My wife Z and I are visiting her maternal family in Bandung for a week and then vacationing in Bali and Komodo for almost two weeks.

Sunday 08/23/2026 – Vancouver → Tokyo

  • take out waste, tidy last few things, say bye to Baxter and my sister M
  • get dropped off at YVR by Z’s mom
  • get rejected by check-in machines and wait almost an hour in line to get checked in
  • breeze through security with our Nexus cards – except that for the second time in a row the bodyscanning machines at YVR were convinced I was smuggling something dangerous between my legs so that a security worker had to frisk me in that area
  • find out at the gate that the seat requests we made on Chase Travel never reached Air Canada so we’d been each assigned middle seats on opposite sides of the plane
  • sit in the wrong seat by accident, something I’ve always wondered how people manage to do
  • fly to Tokyo
  • chat during takeoff and landing with the old man next to me who was returning home from a fifth annual trip to Vancouver to study English and get away from Japanese summer weather
  • watch four movies on the plane: Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, My Father’s Shadow, and Midwinter Break
  • arrive at Narita aiport, get boarding passes for our next flight, eat ramen, buy snacks and drinks, and go to the gate for our next flight

Monday 08/24/2026 – Tokyo → Bandung

  • board flight to Jakarta, take melatonin, move to free row with Z, and sleep intermittently for the whole flight
  • arrive at Jakarta airport, pick up baggage, buy Visa on Arrival, go through fancy new Customs machines, and meet Z’s aunt and cousins at the West Lobby parking lot
  • chat with Z’s cousins and snooze on the ~three hour midnight drive to Bandung
  • arrive at Bunda’s (Z’s grandma’s) house, eat a snack, and go to sleep

Tuesday 08/25/2026 – Bandung

  • wake an hour after Z at ~9am, eat breakfast, shower, and get dressed
  • hang out at the house, wait for Z’s family to come over
  • hang out with Z’s cousin Re in the living room
  • meet Z’s baby niece, 8mo daughter of her cousin Di
  • spend time with Z’s family
  • drive to Paris Van Java mall (PVJ) with Z and her cousins Re & Di
  • eat dinner at Rempah Bistro PVJ and browse stores
  • get drinks from Djournal PVJ and visit a few more stores
  • return to Bunda’s house and sit in living room with Z’s family
  • write a first email to my friend Hik about movies I watched recently, mostly the ones on the plane

Wednesday 08/26/2026 – Bandung

  • wake at 6am and spend 2-3 hours doing admin, mostly reading and writing emails to fellow Strata council members, property manager, and lawyer
  • make coffee and eat breakfast with Bunda and use Google Translate to communicate
  • watch English soccer highlights in airconditioned bedroom
  • shower and dress
  • walk with Bunda’s maid to nearby tailor to request repair of drawstring on my shorts that tore the day before
  • walk back to the house and research what to do in Bandung
  • walk to Makmur Jaya Coffee Roasters and have two different iced coffee drinks while researching more about Bandung
  • meet with Z and take Grab to Pasar Baru
  • eat lunch at the hotel restaurant across the street
  • browse Pasar Baru stalls and Jl. Tamim shops for fabric but they were closed or closing
  • walk to Pasar Barang Antik & Lawas Cikapundung
  • buy Lucy Pearl and Spice Girls tapes, old stamps and French paint brochure
  • look at the neighborhood from the third floor balcony and listen to the evening prayer call
  • buy tea and water and take Grab back to Bunda’s house
  • read Dubliners before bed

Thursday 08/27/2026 – Bandung

  • eat breakfast and drink tea
  • watch Carabao Cup and EFL soccer highlights and look at FPL stats
  • shower and get dressed and take Grab with Z
  • eat lunch at Greens & Beans
  • drink Mont Belang (Mont Blanc) coffee drink at Eskalasi Space (really nice interior architecture)
  • spend an hour or two at D’Fashion looking at fabrics and then discussing with tailors price and time of making a yukata
  • buy batik dobby fabric and decide to find tailors elsewhere because D’Fashion wanted to charge 750,000
  • take Grab to Paskal 23 Shopping Center
  • eat dinner at Sushi Hiro
  • sit in a bougie tea shop and read Dubliners and reading responses on Reddit
  • walk around mall and listen to FEAR by Jarred Mattson and Ruban Nielson
  • research what water bottle to buy to replace my broken Nalgene
  • help Z decide what to buy
  • get boba iced tea drinks to go and take Grab back to Bunda’s house
  • read Dubliners before bed

