The Yak #61 by The Yak Magazine

B I A S A G R O U P. C O M | B A L I S E M I N Y A K - S A N U R - U B U D - B A T U B E L I G | J A K A R T A K E M A N G

www.theyakmag.com

Volume sixty one dec/jan/feb 2018-2019

The Yak Magazine Sophie Digby, Nigel Simmonds, Agustina Ardie, Michelle Lamb Creative Director Stuart Sullivan Sales & Marketing Shanty Wijaya, Amik Suhartin Production Manager Maulidina Fatharani Graphic Designers Irawan Zuhri, Ida Bagus Adi Accounting Julia Rulianti Distribution Made Marjana, Putu Widi Susanto, Gede Swastika, Made Rekayasa, Kadek Eri Publisher PT. L.I.P Licence AHU/47558/AH/01/01/2011

Cover: Badara Ndiaye wears a selection of John Hardy Fall 2018 collection jewellery. Photographed by Oscar Munar.

Advertising Enquiries Tel: (+62 361) 766 539, 0851 0043 1804, 0851 0043 1805, 0851 0043 1796 info@theyakmag.com sales@theyakmag.com Snail Mail & Walk Ins The Yak Magazine, Kompleks Perkantoran Simpang Siur Square, Jl. Setia Budi, Kuta, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Styling by Angie Anggoro. Grooming by Juno Pchelkina.

OK you know the drill. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced electronically or otherwise without prior permission from the Publisher. Opinions expressed 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. Check us out online, we’re awesome (if we do say so ourselves). Peace.

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contents 14

Definers

Diary Days

Plastic Be Gone

Yakety yak

dates with destiny

one world

15 minutes of fame

new in the hood

38 44

Muddy Waters

Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s In? Or should we say, who's not in? out of the box

Jewelry & Stuff

culture vulture

Beth Moon

66 10

Make a Scene Bali

Steve Olson

Sayan Gulino

culture vulture

people

causes

people

Mark Copeland & Adrian Reed

Mary Manaka

Carby Tuckwell

people

artsake

Marco Melgrati

Shine

The Beat Goes On

Her Move

100

yak fashion 1

yak fashion 2

Passions

oral pleasures

Manarai

102

Ijen

104

Gluten Free

106

oral pleasures

Big Six

taken not stirred

ApĂŠritif

contents Omnibus, page 82: black dog days, grrrrrrr

108

A God Called Heineken

110

Two Islands Win

taken not stirred

constant wining

114

Morabito Beach

118

The Mandala House

120

The Ungasan

122

The Edge

venting in a villa

58 12

124

Six Senses Uluwatu

126

Kayumanis Ubud

venting in a villa

128

Impiana

132

The Anvaya

134

Villa Coco

136

Sthala Ubud

venting in a villa

Layovers

venting in a villa

getting hitched

138 146 148 154

fashion freestyle

Clobber

over the edge

Kini Resort Villas

over the edge

To Banda!

the yak awards

French Kissing

160

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s What

162

Star Pluckers

ad directory

astro yak

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Definers, that’s what we like to call ourselves here at The Yak. Definer as in the traditional sense is to: a. State the precise meaning of (a word or sense of a word, for example). b. To describe the nature or basic qualities of; explain: define the properties of ... Which is exactly what we have had the privilege of doing here on Bali for the last 15 years – introducing you, our readers, to countless fabulous people, hotels, venues, brands and events. Yes, with this issue #61 we will be 15 years old and, over the last 15 years we have indeed taken it upon ourselves to illustrate, interpret and prescribe the who, the how, the when and the where of all things Bali, so that you dear Yakker can enjoy, imbibe, relish and appreciate all that is here on offer, these 8 degrees south of the equator. First up, we spell out how we all really need to stop with the one-use plastic, people – Ban The Straw! Please note that One Island, One Voice has been shouting about it for a while now so it would be wise to listen! Then in true Yak style we dive into the past, where Victor Mason meets the legendary Muddy Waters, now there’s a musician that defined a massively popular genre of music, modern Chicago Blues. New in the Hood defines what is new on the island that might be of interest, and we follow that up with Out Of The Box, items to buy loved ones, perhaps? It’s the festive season after all. Influential people are next; inspired creatives, each and every one of them. Photographers, theatricals, designers, rebel skaters, one-time documentarians and of course, defining the future, meet a couple of Block chain individuals who are set to change the course of charity – both how they work and how to donate and participate. Our first of two Yak Fashion spreads this issue introduces Bali to the gorgeous Badara Ndiaye, fashion designer, model, content creator, photographer and videographer – all round uber-talented which is what it takes to be any “definer” worth his ripple… Sandwiched in between this and our second fashion spread is the ever present Black Dog – not pleasant but ever relevant, more so now than ever before with suicides on the rise. Brightening up the tone, next up is one of Bali’s most fabulous and popular fashion designers, Mauricio Alpizar with “The Beat Goes On”; here he delivers an unorthodox nod to Woodstock and the simpler years of last millennia. The “Her Move” feature, with stunning images and crafted words, beautifully describes the elegance and softness within each movement executed by surfers of the fairer sex – well the skillful ones anyway. Moving away from people, we come to two beachside locations with outstanding food – choose between these two inimitable standard bearers, Manarai in Nusa Dua and Ijen at Potato Head Beach Club – Petitenget, or just visit both and relish the difference. Moving towards liquids, imbibe exceptional cocktails at the new Ubud eatery, Aperitif, or if cocktails are not your thing, try the Yak deadline favourite tipple, beer – ours is Heineken. For those of you who need GF products we suggest you stay away from beer and head over to Two Islands wine, here are the peeps who are redefining our attitude to Bali produced wine, and a great job they are doing too. Venting in various villas is our way at pointing you in the right direction when choosing somewhere to stay on Bali, however if Bali no longer hits the spot, we highly recommend surfing in Sumbawa or cruising the Bandas aboard a phinisi. Rounding off this issue check out our Yak Awards 2018 pics – see anyone you know there? Definitely a party by definers, for definers – or have we gone too far? And so we come to the end of our 15 year-old tome, and welcome our new Astrologue – Dallas Kalma, who is possibly the best definer of all since she carries the knowledge of the future in her ability to read the stars and the planets. She is ideally placed to interpret what is in store for us all in the upcoming New Year in our AstroYak. As ever, may The Yak be with you and happy incoming 2019.

yakbak Dear Yak, Your copies have arrived. Thanks again! Wonderful. Especially the Earth images, well printed, very nice. We are happy. Big smile from Berlin to Bali Regards, Sinta + Thomas Germany PS: If you're interested do check out our website. It's not 100% finished yet but you can view the complete series including EARTH+ASHES. We added your Yak interview. Nice to see you in the flash (as it were) at The Yak Awards. Dear Yak, Re: Sir Richard’s vote for Robert Epstone – Solemen. Please note Sir Richard’s PA Helen Clarke’s message below confirming: "It will most likely show up as roger.b, not Richard or Helen. The vote for The Yak Awards was definitely placed, hence my emailing you as soon as I’d placed it." Hope you can confirm Sir Richard’s vote for me has been received.

Much appreciated, Robert Epstone Solemen Bali Note to any hacks out there. Richard Branson's hotel hidey name is Roger. Dear Yak, What a fabulous night to remember. Although I actually don't remember that much after midnight! The Yak Awards this year was the best yet, and I've been to a few. In fact I think I've been to most of them. It was even better than the one at Sentosa when J tried to dive into the pool at the shallow end and ended up in hospital. Even better than the one at (where was it?) when K dressed up as a woman and ended up going home with a guy. Even better than . . . all of them! Superb fun as always. Note to self. Don't drink so much fine bubbles. Yours, Anonymous, Bali Ah yes, The Yak Awards. Crikey. See you next year!

In The Lap Of: The Kardashians They came, they saw, they sailed east, took their selfies and flashed their abundant derrières . . . the KardashianJenner circus rolled into Bali with kids in tow under a whiff of drama (as always). But while they were here we made sure they were not only nipped by cheeky monkeys in Ubud but also able to grip this esteemed organ in its full glory, hopefully to be flashed on screens far and wide across the globe(s). Bottoms up!

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calendar

fridge magnet fodder for the peripatetic.

Wonderfruit So much more than just a music festival, Wonderfruit combines seductive beats, surreal art, sustainable architecture, organic food, and innovative ideas to catalyse positive change. This year the eco-friendly festival will be held at The Fields at Siam Country Club, so expect coconut groves, tropical forests, pristine lakes and stunning mountain vistas. There will also be immersive experiences for all ages, gourmet bites by award-winning chefs, inspiring talks with progressive thought leaders, and a stellar lineup of artists including Stars and Rabbit, Bobby Pleasure, and Felix Dickinson. The festival kicks off on December 13th and runs until December 17th. www.wonderfruit.co

JAKARTA INTERNATIONAL JAVA JAZZ FESTIVAL Now in its 15th edition, the Java Jazz Festival is all set to welcome thousands of jazz, soul, R&B, and funk musicians and fans at the Jakarta International Expo from March 1st to March 3rd. The first JFF took place in 2005 with 1,227 artists performing for more than 47,000 guests, and since then it has only gotten bigger and better each year. Today it is one of the largest jazz festivals in the world and arguably the biggest in the southern hemisphere. This year the lineup includes celebrated artists like the Cyrus Chestnut Trio, James Vickery, Moonchild, and The Suffers. And in true JFF fashion, there will be plenty of surprise performances in store. www.javajazzfestival.com

CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR February 5th marks the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year and a time for huge celebrations across Asia. Chinese astrologers predict that the Year of the Pig will bring positive energy, stability, and abundance. And because the pig is the last zodiac animal in the 12-year cycle, this relatively carefree time is a good chance to reflect on previous years and prepare for the next cycle starting in 2020. For two weeks leading up to Chinese New Year, you can expect mad festivities like parades, parties, dragon dances, and fireworks displays in almost every major Asian city including Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok.

NYEPI Nyepi is the Balinese New Year and a unique experience unlike any other. On the eve before Nyepi, Balinese villagers around the island parade huge monstrous figures called ogoh-ogoh through the streets and make as much noise as possible in an effort to scare away evil spirits. Starting at 6am the following day, everyone must stay inside and refrain from making noise, working, cooking, and using lights for a full 24 hours so that the evil spirits will think the island is abandoned. No vehicles are allowed on the roads, and even the airport shuts down. Many use this time as an opportunity to meditate and reflect on the past year. The ‘Silent Day’ falls on March 7th this year.

IF YOU’RE IN COLOMBIA… December 25 to December 30 — Feria de Cali: End 2018 with a bang at the Cali Fair, one of Colombia’s biggest and most vibrant celebrations. Starting on Christmas Day, the streets of Cali come to life with an explosion of colourful parades, mesmerising salsa performances, Afro-Caribbean concerts, street food smorgasbords and more. Each day there are different events and activities planned that celebrate Caleño history and culture. If you can only make it to one, aim for the closing day concert when some of Latin America’s best bands and professional dancers come out to play and get the crowds moving and grooving. January 2 to January 7 — The Blacks and Whites’ Carnival (Pasto): It may sound politically incorrect to foreigners, but the Blacks and Whites’ Carnival in the south Colombian city of Pasto is actually a spectacular display of cultural diversity. In fact, UNESCO has designated it one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The spirited six-day carnival brings together thousands of people who don vibrant costumes and hit the streets to dance, sing, and throw water, foam and talcum powder on each other. On designated days, partygoers also slather themselves in black and white paint to signify equality regardless of skin colour. IF YOU’RE IN VIETNAM… December 28 to January 8 — Epizode (Phu Quoc Island): If big bass lines and funky beats are your jam, then Epizode is where you need to be to ring in the New Year. Set on the sugary white sands of Long Beach on Phu Quoc Island, this epic EDM festival runs for 11 days straight with non-stop drum n’ bass, hip hop, house, techno, trance and breakbeat rhythms on three oceanside stages. The lineup includes regional superstars as well as renowned international DJs including Goldie, MIIA, Mutantbreakz, and Black Sun Empire. You can also expect light and laser installations, fabulous food courts, and fun recreation zones.

February 19 — Perfume Pagoda Festival (Hanoi): Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, millions of pilgrims from all corners of Vietnam converge on the famous Perfume Pagoda to pay their respects to the Buddha and make wishes for the year ahead. The journey begins with a boat trip along the Yen River, passing mountains, rice paddies, and limestone caves along the way. The final destination is Huong Mountain, which is home to the Perfume Pagoda and the famous Huong Tich cave. Inside the cave pilgrims make offerings of food and incense to statues of deities, as well as various stalactites and stalagmites that are believe to have special powers. IF YOU’RE IN GERMANY… February 7 to February 17 — Berlin International Film Festival: Come February, Berlin will be rolling out the red carpet for over 20,000 film professionals, journalists, and movie buffs hailing from 130 countries. The Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, is one of the largest film festivals in the world and it features over 400 films ranging in genres from arthouse productions to independent docs, children’s films, experimental shorts and classics. Unlike many other international film festivals, Berlinale is not strictly invite-only, so tickets for screenings are open to the general public at very reasonable prices. February 28 to March 5 — Karneval (Cologne): The Germans sure know how to throw a good party, especially during Karneval, a countrywide celebration that marks the countdown to Lent. The biggest Karneval parties take place in Cologne where millions of people converge on the town squares and streets to drink, dance, and feast. Throughout the ‘crazy days’ festival, lively events take place all over the city and pubs and bars stay open around the clock. The climax of the festival is the Rose Monday parade, which features nearly 100 floats, plus bands and dance troupes who promenade down a sevenkilometre stretch and shower spectators with flowers and candy.

CMY

giving back

Komitmen keeps it clean.

All it takes is a trip to any Bali beach after a big rain to see that the island is facing a serious plastic pollution crisis. While many might say the mountains of plastic waste in the ocean and on the sand are coming from other islands, that simply isn’t true. Just take a look at Bali’s trash-clogged rivers and you can see that the majority of the problem originates right here. So how can you help? Supporting the Komitmen initiative launched by One Island, One Voice is a solid start. Even if you’ve never been to Bali before, you may have heard of Melati and Isabel Wijsen. In 2014, at the ages of just 12 and 11 years old respectively, the Wijsen sisters created Bye Bye Plastic Bags to call for a ban on plastic bags in Bali. Their first step was to create a petition urging the Governor of Bali to ban plastic bags on the island by 2016. Unfortunately, that goal never came to fruition, but Melati and Isabel never gave up.

supermarkets, convenience stores and traditional markets. Over the past year, the government of Denpasar has been incredibly proactive in promoting the reduction of plastic bag use, and this is in no small part due to OIOV’s tireless campaigning efforts. Komitmen is OIOV’s latest initiative supported by 5 Gyres, a US-based non-profit that recently launched an expedition to sample microplastics in Indonesia’s Coral Triangle and explore solutions to the global problem of plastic pollution. The Komitmen initiative aims to eliminate unnecessary plastics from our daily lives and business operations, and invites businesses to change their plastic behaviours and provide options for local alternatives. With the understanding that solutions to the plastic problem are not easy and real change happens in stages, the pledge consists of six simple steps to support and protect the environment in Bali. The first five steps call for a ban on the most pervasive types of singleuse plastics in businesses: plastic straws, water bottles, retail bags, cups and cup lids. The sixth step is a commitment to separating inorganic and organic waste at the source.

What started as a small youth movement quickly grew into island-wide action. The original petition received over 100,000 signatures, and in 2016, Governor Mangku Pastika signed an MOU with BBPB to help make Bali plastic-free by implementing education programmes and introducing alternatives to plastic. The sisters also organised beach clean-ups, campaigned for a pay-forplastic programme on Bali, and created an education booklet on the harms of plastics and distributed them to schools. In 2017, Melati and Isabel founded One Island, One Voice, a collective of NGOs, local businesses and individuals working together to raise awareness about dun dun dun dun... Bali’s waste issue and highlight the need to take bold actions toward solving the problem. That year, the collective organised Bali’s Biggest Beach Cleanup, mobilising over 12,000 people across 55 beach locations to clean up 40 tonnes of trash. Of the participants, 55% were Indonesian and 45% came from other countries.

So how do you take part? Simply go to the One Island, One Voice website and download the pledge. Tick the boxes and provide the dates you plan to implement each step. The pledge also asks that businesses promote their participation in the initiative. After each part of the pledge has been achieved, notify the Komitmen team and your business will receive a One Island, One Voice Komitmen logo that you can display in physical or digital form.

In 2018, OIOV expanded its efforts, organising 120 clean-ups in Bali, Nusa Penida, the Gilis, Java, and Batam with more than 20,000 participants helping to collect more than 65 tonnes of waste. Of the participants this year, 85% were Indonesian and 15% were international. Today One Island, One Voice is Bali’s largest collective active in the field of waste management and prevention.

Don’t own a business here in Bali? You can still make a difference by supporting the 200-plus businesses on the island that have already committed to making the island cleaner and greener. Just look for the One Island, One Voice logo on their brick and mortar business, website or social media platforms. Don’t see the logo? Feel free to pass on the word about Komitmen and the vital work that One Island, One Voice and their partners are doing.

In recent news, the mayor of Denpasar has announced that plastic bags will be prohibited in shops throughout the city starting from January 1, 2019. This includes

www.oneislandonevoice.org

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15 minutes of fame

muddy waters victor mason chases the holy grail of jazz in sixties america – and comes unstuck in the presence of its leading light.

Mr McKinley Morganfield.

It was late September or early October ’67, and I’d just quit my job in Hong Kong. I had it in mind to travel first to London, and from there to the good old US of A, first stop the Big Apple. Before emplaning at Heathrow a minor kerfuffle. I remember I was booked on Pan Am One and dutifully presented myself at their check-in counter. Sweet girl examined my British passport and said: "Oh, so sorry Mister Mason, but you don't appear to have a visa." Somewhat taken a back, I exclaimed: "Gosh! Do I need a visa to go to America?" "Well, I'm afraid you do. But don't worry: we'll help you to get one, and put you on a later flight.” Pan Am van was summoned and sped me to the embassy in Grosvenor Square, accompanied by another sweet girl attired in a smart blue uniform. The place was packed: queues a mile long. I'd never seen so many miserable looking people. Sweet girl ushered me to the front of the queue and whispered something in an official ear. Five minutes later my passport was returned to me bearing a stamp which said Multiple Entry Indefinite. We sped back to Heathrow. The entire operation had taken exactly one hour. Or it may have been one hour and ten minutes. Not bad going. I was in time to catch PanAm 2 whose ETD was two hours later than PanAm One. Things are rather different now. The last time I flew to the States (which was not so very long ago), I was on a visa waiver and that meant I could stay in the U.S. for up to three months without one. I don't think you can do that anymore. I was on my way to the Crescent City from London, port of entry being that hub of brotherly love - Philadelphia.

A slovenly overweight official kept us all waiting at the Immigration counter for an unconscionable age before finally condescending to put in an appearance. I was first in line. He cursorily examined my immigration form and passport, then, without saying a word, handed my documents to some uniformed flunkey behind him whom I was obliged to accompany to a room situated off the main concourse. Here another taciturn uniformed individual, without even looking at me, took over and started twiddling knobs behind a counter. When I reasonably enquired what might be the problem, I was summarily informed that it was none of my business and, furthermore, that if I didn't stop talking I would be put on the next flight back to where I'd come from. So what do you do? Tear the fellow off a strip, or clock him one for his confounded impertinence; demand to be taken to his leader; or simply hold your peace? Having decided on the latter course of action, I was eventually released into a maze of endless corridors, whence I finally managed to board my connecting flight with moments to spare. Well, what was the problem? My lack of visa; declaring Indonesian domicile (rather than British) on my immigration form; or hypersensitivity following 9/11? Combination of all three? We shall never know. But I do definitely digress. It is 9/20 something/'67, and we are on our way to New York. The flight is practically empty: just a few other passengers: probably one of the new 707s, or it may have been a DC10: the cabin crew attend upon one's every whim. Travelling by air I used to enjoy. Not any more. Not having a clue where to stay, I took the advice of a very friendly cab-driver, who took me to a charming old bricken hotel situated near Grand Central Station. Delightful place if a bit dingy, though in the event I stayed there for only one night. I had the phone number of a chap I'd met in Hong Kong quite casually in some club: we'd had a few meals and a bit of fun together, and he had given me his business card and told me to give him a ring in the unlikely event (or so it seemed then) that I should ever find myself in the Big Apple. He answered my call immediately, told me to remain where I was, and said he would meet me at my hotel mid-morning. What luck! Morty duly arrived at the appointed hour and, following the hail-fellow-well-met exchanges, I invited him to a celebratory libation at the basement bar. I remember with stultifying clarity that we had martinis - mine with olives, his with a twist. Only in America can you obtain a proper martini: don't believe a word that pundits may utter to the contrary. Proper martinis must consist of the correct ingredients, and these do include a dash of dry vermouth. They should then be poured from a pitcher that has been kept in the freezer for minimum of twelve hours. They should also be served with a side-dish of pretzels, oysters, or cherry-stone clams. In any establishment worthy of the name, you shouldn’t have to ask for these. I can still hear to this day Morty's exhortation over the second of these divine concoctions. "You gotta get outa this dump. I have just the place for you. Trust me."

