel.phang#!/vizhome/DigitalNomadIndex/DNIndex

Moving again

After a short blogging stint here, I settled in for a bit (yes, took a break from being nomadic) and started a new adventure in data analysis and visualisation! To follow adventurerachel's adventures in data, please visit vizteriousgirl.wordpress.com.

Everything is Capoeira

Visited Alemar Capoeira Bucharest yesterday for their roda de angola session. Had a grand time. The roda is a bit of home anywhere in the world.

I have a habit of meditating and reflecting in the roda. The music and the axe puts me into a bit of a trance sometimes. Often it takes me back to Battersea and Chelsea in 2006, when I first started training.

Everything is capoeira. Reflecting recent on learning statistics made me think how much it is like learning capoeira. I suppose there are (at least) two ways of learning something new - one would be "understanding" it by connecting it to something you already know, building on that knowledge, those fundamentals, and making sense of it as things fall into place. The other way would be "accepting" it. It is a new idea, it does not bear too much resemblance to much that you have done before. You get used to the idea. It becomes, in time, a foundation itself for new learning. After more time, it becomes old hat, second nature. This second way is how I felt towards learning statistics nearly two decades ago. It is how I felt towards learning the language of capoeira a little over a decade ago. Today, much of the basic movements and sequences don't take much thought on their own and I can instead think about when I would use them, or how improvise on them, or how to counter-attack someone using them.

QOTN: "The pandeiro is for making music. Not for making noise." - Professor Minhoca Alemar

Travel bad luck!

It all started when I tried to leave Sao Paulo back on Wednesday (not the most recent one, the one before). My flight to London (via Casablanca) was delayed by 4 hours. Which would have been nice (hey, 4 extra hours in Brazil, before I'd left to the airport!) but it was a rainy and cold four hours (preparing me for UK weather).

I also noted that this would result in me missing my connecting flight to Gatwick.

When I arrived at Sao Paulo airport, I couldn't find a check-in desk (in spite of arriving 2 hours before my flight), then subsequently after running round the airport with luggage for a while, managed to find someone from my airline (Royal Air Maroc) who proceeded to tick me off for not having been there THREE hours before my flight. I pointed out that the SMS they'd sent me said that the check-in desk would still be open until ONE hour before my flight. So where was it? (And where was everyone else who was supposed to check in on that flight? It was quite strange.)

They managed to check me in and I got on board, and there was a crazy man on board who seemed quite aggressive and I was surprised they let him stay on board, but it made me quite nervous. I was also just nervous about flying that path (I know it's silly as loads of planes fly that route all the time, but just still distressed by all those poor people whose plane fell out of the air between Brazil and France years back).

I was happy to have landed safely in Casablanca, but due to my missed connection, the next available flight was only 20 hours later. And as I was travelling on a Malaysian passport, I was unable to leave the airport without a visa! So that was a long stay and I felt like Tom Hanks in The Terminal.

I was also concerned about any further delays, as I was rushing back for a wedding on the Saturday, and the bride and groom were already coming out of their way to Gatwick to pick me up and whisk me off to the wedding, which was in Bristol, and I was already delaying their plans.

Fortunately, no further delays in reaching Gatwick (after an uncomfortable night at Casablanca airport), but they did manage to lose my check in luggage.

So nothing to wear to the wedding.

I was saved again by the generosity of those around me, and I ended up seemingly confused about who was really getting married, as I did end up wearing something old, something new, something borrowed, and yes, something blue.

Then at wedding dinner, I ordered pork belly with crackling and managed to chip a front tooth (incisor) on the crackling, resulting in an expensive trip to the dentist.

Too much drink, a dodgy club, a hangover, and the next day, my friend, who I was sharing a room with, went back to Birmingham earlier than I felt fit to get out of bed. She took all her belongings with her, including the handbag she'd lent me. Unfortunately she did not check its contents before reclaiming it, and after she'd hit the motorway, we realised she'd taken my purse with her, including all my cards and cash (except for the £5 I'd squirrelled away somewhere else). Again, the generosity of friends saved me.

Upon arriving back in Watford (where bride and groom live and are putting me up... I think they've adopted me), my luggage was there (yay!) and the following day, my purse arrived, and I was able to go to the dentist, so all seemed right again for me to get on with my life. Except the next day I caught the flu.

Still recovering now (a week after returning to the UK), but hopefully no further mishaps!

Top tips (mostly transport based) from first month in Bogota!

