Common Sense and Whiskey

Etc.

This invites more questions than it answers.

This is a tremendous time-waster.

And while I'll surely read Michael Totten's next book, I think this is a little hard on the Republic of Georgia. Here's my take.

And this could make you cry.

Volcanism. All Over.

Nearly eight minutes of video of volcanic activity on Mt Merapi, Java:

And a note that a new volcano is rumbling in Iceland. Meet Grimsvotn.

You'll Have to Make Do with One of the 50,000 Existing Hotel Rooms

The Jakarta Post says that for now, there'll be no new hotels on Bali.

"In an effort to protect the resort island's natural environment, the Bali provincial administration has decided to stop issuing official recommendations for the construction of new hotels, villas or homestays," according to the article.

"This policy was introduced as part of our efforts to protect the environment from potential damages," head of the Bali Provincial Development Planning Board (Bappeda), Nengah Suarca" told the press.

But, "The moratorium is temporary, he added."

(Photo is from the absolutely lovely Amankila Resort, near the village of Manggis in East Bali and far from the crowds of Denpasar. See more photos of Bali and Indonesia in the Indonesia Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.)

Indonesia East of Bali

Looking into a possible future trip to Indonesia east of Bali, we came across a great site we've spent lots of time on. The individual sections on Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores and West Timor may be of limited use unless you're actually thinking of going there, but the Tales of Asia Main Page organizes a bunch of travel information and features a reader forum. Its author also publishes the Tales of Asia blog.