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I have the hiccups. To be specific, I’ve hiccupped pretty much non-stop for the last 24 hours. The taxi driver is freaking out a little. Not bad, and not about my hiccups, but the anxiety level is rising in the car. We’re lost. <Hiccup> “Where you friend go? He drive too fast! This the street! Continue reading Baptized in Bali: Lost, found, purified, reborn  Martin Sheen, plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Driven by his profound sadness and desire to understand Continue reading Trailer for “The Way” A bridge in Meghalaya constructed by the living roots of Fig Trees. Continue reading The Living Bridges of Cherrapunji in Meghalya India I recently spent some time in the presence of Max, the Crystal skull. The skull, as a symbol, has many meanings, but Max, who is a remarkable artifact (and a distinctly palpable presence) brought to mind my visit a few years back to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris: final resting place to hundreds of luminaries, Continue reading Père Lachaise Cemetery – Paris 
My screeching alarm clock coincides perfectly with the call to prayer from a nearby mosque. It’s before dawn and I’m both disoriented and angry. Where am I again? Oh yeah. Cairo. Why am I awake so early? Oh yeah. Emil. I’ve just worked two weeks straight and, regardless of the opinions of the muezzin or Continue reading Sunday in the Valley of Salts 
February 19, 2011, 10-11 am. We’ve all been riveted by the recent events unfolding in Egypt. For those who know Egypt, it’s no surprise that the country is at the epicenter of a wave of transformation rolling through the Middle East. Egypt has a tremendous history of accomplishment: 4,000 years ago ancient Egypt reached the Continue reading Mysteries of Egypt – Presentation: Savvy Traveler in Edmonds, WA – February 19, 2011, 10-11 am 
February 19, 2011, 1-2 pm. The West has long been fascinated by the great cultures and spiritual traditions of the East. Names like India, Bali, China, Bhutan strike a hammer blow to the bell of our souls. We think of mystics, spice and far-flung temples. It’s ironic: China and India have been (and are, perhaps, Continue reading Spirit of the East – Presentation: Savvy Traveler in Edmonds, WA – February 19, 2011, 1-2 pm 
I hope all my friends in the Seattle Area can join me on July 31st for “Mystical Bali.” By now millions of people have been introduced to the island of Bali through Liz Gilbert’s best-selling memoir “Eat, Pray, Love.” The upcoming movie with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem will only increase people’s awareness of Continue reading Mystical Bali – Presentation: Savvy Traveler in Edmonds, WA – July 31, 2010 A silent black & white film of the pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, Egypt from award-winning amateur filmmaker John V. Hansen’s travel footage, c. 1926-1930. The Pyramids at Giza are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are the only site from the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” list that are still in existence, and Continue reading The Pyramids at Giza circa 1920′s Cairo’s infamous “City of the Dead” is a centuries old cemetery that has become home to as many as 5 million Egyptians during the last decades. The buildings in the cemetery are like full-blown houses and the cemetery has long had mosques, school and markets. “The historic belief in Egypt is that the cemeteries are an active part of the community and not exclusively for the dead. Egyptians have not so much thought of cemeteries as a place of the dead, but rather a place where life begins.” Continue reading A Visit to Cairo’s City of the Dead On our last trip we docked near a small village in upper Egypt and went into the town (this is one of the advantages to sailing on a private dahabeya) where we ran across a wedding celebration. The local woman were dancing in the streets and they just spontaneously invited us to join them. It Continue reading HD Video: Wedding Celebration, Egyptian Village near Kom Ombo I’ve had the great fortune of visiting this remarkable tomb several times. It’s normally closed and off limits, but I’ve been lucky enough to take groups inside it. Here’s an interesting video about it: Zahi Hawass takes viewers deep into the mysterious tunnel that leads from the burial chamber of King Seti I. No explorer Continue reading Zahi Hawass Inside the Mysterious Tunnel in the Tomb of Seti I Easter is not complete without loving the one who made it possible—Judas. Forgiveness becomes possible when we transcend appearances and realize that those people who represent the Judases in our lives and those qualities within ourselves that seem to have betrayed us have been the divine process growing us into Christs. It’s all Love. Continue reading A remarkable encounter in Heathrow: The Essence of Forgiveness Here’s an awesome piece of video – it’s period footage from Egypt circa 1932. For those of you that know Cairo, this footage show a SHOCKINGLY clean city. Since the brits were in charge then the narration has more than just a whiff of colonial prejudice to it. For example… “Across the street the Dragoman Continue reading AMAZING period footage from Egypt, 1932. Wadi Natron is the center of Coptic Monasticism in Egypt and one of, if not the, earliest homes to Christianity. The name means "Valley of Natron" or "Valley of the minerals." Natron salts were used for the preparation of mummies during the pharaonic period. Christianity was brought to the valley by St. Mark during Continue reading Images from Wadi Natron, Egypt I’m headed to New York the week before Easter so that my daughter, Leslie, can check out the conservatory she just got accpted to (yes, I am proud poppa): The New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts. While I’m there I’m hoping to have a chance to revisit a couple of modern Continue reading Headed to New York in April This is the first entry in a periodic series about the temples of the “Sacred Balinese Mandala.” Today we begin with the center, the heart, the most revered of all nine temples: Besakih. Bali is often called the land of 10,000 temples, and while no one actually has quite an exact count, that’s as Continue reading Balinese Temples: Besakih – The Mother HD video from the Cathedral of Deir Anba Bishoy in Wadi Natrun. A Coptic priest performs a portion of the liturgy during preparations for the communion service. This was part of the “transubstantiation” as the wine and bread are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. The big “bundle” in the center of the Continue reading HD Spirit Quest Video: Coptic Liturgy at the Cathedral of Deir Anba Bishoy There are 9 “directional” temples that cover Bali. These temples are each dedicated to a different deity from the Balinese Hindu Pantheon. In addition each temple (and direction) is associated with a color, a weapon (or ritual object), a sound, a written symbol and a part of the body. This is also called “nawa sanga” Continue reading The Balinese Sacred Mandala Pilgrimage During our last tour, with Houston Baptist University, I ran into my friend Robert Bauval over breakfast at the Mena House and he reminded about a spectacular phenomenon: the “solar rebirth” at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor which occurs at dawn on the morning of the winter solstice. I was familiar with this, but Continue reading Karnak Temple at Dawn Near the Winter Solstice |
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