3 days in Bali!

April 21, 2011

A gorgeous 3-day weekend in Bali. Also, Jakarta Week 15.

Jakarta's domestic terminal, although small, is also super-modern. It opened exactly 2 years earlier! (15 April 2009)

Free-for-all boarding on Air Asia.

As we approach Denpasar airport, Mt Agung pokes out of the clouds.

Touchdown on Bali. Blue skies, red wingtips.

The entrance to our homestay -- a typical multi-family compound that all Balinese live in.

The entrance to our room! Shut with a padlock.

The sitting area outside our room. Ornate doors!

The view from our back balcony, overlooking a small valley.

A view of the alley next to our homestay. Lots of family compounds are built wall-to-wall.

And looking north.

An ornate building in the middle of the compound -- the "deluxe suite" that's basically a house.

Their new swimming pool and yoga deck.

They also have a wood-carving door workshop on the compound.

Their big dog seemed to smile every time we passed by.

The compound's temple. The temples are always in the "north-east" corner. But to the Balinese, "north" is defined as the direction toward the mountain!

An ornate shrine inside the compound's temple.

Just outside our homestay's walls, a rice paddy!

An alley next to our homestay that leads down to the ravine.

Throughout Ubud, the locals leave offerings EVERYWHERE. In the middle of the sidewalks, on vehicles, on shrines. It's impossible not to step in them at some point.

Brick transport. I guess boxes haven't come to Bali yet.

Along Ubud's main streets, old meets new in a single building.

My, what big teeth you have.

Lots of alleys connecting little streets, with compounds coming off in all directions.

The entrance to another family compound.

A granny and her little shop.

Hand-made metal fish ornaments for sale.

The Ubud market -- caters mostly to tourists now, but some locals still shop there too.

Women still carry heavy things on their heads. This woman takes her offerings to the temple.

At Ubud's central temple, women make their afternoon offerings.

The offerings pile so high they spill over.

Did I mention there were lots of offerings?

I'm sure there's a significance to putting them on the ground in front of the entrance.

Each offering seems to have some flowers, an incense stick, a small snack, and shreds of something.

Nearby, a woman makes the offering baskets for others to buy.

The 2nd floor of the market overlooks the central part of the town.

One of the market's many stalls. Baskets!

And colorful sarongs.

An ornate golden face peeks over the walls of a family compound.

More modern shops and galleries on the ground floors of traditional (or made-to-look traditional) buildings.

Mr Grumpy? Guess he's having a bad moss day.

Local Lunch #1. Actually, the Balinese are big on fresh vegetables, tofu and tempeh, and reserve meat for special occasions. So it wasn't hard to find vegetarian food!

The dish in the foreground is fresh vegetables mixed with toasted coconut -- a local specialty.

Lots of street dogs -- but almost all have collars thanks to a well-run foundation that supports them.

The entrance to the Ubud Palace. The royal family still lives here.

Resemblance?

Visitors are not actually allowed into the part of the palace where the royal family lives.

This dog certainly thought of himself as royalty!

All the stone statues wear sarongs. I feel under-dressed.

He may be mossy, but at least he's dressed for the occasion.

Peeking inside another temple off one of the main streets.

Stand back, he's ready to swing at the pinata!

Starbucks Ubud gets into the local mood! (But not to the extent of offering local prices.)

A grand pond of lotuses leads up to this temple.

One of a few lotuses in bloom.

More ornate protectors.

It's hard to take self-portraits with the DSLR!

Crossing over the same river that passes behind our hotel. Crazy steps!

This is one of the town's most famous museums (Puri Lukisan). Apparently this excavation site used to be a beautiful garden!

A statue on the museum's property becomes one with nature.

One of the three main buildings. The museum houses Balinese art, divided into pre- and post-war eras.

Stopping for a foot-rester.

This was painted on the wall outside one of the buildings. Otherwise, photography was not allowed inside.

Just like our hotel door, they lock the museum with a padlock.

Stopping for an iced tea break. A theme was to include one free beverage with your museum entrance fee.

Parallel profiles?

More local ladies carrying heavy things!

This street dog was stopping for a drink -- in a fountain outside a craft store!

The local kids found it as funny as we did.

This woman's carrying a box of knives on her head! Good thing she's using one had for support.

A local game of football across the main road from our hotel.

Guess what's up ahead?

The main road heads downhill, toward the Monkey Forest. (We'll return there tomorrow.)

Decent slope!

Monkey Changer?

Giant statue of you-know-what outside the entrance to the Monkey Forest.

Huge lily pads (or are they lotuses?) as we continue south out of town.

After an approx 2 km walk, we arrive at our destination: the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA).

The museum was constructed as such by Agung Rai in the 50s. It's home to both traditional and modern Balinese art.

Twins!

These ladies looked chilly.

Stone, but alarmingly life-like!

The museum had beautiful, open grounds.

The stage on which they do gamelan performances.

A shrine to we're-not-sure-whom.

The main museum building has ornate doorways that border on creepy.

Inside, two stories of traditional Balinese paintings. A few legends are common themes across the paintings.

The museum cafe, at which we (again) were allowed a complimentary drink.

Enjoying his iced tea in a serene setting, as the sun set for the day.

Photos in the rice paddies.

If you hadn't guessed yet, we were using two cameras!

The rice was wet -- evening dew, or a recent rain?

The cafe owner -- and guy who took this photo -- turned out to be Thai! He came to Bali a few months ago to open up a restaurant.

More photogenic rice.

A street dog finds comfort in the doorway of a convenience store. A theme?

All the traditional buildings look nice at night under spotlights.

Our room had a big ol' mosquito net. And lots of natural light to wake you, since there was no curtain over the glass doors to the balcony!

Breakfast, included in the room rate: Australian-style pancakes and fresh fruit.

Off on our bike tour! We stop, on our drive up the mountain, to see the photogenic terraced rice paddies.

The beautiful rice paddies that surely feature on travel brochures for Bali.

It's young rice -- still very green.

They use terraced paddies to conserve (and re-use) water.

Finally, we reach our highest destination! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too agreeable.

We're supposed to have a clear view of Mt Agung and Lake Batur. Oh well...

The locals said the fog was going to lift around 2pm. We didn't have time to wait around.

Oh well! You can imagine it's beautiful on a clear day!

The fog does make for some neat shots, though.

