Afiq arrived in his van the next morning to take us to the jungle. Afiq is an earnest young man who was born in a village alongside the Kinabatangan River. He is affable, but intense about his job as a jungle guide. Once he and his father caught malaria on a hunting trip because …
Borneo: How to Earn a Nap
We flew from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, an easy on twenty-minute Royal Brunei Airlines flight, half-full of serene passengers enjoying their free newspaper and plastic cups of apple juice. From the airport we took a “Grab”, which is the Asian equivalent of Uber, downtown to our hotel, a giant pink monstrosity of condos. The …
Borneo: Traveler’s Notes
We flew from Portland to San Francisco to Tokyo to Singapore to Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei. During the SFO-Singapore section our seats in the very back row jiggled like water balloons on a trampoline which led to some uncomfortable vomiting, but luckily Japan Airlines supplies plenty of barf bags. Traveler’s note: …
Abundance
Banos, Ecuador Monday, January 19, 2015 Maybe the Galapagos would be better off if we all just left it alone. I can't get around the irony of hundreds of thousands of people paying a bunch of money to come to a place that is special because it is "untouched", and then touching it …
Darwin and the Tortoise
Buccaneer's Bay, Galápagos, Ecuador Friday, January 16, 2015 Here we are in the Galapagos. I'd envisioned the Galapagos as a kind of modern day Eden, where giant tortoises and sea lions snuggled on white sand beaches, framed by waving grasses and gently chirping finches. I imagined Darwin twirling among them all-- a bearded …
Keeping Up Appearances
Fernandina, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Tuesday, January 13, 2015 We're on a National Geographic/Sven Linblad boat called the "Islander" cruising through the Galapagos Islands. I would like to see an albatross, though we probably won’t get far enough south. I'm reading a book called "The Lifeboat" in which a Titanic-like boat sinks, leaving …
The Science of Imaginary Lines
Mindo, Ecuador Thursday, January 8, 2015 Our first day in Ecuador, we visited THE CENTER OF THE EARTH! Well, that's what I thought it was, but I was corrected. Pro-tip: When you are in a carload of engineers, even if two of the three of them …
St Sofia
Sofia, Bulgaria Monday, June 27, 2016 In Sofia, Bulgaria, the boys and I visited the St Sofia church, a redbrick building dating back to the 6th century. The church honors Sofia the Martyr, who, along with her daughters, was murdered in Rome, around 137 AD. I’m not Catholic, but I can’t resist a good saint’s …
Air
Kingscote, South Australia, Australia Friday, August 19, 2016 Everybody knows that the basic premise of all writing, even travel blogging, is conflict. It is discomfort. Some real life examples: An old office-mate of Guy's kept a blog while he was riding his bike across the country wearing jean shorts. At the end of each …
Agency
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Monday, August 15, 2016 My goal this year is to be less of a wind-sock and more of a leader. I plan to be more active and less re-active. I am going to practice Agency, so life doesn't pass me by. With Agency in mind, I decided to rent a car …
ICEBOX PLUMS: Moments, sweet and cold 