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tirta mengening

Tirta Mengening: Bali Water Purification & My Soul Cleansing

Leave a Comment / Asia, Sights to See, Travel /

Set in jungle near Tampaksiring, Tirta Mengening Temple is a quieter alternative to Tirta Empul—same sacred spring concept, far fewer people, and a more local rhythm. What You’re Participating In (Yes—It’s Hindu) The purification ritual is called melukat, and it sits within Balinese Hinduism, a blend of classical Hindu philosophy and indigenous Balinese spiritual practice. Its purpose is practical […]

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bali

Bali: Peliatan Royal Palace and My Dinner with a Prince

1 Comment / Asia, Sights to See, Travel /

Tucked just beyond the hum of central Ubud lies Peliatan Royal Palace, known locally as Puri Peliatan, one of the island’s oldest and most culturally intact royal compounds. This isn’t a museum dressed up for tourists. It’s very much alive: a family residence, a ceremonial center, and a quiet guardian of Balinese tradition. Walking through

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Borobudur: 500 Buddhas, 2600 Stories and a Little Gamelan Groove

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Sacred places nestle into your soul and remain. Borobudur is one of the places I vowed to visit after experiencing Angkor Wat.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s great Buddhist monuments, Borobudur rises from the lush plains of Central Java, monumental and serene. Built in the 8th century, this artistic and

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prambanan

Yogyakarta & Prambanan: Temples, Volcanoes and a Little Java Magic

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The road to Yogyakarta, or Yogya, as the locals call it, is half the experience. Emerald mountains, tropical rainforests, terraced rice fields, and sleepy villages slide past the window like a travel documentary you didn’t plan but were happy to stumble into. Yogyakarta sits at the base of Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active

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Blue on Blue on Blue: Amazing Fethiye and Its Islands

1 Comment / Asia, Blogging, Natural Wonders, Sights to See, Travel /

If there is a corner of Turkey that blends ancient history, turquoise seas, forested mountains, and island-dotted horizons, it’s Fethiye.  Tucked along the southwestern part of the country on the famed Turquoise Coast, Fethiye is serene and adventurous, a place for paddling across crystal coves, walking through Lycian ruins and, (one of my favorites) browsing

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ankara

Ankara: A Fifty Year Lookback and Now

1 Comment / Asia, Blogging, Sights to See, Solo Travel, Travel /

Ankara: Then and Now, Through My Eyes It’s hard to believe fifty years have passed since I first walked the streets of Ankara, a college student on break with waist length hair and a backpack stuffed with 6 weeks of “essentials”.  The city was  simple, yet magnetic and foreign. My traveling companion, a multi-lingual American

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Whirling Spirits, Silent Stones: From Mevlana to Sagalassos

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Turkey’s spirit is one of  contrasts — the living mysticism of Konya and the haunting silent ruins of Sagalassos. One hypnotizes with the spinning, haunting prayer and poetry of Sufism; the other stands in solid, still testimony to the genius of Greek and Roman empires. Click on images below to enlarge.      Sagalassos –

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golden hour

Floating Over Turkey’s Moonlands: Ballooning in Cappadocia

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I had to remind myself to breathe. It was that amazing! Cappadocia appears pulled from a dreamscape, especially during the pre-dawn hours on an October morning. Located in the heart of Anatolia, the land ripples with rock formations called “fairy chimneys”, sculpted by volcanic eruptions and centuries of wind and water massage.  Beyond the famous

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turkish

Istanbul’s Magic Jungle: A City on Two Continents

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To Start… A city forever suspended between east and west, at once Asian and European, one of the most historically textured cities I have ever visited!  Magical, mysterious and crowded with over twenty million inhabitants. Called a “jungle” due crowded streets and traffic but clean with little street crime. I felt safe and welcomed throughout

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