Don't use taxis. I've had terrible experiences, they ripped me off every time. Uber much better. Need data for that so I recommend Virgin mobile for cheapest data plan if you don't already have a local sim.

I've been walking a lot. I was never advised not to walk, just not to go alone out after dark. You see families with children out walking, so it can't be that bad. Just take the usual precautions: stay in busy areas, don't carry your original passport or loads of money or jewellery (though I often go out with my watch), be very aware of your surroundings.

I love carrera 7. My first escape from la candelaria was to get on kr 7 on a nice day with plenty of hours of daylight left and just walk down it until legs got tired just to see where it took me. (Then uber back.) Incidentally, it is also all pedestrianised for ciclovia (Sundays and public holidays when the main arteries are closed to motorised traffic until 2 pm) up to around calle 116 so it is possible to explore that way too.

If out on the bike after 2 pm and don't want to chance scary Bogota traffic, Uber offers an option called "uber bici" where your uber will show up with a bike rack!

Other flavours of uber that I've first encountered here are uber English (where the driver has passed a certain test of English proficiency), and uber Angel, which is where an uber driver shows up to drive you home in your own car if you've been out drinking and want to get home.

While I hesitate to say with my one month's experience that Bogotá isn't as dangerous as they say, I'd say it's OK to explore with caution.

Ciclovia map available here. In La Candelaria, bike rental is available on kr 3 #12-72 at Bogotá Bike Tours. They may prefer not to rent you a bike until after the bike tour has gone, however. Prices are reasonable, and they also offer great daily walking tours (maybe twice a day?)

There is a twice-daily graffiti (walking) tour from la plaza de periodistas near Las Aguas transmilenio station.

Museo de Oro is supposedly the best museum in Bogota (everyone raves about it). Free admission on Sundays, but only COP 3000 on other days anyway, with English tours at least twice daily (11 am and 4 pm, and sometimes maybe one at 2 pm or 2:30 pm, but that's not guaranteed, unlike the other two).

Museo de Bogota also highly recommended, but I have not yet had a chance to visit.

Best sushi I've found in South America was at Sushi Rail at Atlantis mall on Calle 81, in Zona Rosa.

Decent ramen at Tokyo Ramen on Carrera 11 and Calle 98, overlooking the little park.

Capoeira

Best time to randomly discover rodas is probably just before noon on a Sunday morning. Many groups will have training and/or rodas in parks including Parkway, Parque Nasional, and random street corners in Chapinero. These may be closed to outsiders, however, and only for group members.

I found a regular open roda in the pit right next to Museo Botero and opposite Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango on calle 11 and carrera 4. It's held fortnightly on Saturdays from around 4pm to around 5:30 or 6 pm. It's called the roda de tres and most people show up in street clothes.

Mirroring

Colombia is in a nationwide drought (though up here in the mountains we have been getting some drizzle). Yet another reminder than 2015 is an El Niño year. All the way along my route, I've been hearing of strange weather. The absence of winter this year in South America. Drought in South America and Indonesia affecting farmers and crops.

Travelling up across South America and learning about the earthquakes and volcano, I've also been reminded that I'm still in the Pacific Ring of Fire. It's like a mirror of Indonesia. The other side of the pond.

Bogota: Beautiful and Badass

I've arrived in Bogota, where I'll be settling for a couple of months. Hopefully this will give me time to catch up on some backdated blog posts as well!

Been here just over 24 hours now and it's a huge and beautiful city situated in the Andes. The parts I've seen are very hilly, and the official elevation is 2640 metres. Therefore, although it is in the tropics (and therefore has no seasons), it is colder than I had expected!

I am also apprehensive, as I keep getting warnings about crime here (and this place does have a reputation!)

Overall, one of the more overwhelming things about being here is the surprising lack of familiarity, the difficulty in finding my feet. In spite of having spent the last 1.5 months in other parts of Latin America (all of which felt more comfortable), I find myself missing points of reference. That may be because I've mostly been in more touristy parts of LatAm to date (although I am currently residing right in the heart of Bogota's backpacker district, apparently). It's hard to put my finger on it, exactly....

The End of the World (Fin del Mundo) and the end of this blog (kind of)

Hello hello dearies,

I do realise it's been a while since my last update.

I'm reporting live from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (though separated from the rest of Argentina by Chile or water). Ushuaia calls itself the "end of the world" and its claim to fame is that it is officially the southernmost city in the world. I am near Antartica, New Zealand, etc. They don't seem to like Brits much here, but that's another story.

