The people are extremely friendly. In large part this has to do with their religious beliefs and search for good karma. Staff will go out of their way to help you with any inquiry or wish you might have and even people who don’t want to sell you anything will go the extra mile. I’ve heard numerous stories from other travelers of locals who will bring you to the place you want to go when you’re lost without wanting something in return or point you where to go when you make a mistake in traffic (side note: the traffic rules seem to be something of a suggestion as well there; just stay on the left, honk your horn alot and all will be good). It’s quite a change to the sometimes unwillingness of people in my knack of the woods.

The food is in one word: delicious. I’ve known Indonesian cuisine for some time now due to the large amount of Indonesian restaurants we have in Holland, but no matter how good it gets here, there’s no substitute for the real thing. Whether it’s going to a small warung (my prefered choice) in the countryside or a local restaurant the food is going to be fresh, (if you want it) spicy and delightfull. I especially liked the Padang kitchen, bbq-ed prawns and the Balinese roast pork.

Nature has gone all out on Bali with luscious green hills and forests. Then there are the rice fields that seem to be going on for miles and miles. With the beaches, lakes and vulcanoes Bali has some magnificent sights. Cities and villages however are another story. Because there’s no real waste disposal system in progress on the island, people just throw it out on the side of the road, often setting it on fire. With the ever growing consumption of plastic, this is very harmful to the environment. Hopefully the government will see this and will provide a service soon before the island has turned into a garbage dump. It’s nowhere near as bad yet fortunately, but a solution must arise sooner than later.

Locals have turned to tourism for jobs and this leaves the local farming community in dire need for workers. The Balinese youth have realized that working in tourism isn’t as hard as working in the fields so aren’t willing to do so. Since the local farms provide for the food on Bali there’s a chance that in the future they will no longer be able to provide the necessary goods and food will have to be imported. This of course will mean a rise in prices and according to some locals I’ve talked to inflation already was high. Luckily some NGO’s out there are promoting local farming and are trying to deal with the situation.

Tourism also has caused the introduction of multinational chains to open up branches on the island. You can get all the fast food you want, especially in the larger cities, but I often wonder why you would do such a thing. As said above, I loved the food, but besides that, for me the beauty of travel is meeting locals, see their customs and try their food. I could have fast food every day of the year when I’m not on holiday if I wished, so why would I do so on holiday? Really baffles me to see people who do.

The overall sentiment on the island can be described as easy-going. Locals are sitting around a lot, talking with each other. Time of appointments are more a suggestions (it’s a courtesy to be late) and locals seem to have all the time in the world with their motto of “Sin Ken Ken” (roughly translated: no worries) . This of course leads to a relaxed atmosphere which makes vacationing there easy. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the fast-moving western world.

I’ve had a great time in Bali and enjoyed my time there immensely. As stated the people are friendly, the sights beautiful and the food mouth watering. As my first impression of Asia, I couldn’t have gone to a better place.

If you want to get an impression of the island you can take a look at my holiday pictures.

First of all, rates for hotels/hostels/B&B’s are down from peak season. Since they’re trying to fill their rooms, their are some real bargains to get. As an example, for my upcoming trip the places I will stay are around 50% cheaper than during peak season. Same goes for air tickets.

Secondly, because I travel just outside of peak season, it’s not as busy at touristic sites (if you would be inclined to go there). Sure, there are still people around, but it’s not standing-in-line-and-hope-you-get-more-than-a-few-seconds-to-look-busy.

Third, because more than half of the country is out on holiday during july/august, work isn’t as busy as normal and you can “ease” into your holiday.

And last but not least, there’s a bit of (maybe sadistic?) joy in reminding your colleagues that your holiday is still coming up while theirs is still a year away.

