Monique was invited by the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute of Japan to speak at the 2010 conference for the International Society for Comparative Psychology (ISCP) in Awaji Island, Japan. We decided to make a vacation out of the opportunity and it turned out to be one of the best experiences I have ever had. We spent 2 days in Tokyou went to the world-famous fish market and saw the sights. Next, we spent a few days in Kyoto and visited the temples, a public hot-bath(Onsen), and countryside. Then we visited Monique's hosts at the Primate Research Institute. From there, we went to the conference venue on Awaji Island at the Awaji Yumebutai (Westin hotel). Our final days were spent in Hiroshima where the A-bomb museum must have been one of the most provocative experiences I have ever known. Our last day was spent on Miyajima Island outside of Hiroshima, known for its temples on top of the mountan and giant arch in the water.

This was a Summer trip to Maine in attempt to escape the heat of Florida, but we were struck with 92F weather anyhow. A welcome side effect was very clear days with no fog. We stopped in Camden, Rockland, Bar Harbor, and Portland. The sounds of the light houses and fish markets of Maine's coast were novel and wonderful. The food, art and culture all created a memorable experience.

This was a Mission/Service trip to the Amazon River Basin. A large riverboat was the only form of transportation available to get us from one place to another and a branch of the Amazon River, a deep and black expanse called the "Negre" and its vast ever-changing network of canals called "Parana," was our only road. The boat was equiped with a sizeable pharmacy and a room with a fully functional dentist facility. A pharmacist, dentist, a few family practitioners handeled the medical services while the rest of us helped with the infrastructure of the various villages we visited. I recall several moments realizing that if the boat were to go under or if I were to fall overboard, it would mean certain death, and then turning around and finding myself engulfed in what seemed like millions of fireflies or watching schools of elegant pink dolphins (I'm not lying!) break the surface of the same menacing water for air. It was amazing to see the stars with absolutely Zero light pollution. The people we visited were not natives, there are 200 million or so portuguese inhabitants of the Amazon River Basin that are completely isolated from civilization for 8 months of the year.