The Komodo National Park alone is worth the long trip to Indonesia from the states. I have been so busy having fun that I’ve haven’t made much time for the blog, sorry. But I have posted my top underwater photos on the Kim’s Travel Site Facebook page. So far I have uploaded 4 albums under the title Komodo.

Last week when I first jumped into the water I was so overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to look because there were so many fish and corals of all colors and sizes. Moray Eels, Nudiebranches, Octopuses, Trigger Fish, Sweat Lips, File Fish, Parrot Fish, Rays, Boxer Crabs and so many others that I still can’t name. I’ve never seen fish so huge. I’ve done about 8 dives and snorkeled 5 times and I can’t get enough.

I saw my first sea snake today but about my 20^th turtle.  Turtles are almost a guarantee here. One turtle was almost as big as I am — 5 feet!

I felt obliged to go see the dragons, I am in Komodo after all, so we went to see them today. Thankfully we spotted a few, so tomorrow, my last day on the island…..opps I wrote that line before we decided to extend our stay at Komodo Resort.  Next post from the same place but will be about the Manta Rays we saw!

After checking out a few surf spots on the southern peninsula of the island I decided I liked Ulu Watu best. This is where some of the largest sets in Bali can be found. Although you can’t sit on the beach and watch the surfers there are plenty of restaurants built in the cliff which offers great views.

Being the good tourist I am we went to the nearby Ultawatu Temple to see sunset. It’s out on a cliff and it is one of nine directional temples said to protect Bali from evil spirits. This small Hindu temple is known for the aggressive monkeys who often steal tourists’ hats and glasses.

Tomorrow we are off to the island of Flores in search of some great diving and komodo dragons.

The best part about our visit to the Sultan’s Palace was watching the men and women practice a traditional Javanese dance in the courtyard. These dances date back to the 8^th century A.D. and they were originally performed for the royals. The feet and hands are so precise just watching you can appreciate how difficult it must be to learn this dance.

The next day we went to see the Borobudur Temple. According to Guinness World Records it is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. It covers an area of 2,500 m2 and stands 113 feet high with a base of about 403 feet.  Trust me – it is massive and impressive. (And yes I had to pose for the paparazzi here too but this time it wasn’t just the youngsters even some adults asked for a picture)

Our guide told us that there are 72 stupas around the temple and inside of each one is a Buddha statute and they were all built exactly the same. There are 10 stone levels, one representing desire, four for reality, one transition and the four top ones represent nirvana. The whole complex is definitely a sight worth seeing if you are ever in Central Java.

Tomorrow we head to Bali for a few days and then off to Flores in search of the komodo dragon.

The seven and a half  hour train ride from train from Jakarta, Indonesia to Yogykarta was really beautiful as we caught a glimpse of the country’s mountains, rice patties and palm trees.

Yogyakarta is often described as the cultural center of Indonesia. It is in central Java and a tourist hotspot. Our first day we took the public bus to the Temples just outside the city. 

The Prambanan is the largest Hindu compound in South-East Asia and was built around 900 A.D. The three main temples are named after the Hindu Gods Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. It is believed that Brahma creates the universe, Shiva destroys the universe and Vishnu preserves the universe.  224 shrines surround the temples.

It was hard to enjoy the temples because every few feet I had another group of school kids asking for me to take a picture with them. For some reason these young paparazzi were more interested in taking pictures with us westerners than the temples. I of course obliged but it made any thoughts of becoming a famous actress disappear.

Next up the palace of the sultans.

The island is famous for its traditional stone money called Raay. Back

in the day these huge, heavy limestone discs were brought from Palau to Yap via outrigger canoe (281 miles) where they were used for things like buying property. Most homes have a Raay sitting outside the door.

These homes in the villages are traditional houses and the one closest to the water is usually the “men’s house.”  A men’s house is a male only meeting place. While in Yap my Dive Master took the day off to help rebuild this one in his village

which we later stopped by on a kayak trip to see it.

One does not have to enter the men’s house to know that inside, they are all chewing betel nut. It’s not only the men who engage in this habit of taking the nut – that they season with lime, add nicotine and wrap in a leaf – both sexes from age 8 to 80 partake. Everywhere. The giveaway, absent the wad in their mouth, is their red teeth. The lime turns the spit to a blood red color staining their gums and teeth.

Although most Yapese don’t smoke cigarettes they do use them to prepare their chew, so smokers be aware the only cigarettes you can buy on the island are the type they use to prepare the betel nut, menthol.

