The Yak #54

Volume 54 MAR/APR/MAY 2017

fake speak LAWN BOWLS FIGHT NIGHT SCRAMBLE GAMBLE LUNA2 GROW ELITE HAVENS DENNIS

Connect to the Universal Energy with the Power of Crystals and Symbolism‌

www.dhatrijewellery.com

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

In Selection has arrived Discover now on www.warisan.com

CONTEMPO | CLASSICO | TROPO

T H E YA K M A G A Z I n E C O M M U n I T Y C U P AT B A L I n AT I O n A L G O L F R E S O R T Saturday, April 29 (For Golf Clubs, Social Clubs, Sports Clubs, Associations and Companies)

R E G I S T R AT I O n F E E

G A M E F O R M AT

SCHEDULE

Rp.1.300.000 /person, Includes Dinner + Awards Show + Sponsored F&B

1. Minimum 4 players per Community. No maximum.

2. Community Team with the highest Average Stableford Score wins The Yak Magazine Community Cup 2017

12 noon registration 1pm Shotgun Start

G R E AT P R I Z E S Best Community (x3) • Longest Drive (x2) • Nearest the Pin (x2) • Hole In One (x2) • Best Dressed Team.

For RSVP: Please visit Bali National Golf Resort in person or email reservations@balinational.com phone: (+62)361 771 791

www.theyakmag.com

Volume fifty FOUR MAR/APR/MAY 2017

The Yak Magazine Sophie Digby, Agustina Ardie, Nigel Simmonds Creative Director Stuart Sullivan Sales & Marketing Peta Johnston, Amik Suhartin Production Manager Evi Sri Rezeki Graphic Designers Irawan Zuhri, Ida Bagus Adi Accounting Julia Rulianti Distribution Made Marjana, Putu Widi Susanto, Gede Swastika, Kadek Eri Publisher PT. L.I.P Licence AHU/47558/AH/01/01/2011 Model India Rose at IMG. Photography Ming Nomchong. Hair &

Advertising Enquiries Tel: (+62 361) 766 539, 085100431804, 085100431805, 085100431796

Makeup Nicholas Morley. Styling & Creative Direction Tiana Wallace. Iro poncho from Island Luxe.

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

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

© PT Luxury In Print

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

Printed by Gramedia Printing Group

infringements on images supplied directly by advertisers and/or contributors.

Check us out online, we’re awesome (if we do say so ourselves). Peace.

www.theyakmag.com

The Yak Magazine Bali.

@theyakmagazine

The Yak’s monthly e-newsletter is sent to 16,000 mailboxes every month.

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

The Yak App - Bali's best listings guide - is available from the App Store and Google Play.

contents 20

Plug In

22

Fridge Magnet Candy

26

Charity First

28

New and Noted

38

The Stuff Of Us

42

Satria Searching

Yakety yak

dates with destiny

one world

new in the hood

out of the box

culture vulture

44

Azul’s Helmut

46

Da Maurice

people

people

80 16

48

Stars & Rabbit

50

Andrew Eggelton

54

Made Mawut

56

Nikko Karki

58

Saving Dennis

64

Scramble Gamble

sounds around

people

people

people

causes

travel

80

Seconds Outs

84

Elemental

feature

Yak fashion

114

92

Sunbrella Shines

94

Goya Boutique Resort

96

Elite Havens

98

Suarga Padang-Padang

ministry of interiors

venting in a villa

brands

venting in a villa

100

Swiss-h

102

Luna2 Luxe

hotels

venting in a villa

104

Fairmont Presidential

108

The Lawn

50

venting in a villa

oral pleasures

58

contents page 76, Omnibus: altered states

110

oral pleasures

Ryan Clift’s Grow

112

Salans’ Spice

114

Alila Quila

116

El Merkat

118

Chicken Brothers

120

Taco Beach Grill

oral pleasures

oral pleasures

oral pleasures

oral pleasures

oral pleasures

64 18

122

oral pleasures

Stark Pleasure

124

What the Truck

126

Dinner For Two

128

MyWarung

130

The Samaya Ubud

134

Sensatia

oral pleasures

Big Six

oral pleasures

138

the yak awards

Winners

140

Client Clobber

150

What’s What

152

Future Worlds

fashion freestyle

ad directory

astro yak

spa out

brands

102

112

110

yakback Here at The Yak we’ve found a very useful plug in – for those of you who don’t know what that is, it is computer speak for a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing computer program.

Yep, here at The Yak we’ve found one that we’d like to share with the world, and it is appropriately named Comment Overload (Download Version 1.3 was available as we went to print with this very issue).

What does it do, you might well wonder. Well it alerts ‘commenters’ when they begin writing too many paragraphs, as stated in the description on Wordpress.org. Of course we are not exactly applying it to our fabulous publication, and no we have not downloaded it onto any of our hard drives (and of course it is not applicable to any of our office conversations) we just thought it might be an appropriate tool for Facebook to install on their fabulous platform. We love FB – but jeez sometimes our screens won’t scroll down that far!

So saying, and not having installed it, in this (our 54th issue) we offer you our usual fabulous, under-200-pages of gorgeous Bali glamour.

Keeping it brief, we tell you what else is going on in the world and on Bali in our Dates with Destiny, and closely follow that up with three of our favourite charities in One World – after all there is indeed only one world, isn’t there?

New In The Hood is a quick glance at what is new – so do get back to us if you think we have missed out on anybody.

Out Of The Box is a brief window-shop at some of our fave spots, either online or on island. Then we chat with people, Bali people, gorgeous people. Musicians, restaurateurs, life coaches and captains.

We almost get to have a chat with an Orangutan called Dennis.

Following that a short staycation in Lombok biking and surfing before being whisked away to our favorite Yak feature – Omnibus, where we, for a second, live in an alternative universe…

Seconds Out and we are in a ring, boxing our way around three kitchen stars, then you’ll find that our B/W fashion spreads are minimal on colour but with models of elegance.

Getting pronouncedly more concise we head over to the Ministry of Interiors before Venting In Villas. Food’s up next and here is where we will take a lengthy breather and enjoy all that Bali is currently offering, and my oh my there is an awful lot to choose from.

Winding down this issue we get stuck in a spa, look into what makes a brand a good brand, and finish off with Fashion Freestyle and the ever popular Dr Deepak and his AstroYak – some people live by his brief but in-depth look at the stars.

Having kept it to a minimum of fabulosity, we are however very keen to hear your feedback on what we do, on how we do it and what you like or don’t like about Bali’s only luxury missive – so comments on a postcard please!

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

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Dear Yak Congratulations to The Yak team and all the winners and nominees for The Yak Awards . . . what a fun night, and as always a great production #weloveouryak Mark Baker Bali Good to see you there Mr Baker, although the details of our meeting are a little hazy!

Dear Yak, Great to browse through The Yak #54 and see your selection of restaurants. They all look so inviting and the choice is always excellent. I made it down to two of them from your last issue . . . Da Maria and Naughty Nuri’s Seminyak.

Both were great fun.

Shelagh Allerton Bali So many places, so little time!

Dear Yak So many Byron faces making waves in Bali’s culinary scene.! Byron and Bali – two of my favourite places, thanks for the great feature.

Ian Ross Smith Byron Bay

And heartening that you are still in touch sir.

Stay well.

Dear Yak, Who is Dr Deepak, apart from the guy (I assume a guy) who writes your AstroYak column. I have not always believed in astrology but he seems to nail it every time. Freaky.

Kim van Houten The Netherlands Good question. Dr Deepak is quite the star in matters astrological, diving his time between Taipei and Tibet. His charts are, well off the chart, and we agree with you that he has an ability to freak us all out with his on point readings. Check him out online at www.drdeepak.com Dear Yak, Where can I see a flipbook type version of your file for my iPad? Brian Boyle UK Simply google ‘issuu.com The Yak’ and you should find what you are looking for!

In The Lap Of: Leonardo DiCaprio He may have enraged Indonesian officials on his last trip to the country with his criticism of palm oil plantations in Aceh but that hasn’t stopped Leonardo DiCaprio from returning to these fair shores for a bit of rest and relaxation at a certain luxury Ubud hideaway. He was of course on our radar so we were happy to thrust a copy of this organ into the only palm worth oiling – his own.

calendar

fridge magnet fodder for the peripatetic.

BALISPIRIT FESTIVAL You’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard of the BaliSpirit Festival, one of the biggest yoga, world music and well-being festivals this side of the planet. Join over 7,000 people from all around the world for a week-long smorgasbord of yoga, dance and martial arts classes, meditation, sound healing and Ayurveda workshops, lively concerts, community markets and kid’s activity zones taking place all day and well into every evening from March 19 to March 26. There are a wide variety of tickets to choose from including Full Passes for all six days and seven nights, Abundance Passes for the entire week with VIP extras, single-day Spirit Passes and special passes just for the evening concerts. www.balispiritfestival.com

SONGKRAN Expect to get gobsmackingly wet if you happen to be pretty much anywhere in Thailand between April 13 and April 15. Songkran is the Thai New Year, and traditionally Thai people head home to their families and honour their elders by sprinkling water on their hands. However, as any Songkran veteran knows, the modern-day form of celebration is basically a giant water fight that lasts for three days out on the streets of every major city and town. Grab a water gun and throw yourself into the mix, because there’s no way you’re not going to get wet anyways, so you may as well join in the fun. Be sure to wrap up your valuables in waterproof bags, and you may want to rethink that white ensemble.

Just sayin’. www.songkranday.com

UBUD FOOD FESTIVAL Three is the magic number for the Ubud Food Festival, as they’re back for their third year with three days of Indonesian cuisine, innovative chefs and insanely good local produce.

This year the theme is ‘Every Flavour is a Story’, which aims to celebrate the diverse culinary heritage of Indonesia and reflect the journey of a dish from farm to plate, the forging of relationships with local growers, and the awareness of ecological and industry trends in the global culinary landscape. The festival will take place from May 12 to May 14 and will feature cooking demos, workshops and talks with superstar chefs from home and abroad, as well as food markets, film screenings and musical performances. www.ubudfoodfestival.com

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL The red carpet is rolling out once again for the star-studded Cannes International Film Festival, which is now in its 70th year and will take place from May 17 to May 28. Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is the President of the Jury for 2017, and along with other eminent filmmakers, he will judge a vast array of films from around the world in a wide variety of genres, some of which will no doubt go on to become bestselling blockbusters.

The full list of selected films will be announced in April, but no matter which films make the list, you can be sure the festival will be attended by all your favourite A-listers. www.festival-cannes.com

IF YOU’RE IN THE USA… April 14 to April 23 — Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Indio, California): Coachella sets the tone for the rest of the year’s hottest and most happening musical acts with stellar line-ups that include big players in the indie, rock, hip hop and EDM scenes, as well as emerging artists who are just breaking out. Held over two consecutive weekends under the palms in the Colorado Desert, the festival will feature multiple stages with live acts by Radiohead, Beyoncé, DJ Shadow and Kendrick Lamar, as well as sculptures and art installations by a global crew of contemporary artists. Festivalgoers can opt to camp out in RVs, simple tents or luxe glamping safari tents adjacent to the festival grounds.

IF YOU’RE IN GREECE… April 14 to April 16 — Orthodox Easter: Easter is the biggest holiday of the year in Greece, and for the entire week leading up to Easter Sunday you can join festivities taking place all over the country. On the evening of Good Friday, locals decorate replicas of Christ’s funeral bier in flowers and parade it through the streets. Then on Saturday night, churchgoers celebrate Christ’s resurrection by lighting candles at midnight followed by fireworks, church bells and drums. Finally, Easter Sunday is a day for celebration with dancing, more fireworks and feasts of roasted lamb accompanied by copious amounts of wine.

April 27 to April 30 — Vegas Uncork’d (Las Vegas, Nevada): Go big or go home may as well be the motto for Vegas Uncork’d, a lavish food and wine event brought to us by Bon Appétit and featuring some of the biggest names in the culinary world. The festival will take place over four days at multiple venues throughout Las Vegas where you can sample special menus like the Mediterranean Brunch with Alain Ducasse, Celebrate Spago 25th Anniversary Lunch with Wolfgang Puck, or the Hell’s Kitchen Dinner with Gordon Ramsay.

