Players = Lorrin, Kea, Genevieve, and I
Unexpected Additions = An Indonesian Motorcycle Club (MC) Gang & an equally hyped Italian couple.

Welcome to the 30 club…

Our guides were super friendly and led us to the promise land of snorkeling heaven and beach hut chilling. We seemingly picked the best day to go as well with glass clear waters and sun all about. The boat ride of around and hour to Gili Meno was serene and provided epic views of the western coast of Lombok. Upon arrival to our first snorkeling location, we soon found that the water was as clear as possible, the waters warm, and the reefs shallow and colorful.

To beat the midday heat we carefully navigated the dinghy outrigger through sections of 3 foot shallow reef and anchored on the western side of Gili Meno. A little cafe with beach front bamboo mat elevated huts would provide the much needed shade for the next couple of hours. Some grinds, some cards, some Bintangs.

Local pony pulled carriages scurried to a from to provide an extra level of transportation into the center or other side of the island which was only about a mile and a half in width. Lorrin, Kea, and I took advantage to go check out a local silversmith whereby you can order made to order silver jewelry. Turned out that Lorrin made one of the most epic decisions of his life to order up a wedding band but I’ll leave the details of that story to him and his.

After our beach and trek session, we hit the water again for second snorkel mission on the eastern side of the island. Once again, next level, this time swimming with sea turtles like it was nothing. A calming boat ride home would set us up for the first style of night life on the island, issuing Mr. Mays into his 30th year.

The next island east of Bali is Lombok. Unlike Bali which is predominantly Hindu based, Lombok is predominantly Muslim. Over the past 5 years both Bali and Lombok have grown in tourism exponentially, however the word on the street that we heard going in was the Lombok was less blown up then Bali, with pockets of untouched land and enchanted sights. This was our next destination and this would prove to be so.

LoWal was feeling the heat of some Bali Belly the next morning though, so it was going to be an easy trek. Dewa swooped us up for a trip to the airport as we decided to take a 25 minute flight to Lombok rather than a 4 hour ferry ride over potentially nasty swell. In the end, we’re not so sure what route would have been best as our flight was delayed and Lo was feelin’ the pain. A drive, a wait, a longer wait, the shortest flight ever, another 2 hour drive, and boom we were once again in wonderland. Change of style, change of scenery, but damn, worth the wait. Like a true savage traveler Lo survived the whole experience and we were set for a epic lounge session of the ages.

I’ve done the backpack thing, I’ve been off the beaten trail, and I’ve chosen the plush life on occasion. This was the occasion leading into my 30th year on this earth and it would be divine.

The Qunci Pool Villas was the joint. We came to find out that the Qunci Villas are American-owned. I would love to meet this cat because he had his shit locked down. The view and grounds were so plush, the spa so satisfying, and the food so extravagant, we were having a hard time finding a reason to step off the grounds. I actually liked feeling like two old couples just chilling, relaxing to the utmost. It was splendid. Whether by day or by night, by sun or even by rain, the Qunci Villas was a wonderland with the nicest staff I’ve ever seen. Conversing with fellow travelers, or rapping to the hotel staff to learn more Indonesian, we were continually at a loss, or rather a gain.

After Lo was able to rally on the Bali Belly, he was back at it with me, prodding and poking, antagonist to the max, back to the brotherly love I’d expect. Having Kea and him enjoying the same pleasantries was an added treat as we ate together, drank together, and rocked the steeziest battle royale card game endlessly to pass tranquil time.

These posts are starting to sound cliche, but oh well, it was Pure Magic…

After a swoop up at around 7:45 am we were off with about 8 other people in a tour van heading uphill. The experience was next level, a short list below will give you a glimpse…

• Stop off at one of the biggest terraced rice paddy lands in the country, aka the setting you see across copious amounts of postcards in Bali
• Breakfast overlooking the active Mt Batur and Mt Angnan, with a rift induced lake between them.
• Coffee plantation stop where we scoped local gardens, hung out with a nocturnal Civet, were learned in the ways of roasting our own coffee, and had a local coffee and tea sampler to die for.
• Downhill bicycle mas through rural Bali
• Atop at a local village to learn the structure and methods by which most Balinese family villages work.
• Stop at a local rice paddy were rice harvesting in full effect.
• Stop to take in a 500 year old Banyan Tree and play with the local children.
• Traditional Balinese lunch feast with Bintangs to boot

Our tour guide Wade (pronounced Wa-De with two syllables) was the man. A traditional rice farmer, he’d just started doing tours to advance his English learning. Let’s just say that his English was far better than my Indonesian or Balinese. The sights, the smells, the sounds. Every sense was tickled while the mid-day breeze cooled our faces. We were greeted by smiles and yells of “Halo!” and “What’s your name” from the local children and their families alike. The children also liked to receive high fives as we rode by so I obliged as many as I could.

