2explore.net We are Niels and Amy van Dongen and this is our journey. Our home site is http://www.2explore.net. On February 16, 2007 we will leave behind the comforts of our home in Seattle to travel through the South Pacific. On this site you can follow along with us, read about our experiences and view some of the photos we have taken en route. Our insatiable urge to explore, sparked the idea for this adventure. In October of 2005, we had a taste of the South Pacific on a 3-week trip to the Cook Islands and have ever since wanted to go back to immerse ourselves in the South Pacific way of life and record our experiences. With many ecosystems at risk from pollution, global warming and climate change, this is now especially critical. We aim to capture the true character of the idyllic South Pacific through photographs and words in a way that makes any observer of our work feel a connection to this special place and in turn, join us in making simple choices in everyday life that can have positive, lasting effects on the world around us. For a year we will be living as modern nomads – traveling only with what we can carry in our packs, living amongst the locals on the islands we visit, spending time sharing stories and experiences and taking in the captivating underwater world on the occasional dive. We hope to help others along the way and keep a vivid record of this adventure to share with you, and keep at the forefront of our memory. Follow along with us and learn about far away places of natural beauty and rich cultures. Experience with us the big world we call home.

The time has come for us to leave the South Pacific and embark on an adventure of settling somewhere and working to make the dreams we have been having turn into reality.

For several months we have debated when to return to the States and since our funds still have not yet run out, there wasn’t much of a forcing function, other than that traveling has become our way of life and it is not longer as special as it should be. It feels so normal to jump from place to place and live out of our packs. We have grown so accustomed to travel and the South Pacific that there isn’t much in the way of anticipation or excitement when we go to a new destination – the sparkle has faded. We have had many amazing travel experiences and feel very fortunate to have been able to create this opportunity for ourselves; now it is time to pursue some other dreams.

After soaking up a few hot days in Fiji, we will catch a flight to LA and then on to Seattle. We will be transitioning to the frigid cold and the busy lifestyle while staying with family through the holidays. This experience has changed us in many ways and as a result, we will most likely not be living the same life we left. Our tolerance for crowds, traffic, rushing around and busyness is now nil – we need space, quiet and peace. We have spent every day of our travels mostly outside and now cannot even imagine being inside day in and day out, not to mention not seeing and feeling the sun for weeks on end!

We do not know yet where exactly we will end up or what we will be doing, so we are going to take our time living in a state of impermanence for a few months to allow us to try some things out, see where we fit, and ultimately continue living very happily. As we write this, we sit at the pool at some soulless hotel in touristy Nadi with the sun trying its best to burn off the high clouds covering the Fijian sky. It is a bit stuffy and humid but we’ll take it, any day, over a grey, dreary environment. We will miss so many people and places, but we will forever have the memories to treasure.

We hope you have all enjoyed following our journey, which certainly is not ending now, it is just making a sharp turn. This is also certainly not the end of our stories and pictures ‘cause despite all of this traveling, we haven’t shaken the travel bug and are sure to be off somewhere again some time. Stay tuned and drop us an email now and again if you would like to keep in touch. Happy holidays and all the best for 2008!

The explorers,
Amy and Niels