Travel Paulie

Volunteering in Bali and what I’ve done so far

May 9, 2010

When you make a difference, you make a huge difference. Whatever your speciality is, be it teaching, Information Technology, medicine, nutrition, anything… you made a huge difference by becoming a local expert. When you hold knowledge, or have a skill, that a group of people don’t currently possess you are an asset to those people. But only if you give your time to them.

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Couch Surfing: an excellent way to connect with locals when travelling

May 5, 2010
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Couch Surfing it seems is a great way to travel the world and meet new people. In this article I basically tell you what it is, why you would want to get involved, how it works, and what it isn’t.

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The Bali experience – Kuta, Seminyak, and Ubud

April 24, 2010

In this article I’ve only covered 3 of the first places you’ll probably have heard of in Bali, namely Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud. I’ve also provided some general information/tips at the end regarding visas, transport, etc.

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The online traveller, part 1: 6 basic ways to stay safe online

April 23, 2010

Before I set out I gave a lot of thought about how I was going to move around and retain some sort of consistency with regards my computing environment. Anyone who has been to southeast Asia and experienced the amazing diversity of internet cafes will have first hand “same. same. but different” experience- Yes, it’s ‘Internet’; no, it’s not the same.

In this particular article I’ll deal with basic security, since most safety risks can be mitigated simply through awareness of the footprint we make when we sit down in front of a computer. I’ll follow this article up at a later date with further options for the extra security-conscious traveller.

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Indonesia tourist visa extension

April 22, 2010

A quick how-to and information you need to know when you travel to Indonesia and want to extend your 30 day Indonesian visa-on-arrival tourist visa in Bali

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Tourism and the everyday Balinese

April 21, 2010

If only tourists could see this… could witness first hand the disparities that exist between the wealthy landowners of this country and the average working-class Indonesian eking out a living here. The paltry wages their bosses give them or the tiny margins they make on things like sunglasses and other merchandise they flog to the streaming tourism-mass barely affords them basic sanitary living conditions.

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Is this how you cut a watermelon?

April 19, 2010
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Approx. reading time: 10minutes. Sunday was an interesting day for several reasons and since I love the sound of my own voice I’m going to blab about it. Currently I’m hiding out somewhere in Bali, namely ‘Legian Beach Bungalows’ at a mere IDR:80,000 per night.  The cheapest accommodation I’ve found by far, and much better […]

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Koh Samui and some of the delights therein

April 2, 2010
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Are you heading to Koh Samui in Thailand?  Wondering what to expect, or some of the highlights to check out while you’re there? I’ve been to Koh Samui 4 already, and I want to pass on some hints and tips so you can make the most of your time there. At the bottom, I have […]

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Basic Thai culture for the uninitiated

March 15, 2010

For those who have yet to visit Thailand, or even South East Asia, I’m just going to write a little bit about some of their more important culture points of worthy note.  It’s by no means comprehensive.  Some of these are important to be aware of if you are planning to visit that part of […]

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It’s rarely just a coconut

February 12, 2010
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Like most capital cities, Vientiane is not representative of how the majority of the population live. It is a small city with two or three main streets within which you will find most of the things you need.  I did very little in the way of touristy sight-seeing while I was there and opted instead […]

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