A Touch of Bad Evolution

I have a sneaky suspicion there is a touch of “bad evolution” going on with building design in Bali. I constantly see buildings where design is so preoccupied with appearance that it has forgotten some basic factors of engineering particularly regarding the risk of earthquakes.This design “evolution” is the result of architects who want to […]

Read more

An Artist’s Journey to Bali By Betty Reynolds

Written and illustrated by renowned artist Betty Reynolds, An Artist’s Journey to Bali is a travelogue sketchbook that captures the culture and life of Bali in a succinct and colorful 48 pages. In this beautifully illustrated artist’s journal, the author shares her good fortune of meeting many Balinese who allowed her to witness important aspects […]

Read more

Bali For Kids

The Cush Cush Gallery continues to expand their workshops and classes for kids. In July and August, they will offer bookbinding, shadow puppet making and Balinese dance classes for kids. Basic Book Binding, Japanese style, is offered on Saturday, 20 July. Make your own handmade sketchbook. The workshop uses Japanese bookbinding techniques and recycled items […]

Read more

Canggu News

Putting Green Waste To Good Use Ever wondered where those food scraps from your kitchen end up? In an effort to reduce the amount of waste that finds its way to the Suwung land fill, local company Urban Biologist Bali is offering their new composting service for Canggu! A passionate group of people providing practical […]

Read more

Festivals R Us

It’s THE season for organized cultural performances and displays. Extravaganzas like Sanur Village Festival can be great self-guided ventures for your August house guests, and laid-back Tulamben Festival (July 27 – 29) can be a nice excuse to stay a few nights in the northeast and take that wreck dive you’ve been thinking about. Jukung […]

Read more

Forest Medicine, Micro and Macro Doses

Living in Bali, it can be easy to forget urban life. We take our constant access to gardens, trees, rice fields and forests for granted. There are plenty of studies to support our instinctive awareness that we feel better when near nature. Yet humans have never been so far from merging with the natural world […]

Read more

Friends and Exiles By Des Alwi

The boy paused in front of the Japanese military camp where a former Dutch controleur (administrator) from the Aru Islands was tied up to a palm tree facing the street. Accused of killing 14 Indonesians, a board nailed to a bamboo pole bore the message in Indonesian commanding all passerby’s to slap the tall man […]

Read more

How Can I Compost?

‘Dear Garden Doc, I want to begin composting but I have never done it before, do I really just throw all my food scraps in the compost bin and it’s that simple? I don’t really understand how composting works. I’ve read it’s the best way to make fertilizer to go on the garden. But my […]

Read more