The Yak #42

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A taste of tropical luxury on the magical island of Bali BOASTING MAGNIFICENT VIEWS OF THE SHIMMERING SEA, SOFITEL BALI NUSA DUA BEACH RESORT’S SPACIOUS ROOMS AND SUITES OFFER SOPHISTICATED STYLE AND EXQUISITE COMFORT. REVEL IN A WORLD OF REJUVENATION WITH A SAVANT MIX OF WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES, FRENCH COSMETOLOGY AND TRANQUIL SURROUNDS. DISCOVER ALL OUR MAGNIFIQUE ADDRESSES ON www.sofitel.com

Volume Forty-TWO MAR/APR/MAY 2014 The Yak Magazine Sophie Digby, Agustina Ardie, Nigel Simmonds Publisher's PA Indrie Raranta Creative Director Stuart Sullivan Production Manager Evi Sri Rezeki Graphic Designers Irawan Zuhri, Ida Bagus Adi Accounting Julia Rulianti Associate Publisher James Watling Distribution Made Marjana, Putu Widi Susanto, Gede Swastika, Made Sutajaya, Didakus Nuba

cover: My First Doll (boticelli – 1482, birth of Venus). by sebastiano navarra.

Publisher PT Luxury In Print

OK you know the drill. No part of this publication may be copied or

Licence AHU/47558/AH/01/01/2011 Advertising Enquiries Tel: (+62 361) 766 539, 743 1804, 743 1805 www.theyakmag.com

reproduced electronically or otherwise without prior permission from the Publisher. Opinions expressed within this publication are those of the authors not the Publisher. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not comply with the magazine's design criteria. The Yak will not be held responsible for copyright infringements on images supplied directly by advertisers and/or contributors.

e: info@theyakmag.com, sales@theyakmag.com The Yak Magazine, Kompleks Perkantoran Simpang Siur Square, Jl. Setia Budi, Kuta, Bali 80361, Indonesia © PT Luxury In Print

The Yak Magazine Bali.

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The Yak’s monthly e-newsletter is sent to 10,000 mailboxes every month.

Archives, additional content and more at www.theyakmag.com

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contents

32

Yakety yak

A Decadent Decade

34

Events and Happenings

36

Give It Up

40

Good Goods

dates with destiny

one world

out of the box

44

Planet Yak

56

Yuri Kolokolnikov

new in the hood

interview

72 26

58

interview

Mishka Piaf

60

Sukma Suki

62

Stephane Sensey

68 70 72

interview

interwho

interview

Holy Havaianas interview

Carlos Ferrandiz artsake

Sebastiano Navarra

74

74 94

culture vulture

Robert Rosen fashion

Grand Reserve

104

Balquisse Living

108

Natural Feelings

112

Hu'u

116

Bambu

ministry of the interior

feature

venting in a villa

oral pleasures

58

86

contents P: 86 Omnibus: where are we now?

118

Big Six

120

Locavore

122

Canvas

124

Beach Life

126 130

oral pleasures

oral pleasures

oral pleasures

feature

taken not stirred

Seven Deadly Sins feature

On Shore, Off Shore

56

30

132

Southern Comforts

136

The Edge

138

Semara Uluwatu

140

Client Clobber

152

Big Al McKay

154

feature

venting in a villa

venting in a villa

fashion freestyle

155

Rave Reviews

156

Star Turns

music

astro yak

158

What's What

160

Philippe Starck

advertiser's directory

last word

sounds around

film

Ones To Watch

74

62

60

GARDEN GRAZE UNDER THE STARS

Indulge in the finest selection of modern Peranakan cuisine in Bali Known to the world as one of the most unique representations of South-East Asian food culture, Peranakan cuisine is not to be missed. Born in the heart of South-East Asia through the intermingling of migrants and locals, it mixes centuries-old cooking techniques with the very best of local spices, pastes and ingredients. Our Laksa noodles will have you asking for seconds and the Tok Panjang Platter will delight your family and friends.

For reservations, please call +62 361 473 6576 Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak - Bali 80361 www.babasbali.com twitter.com/babasathuubar facebook.com/babas.huubali

We recently turned 10. A whole decade of doing what we do best, and enjoy the most…living La Vida Lujo . . . living the life of luxe.

So we thought it about time to ask you, our readers, the who, why, what and the wherefores of your connection to The Yak and what bits you liked about us the best.

Impressive answers. Broad is our readership age group – 14yrs to 75+. Balanced are our male/female readership numbers – 48% men to 52% women, and our global Yakability stretches further than even we could imagine. Over the last decennium, we have launched careers, drunk copious beers, and heard the sounds of deadlines whooshing by, all in an effort to bring to you the ever-changing face of Asia’s luxury playground – the fabulous isle of Bali – traffic and trash aside.

This, our 42nd missive, will take you on a destination-sensitive tour of Bali. We will start with our global Dates with Destiny. Do take a good look at our One World – if you are reading this magazine you are probably in a privileged enough space to be able to lend a hand to those less fortunate.

Out of The Box and New In The Hood will lead you into meeting les nouveaux enfants sur le bloc and tomorrow’s wild children of design . . .

Meet Mishka who bowls us over with his fabulously OTT jewellery; Suki, our very own eco warrior creates sunglasses with recycled or sustainable wood frames; Stephane who has travelled the world with his camera and brings Japan to the table and Holy who keeps our feet happy in Havaianas. It is the philanthropic Carlos who makes us realize how selfish and spoilt we might really be, or better said how much he cares for the rest of humanity. Our piece de resistance comes in the guise of Snapparazzi – Robert R. – who has partied with, and was allowed to snap, the greats in their element . . . and with permission! Hutchence, Blondie, Grace Jones even Warhol. Realising that was then, Andrew Hall asks us in Omnibus, “Where are we now”, a great question – and a great article, one that you, the readers are sure to enjoy. Our Yak fashion shoot mixes with a slice of the world of Interiors and luxurious over night options, these all of course mingle sublimely with our Oral Pleasures . . . it’s off to Bambu and beyond you go.

Not ones for leaving it there, we dutifully round off this edition with music, films and of course our very own AstroYak – the retrogrades, transits, trines and eclipses of the upcoming quarter.

As ever and until the next time, May The Yak be with you . . .

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yakback Dear Yak, Good morning to you. I was wondering if you could send me two more copies of the magazine so I can display in our showroom. Sorry – a client took the previous issues.

Regards, Anand, Body and Soul Clothing Bali

Best regards, Giorgio Morfino Marketing Director Warisan Furniture

Dear Yak, I have to admire the power of your advertising, especially the double page spread from Deus Ex Machina that appears in the front of your magazine every issue.

I started wearing the brand about six months ago but now the whole office is walking around in it. I’m starting to feel a little put upon.

Yes, we’re familiar with the problem.

In fact it’s our best international distribution channel. More copies on the way!

Dear Yak, I sent a couple of Yak anniversary issues over to some high flying directors in Jakarta while I was there and I have to say the magazine was very well received and appreciated by them. Congratulations on creating such a powerful brand.

You are too kind.

Best, Jimmy Bali We hear you. But don’t forget – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Good luck!

In The Lap Of: Piers Morgan WE were going to give Piers Morgan a copy of The Yak on his recent – alleged – trip to Bali (on the way back from the cricket in Oz, perhaps?) but …. frankly we wondered if he deserved it. Given that no-one seems to like him anymore, that is.

Not his viewers, not his former employer CNN, nor his former employees, we hear. Plus of course the money says he's probably going behind the bars for a spell, so there's that. Yak On Piers.

calendar

datesWITHDESTINY CELEBRATE LIFE, ART, YOGA, MUSIC . . .

Celebrate the good things in life and get warmed up for the Bali Spirit Festival at the same time at Desa Seni’s 4th annual Celebration of Life, Art, Yoga, Music, Dance-aThon on March 16. Both young and old are welcome to participate in the fabulous and fun activities that will take place in the two yoga shalas, on the expansive lawn and next to the pool. The studios will host dance and yoga sessions and the outdoor areas will host music, fashion shows and art classes. Participants have the freedom to go back and forth between studios, stay in one studio,

grab a bite to eat on the lawn or take a break at the pool.

The events will start at 8am and continue on until 9pm, and funds raised will go to Ayo Kita Bicara HIV & AIDS. www.desaseni.com

IF YOU’RE IN INDIA… March 17 – Holi: Possibly the world’s most colourful festival, Holi is a celebration of good over evil, the end of winter and beginning of spring, forgiveness, redemption and a chance to douse friends, families and strangers with vibrant blasts of brightly coloured water and powders. This Indian Hindu festival is based upon the legend of Lord Krishna, who believed that his love, Radha, would not accept him because of his dark blue skin. His mother grew tired of his lack of self-confidence, so she told him to meet Radha and paint her face in a colour of his choosing. When Krishna did this, Radha accepted him as her true love. Today, Indians around the world celebrate the festival by throwing neon colours on everyone in their path, singing, dancing and eating and drinking with friends and family.

by bathing images of the Buddha in water and sprinkling scented water over the hands of the elderly as a sign of respect. However, modern times call for a bit more revelry. Head to any urban centre around the country on Songkran and you’ll see young and old alike dumping bucket loads of water on each other, spraying passers-by with water guns and hoses and smearing white paste on people’s faces. It’s pretty much impossible to stay dry on Songkran, so be sure to dress accordingly and leave your electronics at home.

April 11 – Arattupuzha Pooram (Kerala): As Kerala’s biggest and oldest temple festival, Arattupuzha Pooram is a spectacular display of grandeur replete with processions of elaborately decorated elephants, music, dancing and colourful offerings. This all-night festival starts with a procession of more than 60 elephants decked out in glittering ornaments and silk parasols, each carrying an idol from a neighbouring temple.

To accompany the elephants, Kerala’s best drummers produce lively beats as crowds cheer them on. At dawn the elephants are lined up to face the rising sun and then brought to the river where the idols are bathed and blessed with offerings made of flowers.

IF YOU’RE IN THAILAND… April 13 – Songkran: Ring in the Thai New Year by getting wet–very, very wet. Traditionally, Thais celebrate Songkran

34

Susan hu counts the days.

BALISPIRIT FESTIVAL Now in its 7th year, The BaliSpirit Festival has grown from a humble music and yoga festival into an international energy-charged event showcasing the world’s best in health, yoga, lifestyle, wellbeing, world music, community and social change. Located in the world famous arts

May 9 to May 11 – Rocket Festival (Yasothon): The rainy season starts off with a bang at this explosive festival in northeastern Thailand. Held over an entire weekend in the middle of May, Rocket Festival (also known as Bun Bang Fai) is celebration of fertility and a call for rain. The weekend kicks off on Friday with comedic performances that last all night, followed by street parties on Saturday where extravagant bamboo rockets are paraded through the streets and awards are given for the best-decorated rocket. On Sunday the rockets are launched and prizes are handed out for the rocket that soars the highest and farthest. Throughout the entire weekend, the atmosphere is fun and lively with plenty of phallic imagery and jokes, great food on offer and a whole lot of drinking going on.

IF YOU’RE IN THE UK… April 3 to April 10 – Bird’s Eye View Film Festival (London): Birds Eye View launched the UK's first major film festival to showcase women's work (a bird's perspective) back in 2005 – a response to the fact that only six per cent of directors and 12 per cent of screenwriters are female. Now in their ninth year, the festival returns to the BFI Southbank, ICA, Barbican and

and healing hub of Ubud, the BaliSpirit Music & Yoga Festival provides unique opportunities for festival goers to experience personal shifts and transformation. Set by day on lush terraced lawns with open pavilions, the party moves by night to an outdoor stage for a world music concert like no other. The BaliSpirit Festival also prides itself on its commitment to philanthropy and social change by contributing to health and environmental causes through the endorsement, financial support and empowerment of its attendees and annual sponsors. www.balispiritfestival.com

Hackney Picturehouse with a diverse range of work from the Arab world’s most talented women, including 24-year-old Hanan Abdullah, a first-time British-Egyptian director, and Annemarie Jacir, who in 2007 became the first Palestinian woman to make a feature film. Festival goers will also be privy to nine premieres, 10 exclusive Q&As and cutting-edge live music events.

April 3 to April 6 – The London Coffee Festival: Java junkies can get their fix at The London Coffee Festival with over 250 artisan coffee and gourmet food stalls, tastings and demonstrations from world-class baristas, interactive workshops and coffee-based cocktails.

Visitors can also enjoy live music by bands and DJs, art exhibitions and access to Milk & Sugar, a new feature to the festival that showcases some of London’s most inspirational brands spanning from fashion to design and food. With over 20,000 visitors expected, you can bet that the caffeine won’t be the only thing creating a buzz.

May 26 – Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling (Brockworth): England’s cheesiest event attracts 5,000 people every year who come to watch a giant wheel of Double Gloucester cheese roll down a swathe of grass on Cooper’s Hill and the chaos that ensues when racers slip, slide, roll and tumble down the hill after it. The first person to get to the cheese gets to keep the entire wheel. Surprisingly, this tradition has been taking place for more than 200 years and attracts “cheese racers” from as far away as New Zealand, South Africa and America.

The first cheese wheel is set off at noon and there are five races throughout the day plus an uphill race for those who like to do things the hard way.

giving back

stephanie mee on caring about others.

Sjaki-Tari-Us Foundation Having a child born with a mental disability might seem like an unbearable burden for some, but for others like Thijs van Harte and his wife Karin Leithuijser, it has been a constant opportunity for growth and a chance to bring change to the world.

Born in Holland to a native Indonesian mother and a Dutch father, Thijs and his twin brother Jaques van Harte (also known as Sjaki) always felt a deep connection to Indonesia. After many trips to Bali and other parts of the archipelago, the brothers and Karin began to support various children’s organisations in the country.

When Thijs and Karin’s youngest daughter Tari was born with Down’s Syndrome, the couple discovered a wealth of excellent education services for mentally disabled children in Holland, and this inspired them to seek out and support special education centres for children with learning disabilities in other countries.

Thijs and Karin looked at Bali in particular, and realised that although there were some schools for special needs children on the island, the special education system in Bali was far behind that of Holland. With this in mind, they dreamed of creating a foundation that would facilitate improving the learning, communication and independence of children with mental disabilities and provide support for teachers and schools.

Sadly Sjaki passed away in 2002, but Thijs and Karin pushed ahead with their vision, and in 2005 Sjaki-Tari-Us was established and named in honour of Thijs’ brother and daughter. In 2006 they opened the first centre in Selat, north Bali, and in 2007 the second centre opened in Ubud.

The goal at Sjaki-Tari-Us is to bring the Dutch level of education to special needs children and integrate it with the Balinese culture and way of thinking. To achieve this, highly skilled Dutch volunteers work with Balinese teachers to share effective methods of teaching mentally disabled, blind and deaf children in a culturally appropriate manner.

Programmes are based on play-learn groups where the children are encouraged to learn in an active way using pictograms, sign language, and games aimed at motor development and social interaction. The centre in Selat provides education to 10 children, while the centre in Ubud houses upwards of 30 children. Classes and enrolment are free, as is transportation to and from the centres.

Sjaki-Tari-Us also has special programmes for

36

teenagers, including Sjaki’s Warung at the Ubud centre where students learn how to cook meals and serve and host customers, and Sjaki’s Shop where visitors can buy arts and crafts produced by the teenagers. The hope is that the young adults can learn real-life work skills in a safe environment, participate and contribute to the community and gain self-confidence in their role in society.

Sjaki-Tari-Us is a non-profit organisation and all funds raised are used for training purposes and developmental materials at the centre. Donations and sponsors are greatly appreciated. www.sjakitarius.nl Bali Green Surf Learn to surf, contribute to those less fortunate and do your part in keeping Bali clean and green all at the same time with Bali Green Surf. This Bali-based business was born when close friends and professional surf instructors, Ketut, Komang, Oka and Sonny decided they wanted to open their own surf school that would give back to the communities and environment of their native island.

The Bali Green Surf boys have three main goals for the company: to share their passion for surfing and the world-class Bali waves with guests from around the world; to support disadvantaged youths and orphans through donations, English classes and surf lessons; and to protect the environment through their own efforts, education and awareness.

Accredited by the Academy of Surf Instructors, the Bali Green Surf team offers surf lessons and surf tours for riders of all levels. Half of the profit goes towards buying food, clothes, toys and school supplies for orphanages and providing much-needed financial support for poor villages around Bali. In addition, they also organise special events for orphans and disabled children that range from beach clean-up days to language classes to cultural excursions.

Another way that Bali Green Surf gives back is by offering free surf lessons to orphans. Their kids’ lessons include not only the basics of the sport, but also information about safety, geography, tourism, and environmental responsibility. In doing so, the instructors hope to give the kids lifelong skills that will help them find gainful employment in the future. They also aim to teach the younger generation how important it is to protect and care for the place they live and the earth as a whole.

For every surf lesson or surf tour you take with Bali Green Surf, a portion of your class fee goes towards helping those who need it the most. Donations are welcome as are volunteers who can teach languages, life skills or surfing. www.baligreensurf.net Yayasan Rama Sesana (YRS) Founded in 1999 by Dr. Luh Putu Upadisari, Yayasan Rama Sesana (YRS) was initially created to conduct outreach work for AIDS prevention among risk groups like migrant workers and their families. Over time it became clear that there was a dire need for accessible reproductive health services for low-income and vulnerable women in Bali, so in 2004 YRS opened the Reproductive Health Centre at Pasar Badung in Denpasar.

Since then YRS has been working tirelessly to improve the health and well being of low-income women in Bali through medical services and education.

The location of the Reproductive Health Centre plays a large role in the organisation’s success. As the largest traditional market on Bali, Pasar Badung attracts thousands of people from all corners of the island every day. It also attracts a large number of women who may be at risk of health problems due to low education, low income and lack of information. Moreover, those women have contact with hundreds of other people every day, which assists in the dissemination of information.

Currently YRS provides clinical services on a donation basis. Services include family planning, antenatal care, breast exams, PAP smears, STI and HIV testing and counselling. Between 2004 and 2009 the Reproductive Health Centre served nearly 7,000 patients, mainly women aged 15 and over, and thousands more beneficiaries including men and children have been reached through educational programming and outreach work.

Although YRS has managed to help thousands of people over the years, the number of patients who are able to pay for their services has remained consistently low. This reinforces the great need for the programme, but also re-emphasises the inability for the programme to rely on client payments. While YRS does receive funding from various foundations and sponsors, and assistance from the government in the form of subsidised rent, donations are vital to keep the programme running. www.yrsbali.org

BIASA ArtSpace Grass Bag by Arya Pandjalu IDR.200,000

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bags, bikes, barang and more from bali's design meisters

PARED EYEWEAR - FROM IDR.1,700,000 AVAILABLE AT THE BOUTIQUE AT THE OBEROI BALI www.PARED.COM.AU

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NOLAN JEWELLERY FROM SKS SKSBALI.COM

EGG PACKAGING BY GIL RODRIGEZ WWW.PSFK.COM

TOP - EGG PACKAGING BY GIL RODRIGEZ WWW.PSFK.COM

TOP & BOTTOM - NOLAN JEWELLERY FROM SKS SKSBALI.COM

MIDDLE - PLATINUM claw cuff by MISHKA PIAF - poa WWW.mishka-piaf.com

MIDDLE - EGG PACKAGING BY GIL RODRIGEZ WWW.PSFK.COM

BOTTOM - AYU BY ATLAS PEARLS & PERFUMES - POA

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PROUDLY CREATED BY:

SEMINYAK SHOWROOM Jalan Raya Seminyak No. 73, Seminyak, Bali.

JIMBARAN CNR Corner Blok A17, Jalan Bukit Permai, Banjar Pesalakan, JImbaran, Bali.

GRAND HYATT SHOWROOM Grand Hyatt Hotel, BTDC Nusadua, Nusa Dua, Bali.

UBUD SHOWROOM Jalan Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali.

SANUR SHOWROOM Jalan Danau Tamblingan, No. 121, Denpasar Bali.

NORTH BALI SHOWROOM & PEARL FARM Jalan Nelayan, Penyabangan, Buleleng, Bali.

69 SLAM DOES IT AGAIN We all love 69 Slam gear and we wear it, our kids go ape for it and visitors flock to the colourful shops like bees to honey. Now the design mavericks of the brand have done it again and this time it’s a new reversible bikini. Only have 20 kilos for your island getaway trip? Well now instead of packing a bikini per hour (we know some that do) you can double up with just one suit leaving more room in your case for more gear. The swimwear is designed to enhance curves and the 69 Slam suits are sold as separates so you can create as many looks as you would like as well as get a size to fit that bootilicious body of yours.

Tel: 0361 960 4173 www.69slam.com Yak Map. T.7/V.9/V.10

Alang-Alang Village of Inspiration @ Beachwalk Passionate collectors, Jospehine Komara and Roni Siswandi have joined forces to bring more than 40 years of collecting traditional, ancient and unique cloths of Indonesia to the public.

Featuring the prized antique batik collection at Museum Kain hosted by BIN House there are also countless local and locally inspired foreign designers and brands spread out under the massive alang-alang roof of the third floor at Beachwalk retail hub on Jalan Pantai Kuta.

Be inspired by the likes of Espen Salberg, Oka Diputra, Ali Charisma, Lily Jean, Natasha, Lulu Yasmine, shoe designer Niluh Djelantik, and handbag designer Johnny Ramli, and stacks more . . . including swimwear label Maidenlove and Uluwatu Hand Made Balinese Lace – one of a kind designer shopping under one roof. Perfecto.

Tel: 0361 8464888 www.beachwalkbali.com Yak Map. C.10

C 151 Calling themselves Smart Villas these 21 villas in the very centre of Seminyak have all the features of a five-star resort but in a villa complex. A recent nominee for the World Luxury Hotel Awards, the villas were conceptualised under the theme “modern minimalist comfort”. All of the villas exude warm tropical harmonious designs with the type of service guests have come to expect in Bali which both friendly and experienced. Some of the extras here are on call baby sitters, 24 hour concierge service and in villa spa treatments and the popular golf cart services to take you to Seminyak beach and back. Repeat guests call C 151 their home away from home making it a very popular destination spot for jet setters from around the globe.

Tel: 0361 739 151 www.c151.net Yak Map. P.8

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DINING BY DESIGN "Wherever your tastes may take you" is a fitting tagline for Anantara Bali Uluwatu’s new signature private dining concept, Dining-by-Design. Perfect for couples, this romantic culinary experience takes diners to dream settings within the resort for gourmet spreads prepared by a private chef and served by attentive yet discreet private butlers. Dine at the cliff’s edge overlooking Impossible Beach, in the lush gardens or on the pool island with the sunset as a backdrop to your meal. Guests can choose from five special menus or liaise with the chef to create their own customised cuisine.

