Ottsworld Travel Experiences » Interviews

Help a Mongol Out…

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:15:46 +0000

A race to Mongolia

I am drawn to the unusual – it’s a curse, but I’ll never change. In fact that magnetic pull towards the unique and different seems to get stronger and stronger for me as I get older. The harder part is that the unusual/unique/different becomes harder and harder to find. So when I found out my friends and career breakers, Lauren and Mike, over at Abandon The Cube were doing the Mongol Charity Rally, I was intrigued.

According to the Abandon The Cube website,

There are no rules in the Mongol Charity Rally, no set route, no assistance on the road, and no way to make the 10,000 mile journey in an ill-suited, 1 litre car without encountering problems. As the founding father of the Mongol Rally say, “If you haven’t run into massive difficulties on the way, then you are doing something wrong!”

Yup – that’s all I needed to read, I knew this was something I wanted to do in my lifetime. I decided I would follow the Abandon the Cube team this year in hopes of learning more about it for a future go of my own.

I contacted Lauren and Mike to learn more about the unique charity rally. Lauren kindly answered my numerous questions.

Lauren and Mike - Abandon The Cube Team

The Plan:

When and why did you decide to do the Mongol Rally?
In 2009 we were in Central Asia traveling for a few months and saw a rally car. The four folks insider looked miserable, dirty and helpless, they were trying to put gas in their car out of tiny little water bottles (what a Central Asian gas station usually consists of) and they could not understand the attendant, so we helped them out and they told us about the rally. We checked it out online later that afternoon and we were hooked on the idea.

What is your route and how did you decide upon it?
We will be traveling through 13 countries, leaving from Hyde Park, in London, through France, Germany, Czech, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia. We decided on this because we looked at a map over Christmas and then colored in all the places we wanted to see. Romania is a bit out of the way, but we really wanted to visit Transylvania, so we added it to the route. Basically, its a semi-logical traveling wish-list that we get to see come true this summer. There is no time limit, but after we launch in the UK, we have three days to get to Prague, where there is a massive ‘czech out’ party where teams link up to caravan, or just to network,. After Prague, we are on our own until Mongolia. We want to see stuff along the way and are allowing around 40 days for the rally.

Will you be camping, staying in Hostels…or sleeping in the car?!
We will be camping almost all of the time. The luxury of having a car traveling is that we can now drive to the middle of nowhere, camp out, and drive away the next morning. We don’t have to find camp sites, just stop along the road out of site and catch a few Zs. When we cant find a spot, we’ll do hostels, but that is a last resort because of the cost associated with it, and safety for the car and supplies parking in cities and towns, etc.

Good cars in Mongolia are hard to find!

The Car:

You say that you need a car that is fully ‘decked out’. What is meant by fully ‘decked out’?
Well, spending 40 days in a car is alot. We’ll want to make sure its comfortable, capable, and can carry everything we need for that long a trip. We’ll need to add a roof rack, add a few cup holders, paint the exterior and apply all the sponsorship logos, etc. Ideally, we’ll also have a few amenities, like a CD or MP3 player on board– no body wants to hear me sing for 40 days.

Do you all have international driver’s licenses?
Surprisingly, that was one of the easiest things to get. We simply sent in a form to AAA and a few bucks and they send back the license. Easiest part of this adventure so far!

Are any of you mechanics? Can you all change a tire?
None of us know anything about cars, but luckily we’re all pretty good with tools. I’ve been reading a lot online about minor car problems and how to fix them, so hopefully that helps. I’m waiting to find out what kind of car we’ll end up with before i tackle how to deal with major breakdowns. I’ve changed a tire or two in my day, but I can’t say they look perfect when the new one is on. Guess that’s another skill we’ll perfect along the way!

The Charity:

Did you get to choose your own charity or was there a list to work with?
There was a list to choose from. The rally administrators create a list of verified charities since there are just so many scams out there that they really want the rally associated with good, helpful charities.

