Wire

Yes, that is a ceiling fan being held up by a piece of wire. Right over my head. I wouldn't have noticed, but it made a clatter when they started it.

Banteay Srei

I went to Banteay Srei today and dragged my tripod along. It was noon and not many people were there, so I had no trouble setting up and using the tripod. I am not sure how much good it did, though, since it was so bright I couldn't see the screen on my camera to focus and had to look through the viewfinder. Of course, I could have let the camera focus, but that would have taken all the fun out of it.

Tomorrow I am going to the Roluos Group of structures. I did not see those on previous visits, so that will be new to me.

Angkor

I was last here in 2001 and, let me tell you, things have changed. There are many more hotels in Siem Reap and many more tourists crowding into the sites. I think that most tourists stay in big hotels and are on tours. The largest nationality by far are the Chinese, who all seem to be on a tour of some sort.
The nice thing about tours is that they are on a schedule, so if they are blocking that perfect shot, they soon move on. I visited The Bayon, Ta Prom, and went to Angkor Wat at midday, which made sure that there were not many people there. I like hot weather but most tourists don't. I am writing this at 7:30 p.m. and it is close to 100 degrees.
I plan to go to Banteay Srei tomorrow. MC and Laurie (and Betsy?) will remember it as the jewel of a temple that it is. It is really small but elaborately carved. Maybe I can get there before the tour groups.

At the Bayon

Mr. Whippy?

Elephant Terrace

For Laurie

Pub Street

This didn't exist in 2001 or 1999.

Angkor Wat

Apsaras

I went at 4:30 this afternoon to get my three day pass to see the temples near Siem Reap. If one buys the pass that late in the day they throw in a sunset visit to Angkor Wat. These apsaras are by the entrance to the temple.

Last night

We had planned to have a quiet last evening maybe going out and splurging on a good meal and then going to bed early. We were talking with our landlord, though, and he invited us to go see a ceremony at a temple fifteen miles or so away from the hotel.

At six o'clock we were ready. First, he took us to see a village where every night thousands of herons land in the trees in the village to roost for the night. It is such an attraction they charge a small admission fee to see it. It was fun for a few minutes but then we were ready to leave.

We then joined thousands of others to visit a temple. Laurie had to wear a sarong and kebaya and I wore a sarong, sash, and the little headdress men wear here. We asked why so many people were at the temple and were told it was to give thanks.

The temple grounds were jammed with families and individuals. People were friendly toward us and seemed pleased that we wanted to be there. We didn't see any other tourists. Our landlord has trouble walking very far, so he sat on the edge of a platform where a gamelan orchestra was playing. Laurie stayed with him and I, of course, walked around taking photos.

We didn't want to stay late so we missed seeing the dancing that was to take place later. The decorations were beautiful and the religious objects were fantastic. There were towers of brightly colored figures, like the temple carvings but in color. There is a lion-like figure called a barong that figures prominently here - that is the face over many doors here. There was a big barong at the temple with an elaborate mask and a body of a sort of straw.

All the pictures I have posted so far were taken with my phone and it doesn't do well in a situation like last night, so I don't have any photos to post right now. Also, I took my shorter lens, so the photos of the towers are long shots. I will post to Flickr when I get a chance.

Laurie flew out to Taipei and then on home a few hours ago and I got misty eyed when she walked to the gate. We will be apart for five weeks, which will be by far the longest time we have been away from each other. My flight to Kuala Lumpur leaves in a couple of hours. I will spend the early hours of the 27th in a hotel in the Kuala Lumpur airport and then fly to Siem Reap at six or so in the morning. The hotel rents rooms in six hour blocks of time. Perfect for my needs- I arrive at 12:20 AM and leave at 6:20 AM, so I should be able to get three or four hours of sleep and take a shower before the flight to Cambodia.

Hello Kitty again

Laurie is about to board her flight to Taipei on another Hello Kitty plane. I took this photo on the flight coming to Bali. Yes, that is Hello Kitty toilet paper.

Our landlord

This is Arka, our landlord at the Bale Bali Inn.

Salad

Casa Luna restaurant

Cremation tower

This tower will be carried through the streets during the cremation ceremony. We will miss seeing it, of course. It seems like wherever we go, we just miss a fantastic sight. We have seen lots of great things, though.

