Outward Bound

It was an uncharacteristically busy week: I spent most of the first two days at a private luscious organic garden…

Living at the Edge

Some people are not cut out to live on the edge – of a construction site. I learned that fact…

The Paddy Effect

Why is it that otherwise perfectly rational people will travel to remote (and sometimes godforsaken) places all around Asia, fumbling…

The Bone Man of Besakih

When I headed out of Ubud on Friday midday, with my Balinese friend A and driver Joni, I was long…

A Boy’s Touch

It could well happen, one fine day, while out walking on a quiet stretch of street in Ubud, that you…

Rear (Kitchen) Window

I just returned from a weekly film screening at D & P’s house – this time, it was Hitchcock’s classic…

Code Orange

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving. But my family has a tradition of stretching out birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations for a…

A Gift from Niskala

As this year’s installment of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival draws to a close, I’ve asked myself the same…

A Meditation Strategy

The second Sunday since my return to Ubud signaled also a gathering just outside town, a gathering of friends at…

A Children’s Paradise

I may not have children myself, but give me a day bracketed by seeing kids, being in their presence, hanging…