2007 April | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

Extended Celebrations

Published April 9, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

What a birthday I had this year! First, I was tickled that my family and so many of my friends wished me happy birthday by email or comments on the blog. Then, I arranged to spend the day of my birthday with my friend Monika, who lives in the south of Bali. I met Monika several years ago at a Yoga retreat in Thailand. At the time she was living on Ibiza, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. Although we were occasionally in touch by email, I was unaware she had moved to Bali, so I was surprised when she offered to put me up while I was in Bali. Although I was scheduled to travel throughout other parts of Bali for the majority of my trip, I took her up on her offer on my birthday – it’s always nice to share special days with friends. Not only did Monika treat me to an incredible massage that afternoon, but she and her boyfriend, John, and John’s lovely daughter, Jacqueline, took me out to dinner that evening at a popular local restaurant, where I indulged in a “half-and-half” – half Gado-Gado and half Nasi Campur. Delicious stuff!

Delicious birthday cake after a sumptioous dinner

I thought this was probably the nicest birthday I’d ever had. Little did I know there was more to come. I arrived in Bangkok the following day (April 7th). I have another good friend here – Leticia – and I recently emailed her that I was coming to Thailand. I didn’t think about the fact that all my emails have a signature line on them, which contains my blog address. Leticia clicked on the link to the blog and read my post about my birthday, then emailed me and suggested we get together the day after I arrived. She, her son, Ron, and Ron’s girlfriend, Bee, picked me up at the hotel. After lots of hugs and squeals, we headed for the car, where Leticia presented me with a homemade cinnamon apple birthday cake.

We spent the afternoon wandering the MBK Shopping Center like true Thais, for whom shopping is a national sport. This enclosed mall has 7 floors and thousands of stores. It took us 20 minutes just to wind our way to the top of the parking garage, unsuccessfully looking for a parking space. Finally, we just double-parked, leaving the car locked but in neutral, so that it could be pushed out of the way if Continue reading →

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Adventures Already in Bangkok

Published April 8, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

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When I travel long term I have a tendency not to make a lot of hotel reservations. For example, for this six month journey, with the exception of the Safari I have booked in Africa, I have made reservations for six nights.

I always make a reservation for the very first night and perhaps even the second night, especially when traveling to Asia, because the flight is long and tiring and in most cases you arrive late in the evening. The last thing I want to do after traveling 36 hours is drag my luggage around town looking at various hotels. After the first two nights, however, I leave my schedule open and rely on the advice of people I meet along the way, or I look at other hotels as I travel around. It is commonplace to walk into a hotel in Asia and ask to see their rooms.

Bangkok was one of the places where I made reservations for the first two nights. I’ve been here twice before and sort of know the lay of the land. Previously I have stayed in the embassy section of the city along Sukhumvit Road, since it has easy access to the Sky Train, making it quite simple to get anywhere in the city. Rooms in this area are in the $50-60 range in moderate hotels. On this trip, however, one of my goals was to limit my budget to $25 per night to prove that travel does not have to be terribly expensive, so I decided to find a place in Bangkok’s famous backpacker district along Khao San Road. After much research on the Internet I settled on Continue reading →

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I’m In Bangkok

Published April 7, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

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I arrived in Bangkok safe and sound, if a bit travel weary, and am now ensconced in a flea bag hotel in the backpacker district on Khao San Road. More about that in the next day or so, after I get settled. I just wanted to let everyone know that I uploaded lots of photos to the Bali page, so if you want to take a look, just click on the button at the right labeled photos and navigate to the page for Bali. Thanks also to my family and many friends who emailed me birthday wishes yesterday!!! What a way to spend a birthday!

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A Bit About Balinese Culture

Published April 4, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

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This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series Bali

The Balinese don’t celebrate wedding anniversaries. They don’t celebrate birthdays much, either. What they do celebrate is their religion. Hinduism is the center of their everyday lives, which are steeped in religious ceremony and tradition. Towns prepare for temple festivals by weaving intricate designs of young palm fronds onto long bamboo poles, which are then displayed all up and down the streets. Each morning the Balinese weave palm leaves into small baskets, filling them with flowers, fruit, and various other food.

Spirit offerings ares set out on the sidewalks each morning

Spirit offerings ares set out on the sidewalks each morning

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Monkey Business Takes On New Meaning

Published April 3, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

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This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series Bali

Monkeys run free at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud

When I finally rolled out of bed this morning at 8AM I threw open the drapes of the window that looks onto my balcony. Instead of the view of the river valley below I found myself gazing into two coal black eyes. A huge monkey from the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary had climbed onto my balcony, perched himself on the table beneath my window, and was gazing intently through the crack in the drapes. Startled, I hopped backward. I’m pretty sure he was just as startled, because he immediately scampered up the wall and sat on the roof tiles above, screeching and clucking.

Since the Monkey Sanctuary is only about 100 feet from my hotel I decided I’d better check it out, so I spent the better part of the afternoon walking around the park watching the antics of the monkeys. Actually, the species on this island and in the Sanctuary are Balinese macaques, also known as long-tailed macaques. Aside from humans, macaques are the most widespread and successful of all primates. About 300 macaques reside in this park. The adult males can weigh up to 22 pounds, have large canine teeth, broad shoulders and facial hair that resembles a mustache. The adult females are smaller (up to 17 pounds) and have long facial hair that looks like a beard. Their coloring ranges from silver to grey to tan, with the largest males being the most silvery. Babies hang upside down from their mothers’ bellies, looking like newborn rats with little or no fur.
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I Want To Be Your Very Good Friend

Published April 1, 2007 | By Barbara Weibel

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This entry is part 5 of 7 in the series Bali

“Miss, you come in, I give you free drink.”

“Hello, where you stay? Come sit, try free drink.”

With every step I take along the road in this sleepy village someone tries to lure me into a conversation. So far they have all been sitting under open-air, thatch-top pavilions that serve as restaurants. I just shake my head no and keep walking. I am in search of an Internet Cafe. There is a third guy now, standing on the dirt shoulder of the road.

“Good morning – how are you?” he asks. “I am fine,” I reply. The Balinese are so polite that you want to respond in kind, even when they are in-your-face aggressively trying to sell you something. It is a trap they use very effectively. “Where are you staying?” he asks, in perfect English. I motion to the end of the road, “Down there somewhere,” I say. “I want to be your friend,” he continues. “My name is Delta. You want to go sit on the beach and talk?” He flashes a brilliant smile at me. Delta is about 5’8″ tall with jet-black, curly shoulder length hair and stunningly white, perfectly straight teeth. He is cute and he knows it. He can’t be more than 30 years old, although Continue reading →