Articles tagged with: NGO
Day 29 Super Typhoon Yolanda
A knock came on my door in the evening a couple of nights ago. It was Dan. He had gotten off work a bit early, and he stopped by to touch base with me. I was hoping we could sit around and have a beer and have a good, long chat, but it was clear that he had things to do. He could only stay …
Days Fourteen & Fifteen – Super Typhoon Yolanda
Dan did manage to contact his friend the bicycle mechanic. This fellow works at the Bohol bicycle shop, and Dan arranged to be the very first customer on Monday morning when they plan to open their doors. He offered to go there with me and help me get my bike into the system to be worked on as soon as possible. The plan is to …
Day Four – Super Typhoon Yolanda
As if a super-typhoon and storm surge weren’t enough, a low-pressure system has moved into the Tacloban area, bringing with it more rain. I was woken up early this morning to the unwelcome sound of rain drumming against my windows and, of course, pouring through the cracks and flooding the room. Being an idiot, I had put the second mattress on the floor with many …
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 …
Guinea 063
Thursday, February 22 1:30 p.m.
Kouroussa is proving to be by far the most atmospheric and pleasant town I’ve encountered in Guinea. I set off on my bicycle early this morning when it was still cool for an exploratory ride. The sky stayed overcast almost the entire time which made it even more enjoyable. I first checked out the main road to Kankan and even had …
005 – In Transit – Rome
I’d specifically requested an aisle seat, but when I boarded I found my seat already occupied. An elderly and rather fleshy Italian couple had sat in the first two seats, leaving the window seat open. They had barricaded themselves in with mountains of carry-on bags and were giving the evil eye to anyone coming down the aisle who even glanced in their direction. They glared …