This Expat Life (Month 55): Lombok, Bali & Saigon
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts July, Sept/Oct/Nov and Dec/Jan.
Wow, look at this. I’m actually writing a timely(-ish) monthly roundup post. I haven’t done that in, like, five months so this is quite the accomplishment.
I often say that my life in Ho Chi Minh City just isn’t all that exciting. Sometimes I don’t feel like I have all that much to say but, man, the month of February was definitely an action-packed one.
So what did I get up to in February? Let’s get to it:
Being grateful to have the opportunity to work remotely
Despite what most people think, working remotely is not always as fun as it looks. That being said, having the ability to work from anywhere is a complete and total gift.
Because Aaron had a three-week vacation starting at the end of January, we decided to head back to our favorite country in the world: Indonesia. If it weren’t for the fact that I work remotely, I would have never been able to go with him. Our first stop was Lombok.
Just like here in HCMC, big chunks of most days were spent hunched over a laptop on the bed of a hotel room (glamorous, right?). But once my work was done I was able to spend the afternoons motorbiking through the Lombok countryside, sipping coconuts on the beach and frolicking in the water of the island’s seriously pretty beaches.
Visiting Lombok post-earthquake
For those who aren’t up on their Indonesian news, Lombok suffered a series of devastating earthquakes last summer. The tremors started about a week after my first visit to the island and the news was just heartbreaking. Hundreds lost their lives, thousands lost their homes and countless structures were damaged.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect while traveling to Lombok after the earthquakes but I was happy to see that things appeared to be business as usual in Southern Lombok (and by that I mean the Kuta area).
While driving up the west coast of the island, however, many buildings either had massive cracks, had partially collapsed, or at worst were completely destroyed. I can only imagine that those living in the north of the island, where the largest earthquakes hit, are still very much struggling.
I just want to note that Lombok is 100% safe to visit and people should not be deterred from traveling there. It’s just as lovely as ever and people need your business!
Located off the coast of western Lombok, the Gili Islands were also rattled by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Lombok. A tsunami alert was issued (thankfully one did not come), tourists were stranded on the islands and the damage was significant.
The good news is that the Gili Islands have been up and running for months now, but there is still a lot of damage. Again, don’t let that stop you from going. Although seeing the damage made me sad, I absolutely loved being back on my beloved Gili Trawangan and was happy to spend my tourist dollars there.
Taking a real vacation from work on Gili T
Just like every year, I got a full week off of work for Lunar New Year. Aaron and I went into full vacation mode and spent that week being really lazy on the tiny island of Gili Trawangan.
Luckily, we scored on a really nice hotel, so we spent our days sleeping in, floating in the ocean, reading on the beach and ordering in and watching movies most nights. I know. I know. It doesn’t sound all that adventurous, but given how hard Aaron has been working lately and given the fact that I haven’t had a proper vacation in what feels like forever, I feel like we earned the right to be lazy.
Scoring on hotel rooms
I’m a huge fan of traveling in Southeast Asia during the low season. Sure it might rain a little more often but there are way fewer tourists and more often than not hotels are much cheaper. We stayed in some great places in Lombok. We splurged a bit on our first place in Kuta but $50 was a steal for the place we stayed in, which ended up being more of a boutique resort than a normal hotel.
The room was one of the nicest I’ve stayed in in a long time. The outdoor bathroom made it feel like I was showering in the jungle (yes, there were tropical plants and trees in the bathroom). The grounds were insane, think lovely pool complete with poolside beds to lounge on. It was honestly the best place ever to stay at and work from.
We decided to go a bit more budget on Gili Trawangan and booked a week at a place called Cinta Cottages for $22 a night. When we got there the receptionist said that we’d been upgraded to the private villa complete with a private courtyard and plunge pool. The room was stunning, we had a gorgeous (and free!) breakfast delivered to our courtyard every morning, we dipped in our pool every afternoon. It was just such a nice place to unwind. But the best part is the place came with the two cutest kitties in the world who stopped by every morning and evening to cuddle with us.
Going back to Bali (my second home)
It’s no secret Bali (specifically Canggu) is like my second home. I usually stay in Canggu and work remotely from there for months at a time, so it felt very strange to only have one fleeting week there.
