Author Archives: Jessica

Kuala Lumpur

Posted on by under Malaysia

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There are few cities of such constant striking visual contrast as Kuala Lumpur. It’s a sprawling, smoggy, congested city. Like much of Asia, it is undergoing massive expansion, evident by the crane lined skyline and never ending suburbs. Within the city’s center, dirty aged shophouses sit dark in the shadow of behemoth glistening high rises. There is constant juxtaposition, as the sight lines of the city constantly draw your eyes upward, past the colorful squat buildings of KL’s historic core. It is difficult even to describe neighborhoods of KL as within a few blocks there might be a world class mall set on wide, clean streets with high end restaurants and a grungy strip of warn down buildings, cracked dirty streets and a foul aroma. Continue reading →

Singapore

Posted on by under Singapore

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Before our brief foray to this modern anomaly in our southeast Asia adventure I had images of sterility and functionality with little soul to be found, aside from the plentiful food scene created by the mass convergence of cultures. Upon entering the airport it was evident we were miles away from the usual rundown airport with prop planes and tarmacs where passengers wander to what they assume is their plane. The air conditioning was so powerful I spent the majority of the time in customs, which wasn’t much as it was an extremely efficient experience, shivering. Continue reading →

Diving Tulamben

Posted on by under Indonesia

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To dive Tulamben, first you must get to Tulamben, a small community on the northeastern coast of Bali. Instead of chartering a taxi, or shuttle for the 50km stretch from Padangbai we opted to rent a motorbike. As has become the norm since Vietnam. The drive is pretty, though not particularly scenic until the end. Also along the route are pesky checkpoints. We had heard of these, and knew it was difficult not to have to stop at one, but we had forgotten. The ever friendly police here will insist westerners on motorbikes, not bearing international licenses pay a small ($5-15) fine. What they mean by fine of course, is bribe. Ironically, to rent a motorbike you don’t even need to have a drivers license. The fact that this was the first time encountering such a thing is pretty lucky. Corrupt police are ubiquitous throughout Asia. At least these guys were nice about it. Continue reading →

Lombok, the Better Bali

Posted on by under Indonesia

The deserted road wound its way north along the western coast of Lombok. It crested and fell through long lines of palm trees whose roots etched themselves under the cracked dark pavement. Occasionally, the road would twist upwards, skirting the imposing cliffs as the deep blue of the Bali sea opened up before us. Suddenly there would be a magnificent panoramic view, the sea reaching endlessly towards the horizon flanked by empty white sand beach and crumbling cliffs. The sight could be considered a hazard as its captivating and enticing nature could very easily distract those fortunate enough to see it first hand.

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