THE TRAVEL BLOG OF TROY HENDERSHOTT, GLOBAL BACKPACKER FOR ALMOST 3-YEARS CONTINUOUS, SINCE 2012

BALI TO LOMBOK TO GILI ISLANDS

1/22/2014

We do not need to understand other people and their customs fully to interact with them and learn in the process; it is making the effort to interact without knowing all the rules, improvising certain situations, that allows us to grow.
– Mary Catherine Bateson

Detailed information with photos and 2014 pricing for traveling from Bali (by air) to Lombok Airport to Sengiggi to Bangsal Harbour to the Gili Islands.

When arriving at Bandar Udara International Airport, or Lombok Airport, the frenzy of taxi drivers and transportation services will be on you like flies on turds, even before you leave the airport. Ignore claims that there is no local bus. Just outside the airport on the left there is a ticket stand for the bus company PERUM DAMRI or you can walk directly to the bus and pay the driver. The bus is just past the hordes of taxi drivers. If you get flustered or need information talk to a police officer and not those that have TOURIST INFORMATION signs, they are working for private companies and are not general information for tourists. The price from the airport to Sengiggi is 30,000Rp ($2.53) for the proclaimed 1:50-minute journey, which for myself was closer to 90-minutes.

PERUM DAMRI bus ticket

PERUM DAMRI bus just outside the Lombok Airport with a final designation of Sengiggi. From Sengiggi there doesn’t seem to be a local bus to Bangsal Harbour, taxis can be negotiated down to between 70,000Rp and 100,000Rp. Originally the drivers will begin asking for 200,000Rp ($16.77) for the 18km, 30-35 minute trip along the coast. I said 70,000Rp and he immediately went down to 150,000Rp then to 100,000Rp and agreed on 80,000Rp.

Taxi drivers will often drop you off 100 meters from the pier, but I noticed if you have something they want, for instance change in my case, since I only had 50,000Rp notes when I told him then I would get change and bring it back. This of course prompted him to drive me all the way to the pier where I purchased my public boat ticket for 13,000Rp ($1.09) and gave him his change. *Note that arriving later than 6pm there are no public boats across.

Public boat service operates from 8AM – 5PM (and are rare after 4pm, but I boarded around 4:30pm). Only purchase from the official Koperasi Angkutan Laut Karya Bahari office located on the waterfront to the left (believe it was a blue building).

**BEWARE YOU WILL GET MOBBED APPROACHING THE WATERFRONT BUT IGNORE ALL PEOPLE, SAME EVEN AFTER YOU PURCHASE AS PEOPLE INQUIRE ABOUT YOUR RETURN AND ATTEMPT TO SELL YOU ON OTHER VESSEL OPTIONS**

The speedboats on average charge around 400,000Rp ($33.55) and will get you to the island in 25-minutes as opposed to the slow boat that the locals use for a fraction of the cost. Yes, you wait a bit and there can be some overcrowding as other items being transported are loaded before the passengers, but I had a fine seat and my bag was well secured. Still arrived at the same location as others, but at a fraction of the cost.

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TRAVELING FAMILIES

1/15/2014

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For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own. – Polly Victoria Mills

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 (DAYS 680 - 689)
In almost two years of traveling, I’ve been fortunate to have met and been a part of some incredible traveling families. What is a traveling family, you ask? I suppose I would define it as a collection of other backpackers–vagabonders–that you click with through personalities and humor as well as the necessary element of your direction of travel. Even though I am backpacking solo, you are never really alone, and I was fortunate enough to meet my first traveling family within just a few days of beginning my journey. Caye Caulker, Belize, with its white sandy roads that scream to be bare foot surrounded by crystal clear turquoise waters, this is where I first heard the loud boisterous laugh of my good Canadian friend Char and the crazy-toed shoes that freaked me out, Tim. Before leaving the small Caribbean island we added Eva and David from the Czech Republic and upon arriving in San Ignacio, we added another Canadian aye, Kelly. Since this time, the number of incredible people that I have met, and am blessed to call friends, has been an enormous part of this amazing journey and adventure. Even as I have arrived on the small island of Gili Trawangan (Gili T) in Indonesia, it didn’t take long to meet yet another future traveling family, and of course it would happen on my low-key celebrated birthday.

