Selemat Pagi, INDONESIA!

Ferry hop the Indonesian archipelago! Whether you're exploring the jungles of central Bali, haggling with rupiah for trinkets in the markets of Jakarta,

or riding the outstanding surf on the coasts of Kuta,

there is an adventure waiting around every corner! See Indonesia's intriguing history first hand and compare the hindu water temple,Tirta Ganga, to the buddhist Borobudor Temple.

If you’re an animal lover, don’t miss the journey to Bukit Lawang-- in a remote village in the forested northern tip of Sumatra, you can trek amongst the wild orangutans in their natural environment—connect fingertip-to-fingertip,

and remember that rough warmth and those huge eyes forever!

Music’s everywhere – whether you dance to a “gamelon” show or grab a guitar on the sidewalk scene.

Top it all off with a horseback ride up Mount Bromo to watch the sun rise over the Javan valley!

Bring your sunscreen, your water bottle, and a mind and heart open for unexpected adventures... Good morning, Indonesia! Or, as they say in Indonesia... "Selemat Pagi, Indonesia!"

Easter Island...the land of the Moai

Easter Island -- Rapa Nui in the native tongue - is a minute volcanic island in the South Pacific with a history magnificent enough to captivate any imagination. The most remote, continuously inhabited island in the world, it lies just over 2000 miles off the coast of Chile, not quite halfway across the Pacific to Tahiti.

The island's most storied occupants are the moai, great carved beings that are representative of the people's forebears. The moia, made of tuff or volcanic rock, were quarried at Rano Raraku, one of the three volcanoes that formed Easter Island.

These statues were carved and transported to the ahu, or burial plots, on which they were placed. They were constructed at the height of Rapa Nuan culture, a society which grew to 15,000, overpopulated, and in which rivalries and shrinking resources begat civil war, which ultimately left all the moai toppled.

The British took over the island in the early 1900s, appropriating all the fields and settlements into sheep herding territory, and relocating the many tribes into one settlement on the northwest coast. This settlement, Hanga Roa, is the one and only town today on Easter Island and the home to the island's 6,000 residents.

Here is a photo tour of my favorite island in the Pacific...

The first view of Rapa Nui, a mostly barren island of 3 volcanoes

The main street of Hanga Roa is lined with street vendors, artisan shops, and farmers, including this vendor of "pisse", an island delicacy from the seas.

The guesthouse, right at the edge of town, is a lush gardened hideaway, hosted by island natives with deep roots...

Biking is the perfect way to explore the island... the parque nationale with the moai,

the lava caves,

and the fishing harbor.

Ramon is an amusing guide, bursting with island history both old (the warring tribes of the 1500's) and new (how long it takes to get to a hospital on the mainland), and a perfect guide for our exploration of the ruin-laden southern coast.

The first stop is the quarry, Rano Raraku, where the moai were carved and transported from (for theories on transport, check out sidebar). You'll see some moai, still connected to the quarry walls, like below:

and others, completely carved, including tattooing and body details, ready to be transported to an ahu:

Here is "El Gigante", measuring 65' and weighing over 270 tons, left in place on the mountainside:

On the south shore, by the quarry, is Ahu Tongariki. It is the largest Ahu on the island, and had as many as 30 moai in its heyday:

Check out the detail on these moai... the elongated fingernails, the unique facial features, and even the decorative earrings:

As you tour the island, you'll see lava tubes, caves which sheltered plantlife from the tireless pacific winds, so which became garden pockets for the tribes, producing banana, tobacco, corn, and grapes:

and on the eastern shore, visit Ovahe Beach. Here is our guide, Ramon, next to the burial mound of his ancestors:

Another great day is on horesback, exploring the rugged, undeveloped northern coast:

Back in Hanga Roa, have your pick of candlelit bistros

serving island varieties of Chile's specialty, ceviche (a raw fish dish, "cooked" in lemon):

My favorite spot was La Taverne du Pecheur:

You'll also want to take a look at the Incan stonework, like here at Ahu Vainapu:

...learn the tale of the Birdman:

and even get your passport stamped at the post office:

Before you go home, you should meet Miguel, who carves models of Ahu Tahai, out of the local chinaberry tree:

Take one home as a touchstone to this minute treasure out in the Pacific!

Don't want the Ski Season to end? Check out VALLE NEVADO!

You’re not ready to hang up those skis for the season, yet? Consider Chile’s Valle Nevado!

Down in South America, the ski runs are getting their first dusting right now, and by the time we buy our beach badges here in NJ, ski passes will be in high demand in Chile!

Valle Nevado is a Find! It’s only a 45 minute, albeit mostly vertical, drive out of Santiago. There are outfitters in town to rent you equipment and clothing, as well as give you van service. As soon as you exit the city limits of Santiago, you start to climb, going “above cactus line” to find the snow and the 3 resorts which form the village of Valle Nevado, so high up you feel like you’re in the clouds!

You have all levels of lodging to choose from – starting at the bunkroom hostel and going up to 5* (where you’ll find the hot pools).

It’s the endless space (and the pisco sours) which draw you to Chilean skiing! A scene hard to describe, the vistas are endless! At one point, I sat down- somewhere around 13000’ - took out my camera, and photographed my comrades as they skied down the hill and away from my lenses… getting smaller and smaller until they became a mere speck. It’s so open it swallows you up!

Valle Nevado labels its runs, like resorts here in the States, but the runs are more wide swaths of hillside instead of groomed, tree-lined paths. There’s also a back bowl which, I have to admit, terrified me. I felt like I was getting lost in the Great White Nowhere, but I just let my board ride along (for, like 30 minutes!) and I eventually crested back in bounds. A relief!

There’s an attentive and active ski patrol, but the space is so vast, that I could imagine days going by without seeing another person!

Let me try to describe the space…

I have ridden a horse through the Sahara desert, hiked Haleakala Crater on Maui, stood atop peaks in the Rockies outside of Ouray, driven through the Manitoba plains of Canada, and walked on the tundra of northern Alaska.

Nothing compares with the convex exposure, sheer height, open sky, and bald earth of Valle Nevado!

Apres ski is a mind-blowing affair, between the altitude and the pisco and the in-your-face sunshine! Meals are fun and delicious, even if not thematically-correct (we had fondue!).

And of course,one of the greatest perk of this resort is its proximity to Santiago, whose distinct barrios each offer a different flavor, letting you hop from world-famous jazz venues to brazilian eateries in one night!

It’s the home of Pulitzer-winning poems by Pablo Neruda, and the scene of amazing political drama of Pinochet.

And if you can squeeze out 4 extra days? Fly out to Easter Island! 2000 miles off the coast, you can access this treasure from only Tahiti on the West or Santiago on the east. (this is a topic for next week!)

Everyone is wondering how travel to Chile will be impacted by the recent quake but here is what Travel Weekly had to say, in their March 8^thedition: Peru was hit by flooding that forced the closing of Machu Picchu, then a massive earthquake hit Chile. The tourism industry in both South American countries is regrouping, and tour operators say they expect the areas to rebound quickly.