Hello folks, and welcome to my new blog.

I'm sort of in uncharted territory here, but I've been convinced--by Sree Srinivasan--that this will be a good way to keep everyone, from editors and sources to family and friends, apprised of my reporting trip to the South Pacific.

I'm leaving Dec. 1, so I am not sure how much I will update the blog before then, but once the trip starts I will try to post stories, observations, descriptions and photos every couple of days.

More to come ...