Be sure to save room for craft cocktails and cakes at the grand finale after-party at the Venetian.

IF YOU’RE IN AUSTRIA… April 3 to April 8 — Snowbombing (Mayrhofen): What better way to end the ski season than at a massive mountain music festival where you can rip up some of the best slopes in Europe, hit up the award-winning snow park, get your après ski on to live acts like De La Soul, Chase & Status and Kink, then dance until the early hours at an igloo rave to beats

by Groove Armada, Shy FX, Andy C and Grandmaster Flash? Welcome to Snowbombing at Mayrhofen, a week long high-altitude party featuring mountain music stages, forest parties, ‘Snolympics’, cable car-aoke, chairlift speed dating, pool parties and much, much more.

May 2 to May 7 — Frieze New York (Randall’s Island Park, New York): Expand your mind at the sixth edition of Frieze New York where over 200 galleries from 30 countries will be exhibiting artworks by today’s most significant artists including well-established and up-and-coming contemporary makers and creators. This year the art festival will also showcase iconic and rediscovered 20th century masters with insightful juxtapositions of historic pieces alongside modern creations. This is an excellent opportunity to see the ongoing evolution of artistic practice from the previous century up to present day.

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May 12 to June 18 — Vienna Festival: The Vienna Festival was created in the 1950s as a way to reconnect to the world after WWII and to foster international discourse about art, music, and social and cultural developments. Since then this multidisciplinary art festival has been a breeding ground for new thoughts and ideas and has facilitated new alliances between artistic genres. Visitors to Vienna during the festival can expect avant-garde musical performances, vibrant exhibitions showcasing unique paintings, sculptures and art installations, and thought-provoking lectures and dialogues.

CHEF DE CUISINE

ASH GARVEY

Taking in the sights, sounds, and unique flavors encountered during his time abroad in Europe and Asia, Ash sparked a passion for the complexities and subtleties of Asian cuisine and made his way to the islands of Bali. Combining more than a decade of expertise, now Ash brings refreshing innovations to the tables of Starfish Bloo by incorporating modern Asian flavors using the finest local ingredients.

STARFISH BLOO MON-SUN 6.30PM -11PM

Jl. Petitenget, Seminyak Bali 80361 +62 361 4738 106 Whotels.bali@whotels.com

EXPLORE

STARFISHBLOORESTAURANT.COM

giving back

how and where to give back. by stephanie mee.

MATAHARI TERBIT CENTER On Bali there are approximately 60,000 disabled people, yet only a handful of schools that cater to people with physical and mental disabilities. Moreover, many of these schools are underfunded, lacking in resources, and running without professional expertise. The Matahari Terbit Center was created to fill this void and provide a safe and supportive classroom environment, free of charge, for children with physical disabilities living within the community. They also work to enhance the daily lives of children and families affected by physical and mental disabilities.

Located at Sunrise School Bali in Kerobokan, the Matahari Terbit Center is a nonprofit organisation run by a group of volunteers who work independently from the school. They offer education and therapy for mentally and physically disabled children under the age of 16, and they aim to develop the children’s talents, self-confidence, and mobility and provide support systems to the families. In this way, they hope that the children can achieve greater self-respect and independence and eventually find working roles in the community.

The volunteers at Matahari Terbit work closely with professional colleagues from a wide range of disciplines to offer daily programs based on Conductive Education, a holistic style of therapy that takes into account an individual’s particular physical and intellectual needs. Conductive Education looks at the child as a unified whole where everything is interconnected including their environment, social organization and self awareness, and each program is designed to incorporate a variety of therapies along with education.

Therapies here include occupational therapy, which focuses on daily tasks to improve the well-being and independence of individuals with cognitive disabilities.

The volunteers also involve the families so they can learn the best way to interact with their children. Physical therapy and aqua therapy are also available for individuals with mobility issues to improve function and relieve pain, and art therapy helps young people express themselves through creativity, which allows them to tap into their selfawareness and express emotions that may be difficult to put into words.

The activities at the Matahari Terbit Center are made possible by sponsorship, fundraising and donations from families who can afford it. Visit their website to find out how you can contribute either through donations or volunteering. www.mtcbali.com MY RED ENVELOPE Have you ever dreamed about receiving an envelope in the mail that would answer all your problems? Maybe it’s a letter telling you that you’ve won the lottery or that you have a distant relative who has passed away and left you their fortune. Or perhaps it’s an acceptance letter for your dream job or scholarship. For the majority of us that letter may remain nothing more than a dream, however, you can make another person’s dream come true with a little help from My Red Envelope.

My Red Envelope creates partnerships between businesses and local charities so that those businesses can help affect positive change in the communities where they operate. Once a business pairs up with a charity and agrees on a specific fundraising goal, the business will put aside 10 per cent of whatever My Red Envelope customers spend towards that goal. When the goal has been reached, the business will present the charity with a red envelope containing the funds.

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This system is designed to work at a community level as an active example of social responsibility. It recognises that most businesses want to do good for the communities in which they are based, and that they value the chance to be good corporate members who contribute to the health and wellbeing of those communities. It also recognises that tourists and consumers want to do good as well by choosing businesses that give back to people in need.

So far My Red Envelope has brought together an impressive array of businesses and charities in South Bali. For example, Lacalaca is working with the Bali Children Foundation to create education scholarships for disadvantaged Balinese children; Zibiru is working with the R.O.L.E. Foundation to provide zero waste education in South Bali, and Spa Bali is working with Bali W.I.S.E to provide a six-month hospitality training course for disadvantaged young women.

To find out more about businesses in Bali that are contributing to the greater good, visit My Red Envelope’s Facebook page where they will keep you in the loop about various partnerships, campaign successes, and fab fundraising events like cocktail parties, lavish lunches and decadent dinners where 10 per cent of the proceeds will go towards making dreams come true. www.facebook.com/myredenvelope YAYASAN DAMAI OLAHRAGA BALI Yayasan Damai Olahraga Bali, also known as the Bali Sports Foundation, was created in 2009 to help improve the lives of people with disabilities in Bali and East Indonesia through the power of sports and play. The organisers believe that sports can help change young people’s lives by aiding in development, building confidence and healthy lifestyle practices, providing opportunities for social interaction and fostering peace.

Founder Rodney Holt is no stranger to the world of sports. He has represented three countries internationally in five different sports including the Olympics, and he was the first Bali rugby player to represent Indonesia. In addition, he has founded numerous sports events in Bali, including HOTAIR!, Bali’s only kite surfing competition, the Sanur Village Festival sports program, and the first Beach Rugby Tournament and Beach Cricket Tournament in Indonesia.

Rodney’s passion for sports led him to create the Bali Sports Foundation, and it was then that he realized how few sports and activities were available for people with disabilities. He started reaching out to NGOs working with disabled people and sending coaches and sports equipment to those who had few resources, support and finances. Over the years he has seen countless people who were previously housebound excel in their chosen sports and gain self esteem, social skills and the ability to integrate further into their communities.

The organisation currently offers 15 projects that encourage young people with disabilities to get out there and play including wheelchair racing, rugby and basketball, blind soccer and judo, deaf mute eskrima and special needs swimming to name just a few. Donations are always welcome and are used exclusively to provide sports equipment and support to disabled youth and promote youth sports in Indonesia.

Volunteers are also welcome to apply for coaching and fundraising positions. www.balisports.com

: bambooblondeID

: @bambooblondeindo

BALI : Jl. Laksmana | Discovery Mall |Jl. Raya Seminyak | Jl. Raya Legian | Bali Collection | Beachwalk | Jl. Batu Belig | Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud | JAKARTA : Kemang Village

www.bambooblonde.com

HANDCRAFTED

SUSTAINABLE SEASONAL MENUS AT ALILA UBUD You’d be hard pressed to find a more suitable place to sample fresh seasonal fare straight from the gardens, farms and seas of Bali than at Plantation Restaurant at Alila Ubud.

Every table here offers rainforest views, and Executive Chef Erwan Wijaya’s tempting tasting menus have earned the ‘Snail of Approval’ from Slow Food Bali for their highquality sustainable ingredients sourced nearby. Try the Pan-seared Local Scallops served with tapioca herb crème fraiche, salmon caviar and a crispy potato wafer, or the Ayam Betutu, slow-roasted chicken wrapped and smoked in a banana leaf and served with a traditional Balinese salad.

Tel: +62 361 975 963 www.alilahotels.com/ubud

ARCHITECTURAL CERAMICS To flip through Pesamuan Ceramics’ portfolio (or shall we say ‘scroll’ for the more digitally inclined) is like taking a journey through architectural history, art and design. Each of their gorgeous tile collections is inspired by Asian, Middle Eastern and European trends with a range of striking motifs, colours and shapes that are handmade and hand painted, so no two tiles are the same. Their newest collection is the Hedo line, which is made using a sand casting technique that produces rich earthy tones in an undulating pattern that is sure to add a touch of intrigue to any space.

Tel: +62 361 281 440 www.pesamuanceramic.com

WARISAN Inheritance, that is the meaning of Warisan. The team of this revered interior design and furniture manufacturers have been creating quality pieces that are certainly worth inheriting. Little wonder that Warisan furniture is placed around the world in a myriad of the globe’s best hotels and villas. For almost three decades Warisan has been leading the march of Indonesian crafted furniture with such success that they have offices spanning the globe, think LA, South Africa, India, Singapore and further. Their In Selection 2017 catalogue interprets prescision, elegance and taste. Clean lines, quality wood brings their creative yet utilitarian designs into this physical world. Visit their showrooms in Kerobokan and Jimbaran for an up close and personal view of tomorrow’s inheritable pieces.

Tel: +62 361 421 752 www.warisan.com KAYUMANIS SANUR PRIVATE VILLA & SPA Never one to rest on its laurels, the Kayumanis Group is constantly evolving onwards and upwards. Their latest evolution is taking place at The Gangsa Private Villa in Sanur, which from April onwards will be known as Kayumanis Sanur Private Villa & Spa. Complete upgrades to the villas, facilities and services are already in the works, yet despite the enhancements the room rates will remain the same. Guests can also enjoy a slew of added bonuses like a complimentary 30-minute welcome massage on arrival, unlimited breakfast hours and a fleet of new vehicles to transport guests around the local Sanur area. There will also be complimentary access to a stunning new beach club on the Sanur shoreline.

Tel: +62 361 270 262 www.kayumanis.com

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GLO SHINES ON IN CANGGU As Glo Day Spa & Salon gets ready to celebrate their eleventh anniversary in July, they’re giving their fans one more reason to smile and shine with the opening of their new two-storey venue in hip Canggu. This sophisticated purpose built space features a beautiful allwhite hair salon and dedicated barber station, a make-up and brow bar, spray-tanning room and a lifestyle retail boutique on the first floor, plus five Parisianchic soundproof deluxe treatment rooms upstairs and a six custom built manicure and pedicure lounge with a view. And just like their Seminyak and Sanur locales, they will offer an extensive range of indulgent beauty and body services & treatments and ultra luxe products for both men and women. For your vanity and sanity!

Canggu Tel +62 361 934 8847 Sanur Tel +62 361 282826 Seminyak Tel +62 361 738689 www.glospabali.com

KEIKO UNO JEWELLERY Japanese artisan jeweller Keiko Uno grew up on the beautiful west coast of Australia, and she draws on the stunning scenery of her childhood home to bring to life the colours, forms and light of the sea in her internationally renowned luxury jewellery lines. Keiko takes a unique approach to design and craftsmanship that aims to transcend jewellery with pieces that nurture the mind, body, spirit and emotions.

