Bali / Singapore / Korea

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19 April 2026
Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 1 : Adelaide to Bali
19 April, Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
4am : Alarm
4:30am : Taxi
5:00am : Airport
5:15am : Realising we are the only ones flying to Bali without full arm tattoos
7am : AirAsia flight.

No screens on board - just me, my headphones, and a book I don’t feel like reading.

Also somewhere over Western Australia I compiled a mental list of everything I’d forgotten to pack despite six months of planning.

8am : first serve of chicken and rice (the trip’s unofficial food sponsor).

11am : Wheels down in Bali. I was in the aisle so this caught me by surprise - and by the bump when we hit the tarmac, it also appeared to have caught the pilot somewhat by surprise as well.

11:30am : we had our first visa issue.

11:45 : First taste of being harassed by taxi drivers

1:00pm : Arrived at the resort - we’d been upgraded. There’s a cake in the fridge, balloons in the main room, and - I’m not making this up - a towel cake on the bed decorated with frangipani.

Apparently someone thinks it’s my birthday. I’m not correcting anyone.

2:00pm Second serve of chicken and rice courtesy of room service (Krissi is already monitoring my ordering habits). Swim. Quick stop at David’s for a drink with his group - then into Seminyak for a look around.

Wandered to the beach for sunset with 5,000 of our closest friends

Pro tip we learned the hard way: Bali taxis take cash only. We had none. We were saved entirely by the resort shuttle pulling up at the exact right moment - a minor miracle that prevented a full family discombobulation at 8pm on night one.

Room service again (not chicken and rice - I was overruled).

9:30pm Early night.Baca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
Bali day one
19 April, Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
Day one was pretty much the family being tired from the most of it.
Somehow, my brain decided to wake me up at three AM so i've been very *very* tired all day. I got the window seat so i spent most of my flight listening to music and looking out of that so that was good i guess. though, the plane was really uncomfortable but hey, that's Airasia for you.
When we got to Bali, the streets looked really cool to shop at. This was proved wrong at night.
After spending most of the day in our amazing resort place, we went to the shopping strip and i have now learned that people in Bali cannot drive. Honestly, one of the most scary experiences i've had in a while.
So the streets are very thin so the pedestrians are barely missing getting hit if you were close enough. Also, this was at night.
We did catch an amazing sunset so that was good!

I so far have mixed opinions about Bali but super grateful either way! Tomorrow hopefully i won't be as jet laggedBaca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
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Day 2 : Bali
20 April, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Ordered from the kids menu at breakfast.

Went to the gym - twice.

Worked.

Swam.

Shopped.

Watched the most ridiculous sunset.

Ate chicken and rice (twice).

Going to bed.

That’s it.

Actually - a few notes

Bought a polo top for $40. Definitely real.

Bought a NY hat for $20. Also definitely real.

Someone at dinner told me I overpaid for the hat. I don’t want to talk about it..

Currently: room service Negroni and a 5:40am alarm set for tomorrow’s run.Baca lagi
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Beautiful sunset 🌅 [MALCOLM]
3 mgg.BalasTerjemah
PengembaraNice sunset, hope krissi feels better. Every one seems to get sick in Bali.
3 mgg.BalasTerjemah
PengembaraYou got ripped off 😂
3 mgg.BalasTerjemah
PengembaraI’m keeping the Bali economy moving….
3 mgg.BalasTerjemah
3 suka
Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 3 : David’s 50th in Bali
21 April, Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
6AM. Beach run. David’s idea for his 50th. Seminyak to Kuta and back. 92% humidity and we were soaked from head to toe.

7:30am ; Pilates on the rooftop with David’s family and friends. We somehow ended up in a photoshoot.
Some of us were in no condition for it. The camera doesn’t lie and apparently it doesn’t do favours either.

After this unfortunately Kristine’s tummy had other plans for the day. She still found time for a foot massage but apart from that kept to the room to prepare for the party in the evening

Lunch with Clare the we went to Potato Head beach club with all the guests from Australia. It was quiet due to the rain but I can imagine what it would be like on a busy day. Very impressive.

Tropical storms most of the day.

Some work, then a short nap

Then the main event.

David’s 50th party at his villa.

Family and friends from all over the world. Balinese dancers, buffet, Dapper Chap gin bar, speeches, the full production.

David has never done anything by half.

