Ubud or Canggu in Bali: Which Is Better?

Oct 16, 2019 | Bali

I just completed three weeks of living in Ubud and three weeks in Canggu. The two are the most alluring places to live and work in Bali. Now, time to do the unthinkable to help anyone trying to choose between Ubud and Canggu. Warning: This post is chock-full of...

Bali Update: Mount Agung and Change of Plans

Oct 26, 2017 | Bali

I knew exactly what to do when I hit the ground in Bali. After chasing Sumatran cows in the spring, and having a big Indonesian adventure last year, I assimilated back into the Indonesia groove easily enough. My limited Bahasa vocabulary even bubbled to the surface....

Vagabonding Resumes: Back in Bali

Oct 14, 2017 | Bali

Everyone seemed to be looking at me as I glided through the airport in Chicago. I slowly became aware of the unwanted attention. It was a strange phenomenon. So I straightened my back and held my head higher. I was making a statistically improbable amount of eye...

Vagabonding Begins in 2017

Mar 7, 2017 | Vagabonding Begins

It’s the little things. In this instance, the little things that crawl on you. It was the presence of a small ant harmless picking its way through my leg hair that lifted a solid, good-to-know fact out of the haze in my brain: I am back in Bangkok. Sure, ants do...

Goodbye for Now, My Sweetheart (Koh Lanta)

Apr 9, 2015 | Thailand

Even for the practiced, goodbyes are daunting. I apologize in advance for the clichés, but packing up has me feeling a little more sentimental than usual. Or maybe it was the witches’ moon last night, bathing the island in soft love. Regardless, with one more turn of...