Tel: 0361 8957 555, extension 360 or 6501 www.bali-uluwatu.anantara.com

JENJA RESTAURANT, BAR AND CLUB We love the nightlife, we love to boogie and we love new places popping up and surprising us in the hood on the corner of Nakula II. Jenja, which means "wood" in Japanese, relates to the super high wooden ceilings and spacious architecture and sophisticated ambience of this restaurant, bar and club. Both the cuisine and interiors marry contemporary East Asian minimalism with creative undertones. Long communal tables lend themselves to the party atmosphere and to get the party started the infamous Dr. Cocktail, Dee Cee, has created his all-natural knockout drinks that compliment Jenja’s food and ambiance. The club is downstairs with surround-sound high tech acoustics serving up both techno and soulful sounds that will have everyone partying the night away. Opening in Spring 2014 Jenja’s hours are 6pm 'til 2am Sunday to Wednesday and until 4am on Thursday to Saturdays.

Tel: 0361 846 9077 www.jenjabali.com Yak Map. V.14

...celebrate personal wellness

Sanur I Ubud I Nusa Dua I Jimbaran P. 62 361 705 777 F. 62 361 705 101 E. experience@kayumanis.com www.thegangsa.com www.kayumanis.com

TWINKLE TOES Here's one (or two) for you beach divas out there. Inspired by fabulous Swarovski crystals Haviana’s has put its pretty feet forward with a new Slim Cosmic sandal with an out of this world electric print . The pattern is a stormy night sky with vivid lightening bolts and sparkling constellations set off by thick black straps, think of it as diamonds on the soles of your shoes.

Just for the for gals and and sold exclusively through Universo stores across the island.

Tel: 0811 386 1406 www.universo.co.id.

30 DAYS OF CHOCOLATE AT ONE ELEVEN If just the thought of rich velvety chocolate fires up the senses and has you salivating, you won’t want to miss Chocolate = I II, a celebration of new beginnings and everything cacao at One Eleven. During the month of April, One Eleven offers guests a choice of a two night or three night stay at one of their luxurious villas, along with daily sweet chocolate treats like specially concocted chocolate cocktails served with canapés, a signature chocolate spa treatment for two in the privacy of the villa’s spa gazebo, turndown service that includes chocolate inspired treats like ice cream, chocolate body scrubs and chocolate fondues to be shared, private yoga sessions and a romantic in-villa dinner for two with the grand finale of a sweet gooey chocolate dessert.

Tel: 0361 731 343 www.111resorts.com Yak Map. R.6

Bali spirit festival From March 19 to March 23, yogis, yoginis, musicians, artists and dancers will once again descend on Ubud for the world-famous BaliSpirit Festival. Now in its seventh year, the BaliSpirit Festival is a vibrant and uplifting event that combines yoga, dance, and music in an effort to awaken and nourish each individual's potential for positive change within and without. During the day, workshops and the Dharma Fair will be set in the spectacular grounds of the Purnati Centre for the Arts in Batuan, while the nightly world music concerts and Bhakti Kirtan series will take place on the outdoor stage at the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA). Proceeds from BaliSpirit support HIV/AIDS awareness, bamboo reforestation and programmes for children.

Tel: 0811 392 2293 www.balispiritfestival.com

CUCINA ITALIANA AT ZIBIRU Since opening its doors in 2012, Zibiru has garnered a loyal following for its made-fromscratch regional Italian cuisine and homey atmosphere. Guests can opt to dine al fresco in the garden amidst lush tropical flora, under the stars at the rooftop lounge or in the haven of the air-conditioned interior. The menu is a delightful mix of traditional, handmade culinary creations, as chef Luigi Calcagno draws on his background in Italian and French cooking to produce delicacies made with the best offerings from the field and market. Fish arrives fresh daily, bread is homemade on location, pastas are handcrafted from scratch, and organic heirloom vegetables are harvested from Zibiru’s own environmentally positive farm.

Adding to the authentic experience, the wine list emphasises vintages from various regions in Italy hand-selected to complement the restaurant’s savory fare.

Tel: 0361 733 625 www.zibiru.com Yak Map. T.8

JUNGLE SOCIETEA AT WANA RESTAURANT Traditional afternoon high tea gets a little wilder with Jungle SocieTea at the Bali Zoo. Held in the new Wana Restaurant, Lounge and Bar, Jungle SocieTea is a unique opportunity to indulge in delectable beverages and snacks while overlooking the zoo’s resident pride of lions in the spacious open-air lion habitat below. The Lioness and Cubs' Tea service includes freshly cut sandwiches, raisin and plain scones, Vietnamese spring rolls, samosas and a scrumptious assortment of fresh pastries and cakes. Moreover, the bar offers eight varieties of high-quality tea, refreshing beverages and delectable cocktails.

Tel: 0361 294 357 www.bali-zoo.com

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COCOON OFFERS HOLISTIC GLAM AT TWO NEW LOCATIONS Cocoon Medical Spa, the winner of Best Spa in Bali at the 2013 Yak Awards, is now offering advanced wellness and cosmetic medical spa services at two new locations: Sentosa Seminyak and Karma Kandara, Nusa Dua. Administered by fully qualified Australian-trained doctors, holistic cosmetic and wellness treatments include botox and fillers, mesotherapy, red light therapy LED, diamond microdermabrasion, 24k gold facials and colon hydrotherapy. “Our philosophy is simple,” says Cocoon director, Louise Cogan, “We aim to improve skin condition and health for long term anti-aging. Our technologies, treatments and products are the same standard that you will find at the best clinics in Australia, but up to 80 per cent less than

YOUNGER NEXT YEAR ASIA The Younger Next Year Asia summit is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear from some of the best in the business from the wellness, fitness and anti-aging arena. Guest speakers at this one-day event include best selling authors, professors, doctors and celebrities, and the talks cover everything from future proofing your brain to weight loss success stories to the latest advancements in stem cell therapy. The summit will take place on June 27 at the stunning Pan Pacific Nirwana Resort, and guests can end the day with sundowners and socialising overlooking Tanah Lot with the groovy tunes of Jim Larkin and the Saucy Soul Band.

Tel: 0813 3832 5637 www.youngernextyearasia.com

the Western price.” Niptuck at a snip...

Tel: 0361 847 5997

www.cocoonmedicalspa.com

Yak Map. E.7

AYU - FROM ATLAS PEARLS AYU, the latest luxury brand from Atlas Pearls and Perfumes, merges the worlds of perfume, cosmetics and jewellery to create an exquisite line of products using South Sea pearls. Named after the Balinese word that defines the infinite variety of feminine beauty, AYU has been nurtured by talents from France, Bali and Australia who source only the finest materials to compose fragrances, skincare products and jewellery that delve beyond beauty to reveal your true inner light. The AYU collection will be available

CELEBRATION OF LIFE, ART, YOGA, MUSIC, DANCE-A-THON Celebrate the good things in life and get warmed up for the Bali Spirit Festival at the same time at Desa Seni’s 4th annual Celebration of Life, Art, Yoga, Music, Dance-A-Thon on March 16. Young and old are welcome to join the fabulous and fun activities that will take place in the two yoga shalas, on the expansive lawn and next to the pool. The studios will host dance and yoga sessions and the outdoor areas will host music, fashion shows and art classes. Participants have the freedom to go back and forth between studios, stay in one studio, grab a bite to eat on the lawn or take a break at the pool. The events will start at 8am and continue on until 9pm, and funds raised will go to Ayo Kita Bicara HIV & AIDS. Tel: 0361 844 6392 www.desaseni.com Yak Map. M.2

from March at AYU’s new retail concepts in Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua. Tel: 0361 284 455

www.atlassouthseapearl.com.au

Yak Map. J.10

SPA AT SENTOSA Blessed with an architecturally stunning interior design and an established core of expertly trained Balinese therapists, the Spa at Sentosa has transformed from an exclusive, champagne bar-style spa into what many guests are already describing as Bali’s most multi-faceted spa, beauty, and wellness destination. Drawing on the industry’s most cutting-edge aesthetic trends and wellness experiences, the Spa at Sentosa now offers a dynamic holistic programme that features treatments by Cocoon Medical Spa, anti-ageing facials using Elemis products, massage therapies utilising Bali’s own Sensatia product line and a menu made up of fresh juices and healthy, nutritious dishes prepared with seasonal and locally-grown ingredients.

Tel: 0361 737 676 www.sentosaseminyak.com Yak Map. O.6

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XAVIER RUDD AT ULUWATU SURF VILLAS Uluwatu Surf Villas is excited to announce its third annual fundraiser event on March 26 for Project Clean Uluwatu (PCU) featuring renowned Australian musician Xavier Rudd.

Weaving together a rich tapestry of blues, reggae, indigenous sounds and folk music, Xavier Rudd will play against a background of one of the world’s most iconic surf breaks as guests enjoy a classic Bali-style sunset barbecue on the cliff-front lawn. All proceeds from the event will be donated to PCU to support their projects, which include rubbish collection, recycling and composting systems, a liquid waste management system and wastewater gardens. Tickets include admission to the concert, a BBQ meal, t-shirts and a signed poster, and they can be purchased at Drifter Surf Shop, Uluwatu Surf Villas or online via USV's PayPal account.

Tel: 0817 555 420 www.uluwatusurfvillas.com

SUNSET SUITE AT THE LEGIAN BALI Nestled on the highest level of The Legian Bali, the spectacular Sunset Suite is a haven of elegant luxury perfectly positioned to enjoy the island’s famed pink and gold tropical sunsets. At more than 270 square metres, the expansive suite features two bedrooms with private baths, amply proportioned living and dining areas, views of the Indian Ocean and access to exclusive benefits including a personal butler and private chauffeur service.

For honeymooners, lovebirds or those simply looking for some deluxe R&R, the Sunset Suite is a scenic sanctuary in the heart of south Bali.

Tel: 0361 730 622 www.ghmhotels.com/en/the-legian-bali Yak Map. M.7

FAT GAJAH - LAID OUT TO BE LAID BACK If seeing is believing then so must be eating… try out this latest little treasure, a little brother for big sister restaurant Chandi a perennial favourite of ours newly located in the centre of Seminyak across from Café Moka. Created by consummate professionals Chef Agung and his designer wife Kirsten, Fat Gajah is an Asian brasserie serving delicious dumplings and noodles, and like Chandi of course it’s all organic with twists on traditional dishes. The open kitchen and bar lend themselves perfectly to fast bites or leisurely lunches and sups and this little bro is open from noon – 11pm. As Chef Agung says, “it’s laid out to be laid back”. We were so enraptured with our meals that for us it was a leisurely lunch and you bet we will be back.

Tel: 0361 868 8212 www.fatgajah.com

BRONZE SPA You might think Bali needs another spa like it needs a hole in the head but the latest offering in Batu Belig, Bronze Spa, a sister spa to their Sydney medi clinic, the Dermal Institute has some chops. All of the therapists have been trained in Sydney and some have European training to boot. Special attention is given to the intense sun exposure that we all have in Bali and according to owner Leigh Turtle, “we are extremely careful to choose products and treatments to correct sun-damage and other problem areas with the least amount of down time meaning that our results last”. Not only does Bronze have some off the chart facial treatments for both men and women but they are offering the latest craze of eyelash extensions called Extreme Lashes and spray tan by Sunfx both worn by Hollywood’s elite and both looking very natural yet beautiful. Also, ladies and gents will be thrilled to hear they sell the best international skincare products available in Bali so you won’t be lugging those products in from overseas.

Tel: 0361 473 3211 www.bronz.com.au Yak Map. P.2

WATERCRESS ‘MALAM’ Watercress Café on Jl. Batubelig has been open just over a year and has quickly earned a solid reputation for its rustic breakfasts, healthy lunches and excellent coffees by Revolver.

Now diners can experience the same calibre of delicious gourmet meals at Watercress from 6pm onwards with their Malam dinner menu. The newly renovated front bar area will have a delicious shared plates menu to compliment the new cocktail list, extensive wine list, full range of ice teas as well as premium spirits served with fresh pressed juices for the health conscious in us all.

Tel: 0812 3962 2003 www.watercressbali.com 50

NEW MENU AT CASCADES Perched on the secluded ridge of Ubud’s ‘Valley of the Kings’, CasCades takes fine dining to new heights with a new menu designed by Belgian chef Nic Vanderbeeken and his talented culinary team. Nic is the newest in a long line of great chefs at CasCades who intricately combine local Indonesian flavours, international produce and European culinary techniques to produce dishes that are both classic and unique. The new menu features old favourites like foie gras with Indonesian starfruit coulis, as well as premium additions like the Grade 8 Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with truffle mash, Canadian Whole Lobster chosen fresh from the lobster tank, and Lemongrass Brulée, all complimented by an extensive wine list and attentive service.

Tel: 0361 972 111 www.cascadesbali.com

Sentosa Residence Umalas Sentosa Worldwide Resorts is offering one, two and three-bedroom contemporary villas with a colonial twist that blend amongst the 6.5 hectares of beautifully landscaped verdant tropical gardens in Umalas. Called Sentosa Residence Umalas, this will be a fully integrated resort-style community operating under the philosophy of “design-driven luxury”.

According to CEO, Ian Duffell, the resort will appeal to people determined to live life to the fullest, with the comfort and security of a five star resort. Expect on-site dining, gymnasium, Olympic sized swimming pool, outdoor cinema, clubhouse and spa … to name just a few of the perks of this posh address.

Tel: 0361 887 1111 www.sentosaumalas.com

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT SUNDARA Sundara at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay has officially unveiled its lavish Sunday Brunch featuring fresh and contemporary flavours that will excite every type of palate. From 11:30am to 4pm every Sunday executive chef, Greg Bunt, will showcase the best in resort cuisine prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients. Guests can choose from individual portions of dishes like the grilled octopus salad, Florentine pizza, Wagyu beef burger and grilled tuna steak, or go for the family-style sharing meals of roast lamb or snapper served with roasted potatoes, pumpkin, beets and green salad.

Tel: 0361 701 010 www.sundarabali.com

LA FINCA, WALLET FRIENDLY LUNCHES Everyone loves a good deal, which is why La Finca is now offering great lunch packages at affordable prices. Depending on your appetite, you can choose from one, two or three-course meals. For a light lunch, opt for an artisan burger or sandwich made with fresh wood-fired bread and accompanied by a fruit-infused iced tea or refreshing fruit granita. For those with a larger appetite, add a hearty organic salad or gazpacho soup.

And for the true lovers of life, top it all off with one of La Finca's signature homemade desserts. Prices range from IDR 80.000 to IDR130,000.

Tel: 361 210 5080 www.lafincabali.com Yak Map. K.2

CHRIS PATZOLD AT THE REGENT BALI The Regent Bali is proud to announce the appointment of Chris Patzold as Executive Chef for all of the dining establishments at the resort. This Australian native has a cooking career that spans 25 years and includes stints in countries as diverse as Australia, Switzerland, England, the U.S. Thailand and Indonesia. In the past decade he has worked at some of Bali’s most notable restaurants including Ku Dé Ta and Blossom at Sentosa Villas Seminyak.

He aims to bring a different dining experience and culinary creativity to the already innovative menus at the Nyala Beach Club & Grill, Layang Layang and the Residence Villas Club House at the Regent Bali.

Tl: 0361 301 1888 www.regenthotels.com/bali

SOFITEL BALI NUSA DUA BEACH RESORT Newly opened in Nusa Dua, the Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort offers luxurious facilities and five-star service that combines French elegance and flair with warm Balinese hospitality, rich culture and fine arts. The hotel comprises 415 rooms and suites including 17 Private Villas, 22 Prestige Suites and 376 Luxury Rooms, each of which is designed to be a unique escape for business travellers, couples and families.

Tel: 0361 849 2888 www.sofitel.com

DO NOT DISTURB! Nyepi, that naughty time of the year when evil spirits try to descend on our little island of paradise, we must silence ourselves so they pass us by until next year. This year guests who stay at Mulia Resort and Villas Nusa Dua during Nyepi are encouraged to join a morning mediation to clear the mind, body and spirit as all Balinese observe the annual Nyepi Day of Silence on March 31, 2014. While we are all about cleansing our souls and the like, we do like our creature comforts as well. The Mulia, with it’s beachfront access, eight restaurants, numerous pools and fabulous fitness centre and spa, is just the ticket for a quiet escape.

Tel: 0361 301777 www.themulia.com

Lello Lello – Gelato ARTIGINALE An adorable new addition to the scene is this gelateria Lello Lello, across from the Samaya Hotel, that has everyone coming back for moorish hand-made gelato with inspired flavours like pavlova, or champagne and raspberries, and other decadent daily changing fresh fruit flavours. The owners' flair for design shines through with hand-painted black and white tiled floors and silk-screened pineapple printed wall paper. There is indoor, outdoor and courtyard seating and out front a little extra surprise is the new addition of 'Petite India' – a joglo with an open kitchen.

Tel: 0361733815 Yak Map. N.7

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YOUR PLATE OR MINE? Sharing is the most enjoyable way to experience the food at Salt tapas. The philosophy is to provide simple, fresh, tapas style dishes with great wines by the glass, in a casual relaxed setting.

Located within Sentosa Seminyak, in the heart of town, Salt tapas Bali is the newest addition to the Luke Mangan family of “Salt“ restaurants.

Open daily from 11.30am until late.

For reservations (0361) 737 675 or info@salttapasbali.com www.salttapasbali.com salttapasbali

@salttapasbali

salttapasbali

Jl. Pura Telaga Waja Seminyak, Bali Indonesia 80361 t. +62 361 730333 info@sentosaseminyak.com www.sentosaseminyak.com

SUN13653straightAwnYAK_Layout 1 26/07/13 9:56 AM Page 1

OUTSIDE IT OUTLASTS OUTDOOR FURNITURE • INDOOR FURNITURE • WINDOW TREATMENTS • AWNINGS • UMBRELLAS

www.sunbrella.com For more information contact our Jakarta office on (021) 5289 7393

Jalan Saridewi 17 Seminyak Bali Ph. +62 361 736 750 www.thestrawhut.com

Kitchen, Bar & Shop

Seminyak - Bali

interview YURI KOLOKOLNIKOV JOINS THE CAST OF GAME OF THRONES . . .

AND HOLIDAYS IN BALI. sergey Povarnitsyn CAUGHT UP WITH HIM FOR A CHAT ABOUT WILDLINGS, WINTER AND THE IRON THRONE. PHOTO: GREGORY SHELUKIN.

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We’re on Bali. So, first question – do you surf?

I do, but I don’t. I mean I generally do surf a bit. But not here on Bali, because I had other things that kept me busy. Like the ear infection that was bugging me throughout my time here. But over time I started to enjoy it, ’cause I know I’m gonna be back to Russia and it’s gonna be over, all the poor tiny tropical bacteria will just freeze to death.

Okay, now to the serious part. We know you got a part in the fourth season of Game of Thrones. Who’s your character?

I don’t want to spoil it for you, and I’m also bound by the nondisclosure stuff. So the only thing I can tell you is what’s already out in the public: I’m playing Styr, Magnar of Thenns, one of the Wildling tribes.

What’s so wild about you then?

Oh, cut the prejudice crap. Who told you that a Wildling has to be wild? Maybe we’re the intelligentsia tribe from behind the wall. By the way, intelligentsia is one of the very few words Russians have introduced into the English language.

Russians haven’t really given Hollywood too many actors either.

Have you acted in an international production before?

Your info is outdated. There are more and more Russians in American movies these days. I guess it’s because we are becoming a rather significant market, so big producers know they can boost a local box office by using the local actors. And everyone starts realising we are not communists any more. Actually, I already went on to conquer L.A. right after I graduated from an acting school.

Didn’t go too well I assume?

Slept a few times on Malibu beach. You know, it’s more quiet than Santa Monica. It was there that I fell in love with the ocean, and felt the drag to go to the big water ever since.

Is that where they found you for the audition?

Yeah, I got approved for the part 10 years ago, but it took them some time to build a proper show around me.

Some scale they got there . . .

A thousand people running around in funny clothes hitting each other with sticks and an actual wall of ice one kilometer tall – you

Does anyone watch it in Russia?

Surprisingly, yes. We didn’t have HBO by the time I started shooting, but it turned out that through any means possible so many people are carefully watching the fight for the Iron Throne.

Enough of the promo stuff. What brought you to Bali?

As you might be aware, it’s pretty damn cold in the long Russian winters. So every year I’m trying to free up my schedule a bit and have some time with the sun. I like Asia, but I’ve never been to Bali before. And everyone’s so crazy about this place, so I thought I should give it a try.

Well, how’d find it?

I love it! The nature’s amazing. And the people are so open and friendly, smiling all the time and stuff like that. A nice change from the grim Russian folks back at home. And the food is just great! I can’t stop eating here. And then there’s the ear bacteria…

What was your ‘thing’ here? Did you party? Do yoga?

Craft furniture?

A little bit of everything. But mostly I just ate and ate. I tried not to get out of the villa, ’cause it’s so nice there, with the rice paddy view and stuff. I did start to play tennis here though. Something I might consider making a habit of. I actually came here with my daughters, we all had our birthdays here, three, eight and 33. So I was trying to be a good dad and spending as much time with them as possible, which doesn’t happen that often with actors. And that was such a great experience, something I’m most grateful to Bali for. Everyone absolutely loved it here. I just hope they don’t get depressed when we get back home. Because I might.

call that a scale? Of course it’s freaking huge. That’s the biggest show in the universe, after all. I was very lucky to get involved with this project. It’s a great honor for me to work with all these talented people. From costume designers to actors and showrunners – these are some of the finest men and women in the industry. And everyone’s so passionate about what they do, it’s no wonder this show is such a hit.

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interview

Design Dope SITS down with L.A.-based celebrity jeweller Michael David – A.K.A Mishka Piaf. photo: lukas vrtilek.

mishka, please tell us about yourself.

Michael David Wilson is my full name and Mishka is the nickname my mum and my grandmother used to call me as a baby when I was still living in Warsaw. Piaf is inspired by the French singer, Edith Piaf, because I have always been fascinated by her story and the struggles that she faced before stardom. Padam Padam is the song I love the most. It is haunting, empowering and sad all at once and I think that sadness can be inspiring at times – it is a state of mind and it can be very temperamental state of mind.

What is your current state of mind?

This is a time of adjustment. I have just arrived from Shanghai, before that I was in Los Angeles working in my home-manufacturing space. I have been working and travelling a lot this year and adjusting from a high paced Western lifestyle to the relaxing aesthetics of Bali . . . which is definitely a state of mind.

