Swimming in Cambodia

Swam in my first pool longer than 25m. Raffles hotel pool in siem reap Cambodia is 35m long and about 20m wide; and while it doesn't have "lanes" it is so huge I found I could do laps. The primary issue with no lane markings is that one needs to watch for the end of the pool wall to avoid hitting it. I had the pool to myself yesterday morning at 6:30; wanted

To swim this morning again but I seem to have caught a head cold.

Although I love the Raffles pool, I

found the length a bit intimidating swimming at first; just need to get used to it:) some day I hope to swim in a 50m pool. With fewer turns I found I could concentrate more time on my stroke although I did tend to worry about hitting the wall.

Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom

Impressive ancient temples just outside siem reap Cambodia.

Less frequent blogging

Regular readers of my blog will notice my posts are less frequent than they used to be. As my meditation practice grows I find I'm less inclined to blog or to take photos. 

I'm thinking seriously about settling down somewhere where I can focus on my practice, be of practical use to others, and reduce my expenses. Indonesia is the top candidate so far but with 5+ months and multiple countries remaining on this trip, I may change my mind multiple times:)

Prambanan

Visited the Hindu temple Prambanan as well as several nearby Buddhist temples today near Yogyakarta.

Borobudur

Visited Borobudur at sunrise; this famous Buddhist temple is over 1000 years old and designated a UNESCO world heritage site. Had a guided tour as I wanted to learn about the history and to have someone interpret the panels; also visited two smaller temples; including a small monetary.

First Checked Bag

Had to check a bag on today's flight to Yogyakarta Indonesia; first time I've had to do this during my journey. Makes me bit nervous even though the flight from Singapore is direct and only 2 hours; what could go wrong:) maybe it's because I'm flying air Asia a discount airline I haven't flown before; my two bags contain my  lifestyle.

Made it to Yogyakarta ok and so did my bag:) turns out I learned later I could have carried my bag on; oh well.

Slight surprise upon arrival - $35; luckily I had the cash in my carry on because payment required before one can get bags:)

Less frequent posts

As my journey continues I find myself posting less and taking fewer photographs. Could be because I'm getting used to the traveling or it could be that I'm spending more time meditating. 

I begin another 10-day silent meditation retreat (in Indonesia) December 21st which for me will be 13 days as I'm volunteering (they call this serving); I'll finish on January 2nd.