We visited Besakih after our trip to Mount Batur. On April 9th, two days after our visit, the temple was due to have a huge celebration which only takes place every 10 years. We were lucky to see some of the worshippers bringing their offerings a little early. I quite enjoyed their "tupperware" - colorful cube-like baskets filled with food for the temple. And while these offerings were special, the Balinese create tons of miniature offerings every day. I don't recall seeing the same type of thing in India, so I wonder if this ritual existed in Bali before the arrival [View Full Entry]

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Photos of the hike up Mount Batur. A perfect sunrise! [View Full Entry]

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While Bali doesn't have the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, it does have some spectacular views: volcanoes in the background sometimes, clouds that reflect in the sand, black sand composed of volcanic rocks... [View Full Entry]

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Bali is like that Oscar-winning movie. You've heard so much about it, that when you go, it can't possibly live up to your expectations. And yet, it is unbelievably beautiful. I can't say I was disappointed with my trip to Bali. I had imagined it would be very touristy and that there wouldn't be all that much to do beyond the beach. The unfortunate part was that I had to stay out of the sun during my beach holiday!!! That's right: I was allergic to Bali. At about 7 degrees south of the equator, the sun is so incredibly powerful that [View Full Entry]

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I wasn't in Bangkok for long this time. I went there for the Search Associates job fair Jan. 9-13, so really a long weekend. I arrived at about midnight on the Friday and made my way to the hotel I'd been recommended by the Rough Guide. I was all excited because it's run by South Indians and even has a restaurant!!! But... I think they must really like it rough, because Woodlands Inn was nasty. First the guy tried to rip me off. Even though I'd reserved a room, he said there was one at that price but in the other [View Full Entry]

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Religion is everywhere in Thailand. You can't walk three blocks without seeing some kind of shrine. There's usually some kind of food around - coconuts, pop, chicken!!! The gods have got to eat! - and beautiful gold colored flowers. Here are some photos of the spectacular Wat Pho. [View Full Entry]

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Every morning, the people of Luang Prabang wake up and sit in the ready on their mats, waiting for hundreds of monks to walk by and take sticky rice, tangerines and other treats from them. This custom begins at around 6 a.m. with the striking of gongs alerting the monks that it's time to get going. I believe they've already been awake since about 4 a.m. meditating. Apparently, monks are only supposed to eat two meals a day, and all before noon. Unfortunately, this custom has now become a tourist attraction. Between 5:30 and 6:30, busloads of people from Thailand set [View Full Entry]

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I feel extremely lucky to have visited Luang Prabang in what is probably the best season to go. First of all, it was the dry season, which right away makes it more pleasant to wander around. And secondly, it was during one of the colder months. At night and early morning, this meant the temperature could go down to about 10-15 degrees. (Apparently, the week before my arrival it was more like 5-10 degrees!) And during the day it is a dry and blue-skied 30 degrees. Essentially, for me at least, it doesn't get better than that. The light allowed for [View Full Entry]

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Like Chiang Mai in Thailand, Luang Prabang has a wat on every corner. Clearly, some are more impressive than others, but the presence of all these wats so close to each other gives the city a serene and holy feel. And you can't help being positively affected by a sense of peacefulness and acceptance -- the Buddhist way.. [View Full Entry]

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To be honest, more than anything else, I ate Indian food and Nutella-peanut butter-banana crepes while in Laos. But, I did take a cooking course from a local restaurant run by Joy, a Laotian, and his Australian wife. Most of the food picture come from that day, because Joy took us to the market to show us some local ingredients and buy the materials for our class. The class itself was held in beautiful surroundings, with the sound of the rushing water from a spring just behind the clay ovens. Laotian food uses some similar flavors to the ones used in [View Full Entry]

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