Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Balikpapan to Pare Pare, Sulawesi

Anna's entry:
The only reason for coming to Balikpapan was to catch a big boat for crossing straight East from Indonesian Borneo to Sulawesi. Balikpapan is a wealthy town due to the discovered oil reserves, which comes with an attached price accommodation tag; there isn't actually that much to see there. We chose to stay away from the center to avoid tourists and get a better hotel rate. The hotel we found was actually pretty decent - old colonial building with inner court yard, balconies, and tables covered in table cloth! When we saw it from outside, we thought it would be pricey, but there were economy rooms available for around 10USD and that even included a better than usual breakfast (sticky rice in coconut curry gravy with vegetables). In the evening we ventured to get some food, there were lots of street stalls frying and cooking up quick eats. We lined up to try some deep fried breads and donut-like pastries. For some reason, the stall owner disregarded us at first, and he was quickly scalded by a local lady who told him to serve us up. Yes - that's a big difference between Indonesia and Vietnam - locals do stick up for you here. Anyway, the stall owner felt apologetic, and added an extra pasty for free. We also tried saute (presumably chicken) BBQ's pieces along with a peanut sauce, it was OK, but not that great.... And, for dessert we got martubak - a large thick fried pancake filled with chocolate sprinkles (Dutch influence) and sweet condensed milk. The latter was nice and feeling, for around .50 cents.
The next morning we headed out to the harbor to board the large Pelni boat for the overnight crossing to Sulawesi. The trip was supposed to be around 14 hours, however, the ship was delayed by about 4 hours, and over all the trip took about 20 hours. The Pelni ship experience deserves a special entry, and not a favorable one. The boat was grossly oversold by at least 300 passengers (profit justifies the danger); the life jackets were locked up (and there weren't enough of them any way); our assigned beds were taken by other passengers; the smoke veil was covering all decks; people were laying on the floor, on the stairs, on the deck - it looked like a sight after the war, or an over-booked Titanic. We tried to get our assigned seats back, but no one cared or helped. Eventually, I tracked down some officer in charge, and he motioned us to follow him. He brought is to the "Crew Only Area" - behind the closed doors there was an AC area, and we could sleep on the floor. That seemed like the best option at a time and we took it. We locked us backpackers to the rail, and settled for the night. The included in the ticket price food was horrible - plain rice with stinky fish head, or some other unknown part of the body. But at least, we did not have any smoke in our area. The bathrooms were far away - many did not have the actual toilet (not even the squat one), and I had to pee into the whole in the floor - a shower area. A lady helped me to figure some things out by pouring water into a plastic scoop and motioned me into a toilet stall. Luckily, I found a shower that was not broken, and I was able to wash away the pouring sweat off. When heading to a so called bathroom, I had to walk around people's bodies covering all the floor space, stepping over their heads, hands, legs; most of the stair cases were also covered in sleeping bodies. Shame on you Pelni company for over-selling the vessel by that many people, and potentially jeopardizing the lives! Only recently, the ferry between Malaysia and Indonesia sunk, and hundreds of oversold passenger drowned - no additional boats or life jackets. The greed for profit is disgusting, and the attitude is a demonstration of the 3rd world politics of ignorance and indifference. Shame on you, Pelni!
We were able to meet a very nice family when sleeping in crew quarters though, the kids really liked us, and kept visiting us. The lady of the family also was very sweet, and she even invited us to her brother's wedding. That softened our over-all experience.
We also had a very strange night visit. Around mid-night, a door to the crew quarters opened up, and a lady followed by a man walked in and sat down next to Rob sleeping on the floor. She began holding Rob's hands, hugging him, and calling him her father. I was more awake, and had to come to Rob's rescue. The woman eventually left, and we wandered if she was a prostitute, thieve, tried to plant something into Rob's pockets, or just crazy. Luckily, she was the latter, and we found out that she was disturbing everyone all night, by banging and shouting at people's cabins. In Indonesia there aren't apparently that many mental institutions, and the mental illness is in the care of the family. In this woman's case, her brother, who could only apologize for the actions of his mentally disturbed sister, and by just following her around the ship from deck to deck, from cabin to cabin...
Eventually the night was over, we reached the port of Pare Pare, and disembarked. After another couple of hours of waiting, we finally boarded a bus towards Tana Toraja - the unique area of Sulawesi known for its elaborate funeral and burial ceremonies... The details will be posted soon.



