were gone. Though a few poked through. The second was Prambanan which I actually found to be more interesting. The temples were spread out over a vast land and the structures were spirals.Unfortunatly, I had to leave my wonderful life there. Some places are harder to leave then others.

So, on my way to my next destination I stopped by to get my teeth cleaned from a dentist of some kind. He was a maniac. He was cleaning my teeth and he was spraying the whole room with the toothpaste. When I was done I had it splattered all over my hair and freshly washed clothes...Indonesians.

So, with some fresh, clean teeth (I think) I made my way to Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java. It was a landscape of active volcanos. WOW, so spectacular. I woke up about 3:30 am and started hiking to the view point. I met a nice Indonesian man on the way and we watched the sun rise together. The volcanoes are situated in a crater previously created by the erupting volcanoes. It was so surreal looking. I even saw some red lava comeout when it was still a bit dark out. I did not make it to the highest viewpoint before sunrise and I was better off. I was alone and almost had a religous experience there. I did go to the second veiwpoint but a whole bunch of tourists where there and it broke my spirit a bit. I'm glad I was alone during the start of the first suns rays. After I caught a ride to the crater where I hired a wild, bucking horse to walk me around. It was starting to freak me out with its bucking, but I got out of it in one piece. I was able to walk up an unbelievable amount of steps to look inside the Bromo Volcano. Pretty cool to see the smoke coming out from the head inside the Earth. The crater was like being on the mooon. The pictures are really worth checking out. With that being said my word of advice is DON'T GO TO BROMO DURING RAINY SEASON. As much as it was worth it, it was cold and yes, rainy!

With only a day to spare I argued my prices to Surabaya. I got a local price and pissed a lot of people off. It was acually pretty funny. I met a nice Indonesian man named Made that has now taken on the title of my "Indonesian Dad." He drove me to all the places I needed to go and was a huge help. Sometimes it is great being a single female traveller. He dropped me off at the airport for my much awaited flight to Sri Lanka.

What a fantastic island Java is. Jakarta was huge and very hip. Just the usual things you see in a city - chickens in the trees an people riding on top of trains cause it is too crowded. Yes, crowded. The island is so over-populated. From one side of the island to the next, there is only traffic. The government migrated tons of Javanese people to Irian Jaya (now Papua) and Kalimantan to reduce the population. I think it would be scary to see what that place would have been like before millions migrated.

After spending a few days in Jakarta I headed south to Yokyakarta which is the "cultural capital." What another great place that was. And it acually was cultural. Lots of Batik paintings and tons of spirit. I instantly made friends with locals and found myself hanging out at the Telecom internet cafe where all my gay boyfriends were. I had to be their all time favorite backpacker. We would compare sparkles on our shirts and watch the boys do sexy dances on webcams. It really was a sight to see. I stayed at a beautiful hotel and had some rock stars saying next to me. I went to a rock concert to see them play...then they were up all night partying and passed out out wasted. I had to take some pictures of them, classic. I spent my mornings and evenings listening to music and actually found some really good fried rice. Yokyakarta had to been one of the hippest places I've ever been to.

I took a trip to two different buddist temples. The first was Borobudur which is the largest of its kind in South East Asia. It really was spectacular and old. Most of the noses of the buddas

I next went to Tuk Tuk on Lake Toba and was surprised by someone very special that I had been travelling with in Malaysia. We got a great room, full of windows that over looked the lake. Lake Toba is the largest lake in Southeast Asia and the largest crater lake in the world. We really didn't do much here but relax. There was not a lot of tourists about, so it was nice to have someone around. And we scored more pot here. It was stronger than before, so we spent a good portion of our time getting high and having fun. We rented a moped on one day and went along the mountains and river banks seeing spectacular sights. When our time was up, we ended up taking a shoddy, overnight 16 hour bus to Padang. It was first class luxury - one of the most uncomfortable buses have been on. We had to kick the guy that works on the bus out of the back seat because it was long and I needed to lay down. Plus, we were suppose to be on a really nice bus and we weren't so someone had to suffer from it!

