June in paradise

mahynoor came for a visit en route to hong kong in june and we traveled to bali for a few days

monkey forest temple rules

riders on the beach in seminyak

hungry monkey

choosing the right board..

working in August

We interviewed the Governor of Bali last week for our research.
Alex, Nicole and me with the Governor outside his cribsaying hello

upon returning from Bali last monday, I spoke at a seminar on the future of aviation in Indonesia with a focus on air safety. the Minister of Transportation and the CEO of the national air carrier also spoke. it was fun.

17th August: Indonesia's Independence Day weekend

ashley and her boyfriend, justin, came from boston to visit. i hadn't seen ashley in two years, since she came to malaysia and had never met justin before...we had a fantastic time

bali pier at dawn

shades

fisherman

kuta beach sunset

woof

ashley, nicole and me

ashley and justin arriving on gili t island

which one is the two-headed cobra at kudeta (seminyak beach)

Gili T

Gili T independence day parade August 17th

a hidden gem in Jakarta

Our new friends, Feizae and Donny, took Alex, Nicole and me to this amazing seafood market on the outskirts of Jakarta last Wednesday night where we got down and dirty with eardrum-blowing-mouth on fire-deliciously spicy fish, prawn, mussels, and crab. i tried crab eggs for the first time and loved them. tons of cholesterol and so damn good! sinful indeed.

It was a local place and, as foreigners, we truly made a spectacle walking in. Feizae and Donny loved it. Everyone there was extremely friendly and smiling, as Indonesians in general are... and the food was tasty and cheap.

we'll be back.

Gili Trawangan

Alex, Nicole and I flew to Lombok from Jakarta on Friday night and then took a 30 min boat ride to Gili T, arriving just after midnight. We stashed our backpacks in a dive shop, convincing the security guards to let us lock them in with the wetsuits and went out to enjoy the Gili nightlife. Our first stop was Rudy's bar, where we befriended a wide assortment of international travellers and managed to rent bikes from the bartender to ride around the island.


Gili T is unique because no motorized vehicles are allowed on the island so the only forms of transport are biking, walking, or riding in a horse-drawn cart. The island is not very big.. you can bike around it in an hour or two. There are open gazeebos , lounge chairs and hammocks scattered freely throughout the island, inviting you to relax. The atmosphere in general is friendly and welcoming and all the locals are smiling and laid-back.


We did some diving, although not as much as I would have liked to, but it's all about finding the right balance and there's plenty to do on and around the island anyway. The diving was pretty phenomenal though and i'm excited for the next opportunity...