Taking a rest between sets!

While I'm back home for a bit I thought I'd entertain you with thenobullshitguidetoworldtravel. Think of it as daily inspiration/motivation/tips from difference people and perspectives, to get you out there and exploring the world! Hope you like it!

Lombok and Gili

Made it to the Gillies! Gili Air is closest to Lombok(Bali's sister island) So you get a front row seat when the fireworks start. The island is predominantly Muslim unlike the Hindu people of Bali next door. Both islands are amazing but Lombok feels completely untouched by tourism. Once we got away from the gillies we barely saw a foreigner on the streets and only running into them at small hot spots on the island. Go before its too late...or better yet, buy a small plot of land for a fraction of Bali prices(International airport opening in 1 year!)

We've spent the last month touring around with the help of a Honda Vario(yes its a dinky motorbike...the french prefer moped) but with top speed of 140Kh it was a great way to see the island.
Getting ready for some waterfalls.

Still get a laugh from the odd signage.

No motorbikes on the smaller islands so its all horse and buggy.

By far the best Kopi Lombok(Indo Coffee) I've ever had. They grind the beans down to a powder and toss it in hot water. Remember to slow down at the bottom of the cup or you'll get a mouthful of grinds.

You gain a year for every time you swim around/behind the fall...I didn't make it...wusss

pedestrian bridge Engineering award goes to...

Another one.

Can't get enough!
trek time.

Ballin in this ridiculous bungalow/house..now too cool for school :)

Photo cred RR Davis.

Dear diary...

Its been swell! This may be the last post for a while as the trip is getting wrapped up fairly soon. Maybe one or two more countries left...

Sumatra, Bali, Surfing, Monkeys, Motorbikes, Hospital

Just outside of Ubud! These pictures make me want to break my camera! Doesn't do the green justice!

Local Bali New years. Everybody(including tourists) must stay indoors for 24hours and not speak on the first day of Nyepi as the demons come out for 24 hours!

Touring around Bali in motobiiiike!

Safety first.

Getting ready for the festival.

Everyone's excited.

Helmet day! I'm going for the 1950's greaser/Surfer look.

Temples in Ubud town. I'd love a front porch like this!

Never seen rice grow so high.

The entire region just seems so fertile. Its green everywhere you look here!

One of the small bungalows we were looking at staying. 10 bucks each.... too pricey

Chillin in Kuta. I'm meditating before my first surfing lesson.

Ok. Here goes...

Wrong surface and still having trouble 'popping up'

Ready to get radical bro!

So this little story starts about one week before all that surf and fun in the sun.

As soon as we woke up from our first night in the jungle town of Bukit Lawang in Sumatra, Randelle starting felling ill. I took it upon myself to see if there was a pharmacy in town and maybe a few pills would do the trick. I soon found out there was no doctor/pharmacy/hospital in this village. Internet was down, power was down, it was Friday(Day of rest in Islam). So I came back to the small hut. By this time randy was already unable to get out of bed and was in severe pain.

I took her purse, my cash and forced her out of bed to the next town(a villager had mentioned a clinic might be open today). Upon arrival I walked into what seemed like an outdoor variety store next to a greasy motorcycle repair shop. The two teen aged girls were obviously manning the station for Dr. mom or dad I thought. They gave Randelle a Indo-English dictionary and told her to find the words and point to where it hurt. After 10 minutes, no adult and the pain getting worse I said "screw this lets go to the next town". 20km later we arrived in a ghost town clinic in Bohorok with one local doctor. With needles being brandished and mystery pills being forced, Randelle was by this point unable to make a rational decision. Medan was only 3-4 hours away I thought. However, this city has a reputation for being on travelers minds when asked: "Whats the worst place you've ever been to?" Having already seen it and placed it placed it at number two behind Bangalore India...yuk, I told myself that this is the end of the line, there must be an international hospital in Medan! The driver kept saying "Grrrenegliss Grrrenegliss!" so I said "Lets do it!". After negotiating (yelling) the price down to a less extortionate rate, we drove on the wrong side of the street almost the entire way(a couple of clipped side mirrors on the way) before finally arriving in record time to Gleneagles International...fewww. Randy was promptly looked after by half a dozen nurses(at the same time) and hooked up to the juice/IV. Turns out she had a bad infection in her stomach that spread. So we spent 3 days recovering

After the happy endings all round(I bought myself a PSP to dull the boredom) I will say this:

If you are alone in a 3rd world country and far from medical attention every second counts. If you feel ill, an unneeded $200 dollar hospital bill far outways being stuck in the jungle without proper medical treatment. Plus you might not be able to make the right decisions when your body or mind start to fail you. So, point is I guess, if your feeling like it might be worse than a case of"Delhi Belly", Leave all your big bags behind and make that trek back to 'civiliziation' asap...even if all your gear gets lost or stolen...its just stuff :)

Randelle is 1 day out of the hospital and already hunting for rabies!

