Presented by Bardavon Presents, O+ Festival, & Radio Kingston

Trekkin’ the Ring of Fire: A three month journey exploring the culture, volcanoes and sacred sites of Southeast Asia

This is a free event, though donations to the theater are encouraged to help cover presenting costs.

In spring of 2026, after retiring from a thirty plus year stint as part of the upper management team of Bardavon presents, Stephen LaMarca embarked on a long awaited expedition focused on visiting a chain of volcanoes along the Pacific Ring of Fire in Southeast Asia. The tour began with a stopover in Japan and a special visit to Mt Fuji to officially kick off the volcanic tour. From Tokyo, LaMarca flew to Bangkok, travelling through Thailand, on to Malaysia, Singapore and continuing into Indonesia. His journey through Indonesia began in Sumatra and continued as he crossed the entire length of the island of Java, went coast to coast through Bali, and then travelled further East to the islands of Lombok and Flores.

As he traveled, LaMarca began creating a series of video journals, all shot, edited and scored on his iPhone, which he posted to social media pages as he went. It did not take long before he had a growing contingent of friends and strangers alike following along on his solo travels.

“These travel journals became a connection, a tether for me while I traveled alone in completely unfamiliar places and cultures, and during unpredictable situations that arose along the way. When I entered Sumatra during Ramadan just two days after the US has attacked Iran for example. Or as I donned a gas mask to descend into a sulfur laden crater to witness the blue flames of the active volcano of Mount lJen in Java,” LaMarca said.

His itinerary included 5 countries, 10 volcanoes, hundreds of temples, and, according to LaMarca “thousands of incredible people and countless amazing moments along the way.”

His Ring of Fire itinerary included stops in:

• Japan- Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto
• Thailand- Bangkok, Ko Samui, Phuket, Phi Phi Islands
• Malaysia- Kuala Lumpur
• Singapore
• Indonesia- Batam Island, Sumatra, Krakatau, Java, Bali, Menjangan Island, Lombok, Gili Islands, Flores, Komodo National Park

There were many other inspiring places along the way, all of which are documented in Trekkin’ the Ring of Fire; a 90-minute documentary edited from these journals.

The original recordings, which on their own are considerably longer, can be viewed in their individual form by following his travel page #trekkintheringoffire on Instagram.