siem reap

It's difficult to post photos. There's 100,000 Chinese tourists in town for the Chines New Year sucking up bandwidth. It's impossible to connect with facebook youtube, and other popular sites because of the sheer weight of internet traffic. Here's a typical motorcycle rikshaw, called "tuk-tuk." 

We took a boat ride on the Tonle Sap, retracing the footsteps of 19th century French explorer Henri Mouhot.

Local Color

Here in Siem Reap, the internet connection is slow. It's difficult to upload photos. We began our movie shoot yesterday, doing local color and market scenes. We saw the typical Cambodian people buying and selling mangos and chilis, making rice paper, and squeezing sugar cane juice for cold drinks. We shot a bit of local color scenes just walking through the markets.

The human tide swept through the market mounted on motorcycles and scooters, and if you stood in one place long enough you were sure to be run over.

Siem Reap

Here I am in Siem Reap, People are friendly. Great atmosphere and climate. Simple people.

 We're staying at a palatial mansion in the epicenter of the hotel district of Siem Ream, about a 4 km. walk from the great temple of Angkor Wat.  I'll put up more news tomorrow.

Flying and Rust

Age doesn't happen overnight. It creeps up on you like rust. I feel as young as I was 40 years ago. The problem is when I try to do something strenuous, the body doesn't have the same snap it once did. A good test of this is flying, going from airport to airport, getting on and off planes, passing security, strapping yourself into a steel machine going 500 miles and hour at 35,000 feet and pretending it's like a local bus ride. The best you can hope for is to have good company.

Avadhuta Maharaj and Ananga Mohini at Chiang Mai International Airport.

That's our plane: Air Asia.

We flew Air Asia from Chiang Mai. After 2 Air Asia jets crashed recently, we played the odds and figured it would be safe. Lightning doesn't strike 3 times in the same place.

Bangkok Airport

Another Air Asia jet

Planes  on runway at Sarvabhumi International, Bangkok, getting ready for takeoff.

Here's a closer shot of our airplane.

 Flying with friends like Avadhuta Maharaja I feel completely relaxed, at ease, and ready for whatever challenges we need to face, be it, turbulence, long waits in the airport...

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Or entering the strange world of a foreign country.

We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia around 9:00 pm last night. And while I'm up for adventure, I was beginning to feel the weight of 61 years on my shoulders.

Bye Bye Chiang Mai

I haven't been able to update the blog for a couple of days. I've been in transit. We left Chiang Mai yesterday afternoon, but now it feels like days ago and a millions miles away.

Damiana Flowers

 It's difficult saying goodbye to all the old friends and some new friends I met along the way.

Sulaksana Devi

Hungarian devotee Narottama

Ananga Mohini on Phone and Priya Nana, center.

Milo the Temple Dog. Fierce protector of the ashram.

What darkness lies in the hearts of men. The shadow knows.

Bye Bye Chiang Mai.

It was time to move on to a new adventure.

Thailand Photos

Bangkok is a busy metropolis. Chiang Mai has a busy downtown, but you can get out into the mountainous areas and jungle in about a half an hour from the city center. Some of these photos are from last year when Aurora and  I visited Thailand together.

Aurora with gentle giant Gopa Kishore

These photos are shot at a temple above Chiang Mai. There are many steps up the mountain with Naga or Dragon balustrades on either side. After Buddha left this world, the white elephant that carried him died on this mountain, or so the story goes.  The temple was established to honor the elephant of the Buddha.

Aurora made friends with surfer boys from Australia

Shopping at the airport mall

With Goswami Maharaja at the new property

another buddha

with aurora at buddhist temple in Chiang Mai 2103

Peace, everyone.

Blessing for the New Year

This temple is in Downtown Chiang Mai.

Door guard

Typical home in Chiang Mai

Aurora at ancient gate of buddha temple.

Lalita Canti was our tour guide. She later took us to the museum of carved wood.

Carved Dragon

View of Chiang Mai

Typical carved roof  decoration in Chiang Mai

Aurora with orchids

Carved wooden head

carved wooden head in garden

Chinese friend Lilavati D.D. at sculpture garden

Aurora Lopez in garden of carved buddhas.

working in studio

Sound check

Recording interviews

Writing by river near jungle property in Chiang Mai

Well, I didn't write much of a story today, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. We'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for checking in.