Cheechuk

This cheechuk was on the wall outside our room this morning. Our landlord asked me this morning if Laurie and I would like to go see some of the preparations for a royal cremation that is coming up in a couple of weeks. We walked up the street a little ways and then went down a side lane to where a group of men were preparing a huge cow that will be used in the cremation. The cow is made of wood and fabric and will be burned during the cremation. The cow and the platform it will be carried on were being prepared right beside the private residence of the royal family. Our landlord asked if we would like to see the royal residence. We certainly said yes so he took us inside the royal compound and we got to see the fountains and the many carvings there. While we were in the royal compound, our landlord asked some of the men there to turn the water on so that we could see the fountains work. The carvings in the yard of the palace were just incredible so I took a lot of pictures. I forgot to take any with my phone so I won't be posting any right now but I will try to post some later.

Yesterday we hired a car and driver to take us to go see some temples away from Ubud and we also went to a market. We stopped by a weaving center to see women who were leaving ikat cloth. Last night we went to watch a dance at the temple that is very close to our hotel. We saw a dance the night before last as well.

Today is our last day in Bali and tomorrow we fly out. Our landlord has asked us if we would like to go see a ceremony at a temple outside of a Ubud this evening, so we will dress in sarongs and go with him. It is difficult to express how nice our landlord is. We would never have been able to see the royal compound if he hadn't invited us to see it. He seems to know everyone in the neighborhood and is a leader in his temple, which is where we saw the kecak dance last night.

Gate to royal temple

The other day I wrote about temple gates. This is a particularly good one and leads to the private temple of the Royal family here in Ubud. It is on the street we live on, so we walk past it every day.

"Tower of power" at Soma restaurant in Ubud

Sambal - watch out for the one on the right

Personal responsibility

Imagine the damage if one were to step in this gap in the sidewalk. I have seen this sort of dangerous path over and over in developing countries, but it doesn't seem to faze the residents. Maybe it does but I just don't know about it.

We considered renting a car or motorscooter before we got to Bali, but watching drivers here cured us of that notion right away. Scooters weave among cars and trucks with a recklessness that is frightening to watch. Car drivers don't mind it and let the scooters do their thing. Drivers tailgate relentlessly and it is a wonder that there are not more wrecks.

We went to Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) yesterday morning to see the carved entrance to the cave. The cave itself is not deep, with a statue of Ganesha and a trio of lingams in it. We managed to get there early enough to beat the crowds, but the carving was in the shade at that time of day.

We are spending a night away from Ubud tonight  near a lake called Danau Beratan. It has a famous temple near the shore and I wanted to photograph it. Me and a whole lot of other people. Laurie wondered what people did when they visited a tourist attraction before the day of selfies. We walked from our hotel to the temple and on the way back we heard two different gamelan orchestras playing at small temples.

Today is the full moon and there are a lot of ceremonies at temples. This morning, before we rode up here to the mountains, we visited a major temple that has a big spring welling up inside it. A lot of people brought offerings and bathed in the pools that are fed by the spring.

Before that we walked down into a river valley to see shrines that were carved into cliffs hundreds of years ago. We were the first tourists of the day and had the area to ourselves most of the time. The walk was mostly steps that wound through rice fields, a beautiful sight.

Bali is full of temples. Many homes have sacred structures in their yards and there are temples in every neighborhood, often more than one. The most imposing part of most temples we have seen is an elaborate gate leading from the entrance courtyard to the rear of the temple. The gates are tall, intricately carved structures with doors in the center. There is a fierce looking guardian over the doors, just a face and hands. I haven't learned the name of or story behind the guardian, but I plan to ask our hotel owner when we get back to Ubud.

Strawberry stop

We are in the Bedugal area, noted for its strawberries.

Tofu curry

Papaya juice and iced ginger tea

Goa Gajah, near Ubud

Back in Ubud

We got up this morning on Gili Air and had a slow couple of hours eating breakfast (banana pancake for Laurie, jaffle for me, fresh fruit for both of us), packing and waiting for the horse cart to take us to catch the "fast boat" back to Bali. We requested the cart so I wouldn't have to carry my bags to the dock, but I was able to walk much better today, which is a relief.

