Asia – Page 2 – White Rabbit Peaks

Dubai. United Arab Emirates

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Dubai. United Arab Emirates

An artificial oasis of human marvel and wonder.

Captains Log Day 8 – 26/11/22 4:48 pm. FlyDubai flight – FZ017

After a long hiatus of three eventful years, which included a global pandemic and creating an offspring, the Captain and his new crew return to the open waters of the world for a new adventure.

The time had come for the Captain and his lifelong sidekick Admiral, to go on another adventure, this time with the challenges amplified, the introduction of a new crew member Cadet Recruit Rami. A petite 2 year old male, his height and brain deficits make up in heart, big personality and cuteness. Often a liability, this crew member was going to make some big memories, ones that he personally may not remember but ones that the Captain and Admiral will laugh and cry about for a lifetime ahead.

This trip was going to be more than just the usual vacation. It was going to be a test of courage, a complete baptism of fire, a rude awakening for the young Cadet as he entered the family of explorers. This expedition was to be a pilgrimage to the holy lands of sports, the largest sporting event in the world, the most viewed and followed event globally, one that occurs like every leap year, every 4 years. This expedition was to the FIFA Football World Cup in Doha, Qatar.

After months of planning, coordination and research, the Captain and Admiral felt as ready as they would ever be to set out on this new venture into lands far away. Cadet Rami had no idea what he was in for. The Captain and Admiral were frightened, overwhelmed and worried about how this trip would go, but in the words of Joshua J. Marine “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”

The first challenge was going to be the flight and the duration in which they were all confined like eggs in a carton. Heading directly from Melbourne to Dubai, a flight time of 14 hours, they were terrified of the ramifications this would have on the Cadet’s all important schedule and routine. Captain and Admiral had prayed to all the Gods, organised inflatables to convert the plane seats into beds, stocked up on snacks and activities and made sure that they were to set off on their journey at night. It seemed that the Gods may have listened. The Cadet was able to sleep through about 10 hours of the flight, in a constructed cocoon like structure, waking only to have some inflight meals and enjoy some inflight entertainment.

With some mental relief and physical exhaustion the crew disembarked in their destination and cleared the immigration checks strolling out to meet their host for their desert stay, Colonel Nathan, who had come to the Airport to surprise them. The reunion felt like he had never left Australia, without a break in conversation they all chatted. As they walked outside their faces instantly shrivelled up like raisins in the heat, so they rushed to the the car and It was not long before they were in Colonel Nathan’s rocket ship zooming past the early morning traffic heading towards the barracks, where they were greeted by partner in crime Jo and the two little kids companions for our Cadet. The arrangements they had made in their lovely home was nothing short of amazing, every little detail had been looked after and it instantly felt like home. The residence was extremely well furnished with beautiful decor and reminded the Captain of his time Morocco a few years ago.

The following few hours are a bit of a blur but that could be due to the espresso martinis, beers and Gin and Tonics that were served alongside an Arabic breakfast of Labneh and Zataar.

The Captain’s brother, General Nuj in older adventures and his fiance were also visiting Dubai at the same time as he was so in amongst the blur of breakfast, cocktails and reliving old memories, they also joined Colonel Nathan’s platoon.

After some brief introductions they started to think of things to do, it was here that the Captain realised his ticket to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix included entrance on Saturday for qualifying. He had three tickets and it was decided that Colonel Nathan, General Nuj and the Captain would set off for Abu Dhabi to enjoy the race, meanwhile the Admiral and Cadet would stay back and visit the local Markets.

With that the party split up, the Captain and his entourage headed to Yas Marina Circuit for the final race of the F1 calendar, whilst Jo, Rani and the Admiral tackled three young spawn in the desert heat at the Markets. Both forks come with fun times as well as tough ones.

The drive to Abu Dhabi was intense, the Colonel hitting speeds of up to 190 kmph on a vast spanning highway, the General and Captain fearing for their lives and saying their hail marys several times during the journey. They were able to live more of the F1 speed on the journey up to the F1 as they watched it, dodging traffic and other drivers. Only to be slowed down at the end in which it was very hard to find parking and the whole area around the circuit being closed or congested. It took a good 20 minutes to eventually find parking at the nearest Mall and they took an uber to the race, arriving 30 minutes into qualifying.

The track was huge, and very different to the Grand Prix the Captain had been to before, it could have been the twilight, or the restriction of alcohol or the lack of picnic spaces, it just felt like a completely different race. The Vibe however felt electrifying, the hustle and bustle felt like a music festival. The hard part however was… actually finding the track and where the race was happening, it was very hard to find a good vantage point to watch the race at. The track being so far away from the viewing points, it was not as exhilarating as the Melbourne Grand Prix.

Once the qualifying was over, getting up to the car was much more difficult than getting in, we had to cross mulch, a field and dodge thousands of people leaving the circuit, and so the trio trekked all the way back to the car.

Once there they headed into the mall to freshen up, besides it being a twilight race the mercury was still soaring at 30 degrees celsius even at 7 pm at night. Here they decided to grab a meal at the infamous Shake Shack (which was and still is amazing) and headed home, once again zig zagging through hundreds of cars, as the General passed out in the back seat.

The parallel mission with Admiral and the ladies was not as successful, being outnumbered by children, they faced intense heat and crowds only to return promptly from the markets, cars covered in ice cream remnants and their spirits broken. The mission report did not read too well.

The next day started off with a visit to a very unusual Cafe, the ambience was amazing, the place was immaculate and looked extremely fancy and the menu was very appropriate, however what made it quite unique was the display of Amazonian birds right in the centre of the restaurant. Besides the wildlife in the middle of the cafe, it was also unusual that there was a large play area with toys for children and the Admiral made haste to drop Rami off there. Soon a fairly large platter and several breakfast items arrived and the Captain and Admiral stuffed their faces as the extremely large parrots watched on. Following the oversized and overindulgent meal, they headed to the central enclosure where the large parrots were caged, where a bird handler brought out the birds for brave patrons to hold. One of the winged creatures had formed a disliking towards the Captain, probably because he had stared at it earlier whilst slowly devouring halloumi and other cheeses. As the bird came out it started glaring and cawing at the Captain, finally thrusting its head towards the Captain to bite him. He barely escaped by the tip of his beak. Cadet Rami found this interesting and continued to laugh, as the bird piqued his curiosity and wonder.

Finishing up at breakfast, a private vehicle arrived to take the Captain, Admiral and Cadet to the F1 race in Abu Dhabi, the final race of the year, the one in which destiny was made just 12 months prior with the crowning of Max Vestappan as the F1 champion. This was going to be a ‘childhood dream comes reality moment’ for the Captain as he braced himself for an electrifying race. That was not the only thing he was bracing for, he was ready for tears, tantrums and general child mayhem as he anticipated the needs of the Cadet.

The journey up to Abu Dhabi this time around was far calmer than the one the Captain had taken the day before, the driver maxing out his speed at 120 kmph. The fact that this was a 4×4 rather than a hatch may have also had a lot to do with the absence of life ending fear.

The Captain sat and watched the nothingness pass him, sand dunes as far as the eye could see and the windows radiating heat from the outside sun.

They soon arrived and were dropped off at Ferrari world at Yas Mall, the Admiral and Captain had always been suckers for thrill rides and fought the temptation to jump on the fastest roller coaster in the world, and despite all the contemplation without a guardian for the Cadet, they could not find a means to ride it. They stared at the ride and watched part of their soul die. To make up for it they visited the gift shop and took photos in an old F1 car and a Ferrari. After the modelling shoot and dream of driving an F1 car was over the team was feeling peckish and wanting the Cadet to eat before the next adventure, the Captain took the Admiral to the same Shake Shack that he had smashed the day before. She had never tasted it before and was as impressed as the Cap, the highlight however was watching the Cadet finish up a big serving of Fries and a whole Ice Cream.

There was still ample time before the race and with their stomachs full of food and their hearts clogged with the grease, the Captain had a brilliant idea to burn off some of those delicious calories. Right next door to the mall and the F1 circuit, there was Warner Brothers Movie world theme park. Although they only had 2 hours to spend, it would have been silly not to go. The Captain could hardly contain his excitement.

The theme park did not fail to impress, the largest indoor theme park in the world was able to play out a kaleidoscope of memories for the Captain, from the old school classics like Bugs, Tom and Jerry, Flintstones etc to the much more recent touches, like Batman and Justice league. They were able to meet and greet some childhood icons and even pitch the Cadet as a contender to join the Joker – who complimented him on his grip. It was not all good news for the Cadet who fell short to go on most rides by a few centimetres (stuffing tissues in his shoes did not help). This bad run of events was amplified when the little recruit got stuck in a slide and had to be rescued by the staff member, who climbed up trying to calm the crying little man down. Time ran out much faster than the crew had expected, but they also managed to get a glimpse of a spectacular theatrical show as they rushed out of the park. Finally they called the driver for a swift pick up – it was Race Time!

They scurried to the track, entering just on time and like fish swimming upstream, hurried to the track position that the Captain had scoped out the day earlier.

Race day felt electrifying, the atmosphere from the previous day had been turned up a few notches – the buzz going on was thrilling. Weaving in and out, and hoping to find a prime position to watch the race they dodged people and piloted the stroller like war plane pilots, finally reaching a place they could watch the race. Just as they sat down – it was Lights out at Abu Dhabi for the Final race of the season. Also the final race for D-Ric, Latifi, Vettel and Mick Schumacher! There was not any more iconic race to be at this year than this final one.

The Captain had to be sent on a sustenance mission to deliver some food for a hungry Cadet. He left at lap 3 and with lines etc only could return by lap 28 missing half of the race – but on the way he had made some friends and had no regrets, he still was able to watch some exciting overtakes and finish the race.

As the cars lined up for the final few laps the squadron rushed back to miss the thousands of people leaving, reaching the entry gates just as the epic fireworks display was let off, with a backdrop of smoke from the burnouts happening on the track, the Captain took a moment to soak it all in before jumping in the car and heading back towards Dubai.

The following day the Captain and Admiral awoke exhausted from the previous day’s activities, it was hard to believe that they accomplished so much on the first few days in Dubai. It was now however time to hit the tourist landmarks and to explore some of the iconic buildings and places that Dubai had to offer.

They jumped in the car and faced the blaring sun, and headed towards the Dubai frame, an iconic structure that ‘frames’ old Dubai and new Dubai. The Frame is a building which allows you to go up to the top where you can have panoramic views of both sides of the city. The frame also has a glass floor so you can see below from 150 metres.

The views were amazing. The Cadet was hesitant as he walked along the glass floor fearing imminent death. It was quite humorous to watch.

They then headed to the newest landmark in Dubai, the Museum of the Future. Housed in a beautiful and iconic building, the museum showcases technological developments and innovations, especially in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). Heavily impressed by the exterior, as they entered they marvelled at the inside lobby of the building. It was something straight out of the future, including a hovering mechanical seal that drifted around the lobby. They lined up to get tickets only to find that the entrance has been booked out and the earliest date to visit is two weeks in the future. The Captain explained how they were only in town for a few more days and was able to convince the attendant to allow them entry. She asked them to wait and 20 minutes later were able to source a ticket to go in.

The Museum was impressive. It was structurally very well built and the exhibits were interactive and very cool. The elevator ride up was like a rocket ship to a space station and then as you went through each floor the displays were all themed towards one common idea. One of the exhibits did invoke a reaction in the captain, and this was the exhibit on sustainability and environmental impacts that are contributing to the destruction of the planet, considering the UAE are a major contributor to the environmental impact this felt like a bit of hypocrisy and propaganda. The Captain walked over to the attendant who was preaching about the destruction of the Amazon and asked them about the carbon neutrality of the building itself, he mentioned that the building was 60% carbon neutral with the intention to 100% by the end of the year. The other part that really invoked emotion was the display of the creatures that will be extinct in the coming years. It really hit home that the species that we saw today would not exist by the time the Cadet was older. The last floor displayed some technological advancements that were coming into production over the next few years and they were pretty impressive things like sustainable farming and medical advancements. It was impressive but the deep feeling of hypocrisy was quite evident; it felt like a little bit of a propaganda machine.

With mixed emotions Squadron headed to Burger King for a quick snack which ended up being an order of almost every item that did not contain beef on the menu. #eatingouremotions.

They headed home to meet the Colonel’s brother who had just joined them all the way from Sydney. Brigadier Stephan had flown to Dubai and was joining the crew on their adventures for the next few days. The platoon had grown and it was now Colonel Nathan, Jo, the two kids, Brigadier Stephan, the Captain, Admiral and Cadet. To celebrate reunions they all went out to the Dubai Mall for dinner at the Time Out Market Dubai.

Time Out Market Dubai was a pop up food court featuring food pop ups from the best around Dubai. Here you could trial select iconic dishes from all the best places around town, without paying an arm and a leg. The crew was able to down a few drinks and try a few dishes. Still stuffed from a binge at Burger King earlier in the day, the Captain ordered Banh Mi (which was amazing) and Ceviche Pani Puri (also a stand out). Filled and slightly drunk they headed back to the base. It was somewhere between leaving and the drive home that Colonel Nathan had reached out to another crazy friend Major Tony and organised some drinks with the Lads.