I'm travelling with my parents and sister, and we arrived here a couple of nights ago, in the snow (in late spring) following a 20 hour bus ride which involved two tedious, slow, messy border crossings (into Chile and then back out again, because that's efficient) and a ride on a ferry. Also, the buses on this route only run once a day, starting at 3 am and there's a stopover at another town (Rio Gallegos) about 4 hours in. Good fun!

Yesterday we went on an educational (and cold) 4 hour catamaran trip down the Beagle Channel, visiting an island of sea lions, an island of not-penguins (though they were black and white birds who often got mistaken for penguins, they flew, which penguins do not), a cool lighthouse and interesting islands, and finally an island of (for real) penguins (2 different kinds!)

It is not our first visit to the penguins on this trip. We also saw a large colony near Puerto Madryn (500,000 strong).

I've clearly not been updating this blog frequently, and I've realised that when I have time to blog, I don't have much to say (because I'm not travelling) and when I am travelling, there isn't time to blog (I don't know how all those travel bloggers do it) and therefore I've made the decision to close down this blog due to lack of resources.

In reality, I'll continue to update with random thoughts when the muse bites me, but it may not be regular at all. I recommend subscribing to the mailing list in the side bar on the right if you'd like to continue to be updated on goings-on in my life.

Thanks for reading!

Reading list

For those with a further interest in the region, I usually recommend two authors:

1. Elizabeth Pisani's "Indonesia Etc." and its corresponding blog. My sister Beatrix got me a copy for Christmas and the hardback is gorgeous, if somewhat impractical....

2. Farish A. Noor's "Qur'an and Cricket". A historian's travelogue. Prepare for some flowery prose.

I've just watched Pete Teo's Malaysia Day videos from 2013, with some really nice old shots of what Malaysia was like around the time of independence (the end of colonialism and the ideological struggles of emerging nation states at the time, both in this region and outside, really capture my imagination). He has the Malay version, and the English version.

For those who didn't pick up - the red shirt yesterday was in (ironic!) reference to the fact that yesterday, Malaysia Day, was when people who were pro-Malay rights went out onto the streets of KL to show their views. Red t-shirts were worn to contrast again the Bersih yellow shirts. (Bersih stands for free and fair elections.) Yellow shirts and red shirts... turning into another regional neighbour - Thailand?

Along the same theme, I am coincidentally doing some work transcribing interviews about the future of Singapore from the average Singaporean. (I don't think that is confidential.) It's interesting to get some deeper insights into the Singaporean mentality and worldview.

I wonder if Singaporeans ever get asked if they speak Singaporean (as I sometimes get asked if I speak Malaysian).

First night in Denpasar!

So happy to be here! Haha - this is what life should be like.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end! ;-)

Being in Denpasar feels more like being in the Indonesia I know. I kind of had the feeling I was in California or something, after spending too much time at Hubud and the Yoga Barn.....

Went straight to training with Noko and again reconnected with the capoeira community, which is always good. And obviously far more local than the Ubud crowd!

Professor Caca will be back in Indonesia in the next few weeks, giving workshops and inspiring all.

Last night in Ubud

It's actually my last night in Ubud (for a bit) and I've been feeling a little down about it all day. Just a week ago, I was totally over Ubud and looking forward to moving on. (Isn't that always the way.) So what's changed?

Well, a week ago, my partner in crime drinking Bintangs until we got chucked out of bars, Indy, left town. At the same time, I hadn't really worked out a good work-life balance and there didn't really seem to be anyone friendly at Hubud.

Indy's inadvertent parting gift was to use up the rest of his pre-paid classes at the Yoga Barn, so I was able to attend capoeira and reunite with the lovely folk of the Ubud capoeira community (and some surprise guests from Jakarta!) I've also been attending various yoga classes, including Yin Yoga (as recommended by capoeira and yoga instructor Madeira to help with my injuries) and Restorative Yoga. All pretty good fun. Thanks Indy, it's a great gift! :)

Aside from Yoga and capoeira (best for life balancing), I've also discovered a whole bunch of cafes and bars and hang out places that I'd like to check out or work out of! And haven't really gotten round to doing!

On top of that, I've just met a couple of new people at Hubud who seem interesting AND interested, i.e. willing to share their time with me for me to learn more. Just hasn't been enough time to interrogate them!

