Travel Betty

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Every Travel Betty knows how much I love pork, so you shouldn’t be surprised to hear about my fascination with SmartyPig.  Although inedible, SmartyPig is the tastiest new way to save money online and share your goals with family and friends (who just may be willing to contribute too, once they see how responsible you’re being).  And since last time I checked, it costs money to travel, I think SmartyPig is an excellent way to save up for your next big adventure. 

The Ultimate Money Blog actually has a good breakdown of the service:

The basic gist of it is this: you want a new ipod, a Hawaiian vacation, a new bike, etc. First you start a profile on the site, then you establish your savings account and goal, and figure out your monthly contribution. Then you have the option to share with friends and family your savings goal so they can track your progress and make donations if they would like. Start saving, and before long you’ll meet your goal! 

Being Frugal also has a good review and like me, is having a SmartyPig contest with monetary rewards: 

What I Like About Smarty Pig

• You can’t beat the interest rate.
• Their customer service is top notch. They have responded quickly to customer requests to lower fees. They had an issue about a week ago, where their system rejected transfers that were supposed to happen over a weekend, and notified members that their accounts would be charged $25 fees. On the following Monday, I received a personal email from SmartyPig’s CEO apologizing, telling me my account would not be charged, and that they were fixing the problem immediately. They also quickly put up a blog post explaining what had happened, so their customers weren’t in the dark.
• Others can pitch in towards savings goals, which makes it an appealing choice to teach children to save.
• If I know I want to buy something from a particular retailer, I can get an additional savings bonus by receiving my money as a store gift card.
• Savings are automated, so I don’t miss the money.
• The website and avatars are pretty cute!

What I Don’t Like About Smarty Pig

• It’s another account to manage. I could achieve the same thing by opening an ING sub-account.
• I can’t just transfer money back to my funding source. (yet)

What the heck is Alltop.com and why should you care?

It’s a new website that basically functions as a simply designed RSS reader where some of the Intertubes most fascinating blogs are listed for your browsing enjoyment. They say they’ve “got all the top stories covered all the time.” And since Travel Betty is now one of their featured blogs, I’d have to say I agree with them!

You can see the last 5 post titles of each blog and a short into paragraph if you roll over them. If you want to read more, just click the link. Simple, but useful. If you’re like me and you feel like there’s lots of good info out there, but you don’t want to try too hard to find any of it, then Alltop.com is for you. And if you’d like to submit your own blog, or one of your favorites for consideration, you can find out how to do it here.

Happy surfing!

When I arrived alone in Bali, Villa Naga Maya had arranged for a driver to pick me up from the airport. The young man was very personable and helpful so I decided I’d probably use him the entire time I was there. But in an “only in Bali” type situation, about a week later I’d come back from Ubud (having taken the Perama tourist bus to save money) only to find my driver’s office not only abandoned, but already being converted into an art gallery. And I’d only been gone two days!! I inquired what happened and a guy standing nearby the shop whispered “bankrupt.”

The problem was, that night I needed to go to the airport to pick up Travel Boyfriend and I was feeling panicky. Now I didn’t have anyone I could trust to get me there and do so for a fair price. I hate to haggle, but I knew it was going to be necessary. The ‘bankrupt’ guy said he had friends who could help, so I followed him to a building not too far away. I explained the situation and the owner told me 150,000 rupiah. No f$#@ing way, that’s like $15 and is about what I paid my first driver for a ½ day trip to Dreamland and Uluwatu. When I protested and tried to do my haggling thing the guy said, “okay, 250,000.” That made me so angry, I left in a huff (which you shouldn’t really do in Bali).

Over lunch I decided maybe I should just puss out and take a cab. Having recently endured some negative transportation issues already in Ubud, I wasn’t feeling particularly keen to track down another driver. But on my way back to the villa, I decided to attempt to find a new driver just once more and if it didn’t work, at least I’d know I’d not given up so easily. And thank god I didn’t because that’s when I found Gusdek, a fantastic driver who ended up being someone I could always count on. And best of all, he was always fair with his pricing.

On the way to the airport and while waiting for Travel Boyfriend’s plane to arrive, we had a lot of time to talk. Like TB and I, he was 40 and his wife was in her early thirties. Also like us, they’d also been together for many years before just recently getting married. He had a really easy going personality, but also a seriousness that made you trust him quickly.

During my remaining 3 weeks, anytime I needed a driver I knew just where to look. He took TB and I up to Ubud, stopping so we could visit many of the craft villages along the way. He even took us to a stonemason friend of his so TB could buy a wicked cool Garuda. And the one time he wasn’t available due to a family emergency, he found two totally fun young guys to drive me and my Singapore friend around the island. I had him waking up early, driving far distances and stopping at any and every shop that caught my fancy and he was always happy to oblige.

