I’ve been traveling the world on and off for 10 years, but before I moved to Jakarta I’d never actually lived outside of California before. Clearly living abroad is way different than traveling. Having the chance to live in Jakarta has enabled me to fully immerse myself in the culture and get up close and personal with…
UPDATE (May 7, 2017): I’ve been hearing from some readers that Pasar Santa has all but shut down. Because I no longer live in Jakarta, I’m not exactly sure what the status of Pasar Santa’s businesses is. It looks like some are still open, but it sounds like a lot of them have been forced to…
Before I moved to Jakarta, I was really worried that being a vegetarian in Indonesia was going to be really frustrating. I had already spent two months traveling the length of Java and Bali, subsisting on a steady diet of nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), which got really old, really fast. Back then it appeared that the concept…
When I first found out I’d be moving to Indonesia all I could think about was how much traveling I’d be doing here. I had grand plans to visit as many of Indonesia’s otherworldly destinations as humanly possible. Fast forward nine months and I’ve done a pathetically small amount of traveling within Indonesia. Because I have…
There are many things that keep luring me back to Southeast Asia. The food, the temples and the culture all play significant roles but, for me, the beaches are a huge part of the draw. It’s true that Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s best beaches (and best islands!). But contrary to what…
One of the reasons that backpackers and budget-travelers head to Southeast Asia is because of its affordability and its chaos. Singapore is a definite exception to this rule. I’ve heard so many travelers describe Singapore as expensive and sterile. With a reputation like this it’s no wonder why many long-term travelers (including myself) opt to leave…
I’ve never been an apartment person. I lived in a studio apartment once, during my college days at UC Santa Cruz. The walls were so wafer thin and I remember being able to hear the girl next door binge watching episodes of Sex and the City. I can distinctly remember the theme song penetrating the walls. Ever…
A little over a year ago I was sitting on my bed in a beach bungalow on the island of Gili Trawangan, Indonesia. With my laptop balanced on my legs I started tinkering around on Wordpress.com and began scrawling a list of possible blog names in my notebook. After mulling it over I finally settled on The…
UPDATE: As of June 2015, Indonesia allows 30 countries to enter the country for 30 days for free. That means no more VOA for most countries (sorry all of you Australians, you’re not on the list! To find out more information check out this article. There is still a little bit of confusion about whether…
There is just something about Phnom Penh that I can’t get enough of. When I first traveled to Cambodia eight long years ago, I fell for its capital city hard and fast. I don’t know if it was its picturesque location on the banks of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers or the orange-robed monks that…