My Adventures and Travels

 No trip to Raja Ampat is complete without visiting the picturesque Fam Islands. Pictures don't do them justice, but here are a bunch of pictures anyway! First we went to the main Fam Islands hike. It was short and steep and breathtaking in more ways than one!  See the islands on the left of the 100000 rupiah note? They should look familiar! We also hiked up to the Star Lagoon. This was a much steeper scramble, not recommended for the unsteady, the flip-flop wearers, or those with a fear of heights. 

 Raja Ampat is known as a divers paradise. Several people asked me if it's worth going if you only snorkel and my answer is YES!! Raja Ampat is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, and you can see a lot from the top! Of course, if you dive then you'll want to do so here as well. Here's where I went: Sauwandarek (most fish) Yenbuba (cool drop off, best to imagine creepy things lurking in the deep Melissa's Garden-nice with strong current. Reefs were a bit below so harder to see Lau Lau Reef then Friwebonda: AMAZING REEFS and by far my favorites I will now add the disclaimer that I am inexperienced in underwater photography, and my camera is a basic point-and-shoot that happens to be waterproof. 

 Listen, normally I am not the type of person to leave a whole post on a resort. Because,  1. I'm a teacher and I can't afford to stay nice places 😆 2. Actually I do budget a lot of money for travel but I'd rather go basic for 3 weeks than all-out for one week. This is an exception. When I checked into my room I felt like I should have been there on my honeymoon.  (There's always the future....Mr. Right, are you reading this right now?!?) Anyway I'm making an exception because otherwise what will I do with these gorgeous room pictures, right?? The place I stayed is called Papua Diving-and they have 2 places you can stay, Sorido Bay or Kri Eco Resort. Due to covid, Kri Eco Resort hadn't reopened-it might be where I had stayed if it was an option-so I stayed at Sorido! Without further ado, here are those pics.  While Sorido Bay had a couple of bungalows for families, I didn't see those. Most lodging is these smaller individual bungalows spread out along the b...

 Although I started the school year in summer of 2020, ie during covid, I decided to travel within Indonesia for the first time during our October break. One of the other teachers goes to Raja Ampat every year and was able to secure a deal if he could get a big enough group, and I jumped at the chance. Although getting here and staying here was NOT cheap, I didn't want to pass it up. Googling "Raja Ampat" told me all I needed to know!  Sad dock. We were literally loading which is why some people are still on shore. This post is mostly the nuts and bolts, in case you're planning a trip of your own. Raja Ampat is pretty remote. From Jakarta we flew into Sorong (4 hours) which is on the island of Papua. From there, the resort arranged our pickup from the airport to the dock. Which *may* have actually collapsed while we were actually standing on it getting ready to board our boat!! We took the boat about 1.5 hours to a govt sign in and to pay the fee for our "yearly ...

OK, I've actually been in Indonesia for almost a year. But it's been so pandemic-y I haven't felt like I've had a lot to share-and what I DO have to share ends up on social media. Maybe a blog is overkill. But I like words.  So here I am! Teaching internationally in Jakarta, Indonesia. I don't want to type an ALL ABOUT TEACHING INTERNATIONALLY IN INDONESIA post, but instead observations, snippets, funny moments, travel, and maybe (occasional) frustrations. Join me! OBSERVATION #1: Dogs in Indonesia Anyone who knows me, knows that Sweet Abby is my constant sidekick (except that one time when we were separated for over 6 months because she couldn't get out of the US). But, due to culture, religion, and just plain old lack of experience, Indonesians are generally wary of dogs. This can range from downright terrified to suspicious to curious to completely friendly. On top of that, the majority of dogs in Jakarta are miniature-sized so a golden retriever is relativel...

The "Camino de la Muerte" or Death Road is another touristy highlight in Bolivia. It's a bike ride, about 40 km, all downhill, where you lose a stunning 11,800 feet in altitude from the top to the bottom! For my friends not using the metric system, thats from 15,400 feet to 3,600. (Metric: from 4700 to 1200 meters) Fortunately, the road that is infamous for deadly accidents is a lot less deadly today. Mostly because another much safer road has been built-so the only traffic on the road now consists of mostly cyclists and the vans that transport them, with perhaps the odd tourist. However, in the past, the narrow, dirt road with blind corners required big buses to back up to find wide enough spots to pass one another-which all too often ended up in buses backing off the sheer side of the mountain. Again, choosing a reputable company seems important when your life is on the line (we used Gravity bike tours). They supply you with a bike, a suit to wear over your clothes for ...