It’s so nice when you’re far from home and feeling a little lost and vulnerable to find someone that you not only can count on, but that you can also consider a friend.

So, if you’re in need of a fantastic driver in Bali who speaks very good English and who is knowledgeable about the entire island, you can’t go wrong with Gus!

Travel Betty Basics

Ida Bagus Sumardika (aka. Gusdek)

Office: Kasturi Car & Motor Bike Rental & Tour Service

Pura Bagus Taruna St. No. 516X (near the Kusnadi Hotel)

Legian, Kuta, Bali

Hand Phone: 081 33876 1498

Email: gusdek_2005 [at] yahoo [dot] com

If he’s booked, I’d also highly recommend Putu and Agus who were the drivers who filled in for Gusdek and took us all around the island. They’ll have you laughing your ass off! And Agus can teach you how to surf. They call themselves the Nakula Boys and you can get in touch with Putu by calling his hand phone: 081 91627 4722

Welcome Europe A La Carte readers!

A few weeks ago, I was approached by Karen Bryan to do a guest interview on her blog, Europe Ala Carte. It strives to be “the top Europe travel blog for authentic travel on a modest budget.” Definitely a worthy subject.

You can check out my interview here.

It’s been a while since I’ve spent any significant time in Europe, but I’ve got an unexpected summer trip in the works. It all depends on whether or not the people of Madrid are interested to hear Travel Boyfriend talk about underground pipe safety for energy-generation facilities. Maybe I shouldn’t start packing the ol’ bags just yet!

If you could have a nice young man travel to your luxurious private villa to perform his grandmother-taught reflexology skills on your fat lounging carcass, wouldn’t you? Me too.

It just so happened that the owner of Villa Naga Maya was having his friend Roy come over to give him a massage. Knowing how crazy I am about massages, he asked if I would like to get one too. Um, yes please.

Roy is serious about his reflex talents. Even though his main trade is exporting antiques (don’t ask). All you have to care about is that he really knows what he is doing.

I told him that my lower back had been hurting a lot and seriously for the next few days the pain is gone. In its place is the bruise-like soreness I feel due to the extreme pressure Roy used to treat me, but still. See he doesn’t speak much English, and tended to giggle when I said the pressure is too hard. After awhile, I just decided to take the abuse and hope that I would be rewarded with a pain-free back. And I was.

Unfortunately, I lost his number so I don’t know how to get in touch with him directly. But if you are in dire need of a private masseur to treat your muscles to something healing for a price that can’t be beat and you either speak Indonesian or don’t mind serious finger pressure OR if you’re looking for Balinese antiques for some reason, you could probably get in touch with Merrick at Villa Naga Maya and inquire politely about Roy. You’ll be sure to make his day.

This being my third time in Ubud and the third time in Ubud that it’s raining, I decide to skip my typical wanderings up and down Monkey Forest Road looking for knickknacks nobody wants or needs and instead head back to Kenko for another amazing foot reflexology treatment. I decide to throw in a manicure too, what the heck.

The male technician I had last time is busy with another customer so this time the pregnant woman performs her magic on my feet. She doesn’t use as much pressure, but it’s still a damn good experience. Worlds better than the “reflexology” I got at Secret Garden Spa in Kuta and universes better than yesterday’s debacle.

A few minutes in, I hear the front door open and an American accent inquires about treatment. I recognize the voice as my friend visiting from Singapore and we have a good laugh about how she so quickly gave up shopping in the rain. It seems Kenko Reflexology really attracts the Americans.

Once my foot massage is done, the woman gives me a manicure and I realize why it says reflexology on the sign outside and not manicure. I try to explain that I want my nails to all be clipped to the same length, but fail in my communications. Then I’m only given one coat of polish. Having chosen a pale shade of pink, I walk out of Kenko with uneven, barely perceptibly painted nails. But damn, my feet feel fantastic!

Travel Betty Basics
Kenko Reflexology
(Jl. Monkey Forest next to Komaneka Resort)
Telephone: (0361)975293
4 other Bali locations
Ambiance: 2 out of 5 Passion Fruits
Reflexology Treatment: 5 out of 5 Passion Fruits
Manicure: 2 out of 5 Passion Fruits
Cost: 80,000 rupiah total
What that means in U.S. Dollars: $8.74

I have often considered myself an introvert. Others would disagree vehemently, but they don’t know how hard I’ve worked to overcome my shyness (which still lurks inside). I am a girl who once spent an entire gorgeous Ohio summer barricaded inside the house watching “Get Smart” and the “I Love Lucy” instead of hanging out with the other kids on the block for fear of generalized humiliation. I don’t know what caused my irrational fear, but it was felt deeply and without question.

