I know it doesn’t usually look like it, but while I’m out here traipsing around the world I’m also running a business. I started Wanderer Financial about eight years ago now, and it just continues to grow no matter how far away I manage to sail from the the financial hub of the world, Wall Street. It’s funny to think of those guys scrambling every day to catch a train into the city to sit at desks and do essentially the same work that I do—search for trading/investing opportunities—from a boat at anchor in Indonesia.
Best part is, Wanderer is a gathering place for really cool and interesting people. People for whom travel, adventure, and independence are the ultimate goals—not the biggest houses and fanciest cars. Our daily chat is a pleasure to visit each morning with people from all over the world sharing pictures and stories from their days as we discuss the stock market and point out opportunities as they arise. Those new to trading and investing learn a ton, while those with more experience get the benefit of a sounding board of their peers.
Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to point this out, and to mention that right now Wanderer is offering our yearly Black Friday/Cyber Monday Special. Save $300 on your first year’s subscription. It’s the only time of year we offer this, so if you’ve been thinking of taking more control of your financial life, or if you’d just like to have a community of like-minded folks to hang out with while you invest and work on your financial independence, now is the time to join.
Just a few miles across from Lembognan is Denpasar, Bali. We’d been finishing up some things in Lembognan one morning and hadn’t finally left to come across until afternoon when the current was ripping between the islands. It was dead calm out so at first I didn’t think much of it. But a mile out we were motoring full steam ahead and yet making zero forward progress. The bow was pointed one direction and yet moving another direction entirely. In addition, we could see large standing waves marching south through the pass as the currents collided. We quickly turned around and went right back to where we had been in Lembognan to wait for the next day. Sure enough, the next morning, at the correct tide, it was a quick and easy motor across to the busy harbor.
In Denpasar we were led through the congestion by the owner of a mooring. He tied us up, took our garbage and our jerry cans, and pointed out the dinghy dock to us. For $9 bucks a day we were secure in this rather filthy corner of the world.
Boats of literally every size and shape filled the harbor.
Our first night in Bali Ouest wasn’t feeling great, so the two of us stayed behind while Ali, Lowe, and our friends went off to wander around the neighborhood and find some dinner.
Not sure what the Coral Reef sign is meant to signify here in the mangrove swamp.
There are a few of these big floating platforms scattered throughout the harbor. Locals seem to hang out on them throughout the day fishing with handlines and the occasional pole for fish that are too stupid to swim out to the clean water a mile away.
The next afternoon we headed over to Kuta Beach. One of the kids had been eyeballing the Dairy Queen on Google Maps for about the last two thousand miles and we were all keen to set off on an ice cream adventure.
For some reason none of us took any pics throughout the afternoon, but we did find DQ Blizzards in a large western shopping mall along Kuta Beach. Afterwards we spent a few hours on the beach. Ouest caught at least 100 waves that afternoon. While the waves might not be big on Kuta, they are incredibly consistent. The beach goes on and on for miles, so despite the busy feeling on shore, there is hardly anyone out on the water and it’s easy to find a long section of curling beach break wave all to yourself.
Somehow, instead of sitting down at Bubba Gump Shrimp or McDonalds, we found ourselves down a back alley at a Baba Guling warung. Baba Guling is roast suckling pig. Not really knowing what the dishes we were ordering were, I just ordered four different items for us. When they came out the rest of my family looked at them and basically said, “Nope, nope, and… nope.” They then proceeded to pile them in front of me. I have to say, they really weren’t wrong this time. The baba guling was mostly thick pieces of fat with a sliver of meat attached, and most of the rest was indistinguishable. The satay wasn’t half bad, though.
It was about this point in the night when we realized it was going to be a long trip home. We ordered two six-seater Grabs (like Uber). One was right around the corner and was there quickly to take the kids and one mom home. The other was about a mile away. It took him an hour to battle through the traffic to reach us, at which point we just climbed in the car and joined the wait.
The traffic just goes on and on like this forever.
He’d try shortcuts, but they always led to more congestion. Kuta Beach was a fun day out, but by the time we got back to the boats that night we all swore there was no way we would go back out that direction again.
