11 Things I Love About Bali

Following my rant last time, here are the top 11 reasons why I absolutely love Bali…

1. Everyone is happy – I’m not joking when I say everyone. There are no divisions when it comes to happiness. Poor and rich alike have so much joy in their lives. And it is 100% genuine. Of course, all that happiness could be from the abundance of vitamin D.
2. Everyone does what they love – OK, it may be slightly far reaching to say that everyone does what they love (unless sewage cleaning is your thing) but it certainly is true for many, many of my friends. Whether their love is dancing or jujitsu or traveling or surfing or building houses or eating, they all have no hesitation in doing it. And doing it with gusto, pride and happiness. And doing it 24/7. The vast majority of them do not have a ‘real’ job but instead make money doing what they love. It truly is a fantasy land here. I mean, where else is it possible to corral over a dozen of your friends on a Tuesday afternoon to have a pool day with you?
3. There is an amazing and vibrant culture here – There are very few places in the world where such an exotic culture is still alive and going strong. Temples and historical sites are found all over the island – in fact, you can find a temple on almost every street corner. There are multiple festivals and religious holidays throughout the year. It’s a common occurrence to find the locals adorned in their traditional clothing on the way to a ceremony (there seems to be one every other day!). The moment you step into Bali, you know that you’re in a completely different place and I love that!
4. The food is delicious – The food is delicious. Mouth-watering delicious. Forget everything else delicious. Did I mention that the food is delicious?
5. Things are cheap – Compared to most of the world (and most certainly Vancouver), things in Bali are ridiculously cheap. Meals can be had for 70 cents, data plans for phones is $12/month, rent can be as cheap as $50/month (I’m paying $200/month), 19L jugs of water are $1.20, luggage can be as cheap as $12, massages can be had for $5/hour, and gas is only 45 cents a litre (for premium!). Of course other things are crazy expensive (like alcohol) but cheap outweighs expensive the majority of the time.
6. Breathtaking scenery – lush green rice fields, towering volcanoes, sapphire blue ocean…. It really can’t get better than this.
7. Travel hub – Being in SE Asia means that it is cheap to travel to other SE Asian countries. And any other Asian countries for that matter. And Australia. It’s really cheap to go to Australia. Being a bit of a travel bug, I found this highly convenient and useful. Of course, it’s only useful if you have money to fly out to these places but that’s beside the point.
8. Fun nightlife – I’ve partied in a few different places around the world and I have to say that the nightlife scene here is unlike anything else. First off, you have club row where there are about a dozen clubs/bars that you can hop to from place to place (no cover!). Then you have the slightly more upscale bars and lounges in Seminyak. Then, if you really want to go all out, you can hit up the baller clubs/bars/lounges in Oberoi! And if that isn’t your scene, most restaurants have a live band that will serenade you during dinner. Oftentimes, they’ll even invite audience members on stage to belt out a song or two. The best impromptu performance I ever saw was at this bar, Vi Ai Pi, during happy hour. This Aussie got on stage, grabbed a guitar and starting tearing up Sweet Child of Mine. Truly amazing!
9. The weather – Rain + sunshine + heat > rain + wind + snow + cold + gloominess + slush + hail.
10. No judgement – Believe me when I say that nobody here cares about what you do or what you wear. There is no pretentiousness here and no judgement. Nobody cares if you’re carrying a $5000 bag or a 50 cent bag or whether you’re wearing makeup or going au naturale. No one cares if you’re wearing the latest $300 pairs of jeans or a ratty pair of surf shorts. And absolutely nobody cares who you work for, who you know or even who you are. I’ve met the most grounded and down to earth people only later to find out that they’re movie stars or hotel owners or billionaires. Bali is almost the complete opposite of Vancouver in that way.
11. Absolute freedom – This last point kind of goes hand in hand with the previous one but there is absolute freedom to be yourself here. There is no judgement, there is no pressure, and there are no societal ‘rules’ that you must follow. Do what you want when you want. Be happy and be yourself. It's truly hakuna matata.