When did you become Mishka Piaf?

I suppose growing up I was always very social, I did a lot of partying in L.A. as a child. I was kind of a rebel for the longest time and I was always very self-expressive as far as what I wore, what I liked . . . I developed a very distinguished taste from an early age. It is funny really; as a child I was into riding horses. I was an equestrian and that is what I originally thought I wanted to do with my life. I rode for about nine years and I actually qualified for the junior Olympics.

Design Dope met you a year ago at the notorious Diva luncheons, was that your first time to Bali?

No, I had been to Bali the year before that. I try come once a year for about two or three months for inspiration.

What inspires you?

History. And I love culture. I draw a lot of inspiration from tragic moments in history. The great depression for example and I have also been very inspired by the aesthetics of Germany . . . military glamour. I am also inspired by Eastern culture and more and more by the Chinese and Indonesian culture. The ceremonial processions that take place in Bali are so beautiful. Almost surreal – the contrast to Western civilisation is enormous.

We get the feeling that you grew up with a lot of story telling and unusual experiences. Tell us more about your childhood.

Yes there was a lot of story telling. Polish stories told by my mum. I was always very fascinated by them and still am. My father . . . well if you want stories then he has the craziest of them all. One I will never forget is when he was building our house in California: The same person who actually shot Gianni Versace stole my dad’s car and drove it to Miami. Ironically enough, as a child, I was very fond of Versace – I still am very fond of the whole gold thing. It was a very special time in my life and then the recession hit, businesses were shutting down and we kind of lost everything. It was struggle and total wake up call at the same time. That is when I start creating.

You are creating for quite a few well-known people – Naomi Campbell, Nicki Minaj and Britney Spears are just a few of the celebrities who adore your jewellery. Tell us your most memorable moment with any of them.

I suppose that the most memorable would be the Britney project. I had just

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finished a necklace and sent a photo to my friend. He emails me back with nothing but an address and tells me “bring the necklace now and whatever else you have”.

I think to myself “why not?” and jump in the car. I pull up to this beautiful house in the hills and there is a U-Haul truck outside the house filled with the most amazing couture and at least half a dozen assistants running around. Britney is having her make up done inside the house while I have all of these people rummaging through my jewels, pulling everything together. That is when I realised that they were shooting her new video clip that day. It was madness!

Wow! So what do you think of the fashion and social scene in Bali?

That depends on whose fashion. I believe that it is a very expressive place – I am tempted to say that Bali is very similar to Dubai in some ways . . . Las Vegas almost.

All the new building . . . I have friends that have lived here since the 1980s – they used to produce sarongs for their stores in Hawaii here back in the day. They told me that you were not able to build places that were higher than a coconut tree.

I loved that idea – so fascinating. As I said, I don’t know if the change is good, because I am kind of an old soul sometimes . . . I didn’t answer your question at all did I? What can we expect from you upcoming collection?

Well I can’t reveal that just yet, but before leaving for Shanghai and Bali I was working on something back in California, which I am very passionate about. I was pulling all-nighters. Three days in a row drinking my coffee, smoking my cigarettes all while wearing my favorite fur coat! Although I have no formal training, I do everything myself, I make everything. I love being in my creative bubble; it is where I find my freedom and when I start I don’t stop.

Can we expect to see an Indonesian influence in the Mishka Piaf jewellery in the near future?

Of course, absolutely! I love it here . . . it is fabulous. mishka's top ten Favourite historical figure/person: Mata Hari, Cleopatra and Elizabeth Taylor – all great and powerful women.

Favorite Fashion Era: I feel as if I need a time machine because I’m dissatisfied with this one. It would have to be the ‘20s and the 1950s.

Greatest Love: I feel like I am in love with everybody.

The last three persons you called or texted: Angie Anggoro, my mum and Kyoung Kim. Tell us something you haven’t told anyone before: I have terrible social anxiety.

Fashion prediction: Lady Gaga will be creative director for Versace.

What word(s) do you tend to overuse most in conversation: Glamour, glamour glamour . . . and blasé.

What album are you listening to on repeat at the moment: Artpop by Lady Gaga.

Nickname: Ha ha ha . . . Princess!

What are you most passionate about: Helping my mum with her healthcare and focusing on non-profit organisation in California.

jewel in the crown.

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interview through the looking glass.

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salvador bali meets Suki, sunglass queen and energetic entrepreneur. photo: lukas VRTilek.

Let's start talking.

My name is Suki, I’m from Surabaya and I’m 27 years old.

What was your background?

My mom died when I was born and dad hit the road, never to be seen again, gone, out the door and I never met him. I was raised by my grandma in a small village outside Surabaya. I left the village at the age of nine when grandpa died and grandma couldn’t afford me, and moved back to Surabaya to my auntie – the wicked witch of the east . . . she actually turned me on to drugs when I was 12. During junior high school I ran away, that’s when the adventure started. I went on to study at tourism school and worked in that industry for four years.

Were you into tourism in Bali when you came here?

Yes, two-and-a-half years ago I came to live here and before that I came quite frequently in and out traveling from all over the world with my travel agency.

Suki, sounds Japanese?

It is, it’s really my nickname and I discovered that in Japanese it means “love”, great huh? I’m very happy about that.

Now you’re in business with your own unique style of wooden sunglasses . . .

I started to think I needed to do something independent – shoes, clothing, then sunglasses appealed to me, and the idea of wooden frames popped into my head. I talked to lots of friends and the results were always the same – you’re dreaming, you’re not going to do this, it’s too big for you, you have no idea about what you’re talking about . . . on and on. I did some research and decided I wanted to do this regardless. I didn’t tell anyone and just went ahead and did it. I don’t need negativity.

Did you know anything about wood or glass?

At the beginning I experimented with coconut wood, then rosewood, on and on . . . damn, I was ready to give up, then I realised I had put so much time and energy into this project. I spoke to other people with experience (in the field) and was supported. You can do anything if supported with positive energy, and so it happened. I created what I felt and saw and now I have six designs with four different special kinds of woods.

Where was your first outlet here?

Deus (Ex Machina), then Ku De Ta, the W Hotel and some selected outlets, and now going into New Zealand. I’ll be looking at a wider international market in the future. I’d also like to have my own shop some day.

We have the wood, what about the glass?

We’re using polarized lenses.

Your philosophy on life?

Dream big, it’s not going to hurt you, it’s free, whatever you want . . . I can’t imagine what you want, but the universe will give it to you.

I love this line and so appropriate for you – “I was born free but now I’m very expensive“.

Yes, yes . . . being born in a poor family is not our parents fault, but when we die in the end, it’s our fault if we do not succeed.

What do you have to say to your sunglass fans?

What I want is for them to feel sexy and free, united with love and colours. www.suki.co.id

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interwho interwho

Stephane Sensey – talented interior designer, passionate photographer – talks to rosie andres about life, art and living the dream. portrait by irezz pratama. japan images by Stephane sensey.

Stephane, how did you end up in Bali?

I came for the first time in 2004 just for a vacation. When I got home to France. I decided quickly that I wanted to move here. I was fascinated with the life and the simple beauty of Bali. In many ways it’s like Bali found me.

Moving just felt natural.

So you’ve been here for quite a while . . . how was it back then compared to now?

I started working in a small office space on Oberoi Street before the strip became what it is today. Before all the shops and luxurious hotels appeared there were only rice fields around in every direction.

And now it’s like Oberoi Street has become the Champs Ellysée of Bali.

Can you tell us how you came to start your own interior design brand?

I guess the fact that my father is an interior designer – and started the first Sensey showroom in 1969 – has had a huge influence on me. I always followed him everywhere, learning by doing. Every summer I’d be chasing my father’s heels around to shows and fairs in Paris, and to the factory, taking in as much as I could.

What makes your line of interior design stand out?

We produce and export furniture, art, lighting and accessories in classic

French style, mainly from the Louis XV and Louis XVI era, using textures and textiles with patterns and luxurious vintage designs. And then I give it my own touch. It stands out because it’s unique and totally different from what anyone else is doing, especially here in Bali where it’s mostly about copying. We are focused on quality and innovative designs, the concept being to add to the interior of a space in a stylish and elegant manner.

Where do you take your inspiration from?

Everywhere. Life . . . in simple and beautiful ways. There is so much to see – colours, things happening. Compared to the stressful life back home, Bali is such a refreshing environment to be in. I don’t think I could ever feel not inspired . . . because there is so much going on.

The thing is, when you live in Bali, I think your daily life is easier . . . it’s supposed to be easier. So I can understand that you can’t find inspiration when you live in a city, which destroys everything. Everywhere I go I see something and I don’t have to go looking for it. It just comes naturally.

If you ever did feel uninspired, how would you pull yourself out of it?

Concerning my work, I have a certain style. And I always follow my style.

And what do you do when you're bored?

You know, I’m pretty busy. I have three warehouses and one shop and we’ve got a lot going on so I don’t have time to get bored.

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petite japan.

64

interwho interwho

heavy metal metropolis.

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interwho

Describe your style in five words.

Elegant. Simple. Sober. Refined. Unique.

What is your educational background?

I went to school in Seattle, but didn’t really like it. A friend of mine who I’d holidayed with in Spain the previous year – taking snapshots all around the countryside with a not-very-good camera – invited me to come visit him in San Francisco and I decided I wanted to move there. I phoned my parents and told them I wanted to move to S.F. and take photography classes, and so I did. When it comes to interior design, the base of my knowledge and my taste comes from my father and the fact that my mother was an impressionist painter also had its effect.

So you paint too?

I used to, but I’m not doing so right now. I just don’t have the time to involve myself in painting like I’d love to do, but one day . . . I’m more focused on the interior design and I really enjoy photography, which is my passion and pastime.

The furniture and interior design is more commercial and the photography is personal. My goal with taking photos is to create an emotion, a reaction from the viewer. To share my feelings by capturing the essence of a moment and portraying what I see.

When did your journey as a photographer begin?

After I took the photography classes in San Francisco, but it was more of a hobby up until the year before I moved to Bali. The real passion for photography came when I was involved in creating a book on my hometown, Biarritz. As the editorial director overseeing the project – which took almost a year – I had to pick and organise and learn what makes a good photograph. Ultimately I learnt that the most important thing to focus on as a photographer is the background.

And what is your style of photography?

Natural spontaneous scenarios. Everywhere I go I always take my camera with me.

I love black and white. Probably 90 per cent of my work is black and white. “Colour is the reality, black and white is the truth” – I think these words are from Henri Cartier-Bresson? I love being the director of my own art work. It gives freedom to my style, whether that is in interior design or in photography. Using colours, dealing with people and the atmosphere all come together to define the details that finally give value to the whole concept.

Have you exhibited your work outside of Bali?

I’ve had several exhibitions here, but also in Kazakhstan. And I have some more projects still in the negotiation stage. The last few years, I’ve been travelling a lot.

I’ve been to Cambodia, India, America, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Europe.

It’s what I like to do to escape my daily life and work.

I heard rumours that you DJ as well?

I only DJ once a year but I love it. I love music and enjoy listening to it but I’ve never been interested in creating music myself.

So, besides having three warehouses and one shop, what are your plans for expansion in the future?

We have 10 projects in the making. Being in Bali is the perfect place for meeting people and networking. It is like a fair and so many people from all over the world come here to buy and produce furniture. But we are working on expanding and opening up new shops. www.stephanesensey.com

hai!

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hug me baby.

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interview Susan Hu talks to Holy Indradjaja, country manager for PT Aqueo, the exclusive distributors for Havaianas and Seafolly in Indonesia. photo: spencer hansen.

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Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I’m originally from Jakarta, but when I was 16 I moved to the U.S. and lived in L.A. for 10 years. I first came to Bali in 2007 as I was in need of a new start, so I’ve been here for the past eight years working in retail and fashion. Bali has grown on me.

Holy is a fantastic name. Is there a story behind it?

I was born on a holy day within a holy month in the Buddhist religion, so my father thought it was a fitting name.

Do you remember your first pair of Havaianas . . . colour? style?

Hmm, my first pair was a slim basic black. I wore these in the transition from my previous job where I was a bit more corporate. Now I experiment more with colour and enjoy wearing some of the fun brighter pairs and prints.

How did you get involved with Havaianas?

I had always followed the brand since it really started taking off in Indonesia a few years back, and I was working for a fashion retailer in Bali when I, by chance, ran into the general manager who was looking for someone in the Bali office.

That meeting turned into a job opportunity so I was very lucky as it was the perfect chance to take it on at a time of huge growth in 2011.

A day in the life of Holy Indradjaja?

I lead a fairly busy life. Being a single mom of a nine-year-old boy, my day consists of getting up and dragging him out of bed and off to school. Then it’s into the office for the day, visits to our stores, then back home for homework and dinner before I can escape to the gym for some “me time” after 8pm.

It’s always a juggle between my work and personal life.

What is your philosophy on work and life in general?

Something my father once said to me was: “Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed and rearranged to relocate us to the place we’re meant to be”.

The Havaianas brand is over 50 years old and still going strong. In your opinion, what’s the secret to the success?

The Havaianas brand stays true to its image globally. The head office in Brazil is very hands-on with the style guidelines and the image overall through their distribution network, as well as the consistency of the product, so I believe this has helped. They are a simple product, but with quality rubber and a range of colours and prints to reach a wide audience.

And this has turned the sandals into a must-have fashion icon that stays in people’s minds. We are also very lucky to have such loyal, passionate followers of the brand.

Currently, fans of Havaianas can pick up sweet sandals in select stores in Jakarta and Bali. Do you have plans to expand into other parts of Indonesia?

Yes, we are starting to expand the business in Medan and have just opened a small Havaianas store there, and shortly we will be in Surabaya as well. We currently have seven of our Universo retail outlets in Bali, and three in Jakarta, with plans to increase our locations in Jakarta as well in 2014.

Are there any hot new trends in the world of sandals we should know about?

The biggest trend we have seen is customisation – personalising your pairs and having a unique style that is different from anyone else. This is very popular. We now offer our “Make Your Own Havaianas” at more stores in response to this trend. Globally we are also seeing a lot of collaborations with well-known fashion designers and more stylish offerings in the world of sandals. They are really moving from a household item to a hot fashion item – with additional crystals, jewels and adornments to create a more premium sandal. We also recently collaborated with Swarovski in Jakarta and have had a huge response to sandals with “bling”, so this trend is growing too.

Can you describe your current favourite pair of Havaianas?

My favourite pair is Slim Season Grey – it’s a pretty floral print on a staple silver metallic pair . . . good for all types of occasions.

Any fashion advice or tips from the country manager of a fashion icon?

Simplicity is my advice. Keep it simple and find your own point of difference. Add a splash of colour here or there or a bit of unique style, but don’t overdo it. That’s my theory.

havaianas' holy.

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interview drew corridore talks to Spanish philanthropist Carlos Ferrandiz about the meaning of love and striving for global equity. photo: spencer hansen.

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Hi Carlos, can you tell us a bit about your background before you came to Indonesia.

Before arriving in Indonesia I was a lawyer in Spain and I was working in a large law firm for seven years. I had the professional career I had always aimed for, now I would say it was a career that many would envy. Since I was a child my parents taught me the difficulties of life and how important is to be prepared and strong in whatever you do. My parents always tried to give the best to us. I worked very hard in my life to achieve where I was and I felt I was happy when my life changed on arrival to Indonesia. I learnt there what was the most important thing is in this life, love.

What inspired you to make the move to Indonesia?

Since I was a child my parents instilled in me the importance of helping others. They took me from when I was six years old to help with humanitarian work . . . my main work there was in hospitals for the physically and mentally disabled. I think I owe this humanitarian mission in large part to my parents, Carlos and Maria Jose, and to my sister, Laura, as they have taught me since I was a really small child to appreciate what really matters in life like love, health, friendship, happiness, appreciating what you have, taking advantage of knowing the tough times and dealing with them as much as possible with a huge smile.

What was it about Sumbawa that led you to create Harapan Project?

I was approached by a child seven years ago on my first trip to Sumbawa.

He tried to communicate with me but was speaking in Indonesian – a language I couldn’t speak at all, so I couldn’t understand and I asked him if he spoke English. He said no, he only spoke a few words. This surprised me greatly because it is the only language locals could communicate with to the little amount of tourists that came to the island. I told him the next day I was going to teach him English and that he should tell his friends to also come to my class. The next day I went to the meeting place I had agreed with that child . . . I had a blackboard that I had borrowed from one of the few hotels that exist in the area and my books to learn Indonesian from English (I was planning to use the books in the opposite direction). To my surprise I found the whole population of the closest village had turned up – about 150 people, among whom were children, parents and even grandparents. Dazzled by these people’s desire to learn, I decided that my life should change to help these people. At that point Harapan Project was born.

What does the project seek to achieve?

The Harapan project consists of an eco-sustainable development centre with the aim of improving the living conditions of the local population, strengthening the Indonesian teachers’ training and improving the educational, working and incoming opportunities for the local population of Hu'u. The real goal is to teach the local people how to manage the centre so that they can manage it alone in some years. This project belongs to the local people and the most important thing is to show them how to make it sustainable, how to fundraise for it, and how to create income that, in turn, creates social businesses that will fund the whole project. In this way it is not always necessary to rely on external help.

Where do you see the main social disconnects existing in Indonesia . . . especially with regard to Sumbawa, but maybe you can extrapolate to other areas.

The social imbalance in Indonesia is very big. The imbalance between islands is amazing. When people arrive for the first time to Sumbawa they usually say things like, “this is like Bali 20 years ago”. This is what I am talking about; the economic and social development level is totally different between the islands. It is very sad but as in the rest of the world the opportunities in life depend totally on where you are born.

How does Harapan Project go about achieving its goals?

The economic situation of the project has been very difficult since the beginning. I started the project from zero and without any economic help.

Little by little we have achieved every project aim that we could afford.

So far we have achieved amazing things. We have saved many lives and taught many children to read and write – English and geography. We still have a long way to go, even further when we are talking about education.

Now the most important thing is to keep fighting every single day. I truly believe that if you work for something good at the end the doors you need will be opened.

What kind of personal fulfillment does the project bring you?

Since the first time I arrived to Sumbawa I felt that this was my place, the place that I was born to live, that these my people. What is more important is that I found the real way of my life. The love that everyday these people – and more the children – give to me is the most beautiful thing I ever felt.

It’s what gives sense to all this dedication and fight. There is nothing in this world more beautiful. This is the most pure love I have ever felt in my life.

You left a lot behind you in Spain – is it worth the loss? Is it a loss?

I left many important things in Spain including my family, my friends and my old life. I think it’s always difficult to move out of your comfort zone.

I mean there are many difficult moments when you wish to be with your loved ones but I know this is my dream in life and this is the cost of following my dream. It’s important to help these people have better lives because they really deserve it. My rewards from living here more than compensate for any losses.

Do you have any regrets?

Surely I miss many important things. For me it is very important to have my loved ones close. It is very hard to miss the first steps of my nephews and to be far from my loved ones when they need me and vice versa but what I am doing here is also very important to me.

In a “perfect” world what would the social structure resemble?

In a “perfect” world every person would be equal. They would have the same opportunities in their lives no matter where they are born.

Your philosophy on life?

In this life I believe it is very important to do what makes you happy, to do what you believe and to follow your dreams, no matter how hard it is and no matter what you leave behind. It is important to live without fear. www.proyectoharapan.org

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artsake

Sebastiano Navarra talks to The Yak about his art – and the journey he took to make it.

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Sebastiano, how and when did you arrive on Earth?

As was the custom of the day and according to my mother, I was found under a cauliflower!

Who and what guided you into the world of art?

Some people call it a gift from God. My father encouraged me from the age of three. I was pretty good by the age of 10 and 12 and attended a Catholic school where I was encouraged to paint, draw and etch. With the priests’ recommendation I was able to find work by 16. I was 'Photoshopping' images of famous people by hand. Also my South American experience was key. I won a competition run by an advertising agency, J Walter Thompson, and went to work in Bogota, Colombia, in graphic design – very challenging, long hours, the money was good but my art took a back seat, it became a part-time hobby – I am now trying to make up for that gap.

Significant moments of your youth?

Winning the J Walter Thompson competition. My life began when I moved to Bogota.

Pride in art – your first moment of pride?

At the Muestra of Bogota at The National Museum through the Ministry of Culture and the Embassy of Italy. I sold all my pieces. Those that were left were various sculptures (based on the medieval city of Matera in Calabria) from a collaboration of architects and artists . . . these were grouped together to form a flagstaff. It was bought by the Bank of Bogota and stands four metres tall in the high-ceilinged rotunda. This was my abstract era . . .

Who was your first love?

My youth was in Columbia, my life started when I got there.

Botero was there, Rojas too, all in one group, we were the same age, friends. We “imported” some movies - Colombia was very Catholic and censored movies. I saw Gilda with Rita Hayworth . . .

I fell in love – she was my first love and to this day still is. I saw her later in life – she was not so good . . . alcohol and cigarettes . . .

Influences within your style? Who are your heroes – past and present?

Picasso. I saw Guernica. I sat in front of it for a while. I recognise and love all his phases and his history. Canova was almost perfection in sculpture; I became a fan of Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and all those that I represent within my art. My dilemma was how to translate those personalities – the Greats – into the world of today and make them relevant, so they can live with me in this lifetime. So I dedicate my art to them. It is my

union with their era, fashion/costumes; but they are so serious so I add a touch of my style: a doll; a dog; a bird . . . I like mixing past with present. I also have a series of Aesop's fables done in my style.

You are a traditionalist/rebellious art warrior, if there can be such a thing. Why? Not really. I like leading, discovering, finding which is the best way of expressing or externalising myself. Although the search is the part of the warrior.

What are you working on now?

To finish the current group of puzzle art and I am already working on the Bestuarios – a series of metal sculptures. When I have 30 or so I will exhibit. After that I will look to do a series of collage – I’m always looking to use different mediums. Who knows where it will take me. The important thing is to take the Greats with me to include them in my work.

What mediums do you use?

In Bogota there was no money and few materials so we had to be innovative, use whatever we could find to come up with the goods. That gave me a base to be proficient in the use of many materials. Wood, I make three-dimensional miniatures of works that will become puzzles, with plastic I do the same.

Tell us of your process from inspiration to completed work of art . . .

I know how I want the final work to look like. In the morning I wake at six, I stay in bed with my eyes closed until seven, I pass the images of what I am creating through my mind's eye, I correct them, deform them. By the time I get up I have almost the precise finished artwork. Then I draw it so as to remind myself of it.

If you could collaborate with any artists past or present who would it be?

Picasso, of course.

Plans for the future?

