Bali’s Secret Places
When I first came to Bali back in 1979, “Real Bali” stretched from North to South and East to West. Poppies Lane in Kuta was a sandy path leading you through cow pastures and palm trees to a quiet Kuta beach. Now it is motorcycle madness. Ubud was a distant, mystical village, somewhere to be
Food For Thought, By Will Meyrick
While for most the image of Bali is one of amazing beauty and an extraordinary lifestyle, there is another side to life on this magnificent island. With limited recourse to education and social services, many families in Bali work hard to survive, in the remote areas where schools and running water are rare, entire families
Solemen Bali: Giving New Life to the Destitute
Bali, often called the Island of the Gods and the Morning of the World, evokes images of balmy beaches, indulgent vacations, gracious natives, a place where you can leave your cares behind and cocoon in tranquil and relaxing surroundings. Bali is all that but it is not a complete picture. Underneath the glamorous, sybaritic and
What does Bali Need? Quality Vs Quantity Part 2
Last month in this magazine, and on our online platforms, I put forward the challenge to the relevant authorities of choosing mass tourism against high value, high quality tourism and was immediately challenged by some good thinking folks who correctly said high value tourism doesn’t always equate with a good flow of income to the
If Music Be The Food of Love, Play On!
A long deceased playwright called William wrote that a long time ago in his comedic play Twelfth Night. But what does it mean ? I think it is saying that music makes love better, it feeds it , and builds it up so keep the music playing and love will blossom and soar! What a
Quality or Quantitiy?
It’s high season here in Bali and that means people, lots of them, and people means cars, and buses, and motorbikes. Do we really want them? Is the Bali infrastructure ready for them? Sadly the answer is a resounding, total ‘NO’. Why are they coming then? Well of course it’s everybody’s right to have a
John Fawcett: Restoring Sight to the Blind
One of the critical problems directly associated with Indonesia’s impoverished is cataracts that leads to blindness; around three million Indonesians are affected by this, not just a dimming of their vision, but actual, total blindness. This means that the cataracts they have develop to such an extent that they are actually blocking people’s vision completely
Strengthen The Commitment to Support a Clean and Green Bali, Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia and Quiksilver Indonesia Hold Bali’s Big Eco Weekend 2016
Bali, the ‘Island of the Gods’, is the gateway for most tourists visiting Indonesia and is also a popular destination for domestic tourism. Spurred on by the concerning amount of rubbish in Bali, Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia (CCAI) and Quiksilver Indonesia (QS) took real action in helping to keep Bali beaches clean and green by initiating
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
What is it about the joy of discovery that thrills us so? Why do we get excited to reach the top of a mountain, the bottom of the sea, the depths of the forest, the middle of the plains? I guess it goes back to our original, almost forgotten, bond with nature. Our primeval being
An Evolving Culture
One of the things that makes Balinese culture so sustainable is its flexibility and adaptability. It is not a rigid culture, intent Ghormenghast style, on preserving rituals in stone at all costs, but allows change to permeate and move forward. This is reflected in Balinese dance, dress and architecture which I can see and (to some
ROLE Foundation : Protecting Bali’s Ecosystems
NOW! Bali speaks to the ROLE (Rivers, Oceans, Lands, Ecology) Foundation, who since 2007 has recognised the growing social and ecological problems on the island. ROLE tells us more about Bali’s current waste crisis, the global ocean crisis and their newest plans to open their ‘Zero Waste to Oceans’ centre. Despite being a problem everyone
Under the Keris (Part 2) : The Man’s Many Advantages
When people write on Balinese love, they like to underline the romantic side, often seen from the male’s perspective. People are said to elope out of love, to bypass the parents’ unwillingness to accept the union. This occurs of course, but there are also instances when parents force lovers to break their bond – which,
Life on Bali Coasts Through a Lens
The coasts of Bali are celebrated for their vibrant life in the fishermen villages, the breathtaking colourful skies during sunsets especially on the south coast, the serene, secret beaches that beg to be explored by responsible travellers, and the some of the best surfs in the world that lure many experienced surfers to ride them.