Living in Harmony
Welcome to Bali where Mother Nature continues to breathe her blessings from the caldera of the active Mount Agung. The threat of disruption from volcanic ash (and of course there is a possibility of actual danger to aircraft if they are not 100% careful) caused great havoc with the tourism industry early in the year
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
“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 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
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 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
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
There is a Reason for Everything
The last few months have been a very bad time for Bali. The eruption of sacred Mount Agung while not actually endangering any major part of the island’s tourism industry, still reduced it to a devastating trickle, threatening businesses and more importantly jobs as cash flows reduced to unsustainable levels. Introduce the word “sustainable” here
New Years Resolutions: Getting Better All the Time?
What have you achieved this year? Have you become more environmentally friendly? Have you become fitter, faster or better at something? Have you done something you are really proud of? Helped poor people? People in difficulty, people in crisis, people in hospital? Have you been a good father? Mother? Sister? Brother? Son? Daughter? Are you
The Importance of Food
I was recently lucky enough to be introduced to a Swedish initiated but worldwide foundation called “EAT” which is dedicated to creating a global sustainable food economy. A huge ambition. This foundation, which is backed by world leaders, academics and top companies, is about to have their first Asian Conference in Jakarta as I write
Killing the Golden Goose: When Development Should Stop in Bali
There are some things that perplex me, some that annoy me, others that leave me totally astonished, and finally those that seem to make no sense whatsoever. The latest “Canggu Conundrum” is one. I have long been a student of tourism development and served on two planning committees of Indonesian tourism and spoken at around
Do You Hear That? It’s Another Form of Pollution
The people of Bali are quite rightly concerned about the amount of waste that is accumulating, not only in the municipal dumps (which are turning into mountains!) but also on the river beds, the beaches, the fields, the mountains, its everywhere and continues to spread as consumerism and the conversion to plastic-packed foods continues apace.
Bali’s Eco-Warriors Awarded
I was delighted to be invited to two great events last month, by two very different organisations, but both headed by, shall we call them, “Champions of Sustainability”. Bali Adventure Tours’ new amazing complex, featuring the astonishing combination of Jungle Buggies and chocolate factory, just south of the Elephant Safari Park, is an example of
