Big Sweet Tooth

Livin` Like a Local in Lombok, Indonesia

So sorry that  I have been so off grid for the past month.   I really had no idea that the tiny, very 4th-world village where I was headed in Indonesia (it was on the Muslim island of Lombok just East of Bali) had no phones, no net, no nothing.  Talk about wonderful.  I have no idea what is happening in the world and never have I felt more at peace and content and clean.  The next few weeks are going to be a flurry of updates about my entire volunteer experience in the village of Sembalun Lawang (nestled at the base of majestic Mt. Rinjani) and my explorations of the always magical Bali (I cannot believe that I drank BEER---but I guess I now love Bintang).  This particular trip was epic in a million ways (taught an entire 2nd grade class how to brush their teeth and use soap) and one of those  life/mind altering journeys that very seldom happen unless you are lucky enough to really let down some barriers and crack open a few walls that you didn`t even know you`d built up (sure, I guess I don`t mind taking a river bath and coming out covered in baby leeches).  My mind is twirling with new ideas and directions to take, so be on the lookout...more is on the way...mst

Baja and Back in 3 Days...

Though I've been more than a handful of times, this past weekend, what with it being long and all, I could not resist heading back to Baja and the Sea of Cortez.  Talk about stunning....literally, my mind has no frame of reference for some of the vista's in this little hidden patch of heaven.  So, I flew to San Diego, rented a car and hauled 700 miles down the peninsula...stayed a day...then turned around and did the drive again.  3 days, you ask?  Was that 1400+ miles of dusty desert worth it?  Hmmm, swimming under stars so close you could reach up and snatch them; chowing on coconut shrimp and drinking margaritas in a sea as warm as bath water; delicious homemade tamales from a hut on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere; a precious puppy named como tu that made me happier than I've been in months; small, baby kisses for the crazy-cute border guards wielding weapons who couldn't believe I was traveling solo; and last but not least hauling back thru Tijuana only to be pulled over by a couple of cops alerting me to the fact that I was doing 60 miles over the speed limit and telling me that they'd have to impound my rental (which I'd purchased no Mexican car insurance for) and me happily bribing them with $200 from a nearby ATM.  Hell yeah, it was worth it!