Padang is another big city. But the city buses were absolutely fantastic. I think I could ride around in them all day. They are decked with all kinds of graphics, hanging stuffed animals and banging music. There is nothing like being on a bus stuffed with muslim school girls with 2-Live Crew singing in the background, "Hey we want some p*ssy!" I know I am the only native English speaker and know exactly what the verses say. I guess that is what made it so funny.

Then I went to another of Sumatra's crater lakes, Danau Maninjau. To desend to the lake there is 44 quick road bends. It was really amazing. I stayed at Rizzal Beach Homestay for about a week. You have to walk through lush-green paddy fields before reaching the lake and the homestay. It was pretty relaxed there and had a beautiful view. My little bungalow had a thick pink-lace mosquito net and lace curtains. It was very quaint. There were a lot of weird people there that did not leave their rooms, but a guy from Lake Toba arrived, and it was someone to talk to, and smoke with! One of the guys, Rudy, from the homestay took me out on a moped ride around the lake. There are alot of traditional style structures around, with high pointed roofs. Then, as we were returning and going through the paddy fields, Rudy lost control, and me, him, and the bike fell into a muddy fish-breeding pond. After being emersed in water, I was amazed that all my electronics were still in working condition.

So back to Padang to catch a flight to Jakarta.

Sumatra was absolutely fantastic! It is by far the best island in Indonesia, and it is cheap and there was lots of dope, finally. I spent the first two weeks in Bukit Lawagn. This is where the Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser National Park & Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centerr is. Bukit Lawagn is set on the banks of the Sungai Bohorok, with thick jungle on eather side. So, you get to each side by bridge or boat. To get to the center you must cross some rapids. They cannot built a bridge there because the orang-utans will come to the other side, and that is where the village and hotels are. In 2003 Bukit Lawagn suffered a flash flood, some say due to illegal logging, which destroyed the town and killed many people. Though the town is rebuilding, it was pretty magnificent and is well worth the visit. During the day we went tubing down the Bohorok River or just sat at the banks watching the orang-utans jump throught the trees on the other side. My hotel, Jungle Inn, was really nice. It had a waterfall running through the balcony. Yes, a real waterfall. I shared it with a German guy named Joern (not Yawn, Joern!) It was the best $1.25 I ever paid for a room. At night we usually hung out at the Indra Valley Cafe and smoked lots of joints and listened to the boys play guitar and sing. It was hard leaving. I stayed there 10 days.

Back to Medan which is a huge city with lots of lights at night. I was there on Hari Raya and it was an absolute mad house, people everywhere and lights strung accross the streets. But, as I learned being in a muslim country during Ramadan is that it is always Hari Raya. The people about did my head in though. I got into a violent altercation with a man at reception. As we were fighting, I was explaining to him that he was a little asian f*ck and I was as big as he was and could beat the sh*t out of him. I think that is the last time he will say "no" to a little white girl when she politely askes for a clean sheet.

It was really great when the kids were took out the eyeballs and threw it at each other. Really, it was sadistic and I cannot believe this attracts thousands of people a year. I suggest skipping it. So, after the bloody battle we took a strenuous 3 day journey to the Togean Islands.

The Togean Islands were spectacular! There was crystal clear water with shades of teals, blues, and greens. And an abudance of marine life. The diving was spectacular and even snorkelling off the beach was great. The scuba instructor was a marine biologist, so he was able to give information on like every singe fish and point out even the smallest ones in the water. We also went on a boat trip around the islands and visited a Bajo Village. These are the traditional fishing villages, though a bit uninspiring, it was something to do. There were also some really beautiful beaches around where you can canoe or hike to.