Spider caught some morning dew!

Still haven't gotten on the bikes -- the tour takes us first to a mini-plantation, which has examples of various Balinese crops. Here, cocoa pods!

Our guide shows us a coffee bean that he's just plucked off the tree.

This is one of the civets that help make Kopi Luwak (aka civet coffee). These guys sniff out the best beans, and then "process" them one time before roasting.

Here, the guide points out the difference between "male" and "female" coffee beans. (It's the shape.)

And a local demonstrates how they roast the beans by hand in a special pan that maintains a given temperature.

Roasted beans!

A healthy papaya tree. I guess we have plenty of these in Thailand, too.

Before we leave, they let us taste-test 6 drinks: 3 types of coffee, a cocoa, and 2 teas.

Daintily enjoying his sip!

A local brand of matches. Could be smelly when lit!

The guide shows us a yellow cocoa pod -- the individual beans are purple when ripe.

Photogenic fountain on-site.

There was also a fruit-tasting. This was the only novel one to us. It's like a bitter tomato.

Looks just like a tomato from the outside! But the skin is much thicker.

A fruitful offering at the plantation.

Big dew drops on a huge leaf.

And we're off on our bikes! Down-hill, most of the way. We were a group of 10.

There were 2 from New Zealand, 2 from Switzerland, 4 from Germany. We represented Asia.

First stop -- a traditional family compound in the countryside. Here, a woman splits bamboo to make weavings that will be the ceilings in homes.

The compound was home to 5 families, and this dog who liked to perform in front of his audience.

One of the kitchens in the compound.

The start of a weaving they make with the bamboo strips.

The dog followed us, and started to play in the weaving as we stood around it.

You can see all the small buildings inside the compound. Each compound is 200 square meters exactly.

Pooped, after putting on a show for us.

A collection of cocoa pods, some a little riper than others.

A giant spiderweb shimmers in the mid-day sunlight.

The family chickens.

Back on the road -- passing school boys who are done their 1/2 day Saturday.

Next stop: a rice paddy where the locals are harvesting the rice.

Freshly-cut!

The rice is ready to be cut and removed from the stalk.

We jumped right in with the women -- interrupting their rhythm for sure.

They remove the rice by whacking bunches against this board. The grains collect at the bottom.

We were pretty pitiful by comparison!

The "emptied" rice stalks are carted off for some other use.

Action shot!

I think they're used to a tour group stopping by daily. I hope we don't disrupt their production too much!

Rice (still in the husk) and some stray stalk strands.

Not sure what this tossing does. It must be to get rid of something!

And back on our bikes we go!

More terraced paddies. Looks like a giant knife just swept over them in one fell swoop.

Here, sorting the rice -- still not de-husked. But they have machines to do that.

Scary, indeed!

Shocked by all the bicycles? Luckily, she didn't drop anything.

This kid hams it up for the camera.

They like to dry out the rice in the middle of the streets. Bad, when you're trying to drive along the streets!

A few obstacles: potholes and a motorcycle with a wide load.

Hello, she says.

The locals sit outside and say "hello!" as we pass. I guess this is a daily occurrence for them!

When she saw the camera, she stood bolt straight!

Lots of kids stand on the street to wave or get high-fives.

High five!

A friendly gesture, I hope.

More scenic rice.

Next stop: a HUGE tree that's rumored to be over 500 years old.

You could stand inside it and look up. Way too tall to capture in a single photo.

Looking up the tree from the inside.

It was like it had long, straight hair. They cut the dangly roots before they touch the ground.

Back on the road, and through the fields.

Stopping again -- to see what this time?

Slow driving as we navigate the rice in the road.

Spot the duckies?

Looking pretty empty back there!

Once we're down, the tour provides a late lunch overlooking -- that's right -- more rice paddies.

A vegetarian feast!

Tempeh (a local fave) and veggie rolls with the infamous peanut sauce.

Hope he didn't drop something.

Back in Ubud, a trip to the Monkey Forest.

As advertised, lots of monkeys!

They look cute and innocent, but they love to steal sunglasses and digicams.

This bug-eyed baby knows where the good food is.

Show some manners!

Food coma!

The local trainers ("monkey experts", they were called in the brochure) really are the monkeys' buddies.

In the temple at the heart of the forest -- where everyone must wear a sarong.

They try hard to keep the jungle outside the temple's confines.

Ornate enough?

Doing what monkeys do best!

Oooh, that feels good.

Have some decency, guy on the right!

Stream flowing deep through the jungle.

Picturesque bridge, swamped by another giant tree.

This was once the bathing pool.

Surprisingly moss-free!

Back on the street, some colorful local paintings were nice candy for the eye.

Afternoon coconut delivery!

Back at the hotel, suddenly the volcano was visible!

Hello down there!

Local crafts that I thought looked just like the Mexican ones!

Dramatically lit at night.

Attending a traditional Balinese dance. They're performed at night, with a full gamelan ensemble.

The band looked like they were enjoying themselves all night.

When they're playing these instruments, the men look like machines! You hammer maniacally with one hand, and use the other to dampen the vibrations.

The first dance of many. There were many different styles. Even their eye movements are choreographed!

This dance supposedly depicted a warrior, afraid to go to battle.

This guy played music as part of his performance.

These 3 were kids! The 2 in green looked like twins.

Scary face!

In a more humorous piece, a mythical creature was introduced.

And then a modern-day creature joined the fun.

And then, suddenly, I was part of the show!

More creatures.

After the show, a late (but tasty) dinner at what must be the slowest restaurant in Ubud.

Breakfast the next morning. (Can wear that red shirt cuz he's not in Thailand.)

I got a "jaffle" -- the Australian word for a sandwich-maker sandwich.

Heading out for a morning walk, following a route suggested by Lonely Planet.

Apparently local bikers know of this route, too.

It led us up through hills of elephant grass.

Not at the top yet!

Finally, getting there, and looking back at the valley from which we came.

We're not the only ones out taking photos in the morning sun.

Drying the grass. They use it to make roofs (among other things).

360 degrees of beautiful views.

Still signs of a morning dew.

Another awkward group shot, thanks to the DSLR.

The path was perched beautifully up above two valleys.

Another local cuts fresh grass and lays it down to dry.

Collecting yesterday's cuttings.

In the distance, more terraced rice paddies.

To the west, lots of new villas and resorts going up.