In addition, her designs are crafted to exacting Japanese principles using only the finest materials that add sophistication, confidence and allure to every piece. www.keiko-jewellery.com

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YOU LOOK HOT IN BIKINI If you’re a fan of Sisterfields, BO$$ MAN and Expat Roasters, then Bikini will pretty much blow your mind. Brought to us by Aussie expat Adam McAsey and his 8 Degree Projects team, this hip new Seminyak hotspot reimagines small-plate dining in a sleek and sexy space. Bikini fuses the urban flair of a New York warehouse with the energy and vibe of a Miami Beach party, and the menu is a montage of whatever’s in season, whatever’s on trend and whatever the chefs just plain love to cook.

Complementing the fine fare are cocktails conjured up by Max Hart, an awardwinning Melbourne-based mixologist.

Tel: +62 361 738 454 www.ulookhotinbikini.com

TED TALKS MEET BURNING MAN The first Ancient Futures: NewEarth Festival launches this April at Villa Akasha in a serene setting just outside of Ubud, and it is already being hailed as a mashup of consciousness raising ideas and artistic endeavours. The five-day festival will feature an all-star line-up of speakers, innovators, artists and musicians who will host talks with the aim of shaping a better future for humanity. Alongside the talks will be a vibrant array of healing workshops from renowned healers on everything from yoga to transformational breathing, cacao ceremonies and meditation, and the evenings will be filled with world music, dance and spectacular performances. www.newearthfestival.com

UBUD GETS A NEW RELIGION Fans of London-based brand Religion who happen to be living up the hill will be happy to know that you can now pick up their latest collections in the heart of Ubud on Jalan Monkey Forest. This is the fifth Religion store on the island and it stands proud as a rock n’ roll ambassador offering edgy screen-printed shirts, asymmetrical dresses, carefully cut denim, and meticulously tailored trousers for men, women and children. Each piece is created with fine details like hand-stitched seams and unique appliques, which ensures that every Religion ensemble stands out from the masses. www.religionclothing.com

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT THE ANVAYA The Sands Restaurant at The ANVAYA Beach Resort Bali is now offering a spectacular Sunday brunch packed with fun experiences for the whole family. Start your day with a sumptuous buffet of Asian and international dishes and free-flow bevvies set against the background of the glittering Indian Ocean. Spend the afternoon reclining by the pool while the kids play at The ANVAYA Kid’s Club, and then come evening you can try your hand at cooking creative dishes under the guidance of skilled chefs while the kids make their own pizzas and have the chance to win a Junior Chef Certificate. Finally, you can end your day sampling your culinary creations while a live band sets the mood with acoustic tunes.

Tel: +62 361 759 991 www.theanvayabali.com

ZEE FOR KU DE TA Zee for Ku De Ta is a brand new boutique brought to us by Italian-American designer Zee Polidori, who draws on her years of experience designing with fashion renegades Buddhist Punk and Dr. Noki to create her signature resort collection. Zee works with a variety of fine silks, cottons and lace printed or embroidered with her own designs, which makes for an inspired combination of texture and fresh-edged female silhouettes that are perfect for a day at the beach or a night out on the town. You can find her chic apparel in her tropical styled boutique at Ku De Ta alongside hand-selected accessories by innovative designers from around the globe. www.kudeta.com 32

QUEEN’S TANDOOR CATERING Planning a party? Queen’s Tandoor can help you tick off one more item on your to-do list with their comprehensive catering service that covers groups both large and small with a wide array of authentic Indian dishes from all corners of the subcontinent. From classic Punjabi tandoor grills to veggie-packed Gujarati thalis and Bengali seafood dishes, Queen’s can put together a spread that will satisfy all types of diners. Even better, their convenient online ordering system means that you can plan your ultimate party menu with just the click of a button.

Tel: +62 361 732 770 www.bali.queenstandoor.com

BEWITCHING BALI BAGS To celebrate the grand opening of her flagship store, Charlotte, in Uluwatu Square, designer Charlotte Chen has launched a new collection that includes the gorgeous Oleg Clutch made with leather and lace and the Cendrawasih all-purpose bag made with crocodile stamped leather, plus a range of unique accessories made from wood, brass and clay.

Together with her team of talented local artisans, Charlotte creates each one of her highly coveted handbags and fashion accessories using only high-quality sustainable materials like leather and fur from free-range animals and organic materials sourced on Bali.

Tel: +62811 3800 178 www.charlottechenstore.com

BEAUTY IN IMPERFECTION What makes handmade items so unique is not their flawlessness, but their individual imperfections. This is the thinking at Another Island Living, a home decor and fashion brand that collaborates with artisans and designers from Indonesia and India to produce beautiful pieces that preserve the traditions and artistic skills of the regions they come from and help small artistic communities to thrive. Here you will find a treasure trove of exquisite handmade linens, hand-embroidered scarves and handbags to brighten up your wardrobe and home.

Tel: +62 361 370 5273 www.anotherstores.com

LASER LOVE For all you sun lovers out there who have put in more than your fair share of time soaking up the UV rays, award-winning Cocoon Medical Spa is now offering ND YAG Laser Treatment, the latest cosmetic technology that can help with sun spots, freckles and fine lines. This non-abrasive treatment targets pigment cells to improve skin tone, reduce wrinkles and stimulate new collagen and elastin tissue production. Cocoon takes pride in hiring only fully qualified doctors and nurses, and offering prices that are a fraction of what you would pay in Western countries. The ND YAG Laser Treatment is available at both of Cocoon Medical Spa’s branches in Legian and Ubud.

Tel: +62 811 3882 240 www.cocoonmedicalspa.com

LATE-NIGHT KEBAB CRAVINGS Here’s the situation: you’ve just been out on a big bender, it’s late and you’re absolutely starving. Lucky for you there’s a new joint in town serving up hearty kebabs and ice-cold beers until 5am. At King Kebab you have eight different kebabs to choose from including The Classic with cabbage, red onion, lettuce tomato, spicy sauce and yoghurt garlic sauce, plus other internationally inspired creations like The Italian, The Greek and The New Yorker, each with your choice of chicken, falafel, lamb or beef. If you really want to soak up the booze, go for The Hangover with double meat, melted cheese, hand-cut chips and two sauces.

Tel: +62 877 8889 8353 www.kingkebabbali.com

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MY RED ENVELOPE Created by Lou Westbury and Grahame Gavin of Bali Ginger Suites & Villa and Bali Akasa Villa, My Red Envelope is a support system that connects businesses in Bali with local charities to raise money for people on the island who need it the most. The concept is simple: all you need to do to help out is choose a business that is part of the My Red Envelope program and do what you would normally do anyways. Go out for dinner, drink a cocktail, or get a massage and the business will donate 10 per cent of the cost to their chosen charity. So far, Lacalaca, Spa Bali, Republik 45, Zibiru, and Red Carpet are running My Red Envelope campaigns, and many more are jumping board.

Tel: +62 361 9347 635 www.myredenvelope.com

40 THIEVES Named after a notorious gang of American scoundrels from the 1860s, 40 Thieves is Petitenget’s newest late-night watering hole that pays homage to the American traditions of bartending and distillery with custom cocktails consisting of artisanal craft spirits. To get to this 50-seater speakeasy, make your way to the Mad Ronin ramen shop, pass by the psychedelic skateboards on the walls and head up the stairs to the softly lit interiors on the upper floor. The vibe here is laid-back and languorous, the whisky is free flowing, and the upbeat staff are always on hand to keep the convos going.

Tel: +62 878 6226 7657 www.midnight-brigade.com

OWN THE MOMENT On March 5th, W Bali Seminyak turns six, and to celebrate they’re giving guests six different ways to ‘Own the Moment’ in true W style. Special offers include insider adventures to hidden beaches, jungles and temples with a DJI Drone to record all the moments, master classes with W Bali’s music curator, Damian Saint in the W Hotels Worldwide’s first ever recording studio, discounts on private pool villas, decadent brunches and fab deals on spa and glam treatments at Away Spa. The anniversary specials will run throughout March, so be sure to book soon to get in on the ‘Own the Moment’ action.

Tel: +62 361 300 0106 www.wretreatbali.com

PLAY CLAN New to Seminyak Village Mall is Play Clan, a quirky collection of Asian-inspired home wares, fashion, accessories and gifts that are made with passion by hand. Here every tee shirt tells a tale, cushions curate a story and journals take you on a journey. The unique combinations of graphics and craft act as narratives and weave little details into a tapestry of adventure. From concept to creation the items pass through many hands, each one adding a new layer of skill and a human touch. You can find Play Clan on the first floor of Seminyak’s newest shopping and lifestyle destination.

Tel: +62 361 370 5238 www.theplayclan.com

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BEHIND THE SCENES OGOH-OGOH ACTION In the run up to Nyepi it’s pretty hard to miss the massive ogoh-ogoh figures popping up all over the island, but have you ever wondered what the true significance is behind these diabolical demons? For the first time ever, Kutuh Kaja village in Ubud is inviting visitors to join their Ogoh-Ogoh Cultural Festival and participate in the ogoh-ogoh parade, visit a Balinese family compound to learn more about Nyepi preparations, join a blessing ceremony at the local temple, and celebrate Balinese New Year’s Eve with live music, storytelling, and a fire dancing ceremony. Tickets can be purchased online, and all proceeds go towards completing Kutuh Kaja’s new ceremonial hall.

Tel: +62 812 3831 7156 www.kutuhkaja.com/ogoh-ogoh/

IN THE SPIRIT OF BALI Featuring beautiful photography by Isabella Ginanneschi and inspiring text by Duncan Murray Kirk, a long-time resident of Bali and eco-conscious materials designer, In the Spirit of Bali covers many facets of Bali including its verdant topography, colonial history, deep rooted traditions and the recent influx of hard-partying holiday-makers, holistic enlightenment seekers, bohemian expat artists and New Age entrepreneurs. The book is also a comprehensive guide to hotels, resorts, villas, restaurants, temples, yoga retreats and holistic resources, sightseeing, and recreation on the island. www.assouline.com

Mahallati With over 120 artisans, woodcrafters, metal workers and upholsterers with consultants in related fields, the Mahallati team have over a century of collective industry experience. They are Bali’s fast up and coming internationally acclaimed interior design, manufacturing and production firm. Ensuring each project has its own twist in style with unique detailing, the team behind Mahallati take care of each client from concept through to completion. What makes Mahallati stand out, apart for their talented designers? They also have their own manufacturing arm, hence full control over quality and deadlines which consequently takes away most of the stress that comes with building a project in Bali, whether private villa, restaurant, hotel or shop.

The shop at Komune Resort has the Mahallati stamp on it, as does Villa Vogel and Villa Spectrum and Siri Mendira Beach Villas in East Bali and Amari Gems II in Qatar amongst other international projects. Mentmore and Morley and Little Jack Horner in Sydney, The Sanchaya on Bintan Island, Masu in Auckland, New Zealand, the list gies on as te Mahallati brand takes over the world of interiors here ad beyond.

Tel: +623617122488 www.mhllt.com

Elephant zircon silver earrings. Rp. 190.000 www.kapal-laut.com

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www.kapal-laut.com Autum zircon silver earrings. Rp. 160.000

Rattle Timor bracelet with filigree Florest IDR 4.900.000 www.biasagroup.com phtot: lucky 8.

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Hello Kitty Fuji Intax instant Camera idr 1.449.000 Melody Ehsani X Reebok Classic idr 4.500.000 Kiini Crochet Tasmin Swimsuit idr 4.900.000 www.kudeta.com

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tall order tee 420K; house cap navy 365K; will ds wallet brown 520K; ford washed sand 700k www.deuscustoms.com

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culture vulture

Bandung artist Satria T Nugraha works with collage, screenprinting and xerography, but while he’s happy to discuss process he prefers not to explain his art – he’d rather you came to your own conclusions about it. “I’m like a lot of other people in Bali,” he said. “I love the beach, surfing and doing nothing, then when I’m back home I make art and visualize peace, balance, freedom and the universe.” Just your, you know, everyday Bali stuff.

Or maybe he’s talking about Canggu? www.satria.crevado.com

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people

Helmut he’s yak man of the year. what else could a man want? tony stanton meets azul’s helmut roessler. photo: ted Van der hulst.

