Category: video

Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Ubud, Bali

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, travel, video1 Comment

I really enjoyed the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary at the very heart of the small tourist city of Ubud.

Over 1000 well-fed Balinese long-tailed macaques are interesting and sometimes hilarious in a beautiful park setting. Over 100 tree species.

Ancient looking, moss-covered Hindu structures give this place a mystical charm.

Click PLAY or watch a video of my visit on YouTube.

There are three 14th-century Hindu temples inside, off-limits to tourists:

  • Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal (Main Temple) – dedicated to Shiva  .
  • Pura Beji – a holy spring temple used for purification  .
  • Pura Prajapati – associated with cremation rituals and burial practices  

Monkeys may climb on you or grab loose items like sunglasses, snacks, or phones.

In fact, one unexpectedly jumped on my head!

Another tourist tried to get the photo, but wasn’t quite quick enough.

Happily, A.I. can recreate the incident exactly. It was exactly like this. 😀

Little guy probably thought I was a God. 😀

Of course I was worried about getting scratched or bitten — but it doesn’t seem to happen often with these macaques.

They are mainly fed sweet potatoes. But corn seemed most popular while I was there.

One thing obvious is how mothers dote on their infants.

Locals dislike monkeys as they cause a lot of damage. But for this tourist, it’s …

Arrived Bali … 🤔

On By Rick McIn travel, videoLeave a comment

I’m not really the Yoga / Beach Bum / Party Harder kind of tourist — but how could I avoid Bali forever? 😀

… are you concerned for the eldest backpacker on the beach?

NO WORRIES. I had a Spa give me a Bali makeover. Now that I have a man bun, I fit in better with the kids.

For advice on this super popular island, I relied most on The Broke Backpacker, Will Hatton, and his team — many of whom live in Bali.

I use Broke Backpacker quite a bit deciding on hostels around the world.

Will opened Tribal Hostel in Canguu and recommends it as a good starting point for first time visitors. He promotes it as a digital nomad coworking environment.

Tribal Hostel

Pretty much everyone in the public areas here is on a laptop. Seemingly doing something important.

I popped open my MacBook Air and edited my Bromo Volcano VIDEO.

I believe this makes me officially a legit YouTube creator. 😀 Working out of Bali is a requirement, I believe.

August is highest season in Bali — but there still seems to be next day accommodation everywhere.

The restaurant at Tribal is quite good. If consumed by some project you are working on online — you can chow down while keeping at it. 😀

From the hostel I walk parts of the 10 km-long beach a couple of times a day.

Surf lessons are popular here. Beginners tend to get drowned quickly. NOT ME, of course. I stay dry and use A.I. to create a totally believable image of me mastering the surf.

One slight problem is the number of dogs running free.

There’s no shortage of lean beach bodies. Drop-in at the fitness club across the street is CAD $50!

Everyone is out on the beach for sunset. Many enjoying dinner and drinks.

A tourist trap, for sure. But that didn’t bother me. Traffic and second hand smoke are the biggest hassles.

Though Indonesia is mostly Muslim, Balinese Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of the population on this island.

Looking to join me?

Walk down the beach until you see the Statue Gajah Mina (fish body and elephant head) ➙ turn inland a few blocks and you’ll find the hostel. 😀

Farewell Parksville, Vancouver Island

On By Rick McIn McCharles family, photos, travel, video4 Comments

I’m moving back to Calgary … or — more accurately — going on the road full-time. In fact, I’m en route to Indonesia today.

Rob & Yvonne sold the house in Parksville where my parents lived their last years.

It was a perfect retirement home for them.

I’d been spending a lot more time in Parksville over recent years helping out my folks.

But Dad died in March.

Mom died in May.

Dad originally wanted to move to the left coast for fishing.

Mom for the weather, gardening, and … bocce ball.

A few years after my parents, my brother Rob and his wife Yvonne decided to move to Parksville, as well. They bought a 2nd house. AND got married in that Parksville home.

Randy and Val made long trips from Calgary, especially enjoying the annual Sandcastle Building competition and LIVE music at the Park.

I was born and raised in Calgary, the high prairie. Ocean and rain forest were a big attraction for me.

Most mornings, I’d get up for dawn and take coffee down to Rathtrevor Beach.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Evenings, I’d often walk down to Parksville Beach at dusk.

Mom played a lot of tiles. And then cards, as her vision worsened over the years.

The most popular addition to town was Charlie during COVID.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Climate is mild in Parksville, year round. You can walk and cycle every day of the year.

Surprisingly, Dad wanted to get an electric trike in 2019. That was fun. Rob and Yvonne later got 2 electric motorcycles.

We did get a few days of snow each year.