More local ladies, this time carrying construction materials to a posh new house that's going up.

He couldn't have picked a more conspicuous place to lie.

Why, it's more rice paddies.

Then we stumbled on a little village, also perched high on the hills.

We found an artist whose family has been painting in Ubud for generations. (I guess they get French tourists.)

We decided to get a painting from him. It's similar to the abstract ladies hanging left of the doorway.

Wrapping up the canvas for safe transport. He said there are lots of new resorts going up, which is good for tourism, but bad for the rice industry.

He also does egg painting.

More rice paddies. Will these soon be gone?

Anybody lose their rooster?

Another village a few kilometers later, and more rice in the street.

More lotuses. (Lotii?)

Back in town, our last Ubud lunch at another small shop house.

The decor here was quite homey!

The one on the left is a jack fruit curry. Delish!

Strolling once more through the market -- doing a final pass for souvenirs.

Feel like you're being watched?

More abstract paintings. Similar to, but not as nice as, the one we bought!

More stares!

Mini jack fruit! Look at the size relative to the cukes in the upper right.

Another interesting take on the traditional woman.

As we were walking home, we passed a ceremony underway.

For the afternoon of our last day, we hired a driver to take us around the southern parts of Bali.

First stop: Sanur Beach, which faces east. It's known as one of the quieter beaches in Bali.

These fishing boats have some personalities.

Loungers in front of the Bali Hyatt's property. Too sunny for me!

Quite windy right at the water, which helps to cool off a bit.

The water is *extremely* shallow at this part of Bali, thanks to some reefs way out there.

Spider boat!

Fishermen stand in the clear water, trying to catch... not sure what!

The funny spider boats were anchored down and scattered along the shoreline.

There were also lots of these slimy ocean weeds! Extra evident in the low tide.

It was refreshing to walk along the water, although this beach also has a paved pedestrian path at the top.

Interesting patterns in the sand.

Near the entrance to the beach, the boats are much denser. You can see how clear the water is.

Spider boats, row boats and motor boats all park together.

Our van for the afternoon.

Next stop: the cliffs of Uluwatu, the southernmost point of Bali.

To access the view, you have to enter a temple. Hence, the Swedish sarong.

Very beautiful, but the sun couldn't have been hotter!

How picturesque! I imagine the view from below is just as nice.

Another awkward group shot!

See the slice of rock at the bottom of the photo?

There's a walkway along the cliff that allows you to walk to that part that juts out.

A view looking back, with the temple at the edge. (Doesn't the cliff look like a face?)

The temple was filled with aggressive monkeys. This guy was extremely defensive about his chips!

Final stop: Jimbaran beach (which faces West), famous for its seafood dinners overlooking the sunset.

It's also quite close to the airport, so you can see all the planes queuing up to land.

Later in the afternoon, this beach seems to be a popular soccer spot for the locals.

How many people were playing at one time?

Stopping for a rest.

Sun's heading down for the night.

Local kids seem to like to dig big pools for themselves, and then lie in them.

She wonders why hers isn't so big.

The sunset was, as you can imagine, extremely picturesque.

The waterfront tables are all filled up! Shadows are long.

Busloads of tourists (mostly Chinese) were dropped off here to photograph the sunset and eat seafood.

See what I mean?

I guess we were one of them!

These restaurants must do great business!

How pretty.

People are still swimming as the sun itself dips into the water.

Nice sky.

See the streaks in the sky?

Finally we give in, and join the hoards for dinner. No seafood for us, though!

Hmm. What did we order?

Good night and good-bye, Bali! Off to the airport now.

Bangkok Week 146

April 14, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 14

At the famed Krispy Kreme, royal donuts designed by the Princess. B55 each, though! That's $1.80!

Of course. Then we stumbled upon the Thailand Egg Festival.

Can you guess what was inside?

"Hong Kong" egg tarts - a popular dessert. Among other eggy things!

Back in Jakarta -- a new view of the roundabout. My Mandarin Oriental taunts me. It's only 180 degrees away!

The poolside, which I've never ventured down to myself.

The "jockeys" that come out during rush hour, when at least 3 people are required per car!

Mothers with young kids are "worth" more, because they count as 2 people.

At the big mall across the street, a giant sculpture exhibit was on display throughout.

If only the traffic *really* moved around the round-about this quickly!

Dinner at an "authentic" Indonesian place... in the mall.

Excited by the novel experience.

Bangkok Week 145

April 7, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 13

All these mangoes from the healthy tree outside.

Too hot for this hotdog.

Time to pick more ripe mangoes!

The first few.

Another handful.

The hi-tech bamboo tool used to pluck them from so high up.

The final loot! One bucket'a'mangoes.

Tropical greens.

Tropical thorns.

Uh oh. What to do with all these mangoes now?

Looking at photos from our last visit.

Uh oh, it's bedtime for someone.

Photos are booooooring!

What a productive tree!

8 new home-made dishes for dinner.

Someone can't even stay up long enough for a shower.

Sunset over Jakarta.

Bring back memories?

Bangkok Week 144

March 31, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 12

Earth Hour 2011 @ 8:30pm Saturday, 26 March. Are candles cheating?

Even Baiyoke Tower 2 turned off its giant Billboard-over-Bangkok.

Trying to fix a mobile phone by candle light. Something I never thought I'd have to do.

In the old part of the city, a printing press. Think it still prints anything?

Locals dry their laundry. It's like modern times haven't gotten this far west yet.

More ultra-modern buildings. Actually, many of the shops have been renovated to become retro cafes and little boutiques.

Our destination -- a vegetarian cafe we'd been meaning to try for months.

Mushroom-ginger wontons. Not bad.

Grilled cheese-tofu-sesame-mushroom sandwich. Pretty good!

This guy had veggies in his. The side of lotus tempura was pretty good, too.

Another funkified shop house.

Devoting an afternoon to trip-planning-- over ice cream!

Bangkok Week 143

March 24, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 11

Really cold (?) when I got back to Bangkok on Friday night.

Pastries (half-off) from the Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop. A parting souvenir.

Giant- ass Moleskin notebook, anyone?

This guy sleeps in this same exact (convenient) spot every day, all day.

Dinner at La Monita, Bangkok's favorite Mexican joint. They've tripled in size since we were first there.

Trying to be the spoon. Can't you tell?

