nomad4ever

In general, Bali is a beautiful place on our planet, where you can survive pretty well on a very small budget. The Cost of Living here is dramatically lower than in the US, old Europe, Australia or even some other parts in Asia.

I was asked many times by readers how much I spend here and what the Costs for my daily expenses are. There isn’t a general answer to these questions – after all it depends a lot on your personal preferences and demands.

Show me the money:

written by Chris

Malaysia is a great country! Unspoiled beaches, excellent diving spots, mountains surrounded by misty fog, exotic fauna and flora and a healthy, vast rain forest are attracting plenty of visitors. Islands like Pulau Langkawi, Tioman, Penang, the Perhentians or locations like Genting Highlands have a legendary reputation with travelers.

The country embraced tourism already many years ago and the slogan “Malaysia – truly Asia” will ring in your ears forever; once you saw the mesmerizing advertising campaigns on CNN, BBC or other global TV stations.

However, Malaysia’s politics were never that idyllic and recent years were no exception:

written by Chris

I wrote last year about the colorful creations called Ogoh-Ogoh, which are paraded just before the begin of the Hindu New Year in Bali. This year was even more crazy. I’ve never seen so many quality monsters in one place.

The rainy season is almost over and for the Hindus, the New Year is about to start. A whole week of processions, ceremonies, celebrations, fireworks and parties.

What’s an Ogoh-Ogoh?

written by Chris

Wanted to share with you quickly some interesting web sites I found recently:

“The Secret History of the Credit Card” is an outstanding documentary and interesting piece of investigative journalism. The critically acclaimed and award-winning show is now available online as a 5-part Video Streaming Series. It’s an in-depth look into a secretive yet very successful industry. You can learn how your Credit Score is calculated, what methods Visa, Master, American Express and others use to keep you spending and how they earn big bucks from you paying only the minimum charge or nothing at all.

written by Chris

It’s currently rainy season in Bali. That doesn’t mean that you have rain all day. It’s still mostly sunny all-day-around, warm temperatures and a mild breeze with clouds building up during the day.

You may experience some showers in the afternoon, but the main load from the clouds comes down only at night. That’s good for holiday makers and locals alike, as the crops on the paddies are seeing some water, but it doesn’t affect your holiday that much.

Unfortunately the wet season comes with some other disadvantages for beach combers who lounge around the main beaches at the west coast:

written by Chris

South East Asia is a vast region with gorgeous landscapes and everlasting impressions. Wandering her many cities and countries – looking for adventure, pleasure, luck, love, business or plain relaxation – you can see travelers from all over the world flocking to our favorite region.

Of course, somehow we all have our favorite countries here to travel to over and over again. The usual suspects come to mind: Thailand, Malaysia even China.

But how about the smaller or not-so-known ones?

Today is the day of truth. What is your favorite country in South East Asia?

written by Chris

Jakarta – the capital of Indonesia – is a huge bustling Moloch of 23 million people, almost as many cars, motorbikes, exotic smells, street dogs and clouds of pollution. Currently you can add flooded streets and houses, which increase the usual chaos even more. Still it’s an amazing city, a mix of many cultures and a cosmopolitan place to live and work.

Locals and Expats who live here are longing for a weekend getaway, just to see something else than hectic traffic and jammed intersections. They want to experience nature, lush green hills, unspoiled beaches and most of all – uncrowded space:

written by Chris

Going to Bogor and Puncak over the festive days, we were taking Lion Air to get to Jakarta from Bali and back. Apart from being competitively priced (around Rp. 350.000 one way/person), I was positively surprised about the Lion Air flights.

The plane used was a spanking-new Boeing 737-900ER, one of the newest mid-range/single-aisle planes of Boeing. This youngest member of the 737 family only received its FAA certificate in the US in April 2007. And guess who was the launching partner?

Wait a minute – Lion Air Indonesia launching partner for the 737-900ER?

written by Chris