Tourists use fast boats to get to and from the Gilis. There are many boat companies, some better than others. I did a good bit of research before we left home and we were pleased with the company we used, which was Ecka Jaya. They were straightforward and we saw only one piece of luggage dropped in the water as the boat was being unloaded in Padangbai. The boat was comfortable and they showed "Whitehouse Down" going and coming. No sound from the TVs, but garbled subtitles were on the bottoms of the monitors.

We are back at the Bale Bali Inn in Ubud and it feels like home. We appear to be the only guests at the moment and the owner and his family seemed pleased to see us, as we were them. We plan to go on some day trips and to enjoy this small hotel for a few days.

Another view from a restaurant

Gili Air

This island is very different from the main tourist areas of Bali. It's small enough to allow one to walk around it in an hour or so (but not me - I'm still walking with a limp). There are no land vehicles with internal combustion engines. People walk, ride bikes or use boats. There are a few horse drawn carts and electric scooters, but it's a quiet place.

We went to Padangbai when we got back to Bali and had a whole day there and at Klungkung, also called Semarapura. In Klungkung we visited what is left of the palace of the Dewa Agung dynasty and went shopping for ikat cloth.

We spent the evening swimming at the blue lagoon beach and then walked to see Pura Silayukti, which is one of the four oldest temples on Bali. It is small but very pretty. There are two other temples in the same compound and one of those had monkeys climbing on it.

Our time on Gili Air has been quiet. We are staying in a small place off the beach, down a little lane from the main road that goes around the island. I use the word "road" loosely - it's mostly a packed sand path about ten feet wide.
I've been trying to take it easy, but we've been in the ocean a few times and Laurie swims in the hotel pool. She rented a bike today to explore the island.

Sunsets are spectacular here, with lots of bars and restaurants situated to take advantage of the views. Techno music is big in the bars. All the restaurants are open to the air.

Tomorrow it's back to Ubud on Bali.

Sunset on Gili Air (water island)

Welcome to Jogja

Lunch spot after Prambanan

Java

We are finishing up with three days on Java. We had a nice flight over from Bali and hired a car to take us to the Manohara "resort". We had booked a room there for two nights and arrived just at twilight. We checked in and walked to the edge of the hotel grounds, where we could just see Borobudur in the fading light.
The main reason for staying at the Manohara is that it is located within the grounds of the park surrounding Borobudur. Guests at the hotel are given passes good for multiple entries to the temple/monument and they get a substantial discount on tickets for entry before sunrise.

We got up very early the next morning, bought our sunrise tickets and walked the ten minutes to the monument. We started up the stairs to the top and I stopped to take a picture of a statue silhouetted against a light. It was pitch dark and I turned off my flashlight to take the photo.

I then turned back to the steps, but neglected to turn my light back on. Since I can't see in the dark, I didn't notice there was a drop off to the step I was heading for. There was a bit of a crashing sound as I hit the steps, but nothing was broken, especially not my camera and tripod. I scraped my shin pretty well and my ankle is swollen, but I've walked a couple of miles on each of the two days since then, so it seems that I'll be fine. I am lucky to be traveling with a wonderful healthcare provider.

Borobudur was astonishing. It is a huge mandala, meant to be an aid to meditation. You can look it up to get details, but it has several levels of walkways containing reliefs detailing aspects of the Buddha's life and teachings. The top three levels are circular and consist of terraces containing stupas with Buddha statues in them.

We stayed two nights at Borobudur then came to Yogyakarta yesterday. We were too early to check in, so we left our bags at the hotel and paid 40 cents apiece to ride a local bus to Prambanan.

Prambanan is a Hindu temple built around 850 on what now are the outskirts of Yogyakarta. It is a really popular attraction and was swarming with school kids on field trips. Laurie and I were like rock stars, with group after group of kids asking if they could pose with us for photos. I have a feeling we'll be in more than one Facebook post.

We are now, where else, at the Yogyakarta airport waiting for our flight back to Bali. We'll go to Padangbai for two nights, then it's on to Gili Air for three nights at the beach.

