Liquid Gold

A spectacular sunset dissolving into the waters off Compo Beach taken yesterday from my kayak as I paddled in with the tides marking the end of another summer season.

Singapore

After leaving Jakarta, our world weary travelers holed out late into the night at the Mandarin Oriental after our final shared flight and not at all a bad place to retreat with room service for wine and dinner, we were quite content to call it a day.

En suite with a balcony over a busy harbor and a living room, we who shared breakfast, lunch, and dinner every time we sat down, who sweated together in the Tokyo and Hong Kong heat, cut through airport lines and immigration with bottles of vodka, huffed and puffed up the rice paddies of Yogyakarta, piled into close quartered transports twisting and turning up the mountains outside Kyoto and Denpasar, smoked cigars and kretek cigarettes, oohed and aahed at spectacular ocean sunsets of Bali and Borobudur, and managed to become best of friends, reminisced about our long journey together too fleeting to end.

A Journey to Borobudur

The Amanjiwo in Yogyakarta is arguably the best and most spiritual of the Aman resorts that overlooks the 9th century Buddhist sanctuary of Borobudur in Java. The hotel arranged for transportation and even provided a lovely continental breakfast at 4 am for would-be pilgrims to start our journey in the dark of night in hopes of catching the sun rise up above the clouds between two mountains. With flashlights in hand, only two of our eight weary travelers would make the climb before dawn. The gods did not disappoint and the weather cooperated. We were rewarded with a spectacular experience with images to remember the time before dawn a thousand years ago. Even Didit our guide agreed.

If you look closely just to the right of the rising sun you will notice the faint outline of Mount Merapi, an active volcano, silhouetted behind the clouds. Coincidentally, the NYT Travel section published a piece about active volcanoes in Java the week before we arrived:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/travel/18Explorer.html?_r=1


Before dusk the previous day, our van made our way to a crowded Borobudur. a major tourist attraction. Didit explained the nine levels of the monument and their significance. In awe of the ancient wonder, all that is remembered is that we begin by overcoming desire at the bottom in order to reach perfection that is enlightenment at the top. Along the way, the stone walls depict stories of the life of Buddha in low relief and hundreds of smaller stupas. The Temple had been restored from natural and mad-made destruction. Still there are signs of ruin. By climbing upward clockwise, we keep to our right always facing the center of the Temple. These Stupas (pictured above) at dusk just before sunset are near the top and originally housed stone buddhas of which few are intact. 32 stupas on this level, 24 on the next, and finally 16 before the final stupa at the top. It is a mystery what was contained therein. What is Perfection?


An example of a day in the life of Buddha.

The story goes...









On arrival and after a rest, we replicated the pilgrims's path to Borobudur stopping at Candi Mendut the first of five temples before crossing the river to the next Candi Pawon the place for purification. Thus began our Journey...










Candi Sambisari
On our way to the Prambanan Temple complex early this morning, our final day in Yogyakarta, then to the airport this afternoon bound for Jarkarta, we stopped at an intact temple unearthed by this farmer while plowing his fields. He showed us where he struck the tile on the roof of Sambisari and how the government compensated him for his farm and made him director of this Candi which he proudly oversees. With the proceeds, he was able to make his pilgrimage to Mecca signified by his wearing of a white cap. We are told that there are many more temples underground! Above is the Candi Sambisari as it stands today complete, intact, and patrolled by this farmer/director himself.



Prambanan Temple
The largest Hindu Temple Complex of smaller temples in Southeast Asia built in the 9th century dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Protector, and Shiva the Destroyer. One of the main temples was closed when we visited because its foundation was rocked by an earthquake in 2006. Restoration, preservation, and research continue as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bali

A Happy Group...
The Ayana Hotel was just great! We had an oceanview cliffside villa with its own pool and staff. About 5000 sq. ft. of exotica complete with local flora, nocturnal fauna, and a covered pool chaise to sleep under the moon and stars.



Sunset on the Rock
No reservations but our Villa butler Yuhdo was able to secure a coveted chaise that seats six. 141 steps down through the rocky cliff to the popular Rock Bar and 186 steps to the beach. Care to walk or wait for the tram. Just beautiful!



Local Shells
Lost in a corner at Mr. Daeng Iskandar Primitive Art Shop filled with art and antiques were three white conch shells. While our curious group shopped for bargains and the rare objet d'art, I found what only the eye of a camera could.

Hong Kong and Ni Zan

We arrived in Hong Kong from Osaka Kansai airport on Tuesday to listen to Stephen Little give an interesting lecture to the Oriental Ceramics Society on a Ni Zan he had acquired from C.C. Wang for the Chicago Art Institute. I had my picture taken with my old friend Irene at the Hong Kong Club after having afternoon tea.