Nachos supremo, a toasted sandwich and rice bowl. Eclectic mix.

Don't look. Dig in!

A really tall guy on the BTS. He had to duck under the hand rails and door to step inside.

Where Zen used to (and will eventually again) be.

Resemblance?

New hotel, new view. Huge pool.

No IDEA what this was. But I guess it was vegetarian.

Bangkok Week 142

March 17, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 10

The toy he's been waiting for... for months!

Fresh from the box... plastic protector still on.

Kind of overshadows the new BB.

Muffins! Imported directly from Jakarta.

Remember last year's cute ukelele festival? Well it's gotten considerably more high profile since.

I'm not sure if ukeleles are as close to taking over Thailand as they think.

A new bagel place that's gotten lots of press for having "New York-style" bagels. Of course, it's closed on weekends. THAT wouldn't happen in New York.

So near... and yet, so far.

A very neat outdoor photo exhibit that's part of the French Festival.

Lots of photos from Java, Yunnan, northern Thailand and North Korea... all by one French photographer.

But too hot to see all in one day!

From northern Thailand, on the Burmese border.

Also lots of colorful images from Papua New Guinea.

Can't take his eyes off it!

Vegetarian pizza from Indonesian Pizza Hut -- comes with tofu!

Bangkok Week 141

March 10, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 9

An excellent exhibit comparing East and West by Yang Liu, a Chinese artist who's spent a significant amount of her professional life in Germany.

"At the restaurant"

"Everyday life of elderlies"

"Waiting queue"

"Trendy"

"Punctuality"

"Transportation"

"Downtown on Sundays"

"Boss"

"The Child"

"Travel"

"Image of the other"

"Three meals"

"Social network"

"Party"

Bangkok Week 140

March 3, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 8

Introducing our new lamp! The world-renowned and Thailand's very own Mr P lamp!

The only lamp you feel guilty turning on.

But his luminescence outshines any guilt.

A neat large-format photo exhibit outside the Alliance Francaise, as part of Bangkok's annual "La Fete".

Mind-boggling -- what's in the photo? What's a reflection?

Imagining if this is what Paris looks like today.

People still use pay phones!

A view toward Jakarta's CBD -- note the mountains in the background!

Wouldn't want to get stuck behind these guys at check-in.

Bangkok Week 139

February 24, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 7, the smallest week yet.

Someone's a famous band.

Coffee condensate.

Bangkok Week 138

February 17, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 6

Leave it to the Japanese-wannabe restaurant to call themselves "FUK U"

Dinner at an awesome vegetarian Indian "diner".

No shortage of food with these two thalis.

They had 4 or 5 different kinds of thali sets from all over India.

Shocked. You order at the counter and take a number card to your table.

Gulati ball!

Which orange Indian cracker would you like?

Picking some special sweets to take home.

An elegant evening place setting...

... in the middle of the sidewalk, between a construction site and a major road.

A lower view of my favorite round-about.

Bangkok Week 137

February 10, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 5

Marouy is bright and chipper on Saturday morning.

Who are you again, and what are you doing on my bench?

The wind chime from Canada-- even Marouy is interested.

Final resting place -- near the house, where it won't be stolen.

The jackfruit tree in the back yard is on some serious steroids.

The new Pretty-in-Pink house.

Suits the tropical countryside, no?

So much for being bright and awake. Heavy eyelids and an even heavier chin.

And down he goes.

Mr. Melodramatic knows he's about to be left home alone for a few hours.

An intricate dragon at the Chinese New Year festivities in town.

Before making merit, you have to assemble a complicated kit of paper, thread, a needle... and of course money.

At the entrance: the gold tree.

An all-natural serpent inside the central pavilion.

Three colorful Buddha images, all in a row. The strings are special for this merit-making event (I think).

Everyone's gathered around a ball, suspended over a hole. You press a leaf of gold foil onto the ball, then drop a needle-thread-paper jumble into the hole below.

Am I getting this right?

The pavilion has rather elaborate chandeliers!

Outside, surrounding the pavilion are another 8 suspended balls, where you repeat the same ritual: press the gold, sprinkle some coins, wai.

I have to say, my gold-pressing skills had improved by the end of this exercise.

Which ball is this? I've lost count.

Where's Waldo Buddha?

We found Russell from UP (Disney-Pixar) at the temple that afternoon, too.

Anybody inside this giant gold ball?

Sign it, before it gets buried.

360 degrees of home-made cooking. What did we do to merit this?

Obviously this guy thinks he's earned some, too.

Well then, can I at least have some of your orange?

Someone's feeling a little grumpy after his Sunday morning bath.

Brushing a grumpy dog requires appropriate cranial protection.

He refuses to even look at the camera!

Looking through photos from Christmas. Remember Christmas?

Underage driver.

Pineapples on their way to the Big City... value added by the minute.

A new face of the hotel provides a new view, too.

Later in the week, though, there's barely any view at all!

Bangkok Week 136

February 3, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 4, plus a side trip to Khao Yai National Park for BCG Bangkok's annual New Year trip.

Annual New Year's trip -- this time to Khao Yai National Park about 2 hours outside Bangkok. It's known for its mountains and wineries.

First stop after lunch: an "adventure park" owned by the family of a colleague.

The activites clearly derive from bizarre Japanese gameshows. Game #1: Human-vegetable-bowling.

You get the idea? Note: feet are strapped together.

Assistants were required to help right the fallen veggie pins.

Game #2: Solve a math equation, and then slap the correct number tile with your giant hand.

Hilarity ensures -- and often no clear winner determined.

Needless to say, I was on the pink team.

Game #3: Catch the giant pinball as it drops over the edge.

Way harder than it looks!

This local dog was getting more attention than the team-building games.

Game #4: Push your teammate into the target zone...

... but not too far, lest they end up in the water!

Entertainment for all... except those being pushed down the plank.

Too tired to play. Let's all just relax together.

Yay pink team, the losers of the day!

The annual "Newbies' Performance" was MC'd by a strawberry and pineapple, naturally.

Does this quality as office attire?

Finally able to see the resort in all its glory the next morning.

Even in the morning, the mountainous weather was still surprisingly cool!

On the way back to Bangkok, a pit-stop at a mock Italian countryside village. Surprisingly detailed.

All he wanted for his 3Nth was a neck tie... so why not a Batik one?

Birthday dinner at Indus, an classy Indian joint in a classy part of town.

