Alistair G. Speirs
Bali’s Sung and Unsung Heroes
I have been coming to Bali for 40 years and in that time seen heroes and villains, entrepreneurs and hustlers, artists and artisans, chefs and surfers, designers and dancers, all coming to Bali from all over the world and all over Indonesia to “find their fortune” to test their luck and often just to enjoy
The Importance of Space : Overdevelopment on the Island
In this Personal Perspective, Publisher Alistair Speirs discusses space and how the overdevelopment in Bali is making it more and more difficult to enjoy what space there is: When the voice of Captain James T Kirk of the Starship Enterprise said, “Space, The Final Frontier”, so many years ago, he was of course referring to
Bali’s Season of Festivals : More Than Just Parties
When is the right time to celebrate? Well since you are on holiday, it’s today. And you are in luck, Bali is a GREAT place to celebrate just about anything – birthdays, coming of age, engagements, weddings, perhaps even a divorce! Partying is easy in July and August in Bali when the clubs are in
“Package Tours” and the Growing Threat of Bali’s Waste
There was a time when we all went on package tours. They were great! You got the hotel, airline tickets, meals, tours, museums and visits all “packaged” together for less than you could buy the airline tickets for. It was amazing value, and many people still use these travel agent created holidays to this day.
The Magic of the Beach: What Does The Beach Mean to You?
There is so much magic associated with beaches. Almost everything in life is able to be dramatised and magnified by those magnificent links between land and sea. Our childhood memories are full of sandcastles and playing in the waves with our parents, the picnics and the beach games, the kites and the buckets and spades.
The Magic of Bali: A Real Bali Traffic Jam
The traffic stops, you look around, there’s nothing in sight, just a line of cars and motorbikes stretching into the distance. The line grows longer, the engines get turned off and people start getting out of their cars for a cigarette, a stretch and a chat. No-one seems very upset. You walk forward to find
Bali’s Places of Worship
This message is in relation to NOW! Bali’s May 2018 issue, called “Ten Temple Tales”. It is a continuation of our efforts to remind everyone , especially first time visitors, of the importance that religion has in the life of the Balinese. Unlike many western countries (and some eastern as well) where religion has been relegated
The Circle of Life
Just a generation ago Bali was a rural farming community where the seasons dictated life, where the connection with nature – and God – was direct. People lived simple lives, understood their community, their religion, their role, and were relaxed and happy. Then came the opportunity to make money, to jump on the bandwagon and
The 3 Best Parts of Bali’s Countryside
The expression “The Countryside” is very British don’t you think? I don’t think that the French or Germans think really in the same way, the Australians certainly don’t with their outback and bush, the Americans have their prairies and mountains, the Russians their “steppes” and the South Americans their pampas, but it is the British
The Bitter Lessons Experience Teaches Us
The recent (gentle) eruptions of Mount Agung have taught Bali quite a few lessons, which I hope everyone has learned. The first is so obvious, and so often repeated: ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket’. Bali is very, very dependent on tourism, and when the tourists stopped coming, there was universal pain around
The Benefits of Being Well
Welcome to Bali, not only a place of spiritual tranquility but one of the world’s great “wellness” destinations. Yes, I know this word “wellness” doesn’t sit well on everyone’s ears as the older generation thinks more about health and “wellbeing”…. both of which fall nicely under the “wellness” title, but wellness is more than that.
Uniquely Bali: Creating a Balinese Business
There are so many things “right” about Bali, even in its current state of “perpetual preparedness” for the expected big bang from Mount Agung, but I do just want to reflect a little on not the encroachment of “western culture” and values on Bali but the attitude which so many of these bringing it to
Perfect Privacy at Villa Shinta Dewi
Villa Shinta Dewi is a beautifully managed villa in Ubud, where you will find yourself immersed in a private enclave, surrounded by rural nature and blue skies All roads in Bali basically go up and down volcanoes on the ridges with rivers flowing down in between creating beautiful landscapes. Ubud is very much defined by
