I've already waffled on the topic of Balinese driving. But here's a gem for car lovers I couldn't let slip through the net. Have a quick look at the photo attached to this entry. It looks like oversized sample bottles for sale at the roadside. Actually a diversity of reused bottles are available at nearly every roadside emporium, no matter how incongruous. Furniture seller? Yep. Clothing shop? Probably. Money changer? a fair chance too. What is it in these em...

Please excuse the brief radio silence. As watchers of Facebook will know, this is partly because I have been enjoying the wonders of Balinese cuisine with increasing brevity as Bali Belly struck. I was keen to spare you the unpleasantness. That said, this little episode has not been without a few moments... Momentarily I lost 3 kilos in two and a half days (that's six and a half pounds in old money). Obviously it was predominantly due to dehydration, so I had ...

As the Pet Shop Boys (ft. Dusty Springfield) once sang, what have I done to deserve this? Ignoring trade press, all the magazines printed in the world examine one issue: how to be more attractive. How to look good? How to look better? What suits you best? Why is he attracted to ybeing favoured aperture of the genre being the multiple choice quiz, which, ladies, is not written by skilled psychologists who might cost a bomb, but by the girls from the office armed ...

Oh dear. Uluwatu is a temple at the southern end of Bali, famous for three things: an idyllic temple built on a rock outcrop surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides, a regular showing of a traditional dance called Kacek, and a large colony of monkeys. The more alert reader may have wondered why I started with an 'oh dear'. Now, obviously, I've not plunged down cliffs to my death, nor was I trampled on in the traditional dance. So it is fair to assume I go...

Surfing, day iii. Well today I improved more than any other, but for a thoroughly weird reason. I had a completely different instructor, Anthony, who spoke with a strong American accent. He was quiet a bs composed compared to his predecessors, Agun (call me Gun) and Jonathan (Jo-Jo). His gentle solidity and patience worked like a charm, so 8 complimented him on it as we left the water. His reply? He laughed and then looked serious. "Don't tell anyone. I'm a ...