Even the late hour can't curb our excitement as we hop in a cab to the airport for our post-midnight flight to Indonesia.


24 hours later, we arrive in Kuta on the island of Bali. The crew (from left to right): Ryan, Tim, Eric, Eunice, Alonzo, and Grace. If Ryan and Eunice look a little more fresh, it's because they upgraded to the luxurious "Raffles Class" on Singapore Airlines, featuring seats that recline into beds and non-stop gourmet meals.


Our first sunset over Kuta Beach-- locals and tourists alike come out to this beautiful stretch of sand every evening to watch the sunset.


Eating breakfast in the outdoor cafe at Hotel Sorga, where Grace and Alonzo stayed during their first visit to Bali. A short walk from the beach, this was a great place to kick off our trip.


We moved from Kuta up to the central mountain village of Ubud, the cultural center of Bali. Here on Monkey Forest Road, a Balinese man takes his handicrafts to market the old-fashioned way-- on a bicycle.


Eric's aunt and cousin now live full-time in Ubud. They set us up at a guesthouse right in the center of town.



Ryan reads on the guesthouse balcony overlooking town, where we were served breakfast every morning.



Stone statues of Komodo Dragons in the Monkey Forest in Ubud... a preview of our trip's final destination!



Eunice stands on a stone bridge under the magical Banyan trees in the Monkey Forest.



A baby monkey hangs on to mom with everything she's got.



An older white-haired monkey oversees the temple in the center of the forest.



A graceful Legong dancer performs delicate hand movements in a small community theatre outside of Ubud.


The rice paddies surrounding Ubud are carved into incredible terraces on steep hillsides. We hired a driver for the day to take us around to see the surrounding temples.



A Balinese farmer walks through a rice paddy outside Ubud.



Eunice perches on the edge of a steep valley covered with rice terraces.



This valley reminded us of the spectacular rice paddies in Sapa, Vietnam....



Eunice wears a sarong and rented temple scarf, required attire for entering Hindu temples in Bali. These stone monuments are carved into the side of a rugged valley.



The springs at the Tirta Empul temple are believed to have healing powers, and the Balinese bathe in the waters. Even men have to wear sarongs at the temples!



Baskets of food and flowers are left as offerings at temples or even on the side of the road all over Bali-- you have to be careful not to step on them in the mornings!



Dozens of water spouts at Tirta Empul.



The central market of Ubud overflowed with colorful fruits and vegetables.



The basement floor was a cacophony of smells from the meats and produce-- the second and third floors were more orderly arrangements of dry goods and clothing.




In addition to indulging in a series of two-hour massages (for only $12!!!), we decide to "splurge" on our final night in Ubud, staying at Alam Jiwa, a tropical paradise with elegant open-air rooms.




Eunice relaxes on our balcony overlooking flowering trees and rice paddies. Last bit of luxury before saying hello to the open seas!



This is the Moggy, a 46 foot Catamaran owned and piloted by Captain Don, a crusty Hawaiin surfer who has lived in Bali for years.



Our quarters were a little tight-- We shared a narrow cabin (more like a cubbyhole!) within one of the catamaran pontoons. Ryan's feet stuck out beneath the curtain which served as our "door," but long days full of sun and salt water plus the gentle rocking of the boat meant that we didn't have much trouble falling asleep. We only had one rough night, motoring non-stop instead of anchoring in a bay-- in addition to some pretty choppy waters, the engine made one wall of our cabin too hot to touch!



Captain Don took us to some of the most spectacular snorkeling spots we'd ever seen. Eric was our own Jacques Cousteau, filming the life aquatic with a home-made "underwater camera" rigged from a cheap video camera, a plastic bag, a diving weight, and some duct tape.



The sunsets from the Moggy were amazing-- this time over a traditional Indonesian fishing boat.



The biggest industry on Nusa Lembongan (our first island after Bali) isn't toursim, its seaweed! It is used as an agent to make ice cream, and grown inside wooden fences in the shallows off the beach.



While underway, we spent most of our time on the bow of the Moggy slathered in sunscreen, enjoying views of the passing islands, great travel novels, and Don's bottomless cooler of Bintang, the tasty local beer.



Approaching Lombok at sunset, watching the sun dip right into the volcanic crater of Gunung Rinjani.



