Something can happen on a trip of this scope. It's a disappointing reality, though should be expected, and I'd warn people plotting a similar trek to consider it in advance: Parts may fall short, may fail altogether. Entire legs of the trip may not live up to a years-long expectation. You might lose a week to bad weather or a month to illness. Just as in regular, ordinary life, shit happens.

And this trip has definitely become real life for us, and aspects have certainly fallen into that category. Just as we've come to expect that real life does not always go as-planned, there, too, will be hiccups as we take this trip around the world.

And our last stop, in large part, was a hiccup. I don't think we did it quite right, or maybe it's just not as great as we had hoped. Thailand is one of those places in the world that people fall in love with. They speak of the kindness of strangers and the beaches and the culture in that dreamy way, their head shaking side-to-side as if ruminating on an old love affair. Our experience fell somewhere below that bleary-eyed infatuation.

After a few days in Singapore, we hoped to start our Thailand adventure on its well-known beaches in Phuket. This may have been our first mistake. Instead of finding white sand and a decent cocktail, we found 20-something partypeople, shitty beer, and the surprise of Motorcycle Week in Patong. It was a nightmare. Hogs blasting by at all hours of the day and night, aggressive massage "therapists" lining the streets, and some truly terrible food. We landed in the Jersey Shore of Thailand, much to our disappointment.

We quickly moved further south, around the Phuket peninsula, getting further and further from this horror. As we did, things got quieter and more palatable. We quite enjoyed the sleepy town of Rawai Beach, its oceanside restaurants charming and the popular (yet not overrun) Nai Harn Beach was fun with giant waves and friendly faces.

Thailand would continue its positive turn as we hopped a ferry and headed toward Koh Phi Phi, a beautiful island in the middle of the Andaman Sea. It was hard-hit by the 2005 tsunami, and has worked hard to rebuild. There's a softness to the people who live and work here, their smiles more genuine than in previous stops. We slept in a hut near the beach, forgoing air conditioning in the interest of budget, and even shared a bathroom. We swam in near-empty waters and ate our bodyweight in green curry. It finally felt like we were somewhere. And things would continue this way as we traveled on to Railay Beach, a geologically-amazing coastal town in the Krabi Province and our final beach-destination, Koh Samui, known for its ultra-charming airport.

But we'd really fall in love with this country when we left its coastline behind and hit Bangkok. To our surprise, this grimy South East Asian hub would quickly charm us. In an upcoming entry I'll tell you how I got involved in the Thai sex trade.

A selection of images from the better legs of our Thailand trip;  Rawai Beach, Koh Phi Phi, and Railay Beach.

BULLETPOINTS

1) Wifi passwords in restaurants and at hotels often have something to do with Bob Marley or James Bond. "007" is frequent. If you're going to be in Thailand for a month or more, consider buying into the universal wifi (think Boingo) offered in most public places. True Wifi came up in every place we visited and might be worth looking into before an extended trip in the region.

2) There are 7-11 stores on every corner. Literally. One intersection had three 7-11 stores. They smell exactly like they do at home: Hot dogs and floor cleaner. 

3) Much like other tropical places, children are awake until at least midnight, sometimes even selling sunglasses or other junk along busy streets. Because it's so hot during the day, even older kids sleep through much of the afternoon, then stay up into the night. It's disconcerting at first but makes sense.

4) Mopeds and motorbikes are readily available, as they were in Bali. Expect to pay a bit more per day to rent. About $5 a day, and cheaper if you rent it for longer periods. Tuktuks and taxis are also very cost-effective. 

5) Thailand's obsession with their King makes a gay man's adoration of Lady Di look lacklustre at-best. His portrait hangs in every single home and business in the country and he is on every denomination of money.

6) Soft Rock covers of the Western world's biggest hits play all day, everywhere. Lady Gaga bangers crooned sheepishly or Katy Perry's greatest hits, slowed waaaay down. It's entertaining and impossible to get out of your head.

