i read recently that if you allocated one day for each of Indonesia's 12,000 islands, it would take you three years and one month to visit the entire country. a little less ambitious at this point in my travels, i spent almost the whole month of October on just one: the lovely and picturesque bali. arguably (although i cannot personally attest for the others), bali is one of the most beautiful, charming, and idyllic, of Indonesia's islands. it's unique history, warm and inviting culture, and gorgeous landscapes create a rich island atmosphere, making it no surprise why bali has always attracted such loyal & devout attention from tourists and travelers worldwide. my bali experience was bookended with a few days in the southern peninsular area of kuta-seminyak-legion, a main hub of commercialism and tourism. the beaches ... read more

it was a drizzly, gray morning as the bus from chiang mai dropped us off in the little riverside town of chiang khong, at the northwestern border of thailand. after a five minute tuk-tuk ride from the bus station, i found myself at the port office, waiting with a handful of other travelers for our visa's to be processed so that we could be paddled across the infamous mekong river and into the neighboring county of laos. after about an hour's wait (it was sunday after all), we carefully trudged down the slippery slope, visa's in hand, to the waiting wooden boats. on our way we all passed under a wooden signpost that read: "Gate to Indo-China". miraculously, the piles of backpacks and bags all fit into a skinny wooden dug out canoe (still afloat..but just ... read more

despite all the information packed guide-books, tourist maps, and information kiosks, its a travelers fate to inevitably get lost every once and awhile. the term 'lost' can apply to a variety of confused logistical states, including; needing a reassuring nod that one is plugging along in the correct direction, having a semblance of an idea about area & scope - but hard-pressed as to which direction to proceed, and the ultimate state of oblivion i.e.: not having the faintest idea where one is. i would be remiss to say that within the past 7 months of travel i have not hit all of these stages (at least once or twice). usually the hours and sometimes days following the arrival to a new city or town can be a combination of bliss in having a surround-sound of ... read more

sakina, sakina, saKKKIIINA! this isn't the howl of a fabled african monkey, nor the sullen call of a majestic african bird...but rather the piercing rattle of the dala-dala man, slipping the rest of the way out of the sliding minivan door and onto the gravel side of the road, as the dala-dala lurches to a 4 stop. the old and tattered mini-vans that were originally manufactured to seat 8, maybe 10...are being used to full capacity here in arusha, no inch or cubic air of space gone unnoticed. zillions of dirty white vans zig and zag around the streets, shuttling the arusha public from the city center to the towns, neighborhoods, villages, and bomas, scattered around the northern Tanzanian countryside. among the volunteers, we have a running count and 26 passengers is currently leading the tally. ... read more

even before the first rays of light begin to emerge, a friendly and sing songy "good morning" seeps in from somewhere outside the canvas walls of my tent, penetrating the cool blackness and confirming to me, in my sleepy haze, that the time has come to fully awake. using the light of my head-torch, i pull on a few layers of "safari" clothing and rummage around for the spot that i strategically laid my toothbrush and face soap...always a morning scavenger hunt, no matter how prepared i attempted to be the evening before. after a quick trip to the facilities and a blissful cup of hot, steaming coffee, i pull myself up into the open top safari jeep and slide onto one of the bench seats, joining the rest in our group. we are all still ... read more