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 have been times on our trip that we have wished for comforts, times that were hard, even times that we perhaps rather would have been in the comforts of our apartment and former familiar surroundings. Somehow though, it feels like we have known that those times were a means to an end: a tax - as you will - to pay for the times where you'd wish you could stop time to savor in the moments of true discovery and immersion in local, far flung culture: the real deal. These are the times we have just had on Tanna island in Vanuatu. A truly memorable week has just passed. A week we will fondly remember for a long time.

By chance, we stayed with an extremely welcoming and hospitable family that runs a very lovely guesthouse in the shadow of Tanna's main tourist attraction, active Yasur volcano. Unlike touristy resort accommodation in most parts of Tanna, we were able to completely immerse ourselves in the local culture and join our hosts in their daily life, trot along to Independence Day celebrations, assist in making traditional dishes and just follow them around as they shared with us their amazing island and culture. There have been few times that we have felt this fortunate with our surroundings and hosts as we have for the past week.

Our hosts, actually a family of 4 brothers along with their wives and children, did their best to make sure we were entertained, well fed, and rested. It is such a rarity to come across people who are doing something for the sheer enjoyment of it, not just seeing dollar signs - the family was as interested in us and our way of life as we were in theirs. The children were all shy but curious, and as our stay progressed, they spent more and more time following us around and teaching us how to play their version of marbles (played with roundish seeds from the marble tree).

For a week we lived in a very basic, simple way and even though we had pretty much the same meal every day and a water shortage that made it impossible to bathe for 2 days, the time we spent with the family and exploring Tanna Island could very well become the highlight of our travel year.