P R E S E N T S

31 DEC 2018

1 JAN 2019

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P R O U D LY S U P P O R T E D B Y :

15 minutes of fame 26

It didn't take me long to bundle up my meagre accoutrements and pay the bill, which amounted to precisely, sixty dollars, cost of martinis inclusive. Fantastic value! Less costly than you'll find in most other old or New World cities. His spanking motor - a not-so-shiny black Dodge - stood directly without the hotel's front entrance, under the attentive eye of a liveried footman, who it seemed was familiar with my host. We roared down Park Avenue, or it may have been Broadway, and presently found ourselves at the heart of Greenwich Village, on the corner of Bleecker and Grove Streets. I recall the location well, for it was to be my home for the coming fortnight at least. The ground floor apartment was extremely snug if not very spacious - about the same size as my recently vacated hotel room. It belonged to my friend, though he seldom used it, preferring to stay with a lady companion who shared a swankier space somewhere near Central Park. "Here," said Morty, handing me the keys, "it's all yours. Just don't forget to double lock the joint. Do anything you like in it, only try not to burn the place down!" Before speeding away he said he'd pop by in a day or two to see if I was settled in OK. So here we are, superbly established in the Village, where all the action is; and (remember the Blues Brothers?) I'm on a mission, a musical mission... Practically the first thing I did was to find a record store - it was all vinyl then - and there, pasted on the window, was a poster advertising the Muddy Waters Blues Band who were playing at a newly opened venue styled the Electric Circus, which happened to be not a million miles unadjacent and a ten minutes' cab-ride away. Muddy Waters. Definitely up there in my Blues Pantheon: I had several of his records, including under his real name - McKinley Morganfield - those seminal early Forties Library of Congress tracks issued on Testament, and some marvellous Fifties Chess albums, with Little Walter on harp. Gotta hear this guy in the flesh. Say no more! I'm under the impression that the man behind the Electric Circus was Bill Graham, who founded the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. It was known for a while as the Fillmore East if I am not mistaken. Tricked out like a big top, the cavernous interior was circumscribed by a foam banquette, convenient to collapse upon. But it was the sound, the stupendous wall of sound, that I recall most vividly. Muddy and his men occupied the centre of the arena: there were three or four guitars, harp, keyboard and percussion, and the music they played simply blew you away, bowled you over, swept you off your feet, knocked you out, transubstantiated you. It was pulverizing. Nothing on vinyl could capture it. Now it just so happened that I had an introduction to Muddy's manager, Bob Messinger, who had also handled the Ken Colyer band in London. I sought him out and asked if he would kindly allow me to interview the maestro himself. "Sure, why not?" said the good man, "I'll send you word." And presently I was conducted to what looked like a disused lift well somewhere in the back of the building, where the looming presence awaited me. One needs to get things in perspective. Here am I, all alone with one of the greatest blues artists of all time. It is only my second night in the New World, in the Big Apple, in at the deep end so to speak. One of the greatest blues artists of all time eyed me somewhat quizzically. "Mr Morganfield I presume" was my opening gambit; and the great man nodded and smiled lopsidedly. "Hey, hey, whadaya know?" I said I knew because I had his very first recordings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So?" "So wherefore the name Muddy Waters?" That lopsided smile again, and a shrug. Obviously he didn't want to talk about it. In fact, I reflected

later, he'd probably been asked the same question 1001 times; in any case I knew wherefore, because blues writer, Paul Oliver, had written about his upbringing on the family farm in Mississippi, where he used to spend his days mucking about in the local creek. I then asked him how he found his current harp player, George Buford, who it seemed to me was every bit as good as Little Walter. Silly question, I suppose. "OK," was all he would say. And the rest of the band? And his present gig? And what the future might hold? He was totally unresponsive. Dammit! He was looking at his watch. Time for the next set. I suggested that he join me for a drink at the bar when he'd finished playing. "You do drink, don't you?" Not even a nod. He wandered off, and that was that. Back in the big top, I was accosted by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, who just happened to be there, and who'd recently split from the Butterfield Blues Band to form his own outfit - the Electric Flag. "Whadaya mean asking Muddy all those damn fool questions?" he raved at me. "What questions?" "Like 'do you drink?' and shit like that!" I'd had enough. I turned on my heel and headed for the bar. But worse was to come. Far worse. And this time I deserved to be on the receiving end. But a few doors away from my digs was a bar. A fabulous bar, which I'm pretty sure was called the Bleecker Street Bar. Here was I wont to repair around midday for my first martini - simply the best martini in town, ergo the world. Served with pearl onions and endless dishes of cherry-stone clams, I could happily have stayed there all afternoon, rhapsodizing about the American Dream, Blues and Jazz, and the Status Quo. A couple of days or so following the Bloomfield rebuff, I was there, appraising the clarity and molecular structure of the divine admixture before me, when this chap plonks himself down beside me. "Wow, that looks good! I'll have one of those," says he. An animated conversation ensued, doubtless inspired by an endless succession of crispy, cocktails and succulent clams. And I may have been shooting a bit of a line, waxing ever more garrulous and beset by delusions of grandeur. There is no doubt that the devil got into me. My new-found companion evidently knew nothing of the Blues, so I took it upon myself to enlighten him. The taxi delivered us St Mark's Place and the Electric Circus as Muddy was beginning the first set. I recall vaguely charging past the orderly box office file and bouncers, gesticulating and name-dropping wildly; starry-eyed, stumbling acquaintance in tow. Then the wall of sound hit me; keeling over to a cushioned collision, I knew no more. When I came to, it was eerily silent. It seemed that I was alone in that vast hall, though I suddenly became aware of the figure standing directly over me. The voice sounded more aggrieved than incensed. "What on earth did you do that for?" It was Bob Messinger. "Christ!" I mumbled, "I'm so sorry; I think I must have passed out. Did I miss the whole show?" "Never mind that. You came in here without paying, you prick. You just can't do that. Do you know how much it costs me to run this group? I've gotta look after them, pay them, feed them, cloth them ..." And more in similar vein. "Look, I'm really sorry," I said: "I didn't mean it. I guess I got carried away. Please take this." Handing him a wad of bills and tendering more abject apologies, I took my leave. In the event, I felt truly contrite. It was a dreadful thing I had done. But the realization that I had slept through three whole sets by Muddy Waters and his Chicago Blues Band was the most chastening of all.

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ENDLESS ISLAND VIBES Ti Moris Kitchen & Bar brings the spirit of Mauritius to Baliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shores with vibrant tropical bevvies and bites. Sample starters like street food favourite boulette chouchou, a steamed dim sum made from grated chayote or a lovely lunchtime dish like the native fish vindaye, an exotic mix of pickled fish, mustard and spices served in soft rolls. Then there are over 20 flavours of infused rum to spice up your favourite tipples. Celebrate island vibes as you sip and snack serenaded by tropical beats, Mauritian reggae, modern bossa nova and siesta sunset sounds. Tel: +62 361 316 7129 www.timorisbali.com

THE APURVA KEMPINSKI BALI RESORT Atop a majestic cliff in Nusa Dua with breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean, The Apurva Kempinski Bali is all set to offer guests the epitome of beachfront luxury. This five-star resort features a collection of 475 iconic rooms, suites and villas, many of which have their own private plunge pools, plus seven eclectic dining destinations, an ocean-facing spa, and alluring chapels. Reservations are available starting February 2019 with an introductory offer of 30% off including daily buffet breakfast for stays until 31 May 2019. Tel: +62 361 209 2288 www.kempinski.com/bali

NOTEWORTHY NAILS Tired of weak-ass manicures that chip away after just a day or two? Now you can rock noticeable nails with Bio Sculpture manis and pedis offered exclusively at Glo Canggu. This unique one-step system strengthens and promotes the growth of natural nails and adds a natural glossy or high-shine finish that can last for weeks without fading, chipping or wearing away. As an added bonus, the gels are non-toxic and 100% vegan-friendly and cruelty free. Glo Canggu also offers tip extensions with sculptured gel treatment, silk extensions for nail biters and an easy non-damaging gel removal service. Tel: +62 361 934 8844 www.glospabali.com PIMP OUT YOUR PAD Housewares haven Beyond Borders has recently expanded into a bigger and bolder showroom in the wholesale furniture district of Kerobokan. Along with the larger digs comes an extended catalogue with 50 new designs including fashionable furniture and home dĂŠcor options. With diverse styles from rustic chic to Hamptons classic, Beyond Borders appeals to all tastes and can cater to a diverse range of commercial and villa projects with custom design services. Think over 600 designs in 40+ finishes and a specialty in hand-crafted wooden furniture with export quality craftsmanship. Even better, you get high-end design and quality at very competitive prices. Tel: +62 857 3820 7902 www.beyondbordersimports.com

BYE BYE BODY HAIR Beautify that beach bod at HiSugars, Bali’s first and only body sugaring salon. This ancient art of hair removal involves applying an all-natural, organic sugar paste to the desired treatment area to remove hair from the root in the natural direction of the hair. This takes away the hair, dead skin cells and congestion from every hair follicle with little to no irritation compared to waxing. As an added bonus, the sugar paste also has a massaging and body scrubbing effect, leaving skin feeling smooth and soft. Head down to the salon in Batu Belig or give them a ring for home sugaring service. Tel: +62 822 4765 5656 www.hisugars.com

LUMBUNG RESTAURANT It’s easy to find Indonesian food in Bali, but no so easy to find outstanding cuisine in an elegant setting. Now with the opening of Lumbung Restaurant at Desa Visesa Ubud, you can sample authentic fare from around the archipelago in a charming space surrounded by jungle greenery and evoking the warm atmosphere of an Indonesian home. Tempting offerings showcase classic dishes like pickled rujak with coconut serombotan, octopus with dabu-dabu sambal, coconut stewed beef rendang, bebek betutu and a massive seafood platter accompanied with a range of sambals for smothering and dipping. Tel: +62 361 209 1788 www.lumbungpadiubud.com

DAMAI If Damai feels like a home, that’s because it once was one. The seeds for the resort were planted when a Danish advertising executive passed by this beautiful, unspoiled village in the early 1990's and decided to build a home in Bali. Today Damai is one of North Bali’s premier resorts with personal touches like lovingly curated private gardens and exquisite antique collections. The villas are beautiful, the restaurant and spa are outstanding and the views are unforgettable, but what truly makes Damai a unique experience is the friendly staff who welcome you with graceful Balinese hospitality just as they would if you were a guest in their home. Tel: +62 362 41008 www.thedamai.com

EARTH-FRIENDLY HYDRATION Stay hydrated and help make the earth a better place with BALIAN’s new beautifully designed glass bottles. This pure mineral water is sourced directly from a free-flowing spring on the slopes sacred Mount Agung, the highest volcano in Bali, which means it creates a smaller carbon footprint than imported brands. In addition, it is certified as allnatural with no chemical treatments, so it contains essential minerals and a neutral pH. Now adding to its allure are new glass bottles that come in 330ml and 750ml formats for both sparkling and still water. Healthy water and classy packaging that contributes to a plastic-free Bali? Yes please. www.balianwater.com

N O W O P E N | 7 8 P A N T A I B A T U B O L O N G S T R E E T, C A N G G U , B A L I KARANGASEM . UBUD . DENPASAR . SANUR . SEMINYAK KUTA . CANGGU . JIMBARAN . NUSA DUA . JAKARTA SHO P ON L I N E AT SE N SATI A . C O M

SMILE, IT’S ALL NATURAL Sensatia Botanical recently launched their all-natural toothpaste collection, and we’re already smiling. Instead of using harsh chemicals like sodium laureth sulfate and fluoride, the toothpastes contain calcium glycerophosphate, a relatively new mineral complex that helps neutralize acid, prevent cavities and strengthen tooth enamel. Enhanced with kakadu plum extract, the toothpastes are also high in vitamin C, which may prevent periodontal disease. You have three flavours to choose from including charcoal-mint, cinna-mint, and herbal blend. www.sensatia.com

PRANA Ply the pristine waters of Raja Ampat on the newest addition to Yacht Sourcing Voyage’s fleet, the Prana. This sumptuous 55-metre Phinisi ship just launched in July and is now cruising the most remote areas of the Indonesian archipelago. The current journey runs from Komodo to Raja Ampat with two legs, the first from Alor to Ambon through the Banda Islands and the second from Ambon to Sorong through Raja Ampat. Prana provides bespoke itineraries for up to 18 guests in nine spacious cabins and boasts a dedicated spa, diving facilities and exquisite fine dining meals. www.voyage.yachtsourcing.com

PURE PAMPERING IN BENOA Hotel Nikko Bali Benoa Beach has recently revamped their spa, and the result is a serene space perfect for pampering. New treatments make use of all-natural Yon-Ka products from Paris, which contain active botanical and marine ingredients chosen for their healing properties. Guests can indulge in luxurious body treatments in the tranquil spa rooms or the open-air gazebo overlooking the ocean and gardens. The spa also features a hair and nail salon, steam room, 24-hour gym, and a healthy spa menu of nutritious juices, smoothies, and veggie-packed dishes. Tel: +62 361 773 577 www.hotelnikkobali-benoabeach.com

SACRED RICE Award-winning Melbourne chef James Tan has opened his first Bali restaurant just outside the artistic centre of Ubud. Set in an undulating bamboo structure amid working rice paddies, Sacred Rice pays homage to nature and time-tested traditions with small plates featuring homegrown heritage rice, nutrient-rich Balinese produce, sensational Indonesian seafood, and rare spices sourced across Asia. The addition of inspired cocktails and firstclass wines make this a unique dining experience far removed from the tourist trail. The restaurant only seats 26, so advanced bookings are essential. Tel: +62 821 4745 0217 www.sacredricebali.com

NEW CHEF AT SETTIMO CIELO BALI Settimo Cielo Bali is delighted to welcome a new member to their creative culinary team, Trissino-native chef Alberto Panciera. ‘Pancio’ started his culinary journey in his hometown and later branched out to esteemed restaurants in Greece, the UK, Australia, China and Indonesia. He comes to us by way of his most recent stint in Sumba and brings with him a deeply ingrained passion for cooking with fresh local produce. His favourite quote encapsulates his ethos: “If you cannot do great things, you can do small things in a great way”. Tel: +62 361 474 1117 www.settimocielobali.com

BESPOKE ROPP Paul Ropp has always championed the freedom of expression, and now even more so with their made-to-order service. Customise your favourite style from previously sold-out designs with your choice of style, colour and fabric. You can opt from four themes including earth, forest, fire and water, as well as gorgeous fabrics like hand-cut silk, chiffon, and cotton embroidery. Be unique, be you, stand out from the crowd and don’t be afraid to be different with your own one-of-a-kind Paul Ropp masterpiece. Tel: +62 361 730 023 www.paulropp.com

MANARaI BEACH HOUSE Brought to us by the acclaimed ISMAYA Group, Manarai Beach House is the newest addition to Bali’s social scene. This vibrant lifestyle destination is set on a pristine white sand beach in Nusa Dua and features a blend of traditional Balinese craftsmanship and contemporary modern styling that flows seamlessly from the restaurant to the outdoor lounge and onto the sand. Guests can indulge in international and local dishes accompanied by whimsical cocktails, healthy jamu, homemade boozy popsicles, and world-class music and entertainment. Tel: +62 361 477 2727 www.ismaya.com

HEALING WITH BLING Jewellery designer Anna Michielan has always been about so much more than just the bling. Using the finest gemstone and crystals, she and her team of Balinese artisans create covet-worthy pieces that don’t just look gorgeous, but also aim to heal, protect and bring balance to your life. She recently opened the Anna Michielan Healing Jewellery store on Jalan Mertanadi, where you can select personal pieces to take home with you that evoke the spirit of Bali and are blessed and charged with positive energy. Tel: +62 821 4619 4475 www.annamichielan.com

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SOULAXIS SUGARSAND SugarSand has been amping up the Double Six scene since it opened a few months ago, and now it’s bringing a whole new flavour of seaside partying to the mix with SOULAXIS, a sexy new soul club night. The second edition is kicking off on December 28 with intergalactic tastemaker and dance floor destroyer LEFTO. Famed for his eclectic sets, the Belgian DJ switches effortlessly between hip hop, funk, breaks, future bass, South American influences, bruk riddims and wild African rhythms. We can't wait to see what he'll pull out of the bag for the Bali crowd. Tel: +62 361 209 9999 www.sugarsandbali.com TOKO KIM HIN Canggu just got even more hipper with introduction of Toko Kim Hin at Hotel Tugu Bali. This new homewares and antique store carries truly unique, beautiful Indonesian products for home decoration, plus rare art and antiques from various islands of Indonesia. Toko Kim Hin was actually established years ago, but was almost deliberately hidden. If you weren’t a guest of Hotel Tugu Bali, you would never know this shop existed, tucked in the basement under the lobby. Now this haven of history, culture and hidden treasures is open to all. Tel: +62 361 473 1701 www.tuguhotels.com

THE MENSROOM Blokes now have a brilliant new place to take care of any and all grooming needs at The Mensroom above Spoiled Hairdressers in Umalas. Created by well-known personalities Rado Sembiring, a top makeup stylist, and Mantra, a lifestyle and fashion influencer, the space combines the comfort and class of a traditional salon with the advances of a modern men’s spa. The focus here is on male-specific hair, skin, and grooming needs. Think curated facial treatments that target razor burn, skin sensitivity and dullness, stress-management massages, waxing, and hair and nail services. Tel: +62 878 6058 1112 36

MANDALA Mandala is a trailblazing new villa brand with a stunning portfolio of privately owned, design-led residences in spectacular Balinese locations. Each property is conceptualized around clean, flowing lines and open airy spaces that mix raw, industrial elements with elegant finishes to provide private refuges with a signature flair for the unexpected. The brand represents a new paradigm in luxury accommodation, bridging the gap between boutique hotels and fully independent villas for those who want to kick back with the creature comforts and consistency of a five-star hotel while enjoying the exclusivity of a private home. www.mandala.house

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culture vulture Beth Moon scours the planet for the ancient, the mysterious and the otherworldly, creating timeless and compelling images that ask questions of our world.

left: WHISPERS OF THE COYOTE, this page: way of the hare 3,

thy kingdom come.

culture vulture AVENUE OF THE BAOBABS, portraits of time.

heart of the dragon, island of the dragon's blood.

culture vulture

Beth, your photographs are deeply

founded in mystery … and they seem to

span generations rather than just lives … are these themes that you look for

any of them?

There is always a strong draw to go

before embarking on a subject?

back! Yes, I have been able to revisit

I believe a sense of timelessness can

like, but I am always happy when I

set a more abstract stage, encouraging

a unique personal narrative. The images I like the best take the viewer so far, and then they are left to imagine the rest. It is a delicate balance.

Your book Ancient Trees: Portraits of

Time show trees we literally have never seen before. Are they even of this planet?

Some of the trees that I have

photographed exist only in certain parts of the world, for example,

dragon’s blood trees are unique only to

some of them, not as many as I would am able to. I have returned a number of times to the National Sequoia

Forests in California (there is just

so much to see!), as well as the White Mountains where the bristlecone pines

appearance. The monsoon winds are so

severe, the people that live on Socotra are not able to go outside for four

months of the year. These winds sculpt and shape the tree’s branches that

reach up to the sky, almost like an umbrella blown inside-out.

What first inspired you to track down

the world’s biggest, oldest and rarest trees?

I have always had a great appreciation for the natural world, but it was

after a visit to an ancient yew while I was living in England that I became entranced with the idea that trees

could live thousands of years. Learning that one of the first trees that I

photographed, the largest maiden oak in England was severely damaged by a major storm six months later, gave

me a greater sense of urgency and I

was determined to record as many as I could.

day I came home to find one daughter holding back tears with a bird that

she had seen fall from the sky. They

were studying animal totems in Native American culture and the concept of

animal spirits in school. We decided to honour the bird by photographing it and the collaboration began.

with it?

England. I am always invigorated by these visits.

Tell us about the platinum/palladium process that you use, and the

importance of paper in your work.

tonal scale with a rich palette of soft

appear to give an other-worldly

death. Usually we buried them, but one

while traveling in the countryside in

of Madagascar. These rare trees show a Severe weather conditions can also

trying to understand the concept of

How did you start in the world of

a detour to a special oak or yew tree

Yes, paper is key for me. The platinum/

variety not otherwise seen.

a time in their life when they were

grow. Occasionally I am able to take

Yemen, or likewise, certain species of

baobabs can only be found on the island

Do you ever get the chance to revisit

palladium has a very long, delicate

grays, warm browns and deep blacks, but I love the tactile feel of the cotton watercolor paper I use. It has been

photography, and why have you stuck I was a fine art major in college but a self-taught photographer. I picked up a camera when I decided to start recording the trees. I thought this would be the best process to use.

Starting with a photograph is only the beginning of many decisions. I have

stayed with this process because I am

never bored. There are so many options with photography and print making to choose from.

made in the same mill in France for the

Literary Chickens, your latest book,

actually sink into the paper fibers, the

...how did she become a fan?

last 400 years, and since the metals print will never fade – the perfect

process to honour the long lives of the oldest trees!

In Thy Kingdom Come, and how did you construct those images? Are those

animals actually dead? What was that journey?

My family and I had just moved to the west coast of America from London

and we spent a lot of time outdoors hiking in the wilderness. Looking

back, it is hard to imagine that we

came across so many dead animals over that three-year period, but we found them so fascinating. We were able to study up close what we usually only

saw from afar. I tried to photograph the animals, but somehow the photos looked incomplete. My daughters are very compassionate and big animal

lovers and at the same time it was

has a forward by Isabella Rossellini

I started this series of hen portraits, titled Augurs and Soothsayers in 2010. After seeing the photos online, my

German publisher contacted me with an offer to publish a book of the work. She mentioned that Isabella raised heritage chickens. I learned that

her farm was nearby in Long Island

and asked if I could photograph her chickens for the book. She very

graciously invited me to her farm.

There I found many happy animals free

to roam, in what I would call pastoral bliss. Concerned with sustainability and animal welfare, Rossellini is

very inspiring. She believes there is a role for each small farm to play, an opportunity to bolster genetic diversity.

www.bethmoon.com @bethmoonphotography

trumpet plant, the savage garden.

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culture vulture

tony stanton meets chloe quinn from make a scene! bali to hear how her collaboration with local craftsmen is reimagining a bali tradition. photos: andika dana pratama.

Hi Chloe… can you tell us a little about where you are from and what brought you to Bali? I’m from Bristol, England, where I trained as a theatre designer. I first came out to Bali on holiday soon after I started university. We stayed in a homestay in a very traditional village called Bona and the family were so welcoming, immersing us in Balinese culture. On that first trip I fell in love with the island, the colours, the artistry, the landscape … and every year since I’ve returned. It’s the place that makes my soul happy. Whenever I was struggling as a freelance designer at home in the UK I transported myself back to Bali in my mind and it would calm me and lift my spirits. Choosing to always return to that same family in Bona, I discovered a workshop that built and installed Balinese wedding dekorasi. They were prepared to take me on as an apprentice, a match made in heaven. Bali meets theatre! I knew I had to follow my heart, so I took the plunge and moved here to start a new journey. When did you first get the idea to use woven palm leaf in new and innovative ways? The workshop I was with in Bona used carved and painted styrofoam to make their installations and although I was excited by the drama and theatricality of the scenic pieces, I gradually became aware that this was not a sustainable product and was in fact damaging to the environment. During the course of a conversation with the manager of Bambu Indah, she convinced me that I had to find a natural alternative for this art form. As fate would have it, weeks later she found and forwarded a Facebook post by Wayan Aksara. It showcased two innovative craftsmen from Mengwi who had just made their first completely natural, all leaf Balinese wedding dekorasi. “This is exactly what I mean!” she captioned. I was stunned by what I saw and my gut told me to go and find them asap! My bahasa was non-existent at that point so I contacted Wayan Aksara who made the introduction for me and I was invited to their workshop. On my way there my GPS let me down and I got lost … it was my first bike ride out of Ubud. Finally I found the workshop, and the team were so welcoming and friendly and their handwoven, coconut leaf installations [the mature green coconut leaf here is known as slepan] were even more breath-taking in real life. I knew I had found something truly special. Gus Ari

and his team had been experimenting with reintroducing original, traditional organic ways of decorating Balinese ceremonies. I just knew I had to help them reach a wider audience and share their incredible talent and craftsmanship with the rest of Bali. How many are in the team and how long does it take to create some of the more epic designs? There are three master weavers who are male and what is fantastic about this team is the strong female component. There are six skilled women weavers who are called upon when a large installation is being created - also the village mangku brings his signature skills to almost every piece. The workshop is always alive with a mix of the community: neighbours, grandchildren, young adults, grandparents … watching, admiring, becoming enthused and clearly proud that their traditional skill of weaving is enjoying a re-birth. I have become gradually more and more involved with the design side as my hands-on learning with the slepan leaf has enabled me to understand the potential and also the limitations of how the leaf can be manipulated. Together we are becoming more and more excited about the possibilities of what we can produce. The team of weavers and I are increasingly eager to challenge ourselves and their skills to expand their repertoire from the traditional forms to the sculptural. We are now also starting to take up inquiries from abroad with the possibility of exporting our installations. The green leaf has an optimum shelf life of one week once it has been woven, consequently installations cannot be made more than one week in advance. However on more ambitions designs, the bamboo and rattan framework can be constructed well in advance. The fresh leaf gradually transitions into a silvery bronze as it reaches its fully dried out state and we have recently found that dried leaf installations are becoming equally popular. The bronze colour takes on an antique wood aesthetic and can be enjoyed for months and months as pieces of art. Where do you get the ideas from for your creations? My training as a theatre designer has taught me to be a magpie in my research. I look at catwalk designs, fashion shoots, fine art sculpture and installations, theatre sets and nature itself is a great inspiration especially here in Bali. I am constantly taking photos and making notes and sketches of what I come across on my daily bike rides.

headline act.

culture vulture

new uses for old ways.

from left: chloe by krisna; weaving magic; always a dramatic entrance at make a scene.