Left the party relatively early as we fly to Singapore tomorrow. I heard fireworks while I drifted off to sleep.Baca lagi
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PengembaraWas the party at the Villa? Looks fun. Is that krissis old friend doing yoga? I can't remember her name, was a bridesmaid
3 mgg.BalasTerjemah
PengembaraParty was in David’s villa - it was huge! Not one of Krissi’s bridesmaids
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3 suka
Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 4 : “Travel Day”
22 April, Singapura ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Said our goodbyes over the resort buffet, then headed to the airport for what should have been a straightforward two-hour flight to Singapore.

The travel gods had other plans, and it stretched into a twelve-hour door-to-door effort.

The flight itself was fine, but lightning at Changi on arrival meant the bags were delayed on top of everything else. I spent the waiting time continuing my daily pursuit of finishing the internet. I’m calling it a travel day and moving on.

Our delays did mean Ben - flying in from Melbourne after a visit to his grandparents - had a stretch of solo time at Changi.

He’s nearly 18 and Singapore is about as safe a city as you’ll find anywhere in the world. We’ve been here three times in the last four years and I’ve never felt remotely uneasy. He was fine.

By the time we all met up, we were empty, but we made it to the Jewel for the light show.

The Rain Vortex - the world’s tallest indoor waterfall - does a nightly projection show that is genuinely worth stopping for, even when exhausted.

Then a cab to the hotel.

One reflection from the past few days - genuinely grateful to have been part of David’s celebrations. Wonderful people, a beautiful part of the world, and a villa that has probably set an unrealistic bar for accommodation going forward.

That suspicion was confirmed on arrival at our Singapore hotel. A two-level room with a mattress on the floor in the loft.

It’s only two nights.Baca lagi
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PengembaraWhere did u stay in Singapore?
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PengembaraMercure Bugis
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4 suka
Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 5 : Singapore
23 April, Singapura ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Up early for a 5km on the treadmill while Krissi did her weights, then family breakfast at the buffet before heading out.

Singapore’s downtown is one of those places that photographs well from every angle - glass towers, palm trees, immaculate footpaths. I was too focussed on shopping to take any of those photos.

We walked through the shops, the Bugis Markets and then made our way to the National Gallery, located in the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings. The current exhibition included a collection of political art from the 1970s and 80s.

From there, Maxwell Food Centre for Hainanese chicken rice.

Back to the hotel for a short break and some work, then out again for shopping.

Evening was dinner at Marina Bay Sands, followed by the Gardens by the Bay light show.

The trees are impressive enough in daylight, but at night during the sound and light show are something else. Everyone else in Singapore had the same idea - so it was packed.

We walked back along the waterfront before grabbing a cab home.

A drink in the hotel bar to close out the night - the negroni was very average - then an early bed. We have an overnight flight to Korea tomorrow.Baca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 6 : Singapore then Changi
24 April, Singapura ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Started with 5km on the treadmill before the buffet breakfast.

Museum was a swing and a miss - took one look at the entry price, took one look at the display, and kept walking.

Fort Canning Park had potential on paper. In practice, Singapore in April is essentially a sauna with trees. We lasted as long as was reasonable. So we did what any sensible family does and moved between 3 shopping centres. Ben was in his element working through every record store he could find, which at least gave the rest of us a reason to keep moving. We also went to Swee which is a high end musical instrument shop / cafe / bar / recording studio. Ben played a 6k Nord Keyboard for 30 minutes while we hung out.

Wrapped up back at Jewel for dinner and more shopping. Hard to be too disappointed with a day that ends there.

Then overnight flight to Seoul. The real thing starts tomorrow.Baca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 7 : Seoul - running on fumes
25 April, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Flew through the night from Singapore, landing at Incheon as the sun came up.

The sunrise was stunning. Less stunning: Clare’s 30 minutes of sleep, my four hours, and whatever Kristine and Ben managed somewhere in between.

Check-in wasn’t until 3pm so we did what any sensible sleep-deprived family does - Starbucks, put our bags into one of Seoul’s very convenient street lockers, and straight to the markets for breakfast and shopping.

Ben, within about an hour of landing in a foreign country, located a public piano on a raised walkway above the city - Seoul’s version of the New York High Line, but done on a budget. I think he played for half an hour - I’m not entirely sure as I fell asleep on one of the benches nearby. A guard was about to move me on as I woke up.