After so many months being on a desolate travelling trek, it was really nice to talk to people again. We stayed at Paradise bungalows at first but moved over to Black Marlin Dive were there were showers and flushing toilets. Unfortunatly, it was not working, but the fact that some type of effot was put into it was nice, and it is Indonesia. I stayed there for a little more than 2 weeks. It would have been nice to stay longer, but the 30-day Indonesian visa was coming to an end. We all left on the same day back to Gorontolo. It was an overnight boat. As we passed by Black Marlin the staff gave us the warmest goodbye by waving flags and running down the beach. Even a marlin jumped out of the water, seriously. The cabins on the boat were smoltering hot and could not bear to sleep in one. Delphine grabbed some mats for us and we perched ourselves comfortably on the roof of the boat. They told us not to sleep there, but we acted like we didn't know what they were saying, like they have done to us so many times before. So under the stars we slept. Even better, no loud music, no mosque and no rude awakening. Well, we did have some Indonesians standing around us looking at us sleep, but that is to be expected.

Manado - We took another long bus ride to Manado. I rather liked it here and there was some really good shopping. Even better, there was a KFC and a Pizza Hut. It was great to eat after so many dishes of fish and white rice. Beating my 30-day visa, I am flying to Borneau, Malasia.

Makassar - It was a long trip from Papua New Guinea back to Indonesia. We decided to fly because I don't think I could handle another Pelni ship. We arrived in the capital Makassar and it was so great to be back in a city again. Back in Asia and back to waking up at 4:30 am by the mosque and chickens, and not to mention - back to the wonderful mandi where I get to scoop my own water to flush. Though, Makassar was much bigger than I imagined and was great for shopping and I turned over my wardrobe. I didn't think it was possible to get a bad hair cut with as much hair as I have, but it was possible. For $3 and a non- English speaking hair dresser, it is possible.

Rantepau - We headed North to Rantepau where the Toraja people live. They live in extraordinary houses where the roofs are in a U shape. We hired a motorbike for the day and saw all the sites. Afterwards we went to the funeral ceremonies we heard so much about. They last for 4 days and we went to the third day...the slaughter. I mean, I have seen some pretty bad things in my travels that I believe make me a better person, this I did not make me a better person for seeing, I am actually repulsed by the whole situation. They pulled up the neck of the buffalo, stroked it, then took a machete and cracked it on its neck. It was disgusting, all the blood poured out and they did not even totally kill it before they went on to the next one. They slaughtered about 7 of them and the buffalo were dead and bleeding all over each other. Then, they proceeded to take off the skin. In the process there was blood and mud all over these people's flip-flops and feet.

native culture has been stripped by missonaries who have built standard churches everywhere you look. After Wamena, we decided to be adventurous and go to the Asmat jungle. With an unbelievable amount of mangroves,swamps and boardwalks, it is truely one of the last undiscovered places left on earth.

We went to Agats first which is an entire village built on boardwalks. When we walked out of the harbour I didn't know what to do. It was a total culture shock. A maze of boardwalks. These people never touch the ground! This is where we got a boat into the jungle to find the Korowai Tribe who live in extraordinary treehouses. We took a boat to a little village called Bosman. From there we had 2 local men and 3 kids hike us into the jungle to see the tribe. The hike was so much fun. They were running around barefoot with bows and arrows. The kids were making jungle calls that echoed to the treehouses to let them know we were coming. Walking through swamps then having to balance ourselves on log bridges, I know the locals thought we were crazy for wearing long pants and shoes (no way I was giving up my $30 Sportec shoes I bought from the Lita Supermarket in East Timor!)

When we reached the treehouses, they were amazing. We climbed up there and spent the day watching the life of the Korowai tribe. We had to give the baby some time, as everytime he looked at me he started to screaming and crying. After about an hour he got used to us. The man brought back some parrots to eat. The kids ripped the feathers off, threw it in the fire, then ate it. It was pretty disgusting if you ask me. I just ate my cookies I brought along. They still live in the stone age with a stone ax. And it was the mother's first time drinking out of a water bottle when I offered it to her. She wasn't quit sure what to do, but soon figured it out. I also offered her a Twizzler, which was a sight to see, she was a little scared of it and gave it back! And as always, the women were fascinated by my hair. The young girl sat and played with it for a while. When the day was over I was glad to get back, there is only so much eating of exotic birds, scorpions, flies, and fishbones I can take for one day. I was glad to see what I did. As in a few years, the missonaires will have robbed them of their culutre as well. They have already started bringing them down from the trees !