Dropping off the Children and the Ladies, the Captain joined by Colonel and Brigadier headed out to the Jumeirah Palms area for some drinks. Heading first to an upmarket restaurant and bar that makes the best caipirinhas in the city – Tamoka Dubai. Here they had their first rendezvous with Major Tony. They did not know what they were getting into.

Major Tony and Colonel Nathan were friends and worked together, he had been pretty much a local in Dubai, having been born there but of English descent. Arriving at the Bar, without any questions asked, two drinks had already been ordered. We started to get to know each other, sitting and chatting, the Captain assumed that this would be the night, chilling and chatting. Little did he know they had other plans unfolding. They decided to pay the bill and head off to the next location, which was a beach bar called Barasti Beach which was about 3 km away from where they were at. So along with other friends they decided to grab some scooters. Since there were a few of them they found two at first which fit the first four people and then the others, then they went and found more until all 6 people had a scooter each.

From here they acted like hoons, riding all the way down.

Doha. Qatar

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Doha. Qatar

The Mall of Memories and Dreams.

Captains Log Day 13 – 21/12/22 9:25 pm. IndiGo 6E 1774

Exhilaration and excitement was overflowing as the Captain and his troupe descended. Packed like eggs in the budget Airlines they landed in the capital of Qatar. They had arrived at Doha, the host city for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Recalling the buzz from the last World Cup in Russia, The Captain had managed to befriend a Dubai national who was travelling with his nephew on the flight and ended up chatting to him the entire way. Meanwhile the Admiral and Cadet had managed to get a bit of shuteye. He worked for the Mars chocolate company and had won raffle tickets to Qatar for the games, and the only personon the flight who was more excited than the Captain would have been that guy’s 12 year old nephew.

The disembarking procedure was taking far longer than they had anticipated, this however did not dampen the Captain’s spirits as his social game was like the insides of an active volcano… on fire. He managed to chat to several more people including three Dubai nationals, a Canadian couple (who he once again made the mistake of assuming were American) and a Mexican man who was friends with the F1 Racer Sergio Perez’ dad.

Hayyaa cards proved to be efficient through all the checks as they picked up their bags, and finally walked through the sliding doors into the country. Despite it being late in the evening they were greeted by the World cup vibe straight away, treated to sweets, arabic coffee and a free SIM Card. The friendly staff at the World Cup counter provided them with all the information they needed to be on their way. Since they had the little Cadet with them, they were escorted by a porter to a taxi who offered to drive them to the hotel. The efficiency, and hospitality shown was already sitting on full points.

Weaving through traffic, the newly constructed city was very visibly evident to the Captain, who was comparing his short stay 8 years ago with the Admiral, noticing all the new buildings and infrastructure that now surrounded them. It was not more than 20 minutes as they arrived at a housing complex, consisting of multiple buildings. The up till now friendly taxi driver turning sour, asking for 150 when the metre said 41 rials and requesting cash, alarm bells started to go off. As the hotel staff helped take the bags out, the Captain asked the Manager who had come out about the adjustment the taxi driver had made, the Manager walked over and called several other staff members who yelled at him, and all of a sudden an EFTPOS machine came out and the price was reduced back to 41 rials.

The Taxi driver apologised and the hotel staff felt bad that this was the first introduction into the country. The Captain was not going to let this impact his mood and the vibe.

After this minor incident the staff were welcoming and very accommodating, explaining if they ever needed anything they were there to help, additionally offering guidance on where things were and the best places to eat and how to commute. They also told them that the apartment they are to be staying in had never been stayed in before, it was newly constructed and that they would be the first residents in the home.

Upon entering the apartment they were instantly impressed, letting out sighs and wails of “Wow” – this was a whole home, fully equipped with a lounge room, kitchen, two bedrooms both with ensuites and another toilet, the cherry on the cake was that one of the rooms had a Cot set up already for the Cadet. They were instantly impressed, they had everything they needed for their stay. The already late evening had crept away from them, they scrambled to feed the Cadet and the Captain went on an exploration and supplies mission to get the missing rations. Feeling comfortable and safe despite the time, he ventured out, only to find the street behind the apartment littered with restaurants, shops and floods of people.

What was even more impressive was that the building two buildings away from them was the Doha Souk mall, which featured a large grocery store.

Spending a bit too much time there he was able to pick up all the missing items and return 45 minutes later with all the essentials.

The Cadet was busy exploring, playing a game that looked like hide and seek with himself, mumbling (what we assume to be gratuities) as he explored his new surroundings. He had a great dinner and was treated to a fruit platter that the Captain had gathered during his mission. To end a day of travelling the Admiral put the Cadet down, and was able to go on a solo mission to check out the area. At first worried due to the late nature of her expedition she too was ecstatic to find the area they were staying at so central and convenient.

Once the Admiral returned the Captain had one last mission and that was to go and pick up dinner. Spoilt for choice, and craving some spice, he decided to pick up some Indian kebabs and rice, returning 30 minutes later with enough food to feed an army. Making a dent in the over-catered stock they procured, they watched Argentina beat Mexico, finally feeling exhausted and hitting the sack, knowing they had a big day ahead of them as they geared up to visit the sporting holy grounds of a Fifa World Cup game.

The next day started off slow, they had a rough night with the Cadet who was clearly still suspicious of his new surroundings, wanting to sleep with one eye open and opting to act guard. He was able to get relief from protecting the cot and reallocating himself to the Captains bed. His efforts had paid off, he ensured that the Captain and Admiral slept lightly making sure there were no enemies nearby. As a result the day started off slow, all members of the platoon felt the lingering side effects of travelling paired with the lack of sleep.

They ventured outside in search for the magical elixir of life.. Coffee. Walking through the Doha Souk mall which was predominantly closed (an insight into the gulf culture was that due to the heat of the days, things opened later than 9am) They were able to walk through the mall only to discover on the other end, across the road there was another much larger mall.

A giant dome appeared and as they got closer to it the signage read Mirqab Mall.

They entered the structure which was already showing signs of success for their mission, as what appeared to be the outside area of a cafe with people consuming the much desired elixir became visible.

They walked inside to be greeted by a security officer and needed air conditioning, all they had done was leave one mall and cross the road, and already droplets of sweat had formed on their brows. Instantly they saw signs of life in the form of a Carrefour grocery store which was filled with locals and tourists gathering supplies. They continued to explore more, walking down to find a pharmacy, a Daiso and then Paul’s Patisserie and multiple cafes! Indulging the Cadet in a cheese croissant the Captain and Admiral were able to enjoy a much needed caffeine hit. Exploring more of the Mall before heading back to get ready for their upcoming pilgrimage.

Following the advice of the hotel staff and other travellers, they geared up to head out the stadium 2 hours earlier to ensure they had enough commute time. The first match they were going to see was going to be Belgium and Morocco at Al Thumama stadium which was only 15 minutes away from their temporary abode. An uber came within minutes and they were on their way, zig zagging through traffic and some closed roads, arriving at the stadium carpark at which they were dropped off. From here they joined hundreds of people walking across the large overpass which took them over a freeway towards the giant structure that lay in the distance. Instantly as they left the vessel in which they had arrived goosebumps plagued the Captain’s body, the energy of football fans unexplainable.

They had already started profusely sweating as they stopped along the way to get photographs, descending to the mega structure, immediately impressed by the beauty and the size of the stadium.

Finding the Gate was no issue as it was the first one that they had arrived at. Recognising they had a smaller unit with them, friendly ushers guided them to the VIP queues in which the Captain and Cadet were able to get in without any issues. It was here that trouble struck once again. The Admiral was unable to log into the Fifa app in which her tickets resided. This world cup did not use physical tickets and entry was only granted with the scan of the ticket QR code and the Haaya card. Distraught, overheating panic was starting to set in, the Captain and Cadet retreated from their position, going back to the Admiral. After some support from the staff it was divulged that the Captain had to go to the ticketing office to request them to print a ticket and resolve the issue. Finding a shady spot the ushers guided the Admiral and Cadet, providing them with a bottle of water, as the Captain headed towards the office. Plagued with bad memories of prior experiences of these ticketing centres he was worried that he would be separated for hours as he tried to sort this out. The gulf hospitality, organisation and efficiency shone through once again. First greeted by a triage officer, they discussed his issue and sent him inside, he was instantly seen by an attendant who assisted him in printing the ticket. He could not contain his smile. He returned 10 minutes later to the troupe, ecstatic that he had been successful in the mission he had set out for.

Tickets, apps and Haaya cards in hand, they once again attempted entry into the sporting coliseum. This time entering without any issues, going through security checks and bag checks felt like a calm stroll in the park, calm, organised and collected, it was a fantastically smooth experience. They deposited the Stroller and set forth to enter the grounds

Plenty of signage and staff to help, they joined the chants of fans as they explored the inner sanctums of the stadium, much like most things they had experienced in the city, everything was newly constructed, clean and maintained. The stadium was impressive, well air conditioned (not over the top) and logically organised. Plenty of toilets, change rooms and facilities were evident. They found their seats and took in the beauty of what lay in front of them. The manicured pitch radiating a freshness highlighted by the glowing green grass. It was magnificent.

The roars of the crowd deafening as the bright red coloured Morccans fan cheered the commencement of the festivities. There was not a moment in which the Captain’s hairs stood down. The goosebumps returned this time plaguing his body. The lights turned down, flames appeared on the field, a giant inflatable world cup dragged onto the grounds followed by a group of people carrying flags of the competing teams. Sounds filled the stadium electrifying it, fireworks accompanied the deafening roars of the crowd. Pyrotechnics provide a visual feast for the onlookers. Unbelievable scenes unfolding right before their eyes, the feelings are impossible to put into words, even pictures and videos not doing justice to the sights that lay before them.

Surprisingly cheering for the favourites seemed like an uphill battle as they were clearly outnumbered by the Moroccans that had come to support their team, right in front of them were two hardcore Moroccan fans who cheered with an unrelenting passion, over exaggerating every run, miss and pass. Meanwhile the Cadet who had been gifted a Belgium flag was violently shaking it, and nearly hitting the impassioned Morrocan fans several times, if it wasn’t for the quick reactions and interventions of the Admiral and Captain, which left the Cadet’s unknowing victims none the wiser.

The game commenced and the cheers only got louder as the stadium filled up, chants of “Seer” rousing the crowds every time a Moroccan player touched a ball. The pace of the game was hypnotising, as they could not glance away from the action only pausing to provide more snacks for the Cadet, who remarkably was as excited as the crowds around him cheering, yelling and waving his flag.

At half time the game was a tie, with no goals scored, they decided to let the Cadet free and give him some space, he walked up to a man eating a hotdog and started staring at it, the young man was nice and offered some to him, he was a happy chappy.

When they returned to their seats, they continued to watch and as the clock hit 70 minutes reluctantly with their hearts wanting more but logic telling them otherwise, decided to leave to avoid the rush. Just as they rose up to leave, GOAL! The Moroccan troupe scored, the stadium lit up, yelling, dancing fans uncontainable. The atmosphere lifted, as did the paranoia in terms of what would happen when these fans were let loose. The Captain and Admiral scurried leaving the stadium, leaving behind a backdrop of cheers and celebrations.

They were a bit too late and as they picked up the Cadet’s vessel from the stroller storage, they saw many others that had the same idea. Joining the thousands of people heading to the taxi/ uber rank they marched on for what seemed like hours, passing people dancing on the street and little stages with singers and performers. Despite the stress of how they would get home, their mood was ecstatic. Finally reaching the taxi stand and confronted instantly with what they had feared, a long queue had formed with people waiting for a commute home. As they stood in line a marshal walked over to them, upon Seeing that they had a little Cadet with them and ushered them towards the front of the queue, in the next few seconds they didn’t know what happened but they were already in a taxi heading home. It was unbelievable but the hospitality and empathy towards young families shone through once again.

At home, the Admiral organised a quick bath for the very exhausted Cadet and Captain headed out for supplements, additionally as it was the Admiral’s birthday the following day, the Captain went on an extended mission looking for a last minute gift for her, he managed to find a gold seller in the area and was able to pick something up. – returning with some of the best Afghan food they had ever had, all from a place called Afghan Brothers, The captain managed to surprise the Admiral with her gift. She had not expected it and was overjoyed by the precious metal bracelet he had bought for her. Struggling to stay awake, they processed how epic their mission had been and called it a night.

The next day started slow, today thankfully was going to be a rest day, with no intention to attend any game. After their expeditions the day before they felt like locals now and had their bearings aligned to their new surroundings. Heading straight for their overdue caffeine hit, they headed to the Mirqab Mall, this time trying coffee from another cafe. To thank the Cadet on his valiant efforts at the game, the Captain and Admiral were able to treat him by visiting the Funderdome – a play centre located on the top floor of the Mall. Another observation by the Captain which was unlike home, was the fact that all the Malls and busy areas had large play centres to entertain the small people. It had paid off greatly during this adventure for the Captain and Admiral – and no doubt the Cadet. Here he was able to jump around and use all his energy before heading home for his much needed afternoon nap.

Cadet rest time meant that the Captain and Admiral could plan the forthcoming activities for the day. The Captain had just discovered that there was an Angry BIrds world located in Doha, and with the discovery went into a spiral of excitement. Counting down minutes till they could get the Cadet up, they prepared his lunch and planned their adventure in the land of the pigs and disgruntled birds.

