Travel in the Peace Corps is unique. You arrive to your country of service not knowing one soul, serve for 9 months and get a slight idea of what some of the other volunteers are about and then, choose to travel with a few. It’s a big risk. One chooses a group with a few people who appear to be both, fun and tolerable – especially over a span of 15 days—but appearances can be deceiving.

Fortunately for me, the Flores group turned out to be the dream travel crew and after 15 days, I can safely say all of these people are amazing, great travel partners, fun, hilarious, tolerable, interesting and supremely intelligent. All of them will always have a special place in my heart and I’ll look forward to traveling with them in the future should the occasion arise. (This is your travel recommendation letter, people.)

Ellen in Riung.

Jay on the boat to Komodo Island.

David at Komodo Island.

Tim in Komodo National Park.

Kayla chilling in the boat to Komodo.

Jay and Kayla in Kelimutu.

Ellen and Kayla practicing their sexy poses on the last day of 2012.

Tim and I after midnight 2013.

Ellen and David smoking hookah in Labuan Bajo.

The Flores ladies.

The Flores dudes.

Ellen leading our wolf pack in Kelimutu.

At the beginning of this trip, I couldn’t help marveling at the fact that we were all mostly strangers from various parts of a distant country, brought together by fate to share a bus through Bali and a plane ride to Ende for a total of 15 days in Flores. Life is so arbitrary, bittersweet and wonderful—constantly blowing me away with the people I encounter along the way.

* for more logistical details about traveling to Flores check out this blog post.