Well, who knows how classy it really was... it was so dimly lit, we couldn't see.

No shortage of goodies.

My reward for speding Chinese New Year at the Mandarin: 3 bananas and a mystery puck. Joy.

Jakarta traffic the night before CNY was significantly worse than usual. Fathomable? (We waited 1.5 hours for a taxi.)

But on CNY morning, no cars in sight. Also a Jakarta first.

Local communities are reminiscent of Bangkok.

All restaurants of this genre seem to display their food on stacked plates in the window.

Okay, Jakarta canals may have one up on Bangkok. You can smell them from blocks away.

Many malls are like MBK: individual stalls and sellers throughout.

Eye-crossing displays at a local Hypermart.

Self-serve frozen fries and dogs. Mmm.

Hehehe, aren't Jakarta tuk-tuks funny?

Which fruit do you want? It's like a carnival game: reach in, and grab what you can.

Krispy Kreme, the easy way: imported from Indonesia.

Aww, aren't they cute? They're mini!

Bangkok Week 135

January 27, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 3

Having some repairs done to a pair of work shoes at one of Bangkok's many shoe factories.

An ornate bungalow at Santichai Prakan Public Park, on the river.

Dedicated locals enjoy their evening aerobics class on a nice backdrop.

Phra Sumen Fort, constructed in 1783 to fortify the old city during the reign of King Rama I.

Said Old City!

Our fist desination: dinner at a famous "roti" joint called "Roti Mataba".

Famous for its roti breads paired with spicy muslim curries. But this is a salad.

The place was tiny, and packed. This is the second floor of the store's tiny shophouse.

Finally, some famous roti, too. In Jakarta, "roti" is the generic word for "bread".

Two equally sleepy locals.

As we approached the hot backpacker's haven, we passed many used bookstores. This guy finds a cheap John Grisham.

This place was absolutely hopping at night. We found where all of Bangkok's tourists live!

Classic Bangkok guidebook photos.

Every foreigner was packed onto one of 3 main streets. This one: the infamous Khao San.

Shocked out of words.

Deep-fried scorpions, anyone?

We found takers! Timid but tempted tourists wearily select their fare.

This guy has magnificient resolve, and a wonderful ability to filter out all chaos around him.

This girl looked totally uninterrested in being there.

Just one block away, ghost town! Everyone back in the "real world" has gone to bed.

Finally trying some of the goodies lugged all the way back from Canada.

Our rabbit friends from Paragon are all dressed for Chinese New Year!

They spare no details in the giant rabbits' costumes.

Check out the hat and hair!

Annual decorations.

How scandalous!

On Monday morning, a nightmarishly long queue just to queue up for immigration! They really don't want you to leave Bangkok, do they?

A Jakarta tuk-tuk!

A cluster of homes right in the middle of Jakarta's CBD. Do they realize the value of their properties?

A view toward the famous round-about and my Mandarin Oriental.

Bangkok Week 134

January 20, 2011

Alias: Jakarta Week 2

The muscle man and his new protein bars from Costco.

A view of the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Jakarta. I would be quite happy if this were my new home.

Modern, spacious, great views and service. If only it had a points system.

A view of "Welcome Monument" from my window. The dotted red lane is the "dedicated" bus lane.

This building houses the largest textile market in Southeast Asia.

Munchies given at a Korean restaurant.

My great new Jakarta map. Must be viewed on a king sized bed.

One oddity of the Mandarin - they love to give 3 identical fruit daily. Apparently they've not learned the concept "variety".

Setting out to cross a busy street at night. In the middle there, you see the BRT (rapid bus) platform.

Say what? Jakarta traffic?

Looks just like a Thai table!

Indo vegetarian: a peanut sauce salad and deep-fried tempeh patty. Everything is very sweet...

I've had at least one of these daily now.

Inside Grand Indonesia Shopping Town are some positively bizarre areas -- including a mock-up of Rockefeller Center.

Here's China.

And the underbelly of New York City.

Now I think we're in Western Europe somewhere.

Italy?

And heading back to the hotel the long route -- around our Welcome Monument.

And in front of the picturesque Hyatt. There are 5-star hotels at every quadrant of the roundabout.

Bangkok Week 133

January 13, 2011

Welcome to Jakarta, the new host to Bangkoks 133-153.

The 33-lb foam, in its final resting place! (We did eventually remove the 2 comforters from underneath.)

And a new decoration further separates the bathroom from the rest of the apartment.

Skytrain window decorations illuminate the arm.

First less-than-exciting view of Jakarta, out the 6th-floor hotel window.

In the morning, a perfect view of the office (in one of the 2 towers straight ahead).

Seems close enough -- why not go by foot? Light traffic, for some reason.

Footbridges differ from Bangkok's in 2 key ways: 1) they're louder (the floors are loosely-anchored sheets of steel) and 2) they use only ramps, no stairs.

Rush hour mustn't be in full swing yet! (The buses, on average, trump Bangkok's on old age.)

Final destination: BCG Jakarta (not Poland).

The building lobby looks like a 5-star hotel.

A view from the 19th.

Development is less consistent than in Bangkok.

Quick pit-stop in Singapore: here's the World's Largest Fountain, in all its glory. Worthy of the title?

Christmas 2010 - Week 2

January 7, 2011

In the second week of Christmas, Toronto gave to me... a rainbow and Korean kimchi.

The extremely classy holiday decoration we brought from afar. Goes well with the granite.

Ta-daa. Her fancy new Maxwell House coffee-making coffee maker.

(Re)found the elaborately-decorated house on Clinton that we first spotted over a decade ago.

Looking through the past week's photos... and boy, are there many.

At long last! North American Chinese food! And it's even vegetarian.

A sad reunion and final farewell with the tacky trophies of my high school years. (Amazingly, all the weapons were still attached to the men!)

Another stylish knick-knack from my room on Jefferson.

Afternoon tea with another set of familiar faces.

And a reunion over Tim Horton's -- how appropriate.

Spot the poodle!

She pretends not to remember me.

Back on Bloor, dinner's taking place at the famous neighborhood all-you-can-eat Sushi parlor.

The late-comers are relegated to the end.

It's darn-well about time! Can't believe we went 10 days without a dozen Tims.

Sprinkles. Can't be beat!

Sunday brunch (not a funeral) in High Park.

