beaches Archives - Burning the Map

February 26, 2019February 27, 2019

In Summary: Bali

Whether it’s Hindu or Muslim, Indonesian or Balinese, Nasi Goreng or Mie Goreng, Grab or GOJEK, slow ferry or fastboat, the Nusas or the Gilis — Bali (and Lombok) were an adventurous step in my travels.

I started to learn what Asia was like on the senses. A language barrier, a major customs difference and a semi-chaotic transportation system. There’s continuous pressure to enter every shop and take every massage offered. Few prices are set and while individual items are cheap, costs add up when you’re nickel and dimed for everything. My bargaining skills are still a work in progress but I did get a partially new wardrobe to cope with the heat.

Aside from more airy clothes, another way to cool off was taking advantage of all of the pools and beaches. Plus, most of my showers were cold showers. Speaking of water, future travelers need to budget a few dollars a day for safe drinking water. Save the risk of Bali Belly for that seafood indulgence or potentially suspect sate ayam. I only had one night of sickness and discomfort so I’ll consider myself lucky.

On a more positive note, it was wet season but the rain primarily happened at night which was nice. That gave me ample time to enjoy the stunning scenery in the sunshine. I didn’t have to go far to experience the diversity of paradise-like beaches and resorts versus lush green rice terraces and monkey forests.

In terms of worthwhile activities, there were plenty of options to choose, ranging from recreational to spiritual. I did a sacred cacao ceremony and sound healing as well as got 12m deep with my first ever dive. I also spent a day on a scooter and didn’t wreck myself so that’s classified as a huge win.

People came in varying degrees. Most of the locals I interacted with were gracious and humble. There were a select few that were solely focused on taking advantage of tourists. Here’s looking to you, Bangsal Harbor guy. I suppose you’ll find that everywhere though.

I did have the good fortune of making a few meaningful connections with fellow travelers — a common trend throughout my journey that I’ll be happy to keep going.

As far as unfinished business, there were a few sights I missed out on: particularly Mt. Batur, the Lempuyang Gate, and the pink beaches of eastern Lombok. I could see myself coming back to be a hostel promoter or to finish a diving certification. If I ever take up surfing, Bali would be a top destination also. And in an even bigger long shot, the Gili Islands are a must-do romantic getaway should I ever land a significant other.

We’ll just have to see about that.

By the Numbers

Days in Bali: 30
Day Tours: 2
Avg Daily Water Intake: 2.5L
Bargaining Opportunities: 14
Boat Rides: 11
Motorbike Rides Without Incident: 15
IRD Spent: ~17,797,768.00
USD Spent: ~$1,270.859 (Avg conversion rate of roughly 14007.49)

You can see my full cost breakdown here.

For those interested in visiting one day, here’s a list of where I went and how I ranked stuff:
(click the top left button of the map to expand the list view)

Favorite Places: 1. Nusa Penida 2. Canggu 3. Ubud 4. Gili Trawagan 5. Seminyak	Favorite Activities: 1. Diving around Nusa Penida 2. Ubud Day Tour 3. Snorkeling around the Gilis 4. Nusa Penida Day Tour 5. Cacao Ceremony & Sound Healing
Favorite Attractions: 1. Kelingking Cliff 2. Terrace River Pool Swing 3. Broken Beach 4. Underwater Nest Statues 5. Crystal Bay 6. Tegallalang Rice Terrace 7. Islamic Center NTB 8. Sacred Monkey Forest 9. Pura Tirta Empul 10. Tanah Lot	Favorite Restaurants/Bars: 1. Nostimo 2. Eat Me at Kosone 3. WooBar 4. Penida Coldada 5. OIA 6. BOSSMAN 7. Mowie’s 8. Old Man’s 9. Captain Coconut’s Healthy Cafe 10. The Lawn

Lastly, below is my “best of” album. This country has a lot more to offer than what I captured but hopefully I’ll be back when I’m a bit more advanced in my photography skills.

February 6, 2019February 6, 2019

Paradise Found

It was an unremarkably overcast day when I arrived in Canggu.

It was only a few miles from Seminyak, but it had a much more relaxed vibe. The streets weren’t overcrowded with people and vendors. There was no cacophony of horns and “In here, boss!” demands.

