Stokes in Peru

Hello all, Marianella and I just returned yesterday from spring break in Sri Lanka and you'll be seeing that post soon describing all our adventures, but I wanted to share with you photos from our favorite day of the year in Bangladesh, the Bengali New Year which is occurring today, April 14.  Last year, we stumbled out of our apartment late in the afternoon to find an explosion of colors and joy permeating the streets and parks of Dhaka; this year, we made a concentrated effort to get out early when the festivities were in full swing.  Approximately a half-mile from our home is the Ladies' Park, which was one of the places to be this afternoon-music, food, games, boat rides-it was all available.  With our cameras in tow, we became Pied Pipers of a sort, with children and adults requesting photos on a pretty continual basis.  At times, the attention was a bit overwhelming, but that feeling was suppressed by the festive, joyous faces who were so gleeful to see th...

Greetings folks, If you have followed my blog for awhile, you know that I can be a bit tardy at times in keeping you updated with our goings-on.  This rings true once again, as I realize it's been a full three months since I've updated my blog, which might lead you to wonder if we've been whiling our days away since Bali sitting on the couch catching up on movies and TV shows.  No, would be the answer (January through March will be devoted to those tasks)-Marianella and I were actually quite busy and peripatetic (love that word!) through the months of November and December.  A lot of our travel was work related, which while enjoyable, made our actual time at the job in Dhaka more hectic and when you mix in the letter of recommendation season that is at its height in those months, well, my time on the computer was largely given over to work responsibilities.  With those letters more or less finished for yet another year, I can turn my attention back to more enjoyabl...

  Greetings again folks, Fall break arrived on the calendar last week for Marianella and I, providing us with another opportunity to seek out the wonders of southeastern Asia and escape the monsoon season that just does not want to end in Dhaka.  After some deliberation, Bali came into focus for us-a reasonable flight from home and a reputation as a tropical paradise drew us in.  After booking the plane tickets, our research began in earnest.  Opinions about the island paradise varied greatly when reading through various websites-while many attested to its beauty and culture, others bemoaned a destination overran by obnoxious tourists and stand-still traffic.  Fortunately, options on where to stay on the island abound and we chose two locales that proved to be wise choices-Ubud, located in central Bali and considered the cultural center of the island and Candidasa, located on the Bali's east coast, perched against the Pacific Ocean. Ubud 4:30 a.m.  I...