Ever since my retirement travel adventures have brought me to Southeast Asia I have been fascinated by the Buddhist practice of Alms Giving. This scene took place early one morning on the island of Don Khong, in the 4,000 Islands areas of Southern Laos. I love the way...
CIA Airstrip Lima Site 27 in Vang Vieng, Laos If you visit Vang Vieng, Laos there is a large airstrip along Route 13 just as you come into town. Nearly a mile long, probably 200 feet wide, the runway, now crumbling and potholed, is surrounded by residential housing,...
Sunrise on the Mekong River I have recently had a number of people tell me that they think I am “brave” for living my retirement years as an adventure, traveling the world and drinking in life as fast as I can. They relay to me dangers that they have heard about on...
The giving of alms or alms giving (offering food to monks) is a morning ritual in Theravada Buddhist countries especially Laos and Thailand. The first Buddhist monks were homeless sojourners who begged for all their food – their only possessions being an alms...
I wrote this story about Bombies in a child’s voice because adults continue to prove, over and over again, that they just don’t get it. Bombies are round, about the size of an apple. But, you can’t eat them. On their sides, there are ridges that make them easy to...
Wat Mahathat, also known as “The Monastery of the Great Relic” was once the main temple in what was the capitol of Siam, Ayutthaya. The temple once served as the religious center of the kingdom but fell into disrepair in the 17th century and was eventually razed by...
The Buddha head wrapped in Tree Roots at Wat Mahathat has become one of the most iconic symbols of Thailand. Wat Mahathat was built in the 14th century in what was then the capitol of Siam; Ayutthaya. In 1867 the armies of Burma sacked the city and the temple was...
Buddha Dordenma Statue in Thimpu, Bhutan Overlooking the southern approach to Thimpu, the capitol of Bhutan, the Buddha Dordenma will, at 169 feet, be one of the world’s largest bronze Buddha statues. The colossus is built to contain over 100,000 8- inch-tall and...