Despite all the violence that’s on the news I never felt afraid or scared while in Mexico. Locals tended to be helpful and nice and I had a great time interacting with them (despite my lacking Spanish). I have to admit there was a shooting in the bar across our hotel in Palenque (we hadn’t noticed a thing until our guide told us) and while on the night bus to Playa del Carmen we were stopped and checked by drug enforcement agencies 3 times but all in all nothing worth mentioning really. Mexicans believe the violence is between the gangs themselves and the police while bystanders who got involved just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also the drug violence is situated in the northern part of the country which was way off from where I was traveling. I did however talk to a Spanish girl who told me she was terrified but when asked why she couldn’t give me a reason. But as far as me and the people I was traveling with goes all was fine.

The south of Mexico is a beautiful place with luscious green hills, jungle and forests that seem to go on forever. The coastal line around Cancun and Playa del Carmen is turning into the Spanish Costa Brava more and more, but there are still some mostly undiscovered sites where you can relax or snorkel next to turtles and coral reefs. Then there are the mountains around San Christobal de las Casas with its high tops and canyons like the Canon del Sumidero. There are sights and sounds for everyone.

I’ve been wanting to visit Mayan sites since I was as a little kid. It took me until this year to finally go and see them and they didn’t disappoint. I had a blast visiting sites such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Yaxchilan, Bonampak and Palenque (Tulum felt more like a golf course to me somehow) with Uxmal being my favorite. Maybe it was because of the lack of commercialization on the site (on others sites there were dozens of pushy merchants trying to sell “real” Mayan artifacts) but it just felt different than the other ones. I can’t fault the people for trying to make a living at the sites nor did it really distract me from enjoying the architecture and learning about the fascinating Mayan culture.

Mexican people tend to be on the short but large side. Our guide told us that Mexico had officially passed the US as the country with the fattest people in the world (although this study ranks them the same). And that’s no surprise. No matter how small the village, there will be several small stores where you can only buy sodas, potato chips and candies. And of course there’s the rich Mexican food. It’s no wonder that with an abundance of unhealthy food people will gain weight.

Speaking of Mexican food: it may not be the most healthy of choices, but it was good. And I had no trouble with my stomach whatsoever (you won’t neither when you follow 2 simple rules: either go where it’s very busy or go where the locals eat). I savored tortillas, empanadas, quesadillas and tacos, chicken, beef and shrimp dishes and all other kinds of tasty, excellent food (Weight wise I was lucky we walked and hiked a lot). And if you like it spicy there’s plenty of ways to add peppers or spicy sauces. My taste buds had a great time.

With Mexico being the first country I visited in Central America I now know for certain what I already figured: I want to see more of that part of the world. Somehow Central and South America always had a bigger attraction to me than say Africa or Asia. I’m pretty sure that for the next couple of trips there will be quite a few going in that direction.

Despite my Spanish experiment, my Spanish was lacking. Sure, after spending some time there I could understand a bit, but the locals speak so quickly that even my buddy Tim, who happens to be a translator (not Spanish though) and knows quite a bit of Spanish had some troubles at first. However, since I’m planning to go towards that part of the world again in the near future, I need to brush up on it. Note to self though: I’ll make sure that whatever road to learning I’ll take there be more speaking/listening than reading.

This trip to Mexico was also my first with a group vacation. Since my friend Tim joined me I knew I would have a great time no matter what, but the group we joined kind of clicked immediately and we had no trouble whatsoever. We agreed on excursions or where to go within minutes and did pretty much everything as a group. This bunch helped to make this a great holiday and I hope to spend more time with them in the near future.

This trip to Mexico has been one of the best holidays I’ve ever been on and I enjoyed it tremendously. If you want to get an impression of it you could visit my Flickr Mexico photo set.

When packing for travel everyone has their comfort zone. I don’t mind washing some clothes during my travels and I buy my travel clothes accordingly (quick dry, non-wrinkle, light, multi-usable). But if you don’t want to do that your only choice is to take enough clothing with you to last the duration of your stay. I also don’t pack for all eventualities. Some people like to take enough with them so that no matter what, they’ll have clothing for the situation. Although I wonder if it’s possible to pack that much.

What goes for packing also goes for how you spend your holiday/travels. Some are happy going to Egypt and stay in an all-inclusive resort. I would go to Egypt to see the pyramids and other historic landmarks. Some go to Bali to lay on the beach for 2 weeks, I would travel the country. None of the possibilities are either good or bad, it’s all about what you want out of your travels.

