i'm just plain lazy, or the map and a short explanation

Well after four weeks in Asia, one week in Florida, one week in the Caribbean, and almost two weeks at home, I am finally posting. It's likely a bit late as any readers that I might have had prefer to read blogs with regularly produced content. I am content to write for just myself anyway.

The family reunion was a lot of fun. I met branches of the family that I never even knew existed--so many cousins and "cousins." We all got together at a place in Jamaica and enjoyed each other's company along with good food. The other islands that we visited were pretty interesting as well. I loved eating good Mexican food on Cozumel, and I certainly enjoyed visiting Hell (Cayman Islands).

Travelling by boat (or by bus or train) gives me a sense of how big the world is. Travelling around a hundred and twenty land hours across Asia was grueling, but a clear illustration of the size of our planet. I will not take flying for granted anymore. I'm glad I went and I am very glad for good company during the trip.

The other fellas (Alban and Lance) are still travelling. If you are interested, you can read about their adventures here and here, respectively.

So, as I said, I have been home for two weeks. I think the travel bug has settled down for a nice hibernation. Allow me to clear up any doubt: I love being at home and not travelling. I may love being at home too much--the only thing I have really done is search for a job. As of now, I am still unemployed, so that apparently has gone well. [smirk] What I haven't done is use much of the phone to call anyone: friend or otherwise. I'm just plain lazy. And I hate using the telephone. Ugh. Myspace and Facebook have gone much neglected as well. Hay que esforzarse un poco.

I will catch up. Soon.
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Here is the final, updated map:

more...

not a picture in sight

Ugh. There are no pictures to post. Why, you ask? Well, it's because the memory card in my camera decided to commit some sort of electronic suicide and corrupt all my pictures. Yep, for the period starting when Alban and Lance arrived in Bangkok until southern Vietnam. Three weeks of pictures lost to some digital void. [insert some mild expletive suitable for parents and friends]

As icing on the cake, my battery charger is also on the fritz. Translation: the only way to charge the battery is to manually hold it in place for three hours or so. The thin silver lining is that I can post a few of the sketches from my journal to break up the monotony. Will do when I can find a scanner.

Peas.

indonesia: shifty taxi drivers, good wings, and a great location

Still catching up. Here's another installment:


Overwhelming. That was my first impression of Indonesia. Pretty much the complete antithesis of the collected calm of Singapore. Touts were vying rudely for my attention--believe it or not, my name is not 'hello, where you go?' The streets filled with frenetic traffic and sounds of people and daily life. I guess I had it in mind how easy it was to travel in South America; knowing the language makes the life of a traveller much easier. We tried bargaining with a taxi driver with fingers and bills and finally agreed on a price of fifty thousand rupiah for a trip to the eastern coast of the island and the beach. Little did we know that after an hour in the taxi-van, the price would triple to one hundred and fifty thousand--apparently the drivers figured on fifty thou a person. I'd like to believe that it was a misunderstanding, but part of me still avers that it was a case of lighten-the-foreigners'-imagined-money-bags. Ugh. That colored darkly the first hours of our visit to Indonesia. As we settled into our accommodation, however, the memory was quickly overwhelmed by the beauty of our locale.

Indonesia is a country made up of hundreds of islands--some say even arbitrarily placed together as some islands and cultures have very little in common. But I digress. Suffice it to say that we were on the island of Bintan, about two hours from Singapore by ferry. We found bungalows on the eastern side of the island with our own stretch of nearly deserted beach. It was phenomenally beautiful.

We only stayed for the night. But it is well worth the twenty-bucks-a-night price tag. And they had some fantastic chicken wings. Mmm. The next day we headed back to town and by way of the ferry, Singapore. All considered, it was a good stop: shifty taxi drivers, good wings, and great location.

On to Singapore.

too much money for crappy food

I wish I had been writing these posts as we were travelling. (Yes, spell check gods, I prefer two ls in the word travelling.) Let me try and recall all the places and things we have done so far.

I think I left you all in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, right before we departed to Singapore. A bit about Malaysia and KL, then. The state religion in Malaysia is Islam and the architecture of many buildings reflects this fact. The most ubiquitous feature is the eight-pointed star; it's everywhere: the side panels of buildings, sidewalk inlays, and even grates around trees. The only reason I mention this is that it came as such a change to be in a city that enjoys both wise urban planning and beautiful architecture. Believe me when I say that Bangkok has neither.

We had a chance to walk around the city and enjoy all this from street level. Kuala Lumpur is a city in the midst of the jungle and manages to preserve plenty of green space in an intensely urban setting. But I ramble.

Two highlights of Kuala Lumpur: Petronas Towers and Indian food. We had a chance to visit the Petronas Twin Towers, formerly the tallest building in the world at 452m. We were only able to visit as high as the forty-first floor as the Towers are functioning office buildings, but it was free. I suppose we got what we paid for.