Helmut, could you tell us a little about where you are from and how you grew up?

I was born and raised in Austria, in a small little town called Saalfelden near Salzburg. I grew up as all Austrians do, with a lot of snow and skiing! Had a super childhood and lots of good memories.

What did your parents teach you?

To be positive. My mother always made a lot of jokes and I would always have a big laugh with her, but discipline was also a thing. I could get anything from her as long as I followed the rules, like coming home on time. My family values honesty as well, and this upbringing has helped me a lot in my career. Another phrase I remember well was ‘be honest and work hard - if you don’t work hard nothing will come to you!’ I was by no means spoiled.

Was there one episode in your early life that changed the way you viewed the world?

There isn’t one particular moment that I can remember now, but my older sister had lot of influence on me. She was very supportive of me in many things and it taught me to be supportive of other people.

How did you get started in the hotel and restaurant game?

I think this all came from my mother. She always said “If you want to see the world you have to work in the hotel industry.” I was six years old when I first stepped foot into a four star hotel as a guest and I still remember it to this day. I was blown away. Everyone was so friendly, nicely dressed, looked cool and spoke many languages. I knew it right away that this was what I wanted to do in my life.

What’s the most important thing about running a venue, would you say?

Passion. Love what you do. I really have to say my hobby is my job. I love to be able to interact with people, deliver cool service and put a smile on everyone’s face! I don’t know why but I have a feeling I was born to be in this industry. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. By the way, soon I am proud to say I will be running two venues ;) Someone told us you were a trained mixologist … how do you train for that? Is it all about foraging in the woods and mixing what you find with Belvedere?

Ha ha! I wonder who told you that. I am indeed well trained in standing in front of the bar with Mr Belvedere. Seriously though … I was trained during my apprenticeship in a hotel. I gained an interest in the Bar area. After getting my diploma, I went straight to work for several top cocktail bars around the world.

Spain, Miami ... then when I was 22 I was made Head Mixologist at M1NT Shanghai. I worked there together with the best in the industry. A year later I won second place out of 3,500 bartenders at China’s biggest cocktail competition, Monin Cup 2012.

That year we also won Best Cocktail, Best Service and Best Bar. I’m proud to say it was an amazing few years in China.

What’s the worst customer nightmare you have ever experienced?

Ha! I still remember it, it was that good. It was my first time ever carrying a tray. I had a cup of coffee and a jar of milk on it. As I went to serve the guest, BOOM! I dropped the entire tray on him. Completely soaked him. I apologized before going back to bring him a fresh coffee. …and then dropped everything on him again! So I apologized a second

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time … and again went back for more. By this time I was sweating. The third service went like a charm … except for the milk, which I spilled on him again. He was furious, got up and left the restaurant. I’m laughing while I’m writing this, but I still have nightmares about it.

Tell us about the ideas behind Azul Beach Club.

When I joined the PT Mandira Group in August 2016 my first assignment was Azul Beach Club. I was blown away the first time I walked into the venue … here was this cool bamboo structure complete with great interior detailing. I felt a very laid-back casual beach club vibe like no other on the island, and after researching a lot about the Bali market and venues, I was surprised to find out there wasn’t yet a true island bar here!

So that was how the idea was born to open Bali’s first Tiki Bar, with the island’s most extensive rum collection.

What’s the best thing about Bali in your mind?

You can have a city life and an island life all at once.... You can live the city in Seminyak and when you need a break, you can drive 20 minutes out on the bike and enjoy Bali’s true nature, quiet and peaceful.

What’s the worst?

The rubbish on the streets and in the rivers ... this has to stop!

I wish that people were more aware of this, there needs to be better education. This year it was really bad... I had just come back from a bike tour through Bali and was really shocked to see how often people would just throw rubbish into the rivers and streets. I say this out of love for the island and its nature, too.

What would be your ideal meal?

Forty eight French oysters and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot!

Which restaurants do you rate highly in Bali?

There are too many to choose. I love small warung as well as high-end restaurants. If I had to pick the best it would have to be between Merah Putih and Barbacoa.

What’s the next F&B trend going to be here, do you think?

I do have some ideas as I follow the market trend worldwide, but…I want to keep this one for myself ;) What have you got planned for us in Bali over the coming months?

Something absolutely amazing! Soon we will open a modern lifestyle restaurant and a stunning club complete with lounge and VIP balconies in the heart of Seminyak. This venue is very special and I really can’t wait to open its doors to showcase what we have worked on. I don’t want to say more at this stage but stay tuned!

OK here’s one for you. What’s your superpower, or what’s your spirit animal?

If I could, I would turn water into Champagne.

When you are 60, and you look back on your life, what would you like to see?

I want to see great memories.

And now of course to the important question … what does it feel like to have been voted Yak Man of The Year Award at our recent bash?

Of course it feels very good ... I am very happy that people in Bali have given me so much love. It will be a very special year for me. Thanks again to The Yak Magazine.

Helmut, thanks for your time and enthusiasm. Stay cool!

front of house.

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people suited and booted.

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restaurateur and fashion designer Maurice Terzini enters the bali f&B scene with da maria. s.d. caught up with the man behind sydney’s icebergs.

First up, what on earth are you doing in Bali? It’s not as though you haven’t got a lot going on…

I’ve been wanting to come to Bali for years. My first visit

That pretty much goes without saying. However sometimes if the location is unexpected that can also make it very appealing.

here was in the early 80s. I feel that Bali has evolved into

The Dolphin Hotel, Sydney … groundbreaking design. Is that

to be opening here. I’m also ready to work abroad, so Bali is

Not really. The menu is just a good blend of Italo/Australian

an international F&B destination, so it’s an exciting time

a comfortable first step in that direction. And of course the lifestyle here is a big attraction.

Fashion and food … How does your Ten Pieces label fit into the scheme of things?

reflected in the menu?

food written for a hotel. Having said that, The Wine Room within The Dolphin is taking Sydney Italian food into

2016. Plus we’re also the only restaurant using Australian ingredients, which no one really does with pizza!

I believe all my products are about lifestyle. Food, fashion,

You mention that Melbourne Wine Room broke the mould. In what

as is throwing great parties.

Da Maria is not really breaking the mould, except that it

art, music … so Ten Pieces is just another branch of my brand,

Can you give us a brief background of your journey as an

way? And how do you plan to do that here in Bali? blurs the lines between restaurant, bar and club.

entrepreneur through the hospitality industry…?

How do you plan to spruce up the Da Maria menu since Bali does

the mid-80s and experienced some special moments, including

I think what’s appealing is that we are keeping the menu

I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Milan during

drinking Campari at Bar Camparino. Milan showed me that I had to work in hospitality, and on my return to Australia I was

not have summer or winter menu options? simple and consistent.

lucky enough to work for the legendary Mario’s and Henry Mass

Which end of the tourist spectrum does Da Maria target?

Il Bacaro and the Melbourne Wine Room, also the Snakepit, one

Definitely more bistro, oseria bar, fun dining!

in Fitzroy. From there I went to Caffe E Cucina, followed by of the first disco bars in Melbourne. In 1999 I ended up in

Bistrot or fine dining?

Sydney starting Otto Ristorante Italiano, Nove Pizzeria and

There is a lot of competition on Bali… how do you plan to stay

Food. I also began collaborating with Tusbi and Sneaky Sound

There’s competition everywhere.

the Iceberg’s Dining Room, followed by North Bondi Italian

System. Ten Pieces was launched in 2014 with my partner Lucy,

ahead of the field?

and I am happy to say it has now become an important event in

What is the biggest risk you ever took?

takes me to Bali.

whatsoever.

Australia’s Fashion Week history. The next adventure of course

What took you so long to open here?

I opened Caffe E Cucina with no business experience I just had a gut feeling it would work.

Although I enjoyed the early club days of Bali it wasn’t

Finally, what’s your current favourite restaurant in Bali?

the opportunity to be part of a developing F&B scene was too

exciting!

really where I wanted my brand to sit. But times change, and good to refuse.

Location, location, location … what’s another vital ingredient

It’s not a restaurant, by Revolver in Seminyak is very

www.damariabali.com

to success, apart from excellent food of course?

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sounds around 48

lou nietunz catches up with yogya’s trail-blazing folk-rock duo elda suryani and adi widodo, a.k.a stars & rabbit, fresh off the plane from their concert tour of the uk.

Growing up – was your family musical?

Elda: No, I’m the first.

Adi: Yes. My late father was an artist, who painted and played music.

What were your early influences?

Elda: Jewel, Sheryl Crow, The Cardigans and Alanis Morissette.

Adi: I listened to Alternative music and a few other genres.

Do you remember the first concert you attended?

Elda: Coldplay - Viva la Vida concert Singapore in 2009.

Adi: A local music orchestra at a university in Yogyakarta.

How did you find each other and where did your band name come from?

Elda: We knew each other for years before the band started, but we lost contact. Then I called him one random night in 2011 and asked if he would be interested to do some music with me. And as for the name, it came from A Starry Night and Rabbit on the Moon.

Adi: We’re old acquaintances, and the band name comes from Elda. I think she’s inspired by the universe, so we decided to use the name Stars and Rabbit.

You recently went on tour in the UK – any surprises or highlights from your time there?

Elda: All the experiences were highlights. Firstly, we were overwhelmed that we actually made it there, and then all the cultural differences followed. So new, so fresh, so lovely, all the people were so warm, and the appreciations were so deep. Yeah!

Adi: I was happy because we finally reached one of the band’s targets. We learned a lot of lessons and made new friends along the tour. We think that it was a pretty good tour, so let’s pray that we can go back again for a bigger one.

Where has been your best concert so far – and what made it so special?

Elda: Our ‘Grow’ concert in January 2016. It was special because it was our first solo concert and we did it on our own, on our own terms.

Adi: It was special because we made our own space to create.

Do you remember your first impressions of coming to Bali?

Elda: I loved it instantly. So many people from around the world were chilling and giving their full genuine appreciation in such a tiny place where we played.

Adi: Yes, I do - I was overjoyed. Bali has always been special for me.

What’s the biggest challenge for you these days?

Elda: Finding a sustainable business model that can keep our selves floating on the surface.

Adi: We have to keep innovating new things for Stars and Rabbit, because the music scene here is growing quickly, so we have to deal with that.

How do you see the condition of the music industry today?

Both locally and internationally?

Elda: Everything is turning digital nowadays. If you can keep up with it and know how to work your own values into it, you can make your own industry fast and widely spread. But at some point, it can mess with your head because everything happens before you can even process it. Also you need to be at a certain level of awareness for choosing or absorbing things.

Adi: Locally, it’s growing rapidly, a lot of bands are creating new music and sounds, and it does open the way to a bigger chance to take their music internationally.

In addition to that international music festival curators are looking into Asia and more especially Indonesia.

What’s new in the pipeline?

Elda: A collaboration project with Bottlesmoker, and a workshop for new material.

Adi: Working on new material for the next album, and arranging another concert tour as well.

What’s your dream?

Elda: Traveling to places I’ve never been with my music.

To be at least nominated for a Grammy. Have a house next to the beach or somewhere near the mountains and do some gardening. Take my family on a nice trip.

Adi: To play at Royal Albert Hall and other historical music venues around the world and ... yeah, I could have a room for my guitar collection next to my bedroom.

Favourite footwear?

Elda: I’m mostly barefoot but if I have to have a favorite, it goes to flip-flops.

Adi: Sneakers.

Thanks so much for your time online and keep us posted for your next concert here on Bali – we would LOVE TO BE THERE. For a taste of some twisted folk rock, surf on over to their site and Soundcloud. www.starsandrabbit.com www.soundcloud.com/starsandrabbit

adi and elda. photographer Adimas Reynard. stylist Rama Dicandra.

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people A r E t

n e g o

d w g e L n

You’ve seen him on the red carpet at The Yak Awards, you may even have seen him on the big screen . . . but life coach Andrew Eggelton is a lot more than a pretty face. He Spoke to Tony Stanton. Photo: sarah alice Lee.