So, to flash forward 20+ years to a woman traveling for 3 weeks out of 4 on her own in a country whose language she doesn’t speak, in a culture planets away from anything she knows, and attempting to contact a perfect stranger she met on the internet is to tell that little shy girl a story of an absolute mythical creature she could never understand. Perhaps, a narwhal.

But that’s how life works. Sometimes you find yourself seeking camaraderie in the laugh track underpinning the screwball antics of Agents 86 and 99. And sometimes you find yourself sitting across the table from the delightful German ex-pat named Christian of Nomad4Ever fame. Without a doubt, the latter is a much more enjoyable experience.

I ‘met’ Chris during the research phase of my Bali trip. Always on the hunt for provocative and useful insight into the places I intend to visit, his site easily topped my list for best Bali blog. Although, to be fair, his blog isn’t all just about Bali. It’s about living a life of intention and passion. Chris quit his lucrative IT career a few years back, scaled back his life to the bare essentials and now lives comfortably and vibrantly in Bali, Indonesia. Not bad.

Unfortunately, due to parental visits on his end and wedding planning on mine, we weren’t able to get together in person until 2 days before I was set to fly back to the States. Of course, once we did meet, I was kicking myself for not getting together with him and his lovely fiancé sooner because they were both a treasure trove of Bali knowledge, as well as a completely lovely and charming couple to boot. We literally spent 3 hours each nursing a single drink at Café Mokka, catching up and sharing our thoughts on travel, politics, and life in general.

I went home that night feeling enriched by the experience and encouraged by the knowledge that while it might be the easier route to befriend your television and shut out the world, truly meaningful connections occur when we take the risk to reach out to others and just be ourselves. 

A couple months ago, author Beth Whitman asked me to review her book, Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, on Travel Betty. I promptly agreed since I’m always on the lookout for valuable resources to recommend in support of fearless independent travel for women. Then I proceeded to get caught up with the holidays, a new full-time job and planning the two wedding receptions (yes, mine is a wedding that continues to be celebrated!) Apologies to Beth for the delay. I actually read and enjoyed the book awhile back. I even dog-eared the heck out of it.

So, without further ado, here are my 2 cents for Wanderlust and Lipstick:

What woman hasn’t dreamed of scrapping it all and hitting the open road? I mean, even that Bridges of Madison County woman was willing to let herself imagine trading in the apron for a chance to follow around a National Geographic photographer. Ultimately she decided gingham was indeed her color and stayed behind, but at least she dared to dream! Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo is the book you should read when you’re ready to give that dream a swift kick into the planning stage.Yes, there is the typical ‘is it safe for a woman to travel alone?’ and the ‘oh, woe is me, won’t I be lonely?’ talk, but it’s all handled in an evolved and inspirational manner and there’s no dwelling. The chapter called “Getting Beyond the Excuses” is especially helpful for allowing us to recognize that just because our fears sometimes have a louder mouth than our heart, we shouldn’t let them stop us.Much more of the book is focused on providing resources and anecdotes to actually get your butt out of the armchair and into the rickshaw, tuk tuk or gondola. Do you want to hike across Europe? Brush up on your botany skills? Learn how perfectly prepare a whole baby turtle? (Hey, you better not!) Wanderlust and Lipstick will point you in the right direction.Will you be able to plan your whole trip from start to finish using only this book? No, but that’s not the point. It’s the book you should read when you’re first mulling it over.“Can I do this?” Yes!“Should I?” Yes! Yes!“Now what?”Beth will give you the whats and where-to-gos so you can find what you need to create a truly unique journey for yourself. Half the fun is in the preparation and anticipation of what will be. Wanderlust and Lipstick makes sure that you’ve got realistic expectations and the resources you need to make it be something truly life-altering.In addition to her resourceful book, Beth also maintains a really rich and fantastic site called, what else? Wanderlustandlipstick.com of course! Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling SoloOther Betties Blogging About Beth Whitman Go NomadGadlingEurope a la CarteFull disclosure: Beth sent me a complimentary copy of this book. Because I have deep respect for my readers and strive to maintain a high quality blog above all else, my review is based upon my own opinions. If I didn’t like it, you’d know.

Proving once again that paying more doesn’t mean getting better, I’m lying on a massage table in Ubud and I’m annoyed.

My friend from Singapore and I arrived at the Pertiwi Resort & Spa not an hour before and decided to splurge. Since spa is in the name, I know to expect higher prices than I’ve been paying, but I also figure I can expect an expertly performed massage. Not so.

No, Travel Betty, turn back!

