Spacious stilted villas and three infinity pools offer exceptional views from their hillside locations amid frangipani and bougainvillea at the Amankila in Eastern Bali.

On my fourth trip to Bali I was introduced to the Amanresorts’ award-winning, secluded properties.

Already well known to discerning global  travelers,  the exclusive Amanresorts are also popular with Hollywood stars. There’s a buzz among the well-heeled Aman-junkies who are treated like royalty for a honeymoon, anniversary or big celebration.

A warm welcome at the Amankila in East Bali.

My Favorite Amanresorts on Bali and neighboring islands.

Amandari is located near the culturally rich town of Ubud, Bali’s artistic center and gateway to the mountainous region to the north. Amandari, is built to look like a village with stone walkways and traditional shrines. The huge freestanding thatched-roof suites are constructed of coconut wood and teak. They overlook the terraced rice fields and the sacred Ayung River. Several have individual infinity pools. Facilities include a 32-metre swimming pool, tennis court, gym, and spa offering massage and beauty treatments. Complimentary activities range from an Ayung River trek to an Amandari massage.

A children's dance group from the village shared their talent at the Amandari. Dancer and gamlin players ranged from six to sixteen-years-old.

Amankila is a cliff-side resort in the eastern part of Bali. Thirty-four thatched-roof suites are perched above two levels of infinity pools and take advantage of the spectacular views across the Lombok Strait. The Beach Club, with yet another swimming pool, is located on the private beach below the resort and offers a range of water sports such as cruising and windsurfing. Complimentary activities range from a morning cruise to an East Bali trek or a nighttime dance performance on the beach. Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report
2011 Reader Survey Awards ranked the Amankila among the Top 20 Beach Resorts in the World. 

Amanusa is a secluded resort just 15 minutes from Denpasar Airport and close to the nightlife and shopping areas of Kuta, Sanur, Legian and Seminyak. Amongst a wide array of activities, guests can play golf on one of Indonesia’s finest courses located adjacent to the resort. Complimentary activities range from an Uluwatu Temple tour to a soufflé cooking class.

. . . AND BEYOND

Amanwana is a wilderness hideaway and the only resort located on the island of Moyo. Overlooking the Flores Sea, the protected marine park offers some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling in Indonesia. Jungle treks on the island offer guests the chance to discover waterfalls and a variety of bird life.

Amanjiwo overlooks Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist sanctuary, and rests within a natural amphitheater boasting a picturesque backdrop of the Menoreh Hills. Guided visits to Borobudur are a highlight of a stay at Amanjiwo and are included as a complimentary activity.

The unique setting and cultural activities of each resort can now be combined in a seven-night experience for around $800 a night. www.amanresorts.com

The awards they have won recently include:

Zagat Survey
World’s Top Hotels, Resorts & Spas
Gallivanter’s Guide
The 2011 Gallivanter’s Awards for Excellence
Best Hotel Group Worldwide – No. 1

Watch this to the end to see what the men do when they’re in a trance. I got a chance to see this rare Javanese dance performed in rural villages and accompanied by gamelan music. Dancers are calling the spirits to possess them.  When a dancer is possessed, he no longer performs regular dancing, but carries out dangerous acts, such as eating broken glass, coconut shell and fire. The dancers are healed by the shaman or man with the whip, with prayers and water.

Regal school girls practice English with Marybeth Bond, the Gutsy Traveler. School girls, market, artist making shadow puppets. Shopping, handicrafts, etc.

Bangkok is a vibrant metropolis with golden temples, soaring skyscrapers,  royal palaces, and floating wooden boats selling flowers and vegetables, but it also has 10 million inhabitants, traffic gridlock, diesel exhaust, concrete and shopping malls.

Here’s my idea of a perfect, short visit, whether it’s for the first or the fifteenth time.

To get a sense of the city’s past, present and future and to avoid traffic congestion and exhaust fumes, book a hotel on the bustling banks of Chao Phraya River (River of Kings). Travel by public (inexpensive) river taxis or hire longtail boats along this historic waterway to visit the Grand Palace and temples along the river.

There are several grand, world-renowned luxury hotels perched on the edge of  the river. Once in your life, stay at the legendary 1887 Mandarin Oriental, which happens to be at the center of everything. Enjoy the quiet tropical gardens, riverside terrace, superb spa and the authors library,  rich with literary history; Joseph Conrad, Noël Coward, Graham Greene, and James Michener all stayed at the Oriental.

I always wake up at dawn, thanks to jet lag, and settle on the terrace at the Terrace Cafe along the river. As the sun rises, commuter ferries, wooden boats and barges ply the river.

Bangkok was once nicknamed the Venice of the East, so I hire a longtail boat at the Oriental Pier, right next to the hotel, and meander through the network of khlongs, or canals, that fan out from the Chao Phraya River.  The canals are filled with wooden homes built on stilts with open porches, vendors selling vegetables and flowers from wooden boats, and children fishing in the river. I look carefully for the intricately carved “spirit houses”  (don’t mistake them for bird feeders), where the family places incense, food and flowers as an offering to guardian spirits.

At the end of the canal tour, the driver drops me off near the Grand Palace, which is always bustling with local people making offerings, prayers and special dedications.  Then I walk to What Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha to make offerings in the alms bowls.

To save myself from heat exhaustion, I return to the hotel, swim in the pool, enjoy a massage at the spa. Sometimes I forgo the sightseeing and book a half-day at the world-renowned Oriental Hotel cooking course. The day before my class the Royal Princess came for a private class from the master chef.