A plateful of vegetarian cheeses. How rare!

Nothing strange here.

But something seems to be contagious.

Culinary master Jasmine prepares a pasta salad for 8 hungry Tomczaks.

You remember what mom always said -- no dinner until you finish the chips.

This family has apparently abandoned dining tables.

Monday morning trip to the Royal Ontario Museum. Time to take out another membership.

This museum, too, has recently undergone a modern renovation/ expansion ... this one by Daniel Libeskind.

Don't they warn against playing with polar bears, despite how cuddly they may seem?

Famous mosaic ceiling of the rotunda.

Peek-a-boo.

Although the most famous terracotta warriors had already left the museum, some less well-known ones still remained.

Old meets new -- a trend on the Toronto museum scene.

An interesting donation by someone who finally ran out of space in his house.

Wow! Look at all the dinosaurs!

Giant inner atrium houses a mix of artifacts and many comfy couches.

Curious contrast continues outside, too.

Meeting for lunch with old friends, the Wongs. That it was a Chinese restaurant is a coincidence, honest.

Talk about extreme opulence.

King and Queen sit and wait for the table to be prepared.

Only after all the food's disappeared is the photo taken.

We get to cook Thai. We get to cook Thai! Such a rare opportunity comes but once a year.

Enough garlic for your tastes?

Extremely spicy green curry, red curry and bitter melon find their way to the table tonight.

Pouring the champagne that no one had the will-power to stay up for on New Years Eve.

How rouge!

Cheers to the ability to cook on a stove!

Looks... authentic? At least the rice is.

Finally, a dusting of snow! But will it last?

Again, trying to blend in with his surroundings. Will he ever learn that it's okay to be unique?

Taking a trip downtown, to see what Western shopping malls have to offer.

OMG. MUFFINS. WITH BIG TOPS.

And real ice cream. We're on a roll!

The famous Brookfield Place, known for its Allen Lambert Galleria.

Also, coincidentally, the home of BCG Toronto.

They just love to mesh old and new in this city.

The atrium provides great, comfortable natural light throughout all 4 seasons.

Nonchalantly blending in with the locals on the trip home.

Finally having the opportunity to try the most hopping Korean joint in town!

Doesn't that look just scrumptious?

The food was so steamy, it turned mum's hair grey.

The restaurant draws crowds at all hours of the day. This is 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon.

MUFFIN!

Impulse trip to Niagra Falls!

Group shot, from the warmth of the tourist center overlooking the falls.

Double-rainbows and beautiful blue skies greet us as we near.

It couldn't have been more picturesque for the middle of the winter.

Too many photo ops make for too many photos!

How many permutations can we achieve?

The railings were icy and slick. Dangerous?

The north pole is actually at the base of Niagra Falls. Don't believe what the cartographers tell you.

Winter wonderland. Just don't get swept up by its beauty.

His first trip! We'll return when the falls have moved back another kilometer.

Just a little chilly.

Ice on a post, in front of a backdrop of Falls.

Cold, but not too cold.

The town is now super-developed... and filled with super-similar-looking buildings.

Rainbow's still there, but still not too many people.

Rainbow's still there; weather's still good.

Dangers, made worse when icy.

The cold weather demanded becoming a Pats fan.

Another shot of the North Pole. Eerily picturesque.

Very resilient plants, to be living right next to the Falls in winter.

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

The icy mist still rises quite high.

And the American falls. They leave something to be desired.

Heading over to Ontario's second-most-famous tower.

Tourist prices!

The view from the top is worth it. At least on a good day like this.

Question of the year: will the falls turn this corner, or will they start eating away at the town?

Too cold to smile.

Being a little daring with that Canon, isn't he.

Look at the US right there. So close, but yet so far.

Look, Dad's got a purse.

A shadow towers over the quiet town.

Riverside Drive. And long shadows already.

Ears started to get sore from the wind after a while.

Debate about whether the ferris wheel was actually operating, or being blown by the wind. Thoughts?

One colorful street, in a town of drab buildings.

Requisite group shot! On top of the world. Kind of.

Riding back down. We didn't succumb to the all-you-can-eat dinner.

I do love those 0% off sales.

In these conditions, the ice provides extra traction.

In Niagra-on-the-Lake, where the river meets Lake Ontario!

Stripping in the middle of the quaint Main Street.

Window shopping.

We felt badly for the ice cream shop -- it was clearly struggling. So we had to help them out.

Two happy, weather-oblivious customers.

How quaint.

Driving back to Toronto through the Niagra wineries.

Now he's officially invited to celebrate Christmas with the rest of us.

Dumplings, anyone?

Anyone feeling a little naked?

Looks like some more snow might be coming!

Skål!

Chillin' in Grandpa's new bachelor pad.

And then the aliens came and sucked some more information out of his head.

Tea time at Grandma's!

Does this scene look familiar?

Ooh, looks like the snow's kept at it.

Look at what a difference half a day makes.

Marching out to The Last Supper, down on Bloor.

Better late than never. The annual snow, that is.

Some kind of Korean walnut donut? We'll have to try it next time.

The easy way to make a blueberry smoothie!

Oh man, looks delicious!

Ain't got nothing to complain about... great Last Supper.

Snowy final night on Euclid. See you in a finished state next December!

Why are they so happy to see us leave?

Christmas 2010 - Week 1

December 30, 2010

In the first week of Christmas, Toronto gave to me... no snow and no watching TV.

Can you spot Fuji-san?

Our now-annual authentic Japanese lunch.

Real, fresh inari!

And slightly less fresh, but just as authentic, in-flight Cup Noodles.

The new living space! Still a work-in-progress.

The sunny front room on the floor of which we camped.

The new 'hood!

And the new home!

Too cold for comfort down on Bloor.

Christmas Eve brunch... remnants of a giant cake.

Matching 80s fashion.

Doesn't get any fancier than this.

Mom and daughters enjoying Christmas Eve at Grandpa's new pad.

Grandpa and the gals... in a photo studio?

We brought the beautiful beaches of Thailand with us... but I forgot to put my head on straight.

SIL and FIL enjoy a moment side-by-side.

The lady missing from the other photo.

And that's where it comes from.

All eyes open!

After all these years, the resemblance is still apparent!

Thai flowers go well next to Swedish farms.

All together now!

Matching outfits and heights.

Erika's BIL and wig.

