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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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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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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On Friday, I left magical Japan after three weeks there with my sister, Laura. I’ve written a lot about Japan during previous visits, and this trip was re-visiting a lot of what I loved. https://kimmie53.com/category/japan/ So I decided to write a single post with a few captioned photos. Like a lazy writer writing for lazy readers. Good for everyone.
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I know, I know, you’re not going to North Korea! But maybe you are interested in a little about my experience there in April 2012. It was the week of Kim Jung Un’s investiture as Supreme Leader, with celebrations and military parades. It was an incredible learning experience and, as usual, there is more to the story than we get from politicians and mainstream media.
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Camino Milagro 