I wanted to thank you all for the wonderful trip that I had and to express my appreciation for your friendship, kindnesses, patience and sharing your experiences and knowledge with a beginner. I have traveled to many countries and experienced life from numerous points of view, but somehow this topped them all. I could not have asked for better company, more beauty, more warmth, more colors, or more fun and enjoyment. I was in heaven. I wanted to squeal with delight many times but held myself to a more respectable level of behavior. But inside? there were times when I was bursting with pure joy. I don?t think there was ever a dive when I was actually ready to get back into the boat.I am still in amazement at the beauty of a world that I had only seen with a mask and snorkel prior to this adventure. I didn?t even know what I didn?t know. I was so lucky to be able to visit an amazing other world.I had asked several of you if you remembered your first diving experiences and some were able to describe part of the occasion. Now I have memories and knowledge of pygmy sea horses, nudibranchs, bommies, Wobbegongs, Manta cleaning stations, Epaulette sharks, gurnards, neutral buoyancy, anemones, colors that I didn?t know existed in such vibrancy and patterns that were unbelievable and spectacular. It is probably difficult for most of you to remember a time when these were not in your vocabulary and memories. Thank you for showing these to me.It is snowing and expected to be 18 degrees Fahrenheit tonight. Life goes on. Springtime will surely come followed by the pleasures of summer. In the meantime, I will close my eyes and remember?. Raja Ampat, January 2013.