When I wasn’t working, I marveled at the impossibly green rice paddies, ate all the healthy (and not-so-healthy) vegetarian eats and had nightly sunset beers at the beach. I just love being there.
Scoping out street art in Canggu
One of my many favorite things about Canggu is that it has a really amazing street art scene. Aaron and I drove around and found a few new pieces and a few old ones. But this time around we also made a point to visit the store of one of our favorite Balinese street artists, Slinat.
He’s the nicest person ever. We spent a good hour talking about everything from family to music to his artistic process. He even showed us his workspace which was filled with quirky paintings on the walls and some truly amazing large-scale pieces that he shows in galleries. I wanted to take everything home but we bought a few things for our new apartment in Saigon.
Leaving Indonesia and going back to HCMC
My three weeks in Indonesia came and went — and they went far too quickly. I’m now back ‘home’ in Ho Chi Minh City, but the odd thing is I came home to a whole new apartment in an entirely new (and very different) neighborhood. Let’s just say, living in the suburbs is the complete opposite of living in downtown Saigon.
I now live in District 7, specifically Phu My Hung. It’s an area that’s popular among expats, professionals and English teachers. Honestly, it doesn’t really feel like I live in Vietnam anymore. None of the things I love about downtown — the chaos, the street food, the hems (alleyways) — exist in Phu My Hung.
But there are a few perks of living out here. I’m cooking a bit more (still need to work on that), I’m eating all the burritos (we have a good So-Cal style burrito place across the street and if you know my obsession with Mexican food this is a big deal), I’m going out with Aaron’s co-workers more (it’s great not to be so far away and to finally be able to hang out with these people!) and I’m exercising again (there’s no traffic in my neighborhood and I can actually jog outside).
It’s an adjustment but so far so good!
My new apartment
I was super excited about our new apartment. Most apartments in Phu My Hung are in massive complexes and completely lack character. So when we found our two-story, loft-style apartment it just felt right.
We have a balcony, it’s way quieter than our last apartment and the view ain’t too shabby. But of course, it comes with its quirks. The lack of airflow means it gets really hot and the second story is like a sauna unless you’re pumping the AC. We rarely go up there unless we’re getting something out of storage or hanging our laundry to dry. (The laundry dries super fast up there!)
And then there’s the case of the glass bathroom door that is located right next to our living room couch. What’s with the using glass doors on bathrooms in Asia? It’s frosted so it’s not like you can see in but it’s a bit awkward.
All things considered, I’m quickly settling in here and enjoying our new neighborhood more than I thought I would.
Planning for my family’s visit
A large chunk of my time last month was spent planning for my mom and sister’s big trip to Vietnam at the end of March. I’m so used to trip planning with Aaron or flying solo but I’m not really used to mapping out complete itineraries for other people. It’s a lot of pressure! It’s not because I don’t love planning trips for people, it’s because I’m just so concerned about them having a good time.
I know Vietnam (and HCMC specifically) can be a daunting place, especially if you’ve never been to Southeast Asia. I just want them to love this country as much as I do and really have the chance to have a relaxing, memorable and fun vacation. I’m just really happy that I’ll be seeing my family in just three short weeks. That’s crazy!
Travel
So clearly I’m going to be doing some Vietnam travel soon. My family arrives at the end of March and we’ll be exploring HCMC, Hoi An, Hanoi and Halong Bay. I’ve been to all these places before but that was way back in 2006. I’m very excited to finally be doing some Vietnam travel and to explore these places with my family. I can’t wait!
This is the first vacation where I didn’t whip out my DSLR at all. That’s kind of sad, but I’ve also been to these places so many times before that I’ve taken so many photos. Even still, I posted a few photos from my big Indonesia trip:
Loved this post! Such a nice vacation you described and photo logged! You found some great places to stay! So pretty! And visiting kitties to boot! Nice! I’m sure your mom and sister with have a great time in Vietnam with you! Relax and Enjoy it!
I can’t believe my mom and sis have already come and gone. We had an incredible time! Someday I hope we can all travel as one big family. That would be so fun!