I’ve had a few injections today as I’m heading off to Sabah in Borneo next month to see what’s left of the jungle and do some diving around Pulau Sipadan. The tetanus vaccination has given me a really sore ass which my girlfriend seems to find rather amusing.
Anyway, as this blog is brand spanking new and looking a bit sparse, I wanted to add some content by making a quick post about my ideal destination for working remotely, South East Asia. I have had the opportunity to travel to a few places in Indonesia in the past, and am really keen to explore the region further. The places that I have already visited in Indonesia (Sulawesi, Java, Bali, Lombok, Komodo, Flores, Kalimantan) lead me to believe that SE Asia is a region that I will be spending rather a lot of time in over the coming years.
The islands of Indonesia, The Philippines, and Malaysia make up what is known as the coral triangle, the area of the highest marine biodiversity on earth. As a marine biologist and PADI Divemaster I am instantly drawn to the region for obvious reasons. In addition to the unbelievable diving and snorkeling (best in the world in my opinion) there is also spectacular terrestrial wildlife, jungles to trek through, great surf, volcanoes to climb, ancient ruins to explore, as well as amazingly friendly people and fascinating cultures. Add to that the incredibly cheap cost of living (you really do get amazing bang for your buck out there) and the excellent food, and you have my ultimate destination for working remotely.
A key aspect that I have not yet investigated (as I am still something of a newbie, just starting out online, and am yet to attempt to work outside of Europe) is the reliability and availability of the Internet. My experience of the Internet in Indonesia was that pretty much everywhere except for Bali had appalling connections. Bali is a fantastic destination though, and it would be very possible to setup base there and venture off farther afield for short trips. Bali has some of the best surf in the world, great diving, and great infrastructure from a western point of view. Malaria is also not so much of an issue here as it is in other areas in the region.
From what I understand several other locations in SE Asia also hold promise for logging on and getting some work done. The Malaysian peninsula for example supposedly has an excellent Internet service. Some parts of Sabah, such as Kota Kinabalu, also look good from a working perspectiveve (I will be checking the situation out firsthand next month). From what I have read there are also good opportunities for working remotely throughout the Philippines. Another place that definitely deserves a mention is Thailand. Thailand is by far the most developed nation in SE Asia in terms of tourism infrastructure, and also has fast and reliable Internet.
Summing up, SE Asia holds great promise for working vagabonds, and is top of my list of places to live the dream.
Please feel free to leave any comments, especially if you have experience travelling and working remotely in the region. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