Setting off as soon as they could, the band arrived at yet another massive mall, and without distraction from the shiny lights and pretty brands commenced walking towards the theme park. They walked past yet another snow hill (they were beginning to think this is a must for malls in the region) with sledding and tubing. Inquiring if the Cadet qualified to enter the establishment (he did not) they continued on their quest forward.

Just as they were arriving, a parade featuring Red (you guessed it – the Red angry bird) and Stella (the white pretty female bird) were passing through. A quick chat with a local later they found themselves entering the park, instantly impressed by the size and the amount of detail it contained. This level of awe grew as they walked outside and saw the giant slingshot ride that launched people into the air, it was magnificent. Handicapped by what they could participate in, they walked around exploring in a mission to find something that the Cadet could enjoy. They found a boat ride in which they had to shoot pigs and other enemies as they passed them on the vessel. They boarded as soldiers and commenced shooting straight away hoping to save their new found bird friends. Feeling satisfied, they continued to explore heading on as many rides as height restrictions would allow. Ultimately finding one that the Cadet could ride on his own, a car ride which he had to be pried off at the end by the Admiral, not wanting to leave, sharing similar feelings with the Captain who was itching to head to the arcade.

They continued on, exploring the different floors of the park until the Cadet saw his unconquerable enemy, the ball pit. He jumped right in, thrashing his body once again for hours against his formidable foe, almost an hour later, exhausted but not yet satisfied, they had to pry the Cadet out of the pit of doom. Hearing about the Angry Birds theatrical performance that was to take place they headed to the gathering area, trying to subdue the agitated Cadet until the show started. When it did, nobody was disappointed. The Cadet putting on his dancing shoes and followed along to the best of his ability as Chuck and Stella performed a clucky dance routine.

The last exhibit to visit was the trampoline level, where the Cadet who was already completely exhausted attempted to jump around on newly discovered terraforma. It was once again a valiant effort but in vain. In the last few minutes The Captain was given free reign and headed to the much awaited Arcade, spending as much of the remaining credit on his angry birds card as fast as he could on as many games as he could play. Winning a caterpillar toy for the Cadet, they had to say goodbye to the Arcade and the magical theme park.

A cheeky stop at Nandos to feed the starving and exhausted Cadet, they headed home to end the long but extremely fun day out at Angry Birds World Doha.

Game day – England vs Wales, this one was going to be challenging as the game was to start at 10pm at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. Not only would they need to trek across town to the stadium, they would need to keep the Cadet game ready until the late start. Some planning and coordinating was to be required. They needed their own game plan. Starting off with their daily pilgrimage to the closest set of Cafes they headed to the Mall, grabbing some breakfast and usual suspects beverages. Next to the Funderdome which they had visited the day before was “Jump” a kids’ trampoline park. Having been a tad bit exhausted at Angry Birds world they thought the Cadet would be able to revitalise and enjoy the trampoline park after his night’s rest. This time he delivered, jumping around the area until he found a sibling to his enemy, the ball pit – the foam square pit. A pool of 10 cm by 10 cm squares that went down 1 metre. With his newly acquired skill to jump, the rest of the morning consisted of the Captain and Admiral looking for him and then fishing him out of the depths of the sea of foam. Once again hitting a wall of exhaustion, the Captain and Admiral braved the heat outside and escorted the Cadet back to the safety of their bunker. As he drifted off the Admiral and Captain went into planning mode, what were they going to do, and how would they tackle the late night game with the Cadet.

WIth the help of google maps they were able to discover that next to the stadium there was the Mall of Qatar, yet another giant shopping centre with play centres and food courts. The plan they had established was that they would head to the mall around 4 pm and remain there until the game was to start, at which point they would walk down to the stadium for the showdown between the two nations.

As the Cadet awoke from his daytime slumber they got ready and put the plan into action, heading directly to the Qatar Mall. They all pottered around, once again awed by the size of this establishment, once again the blinding lights, colors and sounds giving them all a sensory overload. As they walked, the Cadet decided to run up some escalators, and as the Captain chased behind him he discovered a casual Day care centre. Much to their amazement and disbelief, they discovered that they could leave the little guy here for an hour and walk around the mall. They were assured that it was a 1 to 1 ratio inside and that a staff member would be allocated to the Cadet during his stay. Without a second to consider as the Cadet had already marched on in – they filled up the forms and left him with the crew.

Still in disbelief of their newfound independence, the Captain And Admiral headed to grab a coffee and discussed how they would spend the next 58 minutes. They decided to walk around and explore the mall, teeing up what the Cadet would eat for dinner. Time seemed to get the better of them and 50 minutes later they received a distress signal from the centre asking them to come and rescue the Cadet, who at that point had realised that he was on his own separate mission without the Captain and Admiral nearby. Taking back to their leadership positions they were able to reconvene and pick up the handicapped Cadet from his playpen deluge. They still had a few hours to kill before heading off to the stadium for the game, and they made use of that time by visiting a playcentre, having dinner and just plodding around the mall, hoping for time to go faster. To their surprise the Cadet kept up, although exhausted he was trooping on. They believe the Cold stone Ice Cream that he had consumed may have had a lot to do with it.

It was finally time to escape the confines of the Mall and head to the game, it was evident throughout the place that others had the same idea, with hundreds of fans flocking towards the exit that was closest to the Stadium. Like they had done many times in the past, they joined the hordes of people and headed towards the stadium bracing themselves for the heat that waited for them outside, coincidentally it had cooled down from when they had entered and the temperature was a balmy 25 degrees as they walked towards the sporting arena.

Much like the last match the feeling was surreal, walking amongst the many who had gone to extreme lengths to be present to support their teams. The English crowd chants reverberating through the surrounding areas. After a 10 minute walk, in which they had almost witnessed a brawl amongst fans, they reached the gates of the arena. This time the Admiral had her app working and getting past the first checkpoint came with no issues.

The second checkpoint however, someone had pulled the Admiral aside and as she was wearing a Ferrari F1 Racing jersey, security inspected the logos to ensure there was nothing that spoke for the rainbow flag. It was pretty eye opening. Aside from that slight hiccup they continued to find their seats and awaited the start of play.

Once again there was a sense of unreality as the hairs stood up when the pregame entertainment started. There is nothing to compare this to, it was just spectacular and overwhelming to describe. They watched the teams come onto the ground and the roars and chants of the English and Welsh crowd lit up the stadium. As the game began, despite the late hour, the Captain was ready to launch into a flurry of cheering.

The excitement however fell flat, like the game. It felt one-sided, and the pace of the game was extremely slow, almost to the point that the Admiral said to the Captain “this is boring”.

Hoping the energy of the crowd would lift the spirits, it once again fell flat, this was very much unlike the last game in which the Moroccan fans ignited passion and a fever in everyone at the stadium. This just felt dull, the most exciting part being the opening sequence, since then it had just gone downhill. The time getting late, and thoughts of the brawl they had witnessed earlier they decided to leave at half time. It had been a long day and the game was not as exciting as they had hoped, so they headed off. This time as they had left they noticed a lot less people exiting, and with a shorter walk to the taxi rank, they were instantly able to jump into a Careem and head back home.

Despite the late night, they awoke early on their final day in Doha, riddled with excitement of the final match and getting in some sightseeing the Admiral and Captain headed to theSouq Waqif area – The Souq Waqif is a marketplace. The souq sells traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. It is also home to restaurants and shisha lounges. This was the central hub of the World Cup, and it was astonishing that it was not until the last day that they had decided to venture to the iconic location.

Skipping the morning routine of coffee and breakfast at the local mall, they braved the morning sun and took an uber to the souq. Arriving to a baron desert scape land laden by traditional buildings, they weaved through the streets until coming to a Falcon market (yes you read that right, yes the birds) here they asked someone where the souq was and were directed in the opposite direction they had come from. It was evident that the heat was already getting to the Admiral, she started getting pretty annoyed at the Captain, that paired with the lack of caffeine she had consumed, we had to find a place to eat and drink ASTAT.

They came across an information desk where the person told them about a Coffee bean and tea leaf cafe that was ahead, the Admiral did not hear this and was getting more agitated as they walked forward. Ultimately snapping at the Captain, who then went to the closest cafe and looked for a seat. They were full. They then tried next door which was a Zaatar W Zeit, a fastfood chain selling the famous Zaatar breads. With the fear of God in him from the temper that was brewing in the Admiral, and despite the place being completely packed, the Captain asked an elderly man if he could join him. He was very welcoming and insisted that we sat with him in the packed restaurant. At this point the Cadet had started to get cranky and just like his Mother, started to show signs of rage paired with hunger. The man sitting with them was friendly, and helped defuse the situation much to the Captain’s relief. Plus he would be a valuable witness if The Admiral and Cadet’s hanger would lead to his untimely demise. Their friendly companion was originally from Jordan, he had come to visit his son who lived in Qatar and was an ex Iromman. He was also there to enjoy the world cup. Chatting to him they found out his interesting past, including being married to a Russian, spending half his time in Russia, as well as living a life of a nomad as he worked his life as a Civil engineer, spending time all over the world. The conversation was enlightening and very enjoyable, and despite the food taking a while to arrive, they all shared stories and ignited a friendship. When the food did come, they all shared and indulged together. At the end the Captain went secretly to pay for the table, bidding farewell to the man, who they had shared a lovely meal with. They left and were reunited with the heat and the crowds.

As a landmark the Souq contains a Giant Golden thumb, this was on the list for the Captain to check out, as he had been making comments to the Admiral about the thumb since the morning, even when she was angry. It was as impressive as it sounded, a giant golden thumb in the middle of the souq. The Captain would definitely give it a thumbs up but the Admiral suggested he shove it elsewhere. They took some photos and headed inside the laneways to escape the heat. They let the Cadet loose and he ran around the packed maze-like market with his crew following him around. The crowd had grown now and the narrow rows of stalls filled with spices, and ornaments had become difficult to navigate, let alone chase the Cadet around. The Cadet however was having the true market experience, filled with smells and textures he was going to every stall and touching/ feeling all the goods. It was a stimulation overload for the little man and he was taking it in his stride. As they explored they came across a Bird market, a shop filled with exotic birds as well as chickens. This had the Cadet’s curiosity peaking, he was excited and fascinated. The up close and personal encounters with the various species had him going in circles admiring and often speaking to the avian wildlife. They seemed to have an adequate understanding of each other.

As they left, it was evident that the Admiral’s patience was wearing thin, once again the exhaustion of the previous few days and the heat had started to get the better of her. She has started to puff up like a puffer fish, her stance changing to a battle toad stance.

To a degree unaware of the build up of tension around him the Captain continued to walk around, loving the vibe. He had not realised that he had finally pushed it over the edge, the Admiral finally breaking and asking to stop. Having seen this situation before he knew exactly where to go. V-lining to the Turkish Ice-cream man he had seen earlier, the Captain knew that the ice cold treat was the only way to pacify a raging volcano that was about to blow. Surely it had worked. The antics of the turkish man and the reactions of the Cadet had been enough to diffuse the situation. Putting an icy end to the ice cold daggers that were being shot. Without wanting to rock the boat, and with the limited ice cream remaining, they walked over to the taxi stand, the ice cream melting down, and the Admiral on the verge once again of melting down. They headed home to get ready for the final FIFA world cup match they were going to see Tunisia vs France.

They arrived back at the accommodation and, both the Cadet and Admiral opted in for a cooldown and a rest. They had to gain their spent energy back for the game in the evening. The Captain decided to head to the barber for a sick haircut. He had always admired the fine nature of the Arabic hair and beard treatments, so he ventured out to get grooming whilst the others rested. He returned and the mood had finally turned, it was astonishing to see the power of Ice-cream and a nap. Much like the landmark they had visited there was now thumbs up everywhere.

The time had come and they got ready for their final venture to a Fifa world cup game in Doha. Feeling a tad emotional and reminiscing on the ride over, they were amazed at how fast time had flown and the fact that they were on their way to the last match. Months of planning had just vanished so quickly, and how the amazing time they had, and the events that they had witnessed over the past few days had flown past.

The adventure was not over yet – They came to a police checkpoint and had to be dropped off in the middle of a construction site, the Admiral and Captain now having to carry the Cadet in his pram through the rugged terrain. Once they had reached walkable land again, they once again were joined by thousands of fans, this time skewed by Tunisian fans rather than the French.

Marvelling as they walked by the beauty of the stadium they could hear chants, and songs being sung by the fans, the mood very positive and despite it being a must win game for both teams, the atmosphere felt safe, welcoming and positive. A sheer contrast to the fans they had witnessed the night prior. Once again finding their seats, The Captain and Admiral, felt comfortable, they felt like they had understood the system and could predict how the Cadet would behave, for the first time at the stadiums they felt like ‘We got this”.

The stadium erupting with cheers once again, the crew felt the hairs stand up for the last time, the fans cheering and songs echoing through the amphitheatre. The vibe already felt much livelier than the game before, reminding them of the Moroccan fans they had seen on their first game. They watched an explosive first half with the Tunisians giving it all they had, so much so that the French proceeded to make 3 changes bringing on their top players including the legendary Mbappe. The fire was not contained for long before the Tunisian players scored their first goal against the reigning champions. The place lit up, witnessing the first goal of the world up the Admiral and Captain cheered as hard as they could, even the cadet got involved, it was clear he was having the time of his life alongside his troupe.

