My mother has been very unhappy with my recent travel destinations.
Earlier this year I went to Songhkla in southern Thailand which was bombed last year and later this year. Then I went to Bali quite close to the October anniversary of the bombings for a chilled out long weekend. What puzzles me is how peaceful and gracious the people were in these places. I felt absolutely safe taking tuk-tuks to the neighboring provinces of Songhkla. Bali had this absolutely spiritual vibe and calmness that seems so totally at odds with the mayhem of the Bali bombings. And yet, these two places have seen such brutality. These were acts of hate which were done in places where I felt so much spirituality and warmth. It really made me think about the violence that lies beneath our civilized surface. We truly are capable of so much ugliness. But, I am also inspired by the beauty that can be produced by the human spirit. I end this brief blog by sharing with you a snap I took of the palace courtyard which can be seen from the Lotus Cafe in Ubud, Bali. It is absolutely gorgeous. They have traditional Balinese dancers performing just at the palace entrance which you can reach from the restaurant via a moat. Straight out of a movie. This is what the human spirit should be about.
[Coming soon......"My 3rd OFW Christmas"]
