To Asia and Back Again

Hard to believe it has been so long since I have entered a blog. I am attempting to renew and change that habit. For that I will regale you with a recent visit to Asia. It's a long way from Maine! All in all I logged 25,000 miles on this trip. No lie. I admire the nature photographers who must do the same on many of their assignments. But the benefit of the long road is to gather the wonder of the world all over again.

For instance Bora Bora- French Polynesia

Everything you might imagine and a perfect escape from the world for a while. The water was clear and blue and the people delightful. Here are a few photos to prove it. Great fun to have a Fuji Point and shoot underwater camera. I had to remember to enjoy the moment and not worry about the pictures. My heart goes out to the National Geographic photo guys.

From Bora Bora we took several endless flights to end up in Bali. What an island. There is the presense of Gods wherever you go and the people were so charming. It was a visual delight, crazy hot, and so interesting. The spiritual evidence on the island is palpable. In the morning lovely girls bring trays of flowers and incense to the variety of garden and house gods and you get the impression the Gods do indeed listen. A little slice of heaven . Despite the fact that the island is under active threats from volcanos and earthquakes there is an air of peace, even in the hard work of the people. I was lucky to share the time there with my cousins and that aspect made for a lively group full of curiosity and appreciation.

View the slideshow below to get an idea of the creativity and beauty that Bali has to offer. Click on an image to make it bigger.

The Next stop couldn't have been more different. Nonetheless, it was an exciting wonderful addition to the Pacific Rim sweep. We went to Hong Kong for several days and marveled at the quantity of people the unquestionable order and the interesting juxtaposition between England and the Far East. Public transportation was a marvelous way to get around and there was so much to see we couldn't possibly cover it all. So we didn't. It is a great walking city. The trams are a delightful way to see the sights when you are tired and the food was delicious at every spot we stopped. Usually casual, ducks in the window, that sort of thing. Some menus were translated some not. We didn't have a problem. It is hard to imagine how many people there are in this city. The photo of the apartment buildings give you a small indication. But it has such a cosmopolitan flair, people talking to foreigners, business folk, neighbors sharing a walk. I really enjoyed my time here and would return to make it a single destination at some point. There is that much going on!

It was a great trip. But as always nice to be home again. Reaffirmed that the world is a wondrous place and that people just want to be.

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