A Christmas Classic - lounging on the slouchy couch.

I think Jasmine can be attributed to this and the previous photo.

Annual Christmas Eve sushi! He thinks no one will notice his sneaking some fish.

No shortage of veggie ones.

PLAYBALL!

Despite their eagerness, time to stop and pose.

What a happy couple!

Who, me?

Crowded couch dining... a new fad, just watch.

Father, daughter, and giant-ass glass!

Three-quarters.

MIL and SIL.

Does he realize he has a stone horse coming out of his head?

Bangkok fashion invades Toronto!

Pleased with their new infinity scarves.

Erika's always the good influence.

The Students.

Didn't know Thai desserts could be so funny.

Eager to unwrap his double-presents.

Bangkok beaded bangles.

Too heavy to lift -- forget lugging it back to Bangkok.

The fashionable Christmas shirt I'd been waiting months to show off.

A Christmas morning breakfast of cereal, yogurt and burning candles.

Bye-bye, 765. See you in a few days!

The toasty Christmas fire crackling away at Chris's.

The view ain't too shabby!

Colby wonders why the heck 6 people just showed up at her house.

Colby and mom enjoy the seasonal view.

Dessert-to-be after Christmas Dinner. Took surprisingly little time to whip up.

Granny enjoys a lunch of all-vegetarian hors d'oeuvres.

This guy's enjoying them even more.

Colby would LIKE to enjoy them, too.

Burning her bum on the fire!

A new mat for the T-family.

A Thai tea cozy doubles as a fashionable winter hat.

I think someone else wanted one, too.

The happy Coconut Crab will put a smile on anyone's face.

Chris is more interested in Colby's new toy than the recipient is.

Granny inspects her frame from Thailand as her crab looks on.

Annual winter inspection of the cottage -- lake's still there.

Standing on thin ice!

Trying to blend in with his surroundings.

What exactly the neighbors were doing, we may never know.

Far out, dude.

Bye-bye till next year, cottage.

Okay, maybe leaving isn't as easy as it seems.

It was cold enough for at least a few icicles to form.

Aha. My long-lost turtle-neck twin. I knew it was in fashion.

Whose head is bigger?

Someone's getting impatient! Where's the turkey?

The two hard-working chefs put the finishing touches on the night's feast.

Somehow, these crackers never seem to get easier.

How come people can be so afraid of a cardboard tube?

Like mother, like daughter.

Where's the feast?

Didn't have enough for dinner. Time to eat the dog.

Meanwhile, Granny will eat the trifle.

Boxing Day Breakfast -- the sun is very late to rise in this neck of the woods.

Colby can't miss out on the breakfast action!

Now she's awake and cute as ever.

Yes, annual meal of Pizza Pizza pizza.

The Sunday football club, plus one dead body.

Colby had exactly no interest in the game.

Chris tries out her new Thai cozy.

Found some amusingly old photos while unpacking at Euclid. Granny reminisces.

Cooking! I've waited so long for a stove.

She's going to finish all the leftovers singlehandedly.

Overly excited by the vegetarian gravy.

3/4 of the couch dwellers are enjoying what's on TV.

Late morning sunrise over the 45th parallel.

Chris doesn't need to put artwork on her walls to make them look nice.

Despite an entire afternoon of football, they still sit and watch recap videos online.

Colby epitomizes the lap dog. She should trademark the term.

An exciting sushi dinner at Bracebridge's only Japanese joint.

Granny enjoys the first of many indulgences that night.

Overwhelmed by the amount of sushi in front of him.

It's already the good-bye lunch at Swiss Chalet.

Fries and Swiss Chalet Sauce -- no better combination exists.

Back on Bloor, a rich Indian dinner begins with tandoori. How colorful!

Meh.

Afternoon tea with familiar faces.

Mini-project: assemble and install more junk in the basement!

Using her kitchen stove for the first time!

Exciting spaghetti dinner merits a stylish hat.

No shortage of pasta for dinner tonight! At least it's whole-wheat.

Finally he can stop complaining about not getting a birthday cake. Only 2 weeks late.

Going for a morning stroll through downtown Toronto. I didn't know mum was my height.

This fellow Euclid house could use some renovation.

Of course, the local moose contingent fully support Toronto's sports teams.

A mural with oriental flare in Kensington Market.

A colorful assortment of dried legumes and grains to suit any taste.

Famous old cheese shop that's been around for decades. Prepare your nosebuds before entering!

He's a mean one, but he still poses for photos.

The CN Tower towers over Chinatown and all its people.

The AGO, which underwent a $276 million redevelopment plan by Frank Gehry.

A common theme spiraled throughout the museum.

See what I'm talking about?

Remnants of the old building remain.

That's the trouble with men. You get too close, and they push you away.

Looking toward downtown, with OCAD's crossword in the foreground.

Finally heading down Gehry's central spiral.

Super-exciting! Lebanese lunch.

Falafel, papa smurf, grape leaves, chick peas. What could be better on a cold winter's afternoon?

If I had to marry any food... this cuisine would be at the front of the queue.

Washing the clementines. A perfectly normal evening activity.

Drying the clementines -- a logical follow-up.

Such a complex event requires precise orchestration.

Bangkok Week 130

December 23, 2010

AHHH!!! I'm getting excited!

Our cute office Christmas tree. Nicely decorated, but sufficiently professional.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the decorations put up by our building management.

This is marvelously tacky, gotta give them that much!

They even managed to find the creepiest Santa in Bangkok.

But there's room for Christmas, any where you look.

Special Friday night dinner out at an authentic Southern Indian place.

All-veggie menu meant lots of things to try.

Too much for two? Never!

In Bangkok, Santa comes by skytrain.

Pink ice dessert - still #1, even on a cool winter's day.

Even better than a candy cane!

Couldn't round up my siblings and Santa for a photo, so these guys had to stand in.

Another marvelously tacky display outside Paragon - a matrix of giant pink bells!

A perfectly natural pine tree!

Finally! About to ride a new 4-car train myself!!!

Woah! Cool new real-time system map (implemented years ago in Bejing -- http://bit.ly/gVNrHV).

Grab straps are yellow, not red. Poles are unpainted. Row seats are single pieces of plastic. Overhead lights in the nooks connecting the cars. Oh yeah, and 4 cars!

The poor guy being dragged around on my escapades.

4 cars! Whazzuuuup.