Keep on working and make up for lost time. Not as in lost life time but within my art. I want to make up the body of art that I did not do in the nine years of graphic design in South America.

I want to see, to translate. I want to discover what is left for me to do. Like the Greats, I would like my work to make people stop and ponder, make them feel emotion in this rushed world we live in.

Sebastiano, it's been a real pleasure.

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culture vulture

Robert Rosen has been shooting the world’s most recognisable faces for decades. He’s partied with celebrities and socialites. He’s shot fashion in Paris, New York and Sydney.

He shares a lifetime of rich experience with Andrew E. Hall.

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the kiss.

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culture vulture ROBERT ROSEN, SHOT AT HIS HOME IN bALI BY ANTHONY DODDS.

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culture vulture Kylie Minogue & Michael Hutchence. "THIS WAS TAKEN AT MICHAEL’S 30TH BIRTHDAY PARTY IN SYDNEY. IT WAS A PRIVATE AFFAIR, NO PHOTOGRAPHERS. I WAS INVITED AS A FRIEND AND TOOK THE LITTLE SNAPPY CAMERA IN MY POCKET. THEY DIDNT MIND BEING PHOTOGRAPHED, AS YOU CAN SEE."

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Robert’s family moved from South Africa to Melbourne, Australia, when he was a youngster. He was schooled in the city and ended up studying photography at Prahran Tech after being told he was crap at painting by his art teacher.

“He said to me, ‘Robert you can’t paint, you’re hopeless . . . I’ll pass you but here’s a camera, why don’t you try it’.”

It was a good move.

“I spent two years at Prahran Tech . . . it was a three-year course but some of the teachers said my work was too weird, and that I’d never make it as a photographer. One of them told me I was copying Andy Warhol and I’d never heard of him. I did some research to find out who he was, saw his stuff, and thought, ‘this guy is good’.

“Ten years later I’m at a party with Warhol, he invites me for tea the next day at his hotel, The Ritz in London . . . and I thought, ‘f**k you Prahran Tech’.”

“After Melbourne I moved to Sydney and mucked around there for a few years, just doing photos for myself and a magazine called Pole . . . and then I went to London,” Robert says.

In London he started photographing the rock ‘n’ roll scene and hooked up with a female journalist – the delightfully named Cherry Ripe – who covered the music festivals in the UK. “Of course, I ran out of money and returned to Australia.”

In the late ‘70s Robert returned to England and met a woman who was connected to the clubbing and celebrity circles.

“She was quite social so we went to all the fabulous parties and night clubs . . . and there was a particular club called the Embassy – which was the equivalent of New York’s Studio 54 – and we used to go there nearly every night,” Robert says.

“I saw photographers there shooting and I went up to one of them and asked him why he was there every night. He said: ‘There’s Bianca Jagger and there’s Rod Stewart and Elton’. And I said, ‘so?’”

“Well they’re here every night too,” says the shooter. “And if you shoot them you can sell the pictures to newspapers and make money.”

Robert went to London with the intention of shooting fashion but the logistics of finding studio space and the requisite paraphernalia was somewhat daunting. Taking pictures of celebrities in clubs seemed a better option.

“I started taking my camera to the Embassy and the Blitz Club which was run by Steve Strange and Boy George was there . . . and took my pictures around to newspapers and magazines,” Robert says.

“There was a monthly magazine called Ritz and they paid virtually nothing – maybe a pound a photo – but under every picture they put my name . . . so I got it out there. And everyone read Ritz – there were like 10 pages of social pics in each issue and everyone wanted to be in it.”

Robert branched out to shooting fashion for a number of magazines and became a freelancer for The Daily Mail newspaper.

In those days Robert shot almost exclusively in black and white.

“I love black and white . . . it makes people jump out of the photos more and your eye goes to a certain part of the picture, and there’s a beautiful contrast. It’s much more dramatic,” he says.

One of the secrets to Robert’s success was that he didn’t lug around a whole bunch of camera gear.

He had one of the first small auto-focus cameras by Olympus which he could carry in his pocket.

“At film premiers and other events the requisite dress was black tie, so I’d always dress that way while the other photographers didn’t. The organisers would give the press about half an hour to shoot and then they would have to leave,” Robert says.

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culture vulture "Marianne Faithful and I went to Ossie Clarke's fashion show in London together. She knew Mick was going to be there with Jerry and on the way she told she was a bit nervous about seeing him again as she actually hadn't seen him in years. After the parade we were invited backstage for drinks and she went over and said hello to them. As I turned round and saw her with them she waved at me as if to say 'I'm talking to them!' And I snapped the moment . . . "

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Bianca Jagger (London 1980). "I MET BIANCA AT A CLUB CALLED LEGENDS IN SOHO. SHE WAS HAVING DRINKS WITH FRIENDS AND I WENT UP AND ASKED HER IF I COULD TAKE HER PHOTO. 'WHY?' SHE SAID. 'BECAUSE YOU’RE ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN THE WORLD,' I SAID. 'ALL RIGHT THEN!' SHE REPLIED.”

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culture vulture Chris Stein & Debbie HARRY – "THIS WAS TAKEN AFTER ONE OF THEIR SHOWS IN LONDON IN 1979.

I THINK SHE LOOKS SO BEAUTIFUL IN THIS PHOTO."

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“But I just had my little camera in my pocket . . . and I’d go and have another glass of champagne. I’d wait until all the stars had had a lot of drinks and then pull out the camera.

The overseas celebrities would think I was just another guest and would pose for me.

“I got some good photos like that . . .

“The others who knew me trusted me. It wasn’t like a real job – it was great fun.

“The notion of celebrity is really just in people’s minds. When you went to meet the “celebrities” some of them were just like little pussycats – they were more nervous than I was.

“I do, however, remember my heart pounding when I met Charlotte Rampling – who wouldn’t, she was gorgeous – at a party and asked if I could take her picture, and she asked me why.

“I said, ‘aren’t you Charlotte Rampling’ and she thought for a minute and said, ‘oh yes’.”

Robert, however, never regarded himself as part of the paparazzi – in fact he didn’t like them much.

“I don’t like the paparazzi . . . but someone labelled me ‘snaparazzi’ which I quite liked,” he says.

“When I was in London if I was invited to the parties, of course I would go. But if I wasn’t invited I wouldn’t go. I would never stand out on the street . . . I never liked to invade people’s privacy.

“There was one night I was at David Frost’s party and someone asked me if I was going to the music awards at Abbey Road. So off we went and all the paparazzi were standing around in the

garden. I said, ‘what are you guys doing outside, it’s freezing’. “. . . but because I was dressed up (and had my little camera in my pocket) the security people thought I and the woman I was with were rock stars and ushered us through into the party.

Suddenly we were pushed inside and the doors were closed, and we were standing next to Paul and Linda McCartney.”

Robert took a picture of them kissing which went around the world.

In the mid-‘80s Robert returned to Australia – to escape the English winters – and was asked to join a new magazine, which turned out to be the first Australian Harper’s Bazaar. The magazine folded after about a year and Robert took up a full - time position with Vogue – shooting and reporting on the social and fashion scenes.

Robert is pretty much retired these days and spends most of his time on Bali. He gets down to Dhyana Pura a couple of times a week to photograph the drag queens in the street.

“It’s a far cry from the London and Paris catwalks but it’s a lot of fun and I might put an exhibition together one day,” he says.

As our interview comes to a close there’s only one more question to ask: “Out of all the people you’ve met, who made a real impact on you . . . who was ‘real’?”

“Michael Hutchence (of INXS), Andrew Rhodes who is a jewellery designer, Marianne Faithful was a good friend . . . Linda McCartney was fantastic – after the kissing shot came out I sent (Paul and Linda) a copy of it. And about six months later I was at the opening of an art gallery and they were there . . . I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think they’d remember me. But Linda walked past me and asked, ‘are you ignoring me?’.

“She said, ‘come on darling, give me a hug’. And that was better than any money I got from the photo . . . that she acknowledged me.”

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culture vulture

Andy Warhol and fenella fielding, 1980. “I MET ANDY AT to A DINNER FOR HIM IN OXFORD AND WHEN MY FRIEND LEFT EARLY I ASKED ANDY FOR A LIFT BACK INTO LONDON. ON THE WAY WE TALKED AND HE TOLD ME HIS FAVOURITE DISH WAS POTATO SALAD. AND HE LIKED MY RED SHOES. THEN HE INVITED ME TO TEA AT THE RITZ THE NEXT DAY AND HIS PARTY AT REGINES. HE WAS A LOVELY DOWN TO EARTH PERSON AND A GREAT INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE.”

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ISSEY MIYAKE & GRACE JONES AT FAShION AID LONDON 1985.

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OMNIBUS

Andrew E. Hall contemplates what Bali is all about, where it’s been, where it’s going and what can be done to preserve our so-called paradise.

photos: nikko karki.

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OMNIBUS

“Don’t talk about heaven if you’ve never been to Bali.”

the process . . . then my sarong fell off (I don’t wear clothes in bed).

- Toba Beta (Indonesian author) Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to retie a sarong with a pit bull SOMETIMES the intro to a story can prove somewhat elusive.

in a headlock, chickens freaking out all around you, and your available arm bruised and bleeding and basically pinned under your body. Not

And no matter how hard I tried, I struggled to come up with something

easy, I can assure you but somehow I managed it and stood up – doing

that depicted Bali without sounding like some spruiking nonsense out

my very best to choke Docker to death – to see a very startled young

of a travel brochure. Or a banal Trip Advisor or Facebook posting.

Balinese chappie (who had been sleeping in the shed) standing there in

To the rescue came my dog, which happens to be a pit bull named Docker.

We were staying at a friend’s small hotel in Padang Bai a while back – getting some beach time, which for Docker was a first. The sea was calm, clean and warm, the beach was clean and white, the couple who run my favourite warung on the beach were their usual cheerful and welcoming selves. The dog enjoyed going for a swim, as did I, while revelling in the picturesque setting that never fails to inspire.

It was all good.

The evening passed in affable conversation with my mate, Liam, knocking down a few coldies. A welcome and contented sleep came after I had watched Australia thrash South Africa in a cricket Test.

Under the Southern Cross I stand A sprig of wattle in my hand A native of my native land Australia, you bloody beauty Sorry about that . . .

The following morning I got the usual nudge from Docker indicating that he needed to “go outside”. So I got up, wrapped on my sarong and (I thought) clipped the leash onto Docker’s collar, and outside we went. Docker spotted Jack – Liam’s dog – and went to say hello, leaving me, mysteriously, with a limp leash in my hand. No problem, I reckoned, they had made friends the previous day. Then a cat turned up – they are a novelty and a challenge for Docker. The cat ran under a car and he tried to follow . . . I nearly had him by the collar before the cat bolted from its hiding place, Docker hot on its heels (if cats have heels).

his underpants and looking askance . . . as I staggered back towards my room clutching at my rapidly unravelling frock, trying to retain my dignity.

That’s the Bali I know and love. Surprises lurk around every corner – for better or worse.

It is many things to many people.

Adrian Vickers in Bali: A Paradise Created says: “Bali is the ‘enchanted isle’, ‘the last paradise’, one of the world’s great romantic dreams.

Tahiti called to Gauguin with the beauty, beaches and tropical climate of the South Seas; India lured travelers (sic) with its Eastern mystery and Hinduism; but Bali’s image combines all these attractions.”

I can’t stand the word “isle” – it’s lazy – and I don’t think Adrian can either.

But what he is suggesting is that Bali is actually a construct – a figment.

It was the “image” of Bali that attracted me in the very early 1980s and I flew into an airport that was almost as primitive as the current international airport.

I had been working in the desert in Saudi Arabia and the idea of a tropical climate seemed enchanting.

I seem to remember signs posted around the place telling us wanderers how to dress appropriately (not really necessary for an old Saudi hand). I probably caught a bemo into Kuta – which was basically a sleepy village by the sea – and booked myself into one of the losmen that lined what is now Jalan Pantai (it was a limestone track in those days). I don’t remember the family that ran my losmen but I’m sure they were lovely. I’m equally sure that I thought having a banana pancake, bowl of fruit, and strong black coffee (condensed milk optional) for breakfast was pretty damn exotic.

Down an alley and across a car park at 6.30am. In the car park is a shed that houses about a dozen rooster cages – chickens are an even bigger

Apart from the Balinese and Indonesian locals, Kuta was pretty much

novelty for Docker and not so much of a challenge. A nightmare started to

the realm of backpackers and surfers . . . and the original hippies – not

unfold as the dog charged into the cages – feathers flying, fowls flapping

the “leather and feather” variety of today who can be so annoying.

in panic. I had to act. I took a short run-up and launched myself full length in a flying rugby tackle – about two-and-a- half metres and over the top

I think I went to the mushroom warung near Bemo Corner one time

of said cages – that would make any professional back-rower proud. I

too many (maybe two) . . . and I don’t remember that part of my

landed on Docker, smashing several of my limbs on the concrete floor in

holiday. I probably thought it was tremendously funny though.

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OMNIBUS

I bought myself a Jackpak jacket (a jacket that turned into a carry bag

“We would feed the guests at our hotel with this bounty from the sea which was

– designed, as it turned out, by my neighbour, some 16 years hence in

on our doorstep.”

Ubud, Simon) that I thought was the coolest piece of apparel ever.

Dayu Tuttie’s family built the first hotel (the Segara Beach Hotel) for tourists in Of course, where my losmen once stood is now the strip where

Sanur.

the Hard Rock, Beachwalk Mall and Sheraton Hotel exist. Try getting a room for 2,500 rupiah a night these days . . .

Those were the days when visitors to Bali came by cruise ship and were, in the main, Americans. They would disembark at Padang Bai and

Entertainment was thin on the ground – a few small bars that served

fan out across the island – many choosing to visit Sanur where Dayu

not-so-cold Bintang; there was the Rum Jungle a ways away in Legian

Tuttie’s father, Ida Bagus Kompiang (now Ide Pedanda Gde Ngurah

(and in the jungle), the closest approximation of what might be called a

Karang) had created something special for them . . . “the Bali Night”.

nightclub at the time. But mostly I was tucked up in bed by 10pm or so . . . hopefully with the bird I’d met on the beach that day.

“My father came up with the idea that our guests would be seated around

Kuta Beach was a clean strip of white sand overlooking a

on the beach. We would lay coconut fronds on the boats and present

wonderfully turquoise sea where surfers had the time of their lives

people with a Balinese-style feast (but not too spicy),” Dayu Tuttie says.

perahu (outrigger fishing boats – which served as tables) on cushions

– an organic amalgam of beauty and bonhomie. Even the hawkers were gracious and funny. Oh how things have changed.

“Because there wasn’t enough electricity in those days we lit the whole scene up with coconut shell oil lamps and there would be performances . . .

Balinese reggae legend, Joni Agung, reflects: “I remember I used

and I would dance.”

to come to the beach and go diving for shells, clean the shells and then sell them to tourists on the beach. My friends and I also used

Wish I was there.

to make replicas of traditional boats out of wood and sell those. It was easy to make money in those days, but not so much now.

Little did I know it but next on my itinerary was to become my home a decade-and-a-half down the track . . . Ubud.

“Now you have big tour and taxi companies, and the people who come here think that when they use them, they are helping out the people of

I arrived on a rented dirt bike blackened from head to toe with diesel soot

Bali, but really they don’t know or realise where the money goes . . .”

and road grime (not that the “road” was up to much in those days) with a couple of white patches on my face where my sunglasses had been.

Thank goodness for people like Joni, though, because these days

We call it the reverse panda. It was almost magical – rice fields at all

he is leading by example in trying to clean up the mess, made

points of the compass, naked women bathing in rivers and streams

by others, of the beautiful beach of my memories and his.

(men too I suppose), traditional village life carrying on around me – frequent greetings that incorporated the word “hello”, not “taxi”.

“The way I see it, cleaning this space is like cleaning my body and my

After pretty much existing on nasi dishes the whole time I was

mind. Some people say “Keep Bali Clean” but then they cut down the

surprised and delighted to find a real American hamburger at Murni’s

trees. They just act like that in front of the camera or yap on the TV,

Warung in Tjampuhan – where I stayed in a hotel by the same name

but I don’t think that’s right. Clean your own neighbourhood first.

. . . the former home of Bali’s most famous expat, Walter Spies.

“At first people were laughing at me because I’m a Balinese musician cleaning

I loved attending the dance performances.

up the sand but now they just follow. It’s nice to see the area clean you know?”

I loved exploring the backwater that was Penestanan – not a yoga Back to my first trip: Next stop was Sanur, which was in many ways more sophisticated than Kuta – but intriguing nevertheless.

studio in sight, just people tending their rice crops and living their

pondok lives. Always happy to sit down for a cigarette and a chat with the bulé . . . not that my Bahasa was at all intelligible in those days.

Ida Ayu (Tuttie) Kompiang grew up in Sanur during the 1950s and ‘60s, which, at the time, was a small hamlet in a jungle that fringed the foreshore.

I made the acquaintance of Ibu Murni and her American husband, Pat – who was responsible for the burger, bless him – both

“Although my school was in Denpasar I liked to hang around with the kids

of whom in subsequent years I came to call friend.

from the village . . . playing by the sea, it was beautiful,” Dayu Tuttie says.

I met an odd but entertaining fellow named Victor Mason at his pub, “We used to get fish from the fishermen – the fish from Sanur was the best, the sweetest tasting you can imagine. And we got octopus, which was also delicious.

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The Beggar’s Bush in Tjampuhan.

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OMNIBUS

It was simply idyllic. In Monkey Forest Road there was actually a monkey forest!

Electricity was a recent phenomenon and many a night would be spent by lamplight in small eateries swapping stories with fellow travellers.

I knew I would be back here and was very sorry to leave. But I had work to do and things to learn, including the craft of journalism.

But I also knew I had been captivated, captured even.

Thirty-four or so years on and about 17 years into my Bali life I’m still enamoured but things have changed and are changing still . . .

Rampant development has left an indelible mark (some might say scar) on all the places I visited on that first trip to Bali – with the possible exception of Sanur (which has some semblance of a planning formula).

Kuta now is merely one spoke that exists in a development cycle that stretches from the airport almost to Tabanan. Kuta Beach is frequently afflicted by “isles” of plastic that infest the seas off our coasts, and waters are poisoned by the detritus that washes down from rivers.

I often wonder exactly how many toilets service the thousands of rooms and villas between Tuban and Canggu and ask myself where all the effluent eventually ends up . . . I think I have an inkling.

Surf legend, Kelly Slater, opined that in a mere couple of years it would be unsafe to surf in the ocean of Bali’s south-west . . . and that was about a year ago.

There are days, however, when Kelly’s prediction becomes fact in present times.

Kuta has gone through periods of utter degradation but is on the mend somewhat. I wrote in our sister magazine, Kuban, recently: I’ve been spending a fair bit of time in Kuta lately and passing the memorial to those who were slain in the 2002 bombings still sends me back to the day we awoke to find that our world on Bali had changed.

Things do change – and sometimes not for the better.

But while we remember the fallen we also realise that their sacrifice – indeed the lives they lived – would be belittled if life didn’t go on . . . if we dwelt on the negative to the detriment of the positive. And as I walk around Kuta today I am (for reasons that I don’t fully understand) encouraged, peaceful even. The place has its own “cool” and did not let it be robbed by some bigoted wankers who have been consigned to the pages of obscurity.

I thoroughly enjoy riding my bicycle along the beachside boardwalk in Sanur and, from time to time, catching up with Dayu Tuttie for a chinwag about the old days.

Ubud is my home. I built my house about three kilometres out of town in

Ubud itself is basically a shopping mall interspersed with up-market eateries and hotels. There is an edge to the place that I previously did not perceive, especially amongst the young men of the village – who are envious of the apparent wealth on display, covetous of Western women, and jealous of those they think have more of both than they deserve. This is also the case in the pubs and clubs on the Jalan Legian strip where fights often break out over such matters.

Despite the crushing weight – more than 3 million a year – of visitors to the island the Balinese people cling to their religious ceremonies . . . and with the advent of Nyepi at the end of March it would do us all well to contemplate – on the day of quietude – what we can do to stem the tide of our materialistic bent.

So, at least a bit less, of our waste products end up in Bali’s rivers and seas.

There is a range of organisations that can be found on the internet that are focussed on providing assistance in the “greening” of the island.

In saying all of this I understand fully that I am part of the problem.

Speaking of Nyepi, I will leave you with a funny story before handing over to Joni Agung: Nyepi eve is the night of the Ogoh-Ogoh – monstrous caricatures created to ward off evil spirits before the day of silence. I was at Ubud’s football field a few years back watching the parade and proceedings when I spotted a Caucasian Californian couple – kitted out in feathered Native American war bonnets and war paint (even the woman) – who were approaching each Ogoh-

Ogoh and “blessing” it with their rattles and little war drums. There might have been a “dream-catcher” or two in their costume as well.

Paroxysms of laughter erupted from my belly and “Cochise” took offence.

“Are you laughing at me?” he asked.

I answered in the affirmative and he skulked off to bring his comedic form of “spirituality” to another benighted monster, which, in and of itself, is an embodiment of the Balinese spirit.

Dear oh bloody dear, I thought, it’s come to this . . .

Joni Agung says: “Whatever happens in the future, one thing I’m not worried about is Balinese people losing our culture and religion, because our culture is strong like a giant tree root. We came across from Java in the 13th and 14th centuries because we wanted to preserve our religion, so we will never lose that. No matter what kind of music we play or how many big companies come in, nobody has to worry about the Balinese because we are strong.”

2004 and at the time was pretty much the only bulé in that part of my village – indeed, the only house. The intervening (formerly rice field) space between my place and Ubud High Street is now an unbroken development strip.

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yak fashion PhotOGRAPHY: Kane Skennar STYLING: ÖZLEM ESEN Hair/makeup: elsa morgan for reload agency Model: janna at IMG Models Australia All Clothing BY Ellery Shoes BY Ellery And balenciaga Skate board hand bag And Jewelry By ÖZLEM esen & Christian Dior, available at a.muse Bali Shot on location at THE royal national park, SYDNEY

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ministry of the interior

into the interior

Power couple Zohra Boukhari and Blaise Samoy have put their stylish stamp on many of Bali’s residences, restaurants, spas and hotels.

They talk to Andrew E. Hall about the past, present and future of distinctive design. photos: lucky 8.

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all that is old is new again.

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ministry of the interior

Zohra is unimpressed by minimalism, Blaise doesn’t like it either and as we speak I am struck by the analogy that they feel the ubiquity of minimalist design is rather akin to the rise of the DJ over the living pleasure of a fine string quartet.