The car pulled down a narrow alley and came to a stop at the end. There was a building there, but the location and surroundings seemed to conflict with what I thought I booked. I got out and hauled my bags to reception. As I was being escorted up to my room, I realized I’d made it to paradise.

This place was beautiful. It had only been open for 2 months, so it was relatively unspoiled. The facilities were all immaculate and the pool set up was perfect.

I was initially planning to go on a long walk to watch the sunset at a seaside temple. The gray sky and the swim up bar quickly changed my mind. It was an easy choice, especially since Happy Hour was 2 for 1 cocktails. Cheers.

I started chatting with two Aussie chicks who were on holiday. We crushed 12 cocktails between us. My bill was like $20.

Paradise.

After HH I took a stroll down to the beach and admired all of the bar set ups. There were some simple ones with rows of cushy seats and others with more elaborate, infinity pool spaces.

I worked my way back toward the hostel and went for a tasty dinner at an empty restaurant with rice field views before calling it a night.

The next day I was determined to get a new hat and tank top to help alleviate the heat and my laziness for morning preparation. Before setting out on this venture, I got a free delicious breakfast at the hip restaurant attached to the hostel. The smoothie bowl I ordered hugged my eyes and palate in its appearance and yumminess. It was also healthy, so it was a win/win/win.

Feeling good about life as a whole, I headed over to a cool Bazaar to get my shop on.

Bazaar

In hindsight, I should’ve waited a few more days until I had a stronger grasp on the currency. The thousands thing. Plus, I’m a people pleaser so negotiating really isn’t my strong suit.

I walked out of there with two hats, two tanks, and a dirty feeling. I talked the guy down by almost a million, but he started at almost 2 million. I’d like to say I’ll be better moving forward, but only time will tell. It’s difficult to be a hard ass to a stranger. Then again, if their goal is to take advantage of you…Something to think about.

Anyway, I returned to Kosone and decided to conduct the rest of my affairs by the pool. It was a beautiful day and it was worth enjoying.

I talked with a gorgeous woman, originally from Madagascar, who was living in Canggu and running a cafe. She was also drinking coconut water out of a coconut. Appropriate.

It was impossible to drag myself away from this place. I decided to extend my stay for another night because it was too good. How could you not?

For the latter part of the afternoon, I lounged with my roommates, Julian (20yr old, Holland) and Scott (30yr old, Australia). Happy Hour came around, so, you know, that happened again. I was thinking this was the ideal Groundhog Day cycle.

As HH finished at the pool, myself, Scott and a Canadian chick hopped on a scooter — yes, 3 grown adults on a scooter — and made it to a beachside bar before their deal time was over. Scott said that the party scene in the area was pretty heavy. Our night was careening that direction as we migrated to another bar with a view and quickly caught the sunset.

Thankfully, a stop for dinner slowed the momentum and we decided to take a few beers back to the hostel. It was a blitz of an evening, but a chill night to balance that craziness. Very easy to see how I could get fat and hammered for the duration of my time in Bali.

The events of the following day helped to curb that possibility.

I started with another great breakfast (still included in the price of my room). I was determined to make the walk to the seaside temple since I hadn’t accomplished that yet.

It was a 2.5 hour trek, which meant some decent exercise. Two deterring factors were the heat and the lack of sidewalks. But, my mind was made up.

I embarked with 1.5 liters of water and a few podcasts lined up. I’m pretty sure I was covered in sweat within the first 3 minutes. I persevered while perspiring.

Thirty minutes in and I was like damn. It. Is. HOT.

There wasn’t much shade along the road unfortunately. The breathability of a tank top could only do so much. I stopped to reapply my sunscreen and looked at my map. Still an hour to go.

The directions took me down an interesting path in the middle of some lush, green fields. There was a well-paved road that seemed ne’er traversed. It was a strange yet beautiful scene.

By the time I got to Tanah Lot, it felt like I’d been walking for days. I can only imagine how people in the actual desert feel.

Upon entering the temple, pretty much all I saw was tourists. The place was overrun. To top it off, it was high tide so I could only see the main attraction from afar. It looked nice, but dodging people at every turn was a bit of a chore.