We then grabbed supplies hiked up Namsan Gardens in genuinely warm sunshine - this was not the activity for day one on no sleep. Got about a kilometre from the top before quietly agreeing as a family that the cable car queue and the crowds were not worth it.

Wandered through to Myeongdong for lunch and found ourselves at a restaurant with a table full of fried chicken, kimchi, and dumplings.

We left there and caught train back to the start:
Bags collected, train navigated, Airbnb located.

The apartment is smaller than Bali. Much smaller.

But clean, cleverly designed, and in a lovely uni suburb near Ihwa-dong with great cafes, restaurants, and little theatres where you can catch performances from local actors - I assume from the arts colleges nearby.

What it does NOT have, as Kristine and I established on our evening supply run, is bars.

The students here are clearly very focused on their studies and their coffee.

We bought Tiger beers from the supermarket and Kristine cooked pasta while I booked tickets for our adventures later in the week.

20,000 steps on four hours sleep. Not bad, but hope to wake up tomorrow more fresh.Baca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 8 : Shopping in Seoul
26 April, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Started the day with a proper sleep in. I’m not naming names, but my 10 hours was comfortably the least in the family. Given the near-zero sleep the night before, we’ll take it.

Kicked things off with a run down to the Cheonggyecheon Stream and back.

Picked Krissi and Clare up some massive coffees from MEGA COFFEE and that got them moving.

Had a much-needed reset breakfast.

After a week of full-blown resort buffets, yoghurt and fruit felt like a good life decision.

From there we walked through the markets and along the stream to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). It’s one of Seoul’s more futuristic landmarks with flowing curves and spaceship vibes.

Naturally, we made a completely unplanned 90-minute detour into an outlet mall. Krissi and Clare both managed to get new glasses made in about 30 minutes. Still trying to understand how that takes a month back home at Specsavers.

Back at DDP, there was a huge crowd building for a gaming event, so we joined the atmosphere and grabbed lunch. Vegetarian bibimbap today… a rare and deliberate day off fried chicken.

Next stop was Gangnam after a 45-minute bus ride, where we ticked off the obligatory photo with the Gangnam Style Sculpture.

From there, we lost a couple of hours inside a massive mall and accidentally stumbled into a live K-pop performance. I’m sure they were excellent……. We stayed just long enough to confirm we are not the target demographic.

Bus ride back across Seoul, finishing the day with that most traditional of Korean meals… pizza.

A few hours of work to round things out, then early to bed ahead of a big one tomorrow.

Stats:
20,000 steps
Zero chickenBaca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 9 : National Museum and Hongdae
27 April, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
Woken before we were ready by the sounds of a road crew resurfacing the street directly outside the apartment.

We’re on the 1st floor. The building shook.

But to their credit, the road was completely done by the end of the day. The get it done here that’s for sure.

Once the dust (literally) settled, I headed out for a 10km run around the palace and back along Cheonggyecheon. Hard to believe the creek was a highway twenty years ago - let’s turn King William Street into a creek!

First proper weekday in the city and the difference was immediate. Turns out 20 million people heading to work at the same time has a distinct energy. The weekend crowds were sparse and patient. Monday morning Seoul is something else entirely.

Brunch at a hip spot simply called Egg.

Then the National Museum of Korea, which was the highlight of the day and probably the week so far.

Enormous building, world-class collection.

Across to Hongdae for record shopping (for Ben) and coffee shops for the rest of us.

Bus ride back through the city - which took an hour but was a great way to see the city in peak hour. I feel like we miss a lot using the underground subways. At $1.50 a ride, the bus is one of the cheapest tours you can do.

Dinner at a local noodle place - spicier than I’m used to. Lips still numb 2 hours later.

A bit of work, booked some adventures for later in the week, then bed.

Stats:
26,000 steps
Zero chicken (pretty sure it was pork)
Zero coffee (one Coke Zero)Baca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
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Day 10 : Timing
28 April, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Up at 6am and out the door for a run through Naksan Park. What started as a simple morning jog quickly turned into an adventure. I got lost weaving through a maze of tiny hillside apartments, narrow alleys, and hidden staircases. Not the worst place to lose your bearings though. Every wrong turn came with sweeping views across Seoul and the occasional tucked-away coffee shop that looked like it hadn’t changed in decades.

Back to the Airbnb for a half day of work. One giant Americano carried me through, and before I knew it, we hadn’t left the house until midday.

