Opinion

The holy month of Ramadan begins on 23 March. So, it is a perfect occasion to ponder about the way religious tolerance functions (or mis-functions) in Bali. I am using these two words because it is part of conventional wisdom – or rather of conventional politics —to assess that religious tolerance is a given reality.

The commercialisation of Eastern spirituality began in the USA. “In America is the place, the people, the opportunity for everything new,” wrote Swami Vivekananda before he left India in 1893.  Vivekananda had learned from his guru, Sri Ramakrishna, that the world’s religions “are but various phases of one eternal religion”, and the spiritual essence could

This article is available as a Podcast episode. Listen here: 2022 was an important year of recovery for Bali and, with a sigh of relief, we can see that the economy has bounced back and that the business, communities and individuals are not only surviving, but thriving! How far we have come from the desperate

Bali is Indonesia’s window to the world. This role comes into full bloom with more and more global events taking place on the island, such as the the IMF and G20 summits. Whilst Bali participates in international affairs, on the other side of the coin, the world, too, participates in Bali’s affairs. In fact, Bali’s

Every day we make choices in our lives that affect the environment, the climate and other species that we share in this amazing world with. But there’s actually a lot more that we can do to reduce our environmental footprint to leave more room – and better conditions – for wild animals and plants. Of course,

No, it’s not a typo, it’s just a play on words, hopefully with a deeper meaning, which I will try to explain! We are all now so conscious of the whole climate change factors, the constant babble about bringing emissions down to zero, reducing energy usage, converting to renewables, recycling, repurposing and refusing, etc. etc.,

Note: This is a community submitted Op-ed. An independent article written by Carole Favre and submitted to NOW! Bali for publishing upon review and approval. I’m reading, feet up, my Kindle in one hand. I hear clapping. I look up and see a child being lifted by two adults, his arms shooting up in the

Bali has a long-held reputation as a ‘Digital Nomad’ destination. Ever since the pioneering co-working space, Hubud, opened its doors in 2013, the ‘remote working’ population and associated businesses have mushroomed across the island. The occupation and industry of remote workers has evolved through the years, from digital marketing to drop shipping; the latest being

We are now beginning to see a few good initiatives taking place for the reopening of Bali. There are flights coming in — thanks to Garuda Indonesia, as well as Singapore Airlines, who have been huge supporters over the years which most will not remember, but they gave away 1000 seats after the Bali bombings

The recent decision by Indonesia’s parliament to endorse and fund President Jokowi’s bold plan to create a new capital city for Indonesia in East Kalimantan sets the project firmly into gear. Welcome to “Nusantara”.  Pride of place, of course, goes to Bali’s own Nyoman Nuarta who has designed the new Presidential Palace and Parliament Buildings

According to the World Bank’s 2021 Report, Indonesia’s economy actually expanded by 3,5% in 2021. Well you could have fooled Bali’s population who believe that Indonesia is on the brink of bankruptcy. It’s not. Only Bali feels like it is.  The World Bank Report stated: “The Indonesian economy continued to rebound in 2021 despite some