I think infectious laughs seek me out, as one of the first people I meet on my birthday is Bree with one of the most intoxicating laughs that will cause you to begin without knowing what is so funny. She reminds me of my good friend Andrea in Denver and how we could sit and laugh about things for hours, but, while this San Diego (say it again like Will Ferrell) native is here with her work buddy Marcus it’s a quick forming trio of Team ‘Merica that forms on the beach under a full moon. The next afternoon there is a new arrival in the dorm, Catalina, that like most of us, has a complicated explanation when asked, “so, where are you from?” She was born in Colombia, grew up in Sweden, has been traveling for over a year and a half, but most recently called Melbourne, Australia home. Whew, yeah sometimes answering something that should be a simple question is a paragraph of explanation. I’ve just shortened mine depending upon who asks. It’s either I’m a robot from the future of a country that is yet to exist or I allow my interrogator to guess and whatever they select I just nod in agreement. The five questions we–as backpackers–get to answer and ask on a daily basis; Where are you from? Where have you been? How long have you been traveling? Where are you headed next? How long have you been here? Yes, asking someone’s name often never gets brought up or can be much further down the list. But, going back to what we consider home, and where that is, I think my Brazilian friend Karolle that I met on the dock of Koh Tao and shared the lovely boat ride tour through the Gulf of Thailand with put it into perspective, “flying back home, but where is home if you feel so comfortable everywhere in the world? I had the most amazing time, I’ve met beautiful warm people from all around the world, without them my trip wouldn’t have been the same. I recommend it to all my friends, especially female friends that might be scared. Pick up a place and go on your own. You’ll discover the beauty of life and of people. There is nothing better than walking a street of a country with a completely opposite culture, it is pure positive energy that you get it at every face and smile. Deeply in love with Asia!”

Gili T is an incredible little island, but after the humidity and heat, our group was ready to leave a few days earlier, but due to a typhoon that slammed through the area, boat service back to Bali became a four-day waiting period. Yes, we can sound like spoiled backpackers and of course, even we recognized this in our complaining of First World problems being stuck a few extra days on an island in the Bali Sea. Even though I had a return flight from Lombok, I decided that I wanted to be back on the island, which had my set departure date back to Singapore, and with questionable weather, missing one flight meant missing my secondary flight. And with that, our traveling family already began to see it’s first separations. First, it was Rich who had to return to his job in Oz and is one of the funniest lc’s I’ve met, second was Jessie from Holland that was also heading to Australia, and lastly, we left behind our Midwestern-Alaskan, Mary, castaway on Gili T with hopes she would meet us in Ubud the following day, but sadly did not happen.

After talking with Bree and Marcus about their accommodations at Little Woodstick and realizing that Catalina and I could share the cost of a private room for a mere 150,000Rp ($6 each) and be paying less than our cramped claustrophobic sleeping compartments in the dorm at La Boheme Hostel, we’ve decided to move for our last night on Gili T. The next morning I’m awake early at 6am and notice that Cat is still sound asleep in the twin bed across from mine draped behind a mosquito net and I decide to grab an early shower and begin the process of packing up. This is still much easier being an ultra light backpacker with just a single backpack, and Marcus and I continue to share a good laugh as he’s doing the same, but instead of leaving his larger pack in Singapore as I did, he’s abandoned his in New Zealand, opting for easier mobility while traveling Asia. The girls on the other hand have 65-liter packs and are envious of what guys do best, beat girls in everything haha.

