Quiet Bubble

The Epic Hike in Indonesia

I've been poking around Indonesia the last couple of months, somewhere I have never visited before. I have to say that the trip certainly got better and better as it went along. I touched down in Bali at first and stayed in Kuta, well that was a big mistake. Unless you love getting wasted with projectile vomiting Australia teenagers this place is not cool. You see Kuta is where many Australians go to get away on their holidays and if you know me, I avoid those places like the plague. I should have expected it really, anyway after that I checked out Ubud which was an entire different kettle of fish. A truly beautiful and mesmorising place, somewhere to practice your zen and mindfulness.

Moving on, my next destination was Lombok and onto the Gili islands, whoops I was back on the tourist trail again. Back with the overweight Aussies frying themselves under the sun in their quick summer break. It was far better than Kuta but still not quite what I was looking for in a trip to the far east. After that was Senggigi on the mainland of Lombok, this place was pretty interesting actually, it was like a beach town that time forgot. It seems like it had real potential with luxury hotels like the Sheraton there but the tourists stopped coming. Sure, there were a few here and there but not enough to fill the many larage hotels and restuarants.

By this point I had made friends with a few other English guys and they persuaded me to come with them to hike up a volcano. This sounded pretty daunting at first, especially since I am pretty out of shape. Sure, I am not overweight but I do not exercise much and am probably one of those "skinny fat" guys. I did actually invest in one of the best rowing machines in the new year after reading about them online. That doesn't mean I had the dedication to use it each day though, I'm pretty lazy at heart so it's kind of sitting there and gathering dust which is a shame.

Anyway, onto the volcano and we had to firstly go on a very long boatride to get there, after that we settled in for the night, anticipating what was ahead tommorow. After getting up at the crack of dawn we jumped onto a bus. We knew this was going to be a real challenge but we couldn't wait to get up there and see the amazing views. Not many people can say they have climbed an active volcano. The truth is, it was every bit as touch as we imagined and more. By the end of the day we were physically exhausted but it was also one of the best experiences of my life. Not only was it amazing to get up their and see the active volcano but the views on the way up were absolutely beautiful.

Indonesia, you are a truly amazing country. I just hope I will have the time to truly explore this vast territory and give it justice.

How I ended up being the DJ in Saigon, Vietnam

When I planned my holiday to Vietnam, there were a number of attractions and things to do on my itinerary. Obviously, I wanted to enjoy the legendary nightlife you can experience in Saigon and Hanoi. This wasn’t all though. I also wanted to see the War Remnants Museum, West Lake, the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica and the Hanoi Opera House, amongst other things. While I saw many of these places, one experience stuck out the most.

My Past as a DJ

Let’s back up a bit. Long before my trip to Vietnam, I had worked as a DJ. For the most part, it was always just a part-time gig. However, that’s not to say I didn’t make good money doing it and have a great time in the process.

I always used traditional DJ equipment too. This meant loading and unloading plenty of hardware whenever I played a gig. At the time, I guess I really didn’t mind. After all, how else could you do it?

One Fateful Night in Saigon

Alright, so toward the end of my first week, I had seen most of the aforementioned cultural locations. I was also more familiar with the city I was staying in at the time, Saigon. So I figured it was high time I went out and began enjoying the sights and sounds that occur when the sound goes down. If you don’t know, Saigon is notorious for its night life, especially the club culture. Being a former club kid myself, this was a dream come true.

Plus, by then I had made some friends. The Vietnamese are very friendly and a number of them volunteered to take me out at night.

I won’t name the club we were at (it will become obvious why in a second), but originally things were going great. The DJ was alright and there were tons of people just having a blast. Then, out of nowhere, the music stopped. It was probably a full minute before it started again and then it was just stock music—like top 40 songs.

To this day, I’m still not sure what happened to the DJ. He was basically gone when the lights came on. I had mentioned earlier to one of my Vietnamese friends that I had experience DJing and, it turns out, he knew the bar owner. Within about five minutes of the music turning off, I was behind the DJ’s setup—nothing but a laptop.

DJing with a Laptop

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I went from being another club goer to becoming the master of ceremonies in short order. Fortunately, the setup was a laptop. I had never used one before to DJ (my hardware of choice was always turntables), but the setup was extremely intuitive. I was surprised how the interface basically combined aspects of traditional hardware, giving you all your options in one place. When using some of the best DJ software it really is easy.

I’m happy to report my set was a hit, even if people were being a bit generous. However, I’ve started DJing since and now I only use software on my laptop. No more inconvenient turntables.

A Traveling Man's Tools of Choice

The well-dressed man headed out of town can be easily identified as a business man simply by looking at a few key signs.  Starting with his feet, he is sporting a pair of expensive shoes.  They’re shiny, they may or may not have tassels, and they are either black or brown.  Depending on his age, they may be slip-ons, but these are not casual shoes.  The discerning business man spends as much on work shoes as a woman spends on a purse.  They’re comfortable, and stylish in the way that serious business attire has.  He is wearing a pair of dress slacks – not to be confused by jeans, or pants, or khakis – he’s wearing dress slacks.  There’s a crease, and a cuff, and a belt.  He is wearing a shirt that buttons down, with the sleeves rolled down.   The fashionable collar is not buttoned down, but is open at the top button.  Were you to look, you’d spy a necktie tucked into his laptop backpack.

His backpack has been with him through many trips across the country.  The laptop safely stowed inside that bag holds copies of the files detailing his largest deals.  The deal that spring-boarded him into private practice is still there on the desktop – a reminder of the power of a dream.  The bag has compartments for all his electronic gadgets – they seem to multiply when he isn’t looking – and there are enough pockets and places for all of the plugs and cords he needs to be productive.  The hard copies of the files he needs to convince a new company to hire his firm are there – he plans to look over them on the flight.  A copy of the latest trade magazine fits in next to the computer; if he has a few minutes he likes to flip through it for ideas.  He carries a copy of the book he’s been reading for a month – chances are good he won’t have time to read, but hope springs eternal for this traveler. 

There’s an extra pocket on the outside of the backpack.  His wife still slips notes in when she thinks he’s not looking – and he still acts like it’s a surprise when he finds them.  He’ll never tell her that he pulls it out as soon as he gets on the plane, and then reads it while he’s waiting for his rental car to be ready.  He likes knowing that she’s waiting for him to come home.  It reminds him of why he’s here, at the airport, before the sun comes up. 

His backpack has seen him through a lot of airports, and the note pocket has become a source of comfort when he is far from home and the deal falls through.  Sometimes he slips a little something in the pocket to bring home for her – a trinket or souvenir, something that makes him smile to think about giving her. 

It doesn’t matter how successful his company becomes – he’ll take his laptop backpack with him everywhere he goes.