The Tunisian fans made the ground shake, everything was feeling so energised, the celebrations started to pour out of the stadium and the Captain, Admiral and cadet joined them and exited the sporting ring for one final time. Walking out without regrets and fulfilled to have been part of the magic over the past few days. A spectacular end to the campaign, and a fantastic game to watch.

The celebrations were felt the whole way home, with the city celebrating the historic win against France. When the captain asked someone they explained that the victory was even extra sweet as the French and Tunisians had a history of turmoil and oppression in the past. The city was singing, and so were the souls of the Captain and Admiral who had been there to witness such a historic moment in football history. It was a beautiful moment. Exhausted and hearts full they returned for one last time back to their fantastic home, packing and then resting for their last night before heading off.

Checking out the next day was a much more emotional affair than the Captain had envisioned. All the staff had come to know and become friends with the Captain, Admiral and most of all Cadet. All packed they dropped off the bags at the reception and went to the local mall for one final time grabbing a coffee and some doughnuts for the staff. One last visit to the place that had already held so many good memories for the Cadet, the Funderdome. Spending the last few hours playing they went back to the hotel for one last time as the little cadet had his final sleep in Doha.

Since they had time left over before their flight they wanted to visit one final place, the Villaggio Mall. Once again known for its interior which was constructed like Venice with fake skies, shop facades like those in Italy and gondola rides, this mega mall once again impressed them. VIsually stunning, and loaded with impressive brands, the Captain and the crew walked around in amazement and wonder. Having a quick snack at their favourite – shake shack, they spent the last few hours in the arcade/ kids area – which even had a rollercoaster, before heading back to grab their bags and head off to the Airport.

It had been early to head off but paranoia got the better of them and rightfully so, as they accidentally found themselves at the wrong airport! It was the baggage handler at the airport who alerted them to their error! They rushed, luckily they had extra time and were able to get redirected by the staff to the right airport, which was a good 18 minutes away. They arrived to find massive lines to check in, as they stood in line yet again an attendant noticed that they had been with a child and ushered them to the business class queue, where once again they had been served instantly.

Just as they thought the Airport adventure was over, they finally got to the gate and as they got to the final waiting area (after passport and ticket checks) the Cadet started repeatedly yelling “Water” or as he pronounced it “boahtaaaahh”. At first the Admiral went, asking to go out to grab some liquids for him, the attendant refused. At this point the Captain went up, and the attendant agreed, keeping his passport and telling him he has 5 minutes to go get some water. He ran as fast as he could, filling up the bottle and rushing back, all in 8 minutes. They had just started boarding. Stressed, with fight or flight hormones plaguing him, he rejoined the Admiral and delivered the precious goods, to which the Cadet said “nah”… In the next few moments his sweat dried and the Captain was able to catch his breath, they boarded their next flight to Delhi. India.

New Delhi. India

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

New Delhi. India

The righteous lands of relationships and reunions

Captains Log Day 19 – 7/12/22 3:25 pm. Thai Airways Flight TG324

The Captain’s adventure to newer lands had come to an end, it was bittersweet. He was sad that the most anticipated part of his adventure, one that took months of planning was now over, however the experience and the journey had brought back feelings of excitement and hits of adrenaline. he could feel his veins course with anticipation as the addiction of travel had returned in his system.

Although the main part of the quest was completed, Dubai, The F1, Qatar and the Fifa world cup, One last mission remained. Delhi. India.

This was to be a particularly special expedition as it involved stealth as no one knew that the party was in transit with the exemption of the Captain’s family who were also in India at the given time.

The Objective was to firstly surprise the Captain’s cousin (maternal) who had been obsessed with the Cadet – reuniting them as lost souls, and secondly to surprise another cousin of the captain (Paternal) who was getting married.

The flight from Qatar was relatively uneventful aside from the Captain and crew being sandwiched next to a man who could not speak English and had not eaten, and was feeling unwell. After diagnosing his issues with the airline staff, the Captain provided some pain relief in the form of Panadol, and the Air staff provided him with a meal.

After that minor event the Captain, Admiral and exhausted cadet arrived in Delhi, it was almost 3am, and they still had to clear immigration and customs. They scurried through the airport, arriving at the final checkpoint. A frustrating thing about Delhi Airport Arrivals is the lack of WiFi if you do not have an active SIM. In most cases this is not an issue, however in our case it would play a pivotal part in arriving into the country.

As the Squadron arrived at the customs desk, with all forms completed, the customs officer asked for a printout of our e-Visas, which the Captain had neatly kept in his travel folder. Everything seemed in order until the Customs officer reverted back to them saying that the Visa for the Admiral was one dated to 2017. The Captain had printed off the wrong one.

The Customs officer said with a Poker face that ‘only the Captain and Cadet were allowed into the country without that documentation’. When we asked if we could get Wi-Fi or any internet connection, they refused saying that due to security reasons the customs area does not have any internet access. a feeling of dread overcame them amongst the exhaustion. They were now wide awake and very nervous about entering India and if they would be allowed to step foot on the foreign soil.

Nervously they stood as time seemed to slow down, finally the Customs officer raising his head and saying “here you are mam, your visa number” Both the Captain and admiral let out an audible sigh of relief. The kindly customs officer had taken care of their issue and was only amusing himself at the Captain and Admiral’s expense.

They quickly collected their bags and headed out into the foggy Delhi airport arrivals area.

After using some international roaming credit, the Admiral and Captain were able to locate the captain’s father General Andy, and his friend General Mandi who had come to pick them up from the airport. Instantly feeling the cold breeze, they were glad to have escaped the desert sun to arrive at a much more temperate climate. After a beautiful reunion with the cadet and his grandfather, the captain, admiral and cadet were transported to General Mandi’s quarters where they were planning to stay the night. Upon arrival the reunion between the cadet and his grandmother was surreal. He did not want to sleep despite it being almost 5 a.m. He just wanted to hang out and play with his much missed grandparents.

Time was short and they still had to conquer their major mission milestones which was to surprise both cousins. The next day they awoke to a marvellous breakfast prepared and were pleasantly surprised by general Mandy’s daughter and granddaughter who came to surprise them and join them for breakfast. Instantly the Cadet had made a new friend.

Brandy was short but it was beautiful. It was nice to see some old friends and familiar faces after many years being locked down and not being able to visit.

They quickly packed up and ordered an Uber for their long journey across a very overpopulated New Delhi, and although the distance was only 35 km the ETA was showing 2 hours, which is standard for Delhi commutes.

They finally arrived and stealthily walked up the stairs to reach the apartment of the Captain’s cousin and his family. This was going to be a big one since the whole family had been following virtually the Cadets early years and this was going to be the first time that they would see him in person. What resulted was nothing short of phenomenal; the surprise had not only worked but yielded results nothing short of spectacular. There were screams. There were tears. There were shrieks of joy instantly. They couldn’t believe that the Captain, Admiral and Cadet stood before them!

It is very hard to explain in words, the sheer joy that existed in that moment. There was a mushroom cloud of love and emotion emitting from that apartment building. They had successfully surprised the family, and everybody felt a sense of love and relief. They couldn’t believe that everybody was there together after many years. The feeling is indescribable.

The remainder of the night was spent catching up and spending time together. It had been years since anyone had seen each other and that euphoria was still very much present. After some drinks and some much needed relaxation time, it was time to put the cadet to sleep for the night. However, I think he also felt a sense of over excitement as he did not want to go down. Even after some serenading with the guitar, it seemed that he wanted to be awake and part of the joyous occasion of reunion. He just did not want to sleep. Spending many hours together, and despite all their efforts to put the little one down the Captain and Admiral headed to bed. It had been an emotional day and it was only going to get bigger when they visited the remainder of the family at the wedding on the following day.

As the next day started There was some discussion about going away from the cousin’s place and going to stay at the wedding venue for the night after the ring ceremony. However, due to lack of accommodation, they decided to stay back and they were very glad that this was the case because they had not spent enough time with their favourite cousins. They were to head to the ring ceremony later that night and surprise everyone, But as this was meant to be an impromptu trip they had no outfits or anything. So this left a few hours for them to go and pick up something to wear.

They were able to get a ride with their cousin and quickly went to pick up something to wear, heading to a local store called ‘Shoppers Stop’ The Captain was able to pick up light blue kurta with a waistcoat.

They then returned home to get ready for the Ring Ceremony function, this was going to be their big surprise entrance. Preparing themselves for the long haul to the venue, they geared up and headed off. Luckily the lack of sleep from the night before meant the Cadet would have a Nap in the car, as would the Admiral.

They arrived after a long journey and got secretly ushered through the corridors of the resort where the Bride and family (the Captain’s Uncle and Aunty) were preparing for the function.

Running into uncle first, his excitement was uncontainable. He was overjoyed to see them and then ushered them towards his auntie and the bride. Everyone welcomed the crew and l the little cadet leapt into his new but soon to be familiar family’s arms. Nobody expected the group to attend the wedding, especially with the Captain’s busy itinerary of the FIFA World cup. Once again it was amazing to see family.

The remainder of the Ring ceremony was spent mingling and meeting distant family members, as well as making sneaky visits to room 1024, which had been turned into a speakeasy at the Dry wedding. The Captain and Admiral took turns to wet their whistles. After fulfilling some brotherly duties at the Ring Ceremony, the team decided to head back home. Being ushered back home late by their lovely cousin who had driven them for the ring ceremony in the first place. It had been a long and emotional day. They all fell asleep pretty quickly.

The night however was not over. The Captain awoke with a terrible Migraine and the need to vomit. The pain was unbearable, he woke up the admiral for help and proceeded to the other bedroom in which he started vomiting and screaming in pain. Not knowing what to do The admiral woke up the rest of the household who all came to assistance, providing medicines and painkillers to relieve the Captain from his unbearable state. After one hour of unconscionable pain and profuse vomiting, the Captain was able to feel the drugs working, he felt a sense of calm before passing out.

In the morning he felt fine, albeit baffled as to why this occurred, he was unsure if it was the food, the drinks or just the overarching extent of exhaustion. In any-case, he praised the Gods that he had been surrounded by family and friends who were able to help him and release him from the depths of his pains.

It was the big day of the wedding. But this also meant that the Captain, Admiral and cadet would have to say a sad goodbye to his lovely cousin and family who had harboured them on their surprise visit thus far. The crew had to depart for their new abode, to stay the last few nights at the wedding venue.

They slowly packed their belongings and started to say goodbye, subconsciously the cadet was also feeling some sense of angst as he also was not in his best behaviour. He knew something was going on, and although he may not have understood the situation, there was some weird aura about him as they got ready to leave. It was an emotional goodbye and even as they placed their bags into the Uber they could feel the sadness around them as they departed.

Arriving at the hotel. The initial shine of the surprise the previous day had worn off, however it was still very nice to be surrounded by familiar faces and family. Still reeling from the departure from their cousin’s place, the crew were escorted to a room and checked in. It was time for the Cadet’s nap so everybody took a little bit of a rest, then it was going to be a long night with the wedding proceeding starting at 9:00 p.m.

Rising from their nap they got ready for the festivities that were to come. It had been a while since they had attended an Indian wedding and were feeling pumped. Not only for the extraordinary, colourful and exciting rituals but also for the plethora of food. Camouflaged in native wear they emerged to the sound of drums and dancing and a horse, the wedding had started.

The enthralling few hours included dancing, chasing the cadet around, the cadet dancing and socialising, oh and a lot of eating. With over 100 dishes to try they worked their way through the buffet. Time once again got the better of them and it was time for the Admiral and Cadet to bid farewell and head back to the their bunker for a rest. It had been a long day.

The Captain stayed for another hour and about 3 am decided to call it himself, retreating back to the confines of his room.

The night seemed to fly past and in the morning they awoke to greet a married couple. The Captain came to hear that the ceremony had ended at 7am that morning – there was no way that the Captain could have survived till then. They headed to the lobby area where they met with all the relatives as they said goodbyes and slowly all departed. It always is an emotional farewell when there is no indication of when you will see these people again and which part of the world it would be in. Alas, it is the way of life and the pitfalls of having family living in foreign lands.

Finally it came time for the Captain, Admiral and Cadet to set off, bidding farewell to the wedding venue that had housed them overnight. Luckily they did not have to face the wrath of Delhi’s traffic this time, as they were staying right next door, coincidentally at the Resort where the Captain and Admiral had said their Indian vows and danced Bollywood all night only 5 years prior.

The Admiral and Cadet jumped into a taxi with the copious amounts of luggage that they had accumulated in their trip, and headed over, whilst the Captain decided to walk next door. They checked in and planned for their last evening in India.

The Captain’s mother had joined them for the last night, and they planned to take the cadet on one final adventure out. Deciding to get to a shopping mall where he could spend the last of his energy playing and the Captain and Admiral could finish those last bits of souvenir shopping for friends.

To mix it up and to give the Cadet a new rich experience, they decided to take an Auto Rickshaw to the Mall. The Cadet was thrilled. The wind blowing in his haiir, he waved at oncoming traffic and jumped around. He was extremely thrilled by this new means of transportation. Whizzing through traffic it still took them almost an hour to reach the destination.

Upon arriving, they had to cross a major arterial to get to the correct side, with the overpass closed/ broken they crossed the road like locals jumping over road dividers and weaving through oncoming cars. Finally at the mall they headed to the food court to feed the Cadet (which resulted in the captain fighting with one establishment due to the rigidness of their menu)) which resulted in a fight between the Captain and Admiral, ultimately calming down and getting supplies from another vendor and feeding the little man. They Fed the Cadet and headed to the play centre.