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Andrew, where in the world are you right now?

As a wild stab in the dark I would say somewhere in the middle of the ocean about now, nestled into one of those uncomfortable airline chairs wishing I’d paid extra for the meal service. I’ve spent the last 12 days in Bali, which is my second home, coaching at a retreat and promoting an upcoming coaching tour of New Zealand and Australia. My over-active mind is occupying the thought I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

But you’re not from there, are you? How did you grow up?

I had a blessed childhood albeit an odd one. I grew up in a tiny village called Otaio, which is in the middle of the South Island of NZ and to my knowledge doesn’t really exist anymore. I use the word village merely for dramatic purposes. I lived on the school grounds as my father was the headmaster and schoolteacher and there were only eight pupils. The only ones my age were girls and at that age they were the last things a young boy wants to hang out with, so I entertained myself and relied on what might be my most powerful tool these days … my imagination. It’s for this reason I feel blessed to have had a slightly unconventional experience growing up.

We’ve only encountered you in Bali, specifically as our wonderful host for The Yak Awards these past years …

Ah yes, The Yak Awards might just be my favourite night of the year to let my hair down, so to speak. Um, after I’ve finished hosting of course! I remember the first year I was perhaps more of an overdressed male prop as my good friend Christina Iskandar didn’t let me get a word in. To be fair we still laugh about that today. Well she does most of the laughing.

You’re quite comfortable in front of the camera … how did you get into that?

In 1994 I got an acting job with Michael J Fox in a film called Frighteners, which was one of Peter Jackson’s first projects. Then followed a German Beer commercial . . . I went to the audition uninvited and got the lead role, and as a 21-year-old the money seemed too good to be true. I was hooked. More opportunities followed with roles in a number of TV shows and a part with Ryan Gosling in the series Hercules. I also love stories, the whole magic in telling them and listening to them and the worlds they can take you to. While growing up I remember dad coming into my room and tuning on the radio to the children’s stories on a Saturday morning. Bad Jelly the Witch was and still is a favourite.

And now of course you’re teaching other people how to be awesome in front of the camera. How do you do that?

This, for me, is part of being of service and offering something to others in an area that I feel I have a gift. I take my clients on a journey from where they start and we slowly strip away the layers of masks they have, through the ego, through the blocks, until we get to their truth. We get to the core, where they’re authentic and then empower them to become storytellers. It’s that authenticity entwined with their storytelling that touches the viewer and takes them on an emotional journey. The process is incredible to watch as you see them suddenly resonating with the words they are saying and the place they are coming from.

Give us a quick run down of how we could be awesome as well.

Think of each word that passes your lips as an opportunity to colour your story, to take your viewer on a journey. When in front of a camera, you become a storyteller whether you like it or not. It becomes your responsibility. Enjoy the process and own the power that you now have to make others feel a certain way. Use your

voice, create a beginning, middle and an end and take your viewer on a journey of their imagination. Another wonderful tip and perhaps my favorite is to reframe the opportunity as a chance to play.

Have you always been into coaching? We’ve seen a few pics of you in modeling pose … particularly one on the back of a horse.

Once I discovered that I could get paid well to simply stand around and look at a camera, pretend to point at something, or spend the day in underwear, there was no going back to having a normal job. I was hungry for success though; I didn’t stand around and wait for it. I worked hard at it and the horse shot was something I did for myself, it’s actually my favourite shot of myself ever! Coaching has been a natural progression as I’ve grown older and wanted to give something back.

Do you do other empowerment courses to?

Yes. I run a life coaching practice called ‘Life By Design’. Simply speaking, I ask clients to dream of their ideal day in their ideal life and then I help design the person they need to be to have this. From beliefs and habits to their character and skill sets.

What I enjoy about this is we are entirely focused on what they want, not what they don’t want. We dream and then build the path and person to get there.

Who comes to your seminars, visits your website and gets curious about Andrew Eggelton?

Originally I trained TV Presenters, but now I focus more on entrepreneurs and business people as their mindsets and passionate vision stimulate me and the arc of their journey is more pronounced and rewarding. From the life coaching area I mainly help people who are feeling disjointed and lacking passion about where they are in life and the presenting training is for those who want to use the skill of speaking to camera or speaking live to enhance their business and career.

OK we’ve watched a few of your videos online and we’d like to throw a few questions back at you….

What’s your mission in life?

To allow others to shine and live as authentically as they possibly can and to find peace within myself.

What’s your X Factor?

Every piece of experience, every memory, every high of success, every dark period, every time I’ve been knocked down on my knees and have had no idea how I was going to get back up again . . . let alone make a new success of myself, all this has created what I would call my X Factor.

Do you have a personal contract with yourself?

I don’t have a personal contract with myself per se, however I know that I’ve got one shot at this and if I can look at myself now and then and know that I’m giving it my best, that I’m a good man and I’m treating others as they deserve to be treated, then the rest will take care of itself.

Andrew thanks for time, it’s been illuminating.

Pleasure. www.andreweggelton.com/life-by-design

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people

Mawut

As a wry and soft-spoken fixture on Bali’s ever-growing live music scene, Made Mawut serves up some genuine Delta-Blues. Lou Nietunz meets the man behind the guitar. Photo: Stephane Sensey.

So Made, growing up – was your family musical?

Back then in my father’s village, everyone loved to play gamelan. While I was living there I would often watch my Dad and uncles jamming in the house with funny lyrics made spontaneously. Meanwhile my mother would often play and sing along to Bee Gee’s songs to clear any loneliness from the house . . . or maybe she was just bored with all the traditional music, which is dominated by men mostly.

Who would you say were your strongest influences through high-school years?

A lot of my influences came from various parts of my growth between the environment, Benjamin S films, novels by Mario Puzo and Eiji Yoshikawa, historical figures like Soekarno and The Sex Pistols. But probably the strongest influence, even from middle school days, was Bob Marley.

Do you remember the first concert you attended?

Yes it was during my middle school years at our local bluesman. banjar in my village. It was a music event and was the high point after all the games for the kids and older That observation grew into the desire to write some Blues people. Honestly I was disappointed because I’d hoped songs which I hope can represent the spirit of the Blues to watch some live rocker musicians like on TV, but that from a long time ago applied to current themes, bringing didn’t happen because what I saw was like people going back the Blues, which I love, as one of many vehicles to to pray at the temple. communicate injustice for marginalized people.

You were a chef before you chose to make music your Do you think that Blues music can fit anywhere in the calling? How did that change happen? world, or it is an acquired taste and only for people I have always wanted to become known as a musician, but that know it? by becoming a chef first allowed me a way to reach my In my opinion the Blues was borne from religious culture. goal. During my time at culinary school I wasn’t confident Brought from Africa to America, but also mixed with enough yet to believe people would accept my music.

European music. The Blues are the roots of popular music How did your travels and time in Georgia affect your today, and will always live anywhere as a response to approach to music? What did you learn the most injustice. about?

What’s new in the pipeline? Any collaborations you From my brief experience and travels in Georgia, I could would like to see happen? see that the Blues over there are like the barong dance Right now, I am working on opening a food outlet in front here on Bali, which only strikes interest with the tourists.

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of my house, and at the same time I am putting new material together for my next album. Maybe I will make a link between my food and my Blues, who knows.

A lot of your original works seems to raise awareness to various crises on the island – what do you see as the biggest problems facing Bali?

All of these problems are related from one to another issue. In my Blues Krisis album I was telling Blues stories about daily life. With my Water Krisis song I was lamenting the water troubles at home, even though there are no water problems at nearby resorts. With my Harvest Krisis song, I was lamenting the fact that Indonesia is very rich in its natural resources but we still import everything from outside of the country. The Food Sufficiency Krisis song reflects the challenges of people who are trapped by their consumption. Subsidi Krisis tells the story of a country that puts the interests of corporations first instead of the poor. The crisis of quality in humanity due to the price of education is covered in Krisis SDM, and then I look at human rights with Krisis Nurani. One of the other songs, Jungle Law, is a cover from the Punk band Marginal, which tells the story of law in Indonesia only being available to the rich. All of these issues are related, right?

What’s your dream Made?

Tomorrow morning I want to wake up in a better condition, without any crisis!

Favourite footwear?

I like to have no shoes on when I’m sleeping, and mostly wear sandals when I go fishing for cat-fish, and shiny leather shoes if I’m working.

Check our Made’s songs at www.soundcloud.com/mademawut/sets/blues-krisis

people

at sea with capt. Karki Considering a yacht charter? Nikko Karki is making dreams come true in indonesiaN waters.

Nikko, what the hell have you been up to since we last spoke all those years ago at the Canggu Club?

Cheers, Yakkers. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Life’s been good, thanks. Camilla and I got married, we had a little girl and have been enjoying our time as new parents.

Now we hear you are in the yacht charter business?

That’s right. I started Indo Yachts as a means to connect people like ourselves who love spending time on the water with some truly spectacular wooden yachts.

What kind of prices are we looking at for a week-long trip?

For an all-inclusive superyacht charter, you can expect to pay $750 to $1,500 per person per day. In Komodo for a seven-night private charter on one of the top tier yachts it comes to about $90,000 for the week for up to 14 guests. We also have some smaller boats that are quite charming from $21,500 per week and up. If you’re traveling alone, as a couple or with a friend, you can also charter a cabin on one of the limited scheduled charters some of the boats do a few times per year.

What other areas of the world are competing for this kind of business, and how do they compare to Indonesia?

Compared to white boats in the Med and Caribbean, the Indonesian yachts we work with are infinitely more charming, with all the comforts of a modern superyacht. Coupled with the warmth of the local crews and jawdropping natural beauty in the islands, Indonesia is a pretty competitive candidate for the number one charter destination in the world.

What’s the attraction of Indonesia for people who love the high seas?

I may just have to write a book about this one day, but the short answer is that a charter in Indonesia will probably change your life. The sense of freedom on board the yachts in the islands here is unlike anything you can experience anywhere else. It’s addictive. Most charter clients start to plan their next trip before disembarking.

What’s the best trip being offered right now in terms of destination?

The staple trips to discovering Indonesia’s bounties are Komodo and Raja Ampat but we also recommend trips through the less-travelled regions in the Ceram and Savu Seas. They are all epic journeys that will leave you feeling like a real explorer. On a private charter, you can go where you want, when you want, so it’s all a matter of matching guests with a destination and custom itinerary to suit their tastes. There is a new spot we know of for swimming with whale sharks, but we’re going to keep that a secret for now.

What kind of vessels are available?

We work with wooden sailboats that are outfitted with the technologies befitting a modern superyacht. Most of the boats we work with are between 46 and 65 meters, so quite spacious and ideal for long-range cruising.

Where do you see the growth for this year in the Indonesian boat charter business?

There are a lot of people in the world who have never even considered a private yacht charter. That segment of first-time charter clients is definitely the most appealing and fastest-growing in Indonesia. For families and groups looking for truly incredible vacations, a private charter is the ultimate trip of a lifetime.

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What could the industry do better here?

We definitely need to promote the Indonesian yachting industry more internationally. It’s unique and we obviously love it so spreading the word to like-minded people around the nautical nikko. world is a top priority. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a few absolutely breathtaking yachts come out of Indonesia that have raised the bar for wooden yachts on a global scale. In effect, they are a new breed of superyacht, so our challenge is communicating that to broader audiences.

Why should we book our adventure through Indo Yachts?

Starting to plan a charter is as easy as dropping us an email and we’ll give you a selection of the finest yachts that we’ve individually inspected and experienced. We can give you options for scheduling, complete with pricing, and create your dream itinerary based on our experience in the region on each boat. The charter rate through us is exactly the same as through the boats. We act as the client’s advocate, so booking through us gives clients an extra layer of service and impartial advice. We also love what we do, and that tends to show.