The red teeth may not be attractive to some but the fresh flower leis

and headdress are very pretty and Yapese often wear them as a part of their daily dress. If you compliment a local’s flowers the odds are very high that they will insist on gifting them to you. This is just one example of the generosity and kindness of the Yapese toward the tourists.

You will never be asked for money or anything in return. Unlike most tourist areas, it’s a place where you can truly feel safe and relax without being hassled.

We saw a lot of reef sharks on the today’s dive they would just circle around us as if they were checking us out. It’s a shame that sharks get such a bad rap. They really aren’t those dangerous mean and scary creatures that Jaws made them out to be. Especially reef sharks. These are the same type of sharks that you hear about when someone is bit in Florida. The bites aren’t usually life threatening because the reef shark is just cruising the coast with its mouth open while feeding when they bump into a swimmer.

After coming up empty on our search for the Manta Rays we decided to go for the sure thing, and that is the spot where the sharks hang out. We spent an hour just sitting on the ocean floor watching these black tip reef sharks as they swam around us. No I never felt in danger at all during this dive. As I’ve said many times in the past these sharks are like puppy dogs very sweet and cute, but not cuddly.

There’s no better way to start the day than spotting a pod of dolphins on the boat ride to our first dive site. Just when I thought that would be the highlight of my day I dove in the water and was immediately in awe. I’ve never seen so many different shapes, sizes and types of coral in one place.

We drifted with the current for over an hour past a wall of sponges and hard and soft coral that seem to go on forever. Yap is surrounded by almost 100 miles of barrier reef and the water it sits in is just perfect. As a spoiled Floridian I am usually quick to get cold but here the water is up to 85 degrees even 60 feet down, and even I don’t need a wetsuit.  

I still haven’t seen a manta ray but I have a few days left and if I don’t see one I won’t be disappointed; the diverse reef and marine life has been worth the trip.

WOW! The colorful coral and the fish that live in the water surrounding this island are just stunning. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise since my dive master said only about 1000 divers a year visit this speck of an island in Micronesia. Yap is known for its Manta Rays that live offshore. Although I didn’t see any on my dive today it didn’t matter to me because the things I saw under the sea were spectacular. While waiting in a known Manta cleaning station I happen to catch a movement out of the corner of my eye. It was this octopus. It was smaller than the one I saw on the next dive but it entertained me for at least 20 minutes.

Before I took my first dive I told the shop that I wasn’t sure how often I would dive this week. Well that quickly changed. As soon as I surfaced I was able to commit to a dive every day while I’m on the island.

I should have known I would love this place the minute I saw the announcements posted all over the town that say July 4, 2014 all plastic bags will be ILLEGAL. The 4th of July that would be the perfect day for the United States to do the same!

You can see more underwater photos the Kim’s Travel Site Facebook page.

What a beautiful island with kind people and plenty of things to see and do. With its proximity to Asia I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I feel like I am in an Asian city and not a U.S. Territory. There are Japanese, Chinese and Korean tourists and restaurants everywhere.

I am told most Western travelers use Guam as a stopover point on their way to other Micronesian islands but I think that is a mistake. Guam is worthy of at least a few days of exploration.

The Guam Pacific War Museum is interesting and well done. (I’m not just saying this because it is one of very few history museums that I have been to overseas that actually praises America’s efforts) After learning about the Chamorro people there are a few villages where you can experience their culture.

The beaches are picture perfect with their white coral sand and colorful marine life. Today we are heading to the Water Fall and the cave named after Shoichi Yokoi a Japanese Sergeant. Yokoi hid in the cave during World War II.  Unaware that the war had ended, he stayed there for 28 years when he was discovered by local farmers. 

Tonight we head to Yap for a week on the island where diving is the main attraction. It’s known for the enormous manta rays that live in the water offshore. I hope to have some pictures of a manta encounter soon!

A week from today I will be on a flight to Guam, Micronesia. I am not really sure why we picked Guam to start our summer trip, but it seemed like a good place. Plus it is close to two places that I would like to dive,  Palau and Maldives.  

So we don’t I know which hotels we will stay in nor the countries we will visit during our 3 months abroad but I do know I can not wait for the adventure to start

One decision I think we will stick to is that we will spend at least 5 weeks in Africa, with the main goal to see the Great Migration again.

The journey is the destination.

Wishing everyone a wonderful summer!!