Why did you choose Mercy Mongolia?
We chose this charity because it is well known, and because they have a high rate of donation. Additionally, 90% of donations made to Mercy Mongolia go directly to their causes, with very little overhead. We’re excited about the work they do, and we are looking forward to seeing the good they have done first hand when we arrive in Mongolia.

The Sponsors – or lack thereof:

How much money do you need to raise in order to participate?
We’re looking for around $5,000, which would cover the entry fee ($1,500) as well as the car, supplies, gas, insurance, and visas. That’s in addition to the money we need to raise for charity in order to participate in the rally ($1,700)

You talk about media coverage and web frenzy – How will you cover your progress while on the road?
Surprisingly, while traveling we rarely had a hard time finding wifi. This year we’ll be in new territory, but I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to find an internet cafe wherever we stop. We have a blog to maintain, media information and press releases to send out, as well as just keeping in touch with concerned and excited family members.

How’s the sponsorship progress going so far?
So far, things are going slowly. With the tragic earthquake in Haiti, many companies and individuals have donated their maximum already. We’re hoping a generous company out there somewhere will take pity on us and supply us with ogles of cash so we can compete.
Here’s your chance to help sponsor their effort and raise money for Mercy Mongolia. To learn more, here’s a great PDF document about sponsorship benefits and details that Lauren provided. LINK (PDF document)
Please do consider helping as what they are taking on is no easy task!

Excited? Nervous?

What is the one thing that you are most looking forward to about the Rally?
I’m very excited for the experience of traveling in a car while abroad. We’ve always taken local transportation like buses and trains, which can be nice but also holds you back on what destinations you can visit. Last year in Uzbekistan it was just too difficult to get to the Aral Sea. Now that we’ll have our own ride, we can go where we want, see what we want. That liberation is amazing, and we’re looking forward to pointing our car towards some great sights along the way.

What is the one thing that you are nervous about regarding the Rally?
My biggest concern is raising the money to do the rally. Fund-raising is harder than I imagined and so far we’ve been striking out more than not, so we’re growing nervous. But, in the end you just have to have some faith that things will work out (and if not, we’ll tackle that when we’re faced with it). We’re doing the rally regardless of the funds, even if it means riding in the world’s crappiest car.

Mongolia has a very special place in my heart and I’ll be following the Abandon the Cube team with great interest during the Mongol Rally starting in July 2010. By the way – they are currently looking for another two teammates – so if you want an adventure for 40 days for a great cause, contact them!

Abandon The Cube

Blogging and Living in Vietnam – Interview

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:38:47 +0000

If you’ve been missing the sound of my voice, or you can’t remember what I look like – then check out the video interview I did for a great new blog by Will Peach! Will has started a super new blog with a unique concept. He lives in Saigon and instead of writing about travel in Vietnam and surrounding areas, he instead interviews people as they travel through Vietnam. I just love this conept – it’s fresh and new; and lord knows there are many interesting people traveling through Saigon!

He recently contacted me to do an interview and I hopped at the chance to be a part of his concept. The interview is mainly about how to run a blog, and how Ottsworld was formed in addition to some tidbits about living and bloggining in Vietnam. Click on over and check out my video interview and enjoy some of his other great interviews!
http://d2point0.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/one-blog-at-a-time-sherry-ott/

Am I a Wandering Educator?

admin — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:15:37 +0000

Wandering yes...educator...hmmm?

I was recently contacted by a website to do an interview. To my surprise, the website was www.wanderingeducators.com . Am I really an educator…am I wandering…hmmm – I never really thought about it like that. I just thought I was running away from ‘real life’ and trying to make enough money to live!

As you all know though, I love any chance to do an interview, it gives my lonely little blogging life meaning and purpose. It reminds me that people do actually read the stuff that I write…and they like it! Jessie from Wandering Educators contacted me for an interview and of course after looking at the site and making sure that it wasn’t porn, I said yes!