As they were walking they realised that the Cadet had Soiled himself and it had leaked all over his pants. Crisis mode. The Captain scurried looking for places he could buy some appropriate, and reasonably priced pants for the cadet. That in itself was a major mission, going from shop to shop, finding outrageously overpriced items, the Captain had to go back to where they were dropped off, a solid 15 minutes walk back to the more affordable shops. Here he found some Dino Pants, which he purchased and ran back.

They threw the old pants in the bin and changed the cadet, who then proceeded to spend an hour playing in this run down but expansive Play centre.

Their time was up, not only in the play centre but on their 2022 journey to India. They boarded another Auto Rickshaw that somehow managed to half the travel time by taking some hidden pathways to deliver them back to the hotel/ resort. They got back into the hotel and completed the final bath routine with the Cadet and put him down. Sharing one final meal which had been brought by the General and the Captain’s Brother from the establishment called “Kareems” in Chandni Chowk, as they packed their bags and got ready for their early morning departure back home

Early morning checking out meant a struggle to find Ubers and porter staff. But after waiting 30 minutes they were able to get some assistance as they headed back to the Airport in which they had arrived. The Captain faced some battles at the airport (no porters there to help, lack of priority for flying with a child, Business class lounge not accepting them, and getting internet connectivity a struggle) they boarded the flight to Bangkok at first (which had been delayed by an hour already). The fact that it was delayed caused some nervousness as 132 passengers were all heading back to Melbourne on the connecting flight with had a transit time of only 1 hour and 30 minutes in Bangkok.

After what felt like an eternity they finally boarded the flight and jet set off, saying farewell to India. The first flight was like a dream, the Cadet and Admiral slept in peace, the Captain watched a movie. They arrived in Bangkok and instantly there was a sense of panic in the air, they departed the plane only to find ushers ready to rush them onto the next flight to Melbourne. It seems the half boarded plane had been waiting for the incoming passengers. It took over an hour to run from one terminal gate to the other, bypassing checks and hindrances throughout.

They finally boarded the plane with all the seated passengers looking at them and wondering why they had been delayed by over an hour in boarding . The Captain, Admiral and Cadet took their seats and awaited the flight’s departure back to Melbourne.

This flight, unlike the last one, was a bit of a nightmare. The Cadet decided not to take any rest, but rather jump around in the seat and create a ruckus. His kicking of the seat in front was exchanged with allowances of the passenger in front to climb over occasionally to use the bathroom (instead of disturbing the people next to her). This flight was like the one they had heard horror stories about. Kids being over energised running up and down the isles and worse yet crying.. Luckily The cadet was manageable. He was energetic, watched tv, ate, jumped on the seat and ran up and down the aisle – but he did not cry or annoy anyone (so they believed) . Each minute felt like an hour towards the end, the 9 hour flight time could not elapse fast enough.

They finally landed 2 hours behind schedule. They had reached home and survived the epic, and challenging trip.

Just as they thought their journey was over and they were in the grasp of safety, their luggage took over an hour to arrive and they realised that their airlines had lost the Cadets’ strolling vessel. After waiting for over 2 hours at the airport, after having a flight that was already 2 hours delayed, they decided not to fight fate – taking a lost baggage document from the airline staff and exiting the Airport onto Melbourne Soil. They were finally home.

It had been an amazing journey with heaps of ups and downs, and a learning experience like no other, travelling with an inexperienced Cadet. They had the most amazing time, and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Till the next adventure.

Captian, Admiral & Cadet, Over and Out.

Gili Trawangan – Bali. Indonesia

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Gili Trawangan – Bali. Indonesia

Pradiseception – The island paradise hidden within an Island Paradise

Captains Log Day 10 – 02/01/20 5:31 am. Jetstar Flight JQ36

Still drowsy from their early start the trio arrived at Bali airport, extremely relaxed from the resort life that had consumed them for the last few days in Nusa Dua.
They jumped on a flight and it was not long after, that they had arrived at the island of Lombok. It took less time for the them to reach Lombok than it did to reach Bali airport. Instantly they were confronted with a wall of heat as they left the immigration section of the ‘shack’ like airport.
They were to meet Sergeant Sej and Commodore Goro in the lands of Lombok, however the Commodore and Sergeant’s flight was not scheduled to land for another 2 hours. The crew grew impatient, and in a rookie move the Captain led them out of the air-conditioned airport into the sun like conditions of ‘The Outside’, here they sat and waited anxiously the arrival of the reinforcements.
In the distance they saw a storm approaching the island, as they sat in the heat waiting for time to pass, during which time taxi drivers kept coming over asking if they needed a lift.
In a surge of people flowing out the airport gates, they saw the Sergeant and Commodore coming out, and met them with embrace. It had been a while since they had caught up, the Sergeant and Commodore being on an epic adventure of their own travelling around India and Malaysia before meeting them for a final stint in Gili T.
In a matter of a few seconds, in what looked like a snap of the fingers Goro, amongst the chaos and madness summoned their driver. Instantly the storm cleared, and they boarded the large van and dumping their luggage and squishing in for the long haul. The drive was windy, zipping along the narrow roads across the island, with spectacular views of the open ocean pinned against the Lombok cliff faces. The journey took 2 hours, stopping to admire the views and drink a fresh coconut on the way. After the flight, early morning start, it was all getting to be a blur for all involved.
Unfortunately, the journey was not over, they still had a 20-minute speed boat ride that was waiting for them at the dock.
They got out of the car and met two other comrades that would be joining them on this adventure and the crew grew larger.
Once again within seconds Commodore Goro was able to control of the situation and organise someone to come and escort them on their own private speed boat.
What followed was a quick but bumpy sea ride across the ocean, with each wave General Nuj uttered a prayer, holding on as the quick but bumpy ride raced across the open sea. Not soon enough for the General the crew reached land again, the time struck 4 as they jumped into the warm water and shattered coral beach on to the island of Gili T.
Instantly it was chaos, grabbing their bags they rushed on to the busy main street, dodging bikes and pedestrians carrying all their luggage, following the Commodore as the leader.
A hectic walk ensued, zig-zagging between bikes and horse carriages, they walked up the main streets for 10 minutes before reaching their bunker for the next few days – Pesona hotel.
This was a place that the Commodore and Sergeant visited frequently and the Captain had an instant realisation of why that was the case. The place was amazing! featuring an open air restaurant and bar that overlooked the busy street followed by the open ocean. It had a pool in the front of the complex and a vibe like none of the other places that they had passed along the way.
A buzz was emanating from the place as Goro went and greeted the staff with a warm embrace, it was evident, he was at home.
Without a second to relax they quickly checked in (to a beautiful room) and were introduced to their rides for their stay, cycles!
Instantly a look of fear and dread overcame the Admiral, who had no idea how to ride a bike – the captain assured her everything would be ok, she was clearly not the slightest bit convinced. It was however going to be a baptism of fire as they had to race to be able to see the Gili Sunset. The Commodore assured them that they had to leave straight away and reach the sunset point immediately in order to catch it.
Off to a shaky start the Admiral struggled to find a balance amongst the chaos of the street, this initial panic subdued as the crowds thinned out and much to the Captain and her own surprise she was cruising along the streets, only stopping occasionally to let the horse and cart through.
With time to spare they reached the Pink Coco beach bar and restaurant and got a seat to witness the most magnificent sunset display the Captain had ever seen. They sat along the beachside and sipped on Bintangs as the display made them forget the epic journey they had just undertaken to reach there. Joined by the other crew members, they played on the water swings, chatted and reflected on the beauty of the beach and the coming of the night. It was just stunning. It reminded the Captain of something he had read “like tea dissolving in hot water, the sun dissolved in the sky… creating a velvet horizon, announcing for the stars’ night dance with the moon, the awaited joy for the wounded souls.” From Bali – The Rebirth by Abeer Allan
The sky turned dark and like the sun the crew decided to go away. Hopping back on their bikes, slightly intoxicated and a lot less nervous they headed back to the hotel.
They all quickly freshened up, cooling down in the air conditioned rooms and relaxing for a bit before they needed to head off for dinner. It was at this point that the Captain felt exhaustion, the day was getting the better of him and despite the excitement, his body was fighting fatigue.
Escape could not have come soon enough, a message from the Commodore and they were all summoned to the front of the hotel soon after jumping on their bikes again and heading for dinner.
Dinner was at the number one rated restaurant on the island – Jali, another recommendation by Goro and much like the accommodation one that certainly did not disappoint. So much so that General Nuj still confesses to dream about the Cajun Pasta. To say that the food was spectacular would be an understatement. One of the best meals that they had consumed since being on vacation.
To follow up the epic meal that they had just had, the Commodore took them to his favourite juice shake bar to meet the great Cadet Adi. Adi was an amazing bartender that was famous for his pineapple, fruit and mixed vegetable juice, he made them a batch and it was delicious treat that had them begging for more. Stuffed from this culinary and ecstatic experience, they all jumped on their bikes for the final time that day and road back to the hotel. This time the admiral was much more nervous and hit two oncoming pedestrians along the way, with no harm done at least to the Admiral and the vessel, they safely reach the hotel.
To finish off a very eventful day they sat on the beach and ordered a Shisha sipping on one of the shakes that the Mighty cadet Adi had prepared. They sat together and reflected on how good the day had been and what awaited them on the other side of the sunrise, New Year’s Eve.

Unable to sleep much in the night Captain woke up slightly drowsy but very excited for the day that was to follow, it was New years Eve and they had so much to do. Gathering the troops, they had a simple but tasty breakfast at the hotel (once again this place did not disappoint) then set off to the Harbour for their snorkelling adventure. it was going to be the first time that the general had ever snorkelled, in fact it was going to be the first time that general had done any aquatic activity. He was petrified he has never been a big fan of water let alone snorkelling in the open ocean. The Admiral and Captain assured him everything will be fine and that snorkelling was a very easy and simple activity to do.
Picking up the flippers and their snorkelling masks the crew followed the pirate captain to get another boat, alongside about 20 other water goers they boarded the vessel and set off into the sea. They sailed for about 15 minutes whilst the general’s face was white in fear. Instantly without any notice the boat stopped, and they were briefed that they had 40 minutes to snorkel. Confused by this, the Captain and Admiral had expected that they would go snorkelling from the beach much like prior experiences at places such as the Great Barrier Reef. The crew had been asked to jump into the water. At this point the Captain was confused, there had been no training, no instructions on how to use the mask, they had just been asked to jump into the water. Next to him, shocked as if he had seen someone be murdered in front of him the General started freaking out, that he is not going to do it and that he will do it the next time not this time. The response was a stern message from the Captain ‘JUST DO IT! YOU HAVE A LIFE VEST ON!’ as the Captain jumped from the boat into the water.
The General looked like he was going to cry, his face as white as the waves crossing on the beach in the distance. Just when the Captain was doubting the General, he felt an arm hit his shoulder and yelp in the background. it was the general gasping for air and flailing his arms as if he was drowning. The Admiral, who was also in the water by this time tried to calm the General down, the Captain grabbed him and held his arm. Hoping that the General would calm down a bit the Admiral and Captain held him assuring him that its ok, he will not drown. He was stressing. stressing very hard, and despite their efforts (and a life jacket) he did not feel safe, freaking out at regular intervals. They continued to try to calm the General and move along the path of the tour. Halfway through the journey the instructor watching the crew struggling came over and was able to assist the still frightened General with his equipment. It turned out his equipment did have an issue as the snorkel was letting water in. Offering some assistance, he helped the General who all of a sudden calmed down a bit, he felt a little better and started enjoying (slightly) the experience. They floated along when the Captain noticed that most of the crew they were with on the tour were back on the boat, which was about 400 meters away. It was his turn to freak out. He started yelling at the trio, requesting them to move towards the boat, worrying that if they were the last people the boat might leave without them. An already struggling General and Admiral started moving towards the boat slowly.
The Admiral was now trying to calm down both the Captain and the General.
They couldn’t reach fast enough, they were the last people on the boat, but as soon as they boarded the General was still in shock, refusing to talk to the Admiral and Captain. Upset by the experience, he sat amongst the boat members, looking like he was almost about to start crying. He opted not to continue, instead wanting to stay in the boat and passing his flippers for someone else to use.
The boat left the spot and headed off to the next snorkelling spot, this time en route, the Pirate Captain of the boat advised them that this spot is where they will be able to see Turtles! After a short distance in towards land, but still a few kilometres off the coast, the boat stopped, once again the occupants of the boat were asked to ‘Jump in’, this time, unlike the last there was no Hesitation from that Captain and the Admiral, they just flopped into the water. Despite the excitement of the mystical aquatic sea creature being in the water, General Nuj, who was still coming off the shock of the last experience decided not to join them and remained in the boat.

