Blogs from Pulau Weh, Sumatra, Indonesia, Asia - page 4

On to Palau Weh otherwise known as Sabang What a stunning island fantastic but even now with most of the NGO staff gone from Banda there is an accommodation problem especially at weekends. We arrived at the ferry port and locals sort the transport out part of the way in a bus then they unloaded us into a Taxi. Nice driver who is the main driver for Iboih beach. We wanted to stay at Gapang so he took us round looking for a place Ellie wasn’t feeling to good so looked for AC it was late, we ended up at one of the Government places Laguna Resort big bungalows 250000Rp a night absolutely crap. Toilet stank like a gent’s urinal that had never been cleaned. The rooms are huge soulless and depressing ours had more ants ... read more

Aceh, Aceh, Aceh... So here is the story, We went to Pulau Weh and felt very love/hate about it. YES, it's a beautiful, tropical island, with palm trees everywhere, and soft powdery white sand beaches with the most clear blue water you could imagine. But, perception is always relevant to where you've been and where you are going, I believe. And I have to admit that we have been quite blessed with delicious, deserted, tropical beach paradises already in Indonesia. And as easy as we are to please....the circumstances just weren't right. The first night we got there, it was dark already when we arrived (which always puts a damper on things...especially when it's also raining), We went to check into a bungalow (reputed to be the cleanest on the beach) to find it was completely ... read more

Slung into Singapore our now worldly and bearded boys are on the return journey, the Odyssey has commenced and with it a new chapter of tribulations, considerations and felicitations unfolds. Our stay with the Lion People can only be described as fabulous. This was thanks to our Singapore connection; Sarah. Having been whisked off from the airport we soon found ourselves on the 17th floor of Regency Park. Condominium luxury lifestyle ensued over Gin and Tonics, marble floors and practically panoramic views of the city. We spent our time getting ourselves together, making and executing decisions, preparing and gathering our thoughts. All the while breathing in Singapore’s atmosphere. Hawker centers, Little India, Chinatown, Clarke Quay, Orchard Road and Raffles may sound familiar? Throwing peanut shells at one another in the Long Bar at Raffle’s Hotel, ... read more

Well here’s where things kinda just happened. I returned from my tropical island, and the next day, Nick brought me into the office of the NGO he worked for. He’d already talked to the head office in New York, and they were pretty keen to take me on. In fact they said that if Nick didn’t want me in Aceh, they had work for me in Africa! It was just a case of them checking out my reference - something that I don’t think anyone has ever done for me! Oh yeah and the medical test.... For those of you who don’t know, my biggest phobia in the WHOLE world has been needles. I was convinced that I was physiologically incapable of giving any sort of blood sample. But it only goes to reason that to ... read more