1. When a little bit of food turned into a flock of birds standing on my brother’s head. 2. Flirty peacocks. 3. Dancin’ Elephant – A Music Video I wish the quality of the video were better…but the HD version would take FOREVER to upload. 4. Rollin’ like Indiana Jones at the Monkey Temple in … Continue reading
Awhile back, I mentioned that my strategy for dealing with my first Christmas away from home was to ignore it completely, to have it go by as if it were any other day. I’m happy to say this didn’t occur. Spending Christmas in Riung certainly made the holiday different than anything I’ve ever experienced, but … Continue reading
In Flores, our crew kept a reoccurring conversation on what our spirit animals would be. For some of us, our spirit animals were immediately fitting, some were inconclusive and for others, it continues to evolve. I still believe my spirit animal is a black jaguar, and though there is some debate, what’s inarguable is that … Continue reading
When I first received my invitation to join Peace Corps Indonesia, it was never a question on whether I wanted to serve as a volunteer. I did, however, question the location. To help with this big decision, I went out and bought a Lonely Planet book. I hadn’t made a commitment yet, and I was … Continue reading
Here are a few images of a few of the stunning sunrises and sunsets I photographed during our trip. In Kelimutu— In Kanawa— In Komodo National Park— On New Year’s Day in Kanawa— * for more logistical details about traveling to Flores check out this blog post. Continue reading
I said before that Riung wasn’t what I expected. I still maintain that; yet, Riung has a special place in my heart and here’s why. Riung, a small fishing village in the northeast side of Flores, is a two-warung town— which means it’s tiny. There’s also a small market, a BRI bank, a handful of … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
Kanawa, an island located about an hour by boat from Labuan Bajo, is the type of beautiful you only see in travel magazines. From the minute we stepped off the boat, desires to remain in Kanawa forever were impulsively expressed—with good reason. An aquamarine sea brimmed with starfish composing underwater constellations that glistened in the … Continue reading
According to Lonely Planet, Riung is a small fishing village surrounded by 21 islands making up the Seventeen Islands Marine Park—a name chosen out of nationalism rather than fact—in which you can snorkel and see flying foxes. I was immediately sold on the idea of spending some extended time near the beach for the first … Continue reading
I have a vivid memory of me as a little kid watching a TV program of some Komodo dragons devouring deer. I don’t remember the details, but undoubtedly that nature show was filmed in Komodo National Park. I was so disturbed by the images shown that I remember crying for quite some time for the … Continue reading
Our crew spent New Year’s Eve in a small, quiet topical island paradise named Kanawa. While the island is beyond beautiful, it didn’t quite foster the best atmosphere for a rocking New Year’s Party…until we came along. Suspecting that the evening would be tranquil, our crew mobilized to gather a few essentials: fireworks, drinks and … Continue reading
1. “Postcards from Italy” by Beirut – Ellen was brilliant and brought along her ukulele and she and Tim often graced us with this and other Beirut songs. 2. I’m counting the entire Jack Johnson In Between Dreams album as one, but particularly the songs “Better Together” and “Breakdown.” 3. “A Whole … Continue reading
Bali was the starting point of our Flores trip. Our crew made the journey together by bus to Denpasar, where we took a flight out to the island. The late night bus ride through Bali was an adventure of its own—as bus rides in Indonesia often are—where we were granted various opportunities to contemplate what … Continue reading
Ende was the first place we visited in Flores. It was our intention to fly into the East part of the island and slowly make our way to the West side, hitting some interesting tourist destinations along the way. Ende was the cheapest city to fly into, and to me, it was rather unimpressive. Though … Continue reading
Flores is so unlike Java. There is one main road cutting through the entire island. There are hardly any cars on this winding road, barely any motorcycles and only a few tiny villages scattered in between long periods of time. The landscape is gorgeous and untamed, changing in flora as you climb up into the … Continue reading
in the land of dragons 