Eastern Hemisphere – Page 5 – Todd Bradley's Galaxy

comedy of errors trying to leave Phnom Penh

The priority for November 10 was getting Beth safely to the airport on time for her flight to return to the US. I slapped together some travel arrangements at the last minute to go to Siem Reap so I could at least do a quick tour of Angkor Wat before returning. Getting on my flight… Continue reading comedy of errors trying to leave Phnom Penh

the day it all changed

When we were in the Philippines, we learned that Beth’s father, Bill, had a “reduced state of consciousness” and was taken the hospital. At first it looked like a stroke, but then seemed to be “only” dehydration and a urinary tract infection. So he went back home to his memory care facility. But then over… Continue reading the day it all changed

two nights in Phnom Penh

We planned to stay in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, for a week. I booked us a room at an Airbnb that sounded like a nice homestay with a couple of foreigners with a spare bedroom. But our stay was cut short. More on that later. We arrived in Phnom Penh at dark and… Continue reading two nights in Phnom Penh

our day at cooking school in Bangkok

Today was our first special experience in Bangkok. We took a Thai cooking class at a local cooking school not far from our hotel. The class started with a trip to the Bang Rak fresh market, and then we went to the cooking school for the rest of the day to make and eat several dishes. We… Continue reading our day at cooking school in Bangkok

my impressions of Luzon

Beth and I visited the Philippines for a week between Indonesia and Thailand. As I write this several days later, I’m still not quite sure how to approach blogging about our experience. Our exposure to the Philippines was narrow, limited only to central Luzon (the main island). And much of what I’m left with are… Continue reading my impressions of Luzon

Imerex Plaza Hotel – bad management, poorly built rooms, but nice art

Angeles City in central Luzon (Philippines) was a unique stop on our travels. It was the only place where we had local friends. In particular, Robert and Mel, formerly of Boulder, Colorado, now live there again. This is where they met and married long ago. They lived here in the 1970s, and now again in… Continue reading Imerex Plaza Hotel – bad management, poorly built rooms, but nice art

bye bye, Bali

On Monday October 26, we checked out of the Mango Tree Inn in Pemuteran on the north shore of Bali, and our driver took us across the island to Kuta on the south side, a journey of several hours. Kuta is very near the airport, where we flew out for Manila on Tuesday October 27. Bali… Continue reading bye bye, Bali

my Balinese spa experience

We are staying at a B&B in a village on the northwest coast of the island of Bali called Pemuteran. One reason we chose Pemuteran is that it isn’t as touristy as much of Bali is. But there are some big, fancy resorts around, places with gates and guards and $200 a night rooms and… Continue reading my Balinese spa experience

sightseeing in Kumai and Pangkalan Bun

Here’s the third of three posts about our trip to Kalimantan. The first covered the strange journey from our B&B in Jakarta to our ecolodge in the jungle of Borneo. The second post covered our klotok trip, where we spent three days and two nights on the river watching birds, orangutans, and other wildlife. There’s… Continue reading sightseeing in Kumai and Pangkalan Bun

orangutan mother and child

I shot this video at one of the feeding stations at the Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. It’s a mother orangutan and her child. I just loved the way that she went from one tree to the next by causing the entire tree to sway back and forth, with child clinging on… Continue reading orangutan mother and child