things 1. if my phone is in airplane mode, the battery lasts about twelve point two days 2. i knew this before but now even more so: clean drinking water from a tap is one of the most amazing and under appreciated things in the western world 3. ditto for an actual honest to betsy shower that isn't just a spigot, a huge bucket, and a pail... 4. the upscale hotel in Balikpapan where i currently am has a security guard that scans your bags and the taxi before it comes through the front gate. then you walk through a metal detector into the fancy lobby 5. most indonesian drivers seem to regard traffic signs and laws as simply suggestions 6. a ride in a speed boat over choppy waters can be quite jarring (and painful) 7. coral reefs are some of the most beautiful things on this planet 8. so is, as always, the genuine smile of a stranger who doesn't speak your language but understands what you are trying to say anyway 9. the sky is closer to the ground out near the edge of the world...does that make sense? 10. real live super heros do exist. but not where you think they do... 11. clean dry socks are heaven. 12. leeches have no redeeming qualities and can always be counted on to show up when not invited 13. the moon is bigger and brighter out over the Celebes Sea 14. walking out of the jungle is vastly different than walking into it 15. you never really know how deep your strength and resolve go until you've spent eight days and seven nights in a jungle scaling slippery rocks and steep cliffs, traversing rivers with intense currents, climbing root and mud stairs, and slogging through muddy bogs that come up to your ankles...all while wearing the same wet dirty smelly clothes day after day while spending the nights trying to sleep on a tarp on the jungle floor... 16. brothers are good to have in as many places countries continents as you can manage 17. han tan mangan