Kuta, Bali

Indonesia

May 07, 2005

Dear Family and Friends,

One of the advantages of traveling solo is that you can indulge in slightly flirtatious, harmless conversations with members of the opposite sex without worrying about whom you may be ignoring or offending.

On arrival at the Denpasar-Bali Airport, Surya, the hotel booking agent, insisted on calling me "honey" so I mentioned that I might be on the lookout for a nice Bali girl. She said she had a friend for me.

One hour later, after a few telephone calls back and forth, Nina showed up at the lobby of my hotel. Cute, cafe-au-lait complexion, 25, divorced, three year old son.

You want to know why I love Asia? Well, I'll tell you why I love Asia.

{C}

Java

Indonesia

May 10, 2005

"Java, with a population of over 130 million people, is one of the most populous islands on earth. With an area of 132,000 sq km, it is over half the size of England, but the population is twice as large. The density is double that of The Netherlands, Europe's most densely populated country."

Simply put, Java is carpeted with people.

I have met a few and now I have several new friends.

May 11, 2005

On our flight from Bali to Yogya, Utami and I met a young Balinese man. He was escorting a group to Parangtritis to observe Labuhan,the annual "offerings" ceremony. On Sunday morning, Ut and I sped south to that fishing village on the wild Indian Ocean coast.

Parangtritis has a beach of sweeping black sand and powerful undertows so dangerous that even the local people lining the beach screamed and scampered away, protecting their children from the waves coming ashore.

Bogor

West Java

May 14, 2005

Salamat Malam,

Years ago, in Boston, my colleague Paul used a favorite expression when I made an error in judgment. With a smile, and a slightly affected tone, he would pronounce, "Well...That... Was... Stuuuuupid."

Bandung 

West Java

May 17, 2005

Salamat Malam,

At 7:00pm, the North Sea Bar was dead.  Except for Evert, a smiling Dutchman, 54, enjoying his tall green Heineken.

Evert has a business in Holland and lives with his twenty-seven year old girlfriend in Bandung. Soon to be married. (Where have I heard that one before?)

We chatted for an hour; I ordered some chicken fried rice. He asked me if I would like to meet his girlfriend's girlfriend.  Era arrived quickly. And quickly we decided that we were compatible.

We decided that the next day we would hire a taxi for a drive to Tangkuban Prahu - The "Overturned Volcano" crater 30km north of Bandung.

Bandung West Java

Indonesia

May 18, 2005

Loyal Family
Esteemed Friends
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In 1955, for one week in April, Indonesia hosted the Asian-African Conference in Bandung. It was the "first intercontinental gathering of coloured peoples in the history of mankind."