On Saturday night, privileged to land tickets to VIVA! Thailand's "first and only pop-opera band".

Okay, apparently we got there a bit early -- even though it was 5 minutes till showtime.

The group comprises 3 guys and 2 women, all of whom still look young. This was their opening night.

They sang pop versions of classic opera songs, plus an assortment of classic rock (e.g. Queen) and Thai pop. Fun!

On Saturday night, the walkway outside MBK was hopping with illegal vendors.

MBK's suitably tacky Christmas and New Year decorations.

Note: A gang of Santas making their escape up the side of the mall, to their getaway helicopter on the roof... cause that's normal!

Retro shirt overload.

Rose! The newest addition to our family.

An entire display made of drinking straws. Hope no one's thirsty.

Rose and older brother Long John watch as dad does some work on Sunday afternoon.

Our Bangkok family!

Thai-style holiday fruit cake. Although here, it's not a seasonal dessert.

Uh oh! It's time again to put a lot of junk into two small bags.

Done! Catch you on the flip side (of the Pacific).

Bangkok Week 129

December 16, 2010

Christmas is in the humid Bangkok air!

Like the rest of Bangkok, our gym has overzealously decorated itself for the holidays.

This year, Siam Discovery's tree is made of recycled sheet metal. (In past years, it's been old CDs.)

"Christmas Trees" spread the spirit throughout the city.

Winter in Bangkok is also synonymous with Beer Gradens. Here, lots of empty beer towers waiting for their evening go-round.

There was another arts and crafts fair. These owl keychains were awfully cute-- but bulky.

Can you tell what these Christmas trees are made out of?

Drinking straws!

Artists working live at their stall. Painting from cell phones is a convenient way to let your portrait model keep shopping.

Dad's already preparing his new retirement business in Bangkok.

At Bumrungrad Hospital, the Healthy Living Club is right next to -- that's right -- McDonalds!

Dinner at Bangkok's only Ethiopian restaurant.

The dishes are served on a soft, sour bread that you tear up and eat with your meal.

On to the Christmas show. Central Chitlom mall is covered with giant ornaments and "falling snow".

More "Christmas Trees" line the streets.

Someone's upset by the bright giant bunny.

Huge Christmas daggars hang from the ceiling of this elevated walkway.

Outside Amarin Plaza, a Christmas scene from around the world.

The Sydney Opera House has got to have kangaroos bouncing by.

This time, not a beer garden but a wine garden set up as part of this mall.

This is the main intersection that the Red Shirts occupied for 2 months.

Lots of bright lights and festive cheer outside Central World. They didn't let a little arson ruin their holiday spirit.

They have just as many Christmas decorations as in past years, just squished into half the space. (The other half is still being rebuilt after the fire.)

These guys were sponsored primarily by a mobile phone service.

Which one's the odd guy out? Hint: look for the facial hair.

The plywood penguins know how to stay warm in this frigid climate.

No shortage of people out to see the Christmas "displays".

The tree was far less impressive than last year's, but we'll cut them a break.

Um, a new and kind of frightening Christmas Card photo setup.

There used to be a department store on all 7 floors at this dead-end!

Long-lost doppelganger?

Another clever tree! Perfect for the shopping mall setting.

And finally at Paragon, home to the most elaborate annual Christmas displays.

These arches look familiar.

This year, the mall's entrances are guarded by giant bunnies.

That's a tree made of Swarovski crystals!!

Meanie!

Time for some Mexican delight... hopefully without Montezuma's revenge.

Pico de gallo in the making.

And the finished product : quesadillas with sour cream and salsa fresca.

Just looking at the plate, you'd never know we're in Thailand.

Working patiently on a pop-up card we bought at the arts & crafts fair.

The finished product -- Thai floating market. Cute, eh?

Bangkok Week 128

December 9, 2010

A long-weekend with the Fantastic Four: Marouy, Khun Alvin, Khun Simon and Khun Theodore.

They say Father's Day weekend is the busiest travel weekend of the year.

Finally seeing the much-hyped squirrels (actually chipmunks!) in person.

There were originally 3 guys, but one had escaped from the cage a few days earlier.

Mr. Sad Face keeps an eye on his chippy friends to pass the time.

Two brothers, manning the store.

Someone insists he needs a morning cup'o'Joe, too.

Chipmunk #3 (the jailbreaker) hasn't strayed far from the cage. Look up!

A giant bunch of bananas, recently harvested from one of the banana trees behind the house. Lots of squirrel food there!

If you can't drink from it, you may as well chew it up.

Handing over some souvenirs we brought from Bangkok.

Uh oh! One guy's gone missing under the winter blanket!

The orange Mexican orange bowl is still getting frequent use.

The crazy dog suffers a bout of mania in front of the store.

The jackfruit are starting to form on the tree in the back. Come back in 3-4 months and they should be ready for harvesting!

More bananas growing in the back... this bunch with a big ol' banana flower.

Discovering that he really likes orange seeds.

Yup, still nibbling away at the orange seed. Better than the fruit!

The escapee stays near to keep a watchful eye on his buddies.

They were very curious about people... but not at all afraid.

Time for afternoon milk! They never had mom to teach them how to drink neatly.

Ahem, um, you have a little something on your face.

Marouy is just as interested in Steig Larsson as the rest of us.

Brother!

Two bros, just hanging out together into the night.

Uh oh! Someone found a tasty ear to nibble.

Why, it's Saturday Suki night! Long time no have.

Mr Fatso takes up the whole bench, and some.

Time to be released into the big wild world!

Marouy is already distressed when he realizes that one guy's missing from the cage.

My brother, where have you gone? And what's it like out there?

Guys! They're up to something! Guys, they're going somewhere!

Still hesitant about venturing outside.

This guy's mastered the larger universe -- just stay close to the humans, and they will always feed you.

Some noodles for lunch?

My turn to have an evening visit from our newly freed.

Not shy of people at all -- a potential flaw in the long run.

Not even afraid to be held.

Yeah, probably not a good sign that they're also comfortable walking straight across the gaze of a giant dog.

Just checking out what's for sale tonight.

He won't be biting any ears tonight!

Um, dad, I found one. It's on your shoulders.

My, what big feet you have.

Home-made iced tea and coffee, Thai-style. (Well, duh.)

Enjoying the freedom of the outside world, and the comfort of staying close to home.

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