Waiting for a long delayed Pelni boat....



posted by Rob and Anna @ 11:16 PM 0 comments

Berau to Samarinda, East Coast Borneo

Anna's entry:
We finally made it back to Berau, Kalimantan from the Derawan Island. We arrived early in the morning, and our plan was to continue our journey the same day to the next town Samarinda. It would be a long 17-hour night bus ride... We wanted to time our arrival to Samarinda at a reasonable morning hour, and for that purpose wanted to leave Berau around 3 p.m. After being "assaulted" by a crowd of bus touts, we eventually gathered that, indeed, there was a 3 p.m. bus, and that we would have to be at a bus station by 2:30. We had about four hours, so the four of us (Dutch couple we met on Derawan, Rob and myself) decided to grab something to eat and check our emails. Our Dutch friends decided to take a local taxi, and we decided to walk around. By walking around we were heartily greeted by hundreds of hellos, high-fives, and shouts from everywhere "Hello, Mr!". We found a small Muslim family restaurant and got some good food with local honest price. We also picked up some food for the road - freshly BBQ'd chicken , rice, and several sauces to go with. Then, we headed out back to the bus station. It was exceptionally hot that day, and I had not been feeling so good. When we approached the bus stand, the touts again began jumping all over us trying to pursuade us to catch a 2 p.m. bus that looked in a poor condition and very uncomfortable. They kept yelling it was the last bus for the day, but we refused to board it. The more they insisted to board, the more we wanted to resist. In the past our approach served us well. This time, however, the touts were telling the truth - the 3 p.m. bus was canceled. Apparently, our Dutch friends had given in - and took off with an earlier one (which they regretted as they got a bus driver from hell who had no hesitation to risk the passenger lives on night mountain roads). We, on the other hand, decided to stay behind. Eventually, touts calmed down, and started giving us a more accurate info for the next day. Rob and I decided to spend a day in Berau and take off the next day. It turned out a great decision - the town was very welcoming (we had the entire school of kids welcoming us), Rob found an internet cafe to catch up on emails (and, imagine that, was not even charged for the use!), and got a lot more comfortable bus the next morning with a careful driver. In addition, the hotel we stayed at had a movie channel and Russian news channel, and most importantly I needed a day of rest - my stomach was raising hell with me, which required frequent (every 25 minutes) toilet runs - imagine dealing with this on a 17-hour night bus. Anyway, the next morning I was feeling a lot better, and we headed out back to the bus station. By then, touts knew us, and treated us very friendly - no hassle or hustle, talked to us about their country, and even offered us a smoke, which of course we refused, but a friendly gesture we appreciated. Speaking about a smoke - the whole country men's population seems to be addicted to it. The cigarettes are very cheap, the whole pack is about 1USD, and men light up every minute. Now, imagine a 17 hour bus ride turning into an ash tray.... The bus itself was very comfortable with nice recliner seats, and Rob and I had two seats each; however, the mountain roads very narrow and bumpy, and the entire bus was filled with a constant cigarette smoke. By the time we reached Samarinda - our next destination point - we were longing for a breath of fresh air.
It was difficult to get fresh air in Samarinda - constant traffic created constant pollution, cars, trucks, vans, taxis, and again lots of young kids on scooters and motorbikes. As we were told later on, if a kid is tall enough he/she can "buy" the motorcycle license, huh?? We thought Indonesia was supposed to be poor? It certainly does not fit into the definition when we see zipping by motorcycles operated by 8-year olds dressed in a nice Western clothing with mobile phones in their hands... Yes - we see occasional poverty, but it is definitely not the norm...
Samarinda also seemed pricey. We got a very basic room for around 10 USD - the personnel and included breakfast were nice, but for this kind price in Asia we are accustomed to get a lot higher standard. Let me put it this way, in Cambodia or Vietnam for a 10-USD room we would often be able to find a boutique hotel version with a satellite TV, small fridge, fresh towels with soaps and toothpaste. Not in Samarinda - you'd have to triple your budget to get something like that...
However, the stop in Samarinda was definitely worth it - we were able to re-connect with our new friend Erlin who we'd met on the Derawan Island. We were very happy to see Erlin - she introduced us to her friends, and local food specialties, took us to neighboring towns, and we made a trip together to Pampang - a village that was supposed to have local indigenous group with stretched out ear lobes and traditional tattoos. We saw some of them, but those were performers, so the whole stretched ear lobe tradition in Pampang seems to be a thing of the past - don't believe the guidebooks. Spending time with our new local friend Erlin was the highlight of our stop in Samarinda, and eventually it was time to depart for Balikpapan, further South on the Kalimantan coastline.







