Greetings from Bali! This is a real-time post. Here’s what I look like right now, as I awkwardly hold my iPhone just out of frame in the mirror:

While I want to preserve the chronological journey of my trip, today I’ll jump ahead to shed light on my more recent travel, or as I like to call it, PHASE II of Erica’s RTW trip.

PHASE I encapsulates my time in Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands (how time flies — it feels like I was just at Dave & Claudia’s wedding!). But as of the last three weeks, I have moved on to Asia. I spent four active days in Singapore…

…followed by nine semi-stressful days in Java, Indonesia. (Pardon the low-quality iPhone pics.) Most recently I’ve arrived in Bali and you wouldn’t believe how relaxing it is here. I type this after a day spent lounging by the pool reading a novel; I also ate two incredible meals at a local vegetarian joint and sipped Sumatran coffee and a watermelon mint smoothie — all for about $10.

Not everything’s coming up roses, however — the other night I was bitten 35 times on my lower legs by some greedy mosquitoes and now strangers have commented on the giant, red, itchy blotches dotting my lower half. I’ll spare you the photo. I can only hope said mosquitoes were not carrying malaria (Bali is a very low-risk area, thankfully). I have since stocked up on bug repellant and do not leave the hotel without wearing long pants after sunset.

But back to detailing PHASE II: Asia! I am thrilled to return to this continent, where I spent 5 weeks in 2010 visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In many ways it feels like THIS is the true beginning of my trip — until now I’ve been playing it safe in English-speaking, First World countries and it’s time to earn my travel cred by tackling more rigorous destinations that stretch the boundaries of my comfort zone. An overnight train trip across Java that arrives at 3:30am? A 14 hour minivan ride that coincides with end-of-Ramadan traffic? Bad weather at a major destination that forces me to delay onward travel for three days? Live chickens on a local bus? I’ve been looking forward to these challenges. Bring it on!

It’s not that RTW travel has to be hard to be legit. But it feels good to know I can hack it on the road less (frequently) traveled.

When I realized that a store clerk at Gambir train station in Jakarta had ripped me off by arranging an over-priced taxi ($10 instead of $2), I had to laugh it off. I’d just arrived from the airport and was slow to convert the currency in my head and besides, really, there are so many worse things than overpaying by 8 bucks (I probably made the taxi driver’s day). During that 14 hour minivan ride mentioned above, I had a big smile on my face and all the patience in the world. Armed with podcasts of (ironically) This American Life and a copy of Pride & Prejudice, I spent time contentedly taking in the street scenes and enjoying those morsels of audio and literary entertainment as we crawled through mobs of traffic. And when arriving at a little town near Ijen Crater in Java, I had the opportunity to stick up for myself after management tried to squeeze three of us into one room even though we’d all paid 100,000 IDR extra (or $10 USD) to have our own rooms. It took about 45 minutes of discussion in broken English but I finally got my money back in the form of a discounted trip to Ijen Crater the next day. I take comfort in knowing that I am capable of defending myself in a situation where someone is trying to take advantage of me. “Welcome to Indonesia,” said one of my fellow travelers. “That’s all they do here.” Maybe that’s a little pessimistic, but yes, it happens a lot. Such is the price tag for seeing a remote and beautiful part of the world.

And indeed, how beautiful it is! While I wouldn’t recommend Java to the faint of heart traveler, there are some outstanding natural and historically significant attractions here if you’re willing to tolerate lengthy overland trips, a language barrier, and a very questionable water supply (i.e. only drink bottled water… and even then my digestive system is not happy). Here are a few highlights from my time in Java last week, courtesy of my Instagram stream (username = AsHerWorldTurns):

And now I have moved on to Bali, which is PARADISE, mosquito bites and all. As I wrote on Facebook the other day, if you want a luxurious yet affordable destination, don’t overthink it: just go to Bali. Unlike Java, the tourism structure is much more firmly in place so it’s easy to get around. Accommodation is plentiful and most of the people here speak enough English to communicate (in Java most locals I encountered spoke zero English). I spent four nights at Nirwana Seaside Cottages in Lovina; my palatial room cost $20 USD a night ($30 if you book ahead; I just showed up) and overlooks a giant infinity pool. I only planned to stay for two nights but the beauty of not over-planning my trip means it’s easy to tack on extra days when the occasion calls for it. And trust me, the infinity pool was calling for it.

I also spent a day diving off the coast of Menjangan Island — $60 total for transportation from Lovina, two dives, and lunch. The underwater life was so impressive and I enjoyed putting my new Open Water Diving license to good use.

Next up I’ll visit Kuta, Ubud, and the Gili Islands. Bali has already proved memorable and I’ve barely scratched the surface.

After that, I will move on to Borneo in hopes of spotting wild orang utans and to do more diving. I’d love to visit a turtle sanctuary to witness them lay eggs and help release newly hatched babies back into the ocean. (I had hoped to do this at Sukamade in Java but it proved too much of a hassle to get to; in Malaysia I should have more opportunities for this experience.)

Then I’ll spend a few days in Kuala Lumpur and continue on to the Philippines for diving stops in Cebu and Palau.

At this moment in time it looks like China has been cut out of my itinerary. I’d still love to visit someday, but visa restrictions make it difficult to arrange travel while I’m already on the road. If I spend a week in Kuala Lumpur I might be able to arrange it with the Chinese embassy there. But the China tour I’d hoped to take part in didn’t pan out, so for now it makes sense to postpone.

Japan is still in the cards, followed by Nepal in October including a trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp. And while travel in Bhutan is expensive and tricky to arrange, I hope to spend a few days there to visit the Tiger’s Nest monastery.

And then comes PHASE III of my RTW trip… the Middle East: Turkey, Jordan, and Israel. So much to look forward to, even as the weeks pass by so quickly. Time both expands and condenses in the strangest way during travel.

A quick update on recent books read and TV shows I’ve watched:

[images via here, here, and here // Amazon referral links below]

• Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (a delightful caper about a centuries-old publishing mystery with a double-dose of Google thrown in)
• The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer (Larry Kramer’s award-winning play about the AIDS crisis in NYC in the early 1980s; the conclusion is just devastating)
• Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austin (It was so enjoyable to re-read a classic I haven’t touched since high school; it’s much funnier than I ever realized)

I’m also listening to Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert on audiobook. I know, SO cliche. When in Indonesia…

[image via]

And dear God am I obsessed with the TV show Scandal after catching up on seasons 1 and 2. The way they build suspense and chemistry on that show is admirable.

[image via]

I’d like to offer sincere thanks to every single one of you following along with my journey. I smile every time someone leaves a comment or clicks ‘like’ on Facebook / Instagram. It brings me great joy to share my travels with you! Thanks for going on the ride!!

Much love now and always,

Erica