I was contacted by a reporter for the International Herald Tribune last week. She had come across my blog and asked if I’d compose an article for publication. The focus of the article was to convey expat experiences with having guests stay with you, “quirky, extreme, or unexpected stories”. So, for better or worse, here’s one of those stories I wouldn’t usually share! Jakarta. Famous for political strife, bird flu, and harboring terrorist cells, it’s also the gateway to Indonesia.Read more
Posts filed in: Expat Experiences
Black Magic and a Brat's Holiday Remorse
I’m experiencing a bit of holiday remorse. Four weeks in Bali was almost too much of a good thing. In fact we changed our tickets and returned 5 days early to Jakarta (DOH!). That plan bit me in the ass for reasons I won’t go into at the moment. I’m coming to the conclusion that perhaps 1-2 weeks of an amazing holiday would be more worthwhile than four weeks of moderation. This is not an invitation to receive criticisms forRead more
You Can't Title a Post Like This
So I’m in the grocery store with Novita looking for hand sanitizer. I find the proper aisle, and am surprised by the variety of shapes and colors offered for hand cleaner; usually it’s just a small square boring bottle. These bottles were curvy and fit the hand very well. Pleased with my selection, I’m joined by Novita: “What are you doing?”, as she inspects the label. “Buying hand sanitizer.” “That’s not for cleaning your hands!”, with a devilish grin. “WhatRead more
Ubud Festival 2006
We were lucky enough to hit Ubud just as the city’s annual festival broke into full swing. On the opening day, the streets were swarming with energy. Thousands of people were lining every path, every street, and every inch of sidewalk. I’ve never seen such crowds in Ubud. They were all in anticipation of the parading artists and dancers, each offering a different style of dance and all heading to the football fields for a final display. We made ourRead more
A Change of Pace
Awake. Eat. Read. Swim. Sit in the sun. Read. Go into town. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. Now that’s more like it. This is definitely a welcomed change of pace for this Jakartan. My biggest ambition for the day has been to drive anywhere. The house we’re staying in is situated right on the splendid rice fields just outside of Ubud. The only sounds at night are that of the crickets, frogs, and the occasional falling coconut that’ll scare the crap outtaRead more
Off to Bali!
We’re leaving for Bali in about 6 hours. We’ll be gone for the next 4 weeks (nice long break huh?), but I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to check in and continue to post during our travels. I forgot to mention this before, but if those of you living in Indonesia have a chance, check out the latest issue of Kabar Magazine. The cover photo is one of mine and there’s a 5 page photo essay inside that I wrote.Read more