Cristian ianculescu

2015-01-05

There is a battle going on in my hotel room between the insidious smell of raw sewage and the chemical aroma of some sort of air freshener. It is a [...

2015-01-02

A loud crack is followed by the rustle of leaves and finally a thud as a sizable branch lands nearby. I can’t tell exactly where, but it’s not far. She...

2014-10-31

In Yogyakarta we stay in the backpacker district. It’s close to the train station and the Malioboro street, a very long and sticky tourist trap. Malioboro...

2014-10-20

I wake up in the dark to the sound of rain, barely rising over the monotone drone of the rushing river. It’s 3AM, says the momentarily blinding face of...

2014-10-13

Ahmed is the boss, but you wouldn’t know it. He is a soft spoken man who comes and goes silently and mysteriously, like a cat. He could be in his […]...

2014-10-11

The roosters and the mosques are awake. At least two nearby mosques are in competition, and at times the word of Allah comes through jumbled. The hostel...

2014-10-05

The first sultan of Yogyakarta started his reign on a Thursday, in February of 1755. His honorific name was Ngarsadalem Sampeyandalem Hingkang Sinuhun...

2014-10-03

This is dedicated to you, my chocolate loving friends, just in case you were wondering from where your cocoa comes. All over Sumatra one runs into cacao...

2014-10-01

The roads of northern Sumatra can go from superb to nonexistent and back within a few meters. Perfectly serviceable roads fall apart unexpectedly into...

2014-09-29

The flight from KL to the Sumatra island of Indonesia is short and easy. A no-frills affair in a  cheerfully red airplane, with sharply dressed crew....