Woke up Laughing.

This post marks the longest duration I've gone without giving an update on my whereabouts. Traveling for this long has sent me through several different mind sets and attitudes. After getting to Vietnam I was already beginning to feel like this whole experience was wrapping up. 3 weeks in Vietnam and 3 in Indonesia felt like no time at all. It wasn't that I was feeling rushed, but with every stop a weight was lifted, like a marathon runner counts down the last few miles. And at this time I feel more present and aware of myself than at any point in the previous few months. While I've been feeling fulfilled, some of the wonderment has washed away, a certain detachment from myself, viewing this journey and everything that lead to it in the 3rd person. Something about this made refrain from sharing, as if I was a hunter falling silent in the blind when the target finally comes into view. 

Also, we have been traveling quickly. I've seen the most memorable sights since last writing. In northern Vietnam we went to several massive caves in a park that is home to the world's largest known cave. The first we visited was 18km long, but was only accessible for the first 1.5km by boat before the passage became too narrow. The other was reached by foot, climbing one flight of stairs to the mouth of the cave then descending deep within on another staircase. Both caves were astonishing in size, a scale I can only liken to the Yosemite Valley of interior space. 

From north Vietnam, we took a 24 hour bus to Saigon. One day to relax then a flight to Singapore, where we spent a day and a half hanging out with the Timm-Kerns fam. Then a flight to Jakarta, then one day to relax. Then to Yogyakarta, home of Mt. Merapi and Borabadur. Mt. Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has killed over 500 people in the last 5 years. Borabadur is the largest buddhist monument in the world. A huge stupa, built like the bottom third of a pyramid, covered with hundreds of small stupas and Buddha statues, it was built over 1000 years ago and has been restored to nearly perfect condition. 

From Yogya we got into a packed van that drove 14 hours to the peak of Mt. Bromo, another active volcano on the island of Java. We slept 5 hours and woke up at 4 am to be at the rim of the crater during sunrise. The hike in the dark was disorienting and I was convinced we were in the wrong place until the sun finally shed some light and a white staircase appeared before us leading to the final 200m ascent to the summit. We returned to our little home before setting out on an 8 hour drive. 

We arrived in Sembol Village just before sunset. We had time to rest our legs and stretch. There was nothing in the village but a hydroelectric plant, employee housing and our hotel. There was only one option for dinner that was too expensive for my liking. So we went and found a local selling some peanuts. We got 2 beers, also expensive, and shelled peanuts while the 50 other guests sat nearby eating their buffet dinner. The next morning wake up call was at 1am. We drove another hour before making a 4 hour hike down inside the crater of Kawah Ijen. If you've ever seen the BBC series "Human Planet" you may recognize the name. It's known not only as the home to the most acidic lake in the world, but to some of the most dangerous mining too. Miners hike into the crater where there are huge sulphur deposits, they collect 2 huge baskets full and hike back out. We were there before sunrise which ment we could see the "Blue Fire". A natural phenomenon caused by volatile gasses seeping out between the rocks producing an electric blue flame. As dangerous as all this is, we were permitted to walk right in, getting as close as we pleased. We walked past miners carrying their morning loads. We reached the rim before sunrise, the light finally revealed our surroundings. An amazing range of peaks isolated by on ocean of billowing clouds. Amazing!

We hiked out then drove another 6 hours to Bali. We hit the beach for a day before heading to Ubud, which feels like yoga capital of the world. It shouldn't surprise you then that the first people we talked to off the bus were from Boulder. There are many people here who are obviously seeking some enlightenment, so it should also not be surprising that the movie "Eat, Pray, Love." was filmed here. Picturesque is putting in modestly, I think a set designer may have constructed this entire town. Our guest house feels like we are staying inside a temple and everyone is beautiful.

Well, talk to you soon!