This is a follow on to a post from a guest blogger who was with us in Bali last year.  This came about very organically. One of the guests on our Eat Pray & Love Bali tour in May, Kiya Cote, wrote this wonderful report about the trip and sent it out as an ongoing newsletter to her clients. I so loved her writing and her experiences that I asked if she would allow me to repost her wonderful stories here, and voila!

The Bliss of Bali Part II

by Kiya Cote

Through the book and movie, the entire world knows the story of Elizabeth Gilbert, who went on a year long search for herself across Italy, India, and Indonesia. Her spiritual journey ultimately brought her to Bali, where she found true love for the first time in her life! She tells her inspirational story in the autobiographical best seller, EAT PRAY LOVE. Thus far, more than 8,000,000 people worldwide have read her story!

Elizabeth Gilbert’s personal transformation touched me deeply, as a woman…and as a Holistic Practitioner who empowers people to live the lives they truly want to live. Across the pages of EAT PRAY LOVE, I saw her doing what so many yearn to do…namely getting in touch with her “true self.”

When given the opportunity to travel to Bali on an EAT PRAY LOVE tour with Spirit Quest Tours, I had to say YES! I followed in her footsteps, having private sessions with Ketut Liyer, and Wayan, the Balinese healers who contributed so greatly to Elizabeth’s spiritual
awakening.

KETUT, the medicine man, read my palm, and offered his wisdom…“You smart woman, you draw on energy from the Universe. Live very long life.” He looked at me intently and  said, “I will dream of you.” I returned his gaze and said, “And I will dream of you!”

And yes, we visited WAYAN, the healer who befriended Elizabeth…who in turn raised funds for Wayan to buy her very own house. At Wayan’s tiny café, we had energy readings, ate one of her famous Vitamin Lunches, and partook of her herbal remedies!

For eleven days, I lived within the pages of EAT, PRAY, LOVE! The fun and excitement was enhanced by meeting Yude, the musician who drove Elizabeth around Bali. And then…Kitty Yancey, travel writer for USA TODAY, interviewed the leaders of Spirit Quest Tours, and other members of our group!

The EAT PRAY LOVE phenomenon, and power of personal transformation, has spread around the world. To enthusiastically join in, you can read EAT PRAY LOVE (again, or for the first time!) See the movie, once or over and over again. And of course….travel to Bali with Spirit Quest Tours!

My life has been forever changed by Bali. And it is out of sheer delight that I share my stories with you! Live the life you long to have…!

Om Swastiastu (Balinese for “God’s blessings be upon you.”)

KIYA

Kiya Cote is a transformational healer and teacher—and a magical, mystical explorer of life. Highly accomplished the field of healing arts, she guides her clients and students to fully living and embodying their Soul Path in life. Her adventurous spirit has taken her on sacred journeys in both the inner and outer realms.

Her ability to tap into the higher plane of awareness has blessed her life, and the lives of others as well! The sheer joy of that spiritual connection, translates into creative endeavors—such as writing, teaching, healing and mentoring. Her enthusiasm for life opens a gateway for her to share her wisdom and wonder with the world!

Kiya feels truly “blessed and blissed” by her travels to Bali with Spirit Quest Tours, and is thrilled to share her stories with you! You can learn more about her at her Bali Blessings web site!

Copyright 2011 by Kiya Cote

I’ve been working on my spiritual travel memoir for over two years, and I think it’s finally ready! I’ll be publishing the book this fall under the Spirit Quest World publishing imprint – in the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from the chapter, The Dogs of Egypt…

The first dog I met in Egypt didn’t want to have anything to do with me. That was a surprise. I am by nature an animal person, so drawn to them that I am distracted from anything else until I make friends with whatever critters are in my sightline (I will skip the embarrassing story about trying to chat up a wild mule outside a temple). We have three dogs right now, all strays, all found within a block of our home: a German Shepherd/Pit Bull mix who was badly abused by the asshole who owned him before we did, a Black Lab who worships me, and a butter-yellow Chihuahua mix who actually came running in the front door. You know how hobos make a mark on the entrance to a house that will give them refuge? Greg thinks our house has a hobo dog mark: the redhead’s a pushover.