7) Restaurant service is very bizarre in this part of the world. They don't seem to put much value in the ceremony of the meal, even locals seem to eat on the go or often alone, perching with a tray of food wherever they might be when mealtime hits. Food ordered in restaurants rarely arrives at the table simultaneously, so we'd often watch the other person eat before getting our own plate. We found the same to be true in Bali. You get used to it.

CURRENTLY

LOCATION: Siem Reap, Siam Reap Province, Cambodia

DATE AND TIME: Friday, May 23, 2013 9:00AM Cambodian Standard Time/Thursday, May 22, 2013 10:00PM EST

10-SECOND REVIEWS 

PART ONE

Location: Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Accommodation: The Album Hotel ★

Patong Beach was one of the worst places I've ever been in my life. And I've been to Orlando. Touristy in the worst way (spring break-y horrible) and it happened to also be Motorcycle Week. I can't even tell you. Just loud, awful motorcycles blasting through town all day and night. The hotel itself was quite nice and well-run, with good-sized rooms. It is small and "boutique" with a great lobby space and an intimate feel. I'd recommend it if I recommended you go anywhere near Patong, which I do not.

Food: Nothing of note.

Tips: Just don't go here under any circumstances.

Location: Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Accommodation: The Tropical Serene Resort ★★

A considerable step in the right direction, though the hotel itself was a bit janky and stale. Until we escaped Phuket Province altogether, each move was a reaction to the last, a slow effort in quietly getting out of there. We were able to get some peace and quiet, enjoy the pool, and recover from the first few days in Thailand. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. 

Food: Just to the east of our hotel there were a strip of very cheap, very tasty restaurants that were off the beaten path. If you head toward the ocean, restaurants are much more expensive and less charming.

Location: Rawai Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Accommodation: Phuket Sea Resort ★★

This hotel was quite nice and very quiet. Two great pools and a good breakfast. The rooms were large, the wifi was fast, and the service was friendly. 

Food: The restaurants at Nai Harn Beach were all similar and tasty for a quick lunch while relaxing on the sand.

Tips: Definitely rent a moped in this town as the beach is at least a 5-minute drive from the main hotel areas. You'll save a ton on tuktuk rides and be able to come and go as you please.

PART TWO

Location: Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, Thailand

Accommodation: The Viking Nature Resort ★★★★

Things started to turn around when we left Phuket Province and made our way to Krabi, which includes Koh Phi Phi. We took the opportunity to really save budget by staying in an air-conditioning-less hut at the Viking Nature Resort. For $30 including breakfast this was the cheapest place to be. It was barely bigger than the bed, with a light and a porch with hammock. We even shared our bathroom, which was in another hut a few meters away. By our standards, this was roughing it, but for three days it was charming and comfortable. A powerful fan kept us cool and a mosquito net kept us protected. The common spaces of the hotel were great and very social, the beach was private and lovely, and the wifi was good, though not super strong in the huts.

Food: We ate many of our meals right at the hotel, which is a rarity for us. Because it's removed from the main tourist strip, it requires a boat ride or a trek across the island. Luckily the food was quite good, though the service was slow and careless; but the staff were sweet. Each night at 7:30pm they offer a free tasting of some menu items in the lobby, in an effort to bring people around. I thought this was a nice touch and a great way to check out a dish without committing to it.

Location: Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand

Accommodation: Sunrise Tropical Resort ★★★

We made our way back to mainland with a stop at Railay Beach. The peninsula has two sides, connected by pathways cutting across. We chose to stay on the cheaper side, which doesn't have swimmable waterfront. Because the area is so small, we opted to save cash and walk to the good beach when we wanted it. 

Food: We had some tasty meals at cheap and cheerful locals. Mama's offered some comforting spaghetti Bolognese when I was feeling tired of curry. Cocktails and beer were cheap in most places. 

PART THREE

Location: Koh Samui, Surat Thani, Thailand

Accommodation: Baan Hin Sai Resort ★★★

This hotel was quite lovely, with great pools, and good service. It was located away from the main tourist area, which was within 5 minutes on our rented moped. We always prefer to stay away from the hubbub and can often save money this way, too. The included breakfast was good but the wifi was spotty, not working at all in the rooms. 

