From a person who had never stepped foot in North America...
I was living in Bali, Indonesia. I had no other home, this was my home. OPERA_A Now you are here in Bali, and you don't know why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZoD8JEFjAE 20,202,811 views October 25, 2009 DIVIDED_BY_ZERO_CHECKPOINT_BALI Inside of you...
On the flight into Bali, we had a stopover in Jakarta Indonesia. And I asked my partner, would you please plan two things for us:
We have 34 days to decide what to do for New Years Eve 2012 / 2013. Please choose which hotel and what you want / desire to do. Concert, live music, food, new clothes, dancing practice? I'll follow your lead.
Plan a train trip from one end of the nation to the other. Bali to Jakarta after New Years Day (Thursday January 3, 2013 noontime checkout from hotel onward). A train trip duration of 5 days to 25 days. 60 days after November 27 we need to renew visa to stay in Indonesia.
This partner had no other responsibility. All housekeeping was paid for, laundry was paid for, all cooking was paid for. No job, no employer. All expenses paid for, including medical. Unemployed person. Given unlimited Internet anywhere in Bali Indonesia and a new fully decked-out ThinkPad laptop. No limit on taxi or other travel expenses. This partner had over 30 full days to work on two requested tasks whenever they wished.
I estimate the first task takes about 2 to 5 hours. We were staying in different hotels every few days, pick which one was favorite. The second task I estimate takes 4 to 8 hours of time. Which cities to stop at, which hotels for the first few stops? Any special places of interest on the train trip to stop and sight-see / visit? Any book clubs or bookstores along the train route? Any film clubs? Cinemas? Restaurants of interest? Public library, university campus? Museum? Concerns, any musicians in the month of January to check out of interest? I had all kinds of suggestions and encouragement I would mention a few minutes each day.
"A direct land journey from Bali to Jakarta typically takes roughly 24–30 hours by bus/train combinations, but a more relaxed, scenic trip — often involving stops in cities like Yogyakarta — is generally completed in 7–10 days. In 2013, the costs for these overland methods were generally budget-friendly, with combined bus, ferry, and train tickets often ranging from $30–$50 USD total, though specific fares fluctuated." Google Search summary 2026-01-23 morning USA . Of course, the hotel costs for 25 nights and food is more expensive than the travel, but I did not set a budget.
"A trip from Bali to Jakarta by land and train covers a distance of approximately 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) across the island of Java. The journey in January 2013 provided travelers with an immersive experience of Java's diverse and rich geography. The route reveals a constantly changing landscape, moving from coastal areas with swaying coconut trees to the interior, where the scenery is dominated by fertile, deep green, terraced rice paddies, traditional farming villages (kampungs), and impressive volcanic peaks like Mount Merapi and Mount Ijen. The train lines often run through mountainous terrain, requiring the crossing of sweeping viaducts and passing through tunnels, which offered panoramic views of the island's interior, a stark contrast to the urban development found near major cities like Jakarta and Surabaya."
"Bali (Denpasar → Gilimanuk): ~120–130 km by road. Ferry (Gilimanuk → Ketapang): ~5 km across the Bali Strait. Java rail (Ketapang/Banyuwangi → Jakarta): ~1,000–1,050 km by train" - I got out maps and covered this basic information at the start, November 25 on the flight to Indonesia. The partner had until January 3 afternoon, more than a full month, to make suggestions and pick places of interest. Detours and weeks of extra time were available options.
And we could roll as we go, spend 7 days in a city we liked at any point along the trip, or 3 days here, 4 days there, 25 days total. Or spend 2 weeks in Jakarta (stop less on the train trip) for the big-city Islamic experience if that is what my partner choose. And there was money available for new clothes or luggage or handbags, etc. We had up to date Android smartphones and Google Maps to mark places of possible interest. I took care of all the sim cards and data coverage technical planning.
...
The partner did not say there was any problem. This was not a burden task or in any way beyond their adult skill (over age 30, highly educated). Travel agencies were available for help, or the partner could ask me for help. I did not put pressure on the topic. We were enjoying ourselves at various hotels (with swimming pools), at the beach, at the Beachwalk Shopping Center, Jalan Pantai Kuta in Kuta; cinemas, many restaurants, many taxi rides around the area, etc.
Now I was not asking my partner to support me as an individual. But to support the relationship, the partnership. They were literally doing nothing else all day and night in year 2012. No job, no family responsibility.
OPERA_A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADBKdSCbmiM
ToDo: storytime
Hot cancer-causing sun in Bali. Sunscreen business idea. I think somewhere around December 15 or 20, after being in Bali for several weeks at the beach and around the shopping malls watching other tourists come and go for Christmas month holiday.
My parents, mother and father, retired in The Villages Florida. And I had traveled there several times to visit them in the preceding decade. And I knew the cost of sunscreen lotion in the local stores all around the beach. And it didn't take me long to recognize that sunscreen was scarce and practically hidden away in Bali, Indonesia.
OPERA_A Hot sun burns us all. Tourists from Austria. My partner's engagement in this venture / business. Train visuals to Jakarta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySb1f9zWJkQ I've seen it before, it happens all the time all over the world. 11,242,833 views January 23, 2020
This was my interest, a personal interest, I wanted to develop into a business. I had been trying to come up with business ideas since December 2010 and this was the best idea out of dozen or so I had thought out and written about. Sunscreen business.
OPERA_A I had not forgot the "Class of year 1999" lesson ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI 24,890,203 views May 24, 2007 Enjoy your youth, we are both here for the first time in Bali! How much possibility lay before us!
I told this partner: this Sunscreen business was my best idea and effort after more than two full year. From November 2010 to February 2012. I had presented and gone over a dozen decent ideas, but this one I was the most passionate about. And I was met with extreme apathy, even when I said our partnership was running out of time to cross a forward-path threshold.
Reservation made Tue, November 20, 2012 9:19 AM CST .
Leave Sun, Nov 25 21hr 30min Total time
Depart Amman airline logo Etihad Airways 514
Economy | Airbus A320
1,232 mi | 1hr 50min
11:25 AM Queen Alia Intl (AMM)
Stop 1 Abu Dhabi
3:15 PM Abu Dhabi Intl airport (AUH) | Terminal 1
Seats: 13-A | Seats are confirmed.
Change planes. Time between flights: 11hr 15min
Depart Abu Dhabi airline logo Etihad Airways 472
Economy | Boeing 777
4,106 mi | 8hr 25min
2:30 AM Abu Dhabi Intl airport (AUH)
Arrive Jakarta
1:55 PM Soekarno Hatta Airport (CGK) | Terminal 2
Seats: 35-F , 35-D | Seats are confirmed.
Overnight flight.
Return Tue, Apr 30 19hr 40min Total time
Depart Jakarta airline logo Etihad Airways 471
Economy | Boeing 777
4,106 mi | 8hr 5min
6:45 PM Soekarno Hatta Airport (CGK)
Stop 1 Abu Dhabi
11:50 PM Abu Dhabi Intl airport (AUH) | Terminal 3
Seats: 35-D , 35-F | Seats are confirmed.
Change planes. Time between flights: 8hr 25min
Depart Abu Dhabi airline logo Etihad Airways 513
Economy | Airbus A320
1,232 mi | 3hr 10min
8:15 AM Abu Dhabi Intl airport (AUH)
Arrive Amman
10:25 AM Queen Alia Intl (AMM) | Terminal 2
Seats: 14-A | Seats are confirmed.
Overnight