I’ve seen both sides of the story when it comes to travel. I come from a family with a mother who’s all about packing for every situation, while I now try to pack as little as I’m comfortable with. I did the laying-at-the-beach holidays and the ones where I went exploring. And for most of my travels I had a blast.

Being comfortable in your way of travel is important. For many of us a holiday is a way of letting of steam and relax. There’s no sense in having any stress then.

As it was the first time I visited the Middle East I had some predispositions about the region and Lebanon lives up to a few of them: regular power failures, chaotic traffic that seems to have no laws, not the best of roads, constant haggling about prices with vendors and taxi drivers and no “green thinking” whatsoever. But there’s also the friendliness and hospitality of the locals, the slower pace of life and the beauty of its nature. As with many countries it seems the politicians and its opponents create a unfriendly atmosphere (as is portrait on the news) while the local people are great to interact with.

Lebanon seems to be a place that want to gets back to its former glory with Beirut sometimes looking like a giant construction site. But it’s not trying to get away from its (sometimes horrid) past (the Hilton Hotel in Beirut which was completely shot in the civil war still stands untouched), preserving archaeological sites and I got the feeling people are proud to be Lebanese.

Especially in Beirut perception is everything. There’s a large difference between the haves and don’t-haves and the haves want to show it by buying big cars, flashy jewelry and designer clothes. Plastic surgery is also commonplace with women leaving the bandages for their nose jobs on even after it’s healed, just to show they can afford it.

Then there’s this thing that in my western views almost looks like modern slavery. Those who can afford it get nannies/maids from Bangladesh or the Philippines who have to take care of the household/clean/look after the kids. There seem to be agencies around Beirut where you can look in a brochure, pick the one you like and “order” one and pay them about 200 dollars a month (I’m told minimum wage is about 300, but for those women it’s a huge sum of money and for instance pays for the education of their children). I’m sure not all are treated like crap, but one time we were in a large supermarket getting some groceries for dinner and I saw this woman, maid/nanny with large cart and 2 kids in tow, who just pointed at the items and signaled the quantity. When it took the maid (this was a petite woman) some time to put 4 large 5 liter water bottles in the cart (balancing one kid on her arm no less) she definitely got an earful from her, well let’s call her employer. It was something to behold.

The countryside in Lebanon has beautiful mountains, valleys and various colors. Some of the sights are quite spectacular. Some of the historical venues in Lebanon are definitely worth seeing, especially the ruins in Baalbek.

Despite having soldiers with guns on almost every corner and having my passport checked at various check points, I felt completely safe there. Even in Baalbek, which is Hezbollah’s (now a legal political party) capital (again, some predispositions there) there was nothing to worry about. The southern part near the border with Israel can be somewhat scatchy, so make sure to check the safety advisory for the region.

All in all I had a great time there. Of course this has much to do with my friends Mark and Laura who have been the best of hosts. But Lebanon is a great place to stay with its friendly people, great atmosphere and interesting sights and sounds. It’s surely worth a visit.

For some impressions of my holiday you can also check out my Flickr photo set.

Even in this recession people are still traveling places with exotic names like Malaysia , Bora Bora, Seychelles or Antigua. And there’s nothing wrong with that: people should travel wherever they want. But shouldn’t it be more about what you do on your holiday than where you do it? Sure, it’s nice to lay on a beach in Spain, but why do it for 2 weeks and not take in some of the beauty of the inlands? Why stay in a resort for a week in Egypt when you’re so near to the pyramids? Same goes for a stay in a resort in Costa Rica when nature’s beauty is just around the corner. Or those who go out and get drunk every night in Greece and lay around in the shade all day with a hangover.

Laying in the sun or going out and getting drunk is something you can do at or close to home. You don’t have to sit in a airplane for 10+ hours for that. Sometimes it seems that people just want to brag about having been some place, without actually experiencing it (although there’s always a question about how you can really experience a place when you’re only there for one or two weeks, but that’s a different discussion) or get a real feel about the country.

