Image courtesy of Fivelements International Advisory.

The day your humble guide decides to give up red meat and junk food is the day I sign up with Fivelements International Advisory LCC's new Masters Series (www.fivelements.org), a platform for conferences and talks led by distinguished global speakers held in Bali, Indonesia.

After presenting a successful speaking event with internationally recognized author and raw food guru David Wolfe (www.davidwolfe.com), Fivelements will roll out a new lineup of alternative health luminaries, with knowledge in healing foods, medicinal herbs, meditation, yoga, healing arts, renewable energy, natural environments, eco-design and socio-cultural integration - all from the Fivelements Puri Ahimsa, an exclusive retreat located near Ubud, Bali.

The Fivelements Puri Ahimsa opened in November 2010, and has since gained attention from international travelers for its eco-conscious accommodations, Balinese healing and beauty sanctuary, "sacred" arts programs, and refined vegan restaurant set between a lush bamboo forest and the island's famed Ayung River.

Which makes it such an ideal setting for the Masters Series, which fulfills the founders' commitment to share rarefied knowledge to a wider audience seeking healthier, more sustainable and "interconnected" lives.

Speaking events like the Masters Series adds yet another element to the Fivelements Puri Ahimsa's reputation as a "healing destination": the added dimension of a center for intellectual discussions targeted at individuals and corporate groups in search of experiences beyond that of exotic travel.

"We feel fortunate guests see us as both a leading healing destination and a beautiful place to rejuvenate, meditate, dine and participate in our events and ceremonies," says Chicco Tatriele, who co-founded Fivelements along with his wife Lahra and their Balinese and European partners. "We are committed to our mission to create a space for what we call 'life transformation.'"

More About the Masters Series & Retreat Programs

Upcoming Masters Series speakers include Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D., M.D.(H) (www.gabrielcousens.com), a world recognized author and figure in integrative holistic medicine. Dr. Cousens is a proponent of Ayurveda and an expert in live foods cuisine and Kundalini energy.

Dr. Cousens will speak on spiritual teachings, yoga and meditation and his Optimal Longevity Diet and the Culture of Life Diet. The program will run from December 10 to 13. To back up his talk, Dr. Cousens will lead a four-day retreat titled "Culture of Life".

Apart from the Masters Series, Fivelements features the Panca Mahabhuta Retreat and the detox-focused Pure Retreat programs, which are inspired by time-honored Balinese philosophies and their tradition of "living in harmony". All retreats incorporate holistic healing on physical, emotional and behavioral levels administered by a team of experts from a range of disciplines.

"Our integrative approach leads our guests toward opening their bodies and minds to newfound trust, freedom and joy, allowing for an organic healing process to naturally unfold. This begins by attuning to one's distinct 'authenticity' and honoring our highest potential," says co-founder Lahra Tatriele.

Retreat participants are accommodated in stylish riverside suites over the course of their stay, while participating in programs that range from three days to three weeks. Programs are offered year-round, and include Balinese healing rituals for purification, balancing and regeneration, healing cuisine, consultation, Balinese blessing ceremonies, daily meditation, Balinese energy and massage bodywork, water healing "dance," yoga and aikido sessions as well as body care at the retreat's beauty sanctuary.

Find out more about Fivelements and their ongoing work at www.fivelements.org.

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Labels: Fivelements, Masters

# posted by Aom-ing : 11:51 AM  1 Comments

Just yesterday your guide was at an island off West Java, where history was made. Krakatau (commonly misspelled "Krakatoa") used to be a large island in the Sunda Strait off Java... until one fateful day in 1883.

On August 27, 1883, 10:02am, the island blew itself apart. The explosion killed upward of 40,000 people (if the tsunami didn't get them, the searing hot rain of volcanic ash did), and created the loudest sound in human history. In Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded, (compare prices) author Simon Winchester records the moment for posterity:

An immense wave then leaves Krakatoa at almost exactly 10:00 A.M. - and then, two minutes later, according to all the instruments that record it, came the fourth and greatest explosion of them all, a detonation that was heard thousands of miles away and that is still said to be the most violent explosion ever recorded and experienced by modern man.? The cloud of gas and white-hot pumice, fire, and smoke is believed to have risen - been hurled, more probably, blasted as though from a gigantic cannon - as many as twenty-four miles into the air.