I can’t really put into words everything I saw or tasted or touched, however in sum, it was a very informative and real experience, and though we were a bunch of tourists, for 8 hours or so, we felt like we were actively part of the Balinese community. Something else.

We arrived in the late afternoon and awaited the addition of another cutty-classic couple, the recently engaged Lorrin Pascoe and Kea Wyatt, otherwise known as LoWal and KeBomb. Having to alter there flight schedule on account of the possible flooding in Bangkok, Thailand, they came through Tokyo on an overnight layover in Signapore. Apparently they hit the Signapore Slings a little hard because after checking in on their arrival a couple of times, we were surprised that they hadn’t made it. Turns out we thought they were coming in at 6 pm and they were always slotted for a 10 pm arrival after the change in flight plans.

Good thing it didn’t matter to Gen and I because we took the opportunity to actually booze out a little bit for the first time on our trip at the nearby watering hole slash restaurant slash live music venue Boom Boom. The name had us right away considering it was so similar to the Boom-Boom Room back in SF, which everyone who has ever been there can attest is the jam. After a nice meal and some banging cocktails, we started hitting the Bintangs pretty hard awaiting the arrival of our comrades. With the local cover band rocking all sorts of songs, we hit the dance floor to start the party a couple of times and had the joint in an uproar by the time we headed back to check game on LoWal and KeBomb’s arrival. Sure enough, they’d gotten in but were straight to bed due to the massive jet lag and great time they’d had in Signapore. All good, feeling like it was 3 am at 11:15 pm was good enough for us to call it a night anyhow, and as fate would tell, the Boom Boom would call upon us again the following night.

After trying to awaken LP the night before knowing full well he heard my ass we were awoken the next morning to a sly knock upon our door. Sure enough, Mr. Pascoe blurted “Room Service” in his ever-so-obvious sniper voice and we welcomed in our homie. Again, so great to see one of my best buds across many an ocean, especially since it was on his recommendation that Bali ended up being our vacation destination. Onward to breakfast and the bringing together of all crews as the Cullinen’s had decided the night previous to trip to Ubud and meet us for the day and to stay a night. As the last bite of breakfast fell at the Yulia Village Inn, our quaint but very cute inn, sure enough, Dewa rolls into the driveway producing Ryan & Andrea. No more than 3 minutes later Lorrin and Kea waltz up like all stars were aligning.

Together now, we had a day, a night, and another day together… What would it have in store for us? A severe cop session was definitely in the cards. Monkey Forest? Scooter Mashing? Bintangs galore? So many options, all of them legit.

We took advantage of all of our powers combined to get into bargain mode for some copping action. We had a seasoned vet in the game, aka The Ringer, Mr. Pascoe. Man does he have bargain game. In his words “Bargaining is a sign of respect”. As peculiar as it may sound after breaking down the price of my first few items, he had a point. We tag-teamed attack mode style in a local pasar with LoWal coming through on the tail end of every close to purchase moment with a “ahhhhh, that’s too expensive” under his breath but just loud enough for the seller to notice. Work magic, cop fits, cop gear, handle business, reward yourself with Bintangs. Done and done. Money gear, money savings, Rupiah in the bank.

Chill session was needed and taken, then it was to food, and to live reggae at the Boom Boom. Redux, but with more peeps, and more action. Buy one shot and get 10 free? It’s got to be a gimmick right? Nope. Just as long as you like a line of vodka-based shots in the color of a rainbow, you’re good to go. Just be careful of the swamp ass inna humid reggae high-steppin’ session, truth be told. Suffice to say we had an awesome time, and the local Balinese band “The Small Axe” was jammin’. Much respect, buddaaah bye bye bye!