It’s so hard to explain why I love Bali that I don’t think I did it justice with this post. It’s only something that you can fully understand once you’ve been here and experienced the culture, the people, the food etc. I’m so happy to be going home but at the same time so sad to leave. I love it here and I can’t wait to come back!

10 Things I Hate About Bali

Only a few days left in Bali! It’s been unreal that this paradise has been my home for the last 6 months. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing though…

Here are the top 10 things I hate about Bali…

1. Traffic – Everyday it feels like I’m in one big game of Mario Kart. You have to constantly be on the lookout for aggressive drivers on bikes/scooters, aggressive drivers in cars who drive like they’re on bikes, potholes the size of manholes and construction/garbage trucks that always spill their cargo on the road. Not to mention the fact that there is no Air Care here which means it’s a regular occurrence to drive through huge black clouds of exhaust fumes. Despite the fact that there are traffic lights here (when you can find them since they are regularly hidden by trees or 15 ft. back from the intersection), most drivers seem to consider them as suggestions and only follow them 50% of the time. Also, forget driving during 8-9am, 3-6pm, and 10-11pm – traffic is at standstill at most major roads (Sunset, Seminyak, Kerobokan, Merthandi, and Bypass).
2. Slow internet connection – If you’re lucky, and I’m talking extremely lucky, you’ll be able to find 1Mbps for internet speed. If you’re unlucky, like 99% of the population, the fastest speed you’ll be able to get is about half that. If you’re a homeowner and would like internet at home, expect to shell out anywhere from $60-$700(!!!!) depending on the speed you want.
3. No hot water – I’ve been living without hot water the entire time I’ve been here and despite Bali being a tropical, humid climate, there are several times when you just want a hot shower! Especially if you just spent 20 mins riding through freezing rain. And yes, I could have spent a couple more hundred bucks a month to have hot water but even that isn’t reliable. If an upscale place like the W Hotel has constant hot water problems, I’m positive a koskosan would have them as well.
4. Lawlessness – Rules are for chumps and poor people. Traffic lights are suggestions. Anything is possible here as long as you pay off the right person.
5. Corrupt officials – Don’t trust any authority figure here as they will try to rip you off. Cops will constantly pull over bules (foreigners) for the slightest infractions and threaten them with a ticket, court date or even jail in order to make some money. Same thing with immigration officials, custom officers and the like. This brings me to my next point…
6. Everyone trying to rip you off – It doesn’t matter if you’re a local or a bule, you will still get ripped off. I’m not even sure family members are immune from this.
7. Bureaucratic BS – If you ever need to get anything official done, like renew your visa or sort out your immigration problems, have fun! Rules are archaic, inefficient and ever-changing. You can follow every process and every step and still something will be wrong with your application.
8. Pollution – There is a complete disregard for the environment here. This paradise island is slowly dying to the amount of waste and pollution. Obnoxious tourists, who would never litter back home, have no problem littering here. Locals will throw their garbage anywhere and everywhere. The garbage will clog the ditches which causes the roads to flood whenever it rains. The garbage also finds its way to the beaches and ocean. There’s next to no recycling and you can forget about Air Care. You can’t completely fault the locals however as environmental care has never been in their culture or upbringing. That’s something that needs to change in their education system.
9. Lack of professional pride – No one cares about their jobs enough to do a good job. Walk into any store and you can find the staff standing around gossiping and chatting. Beyond a quick hello, expect no help until you have to ask for it. Forget special requests, the answer will always be NO – not because they can’t do it but because they don’t want to spend the extra time to make it happen. Countless friends who have staff have mentioned that unless they are there to micromanage every move, nothing will ever get done. The moment they leave the office or their home, the staff will immediately cease working. Also, no one is empowered to make any decisions. They always pass the buck to someone else who passes the buck to someone else and so forth. You could talk to 4 or 5 people before you find someone who has the answer to your problem. If I were to go on a hiring spree here, I would only hire 5 people. That’s the amount of people that have impressed me with their work ethic the entire time I’ve been here.
10. Lack of sanitation/hygiene – B.O is not a good smell. Ever. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you washed your hands before you prepare my food. Thanks.

