Final “in Bali” thoughts

It is time for me to say good-bye to Bali. Nick and I have been preparing like mad the past few days and have not put much into posting on the Blog. Nick is ready to go.

I just want to let the folks in Bali know, that Nick is a special guy. Maybe you already know it. Nick is an honest, interested, loyal, hard working, friendly individual He has worked extremely hard to get to be an expat in Bali. For years he toiled and dreamed that he could do something different than locker room attendant, recycler, laborer. He folded towels, picked up shit from old men, got talked down to, got disrespected, cleaned up toilets and shower rooms, cleaned up crusty old mens shavings, rode his bike to work in the middle of a wet, cold rainy winter, immigrated from England when none of his compatriots his age or otherwise were even thinking of it. He did it all with a smile and never a complaint.

When we became friends almost 5 years ago and when he started working full-time for BootsnAll over 3 years ago, there were no promises whatsoever. But he came everyday, learned and shared, and always put in more than was ever asked. He was and is the first to jump in on the “crap jobs” with real gusto and a positive attitude. I think anyone that knows Nick well, would agree. I am lucky to have a friend and colleague such as Nick. I reckon Bali is lucky to have him as well.

Looking back
Here are some memories and things that I have learned from the past 2 months:

Getting a Birthday Card shipped in from the US.

Jumping on the motorbike when I am sweating and the initial burst of cool air running over me as the bike accelerates.

Mystery Woman, she was the perfect woman – I am glad we never met….she can stay perfect that way.

Meeting all these expats:
Jason – for introducing us to a bunch of folks and sharing his energy with us.
Mick and Mark – sound advice
Ebong – a guy that I think everyone in Bali wants to be friends with. I sure do.

Travelers we have met, Sima, Steve, Pete Day, Ben and dozens of others.

Eating sashimi at Ebongs house the night I left for Oz….I got soaked by rain on the ride over and he had a few pounds of fresh sashimi while I dried off. Great stuff.

Being near the beach

The excitement of living in Kuta. The place has a travel vibe that is strong. Walking around the streets is exhilirating.

A whole host of Indonesians. Endah, Ika, Hendra, Staff from Internet Outpost, and Armadi to name a few.

Meeting a bunch of people that are not here, via the blog. Paul, from New York. Since I started blogging over here, I have learned a bit about him and we have had some back and forth. I feel like I make a new friend in NY even though I am in Bali. Same goes for Jason Gaspero and many others that commented, disagreed, agreed and shared.

I learned that I can’t spel fer shit (maybe I already knew it) and that I am an average writer. Writing everyday like this is a challenge. I hope to improve and keep learning from all the polished writers on BootsnAll and elsewhere.

I learned that that working remotely from an office is possible. There are challenges associated with it, but it is becoming more possible by the day. Internet access points are everywhere. Web-based applications make the Internet, my office!

One of my favorite parts of being here, is working away for a few hours at a Internet Caf�. When I do this I am in the web world. It almost feels like I am sitting at my desk in Eugene, Oregon. But when I finish, I step outside into a totally different world and culture. The 1st 5 minutes after leaving a caf�, I am giddy. It is hard for me to believe that I can be in one world mentally while in the caf�, and then transform in 1 minute into expat/traveler. I love both worlds.

Final-final thought and good-bye
So, Nick have fun, be healthy, and go for it mate. I am inspired to know you and watch you make the most of the opportunities presented to you.

Good-bye Bali ’till next time!