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Adventure in the Asian Archipelago |
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Recent Entries
* New Years Eve.
* The eve of New Years Eve * From south to north: catch-up * Manila! * The land of 7100 Islands * Jeepneys * Zamboanga * Situation * Disaster! * Onwards * Ho ho ho * Christmas Eve, Christmas morning * Why have a Christmas tree when you can have beach shells? * Christmas at Kinabalu * Drinks at the reservoir * The City of Cats * Long Danno to Ramudu and back again * Trekking in the Kelabit Highlands * Welcome to the Jungle * A bit of Brunei, a bit of Sarawak
Archives
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December 31, 2004New Years Eve.Around 12 noon Wilson picked me up from my hostel. I had intended to have an early night and spend the morning exploring the sights; the opposite had occurred. Together we headed to his home in a gated secure community...Read this update December 30, 2004The eve of New Years EveAfter finding Wilson's car I was sped off into the busy streets of Manila, heading deep into an area near Makati. Over a traditional soupy chinese meal we introduced ourselves. My dealings with Wilson and his company have been limited...Read this update From south to north: catch-upDecember 29th, 30th, 31st - NEW YEARS EVE - January 1st, 2nd, 3rd. A lot of territory to cover. A lot has happened. December 29th, Zamboanga City, Mindanao, Philippines. Frilly and fancified roosters cock-a-doodle-dooed all night long. Ignored by the...Read this update Manila!Just a quickie to say I made it safely out of Mindanao, no problems, beautiful place... I'm safe and happy in downtown Manila. HAve met up with my friend from the mountain and my business contact here. I'll update soon....Read this update December 29, 2004JeepneysThe wierd and wonderful form of public transportation. Like nothing I've ever seen, some of them......Read this update ZamboangaOy Oy Oy! Ok. From the begining, yesterday around 2pm, Sandakan, Sabah, West Malaysia. I had expected to travel the Sandakan-Zamboanga route with a Danish friend that I met on the top of Mount Kinabalu on Christmas Day, but he...Read this update December 27, 2004SituationThanks for the worried emails; I am safe and sound on the east coast of Borneo right now. I heard about the tragedy while lifting weights in the Hyatt's gym, later that night the entire hostel sat quietly watching CNN's...Read this update Disaster!December 27, 2004 -- The most powerful earthquake in 40 years struck southern Asia yesterday, triggering deadly, 20-foot tidal waves that smashed into coastal towns, fishing villages and seaside resorts in seven countries, killing more than 14,500 people. Of the...Read this update December 26, 2004OnwardsBack in KK in the midafternoon we checked back into Lucy's homestay. Stiffly a few of us climbers made our way to have Christmas dinner at Little Italy, a splurge that cost a bit more than 10$CAD. No turkey to...Read this update December 25, 2004Christmas Eve, Christmas morningOn the morning of the 24th I woke up in a foggy state just before my alarm was set to wake everyone in the dorm. I quickly defused the sound bomb and sluggishly made my way to the common area...Read this update Christmas at KinabaluShortly after reaching the top, probably around 5:30am. It's uber cold. Me, Jenifer, and our british friend whose strange name escapes meView image The sun threatens to warm us View image My santa hat keeps me warm, but more importantly,...Read this update December 24, 2004Drinks at the reservoirOn my last night in Kuching I met up with my friends from the night bus from Miri. I was met at the Khatulistiwa restaurant/pub/dance club down at the waterfront (try pronouncing that one. then try repeating it five times...Read this update December 22, 2004The City of CatsI arrived in Kuching early in the morning, after a VERY long and miserable bus ride along the frontier-like Trans-Sarawakian highway linking the cities of southern Borneo that line the sea. I was dropped near the downtown waterfront district, near...Read this update Long Danno to Ramudu and back againEmerging from the jungle to an area of rolling grassy hills marked our arrival in Long Danno. The area surrounding the longhouses was grazed by wild cattle, and across the wide meandering mud-river were a few well kept rice paddies....Read this update Trekking in the Kelabit HighlandsWith the intention of waking up very early to trek the 8 hours to Long Danno, Daniel and I managed to sleep in until about 9. After our frigid morning showers and a quick repacking of our bags we set...Read this update December 21, 2004Welcome to the JungleAs I stooped to exit the MAS Twin Otter I entered a strange new world; immediately the quiet, slow pac of life here was evident. The air was hot, despite our 1000 some-odd meter elevation, and the sun was out...Read this update December 20, 2004A bit of Brunei, a bit of SarawakPlants and Animals of Borneo, my photos: Massive 8-10" Stick insect View image Jungle Skink View image Crazy red centipede View image Unknown invertebrate; slithered like a snake, left a slug-slime trail, acted like a leech... The railing it's cruising...Read this update Miri and onwardsdum-dee-dum Where did I leave off? Ok. I arrived in Miri to find a quiant little city, virtually exploding with prospects. Miri, like Kuala Belait and Seria, in Brunei, is an oil town; offshore rigs are visible from the scenic...Read this update Power Outage in Kuching!Power just went out; lost all my report. Reluctantly, I start again......Read this update December 18, 2004Shaken, not stirredI made it safely back from my 6 day trek through the Bornean jungle, stopping at Kelabit longhouses along the way. Spectacular stories will follow, but I have to catch a night bus (14h) to Kuching tonight. I'll log-in from...Read this update December 10, 2004Just how many buses?Leaving Bandar Seri Begawan on the first bus to Seria at 7:10am, I was one of only five passengers. The bus we took was not to the standards expected of the glamourous Brunei, resembling something you may see in Laos...Read this update December 08, 2004Moving onToday is December 8th. I arrived in Brunei on November 17th. I think it is time to move on. If I were to stay longer, it would only mean that my DVD collection would grow to a size that would...Read this update December 02, 2004Top Tips for Hashers, Brunei Edition, page 3From the BH3 newsletter, run number two thousand one hundred and twenty seven: "Don't panic if chased by a crocodile. Simply run in a zig-zag fashion. These large reptiles are only able to run in straight lines, and will be...Read this update BH3-2Brunei Hash House Harriers, second installment. Vijen accompanied me on what would be my second Hash, and his fourth. At a location near the Garuka camp (Nepalese soldiers) we joined a smaller group than last week, the holidays having already...Read this update Christmas at the Ambassador'sLast night we went to the Philippino High Commissioner's Christmas party. Most of the attendees were dressed in red and wore santa hats. The Ambassador herself was dressed seasonally; turned out to be a very nice lady. I mixed and...Read this update Hari Raya at the Pengiran's houseA Pengiran is a member of the Royal Family, and in Brunei the sultan's relations are very well off. Probably a massive understatement. VERY well off. While I was in Labaun, Lorrie and Vijen attended a Hari Raya celebration at...Read this update Booze runAlcohol is a controlled, mostly prohibited item. Local Muslims cannot braing alcohol into the country, while non-muslims are allowed to import 2L and 12 cans. The border officials issue you a form of license to possess the liquor you bring...Read this update Labuan and beyondOk. Labuan is a nice island, lots of nice shopping, duty free of course (many Malasian Islands are duty free to entice tourists to visit). Barry, his friend and I all went to a nearby watering hole (stress hole) to...Read this update Turtle!!After swimming out to the boat, anchored offshore, we navigated the shallow shoals around a peninsula of sand: destination Labuan. As we hit full speed Barry's hat flew off his head, so we slowly turned around and started to...Read this update |
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