View the Ottsworld interview on Wandering Educators

Jessie asked some great questions that really made me think about my experiences here and changing from corporate life to a life of teaching and living abroad. What I love about interviews is that is forces me to see my life from an outsiders perspective – and it generally looks pretty good from the outside looking in; inside looking out is not always so pretty! However this interview did remind me of just how lucky I am to be living this adventure!

Please check out the interview and wander around their site! They feature some great artists, and travel book reviews.

I Could’ve Been A Millionaire!

Sherry — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:06:05 +0000

When I was 28 years old I was working at a big corporation in Minneapolis. Twenty-eight was a good year. It was the first time I was making money and could start to travel, and live comfortably. I was young, had a ton of energy, and was single so I was also able to soak up the night life until the wee hours in the morning, and roll into work with a hangover and still function successfully. (I must admit – that’s always been a talent of mine and I was still doing that 8 years later!) I was living it up and somehow holding down a job. My co-workers were about 7 years older than me and had more family lives, mortgages, kids, parent-teacher conferences, and responsibilities – all of the things that I wanted nothing to do with. They always said that they were living vicariously through me. We would sit and discuss what we did for the weekend (or simply on a Wednesday night), and I would regale them with stories about my night out. They would ask me tons of questions soaking up my extensive social life. They used to say, they wanted to invent a ‘Sherry-cam’ so that they could follow my adventures more closely – they wanted to know my every move and live the stories as if they were there with me.

If we only could have been entrepreneurial enough to take that ‘Sherry-cam’ idea and put it into a website business plan – we’d be rich right now…we would have beat YouTube to cyberspace! The concept of blogging and podcasting could have been incorporated into our business plan and I could have built an empire around this voyeuristic social idea that we are so accustomed to today. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. How was I to know that people actually DO want to see and hear what ‘normal’ people are doing in their everyday lives? I’m still surprised that people want to read blogs, listen to podcasts, watch personal videos of strangers…but I’m grateful for it because just like back in Minneapolis 10 years ago – I love to share my life with whoever will listen.

For those of you who have been reading my blog and travel stories, you can now have the opportunity to hear my voice again. I was recently interviewed on the Indie Travel Podcast by Craig and Linda. Craig and Linda are from New Zealand and have been traveling for 2 years now. They both teach English and have evolved their blog/travel website into a fabulous travel podcast! I have listened to it many times while on the road – utilizing their travel tips, and enjoying their stories that come with the craziness of long term travel! I think I have let you all know that I am addicted to podcasts…I believe they are essential for a traveler to have while on the road. See my post entitled “Someone wants to Interview Me?!” They are informative, entertaining, educational, help to fight off boredom of long bus rides and airport delays, and they come in handy in a language crisis. Plus an ipod is very light in your suitcase – much better than lugging around a big travel book that covers just one country!

I met Craig via cyberspace through my blog. Craig has been an avid reader of my blog now for 8 months…hard to believe I’ve been able to hold someone’s interest that long! He has been a contributor to Ottsworld often leaving comments on the site. Through that we developed a friendship. I was excited to find out that he and Linda are actually successfully living out my ‘plan’ for the future; traveling long term, making some money teaching ESL, living in different countries, and maintaining a blogging/podcasting audience. See dad – I’m not crazy for thinking that my plan will work – I have proof now!

Craig recently asked me to come on the Indie Travel Podcast to talk about my re-entry experience. Most people quit blogging/writing once they finish their trip…but he was impressed that I have kept writing and sharing my experiences about coming home…the ups and downs.
It is very easy to listen to the interview on the Indie Travel Podcast website.

Click on this link www.indietravelpodcast.com
Look for episode #52 – Home and Away with Sherry Ott
Click on the orange ‘play’ button under the title and sit back and enjoy my voice. Well…I actually think I sound like my mother…but I promise you it is my voice!
If you have trouble finding the episode – simply type ‘episode 052’ in the search box in the upper right hand part of the screen, and click search – it should find it right away.

Feel free to leave me a comment on what you thought about the interview – I love to hear form people! If you like what you hear – you can subscribe to the Indie Travel Podcast in itunes or through the Craig and Linda’s website.