And lest you think that I completely hate this place (which is the furthest from the truth), stay tuned for my next post about the top 11 things I love about Bali. And yes, it’s 11 because the positives always have to outweigh the negatives.

Home, Twitter, Canucks

A few things...

1. I'll be home May 4th! Leaving the beautiful island of Bali on the 30th and visiting Hong Kong for a few days. Will be nice to see my family and eat yummy (!) Chinese food. Including the best*** xio long bao I have ever had in my life. I'm sad to leave the life that I built here but I excited to be home and see my family, friends and Halo.
2. I'm looking for a job so if you know of any openings, please let me know!
3. I finally joined twitter. You can follow me @itspchan
4. My beloved Canucks are awesome! Go Canucks Go!!!

Hello from KL!

(Most of this post was written when I was in KL.)

Despite being accustomed to the slow and lazy island life of Bali, I am enjoying the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur a lot. It’s fantastic being in a big city where there are hundreds of food options. I feel like a recovering addict suddenly thrust in the drug of my choice – food. My belly will definitely agree with me when I say that I am overdosing on eating. I’ve eaten a lot of Chinese food, Indian food and fast food. In fact, the McDonalds food here is pretty bang on – a hundred times better than Bali. I’ve also fallen in love with a coffee chain called Old Town. Mmmm, the steamed bread with chicken curry is to die for (picture below).

Claypot chicken with Chinese sausages -from a cart on the side of a street in Chinatown

For you Ros...

Roti Canai w/ 3 different curries - Heritage Row

@ KLCC

Teh tarik - Jl. Alor

Curry chicken w/ steamed break - Old Town @ Pavilion

Lamb rack - Shook @ Star Hill

Besides the food, KL also offers a lot of malls – no surprise there. However, it’s different from Jakarta (read my review on Jakarta here). The malls are definitely nicer (more attention to detail) and it seems there’s a larger concentration of them within the downtown core – all within walking distance. That brings me to my next point: transportation. KL is a city set up multiple forms of transport. Besides driving, you can take the extensive train system (composing of 4 or 5 different lines), walk, bus or taxi. I’ve forgotten how nice it is to walk around a city since I’ve spent the last 4 months on a bike.

Medan Tuanku monorail station

Star Hill Mall - amazing!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in KL. I found the food choice excellent, the city planning efficient and the people incredibly friendly and intelligent. I’ll definitely be back.

Petaling Street - Chinatown

Petronas Towers at night

Hindu Temple - Chinatown

These things are amazing. They flip you on your back and have over 30 different kinds of massages. 70% off - only $3000 CAD

View from the Skybridge (66th floor) of the Petronas Towers. The 86th floor view is even crazier

Batu Caves

It's 272 steps up to the top (where the caves are). Even this guy is tired

Skybar - Trader's Hotel

KL Skyline - slightly touched up in Lightroom

No Nyepi...

This Saturday (March 5th) marks the Balinese New Years also known as Nyepi. There are several parts and rituals to the celebration including:

Melasti: This happens a few days before Nyepi and involves the purification of all sacred objects. Taken from all the temples, the objects are then purified in the sea.

Bhuta Yajna: In order to appease the evil spirits, the Balinese make ogoh-ogoh (paper statutes made from bamboo and shaped in grotesque forms). Then, on the day before Nyepi, many of the major streets are shut down for the ogoh-ogoh parade. The young village men will parade these statutes around all day until they are burnt at night. This symbolizes the death of all evil spirits.

Nyepi: This is also known as the "Day of Silence" because the ENTIRE island shuts down for 24 hours (6am-6am). That means absolutely no one is allowed to leave their homes (hotels if you're a tourist) or make any noise. No electricity should be used either - that means no a/c, no lights, no TV etc. If you must switch a light on, it cannot be seen from outside or else the Pecalang (the traditional security force) will come by and demand you turn it off. If they find you outside of your home, they will physically escort you home. The airport is even shut down for the day and all Indonesian television stations are asked not to air anything in Bali.

The reasoning behind this is because the Balinese people do not want to attract the attention of any evil spirits that may be flying over the island. If the entire island is 'dead', the evil spirits will fly away because they'll think no one lives there.

