Ignoring any stereotypes fixed on it by Westerners, Bali maintains its enigmatic culture in all aspects of life. Its lively and friendly disposition serves as a stark contrast to the daily dread of punishing Hindu spirits. In addition, Bali is one of the most thriving artisan cultures in the world, unfazed by the Industrial Revolution…
Checking in to the luxurious Maya Ubud is a five-star experience. Bali is hot and you’ll be sweaty from a day zipping around in a taxi bound for temples, coffee plantations, rice fields, and beaches. At Maya Ubud, you’re greeted with a welcome drink and a cold towel. Cool off in the open-air lobby before…
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is exactly what it sounds like — a nature reserve and temple complex with more than 340 long-tailed macaques roaming freely. These entertaining socialites do not hesitate to climb on, steal from, and perch from visitors brave enough to interact with them. We thought all our junk was…
This woman is the owner of a thriving coffee farm in Bali. I took her picture before I knew that. I simply saw her cooking over a hot stove and was intrigued by her face and her work. I’m glad I found out who she is. I’ve written about being an eco-conscious traveler, but this is about the sting…
I have a love affair with Bali, which is not to say I’m blind to its unpleasantries (traffic, peddlers, densely populated). My first visit to Bali was a quickie — three whirlwind days filled with kleptomaniac monkeys, blackened temples, and a volcano. My second visit allowed me 10 days at leisure to really soak up…
I didn’t visit every destination on my 2015 bucket list this year, but that’s just fine. I’m more interested in quality travel than in quantity. This is perhaps why I don’t travel full-time. I grounded myself for six months (!) to work on my first documentary film. I’m glad to report I’m almost done… And…
Borneo is home to more species than anywhere else in the world. Armed with that piece of knowledge and little else, my husband and I traveled from Guam to Hong Kong to Bali then to Borneo to explore this biological hothouse for ourselves.
Behind the scenes of my travel video shoot
Day two on the klotok allowed for two hikes to feeding sites. We ventured to the heart of Tanjung Puting, Camp Leakey, another half-mile walk through the singing rainforest. A large female orangutan named Siswi was tucked under a raised house in near slumber.
You don’t hear much about Borneo. Six months ago, what I knew about Borneo could fit on a postage stamp; better yet, in a Tweet.
