Carynne McIver: November 2010 Archives
Seacology
Program Manager Karen Peterson recently returned from a trip to Indonesia,
where she traveled with our Indonesia Field Representative Arnaz Mehta and
visited Seacology projects. One of their
site visits was on the island of Java, where Seacology has funded a multi-purpose
community building in support of the replanting of 72 acres and protecting a
total of 267 acres of no-take rainforest. Below is Karen's account of her
visit.
On October 24, Arnaz and I flew to Bandung, Java, overnighted, then were met at the hotel by Mandalemekar project coordinator Irman Meilandi. We then drove four hours to the village. Though the road approaching the village was not of the same level of ruggedness as what we had experienced on Flores Island a few days earlier, rain has made access into and out of Mandalamekar challenging. Fortunately, the roads were in decent shape for our arrival.
Right, Karen, Arnaz, and Mandalamekar villagers at their local waterfall.
What are today's hottest travel destinations? You guessed it--islands! Lonely Planet, one of the world's leading travel guides, just released its annual list of the top 10 sites to visit. From Polynesia to Iceland, islands dominate the list:
- Marquesas Islands, Polynesia
- Westfjords, Iceland
- Shetland Islands, Scotland
- Great Barrier Reef, Australia
- Chilean Patagonia
- Gili Islands, Indonesia
Of the mainland sites, two--Sinai, Egypt, and Istria, Croatia--are peninsulas (or, etymologically, nearly islands!) and another is a coastal region--West Coast, USA. Only one inland destination made the list: Cappadocia, Turkey. So if you are planning a trip in the near future, islands are clearly a good choice.