Friday 08/28/2026 – Bandung

  • wake and reply to emails from our Strata’s property manager
  • research how to get the Development Permit for our building
  • eat breakfast and get picked up by Z’s aunt
  • get iced coffee drinks to go from Kopitera
  • spend a few hours walking through Tahura Dago (park) seeing monkeys, eating snacks and drinks, and walking through colonial caves
  • eat perkedel (fried dough balls filled with potato) with fresh sambal with Z and her aunt and drink bottled orange juice while they drink fresh coconut
  • drink cincau before leaving
  • eat lunch at Wheels
  • visit two stores searching for wood kitchenware then return to Bunda’s house
  • hang out with family and eat snacks
  • shower, watch soccer highlights, update FPL team, and go to bed

Saturday 08/29/2026 – Bandung

  • wake and catch up on Strata emails and eat breakfast
  • hang out in airconditioned room, write an email to Strata council, and order iced coffees from Makmur Jaya Coffee Roasters
  • drink coffees downstairs in kitchen with Z and Bunda
  • fill out application forms for requesting documents from the City of Vancouver and email them to our property manager
  • hang out with Z’s cousin who came from Jakarta with his parents, teen brother, and young son
  • ask Bunda’s maid to do my laundry
  • walk to three different local barbers but the first was permanently closed and the other two didn’t do shaves
  • get shave at Captain Barbershop Premiere
  • get Mont Blanc to go from Makmur Jaya and walk back to Bunda’s house
  • walk back to Bunda’s house to get a change of clothes then take Grab bike to Padela padel courts
  • wait for Z’s family and then play padel with them for an hour and a half
  • walk back to Bunda’s house with Z and her cousin Res
  • hang out with Z’s family before they left for dinner an hour drive away
  • watch Liverpool 2-2 Nottingham Forest
  • eat fast food and bubble tea ordered in from Grab
  • shower and watch rest of Everton 1-1 Bournemouth before bed

Sunday 08/30/2026 – Bandung (Kawah Putih)

  • eat breakfast: curry soup with rice cakes and susu tofu then a bit of sheep head served in a spicy arabic broth with cherry tomatoes
  • get dressed and head out for Kawah Putih with Z and two of her cousins, Res and Re
  • get coffee drinks and pastries to go from Sarijadi Mandja Coffee
  • sit in backseat reading Dubliners while we drove south out to Bandung’s countryside
  • visit Kawah Putih
  • meet with Z’s family visiting from Jakarta and hang out at hotsprings resort for an hour or so
  • eat lunch at Bambooberry Resto & Cafe, a restaurant on the mountainside
  • say goodbye to Z’s family leaving for Jakarta before driving back to Bunda’s house
  • read more Dubliners along with discussions on Reddit
  • watch Chelsea vs Brighton

Monday 08/31/2026 – Bandung

  • get coffee and pastries from Makmur Jaya Coffee Roasters
  • play golf with Z and Mama Nie at Poltak Golf Academy
  • eat lunch at a nice restaurant nearby
  • return to Bunda’s house to shower and relax
  • go out for dinner with many of Z’s family at Ambrogio Patisserie
  • return to Bunda’s house and say goodbye to Z’s family and shower and go to bed

Tuesday 09/01/2026 – Bandung → Bali

  • wake and pack and get ready and eat breakfast
  • say goodbye to Bunda and her maid and go to airport with Z’s aunt Mama Nie
  • check in and drop off baggage and get drinks before boarding flight
  • read Dubliners while flying to Bali
  • negotiate taxi down from ~600K to 300K
  • check into hotel then walk to Echo Beach for lunch
  • eat and drink and read and relax on terrace on the beach
  • swim in the ocean and catch waves on a body board and without it
  • get drinks on beach before returning to hotel
  • swim at hotel pool and chat and read
  • shower and order thai food on Grab for dinner
  • watch Thomas Flight’s new video about Backrooms and then first quarter of Arsenal vs Aston Villa recording

Wednesday 09/02/2026 – Bali (Canggu, Tanah Lot, Kedungu Beach)

  • drink coffee and eat breakfast at Little Lima Specialty Coffee
  • get scooter and ride it to Febry’s Tailor to hire them to reproduce my yukata using dobby batik fabric I bought in Bandung
  • ride scooter to Tanah Lot and pay for entry
  • visit Tanah Lot and spend an hour or two walking around and taking pictures
  • ride scooter ten or fifteen minutes away towards a restaurant Z found on Google Maps
  • end up at the Swell Hotel and eat lunch there and dip in rooftop pool (just me because Z didn’t wear swimming clothes)
  • ride down to Kendungu Beach and come across an impressive two-storey bamboo building
  • admire and approach the building and get invited inside by workers and learn it was “Bamboo Restaurant” and would open in a few weeks
  • ride scooter back to our hotel in Canggu
  • swim in hotel pool and read and then go up to room and shower
  • get couple’s massages in our hotel room
  • order thai food for dinner on Grab from the same restaurant as day before
  • watch middle half of Arsenal vs Aston Villa recording

