Yesterday, accidentally I listened to a song entitled “Moon River” by Andy Williams. It brought back my own “Tom Sawyer” memories. Back in 80s when I was a little boy, my friends and I used to take bath in Ayung River that runs on the western part of our village. We swam, played, or did various mischiefs while taking bath in our “Moon River”; and for the adults, they were busy washing their clothes or having a little chitchat about the current gossip in the village. Boys and girls, men and women, crowded the river late in the afternoon up to the evening. The river was our public meeting place where we had a chance to mingle with other villagers.

However, nowadays, rivers in Bali are losing its unique function as public meeting place especially in south Bali, such as in Denpasar and southern areas of Badung regency and in other areas in Bali, the number of the people who taking a bath in the river diminishes greatly in two decade. These drawbacks are the result of many factors such as the volume of the water in many rivers in Bali has decreased makes it quite difficult for bathing and washing activities; some even cease to flow. The quality of the water also contributes to these drawbacks; clear and healthy river water can only be found in the mountainous regions; pesticide and pollution decrease the quality of river’s water. Last but not least, most of Balinese have their own bathroom and taking a bath or washing in the river become impractical since we have to walk or ride a motorcycle to reach the river.

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Home grown and Home made

* It’s a great place to buy healthy foods & products while you meet your friends!
* It’s great energy and supports small local businesses!
* Saturday mornings, 9:30 - 2, Pengosekan - Ubud, at Pizza Bagus

Each Saturday morning in Pengosekan, just outside central Ubud, 11 small Bali businesses set up their organic produce, healthy foods and products, and greet a wide variety of buyers - locals, expats, pembantus, and tourists.

Originally envisioned to provide local, independent, small organic growers with a way to sell direct to buyers – and therefore keep them growing organically - the market is now is 11 small Bali businesses including small farm grown organic produce and rice, homemade food products, education about caring for our environment & reducing waste, other healthy foods and products - the variety is too big to imagine.

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ON TOUR

ODALAN BALI: An Offering of Music & Dance by Gamelan Cudamani

USA/Canada (Oct-Nov ‘07)
www.cudamani.org

ÇUDAMANI, the 26-member music & dance ensemble from Bali, Indonesia presents ODALAN BALI featuring cutting edge new works as well as rare classical forms of Gamelan repertoire.

Bali is known worldwide for its music and dance. But in the village of Ubud, in Pengosekan a new music is forging ahead: Çudamani’s bold and cutting edge music compositions and dance choreography is created collaboratively and resonates with both traditional and contemporary audiences. Never performing solely to entertain tourists, the 26 member Çudamani ensemble will travel to USA and Canada this fall, to present it’s critically acclaimed production of “Odalan Bali: An Offering of Music and Dance” in twelve cities from Oct 18 – Nov 19, 2007.

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Apart from its art and culture, the island of Bali is also rich with mystical remains and ancient temples. Many of these sites indicate early traces of civilization and have been preserved for research and as objects of tourism. One site that is worth seeing is Bali’s largest and perhaps oldest Hindu temple monument known as Gunung Kawi.

Gunung Kawi was built in the 11^th century and was only rediscovered during the 1920’s. Throughout the ensuing years the site has undergone several renovations to conserve the overall architectural elements that are a tribute to the island’s artistic heritage. Gunung Kawi consists of two groupings of temples with the first made up of five shrines located close to the river. Here visitors can see an ancient inscription that dates back to when the monument was initially erected.

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worldleisurejobs.com - The Spa at Maya, part of the Maya Ubud Resort and Spa in Bali, Indonesia, has added three double treatment spa pavilions to its riverside spa property.

The new pavilions – each boasting two treatment tables and a separate dressing room – are located on the banks of the Petanu River and are connected to the existing spa via a boardwalk along the river’s edge.

The boardwalk also features an open-air reflexology deck, suspended over the river with views of the water below and the surrounding rainforest.

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There are many good restaurant and warung in the Ubud area. Each has unique characteristics and special values. Below are some place to eats out of hundreds restaurants and warung around Ubud.

Ary’s Warung
Located in the heart of Ubud, overlooking a major historical temple, Ary’s Warung maintains its long and impeccable reputation of providing friendly yet professional service and surprisingly knowledgeable as well and of course, excellent food.

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