22 Feb 2015 | Day 70: Water Palace

Day 70: Water Palace
Because we’re obsessive, Melissa and I stopped in at one final attraction on the way to the airport. Here is Tirtha Gangga, the water palace. Demon Statue At Tirtha Gangga Statue representing evil manicures. Bridge Nice little bridge at Tirtha Gangga Found View II Another view of the main fountain. Dragon Mask Statue Like the ones at the Setia Darma...

The Downside of Simple
First in Thailand then in Bali and finally in Cambodia, one of the most remarkable aspects of travel is how uncomplicated many of the local people are. There’s much less rushing and less evident anxiety than back home. Fewer seem trapped in their heads. They seem to have more time for relationships with people and healthier relationships with work. It’s...

Day 69: Feeding the Evil Spirits
The day after the cremation ceremony, Smiling Buddha had a surprise for us: an invitation to another ceremony. This time the ceremony was closer to home. In fact, it was the ceremony to keep the evil spirits calm at his home and guesthouse. See, the Balinese aren’t about vanquishing the evil in the world. They seek balance. Thus their purification...

19 Feb 2015 | Day 78: Tired

Day 78: Tired
Like memory deteriorating with age, I knew this was coming. You’re warned of it in advance but you never quite believe it’s going to happen to you. The truth is I’m tiring of the big sites and attractions. As much as I wish it were otherwise, wish I could always put up the front of having limitless energy and enthusiasm,...

Day 68: Ashes to Ashes
We all begin life swimming in water. The elements attending our bodies’ final rest depend on chance and custom. In the west, we commend our corpses to the earth. Some favor burial at sea, a neat symmetry with birth. In Bali the dead are bathed in flame. Only the ashes are given to the ocean. Meditasi The guest house we...

Days 64 to 66: The Life Aquatic
Water Baby I’ve always loved the water. As far back as I can remember I’ve enjoyed swimming and floating. All the sensations of being immersed. The only reason I dislike baths is they just take too long to draw. From my first splashes in a pool with my aunt Alison to swimming lessons as a child, to summers growing up...

17 Feb 2015 | Day 62: Masks

Day 62: Masks
We spent our last day in Ubud before heading to the coast at a museum which many told us we couldn’t miss. That recommendation was invariably followed promptly by an expression of puzzlement and slight outrage that more people don’t now about it. The Setia Darma Museum of Masks and Puppets (Lonely Planet TripAdvisor) is one man’s passion, Mr. Hadi...

Day 61: Pura Titha Empul
You know how when you’re having a good time, you just want to keep it going? Even if the planned activities have ended? Well, by the end of the cooking class — 2 PM — we were so full and happy we wanted to keep the adventure going. Melissa had sussed out a temple with a holy water spring (not...

15 Feb 2015 | Day 61: Makan Semua

Day 61: Makan Semua
Makan semua was the WiFi passcode at Nevin’s place. Nevin was my first Balinese AirBnB host and the password means ‘eat all’. Nevin is a bit of a foodie. We like to eat too, so naturally Melissa and I signed up for a Balinese cooking class. We were half of the student body of the highly-rated Balinese Farm Cooking School...

Day 59: Srawung Cipta Seni Sembah at Goa Gajah
Goa Gajah is the elephant cave shrine near Ubud and dates back a thousand years. Its name comes not from the animal, but from a god. Inside the eponymous cave sits an ancient and revered Ganesha statue. It’s a place of great spiritual and archeological significance. A fabulous tour through the site is described here. The site contains much more...

Day 55: Tejakula to Ubud II
This post is the second set of pictures from our journey from Tejakula to Ubud. The first is [here][tejakula-to-ubud-i]. After Pura Bratan, the second high-profile tourist site we visited were the rice terraces at Jatiluwih. These are rightly famous and are truly incredible in person. Now, we come from a green land. The little slice of country in the Pacific...

Day 55: Tejakula to Ubud I
Another mostly-pictures post. This time of Melissa’s and my journey from Tejakula to Ubud. This trip took us to two of the most famous destinations in Bali: Pura Ulun Danu Bratan and the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan (Pura Bratan for short) is a temple at lake Bratan which sits high up in the mountains. It’s a so-called...

09 Feb 2015 | Day 58: Canang

Day 58: Canang
It’s impossible to come to Bali and not notice the offerings. They are everywhere: little palm frond trays of flowers and rice in front of doorways or in shrines. Todays offerings mingle in the road with those of days long past; you see them in all stages of weathering. When it rains they wash down the streets like forlorn little...

Day 64: Mixed Emotions
This moment is the very definition of mixed emotions. I’ve just booked the final part of this leg of my travels — including the flight that gets me home. At least it gets me to one of the places I call home, Montreal. From there it’ll be a short trip back to Seattle. Let me describe the mix. First, I’m...

Day 54: Temples and Hot Springs
This is a short photo essay about a day of sightseeing we did on the north coast of Bali from the home exchange villa at Tejakula. We made two major stops that day: the first to the temple Ponjok Batu. This is a fairly important temple with special significance in Bali. It’s built of striking black lava and sits by...

30 Jan 2015 | Day 53: Ceremony

Day 53: Ceremony
One of my few regrets about my travels so far is how rare meaningful interactions with locals has been. I mostly spend my time with other travelers. It’s very easy to fill your days with amazing adventures from within a bubble filled with westerners. That’s not a complaint. It is a fine bubble since travelers are fascinating people. In fact,...

22 Jan 2015 | Restorative Lifestyle

Restorative Lifestyle
The guesthouse I stayed at in Pai hosts yoga classes on occasion. They’re word-of-mouth affairs, not advertised. You see, there’s a Thai yoga teacher in town with horrifying reviews and she’ll stomp down on any competition with a call to the immigration officials. Few migrant yoga teachers are legal so this keeps her monopoly as the only place for yoga...

Day 49: Patience in Bali
“Bali is all about patience”. So says Nevin my AirBnB host and erstwhile guide to Ubud, Bali as we wait out the rain at his friend Wayan’s house. It was supposed to be a quick run up to the rural northern outskirts of Ubud to pick up a prized gas tank to supply his shower’s new hot water heater. These...

Day 46: Fear of Falling
It’s usually called fear of heights. But heights themselves don’t really bother me: I can look out of airplane windows without worrying. Zip lining triggers no fear. As long as I feel securely attached or enclosed I remain relaxed. But bring in the possibility — however remote — of falling and my anxiety spikes. A cliff edge without a bannister....

19 Jan 2015 | Muay Thai

Muay Thai
Yin must have it’s yang. And the ahimsa — non-harming — studied at the yoga retreat is more meaningful when the non-violent person has the capacity to be truly effectively violent. With that half-baked philosophy and much encouragement from my Karate sensei McClearen, I signed up for some Muay Thai training to serve as the endcap for my time in...