If you go to Bolivia and you don't go to the Salt Flats, you are doing Bolivia wrong. Book with a reputable company and read reviews-some of the companies have complaints of their drivers getting totally wasted on the stops and obviously that is no bueno. It is a LOT of time in a vehicle, so be prepared for that. And the lodging falls somewhere between orphanage barracks and prison cells. I know, I'm really talking it up. All that being said, you must go!!! There's nowhere on Earth like it. From a train cemetary, to the flats themselves where salt is harvested, to the "islands", lakes full of flamingos, geysers and hot springs, and high elevation valleys, this is not a place you want to miss. Most tours are about 4 days. 3 is pushing it and longer might be better if you can handle "roughing it." As of spring of 2015 there wasn't even a hint of any sort of cell service or wifi anywhere and the flats don't seem like a place that changes quickly, so...

So to sum up the months of June, July, and August, I said goodbye to my students, about half of my friends/colleagues, went back to Colorado for three weeks, then returned to Paraguay with about 20 new teachers on my staff. Then only a few days later school started with my new group of kids. It was a whirlwind. All that whirlwind kind of made me think about what it means to live and teach abroad. I mean, obviously, you have the amazing benefits of being able to travel, explore, and see the world like most people only dream of. And the downside of missing "home" like crazy. I kind of expected both. But one of my friends here in Paraguay, Bree, summed it up more perfectly than I could: "It's like I live two lives. I have my life in the US and my life here, and there is absolutely nothing in common between them." It's so true, and it's pretty bizarre. I think it might be easier in a lot of ways to be part of a teaching couple or family abroad than a sin...

The strange thing about the South American school schedule, at least for my school, is that we have our long 9-week break in the middle of the school year-so when we return to work it is to the same students. Then after our shorter break, 3 weeks in July, we have a whole new group. In many ways it was nice-for now at least, I'm not sure how I'll feel in July! It takes the kids awhile to get back into the swing of things, just as it does for the teachers. But it's a lot easier to review your routines and procedures than it is to start totally from scratch when you don't even know the kids' names to begin with! Mentally, some things were really nice about being back after 8 weeks away. Laundry, my kitchen and spices, having my own space and my own bed, and not living out of a backpack are all the little things I miss during travel. The main difficult thing was the oppressive heat. I've never lived (or even visited) somewhere this hot AND humid. I've been i...

Lucky for me, my summer break falls from mid-December and goes through mid-February. With nine weeks off, I had time to go home to Colorado, without feeling like I was missing out on too much of my travel time. I went home for about three weeks-what a whirlwind! It was wonderful, and exhausting. It seems like every night, I had plans with a different group of friends. It was *so* nice to see the family and friends I've been away from! It was also a little bit of "reverse culture shock" to go into stores and be reminded of how much STUFF is available in the U.S. For example, one of the things I used to take for granted is being able to eat whatever I want, no matter the season (Raspberries! In the middle of winter!). Not to mention all the food-stuff I had missed. I ate way too much. I drank way too much. I wouldn't have it any other way! The whole time I was home I was surrounded by loved ones and it was so nice. My mom asked me, is there one question that everyon...

I realize I've only been posting when I go somewhere and do something fun. That's probably why most of my US friends think I've just gone on a 2-year paid vacation. :) So, for a change of pace, I'm going to write about daily life in Paraguay (for me). Walking This is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of how my life here is different. I walk. A lot. Everywhere. I mean, it probably seems really obvious, as I don't have a car, or plans to buy one. Now I might change my mind about this in a month or so, when it gets super hot. Right now I kind of like my morning walk to work each day. The weather since about the beginning of September has been pretty much glorious, almost every day. Taking the bus is really cheap, and a cab is affordable, but I just prefer to walk. The only time time I miss a car is when I buy stuff or want to buy stuff, but have no way to get it home. Think about it. If you walked home from the grocery store, would you EVER buy a water...

On Sunday morning, we agreed to get to the falls reasonably early, make a morning of hiking, grab lunch in town, and hit the road to head back to Paraguay. That is what we did. Instead of viewing the falls from above, we went on a great hike to see the falls from below. It was incredibly beautiful. And wet. And we saw MONKEYS! By the time we got to the destination at the base of the falls, the light "pelo de gato" mist had turned into an all-out downpour. I was so glad I bought a mad scientist poncho! The funny thing is, normally that would've ruined a day of hiking and sightseeing. But I was just so in awe of everything, and in such a great mood, that I felt nothing could ruin it. Consider yourself warned. This was just a lame, puny falls in comparison  to what we'd see later. And this is where my jaw dropped. Kristi, Molly, and Ali are being troopers. Somewhere along this trip, having a waterproof camera became really ...