Posted by Rachel on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 , Posted in Blog , No Comments »
After a trip to Bali, my good chum Fiona was flying home via Kuala Lumpur and suggested I join her for a four-day stopover. Well, if you ask me to recommend a must-see place for a first-time visitor to Malaysia, it has to be Malacca, which is just a couple of hours by bus from KL. Once a flourishing centre of trade along the great spice route, this fascinating city – now listed as a UNESCO world heritage site – first won my heart about three years ago, and was such a joy to revisit. Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Tuesday, April 1st, 2014 , Posted in Blog , No Comments »
Nyepi is Bali’s mysterious and magical ‘Day of Silence’. The night before, however, which is known as Pengrupukan, is anything but silent. Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Saturday, March 29th, 2014 , Posted in Blog , No Comments »
Ahhhh Nyepi. As Bali’s day of silence approaches, it becomes a topic of conversation.
“What are you doing for Nyepi?”
“I’m not doing anything. Isn’t that what it’s all about?” Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Saturday, December 21st, 2013 , Posted in Blog , No Comments »
I think perhaps I’ll never see
a more magnificent a tree
than the pohutukawa on display,
with gorgeous blooms on Christmas Day Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Saturday, December 7th, 2013 , Posted in Blog , No Comments »
This was a funny scene in Lombok last Tuesday morning. As we headed out of Senggigi, we passed a load of motorcycles and vehicles parked up at the side of the main road, their disconcerted-looking drivers sitting around as if they were waiting for something, while others were making rapid turnarounds. Immediately around the corner, we found out what it was all about – Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Friday, December 6th, 2013 , Posted in Blog , 3 Comments »
Just got back from a week touring Lombok and Sumbawa on a trusty Honda Tiger… Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Friday, November 1st, 2013 , Posted in Blog , 2 Comments »
A royal cremation took place today in Ubud. Tjokorda Istri Sri Tjandrawati was the wife of Tjokorda Gde Sukawati, ‘Penglingsir’, leader of the palace. It was a truly spectacular adrenaline-charged event, which I felt privileged to witness and lucky to get close to. Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 , Posted in Blog , 2 Comments »
What a treat to spend two nights at such a legendary establishment… Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Saturday, July 27th, 2013 , Posted in Blog , No Comments »
What better to do on a Friday night in San Francisco than go and watch the Giants play. Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Thursday, July 25th, 2013 , Posted in Blog , No Comments »
Our 2500-mile American roadtrip took us from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe and Reno and on through western Nevada back into California and then through central Oregon to the far northeast corner of the state. From there we drove west to Portland and back down the Oregon-California coast to San Francisco. Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Sunday, July 21st, 2013 , Posted in Blog , 3 Comments »
When I was nine years old, my friend Deirdre and I used to play on a farm. One day we stole the key to a secret, haunted room, which we’d been forbidden to enter. Read More »
Posted by Rachel on Saturday, July 20th, 2013 , Posted in Blog , 3 Comments »
The reason why we came to the high desert cowboy land of northeast Oregon, Read More »