While Indonesia picked itself up after the eruption of Krakatau, the remnants of the larger volcanic island has gone on simmering in the sea. In the 1920s, after a quiescence of about fifty years, some activity was reported in the immediate vicinity of the eruption site. By the end of the 1920s, a new island had formed, pushing its way out of the water. The locals called it Anak Krakatau - "child of Krakatau".

Anak Krakatau is now quite grown up; some vegetation has colonized the eastern part of the island, where the periodic expulsions of hot ash and magma have been less likely to fall. On this side of the island, a small rest pavilion and an information billboard marks the start of a hiking trail up the volcano.

The volcano is still active; when we made our way up, the mountain made quite a show. The ground on the island is still largely volcanic ash; you step on a gray dirt that is not as compacted as you'd expect on regular soil.

One of the "locals", a monitor lizard we found near the beach. After Anak Krakatau formed, castaways colonized the island - rats have also been spotted, although there is no permanent human settlement yet.

Your guide found his way to Krakatau thanks to Club Bali - Hawaii Resort on Anyer. (clubbalihawaii.com|compare rates) Visitors can charter a boat from the Java towns of Carita or Anyer to take the hour-long boat ride to Krakatau. More on this in a future article on Krakatau. Stay tuned.

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Labels: Indonesia, Krakatau, Meeting

# posted by Aom-ing : 8:04 AM  0 Comments

Image of Jakarta, Indonesia taxi ? Claudio Vitor Vaz / Creative Commons.

Walking around is frowned upon in Jakarta, Indonesia. With good reason; what looks from Google Maps like a pleasant walk from point A to point B is actually a trip fraught with tension.

A Jakarta pedestrian has to avoid speeding cars, walk through dodgy-looking streets, and navigate unfamiliar landmarks in stifling heat before you get to your destination. I walked from my hotel, Ibis Mangga Dua (compare rates), to Fatahillah Square, so you might say I learned this the hard way. (It looks like this on Google Maps; from this vantage point you can't see the lack of convenient pedestrian crossings, near-absence of a sidewalk, and lack of signage that shows the way.)

Walking is absolutely unnecessary over middling-to-long distances. Jakarta taxis are abundant and relatively cheap, assuming you get the trustworthy taxis like Bluebird and Pusaka (both part of the Bluebird group - www.bluebirdgroup.com). These blue-painted taxis are everywhere, and are not likely to try to cheat you. You can also call them from almost anywhere in Jakarta, and central dispatch will radio a nearby cab to pick you up. (Number is +62 21 7917 1234.) After spending some time shooting Fatahillah Square, I did the smart thing and hailed a taxi to get back to the hotel.

By the way, this is not to knock Jakarta, which is still in the top three of my favorite Southeast Asia cities. But you have to understand that the top things to do in Jakarta are spread far apart, islands of coolness in a city that is still in many ways a work in progress.

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Labels: Indonesia, Jakarta, Learned, Things

# posted by Aom-ing : 4:46 AM  0 Comments

Image ? juliansong/Creative Commons

As painful as this Thaipusam kavadi bearer's burdens seem to be, most of them claim to feel little pain as they carry their sacrifices in honor of the Lord Murugan.

The devout Hindu Tamils who join the Thaipusam procession celebrate the birthday of Murugan on the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai (Thai + Pusam, a star at its apogee = Thaipusam), and those who feel they have received significant favors from Murugan will repay the gifts by bearing kavadis on this day.

What's a kavadi? Where does the Thaipusam procession pass? To find out more, read this article: Thaipusam Celebrations in Southeast Asia. Pro tip: you can visit Singapore or Batu Caves in Selangor, Malaysia on January 20 to see the festivities. If you can't visit, you can watch the procession live at Batu Caves on TrulyAsiaTV, at Thursday 12:00 noon GMT.

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Labels: Faith, January, Thaipusam

# posted by Aom-ing : 1:29 AM  0 Comments