I may have missed the boat on inventing blogging, Youtube, and podcasting – however, I can at least utilize them still to meet new people and share my stories with anyone out there will listen!

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Mykonos Interview – Tass

Sherry — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 14:16:59 +0000

Greek Friendship

“You haven’t been to Greece if you haven’t been to Mykonos.” – Tass

I spent a lovely afternoon with Tass, the caretaker of the guest house I was staying at in Mykonos. I moved to this cheaper guesthouse when Miles left me and I was staying on my own. It was just about 5 minutes outside of town up a big hill called Adriani’s Guest House. It was laid back and extremely well kept. I loved it immediately – plus it had wireless internet!

Tass and I immediately hit it off as he was from Boston – actually he was Greek but had lived in Boston for years. He was very helpful and kind of watched over me since I was on my own. He was 69 years old, and in great shape due to his ritual of swimming at the beach every day no matter how cold it was! One morning I got up to go running and it was particularly cold and windy. When I got back from my run he had made me tea and toast with jam. He invited me to have lunch with him later that afternoon before I left on the ferry. I had already been in the small town of Mykonos for 4 days – and had seen the whole town so I really had no other plans – so I joined hi. I brought my left over bottle of wine and joined him in his kitchen at the guesthouse for lunch. We had a wonderful time learning about each other drinking ouzo and eating gigantes and greek salad.

He told me his story on how he made it to America and jumped ship in New York. From there he went to work at a friend’s place who was in the import business. Eventually he made his way up to Boston, got married and started a family. Now he’s retired and has decided to spend 6 months a year helping out his niece in Mykonos by taking care of her guesthouse. He lives at the house and keeps it up. Perfect for such a social man! The other 6 months of the year – he travels. I can only hope to retire like that one day! He had a wonderful outlook on life – living it to the fullest and really enjoying himself living a healthy lifestyle.

Before he put me on the ferry – he made me some Greek coffee (my favorite!) and we said our goodbyes. He was a delight to talk to and share an afternoon with!

Nha Trang Vietnam – Local Experiences

Sherry — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:26:10 +0000

Interview – Nha Trang

Side Note: I was in Nha Trang for a few days and didn’t take many pictures- however I felt that this one was something I couldn’t pass up. This picture was actually digitally reproduced on the bathtub tiling in our room! I asked other travelers in the hotel if they had a similiar picture in their bathroom and they all said no – just a picture of flowers. I have no idea why we got the sex room – maybe it was rented by the hour! Regardless, it was entertaining!

This isn’t a formal interview as much as it’s a recount of a conversation that I had with a few great people in Nha Trang. Enjoy!

Just when you think you can’t take one more person trying to sell you stuff, asking your name and where you are from – you meet a gem. Vietnam is beautiful, cultural, and fascinating place to travel through, but I won’t lie – you will get stopped no less than 30 times a day by people trying to sell you things you really don’t want. Cyclo rides, motorbike tours, postcards, fruit, jewelry, hats, and even Opium,
“Madame, Come see my store”
“Madame, you buy from me?”
“Madame, motorbike?”
“Madame, where you from?”
I’m generally a nice person and say no thank you, no less than 30 times a day – but it’s tiring, very tiring. That’s whey when I stepped in a blissful little spa called Suspa in Nha Trang – I felt a wave of relief sweep over me. It was peaceful, there was trickling water and beautifully designed furniture that made the whole place feel warm and welcoming. This was actually the 2nd day I had been to Suspa for various moderately priced treatments. Sure, I could have gone somewhere cheaper – but this was my oasis – after all $12 for an hour massage may seem expensive in SE Asia – but it’s still a bargain to me! The treatments were done all very well and the service was good – it was shat you would expect from a ‘western spa’ – not really Vietnam. Most of all, I loved the people there.