The spa complex is set in the back of the expansive property, near the second pool. There are a couple of private massage huts and even a Jacuzzi (which featured a plethora of dead bugs floating on the water’s surface, Mmmmm!).

The place is empty so we use the spa phone to call up for two massage therapists. After a short wait, one shows up. There are discussions and confusion about needing another therapist and I am turned down for my request for the Boreh scrub and so settle for what they are calling an aromatherapy massage.

My friend is led into her hut while I wait and wait and wait for someone else to show. On the brink of leaving, a woman finally appears.

We walk into the humid, mosquito-filled hut and she goes to work…scratching her mosquito bites. Seriously, for about 10 minutes she is so itchy, she basically just scratches herself while keeping one hand on my back. That hand doesn’t move, but I’m pretty sure the woman still defines what she is doing as “giving a massage.” Finally I can tell by the pressure that she is giving her bites the ol’ Hot Cross Buns and soon after, her attention seems to turn at least minimally more towards our shared purpose.

During this whole production, I am focused on a bowl of water placed on the ground below my face rest. In it floats a single yellow flower. The way the evening’s light is coming in through the window, it looks like a brilliant still life painting. I decide that even though the massage is crap, I can enjoy the simple beauty of this scene.

For a brief moment, I allow my eyes to close. I hear a loud thump and splash. Opening my eyes, I see that the therapist has tripped over my still life. Water covers the floor and the flower clings to the side of the bowl like a desperate Titanic victim. There goes that.

A few minutes later, when all of the light has drained from the hut, my therapist leaves me to fumble around for a light switch. She fumbles. And fumbles. And fumbles. And can’t find one. Or at least one that works. Then she comes back to me distracted. After another minute of massage, she leaves me again for more fumbling.

Finally, she hears that my friend is done with her massage and goes out to grab the other therapist to help her locate a switch. Together they folly around until a light source is discovered.

Face-up now, I am blasted by a shot of bright fluorescent light. I open my eyes and see the therapist gazing down at my watch in her hands and I think, “Yeah, me too sister.”

The time ticks by slowly, but finally she says, “Finished. Good?”

“Yes,” I say. And it’s the truth. It’s good that it’s finished.

Travel Betty Basics

Pertiwi Resort & Spa
Monkey Forest St, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Phone: 62 361 975236
Ambience: 2 out of 5 passion fruits
Treatment: 1 out of 5 passion fruits
Cost: US $20 with 10% discount for being hotel guest

Written November 6, 2008:

Not 20 minutes ago, I was sitting at the Seaside Restaurant on Legian beach in Bali, Indonesia. I’ve been bringing your book, Headless, with me to meals because I’m currently traveling alone. I got married here last week, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I start reading “Marnie” and get to the part where you describe her ski crash and my ears instantly stuff up and sweat does not just bead up on my face, it oozes out of pores like at a Play-Do Fun Factory. My heart starts racing and everything starts to go black. I swear I’m going to pass out and I haven’t even gotten to the part where you find her wrapped around the tree yet. I’m a 20-hour plane away from everyone I know and love in San Francisco and I can’t believe your story just plunged me into a full-scale panic attack. I haven’t had one in a year. And trust me, I’ve done a lot of damn work to make it that way.

It’s a beautiful sunny day. People are surfing. My waiter is sitting off to my right smiling contently in my general direction. I don’t know how I’m going to get back to my villa without passing out or drawing a crowd. Finally the word bathroom flashes before me. I clasp my cold drink for a few seconds and put the makeshift compress that is my hand to my head. A few deep breaths and I’m up. I almost walk off of a 3-foot drop in my hurried quest to find an unoccupied stall.

Once inside, I hike up my skirt and take a shit reminiscent of the one you describe in “The Fecality of it All.” I spot a sign that says “Do not flush ‘Softex’ down toilet. Please place in sanitary bag and dispose in the trash.” I think fuck, this toilet isn’t burly enough to handle toilet paper and now I’m trying to flush a two-foot turd? At this point, I wonder if you’re some kind of psychic and your book isn’t somehow predicting my future. The thought of your prescience during this intimate moment creeps me out.

Like you, I’ve got no choice but to flush. I do put the ‘Softex’ in the trash though. For whatever difference that makes. Then I wash my hands, take a deep breath and hightail it out of there.

On my way home, I think about the Passion Fruit granita I left behind at the restaurant. It had an entire scoop of real passion fruit at the bottom. The Seaside even gives you a little spoon so you can scoop the seeds out when you’re finished sucking up the sweet ice. This is really the only part I’m pissed about. Well, that and knowing that I’m going to force myself to read the rest of your damn story even though I know it’s going to make me sick.

So, anyway, thanks for the book. I quite like it.