Lady Lightwave: A superhero's travel blog

Made's wide smile and wide-brimmed hat caught my eye along this busy beach nearing sunset. Made sells bracelets and sarongs to tourists for a living. Like most Balinese, she's gorgeous!

An entire team of smiling faces waving madly at you when the sun is still rising in Bali's coastal countryside will certainly bring a brighter day. I was particularly struck by the girl below who embodies a classic Balinese movie-star look even in her phys-ed uniform. The boy has a pretty great casual groove happening.

This girl was playing in a group of kids in a small village near the base of a volcano in the interior of Bali. If you find this mountainous misty land watch out- you may feel like a moviestar, these children and their smiles are amazing and so flattering.

This woman selling delicious hawker food caught my eye with her lovely smile. She first needed permission to have her picture taken from her husband (behind) but he was quite happy to oblige! 

15 years ago Zu (middle) left Burma with her mother and came to Malaysia to live a better life beyond the grips of a government run by force. Today she runs a restaurant called April's Cafe and has two beautiful children, and is perhaps the most welcoming person one may ever meet. Guess how old the grandmother is? Answer: 67! The secret? The Burmese apply a special tree bark paste onto their skin that keeps it 'close to nature'. 

This girl I met outside a temple in Bangkok screamed cute from her braces (!), haircut, clothes and smile. A fashion capital for SE Asia, the streets of Bangkok are full of wonderful style setters; the Thai are also wonderful people. 

She jumps rope and has a beautiful face. 

This woman has a pure sense of joy that I can only envy! She threw me so many winning toothless smiles and a strikingly firm two-handed hand shake that I had to wonder if I had given her flowers or a mustang in a past life. Joy is always beautiful.

This girl has SASS! I'm not sure what my former notions were of children who become orphans, but she has me intrigued with her delightfully self-affirming playful  little attitude. She is Katouer's little sister- spunky and gorgeous.

I will have to photograph the drawing she gave me of herself. She's wearing hot pink and has very long hair and a pretty smile; I think that would help illuminate her beautiful spirit more than this photograph! Her mother scavenged for wild mushrooms near the sketchy Cambodia/Thai border and could not support her three kids. At Mr Ross's Orphanage they now have enough to eat and English lessons to help them find work in the future. Katouer is so beautiful and sweet!