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.

There are many active volcanoes in the world but only a few erupt as regular and consistent as Yasur volcano on Tanna island, Vanuatu. From the moment we arrived in Eastern Tanna, we had heard the grumbling of the old man - which is what Yasur freely translates to. A sound very much like thunder, sometimes accompanied by minor tremors. So it was with roaring anticipation (pun intended ;-) that we set out to climb the mountain leaving a few hours before sunset to see it both in daylight and at night.

As the volcano was at a safe level, we could walk all the way up to the crater rim and take a prime seat on the edge in the black ash/sand to watch nature's fireworks. And Yasur did not disapoint! The grumblings we had heard on the ground were more like explosions up at the top. The activity level teetered between mere bubbling lava - not visible, but audible - and massive explosions. There would be a series of eruptions where glowing rocks were thrown to perhaps 50 meters/yards above the vent and then the old man would take a rest, which we at first mistook for a sign that the show was over. Not so much. He would then really let it rip with a huge explosion hurdling thousands of molten rocks sky high, some going much higher than the crater rim we were sitting on.

It was an exciting yet humbling experience to be so close to nature's fury. Very different from the slow lava flows we had seen in Hawaii - but very much like Stromboli volcano in the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, Yasur was so exciting that I could not resist climbing him again a few days later - our guesthouse was so close with only an hour walk to the top.

About an equal distance from our guesthouse, but on level ground, one of the destructive effects of Yasur's fireworks could be clearly seen: a large ash plain that stretches on for miles. Formerly the area was a freshwater lake, but a cyclone caused the lake to drain a few years ago leaving behind a large flat expanse laden with volcanic ash. It was an impressive experience to walk across the barren ash plain and be surrounded by black sand and ash almost as far as you could see. Almost perfectly conical Yasur rising out of the black, topped by billowing white clouds against a stark blue afternoon sky, was truly an amazing sight.