Stopover in Jakarta

These two giant masks were leaning against a tree behind an abandoned food stall.

I just spent a couple of days in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, The city is huge and its downtown is hyper modern with giant boulevards, high rises, and large plazas and parks. Jakarta is full of gorgeous trees and vines. It is also sinking! Parts of the city are sinking at a rate of 11 inches a year. In response, the city is installing some innovative dams and building a new capital in Nusantara on the island of Borneo. Within the next 20 years, many of Jakarta’s 33 million people will have to relocate as well.

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Manila, the Philippines

Mural in Intramuros, the walled part of Manila the Spaniards built in the 17th century.

The Philippines was never on my short list, but I found a cheap ticket from Tokyo to Manila and I’m glad I had a chance to visit. The people here are very friendly and relaxed. I’m staying in a beautiful neighborhood full of parks, high-rise commercial buildings, and great restaurants. The Philippines seems underrated as a tourist destination — among its 7,641 islands are a lot of gorgeous beaches and it’s very cheap to travel here.

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Konnichiwa Again, Japan

On Friday, I left magical Japan after three weeks there with my sister, Laura.  I’ve written a lot about Japan during previous visits, and this trip was re-visiting a lot of what I loved. https://kimmie53.com/category/japan/  So I decided to write a single post with a few captioned photos. Like a lazy writer writing for lazy readers. Good for everyone.

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North Korea: What to Know Before You Go

North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un. Photo by NBC News

I know, I know, you’re not going to North Korea! But maybe you are interested in a little about my experience there in April 2012. It was the week of Kim Jung Un’s investiture as Supreme Leader, with celebrations and military parades. It was an incredible learning experience and, as usual, there is more to the story than we get from politicians and mainstream media.

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The Other Kind of Riches in Bukhara and Khiva

After a few days in Samarkand, we left for Bukhara. Like Samarkand, Bukhara is full of ancient Arabic architecture and was an important stop on the Silk Road. Today, it’s also an important cultural center, which !ding ding ding! means traditional folk art. Thanks to our delightful tour guide, Zafar, we’ve seen a lot of it and some is surprising

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We’re All Millionaires in Uzbekistan

The Shakhi Zinda Mausoleum in Samarkand

We’re in Uzbekistan and it’s true that we are all millionaires here! That’s because a million Uzbekistan som equals about $80 US. For newcomers, doing the numbers can be tough when you are going through a wad of bills to pay for your $9 lunch. It’s a lot of zeros!

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Oh, Jeddah

This week, we are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We had a few false starts! We arrived with no place to stay thanks to an AWOL Airbnb host, and spent our first night in a hotel room that smelled like…ick. The next day, we showed up for a design workshop that turned out to be 1200 miles away in Dubai. It’s been smoggy, hot, and humid.

Jeddah isn’t what most would consider a tourist destination, and yet there has been a lot here for us, including some things that we maybe didn’t expect.

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