The other highlight was delicious Indian food. And it was hecka cheap, to the tune of 2 Malaysian Ringgit (61 cents) for garlic naan and dahl. It was amazing. To contrast, our first night in KL, we decided to chance dinner at a random food stall. We suffered through plates of ginger wine chicken, and then were met with a bill of twelve ringgit a person (about four bucks each). Too much money for a crappy meal. Indian food, luckily, saved the day.

I'm out of battery. More later.

malaysia

I'm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It's the second day of my Asian adventure. I am well (mostly). The last few days of teaching and the first day of traveling were harried. I managed to get less than 10 hours of sleep over three days and leave a third of my stuff behind accidentally while rushing to the airport. I'm not even angry. Well... No, I'm not. I did manage to leave behind three pairs of shoes and two journals that I made. Honestly, when you wear a size 15 shoe and you manage to leave pairs of footwear behind, it represents quite a loss. Disappointing, but not enough to be angry at myself.

In a couple of hours, we are off to Singapore. I am counting on being able to write more and post some pictures to season the words.

Peas.

cambodia

It has taken me forever to be able to sit down and write about my trip to Cambodia. There doesn't seem to be any good reason why. Things just come up and steal my attention. So I have decided to write when I can, rather than wait for the ever-elusive large block of time.

If, in the family of Asia, Thailand is the well-mannered, well-to-do older brother, then Cambodia would be a broke cousin, who, despite being a little rough around the edges and having a crummy childhood, still manages to smile and work toward improvement. Happily, this cousin happens to have some of the most impressive ruins in the world sitting in his yard.

One would think that seeing Angkor Wat was the highlight of my trip; while seeing the beautiful, ancient structures was a great experience, I enjoyed the time I spent with people in Cambodia the most. I went to visit Trina Yeo, who is an SM at Cambodia Adventist School in Phnom Penh. She teaches the first grade and I had the chance to hang out with her and the kids for the day. Somehow I went from a person collecting tests and turning the occasional jumprope to a person sitting with with four wiggly boys in his lap, trying desperately to read stories for all of them. Her kids are the most loving, energetic first-grade class I have ever been to visit.

I also got a chance to see Liz (we had speech class together at Walla Walla) and to meet Heather from Union (College in Lincoln, Nebraska...pushin' the pen and slingin' the ink along--I always hear the song in my head). It was so good to hang out with other people my age and talk in English. Seems sort of silly-sounding now that it is on paper, but it is easy to take something as normal as talking in English for granted.

We four tried to do a bit of sightseeing, but quickly discovered that much of Phnom Penh is closed or deserted during the holiday of P'chum Ben. We ended up at a café and just had some chill time. Random fact: Heather is a big Oprah fan. In fact, we ended up playing an impromptu game of Stump-Heather-with-Oprah-trivia. She knew the answer to almost every question without hesitation. In short, I was amazed.

During the next few days, the four of us split up. Trina and I went to Siem Reap, home to Angkor Wat, while Heather and Liz hung out in the capital. Angkor was pretty dang cool. Traveling by bus was as monotonous as I remember from Argentina. Hanging out with Trina was as fun in Cambodia as in the double Walla. All in all, a very good time.

It wasn't a very long visit to Cambodia--only five days--but it went as vacations usually do: quickly. It was well worth every penny that I spent to get there. Leaving was hard. Heather asked (in jest, I think) if I wanted to stay. I would have said yes if it were only as easy as speaking the words. For a few days I got to experience community. It was beautiful. It even caused symptoms of withdrawal when I returned. (see below post entitled community)

So thanks to three ladies of Cambodia for letting me hang out and enjoy your good company.

off to thailand, or sweet orange shorts

it' s official. i am going to thailand. aaahhh!! (cry of excitement) to be honest, it has been official since early this week. on tuesday, i went into town--translation: i drove two hours to boston. after a quick jaunt through the dentist's office--uncomfortable discovery: two freakin' cavities--and a brisk flirt with a drill and novocain cocktail (not in that order, i still like my dentist), i was off to buy my ticket before heading to the consulate-general. in and out of the library (free internet) in 20 minutes. minus eight-hundred-odd dollars, that is. and it's only a one way ticket. at this point i can't come back. flipping scary...err, sort of.

so mom and i were jaunting around downtown boston trying to find the blasted consulate. at some point the consulate moved across town, thus there were two addresses listed. arrghhh!! we finally found it (after being told adamantly that the consulate had moved to new york--it hadn't) and i was in and out in less than ten minutes. less than ten minutes!! it was amazing.

i went to quincy market to celebrate and treated myself to my second sushi roll ever (spicy tuna--absolutely delicious) and a slice of white pizza with chicken and broccoli. all things considered, a marvelous afternoon. that is, besides the fact that it cost me about a thousand bucks...including sushi and pizza for 8 bucks.

so in honor of all these new developments, i decided to experiment with watercolors and illustrate a little something. an important discovery: there is a reason that illustrators use waterproof ink--it runs like crazy on low poundage paper. here's the result:


boston to chiang mai, thailand by way of seattle and taipei (quick, name that country). thirty-one plus hours in transit. as alan would say, "a kick in the head."

