Matharu's Rants and Raves » Antarctica

New York City! Woohoo!

Kulvinder Matharu — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:28:04 +0000

Just spend a few days (23 May – 27 May) in New York City for a reunion with fellow travellers from the 2007 Antarctica trip. The weather cooperated too! The motley crew consisted mostly of this lot (showing our first tentative steps at building a snowman in Antarctica):

Anyway, the views from our host’s apartment were pretty decent, both night and day!

Apartment night view – Brooklyn Bridge:

Of course I’m going to come back…I want to see those views again! I think that I was last here in 1993. Now that was a long time ago!

I suppose the NYC trip can best be summed up in a few words. Food, drinks, and more food and drinks

There was more to it than that of course. There was a bit of shopping in which everyone participated. The girls went shopping for clothes and shoes; the guys went shopping for gadgets and software! Is that stereotyped or what!

Having said all that, Audrey did go looking for a good point-and-shoot digital camera. And I think the girls certainly bought some some cool clothes, oh yea!

So, what do you do on a hot day in New York City? Go to Central Park!

And for something a bit more adventurous, you go to Coney Island!

Now that was fun! The roller-coaster “Cyclone”…oh yes! And a centrifugal contraption, oh boy! Thanks Michelle, I loved that centrifuge!

So, thank you Audrey, Raldi, Jason, Michelle and Laura! It was great meeting up with you all and exchanging our stories from the Antarctica trip, etc. Can’t wait for the next meet!

On the last day I was mostly on my own, with everyone having gone to prior engagements (eg working!). So went on a bit of a walkabout in lower Manhattan and got some shopping done at the J&R software store. Oh my poor achey feet! Made it OK to JFK (hey, love that Internet check-in, saves so much time from queuing!).

And so, goodbye New York City, and goodbye to that Americanised French chick

My god, it’s full of stars!

Borneo (Orangutan) Adventure

Kulvinder Matharu — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:43:34 +0000

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine mentioned that they wanted to go to Borneo, and I was quite interested in going to Mongolia (which I have been for what seems like ages now!). Anyway, another friend of mine just came back from the Galapagos and we had a chat last week about places to go and after making the necessary arrangements I’m now going to Borneo in March 2008.

The Borneo trip is on the Malaysian side and is actually in support of the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. There are a number of activities planned and I plan to do every single one of those including cycling, jungle treks, rafting, canopy walking, etc

There’s a lot that has gone wrong and is going wrong in Borneo. From the forest fires, palm oil plantations, logging, etc. Some of these are illegal activities but some are not such as the disastrous initiative when farmers were encouraged into the area by the Indonesian government. The forests and their biodiversity are being devastated. I fully understand the economic pressures faced by the locals. It’s not going to be something that will be easy to fix.

I decided that I wanted to help as well as satisfy my need to travel. So the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre got my vote with the Borneo Orangutan Adventure Appeal. I hope to raise some awareness with my friends and colleagues and perhaps reach out to a larger audience through the Internet. As you may know I am a keen hobbyist photographer (see my Antarctica photos from last month) and I intend to produce photos that highlight the richness of Borneo but also, at the same time, bring to people’s attention the situation regarding the plight of the orangutans and the forests.

I just hope my other friend doesn’t get upset that I’m off to Borneo! It’s something that just happened and I couldn’t pass it up. I’m still planning to do Mongolia later on this year…the year is still young so still lots to do!

People. Let’s be careful out there. The planet needs us.

No related posts.

Antarctica photos

Kulvinder Matharu — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:26:47 +0000

After my trip to Antarctica, I’ve now managed a quick trawl of my Antarctica photos and have put them online here.

Antarctica – Best. Trip. EVAH!

Kulvinder Matharu — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:47:15 +0000

I recently went on one of those Antarctic cruises in December 2007 spending Christmas out there. The cruise included zodiac landings on the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsular. Of course I took lots of photos and I’ll need time to sort through them and start putting them online…it will take me months! I’ll provide an update when the first series of photos goes online.

Apart from witnessing the amazing scenery and wildlife I made loads of fantastic friends most of whom were single and well travelled people like me…it wasn’t what I was expecting at all! We all had real fun and I miss them all!

One or two persons, with their enthusiasm, energy and kindness, reminded me that there is still so much goodness and joy in this world and that perhaps the world isn’t as doomed as I sometimes imagine. I suppose I’ve spent too much time recently looking at just the negatives and using my blog for criticism that I had almost lost perspective. Too many rants and not enough raves.

I now remember why I started travelling in the first place; to meet people and immerse oneself in various cultures, to be alive and enjoy the wonders of this world! It’s now a New Year…a time for reflection and a refreshed outlook. I’m looking forward to it! So thank you all!

Best. Trip. EVAH!