After a 2 day boat ride from West Timor, we finally reached the port town of Sorong in Papua. The boat was pretty nice, looked as if it was an old cruise ship. I'm sure we were the only tourists on there in the past couple of years, if we didn't lock our door, the staff would just walk in! Sarong was pretty nice, it was a ligit town. There was even a Kentucky Fried Chicken there. I could not believe it after I had been making jokes about hoping there would be a being a McDonald's in Papua! Sometimes wishes do come true. After 7 gruelling meals of rice on the boat, KFC never tasted so good.

After a couple of days we got our flight to Jayapura. What a wonderful place it was - views as far as your eye can see. The city was so beautiful and noone tried ripping us off - really. Some people even gave money back to us when we gave too much. So we booked our flight to the much anticipated Baliem Valley where the famous Dani tribe live. The gateway town of Wamena was pretty nice. Just as affluent as every other place I have seen in Papua. We spent a week there treking around the valley and staying in villages. Village life is basic but we lucky to get a mattress all 3 nights. Though the kitchens are bleak. It is just a room with a fire and no ventilation for the smoke, so the entire house fills with smoke. No one has discovered to put a hole in the roof. The Dani men do not wear anything but little penis guards, some are curly and some are straight. Though genuinely nice people and very happy. And it is funny to watch them run around with their penis guards going from side to side! Though the Baliem Valley was beautiful and was a lot of fun, most of the

a corrupt border officer who isn't even dressed in a uniform. I suspect West Timor is jealous that East Timor has hot water and proper flushing toilets.

The East Timorians love their country and western. So driving into the country I listened to Dolly Partons Islands in the Stream with all the Timorians singing. The coastline was beautiful and it was a far cry from shithole Kupang. East Timor just gained independence in 99 from Indonesia and still has a lot of Aid workers and UN officials prancing around on high salaries and monthly expense of $3,000 in a third world country. The UN has really ruined the economy there and the East Timorian people have no idea what they are doing.

• In order for me to recieve a package, I had to register for a tax ID number.

• They chose a country code which is the same as a small pacific island, now the phone line are getting tied up.

• You cannot send mail from East Timor because the haven't paid their bill and Lufustania burnt all their mail.

• The cab driver have no idea what they are doing, they will drive you around town until they you tell them to stop - which won't be at your destination.

• They use the US dollar and a cookie costs &1.50. Big deal for one of the poorest countries in the world.

• I got my arm butchered at the hospital by, what looked to be, some random off the streets taking my blood. This was great since the UN refused to see westerners.

So, needless to say, I will not be returning to this island. And I would suggest to others not to go either! Though I did learn a lot about the country and its struggles, and what a piece of shit the UN is (and Kupang)!

The beauty of a 20 hour boat ride on Pelni ships. After sleeping outside on the dirt wating to catch the ferry, we had to take a first class cabin as economy class was like a bad concentration camp with goats and chickens. We had to keep our door locked becasue the cabin crew would just walk into our room. So intereted in what white people were doing. We got served some food, I guess. We agreed that one of the servings was dog, and refused to eat meat after that. And all the excitiment of arriving at a new place were ruined in just an hour.

I haved officially claimed West Timor, and its capital Kupang, as being the biggest shithole on Earth. After being turned away from many hotels because we were western, we were stuck in one of the worst places I have ever slept. It was discusting. There was no fresh water, and I ended up getting an eye infection that will forever remind me of what a shithole Kupang was. There was one person in town who catered to tourists. His name was Edwin and he had to be the most miserable man in town. And the rest of the city probably hates him since he deals with westerners. So the long days were spent at his restaurant overlooking the littered beach. As soon as we could, we were out of there and on the next bus to East Timor, the newest country in the world. We arrived here after trying to beat a 30 day Indonesian visa. Though we got out of he country on time, we still got nailed at the border for a one-day overstay. Even though it wasn't a one-day overstar, it is useless trying to fight with