Food: We had one memorable meal at a place called The Chef in Chaweng Beach. It was quiet and the food was really great and well-priced. A lunch at The Library (known for its blood-red swimming pool) was good, but overpriced. We met friends who were staying at the Akaryn Resort and joined them for lunch one day, which was truly terrific, but out of our price range. They generously took care of the bill, which was a nice treat on this trip.

Tips: This island really lends itself to renting a scooter. There's a lot to see and entire days can be spent cruising around. It's also larger than other areas we visited, so was nice to be able to get around without the need for taxis or tuktuks.

★ RATING OUT OF FOUR BASED ON OVERALL EXPERIENCE.

Traveling in this day and age is something of a miracle. We often wonder how people did it twenty (even ten!) years ago. The once-valuable Travel Agent has been replaced by our own fruitful internet searches, booking everything from flights to rooms to breakfast with just a few clicks. All hotels have websites, even the most budget-consicious or remote. It's more and more rare, the sighing of a 40-something backpacker carrying a relic of the past: a well-worn and dog-eared Lonely Planet book. Now we clack around on WikiTravel, noting departure taxes and visa information without the need to schlep weighty tomes. And we can fire off a quick hello text through our wifi-enabled iPhones instead of putting pen to postcard, the instant antidote to a pang of homesickness. 

Yesterday a friend checked-in, asking a string of thoughtful questions. One in particular had me thinking. She asked about our daily routine, whether or not we've built-in any alone time, and how we've adapted to sharing this experience. Each day is different, I said, with very little alone time. In many ways we're spending each day in perfect unison, every moment shared entirely. We don't need to say much when a tiny Cambodian toddler grins at us from a swinging hammock, we simply take it in. The furthest we get from each other is the couple hundred meters between our rented bicycles, the one without gears lagging back. I can calculate our distance by the lapse in our Hello!'s with passing strangers. And so there's almost nothing to talk about. We lack common domestic interactions like, "How was your day?" When we put our heads down at night, pillow talk has all but vanished.  

I hadn't thought of it, exactly, but suddenly I wondered what it meant. Were we losing track of a daily exercise we once enjoyed? Were we forgetting to ask certain questions, taking our shared experience for granted? But I realize I've come to look for Jeff's unique experience in the ultra-specific. "How is that beer?" "Are those noodles cooked well?" "Does your butt hurt from that bike seat?" Because it's important to know how this trip feels to him, how these moments affect him. The most mundane and the others, too. 

Riding bikes in Cambodia. 

CURRENTLY

LOCATION: Siem Reap, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

DATE AND TIME: Thursday, May 23, 2013 10:59AM Cambodian Standard Time/Wednesday, May 22, 2013 11:59PM EST

Partway through our time in Bali, while expressing our disappointment in its beaches, some Americans we met suggested we head to the Gili Islands, an hour and a half by speed boat from the east coast. After a quick Google search, we were sold and started planning our 4-day adventure.

An archipelago of three small islands, the Gilis are home to only 3500 permanent residents. One of the world's deepest ocean trenches lies far below the surface of the Lombok Strait, where the Gilis are, so it's a fascinating region: Sumatra, Java, and Bali were once connected to the Asian mainland, but the Gilis, Lombok and islands to the east were kept separate due to the water's depth. Therefore the fauna to the west of the trench are largely Indo-Malaysian, while the east is inhabited by Australasian species. The biomes are so vastly different because birds and animals will not cross water of a certain depth. Neat!

Tourists have only been visiting The Gilis, in large numbers, since 2008 though a few backpackers have been going since the 1980s. It's known for its party culture, beautiful beaches, and epic snorkelling and diving locations. Magic mushrooms are legal here, so draw people to the islands en masse as Indonesia's drug laws are extremely (ie. death penalty) strict.

The islands have no motorized transport, only horse and buggy (cidomos) or bicycles. While charming, I did have a few issues with the wellbeing of the horses - Their condition varied from prized and seemingly well-cared-for, to quite the opposite. The main tourist strip in Gili Trawangan is in similar condition. Our initial reaction upon landing on the, albeit beautiful, beach was, "Oh dear." Between the ear-piercing Eurobeats and endless strip of tacky clubs, we were worried we'd made a mistake coming here.

