The Archive:

Welcome to the archive - where curiosity and adventure collide. Here you can explore travel tales, photography, and some of the research I’ve done over the past few years. Whether I am uncovering ancient histories, exploring cultures, or sharing unique stories from my journeys - each post invites you to discover the world from new perspectives. Join me as I explore, learn, and share the world one story at a time.

A person hanging upside down on a rope, in front of a waterfall.
The Price of Wonder: Inside Indonesia’s Ijen Volcano
Shanenn Maher Shanenn Maher

The Price of Wonder: Inside Indonesia’s Ijen Volcano

In East Java’s Ijen Volcano, miners still carry sulfur by hand as tourists descend to witness its famous blue flames. Beneath the masks and smoke lies a deeper story — one of endurance, exploitation, and the strange beauty of survival.

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