Nikko, thanks for your time and best of luck. www.indoyachts.com

SEMINYAK

the only naughty nuri’s in seminyak JL. MERTANADI NO.62 KEROBOKAN, KUTA UTARA, BADUNG, BALI

@NAUGHTYNURISSEMINYAK

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+62 361 8476783

NAUGHTY NURI’S WARUNG, SEMINYAK

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WWW.NAUGHTYNURISSEMINYAK.COM

NAUGHTY NURI’S SEMINYAK

causes

child of the forest.

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Photographer Ted van der Hulst met Dennis, an orphaned orangutan, and shot a book to raise awareness of his plight.

Along the way he was struck by the similarities of his own journey as a new father of a baby boy. Interview by Kimberly van Dijk.

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causes

a boy by another name.

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TED, tell us about your background and how you arrived in Bali.

I was born in Utrecht and was raised in a small village called Maarssen.

I started with photography when I was around 20 years old. I did some small courses and after that I went to photography school in Amsterdam.

First time I went to Bali I was 19 years old and fell in love with the island right away. I was just staying for a holiday for two weeks then I called up my friend and told him we should go back and stay much longer. So we did, multiple times. I met my wife in The Netherlands and we got married in Jakarta. I did an internship at some magazines and was a photography teacher at a La Lasalle College. When our son arrived we decided that Jakarta was not a place to raise a kid, so we moved back to Holland. But that didn’t suit us, and after a year we decided to move to Bali to follow our dreams. Me as photographer and my wife as a make up artist.

Tell us about Dennis, and the day you met him.

I met Dennis at Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) center in Sumatra. It was amazing to meet him the first time. He was sitting in his cage with his friend. He had really strong eyes and amazing hair, and it was hard not to feel for him after learning his story. His mother was shot in front of him and he lost his home and everything that had been familiar to him. When I met him he was learning new skills – how to survive in a rehabilitation center.

What did you see in his character? How was he different to other orangutans there?

He was a rebel! He was nothing like the other orangutans who were sitting quietly in the playground. When Dennis entered the room you could see he was teasing all the other orangutans and the keepers were shouting at him . . . ‘jangan Dennis, no Dennis, not over the fence Dennis!’ He was very naughty. One time I was alone with him and he climbed on me and he saw his chance to take my camera. He is very strong so when he took it I kept holding on . . . and we stood like that for 10 minutes until he got bored and gave up. Frankly speaking he reminded me of my son Django.

How did the book come about?

I met Femke den Haas in a warung in Bali. She’s the founder of the Animal Aid Network (JAAN) and she talked to me about what they do and told me about the Save Dennis campaign. So I asked if it was possible to go see him and take a portrait of him. And so I went over to Sumatra and took some shots, and when she saw them we decided we should make a book about him. Dennis became a poster boy for all the threatened orangutans in the world.

How big is the problem for endangered orangutans, and what are the causes in your opinion?

When I went to Sumatra and landed at Medan we had to drive for almost four and a half hours to go see the orangutans in the wild at the Leuser National Park. On the way all you see are palm oil plantations. Everything has been burned to the ground to make way for palm oil. The orangutans

can’t live here of course because no other trees can grow. So they starve to death. Workers and owners at palm oil plantations only see the orangutans as a problem, so they kill them, take their children and sell them. A mother orangutan will never let go of her baby, it’s the same with us. If someone tried to take my child they would also have to kill me first.

You spent a lot of time with Dennis while shooting the book. How long did that take, and what was your relationship like?

The book took me a little over a year and in that year I went to Sumatra six times and stayed there for a week at a time. It was important for me to see the progress that Dennis was making. How he figured out how to build a nest and learned to climb and find food. I wasn’t allowed to touch Dennis.

It was important and continues to be important that he doesn’t get used to humans. We are a thread to him when he gets released into the wild again. So I only observed him and followed him around. I have no idea if he remembers me. Maybe he will remember my annoying camera.

Do you still see him?

The last time I saw him was one week ago. It’s always great to see him again.

I really can’t wait to see him released back into the wild. I live for that.

How important is this book do you think in terms of showing us the beauty of orangutans?

It’s important to show how beautiful the orangutan is, but also important to show how much they are like us. Which is why I decided to shoot only in black and white. I have tried to show Dennis not only as an orangutan, an animal if you will, but as a person with the same set of emotions that we experience. I see the orangutans as the children of Indonesia and I believe we should take care of them. Orangutan have never harmed humans … but still they are killed every day, simply because we use palm oil. Most supermarket products use this oil, and it’s important to raise awareness about the harm it is doing to the natural world in Indonesia. I hope this book does that.

What’s next for you?

I continue to work on photography projects that help animals. All animals.

And I would like to see my son grow up on this beautiful island we call home.

Ted thanks for your time.

My pleasure. Please support Dennis, and the plight of all orangutans under threat. Order the book! www.savedennis.com

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travel raindance.

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the rain came, the tides stopped working and the sets started to look the same ... so the deus crew headed east – on two wheels. words & images: tom hawkins.

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travel forrest shower.

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Being based somewhat permanently on the shores of Indonesia is definitely something of a double-edged sword. The archipelago we call home hosts a large majority of the world’s best waves, which in turn, like magnets, draw people from all walks of life. It seems that over the last four or so years, the divide between the ‘low’ and ‘high’ seasons has become blurred. Even during the rainy season. Now it’s more of a geographic shift-change throughout the year. First come the Europeans, then the Japanese and last but definitely not least come the Brazilians. Australian numbers fluctuate, but they seem to be here year round.

Through the dry season the trades blow strong and the sun shines from its rise to set, however on the flip side of the year we see the rainy season settle in, bringing with it variable winds and the type of constant cloud cover that threatens rain at any moment.

However hope is not lost, the everprevailing saving grace of the Indonesian archipelago is that there is never a lack of swell. During this rain-soaked season you may not be scoring the big name spots like Padang Padang or Uluwatu, but for those who are willing to peel back the canvas and have a look a little deeper, rewards await in the form of fun bays, fickle but firing reefs and the stories of getting there in one piece.

After we saw surf guides starting to ferry punters to some of the lesserknown breaks that work in the wet season, we made the decision to get away from it all for a bit and looked to slow down our transformation into a jaded surf crew that talks about “how good it used to be”. Beers were cracked, a map was consulted and next thing you know we were off on a two-week motorcycle mission. We decided to capitalize on the ambiguous nature of the surf spots

on a neighbouring island; we knew they existed, there just wasn’t much information to go off of, and that was a good thing.

Since we had no real idea as to what we would find along the way, we decided a diverse quiver would be the best course of action; nine boards between us and with two boards each the boys had everything from a 5’2 fish to a 9’6 longboard, with a plethora of options in-between. Right off the bat we knew we weren’t going on a die-hard surf strike mission, we weren’t envisioning pulling up to stand-tall pits in a quiet fishing village. No, this trip was more of an excuse to spend a couple weeks riding bikes with some good friends through some amazing stretches of Indonesia. If we found waves, awesome. If we didn’t, awesome. We left with low expectations and smiles on our faces.

I’ve come to realize over the years that the real beauty about traveling by motorcycle is the simplicity of it all.

You can only take what you can carry on your back and on your bike, which means you can be packed and on the move at a moment’s notice. Exploring like this is really makes you think about what you need and what you don’t need, depending on what you’ve set out to do. No fuss or clutter. A lesson I’d like to apply more to life in general.

As well as providing a means of transport, our bikes also offered up something to do when the waves were flat. Hours of fun to be had, rain or shine. After leaving the Deus Temple of Enthusiasm in a downpour we made a quick dash along the Balinese coast, dodging police checks and rain squalls along the way, and then hopped on a night ferry and crossed the Wallace Line headed East.

An early morning arrival saw us wipe the sleep from our eyes and throw a leg

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travel harrison smells the morning napalm.

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travel 70

over our respective steeds. We pulled out of the port as the sun’s light started to chase the darkness from the horizon and after a quick stop for fuel, both for us and the bikes, our journey began.

Now to be fair we didn’t know exactly where we were going, but Harrison and I had been to a wave about an hour’s drive from the port the year prior, so we thought it would be as good a place as any to start. The burble of our exhaust notes followed us down the dawn-lit highways as the locals went about their business setting up stalls and opening shops. With one last left turn we met the cool sea air ... almost there.

Accommodation was found and after a quick breakfast we sat and watched the reef break slowly get better as the tide dropped until the boys couldn’t take it any longer and unloaded the bikes to paddle out and wash the ferry journey off.

Throughout the day the reef did its thing, pulsing then resting and thankfully staying somewhat glassy. Everybody was stoked and the mission was definitely off to a good start. We spent the next couple of days doing stints between the reef when it was working and exploring the surrounding hills once the wind picked up. Being able to just slide the surf-racks off our bikes and head off in any direction was the saving grace of the trip. Once the tide got too low or high, or the devil wind started puffing, we just jumped on the bikes and went for a ride.

The swell came and went, tapering off and leaving us to load up the bikes one afternoon and set course for a new stretch of coastline.

The foothills of a local volcano were a welcome change in temperature, leaving the sticky salt air behind we convoyed up and over ridges then down and though the lowlands as the sun sank. After a few hours of playing ‘who’s the leader?’ and getting lost a few times, we descended into the humidity and pulled into the first coastal hotel we came across, and without even unloading the bikes turned in for the night.

Having the bikes loaded and ready to go was a blessing, a quick coffee in the morning and we were back on the dusty road headed to a fishing village that would become our base of operations until our time was up. Twenty minutes down the road and a few insects to the face later we pulled into the seaweed-scented locale and set about unpacking and figuring out the plan for the coming

days. We had a week or so of pretty much no swell, then a pulse that looked like it was going to hang around for a few days before we turned around and went back the way we came, so we decided to do some recon of the area and suss out some potential zones to hit once the waves picked up.

The bikes became our entertainment for the next few days; we zigzagged the coast on single tracks, raced each other up hills, found salt flats to flat track on and even held regular wheelie contests (that Forrest always won.) After a couple of days of no waves the boys were jonesing to get wet, so took measures into our own hands one afternoon by taking the fin out of a McTavish Bluebird and towing along an empty stretch of white sand to pass the time.

Eventually after a week of calm and flat ocean, things mercifully started to pick up and it was time to hit the spots and hope for the best.

We lucked out and were treated to some pretty fun waves over the next few days. From the logfriendly right across the bay from where we slept to the punchy shallow reef with endless jungle for its backdrop that we were lucky enough to get to ourselves, we spent the mornings riding to them and then the rest of the day surfing them on and off until it was time to get home.

When it was all said and done and we were packing up for the return mission homeward with grins on our sun-burnt faces, it was pretty evident that we had done exactly what we had set out to do. Get away from the rainy hustle bustle of Bali and do two things we love, ride and surf with friends. We all had a blast on the bikes, Forrest led the way (usually only on his rear wheel) and everyone managed to keep up, even new rider Lewie, who let his bravado fill in the spaces his skillset lacked. The waves were so much more than what we hoped for, having low expectations helped with that . . . Harrison always managed to make the longboard work, Zye spent the whole time on his fish and Lewie mixed and matched his way across the whole quiver. Looking back now I reckon we lucked into better waves than most people manage to find in the dry season. Slabbing reefs, fun nose-ride rights, even some rampy end sections to hit. It just goes to show there are gems out there for those who are willing to look a little harder and see the trees through the forest.

hit the road jack..

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travel one wheel good. two wheels bad.

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Jalan Pantai Cemongkak, Pecatu, Bali 80361 | P: 0851 0080 3416 | info@elkabron.com | www.elkabron.com

omnibus source of wisdom: apologies to douglas adams.

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andrew E. Hall visits the Alt-Universe ... to discover he’s actually living it.

The Grand Colonic Irrigation (GCI) that was 2016 has rolled on into 2017 and the hose doesn’t look like coming out any time soon.

A Gilded Guttersnipe has infected, through dubious means, a whole history at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. – a.k.a. the White House, which it is again after eight fairly sane and hopeful years of non-white residency.

Thank you Michelle, Malia, Sasha and Barack for your grace and normalisation of familial love.

