The Next Trip…

Mark Twain. The pre-Anthony Bourdain travel evangelist.

Not only do I subscribe to the above, I find I need regular doses of travel. It’s like a part of my well-being and mental and spiritual upkeep.

So I’m getting itchy to go somewhere again… it’s been four months since NYC, after all. In that time I’ve managed to be sick for the better part of a month (good lord there are some nasty viruses going around this winter – take your vitamins), adopt a puppy, host my family for Christmas, and get foot surgery.

The puppy was especially big news. I lost my pug, Jake, a little over two years ago, and it was finally time to have another furry little sidekick. Meet Traveling Pug, a.k.a. Frank:

That’s seriously how he looks all the time. That expression. It’s as if he’s saying “where we going next?” every time he looks at me.

The foot is healing nicely and while I am now ridiculously out of shape for someone who ran a marathon a few measly months ago, I think I’m in decent enough condition to head to the other side of the planet on Tuesday and walk nonstop for a couple of weeks . Frank will not be joining this time, but he’s cool with that since I promised he gets to hang with his friends while I’m gone.

I’m heading to Singapore and Bali this time, and I am SO excited to experience these two amazing places…. the food, the culture, the architecture… I’m intrigued by it all. This trip came about in random fashion… just as I was wondering where I should go this year, some friends and fellow Hoffman (the personal development retreat I went to a little over a year ago in CA) grads invited me to come along to a Hoffman refresher weekend they are attending in Bali.

A weekend in Bali. Why not?

You connect through Singapore to get there, and obviously you don’t go to the other side of the world for three days, so this trip took shape quickly and I was instantly excited about it.

And I hadn’t even watched Crazy Rich Asians yet. Now I’m REALLY excited.

So I leave Tuesday, flying out of LAX direct to Singapore on an 18 hour Singapore Airlines flight. I used points to get myself into business class, and I’m honestly looking forward to the flight in the way that only a travel nerd could look forward to 18 hours confined to a small space. On one of the world’s best airlines, though… come on! It’ll be fun.

I’ve read reviews of the flight, gotten online and booked extra menu items (Singapore Airlines lets you do this – it’s called “Book the Cook”, and gives you all sort of regional speciality choices), and downloaded the whole first season of Jack Ryan.

On a friend’s recommendation, I’m also using an app called Timeshifter to try to get ahead of the jet lag. It gives you a schedule starting three days before your departure, telling you when to sleep, when to have caffeine, when to make sure you expose yourself to light, and when not to. It’s a pretty slick app, and I’m so curious to see if it works. I’m wearing sunglasses as I type this… no light allows until 10 am today. I’ll report back to you on how effective it is.

I’ll be in a Singapore at the Ritz Carlton (thank you, Amex Points) for four days and Bali at the Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud for a week.

Here’s a funny thing about Singapore: you know someone who has either lived there at some point or been there recently. I promise you do. Once I decided to go and let a few folks know, all of a sudden it turned out a college friend lived there for a few years, a good friend in Denver has a good friend who lives there now, and at least four or five people I would have never guessed have been there and had recommendations for me. I just love what a small world it is.

So I now have some fabulous restaurant reservations in both places, great activities booked, and my fingers crossed that the current weather forecast of rain the entire time I’m there changes. But it if doesn’t, whatevs. It’ll still be great.

More from Singapore in a few days….

Cheers!

Traveling Girl