A quarter to 8am, we begin the walk towards the pier for the public boat to Bangsal Harbour on Lombok, where we realize that we have three separate boat companies on our scraps of paper. Shrugging this slight detail aside, we climb aboard the questionable sea-worthy vessel and make the 45-minute trip across the water. The rough waters that ceased transport from the Gilis for the past four days is felt at times as surges of water breach the passenger compartment in larger waves, which causes me to hold more tightly to the strap of my backpack with my laptop covered in a plastic sleeve. Upon reaching the harbour, it’s the typical chaos of taxi drivers, transportation operators, and other various vendors all speaking quickly and attempting to pull you in various directions. At one point we climb aboard a horse carriage after showing our tickets to one of the locals and once aboard he tells us that our ticket actually does not include the horse ride to where the buses will take us to the other harbour about an hour away. Immediately we get off this scam, and as usual the proprietor of this service attempts to entice us by lowering his price with every step we take climbing out of the back of the carriage. Marcus said it best, “well, we’re back in scamland.” Since Catalina was on a different local boat, we were waiting near the shoreline for her, and that’s when Marcus and I watched as an older man paid 100,000Rp ($8.20) to have his bag carried and transported the short walk to where the buses congregate to take groups to the other pier. Shaking our heads, as budget travelers, often it’s those that are retired don’t realize they are paying three, four, or five times the normal rate instead of negotiating. Once we’ve gathered our last family member, Cat, we take the ten-minute walk to the bus stop and through the yelling of drivers, we find out that we are all on different buses, except Marcus and Bree. This is the chaotic side of traveling, friends, but also part of the experience. Practice in patience and mental toughness. Even when I inquired multiple times about my ticket and which bus, the answers were always ambiguous in response, and later when I was told to go across the street down about two-minutes and after arriving there was told there that I was to return to where I had just come from, only to have another person tell that my particular ticket was to be picked up from the restaurant on the same side of the street just further down, it was a frustrating mess. Finally, I found someone that worked for the bus company my ticket coincided with, but was given a stern talking to telling me that he was looking for me, but my bus had left. I told him every single person I spoke with pointed me in a different direction. After some discussion, he made a call and then flagged down another bus and wedged me in the front seat.

A little over an hour later we arrive at the pier and are told to wait until we are called to board. Thankfully our group is reunited under the shade of the large outdoor waiting area with broken plastic chairs for seating and a few shops selling food and drinks. Desperate for water I grab what I thought was a cold bottle of water, unfortunately I’m paying for this since my Berkey sport bottle finally broke but can be somewhat usable in the right conditions, and to my taste bud’s surprise it’s carbonated flavored water similar to clear Gatorade, but the Indonesian version. Blah. Lesson learned. After about 15-minutes, the call to board the boat is made and close to 100 people begin the migration to the dock. The large slow-boat ferry is large enough to transport vehicles and you first pass through the cargo hold before climbing the steep steps up to the passenger seating area. Finding an elevated platform our group takes its claim but before we can even get off our backpacks there is a steady stream of vendors approaching us selling everything from blankets to snacks, even a guy carrying a thermos of hot water to go with instant cups of noodles, which we decide is a good purchase since the boat ride will be four or five hours in duration.

Arriving at the Padang Bai on the east side of Bali, the time is just after 6pm and the storm clouds above are growing darker with each minute. Shuffling off the boat as if we were a stream of refugees instead of backpackers we are greeted with a little more organization as several men inquire about our final destinations and begin grouping us together. For our traveling family, the wolf pack, we are headed to the central foothills town of Ubud in the Gianyar region. A town of around 30,000 inhabitants that is surrounded by rice paddies and gorgeous landscapes, Ubud derives its name in Balinese from the word ubad (medicine), and has become increasingly popular from the film Eat Pray Love.

After spending our first night in a guesthouse, we’ve decided that for the same amount we could rent a villa over the next three nights, and if Mary is still planning to join us it would be even cheaper. On a mission to land us a villa, we spend a bit of our morning emailing and calling on several properties. The responsibilities were divided quite nicely, as Marcus and I scoured the web, while the girls made calls on places we had found. By that afternoon we had secured a villa just outside of town and were even provided with free transportation, being picked up at a restaurant in the center of town.

After winding through a labyrinth of narrow walkways, it finally opened to an incredibly serene setting. Three tiered rice paddy ponds, which unfortunately also seemed to be the perfect breeding ground for mosquitos, sat just outside our gated two-bedroom two-story villa, all for the price of just $45 total per night for the four of us.

