In Which We Dive an Undersea Volcano
Indonesia is not, let us say, short on dive sites. And, when you can snorkel with giant manta rays, turtles and jellyfish defanged by evolution...
Tagged: Family
A Country Wedding
In the dirt yard, by the communal sleeping platform her family have built outside their wooden home, Biasri, eighteen years old and five months gone,...
Tales from the Moluccas #3: Ibilihi’s Nutmeg
We pick up Ibilihi from his home on a narrow strand of yellow beach, backed by jungle sprouting out of coral cliffs, where he lives...
Machete Lessons for Beginners
It would be fair to say that watching one’s nine-year-old son improve his machete skills while 8-12 hours from *any* form of medical care, however...
Tales from the Moluccas #2: Happiness on the Riverbank
Lima has just discovered clothes. Three months ago, in fact. Compared to the itchy bark loincloths he used to wear, they’re remarkably comfortable. An excellent...
Because Children Know No Cultural Divide
It never ceases to amaze me how children’s friendships cross cultural boundaries so effortlessly. We spent the Idul Fitri holiday in the Togian Islands, off...
Expedition Outfitting in Pidgin Indonesian*
The scene? In and around various shopping establishments in Kota Ternate, the de facto capital of Indonesia’s Spice Islands, and home to more English language...
When Travel Becomes Time Travel
Tomorrow we embark for Pulau Halmahera, one of Indonesia’s Spice Islands, where we will travel back in time. Our aim? To experience the nomadic hunter-gatherer...
Who You Gonna Call?
The following episode takes place between 9am and 10am on the day we were hoping to leave Manado. INT: A surprisingly posh hotel room. Z...
#theglamoroftravel
It was on the golden sands of Pulau Kadidiri, in the Togian Islands, Sulawesi, Indonesia, as a wave of what I would dearly like to...