“Personally I think (minimalism) is dead – if you go to New York or to Paris it’s vintage style that you will see everywhere. Minimalism rose in Europe because everything is so expensive and people can only work with machines,” Blaise says.

The minimalist movement is a result of the equation pertaining to massproduction and money.

“But in places like Indonesia,” Blaise continues, “people can still work with their hands and have the flexibility to be much more creative.”

Zohra says: “I’m sure people in Europe dream about having access to these kinds of handicrafts but they just cannot afford it any more. But if you go to Paris, for instance, it’s like being in an open museum. Vintage style has never and will never become obsolete.

“I love the design style of the mid-1920s and ‘30s – the design was so beautiful . . . nothing was square, nothing was purely round, it is the curve that exists in between that gave the products and architecture of the time such distinction.”

Blaise harks back even further to the Louis XVI period and says that reproduction furniture drawn from this time is all the rage in current high-end interior design.

Zohra and Blaise’ new Balquisse Living space on Jalan Sunset, Seminyak, is a celebration of the coalescence between vintage and contemporary. It is an enterprise that brings together their once disparate businesses – Hishem Furniture, Shahinaz Collection, Aisha Timeless Collection and ZB Design – under one very large roof.

“We are all about making people feel comfortable . . . we have a bar here where our guests can have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee while we talk about what they want for whatever project they are imagining,” Zohra says.

And the place is a treasure trove of curiosities and a multitude of interior concepts that one can browse for lengthy periods. There are typewriters and cash registers from the 1920s, vintage manual sewing machines, an old VW Beetle . . . all manner of what one might crudely call bric-a-brac but what is really human heritage.

“Amongst all our clients, we have a lot of success with Indonesian people because they come to our place and see things that, previously, they never would have thought would be able to be used in the interior design plan for their houses,” Zohra says.

Blaise adds: “It is amazing, we put these items in a showroom, people realise that the kinds of things that they had 30 or 50 years ago had, and still have, value and a distinctive aesthetic.”

Balquisse Living, however, is not only about artefacts from bygone eras. Zohra and Blaise have a factory that puts a contemporary face on repro’ furniture using thoroughly modern materials like synthetic rattan. In fact the new space covers virtually all aspects of the design experience . . . but with the common thread of “vintage”.

“It doesn’t matter who you are,” Zohra says, “in our place everyone can find something they like and we can work with them to tailor a design concept that will be different from anyone else’s.”

As far as this creative couple is concerned the future in design terms has been around for a long, long time. www.balquisseliving.com balquisse - living interiors.

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feature

waka gangga.

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the yak's intrepid scouts are on point to discover more cool places for your R&R . . .

AYUNG RIVER RESORT The Ayung River Resort is a unique and luxurious blend of breathtaking natural charm, an eclectic collection of art and the best service this island has to offer.

The unforgettable setting and dramatic scenery is only one aspect of this extraordinary property. Lush, tropical trees of all shapes and sizes, fecund with exotic fruits and flowers, showcase many of the traits that makes Bali one of the most popular tourist attractions worldwide.

As you enter the grounds of the eight-hectare property – nestled in the midst of dramatic rainforest greenery, and perched on the banks of Bali’s most sacred and important waterway – you are taken on a journey back in time by the sight of colonial style buildings with tall, white marble pillars and vast wooden statues that make up the lobby and the entrance into a world of eclectic décor and the mystic presence of the river below.

Accommodation options range from villas with private pools, single bedrooms to the Residences, all bearing names from two of the greatest and most treasured epics from Hinduism – the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

A unique aspect of the resort is its signature art collection displayed throughout – the culmination of one man’s passion and lifetime achievement of collecting dramatic and rare artifacts from Asia and beyond.

Take a tour of the grounds – by foot or by one of the resort’s many electric buggies – and be mesmerised by the spectacular rendition of Indonesia’s oldest Buddhist temple, Borobudur, carved in stone along one of the mountain walls – giving you the impression of walking onto an historic site.

For those who are looking to unwind and rewind the many stresses of modern life, start the day with a yoga class in the amphitheater and temple area.

Allow the soothing and purifying sound of the river rushing by below drift you off to new heights of rejuvenation and relaxation at the Dewi Sri Spa and Beauty Salon. This mystical riverside haven – drawing on the vitality of the Ayung River and the fertility of the tropical rainforest – is a sanctuary with the ultimate spa experience.

The Ayung River Resort is truly a haven within heavenly grounds and should not be missed if you are looking for that unique and transcendent holiday experience. www.ayungresortubud.com BAMBU INDAH While ecological awareness has filtered into many a hotel these days, being green can mean many things.

Being fundamentally sustainable and environmentally sound, however, is something completely different. Imagine a place of natural beauty where the buildings blend seamlessly with nature, where the pool is kept clean and natural without chemicals or chlorine, where the ground’s organic produce makes up the majority of your breakfast, lunch and dinner and where the impressive

buildings are either hand-built from bamboo or are 100-year-old timber joglos from Java.

Welcome to Bambu Indah, an eco-jewel in Bali’s crown of boutique luxury accommodation. The brainchild of famed jeweller and co-founder of the Green School, John Hardy, Bambu Indah was created in 2005 with just five antique Javanese joglos tucked tastefully among lush permaculture gardens overlooking the magical Sayan Gorge, only minutes from Ubud in Bali’s central highlands.

It soon expanded with a massive open sided bamboo building, which follows the traditional design of a Javanese community space, called a mingan, with its impressive architecture of black bamboo, a crescent-shaped straw roof with three peaks on either side and a unique harp installation that gives the place an added serenity as you listen to the harmonics through the building.

The moment you arrive and settle into your wooden cottage, you relax and feel time slowing as you gaze out over the intriguing Sayan valley with its tall bamboo, coconut palms, rice terraces and the Ayung River rushing over rocks some 50 metres below.

The excellent customer service starts with a warm welcome as soon as you step onto the woven bamboo reception dome and are led to sit on brightly cushioned timber benches overlooking the organic gardens. Then you are introduced to the unique sound chair – a solid timber installation with dozens of strings tuned to harmonics by renowned sound artist Ruediger Schoedel.

A stay at Bambu Indah also includes the choice of breakfast served with homebaked bread and house-made jams in your room or at the restaurant, as well as afternoon tea brought to your verandah. One must-do is a dip in Bambu Indah’s natural swimming pool that extends between some of the Jogolos and walk bridge – an experience that will stay with you longer than your average swimming pool experience. www.bambuindah.com THE CHEDI CLUB The Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah on the outskirts of Ubud spreads out over five hectares of undulating rice fields and landscaped gardens offering travellers a true respite from the world.

Tucked away only 10 minutes from the centre of town on grounds dotted with Ganesha statues and lily ponds, meandering paths lead to exquisitely appointed villas that range from one-bedroom suites to spa and pool villas with elaborate light-filled semi outdoor bathrooms, and to the spacious twobedroom family pool villa.

Hard to miss is the Chedi Club’s palatial open dining room planted amidst the rice fields and featuring one of the most impressive eateries in Bali, thanks to executive chef Dean Nor. With calming views that stretch out endlessly toward lines of coconut palms in the distance, dining at the Chedi is second to none.

Not only does Singaporean-born Nor ensure refined presentation and

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thoughtful pairing of flavours and textures, using the freshest ingredients underpins what he does and he does it well.

Classic design contrasts with traditional furnishings in the Chedi Club’s villas.

Bold whitewashed walls let the colours of artworks pop in these living spaces. The bathrooms are generous with a massive free-standing bath tub and an indoor and outdoor shower, while wooden blinds offer privacy and allow the light to gently filter into your room creating a relaxing ambience.

As the name Tanah Gajah (Land of the Elephant) suggests, the pace is slow and sacred here, the ambience lets you unthaw from the stresses of life beyond – a contrast to the often busy holiday life found in more crowded resorts. www.ghmhotels.com FOUR SEASONS AT SAYAN The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan is renowned for its five-star opulence and impeccable service, but despite knowing that, nothing prepares you for the unforgettable experience that awaits at this sublime sanctuary sprawled across a lush valley next to the Ayung River.

We are greeted at the beginning of the walkway by beaming staff members dressed in Balinese finery, and they invite us to join in a Balinese ritual blessing before entering a new space. They tie bright silk sashes around our waists, dab our palms with holy water scented with fresh frangipani blossoms, place sweetsmelling flowers behind our ears, and we’re ready to go.

There aren’t too many places that can make your jaw drop even before entering the building, but the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan does just that.

Walking along the footbridge we are treated to views that seem as though they’re straight out of Jurassic Park – steep cliffs cloaked in lush greenery, palm trees jutting out from the canopy and swifts darting overhead. Far below the river snakes its way through the undergrowth, its faint murmuring barely audible amid the sounds of the jungle.

To say that our villa is swank would be a bit of an understatement. A tranquil lotus pond lines one side of the entrance, and solid wooden doors open onto the patio, which acts as an outdoor living area with a long sofa and coffee table, a dining table covered by a huge canvas umbrella, and a marble-topped bar stocked with cold drinks, snacks and sparkling glassware.

The stone floors of the living area give way to a wooden sundeck fronting the aquamarine plunge pool, which is surrounded by tropical bushes and trees for total privacy. In front of the pool there is an oversized sunbed with a retractable sunshade and huge cushions, perfect for lazy afternoons spent next to the pool in our secluded garden.

The bedroom inside is furnished with rich carpets, a large wooden bed with plush pillows and a gossamer canopy, a gorgeous writing desk inlaid with shells, and a sitting area with a sofa and coffee table sporting a platter of fresh fruit.

Attached to the bedroom is a spacious bathroom with brand new marble floors, a deep soaking tub, a walk-in wardrobe, separate chambers for the toilet and rain shower, and a door leading to an outdoor shower.

It’s Friday night at Ayung Terrace, which means a lavish barbecue feast is on offer. Gourmet appetisers include a full salad bar with crisp greens, veggies and dressings, cream of asparagus soup with garlic toast, and potato salad with bacon and chives. Mains consist of chicken, pork ribs, prawns and lamb medallions grilled to order, and a carvery with a succulent leg of lamb, plus sides like steamed veggies, baked potatoes with all the fixings, and ratatouille. Adding to the indulgence, there is a decadent dessert table set up with seductive treats like raspberry crème brulee, chocolate mousse and blueberry cheesecake.

Before checking out, we visit the award-winning spa to indulge in the signature

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Muladhara treatment. As the expert hands of the spa therapists soothe our sore muscles and the stress slips away, we think that there couldn’t possibly be a better way to end our Four Seasons Sayan experience, which was pure bliss from start to finish. www.fourseasons.com/sayan.com WAKA GANGGA Located on the beach in Tabanan, and having undergone extensive renovations, Waka Gangga is open and ready to take its guests on an exquisite journey through a rustic, village-style resort.

Upon entering the grounds, your eyes will initially be drawn to the restaurant structure, which from afar, looks as if it is unfinished. But as manager Juliana Rosenbom says, “the Waka Restaurant and Bar is deliberately designed – by Japanese architect Nara – to be rough and rural looking, with a few soft touches.

“This is part of our concept honouring the beauty of Mother Nature, with untouched wooden finishing.”

With executive chef, Putu, leading the gastronomical charge, the Waka restaurant offers a homey selection of reasonably priced dishes from Thailand, India and Indonesia as well as a varied selection of Western cuisine. Waka Gangga is a mere 25-minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Seminyak and welcomes outside guests at any time.

Waka Gangga leads the new wave of luxurious eco-friendly resorts and is one of the most stunning beachfront hideaways in Bali for you to relax and rejuvenate – whether in the comfort of cozy villas with private pools or the signature Waka Gangga spa.

This boutique style resort is a playground for pampering set amongst one of Bali’s most stunning natural landscapes. Swaying rice paddies meet azure swimming pools and dazzling black sands peppered with gazebos and sunbeds to laze away each day.

When your rejuvenation getaway calls for the absolute best, the resort’s accommodation is sure to make you feel both at home and at ease. Designed with simple indulgence, comfort and peaceful escape in mind, all Waka’s villas make for an idyllic, soothing retreat.

These tranquil sanctuaries are a haven for relaxation, with the option of having a private pool, ocean-front or garden view, outdoor living facilities and luxurious amenities.

Within the walls of these rustic conically-roofed villas are beautiful decorations blending both Balinese heritage and tradition, with a touch of the modern.

The opulent bathroom is a particular highlight, adorned with his and hers basins and fully stocked with organic bathing products on the huge vanity counter.

In the center of the room stands a magnificent egg-shaped bathtub.

Head over to the signature Waka Gangga spa for a new dimension of wellness treatments. Thanks to the recent makeover, the spa features beautifully decorated rooms with sacred geometry and spa therapists ready to spoil you and make your stay just that much better.

Waka Gangga exudes sophistication in all of its villas and surrounding buildings. Each villa is decorated in hues of brown and terra cotta with wooden furniture and a feature wall that compliments the overall design ethos.

Waka Gannga is committed to supporting the local community, making use of produce from nearby villages, and also respectfully encourages guests to be environmentally conscious by reducing water and power usage. The resort continuously strives to contribute to an ecologically sustainable society.

With sun, surf, superior service and a first-rate restaurant all at your fingertips, Waka Gangga Resort offers an ideal Bali escape. www.wakaexperience.com

FOUR SEASONS AT SAYAN.

AYUNG RIVER RESORT.

bambu indah.

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venting in a villa

Having carved a name for an exquisite blend of hip-chic sophistication, style and good times, Hu’u founder, Sean Lee, has added another side to his well-known Jalan Petitenget venue.

Sean has just stepped it up again, adding contemporary loft residences of exquisite comfort, simple design and utter luxury to make getting a taste of the Seminyak lifestyle even more Hu’u-listic. Think totally private (and sound-proofed) apartments boasting open spaces, high ceilings, clean lines, lots of glass and an upstairs bedroom that overlooks your private garden-framed pool, all nestled behind the Hu’u lounge and restaurant.

From the in-room check-in served with a shot of freshly made sorbet, to the touch-screen tablet and fully loaded iPod at your disposal, and the Hu’u hour of complimentary cocktails and canapés served by your personal butler at the poolside, Hu’u offers a standard of service a cut above the rest.

eric baker goes upmarket at sean lee's latest offering in seminyak.

While the monthly feature parties at the lounge bar are a great excuse to book yourself in for a few nights of leisure the apartments are also ideal for families, groups of friends, and after-party parties. The secure and secluded apartments are an ideal place to settle in while enjoying the high-life of shopping, dining out and late nights, right in the Seminyak hub. With the Hu’u’s in-room massage and beauty treatments ensuring total pampering, the extensive choice of room service means that your every whim is met.

Each apartment has its own hidden mini kitchen, which can be used for private chefcatered dinner parties and in-room breakfasts served by your own butler. Designer lounges and eclectic works of art warm the large living room with its six metre high ceilings, while the glass-sided stair case leads to the private loft bedroom – which boasts comfortable a king-size bed dressed in the finest Egyptian linen. Relaxing in the full sized bathtub, guests look out on to a private courtyard with its low sun lounges set on the poolside timber deck.

Designed in timeless, modern strokes with attention to detail specifically for the lifestyle traveller, Hu’u apartments are an ideal luxury oasis in the midst of all the Seminyak action. Choose from five one- and four two-bedroom villas, or the 275sqm three-bedroom penthouse. Whether you want to chill out or party all night long, you are assured a memorable stay at the Hu’u residences. www.huubali.com

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in the lap of hu'u.

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ORAL PLEASURES

Photography: LUCKY 8.

WORDS: SARA DOUGLAS.

Asian culinary cultures are the roads much travelled for foodies around the globe. Of all the Asian cuisines though, Indonesian is the least familiar and dare we say, fashionable? Why is that, we often muse?

Some suggest it is the lack of formal plating which means it doesn’t translate well. Others suggest that food around the archipelago is so varied that no single cuisine can be identified. Others, still, suggest that for many Indonesians, dining is a solitary thing and not easily shared.

Trying to raise the bar on local food as a culinary tradition worthy of a worldclass restaurant has presented challenges for some of the most talented local chefs and restaurateurs with varied success. The latest to take the dishes most loved across the archipelago and present them in their authentic form, yet plated to appeal to a modern diner, is Bambu on Jalan Petitenget.

Bringing all the elegance and experience of the La Lucciola team to a more urban setting (albeit just around the corner) has resulted in a destination that has captured diners since Bambu opened.

The entrance to the restaurant is off the street where handsome men in beautiful batik sarongs and crisp jackets greet diners as they arrive.

A few steps over a smoky blue pond leads you to the bar and a full view of the restaurant. Part of the restaurant is created under the roof of a central joglo, the wood pale and beautiful to offset the grey and white hand-made tiles. Surrounded by a massive pond, it is reminiscent of an old pavilion and speaks more of the sophisticated culture of Java than its Balinese location.

The bar extends around the central pond to allow for more tables and a softly lit restaurant area.

The menu is homage to Indonesian cuisine – some of the finest dishes from the archipelago have been thoughtfully recreated without making the mistake of “dumbing them down”. The flavours are authentic and locally sourced. Each item has a tag, which identifies where it comes from and many of the dishes can be ordered mild, hot or fiery.

As La Lucciola never courted the tourist, although plenty go there, Bambu also hosts a nightly mix of well-heeled Indonesians and expats.

Reservations are recommended as the beautiful dining room fills easily.

Cocktails are derived from the classics, yet also feature local flourishes supplied by the tropical ingredients that perfectly complement the menu and set the tone for an evening of culinary travel.

Front of house is Denise French, whose reputation in Bali has grown since she first arrived as pastry chef at Four Seasons Jimbaran before heading up the hill to take on executive chef duties at the Amandari. A stint in Sydney at the Ritz Carlton Hotel preceded her return to La Lucciola . . . and now to Bambu.

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In the tradition of many restaurants, an amuse bouche is served first – generally something that will entertain the palate in anticipation of some of the tingling dishes to follow. The menu is divided into entrées and mains and some wonderful desserts that rise above what you will find at the local warung.

Denise and our waiter guided us through our meal and the result was a sublimely evocative feast that was perfectly balanced, spiced to perfection and featured ingredients that will be surprising to the uninitiated.

To begin a giant grilled blue river prawn was served with a lemon basil sambal – a tribute to the sophisticated flavours of Java.

Beside it a mellow wok-charred mushroom salad, also a Javanese dish, was tossed with baby coconut in a ginger dressing – nutty and mellow with just the right hint of herbs and spices.

For mains we chose a trio of dishes that included meltingly tender pork ribs braised to perfection with the flavours of Timor singing in accompaniment. Served with a banana blossom salad, it is a meal worthy of the talk on the street as diners are raving about this one. We also enjoyed a dish from Sulawesi featuring barramundi baked in bamboo with spicy green mango salad and tossed fiddle-head fern tips. The fish was tender and beautifully presented, the fern tip salad was exotic and fresh.

Another dish that has been swooning diners is a Sumatran lamb and date curry that managed to be deeply spiced in a peppery sort of way without the jarring heat of chili, offset by the sweetness of both the dates and the lamb, it was a savoury highlight of the evening.

The staff decided we needed some perkedel jagung – crispy little corn cakes that were as delicious as they were wicked, deep fried and brilliant.

Despite the many dishes and the confounding variety of dips, sides and sambals that placed alongside and described in detail by our wait staff, we still had room for dessert. While the flavours are big, the portions are perfect and there is a lightness that one finds in the hands of an accomplished cook.

We ventured into local territory once again and chose pancakes that were dressed with coconut and citrus, and black rice balls that were a creative expression of black rice pudding. Indonesian desserts are characteristically very sweet. Overseen by Denise, the desserts were far lighter and less sugary than the street-side versions and were a wonderful surprise.

Bambu is open for dinner only. The prices are very reasonable, the ambience is gorgeous as we have come to expect from the understated and stylish team from La Lucciola. It has taken them a long time to open a second venue and this one has the potential to prove as popular as their first.

plat du jour.

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sara douglas assesses the ops for sunday sessions.

All Day Brunch For sure, there are few places on earth where you can brunch in such stunning style as in Bali. Locations are just the beginning, when the food starts coming you can be sure to find such treats as lobster, caviar, Wagyu beef and foie gras among the many other items that are sure to get you thinking you have died and gone to food heaven.

The big players in the brunch stakes are W’s Starfish Bloo, which offers the seaside feast, and Fire, which offers a market style brunch. St Regis also offers superlativefilled brunches at Bonita and at Kayu Putih (this qualifies in the mega exclusive category with a range of high end wine and bubbles offered). Mulia has joined the race and like everything at Mulia, it is big, big, big. The seaside Soleil at Mulia offers one of the best value brunches in the big league. Each offers an all-you-can-eat package with an optional free-flow wine, bubbles and cocktail package.

The more modest brunches are a better idea if you have anything else to do on a Sunday, bar having a good lie down, preferably poolside.

Here our favourites are La Luciola, with divine views and gorgeous service and Ku De Ta where the threecourse brunch is perfectly adequate and the breakfast cocktails are enough to get the afternoon started in great style.

Sheraton Bali’s Feast has also launched its market brunch above Beachwalk, overlooking Kuta beach. A more modestly priced brunch, it is stylish and delightful, it also offers the chance to graze throughout the day and it’s just a quick jump to the shopping mall or the famous beachfront.

Reservations are recommended for all of the above.

Beach Clubbing Some of our favourite Sunday destinations are the beach clubs that combine food, fun and sun. Bali has plenty of gorgeous beaches and making a day of it, makes perfect sense.

Sundara at Four Seasons has class written all over it.

Beachside at the pretty Jimbaran Bay, Sundara offers both indoor and outdoor seating in the restaurant, and pool lounges and cabanas that combine a gorgeous pool and the beach in front. Choose from the package or order a la carte from a menu that combines surf and turf and some of the best homemade charcuterie on the island.

Karma Beach Club at Karma Kandara is another

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popular destination for Sunday sessions. Book a cabana or lounge or enjoy the al fresco dining in the restaurant.

International Djs spin cool tunes by day as the restaurant offers a range of Mediterranean classics, seafood, sushi and wood-fired pizzas. The sea here is as beautiful as you will find anywhere, white sand and turquoise water draws us back here again and again.

Get out of town Grab the family or some friends and head out of town for the day. One of our favourite destinations is Bali Eco Village. High up in the mountains, the temperature goes down, the free range chickens are roasting over an open spit, the organic salads come straight out of the ground and the home-made pastas are to die for. Enjoy a spa, walk down to the river and enjoy the natural pools and waterfall, or organise a horse ride.

