The Untitled Project is the blog, web design portfolio and gallery of Roger Bymolt. I have been blogging about my travel adventures since 2004 when I first set off with my backpack and big ideas. Following a jaunt through Asia and stints in London and Japan, I voyaged around the world on the 59th Peace Boat voyage. The sum of these experiences has led me to refocus my career towards International Development. I am excited about working towards my Masters in Holland this year, thanks to a generous scholarship from the Rotary Foundation.
As an Amsterdammer I couldn’t let this Fox news smear escape attention. Bill O’Reilly appears utterly unimformed on Amsterdam and doesn’t let the facts get in the way. Watch:
Sluuuuuurp shlop. Sluuuuuurp shlop… the sound of my mud laden boots sucking and slopping my way across the North Sea flats. Wadlopen is a most famous Dutch activity in the summer months. There are few other places in the world where you can leave an island 10km’s away and walk back to the mainland. This is the north sea wildernessMore »
‘Bloody tourists!’ I swerve as another person steps blindly out onto the cycleway and fly on by. Two weeks in, and I’m no tourist anymore; I’m an Amsterdamer and lovin it! I’m feeling rather well settled in Amsterdam and sampling all this vibrant/crazy/cool city has to offer. I’m proud to call Amsterdam home. More »
Antwerp? ‘I thought you were in Amsterdam’, I hear you say. Ah, this is true but here is how my story goes… Indeed I did arrive jet-lagged in Amsterdam, as did the lovely Lana soon after, passing through on her own intrepid travels. I did my best to orientate myself in Amsterdam that first day (cheese shop beside the canal, another one! doh!) but my update from Amsterdam will have to wait till the following post. You see Lana and I had the bright idea to skip the expensive weekend rates of Amsterdam and hop on a train for Antwerp for a few short days. Little did I know of the risk that I could end up running away with a circus… More »
Touchdown Japan! I could feel the buzz of the week ahead, the anticipation of bowing to everyone, the tingle of wasabi up my nostrils… And of course my friends, my good friends who I had left in Japan! Oh it was good to be back.
I gathered my luggage and feigned super-gaijin strength as I lugged 30-something kg’s through Shinjuku station, catching the coos of ’sugoiiii! yabaiiiii!’ in my wake. Folks, it was heavier than I made it look, but in those bags was my entire life which I would bring to Amsterdam the next week. At the station Mike was waiting, what a dude. I was home. More »
‘Sydney is one of the 3 most beautiful ports in the world’, we were told by our eccentric cruise director Naosan. We docked in Clarke Quay, prime real estate. To my right was the Sydney Opera house, on the left the Sydney harbour bridge. The day was not entirely mine; I’d volunteered for the GET challenge tour, basically a day round Sydney with students. I made the most of a few free hours in the morning though, and saw the central sights with Risa. With the students, the idea was we cruise the city with a check list of things to do and find, and speak only in English. My lads did well and although it wasn’t free time, we made our own fun. We finished up in the late afternoon at Coojie beach and we had a bit of free time before beer and burgers with the others. I seized the chance to have a swim and was loving it for all of 30 seconds. I felt a sharp, stinging pain shoot through my left arm. I was shocked to see a blue bottle wrapped completely around it. I pulled the bugger’s tentacles off with my other hand and swam in. Some people say pee on it, others say ice. The ice didn’t work, but some gels that the restaurant had on hand cooled the burning feeling. More »
Kiwis are well represented on the 59th voyage. We rock! On the South Seas to Auckland, I noticed familiar changes: the sun’s light was sharper, the weather became changeable, and the Southern Cross appeared in the night sky.Risa, P and I woke early before dawn. The Peace Boat silently passed by Rangitoto and the first shards of morning light began to emanate over Auckland’s Eastern Suburbs. This was a special sunrise (ok, the only sunrise), that we woke for on the voyage. I was coming home for Christmas. More »
How cruel to sail across the vast Pacific Ocean to stop in tropical Tahiti for only one day. We ferried straight to Moorea Island, some 40 minutes from Papeete. Meg had sleuthed out a dive shop and they drove us around coast of the island. We gazed out to the intense teal colour of the shallow reef and craned our necks to marvel at Moorea’s cliffs, jagging vertically up from the dense tropical jungle. It might just be the most perfect tropical island I’ve seen in my life. It was about to get better. More »
Oh, the sacred sight of land! The Peace Boat anchored a mile off the exposed coast of Rapa Nui, Easter Island. The weather and swells cooperated and tender boats shuttled tour groups to the island 8 at a time. I hoped I would be just as lucky the next day when I had my chance to get off. So, for a day I just hung out on board and watched the coast near Hanga Roa. A Rasta local came on board to teach the Japanese how to stone carve for $30. The day’s highlight (other than just relaxing beside the pool) was the stonking cultural performance that night by a Polynesian cultural group. It rates as one of the best I’ve seen. More »
I was pumped for Peru. This was one of those all too rare overnight ports. Risa and I jumped off the Peace Boat at 7am and into a taxi. From the notoriously dodging port area we cruised into central Lima overtaking loaded people movers painted up like football team buses. Inconveniently there is no central bus terminal in Lima, so after getting it wrong once Risa fluently asked for the right directions. In no time we were charging down the dry and barren coastal desert watching a ripped DVD of Troy. After 4 1/2 hours we changed to a taxi in Ica, which took us to the doorstep of a little slice of paradise. More »
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