The last two years have been so full on. We’ve had a divisive and, frankly, evil government in Australia. We’ve had coronavirus lockdowns, fires and floods. Despite a couple of long trips on Billie (my motorcycle), I’ve felt that I haven’t travelled. And travel is super important to me. I’m not sure that people are supposed to be still. I know I’m not.

So I’m now planning a trip to Bali with Dalma. We’re planning to ride around the island going counterclockwise, travelling to the less touristy areas of Bali. We’ll arrive in Denpasar, jump on rented motorcycles, and head inland to Ubud to spend a couple of days of relaxing and unwinding after a full on few months. Then we’ll set off. No real plans after that. I’m at that delightfully vague dreaming stage trying to work out what there is to see that’s not Kuta or Seminyak. In 1994, in my first Indonesian holiday, my then-girlfriend and I travelled to Ubud and Lovina before heading back to Java. In 2017, I went to Seminyak and Ubud, and then to Legian.

Thinking about it, my travels in Bali have been pretty touristy; but I don’t really consider myself a touristy traveller. In the 1990s, I backpacked in south east asia, and travelled in Arizona in 2000. Since then it’s been pretty tame. My adoption of motorcycles (in my fifties) has opened up a few new travel options for me that I really think I need to explore.

So this is an opportunity for me to reconnect with adventures. Dreaming and looking forward to it.