Luxuries of a kitchen, large bathroom, WiFi, daily cleaning services, two outdoor patios, satellite television, and large common areas, this is certainly a great deal if you are interested in staying in Ubud, Bali.

Our first night in our traveling families’ home, we’ve decided to cook dinner together, which sent Bree and I off to the Bintang Supermarket, a short 8-minute walk from our villa. I find that it’s always an adventure grocery shopping in countries I find myself in, because Western items are either unavailable or are at a premium in price. Apples for $1 each, I don’t think so, but on the other hand local produce such as avocados in Central America that were .60 cents and the size of a watermelon, yes please.

Tonight’s menu is the typical backpacker cheap meal for nourishment; chicken pasta with garlic bread. In addition to making our family meal more cozy, we’ve found some items that were left from previous guests that included the highly valuable citronella candles. Cheers and bon appetite.

The previous afternoon we had organized to rent a pair of motorbikes for the next two days at the cost of 50,000Rp ($4.10) per bike for a 24-hour period.

Our first stop of the day is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary of Padangtegal, home to the long-tailed macaques. The price for admission is 20,000Rp ($1.64) and from the minute you arrive, even before entering the forest preserve, monkeys are running all around. This little guy unfortunately found a piece of chewed gum that was discarded on the sidewalk and was later tangled in a sticky mess.

“After 22 consecutive months of being on holiday, it’s nearly time to return to the working world. From Australia to the U.S. to Europe to Central America to South America to the Caribbean to Europe to South Africa and back it’s been an amazing journey that wouldn’t have been the same without the people I’ve had the pleasure to spend time with along the way. Everyone travels for different reasons, but ultimately it’s the people more than the places that makes it worthwhile.” – Steve Chen (New York, NY)

Even though Mary was unable to rejoin us in Bali, I was pleasantly surprised when I received a message from my friend Julian from Spain that I first met in either San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua or more recently in Koh Tao, Thailand, we can’t remember (the memory of a long term traveler) if we had that initial meeting our a year ago, that he was arriving in Bali and wanted to know where I was. I encouraged him to come and join our travelling family since we had plenty of space, and next thing you know I’ve met back up with another friend, and this time in a different hemisphere.

After four days in Ubud, it’s time for our traveling family to begin scattering across the globe. Thinking back on all of our inside jokes we had that only the five of us will be able to cherish; everything from being thunder buddies during a fantastic rain storm where we had a panoramic view from the second-floor bedroom, having a spill on the motorbike that began with the first question of, “Are you ok? Do you need a hug?” The constant laughter that followed us wherever we went whenever you heard the word Punz, being the wolf pack that were some loose rooters, waking up in panic at 6am because we miscalculated the time for the AFC and NFC Championship Games, and all of our other memories that are already beginning to elude me. The first to depart is Catalina, as she is set to leave this evening for Australia en route to Spain, while I’m next heading to Singapore the next afternoon, Bree is off to Cambodia a few hours after myself, Marcus and Julian have a few more days in Bali before Marcus will hopefully meet me in Singapore before heading to the South of Thailand, and Julian has no plans–the best plans.

Our final night together, we decide for a feast at Sky Garden Lounge, which for 50,000Rp ($4.10) we are given wrist bands that allow us to feast for one-hour beyond the two-hour all-you-can-eat limit normally imposed as well as free beer for exactly one hour, from 5pm-6pm. When most Americans think of Bali, they may think expensive, but here’s how it’s possible to not only do it on the cheap, but to experience several different areas of Bali, including the best meal I’ve had at the best price. I like the quote from John Krakuer, “happiness is only real when shared,” and I feel as though the memories our traveling family has shared over the past week has brought a deep seeded sense of happiness for the friendships that were forged.

