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.