In Search of The Bird of Paradise
It's just after 3:00 am when a voice outside my cabin door calls softly, telling me that its...
Read More
Category: Indonesia
Balinese Coffee — the Special Blend
Balinese Coffee Hype The Most Expensive Balinese Coffee When I first heard about the Balinese...
Read More
Ancient and Modern Indonesia
Ancient and Modern Indonesia Ancient Indonesia at Borobudur Stepping out of the bus station, dazed...
Read More
The Beiber and the Schoolgirls
My students were positioned in orderly rows, girls on one side and boys on the other. They blushed...
Read MoreSold Out on Kuta Beach, Indonesia
"When I was in Bali, I couldn’t wait to get back to Jakarta so I could eat some bread," my mom told me over the phone when I called from the Indonesian island of Bali. "Yeah, but that was 30 years ago,...
Read MoreDogwalking in South Jakarta, Indonesia
I had truly landed in expatriate paradise when I was picked up in Jakarta by a driver in an AC van. The vehicle sailed past past gleaming malls and street food stalls, back to my friend’s gated community. There, we were...
Read MoreRoad to Bali, part 4
Liquidy Temples, Butterflies My last Panorama tour begins at the gorgeous seaside temple of Tanah Lot, which was built in the 16th century on Bali's southwestern coastline atop rocks pounded by waves. (Beach footgear is...
Read MoreThe Road to Bali, part 3
For The Road to Bali, part 1. For The Road to Bali, part 2 During most of my two weeks in Bali I stay at Parigata Villas Resort, which, as noted, is right near Sanur Beach, where Parigata has the Banjar Café, a seaside eatery...
Read MoreThe Road to Bali, part 2
For The Road to Bali, part 1 Bat Cave, Mother Temple Tour Bali is an exquisite isle, and my package includes three private trips that reveal its natural and cultural splendor. Panorama Tours provides a driver and...
Read MoreThe Road to Bali, part 1
Karmic Cleansing Ceremony There are many tropical isles, but what makes Bali unique is its age-old Hindu culture and spirituality. Visitors to the "Morning of the World" can participate in a Melukat, or Balinese Karma...
Read MoreA Striking Chord in Ubud, Indonesia
A curious interest in traditional Bali and a passion for learning about world music led me to the tranquil town of Ubud. With Ubud’s pleasant climate due to its location just before the mountainous regions, and its...
Read MoreEarthquake Strikes Indonesia
Measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, the popular tourist center of Yogyakarta was struck by a devastating earthquake. Homes and hotels throughout the area having been flattened leaving over 5000 people dead and many thousands...
Read More