The good news is that when I return to Ubud in a couple of weeks, Charlotte will be here (YAY!) so we can check out some of these cool hang out places together. :)

For those of you who miss my face (and even those who don't), below is what I look like wearing a red t-shirt immediately after devouring a Ubud raw chocolate mint and goji berry chocolate bar.

Italians gone! and Hubud

Suddenly not hearing any Italian around the streets of Ubud any more. Plenty of Americans here though. They think I'm one of them. Then the awkward "where are you from" question....

Ubud seems to be a pretty friendly place. Upon walking into a bar alone late last night after rushing a deadline, I got invited to join a couple of friendly folks. I think one of them may have been one of the musicians performing at said bar.

I've mostly been meeting friendly traveling people at Hubud events though. Hubud is a very pleasant co-working space where I've taken a one-month membership. It's actually well set up and comfortable and I've been surprised at how productive I'm able to be there. There are obviously ample plug points (including for 3-pin!) and stable wifi. There are nice seats and (as someone else pointed out) right-height tables. Nice clean dry toilets with plenty of toilet roll. Of course there is a cafe with healthy options, but it really is a purpose-built co-working space and it shows.

Updates

After leaving Jakarta, I spent about the best part of a week bumming around Singapore, catching up with people and enjoying the city.

Turns out my sister's housemate is also starting his own business - a deli in Suntec. I caught up with Yeen Nie as we went to pick up her new bike (very exciting!) I caught up with the ever growing Grobys family (growing in size, not number... yet) and their new bike (with wheelbarrow attachment in front) and had a great time being driven around their carpark. I suggested that Seb get a becak driver's uniform. I went shopping for a backpack and new insoles with my sister Beatrix, and we found a cool camping store (Camper's Corner in Bras Basah) with a very knowledgeable and helpful "uncle" working there. I caught up with Buci and we talked about life and got lost, as well as discussing the history of his employer, TWG. I have to admit I like Singapore more and more.

The bakfiets being assembled

The bakfiets!

Happy Yeen Nie with her new bike!

Thoughts on TWG

While wandering about the store, waiting for Buci to be released, I admired their extensive and expensive tea collection as well as the impressive range of tea paraphernalia (mostly variously designed teacups, saucers, teapots, mugs, somovars....) More than tea, TWG is selling an experience, a lifestyle, a dream. It's all in the packaging... how else would they be selling so much tea at such a mark up to mainland Chinese who had travelled to Singapore!

It made me think of the "location independent lifestyle" "industry" - offering people an alternative, an enticing dream, and how to get there... for this low low price!

It also made me think of being a producer rather than a consumer - be a producer of content that adds value to the lives of others, whatever that might be. Justify your existence.

I then returned to Bali, where I caught up with Am in Kuta (after much hassle) and got some very sweet deals on the Hotel Quickly app! Spoilt with workspace by a nice pool, even if it was a bit cold to get into. After that, I travelled back up into the hills of Ubud, which seems to be full of Italians for some reason this week. Topping the list of most-heard language (after Indonesian and English of course).

I have also just been paid for my first 2 jobs on Upwork! Woohoo, cashflow! 

Places I've been, things I've seen: Yogya and Jakarta

It is already my last full day in Jakarta. Since leaving Salatiga, I spent a couple of days hanging round bule cafes in Yogyakarta, then took an 8 hour night train to Jakarta. The train was pretty impressive actually, with security patrolling and professional-looking polite staff checking tickets, clearing rubbish, and offering food and drink from a little glossy-printed paper menu.

I was also amused by having to print out my "real" ticket at the station on a noisy and slow dot matrix printer! Can't remember the last time I saw one of those!

Travel tip: avoid weekend travel where possible, and this includes Indonesian trains, where the pricing premium put it on par with flying... when the flight is booked one day in advance! (And takes only about 45 minutes!)

It's been good reconnecting with people and places in Jakarta over the past few days. A few thoughts that have occupied a disproportionate amount of brain space while here:

August: the month of flags and nationalism
ID70, SG50. 3 close neighbours, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, share the month in which they celebrate national (independence) day. Indonesia was liberated from the Dutch, Malaysia was granted independence from the British, and Singapore was "released" from Malaysia. Every August, the capitals (and possibly entire nations) are covered in flags and nationalistic signage celebrating freedom (merdeka). This year is a big year for Indonesia (70th year of independence) and Singapore (50th). I sat with Toby and said that I remember when Indonesia was celebrating its 50th! Then we again felt old together.

