Asia: One Year Later (part III)
This concludes Southeast Asia (for now); so what did we learn?
524 days—1 year, 5 months, 7 days
17 months, 7 days
That’s how long we spent in Southeast Asia. Since November 2023, we visited Indonesia (Bali) twice, The Philippines, Malaysia (twice), Thailand, and just completed our journey in Cambodia, where we spent about 50 days.
The Plan: to see if we could find four (or more) places within the region where we felt we could live for three months or so.
And the Conclusion??
Hell, yea!
Overall. our Beta test was a glowing success, and we will be back, to coin a phrase.
Two of our past newsletters covered the first part of our journey as well as the second, so here is Part III, starting in Bali, and finishing in Cambodia.
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Stop #8 Bali #2: 60 days, 4 hours (exactly, because we got caught overstaying our visa—by four measly hours!!)
Anyway, we returned to Sanur, the city we fell in love with on our first round (Dec ’23), and our love holds true. We returned to a great homestay that was within walking distance to any and everything we needed, and along with the large enough room, pleasant pool, plus great staff, it almost felt like yet another “home.” Our first 30 days were spent there, then we ferried over for a repeat visit to Nusa Lembongan, the closest island to the “mainland,” and that fast boat ride takes just about 30 minutes. Sweet! Last year we came across a great hotel on the water at the far end of Nusa Ceningan, the small adjoining island, and had our heart set on staying there, which we did for three weeks. Our scooter was a necessity since it was needed to go anywhere, but Ceningan is unique since you have to cross a six foot bridge to get to it, meaning walking or scooters only—no cars to speak off, just shuttle buses. Food was everywhere, cheap, and delicious, and we also were fortunate enough to get invited to stay at a high end five star GLAMPING spot called Arna. Here’s a link where you can learn more.
After three weeks we returned to Sanur until our departure for Cambodia. Kat and I both agreed that our second visit to Bali was just as good as the first—if not better—and after comparing all the spots we visited, Bali, including Sanur and Lembongan, are pretty much at the top of our “most liked” places. Visas in Indonesia are not as easy as some countries, but staying 60 days is doable and we may step up and get a longer term visa next time. We’ll see.
This was also our second “rainy season” in Asia, and it was not as bad as we feared. Over the several months we were in it we only had a handful of days where we chose to not go outside. Even so, we could always grab an umbrella and take a short walk to food or supplies. We dodged the monsoons that sometimes occur, and between the rainy season and the dry, ie HOT season, we prefer the rainy season. Our timing was a bit off as we were leaving though, since we had two trips to the northern part of the island planned which WERE curtailed by rain and downed trees. I guess we have yet another reason to return!
Stop #9 Cambodia: final leg until next year
Cambodia was not on our agenda after Bali and we looked at returning to Australia or revisiting somewhere else, but our plans changed when some friends we met in Vietnam told us they bought a hotel in Siem Reap, the location of Angkor Wat. We were there the first time in 2020, just as COVID was starting, and the place was dead. As was the town itself, which has grown up in the past five years to become a huge magnet for expats! Here’s some background on that. So staying at Saralya Homestay was like staying at a friend’s place—for seven weeks. With a beautiful pool, a nice third floor community and exercise room, plus a terrific room to stay in (with kitchenette), we had a ball there. Our one complaint, voiced by many, is that Cambodia heat is really hot, possibly more challenging than other Asian countries. I’m not sure if it was just humidity or lack of close water features (lake or ocean), but it was tough. We were pleasantly surprised at how much the town itself offered, above and beyond the temples. I wrote a few articles about it, and compared it to five years ago.
We also got to do a Mekong River cruise, visit the capital city of Phnom Penh for a few days, and also stay at a really nice five star resort called Shinta Mani. Overall we had a range of experiences from the simple, cheap, or free, to the more elaborate and fancy. And that is what took me by surprise: Cambodia, and Siem Reap, offered the gamut, and they have come a long way towards modernization and embracing tourism over the years. And yes, we will return here as well.
This is what I discovered over 17 months
Over five different countries, tracking the historical patterns, peering into crystal balls, talking with locals, laying out my tarot cards, and consulting astrologers, this is my result: There IS no way to predict the weather in SEA!
Rainy season is not always rainy, and dry season can bring on the rain. Kuala Lumpur from September to December (rainy season) brought rain about 80% of the days, but predictably in late afternoon, and occasionally some sprinkles during the day. Carry an umbrella? Sure, why not, you can use it for sun protection if it doesn’t rain. Beautiful rain-free mornings can surprise you with rain whenever it darn well pleases!
What Happened to the Four Seasons?
No, not the legendary singing group (though they are still alive and Frankie Valli is 87 and still touring!), but what about the four seasons I lived with for most of my life: summer, fall, winter, spring. In Southeast Asia there are really only TWO seasons: rainy season, and dry season. And they vary based on month, country, and the whims of the global climate. We got to Bali the first time in November, and over six weeks we were there we had many nights of rain, but only a few during the day, and only ONE horrendous rain storm which left us drenched walking back from dinner. But at least it was warm! Later we found out that Bali did indeed have a pretty rainy season, and it started in January or so, a month after we left. Meanwhile, we were in Pattaya, Thailand, during their supposed rainy season but had little.
Pattaya was another nice surprise, and the people who live there say that Pattaya usually does not get the rain like the northern or the southern parts of the country, so we may check that out. When Phuket got battered by rain—and there were storm advisories for most of the country—Pattaya was spared.
Our conclusion is that past patterns and precedents are not always good indicators of what to expect if you go. But the range will be moderate, unlike some temperature swings in many parts of the world.
So now we’re off to Europe for five months on a BMW Motorcycle. Stayed tuned for reports on our visitations.
Loved your write-up! Excellent information!