HK Boozenthal.

Skip a track to the next morning. All roads point to the Ubud Monkey Forest. Touristy as fuck, yes. Dope as shit anyhow, yes. Adolescent monkey chilling on Mays? Jiranteeed! My photos and videos were the jam, but LP donned the fisheye lens into this enchanted forest of temples of many a monkey and without a doubt caught some candid shots of a lifetime. Can’t wait to share some of his when the time comes as well. In sum, monkey’s play, monkey’s slay, and monkey’s chill. The most unexpected aspect of these creatures is their affinity to gaze directly into your eyes, sizing you up just like you would another human being. Pretty elfin’ cool, or in the primordial words of Jodi Foster “Epoch!”

Chronicles of all things Ubud…

Upon arrival just off the coast of north Lembogan we were surprised to see (though we didn’t know what to expect) that there was mock barges created for many ships including ours to anchor up to and proceed with the water fun extravaganza. The setup was straight out of Waterworld, fucking classic. To be honest, if the nearby island wasn’t as beautiful as it was and if we weren’t literally anchored directly facing a renowned reef surfing break called Playground I’m sure that we may have not enjoyed the experience the same. However, due these facts as well as the general excitement and friendliness of the Bali Fun Ship staff, we had a blast. We snorkeled and swam and even hit up the waterside that was attached to the backend of the ship. I even got a backflip off of it in which is always a must in a situation like so. The highlight was most definitely being able to watch surfers take off no more than 50 meters in front of us and rip both left and rights alike right before our eyes. Surfing is such an amazing sport it’s even fun to just watch sometimes. Ryan boated in to the beach to rent a board and got his surf on right out in front of the ship as well.

After an extensive and well-prepared lunch we boated onto Lembongan Island to chill at the partnered Coco Island resort, sipping Bintangs overlooking the vast colors of the sea with illustrious reefs as far as the eye could see. Oh yeah, and an infinity pool providing the line of perspective doesn’t hurt either. The simple act of relaxing on a vacation sometimes is forgotten, so we all brought it back to reality at this moment.

Back to Nusa Dua for our final evening and then on to the culturally rich mountainous region of Ubud…

The dry drive was well worth it when we arrived at the 11th century cliffside built temple. For the first time in our trip we came face to face with the local species of monkey. Careful now, but as cute as they were, in Uluwatu these monkeys have a calculated way of coming into more food….

Step 1 – Snipe up to an innocent tourist.
Step 2 – Grab anything and everything you can off of them. Namely hats and sunglasses.
Step 3 – Swiftly bail from the scene of the gank session and perch yourself high.
Step 4 – Wait for the pissed off tourist to grab a temple attendant to trade a snack bar for whatever is in your hand.
Step 5 – Make the trade and grit down on some chocolatey goodness.

Repeat till your heart is content.

Andrea felt the brunt of this monkey philosophy with a swift snag of her sunglasses right off her head. It was like lightening striking. Pretty amazing really considering that Dewa had warned us of the dealio and that we were all on guard per se.

Less the quasi monkey debacle we all had a wonderful time overlooking the Indian Ocean and its many leftward breaking reef breaks below… [below]

After our temple excursion and sweating out to the mid-day heat, we piled back into Dewa’s van to head to the famous Uluwatu surf break. What an amazing site. Ryan’s goal was to scope as many surf breaks as possible in setup for the end of their trip, however, just watching people surf in the rustic cliffside bars and cafes with steep walkways was a true treat… [above]

After a surf watching lunch we charged more north to check out Padang-Padang as well as Dreamland for the surfing options. The Uluwatu region reminded us all of the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. Folks of all nationalities and styles amalgamate in a small area zipping around on motor bikes from one surf break to the next depending on the swell, however in this case, virtually every surf break is world renowned and when macking may have numerous pros ripping each set wave. As picturesque as it is badass really. Say no more.