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5 SUGGESTIONS FOR ADJUSTING TO HOSTEL LIFE

1/12/2014

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Where the surface of the sea seems the defining between a world that binds and one that frees. – Lana Petelle

Sunday, January 12, 2014 (DAY 678)
There’s a reason hostel life is sought out over hotels by many travelers, and it’s not just limited to budget travelers, but often I have met the two-week vacationer that has experienced the vibrant social setting that is absent within the cold-detached environments of hotels. Hostels are not just for the young budget travelers, but, I have met people from all ages and all walks of life with varying budgets during their travels, and, while some hostels can appear to be a vagabonders’ Disney Land, there is still a degree of hostel etiquette to abide by, especially within the dorms. Typically I have had incredibly positive experiences living in hostels, volunteering at them, even managing a few, but most recently there were situations that brought this topic to my mind, because I feel that these individuals were newbies to dorm life and the unspoken rules that are to be followed if you wish not to become the outcast in your dorm or entire hostel. So, believe it or not, these things actually happened all at the same hostel over a period of a few days, and some of the situations almost caused girls to go blow-for-blow knockdown drag out fights. Ok, maybe not exactly that extreme, but, some very heated words were exchanged and there was a clear division between most of us in the dorm and the outcasts. I’ve also learned that through extended travel there are times that you need a break from dorm life–even hostel life, because it can be tiring having the same repetitive conversations or obtaining a full night’s sleep without the constant party revelers’ showing up at dawn or those packing up early to depart in the morning, which is why I have chosen to take advantage of taking a few days at a hotel, since the price for a private room at the nearby hostels wanted double the amount because I would be required to pay for double occupancy even though I want the room for just myself. Again, it’s often not just about being a so-called “true backpacker” foregoing hotels, but being a true savvy budget traveler that is also backpacking. Don’t many of us search out ways to continue to extend our travels? And, most of the time it’s the financial aspect that sends many back home for replenishing depleted bank accounts, so, utilize all of your resources and follow these helpful suggestions for acclimating to hostel life within the dorms.

VOLUME CONTROL: Late night or early conversations in the dorm when everyone else is sleeping–really? C’mon man. Same for Skyping and the dreadful snoring monsters, which I understand you can’t necessarily help, God just decided you don’t need friends after dark, so if you are a big-time snorer and thief of sleep to the rest of us, do us all a favor and let everyone know about this or get a private room. Photo: iStockphoto.com©Stock Shop Photography LLC

GIVE RESPECT TO GET RESPECT: Tossing someone’s things aside to make room for yours and spreading your belongs all over the room as if you’re Oscar the Grouch moving in is a sure fire way to be dubbed a grade A douchebag.

SWITCH IT OFF: Bursting into the room late at night when the majority of people are sleeping and flipping on the lights without apologizing or having any concern for other people–again, thievery of precious sleep–you, madam, will receive revenge in some way, shape, or form, and I’ll just give you a hint (whisper) you’re not going to like it, because as Will Ferrell might say, “You better not go to sleep. As soon as your eyes, shut I’m going to punch you square in the face.” Or, taking it a step further from John C. Reilly, “I hope you stay still when you sleep. Because, I’m putting a rat trap between your legs.” Photo: Shutterstock

PETS: You’re not Paris Hilton so why would you travel with a purse-sized dog and let it roam free in the dorm? I love pets, seriously c’mon–Ich bin ein einhorn! (Germans will love that) But, again be considerate and ask people if they have allergies and at the least keep it contained from urinating or chewing on other people’s things.

HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON: Are, you, kidding, me? Yeeeeah, so you’re not at home–reality check–but sharing sleeping quarters with a handful of other people and setting your alarm is one thing–fine, necessary for scheduled pre-paid activities, in this case diving–but doing it to the point that the alarm is set and you just keep selecting snooze to the tune of a minimum of three different times in the early morning might just get you shanked, or at the very least your dorm mates might just hold you down, and fill their pillow cases with bars of soap, swarming you like a fat kid at a cake buffet, and beating you without mercy. This is a simple solution. Set the alarm. When it goes off, you get out of bed, the first time.

