Some trips start out with the sudden realization that something is just not right. My 4-night slow boat trip from Gili Trawangan, Indonesia to Flores Island was one of those trips. It began with my minibus driver’s drunken babbling, and progressed from there.

In my travels, I derive a ton of pleasure from the exquisite overlap of cultures that occurs in almost every country that I’ve devoured thus far. From the dichotomies and quirks of the Philippines to a 20-minute conversation with a 4-year-old in Beijing about why I was not wearing socks, endless pleasure – and great stories – are always born of these chance encounters.

There are two fail-safe sensory overloads for the traveller who wants to learn about a new place: going to the local supermarket, replete with its adventurous, exciting foods and people watching, and taking public transportation, with all of the delays, break-downs and random farm animals that comes with it.

After a wonderful 3 weeks in Australia catching up with old friends, drinking far too much Barossa Valley wine and letting my feet heal, I flew back to Bali to conquer my 2nd birthday volcano on the eve of my birthday.

My first of 3 volcano climbs to celebrate my 30th birthday, Gunung Rinjani was beautiful – and erupting all night long.

What to see and do on the Gili Islands, from eating to staying to snorkling and more!

Where to begin with Bali? True to its reputation, Bali is beautiful – both inside and out and in my exploration of Nusa Lembongan, Sanur and Ubud I was able to explore a small part of the lovely island.

To recover from losing several toenails and the skin on the back of my heels, I’m flying to Australia to hang out with some friends – and some of my favorite animals.

Those of you who know me well know that I try and climb a mountain for my birthday every year. I have been doing this for quite some time now, and my aim is always to be at the summit for sunrise on my birthday. With my 30th coming up, I have decided on 3 separate volcanoes, each located in Indonesia.