I'm actually quite sad that I'm missing out - I would have loved to see the ogoh-ogoh parade and the chaos that it creates. Apparently in years past, they've made the ogoh-ogoh look like George Bush, Osama bin Laden and even Godzilla!

It would have also been very interesting to experience a quiet Bali - no cars honking, no scooters whizzing by, no one screaming at each other...

But, because of a few different reasons, I flew to Kuala Lumpur 2 days ago and won't be back in Bali until the 8th - well after the island is back to normal. More on my thoughts of KL next...

(Click here to read more on Nyepi)

Craving home

It's been 3 months since I left home and I can genuinely say that I am sick and bored of all the food in Bali. Because I don't have a kitchen (or fridge), every single one of my meals are eaten out. You quickly figure out what places are good and what places you'll never go back. The problem is that you continually frequent these places until you're bored! Then, the challenge is to try and found another place to eat at.

Coming from a foodie mecca, the culinary scene in Bali is depressing. I don't care what anybody says, Vancouver has the best food in the world - at the best prices - hands down. Despite the abundance of '5 star chefs' at various restaurants around Bali, I'd still choose Van's scene any day. Plus, I'm 90% positive that the food in Van hasn't been cleaned/cooked in ditch water...

I've developed an intense craving for lots of food dishes back home. This is just a small selection...

And yeah, I'm well aware that the Tuna Poke doesn't exist anymore but a gal can still crave for it right?

Byebye Dengue

Update: So, I was admitted into the hospital last Tuesday night and ended up spending 3 nights there. If you ever need any sort of medical attention in Bali, check out BIMC Hospital! Everybody speaks English and they take amazing care of you. My little plug aside, those 3 days were absolutely excruciatingly boring! Watching TV day and night, getting poked and prodded for countless blood tests and eating bland hospital food is not very fun at all. Although I suppose if you were to do any of those things, you should do it at BIMC but that's besides the point. The point is, don't get sick, and definitely don't get dengue fever. And, check out Groomer Has It - it's hilarious!

Christmas in Bali

This is my first Christmas away from my family and I have to tell you it's tough! I've never felt more homesick than right now. Christmas in paradise isn't the same. For one thing, the majority of the island is Hindu-based so any signs of Christmas is purely commercial, catering to all the ex-pats. I wish I was home, opening presents with my family and Halo around our beautiful tree but there's no sense in crying over something that can't be changed right?

Anyways, the other day I attended a Christmas pageant at one of the local churches. It was definitely very different but I loved the enthusiasm and Christmas spirit that was present. The night consisted of 2 different Balienese cultural dances (one danced by 3 cute boys), a hip-hop dance, a dance by a bunch of little girls, a couple of choirs and a troupe of men dressed in funny wigs.

Check out a few pictures and short videos below.

Update: So I hope your Christmas was better than mine! I spent the majority of Christmas day curled up in bed with a fever, sweat chills and intense joint pain. I missed Christmas dinner but managed to stumble out of bed late at night to go to an internet cafe to skype my family (they were opening presents). It's now day 3 and I still have intense joint pains, a fever, sweat chills, headaches, nausea, no appetite and earaches. I went to the hospital yesterday to get my blood tested for dengue fever. The test came back inconclusive so I have to go again tomorrow to get it tested again. Sucks to be me right now :(

Busy lil bee

Wow, I am (surprisingly) finding myself extremely busy at the moment! I'm juggling 2 p/t online based projects plus trying to learn Indonesian plus trying to keep fit by taking 2 different dance classes....

Ok, so I'm not really that busy but I certainly feel like I'm constantly working or running around...

What happened to freedom 24??

Update..

I know it's been a while since my last post but I'm finding it hard to find inspiration to write. It's so different this time around. I'm no longer on vacation but living my life day-to-day... and my life is frankly quite boring! Nothing is new and exciting anymore. I've barely taken any pics - that's how uninspired I am right now.

One new thing that has happened recently is that I've landed a part-time job writing biographies of celebrities for an English school here. The pay is below average in Canadian standards but is on par with some manager positions here in Bali. Take a look at some of the articles I've written: Click here. Super easy ya.