and that's all folks. except for these sweet orange shorts i found in a drawer. yes, i am rockin' 'em. and no, i probably won't wear them in public. a little short for my liking, especially when sitting. too much information. my bad.

oh yeah, the photos

the fellas.


the sweet pad.


a part of friday's beach.



the na pali coast, as seen from the trail.



the sunset on taro marshes in hanalei valley.

ode to cradle roll, or kauai (part 2)

instead of tackling the formidable list of things that i need to do before week's end, i am formulating a post, whilst giving the ears a good soak in some ellington. in reality i'm just medicating myself; i think its a combination of acute blue-sky withdrawal, stress over how i will get everything done, and preoccupations about this summer and the school year to follow.

it's not as bad as it sounds. on some subconscious level, i know that there are sunny days coming, that somehow i will get everything done in time, and that worrying about a future that is divinely taken care of is pure foolishness. but i am a grade a worrier and old habits die hard, as you may gather.

but enough banter. i should finish recounting the adventure.

friday:

the beach. almost enough said. deliciously warm water--the color blue rivaled only by the finest aquamarine. as a chaser to the briny marinade, a good soak in the sun accompanied by a good book*. who could ask for anything more?

*status anxiety, alain de botton; when i get a chance, more shall be written.

saturday (or whatever else you would like to name it) (as not to offend the pygmy jewish eskimos)

late morning. the soundtrack of the river behind our house providing the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of granola. we headed to church, only to find ourselves arriving just in time for sabbath school. it was one of those strange churches where sabbath school comes after church. what odd ducks! i mean honestly, it's the like the 4th law of inertia: for every sabbath school in motion, there is a greater service that must and does follow at precisely 11 o'clock.

after about five minutes of adult ss, i heard--with great envy--the invisible waves of fun emanating from the cradle roll room across the courtyard. oh for the days when all you needed to know about the christian walk could be summed up on a felt board with a few cheerful songs and great noisemakers. [sigh] there was a pretty spanking potluck. after which, we headed to the beach. all things considered, a very good day.


this wasn't meant to be a three-part series about kauai, but i must go to the stack of homework. before i leave, here's a small dose of alexander pope. [don't worry, i am not that well read; it's from a quality film i finished today]

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd ...(207-209)

question of the day: sometimes it is tempting to want to forget, but is it really what we want?

a chllly 63 degrees, or the constitution of a man

it is good for the constitution of a man to walk a sun-mottled beach, in search of the perfect spot to plunk himself in the briny aquamarine and contemplate his priorities

i could sit under this skylight everyday and watch the world pass by in swaths of deep blue, dotted by puffy white. however, i think it is too cold. while i may skirt the danger of lynching for the following comment, it must be said; it's about 63 outside and i am sitting in my boxers, wrapped tightly in a blanket, all the while praying fervently that 100% wool hoodies will begin to rain from the sky. there is a good chance that upon returning to walla walla and its dirty mop water colored skies, i will simply shrivel up and die. i know that i exaggerate. but really.

i should start at the beginning of the hawaiian adventure.

wednesday:
after sleeping for a few hours, i woke up with that christmas day feeling in the pit of my stomach; i--we, by extension--was on the brink of starting an epic journey to hawaii. 4 hours to seattle--which, by the way, was a blue-skied, balmy 60 degrees--followed by 4 hours of painfully expectant waiting, and we were queued up to board the plane. i now know how a mixed drink feels; i would have gladly been stirred, not shaken for 2 hours. seriously, the turbulence was a little excessive.

due to the unpunctual arrival of our plane (and our characteristic frugality), we were forced to come up with a creative way to spend our seven hour layover in honolulu. the solution: luggage carts. the other four fellows (cody, alban, alan, and tommy) opted to stretch out across 3 carts. i, being the individual that i am, decided to try and fold my 6 foot frame onto the four-foot-long luggage cart. needless to say, i didn't sleep well. then again, nobody else did either.

thursday:
after an average of 2 hours of continuous sleep amongst us, we arose before the sun and boarded the plane to kaua'i. again with the turbulence. gosh. as it turns out, our luggage had managed to separate itself from our party, so we spent most of the day waiting in lihu'e. we picked up our rental, which they upgraded to an SUV for free, and began traipsing around the town.
stops:

1. random circles of disorientation
   
2. kaua'i bakery--amazing pastries, hot dang
3. jamba juice
4. costco--playing free arcade games...and picking up supplies
5. airport--luggage, finally
6. coldstone creamery--one pint later, i was a happy, happy man
7. some waterfall--pretty corny compared with the iguazu version
8. highway diner--who says no fish with breakfast, and who says it isn't tasty?
9. aloha sweet seclusion--home away from home

our lodging is amazing. it has real character, as opposed to the mass produced hotel room. i like it a lot.

i will continue later. dinner is ready. posting pictures for dessert.