MY RTW PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
I don’t what it is that is so calming about the sea. At times I still have to remind myself that I’m standing here in Bali. Incredible. Fortunate. Blessed. These are just a few of the adjectives I can use to describe this moment. I think Albert Schweitzer who was a German—and later French—theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary in Africa said it best, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” For me, being labeled as a “backpacker” is a cognitive choice and a lifestyle that allows for true interaction with the world around me–a curiosity for adventure and foreign lands by experiencing them first hand on every level. Yes, there tends to be the typical areas that many other backpackers travel, such as the “Gringo Trail” in Latin America, but beyond this it is living the excitement of never knowing what each day may bring or who I may meet, because I am is living outside of any type of a structured routine. Absolute freedom with my time, and how I choose to spend it, is an incredible freeing feeling. Not to say that I haven’t had bouts of structure or schedules, such as when I was taking daily Spanish lessons in Guatemala, managing hostels in Nicaragua or Thailand, or volunteering with organizations or schools, but it was a different type of routine I suppose, because I was still interacting daily with both travelers and locals alike, immersing myself in my surroundings. Just because this is where life has taken me, I don’t want people to think that there should be judgment or remorse for not doing this as well, I hope that the inspiration to find your courage to take a leap of faith by dreaming big, and not just dreaming, but acting out and living that dream is something you know you can achieve, because I feel that it is one of the greatest adventures in life. Take a risk and do something, however big or small it may be–learn a new language, go back to college, move to a new area of the city, start a business–regardless of what it may be there will be sacrifices, change isn’t always easy, and there will be risks. But, when you do achieve the realization that you have moved past the point of dreaming and begin taking steps towards a new chapter in your life, even if you fail, you will have learned from that, hopefully, and you will know in your heart, later in life that you were a risk taker and not just a dreamer. I feel that even months prior to leaving Colorado many people thought I was foolish in abandoning my career and cushy lifestyle and that I would return months later penniless with regrets. It wasn’t until about my six-month mark that I feel several friends started to realize what I said at the beginning, which was I have no idea where I may end up or if I’m ever coming back to the States to live, but I am going to follow the dream in my heart and even if I were to come back, again I would know deep in my soul that I had given it my best and could be at peace with acting upon this dream. So, finally I just hope that you find encouragement, peace, and happiness in your life, and if you aren’t finding that fulfillment, do something about it and make a change.

My Sunday Funday, and last full day in Kuta Legian Bali, began with responding to several messages from friends I’ve met traveling that are planning to come to South East Asia (SEA). I’m always glad to help provide the most honest opinion or information I can about the areas I have been and what I have learned, especially for those that are budget travelers such as myself. I loved that after several messages I sent, the response from both Jeff Schenker and Sarah Bauchner were to go to the beach. Following orders by doing just that, I began the slow shuffle down to the beach, but soon the roar of thunder off in the distance began to rumble and the blue skies above me were disappearing in a sea of grey storm clouds. Still feeling as though I am recovering from my latest bout of food poisoning–thank you very much Thailand–I have been careful to what I have been intaking down my gullet. This is unfortunate because when I first began traveling Central America, I was eating pretty much whatever was placed in front of me, but as my friend Christophe agreed, once you have experienced this overseas it tends to change your entire outlook on what you start throwing down your gullet. I’ve become more vegetarian cutting out pork and fish from my diet, opting for the safe foods of plain steamed rice and bread or pastas. As raindrops begin to fall on my shoulder, I notice that quite a ways down the beach the clouds appear to be congregating and unleashing a torrential downpour. Feeling a bit of tension in my back, probably from all of those 20-plus-hour transits in Laos still, I’ve decided to indulge in what I’ve found to be the cheapest one-hour massages yet, which is advertised all over Bali for 50,000Rp ($4.15), but I have heard that these are inexperienced masseuses’ as they are primarily sitting on the sidewalk yelling at every person passing by. I’ve decided for an extra .083 cents I would go to one of the proper spas. (Above photo is © 2013 Walkabout Indonesia)