While there are many hotels on Gili T (as it's known, and the largest and most-visited of the three) there are also "homestays" which tend to be private rooms or small bungalows on a private property. They are typically less organized than a hotel with fewer amenities and limited infrastructure. But they are cheap. We booked one night at a homestay, and then planned to roam around and find something more suitable. 

It should be said, we do not consider ourselves to be fussy travellers -- We typically understand what we're in for at any given place. Jeff is a master at reading between the lines in tourist reviews, quickly discrediting the opinions of misguided travellers and tempering the overly-enthused. That said, we have come to learn that air conditioning and a functioning bathroom are essential to our survival. And so the homestay on this wild island would not suffice and for just $10 more we found a proper hotel on a quiet road, far from the congestion and craziness of hallucinating Australians.

But the best part of the Gili Islands has got to be the pair of brassy English girls we met there. Lucy and Rebecca were straight out of a British sitcom and we hit it off instantly. We hadn't really spent much time with strangers since leaving home, so their company was refreshing. We shared a few meals, spent way too much time (and money) at a hilarious Rasta bar, and vowed to see them again; I can't go the rest of my life without hearing Lucy's dramatic rendition of, well, any song, really. (It turns out we'd see Rebecca sooner than expected; she lives in Singapore and showed us a great time on our stop there.)

While our initial impression of the Gilis was pretty dire, we actually kind of loved it and would recommend a few days to anyone who happened by. It was a good reminder that every place we visit can offer what we're looking for - but only if we dig ourselves out of a mood and make it so.

(A few highlights, like snorkelling in the Lombok Strait, which contains some of the deepest ocean trenches in the world.)

MAP BY PAUL DOTEY

BULLETPOINTS

1) Unlike Bali, the majority of the permanent population of the Gili Islands is Muslim. There are several mosques on the small islands.

2) It rained a few times on this leg of the trip and the streets flood almost instantly, filling the dirt roads with smelly, awful water. It's extremely unpleasant. You might consider water socks to traipse through this sort of mess, though it's unavoidable.

3) Don't purchase things like speedboat tickets in advance. Roadside tour operators will try to convince you to pre-buy transport and it's much cheaper to simply walk to the dock and haggle for a ticket. Again, we're travelling in low-season in this part of the world, so benefit from fewer tourists and greater availability over all. See also: hotel stays. You can literally walk in, request a room-viewing, decide on-spec if you want to stay and then negotiate a price. When it's not busy, all businesses are anxious to have your money. It's a buyer's market.

4) The Gilis have experienced a lot of controversy in recent years due to incidents of methanol poisoning. Because liquor is so expensive in this part of the world, a few bars have been caught topping-up their stock with the extremely poisonous substance. It is extremely dangerous and certainly something to consider when traveling to this part of the world. Visit reputable (though this can be hard to determine) bars, stick to beer, or purchase sealed bottles of booze at the various shops and enjoy cocktail hour in your hotel room.

5) Gili Air and Gili Meno are much quieter and more remote than Gili T. Prices may be a bit higher as there are fewer hotels to choose from. If we could re-do this portion, we'd probably stay on one of the other islands instead of the tourist-heavy Trawangan. 

CURRENTLY

LOCATION: Koh Samui, Krabi, Thailand

DATE AND TIME: Monday, April 29, 2013 10:00AM Thailand Standard Time/Monday, April 29, 2013 12:00AM EST

10-SECOND REVIEWS 

Location: Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

Accommodation: The Gili Palms Resort ★★★

After one night in a janky homestay smack in the middle of the rowdiest part of the island, we wandered to the northern end where things calm down. We were able to find a great spot, tucked away, with a beautiful pool and great service. A large room with a neat outdoor bathroom and very good A/C was only $45 a night. Feel free to walk around to various hotels, ask to see the rooms, and negotiate a price. It's fairly easy, especially in the off-season.

