Took a bus to Melaka, Malaysia. My first overland border crossing was uneventful. Big and efficient customs/immigration stations on both sides. No exit or entry fees which is always welcome. Nothing but palm and bamboo trees on rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Melaka is a city rich in colonial history (Portuguese, Dutch, British in that order) and populated by mostly Chinese and Malays. Met a girl from Munich right after I checked in and she invited me ...

Took a quick, cheap flight on Air Asia to Singapore. Have flown Air Asia twice and they are efficient, have great employees and new planes. There are advertisements plastered on all of the overhead luggage compartments (like in city buses) and in the seat pockets there are magazines you can shop from. Great idea. Trapped, bored people make perfect customers. Place your order with the flight attendant, pay, and your purchase arrives at your seat. You also have to...

Arrived in Jarkarta on March 10th. The smog was bad, worse than L.A. The traffic was definitely worse. There are lots of people (9 Million) crammed into a relatively small city (255 sq. mi.) and almost every one of them rides a scooter. Landfills are few and far between, with most people burning their trash. The rest is all over the place. Not much of a skyline and the infrastructure is crumbling. Now the good part. The people are very nice, friendly, and help...

Took the "fast boat" back from Gili to Bali. It was two hours of misery. The ocean was rough and the captain was determined to arrive according to schedule no matter how bone-jarring the ride. Of course my bladder was full and I had a case of Bali Belly as well. Was hustled upon arrival into an overloaded, no a/c van with six others and a ton of luggage for the hour drive to Ubud. My van mate, Diko, from Finland, who was sick with the flu, and I limped up the h...

Took an hour van ride to Padangbai to catch the "fast boat" to Gili Islands. The only way to describe the ride is "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" or maybe a San Francisco cab ride without the hills and then add thousands of motor scooters swirling around. No seat belts, no a/c, and the van was packed. I sat in the front seat and from now on I've decided that it's best not to see where you're going. I hope my dad isn't reading this... Gili is beautiful. Went on an all d...