laurie was here

making it up as I go along

My Christmas-for-one: Appreciating solo holidays while traveling (avoiding pedophiles is probably a good start)

What did you do this Christmas Eve?

If it was anything like mine, you spent large parts of it working, which today meant tracking down, banning, and removing disturbing content posted by wannabe pedophiles on one of the websites I work for.  This is no one’s ideal holiday, but even to my own surprise it didn’t get me down today. 

Yesterday was my 8-month “travelversary”, meaning I’ve spent the last 240-odd days wandering this corner of the globe with no real plan or destination in mind.  When you live a life this undefined the importance you previously attached to tradition and ceremony quickly disappears.  Today, that was blatantly obvious with my lack of (which would have been deserved) melancholy regarding the day’s activities.

This year will be the first time in 30 years that one of my immediate family is not present for Christmas.  Myself and my older sister both moved away after high school, but Christmas is the one holiday that everyone always returned home to San Diego for.  In our adult lives the childhood customs have become even more settled, and each Christmas Eve and Christmas morning my family would go through the traditions which, although they may have been more appropriate 15 years ago, have become beloved by us all (I also have a 22-year old brother).

I was prepared to feel pretty emo about being alone today, about being the first one in my family to break the streak, about missing the Christmas spirit which I’ve always enjoyed without cynicism, even about missing a winter Christmas (yesterday it was 95 degrees in Melbourne and decidedly un-wintery). 

But those feelings never materialized. 

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This world is pretty ridiculous sometimes.A lot of guides in Southeast Asia carry around notebooks or letters of handwritten recommendations by people they’ve given tours to, and they’ll show you the ones from your home country when they find out where you’re from. Today I was talking with this woman about possibly doing a trek with her and she showed me a letter written by another American girl who had trekked with her last month. I took a look at the signed name and realized that I actually knew the girl (Kabryn) who had written it; we’ve never met in person but had messaged via this blog when we were both in Indonesia and we’ve chatted a few times since. And now, in some little mountain town at the far north of Vietnam, three months, millions of people, and thousands of kilometers later, I was reading her handwriting describing the amazing experience she had with this woman. We never tried to meet up or take the same route but somehow our paths found each other anyway, through this lovely woman, in a town full of them… I guess after all, it really is a small world.

This world is pretty ridiculous sometimes.

A lot of guides in Southeast Asia carry around notebooks or letters of handwritten recommendations by people they’ve given tours to, and they’ll show you the ones from your home country when they find out where you’re from. Today I was talking with this woman about possibly doing a trek with her and she showed me a letter written by another American girl who had trekked with her last month.

I took a look at the signed name and realized that I actually knew the girl (Kabryn) who had written it; we’ve never met in person but had messaged via this blog when we were both in Indonesia and we’ve chatted a few times since. And now, in some little mountain town at the far north of Vietnam, three months, millions of people, and thousands of kilometers later, I was reading her handwriting describing the amazing experience she had with this woman. We never tried to meet up or take the same route but somehow our paths found each other anyway, through this lovely woman, in a town full of them… I guess after all, it really is a small world.

Ubud, Bali: talented artists, gorgeous rice terraces, and the Curse of Julia Roberts

Beautiful，scenic Ubud. 

A place popular for its cultural diversity and history, its great supply of local artists, the beauty of the many rice paddy hills that surround it.  And lately, much to the chagrin of its large expat community, as the titular LOVE in Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller memoir and subsequent Julia Roberts movie “Eat, Pray, Love.”

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Getting off the beaten path on a motorbike trip of central Bali

I’ve said it before (OK, I’ve said it a lot), but one of my favorite things to do on this trip is to rent a motorbike and get lost in a new location.  I’ve seen some of my best sights that way, and my expectations of what I’m going to see are always proven wrong.

In Ubud, Bali I went to a shop to rent a motorbike and was presented with two options, one regular bike and one “fancy” one.  I automatically went for the cheaper one, but as the merchant was getting my paperwork ready, and after staring ever more longingly at the nicer one, I decided screw it, let’s get classy.  The bike was too charming to resist so I stopped trying, paid the extra 10,000 rupiah (about $1), and took it out for an adventure.

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4+ months in Southeast Asia: how much I’ve spent so far and how you can do it cheaper

Hard to believe I’ve been on the road for over 18 weeks now, but that’s what the calendar says.  One of the most common questions I’ve gotten from friends and people who want to do something like this is how much this crazy adventure is costing me.  Let’s break it down.

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Indonesian dinner: $0.70.

Update: Going to VIetnam? Click HERE for what I spent over my 5 weeks in Vietnam (and how you can do it cheaper).

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The island of Nusa Lembongan: unspoiled seaside surprise

I visited Nusa Lembongan, a small island off the coast of Bali, for 5 days when I was in Indonesia.

I had heard it was nice but didn’t really know much about it.  I was looking for better coastline than I’d found in Bali which, for all its fame, has surprisingly disappointing beaches.  What I found was a laid-back, low key, surfing spot whose local culture and religion was prioritized over tourism.  An island with the worst roads of any place I’ve been so far, yet nary a motorbike helmet in sight, some of the friendliest people I’ve met anywhere, and gorgeous hidden viewpoints that I would feel like I was the first person to discover.

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Yogyakarta (aka Jogjakarta): Java’s cheap and delicious cultural capital

I visited Yogyakarta in Java, Indonesia mainly to watch a sunrise from the top of a volcano, but I stayed because of the beautiful people and delicious culture.

