Pashupatinath is a sacred Shiva Temple in Kathmandu and among the most important pilgrimage places for Hindus. The temple is part of a large complex on the banks of the Bagmati River, which flows into the most sacred river Ganges in India. In the past week, I’ve spent several hours at Pashupatinath to learn about the Hindu way of death, which of course is also about the Hindu way of life.
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If Bali is the love, Nepal is the soul. Although Nepal is mostly known for the Himalayas, and as the staging area for climbing Mt. Everest, it is also a place of wonderful cultural and religious traditions, hiking, and many kinds of folk art. I was in Nepal 15 years ago with my extraordinary doctor friend, Karen Sokal Gutierrez, to help with a project that, for practically no money, eliminates pain and malnutrition in children. I wasn’t very helpful to Karen and her project, but I had a wonderful experience and I’m back to re-discover a little of this remarkable country.
Ubud feels like love. Here, daily life is full of small rituals that express gratitude and respect and caring — for the gods, for nature, for the community. Flowers, incense, celebrations, dancing, music. These are not rituals for tourists, rather the culture that brings tourists here. The Hindus of Bali believe in karma, and that we serve the universe and ourselves when we are grateful and respectful and caring.
Here are some examples of what I saw all over town in Ubud.
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Ubud is in Bali, which is a province in Indonesia. A little more background….Indonesia is about 17,000 islands with many varied cultures, traditions, and histories. Indonesia became a sovereign nation in 1945 after about 300 years of occupation by the Dutch. With all its diversity, the country’s sense of unity is a source of national pride. Still, it’s difficult to manage across 17,000 islands and, probably as a result, the capital of Jakarta and its province, Java, have a disproportionate share of the goodies. This sometimes rattles some of the people on the 17,000 other islands.
But Bali is probably not rattled. It is doing quite well thanks to the 5 million tourists who annually visit its beaches and the charming city of Ubud. I’m in Ubud this week. It’s off-season but it’s busy! I can only imagine what it must be like when 20,000 more twenty-somethings roll into town.
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Yogyakarta is just loaded with murals, some artistic, some playful, some political. Here are a few of them. They don’t need explaining. Just enjoy….
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Yogyakarta feels loved. It’s on the island of Java, about 400 miles east of Jakarta and full of spirited art, great food, music, and Javanese traditions. People are friendly and there is a strong sense of community. The roads and alleys are gritty, but full of lively murals. Walking through them, you hear birds singing, chickens squawking, and the call to prayer. And motor cycles.
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I just spent a couple of days in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, The city is huge and its downtown is hyper modern with giant boulevards, high rises, and large plazas and parks. Jakarta is full of gorgeous trees and vines. It is also sinking! Parts of the city are sinking at a rate of 11 inches a year. In response, the city is installing some innovative dams and building a new capital in Nusantara on the island of Borneo. Within the next 20 years, many of Jakarta’s 33 million people will have to relocate as well.
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The Philippines was never on my short list, but I found a cheap ticket from Tokyo to Manila and I’m glad I had a chance to visit. The people here are very friendly and relaxed. I’m staying in a beautiful neighborhood full of parks, high-rise commercial buildings, and great restaurants. The Philippines seems underrated as a tourist destination — among its 7,641 islands are a lot of gorgeous beaches and it’s very cheap to travel here.
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Camino Milagro 