Monthly Archives: August 2010
Colours of Makassar
Makassar, Indonesia. The capital of Sulawesi. A hectic, noisy port city, where even the scuzziest scenes are full of equatorial colour. Even the trucks, parked near the old port where the Bugis sailing ships unload. There are corrugated iron shacks on the dockfront, selling snacks when Ramadan permits, and housing entire families. As pretty, in [...]
1: A helpful guide to museum etiquette. Thanks to all at the museum in Fort Rotterdam, Makassar, for these handy hints on how to behave in places of learning. Next time I am thinking of making like a chimp with my droppings, I’ll be sure to think again. 2: Instructions on how to use the [...]
Turtle Island, Indonesia
Pulau Derawan, a tiny palm and sand island off the coast of Indonesian Borneo, is famous for sea turtles. Now, in general, when it comes to sea turtles, it’s wise to keep your expectations low. Maybe, just maybe, there’ll be a glimpse of a reptile or two sculling in the blue yonder, when you’re diving. [...]
Eight Months, Seven Countries
As Z and I enter our eighth month of continuous travel, here’s one amazing thing we’ve done in each month of the year. January: Making the Leap! I’d been a home owner for almost a decade when we left in January. Working constantly for longer than that. Between us, Z and I had accumulated piles [...]
Ramadan in Tarakan
Bobby’s minivan has a melodic horn, which intones a three note melody. “It is the only one in Tarakan,” he explains, tootling merrily at a cluster of folk on scooters, every one of them revving for a U-turn on the choked main road. “In fact,” he says, gesturing expansively at the rusty interior of what, [...]
Walking Fish & Long-Nosed Monkeys
We were in two minds about whether to stay in Tarakan, Indonesian Borneo, today. But I’m extremely glad we did. Because 300 metres down the road from our hotel is a little mangrove sanctuary. Home to two weird and wonderful creatures. Proboscis monkeys, and walking fish. Ever seen a fish walk?! Us neither. For video, [...]
Walking Fish & Long-Nosed Monkeys
We were in two minds about whether to stay in Tarakan, Indonesian Borneo, today. But I’m extremely glad we did. Because 300 metres down the road from our hotel is a little mangrove sanctuary. Home to two weird and wonderful creatures. Proboscis monkeys, and walking fish. Ever seen a fish walk?! Us neither. For video, [...]
Welcome to Indonesia!
We left Tawau, the port in north-eastern (Malaysian) Borneo, this morning. For Tarakan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo. The boat was late. Terminally late. Clearly an hour or more late, rather than a few minutes late. So I was relaxed when I got off it to buy snacks at the port side, leaving Z [...]
Mr. Confidence
Sometimes, something happens which makes you look at your child with new eyes. This morning, Z and I were at Poring Hot Springs, the sulphurous waters which seethe out of the jungly lowlands in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu. They function, if not as a panacea, at least as a salve for muscles recovering from [...]
Climbing Mount Kinabalu
Dali would have loved the summit of Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Granite towers, horns and cowslicks protrude improbably from a landscape of fractured moraines and curvaceous drops, polished clean by Pleistocene glaciers and decked with gleaming waterfalls. And watching the rising sun refract around these surrealist sculptures and [...]
