The Eco Adventure Concept: Going back to the roots - By Ima Deville
Nestled in the Valley of the Kings, about twelve kilometers north of Ubud, rests the new and unique Eco Adventure Hiking and Resort. This very special place offers a true encounter with nature for everyone. Covering 20 hectares of virgin land on the bank of a peaceful river, it boasts an eleventh century cave and labyrinth. The trees here are amazing, both imposing and majestic. Spending some time at Eco Adventure, whether it’s just one a day or many, gives us the opportunity to learn how Balinese people live within the nature that was given to them and gives a sense of going back to roots. Most importantly it is a place with a heart.
When Peter Studer met Pak Ketut, the mayor of the Bayad village, their vision and aspirations synchronized into a harmonious idea that was going to give birth to Eco Adventure. Peter comes with a wealth of experiences from fields as diverse as art, business, politics, car racing and he is best described as a philanthropist. He has experienced countless countries before finally settling in Bali 15 years ago. During that time, he has encountered too many times the “invisible wall” that separates the Balinese people and the foreign residents in all areas of their lives. Deploring this situation, Peter decided to act, breaking this wall and building a bridge between these two diverging worlds. His vision, which is directly implemented in the Eco Adventure concept, is to live together, learn and give something to each other in order to achieve a new equilibrium closer to nature. Peter is convinced that the end of the over materialistic era has come and that a total economic collapse is only round the corner. We have taken huge resources from the planet, used it and abused it and lived as selfish, egocentric human beings. We now need to learn to sustain ourselves and Eco Adventure is there to show us that we can live in symbiosis with nature.
When the resort and center is finished, it will be totally self-contained, growing its own fruit and vegetables, raising its own animals, producing bio gas and enough medicinal plants to prevent and cure our diseases.
Pak Ketut is knowledgeable and resourceful and he had the skills to organize the local inhabitants to make the dream happen. Bayad is a small community of around 1800 wood carvers and farmers, most of them from the Sudra or peasant caste. Their day to day is hard work and their life consists of simple pleasures. Ketut was sold by the idea of collaboration between Balinese and foreigners and, together with Peter, they designed a concept whereby the local farmers would benefit from letting them use their land and get some help with their agriculture. Eco Adventure employs many villagers, offers local children a place for cultural activities and both communities work together planting, growing and recording data on what is probably the richest plant collection in Bali. Medicinal plants are undeniably the pride and joy of Eco Adventure.
In Bayad, over 75 per cent of the locals have never seen a doctor; everyone knows and uses plants from their surroundings from a young age instead of western medicine. People trust nature; it is accessible, free and much better for you.
Going on the Eco Trek is fun and enriching for anyone. It is about 4.5 km of leisurely walk with many stops to look at trees, fruit, plants and animals. The guide takes you first to the spice garden where you can see, touch and smell all those plants that we commonly use but would not be able to recognize in their environment: coffee, nutmeg, cacao, cinnamon, pepper, cloves etc.
This is also the place where the biggest passion fruit of the world grows, the “Lisa fruit”, only found in some places of Venezuela and in Bayad. Look up and you’ll see this light green fruit, as big as a melon. They have plans to grow it in a bigger scale to supply Bali supermarkets. Most amazing is the strength of the fragrances and the guides there love to blind test you on many of the species. Further down the path you will get to the medicinal garden. All plants are labeled with their local and English names but if you are truly interested, you need to take notes because there are so many plants to cure so many ailments that you won’t possibly remember them all.
You can learn the virtues of the five different types of ginger and the guides are happy to disclose to you the secrets of how to grow them. Leaves, barks and roots there can cure just about anything from headaches, tummy bugs, skin problems, high blood pressure, arthritis, diarrhea, constipation, red eye, fractured bones, menstruation pains, colds and lots more. Don’t forget to ask about the natural Viagra. Ketut invariably laughs away, telling you that he can personally confirm that it works and that there is nothing better since it is free! Continuing down the path and you will find yourself in the middle of beautiful nature where you can breathe deep, listen to birds. You are in a jungle setting and you just feel good.
Then you arrive at the much awaited labyrinth. It dates from the eleventh century and leads to a cave where locals come and pray to their gods. It was also used as an irrigation network before it was forgotten and taken over by vegetation for hundreds of years. One of the first things Peter and Ketut did was to open it up and making it passable on foot. They have installed small gas lamps and you can now access the heart of the cave where three statues of the gods await the believers. It is a lot of fun and it will keep your adrenaline going. When you come out into the light, you lose the sense of where you are for a moment but you continue crossing a bamboo footbridge to the other side of the river where the path makes a loop through rice fields before regaining the other side. The climb back up has a refreshment stop, providing time to ask everything you want to know to your friendly guide. On the way up taste the yellow cacao, suck its seeds ….and experience a beautiful and unusual flavor.
Eco Adventure resort will officially open in August 2009 with 9 bungalows, a restaurant, a SPA and a conference center for seminars, retreats and yoga. Cultural activities involving local residents, such as dance or wood carving, are also on the program. Most of the bungalows have already been bought by foreigners who want to share a piece of this natural gem. Some people have decided to live there, embracing the concept of going back to nature while others will enjoy it whenever they can. Their bungalows will be rented by the resort and will give you a chance to experience sleeping in the midst of a natural forest. This is not a profit making venture and bungalows are sold close to cost price. It is an opportunity to be truly self-contained in Bali and recreate a unique way of life, in agreement with Bali’s natural environment. Two bungalows are still for sale but Peter is looking for right people who want not only to enjoy but also to give back to the environment and the community. As Peter puts it, it is an investment into a new way of life for the new era to come.
The Eco Adventure experience is valuable for all of us, whether you are a solitary nature lover, a romantic couple, a parent wanting to instill a sense of the surroundings to your children or a teacher going on camp with students, which was my situation. Taking a group of children there was a fabulous experience for my colleagues and our students. All came back astonished that so much could be found in nature. They had a glimpse of another way of live, an alternative to the way we live. They had a chance to interact with the local community in several organized activities such as a football match, a dance performance, wood carving and offering making. Some students wanted to plant some of the herbs they learnt about back home, others were mesmerized by the beauty of Bali’s nature and came back with hundreds of photos of its fine details. All were calm and happy after three rewarding days in surroundings so different from their own.
So, looking for a day out or a holiday where simplicity will fulfill you? This is a place to experience with all your senses. The staff welcomes you in what feels like a more authentic gentleness and freshness than in other tourist destinations. They are keen to share with you their habitat, culture and vast knowledge of nature. A chat with Peter in the restaurant, that’s if he’s not having a nap in his hammock, will also give you a wealth of factual information and, if you are ready for it, a ton of anecdotes, life experiences, provocations and a mature reflection on life that will bring a smile on your face.
How to get to Eco Adventure, their activities and prices are easily found on their website www.baliecoadventure.com or you can get information by phone +62 361 901 874, +62 361 787 3603. Please note that they offer KITAS rates.
