To the left is a likeness of Confucius himself.
Next up - the Charity box at he Hanoi airport. How could I not give a few dong to the cause of "Especially Difficult Children?" After all - that has been my professional specialty.
Now we must give some semblance of equal airtime to the world's major religions. We've covered Buddhism & Confucianism. So it was necessary to visit the Museum of Islamic Arts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We were truly blown away by one of the most impressive permanent collections in any museum we've ever visited. It's the only one of its kind in the world and includes Qua ran from 9-10th Century North Africa, pottery from 12-18th Century China, textiles from 18th-20th Century Malaysia and Indonesia, and war regalia from 16th-19th Century Iran. My favorite collection included the stunningly hand-calligraphic Qua ran.
There I am in front of the National Mosque. 
You're very aware that you're not in Kansas (or Seattle for that matter) any more when every hotel room ceiling has an arrow pointing to Mecca.
And last but never least we spied a few Hindu temples. Our hotel in KL was across the street from the oldest Hindu temple in the city. A few nights ago we met a wonderful and brilliant man named Soma who was able to explain the rationale behind the constant cracking of coconuts outside the temple. The coconut is a symbol of (wo)man. The outer shell - our physical selves and the inner milky goodness - our souls. The coconuts are cracked at this particular temple as an offering to a deity (whose name eludes me after a night of much wine at the Sanctuary) before embarking on an important task - (opening a business, traveling, marriage, etc.).
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