Sumatra has been amazing. Most people come here to surf, dive or check out the orangutans but then quickly leave when their 7 day tour is up. Spend more than one day in town and the locals will ask you" What are you still doing here?" Once they've exhausted their one liners"Are you trekking today" and recognize you for being more than a walking wallet the mask will drop. They''ll at once want to get to know you, hang out and show you their jamming skills(Seems every single Indonesian knows how to play guitar, and quite well too...I've already gone through 3 broken strings in 3 weeks). They are mostly Muslim here, yet the religion is more moderate(except for the north in Banda Aceh) A couple cold Bintang Beers and some gin and juice definitely helps them get though a passionate "Hotel California" song. But time of rest and call to prayer still apply.

In Pulau Weh.

Diving.

Mina the Orangutan! Most of them are docile but Mina badly ingures a local jungle guide every year. I got a few blurry snaps in before she started towards us....eeeee....oh yeah and she's a new mum so run!

Some poor guy left his bag on the ground to take a picture. Mina grabs it and proceeds to empty the entire contents in search for food!

Local breakfast with Sumatra coffee.

More Bukit!
I can't help it. I always make the pilgrimage to the Petronas towers when I'm in K.L. Its like the coliseum when in Rome....O.K. not really.

Chicken Project Finished!!

Thanks again to everyone who donated/bought a bracelet. I finally received the pictures from the Gathiga Children's Hope Home (GCHH) in Gathiga, Kenya. The building looks solid enough to hold these chickens in. The eggs should provide more nutrition for the kids. Thanks again to Shana Stine and friends from Jump for Joel for providing the finishing funds and actually doing all the hard work. Couldn't have done this without you!

Already looks crazy in there.
And it makes a nice refuge from the sun!
Cluck!
Great Work! Thanks again everyone!!

Rainbow Serpent

This will be my last aus post. I'm off to Sumatra in a few weeks. But I thought I'd leave y'all with pics (lots of them as I'll be uploading fewer in less developed countries) of the 4 day Rainbow Serpent Festival out in western Victoria. One of the best ones yet! We were joined by Jess and Steve, who flew in from Sydney to party it up in Melbourne and do the fest.

I've also ditched the massive Gregory 65 Litre backpack for a 25L Macpac(essentially a day bag you take to the beach). I'm trowing out 70% of everything I thought I needed. Its a little extreme, I know, but when you have less space you tend to manage it a whole lot better. I'm a little concerned though since my jeans and jumper already fill it up half-way. I'll let you know how that goes.

Hitting up our fav places one last time. Great game. Till we meet again! ...The girls were bored senseless.
Nice touch. Giving it that homey look.
We've got the huge Victoria market right behind our place and on Wednesdays they put on a night market complete with yellow tail wine stations...as you can see, we brought our own vintage.
Always smiling when your surrounded by jewelery slash clothing stalls.
Awwwwww....where's my hug? Is it the board shorts, Bangkok flipflops, the gino sunglasses or the baby blue tee that repels people
Tried to do the same with Randy but she refused....c'mon we're on sand!
The Great Ocean Road was built after the Great War using picks, shovels and horse drawn carts. It opened up and linked all the small, previously isolated, coastal towns like Lorne.
The water changes colour down here. Its got this tropical feel to it. Crazy because we're just a couple hours from Melbourne.

Car stretchThe opening ceremonies.
Enter Rainbow Serpent.

tunes.Balloon girl.
Staying hydrated.
Chilling at 'holy cow', a place that serves authentic Indian chai.
hippies...
Old propane tanks turned into xylophones.
There were all sorts of installations at the grounds. This one had tons of juggling gear with a guy going around helping everybody learn new tricks.
Free massage tents.
A good omen if I ever saw one!
Starring at the rainbow.

Still trying to get into art school.

Tree huggers.
Face painting freelance.
Sweet getup.
Fest transport.
No time wasted.
What festy wouldn't be complete without the Lego guy.
Just a couple of guys n gals havin fun with water colours!
Blue cloud of love and peace rising above the twisted mess of fear and confusion....or just a shutter malfunction...you decide.
These folks thought it was a home decorating show...I still like it! Love the plants. It rained so at least they got watered.
Sitting, playing.

Getting mighty.
Pure unadulterated joy! Whats in the juice box ladies? huh?

tough life...
Chewing on a guarana lollipop for added energy next set.

Sunset posers.

Overlooking the property.
First fest I've been to where they let you wander off and explore the surroundings.

Yes that's electro playing in the background.

Temps ranged from 28-6C so when the fire truck comes around, you take it.

Hammock city.

Its been real swell but the sun has to set so goodbye Rainbow. Till next time. Got a fresh passport with 48 brand-spanking new pages. Off to get a 60 day visa at the Indonesian embassy.

See you soon!