With our new friend Erlin in her home town Samarinda




posted by Rob and Anna @ 11:09 PM 2 comments

Derawan Island, Indonesian Borneo

Anna's entry:
Pulau means "island" in Indonesian language. We chose Pulau Derawan (Indonesian Borneo) for several reasons - it is off the beaten track, and it is supposed to be home to manta rays and giant sea turtles, which are becoming increasingly extinct due the climate change, dying coral, and human greed - remember those turtle souvenirs such as jewelry boxes and bracelets? Anyway, to get to the island used to be easier in the past - currently, however, there is no direct boat, so we had to make quite a few connections in between. To be exact, we had to make four connections: Tarakn-Tanjung Selor by boat-Tanjung Selor to Berau by kijang (car)-Berau to Tanjung Batu by another kijang-Tanjung Batu to Pulau Derawan by speed boat. The latter leg of the journey could be also done by a local fishing boat (free), unless you are a foreigner then it is around 20USD established by the Derawan cartel. Yes - when we attempted to board a local (free boat), our access was physically blocked by the speed boat positioned itself between us and the local boat. It was very clear the Derawan cartel (or should we call it bluntly Derawan transportation mafia?) did not want any profit losses by allowing us to join the locals on their boat. Anyway, eventually we ended up on the island. We found a place to stay built on stilts right over the water (the ocean that is), and the very next morning we saw a few giant turtles casually swimming right under our window. Actually, attached to our building there was a long wooden pier extending onto the water, and we frequently could observe the turtles swimming around. I decided to jump in a water and snorkel around our place. A local guy jumped with me, and kept pointing out the direction the turtles were swimming. Those were giant graceful sea turtles, some we at least one meter in diameter. I came very close to one of them - a poor thing had only three legs - it was obvious that the fourth one was cut off by a propeller of a speed boat. I gave the turtle extra space to swim away from me, I could tell that she had seen plenty of harassment from humans in her life time. Later on we shared the story with a nice Dutch couple that we met on the island; and when asked a local guy to make an effort and slow speed boats down when entering the harbor (to give turtles a chance to swim away from a very fast approaching vehicle), got the following answer - there are many turtles, why bother? Unfortunately, the Indonesian mentality extends far beyond the turtles - majority of coral reefs have been bombed (for easier fishing) and poisoned by cyanide (another way of fishing). Another matter of fact of living here is to treat the ocean as one big dump - that applies to trash (such as plastic bags and wrappers), and any other non-wanted household disposal. You have something to throw away - use the ocean.
I must admit that out of numerous countries we have traveled through, Indonesia comes pretty close to the top for ocean abuse. That came quite as a surprise, as Indonesia used to be known for excellent diving and snorkeling, but that seems to have become a thing of the past.
However, to be very objective, I must admit that we were able to find several unforgettable experiences. We chartered a boat (unfortunately had to pay a hefty amount for local standards) a couple of times to explore mostly uninhabited islands. One of the islands, called Maratua, had a better reef and we were able to see a lot more giants sea turtles. Another island, called Karaban (also known as Kakuban), has a lake right in the center (that used to be a part of the ocean). The intriguing lake is a home to thousands, maybe even millions, of jelly fish - they lost their sting, and now are completely harmless. This could be the only place in the world with a phenomena like that. It was an absolutely surreal experience swimming with them -you could hold the jelly fish in your hands, they come and gently touch your body, some continue swimming with you or around you. It looked like a hypnotic slow waltz under the water. This was probably the most relaxing soothing experience we've had under the water. As our Dutch friend pointed out, the only thing missing was a classical music under the water.
And the third island we explored was Sangalaki - the best spot to see magnificent manta rays. The four of us (a Dutch couple, Rob and myself) chartered an old fishing boat to get there. Unfortunately, that morning the wind picked up which created bigger waves, currents, and more challenging snorkeling at a relatively deep waters. As a matter of fact when we jumped off the boat in search of manta rays, we also began seeing lightning on the horizon followed by loud thunder. It all added to the experience. Fortunately, we were able to see about a dozen of giant mantas, a couple of them came very close to us, and we were able to see in detail their magnificent graceful bodies. Seeing even a single manta is always a big hit with divers, and there we were seeing dozens of mantas while snorkeling without any time constraints. That's one of the reasons, we have been giving diving a pass, and concentrating our efforts on snorkeling. Anyway, even though the snorkeling was challenging that day, seeing mantas was definitely worth it. The only two challenges we encountered were these - I had a hard time getting back on the boat (rocky waves, no ladder, and just couldn't pull myself back up from the water), and our Dutch friend got very sea sick, again due to the very rocky conditions.