I’ve noticed that most budget travelers tend to have their own vices when it comes to side-stepping their budget or adjusting it to accommodate selfish luxuries, and for me, a good massage is right at the top. However, I haven’t paid more than $10 for an-hour massage and I doubt I will. It’s funny to think that this has become my new economic ceiling for an-hour long massage. I still think one of the best massages I’ve received was a toss-up between Koh Tao, Thailand and Cusco, Peru. My friend Josh, whom I met in Cusco, indulged plenty in cheap massages being from Los Angeles and whenever I get to a new country and find that they are even cheaper I can’t help but let him know. I feel that this is a nice indulgence especially after thinking back on the fact that I’ve spent more than 770-hours, which is equivalent to 32, count em, three-two-zero-niner (okay no zero or niner, but I like typing as if I’m talking on a walkie-talkie) 24-hour days on various modes of transportation, often sitting or standing in uncomfortable positions for hours at a time. Leaving more refreshed and walking around the town a bit amidst a bit of rain, you can’t help without going a few steps before being asked if you want to rent a motorbike, receive another massage (even though they saw me just walk out of a place), purchase souvenirs, and the normal offers for drugs. After traveling for as long as I have these tend to become a white noise, but for some the enticement is too strong and some unfortunately find themselves faced with the harsh penalties of Indonesian law. A few precautionary tales is everyone from young students abroad to more recently UK citizen and Grandmother, Lindsay Sandiford. I also remember seeing that on the back of the immigration form for Singapore it specifically states in all capital bright red letters: WARNING DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS UNDER SINGAPORE LAW. So, be smart and take a page from Nancy Reagan, “just say no.” And, if that doesn’t work, watch the film Return to Paradise.

The Bali Bombing Memorial pays tribute to those that lost their lives on October 12, 2002 the first bombing where 202 people were killed and the second bombing occurred on October 1, 2005 killing 26 people. This was a somber site to see, because I remember hearing about these, and would have never thought that I would be standing in front of it. From the 2002 bombing, 38 were Australian citizens (the majority of nationals killed) along with seven Americans. When I am confronted with being at a site such as this or when I returned to New York City the first time after 9/11, since I was in the New York a year before, first, it brings an entirely different view by actually being at the location physically as opposed to seeing images on television, and secondly, it provides me with a reminder that life is short and to live it to it’s fullest each day.

A love for street art, I wandered around town and took a few photos, this one in particular caught my eye, as I think it would anyone I it’s become my favorite from all of the others I’ve seen.

Just as I mentioned before, I’ve taken a short hiatus from hostel life–four days–to recover more fully from being sick, again part of being respectful with dorm life as I was up about every hour throughout the night to rush off to the toilet, and not just sticking to the “backpacker” code of guidelines by selecting to stay only at hostels, but again being a savvy budget extended traveler, that is backpacking, and for me this option fit both needs. First of all, I inquired about a private room at Kayun Hostel, and was told over the phone that a private room is based upon double occupancy and would have been 400,000Rp ($33.81) per night, while I’ve negotiated my rate at the luxurious three-star Amazing Hotel Kuta - Bali, from their standard rate of 375,00Rp ($31.69) down to 250,000Rp ($20.68) per night, which included a free full breakfast each morning and solid Wi-Fi that I tested prior to committing. Yes, hotels will negotiate their prices often even more than hostels if they realize they are not on one of the main traffic paths for guests, and if you are willing to commit to more than a few nights.

In order to negotiate accommodation costs with more confidence, there are three helpful things:

1. Know the exchange rate or download the free app and have it updated prior to negotiating. When I say updated it can be within 24 to 48 hours, since typically rates don’t drastically change over just a few days.

2. After you’ve personally taken a look at the room and facilities (an absolute must for any type of accommodation, because often the photos they may try and pass off as the room may not be what you end up with and your room may have no windows, smell like a sewer, be facing a noisy nightclub, insect infestation, etcetera etcetera) ask what their nightly rate is for that particular room and if they have a cheaper option. Once you know the nightly price, ask if you were to stay a few nights if the price can be adjusted.

3. This is not always possible as it helps with the negotiating powers, but if you can use this for leverage on either side. Either, offer to pay in advance upfront in cash for say all three nights for a slightly lower rate, or on the opposite side, if they come down to the price that you are happy with, ask if it will be ok to pay for part of your stay now.

Lastly, if you have any concerns, after you’ve negotiated, pay for the first night and use the excuse that you need to find an ATM and stay for the night in order to insure that there is no miscommunication on the type of accommodation you are in search of and willing to pay for, because unfortunately whether people are flat out deceitful and dishonest or because of the language barrier, this tends to be a relatively decent middle ground. You have paid for your time there, but if the place is not as what was poorly understood, then you aren’t fighting to recoup your losses, but can simply find another accommodation for the next night.