Food: Food on the Gili's is fairly lacklustre, though we did have an excellent chicken curry on Gili Air at a place called Tami's Neverland. 

Tips: As you know from reading, we've not been participating in many "excursions", as those sorts of things cut deep into the budget. But it turns out snorkelling around the Gili's is cheap, a seat on a large boat with 40 others only $10USD. But along with Lucy, Rebecca and a sweet pair of Swedish girls, we were able to score a better deal. Jeff and Lucy wrangled a private boat for just the six of us, with a guide (who we called G-Money), for $16USD each. The ability to tailor-make our excursion (stay longer in certain areas, eat when we wanted, and take our time) was well-worth the additional few dollars each. If you're traveling in low season, this sort of finagling is highly recommended. This day will rank high on our Eat, Gay, Love list - Snorkelling in some of the finest water in the world, and then getting trapped by a storm on Gili Air, it was a real adventure.

A note on cross-sea transfers: There are several speed boat companies that cross from Bali to the Gilis. We bought our ticket going either way on the same day and were able to finagle a cheap price from the hawkers in the street. If you buy your tickets from a tour agency, you are bound to pay 30% more. 

★ RATING OUT OF FOUR BASED ON OVERALL EXPERIENCE.

While gratitude had been coming up constantly from the moment we left North America, it was especially hard to forget about it in a place like Bali. And I don't mean that in a flakey, neo-spiritual way. It's literally hard to forget it.

In Balinese Hinduism, tiny trays made of banana leaves are filled with flowers and incense, little mounds of sticky rice or bits of chicken. To thank good spirits and appease bad, these toast-sized baskets, an inch deep, are placed in and around homes and businesses. Hindus are expected to share of their good fortune in this way, a portion of their meals, or a few blossoms, at least three times a day.

The preparation of these offerings is a common business enterprise; expertly-woven baskets filled with flowers pre-trimmed from their stems or stacked with shredded greenery and sticks of incense. When there's no time to make your own, these fully-completed offerings are available for purchase by busy locals: The conveniences of modern life in Bali. It became quite common to see little smoking heaps of frangipani at each entranceway or at the mouth of a stream, or to return to our rented villa to find a neighbour had laid these blessings at our doorstep, taking up the slack of a couple of bulés. As you skip over the physical examples all day long, it's impossible to avoid thinking about gratitude.

*    *    *

On our very first day in Bali we headed to a local warung for a bite to eat. The place was empty and we walked the long pathway from the street to the covered area at the back of the lot. We noticed a young man flitting about, clearly gay, and he noticed us too. The other employees scattered and let him take care of us. 

He was frantic. Anyone who's ever been a gay guy near another gay guy who wasn't often near gay guys knows the energy he was exhibiting: He was excited to see us, to share in our space. It was immediately very, very sweet. He had a bit of schmutz on his face, so I grabbed a tissue and plucked it from his cheek, eliciting a squeal from both him and the girls nearby, "Oh my goodness! You make me so blushing!" This was Danny*, 23, and he would describe us as his new best friends within the hour.

We ordered food and he asked to join us at our table. He fired off questions, barely waiting for answers. Where we're from, our ages, if we wanted to party. He asked if we were a couple and, eyes wide, marvelled at the fact that we've been together nearly 10 years. He launched into a story of his ex who was an older Australian bulé he'd worked for, and over time had fallen in love with. He told us (with a cartoonish level of despair flashing across his face) that Mark had gone back to Sydney where he was in a terrible accident, suffering amnesia. Mark no longer remembered Danny, the sweet-faced Javanese boy who'd cleaned his pool. We wordlessly went along with his story, understanding the occasional importance of denial and self-preservation. We simply told him how sorry we were that such a thing had happened and asked him to tell us more about himself. 

