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Latest Bali Journal Entry:
CLICK HERE
Last China Journal Entry: CLICK HERE |
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December 2001 |
- Becky leaves
- Diving Menjangan Island
- BaliTravelInsider.com
- Driving in Bali!
- Bruce Sings!
- Massage details
- My new JOB
Well, after about 4 1/2 weeks my wonderful friend Becky is leaving today :-( She has had a marvelous time. Seeing Bali. Shopping. Snorkeling. Shopping. Meeting new people. Shopping. Leaning some words in Indonesian. Did I mention shopping? She has ordered some furniture made here that will be shipped to her and since she then had room in the crate, she also bought many wonderful Balinese items for her home. Lots of heavy stone carvings for her beautiful garden; many wonderful carved wood items for her home; ikat material for her walls; and much more. We've spent time in Amed at a wonderful hotel there and time near Menjangan Island at another wonderful hotel (photo included); yes, that's a natural spring fed hot tub in the foreground (not filled yet), our private swimming pool in the back ground and the out-door bed in the left corner (that was just the outside; the AC'd inside had huge beds, TV, stereo, beautiful bathroom with outdoor shower and even a loft with another bed). Just a truly beautiful place called the Mimpi Resort. We both did 2 dives off Menjangan Island. Becky did 2 'discovery' dives while I did my 2. The water is VERY calm and VERY clear, with an outstanding array of coral and fish life. It's in the NW corner of Bali with NO tourists at all. Incredibly beautiful sunsets over Java. Very different from the Ubud area. And, perhaps, even better diving that in the Amed area, which WAS my favorite!
Car - still running fine. I had seat belts put in; the AC recharged; a new clutch put in; and a good wash/wax job done on it. I'm really getting used to driving here. Someone described the driving here as a 'dance'. This is pretty close to what driving is like here. EVERYONE is responsible for everyone else. It's an amazing example of cooperation. A thing of beauty, really. It would take too long to accurately describe it in enough detail that you'd really get it. It must be observed, so come on over and observe it!
I'm expecting my German friend Sabine in a week or so. I hope to work with her on BaliTravelInsider.com, a new enterprise I'm starting until this summer, when the tourists return and (maybe) buy some of my t-shirts. It will be a site dedicated to: 'assisting the traveler to Bali to maximize his/her enjoyment of the island. "
We'll give advice, arrange drivers, airport pick-ups, tours, hotel reservations (the BEST rooms), assistance in shopping and bargaining, and more. I'll let you know when the site is up and running.
I'm also working with a new friend to start an export business. We'll start with teak outdoor and pool furniture. Should be interesting and something else new to learn :-)
I also met a wonderful young woman at a local warung (cafe), we chatted and found out she was a web designer!!!! I told her I had been doing that for a while and also had been advising companies about search engine optimization. She said her boss might want to talk to me about it. She called the next day and gave me his phone number and said 'yes, he did want to talk to me about it'! I'll call him Monday and see what's going on there. Maybe a little job advising his business concerning search engine marketing! Should be interesting.
Becky also met a bunch of nice folks with varied interests at a class she took. We went to the local library last night to 'sing'. Yes, 'sing'. I know, most of you know I can't sing a note (actually legally barred for life from singing out-loud in public). But, I found I could sing enough to NOT make folks ill. So, it was fun to sing with a bunch of people (we sang 3 part harmonies, even!). It's a weekly thing and I think I'll go back next week. Maybe continue until they find out it was me that was the one singing off key!
Just had another massage (thanks again Suzie) at Nur's. Here is their description:
- Complete body massage with an oil chosen according to the need of the client (e.g., coconut oil, sandalwood oil, etc)
- Complete body cleansing. Dead cells are removed with a scrub made from Javanese herbs ground into a paste
- The body is then rubbed with yogurt
- Special herbs to detoxify and clear your body are boiled and added to your flower petal bath, you relax for twenty minutes in the bath for maximum effect, this is especially recommended for jet lag
- A luxurious body lotion is applied to finish off your treatment
Total time: one and half hours!
Becky & I were having dinner at a local warung and this (really attractive) woman came to eat there also. So, of course, we starting talking. She said she was a web designer!!! I said 'that's what I did' etc. Also mentioning my TopSearchEngineRank.com little company. She said her boss (Paul) might be interested in talking with me about that, as he needed some help with the 60-80 web sites they have up. Here's one: http://www.balinesia.net/ note that when you change your browser size how it changes the size of each image!!! Very nicely done. Anyway, she called me the next day to say he was very interested in speaking with me and she gave me his phone number. Unfortunately, I had just gotten a yucky flu that hung on for about 6 days. This was followed by Becky's last week here. So, it took me about 2 weeks to finally call him. (In the mean time I had re-acquainted myself with the latest Search Engine Marketing info in case he wanted to talk about that).
I called him and we had a nice chat for about 45 minutes. We made plans for me to meet with him the next day at his office in the S.W. part of Denpasar. I hadn't ever been to that part of Bali before. He had emailed me a rough map, but later he said it was meant for someone familiar with the area, which I wasn't at all. So I wandered my way down there and made a turn, went about 1/4 mile and thought 'no this isn't right', turned around and went back and then made a left turn and went about 100 feet and thought 'no this isn't right', turned around and then pulled over. I called him and he thought I was in a different part of Denpasar (I didn't think I was), he suggested I flag down a taxi and then have him lead me to his office. So I did that and went (I swear) only about 1/8 mile and there it was (on this little side street that wasn't even marked)! It was amazing. Even Paul was amazed when he found out I'd only been driving on Bali for 2 weeks and had not ever been in this area before :-) It helped set a good mood for the interview. The interview lasted 5 hours! He demo-ed software that he developed that he sold to small to medium size manufacturing companies and showed me a bunch of web sites that they had designed, and we talked about Search Engine stuff. At the end (I needed to leave as I don't like driving at night), he basically let me know that he wanted me to work with him. I said that it sounded VERY interesting and for us both to 'give it a good think', and talk by phone the next day.
The next morning I sent him an email thanking him for his time, etc. Complimenting him on his successful company, and the great software and staff. I suggested 3 different areas where I felt comfortable contributing to his company. And mentioned several 'troubling' areas, like the commute, that I didn't want to work more than 2-3 days a week, etc.
Well, we met on Sunday, and my FIRST day in Monday December 24th. He's leaving for about 3 weeks and we needed to do lots of TURN-OVER stuff. As far as my little 'troubling' areas:
- The company pays for a full time driver for me. He drives my car, and runs errands for me, and helps me with my Indonesian. Great guy who knows all the back roads, so the commute takes about 55 minutes.
- The company will pay for my KITAS - my temporary residency which costs over $2000 to get.
- I work a 4 day week - it compromise, but I love the work.
So I am now the Senior Projects Director! Sounds good and it's my dream job. I run things when he's gone (he's gone a lot). I also bring a vast experience about business processes, testing procedures, office management, and more. We both feel I am a huge (no pun intended) asset to the company. Stay tuned...
Click on the Image for full size!
Tub & Pool at Mimpi
Balinese Christmas Tree & Santa
Bali
...Well, it's there
somewhere above Australia and below Singapore...
