Keeping dry

How’s that umbrella workin out for ya buddy? Well, I’d love to come out with some dramatic story about our struggles to survive through the floods this year, but I’d be fibbing more than a little. After my previous post, (as I was watching the canal in front of my work flood over its banks) we were safely ‘evacuated’ to the Kristal Hotel (three bedroom full suite). I spent the weekend swimming in chlorine, not sewage. We decided things wereRead more

Jakarta floods 2008 – Welcome to the Suck

Well, ironically enough, it’s exactly one year to the day that we experienced flooding last year, and it’s happening again. If you’ve never seen my photos and writing from that experience, you may want to take a look. Starting last night, heavy rains have saturated Jakarta. Since I’m in the north part of the city, only 3km from the ocean, we’re at or below sea level, and even one day of rain can cause flooding. As I look out myRead more

Being green under grey skies: environmentally reponsible in Jakarta?

As global warming and environmental concerns sweep across the world, it seems many people have started doing their part. Without realizing, it appears I’ve slowly become part of that crowd. Growing up in the States, my first two cars were 5.0 and 5.7 liter V8 sports cars – gloriously fast. Each got about 15 miles per gallon when I wasn’t getting into trouble. When I left the States in 2002, gas was around $1.50 / gallon – in 2001 itRead more

Too much to say = nothing to say

Ironically, I’ve started composing this long winded exotic description of our experiences at Angkor Wat. In doing so, I’ve completely avoided posting anything else. So, for now in order to get back to posting some writing, I’ll put that post aside. When I have the most to say, I end up saying nothing. It’s been a very tough time deciding whether to remain in Indonesia for yet another year or not. To be honest, this was the closest I’ve everRead more

Cambodia

We’ve been in Siem Reap for the past few days, enjoying the temples, the town, and the food. The contrast to Bangkok and Jakarta is astonishing. I haven’t seen land this flat in many years, nor sky this blue. I’ve taken hundreds of photos yet again, but this time it’s more for my own personal enjoyment; I know that these sites and temples are heavily photographed and there’s not much new I’ll be able to capture. I’m trying to concentrateRead more