Thank you Barack for your good intentions.

In exchange we’ve got some excellent new memes though: Fake News, Alternate Facts, and one that made it into the Oxford English Dictionary – Post-Truth, which I believe was deemed “word of the year” by the same august tome during the GCI. It’s an adjectival term really. Call me pedantic.

Give me a meme and I’ll cry you a river . . . because you do know, don’t you, this is going to end in tears.

Among the pages of the Great Sage Douglas Adams’ jottings – you might remember The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and if you don’t I suggest you give it a go) – is a personage of great power and persuasion named Slartibartfast.

As it turns out he is not an Alternate Fact or Fake News at all.

He is a scary, omniscient acquaintance of mine with a design company of truly epic proportions.

He’s the biggest, most beautiful acquaintance a man can have. Everyone says so.

You are living on a world reworked by

Slartibartfast . . . one of his many figments, born of a pernicious sense of humour and diabolical sense of fun.

He’s the one on my smart phone contacts list who exists almost in the vicinity of “S” as something resembling dark matter, with an Emoji that suggests there is no turning back and nowhere to run.

The Emoji is a smiley face but, if you ever find my phone (and I do leave it laying around quite a lot, unlike the current majority of sentient ambulances), don’t, whatever you do, look into its eyes.

Slartibartfast and I talk quite a bit.

Well, to be frank, he talks quite bit and I just listen with the curious sensation that, at a sub-atomic level, my corporeal self is about to be intubated by a Smiley Face with eyes that only someone wearing a Burberry hessian robe and wielding a large scythe could gaze back at with some kind of twisted affection.

The other day Slartibartfast had a mischievous glint in his eye and was saying something about a Fucking Muppet wanting a wall built. Which, for someone who, shall we say, “reinterprets” whole galaxies three days a week and does “worlds” as a hobby, is a trifle piddling and not much worth spending time on.

“My dear boy,” he said, “sometimes we don’t get it right the first time, and sometimes not the second and third,” he said.

“Quality control is not what it use to be and I can’t be everywhere at once. Well, actually I can but it’s tiring and these days my knees are giving me gyp.

“The fundamentals of the Earth project are

fine: stunning shade of blue if you look at it from the right angle; nice balance in the continental formation . . . although I’ve always maintained the southern hemisphere is a bit light-on and I have no recollection of who it was thought New Zealand was a good idea.

“The stumbling block has always been, and continues to be the dominant life form.

“Just when we think it’s all going along nicely, albeit with the usual hiccups, there’s a quantum ricochet and the damn thing goes pear-shaped.”

My mind cast back to the pre-GCI period where things seemed pretty much under control and orderly.

Privileged people purloined Important-LookingDesks by way of manipulating the fears of other people . . . and made phone calls to other Important Telephones.

Smaller scale folk looked over their shoulders just in time to see . . . well, nothing really, because by that time it was too late.

“Exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about,” Slartibartfast said.

“We’ve had to scrap the project more times than I care to remember.”

In one of my rare conversational interventions I asked Slartibartfast if he’d noticed a quantum shift in the vibe.

He tapped the side of his nose and winked.

“No, really,” I said, “the vibe has . . . um . . . gone skew whiff, Slarti.

“Before the GCI we were pretty sure that facts

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omnibus 78

were things that you could hang onto with a degree of certainty, but now there are things called Alternative Facts that are slippery and elusive, and seem to have an anesthetic effect on those who encounter them with any regularity.”

Slartibartfast chuckled and opined that there were always Alternatives but that humans had a peculiar knack for choosing the ones that could rightly be labeled Fucked Up. He suggested that I’d slipped through a wormhole and wasn’t, actually, where I thought I was. And if I ever called him Slarti again he would fuse my genitals with my face.

I wondered aloud how things had turned out to be as weird as they have.

I sounded a tad whiney as I lamented the labour of thousands of philosophers who had done hard time in the academies, at enormous taxpayer expense, sweating over the nature of Truth.

Only to be availed of the notion, in a Tweet, that we live in a Post-Truth world and the highly paid services of diligent thinkers was no longer required.

Slartibartfast said a lot of it depended on what kind of books people read when they were young, and quoted an example offered by a Sage named John Rogers: There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year-old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.

“Unfortunately the Fucking Muppet never got past the first one,” he said.

“You know we sent one of our kind, who you know as Charles Darwin, to put paid to the slanderous nonsense that we banged your world and all its life forms together in a mere six days.

“We’re much more meticulous than that, but as I’ve said, humans are pretty much a rogue element that we didn’t anticipate and – I can assure you it came as a huge surprise – can’t control.

“We even sent an emissary – whose Emoji is more assertive than mine – to try to jolly you out of your slavish observance of twiddle-twaddle espoused by bushes that set fire to themselves.

“Douglas is a venerable soul who returned to us in a sorry state of askance and bewilderment.”

Slartibartfast conjured an image on his smart phone – much, much smarter than mine because he has Pokemons that no one’s even thought of yet – of a planet that was similar, but not quite the same as the one you’re

on as you read this.

He became agitated and started to fidget. He hopped from one foot to the other . . .

“There’s another wonderful thing that we at The Office are looking forward to very much,” he said.

And went on to espouse that despite hundreds of thousands of person-years of painstaking research and number crunching, the post-GCI Big Desk Club almost all agreed nothing needed to be done about the Alternative Fact that the planet was heating up. Big time.

Most of them are quietly offing pesky scientific bodies dedicated to the research of climate change and redeploying funding to support Research that says burning long-dead animals to generate power is the best way to go for the foreseeable future.

“The foreseeable future is a relative concept,” Slartibartfast said.

“For you it’s not really going to end well. But as far as we’re concerned the blue colour of Earth – regardless of how wonderful it was when we first thought of it – can get a bit old.

“We’re looking forward very much, and quite soon actually, to seeing tinges of pink, a hint of green, and some yellow and red adding texture to the view when the atmosphere goes through its metamorphosis.”

Just today he suggested that a large slice of Antarctic sea ice was about to fracture and float about in dramatic fashion . . . that might give New Zealanders pause for contemplation.

I appealed to his better nature and asked if there was a way to avoid such tempest.

Slartibartfast seemed, almost, to regret his re-joiner – a very tactile riposte in which he laughed his arse off and gave high-fives to an Emoji with no hands, and eyes capable of creeping out Vladimir Putin.

“Nope,” he said. . . . do you believe that?

I’ve stopped channeling Douglas Adams now and am asking you a question.

The irony is that people think Fake News is a new concept. In a collective amnesia of stunning scale the fact, or one of its Alternatives, has been unremembered that we’ve been faked out since people discovered ways of communicating with each other.

Here’s a fact – unpalatable as it might be for you skinny-chai-latte-drinking, kale-munching, weird-handshaking, pretentious hipster and yoga types – the planet we live on doesn’t give a rat’s arse about you.

You are the Fake News as far as it’s concerned.

You live in a world less sane and responsible than the one Slartibartfast and I hang out in.

“Make America Great Again” was genius – actually

copyrighted by a man-child whose ranting resembles that of a murderous filmic doll/puppet named Chucky.

Bring on the variant atmospheric colourations.

The too-cool-for-school attitudes of ephemeral faddists is exactly what allows the rise of those like the Gilded Guttersnipe. You’re so busy cultivating your image garden that things just kind of slide on by.

Quite big things in the post-GCI world.

That, and the existence of people who think they’ve got the inside dope (not a synonym for something good in this instance) on what’s really going on.

All those tiny moments of embellishment have added up and come home to roost for the scribes and the commentariat.

I’ve worked in the media business for a long time and have known many, many committed people – and a number who should be committed – dedicated to “draining the swamp” so that the people might see what’s really going on.

“Draining the swamp” has been appropriated by the Guttersnipe and turned against those who would otherwise be truth-seekers, but somehow got caught up in the notion that they, too, are part of the celebrity cult.

The only cult that matters . . . which really pisses off the Freemasons.

Back in the GCI there was one sort-of-shabby fat guy who was yelling at the top of his lungs while the likes of Anderson Cooper and Megyn Kelly were primping and posing. Newspapers are so mired in their profit and loss statements and so smug about their relevance that they allow Fake News to happen – often inside their own tent.

The shabby fat guy was Michael Moore and he explained exactly how the Gilded Guttersnipe was going to get to the Oval Office.

Might as well have been screaming into the face of an oncoming hurricane given the tut-tuttery that surrounded him as the pundits smirked and Slartibartfast danced.

Pre-GCI, in the 1930s, a short Austrian with a huge chip did the Fake News thing to a German population reeling from one Alternative Fact to another. He convinced otherwise rational, even normal, people to hate their neighbours and believe in their own racial superiority.

He started a movement. He wasn’t the first.

It didn’t end well.

And there will be no happy endings this time.

The late and very great Leonard Cohen wrote, “there is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in . . .”

I’m searching for the crack as we speak.

While you are lost in your pervasive little screen.

just make it up.

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feature gloved up: Lauren camilleri.

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Ondy Sweeting meets three balifighters who have swapped the kitchen for the ring. seconds out! photos: stephane sensey.

Boxing and Muay Thai are gaining momentum as the sportsdu jour. There is nothing quite like a punch to the face or a kick in the kidneys to get things moving.

While kitchens are devastatingly dangerous places, it seems that dwellers of culinary corners are in the grip of an addiction.

Just over a year ago Ku De Ta’s head chef, Stephen Moore was done with feeling down. He is now among Bali’s leading amateur pugilists.

“I was 104 kilos in 2013 and the staff at Ku De Ta kept asking how far pregnant I was.

I got depressed then asked Ku’s super fit security guy Gavin to help me with an exercise programme. We hit the beach to train and I couldn’t do one push up. It was embarrassing.

Then our Executive Chef Ben Cross found Bali MMA and I saw the boxing in January 2016. I bought 10 private sessions with the trainer Anthony Leone and added two group sessions a week,” Stephen said.

Apparently a natural with huge dedication, his trainer asked him to do an amateur fight in June. The answer was ‘No way’.

But a night listening to music and watching UFC changed all that.

Stephen committed to the fight and ramped up his routine to six sessions a week plus strength and conditioning training six weeks before the fight. He was matched with a huge Australian ex-rugby player.

“On the night I was extremely calm and thought it would not go ahead but my name was called, which was surreal. I got into the ring and went three, three-minute rounds. It was an incredible experience. I was exhausted after the first round and I wanted to panic but had to control those emotions. In the ring I forgot everything I had learned and switched to human instinct. Anthony gave me the “Rocky” talk when I was completely fucked and he got me back into the ring. I made a decision to lose the fight. I had two black eyes and a bloody nose. For the next week I had to wear make up and sunglasses to work,” he said.

After a fail Stephen promised himself that losing was not an option and got ‘addicted’ to boxing, knowing he would fight again in November.

For this fight he turned to champion body builder and nutritionist Komang Arnawa who immediately banned carbs from the bread-loving chef’s diet.

“The weight dropped off and I weighed in at 90.4 kg for my next fight. I was feeling very

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feature left: stephen moore, right: nick kennedy. let’s rumble.

proud and super confident. Friends and colleagues came. Stepping through the ropes no one can help. It’s very bizarre to be standing in the ring in front or your opponent. The bell goes and you want to beat the shit out of him. I really wanted to hurt him even though we’re good buddies and we train together. I nearly had it in the second round. Then I won on points. After the fight we were hugging. I had a moment to myself after winning and thought ‘Yes’.

To the chef, having his hand raised as winner was worth the hard training and discipline.

For Stephen Moore there is no flight, only fight.

Like a pathway drug, boxing seems to suck people in and push them to greater depths.

But instead of certain death, the sport brings an improved lifestyle, happiness and community involvement. Restaurant consultant Lauren Camilleri introduces at least two people week.

“Boxing is addictive and so many friends have joined me. Josh Herdman from Sea Circus is on to it and Nude Café’s Christian Reyno has joined Bali MMA. He is also addicted,” she said.

