In addition to being known as the city of Death, Varanasi is also called the City of Light, and renowned as a city of learning for centuries. In ancient India, its name is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root Kashi, meaning “to shine”. The city has 8 universities imparting traditional religious education. Also, many come […]
Thailand 1 – Rediscovering Chiang Mai
When we planned our trip to SE Asia, we had not anticipated making a stop in Thailand. Then, David and Yao, our friends from Cuenca, moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to become expats last year during Covid lockdown. Because of Covid, Thailand was not open to fully vaccinated international visitors without restrictions until July 1, […]
Indonesia 22 – Toraja 1 – Death is Just a Part of Life
Tana Toraja, the highlands of Toraja, is known for their coffee, spectacular mountain landscapes, and its unique culture. The Torajan people is an ethnic group indigenous to the mountainous area and known for their elaborate funeral rituals, where death is celebrated. We will be going into the rituals they follow for death in detail over […]
Indonesia 21 – Makassar
Enroute from Bali to Toraja, visitors stop overnight in Makassar, a colorful port city. Also known as Jung Padang, this is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi on the island of Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia. Sulawesi is the 11th largest island in the world, and the 4th largest island in indonesia. […]
Indonesia 11 – Bali 3 – Market and Ancient Village
Sunrise at Mount Batur, an active volcano that last erupted in 2000. Pejeng Traditional Market at Tampaksiring, Bali. The locals shop here for all basic necessities, including fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, fish and spices. It is similar to Feria Libra in Cuenca, though some of the foods and non-perishables are unique to Indonesia. The market […]
Living in Ecuador as an Expat (video)
We have begun to get settled into Honolulu, and establishing our routines here. One of my personal routines is membership into the Eyes of Hawaii camera club here. At the request of members, I have created a couple of narrated slide shows. The most recent slide show, that will be shown in August, when we […]
Hawaii – Chinatown
Honolulu’s historic Chinatown is a 10 minute drive from our condo, but feels like another world. Evelyn has done some painting sessions there, but I had not seen it, so we decided to stroll through the area and see what shops are available. There was a good variety of seafood available, some of it still […]
Hawaii – Swap Meet
When lists are made of what tourists should do while on Oahu, going to the Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium is often on the list. Since coming to Hawaii a couple months ago, we have done very few tourist events, but decided to check this flea market out to search for a hat and […]
Festival de artesanías de América 2017
November 3 is Cuenca Independence Day. Ecuadorians love to celebrate, and this 197th anniversary of independence from Spain was a chance for a 4-day holiday weekend. The city puts out a booklet listing scheduled events through the end of November that was 66 pages long, and copies ran out in the first 2 days. There is no […]
Manabi Earthquake Relief
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Ecuador on April 16, 2016. We were in Istanbul, Turkey at the time. The couple that was staying in our Cuenca, Ecuador apartment said they could feel it, though we were 180 miles from the epicenter. More than 650 people were killed in the quake. 200 schools and thousands of […]