View from the hotel restaurant - Borobudur

Lunch spot

Borobudur photo sphere

Welcome to Bali

Whatever one's needs

Airport again.

On past journeys we have spent long hours in bus and train stations. These days it's all about airports. One never knows what the traffic will be like between Ubud and the Denpasar airport, so our host recommended that we leave at 10 to catch a three o'clock flight.
We had lunch here at the airport and it was the best airport meal I ever had. Nasi jinggo  - steamed rice and chicken and egg and spices. For dessert we shared a creampuff from Beard Papa pastry shop - I could pass as a double for their logo.

Yesterday we went for a five mile walk through the outskirts of Ubud. We saw temples, rice fields, and then walked a mile or so on a busy, narrow road, which was not much fun. It was worth it, though, because we passed a couple of low walls that had the strangest carved statues on them. Dozens of figures that ranged got ordinary images of people to fantastic faces that looked like something from a nightmare.

The view from our room

Bali!

We arrived last night in Ubud and will be here for two more nights. Our hotel room is one of six in a long building behind the owner's quarters. Our room looks out on a small swimming pool surrounded by lush greenery. The shower in our bathroom is open to the sky but the bedroom is air conditioned.

We got to the hotel around seven and were shown to our room and that was all there was to check in. Our host told us there was a ceremony at the temple a hundred yards up the street and offered us a loan of the appropriate dress so we could attend. We told him we were hungry and needed to get something to eat, but I would join him after we ate. Laur came back after supper and crashed and I donned a sarong, a second, smaller sarong (I don't know the name of it), a sash and a headdress and off we went.

The ceremony reminded me of a cross between Wednesday night prayer supper and communion. The temple (Pura Puseh - it might be in Google) was impressive and there were men at the entrance making sure anyone entering was dressed appropriately. All the local men were wearing white dress shirts but I made do with my white (with graphics) Furthur T-shirt. Our host kept me in line, telling me where and when I could take photos.

There was a pavilion that reminded me of a school cafeteria that had a junior gamelan orchestra playing - kids around ten or twelve. We moved on to a courtyard that had a real gamelan orchestra playing and I took photographs of the temple and people. Then we moved to the inner courtyard where people sat on the ground  in front of buildings containing masks of fantastic beings. The people worshipped and I watched.

Our hotel owner told me there would be dancing later, but I left the temple around 9:30 and came back to the hotel to sleep. All in all a wonderful beginning to our vacation. Thanks to anyone who's been praying for us - it's working.

Hello Kitty!

EVA Airline has Hello Kitty planes and we will be on this one!

Taiwan

We are in Taiwan - got in late last night and got up at 5:30 this morning. We stayed in a pleasant hotel near the airport with a Chinese breakfast included in the room rate. Thanks only got a few hours of sleep but it was worth having a hotel room, for sure. EVA Airline is our carrier from the States to Bali and, so far, they are just fine.
We learned that if we had reserved two aisle seats in the center, we probably would have had a vacant seat between us. Next time, maybe.

LAX

Waiting for the flight to Taipei.

The view from 5C

ATL

We're once again sitting in an airport waiting for a flight. I was thinking about the international system of having three letters to indicate each airport. Atlanta is, of course, ATL and Singapore is SIN. Airports in some countries still use the codes for colonial names of cities - Yangon is RGN and Kolkata is CCU. Atl is "water" in Nahuatl, the Mexican language - we get our word chocolate from xocolatl, "bitter water".
I saw a kid in a stroller outside the smoking lounge, waiting for his mom. Made me glad I managed to quit smoking.

Lots of Time

I retired last week. I worked more or less steadily for forty-seven years, but now I have all the time I need to be able to travel. I'll head out tomorrow for Asia, stopping for a night in Taipei and then heading for Bali.

I'll take my photography gear and I hope to take some good photographs along the way. I have a bit of concern about taking my tripod since some airlines won't let a tripod be taken as carry-on luggage and I don't have room for it in my travel pack. I'm taking it anyway and will have its case with me if it is necessary to check it on a flight.

This blog will be about travel. I'll tell about places I visit and post photographs when I am able to do so. My sole means of posting will be a Nexus 5x phone unless I visit internet cafes, so I doubt I will be very wordy.

All aboard!