The Admiral and Captain floated along, this time staying with the group and doing their best not to fall behind. They swam, with the anticipation of seeing the marine animal in the wild and just as the anticipation was getting too much, the tour guide, called out to them, and as they swam over the realised that what looked like a rock on the bottom of the ocean floor, was actually a sleeping majestic TURTLE, the swam around staring at it, hoping that it would wake up and swim up, possibly even chant ‘duuuuude’ as it did so, unfortunately it did nothing of the sort. It just continued to sleep. Unable to throw things at it to wake it up, the Admiral and Captain moved on as the snorkelling continued. Over the next 30 minutes they were fortunate enough to see 3 more turtles, all of which seemed to have had a big night the night before and looked like they were in a hungover slumber.
Feeling giddy from the experience they returned to the boat and told the General what they had seen, he was giddy himself, a much different General that they had left when they jumped into water, it seemed that life had returned to his face. He told them that he had also seen a Turtle from the glass bottom of the boat, and unlike the ones that the Captain and Admiral had seen, one that was swimming (and possibly chanting ‘duuude’ as it did so).
A mission objective for the trip had been accomplished, the trio had witnessed a Turtle doing its thing in the wild to Shell-brate we high fived each other and discussed our encounters as the boat headed towards the Island of Gili Air for lunch.
Lunch was relatively uneventful for the trio, aside from the Captain ordering a random local dish and being advised by the waitress that it’s a soup dish. The Captain had a reaction of dismay, which startled both the waitress and the others around them, he decided to change his order.
Post Lunch they departed Gili Air and went to the last point for another round of snorkelling, this time to check out some underwater statues. The General was on the fence of weather to jump in on this one, however his fears took the better of him and he decided to remain on the boat for the final dive. The statues were crowded with other snorkelling groups trying to get a glimpse of them, the Captain and Admiral struggled but were able to float around checking out the statues and surrounding marine life before heading back to the boat early.
The General had made friends with a Swiss UN employee who he was chatting to when the Captain and Admiral climbed back onboard. They joined the conversation and chatted till the boat took them back home to Gili T.
Back on shore, the trio said their goodbyes and retreated to the hotel for some rest and relaxation, some that they needed before the long NYE night ahead.
Waking up they had a message waiting from the Commodore requesting they meet him and Sergeant Sej for dinner, the trio got ready, dressing up in their party gear, getting ready to let loose. Waiting outside for them were the Commodore and Sergeant, they quickly jumped on a bike and terrifyingly for the admiral took the back streets Tiki Grove which was the best Mexican place on the island. Here without wasting any time they started on Pre-drinks, enjoying some tacos paired with MaiTais and Sharknado cocktails – The food was magnificent and the cocktails strong.
Intoxicated and getting pumped for NYE the Commodore and Sergeant headed back, whilst the trio couldn’t resist going back to Adi for another one of his famous shakes, then heading back to meet the crew back at the hotel. It was a nerve-racking bike ride for the Admiral, who thorough the journey kept yelling to pedestrian traffic “IM DRUNK WATCH OUT!” as the Captain behind her apologised and wished the patrons a “Happy New Year”.
They arrived back to the hotel and a party ensued, they sat up the front of the hotel and watched the manic streets fill up with intoxicated people walking up and down the road.
Music was blasting, drinks and shisha was flowing, people were dancing on the streets, and the beach had partygoers drinking and letting off fireworks, safe to say the trio are guilty of jumping onboard all of those activities they joined in the people and continued to party all the way to when the clock hit 12 and they ushered in 2020 on the beach.
Amazed by the fireworks display and jumping around hugging everyone and wishing them Happy New Year!
The anticipation and planning had led to this moment, the beginning of a new decade, the end of a taxing but rewarding year, they had learnt a lot and grown as people, it was time for reflection and celebration. They stood and watched the sea come in and go as the party around them continued. They did not take too long to reminisce the night was young the trio went back and sat with the Commodore to party till the wee hours of the night, going to bed only after the resort had closed and the staff had gone to bed.

Starting the year extremely hungover they woke up and packed up their things. In a very slow procession, the trio made their way down to the hotel lobby. The lobby looked like a warzone, with hungover souls all around the place. Despite them checking out on the day the hotel offered them free breakfast as they ate, they made some more new friends who were down from Canada, with the Commodore joining them, they all sat and ate chatting about life, traveling and their holiday. It was almost time to leave, and as they sat along the front of the hotel, having their last shisha and morning Bintang the tour operator arrived come to pick up their bikes and escort them to the jetty for their ferry out. Rather than taking a flight back to Bali, this time they opted to take a direct boat and then a 2-hour car ride to the airport. The feeling of being hungover, dreading the journey ahead and the sorrow of leaving mixed together made them feel a sickly sadness departing paradise. Hoping they had way to slow down time, they sadly went back and said their goodbyes to the Commodore and the Sergeant, thanking them for everything and promising to catch up back in the homeland for some reminiscing times.
They departed with the tour operator who helped the trio carry their bags, the harbour was a 10-minute walk away from the hotel. The Captain took the lead and walked with the tour operator that had the large suitcase on his bike, the Admiral and General followed closely behind. It was not till they reached the harbour that the Captain realised that the Admiral and General were not following and were not there. He waited 5 minutes and made several calls to their mobile phones. It was at this point he freaked out and asked some Randoms to watch his bags and went searching to them, he walked down towards the hotel screaming their names. Nothing happened, the Captain then returned, finding the tour operator, asking him to look after his bags and after trying to call them again he took the tour operators cycle down to find them. He rode all the way to the hotel and went inside, he couldn’t find them, he then went around the hotel asking the staff if they had seen them, nobody had. He started to freak out further, riding back to the harbour, but this time going down alley ways and asking shops if they had seen them, unfortunately nobody had. The fear now started becoming panic, as he got back to the harbour and called the Commodore and Sergeant, freaking out, they said they will head off on foot looking for them. He continued to Panic, not only were they missing, they were not picking up their calls and additionally the boat was to leave in 30 minutes (according to the ticket). Once the Captain headed off taking the cycle looking for them, once again coming back scared and distraught. It was when he called home in Melbourne, that he finally saw the Sergeant leading the two back from the other side.
It turns out they did not see the harbour and kept walking, and they did not check their phones. The Captain was furious, and after a bit of argument, decided not to speak to the Admiral or General for the remainder of the trip, he was frightened and was upset with the whole way that they had handled the situation. They all waited in silence until the boat arrived.
The Boat that was to take them to Bali came up to the beach, it was a medium sized boat, not as small as some on the dock and certainly not as big as the Eka Jaya (The largest ferry). The boat would fit around 80 – 100 people, all sitting inside with the luggage stacked up on the outside area of the boat. They boarded and sat inside, instantly the Captain feeling claustrophobic due to the heat, the tinted windows that could not be opened and the narrow seats. The boat had not even left, and the Captain felt a sense of dread had come over him. About 5 minutes in the boat started to sway violently, the weather had changed, and they were caught in a storm, people shrieked every time the boat hit a wave. The Captain looked over and saw the General’s face, which had now turned white, he was gripping himself against the chair, and profusely praying, it was clear he was not feeling well. Rapidly the feeling spread through the boat, with other passengers starting to Vomit, and fall ill. The horrid smell of bile and regurgitated food filled the capsule like cabin, forcing the General to start feeling ill. The gentleman who sat beside them, noticed the General feeling ill and started fanning him with a towel, he continued to do this for almost 20 minutes (not all heroes wear capes). The sickness was being felt by all, when an angry man went to the front and started yelling at the crew onboard the boat, pleading and yelling at them to stop hitting the waves and to slow down. Yelling and screaming pursued – however it was effective, the boat had calmed down slightly and so did the passengers. It still rocked but was far less violent. The General sat still pale. Silently the boat reached the harbour, and it couldn’t have been soon enough, as everyone had started to feel the sickness, they all scurried out of the boat.
Confronted with about 20 drivers seeking to take them to the Airport, the trio managed to speak with one who agreed to take them in a private car, without stopping like the free bus would. At this point all for them felt too ill to argue, they paid the man and got into the car asking the driver to take them to the airport and stop at the Krishna Shop along the way.
The Captain drew the short straw and had to sit next to the driver who was an obese man, eating something deep fried (he could smell the oil) chewing loudly and burping frequently.
The boat didn’t make him hurl but this was surely pulling at his strings.
It was a long drive, traffic was terrible, and time was running out, they reached Krishna Superstore and budgeted 20 minutes to grab as many things as possible for gifts etc. They bought everything they liked without thinking about it too much and rushed back to the car asking their Driver to floor it to the airport.
They arrived with minimal time to spare, in a haste they checked in only to be confronted with a long line for customs, which had a shift change going on. Hoping they don’t miss their flight they stood in line until finally they got served.
Grabbing some overpriced Sandwiches and just as the final calls were being called out they ran to the gate. They and boarded their flight back to Melbourne saying goodbye to the forests, the beaches and the paradise they had been in for the last few weeks.

Nusa Dua – Bali. Indonesia

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Nusa Dua – Bali. Indonesia

The beautiful, bewitching, Bintang, Bali Hai paradise

Captains Log Day 7 – 30/12/19 5:31 pm. Garuda flight – GA0450

After a long day that involved being flashed by a racoon, going ‘Commando’ in a purification bath and getting lost in the rice fields, the trio marvelled at the hotel lobby of the Camakila Resort in Nusa Dua.
Nusa Dua is a resort area built in the 1970s in the southern part of Bali, Indonesia, . Known as an enclave of large five-star resorts, it covers 350 hectares of land and encloses more than 20 resorts.
One of these resorts was going to be the trios bunker for the next few days.
This place was massive – They stood admiring the scale awaiting for a bell boy to come and assist them with their luggage as they bid farewell to their driver. They took a quick selfie with him, exchanged details, added each-other on facebook, had a chat about family and life in Bali – still no bell boy.
It was rather getting embarrassing as even the driver was asking where the staff was, and after loitering near the lobby for 5 minutes, they decided that it was not going to happen and headed into the hotel carrying all their bags.
The receptionist at the hotel reception followed suit and reflected the lack of interest and service as demonstrated when entering. After a few glances the Captain was able to get the receptionist’s attention who in turn advised that there only was one king bed that was paid for, this infuriated the Captain who pulled out his prepared and printed booking documentation that highlighted that the room was for 3 people with one spare bed. The receptionist now defeated by the A4 pages presented to him, admitted defeat and advised that a new bed will be put into their room later in the evening. Thanking the man, they walked off realising they had no idea where to go, they went back to the receptionist who requested a bell boy (Finally) come over and help.
It was lucky that the bell by did come, as their room was located a good 6 minutes away from the lobby. It was a long walk through a maze, going past swimming pools, fountains, restaurants, ponds, gates, gardens, ballrooms until reaching their room. Instantly it was evident that the resort was MASSIVE.
Upon reaching their room, they instantly realised how hot it was, in fact if felt like there was no difference in the outside room temperature and inside of the room. Rushing as the time was ticking they switched the aircon to full and fled to explore. The General had chosen an Indian restaurant that was famous in the area – only issue was that it was a 37 minute walk from their location, with the closing time listed as only 1 hour from the current time.
They started walking and instantly realised the lack of hub & bub, unlike both Ubud and Kuta, a single strip of shops lined up the area, consisting of a mix of restaurants, resorts and mini marts. There was no one hassling them with chants of “Massage” or “Come look look”.
They walked along popping into mini marts to pick up ‘Large Bintangs’ chanting “BINTANGFORTHEBOYS” and walking down the street cheering locals. The Admiral sipped on her Smirnoff Ice as the boys got rowdy.
They stopped at every minimart on the way, getting more and more loose as time went on. Checking their clocks as time crept on, it started to drizzle, to escape the rain, they stopped at a restaurant. There was 5 minutes before the closing time of where they were headed. Rather than eating here the Captain Admiral and General made a call – CARRY ON and risk it.
Just as they stepped outside the Rain started to get super heavy. A torrential downpour as they RAN to the place where they had initially planned to eat, drunk, laughing, they stopped to put their phones and wallets away, as they already were wet. They continued on, getting drenched in the rain reaching the restaurant at 10:35 soaked. Hoping and praying the restaurant would accommodate them, the manager refused, explaining that the chefs had now gone home. After pleading and begging the owner to no resolve they decided to leave and once again embrace the rain outside.
Defeated they started walking back – stopping at the place that they had made a pitstop at earlier, they were advised that the chef also had just left and if they had come only 5 minutes earlier they would have been served. They also had been told that everything on the strip would now be shut.
Hating her luck the Admiral accepted the fate and they would get nothing for dinner. The boys however found the next minimart as the rain intensified.
Hopping from mini mart to mini mart transformed to hopping between restaurant to restaurant as they tried to find a place that would accommodate them. Several rejections later a final contender accepted them. The trio were super appreciative and very drunk, praising the staff and the restaurant as they enjoyed what they thought was the best meal ever.
Soaking, Stuffed and drunk they headed back, with the rain now only a drizzle as they stumbled back home.
They arrived back to the hotel, and had a brief rendezvous with some other hotel residents that were standing outside their rooms smoking, complaining about the heat and the aircon not cooling. Hoping this was not the case they rushed back to their room, only to find an oven like environment. Steaming like dumplings from the damp clothes and humidity, they called housekeeping hoping they would help. Synchronous to the phone call, General Nuj starts vomiting, the Bintangs working their magic, now all coming out in a flow similar to the flooding happening outside earlier.
With the room hot and steaming and the gurgling happening in the bathroom, a very drunk Captain did the only logical thing. Pass out. It was not till the General and Admiral were in bed that the captain got up and showered, changing out of his soaked clothes, then hitting the bed and going back to a drunk slumber. This is when they heard a loud knock on the front door, unable to move they sent the brave Admiral to open it. In came 2 men wheeling in a huge device. What looked like a filing cabinet on wheels was a portable air conditioner. The reinforcements had arrived. Unable to even keep his eyes open whilst the men were in the room, the Captain passed out.