Happy 70th birthday from bir Bintang

El Niño
Musim kering (dry season), crop failure, el niño. I have heard these terms in passing while crossing from Bali and over Java. Farmers are having a tough year due to not enough rain. It is still raining in Jakarta, but only an hour or so of night drizzle each night. Not enough to clear the settling pollution. The sun is a weak orange egg yolk for much of the day (though not all of it). The air feels dustier than I remember.

JAKARTA IS SO GREEN AND LANDSCAPED!!!!!
The sort of thing that completely escapes notice when you grow up with it around you, then bewilders you when you return. The city of Jakarta must hire an ARMY of gardeners and landscapers! Possibly another army hired by the private sector: parks, shopping malls, apartment complexes, office buildings, etc. No further information on google. 

The places I've been, the things I've seen (3): Indonesia - Banyuwangi (again) and Salatiga

Things did not go as planned in getting to Salatiga! There was no transport until the following evening, so I had a further 24 hours to spend in Banyuwangi. I manage to find a place to sleep and eat and internet, and soon the proprietor came for a friendly chat. Ibu Dewi was originally from Semarang in Central Java, not far from Salatiga, and had spent some time working in Jakarta, where she taught cooking. She asked if I'd like to see more of Banyuwangi, and arranged for her daughter to take me round the next day.

The following morning, Indah showed up all smiley and friendly at my breakfast table and we discussed what I wanted to see in Banyuwangi. There were beaches and snorkeling, but I was interested in what her mother had mentioned the previous day, a floating house. I mentioned also that I didn't have much time as my bus was leaving at 6 pm and I wanted to get some stuff done online before that.

So off we went to Rumah Apung, having a great chat on the way, missing (several times) the small path that finally led us to the floating house where we saw fish and people snorkeling. There was a lovely view and it was a unique way to pass the time, chatting about the fish and life and things, and taking selfies and making videos!

We went back to shore, had a coconut, then made our way back to her mother's warung so that I could catch my bus to Salatiga.

Indah and me with the rumah apung and the boats going out to the rumah in the background

Baby shark!

MANY HOURS LATER, I finally reach Salatiga in Central Java. My hosts at Easy Language Education let me rest for a bit while I waited for Toby to finish class.

Toby was in Salatiga as a Fulbright scholar on an "intensive advanced Indonesian course". I figured I'd drop in on him and say hi, as I was in the neighbourhood (i.e. same hemisphere/island) and it had been a while since I had hung out with Toby (like just short of 20 years?) We hung out, got some beers in, he showed me some cool hang out places around Salatiga, and we generally caught up on each others' lives, did some reminiscing, swapped Mr Vahey stories, and felt old.

The next day, Toby and I headed out to a top secret abandoned church in the shape of a chicken (gereja ayam), took a few pictures, then headed out to a birthday gathering of other students on his programme, where we ate fried duck. To use Toby's words, "it was a fowl day."

Toby in front of chicken church

Rachel, Toby, and the giant chicken

The chicken is empty inside except for this small toko....!

View from the top of the chicken. Chicken faces Borobudur, which is only 2.5 km away. But it was not a clear day and you can't quite see the Borobudur in this shot. Toby had a better camera, and might have picked it up.

A quick word on Easy Language Education - They do language volunteer classes and are always happy to have people from different countries drop by and do presentations for the children. They want the children to see English as a vehicle to learn something else, and in this way to learn about the world, particularly the world outside Indonesia. They have a particular interest in providing exposure to children from less wealthy families. If you are passing through central Java and would like to help out with the project, please do get in touch. They also have a facebook page for their volunteer programme, Fingerprint. Taufiqi says that is probably the best way to reach out to them for now.

Taufiqi's village also does a homestay volunteer programme for those keen on experiencing life in a Javanese village. They do not charge anything, although I think they may accept donations. You would live with the villagers and eat what they eat (spicy!) while helping them out in the fields. I believe you can stay for as long or as short as you like. The village is around an hour outside Salatiga.

The places I've been, the things I've seen (2): Indonesia - Bali and Ijen

I flew out to Bali and stayed with Silvia and her affectionate dogs for a few nights, hanging out in Kerobokan, enjoying delicious Vietnamese food from Chung's warung Vietnam, and trying to work out my game plan.

Personal watch dogs!

View from the lounge

View from my doorway!