There was another very special thing we encountered on Sanglaki island. This is the place for giant see turtles come to lay their eggs. Besides, the island caretaker, we were the only people on the island at that time. It happened so, that during our island exploration, about a dozen eggs began hatching. Some eggs were buried too deep, and we gave some digging-out assistance to baby turtles. The last one had a really hard time climbing out of the sandy hole, so Rob gave it a lift in his hand. Baby turtle easily fit in in the Rob's palm of the hand. Dozens of baby turtle's siblings already were running towards the ocean. Rob put the newly born on top of the sand, but it refused to follow its siblings. Instead it was staying next to Rob - the three of us and an island caretaker began teasing Rob about him being the turtle's new mommy. Eventually, after a gentle push, and having rested, the baby turtles began climbing towards the ocean, and disappeared in in its waves. Will it survive? Will we ever have an opportunity to encounter it as a grown-up ocean giant?
I also have to describe the fishing boat we hired to get to the islands. It was an old outrigger, long over due for upgrades, with stinky exhaust, and questionable stability. As a matter of fact, we were very fortunate not to encounter the storm that day - the storm occurred a day later - we think we could have faced a hard time getting back to the shore if the storm persisted... Also, our boat captain, Hassan, played a trick on us. It was getting late, and Hassan wanted to head out back. The four of us, on the other hand, wanted to stay a little longer and snorkel in one of the calm bays we anchored at. So, while snorkeling around the uninhabited island, we saw Hassan starting the boat engine. We thought he would get closer and pick us up, but instead we saw him taking off. We shouted to get his attention, but instead he kept getting further and further from us. We began wondering if he'd intentionally left us on that uninhabited island, and if we were in trouble. However, a few minutes later he turned his boat around, and came back laughing. We were relieved, and his hint "time to go" was very well taken; without further reminders we quickly climbed the boat and headed out back to Derawan. It was definitely a good plan, as it took us at least two hours to get back, and by the time we approached our settlement, the sunset has started. I also should mention that the later part of journey, Hassan was driving his boat with his feet - yes, his feet. So, besides all the wild life encounter, we learnt a couple of new ways of boat navigation.
While on the Derawan Island, we met a local girl April. We became friends and were invited to her home for traditional Muslim celebration - end of Ramadan. Altogether between 20 and 40 people were gathered on the floor, and we had an opportunity to meet most of the family. Later on we were also invited to the traditional wedding ceremony, with traditional music, dancing, and drums played by the women. Over all, the Derawan life seems very easy and laid back. Nobody locks their doors, there was always some kind of activity going on, kids are constantly smiling and giving you high-five. The disappointment to us, however, was to see young kids on scooters and motorcycles. Why do you need a motorcycle on such a small island, can't you just bicycle? The planet is already in trouble, and if such a small island is used by 8-year olds driving motorcycles, we have no hope for improved climate change...
Also, while on the island, we met a group of educated Indonesians whose hobby was photography. Rob quickly gained an excellent reputation among them, and ended up teaching them digital photography. We were invited to the BBQ on the deck under the starry sky, and made a very good friend - Erlin - who we would connect later on in her home town Samarinda.
Eventually, it was time for us to leave. Again, our attempts to join a local (free) boat to get to the "mainland" (Kalimantan Island that is) were futile. The island boat cartel won again by leaving us only option - to hire speed boat. The Dutch couple and us decided to split the expense. However, after leaving the island, the boat motor failed, and we had to change boats without returning to the dock. Approaching the other side, the speed boat "cowboy" attempted to charge more money, but had no chance. The four us were already pieced at the whole cartel transportation monopoly, and unlike other gullible tourists had our principles in tact.
With an exception of the transportation cartel issues, we had a good time on Derawan, and our memories will forever hold giant sea turtles, manta rays, baby turtles, stingless jelly fish, numerous lion fish, colorful sting rays, and numerous exotic fish species....






