My Couchsurfing host Elisa took me to this late night (“second supper”) fried rice joint. “You’re probably the only white person who’s ever come here,” she said, “that’s probably why they gave us such big portions.”

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The unexpected and wonderful chaos of the Solo Batik Carnival

I didn’t really want to go.  A carnival celebrating a traditional cloth didn’t sound that exciting and after a week in Yogyakarta I was itching to move on to my next Indonesian destination.  Growing up in cultural California I had been to my fair share of heritage celebrations and I’ve found that they tended to be similar affairs - school and community groups dancing and displaying costumes.  Nice enough, but not something I’d classify as a can’t-miss. 

Especially because this carnival was a few hours out of town and it was one of the few times when I had an opportunity to climb Mt. Merapi, I wasn’t really sold on it.  Luckily I had a very charming Couchsurfing host who peer pressured me into going with her and some friends. 

What a good effing call. 

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The best travel story I’ve heard so far:

from my 60-year old Aussie Couchsurfing host in Bali:

The time she smoked powerful locally-grown pot with some local guys in a remote Indian settlement, proceeded to pass out on a rock ledge in a Hindu temple cave, then woke up in the morning covered in flowers, money and sweets after being mistaken for a visiting Goddess by the local women.

I loved staying with this woman. She was a rockstar with a million stories and incredible energy.

getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island getting lost on an indonesian island

I rented a motorbike and drove around Nusa Lembongan, the island I was staying on. I drove aimlessly, trying to get lost.  I crossed a rickety old suspension bridge and kept riding, the pavement ended and I continued on the dirt.  When I couldn’t bike anymore I got off and began walking. Eventually I got to some cliffs and started climbing the rocks around them, stumbling across these incredible views.

I’ve gotten a few questions recently from people who want to do a trip around Asia similar to mine and are curious about what to pack.  Well, the picture above is everything I packed as a clueless Californian about to embark on something that I had no idea what would happen on. For the most part it’s been sufficient, a few notable things I’ve bought/haven’t needed.  A few weeks in I bought a small daypack backpack because up until then my only bags were a small-ish purse and a fanny pack type deal.  I needed something bigger, especially since I have a small laptop with me.  It’s something that seems obvious in retrospect but it was super easy to pick up when I decided I needed one. Also, before I left I bought a water-purifier device, since I knew the tap water here wasn’t safe to drink and that’s what I was used to drinking in San Francisco.  In the 14 weeks or so I’ve been traveling I’ve used it only a handful of times; there’s always bottled water available and it is always cheap.  I may find myself in an emergency situation where I need to purify some questionable water source… but probably not.  I’m not really going super off the beaten track here. Other than that… there’s been some clothes I’ve bought and small toiletries but those are all easy to find and really cheap and not worth carrying around for longer than you need them.  Basically always err on the side of less stuff.  This is something that literally every traveler you ask will tell you, so it’s probably a valid point. There’s really just one thing I really, truly should have brought more of, and that’s tampons.  Ladies, seriously.  Especially if you plan on traveling in Muslim countries like Indonesia or Malaysia, stock up.  Even when you can find them over here in any country though, they’re imported and expensive and often not the small travel sized ones that I prefer for this trip.  Aaaaaand that’s about the extent of my advice.  Bring tampons, everything else will work itself out. Also feel free to keep sending me questions, always happy to give my opinion and it’s exciting to see so many of you (especially my friends from back home!) deciding to give this kind of travel a shot.  It’s the best. Cheers, Laurie

I’ve gotten a few questions recently from people who want to do a trip around Asia similar to mine and are curious about what to pack.  Well, the picture above is everything I packed as a clueless Californian about to embark on something that I had no idea what would happen on.

For the most part it’s been sufficient, a few notable things I’ve bought/haven’t needed.  A few weeks in I bought a small daypack backpack because up until then my only bags were a small-ish purse and a fanny pack type deal.  I needed something bigger, especially since I have a small laptop with me.  It’s something that seems obvious in retrospect but it was super easy to pick up when I decided I needed one.

Also, before I left I bought a water-purifier device, since I knew the tap water here wasn’t safe to drink and that’s what I was used to drinking in San Francisco.  In the 14 weeks or so I’ve been traveling I’ve used it only a handful of times; there’s always bottled water available and it is always cheap.  I may find myself in an emergency situation where I need to purify some questionable water source… but probably not.  I’m not really going super off the beaten track here.

Other than that… there’s been some clothes I’ve bought and small toiletries but those are all easy to find and really cheap and not worth carrying around for longer than you need them.  Basically always err on the side of less stuff.  This is something that literally every traveler you ask will tell you, so it’s probably a valid point.

There’s really just one thing I really, truly should have brought more of, and that’s tampons.  Ladies, seriously.  Especially if you plan on traveling in Muslim countries like Indonesia or Malaysia, stock up.  Even when you can find them over here in any country though, they’re imported and expensive and often not the small travel sized ones that I prefer for this trip.  Aaaaaand that’s about the extent of my advice.  Bring tampons, everything else will work itself out.

Also feel free to keep sending me questions, always happy to give my opinion and it’s exciting to see so many of you (especially my friends from back home!) deciding to give this kind of travel a shot.  It’s the best.

Cheers,

Laurie