I will also mention that as a budget traveler, when I am paying for a higher standard of accommodation, I take advantage of the amenities offered that may be more difficult in hostels, such as; hand washing clothing (at the hotel my ensuite bathroom had a tub as well as a shower, so I threw all my stuff in there and later used the complimentary drying rack to hang everything in the security of my room to dry, when I went to the beach), charging various electronics at once since sometimes hostels or dorms are limited and everyone is fighting for an outlet, and when I have my larger backpacker pulling out everything and reorganizing it, mainly to see what I can ditch, because again trying to do this in a dorm room or on a bunk can be a challenge depending upon the size of the room and how many guests are currently staying there. Also, to adjust for cost inflation (wow I sound like a banker, ok now say that again in Will Ferrell’s voice emphasizing ‘bank-err’, the ways I find to amuse myself) ok, cost inflation, is that I will deduct things out that are included such the free breakfast and since I have a private room I may even offset my costs by purchasing food from a grocery store instead of purchasing meals at restaurants, since it won’t be consumed in secret by the hostel garbage disposal that tends to lurk at each place with kitchens and I am almost 100% certain is best friends with the Hamburglar. Those devious beings…curse you! Tricks of an extended traveler slash being a vagabonding hobo, I’ll tell you what.

Taking in the sunset on the beach after a rainstorm that had passed through during the middle of the day, I can’t help but think that I am exactly 8 degrees south of the equator, the closest I think I’ve been in my life. I still am a bit upset that I wasn’t able to straddle both hemispheres in Ecuador, but soon friends, soon. I also hope you enjoy the time-lapse video I took, unfortunately since I only have an iPhone 4 and nothing fancy like a GoPro, the memory ran out of space and was unable to get the happy ending in there. But, I am excited, as today was my last full day in Kuta Bali as I’m headed to the Gili Islands, since I found a round trip flight for 393,000Rp ($33.21), which is far-cheaper than taking even the slowest boat or public transportation across the Bali Sea one-way. I’ve worked it out just right that it looks like I may be in for another airport overnight stay before returning to Singapore as well. Hopefully the next blog will be from Gili Trawangan. Apologies again for the numerous grammatical errors and mistakes, but writing from the road, and not taking the time to proofread and picking back up only re-reading the sentence prior, often my thoughts are jumbled, but I think you all are smart enough to figure out, wht it si Im sying, right? Cheers everyone.

Time lapse Sunset over Bali, Indonesia from Troy Hendershott on Vimeo.

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BALI TO LOMBOK TO GILI ISLANDS

We do not need to understand other people and their customs fully to interact with them and learn in the process; it is making the effort to interact without knowing all the rules, improvising certain situations, that allows us to grow.
– Mary Catherine Bateson

TRAVELING FAMILIES

For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own. – Polly Victoria Mills

5 SUGGESTIONS FOR ADJUSTING TO HOSTEL LIFE

Where the surface of the sea seems the defining between a world that binds and one that frees. – Lana Petelle

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© 2011-2017 of rtwexperiences.com All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.

BALI TO LOMBOK TO GILI ISLANDS

We do not need to understand other people and their customs fully to interact with them and learn in the process; it is making the effort to interact without knowing all the rules, improvising certain situations, that allows us to grow. – Mary Catherine Bateson

TRAVELING FAMILIES

For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own. – Polly Victoria Mills

5 SUGGESTIONS FOR ADJUSTING TO HOSTEL LIFE

Where the surface of the sea seems the defining between a world that binds and one that frees. – Lana Petelle

About the Author

Archives

Categories

All content is © 2011-2017 of rtwexperiences.com All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.

We do not need to understand other people and their customs fully to interact with them and learn in the process; it is making the effort to interact without knowing all the rules, improvising certain situations, that allows us to grow.
– Mary Catherine Bateson

All content is
© 2011-2017 of rtwexperiences.com All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.