8.3405° S, 115.0920° E

The coordinates this time state Bali, Indonesia! This would be our tropical stop between China in the north, and New Zealand in the south. Both of us were able to get 30 days stay in Indonesia upon arrival without any visa (yes I double checked it this time) This made our choice for length of our stay easy, 30 days in Indonesia; yes please! We flew into Denpasar airport in Bali. Of course we had to start in Bali. We heard so much about the place. Arriving quite open-minded as kind of is our style,  we still knew heaps of stuff we wanted to see and do during the time we had here. Traditional party in Kuta, Yoga in beautiful Ubud, Hiking Mount Agung, beach life on the Gili Islands, sunbathing in Lembongan and sailing to the Komodo islands to hunt dragons with our camera. We were ready, and I don’t think I’d be lying if I said this is as excited I’ve ever seen Sarah!

We started our Holiday; *yes even travellers need holiday* Traveling is our job! Well, we started with three nights in Kuta, more or less just to have been there. We wanted a couple of days to sort out where we were off to next,  have a few beers, and meet some Aussies. After two years in Australia, we kinda feel home around them!…  30 days is not that long,  yet 30 days with food and accommodation expenses will always put you back a bit. After researching where to go next, we found a cheap place on the north side of the island and decided to do a few days there; save money,  and still be close to Mount Agung and the Gilies! That’s where we are at the moment, in Amed enjoying the beach. I’m actually sitting on our deck, listing to the ocean while enjoying a beer right now. Life is not bad!

That said, our plans have changed a bit the last week, since we first arrived. It’s February and that means wet season. We have travelled quite a bit in South East Asia and are very familiar with the rainy season,  but as noobies in Indonesia we didn’t think it would be this wet this early. Clearly should have checked that a bit better. I guess that just disappeared in all the excitement. And truth be told,  I’m  not sure if it would have made a difference. Wet season in this climate doesn’t necessarily mean rain all day,  so no worries. That would, however, end up having an impact on some of the things we wanted to do; such as mountain trekking and sailing further east towards the dragons. We definitely could have done the climb up Mount Agung, but so far it has been raining every afternoon and night since we arrived, and a six hour night hike to see the sunrise would probably be better in clear weather. On the topic of a week with sailing… We went online to book a tour,  and it just so happens that February is the only month they’re not offering it. The ocean is just too rough. That was a tiny bit of a setback since we really wanted to see those dragons, but we have decided to do a stopover in Bali again on our way back to south East Asia before Christmas, we’ll see them then! (more about that later).

So what are we doing these days? Well,  we’re holidaying. We have a beautiful  beach front deck, the sun is shining (sometimes) the local Bintang is very affordable, the food is so tasty and as of today we don’t have any worries..

You might be thinking, how can those that are only traveling (unless you are a traveler yourself) have any worries. Now,  it can be quite stressful to travel long terms, for us now two and a half years. I won’t go into that in this blog post, except for it being stressful as in how to get more money,  that again leads you to where to work next.

One of the reasons for a stopover in Bali before New Zealand was to sort this out. It’s cheaper to stay here while looking into jobs, and it’s also not a bad place to do some research. It was easy last year,  since we could go back to Australia for our second year, we also had a job we liked and where they were happy to have us back. Now we have used our two years worth of working holiday visas in Australia,  which is kind of sad. I would definitely go back if I could. The work arrangement we had been good, our contacts were great, and we just loved the country! That said,  it’s time to try something new again. And that is a good thing.

A few days ago we sat down, and remembered that we have to leave Indonesia in three weeks. We have to start sorting stuff out; job, where to fly into NZ, new bank account, IRD Number etc. A job was obviously on the top of our agenda,  but somewhere to land when we have to leave Bali was also something lingering in the back of my mind. When I trekked the three high passes, and Everest Base Camp in November (blog post and video are coming) I met a guy from NZ. He told me to contact him when we were thinking about coming,  and maybe he could assist us,  work and accommodation wise. I sent him an email, and he offered that we could stay at his Winery in Martinborough just north from Wellington for a few weeks until we got sorted. We were thrilled. Such a great offer, such a great man. The people you are meeting out travelling! This was now our plan. Fly into Wellington,  and take it from there!

Now, job next… I have both of our resumes on my phone,  and after two years working in Australia they’re not too bad. We also have some pretty good references. So, we wrote a cover letter,  and I started applying for jobs. I think I applied for 8 in total that night. Most jobs are advertised for one person,  but we are packaged deal. That was what I wrote. I think I applied for two jobs where they were looking for a couple, the rest they were looking for one. On paper we would probably be looked at as unqualified as well, but again just on paper. We will get the job done, when we’re given a chance. We have proved that before! The next morning I had new unread emails waiting,  and one in particular stood out. This was one of the ones for a single person, but they came back to us with a counter offer, and offered us two other positions! A couple emails backwards and forwards; we got offered the job, and we accepted. We have a job! We’re going to a Winery north from Auckland. The place looks absolutely beautiful, and we can’t wait to show you guys!

Everything always works out! (you have heard that before mum? Was that a bit cheesy, Nah..)

Now, the plan changes again. We have decided to stay here at the beach until the 16th, then we’re off to Ubud for a little Yoga retreat before heading for NZ the 21st. More about all this in the next post!

Tonight we’re celebrating, and Reggae is on the agenda! Cheers guys…

Robin