Danny left his native island of Java in 2011, heading to the gay-friendly Bali to work and to party. He broke up with his girlfriend and left without telling anyone much of anything. This is not to say he isn't close with his family; with an identical twin brother and some sisters, his is as tightly-knit as most Indonesian families. But kids in Java do not come out to their parents. In Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, LGBT citizens are labeled as cacat, their homosexuality considered a mental disability; they are not protected under the law. Here in Bali Danny is living the high life, visiting bars and flirting with boys, both at the clubs and at this restaurant at this very moment. He sings Nicki Minaj and Kelly Clarkson songs at the top of his lungs; American pop culture is his lifeline. 

We asked about his options. Danny could go home and come out to his parents but he'd surely be turned away, or at the very least misunderstood and thrust into religious therapy. Or he could continue to skim the surface of this long-distance relationship, leaving them to wonder about him, and perhaps return home every once in a while, disappointingly unmarried. His third and most-viable option was to marry a woman, like most gay people did. Danny shrugged and buoyantly sang a barely-perceptible verse of an ancient Mariah Carey song. 

*    *    *

It was a stark reminder: How grateful I am to be Canadian. Even in America, where gay rights are not quite where they should be, most people I know aren't forced to make these tough choices. For a great number of us, our decisions revolve around which designer suit to wear or the density of our butter cream frosting. Familial abandonment is more and more rare, and lots of us will, instead, spend hours helping our very-supportive grandmother decide between the classic boat neck or the rather-daring V. Although the American government lags behind, many of us have the great privilege of living our lives without fear of persecution. I'm not suggesting that any of that is enough, but it's something to think about.

BULLETPOINTS

1) Locals are brusque with each other often mumbling and forgoing pleasantries completely. But not in a mean way, just sort of no-nonsense.

2) Streets and ditches are filled with trash and burned weekly. 

3) All along the roadways, small shops sell Absolut Vodka or large water bottles filled with gasoline. 50¢ per litre. Often children under the age of 10 are operating these "gas stations".

4) Fact: Chantal Kreviazuk's cover of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" is playing at all times in a bar or restaurant on this island. 

5) Parking near beaches or on busy social streets costs 2000 Rupiah, or 20¢ and is often charged by a random entrepreneur who has set up a barrier. 

6) Infrastructure cannot keep up with traffic, so there are often jams. Roads are a disaster, pot-holed and treacherous. But there is no road rage, no honking. Just patient, resigned, sweaty waiting. 

7) Infants who are riding with their parents on mopeds are usually bedecked in a toque or  bonnet instead of a helmet.

8) While 87% of Indonesians at-large are Muslim, a staggering 93% of Balinese people are Hindu. As Islam began to overpower Hinduism in 16th century Java, Bali became a refuge for Hindus and gets its moniker, Island of the Gods, for this reason.

9) There are over 20 000 temples on the island of Bali. Bali is roughly the size of Prince Edward Island, or the state of Delaware.

10) Bali reminds me of Cuba or Mexico, feeling more Latin than Asian. The native languages have a lot of rolled R's and soft vowels. The food is also vaguely Caribbean with lots of cloves and nutmeg.

11) Local business seems to lack uniqueness. Four huts schilling the same fruit, three meters apart are common, or shop after shop selling the same chintzy Bintang t-shirts.

12)  Jeff's blue eyes were very interesting to people. They would often stop and stare.

13) You can rent a 1500sqft house in Bali for $1400 a year. 

14) Seminyak, about 20 minutes from Sanur, has a really terrific gay scene. A strip with four clubs all vying for your attention gets going around 11pm each night, offering some truly outstanding drag queens (get Rupaul on the phone!) and generous cocktails. It's easy to spend a night bouncing between the clubs.

15) We rented a scooter the entire time we were in Bali. As far as we're concerned, it's the only way to do it. You can see so much more and venture off the tourist track with ease. Bikes cost between $3 and $5 per day, which is ridiculously cheap. Of course, be wary of road conditions, wear helmets, and watch for Balinese police corruption. We were pulled over on our first day in Sanur and extorted for 300000Rp ($30US). This is classic Bali, but jarring nonetheless. He told us we made a turn when we shouldn't have or didn't when we needed to (it's still unclear) and then pointed at words like "jail" and "Indonesian tribunal" in his little notebook. He then told us he "could help" if we placed $30 in his book (not in his hand! He was no amateur!) and we would be on our way. A shitty moment in an otherwise wonderful time.

