Ani’s St. Thomas Celebration
This year my family celebrated Mom's birthday in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. the weather and water were beautiful, though fresh, raw, whole foods were hard to find
NYC Raw Food + Friends
Moby, Shania Twain, Anthony Andersen, Dhrumil Purohit, Philip McCluskey...Pure Food and Wine and Quintessence
Hanuman, the White Monkey
I just finished reading my Hanuman book. My Chinese astrological sign is the year of the monkey, and I love monkeys of all sorts. In Ubud, Bali, I visited the Monkey Forest, where I met these 3 cuties eating fresh fruits and all raw foods: leaves and fruits.
Mom Tri’s Villa Royale Paradise
Mom Tri, owner of the resort, totally gets it. His spa uses edible coconut oil, he has an organic farm in Chang Mai with a cooking school, and looks super fit and healthy. This is one of 3 pools at Mom Tri's, and salt water too. Each morning I'd find a newly bloomed lotus flower. They're beautiful! This is just one of several decks overlooking the ocean for dining and drinking. What a view! This is the beach at Mom Tri's....turquoise water and white sands. I did get a minor jelly fish sting. I was with a doctor, luckily, who kept me calm, and though it left welts on my arm, it was really not a big deal. I tried to swim a mile a day in the ocean. It was bath water warm and such a treat.
Phuket, Thailand’s a Great Place For Friends
It was super special to get to meet up with 2 longtime friends from SF in Phuket, Thailand. Dr D (which in Thai means 'the good doctor') runs the 21 Day Detox program, and he and his partner John Wood taught me all about detoxing almost 10 years ago. Dr D is currently living in Bangkok developing his clinic with cutting edge healing therapies. D Anthony Hall and I go way back to SF days of raves and web 1.0. He's an amazing photographer, and artist in general. We're both back in LA now...and combating jet lag! Anthony's British...perhaps that explains his stern expression. But, I did manage get him to smile..... Smiles and friends are two important pieces for fueling happiness. The sunshine and warm water and tropical environment helps too!
Flight Time
One way I like to entertain myself is with my camera, especially during long international flights. The sunrise during my very long flight back to the USA from Tokyo was beautiful. Most people were sleeping and missed this amazing view. I don't sleep well on planes, and you'll usually find me doing wall push-ups and stretching in the open area by the staff. Maybe that's why one flight attendant remembered me from my flight to Asia 6 weeks prior.
Sunset in Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
Carol came to visit me in Bali all the way from Los Angeles, and we met our friend Deborah on the west coast in Seminyak for sunset cocktails. Deborah, originally from LA, now lives in Bali in a gorgeous home overlooking rice fields. Lucky lady! The sun is setting off the west coast. I was staying mostly on the east coast in Sanur, and this was the 2nd sunset I got to watch on the island. A final shot as the sky turned a brilliant fire orange red. I love the fact that it stays warm always, even after the sun goes down. Sometimes, it can be a bit too warm, if there's such a thing.
Rice Fields in Ubud, Bali
My friend and raw model Anthony told me to find Sari Organics in Ubud. I was ecstatic to finally find it on my 2nd visit to Ubud. I had one of the best medicinal herb salads ever, made with organic herbs from the fields and also gathered from the forest.
Touring Around Bali, Indonesia
We did the tourist route and visited Kintamani Volcano. We were lucky to enjoy this beautiful view because it rained a couple hours later and was socked in with fog. Next, we drove to the bottom of Mt. Batur to hike up the volcano. As soon as we started our hike, it began dumping rain. And I mean torrential downpour! It was no use trying to stay dry, so we chose to keep climbing. Huge blessing that the rain stopped and the sky cleared as we approached the top so we could take in the views. And once we got back down to the bottom, we went and soaked in a mineral hot spring to warm up. I had to put a photo of the back of our jeep in here. Our rain soaked clothes are hung up to dry, and we're stocked up with 2 huge Montong durians. Our jeep smelled of durian from the outside. Good thing Carol and our driver both love durian as much as I do. Check out this pretty bug. Does anyone know what type of insect this is?