Sunday afternoon is a busy time on the beach in Amed. Nadine and I took a walk down to the point along the black sand at the edge of this horseshoe of beach. I sat in the water as she sat on a big black volcanic rock where we could see all that was happening [...]

I shed a few tears as I left Ubud yesterday. After living in the family compound for over 10 days, I felt like I was part of the family. I had also grown accustomed to the other people that were staying there and, as many of you know, I don’t do goodbyes very well. Each [...]

I wake up each morning to a Balinese symphony. Unlike a Western orchestra, this one consists of the sounds of roosters crowing, birds singing, insects chirping, an occasional lizard’s song, a woman sweeping the compound floors with a palm frond broom, dogs barking, scooters passing by and the family in the kitchen preparing breakfast. I’m [...]

I can’t believe it. I just finished writing a long post and it disappeared when I hit publish. Expletive deleted here… Things are different here than what we are used to at home. Blog posts disappear. Credit cards aren’t used anywhere except the fancy tourist shops. Plans are made to meet by talking and setting [...]

I have been very fortunate to have the chance to experience the “real” Bali. Thomas said yesterday that I have seen 99% more of the country than most tourists and I have only been here a week. I am now back in the land of the internet and westerners but for the last couple of [...]

Pity my poor thighs. I knew they would get a workout in the mountains of Hawaii and Nepal, but I had no idea how hard they were going to work here in Bali. If they hadn’t been trained, I’m not sure I would have made it through yesterday as well as I did. I started [...]

Dealing with lots of zeros after being awake for over 24 hours is a challenge. Unable to find Indonesian rupees in either Honolulu or my quick dash through the Seoul airport, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to pay for a taxi ride to my guest house when I landed. I needn’t have [...]

Sue is on her way to the airport to fly back to Vermont. The Superbowl party is over. The sushi and Korean ribs are all gone. The extra chips and guacamole put away. My bags are all packed, ready for an early getaway at 6 tomorrow morning. I’ve spoken with friends and family today on [...]

Before I left for my first cross-country bike ride in 2008, I had many moments of anxiety. Could I really ride over 3000 miles? What would it be like to travel for 8 weeks? Who were these women I would be living with across the country? I never dreamed that those Southern Tier women would [...]