What’s the most unusual design you have made? At this moment the team are in the process of making a six-by-five metre stylised bonsai tree to showcase a collection of indigo garments for the Indonesian Fashion Council for the upcoming Creative Industries Conference. This is a new and exciting departure for us, taking us into the realm of visual merchandising and the fashion world. This is a very Balinese tradition. How do you respect the cultural aspect of what you do at Make A Scene? Our signature statement is: ‘Traditional Bali for Green Contemporary Events’. Members of the team are proud Balinese craftsmen and women with a profound knowledge of their traditions and culture. They stay true to making woven art and do not seek to introduce additional materials of a more contemporary nature. They let the quality and versatility of their weaving speak for itself. Our innovative designs prove that traditional methods can keep up with contemporary demands and can continue to surprise and excite. In addition, we are very proud of the fact that we have led a green movement in dekorasi across the island. Our green art is sustainable and biodegradable, using nature’s gifts respectfully and then returning them back to nature. Are there any designs which are completely off limits? We are very sensitive with the issue of religious iconography: motifs and symbols that are sacred. How many varieties of palm do you work with? Coconut leaf is the main leaf that we use. To be specific the leaf is called slepan. This is the stronger, more flexible and malleable leaf and we can source differing shades of green, darker and lighter. We also use busung leaf as a decorative element or as a highlight colour. This is also a coconut leaf, the type used for Balinese offerings. We use banana tree trunk to add three dimensional aspects such as the scales of our

dragons and ijuk, a fibrous, organic hair-like material for the black hair of the dragons. Ambu and ratna flowers for decoration or signage. Where does all the action happen? Do you make the pieces first and then transport them to venues or make them on site? We build and weave all of the installations at the workshop in Mengwi. They are then transported to the venues and assembled in-situ. What’s the most difficult aspect of the work? Working against nature’s effect on the leaf. The leaf starts to dry out as soon as weaving begins. Therefore we have to carefully plan and time the build, working backwards from the event date to ensure maximum freshness. We also have to emphasize and communicate very clearly that the installations are made from natural materials and will consequently change visibly from their original vibrant green state as they gradually dry and transition tonally into an eventual beautiful bronze. Will we ever see Make A Scene in other countries? Yes! We have had interest already from a variety of countries. We are investigating all of the possibilities. The dried bronze leaf is much easier to export and we have in fact successfully sent pieces over to New York. So much would change for us and new doors would open if we could source an effective green preservative for the fresh leaf. However, first and foremost it is very important for us that our green art remains a biodegradable product that does not harm the environment. We will be joining Elami & Co Productions in the New Year and are very excited about this expansion. Chloe best of luck, love the work. @makeascenebali

Line caught. Open fire. Zero waste. Now open, Potato Head Beach Club Bali. ptthead.com

people

skateboard pioneer steve olson is still breaking the rules. words: luiz sanchez. photo: jason reposar at gate 88.

the pool guy.

Skateboarding played a formative experience in my life. Granted I couldn’t drop in a vert to save my life, and my greatest claim to fame was nearly landing a kickflip one time, but the better half of my teenage years were spent cruising up and down Rotterdam with my friends. We would skate tunnels and train stations, running from the cops whenever our antics caught their ire. We would get drunk, high, occasionally tag buildings and explore the city in search of new places to skate. There was something primal about skateboarding, something rebellious. There still is. In a world full of rules and responsibilities, skateboarding allowed us tiny moments of freedom. When I was given the chance to interview Steve Olson I nearly lost my shit. The Steve Olson? The dude who married the punk scene to skateboarding? THE guy that has definitely seen it all? Hell yeah. I knew Steve’s story, it's been written and rewritten dozens of times. Growing up in California Steve was a prolific surfer before ever setting foot on a skateboard. By age 16 he was already established as a competitive skater. Growing up in California in the '70s meant getting creative, as skateparks weren't a thing and youngsters like Steve would scour the suburbs looking for construction sites and empty swimming pools to skate. I met him at Beach Garden – In the Raw in Canggu, as the sun neared its zenith. As we sat down for the interview he got a call and took a moment before the meeting. “Sorry about that,” he said hanging up. “We filmed a skateboarding short in Paris in July.” A friend had invited him to Paris to paint with him. “I was there painting and skating and trying to immerse myself in Paris to get the vibe of the city. When I was there I met some good dudes and had an idea. We all have phones, let’s shoot a short on them. It's just a basic idea but basic ideas are powerful. The Pusher is Steve’s attempt to catch the essence of skateboarding. “It’s a passing of the torch from an older guy to a younger kid.” It's an apt motif. Having met and been friends with virtually every legendary skater from the '70s onwards, Steve has consistently been at the frontline of skateboarding. He's seen the sport grow from sidewalk surfing and pool skating to the modern-day mainstream meganaut it has become. He has seen the equipment evolve from surfboard analogues with clay wheels to contemporary variants.

“I was born in the early '60s,” he says. “I was influenced by longboarding and surfing. In the mid-60s a lot of the skaters were surfers and it was huge. Skating became extremely popular in a very trendy sort of way . . . like the hoola hoop.” Despite its popularity, skating took a dive in ’66 as moral panic sought to restrict the burgeoning sport until ’72, when polyurethane wheels were introduced. “It was groundbreaking,” Steve explained. “The polyurethane wheels gave you a smoother ride, it was quieter, definitely had a faster roll and gave you much more traction when turning.” “In the late '70s they had a pool competition called the Hester Series and it kind of seemed at that point to provide a proving ground for anyone who wanted to compete. It was the first of its kind and we thought let’s go, it’s on. I knew how to compete and did extremely well. In the competitive scene you had to do tricks. You were trying to up your competitors and I could do that, we could skate. The crazy thing is there were new generations happening within six months of each other. Not every five years or every year, it was happening so fast. Tricks and wheels were getting better, boards got wider, then Bobby Valdez did an invert in 1978 and everything caught on fire. I had to learn airs or I’d have fallen behind. “This kid from Florida, Alvan Galvin, came in after the first competitions and showed us what the ollie was [now a basic skateboard jump] and that was mind blowing, totally,” Steve recounted. “I mean, watch this little alien pop, and he had a really cool, funky, bizarre style from the other guys, it was wow, this is getting really wild.” In 1979 Steve was awarded Skateboarder of the Year by Skateboarder Magazine. "I remember I wore leather pants, a white blazer, some ridiculous polka dot tie and shoes that were way too tight but too cool not to be seen, and I remember they get to the top 10 and I heard the names of my friends and I remember thinking wow, I didn’t even make it to the top 10. Tony Alva had won the year before and he came in second place. He was pissed and threw his trophy in the trash, which I thought was fantastic. Then they said the Skateboarder of the Year is . . . Steve Olson. I was totally blown away but at the same time I had been drinking and thought all these people didn’t understand the scene happening in my world.”

“I remember them saying speech speech speech and I thought whatever,” Steve says. “I remember spitting at the camera, picking my nose, flicking boogers at them and giving them the finger. And it wasn’t to the kids into skateboarding, it was against the industry and the squares. Go fuck yourselves. They said these two guys were the worst representation of skateboarding but the kids just totally understood. They were like oh, what do you mean? These guys were saying fuck yourselves, they were skateboarding for the matter and the kids jumped on our side and it was fantastic. And then it died.” At the height of skateboarding’s popularity, the US economy hit a downturn. The recession, coupled with lawsuits, resulted in the closure of most skateparks across the country. Skateboard magazines began to fold or morph into general sports magazines to attract wider audiences. But while skateboarding never truly went away, the opportunity to make a living out of it certainly shrank. “We kept skateboarding because it wasn’t about that it was more about digging it,” Steve explained. “A lot of us kept skating . . . but the business died. A couple of companies survived but so many companies closed. Alright now what do you do? One year you’re on top of everything and the next year they’re sayin’ . . . now what are you gonna do with your life? Fuck I don’t know, I was blown away by the sport,” he said. "I still am." This is Steve’s second trip to Bali. The first time he was here was back in the late '80s, on the eve of Bali’s transition to a major tourist destination. “I brought a skateboard, dunno why, there was only one road in Kuta that was freshly paved and well done,” he recalled. I remember I came and put my shit away at the hotel and looked for my friend Mark Baker. So I’m skating down this street in Kuta and these little kids were tripping so I was like here try it. They were having such a good time I told them to keep the board. I love Bali. It’s been 30 years, it’s changed but I just love Bali. One of the best things is to hop on your scooter and just go. You have to be on guard and paying attention but it’s amazing, just throw your surfboard on the rack and go.” “I’m all about supporting the skate scene here,” Steve says. “They see a different style of skateboarding when I skate, because it’s still surfing for me. I don’t really care about tricks, I care about power, and turning, slashing and grinding.”

causes

luiz sanchez meets Sayan Gulino, CEO of Waterbom, to talk about the making of his recently released documentary highlighting bali's water plight. photo by dasha.

“It’s taken us more time than it should have to produce a 30-minute documentary,” Sayan begins when we sat down to talk about the making of Balancing The Waters, a documentary highlighting Bali's water plight. “We had this team based in New York who came to Bali to try and film it, but because of their lack of connection to the island they saw everything through the lens of a tourist. It lacked a certain depth and realness to it. We showcased it to a bunch of people and I felt they weren’t getting it or feeling it, so we scrapped the majority of what they put together and using the same footage we re-edited it to tell a better story. Finally, with a lot of hustle and finding the right people to fill the right gaps we persevered. Now it is finally put together and serves its purpose.” And that purpose, as Sayan puts it, is to “start a conversation. Waterbom has a responsibility, being rated the number one water park in Asia five years in a row. When others see we are getting this level of attention they will start listening.” The truth is that sustainability in recent years has become trendy in large part because it has been shown to be profitable. As saving the environment begins to correlate with increased profits, more and more companies and governments will stand behind sustainable practices, and for Sayan the motivation is not what matters as much as the outcome. “This documentary is targeted at individuals as well as businesses,” he said. “Whatever their intentions, sustainability can drive down costs. From a marketability standpoint sustainability raises the awareness and reputation of your brand. If you genuinely care about the issue then being sustainable allows you to coexist with the planet we call home. Not everyone cares about the environment, but they care about money.” The documentary hones in on the subak, a Balinese irrigation system dating back to the 9th century. The subak forms a central part of traditional Balinese life philosophy known as the tri hita karana. “We wanted to highlight how ancient systems worked in harmony between humans, nature, and spirits,” Sayan explained. The tri hita karana “was the stepping stone to try to get Waterbom sustainable. Tri hita karana is so real, it is not just a daydream. It has been voiced in various economic forums around the

world and if it is getting that amount of attention its because people are realizing that such a key component has been overlooked.” “Harmony among people, god and nature, that is it, that is where we live,” Sayan continued. “It’s so realistic and I believe the ethos. You need to work with your peers, the spirits and nature and if you don’t work with any of those three components you will fail.” Many of the people that have worked with Sayan to make Waterbom carbon neutral and on this documentary are expats who grew up on the island. “In terms of expats, we are lost children,” Sayan explained. “We don’t biologically belong here, but it is our home and what we saw was a paradise. Then we saw a paradise in front of our eyes just degrade. If you have no soul then maybe you will let it pass you by, but if you have a soul it touches you. Some people may only be upset but it affects you. We grew up without gadgets, playing in the grass, rivers, and ocean. That was our escape; our playground before Waterbom, before iPads. We have such a strong bond and connection with nature that we feel so loyal to it and we don’t want to see this paradise destroyed.” This is likely to be Sayan’s only foray into documentary film making for now, as he focuses on continuing to improve Waterbom and expanding his own portfolio. “I wanted to be that guy with the power to raise awareness,” he said. “The next step for me is to ensure if I ever engage in future businesses that people know this is my mantra, my ethos, and that I will only be engaging with sustainable businesses.” So what can we learn from Bali’s experience and relationship with water? Beyond the tri hita karana, Bali functions as a test case for other parts of the world. “If you went to Paris or New York 10 years ago you would have seen one or two new shops or building being built, but Bali has been undergoing rapid growth and development,” Sayan explained. “Bali is the mistake that we can all learn from.” Balancing The Waters has been submitted to film festivals around the world.

sayan gulino.

people

Mark Copeland and satellite enthusiast adrian reed are committed to a new initiative designed to save the planet. not all heroes wear capes, writes ondy sweeting. images: lukas vrtilek.

duoview. mark (left) and Adrian.

Mark Copeland, the unstoppable force behind the SmartMinds programme that swept Bali in a wave of outlandish positivity, has unleashed his unique ability to shift values with the aim of correcting climate change. Earth Ledger is the latest innovation engineered by Mark. The software platform uses Blockchain technology to make verified connections in order to change global values and shift the economy to a sustainable, common-good model. His aim is to change the mindset of the planet by incentivising environmentally positive actions with Earth Ledger as the platform to help reverse climate change and create profits for members. People will come together and use it to network and workshop challenges and develop solutions, create inventions, and bring educational awareness around resolving the UN’s 17 sustainable global goals. The entire platform's efforts are fueled by the first ever sustainable goods marketplace that’s subsidised to encourage consumers to start thinking green in their everyday lives. “Earth Ledger is a values driven model with the initiative to influence the individuals and members using the platform. There is a piece of self development planted within it that will create a shift in thinking. Every person within the platform is biologically verified as a real person and not a self interested company,” says Mark. Along with satellite enthusiast Adrian Reed – the restaurateur behind Bali’s Da Maria, Tropicola and Motel Mexicola empire, who is a long time collaborator with Mark through SmartMinds – will go to Nairobi to address the UN’s largest environmentally-focused conference in 2019. This month (December) the duo will attend SLUSH.org – the world’s largest geek beat where about 20,000 tech talents and top tier investors commune. “This is so huge and no one will see it coming. Earth Ledger can and will change the world to be a better and healthier place for everybody. There is no end to the good it will bring to everything from climate change to poverty and global education,” says Adrian. The platform aims to address the United Nation’s 17 sustainable goals, which include eradicating poverty, ensuring good health and equitable education, climate change, clean water and affordable energy. There are 198 subcategories to each of the 17 goals and Earth Ledger aims to address them all. All of the issues that need to change will be pulled into the platform. For example, in Bali, it would start at the level of the local banjar and elevate all the way to Indonesia’s President. At the moment, the country’s obstacles include endless rules and regulations, departments seeking funding and resources and the handling and implementation of technology. Earth Ledger provides an ecosystem for its users to solve all of these initiatives, globally, while having the capability to receive, access, and deploy funds in one platform. “Imagine it as the world’s largest charity. We are open for everyone in the world, from a café to a corporation, to donate in one single transparent space. Funds become algorithmically dispersed with little need for administration; a model that will eradicate self-interest at its foundation,” Mark says. In fact, Mark has been busy talking his way around the world with the wildly ambitious project that aims to not only reverse climate change but empower every individual in the planet to switch to their common-good model.

After addressing world leaders, academics and visionaries at The United Nation’s Environmental Assembly’s Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production conference recently in Estonia, Mark was shoulder tapped for a private round table discussion and invitation only dinner. “The UN is a unique beast in terms of how controlled everything is. At a high level dinner I was put on the table with Estonia’s Minister for the Environment, Siim Kiisler and spent the entire evening talking to him,” Mark says. “I was surprised that he still really believed the solution to climate change was in policy.” “I told him straight that in the last 30 years we have had more policies than ever before and more problems than ever before. I drew a parallel that had yet to be considered. I think I opened his mind. People are the challenge and the way we interact and way we behave is the challenge,” he says. Earth Ledger ensures that everyone who uses it is accountable through Blockchain technology, which makes every interaction on the system clear and transparent. All information published is verified and cannot be manipulated or altered. So inspiring is Earth Ledger that it has caught the attention of one of the world’s finest entrepreneurs and original thinkers, Sir Richard Branson. In October, Earth Ledger was named among the world’s Top 25 start ups at Sir Richard Branson’s annual Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Mark has again been shoulder tapped to provide more details about his operation to the XTC for consideration in the 2019 competition and will soon hear if Earth Ledger has advanced to the Top 10 slot. From there, 10 companies are reviewed and whittled down to the final three startups that visit the island to pitch their projects. Earth Ledger is a profit making enterprise but Mark has turned down $100 million in funding from companies that demanded too many conditions and control. “I’ve been told that the climate change is not a vertical – as an asset! Climate is not something like gas. People are so asleep. We have literally just slept through the destruction of the planet – and I’ve met the Chief Scientist of the environment for the UN who believes our climate has 10 years at a maximum remaining fit for humans.” At a time when leading social networks are bigger than the GDP’s of many countries, Earth Ledger aims to build a sustainable economy within a socialnetwork style base. “Social networks are an intangible or ‘invisible’ economy. My goal is to bring down the price of sustainable, green and natural products so they will be affordable for people. Right now we have this ‘pay to win’ and ‘price on demand’ attitude that is only good for the big corporations. Through Earth Ledger, as demand goes up, prices go down. The public is no longer exploited, as they are now.” With the positive responses he’s received from the various other powerhouses in his industry, it seems a ledger of Earth’s challenges and solutions may be the best way forward. www.smartminds.io

people

Mary, where are you from and how did you grow up? My roots are from Zimbabwe, my childhood years were spent in Essex, England, and my late teenage years were spent in Sydney, Australia. I grew up on three continents as a child so by the time I reached my teens I was excellent at coping with change. As children, we simply “do” life and go with the flow. I had a culture-rich upbringing from a fiercely independent and intellectual mother who holds three university degrees from three continents. She motivated me and my brother to grow up without boundaries and to think beyond borders. The confusion only became apparent when I started traveling solo at 19. Having a passport that says home but a heart that feels differently. What’s important to you in life? Several years ago whilst living in London I realized I was accumulating more things that didn’t really matter or speak to me on a spiritual level. I came to realize I value freedom and flexibility over the ability to just earn more and possess more. So I left life in the city and moved to rural Australia where I spent a couple of years reflecting deeply. That helped me create a blueprint for the life I live currently and I only seek out ways of living accordingly. I embrace aspects of simplicity and other powerful concepts of detachment. This is also reflected in the way I have set up my own micro-business so I can have more control over what work I do. Life is going, as it should, more calmly.   So you have decided to live life on your own terms? It would be fair to say that I was born to live on my own terms. That seems to be the major lesson in this incarnation. I was the sort of child who at a very young age could spot hypocrisy. Adults could make me do what they wanted me to do, but they could never make me agree. I was the one in charge of that, and I always knew it. Things that lead to me not living on my terms, I am somehow made blind to. What’s the most interesting or quirky job you ever had? From a young age my mother discovered that I had a talent for singing so I had the opportunity to go to stage school. I fell in love with performing arts so when I turned 16 I took myself to London and auditioned for a job as a singer in a band. This became my first paid job . . . singing in a band at The Firehouse in South Kensington. A couple of years later I realized this wasn’t the path for me so one day I stepped off the stage and hung up my singing hat. It was a challenge leaving everything I’d ever known behind to start over but after so many years of performing I was happy to set my sights on a new path. This became my first lesson in detachment and learning to let go. How do you earn a living today? I never used to consider myself an entrepreneur, but the term was a vague resemblance of an ideology that resonated with me. I’m a free spirit and this is reflected in the way I earn a living. I always knew my work would be creative as art has always been a large part of my life. When I was a child, I would draw all the time and I learnt crafts passed from my grandmother to the matriarch in my family. By the age of five I could crochet, knit and sew. Little did I know this would play a huge role in my adult life. Fabrics and metals are my medium of choice these days. Ten years ago I started creating wearable art and set up my own brand selling clothing and jewellery. This opened up a whole new world that I’ve been exploring ever since. With a lot of hard work and passion, this is how I earn a living.    What’s the best thing about living in Bali? To me Bali is always a dichotomous mix. A home and an escape, a place where days

can pass in an instant, or draw out interminably. To be at one moment surrounded by such beauty and tranquility and only moments later stuck in traffic behind a ceremonial procession. This is what I love. This island mirrors my love for life - the colourful, the random and the diverse. I travel very often and also spend long periods in Australia. While I’m away of course I enjoy where I am, but I also love returning. Bali feels like home, for now at least.  Tell us about your tattoos.  I believe tattoos are secrets of the spirit revealed on our skin. I have never planned a tattoo as you can’t plan magic, it just happens. The vibrations of the universe have brought to me beautiful souls who have played important roles in my life. These are the people from whom I have had the honour of marking my skin. This has allowed the process to always flow so easily and the rest is love. I believe a great tattoo is one done without any concern for time, money or competition. This art is ancient and sacred, and I would hope the way I carry my tattoos reflects and honours that.    Do you get a lot of requests from artists that are drawn to you? I am not sure what would quantify ‘a lot’, but I am fortunate to have had many opportunities. I’m very particular when it comes to modelling. I don’t consider myself a model but I do love to create and capture moments with other creatives. This has led me to working with amazing photographers and collaborations with like-minded people from all over the world. And for years now I have been receiving beautiful artworks from artists. In a society that has come to see busy-ness as a badge of honour, these artworks have really humbled me. Many of these artists do not know me personally, but have taken the time to create these artworks of me. So a few years ago I decided I would honour these artists by creating a gallery and showcasing these pieces they have created. To date I have collected over a 100 pieces of original artwork which I have framed ready for the gallery space in my studio. My aim is to use my platform to showcase some of the incredibly talented artists that I've been lucky enough to meet and work with. I am also in the process of creating a sub-brand, Voodouart, based around this concept and community which I will launch in December.  What’s your idea of perfect happiness? Can you imagine what it would be like to live your life without fear? The kind of fear that prevents you from living the life of your dreams? To have absolutely no fear of failure and to be able to set your sights on accomplishing anything you want without limitations. This to me has become my idea of freedom, which equates to happiness. What is the quality you most like in a man? I admire in men the same qualities I admire in women. Each of us must work on our own personal improvement and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity. I enjoy connecting with people who believe that we can build a better world and most of all, the belief and faith within themselves that they can make a difference.   And last but not least, what is your motto? It’s actually a quote by William Blake and it has been my motto for many years now. “I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s; I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.” www.manakacollection.com

Designer Mary Manaka is a free spirit with a story. "My business is to create," she tells Tony Stanton. Photo: Ryserson Anselmo for costes portrait.

voodoo vibes.

people Carby Tuckwell is creative designer at deus ex machina, which is probably all you need to know about him. words: ano mac photo: anthony dodds

on a mission from god.

