We were driving home to Al Ain from Dubai in mid-December, when an exuberant voice on the radio announced an amazing upcoming event - The Al Dhafra Camel Festival - a world reknowned exhibition complete with camel beauty pageant, cultural heritage displays, camel and saluki dog racing, a bedouin market, and traditional foods. My heart skipped a beat! I'd been hoping and praying to catch a spectacle such as this filled with photo-ops galore, and it was only four days away, so

My husband and I went on a wonderful trip to Bali and Java a few years back and I'd like to share a little of it with you. We had the very great fortune and honor to be invited to a small Odalan at the temple complex of our hotel, Taman Harum, as well as to a very massive Odalan at Pura Batur with a beautiful family from the village of Mas. An Odalan is the birthday or anniversary of a temple's consecration which occurs every 210 days. Little Odalans for home and local temple