After my massage I sat in the little lounge room having my complimentary tea and custard and one of the young girls named Lien came up to me and asked me where I was from. I told her “America” – her eyes lit up and she sat down and talked with me for about 20 minutes. We did the standard questions and I found out she was 25 years old and had just finished University. She was originally from the countryside outside of Nha Trang and had a boyfriend from there. She didn’t seem in too much of a hurry to get married. She was working to save money to help her sisters also go to University. The sense of family obligation and familyties never ceases to amaze me in Vietnam – it’s refreshing. Lien’s English was pretty good – a bit rough – but a thousand times better than my Vietnamese! Our chat was a great way for her to practice so I enjoyed helping out. We continued to exchange information about our families and lives. She asked me if she could email me so we exchanged emails – she was so pleasant and genuine I decided I could have a Vietnamese pen pal for a while!

Her boss and owner of the spa, Le Van Chuong, came and joined me next with some tea. He had just opened the spa 2 months ago and designed the beautiful building we were in. We sat and talked about an hour on his business, the hospitality industry in Vietnam, his marketing, and his design decisions – he was a breath of fresh air. I had been in many businesses in Vietnam but I had not met any businessmen. Le Van actually was one of the first persons to go to University outside of Vietnam to specialize in Hospitality and hoteling. He attended a Swiss Hotelling university in the early 90’s – right when Vietnam was opening itself up to outsiders. He came back to the Nha Trang area where he grew up and became the Director for one of the 5 star hotels around Nha Trang. He quit recently to start his own business. Based on my conversation with him – I know he will be a success – he has the right ideas and can differentiate himself. He’s a businessman. I helped him pick out some photos for his website that is under construction and we sat and enjoyed our tea until he had to go.

When Le Van left, Lien quickly ran back in all excited. She asked me if I would like to come to dinner at her home that next night. She didn’t have to work and her boyfriend could pick me up on his motorbike. She wanted me to meet her family. I was so touched by this jester and her happiness about it. I was crushed when I had to tell her “No thank you”. The one time I would have loved to say yes, I couldn’t. I was leaving on the train for Saigon that night. We were both saddened by the answer.

I loved my Spa Oasis and enjoyed my new friends I made. You can be bugged all day by people to the point that you want to turn around and scream at them to leave you alone – but every so often you run into a person that’s different. One that you actually want to talk to – I was lucky enough to find two of them today!

Interview – Mylen in Singapore

Sherry — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 06:07:24 +0000

Photo: Mylen at the Botanical Gardens in Singapore

Mylen works for my sister’s family in Singapore. In my travels in and out of Singapore I have come to know her well. I love Mylen, she’s wonderful and has made my stay in Singapore that much better! Sure, I love the fact that she calls me Miss Sherry, but what I really admire is that she works diligently every day with a smile on her face, I marvel at her dedication. She is 29 years old. She seems to be preoccupied with wanting me to get married and have some children…I just laugh at her when she brings it up and I tell her that she needs to worry about herself!

How long have you been working in Singapore?
Almost 8 years. 5 ½ years with another family in Singapore and 2 years for the Sommerfeldts

Where are you from originally?
Philippines – from Ilo Ilo city

What do you do here as your occupation?
I’m a domestic helper. They take care of the house and the children – kind like a nanny.

Why did you become a helper?
That’s hard – I wanted to experience how to take care of the children so that when I have a kid I will know how to handle as well as know how to handle a family. In the Philippines it’s hard to find a job so sometimes you don’t have any choice and need to go to other countries to look for a job.

What is your favorite part of your work?
Cooking! I love baking because it’s different and we don’t bake in the Philippines because there are no ovens there – unless you have lots of money.

What is your least favorite part of your work?
Helping with the homework that I don’t know. It’s so hard and I can’t do that.
What’s the hardest subjects? Mathematics and science.

What is your favorite thing to do when you have a day off?
Visit my cousin and friends. First we go to church and then a party (maybe), Then we bring food to make at my uncles house and we all gather there and play some cards.
On Christmas Eve, and New Years Eve, we go to Orchard street and watch the countdown and sometimes we dance in the road.

