The Best Laid Plans, Never Say Never, and Skirting the Monsoon

The best laid plans. Sometime after our year away (2018) we began to lay the groundwork to be away for 3 months each year during the winter. We had a backup generator installed so our sump pump and boiler would still work even if the power went out. And it does go out. We arranged …

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Proof of Making a Difference

When I stumbled upon the Research Meditation Center inside Was Arun, a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2018, I had no idea how much it would impact my life. As a student and instructor of meditation for the past 2 decades I was intrigued by the story of Hartanto Gunawan, the meditation teacher at …

Monye Tea

We got tired of Hanoi pretty quickly. It was one of the roughest places we’ve ever traveled to. Thousands of motorbikes constantly pour through the streets, making it almost impossible to cross the road. The sidewalks are mostly full, but not with pedestrians. Shop owners and others have dragged their rustic stoves and pots and …

Bali Road Trip & 3 Right Turns

Laurie & I continue to head West along the North coast of Bali on the motorbike. Traveling light, most everything we need for the road trip is packed underneath the seat on the motorbike, a Honda PCX 160cc. We also have a tiny daypack which Laurie wears, and a small nylon bag hanging from a …

Back to Bali & Road Trip #1

After a 2 1/2 year hiatus from traveling internationally we are finally back on the road, and our first stop is Bali, Indonesia. When Laurie and I sat down to decide where we would travel to a few months back, we made a short list of places we love - Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand. We …

The Story, So Far.

6 year old Gedhun stared down at his dinner plate. A mix of spicy lentils and rice filled a small metal bowl. Next to the bowl was hasta roti, a Nepalese version of fried bread made into circles resembling the shape of onion rings. Before taking his meal he reflected on how hard his family …

Don’t look back

The monks were waiting patiently at the market when Gedhun, his father, and grandfather arrived. Amid the smoke and strong smells of spicy food being cooked, Gedhun's attention was drawn to the music coming from the fried mozzarella ball stand. Carol King's 'I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet' was blaring. The monks greeted …

Haircuts

I've had my hair cut in many different countries. India is by far my favorite. I've had buzz-cuts that took only a few minutes and cost 60 cents, to hour long ordeals costing much more. I even opted for a "massage" in a barbershop recently on the recommendation of a friend in Bombay. Indian barbers …

Orientation for Antara Bungalow, Penestanan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Orientation. Turning right when you’re leaving the bungalow you’ll go down a steep hill and back up a hill to an intersection with a taxi stand (small group of men relaxing on a platform under a roof)  From this intersection: Turn right to go to Warung Ting Ting. They have really good coffee and wifi …

Bali

So here I am in Bali, more specifically, Ubud, a new-age Yoga and spirituality hub which has really gained in popularity in the last 15 years or so. We're in the middle of a 3 month experiment "snow-birding", being away from the cold, snowy New England Winters. It's going pretty well so far. We booked …