Laura’s Blog

I’d like to invite you to my next Write, Travel, Transform trip, my one and only international offering in 2019–to one of my very favorite places in the world: the Sacred Valley of Peru. If you’ve enjoyed my Virtual Vacation to Bali and Java, I’d love for you to join me for a creative, mystical,

Chocolate dim sum. Just had to try it. No, I think not. Delicious muesli cookies. Crumbly and not too sweet. Orange juice, mango juice, kiwi juice, guava juice, coconut water, milk and infused water. This woman offers special herbal health potions, made from ginger, aromatic ginger, palm sugar, tamarind, rice, and brotowali (couldn’t get the

Male dancers, Sultan’s Palace Musicians at the Sultan’s Palace. Dancers at the Sultan’s palace.

At the Sultan’s Palace today, Roy told us the Javanese philosophy of proper gender behavior. To be a perfect man, you need five things: Garwa: a wife Gria: a house Turangga: a horse Curiga: a dagger (symbolizes security in money, a job, in everything) Kikilo: a bird Roy said, “A man without a bird is

Yogykarta, Java Walk with me on my early morning stroll, just two blocks from our hotel. Coming to the market. 6:45 AM Parking lot. Carving jackfruit. Jackfruit remains. Fish seller. She had a beautiful smile and was very friendly. Chicken seller. Time out. Speckled eggs. Blue eggs. Cooked? Banana fruit. These are eaten, too. We

After our return to our hotel from Borobodor and a sumptuous breakfast buffet, we put all our things on the bus and drove a short distance to a small village where we climbed into open-air horse carts, two passengers per cart, and rode on small paved lanes through the village of Wanurejo, observing daily village

After wandering down through all nine levels of Borobodur, Roy said we could either stick with him or go off on our own, meeting back at our bus in an hour. I immediately opted for my own freedom of movement. I love groups, but there are times I just want to move on impulse inside

I set three alarms this morning, one for 4:00, one for 4:05 and one for 4:10. We were meeting in the lobby at 4:30 to see the sunrise at Borobodur. I wanted to be sure I woke up. My clothes were all laid out (cover your knees and your shoulders), my camelback was filled with

When we arrived at the airport, several of us needed to use the facilities. When I went to the bathroom, it was empty. There was no toilet paper left in my stall (though there was a toilet paper dispenser), so I used the handy-dandy water sprayer next to the toilet that is found in every

Evelyn has been the most wonderful co-facilitator, roommate and buddy. Thanks for sharing this adventure and your prayerful ways, always honoring the sacred…

This was our final prompt in our last writing class. Here’s my response to the prompt: SINCE I’VE COME TO BALI Since I’ve come to Bali, I’ve seen twenty strangers become a community. I’ve seen monkeys by the side of the road, oranges that are green, perfect orange papayas on my plate, and ten desserts

Yesterday, at our all final group meeting, we each expressed our gratitude for something we personally gained from the land, the people and the culture of Bali—and from being part of our traveling community. Then we turned and said our thank you to the land. Last night after dinner, the children of Munduk did a

Balinese dance class at our hotel. One of the things I love about Puri Lumbung is that it’s also a center for community activities–like this dance class. What a sweet thing to watch on our last afternoon. And here’s the boys:

I will miss the daily reverence of this culture. Photos by Marsha Morgan.