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.

Following a stay on Nacula, we made a stop at Wayasewa Island. The natural beauty and good snorkeling continued here but sadly, so did the 'fake Fiji' experience and the food and accommodation standards actually went further downhill. It is such a pity - if the resorts were thoughtfully run, the Yasawas would truly be paradisal. If you have money to burn then there are a few resorts in the F$1000 a night range and those surely must treat the traveler well and weed out the hoards of backpacking, party focused youth!

Our experience here on Wayasewa was more like being at a crowded summer camp than at a 'resort'. A fellow traveller also in her thirties aptly remarked: "It's like being part of a factory line". You can forget personal touches and if you are not right on time for dinner and end up at the end of the line, there won't be any food left, as we found out first-hand one night (self-catering was not an option). At the prices we were paying, we didn't expect to be 'nickel and dimed' for everything, but sadly, we were.

On one of our days, we hiked to the top of Vatuvula, without the much pushed F$10/pp guide and after a strenuous climb, found the views to be stunning. We also joined a picnic trip and a reef snorkelling trip to pass the time and during the reef snorkel, we got our first shark sighting: grey and white-tipped reef sharks. During our time in the water, we saw five of them, fortunately not all at once. One 1.5m (5ft) specimen proved especially inquisitve, showing up twice a bit too close for (Amy's) comfort!

All in all, we've had another solid dose of sun and were able to take a bunch of pictures so not all has been lost, mostly just a sizeable portion of our budget.

We have returned to the mainland now as we fly out to Samoa late tonight. In hindsight, we should have probably skipped over the Yasawa Islands altogether - in our opinion, they just aren't worth the price they come at (and we're not just talking about the money...)