Here is a wonderful titbit of information that will make you the hit at the annual dinner of the Denpasar Toastmakers Club. Did you know there is no such thing as “cold.” Cold is in fact a worldwide con created by exuberant salesmen who want to sell fridges to Eskimos. You see “cold” doesn’t exist, […]
Read moreCategory: Fixed Abode
It’s the water that gets you
I recently met a couple visiting Bali. The man was not happy, “I’ve got Bali belly” he said. “It was that warung we went to last night”. “It’s usually the water that gets you” I replied. Years ago, I had learned the hard way. When I first came to Indonesia in the 70’s I was […]
Read moreThe Serfs Are Revolting
Frederich Ebenezer Pump was a clever man. The chairman of the Upper Wallop Serf Club, he invented a device consisting of a pipe with a piston and operated by a handle which enabled the serfs to draw water from wells. Used all over the world the village pump has been the centre of community life […]
Read moreA 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 moreLiving with Glass
On May 4th Adam Sky, a well known DJ, died after falling through a glass door and severing an artery in his arm. We don’t know the circumstances of this tragic incident but it does raise important questions for us all particularly those many people who own or stay in properties with full pane glass […]
Read moreRespect your humble Crapper
If ever there was an invention that made life more comfortable it must be that contraption we all use every day and is widely attributed to Yorkshireman Thomas Crapper. In fact it was Sir John Harrington who invented the first flush toilet way back in 1596, he built one for Queen Elizabeth 1 (thronemakers to […]
Read moreA Toxic Brew
Those immortal words from Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” come back to me quite often these days. “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” He was, of course, talking about being surrounded by sea water, a fate being suffered by more and more houses in Bali. Make no mistake we are facing […]
Read moreOvercapitalisation – The Renovators Nightmare
In the island of the Gods the never ending cycle of regeneration continues unabated. “I have just moved to Bali now what should I do? I know, I’ll raise sheep, nothing like a woolly jumper to keep you warm on a winter’s night…….. Maybe not.” “I could start a mini market, not a lot of […]
Read moreIt’s The Water That Gets You
How safe is the water in Bali? I recently met a couple visiting Bali. The man was not happy, “I’ve got Bali belly” he said. “It must have been that warung we went to last night”. “It’s usually the water that gets you” I replied. Years ago I had learned the hard way. When I […]
Read moreMasih Hidup
Electricity takes it’s name from the Latin “electrum” which in turn comes from the Greek “elektron” which, as we all know, means “amber”. “Amber?” I hear you think. Yes amber. You see the ancient Greeks had a habit of rubbing things and they noticed that if you rubbed amber with something furry (such as a […]
Read more