I explored some of the more empty areas and stumbled on a Luwak Coffee cafe with civet and all. I guess that’s one of the most expensive types of coffee in the world since the beans are digested by the cat/otter mix of an animal. The poor guy was as hot as I was, sitting there panting and pacing.

Afternoon was turning into evening and I was beginning to feel the effects of the heat. I also inadvertently skipped lunch which was unwise. I b-lined it for a convenient store on the way back toward the hostel. In an effort to keep sun stroke at bay, I got some more water and a snack in the AC. I also decided to get a ride back so I didn’t randomly fall out on the street.

A much needed plunge in the pool welcomed me back to Kosone.

Julian and I made plans to travel together to Ubud in the morning, so we knocked out some reservations and then started talking about dinner plans. I went to the front desk and asked the cute receptionist for recommendations.

We had some good options to choose from and the consensus was pizza. With another one of our roommates, we walked over to the spot. I was hungry enough to down a large NY-style pie without any trouble. I settled for wood fired pepperoni and a single light beer.

Right after finishing my food, I started to feel unwell. “Bali Belly” is a thing that affects many tourists, but I thought it was primarily about unsafe water consumption and I’d been careful about that. My fingers were crossed that it was just my body climbing up that replenishment hill for a little bit.

Nope.

I vomited immediately when I got back to my room. Unpleasant. Does this mean I can no longer trust the recommendations of cute receptionists? The other guys were totally fine, so I’m going to say no. That would be depressing anyway. Don’t eat anymore pizza in Bali? That’s also quite sad, but probably a reality for the near future.

It was a rough night of various pain and little sleep, but it didn’t manifest into full blown pinwheeling or anything. Phew. It must’ve been my body feeling depleted.

I was far from 100% in the morning so it was difficult to leave paradise. Before the ride to Ubud, Julian and I picked up another traveler in Nanne (27yr old, Finland). It was the making of an inseparable trio for the next two days.

January 28, 2019January 28, 2019

In Summary: Australia

(At least the East Coast)

I remember when I first landed in Melbourne and was shocked by the amount of people and the heat. Turns out it was an abnormally hot day. But still, I encountered people and heat in varying degrees (no pun) on my journey down under.

The cities were big and spread out and had distinct subsections of culture.

I learned what it was like to live either barefoot or in thongs (flip flops). I learned the capital wasn’t Sydney. I learned that there were many breathtaking sunrises and sunsets to be seen.

Initially, I had concerns about all of the dangerous wildlife. Thankfully, I was never stung, bitten or clawed by any of those animals. I never even saw a snake in the wild. Did I? I don’t think so. I did see a few spiders and jellyfish, but nothing that threatened immediate harm.

At first, I had a hard time finding my rhythm. It’s difficult to pinpoint why. It’s not like I had to make a major adjustment or anything. Regardless, I don’t think I really settled in until I was almost a month into my time in Australia. That’s when I understood what was on offer. Traveling up the east coast was mainly about enjoying the beaches and water.

I was adopted into a large friend group of ex-pats in Sydney. They were welcoming and generous and gave me a sense of community. It was a kind of security blanket to fall back on if I ever needed it.

Speaking of people, my two marquee experiences were on tour groups. Actually, the main difference between having an awesome time in Australia vs. New Zealand came down to people. In NZ, I had plenty of fun just walking in nature. In Oz, fast friendships made the biggest impact. An interpersonal connection can easily add more value to an adventure. Since I consider myself a low-key extrovert, bonding with a few different groups of people really elevated whatever I was doing. I was fortunate enough to enjoy this on a few occasions.

There will always be something drawing me back to Australia. Part of it will be to visit the central and western areas of the country. The other part…I’m not exactly sure. To sky dive? Maybe. Either that, the crystal blue water or the gorgeous women.

It’s certainly not Vegemite.

“Awe, yeah?”
“Yeah, right.”

By the Numbers

Days in Australia: 56
Days at Workaways: 16
Nights in Hostels: 31
Multi-day Tours: 2
Hours in Transit (Bus or Train): ~60
AUD Spent: ~$4,342.18
USD Spent: ~$3,192.78 (Avg conversion rate of roughly 1.36)

You can see my full cost breakdown here.