Upon arriving and getting settled in, Gen and I took a walk down the majestic beach front boardwalk that runs the length of the Nusa Dua peninsula. We headed south to find our very good friends and now married couple Mr. and Mrs. Cullinen who just checked into the Laguna Nusa Dua about a mile south of us for a honeymoon stay of 12 days or so. As we soon found out, virtually all of the resort names are so similar that it turned out that we stopped through a couple incorrect ones on the way, but the Nusa Dua Beach & Spa Resort was worth the mix up. After leaving a note for Ryan & Andrea not realizing it was the wrong place, we were taken aback by the entrance to this lavish resort. Two banyan trees with a templesque structure surrounding by fountains galore. Truly a sight to see… [above]

Onward we charged more south to find our friends. We finally managed after leaving another front desk message by simply walking back out to the boardwalk. Like so many times before, the Reggae proverb remains true: “Seek and yee shall not find, but wander and be stumbled upon…” Walking across a bridge there they were walking towards us. Bing, bang, boom! So awesome to see fellow homies in a far off land. Brings a smile to your face that you can’t describe. Indeed, Nusa Dua in all its lavishness, shall be ours….

What do these not so cryptic phrases translate to in the game of Bali you might ask? Simply put, Bali is undeniably beautiful. Of course the bustles and traffic of main roadways and the constant chatter of motor bikes and cars alike mashing through the smallest alleyways and sniper streets can be considered too much for some. However, when arriving at a location no matter where it may be, this place is strictly bad ass. Like many south-east Asian cultures, the Balinese are that of utter friendliness and devotion. Tourism is the main economic booster no doubt, however, it’s easy to see that the Balinese live a very relaxed and happy islander lifestyle and want to share it with others.

So a little about the trek. 3 days ago Gen and I set out from San Francisco on a 13 hour flight to Taipei Taiwan. Being that Gen-Bub was extra prepared as her by-the-book style permits, we both took a couple prescription sleeping pills and were out like sauerkraut for a good 8 hour session. We both were a little skeptical about flying China Airlines for the first time but were pleasantly surprised by the service and general steez of the airline. Considering our first leg was 13 hours, it went by in a breeze. We landed in Taipei Taiwan just after 6 am and had a few hours to kill before our next leg. Luckily we found an awesome cafe that served up papaya and kiwi lasse type smoothies amongst traditional Chinese breakies like noodle soups and what not. We opted for a champion beef noodle soup that was exquisite. The second leg of the trip was plush as we had a newer China Airlines plane that reminded us of Virgin America back home. Moonlighting and on-demand entertainment whisked us away all the way to Denpasar after around 4.5 hours. Upon arrival we breezed through our 30-day visa buy and customs and were street side ready to rock the scene within a matter of 20 minutes. The Pascoe family friend and overall hookup, now our personal driver and guide to all elements of savagery Mr. Dewa Billy greeted us outside with a sign stating “Lucas & Gen”. Feeling like triple VIPs as in the old school movie we hopped into Dewa’s car and were off to our first destination. A 30 minute drive landed us on the door steps of the architecturally splendor known as the Grand Balisani Suites in Kerobokan. “Que Rico!” was all I could think after a Gong blasted entrance of newcomers and a welcome lychee lasse.

Zee Proof is in Zee Pudding no?

After a relaxing first afternoon we decided to check out the local fair and traditional Balinese dancing at our very own hotel, which apparently is commonly set up for tourists across the many resorts in Bali. Such vibrant colors and sounds tickled our senses. Truly amazing.

Our following days consisted of a very long walk down endless beachfront resorts, cafes, and local fares, a couple overly long free transportation trips to Jimbaran, south of us to fulfill an opportunity to win a pretty epic prize from a travel network promotion we were solicited about on the beachfront. All skeptics aside, turns out not only that Gen and I won a 2 week trip to Goa India for 4 (accommodation-wise), but we also took the plunge with the travel network itself. It’s hard not to say that we didn’t get straight up sold, but at the same time for the types of excursions we’re planning, we bite like a ginorumous marlin bites at chum. When all was said and done we signed up for a 10 year package to trek the world as far as I’m concerned, which should be a treat indeed!

By the 3rd morning, we were hot to trot to our next location…. Nusa Dua. But not before a quick stop-off to swoop up some tailor-made floss kicks that I’ve been trying to cop for some time back home. Plus, we took advantage of a spa coupon for an hour massage for me and a oxygen facial for Gen-Bub. Ahhhhhh…. so plush, so nice. Dewa swooped us from mid Kuta and we ate lunch at a local spot he recommended, then we were off to Leg 2 of the trip… The Bali Tropic – Nusa Dua.

Lucas Out