Alternatively, take a boat trip and enjoy Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida for the day. Enjoy a leisurely lunch and a cold glass of wine or a beer at Sandy Bay Beach Club or Batu Karang or hang out on the beach at the gorgeous Nusa Bay by Waka. Mushroom Bay is the best swimming beach with crystal clear water and some excellent snorkeling, diving, surfing and fishing.

Take a walk Spending Sunday meandering up the beach or through the hills, stopping for refreshments and ending with a late lunch or a sunset session is relaxing, good exercise ( depending on how many pit stops you make), and also gets you out in the sunshine.

One of our favourites is the walk from Seminyak all the way to Echo Beach. It is a good walk and requires a few stops along the way. At the end of it you will be longing for refreshment and you can feel good about spending a Sunday doing what the Balinese do. Along the way you can stop for a massage, grab a bite, dive into the water when the sun gets too hot and order cold beers, juices and soft drinks all the way along.

Hash House Harriers is a group that follows a marked track. The most popular walks are held around Ubud and can get quite tricky but it’s open to all ages, offers two levels of effort and ends with food and a truckload of beer.

It’s a great way to meet people, especially those kind folks who have to help you out of a ravine or a slippery rice field. No wonder this is a popular tradition and hashers are

found around the world. If they visit Bali, they hash!

Sunset sessions The great thing about sunset sessions is the early start, which generally means an early finish as well, but don’t count on it.

One of the most popular on the island is at Single Fin overlooking Uluwatu. The sunsets here are legendary and the views of the surfers riding the waves are just as cool.

As the sun goes down the music starts up and Single Fin is hopping on a Sunday night with a crowd made up of all ages, surfers and non-surfers alike.

Echo Beach is a popular Sunday hang out and as the sun starts to set, the famous seafood barbecue is laid out, the band starts to warm up and the tables are hard to come by. The bar is always packed on a Sunday and the music is the kind everyone can sing along to. Take the family, head there with a group or even on your own, it won’t be long before you have made new friends.

Art for art’s sake Ubud is busy these days but if traffic is annoying on other days, it is usually better on a Sunday when Bali has a day off. Combine art and food in Ubud where there some of the best of both are located. Indulgent or healthy, traditional or contemporary, you will find it in the popular hill town.

Neka Museum has an incredible collection of traditional art and collections of famous expat painters as well. Think Donald Friend, Ari Schmidt, and Miguel Covarrubias to name a few. Conveniently located across the road is Naughty Nuri’s where the Sunday sessions start early and the ribs are legendary.

Arma Museum showcases the evolution of Balinese painting and is also home to a major collection by Walter Spies. They have their own café or you can wander down the street to the famous Dirty Duck, which is so popular they keep adding extensions.

Puri Lukisan is in the main street and so close to lots of Ubud’s favourite cafes and restaurants. The museum is another tribute to Balinese art and was co-founded by the artist Rudolf Bonnet. The ink drawings of I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, one of Bali’s most revered artists, is a highlight here. If you’ve got a cultural itch, Ubud can scratch it and provide some excellent refreshments to boot.

oral pleasures

Locavore Ubud’s latest dining craze is also a haven for those who eat locally and think globally, writes Sara Douglas.

trail of exotica.

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A locavore is a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market.

Before you start getting visions of mung beans and tofu cakes, think again. Locavore is also a new restaurant in Ubud that sources more than 95 per cent of its produce locally and this food is as far away from “health food” as one can possibly get. This is indulgence – food so gorgeous to look at you almost don’t want to eat it.

Eating it however, is what you really must do.

The team behind Locavore is made up of two worldly chefs who have worked together for years, creating their own vision of how food should be cooked, sourced and prepared. Eelke Plasmeijar and Ray Adriansyah met in Jakarta and then travelled to Bali where they set up . . . wowing diners at Ma Joly, before taking over the kitchen at Alila Ubud.

Dutch-born Eelke and his sous chef and buddy, Ray – an Indonesian who trained in New Zealand – are passionate and creative about their food. It has not escaped the attention of foodies who have followed the journey these two have taken, while they have developed a network of suppliers who are able to fill their orders and inspire some amazing dishes.

There are other chefs who can create inspiring dishes but the measure of success is in the flavour . . . it can be as clever as all get out but if it doesn’t taste good then it misses the mark.

These guys serve up things you often wouldn’t think of ordering and can turn the simplest of ingredients into dishes that critics rave about and diners won’t forget. A tomato becomes a dish that is subtle, tangy, fresh and creamy, all at once. I don’t much care for tomatoes but I would return for the Bloody Mary sorbet, served on a bed of organic cherry tomatoes, with fresh tomato water. The warmth, the creaminess and the texture of the fresh produce makes the palate sing and you almost want to applaud. The home-baked sourdough bread served with a cashew pesto and a passionfruit butter made with organic coconut oil is another simple yet beautifully executed expression.

Locavore stays true to its name in that almost everything is local, apart from the occasional bit of butter or olive oil. Ray and Eeelke are passionate about their charcuterie and have done numerous classes for the Slow Food Bali group where they showcased both their butchery and the depth of their commitment to the cause. This is an important marker in the progression of the journey they are on. Connecting with breeders and growers who share their views on food has definitely fostered their passion for organics, for sustainability and for ingredients grown close to their kitchen.

The only thing currently not on the menu at Locavore is beef. Eelke explains that the beef available locally just doesn’t cut it for him, but they are working on it.

Their organic plot provides them with a steady stream of herbs and vegetables. While they clearly love a well-bred beast and fresh, locally sourced seafood, these guys have a way with vegetables that will make everyone want to eat them. Playing with textures, adding interest with herbs and sauces and broths and their favourite kitchen toy, an Italian ice cream machine.

Eelke and Ray and their small team make sorbet and ice cream from just about anything, including an incredible avocado ice cream that is perfectly seasoned with salt, pepper and a little lime. That’s it and that’s all it needs.

Each day begins with a different variation on menu favourites; a new ingredient has arrived and the search for perfect pairings begins. One fruit or vegetable comes to the end of its season while another come into its own.

Tasting menus are offered for diners who choose to peruse the full extent of what these guys can do with food. Vegetarians will love it as they have their own tasting menu and it isn’t short on excitement.

Meat eaters may even choose it as there is still something quite wicked about it.

A sample vegetarian menu features beetroot cooked in its own jus with grilled watermelon, thick yoghurt, mint leaves and pickled beets, cucumber, coconut and mint gazpacho with pickled fennel, dried tomato, cucumber mousse, young coconut, transparent potato and crushed avocado. And so it goes from caramelised fennel crème; to roasted cauliflower with cashew nuts and a cauliflower mousseline; to herbed potato gnocchi with roasted baby carrots and locally made feta cheese.

Desserts here are of the to-die-for variety. Something like a chocolate mousse with salty cashew nut butter, passion fruit sorbet, passion fruit gel, cashew nut crumble, chocolate mint leaves and bitter chocolate ganache, may appear. Laid out like a painting, it is so good the flavours come back to me at random moments.

If there is one criticism that shows up on reviews it is that the portions are too small. For me, this is a plus, especially if you choose the tasting menus. The food is light, rather than heavy, but some of the dishes, like the gorgeous home-made duck sausage and the rabbit cooked three ways, are rich and you really don’t need a lot.

Locavore isn’t large and as Ubud has embraced this restaurant without hesitation, reservations are definitely recommended.

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oral pleasures

canvas Sara Douglas adds some colour to her canvas at Townhouse. photo: lucky 8.

It's Saturday night. I know this mostly because there is a couple opposite who are clearly on a date – she in a slinky white dress and him wearing his best shirt (okay, I made that up . . . but it is ironed and rather smart). There is a group of 12 young and gorgeous Europeans who have just arrived for a birthday dinner (they brought gifts), and another table of Aussies who are gagging to head upstairs after they've put down some lining for the night of drinking and carousing.

I am at Canvas, the banquette-lined bistro at Townhouse, enjoying a solitary Saturday dinner. Sometimes the best company is your own and tonight it’s perfect.

I'm suffering from clever-in-the-kitchen exhaustion, the home fires are burning low and I'm after a feed that doesn't go on forever; that ticks my culinary boxes and comes with a good glass of red. I wasn't expecting anything really, and then, surprisingly, I got all I needed.

Aware that the original chef had left the building, I have no idea what I will find . . . mayhem, madness, a local team on top of things.

Any number of scenarios might play out. Getting just what I want, what I really need, isn't one of them, but life is full of surprises and in the obverse of the “be careful what you wish for” scenario, I visualised the meal I wanted. And it arrived, woah, nice!

Canvas was long in coming as the rest of Townhouse grew up and up and up. New York entrepreneur Mark Baker had his hands full with the launch of the club, Squeeze, the island’s grooviest juice bar, the Gallery, the Lounge, the Rooftop . . . and he has proved he's deserving of his reputation as an all round great, fun guy, and a mover and shaker in some pretty lofty circles.

A bistro menu was always on the cards and with the swift departure of Brazilian chef, Adriano, Australian chef, Jason Partridge, has stepped in on short notice.

Jason has a pedigree that stretches from his homeland to Indonesia where he has been based in Jakarta and, with the birth of his first child, now Bali.

Jason helped design the Canvas kitchen in June and then went on to other projects before showing up here again.

With an upstairs/downstairs approach, Townhouse has layers upon layers and the multi-storey building works brilliantly.

More than a hint of New York permeates the place and Canvas was designed as part of the flow – rather than a one-stop-shop, it’s a progression on a journey of the night.

Mark always wanted a bistro rather than fine dining.

“I want people to come once, twice, three times a week. I never wanted it to be pretentious or expensive, I want it to be a hangout.

People can come and party, or drop in when they’re hungry or meet

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up here for a bite to eat before heading upstairs to dance and party. I want people to use it like a neighborhood bistro,” he says in his rat-a-tat Brighton accent.

The bistro menu works as a prelude or a main event. With a homage to beef, it brings a take on the steakhouse to the hood. While aged Angus beef is on the wish list, the very moreish local Wagyu from Tokusen, provides a local flavour that is meltingly tender.

Classics like onion soup and steamed green-lipped mussels, shrimp cocktail, and crab and corn cakes, sing with retro tones while burgers get the full-on treatment with sides like buttermilk onion rings, hand cut French fries and a choice of cheeses.

Reef and beef, pork baby back ribs, house-smoked salmon and southern fried chicken, talk to our comfortable place. It’s retro chic with a little spicy attitude on the side.

As a food reviewer, you have those days where all you want is a steak and a decent glass of wine. In fact I have those days often and then end up eating 10 courses of creatively constructed dishes that I would never attempt at home.

Jason wasted no time in letting me know that my craving could be satisfied with a flourish and that perhaps the reef and beef might provide me with a little extra for the annals of this journal. He was right, the slipper lobster that sat beside my Wagyu fillet was bloody brilliant.

Dipping the tender tail into warm lemon and herb butter was luscious and good.

He might wish to remain in the background but, hey, I am the first to nod to the cook, and contrary to popular opinion, not all chefs can cook in my book. They say all chefs who are applying for a job should cook a perfect omelette. I am in favour of this completely. I love a perfect omelette; a perfectly browned cheese on toast can make my day. A simple paté; a perfectly boiled prawn with salt, pepper, lemon and a dip that sings to me . . . simple.

The beauty of Canvas is that it is inviting. It's as dressed up or down as you feel, high heels are recommended on weekends or any time, it is busy, but other than that, jeans and a clean short will work for girls and boys. Best of all, Canvas isn't trying to be an occasion restaurant. It's somewhere you can go anytime – slip in and order a steak like I did! The burgers look great and this is on my list for next time. Invite a few friends to join you and then continue upstairs for drinks and end up heading home in the early hours. Canvas is fluid and welcoming and not in the least bit intimidating. www. thetownhousebali.com

cracking good nosh.

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oral pleasures

beachlife the vibe is right, the gestalt is now . . . andrea r. drops in on a trio of sunset spaces.

Kaki Lima by The Sea Inspired by the traditional “five-legged” food stalls that roll out all across the islands of Indonesia selling traditional dishes, Kaki Lima (as in three legs rolling, two legs walking) is one of the newest and freshest additions to Canggu.

Operated by Hotel Tugu Bali and located on a green, sloped lawn that reaches all the way to the beach front, with sports equipment and toys available for all guests, big or small, to play with, everyone is sure to have a great time in this colour-dappled, gypsy-inspired venue.

The atmosphere is laid back and cozy, with vibrant, bohemian style decorations, lanterns and big floor pillows to nestle down on as you relax with a nice meal from the caravan-esque barbecue, or drinks together with family or friends.

One of the great things about this beachfront warung and bar is the fact that parents can chill out while the kids are roaming around on the humongous green soccer field-sized lawn without a worry in the world.

And if you’re a music lover, Kaki Lima offers a Gypsy Night every Friday evening, with acoustic music around a big bonfire under the stars, barbecue on the pit and big pitchers of sangria, all surrounded by torches and lanterns and an amazing vibe. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the sun setting on the horizon, with the option to dance your way into the night . . .

The beer is cold, the drinks are delicious and the foods are fresh and super tasty. A wonderful venue for lazy day brunches, after-surf chill outs, parties and full moon dining. www.facebook.com/pages/kakilima-by-the-sea/589741027740907 +62 361 4731706 / +62 819 3609 7258 Old Man’s Beer Garden This retro beachfront beer garden, with its circular bamboo structure and funky mural by the Australian artist Lucas Grogan, is a must try if you are in the Canggu area looking for a nice, relaxing spot for a drink, or a meal with interesting and creative variations on otherwise unremarkable dishes – like the Sky High burgers served on a wooden plate; seafood pastas in different and creative variations; and yummy Indonesian dishes.

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Revamped and with a new name, this vibrant meeting place has become a favourite for afternoon beer session and is also an amazing venue to enjoy sunset drinks by the ocean, taking in the changing of the skies as night rolls in.

With a cool and trendy turn on “surf club meets beach bar”, Old Man’s is located in an open-aired and spacious area with super comfy cushions to lounge on and chill with friends for drinks and nibbles. Sit back and relax or dance into the night to the music palyed by the in-house DJ, who is present on any given day, except on weekends when live music rocks the house until late. www.facebook.com/oldmansbali Sundara Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay’s new and sophisticated restaurant and beachfront bar, Sundara, truly lives up to the meaning of its sanskrit name – “beautiful”. In fact, we daresay it surpasses the expectations of having been given such a name.

With an outstanding and superior selection of international cuisine, and ranked as one of the top restaurants and bars on the island, Sundara has become one of the hottest and hippest additions to the south of Bali and boasts both indoor and outdoor areas for all the more pleasure and fun.

Whether you choose to sit down for a casual lunch, or lounge on the patio, basking in the sunlight by the infinity edge until sunset – with one of their signature cocktails in your hand, of course – or if you enjoy a sophisticated dinner in the restaurant, you will be sure to be treated like royalty.

Executive chef, Greg Bunt, makes sure the menu lives up to its reputation with intricate preparations, unique textures and complex flavours – from refinements of classic favourites to one-of-a-kind signature creations.

And being the international hotspot for innovative cocktails that it is, Sundara’s owners invited Javier de las Muelas – one of the world’s leading mixologists and owner of Barcelona’s Dry Martini – to spend a month at Jimbaran Bay to design recipes and train Sundara staff. www.sundarabali.com

Kaki Lima by The Sea.

sundara.

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taken not stirred

a e d ks pic e g at ur re nb . c e k o ist val ast t ail l 8. a t p y in er cock ck tr h u ka l h te o: ug ma phot i ro t h l t eu th

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y l d

s n i s

There are seven continents in the world, seven days in a week, seven colours in a rainbow, seven spots on a ladybug, seven doors to heaven and seven doors in hell in the Islamic tradition, and, in addition, there are seven deadly sins in some other traditions.

I was thinking about all of these sevens when embarking on an article about cocktails. It soon became apparent however, that it’s easy to see a link between deadly sins and deadly drinks (or would the deadly sins follow the deadly drinks?).

So here’s my list of “Deadlies” with a nod to my past and to my future: Lust – the Piña Colada This fruity, fatty concoction headed the trend for blended cocktails after it was invented by bartender Ramon Marrero in 1954 at the Caribe Hilton Hotel, Puerto Rico. This seemingly tame, dessert-like cocktail can really send you over the edge for at least two good reasons. The first being that one of its core ingredients, coconut cream, has more calories (650) than a Big Mac (575). Then there’s the sugar and the saturated fat. Nevertheless, if made well, there’s no denying that one can lust for a Piña Colada, particularly whilst holidaying in the tropics.

Recipe 100 ml light rum 3 tbls coconut cream Dash pineapple juice Half a handful of chopped fresh pineapple, and a dash of sugar syrup optional.

Blend at high speed with a cup of crushed ice until smooth. Garnish with three pineapple leaves and pineapple wedge.

Greed – the Marguerita Where and by whom this cocktail was first mixed is hotly debated but the best story involves a wealthy and flamboyant Texan socialite, Marguerita Samas, who was loved for her incredible parties and her self-conjured cocktails in the 1940s. She would hold notoriously wild parties at her holiday house in Acapulco and adored making her guests guess the ingredients and pass judgment. The Marguerita is generally made in a jug in a bar or at home and whether it’s for a group of thirsty merry-makers or just for one, stopping at one is near impossible making it a greedy drink for sure.

Recipe 80 ml Gold Tequila 40 ml Triple Sec Juice 1/2 Lime Shake all ingredients together with ice and strain into a chilled salt-

rimmed glass. To garnish cut a slim slice of fresh lime and halve it, twist one half in and the other on the rim

drink. If you pig out and drink too fast or too many you'll be guaranteed of a huge hangover but in moderation it can make for a fun start to an evening.

Wrath – Bloody Mary This “Deadly” is thought to be named after Queen Mary Tudor of England for her ruthless persecution of Protestants during her short reign 1553-1558 earning her the nickname Bloody Mary. It was created

by Harry's New York Bar in Paris during the 1920s.

Recipe Pour 20 mls each of Gin, Vodka, Light Rum, Tequila and Triple Sec over ice, add the juice of 1/4 lemon and a dash of Cola

Make in a jug and pour into short rather than tall glasses, as by the time you get to the bottom of a long drink, it can be rather unpalatably warm.

Recipe ½ bottle vodka 1 litre tomato juice 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup 4 tablespoons lemon juice 4 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon (at least) Worcester sauce 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or 1 teaspoon fresh grated Horseradish 1 level teaspoon celery salt Ice cubes.

Pride – Negroni A perfect balance of sweet, bitter and herbal, a good Negroni will wake up all of your senses. Legend has it that the drink was invented in Florence in 1919, for Count Camillo Negroni by Fosco Scarelli the owner of Scarelli bar, who requested that his normal cocktail, the Americano, be fortified with something stronger than soda. The bartender added gin and the Negroni was born.

Recipe Equal parts Gin, Martini Rosso and Campari Pour over ice and add a slice of flamed orange peel.

Gluttony – Long Island Iced Tea Such a charming title, such a fearsome reputation.

Probably invented during prohibition when bartenders mixed any number and variety of bootleg spirits and coloured them with cola to make a cocktail that looked like an innocent iced tea. Usually drunk in noisy bars by young people gearing up for a night on the town. Beware of two things before heading in this direction. Firstly, you get what you pay for. The cocktail should be pale brown in colour – if it’s too dark, there’s too much cola and not enough grog.

Secondly, the combo of five different spirits means it’s a powerfully strong cocktail yet it is very easy to

Sloth – the BBD This lethal combination of Bourbon, Benedictine and Drambuie in equal measures served in a shot glass, was made up by an old boyfriend (now deceased, unsurprisingly) who wanted a chaser to his middy of beer that would get him wherever he was going, extremely quickly. He had a bull-like constitution, but this slothful drink had him pretty much comatose within an hour. Not for the weak or alcohol intolerant and certainly not for beginners.

Recipe Use a large glass.

Envy – the Martini Most will recall Dorothy Parker’s famous martini poem, which combines folly and temptation in one stanza: I like to have a martini Two at the very most After three I’m under the table After four I’m under my host.

Once the martini bug has struck, I have always found it nigh impossible to stop at two. I have argued for the third drink and for all the good and unexpected things it may bring . . . including the fourth drink.

In life there are drinkers and there are martini drinkers.

The martini is a drug, a magic potion that can change us into animals, give us wisdom, give us beauty, sexual prowess, give us access to special experiences or make us invisible.

Each martini drinker will have her/his preference as to whether the Vermouth should be left in the glass or poured over the ice and then discarded. The glass is an ingredient in a martini and the company too.

Whether the martini is made of gin or vodka matters not and an actual recipe I cannot impart.

It is for you, the reader, to determine. But however you make your martini, the one unforgivable practice is to shake, not only do you bruise the Gin but the alcohol also evaporates.

Katrina Valkenburg is a wine consultant and educator. All correspondence to katrinav@me.com

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Uma Cucina-The Yak 2014 _Layout 1 06/02/2014 17:12 Page 1

THE SPIRIT OF ITALY AT UBUD’S NEWEST RESTAURANT

Uma Cucina, located on the edge of the artisan’s town of Ubud, is among this year’s hottest new restaurants to have opened in Bali.

This easygoing, convivial eatery – where friends and families gather at lunch, afternoon tea and dinner – is where to come for fresh, locally-sourced produce turned into simple house-made specialities.

Brick-oven pizzas, chargrilled seafood and classic Italian gelatos combine with the open-air terrace and homely ‘kitchen’ ambience to deliver the spirit of Italy in the heart of the tropics.

Nicolas Lazzaroni – an Italian-born chef who has worked at some of Australia’s greatest eateries – heads up the kitchen. His culinary philosophy centres around a love of rustic Italian cooking that brings people together with fresh, quality produce.

Uma Cucina (www.umacucina.com) is located on Jalan Raya Sanggingan in Ubud, and is open daily for lunch and dinner from noon to 10.30 pm. Call +62 361 972448 or email dining.uma.ubud@comohotels.com for reservations.

More than 300 wine varieties await your discovery at VIN+ Seminyak Wine Store, Restaurant & Lounge.

Dine in, takeaway or we will deliver to your villa...

Jl Kayu Jati # 1 Seminyak, Bali. P: 0361 473 2377 E: bali@vinplus.biz www.vinplus.biz

@VinPlusID

VIN+ Seminyak Bali

first resorts Rosie Andres visits gili and bali to sample seaside society.

Ko-Ko-Mo Ko-Ko-Mo Resort, located on the biggest of the Gili Islands, Gili Trawangan, is made up of a unique and luxurious selection of five-star boutique style villas, all nestled just a few minutes walk away from the main strip of bars and restaurants on the island.

