nomad4ever

When setting off a long-term trip for the first time, it’s common for people to bring far more than they need; the uncertainty of what the trip may bring can lead to a mentality of packing things “just in case”, or for comfort.

I remember my first 2-week trip to Thailand, hundreds of full moons back; my backpack looked like the one to the right and embarrassingly I even brought socks for that expected cold night in the tropics. Ahem!

written by Chris

Just coming back from a few days driving around Lombok. What an adventure! The detailed trip report will follow shortly.

The picture to the left was taken near the Gangga Waterfall in the North of Lombok, about 2 hours away from Senggigi. The sign says the following: “Land for Sale – Come and invest for your future in the exotic and extraordinary natural beauty of Lombok”.

Truly – Lombok is a magnificent island, a natural beauty in its own way. The rice fields are green, the waterfalls lush and refreshing, the Hot Springs are hot, the mountains high and majestic. Exactly what you would expect from an island paradise in the tropics:

written by Chris

Freedom of Speech and Expression are cornerstones and the lifeblood of any democracy. For a free people in mature societies to govern themselves – they must be free to express themselves – openly, publicly, and repeatedly; in speech and in writing.

How else can one put the finger in the wound and take part in discussions about what hinders a country in its progress?

Most Westerners don’t know that Indonesia is a very young democracy. This leads to surprising insights, which surface when you look a bit deeper into the woven society fabric on its long-winding road towards ‘real’ Democracy:

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

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

Many people dream of doing a ‘Round the World’ Trip (RTW) at least once in their life. There are many excuses why they don’t do it in the end.

The fact is: more and more of travelers ARE able to fulfill this dream – and they DO it. They plan a route, give up their rented home, pack the essential travel things and off they are!

You won’t see them back for the next 1-2 years – sometimes even longer. Some people even make it their life goal to permanently travel the world.

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

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