Articles in Travel
“I Don’t Speak Indonesian.”
100 more seconds wandering through the market in Kisaran. We’ve got fresh produce, dried fish, music, selfies, and someone calling me “father.”
100 Seconds in the Kisaran Market
I walked through a very quiet market in Kisaran on Independence Day and shot some video. The final video was too long to upload easily at this time. Here is 100 seconds of that trip.
How You Get to Your Rice Paddy in Indonesia
A friend of mine invited me to go with her on a trip to do some work at her rice paddies about 25 kilometers outside of Kisaran, Sumatra. She picked me up on her Honda motorcycle, and we set off. This is just a fun little set of video clips of some of the final moments of our trip.
Long Journey from Kuala Lumpur to Sumatra
Once I got my passport back, my Malaysian visa was winding down, and I began to make plans to leave. I had to choose, basically, between flying to the city of Medan in Sumatra or taking the ferry to my old temporary home of Tanjungbalai. The ferry to Tanjungbalai was the obvious choice except for the fact that I was nervous about the reception I’d receive from my old friends at the Tanjungbalai immigration office, police station, and city government office.
Stop thief! That’s my phone!
It happened in the blink of an eye. One second I was on my dream trip, happily cycling down a busy street in Sumatra, Indonesia. The next, my precious smartphone was gone – snatched from my waist by a man on a motorcycle.
My first reaction was stunned disbelief. Had that really just happened? Next, came a wave of anger. I yelled at the thief in …
Tourism Secrets of Kuala Lumpur
Everyone loves secrets, and I know lots of them about Malaysia’s fascinating capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
My first secret is at the famous KL Tower. Every tourist knows this tower. At 421 meters, it is the seventh highest self-supported tower in the world. Ride the elevator to the upper decks for fantastic views of the city.
But just steps away, I discovered the KL Forest Eco Park. …
Guinea 075
Friday, March 16 8:22 a.m.
Yesterday I went to one of the little fly infested shacks on the market road for something to eat. The experience was a little picture of life in Guinea, perhaps a tiny but appropriate goodbye. I walk in. The woman who finally notices me does not smile, does not welcome me, does not act welcoming at all. Even though I’m in …
Guinea 074
Tuesday, March 13 7:42 a.m. Conakry
I was supposed to meet the Sierra Leonians at the Nelson Mandela Hotel at 6:30 for an early start. Amadou, the driver, clearly felt his reputation as a driver (which was quite good) depended largely on getting from A to B in the shortest time possible. He saw himself as a kind of rally driver and shouted down the other …