This elegant and sophisticated gem of a resort, however, is set in the quieter part of town. For those who still like a good night’s sleep, Ko-Ko-Mo is the perfect location to get the best of both worlds.

Gili T is famous for its vibrant social scene and nightlife and any fellow life celebrateur is sure to have a fabulous time, be it lounging by the private pool, the beachfront bar or in one of the nearby bars.

Relax amidst lush, coconut groves, private stretches of whitesand beaches with a view to die for, and enjoy a taste of local Artisan wines for the ultimate paradise experience.

With a blend of European, Pacific and tropical style, the resort is an elegant beachfront gem, a haven into which you can escape the liveliness of the rest of the island.

In addition to picturesqe views of turquoise and pristine waters, architecturally designed deluxe villas, and the seductive atmosphere this island brings, the five-star resort extends a selection of some of Asia’s finest foods, administered by the well known Australian chef and restauranteur, Matthew Blundell.

In true Gili T style, the monthly Full Moon Party is hosted just a stone’s throw away. www.kokomogilit.co The Reef at Karma Beach Club – Gili Meno If your idea of a holiday doesn’t include extensive partying or sightseeing, head on over to Gili Meno, the enchanting island home of The Reef – Karma Royal Group’s new luxury boutique resort – for the perfect tropical escape.

Gili Meno is the smallest of the three Gilis, located on the northeastern coast of Lombok and, luckily, still retains the natural charms some of the other islands are losing to extensive exploitation.

Walk barefoot along stretches of secluded, powdery white sandy beaches, enjoy the fresh ocean breeze or bask in the sun with a customised Chakra Signature 130

Cocktail and leave the world behind in this indigenous haven. With clean, shimmering waters, the distant view of the sun setting over Bali’s Mount Agung, and colourful coral reefs – a home to turtle hatcheries, you couldn’t ask for a more idyllic and relaxing setting.

The resort’s charming bungalows, all facing the Indian Ocean, are made out of bamboo and other ethnic materials, reflecting the native origins and blend into the environment without obstructing the wonderful aesthetic of the vast pristine local grassland, palm groves and a cornucopia of flowers and wildlife.

For those who would like to explore some of the island’s attractions (and there are many) contact the concierge services for a knowledgeable guide. Options range from the Saltwater Lake, bird sanctuary and dive sites such as Meno Wall, Sea Turtle Point and Blue Coral Point.

Similar to the Karma Beach Club in Bali and Fiji, the restaurant offers Mediterranean-meets-New World cuisine, with an emphasis on local seafood and a modern twist on traditional Indonesian dishes.

Villa Berawa Villa Berawa, a hidden paradise in the heart of Berawa, is set just minutes away from the popular beach town of Canggu, and brings with it a unique and authentic atmosphere. It is perfect for anyone looking for that perfect Bali getaway.

With Berawa Beach at your fingertips, lay back and relax by the pool in this rustic yet elegant little resort, enjoy home-style cooking at Dapur Berawa – Berawa Kitchen – offering a wide variety of traditional Indonesian cuisine, or simply enjoy the luxury of privacy in your own villa with draping coconut trees and beautiful local flowers.

Taking inspiration from the joglo – the wooden, traditional Javanese structure – crafted with artistic handmade soft furnishings and other sustainable authentic materials, Villa Berawa has created an ambience of laidback luxury and natural beauty and has truly captured the feeling of real Bali.

The masterpiece of the resort, the Three Bedroom Villa with pool sits on a sweeping 450 square metres of land and is adorned with an amazing pendopo area – a traditional Javanese

outdoor gathering area for friends and family.

The resort provides free shuttle to the stunning Echo Beach and Seminyak, with its upscale restaurants, bars and excellent shopping venues, and is only a 10 minute drive away. For those who want to experience some of the ancient beauties this island has to offer, Tanah Lot – one of Bali’s most sacred temples – is only 30 minutes away. www.villaberawabali.com Berawa Beach Residences As one of the only residences that offer both shortterm and long-term accommodations, the Berawa Beach Residences is an excellent option whether you are in Bali for vacation or if you plan on staying longer.

Affordable luxury meets quiet, laidback beach vibe at its best – located in the charming Berawa village, a thriving coastal neighbourhood north of Canggu on Bali’s popular southwest coast, and a few minutes’ drive away from Seminyak. Brimming with trendy bars, hip boutiques and gourmet restaurants, the property offers a unique residential ambience.

The staff at Berawa Beach Residences always meet you with genuine smiles and are ready to assist you with anything you might need during your stay.

Relish the comfort of privately serviced, apartment-concept accommodations with trendy furnishings, spacious living areas and pool access with a charming gazebo, whilst having the many charms of Bali close at hand.

The property consists of studios, one- and twobedroom units, all blessed by the presence of air conditioning, contemporary interiors and furnishings, stylish bathrooms and lush private gardens.

As part of Premier Element by Premier Hospitality Asia’s collection of accommodations worldwide, the property brings a wonderful atmosphere of serenity, with a touch of chic.

For private or professional stays, Berawa Beach Residences is a precious gem tucked away in one of Bali’s most beautiful villages and brings the perfect setting for any savvy traveller. www.berawabeachbali.com

The Reef at Karma Beach Club – Gili Meno.

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SOUTHERNCOMFORTS Katie Truman enjoys a shot of comfort on a jaunt to the luxury south.

Ninety per cent of Bali’s hotel development is in the island’s south.

On Bali’s southern-most tip, the island’s premier luxury resort complex, Nusa Dua, has held sway since being developed in the 1980s to host international conventions. With its dense concentration of international upscale beachfront resorts, unspoilt blonde sands and secure gated entrance Nusa Dua has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors over the years.

As if this exclusive enclave couldn’t get any more upmarket (and had any more space left) more high-end international names are rolling in, especially in up-and-coming Sawangan – the southernmost section of Nusa Dua, which is undergoing feverish resort development.

Even tranquil neighbour, Tanjung Benoa, previously best known for its sleepy fishing village and as Bali’s number-one water sports epicentre, is now fast emerging with upmarket establishments.

Okay, so dining and nightlife down south isn’t exactly a buzz and as sophisticated as some of the island’s other areas but it’s slowly evolving with some top-notch restaurants with world-class chefs and mixologist-inspired watering holes . . . in part, thanks to the influx of new luxury resorts.

Our featured hotels are not just gems for visitors but fabulous new F&B playgrounds. The recently opened toll-road, elevated over coastal waters connecting Benoa, Nusa Dua and the airport, seems to have finally reduced traffic congestion and journey time . . . so simply no excuse not to head down for some southern comfort.

Tower of good taste Following luxury hotel brand GHM’s The Legian Bali and The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah, comes the 2013 debut of The Chedi Sakala, in upper Tanjung Benoa.

“Bali’s appeal is so multi-faceted, it’s various enclaves so singular, that The Chedi Sakala celebrates a vastly different experience of a Bali visit,” says GHM president, Hans R. Jenni.

Occupying 2.4 hectares across the road from Benoa’s powdery white sands, 261-room The Chedi Sakala is GHM’s most expansive worldwide property to date – same GHM service levels and facilities but different market and concept – a new opportunity for larger groups spoilt by GHM’s boutique intimacy and sophistication.

Generous personal space is key – starting with the open-air Lobby Bar, elevated above Benoa’s beach drag and facing seawards, and behind, amongst

vast landscaped grounds, 247 suites offers minimum 54 square metres living space; from one -bedroom pied-a-terre varieties to stylish two-bedroom Deluxe Suites on upper floors with superb Indian Ocean views from the deck.

Suites cater to all tastes and, whatever the size, provide a living-dining area with sofa bed, kitchenette and private balconies. Local design elements such as gossamer shell lanterns, indigenous textiles and timbered floors blend with world-class amenities, including expansive flat-screen TVs in the bedroom and living area and chic, marble-clad bathrooms with branded organic amenities. A posh little enclave beside The Lobby Bar reveals 14 duplex villas; utterly private behind high walls and roomy at 300-square metres – some with barbecuefriendly rooftop terraces. A glam art deco look emanates throughout the dark wood, high-ceilinged interiors. Upper and lower level quarters, each with livingdining area and kitchenette, have their own separate private entrance, while a pool and Thai-style wood pavilion are installed in pretty tropical gardens.

The Chedi Sakala’s ultra-contemporary facilities include The Restaurant, which boasts fresh pastries and breads baked on-site and melt-in-mouth pizzas from coffee-wood fired-ovens; four-storey timbered Health Club and dedicated wellness spa facility accessed underground via an 18-metre spiral staircase.

There’s also a kids' club, Club Lounge, providing two-bedroom suite and villas guests with inclusive club privileges and butler service. Most facilities and suites look down onto a 105-metre lagoon pool, which dominates the interior grounds and incorporates a couple of thatched swim-up bars and Jacuzzi stations and kids' shallow zone. “Sakala” may ring a bell: across the road is beachfront Sakala Bali, one of Bali’s most acclaimed fine-dining restaurants, celebrated for modern French cuisine that highlights the freshest, finest quality produce. Guests can enjoy Sakala’s own 50-metre lap pool. Chill on poolside sunbeds – or The Chedi’s private ones on palm-fringed sands – indulging in delicious French Tapas and cocktails from the sunken bar. Come sunset, dine on the breezy beachfront terrace and culinary treats like nine-course Degustation Epicurean Menu and wicked desserts. Loved-ups may opt for dining a deux at one of four, first-floor Kul-Kul Towers. www.chedisakala.com Repeat this mantra . . .

A leading hotel brand in Australia with over 50 properties, Mantra Group launched its first Asian property in Bali last October – the first of several to hit these shores. As their Asian flagship and adaptation of the Mantra brand

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to Indonesia, Mantra Nusa Dua presents a different concept from its Australian counterparts. Set back off the road in Nusa Dua’s hilly Sawangan area, all 172 guest rooms and facilities come neatly wrapped round the centre-stage pool. Bookending the pool, complete with sunken bar, is Rasa Restaurant for global comforts, dinnertime signature creations and buffet breakfasts, and Splash bar and lounge, with pool table, sports TV and icy-cold beers. From the small lobby an elevated boardwalk runs the entire pool length (broken by cute alcove sections for intimate dining), leading to the semi-open Orchid Lounge. A sunken garden oasis at the pool’s centre leads to the Wellness Centre and mid-size Ramayana Ballroom. Multifunctional and glass-encased Prayana, perched on the top floor facing the ocean and surrounded by reflecting pools, is heaven-sent for small weddings.

Mantra is great value accommodation – expect 300-thread count bedding, fluffy bathrobes, 42" flat screen LCD TVs, complimentary Wi-Fi and daybeds on spacious balconies. Contemporanious interiors of warm timbers and earthy shades come interspersed with striking batik soft furnishings and Balinese artworks. Bathrooms provide walk-in rain showers and standalone bathtubs.

For hillside views of the ocean and verdant treetops, book the top-floor Suites (particularly the Panorama Suites), which provide plenty of space to spread out, with separate dining/living area and outdoor table on the terrace. Families will appreciate interconnecting Deluxe Rooms. Guests are encouraged to get out with complimentary shuttle buses to nearby Geger Beach (with dedicated beach club facilities) and Kuta’s Discovery Mall.

Mantra’s signature is personalised service and, typically Australian, laid-back informality and friendliness. www.mantranusadua.com The holy trinity Three interconnected properties on 30 hectares fronting Geger Beach– The Mulia, Mulia Resort & Villas – have made quite the impression since they open in late 2012, bagging awards and noted for lavishness, painstaking attention to detail and impeccable standards. The 526-room Mulia Resort offers a range of accommodation options and top-notch venues for those appreciating the finer things in life yet seek bijou-scale exclusivity and discreet privacy.

The final part of the Mulia trinity to open, and part of Leading Hotels of the World, “opulent lifestyle retreat” , The Mulia is an all-suite boutique hotel on prime beachfront, where 111 ultra-luxurious suites come with bespoke butler service and unsurpassed sense of style and space. Elegant and glass-fronted, The Lounge welcomes with a sea of plush sofas, exquisite floral displays and rare antiquities.

This refined sanctuary leads out to an infinity oceanfront pool, flanked by iconic statuettes that resemble the Oscars.

Evidently, someone has a fixation with European aristocracy, with Suite categories named The Baron, Earl and Marquess. All face the pool and beach, awash with natural sunlight maximised by glass sliding doors opening back to a full-length patio with daybed and private Jacuzzi. Sensuous open-plan include soaking tubs and amber-streaked marble double vanity basins. Baron Suites provide an informal outdoor living area, the more expansive Earls have an indoor separate living area, while ground floor Lagoon Suites extend to private plunge pools blurring into the main pool. Suites are resplendent in beige and golds, featuring high quality, customised furniture and rich soft furnishings, including 400-thread count bedding, while walls drip with stunning contemporary Chinese artworks. Any passing celeb or president should opt for two-bedroom The Marquess (one on each of the six floors) – the epitome of extravagance with

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dedicated butler, master suite and 1000-thread count bedding, and lavishly equipped living and dining areas, butler pantry and outdoor dining.

On an exclusive hillside “residential” compound, The Mulia Villas survey the resort and ocean, courtesy of a terraced rice paddy-inspired design with villas following tiered land contours. With extra privacy, all 108 villas offer elegant living. These sumptuously appointed abodes –from one-bedroom to the palatial six-bedroom Mulia Mansion – come with individual character and butler service.

Exquisitely styled colour-coordinated interiors run from finest fabrics and thick pile carpets to Smart LCD TVs with voice command, while conservatory-style bathrooms provide honeymooner-friendly Jacuzzi tubs. A large open pavilion for outdoor entertaining and hydrotherapy pool are provided within each Balinese walled garden.

Two-storey, Presidential Villa, with three-bedrooms and entourage of private butlers, stands well hidden behind high-walled gardens. www.themulia.com La Vie en Rose!

After working closely with Sofitel in Vietnam’s cities, I was interested to see how French hotel group, Accor's, most prestigious brand – and Indonesia’s first Sofitel property, the 415-room Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort – would “translate” as a premium international beachfront resort on Bali’s Nusa Dua shores.

As Bali’s only French luxury hotel brand, this five-star property promises an immersion into French art de vivre and Sofitel’s signature French sophistication and cousu main (tailor-made service) married with Balinese charm, culture and artistic heritage.

Nusa Dua’s newest kid on the block, opened in December 2012, attracts both corporate types and pleasure seekers. Ultra-contemporary and unmistakenly of French style, Balinese crafts such as carved woods also figure big (literally) especially in the spectacular atrium-style lobby. Dominating is a modern interpretation of the sacred Banyan tree with encircling wooden frieze replicating the Balinese life cycle.

Massive yet curiously compact, accommodation wings flank four inter-connected pools leading down to a tranquill stretch of Nusa Dua Beach.

Some of the 398 lead-in Luxury Rooms have private access to the lagoon pool, while 17 Pool Villas include a three-bedroom, 5,000 square metre Presidential Suite secluded along the beach. Suites (including special Honeymoon Suites) and villas come with personalised butler services and exclusive access and privileges at Sofitel’s chic executive lounge and bar, Club Millésime. Styled by acclaimed interior designers, Wilson Associates, all rooms ooze classic French flair and luxury, utilising the finest marbles and sleek walnut-hued woods. Deluxe amenities include Sofitel MyBed, espresso machines, French Lanvin and Hermes bathroom accesories and LCD-TV screens.

The Retreat Grand Room – a detached function hall alongside the beach with 180 degree ocean views – is the only one of its kind in Bali. High quality F&B options focus on catering to the diverse tastes of global guests. Signature Cut Catch Cucina incorporates three restaurant concepts in one across a stylish, open-plan floor: New York-style steakhouse with premium cuts; fresh Seafood Grill with live fish tanks; and Tuscany-styled Italian Osteria. Located below the lobby Kwee Zeen takes authentic Asian street food to five-star heights, with a series of interactive atelier kitchens and glassed-off sections cooking up anything from wok-fried noodles and dim sum to piquant Indian curries. www.sofitel.com

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Drew Corridore and a couple of friends get to lie around in the lap of luxury high atop the Indian Ocean at one of the island’s most exclusive destinations.

Views, vistas, vastness, verisimilitude . . . The Edge in Desa Pecatu-Uluwatu on Bali’s southern tip has it all in spades.

Perched on a promontory that makes the Indian Ocean appear as if it is an extension of the property, this exclusive residence is a master class in space and style. Sumptuous appointments are everywhere – from the massive indoor/ outdoor living areas, to the bedrooms, and through to the bathrooms . . . but the terms bedroom and bathroom are not entirely appropriate – these spaces are more a coalescence that extends the living space. One can tarry for extended periods in each.

Everything at The Edge is big. The bathrooms are elegantly minimalist in design and equipped with Jacuzzi tubs, a separate and generous shower space, his ‘n’ hers basins, with the requisite soaps, salves and balms

by Hermes. There is a masculine feel to the fittings and accoutrements that compliment the feminine finery of these luxurious bathing areas.

The sleeping space is more a luscious lounge room where couples can while away the hours in intimate company or be entertained by an electronics system that would have Bill Gates coming back for more. The curtains 136

even open themselves with little more than some impetus and encouragement. The whole is a refined blending of clever technology, meets luxury living and spatial splendour.

The living/dining rooms feature their own bars and attached kitchens where your meals are prepared by your own butler – ours’, Adi Panda, was a gentle and cheerful soul who could not do enough to ensure that everything was just as we liked it . . . unobtrusive yet committed to making sure our stay was restful, relaxing and refreshing.

The oceanic panorama from the breakfast table is breathtaking. And the breakfast experience is more akin to fine dining with thoroughly modern tableware and condiment holders.

The private plunge pools are perfect for a quiet dip in the morning before heading to the fully equipped gym . . . or for sitting around whilst enjoying a sunset cocktail or two.

For those who simply cannot leave the outside world outside there is a space-age office, equipped with everything that keeps you connected to your business enterprise. We didn’t use it much but it was comforting to

know it was there. It goes without saying that the whole property is a Wi-Fi zone for guests.

The main residence – which is originally what The Edge was – is cleverly constructed to be configured in ways that offer two-bedroom, three-bedroom and up to eightbedroom accommodation. On each level the expansive living rooms and outdoor areas and pools overlook the seemingly infinite ocean.

The main residence also contains a fully stocked wine cellar and cigar lounge (complete with the requisite Chesterfield loungers); an adults’ romper room; a kids’ romper room; and a mini cinema with reclining loungers which have, according to GM Thomas Weber, provided succour to spill-over guests from many a wedding.

Wedding ceremonies are one of The Edge’s specialties and it can comfortably seat 150-plus guests on sprawling lawns with the aforementioned spectacular ocean views.

In addition to the main residence there is a separate one-bedroom villa and a two-bedroom villa, aptly named, The Mood. And in the near-ish future The Edge will accommodate three more one-bedroom villas, an additional three-bedroom villa, its own lagoon and beach club . . . watch this space.

The word “spa” is derived from the town of Spa in Belgium, celebrated for its medicinal spring waters since the Middle Ages and since it entered the English lexicon “spa” has always been synonymous with water. The spa at The Edge is the most extraordinary I have ever seen – as the treatment area (perched on the cliff edge) literally floats upon its own indoor lagoon . . . a design triumph that will amaze while professional therapists work their magic on your body and soul.

Adjacent to the spa is the main swimming pool and bar area – yes, again placed atop the cliff that leads – very steeply – down to the sea where sharks, dolphins, manta rays, and even whales, are oft to be seen. A feature of the bar/lounge is a viewing platform – three large glass floor tiles which one can stand upon and look straight down the precipice. Your correspondent – not being overly fond of heights – adroitly avoided this part of The Edge experience.

All in all The Edge is an organic experience: quietly efficient and friendly service; private spaces that encourage intimacy in an easy-going environment; activities in salubrious surroundings; and an overall aura that whispers luxury at the highest level. www.mesahotelsandresorts.com/theedge/

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Susan Hu heads to the seaside for some pampering at a resort that has become legendary for its diversity and beauty.

It takes a lot to impress seasoned villa veterans, particularly on an island where villas are as ubiquitous as palm trees and cookie-cutter designs and decor are reproduced en masse.

It’s not easy to find that perfect combination of architectural refinement, stunning location, peace, privacy, world-class facilities and superior service.

Yet Semara Luxury Villa Resort manages to tick all those boxes and offers world-weary travellers unique, flexible and tailored holiday experiences to boot.

With magnificent panoramic ocean views and seven distinctive fivebedroom villas perched on the edge of a cliff and surrounded by lush tropical gardens, Semara Luxury Villa Resort is very much a discerning traveller’s dream. Each villa was designed by a different owner, which means they all have their own unique features and ambiance. From the family-friendly Villa Ambar to the wedding-ready Villa Tamarama, party central Villa Santai Sorga, and the peaceful sanctuary of Villa Pawana, there is a villa to suit every taste here.

Spread out along 30-metres of cliff frontage, the sheer size of each property means that there is always space to roam and you are never far from a private corner where you can indulge in a bit of serenity and seclusion. In addition, many of the villas feature multiple levels and suites with private plunge pools, creating the effect of a mini-villa within a villa. This makes the resort the perfect location for families, large groups and special occasions like corporate events, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries.

However, despite the ample proportions, the villas are also ideal for couples and even single travellers. During the low season, Semara offers a special deal where guests can book single rooms within the larger villas of Villa Chintamani and Villa Nora. More often than not, groups who book a single suite will find that they share the common areas with only one other guest or couple. In addition, guests who are seeking only two or three bedrooms can book an entire villa at a special rate (depending on availability) and Semara will simply close off the extra rooms.

Whether you are an extended family, group of friends, a couple or a party of one, Semara tailors the experience to your personal preferences and pampers you plenty. Guests who stay in the suites and villas are treated to charming touches like welcome fruit baskets, daily gourmet breakfasts, complimentary spa sampler packages and complimentary Semara gift packs with aloe vera body and face products. Each villa has its own dedicated butler, and depending upon the package chosen, guests can also have their own personal chef on call or personal drivers for day trips and nights on the town.

In fact, the team at Semara takes pride in going above and beyond to try to create the most memorable experience for each guest. General Manager Janick Couturier says, “We always try to have an open dialogue with our clients before they book so that we can work out exactly what they want and need.

We will go over things like group size, events and expectations so that we can find the best fit for each person.”

For example, the Semara team may recommend open and airy Villa Ambar for families, as it features interconnecting bedrooms, an optional safety gate for the infinity pool, and a massive entertainment room with long sofas and kid-sized beanbag chairs. For those planning celebrations, Villa Santai Sorga is an ideal choice for its sleek bar with a personal bartender available on request, roomy relaxation lounges and spacious separate bedrooms. Guests arranging corporate escapes and retreats may want to consider booking Villa Nora and Chintamani as they can accommodate up to 20 people and are connected via a garden path.

Much like the villas themselves, the facilities at Semara Luxury Villa Resort are equally diverse. The elegant Selatan Restaurant sits on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean and a deep gorge, and makes for a chic spot to indulge in leisurely lunches and romantic dinners. Next door is the gorgeous spa, also overlooking the ocean and gorge, and a lengthy infinity pool where you can spend the afternoon sunbathing, swimming and soaking up the scenery. For those seeking more active pursuits, there are also tennis courts and a state-ofthe-art gym with glass walls offering panoramic views of the sea.

Then, of course, there is the famous Finn’s Beach Club. Reached by a purpose-built inclinator that makes its way down the side of a steep cliff dripping in verdant vegetation, Finn’s Beach Club sits on its own private stretch of sand. Guests can opt to relax in the breezy thatched-roof restaurant, enjoy soothing treatments in the open-air massage pavilion or recline on the huge beanbags resting on the sand. It’s all too easy to while away the hours here snorkelling and swimming in the crystal clear water, dining on divine pizzas, pastas and grilled seafood, and enjoying sundowner cocktails amidst invigorating ocean breezes.

Definitely not your run-of-the-mill villa experience, Semara Luxury Villa Resort manages to exceed the expectations of even the most cautious travellers. From the exclusive haven of your own private villa to the gourmet dining options, world-class fitness facilities and stunning seaside ambiance of Finn’s, this is boutique luxury living at its very finest. www. semarauluwatu.com

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sounds around ERIC BAKER HITS A CHORD WITH AL MCKAY OF EARTH, WIND & FIRE FAME. 152

The sound of Earth, Wind & Fire comes to Bali. Legendary guitarist and former creative genius behind the unique sound of Earth, Wind & Fire, Al McKay, is coming to Bali. Accompanied by his band, the Al McKay All Stars, mainly made up of former EWF-members, he will deliver their new album Al Dente at the inaugural Bali Live International Jazz Festival, which presents a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the sound that made the ‘70s funk band a global success.

Selling more than 90 million albums worldwide earned EWF a place in countless hearts and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a spot on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and Al McKay’s induction into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.

Despite a busy tour taking Al and his outfit via Dubai, Germany and Norway, to Singapore and the Philippines, the guitar virtuoso took time out to speak with The Yak about music, life, where it all began and his love for Bali.

“I felt from early on that I was destined to be a musician,” Al says.

Born in the musical melting pot of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1948, Albert Philip McKay came home enthused after seeing Elvis Presley in the hit movie Loving You, asking for his first guitar. He was nine years old. His wish was granted and young Albert took to the strings. Inspired by “the king”, influenced by the likes of Freddie King, Duane Eddy and The Everly Brothers, McKay soon excelled and moved to LA. In 1966 he happened to be at a rehearsal of Ike and Tina Turner when Ike struggled to get the intro to The Temptation’s song Losing You right. Al stepped up and played the piece left-handed on an upside down right-handed guitar. He was hired on the spot, and spent the next two years playing with the Turner’s Revue outfit.

Moving on, it was not long before McKay had carved a name for himself by playing with the likes of Charles Wright, The Sylvers, Pearl Bailey, Andy Williams, Isaac Hayes and the late, great Sammy Davis Jr. In 1972 he was asked to join newly

formed Chicago funk band, Earth, Wind and Fire – replacing his friend and former student Roland Bautista. This was the beginning of what was to become a legendary time for the band and one the happiest times in Al’s music career.

“I loved it, living, playing and praying together. It was great without all the problems that came later with the big success,” Al says.

“We were quite a spiritual band and I think that really reflected in our music.”

Being influenced by the great James Brown, growing up with Motown and with a love for George Benson and Carlos Santana’s music he developed his own unique style. Over the following nine years EWF produced seven albums, collected five Grammy Awards with McKay co-writing hits such as September and Sing A Song together with Maurice White, the band’s founder.

“I never sat down to write a song, it was more like whatever mood hit me that day and we would bounce off each other, me with my ex-drummer rhythms and Maurice with his melodies we created harmonies that simply worked,” Al says.

“As a whole, EWF was more of an ensemble than a band, really.”

Thousands of touring miles, countless hits and live stage performances later, Al left EWF in 1981, took full custody of his then three-year-old son and stepped back from the lime light – being a single dad his main focus.

“It was a challenging time being a single dad, it was hard and rewarding, don’t get me wrong, I loved it, yet would not want to do it again,” he says with a smile.

“Then, in the early ‘90s Jermaine Jackson got me to come to Japan and we saw Madonna’s Like a Virgin show - I was blown away.

“Sets and production had changed so much in just 10 years.”

Back at home, Al brought the L.A. All Stars together with Johnny Graham, Rahmlee Michael Davis, Andrew Woolfolk, Larry Dunn, Reg Jensen, The Phenix Horns . . . all former EWF members. They started to produce new tracks and played a lot of the old EWF classics.

“I was surprised that audiences were still hungry for our music, I mean the songs are over 30 years old now, but we ended up touring Japan, the Philippines, the U.S. and Europe playing the major jazz festival circuit.”

Al reminisces about coming to Bali in the early ‘80s “just to chill out”, when Seminyak was still . . . well, not at all like it is today . . . and has returned many a time since to play here.

“I have always loved Bali, it reminds me of Hawaii,“ he says.

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james watling settles in for a session on the sofa.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013 MARTIN SCORSESE)

“Let me tell you something. There's no nobility in poverty. I've been a poor man, and I've been a rich man. And I choose rich every fucking time”.

Jordan Belfort, loose focus of the 2000 movie Boiler Room and subject of Scorsese’s latest epic is a despicable human being, let’s get that out of the way first up. But in the hands of Leonardo DiCaprio (in possibly the finest form he’s ever exhibited) and with Marty calling the shots it’s one hell of a three-hour ride. And possibly the most quotable film to grace our screens since, well, Goodfellas, some 23 years ago. And this is certainly Scorsese’s best work since Ray Liotta delivered the performance of his career as flawed mobster Henry Hill.

Let’s not get distracted by the gratuitous sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll on display in The Wolf, this is a film about having the guts to run at life at a million miles an hour and blindside anyone that gets in the way. It’s a crass, shameless, balls out masterpiece that is undoubtedly DiCaprio’s finest screen performance to date and has put Jonah Hill firmly on the Hollywood A-List. It’s a film about the humanity of ambition and the allure of capitalism in the 1990s and Scorsese, who could so easily have isolated his audience with this subject matter, empowers his leads with enough charm, flamboyance and charisma to make it all but impossible not to root for them from the opening scene to the roll of the credits.

The three hour running time of The Wolf (the original cut came

in at over four hours and expect the director’s cut to land later this year on Blu Ray) flies by thanks largely in part to the powerhouse editing of Thelma Schoonmaker who has worked with Scorsese for more than 40 years, blazing dialogue from screenwriter Terence Winter (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire) and take-no-prisoners performance by leads DiCaprio and Jonah Hill.

Effortlessly combining a serious drama with genuinely comedic situations is no easy task but the results balance impeccably with some excellent cameo roles from Spike Jonze, Rob Reiner and possibly the best dialogue on the soulless mechanics of Wall Street ever committed to film courtesy of Matthew McConaughey: “OK, first rule of Wall Street - Nobody - and I don't care if you're Warren Buffet or Jimmy Buffet - nobody knows if a stock is going up, down, fucking sideways, least of all stockbrokers. But we have to pretend we know."

The scene on Belfort’s yacht with the FBI is a master class in scripted tension and one of numerous reasons why you’ll want to revisit The Wolf more than once, but that is where the one and only weakness of Scorsese’s latest project falls short – it lacks the romance and nostalgia of Scorsese’s most celebrated works – Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Raging Bull and Casino. It’s a hollow vehicle at heart and there are very few admirable qualities in its subject matter . . . with each repeated viewing the impact wears off yet for that first viewing this is dynamite cinema from a director, leading actor and cast at the top of their games.

HER (2013 SPIKE JONZE)

Spike Jonze, the man that delivered on the Charlie Kauffman scripted genius of Being John Malkovich back in 1999 and Adaptation in 2002, long-time collaborator with the Beastie Boys and one part of the triumvirate of genius that introduced the world to Dirt Magazine and Sassy has delivered a creative masterpiece in writing with his singular vision of a dystopian sci-fi love story. Set in the not-too-distant future the story revolves around Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), an isolated and complex loner who makes a living composing personal letters for other people in an era dominated by technology and digital interaction.

More than anything the post-modern setting of Her (a hazy L.A. we are led to believe; indeed the film was shot in Los Angeles and a digitally assisted Shanghai) is a statement of our times, of society on the cusp of seclusion where communication is primarily with machines, and in the case of Twombly an infatuation with Samantha, his new operating system – sensuously voiced by a disembodied Scarlett Johansson (in a role originally performed

by Samantha Morton) who breathes new life and hope into the dejected character Phoenix portrays.

As the unlikely romance blossoms Jonze takes us on a journey into society’s obsession with technology. Everyone speaks to themselves, connected to their world by an earpiece and a handset, ignoring all else around them. It’s a world not

too far removed from the vision of where we are at today . . . a self absorbed, introverted and solitary existence where the lines between reality and fiction are constantly blurred. It’s testament to Jonze’s vision, and the work of the supremely talented production designer, K. K. Barrett, that the audience feels permanently detached yet familiar with the tone and setting. It’s timeliness resonates in an almost prophetic manner; we will be living this reality in the not too distant future.

Ultimately, Her is an impeccably graceful and beautiful film with a much deeper meaning beneath the romantic veneer of the premise. Jonze has at once created a trademark poignant and quirky story that is easily his most accessible film to date.

The soundtrack warrants a special mention (the Yeah Yeah Yeahs front-woman Karen O, Jonze, Scarlett Johansson and Phoenix collaboration alone is in the running for an Academy Award) with Arcade Fire’s Will Butler and violinist Owen Pallet creating a neoclassical score that is both emotional and haunting whilst avoiding what could have been an all-too-obvious sci-fi synthesizer trap.

Rumors already abound that Jonze’s next undertaking “The Untitled Rick Howard Project” is entering pre-production and anything that he produces henceforth is very likely to find a larger audience in the wake of Her. In the interim, with Her, Jonze leaves us enough time to consider exactly what it means to be human.

james watling reviews the beat generation.

BECK MORNING PHASE CAPITOL

IT’S a tough call to try to predict which direction Beck Hanson will take with each new album announcement but with Morning Phase he is moving with a Hypnotic Cali folk-rock sound more aligned with the direction he took in 2002 with Sea Change than the B-Boy ramshackle swamp rock of Mellow Gold and the hipster funk of Odelay.

With Morning Phase there’s a melancholy and loneliness that pervades the entire album – an introspective and harmonious emotional voyage that channels the Brian Wilson sound, each track is complete and understandable with a poetic lyricism that is almost cosmic in nature. The shimmering rise of dawn on the opening tracks of Cycle and Morning, through the Nick Drake-inspired beauty of Heart is a Drum where the real poetic folk sound of Beck Hansen shines through . . .

You've lost time when you fall from the pendulum, Your heart is a drum keeping time with everyone, Everyone if they come from the undertow, Needs to find someone to show me how to play it slow, and just let it go.

Beck’s backing quartet (guitarist Smokey Hormel, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen, keyboardist Roger Manning Jr., and drummer Joey

Waronker) and string arranger David Campbell (Beck’s father) reunite as collaborators on Morning Phase to great effect, echoing the mood and sentiment of Sea Change but allowing Morning Phase the space it needs to develop into something far, far more significant than its 2002 predecessor.

Even the foray into country territory on the penultimate track Country Down doesn’t detract from how well this album has been produced and pieced together to flow all the way to the magnificently opulent and grandiose finale of Waking Light that is life affirming and beautiful in equal measures, and just begs for the replay button to be immediately employed.

According to bassist and frequent collaborator, Justin MeldalJohnsen, when interviewed by Mojo in late 2013, there are about three or four albums’ worth of material floating around with Morning Phase possibly being the first half of a two- album release schedule for Beck in 2014. If he closes the year with anything that even remotely matches the quality of Morning Phase we are all in for a very special year indeed.

I BREAK HORSES CHIAROSCURO - BELLA UNION

JESSY LANZA PULL MY HAIR BACK - HYPERDUB

CONNAN MOCKASIN CARAMEL - MEXICAN SUMMER/ BECAUSE MUSIC

VARIOUS ARTISTS KU DE TA VOL.5 - BOUDOIR MUSIC/ KU DE TA

SWEDISH synth shoegaze duo I Break Horses debut album, Hearts, made little impression on the music scene back in 2011 and it’s taken them three years to release their follow-up by way of a series of well chosen production remixes including a mesmerizing and almost completely ignored Koreless reinterpretation of I Kill Love, Baby!.

This year sees a full-length second album land and there’s far less of a nod to the rock elements that defined Hearts, instead we get a contrasting light and dark voyage into lush pop music where the complex textures, hushed synths and layering of the minimal drum programming and percussive elements are triumphant.

The serenity and sparseness in the closing track Heart to Know relies almost completely on Maria Lindén’s wispy vocals.

Mesmerizing alt synth pop.

WHILST the world was pre-occupied with the female vocal talents of Jessie Ware at the tail end of last year this almost managed to creep under the radar courtesy of dubstep pioneer, Kode 9, and his Hyperdub label and has been on constant rotation ever since.

There are echoes of Jessie Ware throughout this debut release from Lanza, but the pairing with Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys fame leads the listener into far darker territories. As one reviewer very accurately summed up, "Pull My Hair Back is where pop music would have gone in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s had it not been for the onset of club culture and the hedonism of the club culture scene". From the sparse synth opening on Giddy through to the closing track Strange Emotion the entire album is a trip into disassembled future soul.

OFFICIALLY the most insane man currently producing music, Connan Mockasin first came to our attention a couple of years ago with Forever Dolphin Love. Last year saw the release of the New Zealander’s sophomore album, Caramel, creep out on a very low-key release and only this year get a full release on iTunes in the U.S. and U.K. The wobbly bluesy guitar riffs, muddled distorted vocals and whimsical crooning sound truly bizarre on first listen but persist and there’s a hidden work of genius just waiting to be unearthed.

There’s genuine emotion and raw talent on display on tracks like I Wanna Roll With You and Do I Make You Feel Shy? but the real standout is I’m The Man, That Will Find You which is a more conventionally constructed track with an incredibly catchy chorus line running throughout. Psych-hipster-tuneage at its finest.

Brand new for 2014 is volume five in the series for local bar/club heroes KDT compiled and mixed by front man and long-time KDT collaborator Jim Breese.

The fifth edition in the series sees the tried and tested Ku formula continue with a sultry and sexy selection of deeper cuts from the likes of Sleazy McQueen, Crazy P, Dato, Flight Facilities, and KDT’s very own Pete Herbert. The pick of the track list comes from the effortlessly cool Mugwump cut Boutade that’s been on the playlist since it emerged in 2009 and is still going strong five years later.

This is refined house music for the jet set crew that is both understated and refined in equal measures, a perfect sound bite of the Bali scene from the originators of the Seminyak scene. Volumes 1-5 are available on iTunes and a limited box set gift CD version is on sale in the KDT.

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astroyak

moodofthemoment

By Dr Deepak | astro-deepak@usa.net | www.astronlp.com | Skype: drdeepakvidmar

SO this guy goes to the doctor and the doctor reads the test results and says, “You have 10 to live.”

“What!” goes the patient all freaked out, “10 What? 10 years, 10 months?”

“10…9…8…7…6…” the doctor says.

This time period has transits from hell. The last half of April, specifically April 21-23, there is a Grand Cross of cardinal signs involving Pluto-Uranus-Mars-Jupiter and the moon to trigger it all off. It only happens every 250 years, but now we are so technologically dependent that we are at risk and vulnerable, particularly in areas of economy, government, and natural and man-made disasters. My pick of the most likely is the yearlong fuel rod removal process at Fukushima nuclear plant. At a personal level, the cardinal signs, born the first week of January, April, July, and October, will be most impacted. People with other planets 13-degrees in cardinal signs will also be affected – maybe some kind of sudden change and/or crisis in your lives. The bright side is that out of 1,000 that suffer, one will become enlightened. It might be a fair trade.

aries

The tension builds, the tension builds, the tension builds until sometime in April, you go off like a volcano. For a couple of years now you have been expressing your independence and individuality. In April it all comes to a peak. You throw off all the yokes that bind you and have been holding you back. Freedom is your value now. All your qualities of impatience, self-centeredness and impulsivness are multiplied. Sudden breaks in relationships.

Old lovers and enemies return. Into the breach, my friend, and Happy Birthday.

taurus

Sense of responsibility, hard work, heaviness, and struggle continue, but at least you are thinking positively about the good things you have in life.

Friends and family are positive for you now. Getting work done is a frustration. Either mistakes are being made and the work needs to be re-done, or co-workers are not pulling together as a team. All of this is temporary. Keeping your attention on the goals you are working for and honouring your vision for the future will make it all worthwhile.

gemini

What you see may not be what you get.

Neptune influence now is a dreamtime. You see what you want to see. Be careful with your resources now. It is not a time for get-rich schemes. If it looks too good to be true, think about it more carefully and seek dependable financial advice. It is a time when you encounter those who are corrupt and abuse their power. There is a learning, though, because the truth is in the dark and you stumble upon a torch to show the way. You just have to learn to turn the light on.

cancer

The characteristics of Cancer are home, family, attachment, and security. But the times are changing and what was solid ground becomes shaky beneath your feet. Living the old way is not an option anymore. Even building a rabbit hole will not work because your energy is so high strung and restless. Good to let go of that overweight baggage you have been carrying and to cleanse and purify. The more you let go, the higher the expansion of consciousness coming your way.

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leo

To make a promise is one thing. Keeping a promise is another. You have the willpower, but maybe not the enthusiasm or zest. It becomes a drudge, hard work and a chore. To lighten the load, some warm relations with a partner may be coming your way. A nice quick little honeymoon somewhere would be nice. Good to stay in touch with your subconscious now. Revelation and comfort will be given to you in your dreams. Just the work is too much. So maybe don’t make so many promises for a while.

sagittarius There is a divine discontent now about home and where you belong. It might feel like nowhere because it is everywhere. There are no boundaries to define. This leaves you open to express your creativity without restrictions and to experiment with new identities and new experiences, no matter how old you are. It is a time for the unpredictable and to expand your horizons. It may or may not be true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but you will be a tree sniffing puppy dog your whole life.

virgo

capricorn

You are not your usual analytical self and misunderstandings and mistakes may occur. Neptune transits opposite your sign. Any fixed self-concept of you becomes blurred and direction in life is difficult to determine. It is not a problem – it is an opportunity to go beyond the boundaries of the logical mind and to feel a bigger picture. Tendency to be an impulse spender at this time and to make poor choices. Good to be in a spiritual community that will give you inspiration and growth.

libra Conflict now in the world and in your relationships. Some of these are old conflicts with old friends and old enemies that need to be resolved. Not necessarily a bad thing. It is a law of physics that the universe needs friction to expand and for life to be created. In your personal life, you have avoided this too much. You have avoided confrontation and now the truth and nothing but the truth will prevail. Good to embrace this confrontation and seek creative ways for conflict resolution. scorpio

This might be a time when you are harder on yourself than others. That famous stinger of yours turns inwards. You judge yourself too harshly according to inflexible standards that are too strict. Any anger you have about this or that is repressed on the outside and has nowhere to go on the inside but in. Better to look at the glass as half full. Look at what you have accomplished and done right rather than wrong. Look at your resources and strengths rather than your handicaps and weaknesses. Be fair.

If you want to make the gods laugh, just tell them your plans. Sudden, unexpected, unpredictable changes now that you could never have prepared for, particularly in career and home. It seems to be the price you pay for the expansive explosion in consciousness that is possible for you now. It was something you never could have made happen. Other things had to “unhappen” first. Perhaps it is your partner who helps you come to an understanding without words that you are not alone.

aquarius

This is a time of, once again, duality between your conscious and unconscious minds. Try to express yourself and argument will ensue. Your thoughts are out-of-the-box and they conflict with the other’s belief system. Your facts were not in their schoolbooks and they conflict with the other’s rote understandings. Or you can go the other way and go within. There is the possibility now of a profound revelation in your sleep or meditation which cannot be expressed or shared.

pisces

Dear beloved precious being. Happy Birthday. Soft you were born, soft you have been, even softer still you are becoming. Born with one foot on Earth and the other foot still in the spirit world, your soul has never really decided wholeheartedly whether it wants to come into the body on Earth or not. Good to be in a spiritual community where you can be recognised, guided by higher wisdom, and cared for. Here on Earth, your finances are in disarray and you impulsively spend too much, probably on others.

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The Yak talks to architect and designer Philippe Starck about The Stairs – a landmark villa hotel planned for Petitenget.

How has Bali influenced you and your design work?

I spent a lot of time in very small lost Balinese villages, and I was stunned by the dresses of women and their incredible mix of earthy and fluro’ colours. These villages were fascinating as they are an intimate mix of daily human life of a countryside village with all the richness of human relation and the monumental scales of the ever-present temples.

What elements of Bali (if any) have you incorporated into the design of The Stairs?

I do not work with material parameters like steel, aluminum, wood or glass. I only work with human parameters like vision, intelligence, love and respect. In Bali, all is deeply mixed in a very natural and sophisticated cocktail, and it is this I have tried to translate into this project. This is where the magic comes from: the paradoxical mix of materials – poor and rich, concrete and refined wood – always honest, always the truth, no fake, no decoration, just the simple needs at their best.

How did you decide to integrate an urban piece of architecture into a tropical paradise?

I often say that I prefer my oyster farm in the Atlantic with the cold wind and big waves to exotic destinations with palm trees and white sandy beaches. But Bali is a continuum between a respectful and a modern beginning. Bali is so holy for me that I thought I could perhaps bring a new point-of-view, even perhaps a new proposal to avoid all the traps of easy folklore.

Is The Stairs indicative of a particular genre of architecture or decoration, or aligned with the other architectural designs you have created?

The Stairs does not follow any type of trend in decoration and architecture; it is organically designed, just following the beauty of the soul of Bali. If the villas are charming, comfortable, deeply human and full of nice beautiful surprises, they also are the confrontation of the past, the present and the future. Some people will be surprised to see an evocation of a typical Balinese house covered by street graffiti, engraved in stone, in glass, filled with silver or even gold. The coming together of Balinese traditional artists with the new generation of Balinese street artists is explosive and fertile.

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