Until next time..

Learn to fly

Today marks 3 weeks that I've been back in Bali and I think I've finally settled into a daily rhythm or routine. It feels good to have a sense of order and structure back in place - loose as it may be. Truth be told, even though having absolutely nothing to do feels great, it only feels great for so long. As such, I've decided to put pen to paper and write down a few priorities that have been floating around my head for the last while. This way, you'll be able to hold me accountable :)

• Finish my teaching course
• Spend at least 15 minutes a day learning/reviewing Bahasa
• Polish resume/CV
• Work on devising a method of income (e-lance, P/T jobs etc)
• Drink more water

Out of all these, earning a source of income is definitely the most stress inducing (no surprise there - spending $$ without any coming in isn't very fun). I'm not sure what the best course of action is yet but I'm definitely going to keep my eyes and ears open in case an opportunity arises. Who knows, my dream job may pop out of thin air and give me a job on the spot. All I know is that I have to be ready to dive in, holding nothing back. Sort of like jumping off a cliff without a parachute...

Beautiful Bali

It's funny being back in a place that you thought you knew pretty well only to realize that you either a) forgot everything or b) didn't actually know anything at all! I'm finding myself in that situation a lot lately - especially with regards to streets and getting around town. Things either look completely unfamiliar to me or I have my directions completely backwards! Hopefully a few more days riding the streets (yes, no accidents so far!) will allow me to get my bearings all sorted out.

I love being back in beautiful Bali (30+ temperatures and all) but I already miss a few things back home - like Vancouver water! Also, one thing that I've noticed is how startlingly quiet it is compared to a few months ago - a lot less tourists on the street which isn't a bad thing at all.

I haven't taken out my camera yet so I don't have anything to show for the last couple of days. We're going to check out Sanur this weekend so hopefully I'll be able to share some pics then. Oh, I also have internet set up on my phone so feel free to send me an email - I love receiving them :)

One week

In less than 7 days, I'll be on a plane back to beautiful Bali for an indeterminate amount of time. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Yes. Am I happy? Yes. Am I sad to miss Christmas? Hell yes.

I'm not worried though - Bali charmed me the first time around, I have no doubt that I'll fall under its spell again...

Oh, and if you have any suggestions on bringing Christmas cheer to paradise, I'm all ears :)

Jakarta adventure...

On Wednesday, we left beautiful Bali and headed to Jakarta for a few days. Ever since I started planning my Bali adventure, I've wanted to go to Jakarta to explore the city so I was pretty excited to be able to fit in a trip before I went home. My thoughts? Read on..

We landed Wednesday night and met up with Rollan's dad for Kwetiaw Sapi - a beef noodle dish that is covered in a glue-like gravy. It tasted alright but all I could think of was that I was eating something that's similar to the goo that covers an alien as it bursts out of a human stomach. Ugh.

I quickly learned that Jakarta is quite known for a handful of things - malls and traffic jams being a couple of them. There are approximately 100+ malls in Jkt - everything from your super high-end shopping cities (literally) to your rinky-dinky Chinatown building. On our first day (Thurs), we hit up 2 of the larger malls - Grand Indonesia and Plaza Indonesia. Geeeze, the level of luxury in these places is ridiculous - more suited to a high end hotel than a shopping center! Over the remainder of the trip, we probably visited another 4 malls? Sigh - no more malls! And, no more traffic! I thought traffic in Bali was bad - boy was I wrong. One day, we sat in traffic for more than 4 hours!!! And that's normal! Yikes, thanks but no thanks.

@ GI

3 lane bumper to bumper traffic. Nbd

One of the more popular food dishes in Jkt is bakmi - a thick, ropey like noodle that is tossed in a secret (delicious) oil sauce and served with a side of clear broth. It was very good but we pretty much ate only that our entire trip - it's good, but not that good. And it wasn't just one place that we kept coming back to either. We ate it in a variety of places - from your chain restaurant, to a stall on the side of a street next to a sewage ditch to a tiny warung with cockroaches running around on the tables. I think I'm noodled out.