You shouldn’t be envious about those travelers.

Maybe a little envy should go out to people who travel and have the best of experiences. People who do and see things they can’t at home. Who take themselves out of their comfort zone. Those who have taken the effort to go outside of the mainstream places and try to get a feel about the locals and their way of living. The ones who try to get the most out of their travel and succeed. They not only show you pictures of beautiful places but tell you stories about how it felt to stand there or have a funny anecdote of what happened there. The kind of stories that make you want to go there.

And the thing about it is, is that you don’t need to go far to get those experiences. Sometimes you can even have them in your own country. It’s true what they say: travel is about the journey, not the destination.

• A lot of people I met were friendly and helpful. Whether it was the taxi driver from my drive to the hotel who gave me tips on what to see, where to get great deals or where to eat or the locals who saw you standing with a map in your hand and gave directions or people offering you a (albeit free) newspaper on the bus.
• Gaelic Football is a bit of a strange sport, but enjoyable to watch (especially in a bar with some Irishmen).
• If you’re not into meeting drunk/loud people: don’t go to the Temple Bar district in the evening/night. If you don’t mind it’s a great place to spend an evening enjoying yourself.
• Despite the smoking ban in places like restaurants, pubs, governmental buildings and the like, there are still a lot of Irish who smoke. Not just adults, but kids in their early teens as well. Maybe it’s more apparent because they smoke outside, but the smoking ban doesn’t seem to have the desired effect.
• Dublin bus timetables are more of a suggestion since the city is so jammed with traffic. It’s not a real problem if you’re not in hurry, but if you rely on it to get you to a certain place on time you could be in for some trouble.
• Also on the Dublin bus double-deckers: when you get up to the upper deck be sure to duck if you’re taller than 6 feet (1.83 m) or you’re gonna hit your head on the roof. Trust me.
• You have to be some kind of daredevil (or have a dead wish) to go biking in Dublin’s rush hour.
• People hold their mobile phones. They don’t put them in their pockets or bags. They just hold them.
• Not surprisingly: souvenir shops in Dublin have an abundance of green items.

Every countries’ inhabitants have their own unique characteristics and in Dublin that’s no exception. Experiencing those differences in cultures and habits is what makes traveling worth while.

• 1 pair of jeans
• 2 white plain shirts
• 1 sweater
• 4 pair of boxers
• 4 pair of socks
• zip bag containing razor, deo, toothpaste, toothbrush
• adapters for mobile phone and camera
• international socket adapter
• camera
• MSR towel (yes, I’ve read Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy way too much)
• Pacsafe security mesh
• 2 books
• day bag (my usual smaller messenger bag)

All in all still a pretty substantial list, but small enough to fit comfortably in my messenger bag (but to be honest big enough to stop those “Man-oh-man I should pack more”-jitters) and weighing in at just under 6 kg.

My “one bag”-approach was vindicated about 10 minutes into my travels. Because of the early hour of the morning the escalator to the stations platform (I went by Eurostar; I think the pros to this way of packing will be even more evident if you travel by plane since you can take it with you as carry-on luggage) weren’t operational yet. In front of me was a man hauling his suitcase from step to step while I walked passed him with my bag comfortably over my shoulder. People had the same problems with their suitcases getting into the train and storing them in the front of the passenger cars while I just swung mine in the overhead storage above my seat. For me a bag/suitcase is just a vessel for storing your stuff during a stay in a hotel/hostel. It didn’t feel any different for me having the bag in stead of the suitcase. And since I did bring a day bag, I could happily trot around London, using it to store my map, coat (the English weather was unusually kind), bottle of water etc., etc..

There were some little difficulties to overcome. To give an example: I got a rather large stain in my sweater and had to find a way to remove it. Thanks to the very helpful hotel staff this was done rather quickly, were usually I would’ve thrown it back in my suitcase to take care of it at home after my trip was over.

Overall my experiences with this new way of traveling have been very favorable. There still are some things to iron out for next trips before I can be called a “One bag”-master but if it has taught me one thing it’s this: I’ll never travel another way again.