Balikpapan: On and Off the Beaten Path

Tomorrow, Sam and I will be leaving Balikpapan, Indonesia, and I don’t think that fact has fully settled in. After living here for two years, I guess that is understandable. Packing up our things has made me think of our time spent in this “oil town” of approximately 700,000 souls, and the kind of questions…

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Experiencing Iftar: Breaking the Fast during Ramadan

It is that time of year again: the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, where, among other things, observers abstain from eating or drinking during the day and participate in breaking the fast at sundown. And if the curtain-obscured restaurants, department store sales, night bazaars and lack of daytime street food stalls didn’t clue us into…

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Thoughts on living as a corporate expat in Indonesia

Having lived in Balikpapan, Kalimantan for nearly two years now, Sam and I have racked up some interesting experiences as foreigners/corporate expats in Indonesia. This, despite the fact that, if I’m being totally honest, I don’t feel as if I can really say we’ve fully “lived” in Indonesia. Perhaps my perspective is due to the…

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Lounging in Lombok–Bali’s Sister Island

Sam and I have been dying to visit Lombok — the most westerly island in the Nusa Tenggara island group of Indonesia — since before we came to live in Indonesia. We never had the chance, though, until this Easter weekend in late March. Otherwise known as Bali’s “sister island,” Lombok has really taken off in…

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Bali to Java Ferry Capsizes

A few days ago, a ferry traveling from Bali to Java capsized, with reports so far of one person dead and 71 rescued. We just heard this news last night on an Indonesian news channel, but had trouble sussing out all of the details due to the broadcast being in Indonesian.  One alarming aspect is…

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Important Bali Temples and Holy Sites: the Hyped

Important Bali Temples and Holy Sites: the Hyped This is a follow up to my previous post on obscure Bali temples and holy sites. I 1. Pura Ulun Danu Beratan (a/k/a Pura Ulun Danau Bratan) Perched on the shores of Lake Bratan and encircled by forested mountainsides, Pura Ulun Danau Bratan is one of the more…

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Bali Temples and Holy Sites: The Obscure

My previous post on the Jatiluwih rice fields and their interlinking water temples made me think of all the beautiful Bali temples and holy sites Sam and I have visited over the past few years — some before we ever came to live in Indonesia. Our list is still super sparse when compared to the huge…

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