Earlier this afternoon, Michael and I had lunch at the Chariot Club with K.S. and went to his artist studio for tea and was treated to the best of his collection. Very cool! After the lecture, we had dinner with our old friend Ken at Cuisine Cuisine. In less than 36 hours, we saw three friends, visited the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and attended an event, nonstop Hong Kong style.

The Star Ferry is still the biggest bargain at pennies to cross the harbor from Kowloon to Hong Kong's Central Pier. Much has changed since my first visit to the then British Crown Colony for the 1997 handover.

to a Samurai

It is a solitary path and somewhere on the journey I grew weary and found myself alone. My day of days is well spent and I am now in need of rest in order to continue on. I tend to my wounds and partake of the cool waters of Biwa, my soul aloft in clouds above Fuji.

In the distance, a cicada calls.

Memorable

The highlight of the Yurinkan, a private museum devoted to Chinese art is a 12th century Northern Song calligraphy scroll by Huang Tingjian. Here are members of our group with Mr. Fuji-i a grandson of the founder. A similar scroll sold in China at record price:

http://www.polypm.com.cn/english/news_detail.php?nid=175

Zen

at the Miho

We traveled into a realm of great art envisioned by its founder Mihoko Koyama and designed by world renowned architect I.M. Pei. to the best and most beautiful examples in the simplicity of light and space that soothe the soul and calm the mind.

Kyoto

Where are we?












A Japanese Garden
The Rokuon-ji Temple and Golden Pavilion gardens were beautiful but crowded. Still, I managed to take some of my best digital images here. The bridge over a lily pond looks as if it came right out of a Monet canvas!


















Yukata
We arrived in Kyoto smack in the middle of the annual 3-day Gion Festival with streets closed and parade goers dressed up in their summer kimonos in 95 degree weather trying to stay cool. Legend has it that twins abandoned and separated at birth crossed paths years later and instantly recognized each other only to part ways again. Karma...

Our 5 minute taxi ride to David Kidd and Morimoto's house for dinner turned into an hour!

Gion Festival Float
As I sat between an elderly Japanese couple, I listened to their explanation, in Japanese of course, of the Gion legend. Grandmother offered me a fan and the gentleman to my left handed me a brochure with images of the 32 floats I should expect to see. I repeated what I could to much good hearted laughter. Everyone nodded in approval. I had planned to dress up in a yukata to blend in but it was too hot! Even at a crowded parade, the Japanese were orderly, courteous, and patiently waited for the first float (pictured left) to round the corner pulled ever so slowly by a team of men.


Somewhere, a gentle breeze causes a flame to flicker in the dark. On your journey you will pass places for the first and last time in your life. It is worthwhile to stop and reflect. The object of beauty, of desire, is left alone in peace where it is found; to be recalled among many others at the end of days. A parting reminder from the Miho to leave one's burden behind. It is enough to have an image of it. I have seen it. It is mine. I am nearly home....

Leaving Tokyo

Eight travelers on holiday. Susan and Kathleen, Jim and Carlton, Steve and Willow, Michael and me, at the Tokyo National Museum in the morning before leaving Tokyo for Kyoto by bullet train.
The group also visited the Matsuoka, the Idemetsu, the Nezu (for bronzes), and the Bridgestone (for Impressionist paintings) museums. Sensory overload!


A Scholar and Collector
So many books
So little space
So little time...

Design Lesson

Instead of fish tales
I found colors and textures more to my tastes and snapped these at Tsukiji. Visual design lessons. However, like a few other bloggers who cut and paste from my word.doc, my color settings got hijacked! This is a tale of how a novice like me managed to fix the problem. Here's the tale: Advance design change on Blogger does not work because the last style code used is in Word so the blog matches Word and really should be the other way around.


A new post pasted from a Word.doc changed my font color from orange which I can read to purple and blue which is hard to read. To fix this I would have to go into the page source code which is not intuitive for me and I wouldn't want to make a bigger mess. GRRR! I am hoping this new post will revert to my template settings. Wish I could delete the last post. Let's see if it works. I will upload another photo to make it interesting at least. This one is also from the Tsukiji Fish Market today.

Lesson learned: DO NOT cut and paste from Word Doc to Blogger!!!

A Fish Tale

Who has sushi and beer for breakfast?

At the Tsukiji Fish Market and Tuna Auction in Tokyo Central (the largest world over) after the tuna auction that is now closed to tourists and before 6 am, this is exactly what we did at the Yamazaki Sushi Bar! A memorable imprinting of local flavor for all five senses to feast upon on the first morning of our amazing journey. Gritty, grimy, briny, vibrant, exotic, and alive!

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3021.html

Morning Clouds

I paddled out to catch the sunrise. On my way back I was able to snap this shot instead. All alone in the big blue sea...so peaceful and calm, the perfect place to think and start my day.

Gone Fishing!

A great thing to do to relax and bond with one's family and friends! Bring along sunscreen and hat and bottled water. No cameras or cells!