Jay's blog

One morning the kids and I were hanging around outside the EcoRoamer on 26th street in Vancouver. As is often our routine in Vancouver we were thoroughly "loitering" perhaps even stalking, waiting for Hawker's Delight to open at 11. (we have concluded that it is the ONLY place in the Western Hemisphere where one can get Mee Siam for breakfast...) Anyhow...

Some of the best travel advice we've received has come from the "Kindness of Strangers"... I was sitting in the EcoRoamer outside of the Gone Whistler Bakery Cafe (a fantastic stop, with local organic food & great coffee) when "Ray" walks up to the truck and says: "awesome machine. Have you done the Hurley yet?" "ummm, no I don't think so..." "do you know The Hurley?" "nope." "do you even know what the Hurley is?"

The other day, on our way into Prince George, BC we were pulled over by the RCMP. Now, you have to understand I grew up in Ontario, where -between the Metro Police and the OPP- you NEVER have an "interaction" with The Mounties unless:

After a month’s hiatus from the truck, we’re back from the cottage, and on our way to Alaska! Last night we found a great logging road outside of Whistler, BC. – It’s great to be back on the road!

Well, I was supposed to be posting this entry from San Francisco. I was supposed to be warm. I was supposed to catch Delta Airlines flight 721 from JFK today. But alas, we got a light sprinkling of snow (ok, 9 inches actually) and they shut the bloody airports down.

Now, I am still in New Jersey. I am still cold. And I am no closer to getting in the EcoRoamer and enjoying the holidays. In fact quite the opposite. Instead of flying out today (Dec 20) they're now saying the earliest they can get us on a plane is Dec 24th. That's some delay!

We're on our way! ...again

After leaving the truck for 3 months in San Francisco after BurningMan, we are on our way this weekend to go pick it up and start heading east!

Here is the planned route:

Below are some of my favorite, old blog postings from my trips in Indonesia and Nepal. They're ancient, but still fun to read. Enjoy! -Jay.

Well, this time yesterday I didn't think I would be sitting here having a cup ofTeh-Oh (clear tea) on Batam island in Indonesia. Yet another last minute 'impulse-adventure'. Faced with a week off, and the looming probability that I will be leaving Asia in 8 weeks, I decided that I couldn't go home a second time never having been to Singapore's direct neighbor Indonesia. For that matter so long as I was going to go, might as well go all the way and cross into the southern hemisphere which at the ancient age of26 I've never been to! (I think this is the late 20thcentury

Island number two on the journey: Bintan. The boat ride ITomSekupang was gorgeous. It
would up leaving late (even by Indonesian standards) so we went during the sunset. The light was incredible, I think I'm falling in love with the Contax camera that Johann loaned me.

Of course leaving late, means arriving late. The ticket office for my boat to Singkep was closed, so I have to spend the night. I decided that ''Pinang'' looked a little rough to camp anywhere within 200kilometers of, so I came here to ''Bong's Homestay"-Lonely Planet p254.

Where do I even begin to start telling the events of this day?!? It was time to move on to the next island "Pulau Lingga". I cycled back up to Jago on the north coast ofPulau Singkep, where I could catch a 45 minute sampan over to Lingga. I got there around noon and sat down at one of the little drinks stalls to rest from the ride and try to find a boat. There were a few nice guys there and we had a really nice conversation about where they buy their Nike caps, and Polo shirts in Jambi, and did I think they could find a Converse cap like mine in Jakarta?