EdVallance's Guestbook

Great, just great! another funny and heartwarming story well written, still the best thing on TB by far. Cheers.

intersting

Great blog
I enjoyed your story. Thank you.

Funny to learn that you have to travel thousands of miles to just to visit such a remote place, which I am happy to call home. To be honest, i just realized many things that I’ve never thought about Fais before. It is funny but I never thought that one can tell which coconut tree belongs to whom and all. It’s true indeed but understandable for such a small island. I mean i have this friend back home who can even tell precisely which tree you pick a coconut nut from even if you pick the coconut from the other side of the island without his presence. Oh and yeah I am happy to learn too that there is at least someone out there other than our family members that so happen to like my Mom’s cooking. It’s lovely, and that’s one of the many reasons that even a grown-up man like me still misses home. The details on Jesse and b-nuts are funny and couldn’t help but laugh on the top of my lungs about his constant spiting…lol. I was told by my old folks about you upon my return from Port Vila for vacation. So unfortunate that we did not meet in Vanuatu, I could’ve given you some tips about Fais and perhaps a map..lol hope to you'll return one day but till then thanks for the endorsement.

Illuminating
Ed, that was very educational. I don't have your experience in the former Soviet-Union countries, but I recognise many of the behaviours you've described, especially those in the remote places where seeing a foreigner is the biggest thing to happen all month. If you can track it down where you are, there's a book you might enjoy: 'The Magnetic North' by Sara Wheeler all about Arctic people.

Me likes
That's some superior travel writing man. You should try and get that published.

Oleg, what you say is exactly true!:)

Evadne, you're son is a unique person. I've read every single post in his travelblog. It's truly amazing story. I really glad that I know him. Not so many people nowadays care about the world where they live in. Ed does.

Lovely pictures
I tried quite hard to find beauty in the town I'm living at, but to no avail. The river is full of drifting debris, its blackened water flows sluggishly among the city's waste. A thin layer of floating oil reflects the colours of rainbow under the blistering sun. Next to it, there is an avalanche of rubbish baked slowly during the day, casts a rotten odor a hundred metres away. There is a historical building as well. It was built during the Dutch colonization: with hundreds of doors and windows, also has dooms and spires, it's called "the house of thousand doors". The homeless take it as their residence and so dogs pee on its wall. ( I think I'm not the best person to promote tourism in my hometown). I've never been to the poles but any cold places look nice to me. In my opinion, the city in your pictures is like Disneyland without Mickey Mouse or Snow white. It's full of colourful castles, buildings and dooms. I could imagine that it contrasts the bleakness of the surroundings and it's very beautiful to my eyes (even the crapdogs lol). Perhaps a city won't look good if you have to work to live in it =)

Великолепное описание Киева.
Readers: lest I be accused of something dishonest, Nastya from this blog is Ana from mine! Great blog Ed, you really do Ukraine justice. I think it's your best set of photos as well. Jon

Ещё отличный блог!
One of your best-written blogs, really enjoyed it (I hope I can say 'enjoyed' since I've seen you since the event happened). For me, the bit about people leaving the metro carriage when they saw you struggling says as much about Russia as any 50,000 word thesis. I trust Moscow's treating you better now, my plans for a trip up in May are still on so I hope you'll still have a spare bed or two.

holy crap
i was thinking about not taking anti malaria medication when i go to central/south america in a few months.... your story has totally changed my mind!!!!