The Festive Season
Welcome to Bali in what could be a glorious sunny month leading to Christmas and New Year, or it may be a dismal rainy month for which I am very sorry. Sadly it’s out of my control! The “monsoon” has been a feature of this part of the world since forever! However even if it
Parking and Deliveries, The Headache Continues
For those of you who come from very disciplined countries you may be surprised that deliveries are allowed at any time of day here in Bali, no matter how small or congested the road is. Vans, trucks and huge containers are allowed to go anywhere on the island, to stop outside the shop or restaurant
Arjun Bhogal is a Man on a Mission
Throwing a nostalgic glimpse back towards the island of Java, thankful for the opportunity and people I met there, I witnessed the jagged terrain from a far for the first time through the clouds as I made my way across the Bali Strait, towards Gilimanuk. I couldn’t help but cast my mind back 4 years.
ACCIDENTS AND REGULATIONS
Sadly there has been another death in a rafting accident on the island which turned a holiday full of joy into a nightmare for the family and friends of the poor tourist who died. But did it have to be this way? Could it have been prevented? From what we hear, the answer is “yes”.
Bungaya: Behind The Tourist Door
As a tourist in Bali, you see a lot of strange and wonderful things happen – these are the things that keep Bali alive and buzzing with that astounding energy. Recently the Bali Aga Village of Bungaya put on an amazing performance that should keep the local area enjoyable for some time to come. Amongst
Surfing Bali
That title is a bit misleading . It’s really “ googling “ Bali in case you are getting your board ready ! When did surfing the web turn into a monopoly? Anyway what do you get when you google Bali? 313,000,000 possible websites. That is a very large number for a small island of only
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