Carby Tuckwell isn’t a name most would have heard, yet anyone who's familiar with the brand Deus Ex Machina has seen his work. He’s the man behind the graphics that have propelled the company to worldwide prominence. Already well known in design circles before he took a leap of faith to start and build Deus in 2006, Carby used to be creative director for Moon Design, responsible for the branding and livery of Jetstar, Qantas’ low-cost carrier. Isn’t it every guy's dream to paint a plane? The company also had a lot of runs on the board in the retail and apparel design sectors, so he wasn’t coming into this fashion thing blind. Moon Design was transitioning and Carby was looking for something to take him to the next step. He’d known Dare Jennings since Dare’s Mambo days and the two had been having an ongoing conversion about the idea of a fusion. So when Dare popped up to say he’d found the right property in Camperdown, Sydney’s Inner West, there really wasn’t any reason other than to say yes. Two guys in a shed, a very large shed apparently, started out with a vision, and no doubt a healthy dose of doubt. “The good thing about a large shed though,” said Carby, “is that there is the impetus to fill it.” Carby grew up in northern New South Wales. He’s what, these days, a lot would be quick to label a nerd. Meaning that his shock of curly black hair sculpted into a mohawk, medium stature, glasses, prodigious intellect and hyper-sharp tongue were the perfect recipe in rural Australia in the late 70’s to get him into a pickle. And when you are attending Lismore High School, which was at the time arguably one of the more brutal schools in NSW, he should have been prone to the odd lunchtime pounding if he hadn't enjoyed the protection of a local indigenous student who called him Fonzi. Apparently all due to the mohawk and a customised Billabong cord jacket he owned. Providence intervened though and the state built a new high school at Alstonville, a town close to him, and so it’s to there he went. With a new school, there are new teachers, and one of them, Sadiskersky, a big Czechoslovakian bloke who was apparently rather sharp of mind himself, as well as being something of a bon vivant, came to town to teach art. He is the man Carby credits with setting alight his interest in art and design. In one exchange he remembers Sadiskersky booming, “Tuckwell, you will never get anywhere in life if you continue to put a black line around things!” There’s no recollection of what he was drawing at the time, but he singled out this moment as the one that turned him down the path to the iconic simplified line drawings he does. They’re drawings he’s done of motorcycles, cars, skateboards and other beautiful objects and he’s been doing them since before the beginning. It’s a style which has become identifiable to anyone who has cared to have a look at his - and of course Deus’s - art. Inspiration he had in spades. He was a country kid. Out there they’re riding dirt bikes, driving cars and tractors, riding bicycles to school and of course, skateboarding. So, it’s not hard to imagine that after the kick in the mental pants he’d gotten from Sadiskersky, Carby began developing and refining his new style. And over the years he’d been building up a backlog of art and graphics and finally, when he jumped into the driver’s seat of Deus, he found a vehicle in which to use them.

Deus was a very different beast to anything that Carby had working before. Dare was on his path with a pocket full of big ideas and Carby was coming at it from his angle, the aesthetic and design side, putting pieces together, taking a little bit from over there and a little bit from over here and mixing together a cocktail of styles; drawing, print, photography, watercolours and other media. “The hard part is making sure it didn’t come across as some weird whacky hybrid or a knockoff.” In recent years there has been criticism from some of the more rigid custom builders that Deus has lost its way. That it is no longer a custom bike builder but rather it had commercialised itself, globalised and become an apparel company. When you ask Carby about it he’s very matter of fact. “Deus Ex Machina never set out to be a motorcycle company. Sure that’s what they were most enthusiastic and passionate about at that time when they started.” The fact is Deus has done art, design and of course apparel from the word go. The bikes were a great vehicle for expression, art and logos and since that point, they’ve done a lot of things. Cars, bicycles, skateboards, skis, and snowboards, you name it, if they are enjoying them, then you’re likely to see it in the next season's range. Earlier this year, Carby answered this very criticism by saying “…from the beginning both Dare and I had very eclectic ambitions for the Deus experience, driven by a desire to get as far away as possible from the fundamentalist religions that the surf and moto industries had become.” For those first five or six years, Carby was a happy camper. He sat at a desk pushing out a phenomenal amount of work. But he’s no slouch and being rather versatile, not to mention something of a renaissance man, he set about using his words to lure some likeminded to the bash. Carby has always been a fan of “bringing more people into the tent” as he so articulately put it. Even for Instagram, he had an eye out to discover people doing stuff that interested and excited him. Remember Tumblr? Back then it was the place where you could peruse images and make connections. Carby did. Then there were the introductions. Gary Inman from Sideburn Magazine gets a massive nod from Carby for introducing his London posse to the brand. Sideburn started a couple of years after Deus and half a world away but shares some of the same space. Among those Gary introduced were Stevie G, Ornamental Conifer and De-Spray, all of whom have been on the collaborative hit list. Carby professes one of the better emails he shot out into the dark was to a couple of lads from Austin Texas, the LAND boys, Caleb Owen Everitt and Ryan Rhodes. He’d seen the work they had done for Van’s, their first job as ‘LAND’ and loved what he saw and how it fit his perception of what and where Deus should be. I met them in Bali a couple of years into their collaboration with Deus and when asked they laughed and said that while they had never met him, “Carby gives great email!” “What we do graphically and artistically with the brand collaborations is in a broad brand sense, ‘what happened here?’ The original seed was planted from Camperdown with the ingredients but then with these guys it’s like it’s in totally different soil and the plant grows and it’s got totally different enthusiasms but it’s still the same plant, it comes from the same genus. It still says Deus Ex Machina. With an artist whose work is so extraordinarily different from what we’ve done, it’s not a handbrake. People are so used to us by now that they go, ‘Oh, I get it’.”

artsake

marco melgrati illustrates the times in which we now live. words: luiz sanchez.

made by marco.

phishing.

artsake

world's apart.

People say art is subjective, that the meaning of art

toxic masculinity,” he explained. “The premise of the

statue of the Fearless Girl standing in front of the

masculinity itself is toxic. The article essentially

is not beholden to the artist. People often look at the Charging Bull statue in Wall Street as a work of defiance

to Wall Street. Fun fact, the Charging Bull was a guerilla installation meant to depict the strength and power of the American people after the 1987 stock market crash,

but is today commonly seen and criticized as a symbol of Wall Street’s bullish nature. The Fearless Girl on the other hand was an art installation commissioned by one

of the world’s largest asset management corporations as an advertisement for an index fund comprised of gender

article was that toxic masculinity does not exist, because argued that even the best men are deep down rapists and misogynists, and I strongly disagreed with it, but the

work had been commissioned by an agent I worked with and by the time I was given the content of the article the invoice had already been sent. If I knew in advance, I

would have turned it down but I am a professional. At that stage of the process I couldn’t turn around and say no anymore.”

Marco’s work is very smart. It is full of symbolism and

diverse companies, but is seen as a symbol of resistance

has a surreal quality to it that really resonates with me.

In the 21st century perhaps more than ever before,

holding a cellphone with his shadow cast on a wall beside

against Wall Street and of female defiance.

we not only look for meaning within a work of art,

but we also look to criticize the artist for our own interpretation of their work.

I met with Marco Melgrati, an Italian illustrator

whose work frequently criticizes our modern technological society. Many often assume he has something to say about the world, and discuss, dissect, and criticize his

message. But hold on, Marco would say. Take a step back and ask yourselves if what you are criticizing is the

intended message, or your own projection on the product. Most of Marco’s work is commissioned. He is not an

artist in the traditional sense, producing work which then gets sold. “I am an illustrator,” he clarified. “Most of my work is commissioned. I am given an article and told to

design illustrations that will fit that article. Sometimes the illustrations they want just happen to fit into my world view but as an illustrator I do not have total

One of his recent pieces featured a racially ambiguous man him. The phone on the shadow was portrayed as a flaccid

penis, with the central thesis being about how pornography addiction leads to sexual dysfunction among men.

Apparently, this was taken by some people on the internet

as a weak jab at Asian men having small penises. “A lot of people get easily offended nowadays, and I think this is a problem,” he explained.

Marco has had to navigate these issues several times

before. He recently made an illustration for an English

magazine article about skin defense. He came up with the idea to make a medieval suit of armour using pink as its colour, as saturated pink lends itself really well to

surrealist art. “The editors had a problem because they

wanted me to use brown so as to not seem racist. But brown is not so surreal. In the end we came up with a compromise and I think it worked out well.”

The French theorist Roland Barthes once wrote an essay

freedom to design what I want.”

called the Death of the Author. In it he argued that the

on the article for which it is commissioned, and the

of a work should be divorced from the author’s identity.

Typically, Marco will make three sketches based

editors choose the idea they like best. His process is very mechanic. He identifies key points in the article, designs symbolic representations for those points, and incorporates them into the final product.

While it may sound like a job is simply a job, Marco

author and their writing are unrelated, that criticism

Today however we have moved beyond criticizing art based on its creator’s identity, and instead have moved to

criticize the creator based on our own interpretation of their art.

I always try to make an image that is not too obvious

does have his limits and his morals. “I don’t work for

so that it is not propaganda,” Marco explained. “In the

right,” he explained to me. “If a far-right outlet

the article but is open to interpretation. People are so

publications that are too extreme to the left or the

asked me to do an illustration that was antisemitic for example, I would not do it.” Work however, is work.

Disagreeing with the message is not the same as opposing it fundamentally. As such he has done work which he has disagreed with, but that is the nature of the industry.

end I try to make something that hints at the point of easily offended. If you are so full of stereotypes, if you are so ready to see offence ... you will always be offended.”

@m_melgrati

“I recently did an illustration for an article about

www.AtlasPearls.com.au

yak fashion

shine Photographed by Oscar Munar (@oskarmunar) Styling by Angie Anggoro (@glamazoid) Grooming and make up by Juno Pchelkina (@junopchel) Model Badara Ndiaye (@badaraofficial) and Karolina Wisniewska (@thecherrol) John Hardy Jewelry (@johnhardyjewelry) www.johnhardyjewelry.com Jemme Fine Jewelry (@jemmebali) www.jemmebali.com Lilla Lane (@lillalane) www.lilllalane.com WRKSHP13 (@johnnyramli)

Baroque pearls, sapphires, emeralds and white sapphire necklace, Loose Southsea pearl & CZ necklace Ruby, white topaz, pearl, amethyst and tourmaline bangles Ruby and white topaz ring selection from Jemme Fine Jewelry

Sumba bronze woven choker from Lilla Lane woven headpiece stylist's own

Ruby and white topaz choker, Mix of green amethyst, ruby, freshwater pearl white topaz and sapphire necklace, Ruby and pearl bangle From Jemme Fine Jewelry's Vermeils collection

yak fashion

necklaces, onyx pendant, and horn bangle from WRKSHP13 by Johnny Ramli private collection, Top hat from Mauricio Alpizar private collection

yak fashion selection of Naga Legend Bangles, Classic chains and Dots rings from John Hardy Fall 2018 series.

Selection of Naga Legend and Dots rings, with Naga Bracelets and a Classic singular pendant all from John Hardy Fall 2018 Collection Jacket is model's own

omnibus

black dog days depression is killing men at four times the rate of women. gava fox shares his experience of grappling with the black dog.

the beast within.

When Anthony Bourdain took his life in Paris earlier this year there was a worldwide outpouring of emotion that usually only accompanies the deaths of truly global icons, such as Princess Diana or Nelson Mandela. His death was incomprehensible.

you dodge, and give yourself the slip; you sneak in bed or in your cups, from care to sneak in vain: the black dog follows you and hangs close to your flying skirts, with hungry fangs.

“There is no point treating a depressed person as though they were just feeling sad, saying: ‘There now, hang on, you’ll get over it’,” wrote Barbara Kingsolver in The Bean Trees. “Sadness is more or less like a head cold – with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.”

Handsome, intelligent and charming, Bourdain appeared to have it all. He was the man that women wanted to be with, and the man that men wanted to be.

The black dog followed Churchill for much of his adult life frequently asleep in the corner, occasionally nipping at his heels and sometimes baying at the moon.

He had a dark past, of course.

The older he got, the worse and more frequently it came. It would sometimes reduce him to spending days at a time in bed, drinking copious amounts of alcohol in a bid to escape the fug that descends on sufferers.

This isn’t a cheery column, but in this edition I want to focus specifically on men’s mental health – not to diminish the seriousness we should attach to the genuine problems facing women, but rather because it is something I have felt personally, viscerally, and have seen in many of my male friends.

After starting as a dishwasher he moved up the culinary line to become a top chef, but it was his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential that changed his life and set him on the path to global celebrity. Witty and erudite, the book gave a never-before-seen insight into the workings of New York’s top kitchens, as well as chronicled his battles with addiction to drugs - particularly heroin. The success of that book launched his TV career, and through the next decade and a half he fronted over 300 documentaries, starting as bogstandard cooking shows, but evolving into one of the most thoughtful travelogues to grace our screens. Wealthy, successful and settled in domestic bliss with actress Asia Argento, what could have possessed him to fashion a noose in his Paris hotel room and kick away a chair from under his feet? The black dog. Winston Churchill is credited with popularising the phrase “black dog” to describe depression, but it is first mentioned in literature in 65 BC by the Roman poet and satirist Horace in a powerful description instantly recognisable to anyone who has suffered the blight. No company’s more hateful than your own,

In bed he could do himself no harm. “I don’t like standing near the edge of a platform when an express train is passing through,” he wrote in his memoirs. “I like to stand right back and if possible get a pillar between me and the train. I don’t like to stand by the side of a ship and look down into the water. A second’s action would end everything. A few drops of desperation.”

In every country of the world, women live longer than men. This is for many reasons, but mostly it is down to our behavior. Men are more likely to engage in risky behavior, get into fights, battle wars, drive faster, drink more, smoke more and do more drugs than women. In fact, life expectancy for women is higher than for men in every country on the globe. Tellingly, however, despite studies showing that women have suicidal thoughts more often than men, it is men who are more likely to act on them.

Those “few drops of desperation” will be recognizable to anyone who has ever felt the crush of depression and most of us will feel it at least once over the course of our life.

According to the United Nations World Health Organisation, global statistics show men are twice as likely to commit suicide as women - and in the West that ratio rises to four times.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about what constitutes depression and what causes it, but we do know what it isn’t.

In the past few years there have been several high profile cases similar to Bourdain.

It isn’t being moody or grumpy, or having a bad day, month or even year. It isn’t being unlucky, or tired or hyperactive or impotent or sexually ravenous. It isn’t being introverted, or manic, or lonely or alone. But all or any of these can be symptoms of depression, and it’s time we spoke up about it.

Robin Williams, one of the greatest and most successful comedians ever, took his own life in 2014 after suffering from years of depression. The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman overdosed after falling into a depression caused by his fear of not being able to match his own high standards.

omnibus

Closer to home, the brilliant Australian rugby player Dan Vickerman interrupted his international career to get a degree from Cambridge University, but took his life last year after finally retiring from the game. If these immensely successful people, seemingly wanting for nothing, can get so lost in the throes of depression, what hope is there for the rest of us? Take a look around you. It may be silent, but your friend, your brother, your father or your lover could all be in that situation. It could be you. My first taste of depression came just a few years ago, when I was in my forties, and lost my job of two decades because a slip of the finger sent an admittedly distasteful private electronic conversation to a far wider audience than intended. In the months that followed, I withdrew almost entirely from social life – I calculated that at one point I went three weeks without speaking to another person. Family and friends who loved me and genuinely cared for me would telephone, but I wouldn’t answer. They’d follow their calls with messages and emails asking if I was OK, and those would be deleted without even being read. It was a vicious circle. I wouldn’t answer one call because I was feeling utterly down. Then I wouldn’t answer the second because I would have to explain the first. It became this massive weight on my shoulders and the longer it went on, the worse it became. I was too embarrassed to speak, too ashamed to admit how far down the road I’d gone, too humiliated to confess to my own insecurities. Two things pulled me back from the brink – moving to Bali and getting a dog. The dog was a half-crippled mutt I plucked from the street, but an

old friend keenly notes that it was “Streaky”, as I named her, who more rescued me than I her. The joy with which she greeted each walk and every excursion encouraged me to get out more. The unbridled affection she lavished on me every time I returned home showed me what unconditional love meant - even if I hadn’t recognized the same in those unanswered phone calls and emails from friends and family. Moving to Bali gave me something else. On the Island of the Gods I discovered a few like-minded individuals who were prepared to talk about the issues that we faced. We’d meet up informally just to check on each other, to reassure one another that not being great was perfectly normal, but at least we should share it. Things fell into place. A new job, a girlfriend, savings growing in the bank, everything going well to the point you forget just how bad things were – and you start taking life for granted. Made redundant in a company downsizing, I felt myself sliding again towards despair. The black dog seemed more powerful than faithful Streaky, who lay at my feet imploring me to get up and get out. I became sloppy, and the next thing I knew I was arrested for possession of a small amount of hashish. Conversely, being locked up in jail snapped me out of depression. Family, friends and even complete strangers rallied to make sure I was well looked after. In police remand cells, where I was held for three months, the environment was so raw, so hostile, and so mystifying that you had almost no time for introspection. Survival was everything. It was only after moving to Kerobokan – the Big House – and finally aware of the sentence I had to complete, that I could reflect on my situation. I was lucky. In prison I was surrounded by “lifers” – many clearly in need of urgent mental

health care. Attempted suicides were commonplace, and someone was successful at least every month or so. Still, I managed – inspired a great deal by Australian Matthew Norman, one of the “infamous” Bali Nine, who woke every day with the mantra “what can I do today to help someone else”. Released after seven months I received great post-incarceration counseling including excellent instruction on Yoga and meditation that I still practice today. Recently, more than a year again found myself hearing growling of the black dog. found myself not answering replying to emails, making

on, I the muffled Again I calls, not excuses.

This time I felt I had far better coping mechanisms, and a more recent change of fortune will see me soon return to my old career. So what should you do if you feel the black dog nipping at your heels? Here are a few things you could try to set him back in the kennel: Be sociable. This can be difficult particularly if you don’t want anyone else to know how you feel, but it can help. If you can, try to share what you are going through with a good friend. Change your go jogging, golfing. Try and take it

routine. Keep a diary, surfing, cycling or yoga or get a dog on long walks.

Don’t be afraid of the moment. When you’re having a bad day you shouldn’t spend it trying to repress the pain you’re feeling. Although it sometimes feels counter-intuitive, sometimes it helps to acknowledge your feelings, even if only to yourself, and in doing so acknowledge that those feelings will pass. Remember, it is ok to not be ok. But please share it with someone.

hello darkness my old friend.

yak fashion

Bringing you into "Real" Indonesia www.seatrekbali.com

passions

Ano Mac pays homage.

Her arms sliced proficiently through the water, four, perhaps five times before she brought them together and flattened them on the board, in front and either side under her chin. Her palms were flat on the hard deck with her fingers spread pointing forward and out to the water as it sped past. She was oblivious to it all though, her head was tilted up and over to the right and her eyes were seeking out a certain point out and down from where she was. It was where she wanted to be.

ivy thomas by harry mark.

passions

From where she was, there was no discernible sound, her mind had blocked out everything unnecessary. Her body shuddered with a small wave of energy that started with her hands and fed up to her shoulders before being passed back through her body and legs right out to her feet and on to her toes, which were now all pushing hard into the inflexible polyester skin that covered the board. Her body became perfectly still, for the merest moment, while everything else just went on rushing by, then as the board fell forward and onto the wave, her entire body arched up. Her arms thrust out and down and straightened, the force propelling her head and shoulders upwards, her legs spasmed outward before retracting under her, they blurred and without a thought on her part, she was on her feet. It was all done in one flawless fluid movement.

top photo keli bow. above ivy thomas by harry mark.

Her arms slowly rose in a preset pattern almost like a plane retracting its gear after take-off; her palms pointed more or less fore and aft, fingers upward but together, a signature move? Her knees were bent and varied between nearly and touching, contrastingly her feet were apart. She waited and watched the spot, biding time while gravity sped her down the face of the wave. At the precise moment, learned from much trial and error, she pushed away with her legs, her weight shifted back over her rear foot and hard across all her toes, coming out of her full crouch as she did. Her arms went high and her back bowed as the board rolled up onto its inside rail, her head turning slowly as she kept it focused on a spot ahead. The board came about and as it assumed the right trajectory she met it with a shift in weight. Everything rolled onto the heel of her

front foot, first her hips and then her whole body rocked forward, the motion finished with her once again standing tall upon her board. Her back arched out as her arms moved up over her shoulders, the hands bent slightly at the wrist. This part of her dance had slowed the turn and her overall speed setting her on her way. As if relaxing, she let the weight ebb back to where it had been, centred. The fact that all her manoeuvres and feints were done for the sole purpose of balance and turn made her fluidity of moving, her ballet, only that much more miraculous. With both her head and board now turned in the direction of safe passage, she lifted her rear foot, gently, slowly, purposefully. Her legs straightened, her arms rotated down and out to the side, in a prancing cat, cross-stepping fashion, reminiscent of ballerinas training in front of mirrors; she placed her back foot down in front of the other. In total, she took three graceful steps to reach the nose. The board travelled onwards with its course, oblivious to her very managed movements. As she arrived at the nose her feet came together with one either side of the stringer, she had her back arched and her arms were moving ever so slightly but incredibly precisely, which managed the ensemble and kept everything on an even keel. She stood there with her toes over the board's nose, sticking out into space above the void in front of her, a modern-day Birth of Venus...

sierra lerback by giang gaw.

passions

Paddling out into the line up in this day and age itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apparent surfing is no longer the male dominated sport it once was. As it enters its Olympic phase it has matured, perhaps dragged kicking and screaming to a point of inclusiveness. Sure, there are pockets of resistance full of bravado and machoism, especially where you find waves of more consequence, but even there the feminine guile is becoming more and more common and out in the general breaks the mix can be comparative.

Women bring a more flowing form to a sport that has been dominated by the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s functional attitude. Men tend to throw a lot of turns up against each other, their frantic dance is a brute force attack with little or no thought to arm, leg or even body positions as long as the desired turn or position is achieved. With women we see turns that flow from one to the next with body movements that speak subtlety, calculated, choreographed. They are Adagio to the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Allegro.

honolua blomfield by giang gaw.

oral pleasures

Luiz Sanchez samples the goods on offer at nusa dua's latest beach spot.

sunny side up, and right, lounge luxe.

100

beach ahoy.

There are plenty of beach clubs in Bali that have an amazing PR team behind their social media, who produce content that gives a false sense of quality to their venue. I’ve been to places where the prices are sky high and the food is subpar at best, but their Instagram game is on point. Manarai is not one of those places. I had been to Manarai once before prior to their soft opening and when I was given the opportunity to go back and spend a day there, I jumped on that like Tom Cruise on a sofa. I’ve sat on this text for a while trying to find the right words to describe my experience, and am honestly having a hard time. This place needs to be experienced to properly understand the level of quality Manarai brings to the table. It is, after all, a brand aiming ti be the premier lifestyle destination in the south of Bali. Manarai is a subdivision of the Ismaya Group, a lifestyle brand that owns and operates dozens of high-profile restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels in Asia. Their vision for Manarai was to combine all the best aspects of their individual properties into one massively luxurious beach club, with an emphasis on food. Well I’ll be damned if it didn’t work. I have had the pleasure of sampling virtually every dish on the menu between both my visits, and each dish is not only impeccably presented, but also prepared with a lot of care and effort. Their food is globally inspired, featuring amazing local dishes such as ayam betutu to sticky pork ribs that melt in the mouth. Every plate is in and of itself a work of art, combining flavours, colours and textures in ways that I haven’t seen before in any beach club in Bali. The chefs are all world class cooks who really understand the nature of the food they make. Chefs Philip Mimbimi and Stefan Poyet are both highly qualified and acclaimed professionals that have made my visits to Manarai unforgettable. Mimbimi serves as Ismaya Group’s corporate chef, and has worked in the field for nearly two decades. Poyet meanwhile serves as the executive chef and has been cooking professionally for 15 years. Both have brought together flavours from across the world and in doing so created their own fusion of eastern and western cuisine that does not disappoint.

The menu is highly varied and its contents are changed every few months, ensuring there is something new for you to try every time you return. Beyond food, Manarai also makes amazing cocktails and mocktails for the alcohol-averse. Each drink carries its own aesthetic meant to capture the feeling of island life. A word of warning however; they are very easy to drink so stay sharp and don’t get too carried away under the Bali sun. So ok, food and drinks are great, what else? Well, for starters the beach is very clean and optimally suited for families. Manarai has dozens of beach chairs scattered across the waterfront and two great swimming pools surrounded by lounging areas. The space is also surprisingly green, which I was told is part of the company’s efforts to reduce their ecological impact. They separate waste and have done extensive in-house testing to find alternatives for plastic products, and plan to expand on their social and environmental responsibility over the coming years. All of this however wouldn’t work without a team of highly trained staff. Manarai works because their staff spend months training for the job before they even begin. They do not hover over Manarai’s guests, peppering them with canned lines, but are also alert and quick to respond to darting glances in search of service. From their mannerisms to their clothing and gestures, their staff exude professionalism blended with a welcoming demeanor, something often found lacking in even some of the nicest places around Bali. Manarai is situated in Nusa Dua, alongside the Sofitel hotel. This area resembles more of a gated community, and is certainly not aiming for the typical traveller to Indonesia. Much of the clientele in this region come straight from the airport and spend most, if not all, of their time in these highly luxurious resorts. Manarai itself has certainly earned its place among the exclusive hotels, and provides their guests with a great experience. All of this comes with a price of course, and it is not cheap. I have been to places that are far more expensive than Manarai, but none as pleasurable and satisfying an experience as this. If you have the time, and desire, Manarai is a trip worth taking. www.ismaya.com/eat-drink/manarai

101

oral pleasures bali's first zero waste restaurant is a journey through the best our oceans have to offer, writes sarah douglas.

ijen

102

Designing for dramatic effect is one of the signatures of the Potato Head group. Creating Katamama with over a million hand-made Balinese bricks results in a building that tells myriad stories of artisans, history and culture. Reclaimed wooden shutters, collected across Indonesia, add character and another storyline to the popular Potato Head Beach Club. The latest restaurant to open within the beach club is Ijen, a seafood restaurant that aims for zero waste and focuses on the sustainable, the organic and line-caught fish. Offcuts are used in delicious ways while food scraps are recycled as feed for local farms. The crackers served on arrival are created from fish gills, normally discarded or added to stock. They sound a little weird but they taste great. Large fiery grills line the back wall of the open kitchen at Ijen, while ice trays loaded with glistening fish play off a fire and ice theme. A tight list of entrees, sides and a small dessert menu pad out the main courses, which include just two items; a whole red snapper with a Jimbaran glaze and a barramundi fillet, oven roasted in banana leaf. The bulk of the main courses are hand-written on rustic blackboards, based on the daily catch of line-caught fish and fresh shellfish. Hanging out at Potato Head Beach Club is always a bit of an event. The large horseshoe-shaped club, with its signature horizon pool sits handsomely on the beachfront. Everywhere you look there are pockets of interest, a constantly moving sea of people who traverse the lawn, hang out in various bars, swim up to the pool bar and walk around in various states of dress and undress. It’s a scene, day and night. Ijen sits to the left of the horseshoe, glowing at night from the light of the candles and the wood-fire grills, it’s helpful to bring a torch, as the lights are low. Service is polished at Potato Head and the staff hand over from one to the other seamlessly. We began with signature cocktails. A list of spiced and fruity cocktails based on organic and sustainable local ingredients, including arak, which seems to be trendy again, especially here. The cocktails were flavoured variously with orange and passion fruit, lemon grass and house made bitters. Quite a few mingled different spirits and liqueurs, including a homemade curacao. They play nicely here but you are welcomed to order from the main menu as well.

choose, as there were quite a few dishes that tempted. We settled on two entrees; smoky garlic prawn skewers and rujak mackerel. The garlicky prawns had a nice hint of heat and a delicious char and they were beautifully cooked. The rujak mackerel was a stand out dish, with slices of fish marinated in a ceviche-style dressing mingled with tangy tamarillo and gooseberry. The flavours and the texture were amazing, it was our favourite dish of the night. For our mains we went back and forth over the specials board, they all sounded delicious, and finally settled on a barramundi fillet grilled and topped with a spicy kecap glaze and a coconut crust. The crust was fabulous; the fish tender and delicious but the glaze was a little overpowering. Beautifully prepared and perfectly cooked, we nevertheless enjoyed it. We also ordered mud crabs, slathered in garlic butter with curry leaf and coriander, the sauce was gorgeous, the crab very fresh. We added a roasted cauliflower salad for our health. Ijen is helmed by Chef Wayan Kresna Yasa ‑ who cut his teeth at Chicago’s two Michelin-starred Acadia and Blue Hill Stone Barns in New York. The Balinese-born chef adds both spice and personality in equal amounts while the wood-fired grill is a delicious crowd pleaser and handled to great effect in this open kitchen. Sustainable seafood at Ijen relies on local fishermen bringing in their daily catch, hence the brief main menu, although starters and sides are full of intresting ideas and includes dishes that will happily feed the plant eaters as well. The restaurant is lively, with the action in the kitchen a brief distraction from the club and the busy dining room. Ijen sings with Potato Head design details from the eco friendly materials to the minimal restaurant design. It’s quite a beautiful space. Dessert draws around and our waitress is happy to recommend her favourite, titled simply ‘Banana’. She warns us it is quite sweet but we didn’t find it overly so. Roasted banana is topped with honecomb ice cream, palm nectar and chocolate soil, it was warm and comforting. The second dessert we chose was the coconut meringue, served with coconut yoghurt and meat, tropical fruit and a surprising ginger kombucha sorbet. There are only four desserts, including a sorbet and a chocolate dessert, enough for a happy ending.

Cocktails away, crackers to hand, we chose a New Zealand biodynamic Pinot Noir, very nice.

The crowd was still lingering as we left, people came and went in a tapestry of movement. Ijen will please the seafood lover and the plant eaters, the space is beautifully warm and the fiery grill gives off a tempting aroma, the breezy restaurant makes a lot of sense in this space and the hand written blackboard menu lives up to it’s promise of creatively prepared fresh seafood that is big on flavour and personality.

Even though the menu is relatively small, we still struggled to

www.ptthead.com

The wine list is also based on organic and biodynamic imported wines and a selection of local wine, including the hard-to-find Isola, which stands up well on the local shelf.

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big six

sarah douglas finds six spots for gluten free goodness.

Made’s Banana Flour Bakery It began with a friendship struck on the beach; it became a bakery that gluten free advocates mark as their go-to in Bali. Such is the demand for the bountiful, healthy alternative to flour that the bakery now plans to expand across Bali before taking on Indonesia and then the world. The brainchild of Balinese Made, a baker, and Michael, a former property agent living in Bali, this is one of only two commercial banana flour factories in the world. Baking with this flour isn’t easy but if these guys have their way, farmers across Bali will be reaping the benefits of planting banana trees, because it seems we can’t get enough of it. Originally in Canggu, the bakeries, which now offer sweet and savoury pastries, as well as their famous banana bread, are opening cafes in Petitenget, Ubud and well… everywhere in between. Highly recommended are their rendang pasties and their fruit tarts. Tel: +62 821 4466 6001 www.madesbakery.com

Chai’ba When you are craving Indian, and who doesn’t now and then, it’s nice to know that the delicious Chai’ba in Seminyak has every gluten free dish clearly marked. The fact that most curries are thickened with nuts is no deterrent to the exuberant host, known locally as VB. Chai’ba’s menu is huge, really big. The food is fabulous as the owner, yes VB, was formerly a chef and he has painstakingly made sure that not only are his dishes authentic, they are also more health conscious than the traditional. He says many of his guests are gluten intolerant, including himself and his many Indian clients. He puts it down to modern grains and too much of a good thing in their youth. Who knows, but gluten sensitive diners will love this place for his commitment to dietary principles as well as the atmosphere and of course, the food. He also has some delicious gluten free desserts, including the legendary flourless chocolate cake from Baked in Bali. Tel: +62 361 9342739 www.chaibaseminyak.com Yak Map V.8

Wah Burger Wah has seen the light. The food crazy entrepreneur, who set up the boutique Wah Burgers on Kayu Aya Road and introduced the gourmet wagyu burger to those who love to push the culinary envelope, has introduced his new menu, with some luscious possibilities for both the gluten intolerant and vegans. In fact his latest burger, the One and Only is built on a gluten free bun with a patty based on a secret Buddhist monk’s vegan recipe with a corn fritter, vegan aioli and loaded with Asian-style salad. Go for it with options including white truffle porcini compote on top. A vegan bahn mie comes with a gluten free baguette and don’t for one minute imagine this will be less than spectacular. Protein lovers will be happier knowing that the gluten free buns can also wrap around his signature meat patties as well. Wah is also importing high quality gluten free pasta from Italy, which he says tastes better than traditional spaghetti. Made with corn and quinoa, sauces range from vegan to incredible. Grab your vegan mates, as he is catering to this growing market as well. Stay tuned for his first vegan and GF menu, including delicious vegan ice cream, which is something we can all enjoy. Tel: +62 361 736585 www.wahwahburger.com Yak Map N.8

Bottega ItalianA The simply beautiful art of hand-made pasta is a daily practice at Bottega Italiano in Jl. Petitenget. Daily the pasta is made, shaped and laid out to dry, and that includes a very special gluten free version. Made with buckwheat and rice flour, it is shaped into tagliatelle. The lovely thing at Bottega Italiano is that most things are made in-house and the diner shapes his own meal. Sauces bubble all day, or are made fresh à la minute, depending. The diner chooses the pasta and then the sauce and it arrives, so putting together a gluten free option is simple. Beautifully presented, homemade goodness. The short menu also offers some delicious charcuterie, salads. Bottega Italiano is a concept created by the talented Chef and owner of Zibiru, Luigi, so whatever you choose is bound to be delicious. Tel: +62 812 3655 2505 www.bottegaitalianabali.com Yak Map O.4

Six Senses Possibly the hardest thing about being adverse or seriously challenged by gluten is ensuring that the dishes you choose are in fact free of gluten. Six Senses makes this super easy with every dish on their menus stating clearly their dietary make-up. GF appears often, as does DF, Lo Carb and Vegan. The luxurious and geographically blessed resort on the cliffs at Ungasan takes the wellness of its guests seriously. As a renowned spa and wellness brand, dietary concerns are seriously aligned with great taste, making this a perfect destination for food lovers and the dietary challenged alike. With two spectacular cliff top restaurants, a farm-to-table boutique restaurant and impeccable room service, whether you are staying or not, it’s great to know that when it says Gluten Free, it is. Two of their chefs formerly worked at Como Shambhala, one of the island’s most renowned wellness resorts, so good health and good food are perfectly attuned here. Tel: +62 361 4771919 www.sixsenses.com

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Ubud Gluten Free Kitchen Naturally Ubud would have what gluten free eaters are looking for, there are myriad cafes and restaurants catering to the modern food lover. Ubud (Gluten Free) Kitchen is exactly what it says it is and the reviews are excellent. Nestled in three-storey building on Jalan Sriwedari, this funky Health conscious café was formerly known as the House of Schnitzel and the menu is completely gluten free. With a health conscious chef, who has her own blog on the subject, the gluten free diner can order anything and everything off this menu safe in the knowledge that it is all made in a totally gluten free environment. That includes their famous schnitizels. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between is served at this simply delicious café, so you can take your friends along and simply enjoy. The kitchen also offers gluten free catering and sells a host of home-made products to take home with you as well. Tel: +62 361 970744 www.ubudkitchenglutenfree.weebly.com

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Taken Not Stirred

New to Ubud is a sophisticated tippling spot that’s raising the bar on craft cocktails and culinary creations. Nestled on the lush grounds of the Viceroy Bali, Apéritif has already been creating a buzz for its glamorous colonial-inspired decor and exquisite fine dining fare. Now the recently unveiled bar adds another element of 1920s decadence to the experience. Housed in a spacious standalone building that sits on the edge of a jungle-clad ravine, Apéritif draws inspiration from the Roaring Twenties with opulent touches like smooth marble, dark wood and bronze. The space also pays homage to Indonesia’s colonial history with authentic period photographs and antiques. The bar is separate from the main dining room and evokes speakeasy vibes with a sunken bar at the centre of the room, intimate booths, and dim lighting. The low seats surrounding the bar are prime spots for watching the bartenders work their magic, while the breezy patio overlooking the river is the perfect place for post-prandial drinks.

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If cocktails aren’t your style, the bar also offers a wide selection of top-shelf whiskies, cognacs, and spirits. Wines are also given top billing here with an excellent selection of bottles carefully curated by the in-house sommelier to complement the climate and cuisine. Take for example the French Brut Rosé, a sparkling wine or the crisp, yet floral Yalumba Viognier. Along with enticing beverage options, the bar at Apéritif offers light bites for grazing. Executive chef Nic Vanderbeeken takes culinary influences from the old Spice Islands and combines them with modern European gastronomy and cooking techniques. Expect lesserknown Indonesian ingredients, exquisite produce sourced globally, and the property’s own greenhouse harvest.

Just like the name suggests, the traditional European concept of an apéritif is central to the experience here. Each guest begins the evening with a complimentary predinner drink and snack to stimulate the appetite before moving into the elegant dining room. Of course, the bar also welcomes guests who prefer to sip and snack without indulging in the full degustation menu.

Complimentary canapés at the bar could include the duo Lombok oyster with lemon myrtle and oyster in black tempura with chipotle or the cherry tomato tartlet with Parmesan cheese cream. For something slightly more substantial, guests can sample the Wagyu beef tartare with quail egg or the parrotfish ceviche lightly cured, rolled in seaweed powder, and served with leche de tigre, hijiki seaweed, red chili, dill and kaffir lime oil.

The cocktail menu was created by award-winning bartender Ran Van Ongevalle, who hails from Belgium and comes from a family of talented mixologists. Ran is renowned for his innovative creations made with artisanal spirits and intriguing infusions. He says, “My inspiration was to revive 1920s classics with modern flavours by blending local produce and the spirit of Bali with classic drinks.

Over in the dining room the eight-course degustation menu surprises and delights at every turn. The eclectic cuisine takes classic Indonesian and European classics and adds innovative twists. Take for example the Papua crab with seasonal beurre blanc-poached crab and jicama dotted with celeriac cream purée and a citrus gel or the venison Wellington with a buttery crust, decadent foie gras, and a rich rendang sauce.

“We’re using local produce like galangal, tamarillo, kemangi and even seaweed from Lombok, which is very exotic and very local. Some of them we transform into syrups, some into cordials, and from the galangal we make a delicious liqueur where we just simply add champagne for a twist on a Kir Royal.”

Whether you’re seeking a stylish spot for cocktails and cigars or a decadent dining experience where no detail is spared from the apéritif right down to the apres-dinner drinks, the bar at Apéritif has the ultimate allure. You can bet we’ll be spending more than a few evenings here working our way through the beguiling cocktail list and soaking up the opulence.

We highly suggest starting with the Tamarillo Negroni, a smooth blend of gin, vermouth rosso and Campari.

top: tamarillo negroni, below: lemon 3 times

The tanginess of the tamarillo balances the sweetness of the vermouth, while the gin adds herbaceous notes and the orange peel garnish imparts a refreshing citrusy touch. Ran’s favourites also include the Galangal Root and Kemangi Cooler.

www.aperitif.com

stephanie mee heads back to the cocktail glory days at viceroy bali's apÉritif.

it's cocktail hour somewhere in the world. apÉritif's expresso martini.

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Taken Not Stirred

greenroomdaze tony stanton takes his position at the bar. photo: lucky 8.

Why do I love beer? It’s a question that has come up once or twice in my life. Probably because it’s quite obvious to anyone who knows me that I am something of a fan. In response I would say: I love beer mostly because it’s cold, wet and lip-smackingly yum in a bitter-sweet kind of way; because it goes equally well with meat or fish, as it does with golf, snooker, darts or Monopoly; it is a marriage made in heaven when paired with pizza, it makes even the most saltless peanuts sing and it’s relatively affordable. But mostly I love beer because it gets me drunk. Not too drunk mind, that’s not fun at all, just … drunk enough. This is an important consideration for anyone who believes that the best way to handle most of life’s ups and downs is to stay mildly pissed at all times (post prandially, in a responsible yard-arm sort of way, of course). Let’s not forget – as with beer drinkers, not all beers are created equal. There are your real ales for starters, rightly famed in Britain (mostly). These are often spectacular varietals worthy of much fire-warmed supping, more British in their Britishness than a Brexiteer in Bradford. These beers I love; within each of their regional groupings I have my special favourites. But alas it is to the tropics that I took my bags so many moons ago, and in this part of the world real ale simply does not exist. It does not travel, you see. There are some brave attempts at reproduction of course, ales that employ various widgets to pump gas into the limp liquid within each can, but while these do occasionally appear in Indonesia (along with their trusted Irish uncle, Guinness), their supply can be somewhat hit and miss. And you need to take out a mortgage to drink them on any daily basis.

Those of you above the age of puberty and its early twenty something aspirations will of course know Heineken from way back. It was, in the golden age of beer advertising, the one that ‘refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach’. In my book, it still is. Rounded, crisp and slightly sweet, it can be served a tad less cold than its counterparts and still enjoyed; the shape of its neck is slightly longer and thus more felicitous to manageable pouring, its body slightly slimmer to promote a feeling of being more in charge. In all, a better beer … and at 5% by alcohol volume, one with a decent delivery. There are recent new alternatives to this full strength Heineken of old, and while I was at first slightly conflicted about the nouveau arrivé that is Heineken Light, I have since learned to love it. Introduced relatively recently to a bar near you, this toned down version of the original goddess comes in at 3.3%, so it's far from a pushover and certainly wouldn't qualify as 'non-alcoholic' [note to readers: never use the phrase "non-alcoholic" in front of a beer drinker – it will not end well].

hic.

And so, inevitably as we spin at 4,000 miles an hour around the fattest part of this planet, the equatorial beer drinker is forced to consider alternatives, by which I mean lager. First up (for at least the initial 10 years of this equatorial circum-perambulation) it is of course the cheapest beer on the shelves … an old faithful best served at finger-to-bottle-sticking coldness that can mask most odiferous offerings … but as the palate ages and the wallet expands, one develops a certain expectation for something more. Not quite as top shelf as anything imported (I look with envy at the gold-flecked labels of Kirin Super Dry and Sapporo), but one step beyond the local hooch. I am talking of course about Heineken, the green goddess, the airport lounge staple, the ‘Heiny’, dripping in condensation in the fist of an airline pilot 108

as he holds forth at the Captain’s bar; the international beer: the one that says … I value taste and design and colour above the next guy. I aspire!

There are advantages to lower alcohol lager of course, not the least being the fact that you can drink more of it. In fact you have to in order to reach the optimium blood-alcohol level required to take the edge off the day . . . to reach that point at which the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie [etc etc, thank you Dean Martin] and onwards into partial oblivion ("What did we have for dinner last night, darling? I can't quite recall"). And let's not forget the benefit of being temporarily held back from that point at which one starts spouting nonsense to anyone who will listen (this is what I do when the drink takes hold, anyway), and the fact that you are safe in the knowledge that you are well within your daily calorific intake. So you see, what is there not to like about Heineken, Light? It's just a longer version of the same fabulous episode we call life. Cheers. Heineken is the official beer of The Yak Awards 2018.

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constant wining

two islands Ondy Sweeting sings the praises of a bali-produced range of wines whose quality well exceeds its pricepoint. photos: lucky 8.

at home with the range.

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Midway through 2018 a real buzz started to roll among island dwelling wine lovers old and young. They were repeating the two same words – Two Islands. A Bali wine had quietly rebirthed into a glamorous new player in a market desperate for delicious grape-based libations. Two Islands immediately and dramatically filled the niche when it rethought and reinvented the brand so seamlessly that it became perfectly new. The celebrations began – hip hangouts, gorgeous restaurants, elite hotels, beach bars and house parties were quickly realizing that a wine revolution was underway. At the recent 2018 Yak Award winning charity event – the Anthony Bourdain Tribute – more than 2,000 glasses of Two Islands were sold. This was no simple rebranding exercise. The clever brains at Two Islands had decided rather than cut costs at the expense of quality to keep their usual price point, add some pizazz to the packaging and most importantly, they improved the wine. For possibly the first time on the island a bottle of wine that cost about $20 was worth the coin. “People here want to drink wine and it’s not necessarily good to drink wine in Bali because the value disparity is too big. People feel ripped off spending $50 on a $10 bottle. So we decided to keep the price and improve the product. Two Islands white label is a $20 bottle that is worth $20,” says the brand’s business development strategist Richard Colin. The people’s republic of wine drinkers rejoiced. The wine maker produced a ‘white label’ for daytime drinking and casual quaffing plus a more complex, sophisticated and harder to make reserve batch – or black label. “Two Islands consistency and quality has reached a level that puts it above the good or bad argument. The two different labels for Two Islands are really about preferences. They are very different and appeal to different tastes,” he says. The white label produces a Riesling that is light and crisp, a buttery yet woody Chardonnay aged in French Oak barrels, a dry Sauvignon Blanc, a fresh sparkling wine and a seriously good Pinot Grigio for the white varieties and reds include a meaty Shiraz, a full-bodied Cabernet Merlot and a smooth Pinot Noir. It was the Pinot Grigio that first captured the attention of venues and the wine loving population, leading to a surge in sales that saw sales records broken at many of Bali's most iconic destinations. The fine flavours and lush aromas are related to the single origin grapes that come from vineyards in Australia’s famous wine regions in South Australia. The company deals directly with the farmers and the winemaker visits the farms often. A lot is at stake, both for the South Australian grape farmers and the vinification process in Bali because sales are through the roof.

The delicious drop is pouring out of the doors at La Plancha’s Sparkling Sunset on the beach in Seminyak, the fabulously fancy Viceroy resort, La Laguna, Finns Beach Club and Recreation Club plus the Ayoda resort and its popular Sparkling Sundays. These wines are the house pour at the chic Italian restaurant Da Maria and her funky beach club sister, Tropicola. It’s clear the Two Islands wine maker is serious about creating an excellent product and the marketing team is smart and plies clients with attractive glassware, fridges, cool ice buckets as well as collaborating on events, education and training staff. “We work with our clients and aim to be much more than suppliers. We are in a serious relationship together. Our shift is to make Bali the hub of wine development in Indonesia and that takes partnerships,” Richard says. The Reserve black label range is harder to secure having been produced exclusively for luxury hotels and restaurants. It cannot be bought through retailers but does appear on the sommeliers menus at Metis and Bulgari Resort. The Mandarin Oriental in Jakarta recently featured Two Islands reserve wines at a superb dinner with carefully paired wines. Back in Bali, our own beloved Franco-American chef Chris Salans is working on a wine paring dinner with the Two Islands Reserve at his excellent Mozaic restaurant in Ubud.

Two islands' methode champenoise.

“The two different wines are being enjoyed in similar markets with the white label fun and flexible and inexpensive enough to fit into multiple niches while the Reserve is more sophisticated and works well with up-market lounging and dining experiences,” Richard says. All Two Islands sparkling wines are meticulously made in the traditional methode champenoise, and are even hand riddled in Bali – a step that is now mechanized in France – The reserve sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay is kept on lees for four years, creating a wonderfully complex and delicate wine. In vino veritas. www.twoislands.co.id

www.hattenwines.com

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experiences

venting in a villa

morabito beach Ondy Sweeting experiences a unique berawa property with a style all its own.

Like walking into a Salvador Dali painting

delivers an air of French sophistication to

creative sensation Pascal Morabito’s Berawa

music.

during his happier times, an experience at villa is wondrously surreal.

The mind-boggling collection of art,

furniture and artifacts are the first things to halt a curious mind.

A flock of white wooden carved birds

suspended over the entrance gently bounce in

the breeze to greet you – apart from bountiful bagatelle of relics that flank the property. Enter ‘Morabito Living’ to find long

Think vast lawns dotted with pretty balés –

sun lounges, armchairs, landscaped gardens and trees beside the ocean. Giant crystal rocks

are beautifully lit up at night and there's a children’s space by the pool where the chairs are in the trees and vary, Alice-style, from

tiny to enormous. Coconuts nesting in towering palm trees are red rather than green.

Morabito Art Villa has 14 rooms set across

tables lined with Chinese porcelain in

seven suites and seven rooms. Each one is

islands, ancient wedding crowns, concrete

Hirst suite – named for the one-time guest

piles, Asian furniture, statuary from remote carved funereal memorials with characters in

Mandarin and pods of giant metal monkeys. The collection is so perfectly placed and spaced that the museum quality pieces are of stand-

alone interest – rather than creating a messed up vibe.

A professional curator with an eye for

interiors is behind every installation. Pascal Morabito is an artist, designer, architect, perfumier and colourful collector of all

manner of objet d’art; he is a superb interior decorator with precision for placement.

A brush stroke smaller than one hectare

– the Morabito Art Villa estate has a

restaurant, tree house bar, sprawling living spaces, private dining rooms behind Jepara

carved panels and a slice of Berawa beach that

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an area brimming with beach bars and booming

vastly different to the other. The Damien

and celebrated artist – has original artwork from its namesake, a private pool, kitchen

with port holes for windows and giant white renditions of sea life. The view across the estate to the surf at Morabito beach is

delightful. You can stay where Damien may have found his

‘treasure’ inspiration after long

talks with Pascal about Pandora-like findings that led to his Venice Biennale work.

The canopy suite is a second floor space

– with big views to match – and two private pools – a white one and a black one plus an

outdoor shower posted in the centre of a pond with three shower heads – like a mythical

beast. Inside French Regency drinks cabinets capture attention. In an earlier life it

would have been on wheels and with a runner to

glorious beachtime. who's in?

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venting in a villa

push it where it was needed. Black floorboards

a beautiful white armoire and the floors are

installation of Pascal’s work of Chinese

brides go to prepare for their nuptials.

contrast with white walls that feature an porcelain finished with contemporary resin

Morabito is an unforgettable destination

from an exhibition in Marseilles. A bed is

for a wedding – not only with its external

in the air.

opium beds in yellow, blue, red, white and

suspended from the ceiling and swings gently There is a Museum Suite – which has

multiple dining spaces and a glass wall view

into Morabito’s astounding museum – where the best of the Morabito collection is presented and sold from, while a spa suite has a

separate bedroom and a massage room curtained

colonnade wall fitted with colourful antique pink, the estate has the ability to house

entire families in uniquely different spaces with a lovely pool in the centre of the

beautiful lawns that are a rare treat when held in private hands.

The restaurant – which is absolutely French

off from the living space.

in style and dining – caters for 40 to 500.

style in an open sided joglo with dark wood,

– plus a little shop selling dresses, vintage

The Kings Suite – is an ode to Chinese

red pillars and opulent style with thrones and alter tables. A small door has golden Chinese

It has a treetop bar set back from the beach sun glasses, hats and antique jewelry.

Morabito restaurant is the place to unleash

characters and leads into the space of the

your inner-Provençal with double linened lunch

of pieces of oriental ceramics and a view

fine crystal and porcelain. Silver ice buckets

suite. A glass wall has shelves with dozens of the beach. A piece of Pascal’s wonderful ‘earthquake’ series, of fractured jars in

black and yellow with gapping pieces missing that create an celestial quality, sit upon a table. Black lacquered stairs – thoughtfully fitted with motion sensor lighting – lead to

tables shaded by tropical trees and set with dripping condensation on to the soft grass while chilling wine and water. Delightful

dishes such as a luscious mushroom soup and salade Nicoise made with fresh tuna crusted with sesame seeds arrive as ordered.

Outside guests are welcome to spend a

another universe of ethereal Franco prettiness

day at Morabito beach with a pool pass for

French style with many mirrors, a long leather

the pool or surfing in the ocean, guests can

with white painted furniture in the feminine sofa packed with cushions, a collection of

brass Asian deities in contemporary recessed and spot lighted cabinetry. A four-poster bedroom is netted and gorgeous and hidden

behind a remote controlled black-out curtain to protect sleepy eyes from the full beach

view through a glass wall to the balcony. The bathroom has a massage table in the entre and

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sleek, polished concrete. This is where the

Rp150,000 per person. After a day lounging by slip into one of eight enormous stone baths

– each are big enough for up to three people – which border the sand and lawns. Order a

cocktail to be delivered directly to the bath and enjoy that famous Bali sunset.

www.morabitoartvilla.com

left: set up, morabito style; this page: return to splendour.

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venting in a villa The Mandala House is an eclectic Berawa villa that sets the stage as a prodigious party house. Ondy Sweeting checks in.

mandala

The Mandala House, a rock star haven in prodigiously hip Canggu, makes an excellent case for fusing bold antiques and contemporary design into a dream Bali pad. Created by lauded Spanish architects SUKYF and the Californian interior design supremo FourCorners Design, it offers a hidden library, five king suites, an underground cinema and a gym. Oh, and a glass bottomed pool to complete the imposing picture. The huge living space has a sunken sitting area of the most beautiful light teal blue, big ceiling-to-floor walls of glass frame and metal overlook the swim up bar and multi level pool. The raw concrete ceiling adds a masculine industrial texture. A huge tree trunk is redefined as a high-gloss dining table for 12 people and a large recessed picture window is postcard perfect – as well as being a hugely comfortable sofa. Sink in and enjoy that timeless view over the neighbouring rice farms. Hand-pierced metal of massive Moroccan lights cast pretty shadows while an open plan kitchen provides the necessities of life, such as refrigerator drawers, a wine fridge, a coffee machine and rose gold cocktail shakers. The butler’s kitchen and pantry are discreetly tucked away where, behind closed doors, a team of wonderful staff and private chef keep this peachy villa running seamlessly. Once you arrive at such a place, there is no way of unknowing the space that is curated to be social while at the same time offering ample retreats. The philosophy is clearly about the good life, entertaining, eating and sharing. The vibration is inclusive and comfortable. Sound comes compliments of a Sonos system controlled from a smart phone – just download the app. Four bedrooms flank one side of a 20-plus metre long pool. This is no ordinary swimming pool as it stretches from the bar – which sits under the cover of a glass bottom pool – until a set of purpose built sun loungers at the shallow end, perfect for catching some rays. A corner is carved out for the Jacuzzi and overlooks the Balinese rice fields. There is something unique about sipping a curated cocktail at a private swim up bar and to look up and see a friend frolicking in the pool above. It becomes even more beautiful at night when the expert lighting switch is on. Each of the five-ensuite bathrooms are uniquely styled with no cookie-cutter master plan – each has different custom tiles and a mix of stone, resin, wood and concrete. The 118

only constant are the rain showers and bespoke Mandala House Apothecary toiletries. Two ensuites have black stone outdoor jungle bathtubs set into lush gardens with a wall of mirror making the garden double in size. The lush view from the tub is through the decorative cinder blocks, which are a neat retro design reference used to great effect. Each bedroom has it’s own style – a hand woven cane desk in one, live plants in glass decorating the walls in another and wallpaper of light refracting off blue water covers the ceiling of the suite that fronts the sun lounge pool. The master suite claims most of the top floor and has sweeping views of Bali’s hottest hood, an immense bathroom with a giant black tub, a balcony shower and a private sunset terrace covered with flowering vines. It steps away from the transparent pool that is perfect for a morning dip. The master retreat shares the top floor space with a ‘secret’ library behind a wall of shelving and glass. A central panel swings open to deliver access to this room and its sloped gabled walls. The collection of curiosities here will keep an inquiring mind busy. There are beaten old metal army helmets, piles of vinyl records, and pieces of whale backbone, tribal art, old posters, paintings and some excellent album covers. Vintage art is a leitmotif. Chill on huge soft velvet sofas and appreciate the assemblage. The Mandala House art collection is fun and interesting and traverses sepia images of old Bali, antique metal stamps used to make Indonesia’s superb batik and a ships lifebuoy from Jakarta. An underground cinema is purpose built for great sound and is next to a gym stocked with free weights and boxing gear and has a personal trainer on speed dial. If you must leave the villa, the many delights that Canggu has to offer are mostly within walking distance. Cafes, bars, cool beach clubs and fine dining restaurants are close by in the village and so is the brilliant Berawa surf beach. The Mandala House is a standout holiday destination in an island of exquisite estates and the whisper is that it is set to be the premier property with a series of divine little sisters soon be released and ready to take guests. www.themandalahousebali.com

clockwise from top left: view from the bar; private screenings; bathroom luxe; chill by the pool; hideaway.

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venting in a villa there's more to the ungasan than sundays beach club. ondy sweeting climbs above the sand to experience bespoke villa luxury.

cliffclass sundays beach club. top: nature's touch. right: pool power.

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There is something unique about a lush green and beautiful lawn set against an azure sea and a big blue sky. The Ungasan Clifftop Resort is sprinkled across sprawling soft green grass and superb gardens on Bali’s wild Bukit peninsula. It’s a rare pleasure among the region's spectacular coastal cliffs that plunge into the Indian Ocean to deliver dramatic panoramas. Bright red flamboyant trees, glossy rubber plants, swaying coconut palms, bamboo and fragrant frangipani are interspersed throughout the manicured gardens that have pretty tropical borders and statement ponds brimming with deep purple lotus flowers. The beautifully Balinese landscape has been carefully created and nurtured over many years and holds within it 35-rooms, including 10 suites set across seven villas. Each villa is individually designed and decorated to an utterly indulgent standard. Villa Tamarama, with its neo-colonial style, crisp white interiors and 28-metre pool, was named The Yak’s Best Villa 2016. The five-bedroom Chintamani villa is open-air tropical opulence with the bedrooms cleverly placed to maximize privacy off a central Zen-style covered pathway enveloped by ponds. The villa has a private kitchen, bar, an open-style dining room for 12 people, two lounge areas – one upstairs overlooking the ocean and another by the long pool. This villa’s bedrooms deliver Bali bliss with private infinity plunge pools and private gardens creating a functional and gorgeous space that is ideal for groups for families who want to be together while ensuring a private escape is at hand. The interiors are contemporary Indonesian-style with wood, stone, hand carved and mosquito netted four-poster beds and tribal motifs. Big windows, with delicate white linen curtains backed with separate moonlight blackout shades, frame the 180-degree ocean view. Step out of the door into a private lawn surrounded by flowering crimson bougainvillea and an infinity plunge pool. The bathrooms are luxurious and spacious with a private shower and separate standalone bathtub, double sinks in a vanity stocked with perfumed toiletries plus a double dressing room. Villa staff includes an excellent butler service, for who no request is too onerous. Breakfast can be taken in Selatan restaurant or delivered to the private dining room exactly at the hour requested and 24-hour in-room dining delivers juicy steaks and spinach and fresh Jimbaran fish dishes with a well-paired glass of wine. The In-Villa dining menu offers special dishes

conforming to Keto, Paleo and Low Carb-High Protein diets as the norm. The kitchens at The Ungasan source their produce locally where possible with an aim to maintain a ‘farm to plate’ practice. The resort has a program underway to reduce its carbon footprint and to reduce waste. The menu includes tasty pasta dishes with fresh seafood, Indonesian classics such as Nasi Goreng with all the trappings of sambal, rice crackers and fried egg and perfect poolside dining such as crisp pizza and cocktails. A full barbeque can be arranged in the villas, which have private bars that will be stocked on request. It is little wonder that this resort is a popular destination for weddings, including Australia’s former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins whose opulent nuptials at the resort made international headlines. Reception is an open Indonesian-style bale that catches the sea breeze and overlooks a pretty view across another delicate lawn to a central 28-metre blue infinity pool that is next to the resort’s Selatan restaurant and leads to Vela Spa. Watch the monkey’s playing on distant houses on the other side of a jungle ravine while the professional staff check you in. All they need is your passport to efficiently ensure that vacation formalities are minimized. The Ungasan has plenty to do for the fit and athletic with a full size tennis court, a golf putting area, a children’s playground and an impressive gym fitted with free weights, strength machines, treadmills and stationary bikes overlooking the ocean. A walk down the staircase to the inclinator to the famous Sundays Beach Club – which is part of The Ungasan – is exquisite for a morning stroll and a swim in the natural bay that is protected by an outer reef. Every day a Kids Club is set up on the sand at Sundays from 11-3pm so parents can get active with SUP boards, kayaks, snorkeling gear or simply chill and dine on wonderful food under an umbrella. This is a fine destination to kick back with a fresh coconut – with an eco-friendly straw – and watch the world go by while soaking up the equatorial sun. Bring plenty of swimming

room with a view.

costumes given the multiple pools and glorious beaches. www.theungasan.com www.sundaysbeachclub.com

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venting in a villa the edge uluwatu is luxe escapism personified. ondy sweeting nestles in.

hang eleven at the edge.

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Close your eyes and you’ll hear the crashing waves of the Uluwatu cliffs. Open them and you’ll see the unique indulgence that secured ‘Best Resort’ award for The Edge at The Yak Awards 2018. At The Edge Uluwatu guests can visit a natural limestone cave system, go ten pin bowling, luxuriate in a submerged spa, engage in karaoke and swim in a pool with a glass bottom platform that shoots five metres beyond the cliff to deliver a strange and magical view of the landscape below. Within The Edge is The Club – a new one-stop party destination with a lush private cinema that doubles as a karaoke room, an exclusive bar stocked with epic top shelf drinks, including a $30,000 bottle of single malt and a dance floor complete with a mirror ball. This entertainment realm has two ten pin bowling lanes, private dining within a wine room and a specially sealed cellar with vintages from French houses including Chateau Lafite and Chateau Margaux. A full size tennis court crowns the building. Then there is The Cave – a soon-to-be launched dining experience inside a natural limestone cavern with speleothem stalactites and stalagmites. Accessed via a glassed-in spiral staircase, the cave has tiny formations of calcium carbonate and minerals smaller than a pinky finger to metres long mineral deposits that have formed over tens of thousands of years. A chef’s table will deliver canapés while the resort’s South East Asian fine diner – seas – will deliver dishes to a central dining table. A smaller cavern is being delicately conserved before becoming a dessert lounge. Eight Villas at The Edge are exquisite and contemporary with swimming pools full of soft filtered water and superb gardens. Spaciousness is fundamental to the design with huge bathrooms complete with a spa bathtub and fragrant bath salts, separate shower double size rooms and plenty of space. Signature toiletries are by Hermès. An airy combined living and dining space has comfortable couches, fabulous art-installation style lighting and a dedicated butler, with a private office in the pantry and kitchen. Architecturally the clean lines of minimalism enhance the big ocean views at every point. Sun loungers by the pool, the steps that lead to the living area, pathways to a separate wing that has two levels with one bedroom over another and a breakfast bale with sunken seating – are all poised to take in the million dollar scene of the Indian Ocean. Bedrooms are luxe with cloud soft beds, a sitting area, large scale balconies and big flat screen TV’s that present satellite TV and streaming services. Impressive blue tooth surround sound speakers tune into any smart phone with one touch

and black out curtains are remotely controlled. A lighting panel offers ‘ambience’, ‘reading’, and movement sensitive nightlights switch on when you arrive to your room or roam in the night. The dressing gowns in the dressing room are lined with soft faux lambskin. The Edge has several dining choices from a simple In-Villa salad to a romantic soirée while the casual beach-inspired menu of oneeighty° delivers lunch and dinner. The excellent South East Asian restaurant called Seas is the latest to open in the resort. Seas degustation menu features succulent beef cheek rendang finished with handmade coconut cream, betle leaves stuffed full of smoky salmon, coriander and salty roe while the standout lamb martabak is softly spiced and lightly dusted in flour and served with a light curry dipping sauce and whole green chilies. Singapore chili prawns fell away from their shells and dripped with a rich mélange of Asian flavours. A snack of fried lotus chips and a light tempura of Thai coriander shoots with a subtle and earthy flavour started the feast, which ended in tiny soft pandan pancakes topped with sweet jackfruit, mango and banana with coconut. Seas cocktails are created to match the Asian tang with ample use of ginger, fresh lemongrass, light rum and vodka. Wine connoisseurs will adore the Wine Spectator Award-winning list of more than 2,000 bottles of hand-picked wines. A sky bar is a great escape for a lounge-style sundowner while another bar has several glass floor panels to observe the views down the cliff. Permanent binoculars are ready for guests to look out for the lovely dugongs that often frolic in the sea below. The two beautiful pools are surrounded by double sun loungers ready with towels, ice buckets plus chilled face towels misted in orange blossom water. At the stroke of midday outside visitors are welcomed for a small fee. The buzz lifts a beat or two with collective joy of being in a beautiful destination. Floating trays packed with delectable dishes, a divine sea breeze and a pool like no other on the island is a winning combination. The award-winning spa is as unique as its home with massage tables and reclining chairs immersed in shallow pool of water. Therapists swish through the cool H2O while they stroke and rub tight muscles. Ceiling -to-floor glass captures the perfect views. If pure escapism and seamless service in rarified opulence is your sweet spot, The Edge Uluwatu delivers a profoundly luxurious getaway. www.theedgebali.com

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sarah douglas rejuvenates at six senses uluwatu.

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It is a challenge to avoid sounding like a raving lunatic when reviewing the new Six Senses, Uluwatu, but I will try to exercise restraint. To say it's wow from the getgo is possibly understating things. If there is a better place for a woman on Day Four of a fitness challenge, I can't imagine where that might be. First impressions count for a lot and this one doesn’t disapoint. A lofty ledge overlooks vast sea and sky views, some easy chairs and an aged wood table serving as reception are a reminder that simple can be very sophisticated . As in the very best resorts the hospitality is generous. The staff speak to you in conversational voice, the resort manager says hello, and offers to extend your wellness package. The buggy driver tells you to hang on, "I'm going to go fast," then assures you he is joking. My home for the night was a one bedroom cliff top villa. It's beutifully decorated, with an enormous bed dressed with crisp white sheets, pale grey linencovered sofas and touches of blue and green to echo the sea. Thoughtfully chosen books, a cookie jar with raw brownies (including the recipe) and a fresh juice made with fennel, celery, green apple and spirulina, excellent coffee and tea and perfectly placed charger plugs and a blue tooth speaker speak volumes about the service here. The bathroom boasts a free standing bath, long dressing table, spacious wardrobes, soft lighting and an endlessly entertaining hi-tech toilet. It whooshed open every time I got close and had more functional buttons than the TV. Glass doors frame the wide terrace and the panormamic ocean views beyond your private pool. This is the moment you start calling all your friends and posting Insta stories joking that you wish they were here. Before long piano concertos were floating on the breeze, with a beautiful vanilla-scented green tea, I proceeded to put my feet up and chill out. A discreet knock on the door revealed Jenny, my butler of sorts. Butler types can vary from overzealous to annoying, occasionally you meet one like Jenny who is genuinely warm, generous and funny. I loved her. Later she escorted me to dinner, gave me a quick tour and made sure I was happy with my table at the restaurant.

There is a promenade sort of feeling along the cliff front, home to two restaurants, the horizon pools, the fitness centre and spa. A second lobby organises the coming and going of buggies and directs guests to the restaurants. A few guests linger in the pool enjoying the fading light, while others line up for photos in the 'Cinema Paradiso' frame. Tables are scattered outside both restaurants (Rocka and Crudo) while the interiors glow with warm lighting. I chose to have dinner at Crudo, on the terrace overlooking the resort promendade and enjoying the sea breeze. A fresh himachi sashimi, an heirloom tomato salad and a simple grilled red snapper. The food was delicious . . . I was happy to eat it and head back for a relaxing bath in my beautiful bathroom. Day 2. A slight tremor in the night and a downpour kept me in bed late, watching the sun rise over the ocean and enjoying the deliriously big bed. By 9am, I headed to breakfast, ready for a hectic schedule of wellness screenings and spa treatments before check out. The clifftop Rocka is the second clifftop restaurant, offering all day dining. Every meal served in the resort addresses myriad health dietary considerations and each dish is labelled GF, V, DF, Lo Carb etc. Some guests have their diets prescribed, based on their wellness screening, but it is absolutely optional. Breakfast was bountiful, they really go the extra mile. Jenny arrived to sort out my spa and wellness schedule and escort me over. I have to give Six Senses 11/10 for their staff, they have a very nice way about them. The Spa. Wellness screening is part of the Six Senses philosophy at all their resorts, with many guests checking in for luxury retreats and signature programs that include sleep studies, detox, yoga and fitness programs and more. Ivan, the wellness coach, has a high tech wellness check that he puts his guests through. He checked the diet I was on, agreed I needed to take off weight, improve my cardio fitness, watch my low blood pressure, sluggish digestion and circulation. Overall, I had some minor adjustments to make and my heart is in great shape. My prescribed spa treatment was a tension relieving massage with extra attention to my feet. I was introduced to Juno, the tiniest masseuse ever. And a powerhouse. She went to work on the neck,

shoulders and back with gusto. Silicon cups were then applied to stimulate the nerves and relieve tension, it was occasionally painful but she found every knot. Then she headed down to the feet, ouch. As she worked I could feel my digestive system waking up. The spa and fitness centre go right to the heart of Six Senses’ philosophy, and had I stayed longer I would have indulged in gravity yoga classes, morning meditation and the sleep study. And more massages. Absolutely. Back at the villa, I had time for a swim, a shower and a final check of my bag. I decided to take up the offer of lunch and I am so glad I did. No menu this time, instead the chefs took it upon themselves to create something based on my keto diet. The first dish was a cucumber gazpacho poured over a tangle of prawns, finely diced tomato and cucumber and herbs. Black garlic spiked the incredibly tasty broth and the chef informed me this would be great for my low blood pressure. Someone has obviously been comparing notes, yet another thing that is so impressive about this resort; each guest is an individual and the more the staff learn about you, the more tailored your experience will be, without you saying a word. Following this was a beautiful piece of sashimi grade tuna, rolled in sesame seeds and seared. Sliced, it sat on a warm, comforting pea purée and grilled avocado. Finely sliced kale, sautéed with sesame added both flavour and texture (take note kale haters, it was actually delicious), beside a punchy, garlicky salsa verde. The message was clear, you want flavour? We deliver. Parting from this place is difficult but check out time had extended and as I wove back up the winding cliff paths with my entertaining buggy driver, the sea and the sky followed me all the way to the top. I guess it goes without saying that I would absolutely recommend this experience and I suggest, if nothing else, you book in for a wellness screening, as it does create a shift in the most subtle and luxurious ways. All Six Senses were on high alert as I reluctantly headed for home. www.sixsenses.com/resorts/uluwatu-bali/destination

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stephanie mee escapes to the hills of ubud with a stay at kayumanis.

Life got you feeling a bit frazzled? It may be high time for an escape. And not just any tropical island vacay, but a getaway in a sublime spot where you can indulge in utter peace, privacy, and pure pampering. Kayumanis Ubud is just such a spot, and our go-to destination when we’re seeking an intimate hideaway to rest, recoup and reconnect with nature. Hidden away in the mist-shrouded hills of Sayan just a 15-minute drive from the heart of Ubud, this stunning private villa resort is named after the aromatic cinnamon trees that grow in abundance on the property. Follow the winding stone pathways and you’ll also pass fragrant frangipani trees, vine covered walls, and towering coconut trees. There are just 23 villas here, each well spaced from the next and boasting a private pool, tasteful decor that blends traditional Balinese and modern styles, and ample living spaces that seamlessly merge indoor and outdoor living. Covered living pavilions are open on all sides, sliding glass doors let fresh breezes into the bedrooms, and outdoor showers pour like waterfalls into garden settings. Whilst in your villa, you’re in your own private world where distractions are few and far between. The resort does not accommodate children below 16 years old, so you’ll never hear little ones crying or carrying on. Moreover, the staff will never intrude on your space unless explicitly asked to do so. However, should you need anything, just give your private butler a ring and they’ll be there in a flash to attend to your needs with warm personalised service. Most of the staff at Kayumanis Ubud come from Banjar Baung, the local village just outside the resort, so they know the area well and are happy to share their knowledge about local sites and traditions. Step outside your villa you’ll discover a variety of spectacularly scenic spots within the resort grounds. Take for example the infinity-edged main pool surrounded by lush tropical greenery and shady daybeds. Make your way down a set of stone steps and you arrive at a wooden bridge that spans the Ayung River. On the other side is a spa with five secluded cabanas surrounded by trees and overlooking the river. The main restaurant features a wooden deck that juts out over a jungle-covered ravine high above the Lauh River. The views here are particularly breathtaking early

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in the morning when mist swirls up from the river and floats through the treetops. Start your day with a Bali coffee and the famous Kayumanis Toast, a heavenly combination of freshly baked bread spread with cinnamon-infused melted butter. During the day, the dining corner by the pool offers light bites like fresh salads, sandwiches and grilled seafood skewers. There is also a superb afternoon tea served daily that you can enjoy at the open-air restaurants or in the privacy of your villa. And of course, room service is available around the clock if you don’t feel like leaving your serene sanctuary. Come dinnertime you can enjoy exquisite Thai cuisine at the main restaurant with signature dishes like tom yum soup, khao pad and red curry duck. The menu also features classic Indonesian dishes, contemporary Western fare, and vegetarian options. And for a truly memorable experience, the staff can arrange a romantic candlelit dinner in your villa or at a secluded setting next to the river. A visit to the spa is also an absolute must. Every guest at Kayumanis Ubud is treated to a complimentary 30-minute back and shoulder massage, but if you really want to feel your stress slip away, indulge in one of the signature treatments. We suggest the Kayumanis massage, a combination of Balinese, lomi lomi and therapeutic techniques that help release energy blockages, draw out toxins, and induce deep relaxation. Although Kayumanis Ubud feels light years away from the world at large, the vibrant heart of Ubud is just a short drive away. Guests can take advantage of the free private shuttle service to experience world-class shops, restaurants, and art galleries. And should you want to go further afield, your personal butler can help you plan trips to beaches, temples, and volcanoes around Bali. The Kayumanis brand also has three additional properties in the coastal enclaves of Sanur, Nusa Dua, and Jimbaran. Each offers the same calibre of luxurious accommodation, divine dining options and personalised service as Kayumanis Ubud, which makes them ideal for guests who want to combine a secluded getaway in the lush environs of Ubud with a seaside escape in south Bali. www.kayumanis.com

riding the ridge.

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venting in a villa 128

I could pinch myself as I peer out over the terrace off my beautiful bedroom. Spread out before me are some of the most spectacular gardens I’ve seen outside of a resort. But it is the sight of an ancient sea temple, built on craggy volcanic rocks rising out of the swirling seas, right in my front garden, that has me captivated. Bali is rightfully famed for its tropical gardens, the sea in all its many colours, and the thousands of temples that dot the island. This, however, is next level. I’ve landed myself some plum assignments, reviewing luxury resorts in incredible locations, staying in villas you would sell your mother to own, but this one . . . Located in Cemagi, a beautiful unspoiled village built on a wild beach between Canggu and Tanah Lot, Impiana Villas Cemagi tells a timeless story. Built as a private home, with six guest bedrooms, each housed in individual buildings, it is spread out on a hectare of absolute beachfront. The sand is black, the rocks have been carved by time and the temple, Pura Luhur Gede, is as spectacular as its famous neighbour, Tanah Lot, and a lot less crowded. As the sun sets into the sea squarely in front of you, the temple is silhouetted against the darkening sky. People clamber over the rocky paths that surround it, even at this time. It’s so close you feel like it is part of your villa, and it almost is. A balé sits on the highest point of the property, more of a living room really. Dotted with deep sofas, sprinkled with cushions and beautiful colonial-style antiques, soft lights invite you to stay longer. It is easy to imagine doing just that, with a group of friends or family. It is intriguing that Impiana has added this boutique villa to their collection. A relative newcomer to Bali, Impiana has properties in Malaysia and Thailand and purchased The Villas in Seminyak a year or so ago. They are planning on opening a new resort on Sayan terrace in Ubud, shouldering the Amandari and Four Seasons. Why a six-bedroom boutique property like this? One visit and the answer is obvious. This incredibly spacious villa can take 12 guests travelling together or suites can be rented individually. Common areas include the beautiful ocean-sprayed balé, a large dining room and an outdoor living room overlooking a long horizon pool, which makes a perfect alternative sunset spot. There is also a large tennis court, a stunning family room with a pool table, games, large sofas, a cinema-style TV and beautiful windows that overlook the property towards the sea. My home for the night is the two-storey ocean villa with a large terrace that looks out to the sea and the temple. Impiana’s guest rooms are beautifully designed with polished wood floors, an incredible collection of antique Dutch colonial furniture and massive canopied beds, all of which makes this feel like the home it once was. There are stunning lamps in all the rooms, a great collection of art and artifacts and interiors

worthy of a glossy magazine spread. Every single piece of furniture you want to photograph and search antique stores for, it’s so tastefully done with a nod to the past in every corner. Bathrooms, ah, don’t get me started on this. Garden bathrooms are often found in houses, villas and hotels in Bali. These bathrooms actually are gardens. My bathroom features a circular bath, set in a balé in a beautiful garden surrounded by a pond filled with glittering golden carp. Opening the door to your bathroom is an Alice-in-Wonderland moment, as you step into a world of brilliant colour and sunshine. Overlooking the tennis court (someone loved their tennis), is a graceful wooden joglo, straight out of Java. It’s a master suite that is romantic, spacious and perfectly preserved. This joglo suite, located in the garden, has its own swimming pool that overlooks the river and an amazing wooden bathroom updated with modern amenities for comfort without compromising the original structure. In the garden, elevated above the estate, two twin rooms are often home for the kids, if a large family takes the villa exclusively. They are also perfect for extra guests with views and their own garden bathrooms. Above these is the family room. Two other large suites are located in the middle of the garden. With sea views from the terrace, they are spacious and gracefully decorated with massive beds (I needed a stool to get into mine), antiques and more fabulous garden bathrooms. A butler, a villa manager and a private chef are on hand to make sure that everything is taken care of. Longer staying guests often take to the kitchen to make their own meals but a menu is offered and the chef is always on hand. By day gardeners tend the grounds and the lawns that are golf course-perfect. Big lotus ponds add colour and stone and aged wooden statues dot the lawns. My internet was patchy in places, my television wasn’t playing nice with me and I barely had time to explore all the places I wanted to sit and just enjoy the surroundings in this villa, but I am not complaining. From the moment I arrived, a sense of peace, a timeless piece of Bali captivated me. I want to come back, I want to bring my friends and family with me. I want to explore this beautiful village, just 10 minutes from Echo Beach and the Canggu hot spots but so far removed from crowds and traffic and noise. It’s nice to be so close to happening restaurants, Canggu surf breaks, Tanah Lot and even Seminyak, which is 30 minutes away at the right time, but discovering this piece of Bali and the beautifully preserved village of Cemagi, home to a sprinkling of luxury villas, is absolute bliss. The Bali you’ve been looking for is right here and I have fallen in love with my island all over again. www.impianacemagi.com

sarah douglas experiences quintessential bali style.

outer space.

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layovers

contemporary island style.

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A n v aya l i n e s anvaya connects luxury to bali at street level with five star ease.

Tucked in to a tiny cove at the southern edge of Kuta is an architectural gem of a resort with clear lines that connect street life to the Indian Ocean. With a pristine private beachfront of golden sand against crystal clear waters and a postcard perfect traditional Balinese jukung boat gently riding the low waves and a big blue sky overhead, The Anvaya is luxe-by-sea. Contemporary Bali has never looked so good. The name Anvaya in the ancient Sanskrit language means connection and the resort makes a connection between the streets and the ocean. Connecting the outside bustle where commerce rules to five-star splendour. Clean lines and tasteful elegance is the foundation notion from which this space was created with a large and airy central lobby that connects two accommodation wings behind tropical gardens and a flowing pool from which lucky ground floor residents can access directly from their room’s balcony via a few small steps. The interiors draw in the traditional decorative elements from Bali Aga – the people who populated the island before Hindu settlement – and classic and modern Balinese design motifs. The Anvaya is a large hotel with close to 500 guest rooms that include opulent villas, suites and graceful deluxe rooms. Eight pools have attendants and staff ready to cater to every wish and floating pool toys will support some fluid aquatic down time. Daily activities including yoga and pool-bound strength and condition classes are available along with a permanent volleyball net/water polo court is set in one of the pools. Personal trainers are on hand to help create a fitness program that will compliment a healthy vacation. The resort also has a neat gym with treadmills, stationary bikes and weights. A kids club is the destination for little ones for some indoor entertainment with experienced carers' after a long day of poolside play while parents withdraw to the Anvaya’s sumptuous spa for some pampering. An early morning walk on the beach will lead you directly into Kuta as the day slowly wakes up. Spot the morning groups of surfers hitting the mellow waves and professional surf life saving clubs from coastal Australia teaching groups of local beach lovers the art of saving lives or horse riders exercising their steeds. It’s an energising endless length of beautiful golden sand that is beautifully maintained by the hotels that line it. Stop for a coffee as the beach bars gradually open and morning turns into a vibrant day with sarong sellers,

hair braiders, surf instructors, women offering sandy massages and hawkers flashing every kind of exotic goods from handcrafted kites to copy watches. As the day folds into dusk, The Anvaya has a premier position on the beach to watch the stunning spectacle and internationally famous Bali sunset. As the sun kisses the sea the entire colour spectrum of golden orange, soft pink, blazing red and baby blue take hold of the sky. Sands @ Wine Cellar overlooks the Indian Ocean and offers tapas that reflect a fusion of Bali and the Mediterranean with some hints of Californian cuisine. It is also the space for the buffet breakfast where vast tables of delicacies from the Indian sub continent, China, Europe, England and the USA are found. The Anvaya is known for its outstanding island cuisine at its signature restaurant Kunyit – which is the Indonesian word for that most extraordinary super food of all, turmeric. Kunyit is an open-air, street side destination with a gorgeous central bar and twinkling candlelights. It’s a great spot for people watching given that it’s elevated above the sidewalk so it also protects diners from prying eyes. Don’t expect the ubiquitous chilled hand towel here. Kunyit presents a whole new experience of hand washing with your wait staff gently pouring heady mix of lemon grass oil infused water from a clay kettle over your hands with run off caught by a well place wooden bowl. Hands are dried with soft towels and the menu is presented along with a welcome drink of Loloh Cemcem – a delicious mix of palm sugar, tamarind and hog-plum leaves. The menu is an exploration of dishes from across this amazing archipelago with favourites such as slow cooked crispy duck, minced fish wrapped around a stick of sugar cane, luscious pork belly and Bali’s own celebratory dish Babi Guling – stuffed suckling pig. Dinner is well matched with a menu of curated cocktails using local produce including ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon grass with premier spirits and hand crushed juices. The Anvaya is a calm and exclusive retreat from the hives of activities that surround it including shopping malls, Waterbom Bali, busy markets, cinema’s and tailors and day spas, while being right in the middle of the action. www.theanvayabali.com

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villa A1 at coco villas.

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villa coco unveils its latest one bed pool villa A1, backed by timeless service and all the comforts and convenience of a central location.

Seminyak’s beloved go-to destinations – Villa Coco - have birthed another beauty into its family of villas. This is a one bedroom contemporary tropical villa with a sparkling blue private pool, an outdoor undercover kitchen and dining area that indulges every gorgeous aspect of alfresco living. Expect fragrant frangipani tress and lush flowering bougainvillea to greet you at this Seminyak resort where accommodation includes quiet garden bungalows, western-style pool villas with external walls to beautiful, open, old school houses with multiple bedrooms and flowing living spaces. Landscaped and mature gardens are key to privacy and there is also a central pool plus a restaurant and bar. The newest one-bedroom studio is suitably called Villa A1, which has fabulously efficient and whisper-quiet air-conditioning and beautiful interiors that are as light as a tropical bird’s feather, using a delicate combination of cane, wood and a glass paneled front wall with integrated doors that ensure a lush outlook at all times. An icy fridge is full of chilled drinks while mineral water is stored in a giant glass jar – reducing the plastic footprint – and powerful water pressure delivers a refreshing blast in the shower. A garden pool with sun lounges is ready for guests to relax poolside in absolute privacy. Inside, a huge California king-size bed is made with soft linen and has a chic bedhead crafted from Bali’s tiny ‘temple’ bricks – which are usually red and used for building the sacred pura’s. Here they are a style statement painted perfectly in white. Walls are hung with an intricately hand carved panel above a day bed that converts into a comfy second bed, and gallery quality photography – in colour and black and white - of Bali and her many moods and people, flank sliding doors to the bathroom. And what a bathroom it is. Maintaining the Bali ambience it is split by a huge glass wall. In the middle of this space is a double vanity with an open indoor shower with white French metro-style tiles to one side. Beyond the glass doors an internal garden is crowned with a stand-alone bathtub – possibly for two – with the everpresent frangipani flowers. A separate outdoor shower makes the most of the night sky and is excellent for star gazing under the rainfall shower. The special level of sultry detail and comfort delivered at Villa Coco ensures that guests return year after year.

Every bath towel has fresh flowers tucked into the folds and a drink of fresh coconut water arrives in its shell decorated with a vibrant display of bright hibiscus flowers and eco-friendly paper straws. Many guests are on first name terms with the long held team of professionals who keep Villa Coco ticking like clockwork. The smiles are as real as the floral fragrance that wafts from the gardens. No request is too much effort. Villa Coco is known for its outstanding service and delicious home style-dining. Order in a barbeque of juicy steaks – that will be cooked to perfection - or fresh seafood and salads, French bread and all of the condiments. It will be delivered to your dining room by smiling staff that lay the table and whisk away the debris later. Wine, cocktails, icy beer and all manner of smoothies and drinks as well as a pared down menu for kids are just a phone call away. Spa treatments can be ordered in-villa to lull you into blissful sleep or taken inside the pretty spa while the kids frolic in the central resort pool. Villa Coco is close to Seminyak beach and all it has to offer from soft sand to gentle surf. Check into an elegant restaurant or a barefoot beach bar to spend the afternoon and enjoy the legendary Bali sunset. A must-do at Villa Coco is the cooking class. It can start with a market trip to buy produce or you can skip that and kick off with a cocktail and learn about Bali’s amazing tropical fruits, vegetables and herbs and spices. Expert cooks with excellent English will guide you through making your own chicken satay and spicy peanut sauce from scratch. Grind your nuts and add the secret ingredients. Shave fresh coconut meat into lightly cooked beans, blend palm sugar with rare spices and create a feast that is as intriguing to learn to make, as it is delicious to eat. The team will sit with kids to show them how to make the little woven baskets that are the ever present offerings that you will see filled with flowers and rice as twice daily gifts to gods and ancestors. Given its location in the centre of buzzing Seminyak, Villa Coco is a cool and quiet retreat full of ‘old’ Bali charm with big smiles, authentic hospitality and a very hip new villa that is one rabbit hole you’ll never want to leave. www.villacoco.com

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getting hitched

wedding bliss.

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Sthala style sthala ubud sets the scene for a perfect wedding in bali.

With its sublime natural settings and exotic allure, it’s no secret that Bali is a prime destination for weddings. And while there are many places you can tie the knot here, you would be hard pressed to find a more romantic spot than Sthala Ubud Bali, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel nestled in the peaceful village of Lodtunduh. Newly opened earlier this year, this picturesque resort is already creating a buzz among the soon-to-be-wed for its range of enchanting venues and comprehensive packages. Perched on a hilltop overlooking a lush river valley, Sthala Ubud Bali is a captivating hideaway far removed from Bali’s bustling streets and tourist stomping grounds. On site are gorgeous manicured gardens, light-filled suites boasting traditional Balinese elements and views of the Wos River, and elegant dining venues that seamlessly blend into the natural surroundings. Step outside the grounds and you find yourself in a warm and welcoming traditional Balinese village. What sets Sthala Ubud apart from other resorts in Bali is that they have not one, but four idyllic wedding venues, each offering a different backdrop and setting for couples to exchange their vows. Whether you’re planning an intimate ceremony with just a few loved ones or a grand gala with extended family and friends, there is a setting to suit all types of celebration. For an indoor wedding, albeit with amazing views, the Sthala Chapel is located on the 8th-floor rooftop and offers sweeping vistas of Lodtunduh’s tropical landscape through floor-to-ceiling windows. Not your typical glassenclosed chapel with all-white furnishings, this chapel embraces local culture and nature with teak wood flooring, an alang-alang thatched roof and a lovely outdoor area that is perfect for a cocktail reception after the ceremony. Also offering spectacular views of the tropical landscape as well as Sthala Ubud’s impressive infinity pool, Naga Rooftop Bar & Lounge is another divine setting for a destination wedding. Couples can exchange vows in a sacred ceremony on the open-air deck and celebrate afterwards with a joyous party featuring cocktails, canapes and surreal views of the sunset over the river valley.

expansive lawn can accommodate up to 250 people for the wedding ceremony and a grand garden party, making this a great option for couples planning a large soirée. Depending on the package you opt for, special touches could include a fresh flower arch, gorgeous Tiffany chairs, and welcome drinks for guests. If it’s a more intimate experience you’re seeking, the Wos Riverside Deck is a serene setting immersed in nature. The wooden deck hovers over the river and is surrounded by greenery on all sides. The deck also offers views of a Balinese temple and the ‘Bridge of Love’ that spans the river. Couples can say their vows over the sound of water gently rushing in the background, and then follow the ceremony with drinks and light bites under the stars. No matter which wedding venue you choose, Sthala Ubud makes planning a breeze with their expert event planning assistance and extensive packages that cover all bases. Each wedding package includes use of a wedding preparation area, exclusive use of your chosen wedding venue, fresh floral decorations, a bridal bouquet and groom’s boutonnière, music for the ceremony, scented cold towels for guests, a wedding toast for the couple, and a commemorative ceremonial certificate. Upgraded packages also include special touches like welcome drinks for up to 30 people, glasses of bubbles for the bride and groom, and special wedding gifts and giveaways. If you really want to go all out, opt for the Exquisite package, which includes a beautiful pergola for the ceremony, a one-night stay in a Deluxe River View Room with buffet breakfast for two, and a romantic three-course dinner at the Riverside Gazebo. Sthala Ubud is also happy to arrange bespoke wedding ceremonies and celebrations to make your special day a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Simply get in touch with the professional event planning team to discuss turning your vision into reality. The Sthala team can also arrange catering, accommodation for wedding parties, and extras like tours and activities for the happy couple and guests. www.sthalaubudbali.com

With a breathtaking jungle backdrop that includes views of the Wos River, Abing Terraces offers an unforgettable outdoor wedding setting. The

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over the edge

Experience the power of KINi in west sumbawa.

The Jurassic coast of West Sumbawa sets the stage for this exciting tale. The story of KINI (meaning NOW) is all about being in the moment. It’s time to put away your phone and absorb the KINI, from sunrise to sunset, moonrise to milky-way the story unfolds, constantly changing and evolving. This exclusive resort and villa community positioned at Sekongkang Beach directly in front of the famous Yoyo’s surf break captures every event as nature performs its opera. Whether you are just waking up, sitting on the veranda or lying by the pool, the bay stretches out wide in both directions with the horizon ahead. Watching the surf becomes hypnotic as the swell constantly pulses in and each wave takes its curtsy. Pausing for a moment to take it all in and reflect on life’s journey, to get a fresh perspective on the world and what really matters. This is where you can find your place on the stage.

own and enjoy your villa. Come and go at your own convenience and rest assured knowing all is being looked after,” says Henrih. The access roads and common areas will be maintained all year with round the clock security on the estate. The maintenance team will clean your villa, pool and garden to ensure it is always looking and working its best. The adjacent planned resort will include an iconic beach club and surfside pool, a restaurant serving the best in fusion cuisine, a boutique surf shop, hill-top yoga shala, and outdoor gym facilities. The resort management team will be set up to provide a five-star service for all villa owners and guests making this remote destination a home away from home with all the luxuries. Alternative activities such as snorkeling, diving, kite boarding, mountain biking and long beach walks can be organized to fill the gaps.

Carefully selected to maintain privacy and capture the expansive views, 16 elevated house sites are located on the hill overlooking the bay. Each individual villa, sustainably designed to blend with the landscape, will use natural materials available on-site and locally procured. The tropical architecture, designed to capture natural breezes, will offer solar power and efficient water systems creating a soft comfort making you wish you never have to leave. “My dream was to create a village at KINI that, from the surf, will look like it was always meant to be” says Henrih Horthy, the CEO of Ozone Developments and visionary behind the project. “It will be a blueprint for sustainable tourism developments and an example for others planning resorts in Indonesia”. Having lived in Indonesia most of his life, Henrih is passionate about the country and creating positive experience for visitors and locals alike. “Visitors at KINI will be able to experience Sumbawa at its best”. There is still an opportunity to secure your place in this community. Selected plots are available to buy as freehold or 90 year leases extendable with free villa designs to suit the site you choose and your requirements. Your villa will be constructed to international standards and then managed and maintained by our full time expert team. Our marketing team will rent out your villa to generate a positive return on your investment while you are away. Dealing with land purchase, ownership, licenses and construction can be a minefield in Indonesia. Then there is the process for ongoing security, maintenance and management of the property. “At KINI we make it easy to 146

Getting to West Sumbawa is now easy from Bali and Lombok with fast boat and charter plane options available. The short flight from Lombok International Airport to West Sumbawa only takes 15 minutes and 45 minutes from Bali domestic Airport. This makes the KINI destination very accessible and possible to schedule short visits from Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong and other International departures. “The magic of KINI is that it is close enough to be accessible and far enough to be vividly stunning and exclusive, still giving the option to surf alone.” If you are tired of surfing crowded waves in the polluted waters of Bali, come to Sumbawa and experience Indonesia the way it was 30 years ago. This coastline is famous for its consistent surf. The swell pushes in from the Indian Ocean and forms into a selection of various peaks and waves, on average, 300 days a year. Its south-west orientation and elevated headlands protect the breaks from the prevailing winds through the different seasons providing surfable waves all year round. And if its variety you want, there is everything from fun learner waves to world class barrels in the adjacent bays. Undoubtedly, one of the best destinations in Indonesia (and the world) for an amazing holiday. An exclusive invitation is extended to readers of The Yak: go and stay and check out the power of the nature here. Book to stay three nights or longer at Kini Villa, Sumbawa via Airbnb using the promo code LIVETHEMAX and KINI will discount your trip. For more information visit www.kiniresortsumbawa.com.

each wave takes a curtsy at kini in sumbawa.

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over the edge

sophie digby sails east to banda with seatrek adventures. photos: alex akimov @misterr_alex

SeaTrek adventures? The adventure part sounds fabulous, but the live-aboard part conjures up endless scuba diving excursions, full of Neoprene and Nitrox enriched air … and for some of us diving to the depths of the deep, old blue is just a tad too far from the mini bar! However the idea of expert-led cruises is right up my alley, or should I say channel? This particular adventure was to be led by a personal hero of mine, the ever entertaining and hugely knowledgeable Dr. Lawrence Blair of the Ring of Fire fame. My other much-loved documentary of his – Myths Monsters and Magic – seals the deal, and on board I go! Thankfully, he still has some CD copies of the latter and, even more impressively, I still own a DVD player! So here we are, following in the very steps of pioneer Sir Alfred Wallace, an equal and contemporary of Charles Darwin and the theory of Evolution. Wallace, sadly, never really “made it”, as he lacked the necessary snooty connections to the landed gentry of the day, and for his sins, he has erroneously been relegated to dusty British Museum libraries instead of being truly recognized as the co-pioneer (alongside Darwin) of the theory that challenged ‘God created all in seven days’, which was the much sponsored theory held by the Crown and Church of that era. Thankfully we are here to follow, just follow and not necessarily make any new inroads of our own – although I am pretty sure we possibly left a few imprints throughout our own very excellent journey. Thankfully, SeaTrek Sailing Adventures has done all the groundwork for us and this little “venture” was ably, and most nobly, led as I mention above, by none other than Dr. Lawrence Blair. Bali to Ambon, 1,535kms as Lion Air flies. Arrive late p.m. and head portside to the street-side market all a bustle with becaks, bemos and barbers. Immediately we are transported back in time to the last century. Night falls and Ambon uncovers an Indonesian poet’s and philosopher’s haunt called Sibu Sibu. Here it is all about the '70s, '70s heartthrob posters on the wall with a matching '70s pianist playing '70s Indonesian tunes – heartbreaking, romantic and strangely familiar. From the menu it is the coffee with kenari nut and ginger that catches the eye and we add a nutmeg juice to take away – sadly yes, it was served Indo style – in plastic! The City Hotel was our overnight stopover – a fabulously new, totally affordable hotel with amazing service, run by the very affable Albert – thanks for the loan of the hotel driver, Albert – a great tour guide! Early next morning we board, berth and find our sea legs. The cabins are spacious enough – consider a 12-day cruise, with an approximate three changes of clothes 148

per day, I had managed to fill a large and a smallish suitcase! Never one for reading the small print I did not know there was a free laundry service (two pieces a day). With pegs and wicker drawers I unpack and I am glad to note that it all fits with room to spare! I looked around and I was hugely impressed to find that my cabin on the Ombak Putih – White Wave is name of this phinisi– comes complete with no less than two double USB ports and two international-plug sockets! Life on board and off … island to island, fort to fort … All-inclusive, bar the booze, the food on board the Ombak Putih was a great mix of western and Indonesian cuisines. ‘Those what chef’ in this galley really know what they are doing! Breakfast, lunch and dinner – all enjoyed on the ample forward deck, under the shade of a canvas. The imported or local wines are reasonably priced and do put Seminyak wine costs to shame! (Import at IDR400k, Plaga at IDR200k, and a choice of 14 cocktails at IDR50k). Activities are based on two per day, morning and afternoon (sometimes three) and include museums and monuments, forts built by former colonisers – the Portuguese, the Spanish and of course the Dutch, with the marauding Brits staging the occasional take over. The walks into plantations of nutmeg, clove and the kenari tree – which bears a nut that is a distant second cousin to the almond – are interesting, educational and anthropological – oh, the privilege to be led by an expert in his field. Passing through the villages, to the once uber-protected spice estates, the adventure takes on a divine olfactory dimension – wafts of drying cloves and burning coconut husks float on the breeze becoming even more pungent in the midday heat! These are the Spice Islands after all and, these spices were ideally used to fight disease, improve eyesight or as a natural aphrodisiac and hallucinogen and as such were worth more than their weight in gold! The violence and squabbling that went on for more than three centuries attest to their worth. Breaking up the history lessons were our very memorable snorkeling trips, each one unique, and each one breathtaking – literally! Think black-tipped reef sharks, large Puffer fish, Razor fish, endless hues of Parrot fish, turtles even sea snakes – Lawrence mentions that the Banded Sea Krait, with enough venom to kill 70 men, is a rather gentle beast at heart and ever so shy – not sure I will ever be willing to put that to the test, although I gather he has, many times. Then there was some outstanding coral, wondrous and diverse, although sadly, on one of our water treks we did see evidence of blast fishing, which obviously damages these amazing underwater gardens. There was an arduous climb up Mount Api, that still steams away daily, and last scared

in search of alfred.

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over the edge

across the seas to banda.

the population of Banda a mere 30 years ago. I only got a third of the way up before my sedentary Bali life caught up with me. Two of the group made it to the top, and would have received a certificate from Des Alwi, former head honcho of the Bandas, however since his passing this unique recognition no longer exists. Local school visits were very much on the top of our list. To take books and balls and volleyball nets to these outlying island children. Meet, greet and sing a song. This was definitely a highlight enjoyed by all. Huge smiles of welcome and constant cries of “Hello Mister” and foto foto foto meant we all came away with huge grins on our faces, full hearts and an even fuller memory card in our cameras … heartwarming. Lastly, our group jump overboard as we crossed the equator at dawn did indeed tick everyone’s bucket list. Expertly-led … Down time, sometimes afternoons but mainly evenings, after spending time up on the top deck watching the sun paint crazy contours in the sky, with the evernecessary help of various types of cumulus, was as the trip suggested, expertly led by Lawrence who, with that delightful English accent and ease of speech, imparted vast amounts of knowledge. His evening talks started with a short synopsis of the evening’s theme and was followed by one of his enlightening documentaries, or those of Bill Bailey, British comedian who often “New Years” on Banda. His soireé on Sir Alfred Wallace and the Spice Islands was illuminating. Having lived on Bali for over 20 years I realise how sorely lacking in national culture and history I am! His tales of close encounters with scary underwater creatures and dragons held us spellbound. And his ongoing quest to discover unknown species of Birds of Paradise and Tarsier monkeys left us all

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boggle-eyed in admiration, much like the Tarsier itself. Travelling companions… Our group was made up of 12 valiant adventurers, (from the ages of 27 to 85 years old, the latter definitely proved to us that one is never too old) and each from various points of the globe and, since our mobile phone signal went from erratic to nonexistent this global mélange of men and women made for highly interesting dining conversations. Apart from Dr. Lawrence, other experts on board were SeaTrek’s two tour guides, Caroline and Anastasia, who seamlessly organized each and every moment of the day and evening. With walkie-talkies in hand, they carefully ferried us on and off the Ombak Putih to each of the various adventures, cold towels and welcome drinks were on hand and ready on re-boarding. The experienced crew of 14, led by Captain Agung, seamlessly went about the day, either caring for each guest, or cabin or day trip, all the while keeping the vessel ship shape and sparkling, always with wide smiles and warm welcomes. It is the dedication of this fabulous team that brings elegance and quality service onto this live aboard and unquestionably opened my mind to the fact that not all live-aboards need to be “roughing it under the stars”… For Sea Trek cruise dates and destinations: www.seatrekbali.com For bespoke cruises organized by Dr. Lawrence Blair: www.drlawrenceblair.com

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yak awards

the yak awards

non-drinking vegan lulu moon experiences the yak awards 2018 ... and somehow comes away happy.

Act one. The Arrivals. A red carpet, photographers, a vintage car and a tequila truck greet the 550 guests as they soberly stride in to this year's venue, the spectacular Morabito Beach in Berawa. Every year, this event is a major production; a Fellini-esque Balinese Oscars. It requires over a 100 people to put it together and now in its 14th year, the theme of The French Connection plays out literally as two exquisite French women airkiss bonsoir, skillfully bypassing cheeks, while complimenting each other on their très chic attire. “Welcome!” A dapper man with a thick accent shouts over La Vie en Rose, “It’s all a penis!” He’s wearing a blue and white striped shirt, red scarf (possibly a napkin) tied around his neck and looks more like a Venice gondolier than a Frenchman so I’m momentarily confused. “It’s what?” I shout back. The music is loud and I’m not even close to the epicenter of the party. He repeats. “A penis! A penis!” It takes a second. Happiness. Oh, that. Thanks! How French. I keep moving. Heading in is heading out. There is a manicured expanse of lawn which overlooks the beach as the sun sets and guests mingle with flutes of Freixenet in hand. Fairy lights and crystal chandeliers hang from the trees and I’m suddenly struck by the stunning beauty of the surroundings. You’d have to be made of tin not to appreciate a party where the ceiling is a dusk-coated sky. A perfect venue for claustrophobics. A woman with an accordion floats around as guests stand sipping their drinks and interacting with enthusiastic albeit polite decorum. “You look lovely, darling,” a woman whose been through several hours of hair and makeup exclaims. “Love your dress!” I swivel around to a smiling face with a tray of food. “What’s that?” I ask, reaching for a Chinese soup spoon heaving with potatoes and a slice of fish on top. “Sardine.” “From where?”

“Sardine.” “I know it’s sardine, but from where?” “Sardine.” Does this smiling face only speak one word? I’m nudged by my partner who explains: “It’s a sardine FROM SARDINE. The restaurant. She’s waiting for you.” The pressure is on. I need to return the spoon to the tray she’s holding and I chew slowly. She patiently waits. But other food samplings beckons and I can’t spend all night on one hors d’oeuvres. Soon it’s on to the next mini-meal – a tasty risotto from El Kabron. The Bali Ska Jazz Syndicate is now working the stage that soon will be taken over by the main event: the awards. But wait. The risotto has meat? Quelle horreur! “I’m a vegetarian,” I say but we’re too close to the speaker. I vaguely hear the word “pork” and set it down. Too risky. A not-too-drunk man points me in the direction of the AKUA de Bilbao stand which I’m told is to the left of the ice sculpture that spells YAK and dispenses vodka. I move left, my partner moves right. The freeflow alcohol is flowing.

explained that fake e-mail accounts were set up to increase the ratio of votes with bots and algorithms. For what? For who? I could imagine a Russian DJ with links to the Kremlin. But before I could invoke Special Prosecutor Mueller, I was told they were immediately spotted and shut down. In other words, the winners are for real. And in the spirit of true French egalitarianism, as this year's delighted winners clutched their ceramic blue Eiffel Tower by Lakeman Ceramics and left the stage, the losers didn’t seem too broken up. It’s a party, after all – and the drinks were kicking in. Meanwhile, I had discovered the highlight of the evening. A Balian water bar. I’d been worried because at last year's’awards, the only snafu was: they ran out of water. “Would you like wine instead?” I was asked. Plenty of alcohol, no water. Was it possible I’d been the only guest asking for water, ever? This year there was no such calamity. Not only was there a separate water bar but there was, unsurprisingly, no crowd in sight. Voila! A bottle of Balian sparkling all to myself. Act three. Hard to remember.

Act two. The Awards. It’s dark now. I’ve located my vegetarian risotto. The mood is festive but not yet debauched. A few shirts on the men have buttons undone and a smattering of women have removed their shoes. The hedonistic vibe is picking up speed. Just then, Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi stops playing and it’s time for the awards to begin. Sophie, in her Parisian red beret, and Nigel in his… RayBans…take the stage. Winning a Yak Award is a valuable boost for any business and categories range from Best Social Media Stream to Best Designer to Best Bar, Best Sunset Venue and so on. There are 21 categories in all. Earlier, I’d asked Nigel if the awards were rigged. “People ask me that a lot,” he said, non-plussed by my hard-hitting investigative question, “But no. Never. We have, however, had attempted hackers.” A hacking scandal? Mon dieu! I had to know more. He

Given that I was drinking just water, I actually can remember. The lawn is now covered with womens high heels that have been kicked off, dresses have been hiked up for dancing and the once crisp shirts on the men are now sweat soaked. On my way to the toilet, I observe a woman attempting to climb three steps without toppling over. Both arms are spread out for balance and she lifts her foot in slow-motion and takes each step with the precision of Philippe Petit walking the high wire. One step, two step, three…she makes it. I exhale on her behalf. I make my way out just as the lingerie show is beginning and take one last look at the scene which is just getting going. Apparently, vegetarian risotto is a somnambulant. “This was the best awards yet,” I tell Nigel the following day. “I agree,” he says. Then adds, “And we say that every year.”

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yak awards

another night to remember. photos: bali tonight.

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www.oneeightybali.com Page 92 Yak Map G.14 The Ungasan Clifftop Resort Tel: +62 361 8482111 www.theungasan.com Page 2-3 Yak Map G.15 Tugu Hotel Bali Tel: +62 361 6120111 www.tuguhotels.com Page 51 Yak Map O.1 W Retreat & Spa Tel: +62 361 4738106 www.wretreatbali.com Page 23 Yak Map K.4 MEDIA / PRINTING Supa Print Tel: +62 361 8475740 www.supa-print.com Page 151

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Sugarsand Tel: +62 361 2099999 www.sugarsandbali.com Page 29 Yak Map P.13 Sundays Beach Club Tel: +62 8119421110 www.sundaysbeachclub.com Page 2-3 Yak Map H.15 The Boogaloo Tel: +6281237602680 www.theboogaloobali.com Page 3 Yak Directory Tropicola Tel: +62 361 9343636 www.tropicola.info Page 11 Yak Map K.4 SHOPS Anna Michielan +62 82146194475 www.annamichielan.com Page 56 Yak Map W.5 Atlas www.atlaspearls.com.au Page 74 Yak Map V.15 Bamboo Blonde www.bambooblonde.com Page 37 Yak Map S.8; N.2; O.7; N.11 Biasa www.biasagroup.com Page Front Inside Cover Yak Map V.12 Deus Ex Machina www.deuscustoms.com Page 4-5 Yak Map P.8; O.6 Hatten Wines Bali Tel: +62 361 4721377 www.hattenwines.com Page 17 Heineken Strongbow www.multibintang.co.id Page 159 John Hardy Tel: +62 361 469888 www.johnhardy.com Page 27 Lily Jean Tel: +62 361 9342283 www.lily-jean.com Page 33 Yak Map V.11 Paul Ropp Tel: +62 361 701202/730212/730023/ 974369/8496908 www.paulropp.com Page Back Cover Yak Map X.3 Periplus www.periplus.com Page 161 Sensatia Botanicals Tel: +62 363 23260 www.sensatia.com Page 31 Yak Map P.8; L.1

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horoscope

astroyak star gazer dallas kalmar hits the charts to put your life in perspective.

aries

Burn baby, burn. On December 31st, fiery Mars (your ruler) blazes into your sign just in time for the new-year festivities. Like a cosmic cocktail wielding away any inhibitions for 6 weeks, you’ll be life of the party, boss in the boudoir, or a promenading powder keg. Counter the latter by channeling that excess adrenaline into demanding workouts or creative work, because five days later: let’s hear it for the boys! The new moon high-fives Saturn in your career house, which could see you on your way to landing that dream job or client, courtesy of a male mentor or father figure.

taurus

Don’t go chasing waterfalls. On January 21st, the Leo lunar eclipse finds you on the verge of some potentially big moves relating to home, family or another personal mission. And with Mars in your sign by Valentine’s Day, you’ll be itching to sign on the dotted line. However, with Neptune in your 11th house of networking, friends and technology, be wary of any snake-oil-salesmen types and don’t take just anyone’s ‘good advice’. There may be some confusion around what it’ll actually take to make the dream work, so be sure to do your research.

gemini

Like the ceiling can’t hold us. On December 22nd, the Cancer full moon helps you end the year feeling fiscally free, bringing to fruition all of your efforts of the past year. Bonus? Check. A big “yes”? Check. Feeling like you can conquer the world? You should, especially when the lunar eclipse in your 3rd house energizes you (or some long-lost fans) to get your message out there. Seminars, TED talks, the Great American Novel–they’re all possibilities at your disposal. A Venus-Mars trine in your career/work houses scream BIG coup for you.

cancer

Signed, sealed, delivered. If you’ve been waiting for an answer or sign from the divine, the lunar eclipse on January 21st sees to it. A promotion, career change or unexpected moneymaking opportunity is now well within your grasp–just be sure to read the fine print and don’t rush! With Jupiter having just moved into your 6th house in November, you’ll be inclined towards a work/health overhaul–just in time for “Dry Jan.” Don’t worry about missing the wagon in January, though–you’ll have another 11 months to start that wheatgrass ritual, and streamline your work-life processes.

leo

Let it go, let it gooooooo. The Cancer full moon on December 22nd is all about forgiveness–activating your conscious (or subconscious) desire to release that which no longer serves you. With Mars in your 9th house of travel and higher learning from mid-January, you might enlist the help of a therapist, sign up for a workshop, or travel for a healing retreat to do some inner work and chisel away at that psychic scar tissue. The full moon in your sign on January 22nd could also herald the beginning or end of something significant, ‘eclipsing out’ a toxic person or situation.

virgo

Let my love open the door. With your creative, romantic 5th house lit up through January, promoting yourself becomes second nature, and you actually enjoy it. Opportunities for romance blossom, as long as you come from a place of humility and compassion. Wanna join (or revisit!) the Mile High Club? Your confidence is off the charts in February, so Mars in your 9th house could propel you–and your animal passion–across international borders.

libra

Home is whenever I’m with you. With a gaggle of 5 planets in your 4th house of home and family until Jan 19th, you’re undergoing some major,

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transformative realizations about your domestic life, fundamental sense of security, your soul’s mission, public influence, and what it all means. The eclipse further stokes these energies on January 6th, and with Mercury here, you’ll be more inclined to turn inward, surrounding yourself with your most trusted tribe members. By March, you’ll have had an opportunity to heal some old psychic scar tissue, clearing the decks for a spectacular spring/autumn.

scorpio

Show me the money. By mid-December, Mercury and Venus will be finished do-si-do-ing in your sign, giving you the green light to fall in love again–with an actual person, yes, but more possibly your work! A lunar eclipse in your 10th house on Jan 21st could win you public recognition, bolster your image or put you in touch with the right person/right place/right time to take that next step. As lucky, expansive Jupiter camps out in your 2nd house of money/finances for the rest of the year, moneymaking opportunities and life’s luxuries will sniff you out without much effort on your part! Enjoy the ride.

sagittarius Walkin’ on sunshine. It’s already a blessing to have Jupiter in your sign, but to have a rare conjunction with Venus is pure magic. On January 22nd, you can’t lose–be it in love (perhaps the easiest use of this energy), money (doubly so with Venus then fluttering into your finance house next month), or just plain looking/feeling your best, your karmic savings account is brimming with auspicious opportunity all year. Just be sure to practice a bit of moderation in a sea of excess! capricorn Simply irresistible. While December and especially January might’ve found you grappling with issues around security and self-confidence, Mars strides into your creative, romantic 5th house just in time for Valentine’s Day! A trine with Venus in your 1st house will make you feel strong, sexy and–cue Robert Palmer. Single or attached, the following 6 weeks will lend itself to greater passion and opportunities for pleasure than you’ve experienced all year. Just be sure to choose sexy over seething (and pillows to bash, over someone’s integrity)–the ego won’t serve you now. aquarius

I think we’re alone now. On January 6th, a lunar eclipse in your 12th house of healing and closure gives the nod to transformative Pluto, also residing there, to help you feel, deal, and heal from any lingering traumas or tendencies towards self-sabotage. This is a powerful time to set intentions for the coming six-month cycle; the energy present here might be best used to attract, recognize and begin working with a heavy-weight healer or therapist to help you on your journey.

pisces I got friends in low places. With both Mercury and lucky Jupiter line-dancing in your career house until the end of 2018, if you can conceive it, you can achieve it. Tap those cross-cultural connections and former mentors for contacts and advice–then make your debut. Your energy will be best spent (and rewarded) by coming from a place of service (as if you needed anyone to tell you that). After Venus sashays into your 11th house February 3rd, Valentine’s Day might find you volunteering rather than veering into the boudoir, but don’t fret: you’ll have plenty of time to indulge your sapio-sexual urges in the days that follow. Personalized, printable natal charts & interpretations | Available for live readings via Zoom | Email likethecity@me.com to request an appointment.