posted by Rob and Anna @ 10:53 PM 0 comments

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Tawau to Tarakan, Borneo

Anna's entry:
We chose to cross the Malaysia-Indonesia border by boat, making a crossing from Tawau to Tarakan. Surprisingly for the border town and a port, Tawau was pleasant and very friendly. We didn't spend too much time here, but while there, were treated very well and felt welcome.
The boat price went way up in price (and not the quality), the sailing was delayed by two hours, the passengers were friendly but very loud (lots of kids and shouting), and getting to the bathroom was an experience in itself. You would have to climb piles of boxes, seats and people, but that part didn't bother me too much. What happened after the arrival was another story....

We arrived into a port of Tarakan (Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo) a lot later than expected due to a long delayed departure from the Malaysian side. That meant no currency exchange options. The port was located about 4km out of town, and not having a local currency, we couldn't really use a pubic bus service, so we started to walk. We decided to walk for about 2km, and find the place to stay on the South end of town. The first km, the second km.... Where is that edge of town? We asked locals for directions and they told us we were on the right way, we just have to walk further. So we did, but walking further just didn't seem getting us closer to town. It was getting dark, we didn't have any local money, and we didn't have a place to stay yet... We were welcomed by hundreds hello's, smiles, and waiving hands, but still no edge of town was in sight... We kept walking with our huge backpacks, sweaty and tired, politely responding to all the smiles and hellos. How much further do we need to walk? At one of the corners a local guy welcomed us and asked where we were going. We told him "Yos Sudarso". He told us we were still about 4 km away. He motioned us to sit down on the bench next to his shop while he began talking to another young guy. Then, he said he had two motorcycles, and that he and his friend could give us a ride to town. Not having many options we decided to do it. They gave us helmets, and we were off on the motorcycles though busy streets, we realized how far we would have had to go if not for this ride offer. The motorcycle was designed for one person, so there was no support for the feet, and yet we managed to fit two people, one large backpack, and one small day backpack. They dropped us off at the hotel we wanted to stay at only to find out that all rooms were full. We felt bad keeping them late and offered to pay for the ride. They refused to take it, but we insisted and they highly appreciated it. They were still worried about us not being able to find a place to stay and kept offering their help. We told them the name of another hotel that we could consider, and we were off again on the motorcycles to our next destination. Luckily, that hotel had rooms available, so we were OK, or were we? Apparently, the hotel had to have payment before the check-in (which we normally do)m but wait, we still don't have a local currency, and all the money change facilities are closed... The guy at the reception did not speak English, but through a gesture language and writing, Rob was able to explain the situation and offered to give $8 (hotel cost) until the next morning when we could exchange some local money. The receptionist agreed, and Rob followed the same approach in securing a couple of cheap delicious Nasi Goreng's (fried rice with vegetables, chilies, and fried egg) from a street stall seller.
We took a cold bucket shower (cold water and a bucket is often the only option in SE Asia), and were ready for a good night sleep. Around 5 a.m. I was woken up by a local mosque call - the singing is conducted in the microphone so that the residents could join in prayer even if they were a air distance away from the mosque. At 5:15 another mosque joined in singing, also in microphone. And, and 5:30 a.m. The third mosque joined in. So, there we had it, beautiful exotic voices singing all over the town roofs until around 5:45 a.m. At 6 a.m. we finally went back to sleep, however, about 30 minutes later were woken up by persistent knocking on the door. What now? We opened the door - the hotel guy was standing with a smile and a tray. "Breakfast, breakfast," he said. The tray had two cups of tea and two cups of coffee so we could choose, and carefully prepared toasts, without a crust, with pineapple jam. How could we be mad at being woken up when such an attention to detail was given? I must say, the coffee was absolutely great - fresh and delicious, if not counting the numerous grinds that were not sifted. No prob on my end.
That morning, we put currency exchange on priority, but the (mis)adventures continued. We visited every bank in town to find out they do not accept AmericanExpress Traveler's checks. We came back with cash for exchange to find out that either the banks did not want US dollars, or they want only 100 USD note bills. What?? Apparently, local people want only 100 USD notes, and smaller ones are not "in style". Are you kidding me? I thought Indonesia is supposed to be poor? OK, we came back to the back the third time with 100 USD notes, but this time we were told that only the bills with H and F series were accepted, while ours were B and C's. Are we in twilight zone?? We went back and forth in circles for about 4 hours trying to exchange the money and no bank wants the USD. Is this for real? Is the US economy really that bad that even the developing world countries do not care to have the dollars? Then, we considered using ATMs, nope, not going to work - only 100 USD withdrawal max per day with huge fees. Finally, we went to our last option - private money changer, the only one in town. And, much to our misbelieve were able to exchange the USD (including smaller denomination bills) at a reasonable rate, yes, that happens sometimes. Finally we could pay for our room, get some food, and plan our next step. What a relief...
We headed out to get some food, which was somewhat scarce in Tarakan during the daylight hours. We found a street stall that happened to be right next to the guy selling live chickens. The guy helped us to figure out what the food items were, and we had a decent snack.
The next stop was to find out the boat situation to our next place - Pulau Derawan. Should be pretty easy I thought. Not really, the information in our guide book was outdated (not the first time), no one spoke English, and boat ticket office was unreachable. Kalimntan (Borneo) has very limited roads, and a lot of the travel is done by water ways. Eventually, we found out our plan of action. No, there is no direct boat. We'll have to take a boat, bus, another bus, and another bus. OK, it is going to be another long day.
We stayed another night in Tarakan, had another coffee-toast breakfast the next morning at 6 a.m., and we off to the boat pier. It was raining, we were still tired. Why are we doing this? As we walking through the puddles of water carrying our heavy backpacks, a local man on a motor bike honked at us, have a big smile and big thumbs up. And then, it occurred to me... Maybe it is not always about our strengths, maybe it is our weaknesses that make us appreciate and accept who we are? Maybe we learn and become stronger when we feel weak, and maybe it is OK not to have all the answers all the time.
Being welcomed constantly by complete strangers, friendly hello's and waving hands, we finally considered a possibility that Indonesia may just become a big hit.


