I from Earth
By Hilbert Haar Every now and then when there is apparently nothing better to do, this question comes up. Who is a St. Maartener? Drs. Rodolphe Samuel, a member of the National Alliance, has once more lit the fire under this seemingly simple question with a draft motion. Technicalities aside – Samuel is not a member of parliament, so he cannot More...
The potential and opportunities of Grand Case airport
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert It is a well-known fact among economists and aviation professionals that the growth of a region may depend on the development of its airport. You may start laughing, but Grand Case airport More...
Last letter from Luang Prabang
By Hilbert Haar On a Wednesday morning, I get up at 5.45 a.m. We’ll be on the road again today and I start thinking that we ought to slow down a bit. Nine countries in the not even one hundred days since we left More...
The Great (Train) Journey – part 7
By Hilbert Haar Super typhoon Magnkhut has missed Hanoi and barreled into southern China, so Myriam and I feel confident traveling back up north with the intention to visit the mountainous region of Sapa. Big mistake; More...
The Great Train Journey – part 6
By Hilbert Haar We stay in the old center of Hanoi at the City Backpackers Hostel on Bat Su Street. To say that the city is a bit overwhelming is an understatement. With 7.5 million inhabitants, 5 million scooters More...
The Great Train Journey – part 5
By Hilbert Haar Seoul is a city of 10 million, roughly 250 times the sizes of Dutch St. Maarten. Entering South Korea is not a problem, because Europeans do not need visa. Finding your way around town is another More...
The Great Train Journey – part 4
By Hilbert Haar On a Wednesday afternoon, we wander over to the visa center of the Chinese embassy in Ulaanbaatar. We ask someone why it is open now – since the official opening hours to apply for a visa to China More...
The Great Train Journey – part 3
By Hilbert Haar We leave Irkutsk on a Monday morning – rising early because the train leaves shortly after 8 a.m. for a trip of 22 hours to Ulanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Our cabin is more luxurious than More...
The Great Train Journey – part two
By Hilbert Haar On a Thursday at 3 o’clock in the morning our train rolls into the main station in Irkutsk, with around 600,000 inhabitants one of the largest cities in Siberia. Finally we are out of the digital More...
The Great Train Journey – part one
By Hilbert Haar This is how it began on a Sunday morning in Moscow. We took a taxi to the Kazanskaia station; that was already quite a little trip through town, but it only set us back 300 roubles, roughly $4.50. While More...
