Hey Mister! Where do you come from??

There seems to be more youngsters than adults in Sumatra.

One boy asked me 'Mister, why is America a 'super power', indonesia has a lot of people, so does America but why is Indonesia bot a success?'

Jungle adventure #1 Trek through the jungle to the top of volcan Sibayak

Location:

Berastagi Sumatra

Objective:

Trek through the jungle to the summit of sibayak, an active volcano

People:

Johannes (German), Karem (guide)

Duration:

1 day

Result:

Machete happy guide, easy trekking, summit climb was hard but worth it, great guacamole on the summit provided by yours truly.

Rating:

B+

With a guide and a guided German, I ascended the smoking giant that pesters the people of berastagi. A tourist hot spot only from one side but from the jungle up, it's a different story. I feel peaceful in the jungle, a place swarming with leeches and stabbing plants. A place Werner Herzog described as 'a land that is full of rape and hate', I feel comfortable not seeing the sun but hearing the sounds of a place the lives off of itself.

The volcano was a nice surprise to a days trek through my most favorite environment.




the crater was crowded with school children, not in school

my finnish friend

So, he has converted to islam. The way he did that was by reciting a few pieces of the qaran out loud in arabic and then getting circumsized on the side of the road by a seventy five year old man.

He will be marrying his bride in two weeks and i have been invited to the wedding.
I think his travel story trumps all others. He now sits outside our guesthouse smiling, wearing a burmese skirt and popping anti biotics. He told me it wasn't so bad and seemed somewhat clean. The 'doctor' gave him a shot in his penis before he trimmed it so it wasn't so painful. The doctor's office was on the side of the road on the outskirts of berastagi. It was tiny room with four wall walls made of rusted tin. When he arrived, the doctor sent his assistant, a little boy on a scooter to go get some medicine. When the boy arrived, he pulled out a pair of scissors from a box and the procedure began.
He said he couldn't watch most of it and had to shew people away who wanted to take pictures. His new bride was glowing when I saw her this morning. She will be moving to finland in a few weeks for a new life out of sumatra. A very interesting story that I will continue to update.
Not all relationships are so simple.

Berastagi Sumatra Indonesia

Finally out of the city and into the mountains, it's cold, cramped and beautiful, just how I like it.
I climb sibayak tomorrow, an active and impressive volcano. Traveling with a guide and a german tourist who just finished uni, we will travel through the jungle chasing the hornbills, up the less traveled side of the fuming giant and down to the local hot springs for a cleansing.

I traveled here with a middle aged finnish man I met in Medan. He told me about the beauties of Berastagi and I don't mean the landscape. He had been here a year ago on holiday when I fell for a young muslim girl selling chicken soup in the market. He followed her for days until they developed a relationship. The fin fell in love and is now back a year later to ask her to marry him and move to Finland with him. He is meeting the family today and see if they approve. He will have to convert to islam and pay the family a hefty fee. I could tell he was nervous but he also seemed so convinced that this is the right thing for him. I am excited to hear how it goes, we are meeting tonight for some thai whiskey. I wish him the best of luck with the muslim father.

correction

okay, so medan really isn't that bad, I mean it is a shit hole but a nice one!

I got a new phone and sim card, holla at me if you're in indo.

0821 63 085337

go to indonesia.....

...but don't stay in medan, this place really is a shit hole.

The indian people are nice though.

my gear

self proclaimed Thai robber of banks

and I believe him!

some more akha friends

it is easier to just buy them food than keep buying bracelets, you get the bracelets for free and get to learn some akha culture in return. next time i'm in chiang mai, I will have a village to stay in!

my thai massage teacher mon

I touched every part of her body! I am now certified in foot reflexology and basic thai massage, it's a lot of fun! I was very sore after my first day, it's hard work so tips are appreciated!

indonesians are really hands on people I am learning

are they just weird or gay, probably a little of both they really like to touch my arm hair. As I'm writing this a strange indian indonesian is caressing my arm hair calling me his little brother. I think it is time I turn in for the night.

medan indonesia

I might have a new favorite country in asia.

doo doo doo doo tur tam...

You can't come to thailand and not hear this song. It might be the new national anthem, with respect to the king.

Tomorrow

I am starting a thai massage course. 40 bucks an hour when I get back to the states

my last travel photo with marco

I traveled with marco to korea, the philippines, malaysia and thailand. He is an awesome travel buddy and I will miss him! We had some tremendous luck along the way, met a lot of really amazing people, koreans, greeks, uzbeks, akhas, brits just to name a few. This was marco's first time out of the country but I promise you he will be back as soon as he can! Congrats marco on a job well done. Now he is flying from bangkok to seoul and then seoul to los angeles, have a good flight bro!

notice he's wearing a korean tee shirt, he took my advice.

yellow lights are the passage to freedom

here's a tip, where a shirt that says 'korea' and you will become friends with koreans, if that's your thing.

My Akha friends!!!

dow and wan, they are amazing! They reminded me of my time living with Akha people in northern thailand. They have such a great spirit and personality. The little girl was actually burmese but she is adorable and I had to throw in the picture.

The Grand Palace