Rol, his dad and I headed out to Taman Mini one day. Taman Mini is basically an amusement park of sorts that features the architecture and culture of all the different provinces in Indonesia. And it wasn't just each province that had it's own little plot of land - the different regions within the provinces were able to showcase their culture as well. I'm glad I was able to experience a tiny snapshot of all the different place Indonesia has to offer - must come back and explore some of these cultures more fully!

@ West Sumatra (Sumatera)

Cool ladder @ East Kalimantan

Most of the buildings are built on stilts so the tigers couldn't eat the people (or so I was told)

@ South Sulawesi

@ Yogyakarta

One day Rol and I ventured out on our own. Our mission? Ride the public buses to Glodok (basically Chinatown of Jkt) and back. While we didn't ride the super sketchy metro-minis (broken down mini-vans), we did ride the main bus (that had AC thankfully). It cost 3500rp for a one way trip. All in all, the bus ride wasn't that bad. I had heard bad things about pickpockets and such but I'm happy to report that all our belongings remained intact. It's kinda cool but the main buses have a dedicated bus lane in the majority of streets - really increases the attractiveness of taking public transport as it's reliable and quick - no sitting in traffic for these buses! My only real complaint was that a lot of people on the bus decided that wearing deodorant was faux pas. Ugh, it was super smelly in there. Natural BO plus the humidity of Jkt equals a really pungent ride!

@ the bus station

Packed like sardines - smelled like sardines too

Sketchy metro-mini

One of the queues to get on the bus

Exploring a mall @ Glodok - very similar to HK

@ Cafe Batavia in Fatahillah Square - very cool decor. 17 500rp for an ice-tea though!

Checking out the wildlife @ Fatahillah Square

Another thing that Jkt is known for is its party scene. Lots of clubs, bars, and karoke lounges to satisfy any appetite (and if you're looking for a more seedy scene, lots of brothels too!). On Friday night, we met up with Rol's 2 friends Art and his cousin Kama and his gf Rica. I actually met Art back during the Olympics so it was nice to see a familiar face. We headed to Blowfish where a friend of Kama's was celebrating her birthday. Oh yeah, this friend? Her family owns Ayana Resort (where Rock Bar is). Freaking redic. All in all, I had an amazing time at Blowfish - it was so much fun!! The music was the best I've heard in a very long time. Mostly hip-hop with a little old-school and top 40 thrown in. I felt like I was in one of my favorite dance movies. Although the crowd was a little wack (very cliquey and snobby) I did manage to meet a UBC student who was trying to get into commerce - random! On Saturday night, we went to Alexis (jealous Ros?) with Art and Kama. The scene is very different from anything I've ever partied in. The music wasn't that great and the crowd was uh, interesting but I still had fun. And I'm glad I finally got to experience the 'wonders' of Alexis - although I'm pretty sure I'm of the wrong gender to fully enjoy them. From Alexis, Rol and I headed to Millennium - a pitch black, seedy club that was blaring tribal music. Needless to say, we headed home pretty quickly after that!

One of the bars @ Blowfish

A bottle of JW and a few drinks later... Rol, Art and I

Getting ready for a night of shenanigans

Outside Alexis

Rol's dad dropped us off at the airport Sunday night (after a day of hanging out with him in malls - what else?). Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:20pm but we were still sitting at the gate by 9pm. We finally boarded and everything was pretty smooth until we tried to land in Bali. We were going in for the landing when we hit the ground hard(!) and suddenly started ascending again. The weather conditions (lighting and thunderstorm) were making it unsafe for us to land! Despite that, our captain tried to land again. This time, we didn't even make it to the ground before we pulled back up. All the ups and downs were reeking havoc on my poor stomach - glad I didn't chunder all over Rol! We finally headed to Surabaya - a city in Java about a 30min flight from Bali to wait out the storm. Hours later, we all filed back in the plane and this time landed successfully in Bali - at 4am. Our original arrival time? 10:02pm. The price you pay to be back in paradise...

The ill-fated flight

While I'm glad that I got to have a Jkt adventure, I'm ecstatic to be back in Bali. It just felt like home coming back here. This place has a very special place in my heart!