Thursday 09/03/2026 – Bali (Canggu and Ubud)

  • drink coffee and eat breakfast at Little Lima Specialty Coffee
  • get scooter and ride fifteen minutes to Learn Bahasa Indonesia - Magdalena Uda in Canggu
  • take an introductory Indonesian language class (1h30)
  • ride scooter ~one hour to Ubud and stop for onde-onde on the side of the road
  • eat lunch at Daybreak Coffee & Eatery
  • ride scooter few hundred meters to Bali Purma Art & Workshop while Z walked
  • spend almost two hours with Z carving a turtle and a lizard out of two blocks of wood
  • brush wax finish onto our carvings and set them down in the sun to dry
  • peruse the workshop gift shop and fool around with a traditional Balinese bamboo xylophone with Z while woodcarver plays a handdrum
  • ride back towards Canggu on a different route
  • stop for a drink at a chic cafe at the edge of rice fields
  • ride back to Canggu in the dark and stop for gas before returning to hotel area
  • eat dinner at Ahara Bali
  • ride back to hotel and return scooter
  • watch last quarter of Arsenal vs Aston Villa recording while Z showers and unwinds
  • shower and unwind

Friday 09/04/2026 – Bali

  • wake and pack and get ready and take bags to hotel lobby room to store
  • drink coffee and eat breakfast at Little Lima Specialty Coffee then relax there for a while
  • hang out at Echo Beach all afternoon drinking and eating and swimming and playing Altinha with strangers
  • return to hotel to pick up our bags and get driven to new villa in Canggu
  • buy beer and chips from nearby minimart then swim and relax at villa with Z
  • eat dinner at Barboa Bali
  • buy dessert from minimart and walk back to the villa
  • unwind and go to sleep

Saturday 09/05/2026 – Bali

  • wake before 10am and great our friend Na who arrived overnight
  • drink coffee and eat breakfast at Bright Coffee and Brunch
  • get another coffee at Jelajah Coffee Canggu while Z and Na shopped at the pharmacy nextdoor
  • return to villa alone and relax until Z and Na returned
  • go for walk with Z and Na then turn back alone to go rent scooter
  • ride to Z and Na to pick up keys and return to villa
  • relax alone in private pool and listen to music and read Dubliners and read Reddit discussions on it
  • ride scooter to meet Z and Na at Canteen Cafe for lunch
  • peruse boutique with Z and Na before splitting up again
  • cruise around Canggu on scooter before returning to villa alone again
  • relax alone again in private pool and listen to music and browse Reddit
  • ride scooter and check out Pantai Munduk Catu beach and Pantai Batu Bolong
  • ride scooter to Echo Beach and sit alone reading Dubliners and drinking beer
  • meet Z and Na and sit on the beach at Rivermouth Bar to drink and eat while the sun set
  • hang out and chat then ride scooter back to the villa
  • watch Newcastle 2-2 Bournemouth and pick up takeout dinner at halftime
  • shower then watch Manchester City 1-0 Coventry City before bed

Sunday 09/06/2026 – Bali → Labuan Bajo

  • wake and go eat breakfast at Bright Coffee and Brunch
  • return to villa to pack and check out and get Grab to airport and read Dubliners
  • store large luggage and check in for flight and get lunch after going through security
  • fly to Labuan Bajo and read Dubliners
  • get picked up at airport and taken to our homestay
  • rent two scooters and ride up to lookout point, Natas Parapuar
  • ride to grocery store to get portable breakfast and drop it off at homestay
  • ride to Fusion Kitchen for dinner
  • ride back to homestay and shower in unheated water and pack bag for next day
  • watch Manchester United 2-2 Everton before bed

Monday 09/07/2026 – Labuan Bajo

  • wake at 5:30am and watch Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea goals and get ready and get picked up at 6am and taken to port
  • wait ten minutes or so for rest of party to arrive then board boat
  • dock at Padar Island and hike up stonepaved trail and buy a drink at beachside market before boarding boat again
  • cruise around island to a pink beach and swim and relax on the shore
  • return to boat and cruise to sandbar and snorkel near it and walk on sandbar
  • return to boat and cruise to Komodo Island
  • tour with local rangers who carried staffs with dull Yshaped ends
  • see six Komodo dragons up close
  • exit through beachside market selling shirts and figurines and fridge magnets and jewelry
  • eat lunch at covered beachside tables before boarding boat again
  • snorkel at three more locations in vain search of manta rays
  • return to boat and cruise back to Labuan Bajo and get ride back to homestay
  • watch first half of Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea recording while Z showered
  • nap on futon then wake grumpy and take rueful shower in unheated water
  • eat dinner Z ordered in on Grab and finish watching Arsenal match recording before bed

