Tieske's Adventures

My sister Gonneke works for KLM. A couple of times each year she is allowed to bring someone on the trip with her. “ Do you want to join me on a work trip to Panama City? We’ll leave on Thursday and be back on Sunday morning." In this phase of my life I’m saying "yes” to almost every opportunity or invitation that comes my way . I get to visit places I wouldn’t have chosen myself and meet people that I otherwise wouldn’t have met. Trying out new things is sometimes uncomfortable, but it makes me feel like I’m living life to the fullest. For some reason that is important to me.  “ Of course I will join you!” I respond to her question as I’m purchasing a highly discounted ‘standby’ ticket. The rules are simple: if there is an empty seat, you can board the plane; if there isn’t, you’ll get your  money back .  A couple of days before our trip it turns out that the flight is overbooked by 7.. “ Don't worry”, my sister reassures me, “ there is always a chance peo...

The last leg on our trip is Singapore, a city and country in one. My friend Jason lives here with his family and he’s picking us up from the airport. As we’re on our way down on the escalator I suddenly hear “ Up Dog”  (related to a joke he used to make when I last saw him 9 years ago) and immediately I know it is him. Singapore Airport is like no other airport I’ve seen so far: it has amazing art and amenities like a pool, a movie theater and water fountains. Jason shows us around the airport (a sight by itself) before he takes us home and introduces us to his family.  Jason is on a temporary assignment in Singapore and found himself an apartment with an amazing view. We quickly drop our stuff and head out to explore the city. Singapore is very different from what we’ve seen in Indonesia. It is more ‘westernized’, way more expensive and there is no trash to be found on the streets. You can’t smoke, eat or drink in public spaces without getting fined heavily. “ Sing...

A boat with a broken air conditioner brings us from the harbor of Gili T to the shores of Bali. From there it is another hour to Ubud with the shuttle bus. The taxi drivers waiting on the dock try to convince us it will be at least 4 hours. “ Come with me! It will be much faster! There will be five stops across Bali and you’ll be in a bus with 20 people!”  We’ve heard about this scam, and kindly decline their offer. We end up in a little bus with 9 people who are all going to the same place. It’s easy to make friends in the bus: “ Where are you from? How long are you staying in Bali?”  When the topic changes to ‘music’, I pull out my ukulele and start playing in the bus. Zach from Canada has been playing the guitar for many years and he picks up the ukulele chords pretty quick. We start jamming together and the other people in the bus sing along. “ Somewhere over the rainbow.. ” So much fun!  When we arrive in Ubud we notice we’re in the jungle as monkeys are l...