Tanjung: another big city in Borneo. I was dropped off at a large roundabout by three spritely chicken farmers who’d transported me there in their foul-smelling fowl-moving van. It was dusk. I knew Batulicin, the port city where I’d need…
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I met my next accommodation host at the Port of Balikpapan. She arrived at the worst of all times: I was bored trying to find a place to sit where I’d not have to breath clouds of exhaled cigarette smoke…
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Politics has ruined the planet when it comes to national identities, civic pride and racism. We see social segregation nearly everywhere, from urban planners’ charts to international travel regulations and the bias published in historical accounts. But you know what?…
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Hotels seemed to be becoming a feature of my world record attempt journey around Borneo. Not that I planned it that way; this was how things were materialising for me. As the chauffer drove into Balikpapan, I was notified by…
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The Christian pastor had paid for a new family car to be chauffeured from the house where I was prayed for, all the way to my destination in the city of Balikpapan. The driver, a man getting on in years,…
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Having completed some world record attempt-related evidence processing, I began walking on the road out of Samarinda towards Balikpapan. As usual here in Borneo, friendly locals waved at me and many came running to ask if they could have their…
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Chastised in Borneo is not how most would opt to travel here. I’ve heard so many locals referring to me as mad, and in fact, I agree with this statement. But my crazy brain has noble aims, including the desire…
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My anti-smoking stance will never change, not even in a nation where nearly every male over the age of 16 is a chain smoker. Adverts all over Indonesia promote the habit. I have to give credit where it’s due though:…
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I walked off the jetty in yet another Bornean town the name of which escapes me. All I can remember is its pronunciation sounded similar to “Arnold Schwarzenegger”. It was time to walk again, and this time I was walking…
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Clutching my next speedboat ticket, I descended the concrete steps to the vessel undulating gently against the pier in the wake of small craft dashing around nearby. Seating space was limited and the boat was crammed. I forced my knees…
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