Tuesday 09/08/2026 – Labuan Bajo

  • eat breakfast on terrace with Na and Z
  • update my fantasy Premier League team
  • submit a third request to the City of Vancouver for a copy of our strata building’s Development Permit
  • email our tax accountant
  • watch Premier League highlights
  • get dressed and picked up at homestay and dropped off at port with Na (Z stayed home feeling sick)
  • pay for our tickets and buy takeaway lunch and eat it while we wait for our boat
  • get on the boat and cruise west along Flores Island
  • snorkel over coral reefs and see many fish and a few turtles
  • get back on boat and go to a tiny island and hike up its little mount
  • drink a beer and hang out with Na at a table on the beach
  • sit outside on rooftop of boat to watch sunset as we coasted to the final location
  • watch the bats fly out at dusk above us and dozens of other boats idling near the shore
  • sit outside at the back of the boat on the nighttime ride back to Labuan Bajo
  • walk up with Jl. Soekarno Hatta to meet Z
  • dinner at Baccalá then get picked up by our host and driven back to homestay
  • relax on upstairs terrace then shower and go to bed

Wednesday 09/09/2026 – Labuan Bajo → Bali (Seminyak)

  • wake and dress and eat breakfast on terrace with Z and Na
  • pack and get driven to airport
  • check in and go through security and pause at gift shop
  • run into Mo, one of the guys with whom I played Altinha at Echo Beach
  • get coffees and sit with Mo and Z and Na and chat while we waited for our flight
  • fly to Bali and finish reading Dubliners
  • get luggage and exchange phone numbers with Mo then get driven to our new villa in Seminyak
  • get settled at villa then receive my new yukata from Gojek driver
  • swim and relax and listen to music in villa pool while Z and Na picked up lunch from Dod’s Burger
  • drop off dirty laundry at lobby of villa hotel for pick up
  • eat and hang out and swim and listen to music at villa
  • order in vietnamese food on Grab for supper
  • shower and unwind

Thursday 09/10/2026 – Bali (Waterbom)

  • walk to Coffee Cutters Cafe for coffee and breakfast
  • go to a shop across the street while food was being prepared to look at soccer jerseys
  • visit shop three times in total trying to talk down the price of a replica ‘98 France Zidane jersey
  • decide not to buy because shop attendant wouldn’t go lower than 500K rupiah
  • get picked up and driven to Waterbom waterpark
  • spend the day at Waterbom going on slides, lazy river, “Flowrider” waterski emulator, eating, drinking, and relaxing in warm pools
  • buy photos before getting a Grabcar back to Seminyak
  • eat pizza and pasta for dinner at Amalfi Bar
  • watch Arsenal 1-0 Napoli recording then shower and unwind

Friday 09/11/2026 – Bali (Seminyak)

  • wake and get dressed
  • drink coffee and eat breakfast at Bloom and hang out and chat at nearby restaurant
  • return to villa alone to reply to an email from the City of Vancouver regarding my request for our building’s Development Permit
  • spend time with Z in villa
  • swim alone and relax while Z and Na went to a browlift appointment
  • buy tickets for an IMAX 70mm showing of Dune III in January and check in for flight back to Vancouver
  • walk to meet Z and Na and eat lunch at Jackson Lily’s by Ginger Moon
  • browse shops across the street then split up with Z and Na
  • get ice cream bar from mart and meander aimlessly then meet with Z and Na
  • get Grabcar back to villa alone and swim and read and relax and watch a bit of John Huston’s The Dead
  • get joined by Z and Na back at the villa and hang out and swim
  • order in vietnamese food on Grab for supper again
  • unwind and shower and go to sleep

Saturday 09/12/2026 – Bali → Vancouver

  • wake and pack and leave luggage at lobby of villa hotel
  • get coffee to go from Chew then go to Bloom to drink coffee and eat breakfast
  • walk towards villa hotel and get foot massages and pedicures at nearby spa
  • return to villa to get luggage and load car and say goodbye to Na
  • get driven to airport and check two bags and go through security and sit and eat at food court
  • go to gate and board plane and fly to Taipei