The Dusty Sneakers

January 21, 2014

The Curious Incidents of Pulau Sempu in the Night Time

The photos from our camping trip to Pulau Sempu, three hours away from Malang, brought back a flood of memories. I remember the ankle-deep mud burying my feet with every step I take on the hilly trek and that the effort needed was doubled when the rain fell. I remember punching Twosocks in the shoulder out of frustration, the pride in being able to keep up with my friends and our guide and finish the trek in two hours time, the fierceness of the Indian ocean smashing against the cliffs surrounding the Segara Anakan lagoon, and the sheer glee of dropping our backpacks, shoes, socks, and clothes to the beach, and swimming around the sparkling green lagoon to wash away the mud and tiredness.

January 15, 2014

comments 16

Mas Ninja dan Kawan yang Melihat Elang

Sore itu saya dan Arip Syaman duduk berdua merencanakan perjalanan ke Gunung Agung di awal bulan Februari. Ini akan jadi sedikit pemanasan untuk mendaki ke Kerinci dan Danau Gunung Tujuh di pertengahan tahun nanti. Arip Syaman, anak sombong ini, sedang sedikit berbangga diri dengan keberhasilannya mendaki Rinjani, Lawu, dan Ceremai di tahun sebelumnya. Fokus kenangannya adalah pada pencapaian puncak dan keberhasilannya mendahului saya saat menuruni gunung. Di sanalah fokusnya. Berat badannya yang sekarang sedikit menggembul dan segala ulahnya dalam pendakian sebelumnya seolah tidak dalam jangkau ingatannya.

January 7, 2014

comments 9

Feast of Morality

We met Daniel Braha, an American freelance graphic designer and burgeoning travel writer, when he volunteered at Portibi Farm. We immediately knew he is a kindred spirit the moment he told us that he was thinking of using ‘dirty sneakers’ as a possible blog name or hashtag to document his travel stories. Unclean sneakers unite! Over salad and cashew candied tempe, Dan talked about the multiple encounters he had with a Laotian that led him to see the grey dimensions of morality. This is his story. – Gypsytoes
—

January 1, 2014

comments 2

An Auld Lang Syne Picnic

We woke up to a 2014 filled with misty gray sky. At six in the morning, echoes of fireworks and trumpets from the night before had been cooled down by the steady drizzle of cool the new year rain. A few days ago Twosocks and I talked about how perplexed we were by the speed in which the minutes, days, and months of last year went, as it tends to be as we grow older. Instead of rushing to usher the past year away and welcome the new one, we decided to take things slow and honor the passage of time with an early morning picnic.