Discontinuing his Where Is The Idiot Today? blog after fastidiously posting over 2,500 daily items and photo(s) during the past seven years.
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The Idiot just enjoyed a tranquil and secluded retreat at an expansive Buddhist monastery near Penang, Malaysia, that had only one monk on the premises.
The Vivekevana Solitude Grove is perched on two acres of land and has more than three dozen rooms, ranging from an ordination hall, libraries, a kitchen and dormitories to solitary cells and spacious meditation areas on five separate levels.
But the only access — a precarious, slippery path up-and-down a steep mountain slope through a rain forest (which caused The Idiot to slip, slide and fall more than he’d like to admit) — has gradually reduced the number of monks. In fact, the two-hour round trip finally became too difficult for the last monk to continually make the daily slog to fill his alms bowl with food and, after The Idiot’s visit, he moved into the city.
The local abbot, who holds a darma talk at the bottom of the hill every Saturday and says a group of devotees will continue to clean the monastery every Sunday, didn’t know when another solitary monk might inhabit the idyllic locale. But he’s betting it will take a new access road to put the monastery back on the map.
The entrance to the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
A directional sign on the path to the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
A directional sign on the path to the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
A rare straight section of the slippery path through the rainforest to the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
The Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia, is built on five separate levels.
The Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
One level of the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
A peaceful Buddha at the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
One of two libraries at the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
The last remaining monk, who jokingly refers to himself as a “five-star beggar,” occasionally took a motorcycle to reach the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
The pagoda at the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
The dormitory that The Idiot had all to himself at the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
The last remaining monk did daily chores before he left the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
The ordination room at the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
One meditation room with soft orange pillows at the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia.
A devotee brought the monk breakfast by motorcycle at the Vivekavana Buddhist monastery overlooking Penang, Malaysia, during The Idiot’s stay.
The view towards Penang from the now-monkless Vivekavana Buddhist monastery.
The Idiot, who went to his first Buddhist monastery in Japan in 1967 and is making his fifth visit to the Himalaya Mountains since 1980 (the last was to Tibet in 2010), is spending eleven exhilarating days hiking throughout Bhutan, the Buddhist kingdom squeezed between China and India.
Although tourists must contribute $100 a day to a sustainable development fund to visit the country (it’s charged when you get your visa) and are required to hire a guide to see it, there’s no denying that Bhutan, its 700,000 people and a government that promotes gross national happiness to influence its development policies merit a peripatetic visit.
Just look!
The Idiot exploring the fortress in Punakha with Tenzin Dolma Gyeltshen, a 23-year-old guide who he bets will be Minister of Tourism by the time she’s thirty.
Starting a hike across a swaying bridge to a temple in Punakha.
Visiting the gigantic Buddjha Dordenma Statue in Thimphu.
Attending a morning gong session with American Fran Bak in Thimphu.
Visiting a primary school in the capital Thimphu.
Children walking to school in Bumthang.
Climbing to the Cheri Monastery north of Thimphu.
The Cheri Monastery north of Thimphu.
A monastery near Thimphu.
Stupa-fied in Trongsa.
Stupa-fied in Thimphu.
Buddhist sights are omnipresent throughout Bhutan.
A monk in Trongsa chops wood and carries water.
Monks’ robes drying at a rural monastery.
A monk tends a prayer wheel near Thimphu.
A young monk in Trongsa.
Afternoon weather in Bumthang.
A waterfall in central Bhutan.
A typical warning sign in Bhutan.
The Idiot is continuing his 600-kilometer circumnavigation of Paris on the GR1 long-distance hiking trail and — as he trekked from Fontainebleau to Crécy-la-Chapelle southeast of the French capital — is strolling through countryside featuring enchanting forests, inviting chateaux and majestic medieval churches.
Although this is the region of Brie cheese, he still hasn’t seen a cow.
Here’s what you missed.
The Idiot kicked off his August ‘24 hike on the GR1 at the chateau in Fontainebleau southeast of Paris.
The Idiot followed the familiar GR white-over-red trail markings through the dense Fontainebleau forest.
The Idiot crossed the Seine River in Bois-le-Rois.
The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame in Melun dates from the 11th century.
The Seine River in Melun is more inviting than the Seine in Paris.
The Idiot had a conversation with a garden sculpture on the way out of Melun.
The Idiot enjoyed the tree-lined passage (thanks to Napoleon) approaching the Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau near Melun.