Best Hands-On Cooking Course

I learned some new culinary skills to take home, from the master Thai chef Narain Kiattiyotcharoen. Starting with the basics of Asia’s mouthwatering spices and herbs, we moved on to grinding, chopping, and frying techniques–and, of course, taste testing along the way.

“Tasting is believing” was Chef Narain’s mantra, and we tasted, chopped, smelled and sampled every ingredient and dish before, during and after preparation. We learned about the exotic flavors of lemongrass, coconut, mango, curry, and spicy red and green chilies.

My favorites were the Gaeng Khua Supparoat Goong (Red Curry of Prawns and Pineapple) and Yam Wun Sen (Jelly Noodle Salad with fresh prawns and chicken). The Moo Hong (Southern Style Braised Pork), and Khanom Gluay (Steamed Banana Pudding) topped off the lesson. The courses are open to anyone, not just guests of the hotel, and are followed by a multi-course lunch of your handiwork, so you better pay attention! You’ll enjoy the feast with the chef.

There is something for everyone in Bangkok, and as far as I’m concerned, foodies have it the best. The city is brimming with a variety of cheap eats with exotic flavors.

After packing my bag for an early flight the next day, I hopped on the wooden boat and zipped across the river to the tranquil Riverside Terrace to watch the river life float by and indulge, one last time, in the dizzying variety of  Thai food. Don’t miss the mango sticky rice!

She learned about the practice of child slavery 10 ago and since then has worked tirelessly to find a solution. Olga’s new program pays parents to keep their daughters at home and in school. However, in lieu of cash, her foundation, Nepal Youth Foundation, offers families a piglet, which they can raise on kitchen scraps and sell, ultimately receiving about as much as they would from their daughter’s labor.  Girls receive a school uniform, notebooks, pencils, a school bag, a daily snack at school, and most importantly, an education.

“What began as a pilot project with 37 families now includes 2,500 girls,” she marveled.

“I realized that education is the best way to ensure a better life for these children,” Olga says, knowing this would become the cornerstone of her work. Over the last 19 years, not only has the number of supported children expanded, but so have the ways in which they are helped. In addition to scholarships, NYF funds the salaries of more than 65 teachers in various poor rural areas of Nepal, and teacher training in a country where teachers are not trained. Her foundation also runs two boarding schools and nutritional programs in Kathmandu.

Olga was an attorney who worked for 37 years helping write opinions for two California Supreme Court chief justices in San Francisco. Today she crisscrosses the globe to help children.

She has been a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” NPR, and National Geographic Weekend, and was honored by the Dalai Lama and the former king of Nepal.

Learn more: Nepal Youth Foundation

At a crossroads at the Kathmandu Guesthouse. Where next?

Of those who currently take nature, adventure or cultural trips, 75% are women.

Ten years ago, there were no such statistics. Now we know that the average adventure traveler is not a 28-year old male, but a 47-year-old female. And she wears a size 12 dress.

Last year women travelers spent over $95 billion in Outdoor Equipment, from hiking boots to specialized bike seats designed for the female anatomy.

The number of women-only tour operators has increased 230% in the past six years.

80% of all travel decisions are made by women.

Regardless of:

• who they travel with,
• who pays for the trip,
• or where they go,

Let’s face it: a woman is the decision maker.

In order to substantiate this statistic (from an article in the LA Times), I interviewed numerous owners of large travel agencies and tour operators.  I was told over and over:

“Yes, your statistics are right on. 75-80% of the decision makers we deal with are women.”

Travel decisions are made by women. For example:

• Mom researches and then books the summer vacation for the entire family;
• Grandma surfs the Internet, collects brochures, books tickets and accommodations for a multi-generational family reunion at a resort;
• A middle-aged empty-nester books a five-day hiking trip with friends while her husband is golfing.

Send me your stories!

So I took off alone around the world to walk, hike, climb, cycle and kayak my way through six continents and more than 70 countries around the world.   Along the way I never celebrated Valentine’s Day.

I was sitting on a low sofa in the lobby of the Kathmandu Guesthouse having just returned from the trails of Annapurna. I hadn’t washed my hair in ten days; the last thing on my mind was romance.

Then, I saw his legs: long, lean and muscular. I heard he was leaving the next morning for a month’s trek to Mt. Everest. Our paths crossed for one moment. Long enough to light a spark.

I continued my travels for another year (alone). And, within days of my return to San Francisco, we met again at a mutual friend’s party. Romance, then marriage.

It was meant to be.

Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation (NYOF)

The Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation, founded by Olga Murray, is a nonprofit organization based in Sausalito, California that provides education, health care, homes, and loving support to impoverished children in Nepal. NYOF’s Indentured Daughters Program rescues girls who are sold into bonded servitude in the homes of strangers. You can learn more at www.NYOF.org.

The Taste of the Himalayas Restaurant in Sausalito, California is the closest I’ve been to Nepal since I returned two years ago.  Serving Nepali, Tibetan and Indian dishes, the restaurant is one of three in the Bay Area.The other locations are in Berkeley and Sonoma, where there are large communities of Nepalese.

Three Nepali siblings, two sisters Dawa, Pasang, and their brother  Pemba Thendup Sherpa were born and raised in the foothills of the Himalayas and have many relatives in Namche Bazaar.

When I asked if Dawa knew Psang Kami, our trekking guide and good friend, who accompanied us in 1988, she smiled and said, “yes, he’s my uncle.”  What a small world. We shared updates on who has had children, and who lives in Kathmandu.

The intimate restaurant combines hospitality from Nepal and the freshness of seafood, produce and  ingredients from California. I devoured wild salmon curry and Gregg, my friend ate every last drop of his vegetarian paneer (soft cheese) with curry.

www.tasteofthehimalayas.com