A couple of buses later, we made our way to Seoul Forest. Our timing hasn’t exactly been first class this trip. A few weeks too late for the cherry blossoms + a few days too early for the Seoul Garden Festival. That said, we still lucked out, wandering through some of the festival exhibits before they officially opened. The butterfly enclosure was a highlight, along with the deer.

Next stop was Lotte World Tower and the surrounding department stores.

We ran out of time to head up the tower, so settled for a late lunch instead. Not a bad consolation prize. Wandered over to the lake and stumbled upon a cool looking Star Wars day exhibition……,which opens in a week…..

Then came the moment I’d been waiting for. Baseball at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. I was genuinely pumped. Found the “foreigners tickets” line, queued up… and watched the tickets sell out with one person left in front of us.
Timing.
Again.

Braved the packed peak-hour train back across the city and into the underground maze of vinyl record shops. After a long wait for Ben, we eventually made our way to the night market for dinner. Street food win. A massive chicken skewer for about $5, while Krissi went for spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki). A couple of desserts may have snuck in as well.

Lost count of how many buses today - but one more to get home.

Quick beer and off to bed. Still haven’t turned on a TV all week. Nor have I started my book….

24,000 steps.
2 meals involving chicken.
And a day that didn’t go to plan… but somehow worked out ok.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Nice book exchange !
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
1
Day 11 : Walking Tour and Markets
29 April, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
No run today - saved the legs for the walking tour. A sensible trade as it turned out.

Krissi and I started the morning with a couple of hours of work before heading out to join a Guru Walking Tours tour - one of those pay-what-you-want setups we’ve done in a few cities now. Ben had picked up a virus overnight and stayed home. He had plenty of YouTube and some study to catch up on so didn’t seem too fussed - but it’s never nice being sick on holiday.

The walking tour took us through Bukchon Hanok Village and Changdeokgung Palace before finishing up in Insadong - home to laneways full of cool cafes, coffee shops and bread places basically designed for photos and influencers. Our guide Sam was excellent. These tours always leave me feeling like I actually understand a place rather than just wandering around palaces wondering what I’m looking at.

For example: Korea had such a serious problem with perverts and hidden cameras that iPhones sold here are legally required to make a loud shutter click sound every time a photo is taken - an agreement between Apple and the Korean government. Interestingly though, if you take that same phone overseas, the restriction is disabled. So feel free to be a perv internationally apparently.

Like I said, I’m learning about culture.

We had a brilliant tabletop BBQ pork lunch in Insadong and then bussed back to check on Ben. He hadn’t moved but was making solid progress on finishing the internet.

Krissi and I slipped downstairs to the coffee shop next door for a few more hours of work, then left the kids to it and headed out to the Gwangjang Markets for the evening. Fresh pork and kimchi dumplings, washed down with Cass - the local Korean beer. Cass tastes like a watered-down West End Lager. Not a ringing endorsement. The markets themselves were brilliant though - fish, random foods, tourists everywhere, and what appeared to be a TV crew filming something while we were there.

Wandered back, grabbed cheese pizzas for the kids and called it a night.

Final count: 16,000 steps, no running, and no chicken to speak of. Unless you count eggs at breakfast. Otherwise it was pork, pork, and more pork.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Like this! Wine!
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3 suka
Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 12 : Secret Garden and Bukchon
30 April, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Started with a 10k around Gyeongbokgung Palace and through downtown Seoul before the city properly woke up.

A few hours of work back at the Airbnb, then lunch at Salt Meat Deli - a proper deli find in a city full of them.

Ben had a recovery day. YouTube, Airbnb, no complaints from him I don’t think.

Afternoon into Bukchon Hanok Village - the old neighbourhood of traditional Korean houses that sits between two palaces. The narrow laneways and tiled rooftops feel like a completely different Seoul to the one you walk through at ground level. Grabbed some souvenirs. May have overpaid.

Then the Secret Garden tour at Changdeokgung Palace.

The ticketed guided tours are the only way in, which keeps it feeling like a private adventure - even with a crowd.

Bus home to check in on Ben. Still alive. Still watching YouTube.

A bit more work, then back out to Itaewon and Insadong for dinner and shopping. Tracked down more salt bread - if you haven’t had Korean salt bread, imagine a croissant that balances salty and buttery at the same time. And it’s zero calories too which is amazing……and not true.

Got a caricature done of Krissi and I. May go back to get one of Jerry. I mean the kids….