The next day began with a hangover for all involved in the night priors ‘Drowning minimart crawl’, they had missed breakfast by a long shot and felt ill. Today was going to be the day in which they utilised the maximum force of resort life.
The day started off with them directly migrating from their beds to the resort swimming pool, where breakfast was an iced coffee sitting in the pool bar.
This activity was soon moved to the private beach pool of the resort and the iced coffee was replaced by coconuts and juices. the admiral lay in a hammock whilst the captain worked on his tan, occasionally jumping into the pool to wash off the sweat and the residual alcohol emanating from their pores. Ew.
Life was the best it has ever been, Beach Pool life objective achieved.
The General at this point had developed a rather painful heat-rash that was causing him discomfort, and was determined that this was a result from walking drenched in the rain in an extremely drunk state the night before. Not keen on exploring and opting to rest up, feeling the rash the General retreated to the room.
He had not to worry as the Medical assistance was on its way, the Admiral and Captain set off heading to the pharmacy to pick up medical supplies (rash cream) and deliver it for the General.
It was going to be a long mission as there was many resorts and pools along the way, scattered along the beach front resorts. It was a tough task, however they walked along the sun kissed beach, stealthily sneaking into the pools and having a swim at as many resorts along the way as they could without being caught. They survived at five dips in random pools undetected as they inched towards the pharmacy for the General’s life-saving meds. They reached mecca resort of Nusa Dua – The Conrad. The Conrad Hotel was the grandest of them all, it was beautiful, with manicured lawns, private beaches and a pool that ran throughout the resort
Unfortunately for them it was here that they finally got busted. the colour of their towels exposing them as non-residents of the hotel. Everything had been going well, they were filled with confidence as they strutted past security and placed their towels on the poolside bench and prepared to dive into the pool, when an attendant took a double take at their towels as they walked passed, instantly noticing they did not belong here. He asked them if they stayed there to which the Admiral responded “no, we are visiting a friend who does” Her eyeballs suspiciously darted from left to right. The attendant then advised them that they couldn’t use the pool for free, and if they wanted to use it, it would cost them AUD $30 per person. Grunting at his request in disgust, the Admiral and captain took their towels and left the resort, synchronously thinking ‘pshht they can keep their pool’.
They refocused and realised that they were out on mission to pick up medical supplies, not just to galavant and jump in random swimming pools. Finally reaching the pharmacy, they picked up supplies and started their commute back to deliver the precious cargo to the General.
A few cheeky pool stops along the way back to cool off and they were back swimming at the beach pool, passing on the goods to the General who retreated to recover.
Not wanting this life to end, they finally agreed that it was time to haul their tanned and prune like bodies to the shower and get ready for the night’s activities. A rather lethargic Captain had a shower and got dressed, the General was still in pain but mustered up the courage to walk to a Shisha place that the Admiral had discovered on the way.
After checking out the Novotel, forever searching for the pool, and the heat rash starting to play up again, the trio decided to take a taxi to the Shisha place. Making friends with the Taxi driver “Rony” and requesting him to pick us up to take us to the airport in the morning, they reached the Shisha place.
Here they ordered a Bintang bucket and a cocktail along with a Shisha to share. After a few sips it was evident to see that the Admiral was getting loose, the Shisha arrived and unlike their previous encounter, it was terrible, it tasted like charcoal. When they complained the explanation, they were given by the staff was that the flavour is proportioned and set by the management, unfortunately there was nothing they could do about it. Disappointed, they didn’t want to remain at the establishment, leaving a bad review on Google Maps, they left.
After failing the night before to make it on time, the trio attempted again to try have dinner at Queens Indian Restaurant.
This time they were fortunate enough to get seated (after a bit of a wait) and they were not disappointed, the food extremely tasty and rather authentic. they left with a full stomach and satisfied, returning to once again a hot and humid room, they called it a night. The General called reception to demand a second cooling device as he felt he was dying in the heat – but no other filing cabinets were wheeled in that night, and the trip eventually drifted off to sleep.
Waking up early and gathering all the clothes that were hanging across the room to dry, they packed their bags to depart to the airport. The captain looked at his phone to see that Rony had cancelled, using the excuse that his car had broken down. Not stressing too much they packed everything and requested a bell boy to come and take their bags, once again after a 15 minute wait with 3 more phone-calls, they called it quits and took their bags themselves, starting the long journey back to the hotel lobby. The service once again disappointing, they called a taxi and departed the resort life of Nusa Dua.

Ubud – Bali. Indonesia

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Ubud – Bali. Indonesia

The heart and soul of Bali

Captains Log Day 5 – 28/12/19 10:31 pm.

Damp and still exhilarated from their aquatic escapades at Waterbom the trio jumped into a bluebird taxi heading back for a quick pitstop to their accommodation to pick up their luggage and then bring the road trip to Ubud.
Ubud is located more in central Bali and forgoes the coastlines and the beaches for beautiful temples and forests. Surrounded by a tropical jungle Ubud is known as an epicentre for arts and culture in Bali. Ubud has developed a reputation as a place with a positive vibe, possibly explaining why so many artists and naturalists have settled in the lush, green areas around town.
Since the town was located so far from the central Kuta, they had anticipated a bit of a road trip, but had not expected their taxi driver to get lost and result in a 2.5 hour voyage.
It was not until the last 20 minutes till the taxi driver switched off his meter and apologised. His broken English had picked up in the fact that General Nuj had used the word ‘report’ and ‘refund’ a few times alongside a few obscenities. He started pleading and apologised, hoping not to get fired and was able to continue to feed his family. The group assured him, that despite the navigational issues – they were not going to report the pilot.
Arriving at their accommodation, they once again followed a proven recipe, they checked in, dumped their luggage and headed off to explore.
Instantly, it was easy to see why Ubud is one of those places where a holiday of a few days can turn into a stay of weeks, months or even years. The size of the town’s expat community attests to this, and once you are there you can see how the nature of this cultured Balinese town can convert tourist to residents.
They walked around until they found an amazing restaurant that they had read about. As Ubud is home to many yoga retreats, healing centres and alternative lifestyle happenings, it is evident that the locals are centred around mind, body and soul, one expression of this is the many vegan and vegetarian restaurants that are scattered around the town.
Kismet restaurant was one of these places, famous for its modern take on vegetarian fusion cuisine the trio had decided that this would be the selected place for dinner on their first night in Ubud. They were not disappointed. The food was absolutely spectacular, mains included polenta lasagne, burnt pumpkin and truffle ravioli and mushroom, sage and zucchini pasta. Despite General Nuj’s constant complaining that the food was vegetarian, he also admitted to enjoying his meal.
Satisfied after an awesome and somewhat healthy meal the trio headed to a bar where a mouse scared the crap out of General Nuj, forcing us to move several times until an optimal position that was both ‘safe’ and ‘cool’ enough was found. Things started to escalate rather quickly, as one large Bintang, turned to two and then finally four, they sat intoxicated, smoking Shisha, playing games and laughed as kids letting off fireworks played around them until, the clock hit 2am and they realised they needed to head back home. Stumbling they walked the now somewhat eerily dark streets winding through the forest.
They woke up suffering from the previous night’s activities extremely hungover and feeling like they had been hit by a truck. Seems like the vegetarian food and the healthy options they had had for dinner was counter acted by the absolute onslaught of alcohol and shisha which followed.
Although the hangover was strong, they all knew that they had to get up and explore the town. Moving extremely slowly they opened the curtains to find an army of monkeys littering their front porch. Jumping from tree to tree there was at least 15 monkeys hanging around the resort room. Not ideal for a hangover, they stealthily escaped the room and made it to the outside world without any terror monkey attacks.
They walked along and unlike the night before, the streets were much livelier with people walking around, shops open and the occasional “Sir Massage” coming from the laneways. They walked along looking for an ideal place for coffee, and unlike any other place they had travelled the problem was not finding a place but rather selecting one, as the place full of little ‘Melbournesque’ cafes.
They found one and had a light breakfast which took a few retries as the Admirals fruit bowl was returning with plastic as an added ingredient. Just as they sat and watched the crowed outside, a storm brewed up and it was not long before it popped its head out, raining down hard. A loud and spectacular thunder, lightning sound & light show was going on as they left the café and rushed back home, hoping to pick up some umbrellas and praying that the monkey swarm had left. Drenched they entered the rooms and dried off, it was just 2 pm and the day was ahead of them, but this rain was a killer. After pondering and planning for a bit of time they made a call to just challenge the rain head on and just go out as planned without fear. The trio took some umbrellas and braced the rain, which miraculously died down to a drizzle and headed out to the Monkey forest.
The Ubud Monkey Forest is a nature reserve and Hindu temple located in Ubud, Bali Indonesia. Technically its official name is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. The forest scenery is unearthly with giant roots bending around bridges, huge stone carvings of Komodo Dragons sticking out from the sides of riverbanks and beautiful temples all home to a huge gang of Long-tailed monkeys.
The drizzle did not dampen the mood as the trio explored the grounds of the monkey forest, often stopping to say hi to the local residents and to take a few selfies with them. They surveyed the forest and enjoyed the company.
Once again surviving Monkey terror attacks and feeling like ‘chimpions’ they left the forest and proceeded to explore the Ubud Art Markets where young Bali artists showcase their craftsmanship and the artistry of the Balinese Culture
Cultured and Monkeyed out the captain and General Nuj found a small store that sold some Bintangs and decided to just sit and chug down a few, enhancing the shopping experience.
They headed back to the hotel to freshen up and have a bit of down time as well as organise the next day’s activities before heading for dinner.
Dinner was at Cafe Wayan, another highly rated restaurant located within walking distance of the hotel they were staying at. Renowned for its excellent local Indonesian cuisine, the food once again reflected its high online rating, with generous portions and amazing service. The satays and the entrée platter a huge hit with the trio. Still feeling the aftereffects of the last nights Bintangs, and suffering from a food coma, the trio decided not to back the night up with another round, and rather headed home to rest up.

The last morning in Ubud began early, as the trio had a quick breakfast and checked out of their accommodation. A driver was waiting to pick them up and take them to Nusa Dua, showing them attractions along the way. The said goodbye to their monkey comrades and jumped in the car and were off to explore. They made friends with their driver, who had remarkably good English and was able to explain life in Bali in detail as they kicked off the journey.
First up they headed to the Goa Gajah, or Elephant Cave which the locals believed to have been built as place for spiritual meditation. It was extremely hot as they walked around the complex, which consisted of elephant cave, some baths, fountains and a sculpture. As the group were walking around a somewhat old man with a ridiculously long fingernails approached them and asked them to follow him, the trio looked at each other and go – ah here we go again. Not wanting to disrespect him, they complied as he walked them down into the forest and into the temple for a blessing, along the way showing them and explaining to them in his indecipherable English various landmarks and statues They finished up with him and reluctantly tipped the scamster, then fled as fast as they could to escape the heat, back to the car and to the next destination.
Next up the driver took them to the Tirta Empul temple, Tirta Empul means Holy Spring in Balinese. The temple compound consists of bathing structures, famous for their holy spring water, where Balinese Hindus go to for ritual purification. The temple pond has a spring which gives out fresh water regularly, which Balinese Hindus consider to be holy or amritha. The pool is fed by 10 spring outlets that pour into a pool of water in which locals consider a water cleansing ritual. Visitors can partake by dunking their heads under the spring outlets and moving from left to right around the pool. The trio arrived at the water temple and decided that ”when in Rome”, the only issue being that they came completely unprepared, without towels or a change of clothes. They stripped down and changed into the provided sarongs, the Captain and general Nuj took the rather risqué route and decided to go ‘Commando’ aka not wearing any underwear and do a complete body cleanse. Ensuring not to flash the large amounts of people present for the cleansing they jumped into the very cold water, instantly feeling the sharp pain of rough rocks and pebbles under their feet. It was not long that they were in the water before the General freaked out, as a large fish swam between his legs! His screams and shrieks could be heard from outside the temple, the poor peaceful temple goers were in for a treat, as every step we took towards the fountains came with bountiful screams and shrill shrieks of pain and fear from the General, who often lost balance and tried to grab on to the Admiral and Captain. Whilst the Admiral tried to find inner peace, she also chastised the Captain and General severely for their shenanigans, as the purification process continued and they took water from each of the 13 springs. Drenched and feeling purified and on edge, they dried off and explored the temple grounds, hoping that the taxing purification was worth the loss of years of life due to stress.
Dried off and exhausted from the water the trio headed for the next location which was lunch with views of Mount Batur is an active volcano north west of Mount Agung. The first documented eruption was in 1804 and the most recent was in 2000, rather than climbing the volcano the driver took them to a vantage point at which they could see the natural wonder in its full and epic beauty. They enjoyed an all you can eat lunch, stuffing their faces whilst sitting on a balcony that gave them a spectacular view of the volcano, as well as Mount Agung. A rather uneventful lunch aside from the fact that the Captain’s chair fell apart just after he had come back from his second serving and that he somehow managed to end up outside the restaurant and down the street when he visited the bathroom they carried on back to the car.
They were then taken to the Coffee plantations in the region, where they amongst other coffees got to try the famous ‘Poop’ coffee. Which is exactly that, an animal, which is much a cross between a cat, a possum and a raccoon, eats the coffee beans, processes them in their belly and then poops them out. The beans are then collected, cleaned and roasted. The result a smooth blend of our favourite beverage. It was very nice. In addition to the poop coffee, the trio got to try other coffees, such as coconut coffee, avocado coffee and saffron coffee. They even got to briefly meet the animal, that lay half asleep with its pee pee facing towards us as they took a photo. They got a chance to explore the compounds and take a few photos around the scenic location. The Captain also thought it was a good idea to taste a raw banana from a tree, which tasted really terrible (as expected), They bought some coffee and headed off.
They were then taken to the Rice Paddy’s in Ubud, where they could go and explore the rice life. The trio were let loose and went on an adventure across the rice fields, zigzagging horizontally and vertically through a mazelike landscape. The greenery and lush landscape were postcard perfect. Intoxicated by the visuals the trio continued on, without realising soon that they were lost. They looked around and the absence of tourists highlighted these concerns. They continued to walk along the path and finally found a set of tourist families from Hong Kong, that had a similar suspicion of being lost. Both the parties continued until finally after a good 40 minutes found the main road and felt a sigh of relief. The lack of signs and instructions led them to this point. Feeling confident, they said goodbye to their comrades and started walking down the road, they walked and walked, with a few cars passing by, however the street being pretty quiet. The sun was setting, and the lack of traffic and people started to play on the trios minds. The grasped with the help of Google maps, that they were still far away from the city centre in which they had been dropped and where the car waited. Feeling rather defeated and exhausted they called the driver to come and make the rescue. Thank god he picked up and somehow, came to help, up the windy and steep one-way roads he arrived with the car, as we jumped in and breathed a sigh of relief.
Time had flown, and the sun had started to set, we would not have enough time to visit our final destination of the waterfall, so they decided to head straight to Nusa Dua, and finish off their tour and adventure in Ubud.
A long journey across the island later, battling traffic and crowds they finally made it to Nusa Dua and were able to check into their hotel. They bid their amazing driver Made goodbye and stumbled to reception.

