Broken Bridge Yeah, I got the impression that the government mostly catered to South Tarawa where the population is most dense. I'm glad we had a team check out the island as a whole, it was wonderful to see the bridge completed finally.
Now I'm reading "The Sex Lives of Cannibals", all about Kiribati as well and it reminds me so much of the time we spent there. A must read if you're interested in Kiribati!
broken bridge of buota we've been thre may 2009 and the bridge was still broken.when we asked the people when the bridge will repaired they told us:in the future.we think,without foreign help the would have been fixed"in the future",because the people of buota had no hope that the government would arrange something because buota is not really "south tarawa"and the government only serves items of the south.
Hans from germany
Ruins! Krysten, only you could be so sure that you were going to break down that the crotch rocket actually heard you and ran over a nail or whatever! The real ruins are in Tulum, next time you go that's the place to visit and not so much on the commercial stuff as right at Playa del Carmen! At least you're warm and have some sun, SOUTH Carolina does not deserve the South part of the title here! Love Capt Ray
Cruise ship divers Lets be honest Krysten, people who go on these diving trips on cruise ships cannot be allowed to do it on their own and its best for the wildlife that they only be allowed in the water for half an hour!! Love Capt Ray
Good Times Hey Girly!
Great to have a running partner for our fancy vacation! I have NEVER worked out or even contemplated working out on a vacation before this one! Thanks for the buddy motivation! Glad you made it home safe!
Love ya!
Dunn's River Falls Too bad about the concrete. The last time I went up it was very slippery but don't remember when that was but know that Butch and Kenny were still in high school so must have been the 80's. I also remember guys chasing Butch and Kenny around trying to sell them drugs on the street. Happy New Year! Ellie
Culture shock is necessary Thanks you two! Yeah, it amazes me at many tourists naivete when they go to a new country... unimaginable to me that people thought this was a real Haitian town. That donkey ride sounds cool, I'll have to keep Cap Haitien in mind if I ever do that again. :) Love you guys, happy new year!
Fake Town How cynical to create a fake town so that most ordinary Haitians cannot profit from their own entrepeunerial spirits. Ray and visited Cap Haitian on a cruise ship in the 70's and took a donkey ride high into the mountains to the Citadel built by Henre' Christophe after the Slave Rebellion. It was a cultural shock for most from the ship but having grown up in Appalachia not so much for Ray and me. The tragedy of Haiti is one of the sadist stories of civilization and some insight can be had by reading Jared Diamond's COLLAPSE. Happy New Year! Love, Ellie
Cruises! Krysten, I always had to answer the question "why would a Navy guy go on a cruise for a vacation?" All I could say was "there is no comparison between this cruise ship and what happens on it and a US NAVY Submarine!" Miss Ellie and I love cruises. On our first one we visited Cap Haitien and bought this wooden mask thingy, its still on our wall after all these years! Sounds like you're having some well deserved and truly enjoyable time off. Love your blog as usual. Well done on the run, you still look as great as ever. Love Capt Ray
TG they're okay @ Lupe's It was good to read your article, reminisce with your photos and read other's contributions and updates. It is such a beautiful island, the Samoans are beautiful people and David and I are pleased to hear Sala and Nikka and their children are safe. We commend them on their enthusiasm and determination to rebuild and live on despit the devastation of the Tsuname. God bless Samoa... Sydney, Australia.
Lots of love Capt Ray, don't even think about it! You guys have always been so supported and the best adopted counterparts I could ask for! That's why I tell everyone that you guys are practically my Godparents. I just get tired of hearing the "bring the boys home" when so many sisters and daughters could use the support too. Love you guys and happy holidays. Wish I could come for a visit!
Thank you for your support! It means a lot. Feel free to subscribe to my blog, I'm taking a much needed vacation and will be writing from the Caribbean next. Happy holidays!
You can only offend people who cant see things clearly or those people that benefit from this culture of corruption, which are less than human anyway. Keep blogging. I enjoy reading your blogs.
Wonderful! Krysten, what a story, and you tell it so well. Now of course I am sorry we didn't send you anything for Christmas or Thanksgiving although we talked about you during Thanksgiving Dinner because you always came when you were here and we missed you!
You are a strong woman though, very talented and georgeous and that's still a threat to most of the world for sure, and some of the Western World. You seem to understand that and work through it without accepting it because its truly goofy! Anyway, we love you and miss you and love these travel blogs and your ability to tell it like it is. One of your great talents! Love Capt Ray
Thanks for your comments! I hope that my blog wasn't offensive to you or anyone else from the Philippines. I think the country is so beautiful and the culture/people is richly colorful as well, I just wish it could advance as it should without the restrictions of corruption. It's hard to understand how someone can "work for the people" yet not see that they are simply barring the way for their success and departure from deep poverty.
If you were "frustrated and disappointed" with corruption. I was simply disgusted and crushed after working for three years for anti-poverty efforts in the Philippines. Solving poverty is hard enough, but when you are doing it in an atmosphere of corruption deeply woven in the fabric of the society, then the battle is a no win situation. That is why I just left my country.
I thank and pray that there are people like you. I hope your passion will not be diminished as mine did.
Write a book! Krysten, I swear, you are good at writing this blog. Maybe you should consider keeping really good notes, no one like you has written a book about deploying on a Navy ship. Or if they did, it wasn't very good! Anyway, I'm so happy to see you are having fun, must be lowering your stress level, etc! We missed you at Thanksgiving, so badly that we went to Greenville with Butch and EC and had Thanksgiving with EC's parents. Very nice! Take care, we love you, Capt Ray and Miss Ellie
OH MY GOD Krysten, are you out of your mind!! You know these guys or gals or whatever "go Off" sometimes here in the states!! Well, at least you made it alive to write the piece!! Its so nice to see you and Jeremy together, about time!! (I bet you two agree)! We miss you and love you, take care so far from home. Capt Ray
Lupe's thanks for the pictures
I enjoyed browsing though your pictures and notice the ones at Lupes bar owned by by my family.
OMG my little cousins a all grown up miss them so much
Im so glad that their all safe after that tragic tsunami, but the good news is that the Bar is up and running again thanks again for the uploads..miss my home
Wow Hey honey, i got a little of your distaste from your earlier pictures and discussions, but nothing to the level of this blog. That was very informative and heartfelt. I can just see you cradling this little puppy while those people were laughing, man it makes my blood boil! Glad you are who you are my love. -Jer
Lupe's Sorry I don't have an address for them... the ABC news clip was just a general one about the tsunami... only caught part of it on the ship. I'm still at sea doing humanitarian operations for Indonesia. Sorry I don't have more info.
Parvati
Parvati
Broken Bridge
Yeah, I got the impression that the government mostly catered to South Tarawa where the population is most dense. I'm glad we had a team check out the island as a whole, it was wonderful to see the bridge completed finally. Now I'm reading "The Sex Lives of Cannibals", all about Kiribati as well and it reminds me so much of the time we spent there. A must read if you're interested in Kiribati!