Nightlife on the Gilis! Dropped off on shore by the Moggy's inflatable dinghy, we walked down the Gili Air's sand-covered "mainstreet," stopping to grab a bite to eat at a grill-to-order seafood restaurant. Our next stop was a lounge straight out of Miami Beach, run by a young Brit. Grace and Alonzo knew the bartender from their last trip-- which entitled us a nifty magic trick but no discount on our Caipirinhas! The only tricky part of the evening was signaling back to the boat that we needed a lift home...



Captain Don had two crew members that took fantastic care of us, whether helping to navigate choppy waters, pointing out wild life, or cooking up tasty meals. Here, Eric takes us out in the dinghy to snorkel off the Gilis where the currents are so strong that we just float along with Eric in fast pursuit, ready to pick us up when we're ready to come in.



Don climbs the mast to hoist our sails-- due to calm winds and our tight schedule, we spent most of our time "motor-sailing."



Ryan and Alonzo look out over the dark skies and tropical shoreline of Lombok, our next island.



Lombok is a Muslim island, and we wanted to see how the culture differed from Hindu Bali. We were wonderfully suprised-- the fishing village we pulled into was filled with curious kids and welcoming parents who obviously don't see a lot tourists. The Indonesian people are very warm and accepting-- this made the news of the bombings in Bali upon our return especially difficult to take.



Eric made some fast friends by showing the kids what they looked like on video.



Local kids show off the day's catch.




We're back on the boat, continuing eastward from Lombok.




Trusty Captain Don navigates the fast currents around the islands of Nusa Trenggarra. Most of us were very glad to have some sort of seasickness protection, as the open water was fairly rough for the long days of sailing. Ryan had the patch—Eunice went au natural.




Ryan still hasn't gotten much of a tan... but his hair is in great shape!




Life on the bow of the Moggy: Good conversation, lots of reading, warm sun, and cold Bintang.




One afternoon, we were delighted to find a small school of dolphins jumping alongside the Moggy as we cut through the crystal clear waters.




Relaxing on the back deck as the sun sets.




Another beautiful sunset over an Indonesian volcano.




Sunsets were one of our favorite moments on the Moggy. As night descended, we would see bats flying overhead, stars rising in the sky, and phosphoresence lighting up the water.




We arrive in the shallow bay surrounding Komodo, filled with white sandbars and Indonesian fishing boats.




Here we are snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of Komodo. We saw amazing sea life, including sea turtles, manta rays, moray eels, reef sharks, giant clams, and schools of huge tuna. But our favorite were the fields of red soft coral, swarming with an unimaginable variety of fish.




The waters around Komodo were incredibly calm, especially at sunset.




The vivid colors of the Komodo sunset...




...and the gentle rocking of the boat...




...are the perfect end of another day in paradise.








Komodo Dragons at last-- our journey is complete. The dragons had just been fighting each other when we arrived, so our first dragon was a frightening sight with blood dripping from his fangs.




These 10 foot long dinosaur relics are capable of eating animals as large as deer. Their mouths are so noxious from spoiled meat that the dragons don't need to kill their prey on their first attack-- they can wait for the wound to become terminally infected.




After a big meal, a dragon will stay virtually comatose for a week. We saw wildlife approach this sleeping dragon on their way to the watering hole, so we thought it was safe enough to get a close-up shot of its impressive claws.




The islands of Komodo and Rinca are true desert savannahs, but we saw lots of wildlife near the watering holes, including monkeys, buffalo, and a very rare pair of wild horses.




We also had the chance to do a couple of dives in the Komodo area. This was a wall dive-- like flying alongside a lush underwater cliff, covered with coral nooks and crannies to explore.




We ate our meals below deck. Eric and Gos were fantastic cooks and with Don on the gril, we enjoyed fantastic meal after fantastic meal: seafood kabobs, steaks, and traditional Indonesian food, all seasoned with a healthy dose of Sambal (a sweet Indonesian hot sauce).




We reach Flores safe and sound-- farewell Moggy!




After flying back to Bali, we were in the mood for a little bit of luxury. We booked a lovely beachfront bungalow in Legian and ate at the fantastic Gado Gado beachfront restaurant in Seminyak.




Our last day in Bali was perfect: a cloudless morning swimming on the beach, DVD shopping after lunch, a 2 hour-long massage and floral bath in the afternoon, another perfect sunset, and a restful "disco nap" to help us stay up long enough to see at least a little of the 2am Legian nightclub scene. What a trip... Farewell Bali!