January 2019 Blogs
Meditation in a Sensory Deprivation Tank at Float Chiang Mai
(Jan 29, 2019) In north Thailand, there is only 1 float center and that is in Chiang Mai. Blissed-out from my floating experience in Bangkok, I didn't want to miss this opportunity while I was here. What's it like this time around?....more »»
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
(Jan 27, 2019) Much has been said and written about Queen's flamboyant band leader, Freddie Mercury, but this movie added new insight into the man and the band. The superb acting by Rami Malek who played the lead role breathed life into Freddie. For the 2 hours the movie played, Freddie Mercury rose from his ashes and played his music one more time to mesmerize a global audience.....more »»
Movie Review: Aquaman
(Jan 26, 2019) Aquaman is a DC comics-based action adventure movie about a half mortal, half merman and his fight to claim the throne of Atlantis. It's got many genres going for it - action, romance, drama, sci-fi with generous pouring of high-tech CGI visual magic. It all works out. Good movie to spend your buck on!....more »»
Reiki Share at the Mastermind Brain Spa
(Jan 26, 2019) I saw a posting on Facebook about a free Reiki Share and got curious. I've received reiki twice but I don't know much about it. As a self-healer, I wanted to know more. Perhaps there would be elements I could integrate into my self-healing practice.....more »»
Resuming Life in Chiang Mai
(Jan 24, 2019) With a proper tourist visa to stay in Thailand, I am back in Chiang Mai (from Hanoi) to start a 60-day mini-life. It will be a different life from most of what I experienced in 2018. This time, I have sufficient cash for a few months (instead of landing on a country with only $50) and a rood over my head. These are 2 of my most pressing concerns - but now, I can put those worries away and be more open to other things that land on my plate.....more »»
18-Day Mini-Life in Hanoi
(Jan 6-24, 2019) Hanoi, unlike most of the places I'd been to in Vietnam, has its own uniqueness. Food is very good, street culture is intense and bustling (at least in Old Quarter) and vendors are edgy. They have that grit in them. I haven't met a local I'd been close to, but I could imagine that beneath that tough exterior is kindness and generosity.....more »»
Cafescape of Hanoi's Old Quarter, Vietnam
(Jan 6-24, 2019) Vietnam as a country is unique in its cafe culture, from as far south as Phu Quoc Island to as far north as Hanoi. At the Old Quarter of Hanoi where shophouses are clustered according to trade, you would still see cafes sprinkled here-and-there. Of course, there is a bustling cafe area within the Old Quarter as well.....more »»
Peoplescape of Hanoi
(Jan 6-24, 2019) Always, the travel experience in any place is highlighted by the people I meet. Hanoi is no exception. From locals to travelers to expats, I've had the pleasure of meeting the most amazing lives.....more »»
Exploring the Culinary Specialties of Hanoi
(Jan 6-24, 2019) Hanoi, even to the admission of most Vietnamese across the country, is the gastronomic capital of Vietnam. The globally popular beef noodle soup, Pho, has its genesis in Hanoi. I'm rolling up my sleeve and putting-on my bib into my exploration of Hanoi's fabled cuisines....more »»
Ca Tru Hanoi at the Dinh Kim Ngan Temple
(Jan 18, 2019) Ca Tru is a long-enduring Vietnamese musical genre reminiscent of an opera. As a musical tradition, its future shakes in precarious balance as veteran performers age and younger people turn to more popular music. But Ca Tru comes alive in Hanoi at the Dinh Kim Ngan Temple through the tireless efforts of the Hanoi Ca Tru Club....more »»
Hanoi Food Tour with Harry
(Jan 16, 2019) Searching on Google for events in Hanoi, I stumbled-upon Harry's Free Hanoi Food Tour. I like food and I like a free tour. I was in! After a satisfying broth dish, coffee at an ancient cafe and meeting amazing people, I was a happy traveler....more »»
Hanoi Revisited
(Jan 6, 2019) Having exhausted my visa days in Thailand, the cheapest destination was Vietnam. Since I'd been to HCMC and DaNang recently, I chose Hanoi. It's been 4 years since the last time I visited. Then, I was traveling with a local and stayed with a Vietnamese host. This time, I'm alone and winging it like I always do. I wonder what awaits...more »»
Overnight in Pai with Mike
(Jan 1, 2019) New Year's day, Mike and I left Wat Pa Tam Wua Forest Monastery to head back to Chiang Mai. En route, we stopped-by Pai for an overnight. Pai hasn't lost its quaint hippie charm. We met many people from the monastery as Pai was a logical destination for a decompression from all that meditative bliss from the wat.....more »»
20 Days of Monastic Life at Wat Pa Tam Wua
Goodbye and Thank You
(Dec 12, 2018 - Jan 1, 2019) 20 days of monastic life can be surreal to most people - a daily routine of meditation, Dhamma talks by Buddhist monks, 2 vegetarian meals/day, confinement within the monastic grounds and internalization of all the lessons, teachings and practice. After all that immersion, what exactly did I come away with?....more »»
Peoplescape at the Wat Pa Tam Wua Forest Monastery
(Dec 12 - Jan , 2019) People connection in the meditative atmosphere of Wat Pa Tam Wua Forest Monastery is usually intense. Even short episodes. I was there for 20 days meeting wonderful souls of all kinds. Our common ground was we were all seekers in search of truth. 6 years of travel and I haven't gotton used to the heaviness when someone dear packs up to leave this Shangrila.....more »»
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