Picked up some Craft beers. Back to the room.

26,000 steps today. Averaging 22,000 for the week. The legs are cooked.Baca lagi
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 13 : Baseball
1 Mei, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Two main goals today.

A cruise on the Han River.
Korean baseball at Jamsil Stadium.

I can report that I got my Korean baseball experience.

Today is a public holiday in Korea. Apparently most of the world also has the day off. Australia - predictably - does not. So the first few hours were spent at the Airbnb, Krissi on video calls and both of us on laptops.

Eventually we made our way to Yeouido - Seoul's financial centre, regularly referred to as the Manhattan of Seoul. The comparison holds. Skyscrapers, parks, a river on all sides.

We stumbled into the Seoul Spring Festival without meaning to. It had a giant tethered balloon, street food, and corporate pop ups.

One interesting observation - a street vendor surrounded - completely boxed in - by signs placed by the police about illegal trading. He'd stopped selling. But apparently he wasn't allowed to leave either. Just sitting there waiting for some kind of resolution.

We never found out how it ended.

Then the river cruise - about an hour on the Han, The highlight was the seagull feeding, which the tourists absolutely loved. Seagulls as a tourist attraction. They should come to Glenelg.

From there, train to the sports precinct and into the ticket queue at Jamsil Stadium. We had hope. We had time. We had maybe twenty people ahead of us.

They sold out.

Gutted doesn't cover it. I bought a hat. Got a photo in front of the stadium.

Regrouped. Caught a train to Dongdaemun - markets, outlet mall, Joe's Juice. Krissi bought two pairs of glasses. Life goes on.

Dropped the kids back at the Airbnb and headed out, just the two of us, for Korean BBQ. Pork belly on the grill, Kelly's beer, banchan covering every spare centimetre of the table. Pork, and more pork.

Wandering back afterward, we stumbled across an entire buzzing strip of bars, restaurants and shops - neon signs, packed footpaths, Friday night in full swing. About 500 metres from our front door. We have been walking in the wrong direction all week. 🤦

And then, on the way home for supplies, there it was.

A baseball batting cage. One dollar in the machine, fifteen balls, high speed. Probably should have worn the helmet give the beers I had with dinner - the safety standards felt…. buyer beware.

I connected with maybe half. None were going anywhere useful. The ball is considerably faster than expected, which is either a reflection of how hard baseball actually is, or of how many beers I'd had.

But I promised myself a Korean baseball experience.

I got one. Just not the one I expected.Baca lagi
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PengembaraSounds fun, yeah not sure about the seagull feeding 🤔 🤣
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Bali / Singapore / Korea
Day 14 : Seoul Tower, Markets
2 Mei, Korea Selatan ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Started the day with a 5km loop around the neighbourhood - finishing exactly outside Oozy Coffee. Returned home with large coffees for Clare and Krissi.

The city was foggy and grey this morning. Romantic, you’d think. Turns out it’s just air quality at 152 AQI - classified as Unhealthy.

Spent the entire run listening to every podcast and radio show covering the Crows win from the night before. Worth the lung damage.

After breakfast we walked 2km to pick up Krissi’s new glasses and stumbled into what turned out to be a city-wide street market situation. One street was all flowers and plants, the next vegetables, the next clothing. It went for kilometres in every direction. We bought very little and walked a lot.

Caught a bus back and rounded up the kids for Insa-dong - Seoul’s tourist market district. Hours of wandering, minimal spending, considerable caffeine. The highlight was stopping at a caricature shop and commissioning a portrait of our dog Jerry. It is, objectively, the best purchase of the entire trip.

Linked up with Ben, who had been record shopping (naturally), and caught the train to Seoul Tower. Took a packed bus up the hill and joined approximately every other tourist in the city at the top. The view was largely cloud. Still good.

We skipped the bus queue back down and walked 2km through the hillside gardens instead - more picturesque, significantly more stairs. The kids’ legs gave out somewhere around the National Theatre of Korea, which is also where we found a family of cats sitting in a tree.

Krissi and I went out for dinner - big hot pot chicken and noodle in a spicy broth. We ordered mild. They have a different idea of mild. Then a beer at a very cool little bar to plan the final day.

On the walk home Krissi raised the question of where we should go next. It’s our last night in Korea. I feel like this could have waited.

Europe, obviously.Baca lagi
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Tamat perjalanan
4 Mei 2026