From Four Months to 20 Years: Meet Kim Hessel

cropped-logo_ie_99.jpg#160 February 23, 2016

Story & Photography by Gail G. Collins

Kim HesselWhere were you when the Berlin Wall came down on November 10, 1989? The concrete block barrier, topped by barbed wire and secured by armed guards, segmented the population within the German capital city. It was the last vestige of the Cold War, and ordinary people, pushing for freedom, literally tore it down. With its crumbling, families and lives were rebuilt. Memories of that exhilarating period flashed in Kim Hessel’s eyes as he remembered his part in it. Continue reading “From Four Months to 20 Years: Meet Kim Hessel”

Beyond Bunaken: Touring the Minahasa Highlands

cropped-logo_ie_99.jpg#159 February 10, 2016

Story & Photography by Gail G. Collins

Divers dig the underwater magic of Bunaken’s world class reef. The biodiversity is unmatched, but even divers needs 24 hours of decompression before flying out. Many wonders lie above the water line in the countryside surrounding North Sulawesi’s provincial capital, Manado. The city itself hosts a public museum—filled with traditional costumes, weapons, ceramic ware and independence history—plus a broad range of hotels and restaurants. Still, nothing can beat the lofty views three volcanoes provide of the old city and sapphire sea. Only an hour’s drive from the dock, the cooler climes of outlying villages offer diversions ranging from kit wooden houses to a Buddhist temple to fresh fish dinners on the lake, and of course, markets filled with local goods. The warm, welcoming Minahasa people create an inviting place to lose oneself or to breakaway and linger longer. Continue reading “Beyond Bunaken: Touring the Minahasa Highlands”