The GR1 took The Idiot past the classical Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau where construction began in 1656.
The Idiot dropped into the Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau.
These sunflowers near the Vaux-le-Vicomte chateau were a reflection of the weather on August 17.
The Idiot adored this restored medieval chateau in Blandy-les-Tours.
The Idiot marveled at the green countryside near Fontenay-Trésigny.
The Saint-Martin church in Fontenay-Trésigny was built between the 15th and 16th centuries.
This rich French earth in the Seine-and-Marne region of France is indirectly responsible for Brie cheese and scores of different crops.
A shady forest path is a welcomed treat at the end of a warm summer afternoon on August 22.
The church in Dammartin-sur-Tigeaux dates from the 11th century.
The Idiot ended his last lunch on the GR1 this month with a serving of locally produced creamy Brie cheese, right? Nope, he opted for a Poire Belle Helene sweet treat.
The Idiot concluded the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris today by completing the 50-kilometer hike around the perimeter of the city on the GR75 (GR stands for grand randonnée, or long-distance hike, and 75 is the designated number of the Paris region).
The final section of the walk, which was created as part of the French bid for the Olympics, went from Cité Universitaire in the southern part of the city to the Parc de la Villette, where the pleasant urban hike begins and ends.
Here’s a sampling of what The idiot saw during a walk that included destinations named for Ella Fitzgerald, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King.
The map of the 50-kilometer GR75 walk that encircles Paris.
The guide to the GR75 described the expansive international campus at Cité Universitaire as a “beautiful utopia.”
Not everyone in Paris was a fan of the “inclusive” Olympics. This critic considered it “For the millionaires.”
An elevated section of the GR75 in southwestern Paris, known as the “Petite Ceinture,” runs parallel to an old train track.
The Idiot took a break while walking on the elevated “Petit Ceinture” in the southwestern part of Paris.
This Citroen 2CV was one of the many attractions in the vast André-Citröen park on the GR75.
The Idiot was at the 12th kilometer of today’s women’s marathon race on the GR75 before any of the other competitors.
The GR75 passes the Parc des Princes where numerous football/soccer matches were played during the 2024 Olympics.
The GR75 meanders through the aesthetic Auteuil hippodrome.
A large section of the GR75 is in the verdant Bois de Boulogne.
A unique view of the Eiffel Tower from the GR75 in the Bois de Boulogne.
A diverse array of architecture surrounds the Parc Clichy-Batignolles-Martin-Luther-King on the GR75 in northwestern Paris.
A barge on a canal on the GR75.
The GR75 ends where it began. At the geode in the Parc de Villette.
One intriguing aspect of France’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics was the creation of a 50-kilometer hiking path around the perimeter of Paris
Known as the GR75 (GR stands for grand randonnée, or long-distance hike, and 75 is the designated number of the Paris region of the country), the pleasant urban walk zig-zags into picturesque neighborhoods, meanders through verdant parks, follows out-of-use train tracks, wanders through busy shopping areas, crosses canals and the Seine River, and features lots of charming churches and fascinating architecture.
Here’s a sampling of what The idiot saw between Parc de la Villette, where the GR75 begins, and Cité Universitaire in the southern part of the city.
The Idiot bought a copy of the detailed GR75 guidebook before he launched his 50-kilometer hike around the perimeter of Paris.
The GR75 kicks off at the dome in the Parc de la Villette in northeastern Paris.
Like other GRs throughout France, the GR75 is identified by its white-over-red horizontal marks. However, a detailed guidebook helps The Idiiot learn everything about the ground covered by the hike.
The GR75 passes a pool used for training by swimmers during the 2024 Olympics.
One advantage of the urban GR75 is that there are bakeries around every corner.
The GR75 took The Idiot down this picturesque street in the 20th arrondissement.
One of many churches found on the GR75.
The GR75 followed a former train track known as the “Petite Ceinture.”
The Idiot frolicked on a zip line when the GR75 meandered through the Parc de Vincennes.
The Idiot enjoyed a temple on a lake in the Parc de Vincennes.
An urban section of the GR75 on the Seine River is complete with graffiti and views of high rises.
A military boat patrolled the Seine River near the Josephine Baker pool when the GR75 crossed the river during the 2024 Olympics.
An intriguing waterfall in the Parc Kellerman on the GR75.
The Idiot wandered into the headquarters of the French Olympic Committee when the GR passed the Charléty Stadium.
Don’t want to walk around the GR75? Take the tramway.
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