I’ve noticed each temple has its own dog pack, except Philae, which is a haven for dozens of cats; I have never seen a dog in the years I’ve been coming. Since Philae is out on an island, someone must have brought the animals in originally (cats are not known for swimming). But now there are many, all flea-ridden and crusty; sweet, friendly creatures who will sit with you and be petted, and then are off to greet another visitor. On a visit to Philae, two cats accompanied us right into the sanctuary, and just as we started our ceremony, began yowling at each other in the most strangulated tones. It was hilarious, listening to a kitty cacophony as we were trying to do our ceremony to awaken the energy of the temple. You could almost imagine what they were saying:
“I got here first, dammit!”
“Temper, temper — you’re on sacred ground, remember?”
“But this group of legs belongs to me — you can take the next one!”

The dogs are different. I noticed my first temple dogs at Sakkhara. Despite almost starving, they kept their distance, wary. Greg and Lyra and I all had brought Power Bars with us — those so-called energy bars that are a cross between a Fig Newton and a Sugar Daddy. So we started feeding the dogs bits of Power Bars, which was the only way we could get them to come near us; Greg nicknamed it “Food of the Dogs.” Egyptian dogs are vaguely domestic, but half-wild and it appears that all have been mistreated in some way or another. Over the years I have seen guards kick dogs, throw rocks or sticks at them, yell and drive them off, but I have also seen others pet them or share their lunchtime sandwiches, even though that is all they (or the dogs) will eat during the day.

The energy of each of the temples may have something to do with the dogs’ behavior, (although possibly the guards’ as well). At the Temple of Horus I have only heard dogs, never seen them. They keep far away from the visitors, but they bark and howl at us. On my first trip, I found only one dog who would talk to me, and, like a little child with a black dog called Blackie, I named him Egypt. He was what I came to consider the typical Egyptian male of the species: medium-sized, the color of the desert, and popular with the ladies. I met Egypt the Dog at Karnak, which we visited at dawn…

Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan: Happiness at the Roof of the World

This week’s blog is from a guest blogger, the wonderful Joshua Liberman, world travel photographer and lover of all things Bhutanese.  The photos in this story are his. Josh is leading our upcoming tour to the Land of the Thunder Dragon. You can see more of his photographs at Tao of Photography.com

Step on to the path climbing 3000 vertical feet to Taktsang Palphug (known commonly as “Tiger’s Nest”) and you will begin a trek that the people of Bhutan have been making for over 300 years.  The way isn’t easy, but it’s also not hard, and, thankfully, the path is clearly marked.  But to get to one of the world’s highest and most beautiful Buddhist monasteries, you must commit yourself to the path, and steadfast, keep climbing.

Since the building of the temple in 1692, Mahayana Buddhist monks and practitioners have been climbing to Bhutan happiness: the spot where, legend holds, Guru Rinpoche brought Buddhism to the country in the 8^th Century BC on the back of a winged tiger.  There he vanquished the Evil Demoness to the Bhutan mountain.   He then confined himself to a cave on the spot and sat in meditation for three months.  When he emerged (in 8 incarnations), the cave became holy and the land became a Buddhist nation.  Nine hundred years later, monks climbed to this spot and built the temple known today as Tiger’s Nest, one of the most sacred sites in the entire country.

As I begin my winded walk to Bhutan happiness, up the Himalayan path up the mountain, I can’t help but begin to contemplate how the ascension to Tiger’s Nest is much like the ascent toward happiness itself; Bhutan is making that clearer for me.  In a way, the desire to find something beautiful and precious must start with a subtle mixture of risk and dedication, and then persist with complete dedication to the goal.  The payoff, however, is well worth the effort, and usually comes with a few good stories along the way.

