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.

Most people would probably agree that being the captain of your own boat is the best way to see Vava'u. For us however, that meant going about on a simple, borrowed, plastic kayak complete with disfunctional paddle. Regardless, the natural beauty of the region more than compensates for the minor inconveniences. For the last week, we have based ourselves on a Southern stretch of beach on Utungake Island in Vava'u and explored the sparkling water and offshore islets.

Our daily strugges are comprised of deciding when to go for a paddle, what provisions to go to town for, and travel planning and documenting. This is the life and we keep trying to take everything in to the fullest while we can, far away from all the chaotic hustle and bustle of the developed world.

For the first time in our trip, we have crossed paths with fellow travellers who are also on a South Pacific, extended itinerary. It is interesting and entertaining to share and truly understand each others travel stories. We have even met several of the same quirky people along our routes!

Apologies for the delay in updating the website and responding to messages sent through this site. During our time in Tonga, we were unable to access our webiste for some strange reason (probably the rumored censoring by the Tongan government - we do not know with what sites we share our server) which made updating too difficult.

More than 5 months in, we are still thoroughly enjoying ourselves, most of the time. We have managed to not run out of money yet but the hardest daily struggle is staying on budget. The challenge of being together nearly 24/7 is still being met and we are still happily married - though at times, both in desperate need of some space :). We have learned to be able to mentally separate ourselves even if physically constrained in a small hut of woven palm fronds.

The vistas of lush vegetation, palm trees, and all shades of blue and green seas continue to amaze us. Sun and heat have become a daily need and we have clearly adapted to the climate as when the temperature drops to around 25C/75F, we are shivering while donning our long sleeved shirts and pants! Time passes, not too fast nor too slow, strangely it feels like it is just right. Perhaps that is because we are able to take so much time at the destinations we visit. Occasionally we have fleeting thoughts of what we will do and where we will settle when we end our time in the South Pacific but we do not linger on that as we are focused on being in the here and now and we are are just plain happy.

We are now back in Fiji after a day of travelling (both sick) from Vava'u - not recommended. Today we spent all day at the airport figuring out flights and iteneraries (or in other words: how can we get where we want to go for the least amount of money). Not wasting any time, we are flying on to Vanuatu tomorrow where we will spend a few weeks before making a sidestep to the Solomon Islands before spending some more time in Vanuatu. Stay tuned - There should be some more good pictures to be had there ;-)