Kerobokan

Warung Vietnam

Waiting for my pho

After a few days of that, I met up with Edea, Nana, and Ciama to do some touristy stuff, kicking off with lunch at Motel Mexicola in Seminyak before heading out to check out Tanah Lot, where I tried to avoid a tourist with erratic face-level elbows. We finished the evening (after a long drive) to Jimbaran for seafood dinner. We then had an adventure getting back as our Uber driver cancelled on us. Fortunately, technology came to the rescue and the helpful and courteous men from Go-jek and Grab Car  got us all home safely as well as giving me an idea for a blog post!

Tanah Lot

Smiley faces at sunset at Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot sunset

Balinese offering for the festival of Kuningan

After settling in to Bali a bit, I made my way up north to Ubud to meet Sydney, who was introduced to me by my uni friend Arif. We had a good chat and idea exchange, and I explored Ubud for a bit, being well looked-after at Amaluku Homestay.

Ubud education

I left Ubud several days later to meet up with Chung, Rina, and Tara back in Kerobokan and we started on our great adventure to climb Ijen mountain/volcano. We reached the nearby town of Banyuwangi after a quick ferry crossing onto Java and chilled for a bit and tried some local (spicy!) food. The next day we went on a bumpy (understatement!) car ride out to Teluk Ijo (Green Bay), a beach, before turning back and enjoying the sunset at Pantai Merah (Red Beach) instead.

Ferry crossing from Bali to Java

With our prettiest faces on

Road trip yo!

Getting our pretty on again, at Pantai Merah

Then it was time to head for Ijen.

We reached Ijen a couple of hours before it opened at 1 am. We needed to get there early to see the blue flames and we were among the first ones to enter the park. It was bitterly cold and we did not have enough warm clothing, so fortunately they had jacket rental(!) and I just tried to get up the steep incline as quickly as possible to warm up!

The night was clear and the stars were out in full force. Our paths were well lit by the full moon.

After some trekking, we started to smell the sulphur. From the edge, we needed to descend into the crater to see the flame, and we were advised to wet our face masks.

We put them on and carried on down the path into the pit of the earth, our eyes smarting, noses streaming, and throats burning from the fumes.

When I was near enough to the blue flame to get a good view, I decided not to continue any further, while the others carried on past the sulphur harvesters. After a while, I started to ascend, as I felt the need for fresher air. I was also glad I started ascending when I did, as more and more visitors were streaming down the path. In fact with all their headlights on, they lit the way all the way up the stairs, looking like stars themselves!

The path reminded me of a theme park - not quite real. With the mild sleep and oxygen deprivation, I kept thinking I'd hit my head on the "ceiling" in a "narrow" part of the path (the ceiling was actually the sky... no chance of knocking my head on that!)

The eerie landscape, the fumes, the unfamiliar mineral and rock smells, textures, and lights and colours... it was as if we had landed on another planet (ala Insterstellar... I half expected Matt Damon to pop out somewhere).

Man carrying about 60 kg of sulphur, Gunung Raung farting away in the background, causing Bali airport closures for 3-4 weeks as at time of writing....!

I waited for my friends once out of the crater and we soon started heading for the sunrise lookout point (another 45 min walk away).

Caught some nice sunrise pictures, saw Mount Raung farting away, then the painful descent back to the car, where we were exhausted and looking forward to sleep and food!

We stopped by a waterfall en route and my friends soon left me at the train station to find my way to Salatiga, where I would meet my friend from middle school in Jakarta, Toby.

Looks like Bromo!

The places I've been, the things I've seen (1)

Hello all!

Now on Day 35 of funemployment/retirement! Thought I was overdue an update, so here we go. Hang on, it could be a long one.

So the first stop was Pulau Kapas, with Abena! We spent a long weekend there, brainstorming and making our world domination plans. Well, Abena did. I just kinda read and drank and hung out and tried not to burn.

One of the beaches of Pulau Kapas

Kapas oh Kapas

Straight from Kapas, I headed for another island in North Malaysia: Langkawi! There, I was able to catch up with Leo and Jun-E right at the end of their 10-day long work-cation. After they headed back to KL, I hung around Langkawi by myself, still trying to think of things I could do that people would pay me money for.

Bus Butik in Langkawi

In Langkawi with a Tiger

After a few days in Langkawi, I decided to keep heading north, taking a bus to Bangkok (17 hours) and just hanging out there for a few days, exploring the internet Khao San area and meeting up with Dan, a web designer/photographer, to talk about living the location-independent life.

I returned to KL to sort out my belongings (which were piled up in Zara's room), catch up with people, and plot next moves.....

Lunch with the old team back in KL - good times, catching up with gossip ;-)