AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN.

The BAWA store in Ubud.

AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN chronicles the larger than life travels of our very own Tazi Phillips. Tazi is embarking on a five-month trip to South East Asia, working with some incredible organizations and updating us on the work that she does and her travel experiences.

But we'll let Tazi do the talking.

Anyone who’s traveled to third world countries can usually tell you about the stray dogs and cats that abound, usually looking pretty haggard with skin conditions like mange or ring worm, or horrible deformations or wounds from animal fights or getting hit by cars.

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AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN.

AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN chronicles the larger than life travels of our very own Tazi Phillips. Tazi is embarking on a five-month trip to South East Asia, working with some incredible organizations and updating us on the work that she does and her travel experiences.

But we'll let Tazi do the talking.

We’ve arrived in Ubud, the artistic and cultural center of Bali. We’ve decided to hunker down here for 2 weeks in a homestay run by the lovely, smiling Wayan. It is a traditional Balinese homestay with around 4 rooms surrounding a courtyard filled with small temples, the rich greens of plants and manicured grass along the paths, and small fountains and ponds that often make the only noise at night besides for the chirping of geckos.

I wake up before David each morning to the crows of roosters and sit on our large patio with a book and watch the movings and going-ons of Wayan’s family as they get ready for the day. This particular morning, Wayan has already done her family’s laundry, and it drapes across the patios and bushes like a colorful snowfall. As she goes about her other morning activities, sweeping the courtyard or making breakfast for her guests, her elderly mother glides through the pathways with a large tray of palm offerings and gives each one an upward wave, as if wafting each prayer towards the heavens.

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AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN.

Seems incredibly appropriate that we end 2010 with AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN, which chronicles the larger than life travels of our very own Tazi Phillips. Tazi is embarking on a five-month trip to South East Asia, working with some incredible organizations and updating us on the work that she does and her travel experiences.

But we'll let Tazi do the talking.

Click to read more ...

AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN

Every Friday AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN is going to introduce you to the larger than life travels of our very own Tazi Phillips. Tazi will be embarking on a five-month trip to South East Asia, working with some incredible organizations and updating us on the work that she does and her travel experiences.

But we'll let Tazi do the talking.

We are here! Months of anticipation, and David and I are finally in our first week on Bali.

It is HOT. Every day is around 85°F with 80% humidity, but after the initial few days you begin to get used to it. After arriving at the airport, David and I humped our bags out of the airport to get a cheap(er) taxi to Kuta. Kuta is something that most people will never experience. It was Bali’s first beach resort and now it has turned into a tacky, overdeveloped tourist area that is completely disorienting. If I had ever been to Cabo or Cancun for spring break I might compare Kuta to those.

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AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN

Every Friday AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN is going to introduce you to the larger than life travels of our very own Tazi Phillips. Tazi will be embarking on a five-month trip to South East Asia, working with some incredible organizations and updating us on the work that she does and her travel experiences.

But we'll let Tazi do the talking.

Hey hounds! I just made the leap, safe and sound, across the Pacific and Indian oceans to find myself in the heart of touristy Kuta, Bali.

Luckily I have yet to come across any travel woes. A friend in L.A. woke up early in the morning to give me a ride to LAX, and knowing how unpredictable and utterly painful Los Angeles traffic can be, we left pretty early for a noonish flight. However we lucked out on the freeways and before I knew it, we were having a sad goodbye, and I was off through the non-existent check-in line and past security, wandering around the sparse international terminal.

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