And what more perfect place to set out on a search for Bhutan happiness?  For over a hundred years, the country has been considered a modern-day Shangri-la; the birthplace of a contentment so profound, it has evolved into a codified political system known as the Gross National Happiness of Bhutan.

The climb to Tiger’s Nest is roughly two hours (don’t even ask me how long the climb to happiness takes).  Once you’ve reached the overlook, your goal is in full view, the four main buildings of Tiger’s Nest impossibly clinging to the side of a cliff, perched atop a nearly 2000ft sheer drop to the valley floor below.  And just when you think your Bhutan happiness journey is nearly complete, there are still 700 hand hewn stone steps to traverse to finally reach “the top.”

If you are willing to make the climb, and stand at the door of the great Bhutan temple of Tiger’s Nest, and you will know in the core of your being that it was well worth the effort.

At the entrance to Tiger’s Nest, sits a giant gold prayer wheel, over 15 feet tall and 6 feet across.  That prayer wheel is said to contain over a billion hand-written blessings.  With each turn of the wheel, a (Bhutan happiness?) bell is rung and the devout believe that with that chime, the billion blessings ring out into the world, carrying with them peace and harmony to all.

Once you are within the walls of Bhutan’s Tiger’s Nest, there are literally dozens of small temples, alters and catacombs to explore.  Brightly colored frescos depict the stories of the Sutra, Buddhist legends of guru, demons, madmen, and heroes.  Monks wrapped in their traditional purple robes chant the Sutra in constant harmonious contemplation.  The smoke from a thousand sticks of incense fills the air with the pungent aromas of amber, beeswax, and flowers: a fragrant reminder that Bhutan happiness is tangible and visceral, and available to your with all your senses.

Like an afternoon climbing a mountain to reach a remote and sacred place that few ever travel to, in Bhutan or anywhere else, I am reminded that there are places we can travel within, that with a little effort and an amount of perseverance, are definitely worth the journey.

Finding Balance in Bali

This is part 4 of a 4 part series about a recent trip we took to Bali

the view at the Alila as you walk down to their gorgeous pool overlooking the rain forest.

On our spiritual tour of Bali, we have just received beautiful massage treatments and pampering in a couples suite.  It’s helping me to feel like I’ve found some balance for the first time in a while…

As our Balinese massage therapist leaves, she puts her hands into Namaste (prayer position in front of her chest), and I respond in the same manner. This means, “May the God in me greet the God in thee.” Talk about balance! Balinese pray many times a day and their prayers are deeply joyous and beautifully integrated into their lives. The taxicab driver wants to talk to you about Spirit; so does the hotel manager and the woodcarver. They all have stories about their lives that involve their spirituality. They all want to know what you believe and share what they believe — not to argue with you, but because their belief system embraces God as everything, in everything, in all facets of their lives, beyond death, beyond rebirth. This is reflected in their architecture, in their love of color, in their ubiquitous offerings of flowers and fruit, even in their spa design.

By now it’s mid-morning and I stand under the warm water, enjoying the sun on my face and body, the sounds of the river, the rich scents of the forest. Greg joins me, hinting that the backyard at home might need remodeling into a Balinese garden, complete with outdoor showers. I wash my hair with jasmine shampoo, then we both step into the bergamot-scented lime bath that has been drawn for us, the tub filling over the past hour and now topped with dozens of local flowers – hibiscus and frangipani (what the Balinese call Plumeria). As we relax for twenty minutes I reflect on the trip, on balance. At least these few hours, taking some “personal-me time” has given me peace. For our spiritual travel group, they are happy with the trip, delighted with the hotel and spa. For me… well, we get to return at least twice more this year, bringing other groups. It’s all a balancing act; the trick is to take the time where you can, and to enjoy every minute. Bali has reminded me of this and I will take the feeling home with me until I return.

Please read Halle’s recent interview in Time Magazine for the Eat Pray & Love Bali tour this past May.  Upcoming tours take place in September, 2010 and June, 2011!

The view as you drift down the Ayung River