For those interested in visiting one day, here’s a list of where I went and how I ranked stuff:
(click the top left button of the map to expand the list view)

Favorite Places: 1. Fraser Island 2. Melbourne 3. Whitsundays 4. Byron Bay 5. Brisbane	Favorite Beaches:: 1. Whitehaven Beach 2. Lake McKenzie 3. Little Wategos 4. Bondi Beach 5. Balding Bay
Favorite Activities: 1. Pippies Tag Along Tour 2. Mandrake Sailing Trip 3. Snorkeling the GBR 4. Three Sisters Walk 5. Uncle Brian’s Rainforest Tour	Favorite Sunrises/Sunsets: 1. Cape Byron Sunrise 2. Cathedrals Dune Sunset 3. Horseshoe Bay Sunset 4. Sunset Bay Sunset 5. Surfers Paradise Sunrise
Favorite Attractions: 1. Hill Inlet 2. Sydney Opera House/Harbour Bridge 3. Melbourne Walking Tour 4. National Gallery of Victoria 5. Lone Pines Koala Sanctuary 6. Curtain Fig Tree 7. Gallery of Modern Art (Brisbane) 8. Queen Victoria Market 9. Gog & Magog 10. Sydney Fish Market

Lastly, below is my “best of” photo album. Let me know if you want any to frame or put in Nat Geo cuz they’re so sick, etc.

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019

Central Coast & Byron Bay

I arrived in Gosford after an uneventful train ride and met my host, Peter, in the parking lot.

He gave me a lift to his place which was about a 20 minute drive. Insane property and house. Basically a mansion. It was 3 levels and I’m not even sure how many bedrooms. This was the first Workaway I’d done with fellow Workawayers and we all had our own rooms if that says anything.

There was also an indoor and outdoor pool. Huge bonus.

José (18yo Mexican), Leena (20yo German), and Luca (21yo French) had all been there for a few days already and were doing garden work starting at 7am. I, on the other hand, would be working inside helping Peter make some videos for his personal development business. He was looking to gain more of a following on social media as well as drum up interest for his year-long 2019 program.

It was back in saddle for me. Did I remember how to make a video out of nothing? I was working with very little creative direction and assets. That was the norm for the job I left back in the States. It was an experiment to see if I could still apply myself and harness the old creative problem solving skills.

We started by having a conversation about exactly what he was looking for and how he viewed his business. I had to some of his insight in order to utilize it in the vids. Plus I had to bone up on the whole personal development scene. I didn’t know any of the intricacies.

After diving into some YouTube clips and digesting the info session, we began the production phase. He had a daily series of videos called “For Pete’s Sake” where he discussed a particular topic a person could address to make an easy change in their lives. Sometimes he would take on a more controversial subject to get a rise out of people. His stance on the “traditional Christmas” that people celebrate was unique and hilarious. Likely offensive for the average person as well.

We started small by making a simple one and getting the look down. Once that was dialed in we cranked out a few more so the rest of the week was stocked up. Then I began to tackle the promo/teaser for his Odyssey program. That was the big boy because it was supposed to be intriguing, enticing and inspirational. And we had almost no footage of past success stories or anything.

Over the course of the week, I fell into my old pattern of spending way too much time on something to make it perfect. I overworked the hell out of this joint. I completed the requisite amount of Workaway hours in like 2 days. I even edited another video for him on the train after I left. Needless to say, I have a weird relationship with video editing. It’s an awesome exercise in creativity but probably an unhealthy level of commitment.

Outside of all the time I spent staring at my computer and pressing buttons, it was a fun time. Peter and Mel were both interesting people who were very accommodating.

The group went on a field trip out to this park with the promise of being able to see and pet wild kangaroos. When we got there, there was a lady who’d blocked off access because she was their “caretaker” and thought they were being mistreated by the public who was visiting them. The thing was, it was at the entrance of a mental hospital, so we weren’t sure if she was legit or just a random patient. It was a really strange and unlucky situation. We took a brief walk in the bush and ended up seeing a ton hop off from afar. I really wanted to see a buff ass, gym rat ‘roo but I’d have to save that for another day.

