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Simple.

(seen near Borobudur, Java, Indonesia)

I hope we (as Americans) can all keep this in mind this November when we go to the polls to vote.

We made a last minute decision to check out Ubud in Bali which we had never even considered. We knew that Bali was pretty touristy, so we were initially uninterested, but after being off the beaten path for several weeks, we thought maybe a little tourist infrastructure and perhaps massages and pizza might be nice. And we were right! Read the rest of this entry »

And they are all underwater in Lembeh Strait. Lembeh Strait is known for muck diving which means not great visibility and usually just a black sandy bottom to look at. However, it is also known for the very rare, special and unusual critters that live there. We had so much fun diving in Lembeh and were once again spoiled by what we got to see.
We finally saw seahorses!

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After Lembeh Strait we decided to take the adventurous and cheaper route once again to nearby Tangkoko National Park to see the cute little primate called the tarsier. We could have paid a lot to have our own personal driver take us there and take us to Manado the following morning, but we opted for plan B, and though we ended up not seeing the tarsiers, we are so glad we went just for the experience of riding in a bemo. Read the rest of this entry »

4 nights on Pulau Bunaken in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia was a great time. We stayed at Panorama guest house and the food and staff were wonderful! The dive shop owner/operator/instructor, Sven (German) is very good at finding lots of weird stuff like nudibranchs and leaf scorpionfish! He said it best when he said “I love my job”.

We had our own cabin with private bath and an incredible view off our porch!

They found out we were on our honeymoon so they arranged tiger-striped sheets, covered with plumeria blossoms and also fresh cut flowers in a vase - so nice!

We found Sloan Island! It is actually kind of hard to find since it disappears everyday at high tide, but it does exist sometimes! Read the rest of this entry »

So far, we are loving Indonesia. It is quite the adventure since it is much different from the rest of Asia. As Steve mentioned, we are having to learn the local language because few people speak English (at least here because there are not many foreigners), and getting anywhere takes time and patience, but it is fun. Read the rest of this entry »

We noticed it first in Tarakan, the border town in which we entered the country. We had come from Malaysia, where you don’t have to look very hard to find someone who speaks very functional English. Here, things are different.
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They look so content to be flying along there, underwater, completely oblivious (I hope) to the world above the water. Sometimes they find a little nook in the reef and take naps there. We have gotten to see turtles on every dive at Sipadan - and usually we get to spend quality time - they swim along with us (not just away from us). One swam straight at me and finally turned when it was about 3 feet from my mask. It is such a privilege to dive here - I highly recommend it.

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You read that right. I am writing this post from an offshore rig, converted to a deluxe diving resort. Read the rest of this entry »