Uber-relaxed in Ubud

12-17 September We arrived back in Bali from Flores and almost immediately got into an argument with some taxi drivers. To be honest, we were not excited to be back in Bali. Our four days in beautiful Sanur a few weeks ago made us weary of touts and budget busting prices. Weary is actually a word we have started to use more often than we should.We...

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Crossing Flores Island, Part II: Bajawa to Maumere

Other Titles: The pleasures of being patient. 9-12 September After returning from our trek and staying at the more comfortable and hospitable Silverin Hotel just outside of Bajawa, the staff helped us to flag down a shared taxi for transport to the town of Moni. This method of travel is very efficient but initially appears dubious at best. After...

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Trekking Back in Time to Belaragi

8-9 September 2010 Life in Belaragi, Flores continues pretty much the way it did centuries ago. Houses are made completely of wood, bamboo, and palm. No metal screws or nails are used in construction. Absent also are electricity, telephone lines, television, and many other modern conveniences (and hindrances). If you squint slightly,...

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Crossing Flores Island, Part I: Labuan Bajo to Bajawa

Alternate Titles: “Have Crackers, Will Travel” or “The Trans-Flores Shakedown”4-7 September We spent nine days traveling between Labuan Bajo and Maumere on Flores Island. While we had originally planned to do this via an expensive private car (about $100 a day), we learned shortly after arriving on Flores that there are shuttle...

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