Thoughts on New Zealand

Other than some obvious things like driving on the left, I’m amazed at how easy it is for an American to fit in, in New Zealand. As I was driving around the country, I could just as easily have been in any number of US states. As I’d drive around, I’d say “this is just …

Read more

Day 23, West Africa Cruise – At Sea off the Coast of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau

Today marked an important milestone in the trip. Today we rounded the southwest corner of the Guinea region of Africa and started heading north. For the last 2-weeks, since we left the cold Benguela current, the water temperature has been hovering around 30°C. Regardless of air temperature, when the ship is in a bath of …

Read more

HKT to BKK

The ankle is feeling better and I’m off to Bangkok in a few hours. It should be a big change from Phuket. I really have no desire to see many of the islands in the area around here, which is what most of the backpackers usually do. It has been raining (which sort of ruins …

Read more

Jakarta

The following question is for my non-Asian readers: Name something about Indonesia which does not involve a natural disaster. When do you think of Indonesia, what image comes to mind? Can you name an Indonesian movie? Any Indonesian outside of politics? Can you name any Indonesian food dish? I asked similar questions when I first …

Read more

BINTAN!

I’ve had a jammed packed couple of days here in Singapore. I’m currently at a McDonald’s at the Singapore Harborfront waiting to take the ferry to Bintan Island, Indonesia. Bintan is like a 45 min ferry ride from Singapore and it, along with neighboring Batam island, are cheap, close tourists destinations for people in Singapore. …

Read more