Zanzibar, Tanzania

Well, a special thanks to Jaime's parents for letting us meet up with them in Kenya and then taking us on a wonderful adventure on the island of Zanzibar and on safari in Kenya. Jaime and I had a wonderful time with Mom and Big Guy and it was so great to see some family after over 5 months of travels.

The water off the north coast of Zanzibar was some of the prettiest ocean water we have ever seen in our lives. We stayed at a lovely resort in the village of Nungwi on Zanzibar. All of us got too much sun and had a relaxing time at Ras Nungwi Resort where we were able to snorkel off the coast of Mnemba island near Zanzibar. The underwater life was so vastly different than the diving/snorkeling we've done in Hawaii and Indonesia. The Lion fish was one of my (Jason's) favorite fish near Mnemba.

We also spent some time relaxing, touring the village of Nungwi, heading to Stone Town, and I even got to witness the local fish auction in Nungwi village where many fisherman were coming in from their catch of Tuna, Wahoo, small black Marlin, and even Hammerhead Shark. The Dhow boats that the locals use are a true testament that solid wood construction can still rule the seas in many parts of the world. Our time spent in Zanzibar was relaxing and it was a true blessing to be able to catch up with Jaime's parents (thanks guys...I mean, thank God for people like Jaime's parents:)).

Flores & Komodo Dragons

After Sulawesi, we spent nearly two weeks on the Indonesian island of Flores. We had a fantastic time getting around the island with our new friends, Andy & Laura from England, and we all loved dodging the mainstream Indonesian tourist track...one day we saw only two other tourists! The energetic local kids would chase after us yelling their only English phase, "Hello Mister," desperately trying to get us to wave at them.

In the town of Bajawa, the four of us hired a local guide to take us to the nearby traditional villages. The Ngada tribe clans live and farm in the hillside, and many of the women make colorful ikat weavings on the front porches of their bamboo-sided, thatch-roofed homes. The Ngada culture is very alive in the villages. Afterward our guide took us to relax in a river where an icy mountain stream converges with a boiling hot-spring river.

Near the small village of Moni, we awoke at 4am to ascend Kelimutu Volcano and watch the sun rise over three crater lakes near the crest. The volcanic crater lakes change colors over the years (red, white & blue in 1965), but they were jade green, aqua green, and black when we saw them.

Next we took a bumpy road to a small, rustic, dusty, not-as-friendly, fishing village on the north coast of Flores. A local boatman took us out for the day to see the tens of thousands of fruit bats hanging around the coast. He also took us to excellent snorkeling sites off of the most luscious sandy beach islands I've ever seen. We lounged (and got sunburned!) in the warm, shallow waters.

After galavanting all over Flores, we embarked on a 2-day boat-ride from Flores to Lombok, stopping at Rinca Island and a number of other places. Rinca Island is one of the three islands in the Komodo National Park, and home to the deadly Komodo Dragon. The bacterial enzymes in the dragon's saliva easily kill the native water buffalo, but we were confident we could outrun the old lady in our group, so we felt pretty safe!

We only have one week left in Indonesia, then we're meeting my (Jaime's) parents in Zanzibar and Kenya, before heading onto Bangkok for more backpacking adventures. Can't wait to see you, Mom & Dad!!!

Sulawesi: Those mosques sure keep you up at night.

To say we've had a hard time getting internet access the past month would be an understatement. We had an amazing couple of weeks in Sulawesi. Jaime was, however, sick for a few days when we first arrived in Makassar...not much fun when it is hot out and the mosques keep you up at night:( Makassar is a bustling city with a huge Muslim population and a bit of Dutch influence. Jason met a new friend, Iwan, when we arrived who helped teach him a little Indonesian and showed Jason around his village where he currently lives with his sister. Iwan has a great personality and showed such hospitality on Jason that he will never forget Iwan.

After Makassar we headed to Tanah Toraja and saw a funeral ceremony where seven (7) bulls were slaughtered to take away the earthly sin of the married couple who were buried that day. We also saw a kick fighting match, which is part of the harvest ceremony in Toraja. The young men literally kick the heck out of each other while the family applauds. Our insightful guide, Set, really gave us a lot of helpful information for the few days that we were in Toraja. Set is an amazing family man, and by far one of the kindest men we met in Sulawesi. After Toraja we had a great time in Sengkang, where we got to witness how the local fisherman live (they live on bamboo house boats in communities on the lake). After Sengkang we chilled out in the small village of Bira on the Southeast coast of Sulawesi. The people in Sulawesi are some of the nicest we met in Indonesia. A special thanks to Dodo, who took us into his home for a few nights and made us feel like family.

Our only problem in Sulawesi was our first driver, Sam, who managed to get us into a car accident and had a few weird problems to say the least. We got to spend the morning of Indonesia's National Day (August 17th) at a local police station after our car accident. We made great friends with the local officers, who provided us with great coffee and good conversation. Just goes to show that even in a cruddy situation one can find kind people and enjoy the moment for what it is. All in all, we had a great time on Sulawesi. Jason does miss Iwan though:)