What is your favorite meal to cook?
Spaghetti, and chicken curry and I want to learn how to cook lasagna. It doesn’t work here when I try it, it isn’t a nice square. Maybe because of the heat. I also like to make Tortellini. I like the pasta dishes because they are easy.

When you go back home to the Philippines for good, what do you want to do?
I plan to have a business like a mini grocery and have my own house.

Tell me about your family in the Philippines.
My parents are back in the Philippines. I have 6 brothers and sisters. I am the only one that lives outside of the Philippines. Two of my siblings passed away young.

Does your family miss you?
Yes, every time I go back they are very happy they hug me a lot and they want me to stay and not visit friends.

How often do you talk to them?
3 times a week on the phone and then I sms them all the time.

What other countries have you been to?
Singapore, Sydney, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
New York! I want to see NY at night because they said that NY never sleeps

Photo: This is one of Mylen’s ant traps. She made cookies one night and had to let them cool overnight. In Singapore (and most tropical climates), you can’t leave any food out on counters as the ants will get to it faster than you can even imagine. Therefore, she sets up ant traps when we sets the cookies out overnight. The cookies are in a tray and are elevated by cups. The cups are in little saucers. The saucers have water in them which is what keeps the ants away…they hate water! When I saw this one morning I cracked up and had to take a photo of it! Ingenious!

Interview – Rama from Borneo

Sherry — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 06:52:55 +0000

Rama was one of our drivers in Borneo – he was the best , most helpful person that we encountered in Borneo. He truly loved his home and was eager to answer all of our questions and point out the sites as we traveled with him for 4 hours by car. He would also bring his young daughter along with him which was entertainment for us too!

Photo: Rama and his daughter

Where are you from?
Kuala Lumpur

Why did you come to Borneo?
I enlisted in the Malaysian Army. They have the largest Army base in Sabah so I was stationed here for 16 years.

How long have you been a guide/driver?
For 10 years

Why did you leave the army?
I left because they were going to send me to Bosnia – I decided to quit then.

Do you like driving or guiding better?
Driving, because I can stop any time I want – I’m not on someone else’s schedule

How many kids do you have?
3 daughters

Where did you learn to speak english?
I went to an English School. Now it compulsary in Malaysia to take English, but when I went to school, it wasn’t.

***Next he pointed out some water buffalos along the road and told us that it is required for a man to give a finance’s family a water buffalo in order to marry her. A water buffalo costs about $1000 US.

Do you have any water buffalos?
No, not yet. But since I have 3 daughters I will have many when they get married and then I will retire and just take care of my water buffalos! (said with a big laugh)

What do you do for fun?
Play snooker with Jase

Will you be our driver tomorrow?
I don’t know. We don’t get our assignment until 6PM the day before.

Have you ever travelled out of the country?
Yes, to Singapore

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Oh – I don’t know! Maybe Thailand, I hear it’s nice there.

Interview – Hay in Chiang Mai

Sherry — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 05:48:04 +0000

Hay – Thailand Hill Trek Guide

How long have you been guiding?
3 years of training as a helper, 3 months of schooling, and 8 years of guiding with a license.
Why did you become a guide?
I lived in a small tribe growing up and I hoped to do something better. I loved helping people and learning English and I wanted to communicate better. I left the village when I was 14 and went to Bangkok to work in the city. I did many jobs there. I was a temple boy.
What is a temple boy?
I will tell you because I feel like you are a friend. A temple boy is someone who lives in the temple cleaning it and helping the monks, but works at a job during the day. You live in the temple because you have no money to live other place.
What is training as a helper entail?
I worked for my friends who were tourguides and I helped unfit people on and off the bus and I would guard the bus. I used that time to practice English – “Hello”, “How are you” “Thank you”, “Good Morning”. Soon I found that I wanted to communicate more and I tried to learn English by listening to people and practicing.
What kind of school did you have to go to for your license?
I went to Chang Mai University on the weekends to learn how to be guide.
How expensive was it to go to university?
It’s cost $30,000 Baht ($850 US). My friend loaned me the money.
Have you ever been out of Thailand?
No
Have you ever been south of Bangkok?
No
If you could go anwhere in the world, where would you go?
Amercia or France. People there seem nice.
Tell me about how you met your wife.
I met her when I was 28 yrs old and she was 19. She was also from a village. We knew each other 1 1/2 months before we decided to be together. We have 2 boys and we formally got married after 13 years of being together. We are country folk, but live in the city to give our kids better life.