Kuta – Bali. Indonesia

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Kuta – Bali. Indonesia

The krazy intense central city tucked in the heart of paradise.

Captains Log Day 3 – 26/12/19 7:25 pm.

What started off as a small spark in the Captain and Admiral’s minds, slowly ignited and with the fuel of other comrade’s reports and lures of paradise, this desire grew quickly to a flame, and within a few weeks of returning from their South American mission, the Captain and Admiral started planning their escape to paradise.
To celebrate his efforts over the tough 2109-year, Captain and Admiral were fortunate enough to recruit and bring along with them on this mission the infamous General Nuj, returning to mission life after a hiatus of travelling missions for about 2 years.
Filled with the sense of adventure and after, ample planning, coordination and research the trio lifted off on the eve of Christmas day flying direct from Melbourne to Denpasar. The trio wore Christmas attire, and looked more like a Christmas Kid’s special TV hosts rather than militants off on a party assignment. With many stares, smiles and comments from fellow travellers and airport staff, they departed on to the island.
This trip was to be split in many phases starting with the exploration hustling and bustling land of Kuta, followed by the Monkey adventures in Ubud, the relaxation resort life in Nusa Dua and finally finishing the adventure off in Paradise – Gili Trawangan for New Year’s Eve.
To make this log more legible it will be broken down by Chapters this journey.
Arriving at Denpasar airport after a 6-hour flight, the trio said Bali Hai! Just like that the mania set in straight away, breaking away from large travelling crowds, hustling taxi drivers and worst of all trying to stay cool in the ridiculous heat. Sifting through all the overpriced taxi drivers, doing their best to bargain and get a reasonable rate and not get kidnapped at the same time, the Captain guided the crew through what felt like a jungle of insistent cab drivers, it was not long before they found one that was willing to take them to Kuta at a sensible price. The fear was written across the Admiral’s face as they sat in his unmarked car. The Captain assured her that everything will be alright. After all, what could go wrong with a cab driver named G’Day.
The drive was long and the traffic as bad as the heat. The trio reached their bunker as the clock struck 11:30, it was getting late. They quickly dropped off any supplies they had brought with them and hit the Kuta streets, which already had died down significantly since they had passed them half an hour before.
With the first order getting some local currency, generally a simple enough exercise but once again like many times in the past, even the simplest of tasks can deviate form expected outcomes, and this was just the case. After the Captain was able to successfully withdraw some cash, the General went next – entering the correct pin and selecting an amount the machine started to flash the message “Too long to remove card – Card has been retained” and did not spit out any cash or the card, leading a panic moment. Noting down machine numbers, phone numbers, times and arguing with the shop attendant, minus one card. Trying not to stress out and planning what to do next they headed to grab some food and their first Bintang of the trip! #bintangfortheboys
For those that don’t know Bintang is a local Bali Beer, along with Bali Hai. They gulped their beers and enjoyed some local food, as the surroundings started to shut down. With a blink of an eye the time was approaching 2 am – it had been a long day and it was time to retreat home and to call the banks, one to put a hold on the card and the second to find out where the card was being taken, then to finally call it a night and get some rest.
The next day the trio explored the hotel grounds jumping in the pool and sipping Pina Colada and other various cocktails, whilst being watched by a perched bird. The perfect Christmas some would say. Drying off within seconds, feeling refreshed from the long travels the trio were off on a scouting mission.
Heading first to the Beachwalk central mall where they picked up Sim cards, sunscreen and mosquito repellent. The captain then led the crew onwards down towards Legian, showing them the infamous Sky Garden nightclub amongst other things. The streets busy, bustling with traffic, tourists and shops selling everything, a huge contrast to the night before.

It was not long before the Admiral had had it. The heat had started to break her, she was drenched in sweat and feeling very flustered. They made an emergency pitstop at a juice place to pick up a coconut and cool down the Admiral before Iran invaded and attacked the poor Indians. Continuing on their adventures they endured the heat and walked for another hour on the way, stopping for lunch and a fruit snack at an epic brunch place – ‘Resting Brunch Face’. At this point the General decided that he would go on his own adventure, leaving the Admiral and Captain as he went to explore new lands. Meanwhile the Admiral and Captain found a massage place and once again bargained unnecessarily to get the price down by a dollar – rightfully so they would find out later as the massage was terrible, consisting of more talking and socialising including asking them uncomfortable and awkward questions like “How much do you earn” whilst lightly massaging the crew.
It was not long after the terrible massages that the trio were reunited back in the hotel room with each other. Exhausted from the days exploration they freshened up and headed out for another 3 km walk to the Sunset Road Shisha Restaurant.
To make the walk more interesting and to enjoy the Kuta sunset – the walked along the beach stopping on along the way grabbing some Bintangs and enjoying the view as the sun played hide and seek with us for the night. On a mission they continued, and it was not long before the walk turned into a pub crawl, stopping every second place for a Bintang as they walked towards the final destination for dinner.
Heavily intoxicated they arrived, initially they were struck instantly by the ambience of the restaurant – it resembled a Bedouin oasis hangout, something taken straight out of Agrabah from Aladdin. Lanterns and, rugs and beautiful paintings surrounded by arabesque artefacts and furniture.
It was a very nice-looking place; here they were able to find a table and started off with some delicious dips and shisha followed by a scrumptious middle eastern feast.
Overly full and feeling very gluttonous, they were unable to walk (at least vertically) and decided to catch a cab and head back to the hotel room, it only took a few minutes after they had entered that they had were fast asleep.
Early morning the trio awoke, feeling satisfied by a deep slumber they had had from the food and drink from the night before. The Admiral had to go pick up his card from the bank branch so they quickly packed their bags and checked out of the hotel and took a taxi towards the bank. At the branch a concierge led them to the right person who advised that he should have the card by 5PM later in the day. This was going to poise an issue as this would mean that they had to be available to pick it up by 5 pm, and this was not lining up with their schedules.
After much conversation and deliberation, the group decided to just cancel the card and not to worry about it, by doing this they now had a full day without any constraints. The Admiral would continue to withdraw cash of the General and he would then intern use the net banking function to refund her, allowing him to get a new card sent back to AU.
With the time constraints lifted they could finally tick off going to one of the best waterparks in Asia – WaterBom. Taking a Taxi from the Bank branch they rushed to get to the waterpark to enable maximum time for all the rides.
Once again the Captain and Admiral felt like a kids in a candy store – more like a kids in a water park, rushing about, trying to pick which ride to do first. On the other end of the spectrum sat General Nuj, who was petrified of the rides and was dreading jumping on them. With some convincing as well as the steep price of entry, he was ready to join them as they embarked on some of the best waterslides and rides that they have ever done. It was after about 5 rides that the nerves finally broke the General, he had some chafing pains in his legs and felt too exhausted to continue – he retreated as the Admiral and Captain continued to conquer the waterpark. Adrenaline pumping, they were able to spend a good 6 hours as they hopped between rides until it was time to leave the magical place and head off to their next Bali destination – deep into the forest awaited the lands of Ubud.

Philippines. Boracay

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Philippines. Boracay

Captains Log Day 8 - 01/02/13

After missing 2 different flights we have finally arrived in Hong Kong… We have left what i would deem to be one of the best Countries in the world…. They say, ‘Its more fun in the philippenes’ i can tell you they are right! My Minds blown…
As for the break between logs.. Too much has happened to put on this post, Its still one massive blurrrr with no sleep and loads of red bulls. The days are mushed into one.. highlights and near death experiances include winning Money at the Casino, injuries sustained from climbing and stacking (with war wounds) from a Cocunut tree, reaching one of the worlds prettiest islands (Barocay) – a treasure described as heaven on Earth, My first mate completing the 15 shot challange, throwing up on a Girl, hiring our own Private water park, having a band play our songs as we sit drinking all night till the sunrise, First mate throwing up all over the room, a massive Bar fight in which we knocked out one crazy dude as the cops take them away, catching up with my close friends from China after 2 years and spending time with them, smuggling goods into hong kong, eating corn flavored Icecream.. In order to survive we must find Water…. Signing off..

Philippines. Manila

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Philippines. Manila

Captains log day 3 - 25/01/13

I have survived the most intense 3 days of my life… I live but barely….the delirium is starting to kick in… I am on a random bus that has wifi.. None of us know where this bus goes…. In the last 3 days we have slept less thank 10 hours.. Every day seems like a blurr… We have photographs of events we dont remember.. The bon fire on the hotel room floor was a pretty heavy event…. To survive we must keep warmm.. Signing off.

Hong Kong. Hong Kong

May 23, 2025

by wpRaghav Asia

Hong Kong. Hong Kong

Captains log Day 11 - 05/02/2013.

We have Docked at home! We return alive with a treasure chest full of gifts in a Mickey Mouse printed tresure chest, severe sleep deprivation, hairy beards, a few scars and wounds, over 2500 photos (most of which need to be filtered), about 150 videos and the hope we return with no diseases… The last few days have not tamed down one bit, we questioned Hong Kong and it has delivered. Once again too much has happened as a summary some events include, A huge night out in one of the best clubbing districts in the world, a pirate almost bottling me in the head, tearing up a suite at the Venetian Macau, walking in the hotel corridors with no pants or jocks on, winning money at the Casinos, eating Random street dumplings and Hot Pots local style, bargaining at local markets to the point of starting fights with shop keepers, facing the giant drop fear at Ocean Park, meeting and chilling with Mickey and Woody at Disneyland, tearing up as we relived our finest childhood memories while watching the most beautiful fireworks display ever and almost missing our vessel home.

This has been my lifes most, eventful, memorable, adventurous, dangerous (never feared for my life more) and best experience of my life.
The constant delerium, lack of sleep, laughing fits, randomness at every corner, escalation points, gosh I have the best mates in the world! The stories and adventures enough to write a book. I look forward to the next time i risk my life on a trip like this…
In order to survive one must have friends to live for….signing off till the next Adventure… Captain Raggie..

Dubai. United Arab Emirates

Dubai. United Arab Emirates

Dubai. United Arab Emirates

An artificial oasis of human marvel and wonder.

Doha. Qatar

Doha. Qatar

Doha. Qatar

The Mall of Memories and Dreams.

New Delhi. India

New Delhi. India

New Delhi. India

The righteous lands of relationships and reunions

Gili Trawangan – Bali. Indonesia

Gili Trawangan – Bali. Indonesia

Gili Trawangan – Bali. Indonesia

Pradiseception – The island paradise hidden within an Island Paradise

Nusa Dua – Bali. Indonesia

Nusa Dua – Bali. Indonesia

Nusa Dua – Bali. Indonesia

The beautiful, bewitching, Bintang, Bali Hai paradise

Ubud – Bali. Indonesia

Ubud – Bali. Indonesia

Ubud – Bali. Indonesia

The heart and soul of Bali

Kuta – Bali. Indonesia

Kuta – Bali. Indonesia

Kuta – Bali. Indonesia

The krazy intense central city tucked in the heart of paradise.

Philippines. Boracay

Philippines. Boracay

Philippines. Boracay

Philippines. Manila

Philippines. Manila

Philippines. Manila

Hong Kong. Hong Kong

Hong Kong. Hong Kong

Hong Kong. Hong Kong

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