Marten’s Blog

Yes, that’s news indeed! Yesterday, I graduated from Eindhoven University of Technology, Master of Science in Technology and Policy, on the subject of social entrepreneurship. With a 9.5 out of 10. That is, indeed, quite high… I must say that I am still a bit surprised myself, but of course also flattered and bolstered. Viewing the world with renewed eyes now, and definitely liking the experience!

Unfortunately, I cannot for the moment link you through to my thesis - which of course has to be maddenly interesting - since we (my supervisors and I) will be submitting it for publication. If you are very interested, though, be sure to drop me a line. I’m sure we can figure something out!

New website, new blog. It was time for a fresh start. We’ll see where it goes

Defined purpose of the blog: giving overseas friends and family something to laugh at or frown about. Expect most posts when I’m overseas myself…

P.S. This site was looking so empty that I added some posts from my previous blog about my travels in Bolivia (excluding the comments, for technical reasons).

Wow, I´m getting really into this post-while-the-story-is-still-happening thing! Not that I carry around a PC all the time. The thing is, I´m at Santa Cruz airport and have to wait five hours for my next flight. And as shops are starting to progressively quickly close down around me - it´s now 11 pm - I thought to myself: ¨always enough time for boredom, let´s use this internet shop while I still can!¨
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Tomorrow is the day. I´m gonna kick up my legs in my new three piece tailored suit. In the airplane, that is.

If this sounds like I´m delusional or having a CEO-who-thinks-he-is-important as a second personality, guess again. Yesterday the people at the bus station told me in a very friendly but undeniably firm way that no bus would get me from La Paz to Santa Cruz… Considering that my plane to Rio leaves from Santa Cruz, this wasn´t the best of tidings. Apparently, el Niño destabilized parts of the road between here and there. Wait, let me rephrase this for you: Read the rest of this entry »

I am very angry at the moment!

And I’ll tell you why.

But I should start from the beginning.

I was going to write this in Dutch because I didn’t want some people (the ones who I’m about to write about) to accidentally read this. But I just don’t care anymore. Let them read it! Maybe it will help them… Read the rest of this entry »

(Before starting to read this post, be sure to put on your pink sunglasses and some really enthusiastic music, like “Don’t worry, be happy”. There you go, now you’re in the appropriate mood. Keep on reading.)

Because all previous posts have covered more pain than pleasure, and my parents are now slightly worried, not to mention my newly on-line grandmother (welcome to the web grandma!), this post will cover strictly the beauties of life in La Paz

Sometimes it’s really nice and sunny here!

Okay, that was it. Be sure to stay updated and read my next post!
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Some Dutch friends recommended me to try and climb the Huayna Potosí, a 6088 meter high snowcapped mountain just an hour or so from La Paz. These friends were girls, and the three of them had tried just the week before. I’d done some climbing in the Alps, the Pyrenees and the highest mountain in Costa Rica when I was there in 2001. And – of course, nuthead! – when I was still a little boy back in Indonesia. Climbed the Merapi volcano (lava gushing out on one side, me and Albert climbing it on the other side; apparently the lava outlet was pretty stable…). And I always highly enjoyed these climbs, the physical challenge, the views, the clear air, the steep lethal fall just off the path. So I thought: “Hell yeah! Let’s do that!”
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Time for a break. Been harvesting data from Bolivian officials all week. And spending the rest of my time staring at the computer screen thinking of what to do with my free internet connection. Naaargh, really time for a break. What to do? Where’s my guidebook? Let me check my guidebook. Come here you Lonely Planet! Ah, there you are. Hmmmmm… around La Paz… page 172. Of course: the famous Lake Titicaca!
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Mark and I had just arrived at the train station in Santa Cruz. Taking a ride on this so-called “Train of Death” from the Brazilian border to Santa Cruz is just like flying. To get in, you have to check in your big luggage (give them a ‘tip’), go through a passport check and maybe, if the officials feel like it, a baggage search. I can hear you thinking, what can possibly be so deadly about a train ride? It’s just a long straight track of steel along which the carriages get pulled by a locomotive! Now I’m not going to boast to you that we really almost died in there, but just to give you an idea of a train journey in Bolivia:
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