As a side note: Hay is 43 years old now. His is extremely active and his english is very good. He taught himself english by listening to other people and he also had some classes at university. While we were with him on the trek, he had just bought his first computer – a used one. His wife bought it for $8000 Bhat ($250US) and she did it for the kids to continue to learn more. He has NO idea how to evern use a computer! I’m hoping that his kids can teach him!

Interview – Ubud, Bali

Sherry — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:00:16 +0000

Who: Gusti
Where from: Village near Ubud. Gusti worked at the Oka Wati Hotel and he served me breakfast everyday!

Photo: Gusti

Q: How long have you been working at Oka Wati?
A: 10 years
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
A: Meeting people, serving breakfast, and having satisfied guests
Q: Is your job ever stressful?
A: Yes – when there was the terroist bombing it was stressful. There was bad economy and few tourists.
Q: What is your favorite breakfast?
A: Nasi Campur – rice with veggies and meat
Q: What is in the scrambled eggs you serve here?
A: Egg, pepper, salt, sweet creamer, green leaf, onion, garlic, and butter
Q: If you could go anywhere in the world – where would you go?
A: Los Angeles
Q: What is your favorite Balinese ceremony?
A: Galungan and Nyepi (the quiet day observing the Balinese new year)
Q: Who is your favorite actor?
A: Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Bruce Willis, Kate Winslet, Winona Ryder, and Sharon Stone
Q: What is your favorite music?
A: Heavy Metal

Photo: Gusti and I on the veranda of the Oka Wati Hotel

Interview – Denpasar

Sherry — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 13:45:16 +0000

While in Bali I found this great little tourist publication which had information about all of the local events around Ubud. In it there was this great little section that contained interviews with every day Balinese people. I found it fascinating – and I’m utilizing the idea during my own travels. This first interview of a Sate Vendor in Denpasar was the one that was published in the tourist brochure. However – in the future – I will be adding more of my own interviews with people that I meet in my travels…the everyday, normal people. Enjoy!

Name: Dewa Made Oka
Lives In: Denpasar
Sells: Pork sate in front of Pura Dalem Peliatan

Q: How long have you been selling sate?
A: I have been selling sate 17 years, the first 10 years on the beach in Kuta and the last 7 years in Peliatan.
Q: Who taught you how to make sate?
A: Muy older brother taught me how to make sate. He still makes sate inTabanan.
Q: How many sticks of sate do you make on one day?
A: Around 3000 a day
Q: Do you prepare the sate yourself or do you buy it?
A: I buy the pork on the market in Denpasar but I make the sauce in which the meat is marinated myself.
Q: What kind of wood do you use to roast the sate?
A: I only use charcoal made from the husks of coconut.
Q: Do you work every day?
A: Yes I do. I don’t take days off and work from 2 till 9
Q: Your sate is easily the most delicious in Ubud. How do you make your sauce or is that a secret?
A: No, it is no secret. I use white ginger, garlic, salt, red sugar, chili, yellow ginger, strong chilis and coconut oil to make the sauce. The ingrediants need to be mixed together well.

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Ottsworld Travel Experiences » Interviews

Help a Mongol Out…

The Plan:

Good cars in Mongolia are hard to find! The Car:

The Charity:

The Sponsors – or lack thereof:

Excited? Nervous?

Related Posts

Blogging and Living in Vietnam – Interview

Related Posts

Am I a Wandering Educator?

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I Could’ve Been A Millionaire!

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Interview – Mylen in Singapore

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Good cars in Mongolia are hard to find!

The Car: