Ubud Life 42nd Edition

UbudLife NO. 42 • MARCH - MAY 2020

guide to ubud & beyond, bali lifestyle, people, arts, yoga, spirit, culture and cuisine

NYEPI

BALI’S UNIQUE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

ASWINO AJI’S

ARTISTIC OBSERVATION

THE ROLE OF

BALINESE WOMEN

SNAKES ALIVE EARTH DAY

free

LAST WORD

Taksu Spa – in the heart of Ubud Here are six unbeatable reasons to drop by the gorgeous Taksu Spa at the start of your holiday: 1. No pain, just gain!

Welcome to Bali, it’s time for you to kick back and enjoy your Bali experience! Your time at Taksu will give you many great memories to share. Here you will enjoy a wide range of feel good and remedial massages, facial treatments, grooming, and body therapies. There are treatments for every member of your family, your party group or for that special occasion. Ideal after a long flight or a big night out! A Reflexology or foot massage is a great idea for rice field or ridge walkers, push bikers, stay-out-too-late-dancers or shoppers buying gifts. Foot massage helps prevent foot and ankle injuries, reduces headaches, and helps regulate blood pressure. For the regular Spa goers, try the Taksu signature Balinese Premium or Esalen massage.

And if you are a beginner, or shy, try the Soother, a perfect head, neck & shoulder massage without oil or having to take your clothes off. Mineral baths also have great restorative benefits for those suffering from any of the above as well as low back pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. Even something as simple as Aromatherapy has been reported to improve depression and insomnia.

2. Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian & Ala Carte Menu Enjoy a meal together! Taksu is the place you can take everyone no matter what their food and drink requirements are. The cool garden setting away from the busy roads is the perfect place to hangout. Try different taste sensations or choose from a list of favorites. Your taste buds will be happy. Voted #2 Raw food restaurant 2017.

4. Time out together in a jungle oasis in the heart of Ubud

What better way to say ‘I love you’ than spoiling each other? If there is one thing couples can agree on, you won’t say no to a day of pampering together. Enjoy full body massages, scrubs, flower or mineral baths with a scrumptious lunch or dinner. Romance Bali style.

5. Happy Mind & Happy Body – Over tired,

Gained some weight or feeling the years getting to you? From the Far Infra Red Sauna to clearing mental & physical blockages with Access Consciousness, Theta Healing, Ground Alpha Alignment, to understanding your Ayurvedic life balance. Try an immersive Sound Bath, sort out your thyroid or gut health with our Nutritionist/GP, learn or practice Yoga, get that long overdue Colonic or check out the new range of IV infusions for your total well-being. Take home specific information for your ongoing good health & happiness. Try the Taksu Wellness Programs.

6. And I’m Feeling Good – It’s all about the

experience. You’ll be telling your friends and family all about the amazing experience you had in Bali including Taksu Spa. Do something nice for yourself or surprise your partner with a Gift Certificate to use while you are in Ubud. This is a perfect gift for the person who has everything, or doesn’t want for anything. All the while knowing you are giving back to this beautiful tropical island and its people.

3. De-stress after work and play

Trying to balance work and life with today’s hectic lifestyle, it’s no wonder we area all stretched to our limits. It’s time to do something nice for yourself. So what do you do? Get back on track with a whole day Spa package, treating yourself from head to toe.

You are worth it!

T: +62-361-479-2525 or +62-361-971-490 WA: +62 822 3613 0676 | Instagram: taksuspa FB Facebook: /TaksuUbudBali

EDITOR’S NOTE

Like Us!

facebook.com/ubudlifemagz

UbudLife MAG Om Swastiastu Welcome to our new edition of Ubud Life. The years roll around and Ubud Life just keeps on trucking. Even with a downturn in magazines, Ubud Life has managed to survive, so we must be doing something right.

This month we celebrate Earth Day and the way things are progressing, we need this day more than ever. Climate change, bushfires all over Australia, fires on Borneo, droughts, floods what next! The only good thing is the way communities are banding together, and becoming stronger in their efforts to make things better. Underground, grassroots organisations are forming, each one working for the common good.

Lets hope that all these efforts will be rewarded for a better planet.

On the lighter side, Ubud continues to grow, becoming perhaps Bali’s number one destination. Even people who don’t stay here will at least come for a visit. Then there are the hordes of seekers, yoginis, new agers and those enjoying the beauty of the Ubud hills. May Ubud continue to grow and prosper.

Snakes are becoming a regular feature in Ubud Life, and as their habitat shrinks, they begin to turn up in the most unlikely places. The same thing happened in Singapore twenty years ago, when pythons started making homes in ATM machines and one story involved a man on a toilet seat who looked down to find a python looking up at him. Many of Bali’s snakes are harmless and we hope our guide will help you to stay calm, or, if necessary call one of our top snake men to come help.

Please enjoy the issue and welcome to Ubud.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om THE EDITOR

Cover photo by Ayu Sekar Everyone loves a sunset and a sunset in Ubud over the gleaming ricefields is close to a spiritual experience

8 UbudLife

editor ubudlife-gsb team creative graphic designer dedito ssn. photographer i gusti ketut windia sales and marketing ketut muliartani finance yukmang susilawati distribution ubudlife-gsb team contibutors richard horstman stephanie mee jean couteau ayu sekar publisher GSB (gemini studio bali) jalan gunung tangkuban perahu III/4, denpasar barat - bali 80361 p: 0361 8495479, 0361 8447982 e: sales@geministudio-bali.com w: www.ubudlife.com director putu santosa views expressed are not necessarily those of the editor’s and publisher’s. all material copyright ©2010 (gsb) gemini studio bali. the publisher will not be held responsible for copyright infringerment on images supplied by advertiser and, or contributors.

contents 12

NYEPI BALI’S UNIQUE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

48

SNAKES LIVE

10 UbudLife

32

ASWINO AJI’S ARTISTIC OBSERVATION

42

58

THE ROLE OF BALINESE WOMEN

EARTH DAY

NYEPI BALI,S UNIQUE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION by ayu sekar • images by jill alexander

12 UbudLife

DIVERSIONS

C

ome the 25th of March and something strange happens in Bali. All the highways and byways on the island are filled with wrathful creatures– phantasmorgorical creations, both classic and traditional. Others are modern and cheeky visualisations of active imaginations. Beach girls, tourists, rangdas, roam the streets. Characters from the Mahabaratha and Ramayana, are rendered larger than life and with great creative license.

Some are teeny, some are as big as a house. All are extraordinary.

The ogoh ogoh processions are real crowd pleasers and they give they Balinese youth a chance to let off some high spirited steam. In the villages, the processions are puncuated with loud bangs from home made bamboo rockets like firecrackers and as dangerous as they no doubt are, they do pack a punch.

This revelry is all a prelude to Nyepi – the day of silence – and the start to Balinese New Year.

On Nyepi day nothing stirs.

There is no sign of human habitation except the odd group of pecalang roaming the streets looking for any rule breakers.

No airlines fly into Bali on this day, and the airport is closed.

Tourists are requested to stay in their hotel, preferably in their rooms or the restuarants – although pools may also be allowed.

Traditionally, Nyepi is a time for looking inward, for self reflection and contemplation,

although the young prefer to watch movies.

But whatever or however the day is spent, it is surely quiet.

Some countries like France, emulated Nyepi for an hour as an experiment. Not only does power consumption plummet, but a kind of peace descends that is not usually experienced.

Once, when flying was still allowed, I drove from my Ubud hotel to the airport. Everything was eerily silent and the only signs of life were the odd dog wandering the streets.

Why? Why does Bali do this?

Well the real reason has always been given – that Bali is a culture filled with spirits. To discourage them, first the ogoh ogoh (derived from ogre ogre?) are brought out to scare them away. At every cross road, the bamboo carriers are turned and twisted to confuse the spirits who purportedly only travel in straight lines! After the big display, the beautiful and

macabre creations are brought to the burning site where they are reduced to ashes and rubble. Dusty remains are all that remain of all that creative energy.

Then the next day everything is silent, to trick the spirits into thinking that everybody has left the island. So that Bali starts her new year, free of demons and bad spirits, and with a renewed energy of hopefulness and light for the coming year.

As a tourist, it is always interesting to follow as it is very different to the western style of new year celebration In Bali, the best place to witness the procession is at the football ground in the middle of town. Although now, many banjars have their own mini processions in their own village. A few places have their processions early so check Ubud events to see what you can find. Nyepi is always worth a visit.

UbudLife 13

Ubud Is A Beach by ayu sekar • images courtessy by cp lounge

16 UbudLife

ADVERTORIAL

Now we have a beach in Ubud! Seriously?

Well believe it or not, the lovely CP Lounge has come up with a brilliant new concept, a city beach which takes your average beachbar a step further.

Right here in the Ubud hills we find a beach. Surrounded with tropical palm trees and sun loungers, this beach-bar promises to make CP Lounge become, even more, the place to be in Ubud. They offer a complete package, so complete that you could almost stay there 24/7 from morning till late, late, late at night.

A soft white sand beach encircles a cool pale turquoise pool – perfect for pre-lunch relaxing. Then as the day moves on, DJ fuelled music gives the beach club party energy, with DJs playing chill music. After 9pm the live band starts up playing saucy salsa. It’s a great dance venue, whatever your taste.

Choose your own cozy cabana or a luxe lounger and enjoy your favourite cocktail – it is the city beach club after all.

The beach and pool is just a part of CP’s huge new upgrade and renovation, which brings a whole fresh new look to this popular venue. Extra land has been added to give wider open space and extra room to party and dance.

A stunning new golden wall by the bar makes the perfect selfie post with its glimmering shiny sequins to create a glamorous backdrop for even the most enthusiastic posers.

Factor in an A/C dance area and pool tables and you have it all. Together with the new swimmingpool, life is a beach.

UbudLife 17

Ommmm to Om Ham Ubud’s Holistic Retreat by ayu sekar • image courtessy by om ham

R

ight in the middle of Ubud’s; verdant rice fields lies Om Ham! Only ten minutes from the central market but miles away in ambience and spirit, this holistic retreat has what it takes.

On Ham is a place of healing. With yoga and massage, gardens and healthy organic food made with love, all that you need to do is relax and rejuvenate while enjoying the stunning views.

Spacious rooms filled with white and light bring instant relaxation, with those incredible views just outside the door The retreat was established on the vision of Ashram Munivara, which helps people to find themselves through programs of holy knowledge, puja, song, yoga and meditation.

Guru Ketut Arsana who made his name thorough his wonderful work at Bodyworks has created his vision, turning it into a beautiful reality, in every carefully curated corner.

The resort was made by hand, without any heavy machinery, to preserve the spirit and energy flow. This yogic mindset is a free flow of energy and blessings. The natural environment is enhanced with a luscious tropical garden that bears everything from Papaya to roses – a beautiful place to spend time.

18 UbudLife

Guests can enjoy spiritual consultation with Guru Ketut to help find the path to wellness and rejuvenation.

Twice a day guests gather to practice kundalini Tantra

Yoga – to awken their chakras and increase the energy flow within their body. Together with focussed asana and specialized breathing, the kundalini energy is awakened within the body and as a result, the body becomes more balanced.

The programs are designed to stretch and strengthen the body as well as clearing the mind and calming the spirit.

Retreats can range from four days to five or even longer depending on your preference.

An individual program can be designed for you after your check-in.

Om Ham Jalan Tirta Tawar, Junjungan.

WA: +62 818 05900352 E: info@omhamretreat.com

happenings around ubud

A BEACH IN UBUD Hike along to the famed CP Lounge for their latest attraction. A beach! Yes! A beach that has a pool with loungers, DJ’s and evening music. It’s the best! Tropical paradise on steroids!

SO YOU WANT TO BE A YOGA TEACHER If you have a secret desire to become a yoga teacher, then you need to be in Ubud where dozens of courses are available. From the Yoga Barn to Taksu Spa to Intuitive Flow, many other smaller places you may just find what you are looking for.

Or you may want to try Yoga and see if it fits. The famous and fabulous Bali Spirit Festival (March 29th to April 5th) has myriad yoga sessions and workshops with experts from around the world. It’s a great place to get started. Watch out for more yoga stories in our next issue. www.balispirit.com | www.taksuspa.com | www.radiantlyalive.com | intuitiveflow.com 20 UbudLife

UbudLife 21

LEARN ABOUT BALI You are interested to learn about Balinese culture, art, Indian dance? Yoga and holistic health? Meditation? Usada is a bag full of fabulousness with many workshops and talks to attend, all for a reasonable price and lots of content. Expand your knowledge and your consciousness.

Jalan Sugriwa No. 4 Ubud www.usadabali.com

NYEPI NIGHTS Come 24th March and the spirits will be out in force. The night before Nyepi is something to behold, so make sure you are in Bali to experience it. Streets and villages are filled with fearsome ogohogoh.

Huge papier mache monster statues designed to scare awary even the meanest bad spirits. After a night of high energy, resulting in the burning of the monsters, all goes quiet as the island goes into shutdown. Everyone needs to experience this at least once!

22 UbudLife

BALISPIRITFESTIVAL

O

ne of Asia’s biggest Yoga Festivals is celebrating its 13th edition: from March 29th to April 5th 2020 the world is invited to join the conscious yoga event BaliSpirit Festival on the tropical island paradise Bali. During seven days and eight nights more than 300 workshops in yoga, dance, personal development, healing and martial arts will take place, complemented by day- and night time music, a dharma fair and amazing organic food. As in the previous years, the venue will be at Purnati Center of the Arts, surrounded by Bali’s outstanding lush green rice fields and jungle patches, just 15 minutes south of Ubud.

From exploring different practices of yoga, meditation and martial arts, connecting through dance and music, to experiencing breathwork and deep healing - the festival takes the participants on a journey of intense experiences and personal discoveries. Local and international presenters share their wisdom, all enhanced by the community support and Bali’s spiritual energy.

Attendees can choose between full one-week festival tickets <https://www. balispiritfestival.com/tickets>, 3-day and day passes. For music lovers there are special music passes, allowing to join a few workshops and giving access to all music performances. It is a festival for everyone. For singles and groups, children, teens, families, experienced yogis and beginners alike.

The extraordinary variety of the program combined with the spiritual and beautiful natural setting makes it an unforgettable experience.

Are you ready for a one week journey of transformation? Then get your ticket now and join the BaliSpirit Festival.

UbudLife 23

24 UbudLife

UbudLife 25

Bodyworks-the Holistic Way to Health by ayu sekar • image courtessy by om ham

B

odyworks in Jl Hanoman is one of Ubud’s best. Started over 25 years ago, Bodyworks is the place for specialized treatments devised by Guru Ketut Arsana.

Ketut comes with an ancestral lineage of traditional Balinese shaman healers (or balians). He has combined his traditional powers with other techniques that he has studied and learned along the way. He has also evolved a Kundalini Tantra form of Yoga, which is very powerful and life renewing. Ketut Arsana uses a holistic approach in all his work aiming to reach the integration of body, mind and spirit – thereby becoming whole.

The treatments are effective and healing. He has specialized in various healing therapies and has an intimate knowledge of the way our bodies work. He intuits what a particular person needs for treatment on his way to wellness. The techniques are a powerful combination of Ayurvedic and Bali Usada disciplines and the work centres around balancing and rejuvenating the lymphatic system. This helps to make us feel lighter and fresher, with a clearer mind. It also enhances the immune system.

Designed in a Balinese compound, Ketut’s family was already known for their special healing powers and Ketut decided to take it a step further and open it to the world.

A move for which we can all feel grateful.

30 UbudLife

There are rejuvenation and relaxation treatments, deep tissue, detox and more as well as the specially inspired Buddha Kecapi and Soma Usada therapies for which he is famous.

Beauty treatments include face massage and detox, facials and more. Nails can be enhanced and hair removal with body sugaring is a revival of an ancient tradition.

There is just so much to try.

Yoga - there are also daily yoga classes that will restore and revitalize. Pranic breathing is combined with tantra to move the energies of the body and to clear blockages. Come and try it.

Bodyworks Jalan Hanoman No. 25, Ubud WA: +62 813 39175388 E: info@ubudbodyworks.com

Aswino Aji’s artistic observations by richard horstman • image courtessy by aswino aji’s

A

n acute sense of observation is an essential talent for a contemporary artist. The ability to scrutinize and reflect on one’s own conduct and thoughts, along with that of the collective, is a doorway to art rich in meaning.

For more than a decade Balinese artist Made Aji Aswino has been an avid onlooker and critic of the human character and behavior, especially what he has witnessed within his own society.

His sketches, paintings, sculptures and installations focus upon the pitfalls of the human ego.

Initially his paintings were dark and moody depictions featuring a central figure with an elongated nose that made reference to the tale of Pinocchio. A fictional character and the protagonist of the children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio written in 1883 in Italy by Carlo Collodi, then brought to life in popular culture in the 1940’s by Walt Disney, the tale describes when the child, Pinocchio, tells a lie, his nose consequently grows. Aswino Aji utilizes Pinocchio as a metaphor for the human condition, because, says the artist, “We often tell lies, and bend the truth.”

32 UbudLife

BALINESE ART During the landmark 2013 exhibition “Irony In Paradise” by the Balinese art collective Sanggar Dewata Indonesia (SDI) at Ubud’s Agung Rai Museum of Art, Aswino Aji exhibited an eyecatching and imaginative sculpture that was highly critical of his Balinese culture. He adapted the topic that had been the focus of his paintings and sketches, this, however, was his first thematic venture within the 3 dimensional form.

“Under the Shade” featured the head of a Pinocchio like-figure carved from wood with a long nose extending out and upwards to form the pedestal for a Balinese religious ceremonial umbrella, which was positioned above his head. A controversial work, such direct criticisms of the local culture are rarely seen within Balinese art. When commenting about the work Aswino Aji said, “Many Balinese Hindu people live under the shade of their own culture while behaving contrary to its philosophies.”

In the most important international exhibition of Balinese contemporary art in 2016 that showcased the finest emerging talent of Bali, “Crossing: Beyond Baliseering, held in December at FortyFive Downstairs Gallery in Melbourne, Australia, Aswino Aji exhibited the monumental wood carving installation, “Doors of Perception”. Spanning four meters wide, by two and half meters high, his representation of a traditional doorway into a Balinese house created over a six-month period. It featured eerie figurines and faces of monsters that are his representations of the darker elements of the ego.

UbudLife 33

Included also were some of the typical iconography to be found in traditional Balinese carvings.

The vibrantly painted creatures adorned the work along with his Pinocchio character - a reflection on the pretensions and lies of everyday Balinese society the artist witnesses. The dynamic colours of the outside of the entrance represented varieties of ‘disorderly’ human personalities, while the inner side of “Doors of Perception” reflected life’s dualities, painted in subdued monochromes and representing the ‘peaceful’ personalities.

“Ego Invasion”, 2018, Aswino Aji’s most recent installation is themed upon the candi (Balinese temple gates) and is a commissioned art work for Soundrenaline - Soul of Expression GWK Bali, 8-9 September 2018, a music and youth cultural event held at the GWK Cultural Park in Jimbaran. Created within a whirlwind one-month period at his studio, Aswino Aji employed wood carvers from his family in Silakarang village, Gianyar to help carve the icons and build the structure. With dimensions measuring over

three meters high by three meters wide, one of the strengths of this work was in its design, engineered to be simply and quickly dismantled and reinstalled.

According to the Balinese Hindu belief system outside the temple the ego is free to be expressed with individual autonomy, once a person passes through the temple gates, however, the ego must be disciplined and restrained. This practice, according to the artist, is being ignored. “The ego can be our greatest enemy, or our dearest friend. In daily life man often plays with his ego, its dualities can be mutually supportive,” Aswino Aji says. “Sometimes the ego’s self righteousness dominates, while other times it remains hidden away. In my minds eye the ego is a monster - man is a monster!”

Born in 1977 in Silakarang, Aswino Aji is the son of the wood carver, renowned contemporary artist and gallerist Wayan Sika. Following in his father’s footsteps he studied fine art at ISI Yogyakarta, the Indonesian Institute of Art in Central Java, were he resided for five years. Aswino Aji has taken authentic motifs, patterns and forms from traditional architecture and sculpture and has presented them within the contemporary art realm, while making relevant social statements. In doing so he has made new inroads in Balinese woodcarving and an important contribution to the development of Balinese contemporary art.

34 UbudLife

UbudLife 35

BALI FREE MAP We reach across the island - everywhere in bali! make your advertising dollar go further and be seen on our complete big BALI MAP!

INFO TEL: 081353320709 or [0361] 8495479

THE ROLE OF BALINESE WOMEN by jean couteau • image by ayu sekar

W

ith women’s “equality” regarded as a big ticket around the world, the theme of women’s power can be questioned in Bali. Haven’t we all seen Balinese women carrying loads, and heard of the charms of Balinese femininity, and wondered if all was well on the island paradise.

Balinese women play an increasingly important role in modern life – even while the gap between the traditional and the modern widens. Women are gaining economic autonomy, and more than a few claim equality in their daily lives, especially owing to the fact that they are often more employable than their male partners in the tourism industry. A new type of Balinese woman is coming up to the fore under the spur of modernity, and what Balinese women possess is strength.

Several important politicians are women. The rector of the main local university is a woman. The two main novelists are women. All unite to eradicate the patriarchal aspects of Balinese society.

They still have much to do in the matter. But the Balinese are certainly in phase with the global thrust toward gender equality.

But looking at traditional Bali, it is a different picture. At the philosophical level, women in Bali have nothing to worry about - there is gender equality. The Female cosmic principle (Pradana) is considered the complementary opposite of the Male principle (Purusa.). The first embodies the principle of Matter and the second that of Spirit. From their cosmic union, the world is born, so goes the tradition of Balinese Shivaism.

Heritage in Bali is transmitted in the Purusa or male line. If there is no male heir, one of the daughters’ husbands is adopted into the father’s family, so as to guarantee the proper “patrilineal” transmission of wealth and power: this is the nyentana marriage. Balinese boys, however, are usually reluctant to pick up the role, unless the girl is rich: it entails “submission” and they’re being turned into symbolic “females”.

Roles of the men and women are separate although both have relevance. For example, women don’t belong to the banjar (neighborhood association), nor to the desa adat (village community), but as part of a pekurenan (nuclear family). Women have little say in the running of the banjar, although they are usually in charge of the household..

42 UbudLife

CULTURE

This young lady will see huge changes in her lifetime and we wonder how much her life will differ from that of her mother and grandmother.

UbudLife 43

They may have their female “corvee” (ayahan isteri) as the men have their own, but the allmale assembly of the banjar or desa generally runs the show while the women do vital support work As a rule, women never live independently and always have to share a compound with the extended family - first their father’s and then their husband’s. They reside with their father until they marry. Spinsters are considered as daha (virgins), and continue to live in the shelter of their father’s premises, having no more influence than their married sisters.

The basis of the women’s dependance, as everything else in Bali, is religious. It is to their father’s genealogical gods that young women owe their prayers and service, including the world-famous offerings. Then they marry and shift their religious duties to their husband’s gods.

HUSBAND AND WIFE, Regarding love and marriage, the partnership between men and women is, of course, an unequal one. Women must be faithful, while men should only be “responsible”, meaning that their unfaithfulness is no cause for divorce, as long as they look after their children. Most Balinese women expect their husbands to misbehave once in a while - to go on the hunt. When this happens, the wife is expected to accept it. “Women must know how to behave,” goes the saying.

A man is still able to take a second wife, or even a third as long as the first wife approves, although the Indonesian government has been trying to limit the occurence of polygamy and the marriage law of 1974 prohibits the taking of a second wife unless the prior agreement from the first one has been formally obtained.

44 UbudLife

It also puts all sorts of hurdles to the granting of such an authorization. These legal constraints, however, run counter to a long ingrained tradition of male dominance.

Few women have the means to protest their predicament.

For all practical purposes the prohibition of polygamy is effective only for the country's civil servants. Its main watchdog is the Dharma Wanita, the association of the wives of civil servants. Its membership is compulsory, and the wife of the corresponding sectorial chief heads each chapter. So, if a woman sees her husband indulging in dissipation, she has only to report it to his boss' wife, who will soon act. The fellow will immediately be scolded, and may even be sacked.

This improvement in the condition of Balinese women is changing slowly, and it has its limits. While unfaithfulness is not common, the unexpected may happen. Motorbikes, schooling at the city and office jobs offer plenty of grounds for more freedom. Once this happens, Balinese women have a much harder time than their male counterparts and if a woman is deemed unfaithful, she may be returned home, i.e. to her father's house, and her children let into her husband's custody.

But divorce in Bali is rarely a total and immediate abandon. In no case is the woman thrown out with nowhere to go. She was "taken" (juanga ) from her father at marriage, so she will be returned (ulihanga) to the same with the proper "divorce" procedure. In a way strikingly similar to the marriage, when the negotiations took place under the guidance of the kelihan banjar (headman), the same official usually accompanies the return of the woman, acting in a similar intermediary position. Potential conflicts are avoided and the ritual legitimizes the action.

Since the man usually obtains the custody of the children, and is burdened by it, he may well relent too and fetch his wife back. If such is the case, there is a ready-made explanation to the whole escapade: his wife was tricked by magic. At least this is what the consulted balian (medium) will make everyone believe.

Happy Balinese couples!

All in all, the lot of the traditional Balinese woman is not an unhappy one. She is rarely ill-treated, nor subjected to the hypersexualization of her body that both liberates and enslaves her Western sister.

She also lives in a relatively stable and homogenous environment where everyone has their role. Her path is set, she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to deal with all the stressful decisions that western women face.

Much in Bali is changing and is bound to change more. In the past twenty years, modernisation has taken hold at all levels of Balinese life, and this is deeply transforming the situation and status of women. Through schooling, jobs until recently unthought of by women are now commonly occupied by them: there are women doctors, teachers, lawyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s etc.

They translate their newly won economic strength in greater social and "intellectual" autonomy: they rent their own rooms, buy their own perfumes and select their own mate: Balinese women are becoming increasingly like their Western sisters. Will it be the end of the myth?

S NAK ES A LIV E

by stephanie mee • images by ron lilley

M

ost of us hope to never meet a snake, but if you do, it’s important to know how to handle the situation. Ron Lilley is British snake expert who has lived in Indonesia for many years.

He rescues snakes, gives presentations about snake safety to schools, businesses and the public, and advises on snakeproofing and snakebites.

He is currently giving support to the development of the Indonesian Snakebite Initiative.

He also works for the Indonesian Nature Foundation (LINI), a local conservation NGO that helps poor coastal fishing communities.

48 UbudLife

WILDLIFE Approximately how many snake species are there in Bali, and out of those, how many are venomous?

To date, 46 kinds of snakes have been recorded for Bali, of which six land snakes (two species of cobra, two kinds of krait, the Asian coral snake, and one pit viper) are highly venomous. Then there are between 15 and 20 different kinds of sea snakes, and all are venomous, but the research has not yet been done to say exactly which types are found in the seas around Bali. The banded sea krait is the most frequently encountered sea snake because unlike the ‘true’ sea snakes, it also comes onto land.

When should people be most on alert for snakes?

Snakes are generally afraid of humans, so they will try to escape or hide. The problem comes with people not being observant, or walking in the dark or overgrown areas where they might step on a snake, or disturb one hidden in bushes or trees.

Snakes like to remain hidden, prefering to stay in the wild. However, loss of habitat means more snakes are moving into urban areas, seeking refuge in houses and gardens where a pond provides a ready source of drinking water, fish and frogs. Overgrown ‘jungley’ gardens provide excellent cover, and piles of wood, compost, and rocks can be used as refuges. Accumulated rubbish encourages rats, which in turn attract snakes.

UbudLife 49

What would you say is Bali’s most problematic snake and why?

How do we identify a venomous snake? Are there any tell-tale signs?

Watch out for the green island pit viper (Trimeresurus insularis). It comes down to the ground at night to feed. It is well camouflaged and hard to see, even in short grass, and likes to sit in corners along walls where small animals pass by. These snakes are reluctant to move when disturbed, and because of these habits, are easily trodden on.

In general, laypersons will have difficulty correctly identifying Bali’s snakes. There are so many varieties.. Diagrams that may work in the USA, are not useful in Indonesia. The surest way to have a snake correctly identified is to take good photos (not videos) no nearer than 1.5 metres from the snake and send the pictures to a snake expert for identification.

Similarly, kraits are usually active late at night, and may try to warm themselves against a human who is sleeping on the ground. If the person rolls onto or touches the snake in their sleep, the snake is likely to bite. Sleeping off the ground on a bed frame is much safer.

Spitting cobras are also relatively common, and especially active from mid-day to late afternoon. Unlike vipers and kraits, cobras move fast and will generally move away when disturbed.

I have also caught some sizeable pythons in the middle of suburbia, where they can live unseen in the roofs of houses, eating rats, until eventually they will want larger prey, such as chickens, cats and dogs, and then they may come into conflict with humans. While not venomous, they can inflict a nasty bite.

50 UbudLife

What are some things people should do if they encounter a snake?

My advice is to treat all snakes with great respect and call in an expert. If you encounter a snake, leave it alone, but watch where it goes. Do not try to catch or kill it, because this will upset and scare the snake and significantly increase the risk of a bite.

What can people do to snakeproof their properties?

Keep paths clear so you can see where you are walking, especially at night. Installing lights outside and keeping a light on inside helps to see a snake, and may also keep some nocturnal snakes away.

Cut back vegetation that provides ‘runways’ for rats, because snakes will follow them. It is particularly important to cut back branches that touch the roof, so rats and snakes cannot get in. Close all gaps under and around gates. decking, doors and windows, and block drain pipes and gaps around cables through walls.

Traditional snake repellents (salt, sulphur, palm fibre, aromatic plants) and even hi-tech buzzing snake scarers do not work. Watch your pets’ behaviour. Dogs and cats will often sense the presence of a snake before their owner does.

What should people do if bitten by a snake?

1. Be proactive! Before anyone is bitten, check with your local hospital or clinic to make sure they can treat a snakebite.

Many cannot and will turn you away, thus wasting valuable time. Keep emergency numbers handy.

2. A description or photo of the snake is very useful for determining the type of treatment.

3. Tell the patient to stay calm and move as little as possible.

Reassure them that they will be OK. 4. Remove any rings, bracelets or other things that might restrict blood flow and cause problems if the limb starts to swell.

5. Do not cut, suck, or tourniquet the bitten limb. Use splints to immobilize the limb and keep it still. Movement causes the venom to spread more quickly to other parts of the body.

6. Do not give anything to eat or drink, because it might cause the patient to vomit.

Do not give any medicines or traditional cures, as these may complicate treatment later.

7. Call the hospital to say you are bringing in a snakebite victim.

8. Carry the patient to a vehicle and go to the hospital as quickly as possible. If on a motorbike, sit the patient between the driver and someone at the back. This should help keep them still and prevent them from falling off if they pass out.

9. In the hospital, give the doctor any details of preexisting medical conditions and any medications being taken.

10. Dr. Tri Maharani is Indonesia’s top snakebite expert. Give her contact number to the treating doctor, so she can guide them through the appropriate

treatment based on the symptoms that the doctor describes to her (see below).

A snakebite patient will be required to stay in the hospital for at least 48 hours for observation, because snakebite symptoms can sometimes take many hours to appear. Snakebite treatment can be very expensive, so make sure you have medical insurance, and have cash available.

In addition, there is no such thing as ‘generic’ antivenom here. Apart from spitting cobra antivenom, there is no antivenom to treat most of the venomous snakes found here, and treatment methods are often still very basic.

However, if someone is bitten, it is better to seek medical attention than waiting to see what happens USEFUL NUMBERS: Sanglah Public Hospital, Denpasar. (+62) (0)361 227 911 TO 15 Dr. Tri Maharani, Snakebite Specialist (+62) (0)853 3403 0409 Ron works mostly alone, receiving hundreds of requests for help every year, but has no regular financial support for his work and relies on donations. For more information, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ UbudLife 51

Fly Cafe

Velvet

BIMC

Palm Cloud nine-ubud Pub and Co.

Skin

Coffee & Thyme Nomas Liap Liap Folk Pool Gardens

Semujaen

Divya

Kayma Spa

Setia Ceramic

Kebun

SenS Sayuri

Red Lotus Warung Citta

Bodyworks

Dapurusada Usada

Gedong Sisi

Red Lotus

Om Ham Retreat

Nature Resort

Ubud Floating Garden

WORLD MAP

THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

Garden Sopa

ISLAND OF BALI

UBUD LOCATION

SereS

Sisi

Pizza Bagus Kafe Topi

Monkey Legend

Pilar Batu

BSF

UBUD

Ubud, Ubud,lies liesinin the the heart heart of of Bali, Bali, in the centre of the fertile southern rice growing plains. Fertility means much more than the simple sawah or rice fields, it refers to the huge flowering of the arts which happens all around this magical town. Ubud is the home to the arts. Painting, music, dance and gamelan as well as woodcarving, maskmaking and sculpture have attracted visitors for decades.

Artists Artistsalso alsoapply applytheir their skills skills to to making making attractive things for visitors.

Whole streets, attractive things for visitors. Whole streets, like the Tegallalang Road are lined with like the Tegallalang Road are lined with crafts shop making clever knick knacks to crafts shop making clever knick knacks to tempt buyers. tempt buyers.

Out from Ubud are magnificent vistas Out from Ubud are magnificent vistas to to view and temples and wonderous sights view and temples and wonderous sights to to enjoy. Around Ubud there is plenty to enjoy. Around Ubud there is plenty to keep keep a visitor busy for days. Enjoy! a visitor busy for days. Enjoy!

...

UbudLife 53

ubud palace-open stage padang tegal kaja-open stage ubud main road-oka kartini arma-open stage ubud water palace-open stage bentuyung village batu karu temple-open stage

7.30 pm 7.00 pm 8.00 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.00 pm 7.30 pm

legong dances barong & keris dance kecak ramayana & fire dance women performance

ubud palace-open stage wantilan padang tegal kelod pura dalem ubud-open stage bale banjar ubud kelod

7.30 pm 7.00 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm

ramayana ballet kecak fire & trance dance wayang kulit [shadow puppet] legong telek trance culture

ubud palace-open stage jaba pura taman sari-padang tegal kelod kertha accommodation-monkey forest st arma-open stage bale banjar ubud kelod

7.30 pm 7.30 pm 8.00 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm

wed

legong & barong dance mask dance [topeng jimat] wayang kulit [shadow puppet] legong dance kecak fire & trance dance jegog [bamboo gamelan]

ubud palace-open stage arma-open stage ubud main road-oka kartini yamasari stage-peliatan open stage padang tegal kaja-open stage pura dalem ubud-open stage

7.30 pm 7.00 pm 8.00 pm 7.30 pm 7.00 pm 7.00 pm

thu

kecak [monkey chant dance] legong dance the barong & keris dance kecak fire & trance dance wayang wong dance wayang kulit [shadow puppet]

puri agung peliatan jaba pura desa kutuh pura dalem ubud-open stage pura taman sari-padang tegal kelod bale banjar ubud kelod pondok bambu-monkey forest st

7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm

fri

barong dance legong dance kecak and fire dance wayang kulit [shadow puppet] jegog [bamboo gamelan] barong & keris dance

ubud palace-open stage balerung stage peliatan pura padang kertha-padang tegal kelod ubud main road-oka kartini bentuyung village arma-open stage

7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.00 pm 8.00 pm 7.00 pm 6.00 pm

legong dance legong dance frog dance legong dance kecak fire & trance dance the magic of jegog

ubud palace-open stage ubud water palace bale banjar ubud kelod pura dalem ubud-open stage pura dalem taman kaja-open stage arma-open stage

7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.00 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm 7.00 pm

every 1st and 15th: gambuh dance

pura desa batuan-open stage

7.00 pm

tue mon sun

legong of mahabrata kecak fire & trance dance wayang kulit [shadow puppet] legong dance janger dance jegog [bamboo gamelan] kecak fire & trance dance

sat

ubud cultural dance performances

54 UbudLife

TIPS

pura protocol Tips for how to visit one of Baliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabulous temples

A

s visitors to Bali we like to know how to visit a temple graciously. Here are a few guidelines to help make a visit more enjoyable. Enjoy!

The Balinese are quite open and generally welcome visitors. You can enter most temples freely. Wear a sash around the waist and preferably a sarong. Big temples can hire a sarong at the front gate but it is nice to have your own. You can buy a sash and sarong at Ubud market or Sukawati where the choice is limitless.

When there is a ceremony on, the Balinese believe the gods have descended to the temple for the duration. All prayer and dance is performed for the benefit of the gods rather than the tourists. Be respectful. Women who are menstruating must wait outside.

Priests (Pedanda) are well respected and the most important person at the ceremony.

They occupy the highest position. Show respect and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try to climb on scaffolding or steps higher than the officiating priest to get a better view or photo.

If you visit a holy spring like Pura Tirtha Empul and decide to try bathing, keep your clothes on and leave the shampoo behind.

It is not a bath, but an immersion in holy water, for a spiritual cleansing.

Expect to pay a small donation before entering a temple. These donations are put to good use, and help with the upkeep of the grounds and the temple itself.

UbudLife 55

LEGEND:

Provincial capital

Town

Places of interest

Village

Mountain

MENJANGAN ISLAND

BAL

Pemuteran Reef Building

Ja v a Fer r y to Cekik

Labuhan lalang

Sumberkelampok

Blimbingsari

Klatakan

Gerokgak

Pe

a B e a ch

Antur

Lovina

Bestala Mayong Busungbiu

Pancoran

Mt. Mesehe 1344

BA

Pangkungdedari Melaya

vin

Kalibukbuk Labuhan Haji Kaliasem Pengastulan Temukus Kalisada Seririt Dencarik Tigawasa Bubunan Banjar Sidetapa Tegallenga Ringdikit Cempaga Asah Goble

Mt. Musi 1224

Mt. Merbuk 1386

Sumbersari

Temple

A

Puri Jati [muck-diving]

Celukan Bawang

Taman Nasional Bali Barat (West Bali National Park)

E I S

Lo

Sumberkima Goris Banyuwedang

Secret Bay

Gilimanuk

LETKOL WISNU AIRSTRIP Pulaki Banyupoh Kertakawat Pemuteran Gondol Melanting Penyabangan Musi

Lake

Gobleg

Tambling Mund

Subuk

LI

Candikusuma

Pupuan Pujungan Mt

Tegalasih

ST R

Airanakan

A

Banyubiru

IT

NEGARA

Cupel Munduk

Sanda

Rambutsiwi Yehsumbul Yehembang Pesinggahan Mede wi B eac Medewi h

Yehkuning

Perancak

Bat

Manggissari Asahduren

Mendoyo Yehbuah Delod Berawah

Munduk

Batungsel

Tista

Batuagung

DISTANCE [in kilometer]

Belimbing

Ampadan

BANGLI BESAKIH

Balia

CANDI DASA

Balian Beach

DENPASAR GIANYAR

Suraberata Selemad Antosari n B Lalanglinggah Bajera Ba ea ch Soka Soka Bea ch Kerambi Beraban

GILIMANUK

IN

GOA GAJAH GOA LAWAH

O

N

Tanah

E

GUNUNG KAWI

D

Tib

S

IA

AMLAPURA

C

N

OC

SEMARAPURA KUTA

C

EA

LAKE BATUR

N

LEGIAN LOVINA AIRPORT

INT

NUSA DUA SANUR SINGARAJA TANAH LOT UBUD ULUWATU

Padang Sulub

Uluw

Airport/Airstrip

Air Sanih

Sangsit Kubutambahan Beji

Bungkulan

emaron

ran Panji

Bukti

Jagaraga Bila

SINGARAJA Banyuning

Tamblang

Sukasada

Pacung

Julah Bondalem Tejakula Les

Tegal

Pegayaman Gitgit

Asahpanji

Catur

Mt. Catur 2096 Kembangmerta

Tembok Muntidesa

Bayun

Yehketipat

Bantang Penulisan

Kintamani

Lake Bratan

Bedugul Pekarangan Baturiti

tukaru

Apuan

Wongaya

T ul a

Sekardadi

Tulamben

Pengotan Penyebah

Sandakan

Seribatu

Taro

Besakih

Kayubihi

Amed

Jemeluk Wall Bunutan Reef Japanese Wreck

Jemeluk Bunutan

Pempatan Buyan

Puhu

Buahan Petang Pujung Luwus

Culik

Mt. Agung 3142

Kayuambua

Angantiga

m

Mt. Abang 2153

Penulisan Nungkung

t. Batukaru Pacung 2276 l Soka Jatiluwih Senganan

Kedisan

Penelokan

Pelaga

Lake Batur

y n Ba

Candi Kuning

Baturinggit Kubu Rubaya

Trunyan

be

gan duk

Tianyar

Mt. Batur Batur 1717

Pancasari

Lake Buyan Lake Tamblingan

Penuktukan

Sambirenteng

Gentah

Bakungan Penginyahan

k

eg

BALI MAP

Surfing spots

Diving spots

Harbour

Ababi

Abang

Gili Selang Lempuyang

Tirta Gangga Mt. Seraya Menanga 1175 Muncan AMLAPURA Seraya Selat Payangan Bebandem Tampaksiring Rendang Iseh Bangbang Bukit Bucu BANGLI Subagan Kuwum Ceking Sibetan Tembuku Sindu Buruan Ujung Saren Padpadan Kawan Sidakarya Marga Sembung Bunutan Tegallalang Paseban Asak Jasri Ngis Tenganan Jasri Batusari Timbrah Petak Manggis Sidemen Bugbug Petulu Timpag Wanasari Sangeh Buitan deg Sibang Bongkasa Ulakan Candidasa Talibeng Selat Sengkidu Biaha UBUD Blahkiuh antas Alas Kedaton Mimpang Akah Blayu Peliatan h Bedulu Padangbai A m u k B a nAshyana Tepekong c KLUNGKUNG ) d a id as a Be ay bok Denkayu Abiansemal Silayukti Sidan Tihingan Samsam TABANAN Kutri Dawan ( Lom Ferry Channel lands Mas Is i GIANYAR il itan Mambal G Kamasan Goa Lawah Blue Lagoon Fast Boats Padangbai (Bali ) Kengetan Mengwi Gelgel Bone Tanjung Sari Sakah Gubug IT Silakarang Kusamba bubiyu Blahbatuh Tanjung Jepun Kediri Sibang RA Angantaka T Kemenuh S Lebih Muncan Pejaten Batuan OK Darmasaba Sukawati Keramas Yeh Gangga Pandakgede Singapadu MB O L Fe Beraban Sempidi rry Batubulan Celuk Pa h Lot da ng ba Ubung Lumintang T i (B Tohpati I ali ) A Kerobokan DENPASAR Canggu - Le R B e Brawa Canggu Padanggalak mb h T Sumerta a ar ( Muding Shipwreck SD S Sental Lom Umalas Pengubengan Canggu Renon Sanur bok Blue Corner Buyuk ) Jungutbatu Batubelig Sanur Kutampi Sindhu Ped LEMBONGAN ISLAND Legi Petitenget Telaga Sanglah an Sampalan Lembongan Toyapakeh B e Seminyak Batujimbar Pegok Kut ac Sentalkangin Legian Gelogorcarik Semawang CENINGAN ISLAND aB Pidada Gelagah e Crystal Bay Kuta Pesanggaran Blanjong Metakih Ponjok Kuta Bayuh Suana Malibu SERANGAN ISLAND Tuban Manta Point Semaya Serangan NGURAH RAI Batumandeg Pejukutan BENOA HARBOUR TERNATIONAL AIRPORT Ambengan Tanjung Benoa Kedonganan Batukandik Pendem Jimbaran Bay Tanglad Soyor Jimbaran Bungkit Bingin Anta Pelilit Manta Point Tabuanan Mumbul Ramoan g Padang Sedihing Bualu Geger Sekartaji Kampial ban Nusa Dua Ungasan Batuabah Sawangan watu N Pecatu Babahan

Sebatu

Penebel Perean Pitra

Sulahan Singarata

C

h ac

N

DU

BA

San

ur

G

Be

ac

Ferry to N usa Pe nida

ch

h

NUSA PENIDA

us

a Dua Beac

h

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50 km

EARTH DAY by stephanie mee • image by ayu sekar, trash hero

A

pril 22, 2020 will be the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. This annual event is the world’s largest environmental movement with the mission of driving transformative change for people and the planet. This theme this year is climate change, which is an issue that we’re becoming all too familiar with in this part of the world. To honour Earth Day, these are some of Bali’s most influential people, organisations and businesses working to effect change and encourage action to protect and restore our planet.

58 UbudLife

OUR PLANET

TRASH HERO INDONESIA Trash Hero is a global volunteer-led movement with the mission of motivating and supporting communities to clean and reduce waste. It began in Thailand in 2013, and has since spread to multiple countries including Indonesia. Here in Bali there are Trash Hero chapters all over the island that meet regularly to clean up beaches, rivers and towns and raise awareness about waste pollution and solutions for waste management. Chapters include Ubud, Amed, Candidasa, Canggu, Sanur, Saba and Blahbatuh. You can become part of the movement by joining a trash clean up, making a donation of money or supplies, or helping out with trash transportation to a recycling plant or trash bank.

in a popular tourist destination like Bali, one homegrown company believes that it doesn’t have to come at continuous cost to the environment. Mantra is an environmental consulting company that helps property owners in the tourism industry build more sustainably. The team of specialists consult on everything from energy consumption to environmental system design and provide clients with systems to measure and manage sustainability. To date, Mantra has helped clients such as Waterbom, the Viceroy and Potato Head Beach Club save millions of resources and cut costs on water and energy consumption. www.eco-mantra.com

www.trashhero.org

BYE BYE PLASTIC BAG Sisters Melati and Isabel Wisjen were just 12 and 10 years old respectively when they started the campaign to rid Bali of plastic bags back in 2013. What started as a petition requesting that Bali’s government enforce a total ban on single-use plastics quickly grew into a powerful youth-led movement working together to raise awareness about environmental issues through education, beach clean-ups, and political meetings.

Their efforts paid off when Bali’s governor finally banned single-use plastics on the island in 2019. Today BBPB is a national and international movement with teams in 35 locations across the globe working tirelessly to inspire everyone to make the world a cleaner and greener place. www.byebyeplasticbags.org

MANTRA You don’t have to be a local or long-time resident to see that Bali is developing at a rapid pace. While development is inevitable

IDEP FOUNDATION For nearly 20 years, IDEP Foundation has been delivering training, community programmes and media about sustainable development across Indonesia. The mission is to help people help themselves by enhancing awareness about the environment and creating solutions for ways we can live more sustainably and increase our positive impact on the Earth. The environmental education activities focus on environmental sustainability, conservation of natural resources, organic farming, waste UbudLife 59

management, and disaster management.

They also run the Bali Water Protection Programme, which encourages people to take action to save and protect freshwater on the island. www.idepfoundation.org

MAKE A CHANGE WORLD Growing up in Bali in the early 2000s, siblings Gary, Sam and Kelly Benchegib saw firsthand the direct impact plastic pollution had on the environment. At that time, even just going for a surf required jumping over mounds of plastic on the beach and paddling through clusters of plastic waste. This prompted the teenagers to form Make a Change Bali, an organisation with a mission to clean up Bali’s coastlines. The organisation later became Make a Change World and Gary and Sam began taking on projects further afield like traveling down the Citarum River (the world’s most polluted river) on plastic bottle kayaks to raise awareness about pollution and the importance of waste management.

Today they continue to raise environmental awareness in unconventional ways because they believe that no idea is too crazy if it helps change the world. www.makeachange.world

BGREENER Inspired by the Tri Hita Karana philosophy, which promotes harmony between people, nature and God, BGreener is a community of eco-minded business leaders that aim to make a positive impact on local communities and the environment. The members come from a wide range of businesses including hotels, restaurants, fashion brands, and tour agencies, and they meet once a month to brainstorm social and environmental solutions for their communities. They also collaborate on initiatives like RefillMyBottle, an app that features a map of businesses where people 60 UbudLife

can refill their water bottles for free or minimal cost. Visit their website to find eco-friendly businesses in Bali and beyond. www.bgreener.org

ZERO WASTE BALI Just like the name suggests, Zero Waste Bali is all about promoting a waste-free lifestyle.

The two stores in Umalas and Ubud are Bali’s first bulk food stores where people are encouraged to bring their own containers or use the plastic-free options from the shop, which include reusable glass bottles and cotton bags. There are over 400 products available including organic wholefoods like nuts, beans and grains, natural beauty products, chemical-free detergents and soaps, and eco-friendly products like bamboo toothbrushes and wooden cutlery. You can even pick up eco-friendly gift sets for friends and family like travel kits, bath and beauty kits and kitchen sets. www.zerowastebali.com

ECO BALI Waste management is one of the most pressing environmental issues in Bali, and Eco Bali is one of the only businesses tackling the problem head on. Established in 2006, the company provides households and businesses with waste collection and recycling services. Their goal is to promote recycling and composting in an effort to reduce the quantity of waste that ends up in landfills. Ring them up and they will bring you two bins: a green bin for paper and a red bin for glass, metal, plastic, and all other non-organic waste. They will also give you a quick training sessions and provide you with options for how often you would like them to pick up your waste. All waste is sent to their Material Recovery Facility where it is sorted and reprocessed into other products. www.eco-bali.com

Presenting fine art quality of paintings and as a painting studio of I Wayan Suarmadi ADDRESS: JALAN MADE LEBAH, UBUD, GIANYAR, BALI PHONE: 62 361 978197 | MOBILE & WA: 62 81 338730435 EMAIL: WAYANSUARMADI75 @ GMAIL.COM WWW.PILARBATU.COM

RESTAURANTS

ACCOMMODATION Arma Resort Jl. Pengosekan, Ubud Phone: 0361 976659 www.armaresort.com B.Saya Villa and Restaurant Jl. Suweta, Ubud Phone: 0361 973496 www.bsaya.com Cendana Resort & Spa Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 973243 www.cendanaresort-spa.com Korurua Jl. Tirta Tawar, Junjungan, Ubud Phone: 0361 9000496 www.koruruaubud.com Om Ham Retreat Jl. Tirta Tawar, Junjungan, Ubud Phone: 0361 9000352 www.omhamretreat.com Puri Gangga Resort Desa Sebatu, Tegallalang, Ubud Phone: 0361 902222 www.puriganggaresort.com Ubud Sari Health Resort Jl. Kajeng, Ubud Phone: 0361 974393 www.ubudsari.com Sri Ratih Cottages & Spa Jl. Raya Campuhan 1, Ubud Phone: 0361 975638 www.sriratih.com SenS Hotel & Resort Jl. Sukma, Tebesaya, Peliatan, Ubud Phone: 0361 8493328 www.senshotelsresorts.com SereS Resort & Resort Jl. Jukut Paku, Singekerta, Ubud Phone: 0361 3012222 www.sereshotelsresorts.com Villa Beji Indah Banjar Nyuh Kuning, Ubud Phone: 0361 974168 www.villabejiindah.com

62 UbudLife

Bridges Jl. Raya Campuhan, Ubud Phone: 0361 970095 www.bridgesbali.com Biah Biah Jl. Goutama, Ubud Phone: 0361 978249 Biah-Biah+ Jl. Pengosekan, Ubud Phone: 0361 976466 Cloud Nine-Ubud Pub and Co Jl. Raya Lungsiakan, Ubud Phone: 0361 9083859 Cafe Des Artistes Jl. Bisma 9x, Ubud Phone: 0361 972706 www.cafedesartistesbali.com Coffee & Thyme Jl. Monkey Forest 88X, Ubud Phone: +62 857 10518178 www.coffeeandthyme.co Copper Kitchen & Bar Jl. Bisma, Ubud Phone: 0361 4792888 www.copperubud.com CP LOUNGE Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 978954 www.cp-lounge.com DIVINE Jl. Raya Campuhan, Ubud Phone: 0361 970095 www.bridgesbali.com Dapurusada Jl. Sugriwa No.4, Ubud Phone: +62 822 49959901 www.usadabali.com Liap Liap Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 9080888 www.liapliap.com Folk Pool Gardens Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 9080888 www.folkubud.com Gedong Sisi Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud Phone: 0361 977276 www.gedongsisi.com Ibu Rai Restaurant Jl. Monkey Forest 72, Ubud Phone: 0361 973472 www.iburai.com

KAFE Jl. Raya Hanoman 48B, Ubud Phone: 0361 970992 ww.kafe-bali.com Kebun Jl. Raya Hanoman 44B, Ubud Phone: 0361 7803801 www.kebunbistro.com Monkey Legend Jl. Monkey Forest 8, Ubud Phone: 0361 981611 www.monkeylegendubud.com Nomas Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 9080800 www.nomasubud.com Pizza Bagus Jl. Raya Pengosekan, Ubud Phone: 0361 978520 Sri Ratih Cafe & Jewelry Jl. Raya Campuhan 1, Ubud Phone: 0361 975638 www.sriratih.com Sayuri Healing Food Jl. Sukma 2, Ubud Phone: 0361 9080385 www.sayurihealingfood.com Taksu Fresh Jl. Goutama Selatan, Ubud Phone: 0361 4792525 www.taksuyoga.com Semujaen Jl. Raya Bisma No.3, Ubud Phone: 0361 978285 IG: @thesemujaen.ubud Warung Citta Ovest Jl. Dewi Sita, Ubud Phone: 0361 971352 Why Not Restaurant & Bar Jl. Bisma, Ubud Phone: 0361 9081601 Yonne Cafe & Bar SenS Hotel & Resort Jl. Sukma, Tebesaya, Peliatan, Ubud Phone: 0361 8493328

NIGHT LIFE CP Lounge Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 978954 www.cp-lounge.com

SPAS/THERAPY

SHOPS

PROPERTY Red Lotus Property Jl. Sukma, Br. Tebesaya, Ubud Phone: 0361 970980 www.redlotusbaliproperty.com

Bodyworks Centre Jl. Raya Hanoman no. 25, Ubud Phone: 0361 975720 www.ubudbodyworks.com

Bambooku Jl. Hanoman 32, Ubud Phone: 0361 7803119 www.bambooku.com

Bali Botanical Day Spa Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud Phone: 0361 976739 www.balibotanica.com

Kunci Jl. Hanoman, Ubud Phone: 0361 971050 www.kuncicottonknit.com

Cocoon Medical Spa Ubud Jl. Monkey Forest 8, Ubud Hand phone: 0811 3882241 www.cocoonmedicalspa.com

Nirmala - Work On Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;shirt Jl. Hanoman 2, Ubud Phone: 0361 7475404

Taksu Galleria Jl. Hanoman, Ubud Phone: 0361 4792508 www.taksuspa.com

FRESH Spa Jl. Dewi Sita, Ubud Phone: 0361 8493677

Rainbow Spirit Jl. Hanoman 38, Ubud Hand phone: 085 100 126053 www.rainbowspiritbali.com

Pilar Batu Gallery Jl. Made Lebah, Ubud Phone: 0361 978197 www.pilarbatu.com

Kayma Spa Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 4792239, 0851 00620017 www.kaymaspa.com

Sensatia Botanicals Jl. Monkey Forest 64, Ubud Phone: 0361 3400011 www.sensatia.com

KUSH Ayurvedic Rejuvenation Spa Yoga Barn - Jl. Pengosekan, Ubud Phone: 0361 971236 www.yogabarn.com/kush

Studio Perak Jl. Hanoman, Ubud Phone: 0361 974244 Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Hand phone: 081 236 51809 www.dketut37@yahoo.com

Milano Salon Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 973488 Sri Ratih Spa Jl. Raya Campuhan 1, Ubud Phone: 0361 975638 www.sriratih.com Sala Japan Beauty Care Jl. Jembawan 1, Padang Tegal, Ubud Phone: 0361 977803 www.absbysala.com Sedona Spa Jl. Raya Campuhan, Ubud Phone: 0361 975770 www.sedonaspa-ubud.com SKIN Organic Spa and Waxing Salon Jl. Goutama 24 & Jl. Sanggingan 36, Ubud Phone: 0361 975615 & 0361 975604 rsvp@ubudSkinOrganic.com Taksu Spa and Restaurant Jl. Goutama Selatan, Ubud Phone: 0361 971490 www.taksuspa.com Ubud Floating Garden Jl. Raya Pejeng Kawan, Ubud Phone: 081 933 035318 www.ubudfloatinggarden.com

GALLERIES

CERAMICS Setia Ceramics & Arts Jl. Raya Goutama 22, Padangtegal, Ubud Phone: 081 337 809006

SISI Jl. Nyuh Kuning No.2, Ubud Hand phone: 085 103 235151 www.sisibag.com SISI Jl. Sriwedari No.12, Ubud Hand phone: 085 100765895 YIN Jl. Dewi Sita, Ubud Phone: 0361 970718 Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud Phone: 0361 8468510 Jl. Hanoman, Ubud Hand phone: 085 100801879 www.yinjewelryforthesoul.com

ARTISTS Wayan Suarmadi [Painter] Jl. Made Lebah, Ubud Mobile: 081 338 730435 Wayan Sila [Owl House] Jl. Bisma, Ubud Phone: 977649 | Mobile: 081 8566861

YOGA CENTRE Om Ham Retreat Jl. Tirta Tawar, Junjungan, Ubud Phone: 0361 9000352 www.omhamretreat.com Usada Jl. Sugriwa No.4, Ubud Phone: +62 812 468917341 www.usadabali.com Yoga Barn Jl. Pengosekan, Ubud-Bali Phone: 0361 971236 www.theyogabarn.com UbudLife 63

SPORT/RECREATION

USEFUL NUMBERS Ambulance

Mason Adventures Bypass Ngurah Rai, Pesanggaran Phone: 0361 721480 www.masonadventures.com

Airport Authority

Ubud Horse Stables Phone: +6281 3395 85666 www.ubudhorsestables.com

VISA/LEGAL AFFAIRS HIGHWAY Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud Phone: 0361 972107 www.highwaybali.com

MUSEUMS ARMA ( Agung Rai Museum of Art ) Jl. Raya Pengosekan, Ubud Phone: 974228 Antonio Blanco Renaissance Museum Jl. Raya Campuhan, Ubud Phone: 975502 Museum Puri Lukisan Ubud Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud, Gianyar Phone: 975136 Neka Art Museum Jl. Raya Sanggingan Phone: 975074 Pendet Museum Jl. Nyuh Kuning, Ubud Phone: 971338 Rudana Museum Jl. Raya Cok Rai Pudak, Peliatan, Ubud Phone: 975779

227711

Directory Inquiries

108/112

Fire Brigade

113

Immigration

751038

International Red Cros

226465

Search and Rescue

161 751111

Sanglah Public Hospital

227911

Tourist information Center

753540

Time Ubud Tourist Information

103 973286

NORTH BALI SECTION Amertha Bali Villas Desa Pemuteran, Singaraja 811155 Phone: 0362 94831 www.baliamerthavillas.com Desa Pemuteran, Singaraja 811155 Puri Sunny Hotel and Camping Munduk Village, Buleleng Phone/Whatsapp: +6285 7372 16669 www.purisunnyhotel.com The Hamsa Resort Munduk Village, Buleleng Phone: +62 813 3719 4975 Taman Sari Bali Resort and Spa Desa Pemuteran, Singaraja 811155 Phone: 0362 93264, 94765 www.balitamansari.com

EAST BALI SECTION Ashyana Candidasa Jl. Raya Candidasa, Karangasem Phone: 0363 41359 www.ashyanacandidasa.com

64 UbudLife

Bali Police Department

Post Office

Puri Sunny Hotel and Camping

118 751011

CONSULATES Australia

241118

Brazil

757775

Czech Republic

286465

Denmark & Norway

701070

French

285485

Germany

288535

Hungary

287701

Italy

701005

Japan

227628

Mexico

223266

Coral View Villas Jl.Raya Bunutan Amed, Karangasem Phone: 0363 23493 www.coralviewvillas.com

Netherlands

761502

Spain/Portugal

769286

Sweden & Finland

288407

Le-Zat Restaurant Jl. Raya Candidasa, Karangasem Phone: 0363 41538, 41539 www.balicateringservices.com

Switzerland

751735

Unitedkingdom

270601

USA

233605

UbudLife 65

The Seeker

LAST WORD

Mark Ulyseas

Decades ago when one was traversing the road to perdition I encountered a sadhu at a tea shop. He wore an orange lungi but no tilak on his forehead nor Tears of Shiva (Rudrāksa beads). We sat in silence sipping the hot tea sweetened with jaggery. I offered him a plate of samosas, which he gladly accepted. I asked him if he was a Shiva bhakt. This was his reply.

‘I am a seeker of truth, a truth that resides in all of us. To find this truth I have to live my life without the crutches of religiosity; the holy books, the rituals and places of worship and even the festivals; for these are but distractions from the singular path to understanding the meaning of life. I must live without hurting others, without sacrificing animals, without eating them, without touching the wondrous life in the oceans. I must exist on plants and sometimes no food at all, just water. For this is the perennial philosophy of the Sanathan Dharma that I know, what the ancients spoke about. It continually absorbs the elemental wisdom of civilizations through the ages. It is not finite nor is it judgmental, it simply shows one the pathway to oneself, to the truth within. But this journey is like walking on shattered pieces of glass, on red hot coals. The physical discomfort one has to endure is unimaginable. But at night when I lay my piece of cloth on the earth and lie down, I can see the stars, the moon through the pain and I am comforted. Sometimes the pain remains all night. Other times it goes away immediately and in its place I feel the hand of God on my burning forehead. It has been many years now travelling to the truth within. And I am hopeful that someday I will find it within and then my life would be complete and I won’t have to breathe no more. How wonderful. But I feel deep anguish for what I see around me. How people rush around destroying this beautiful planet and themselves.

The self-destruct element is now embedded in their life, a powerful force. I fear, perhaps, one day it would consume them and the earth itself. What a terrible tragedy.’

He suddenly stopped talking and heaved a sigh of resignation. The sadhu then gulped down the last of the tea in his cup, put the uneaten samosas in his small cloth bag and stood up, waved his hand over my head as if in blessing and walked away.

I revisited the tea shop many times hoping to meet him again, until one day the chai walla told me with folded hands to go home for he has just heard that the sadhu had found his truth. I felt an embracing joy, knowing that the truth had liberated the sadhu. Now if only we could surmount the agony of the physical world like the sadhu, reject materialism and find our peace in the truth perhaps we too may be liberated from the confines of this Time.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om

Mark Ulyseas Publisher/Editor, http://www.liveencounters.net Free online magazine from village earth.

66 UbudLife