That was the most socializing the group did. Dinners were usually pretty quiet and they all went to bed early since they were waking up to work.

Everybody left on the Friday before Christmas. I had a different arrangement since the editing was working out. Peter and Mel were comfortable letting me stay for a party they had planned.

They hosted a few of their friends and kids for a day and night. It ended up getting pretty wild because they were crushing beer and wine like water. There was beer pong (undefeated) with some random streaking, a gift exchange with some scandalous presents and a late night swim and hot tub sitch. All good fun. Super nice of them to let a relative stranger take part in that.

I waited too long to book my transportation to the next place so I ended up staying on Christmas Eve and helping with more videos. They were also totally cool giving me a lift to the train station on Christmas morning.

I spent almost all of Christmas Day in transit. It was a gnarly 10 hour train ride followed by an hour+ bus to Byron Bay.

The only interesting thing about the train ride was that two super drunk dudes rode it for like 4 hours before getting kicked off because they didn’t have tickets. They were hammered at 10am when they boarded too, so it was mildly impressive.

I was told how nice Byron Bay was from a few different travelers. The added bonus was that Stephany and her friends were there too. That was a partially motivating factor to go there in case any holiday loneliness set in.

I woke up at the ass crack on Boxing Day and took a 40 minute walk up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse to see the sunrise. I think it might be the most eastern point in Australia? At least in Byron Bay. It was a pretty solid morning. I also got to video chat with some of the fam as they were opening gifts.

The main draw to Byron Bay is all of the beautiful beaches. I was determined to darken my shade of whiteness so I hit the sand in the afternoon (Main Beach). The trick was to not get burnt. And that was actually quite difficult because the UV index was continually at a high of like 14 – “extreme risk.” I used an extreme amount of sunscreen so I was safe after day one.

On day two, I met up with the crew at a different beach (The Pass) and chilled out. The water was insanely blue and refreshing. Beaches, man. They’re pretty awesome apart from the sand. I’m not the only one that thinks it’s a nuisance, right?

We all got cleaned up at our various places after getting our fill of sun and reconvened at the girls’ AirBnB for dinner. They went HAAM on buying food when they first arrived so it was one of those meals with a collection of miscellaneous sides that was awesome. There was promise of going to a brewery after but everybody bailed from sun fatigue.

I went back to the hostel and met up with one of my roommates. Philip was from Sweden and he was hanging out with a few guys who lived in the Netherlands. We all went out to a bar that had live music for a beer. It turned into several.

We changed venues to a place called Woody’s, a pseudo-club. One of the dudes was the most friendly drunk ever. Pretty sure he introduced himself to everybody in the establishment. Toward the end of the night he was going around and collecting half-empty drinks. Bold move. He has herpes now but he saved a decent amount on alcohol. Worthwhile trade off?

In the morning, I met the group at their spot again. We had a pretty solid breakfast and then went to yet another beach (Little Wategos). It was a somewhat secluded spot that also had a nice shady area for me to take refuge in after I felt the burn coming on. The sun variety, not the herp. I didn’t share any of the foraged drinks.

The Pass Beach
Surfers Going In
Little Wategos

It was everybody’s last night in Byron, so we planned to go to the brewery for real and then go from there. After a sunset beverage, they called an audible. I couldn’t take a two-day brewery tease with no payoff so I split from them and agreed to meet up later. I rendezvoused with Philip and we started walking.

We were almost there when some people heading the opposite direction told us they were at capacity and not letting anybody else in. Dammit.

We ended up going to a converted railway station. It was a super popular spot with a large outdoor area. They also had music on and the band was crushing it. They did pretty exceptional covers of Bohemian Rhapsody and Hey Jude.

Once the band was done, we met everyone at a bar called the Sticky Wicket where there was also live music. It was all relatively well behaved until things moved upstairs to the dance floor. The night seemed to end in a quick blur from there. We closed the place down and I said a brief and segmented goodbye to all of the lovely people I’d hung out with there and in Sydney. Then I went back and got terrible sleep in my sauna of a dorm room.

In the morning. I repacked my bag and hopped on a shuttle bounds for Surfers Paradise. This is where I would spend New Year’s Eve.