I’ll definitely miss Parksville, B.C.

A great lifestyle.

The McCharles family first came here in the 1960s on family summer vacation. We’d park the homemade camper right on the beach.

I’d taken morning coffee at Rathtrevor beach over 2,000 days over the years. This was my last. Quite overcast after the first hard rain in weeks.

Calgary Bound

On By Rick McIn government, McCharles family, travel, videoLeave a comment

My parents lived in Parksville on Vancouver Island for the past 17 years.

I’ve spent more and more time with them there over recent years.

Sadly, Dad died in March at age-94.

Mom died suddenly and unexpectedly in May at age-96. That was traumatizing.

My brother Rob and his wife owned my parents home. It’s up for sale as I post.

We’ve packed up 243 Hickey Ave. I purged as many of my own possessions as I could as part of my philosophy of Voluntary Simplicity.

Drove the rest of the junk to Calgary on July 12, 2025.

Woke at 4am. Ferry at 6:15am. Passed North Vancouver at 8:20am. Arrived at my brother Randy’s place in Calgary 9:30pm. No delays en route.

About C$270 in fuel. Nearly that much in coffee, as well. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Weirdly, as executor, my name is currently listed as owner of Dad’s truck. (I’ve not owned a motor vehicle for much of the past 25 years.)

I still consider Calgary to be home.

Of course I’m totally disappointed with recent Provincial conservative governments. Current premier Danielle Smith is too Trump-lite for me. For example, as I post, the rate of measles in Alberta is even worse than in Texas. Smith encourages ReTrumplican misinformation on all kinds of topics.

On the other hand, born and raised in Calgary, I consider anyone NOT born in Calgary to be some kind of vermin. 😀

Unwanted immigrants.

If Trump was in charge of the 51st state, he’d spend a lot of taxpayer money to have Canadians attacking other Canadians. In Canada.

We could round up the invaders and drop them off the other side of the Alberta border. 😀

Fantastic A.I. Music VIDEO

On By Rick McIn music, videoLeave a comment

This is by far the best totally A.I. generated music video I’ve seen, so far.

Easily as good as some radio hits.

The creator, Chris Johann, only has a few thousand followers on YouTube.

I can’t find this song on YouTube Music — BUT when Chris can monetize, how can humans compete?

The total cost of this music video is probably less than $1000.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

WHAT will replace your Phone and Laptop?

On By Rick McIn Apple, internet, movies, music, photos, videoLeave a comment

Former lead Apple designer and founder of io Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believe you will eventually simply stand in front of a monitor a tell it what to do. (Elon Musk would claim that you could simply THINK it what to do. 😀)

Create a feature film, for example.

A.I. image

The new A.I. device MIGHT look something like an iPod Shuffle you can wear around your neck.

Click PLAY or watch an opinion on YouTube. I don’t agree with Matthew regarding Apple Vision Pro — it’s likely an intermediate step towards the future. Eventually you won’t need A.I. glasses

Eric Maurice McCharles 1931 – 2025

On By Rick McIn McCharles family, photos, video11 Comments

Dad died March 9, 2025, at night, peacefully in his sleep.

Our family asks for privacy. But donations to the Red Cross in his name would be appreciated.

Both the Canadian Red Cross and B.C. Health Care system were fantastic supporting his final days.

All palliative care was delivered in the home. Better than the hospice or hospital, in our experience.

___________________

I’d always liked the photo below on a German document. Dad had it posted on the fridge.

We could assume it was a military I.D. from his years serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Deutschland — BUT it turned out to be his German Fishing Licence from 1962.

I’m posting this photo as it preceded the injury suffered while Dad was playing hockey for the Canadian Forces team. He lost an eye from a skate to the face which led to a medical discharge from the Army.

… Dad loved fishing. He owned 6 boats over his lifetime.

End of life came shockingly quickly.

One day we were grocery shopping and downing chicken wings at the local eatery. The next his bodily systems began to shut down.

One of the first warning signs was a loss of interest in watching his favourite TV shows: Hogan’s Heroes, Perry Mason, Matlock, Father Brown, Bonanza, Beverley Hillbillies, Green Acres.

Dad loved routine. Every day the same schedule. Any change not appreciated.

Here’s a slideshow of photos from his retirement years. Dad died age-94 — still with a driver’s licence.

Dad and I spent many days at French Creek Marina watching birds in the river delta.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Mom & Dad bought insurance in 2014 which paid for most of their funeral expenses. In fact, all we had to do was make one phone call to a 24 hour / day number and most of the arrangements were made for us. It simplified things immensely when we were grieving.

In addition, they’d simplified their estate as much as possible. We still had one investment that required probate, but the rest was very easy.