CURRENTLY

LOCATION: Ko Phi Phi, Krabi, Thailand

DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 5:00PM Thailand Standard Time/Monday, April 22, 2013 6:00AM EST

Please keep up with my Instagram feed for daily bits and bobs.

10-SECOND REVIEWS 

Location: Sanur, Bali, Indonesia

Accommodation: Villa Sanur ★★★

We stayed in a private villa in the heart of a very traditional neighbourhood. We were definitely the only bulés in the area and liked that very much. While there were many, many crowing roosters at all hours of the day and night, this annoyance was off-set by being tucked into and immersed by the local culture.The property is exceptionally private and we were hard-pressed to leave the quiet relaxation of the pool (or to put on pants.) It was quite luxurious with two beds and a bathroom, but we managed to negotiate a great deal with the owner as it is the low season in Bali. 

Food: We ate many meals at a local restaurant down the street where we made a few friends. They specialize in Manadonese food (Manado is the capital city of North Sulawesi, another Indonesian island) and served great dishes for under $5, sometimes less than $2. We also ate from food carts that set up shop at dusk, acting like drive-thru restaurants for locals. For $1, you get 10 small chicken skewers with peanut sauce. A ridiculous value.

Location: Lovina, Bali, Indonesia

Accommodation: Villa Shanti ★★★

Another private villa off the beaten path, Villa Shanti was similar to the first in Sanur, though with the added benefit of a house staff and the convenience of its owner living next door. Breakfast and daily tidying were provided by Kadek, which was weird at first, but we got used to having someone at our beck and call. (Make sure to tip like Rockefellers on your way out!) Joseph, an American expat, and his Javanese wife Shanti were super friendly and took us to many places we wouldn't have otherwise visited. They generously schlepped us up into the mountains, off to the hot springs and to many great spots for food. It was a really great way to immerse ourselves and stay off the tourist track.

Food: Because this portion of the trip was so much cheaper than NZ and Australia, we ate all meals out. In fact, it's cheaper and easier to eat at restaurants than it is to buy groceries and cook. Some notable return-visits in Lovina: JB's Warung (a terrifyingly shabby place that served great - of all things - pizza) as well as Cosy Restaurant near the beach. 

Location: Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Accommodation: Casa Ganesha ★★★

Our first since staying in Sydney's Grace, Casa Ganesha is a fairly traditional hotel accommodation. There are 24 rooms in 12 small buildings, so it felt like bungalows with the perks and infrastructure of a hotel. Breakfast was included in the $40US/night and we stayed 7 nights. Its location is good - very close to the tourist strip, though also near the edge of town for a quick escape from the hustle. It took us a couple of days to adjust to the glut of Elizabeth Gilbert-looking SWF's, but as soon as we started driving out into the countryside every day, we were happy to balance the conveniences of a hotel with the access to actual local culture. 

Food: We had so many great, simple meals in Ubud. Because it has exploded since the release of Eat, Pray, Love (the book, then the movie) there are hundreds of boutiques, restaurants, and lifestyle centres catering to the abovementioned neo-spiritual white woman. It's a little gross, but can be avoided. While we always aim to eat simple, local (cheap) food, we had one memorable meal at a place called Nomad on the main drag. Jeff and I shared the Balinese tapas tasting and were pleasantly surprised. 

Before leaving Bali, we returned to the first property in Sanur for a few more days. It was, once again, an excellent time. Between Ubud and those few in Sanur, we spent a three days on the Gili Islands, an archipelagic trio to Bali's east. I'll post about that soon. 

★ RATING OUT OF FOUR BASED ON OVERALL EXPERIENCE.

NOTES ON RIGHTS, LOVE, AND BELONGING

Crossing My Legs (September 2008)

I'm Sorry Your Weird Boy Is Strange (April 2008)

Milking It (March 2009)

10 Years Later (October 2010)

Brian and Chris (August 2012)

*Names have been changed.