Note kitty on top of something in a grocery store...


Boat from Tawau to Tarakan

posted by Rob and Anna @ 6:00 AM 1 comments

Sungai Kinabatangan, Borneo



Anna's entry:

As described in the entry below, we finally made it to Sukau, Kinabatangan. We settled in a quiet place built right over the river. Our purpose coming here was to try and see some wild life, or whatever is left from it. Kinabatangan used to be an unpeneratable rain forest, but with roads built it turned into a combination of a rain forest and palm plantations. There are still relatively untouched pockets remaining however, and it became a home to a surprising amount of wild animals. Actually, just by hanging around our place we encountered a large number of hornbills and wild macaques. We chose to take a river around the forest in attempt to locate some animals. We met an Australian couple, who fortunately were similar to our mentality - no rip off practices and pro wild life preservation; we hired a local guy and a boat, and split our expenses (it turned out to be very reasonable vs.. the standard outrageous tour package amount other tourists choose to pay). The river exploration turned out to be very successful. We encountered between 15 and 20 wild pigmy elephants (the best highlight), lots of proboscis monkeys (with cute long noses and striking similarity to humans), macaques, monitor lizard, lots of exotic birds, etc. We returned back at the sunset excited and happy.
We spent more leisurely time walking around the village and checking out more wild macaques, and prepared for our departure. We refused a "convenient" transportation with an over-charged price tag attached, and opted out for a creative hitching method. As Rob predicted, it turned out to be successful. First, we got a free ride from a Wold Wild Life Fund guys, who apparently have a representation in Sukau; then paid for a 40-km ride from a local guy, and then were able to stop a mini bus on the highway heading exactly where we needed to go. In addition to not giving in to a rip-off practices and saving the transportation costs, we got an extended cultural exchange which doesn't have a price tag attached.

Now, listen up, you foreign tourists who allow to get ripped off every step of your way, coming up with a cope out excuses and justifications. No - you do not need to get ripped off because you are outsiders. No - you do not need to justify lack of time of finding an honest seller. No - you do not need to encourage a rip off practice by dishonest people pretending you care about their "poverty". Let me ask you this - if you really care for someone who is truly poor, WHY can't you take a little more time and give your money to an honest seller asking you for an honest price instead of giving your money to a ripping off asshole, who is far from being poor??? Stop and think about it, and stop it spoiling for everyone else after you including both the honest locals and thinking travelers.





posted by Rob and Anna @ 5:57 AM 0 comments