Before Lauren starts her day she is training hard. This is no delicate flower looking to gain energy by photosynthesis – this a woman dedicated to the hard art of pugilism. She first hit the punching bag in June last year.

‘This addiction is great fun, bodily transformative at warp speed, 100 per cent adrenaline, energizing and gets people vibrating at a high level,” said Lauren.

She skips between the Daily Gym for fitness and Bali MMA for technique.

“I love one-on-one training because it pushes me to get my arse into gear and to short bursts of three-minute rounds at high intensity. It’s made me the fittest I have ever been at 26 years old. I don’t diet but as a vegan I eat high quality food. Training makes me feel great on so many levels – even my skin has cleared up,” she said.

While Lauren does not have a public fight planned, she admits it might be something

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to consider.

“I can see why others do it and if I become so confident in my position I would consider a fight. Bali’s boxing family is very cool and now some of the women are starting to ask me to train with them.

“Training with a friend makes you lock it in the day before – 6am. No excuses. “ From the kitchens of Ubud’s Amandari resort, executive chef Nick Kennedy emerges three or four times a week to ride to Bali MMA. He fell for martial arts in Sydney driven by a need to regain some health. He was 28 years old, overweight with health issues.

“I worked at the health food company and needed to make some big changes. I got into Muay Thai,” Nick said.

With six years of experience and training now under his belt, Nick has had two fights – one win and one draw – in Bali and expects there will be more.

The first time he was in the ring, fear and adrenaline where not on the menu – despite not feeling confident with his fitness or his capability.

“I wasn’t worried about being hit in the face but I was worried about not looking like a good fighter in front of people who had paid to watch a decent fight,” he said.

In fact, he admits that being in the ring is similar to being a chef. “You spend a lot of time working in a hot environment for the pleasure of others.”

While Nick said that fighting is an ‘amazing bonding experience’ between two opponents, he admits that few of his friends have followed him into the ring.

“It can be off-putting because it looks a bit savage but once you get into it you quickly realize that it’s a great sport for everyone – women and kids of all ages. It’s a lot of fun too.”

The obsession is clear with chef Nick claiming that he’d be lost without the sport.

“It’s a commitment that really pays off with fitness, friendship and confidence. If I miss the gym for a week I get restless and agitated and hit a kind of borderline depression.

“I am addicted.”

TRANS

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yak fashion

Model: India Rose at IMG Photography: Ming Nomchong Hair & Makeup: Nicholas Morley Styling & Creative Direction: Tiana Wallace Fashion: Island Luxe

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Rundholz Wrap from Island Luxe

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Rundholz Wrap from Island Luxe

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yak fashion

Vintage top stylist’s own Rundholz Wrap from Island Luxe

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yak fashion Iro poncho from Island Luxe

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Lost and Found top from Island Luxe Rondholz coat from Island Luxe Vintage pants stylist’s own

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yak fashion

Lost and Found shirt from Island Luxe

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Lost and Found mesh top from Island Luxe Vintage pants stylist’s own

get covered.

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Ministry of Interiors

ondy sweeting discovers the colour, variety and class behind canvas company sunbrella.

Indonesia has a long history of producing exquisite textiles – from the beautiful dyed and traditionally woven Ikat fabrics to the unique waxing to create meticulously designed Batik.

This centuries-old textile tradition has taken a dramatic turn and combined with technology to develop high performance materials that are fashion forward, weather resistant and uber chic.

Trademarked as Sunbrella these fabrics are the hottest go-to product for marine canvas, shade structures and indoor and outdoor upholstery.

Think deep marine greens and blue cushions with upholstery in luscious forest green fabrics. Softly draped material that tumble into timeless bedstead canopies that reflect contemporary style with a tone with classic élan.

These unique textiles have also been used in the sculptural installations of trailblazing fibre artist Sheila Hicks, who is known for blurring the boundaries between painting and sculpture with her dynamic textile works.

Dripping 18-feet from the ceiling to floor of New York’s famous Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue was a wave of pigmented fibre as part of the 77th Whiney Biennale.

The artist honed the elaborate piece, which is named Pillar of Inquiry/ Supple Column, from huge amounts of brightly coloured Sunbrella materials. “I wanted people to look at it and let their imagination soar”, Hicks said.

The calligraphic sculpture was crafted from dazzlingly coloured chunks of interlaced lines that invite personal involvement and reinforce the natural confluence of art, streetscape, architecture and the people who inhabit these spaces.

Hicks chose the Sunbrella textiles because of their durability and beauty. “I know that the museum guards and curators frown on touching the art, but this work can really stand up to any test,” she said.

The brand is popular in Indonesia with examples of the shade, upholstery and marine collections being in high demand among beautiful Balinese five-star resorts, opulent leisure craft and exclusive luxury villas.

Examples of this avant-garde fabric can be seen in situ in Bali’s chicest destinations including The Oberoi, Ku De Ta, Katamama, the Alila and Potato Head – just to name a few, and as a main component of Warisan’s designs, Bali’s renown hospitality and villa furniture maker.

The USA-based mother company – Glen Raven Custom Fabrics – has been manufacturing these statement materials since 1961 and constantly develops methods of production that improves the quality and performance of fabrics for awnings, architectural sails, yachts and other

maritime purposes as well as the wider upholstery market.

The integration of powerful technology in the design process has resulted in Sunbrella being the go-to product within the upscale interiors industry given that the products are weather and temperature resistant, malleable and importantly – aesthically beautiful.

“Sunbrella is founded on the belief that fabrics should be both beautiful and functional,” said Glen Raven’s international marketing manager Debbie Andersen. “We began in the 1960s with the challenge of creating an awning canvas with a substantially longer lifespan than cotton.

Now Sunbrella has become widely adopted throughout the world.”

“Our textiles are made with close attention to design detail and engineered with robust performance characteristics that provide resistance to fading and degradation from sunlight and chemical exposure. It’s easy to care for, too,” she said.

Given the passion, inspired colour palette, sophisticated design and divinely soft textures, it is no surprise that Sunbrella has maintained a dedicated following in Bali and across the globe.

The company is also a constant supporter of innovation in both art and design and regularly partners with artists to develop one-off collections and promotes the industry through competitions.

North American Folk artist Vollis Simpson’s playful whirligig and windmill pieces have long held the collective imaginations of the North American public since the 1970s and he was selected to develop a design collection for Sunbrella.

The Vollis collection is playful and charmingly influenced by his works that can be seen in the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore and occasionally in the windows of Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

The company’s commitment to the future of textiles is also underscored by its Future of Shade Competition, which is a collaboration between Sunbrella and Architizer and aims to explore the challenges that architects and designers face with the integral role of fabric in shade and building design.

Sunbrella is also behind the yearly Perspectives Los Angles design event that showcases luxurious Sunbrella fabrics through the eyes of top interior designers. Think of a recessed Ottoman tent with intricately patterned pillows, detailed fabrics with opulent trims set against minimalist black and white fabrics created by leading interior designers Chad McPhail of his eponymous company in L.A. www.sunbrella.com www.warisan.com

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Venting In A Villa

e l e va t e d e l e g a n c e from bath to pool in seconds.

katie truman gets high at Goya in Balmy ubud.

I’ve been visiting the highland town of Ubud since 1991, staying at a kaleidoscope assortment of accommodations, from losmens on Monkey Forest Road to international brand resorts with sumptuous villas, like Four Seasons Sayan and The Ritz-Carlton – and everything in-between. Ubud however continues to evolve and raise its game in sophisticated culinary and stay options. A prime example is Goya Boutique Resort, since late 2015, offering lashings of style and guest-friendly class, yet homely and good value. Goya is located along Jalan Bisma, an elevated street with a distinctly rural feel and one of Ubud’s development barometres, home to beloved haunts like Honeymoon Guesthouse and Komaneka Bisma, but now, shaping up nicely with this new kid on the block neighbouring several new options that have sprouted-up here.

For various reasons, Goya is a stand-out – literally – one of the highest positioned on Bisma, loftily perched above practically everyone else. And arriving at the lobby, walking through a leafy laneway to the end of this bijou property, presents a jaw-dropping, unexpected sight: an infinity-edge pool and deck seemingly merging into a hillside opposite, carpeted with jungle and coconut palm trees. There is none of Ubud’s de rigueur rice paddies, but with sweeping valley views, this little inconvenience is soon forgotten. Hard to believe that this tranquil jungle bolt-hole is just a short stroll (or complimentary shuttle service) away from Ubud’s frantic main drag.

Goya ranks as “four star”, but actually offers five-star touches, especially accommodation standards and meticulous attention to detail, from luxe Bvlgari brand bathroom amenities to lemongrass infused iced water, served complimentary poolside.

Service however is plainly from the heart, endearingly sweet and genuine – what I’ve come to expect from Ubud staff.

In true Ubud tradition, Goya’s owner-creator is a local artist, originating from generations of sculptors, painters and wood carvers from Mas artisan village; Goya is named after his great grandfather – and perhaps a nod to the celebrated Spanish artist, underlining the artistic focus and aesthetics obsession. Unlike others however, Goya presents a modern-day Balinese architectural design, tropical elegance yet simplistic and light, and earthy, natural tones without the usual rustic overload, while contemporary-

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style wood furnishings and artifacts, produced by the owner’s own company, are tastefully displayed throughout.

Putting to bed the assumption that the south-west coast has the monopoly on luxe villa life, Goya’s eight villas – six one-bedroom and two, two bedroom units – offer couples-friendly sanctuaries hidden in walled gardens, with high vaulted ceiling interiors and an outdoor living area. The private plunge pool, conveniently sandwiched between the open-plan bathroom and bedroom, makes it possible to simply roll-out of the fourposter for a refreshing dip. Eighteen Deluxe Suites (each 60-square metres) are housed in three floors below the pool, each level distinguishable by doors boldly painted in red, yellow or green with matching hallway artifacts (additionally helpful for inebriated souls who can’t find their way home). All private balconies with daybed provide jungly views, although level three offers the best.

Both categories are stylish yet emanate a home-from-home feel, furnished with natural woods, lovely decor and curated art works, even the sparkly bathrooms with stand-alone bath tub are decorated with touches like mirrors hung with leather straps and archipelago tribal artifacts.

Senja bar and restaurant, two open-air sections set on either side of the infinityedge pool, present an all-day menu of surprisingly good nosh, funky sounds and stunning jungle views. Even if you’re not an in-house guest, pop-up for well-priced cocktails at sunset, lingering on for dinner illuminated by fire beacons with a backdrop of inky black forests; full moon nights come accompanied by a special dinner menu.

The hottest ticket in town however are the couple of canopied gazebos bookending the pool and jutting out over the rock face, complete with dining table, comfy couch and art deco glass chandeliers. Justifiably sought-after (even for the privacy), reserve a gazebo for early morning breakfasts, if lucky, revealing spectacular volcano views in the east. Or candle-lit dinners a deux. Like a floating restaurant in the forest and the height of elegance, it doesn’t get much better than this. www.goyaboutiqueresort.com

Design + Performance™ and Legendary Performance Fabrics™ are trademarks and Sunbrella® is a registered trademark of Glen Raven, Inc.

L E G E N DA R Y P E R F O R M A N C E FA B R I C S ™

S U N B R E L L A .C O M

brands

E l i ti st i nte nti o n s elite havens has been leading the bali luxury villa market for two decades. stephane mee knows why.

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villa mana by elite.

On an island where there are nearly as many villas as people, choosing the perfect holiday abode can be tricky. Where does one even begin?

Beachfront or botanical views? Antique grandeur or designer chic? And how do you know you’re going to be in good hands when you arrive?

Enter Elite Havens, Bali’s most renowned and reputable luxury villa rental company offering the biggest portfolio of properties on the island and superlative services to boot.

Elite Havens was established nearly two decades ago when Bali was hitting its stride as a luxury holiday destination. At that time there were plenty of plush villas to choose from, but few places where you could find a diverse range of options all in one place, and even fewer portals that connected villa owners with renters. Elite Havens stepped up to the plate, and in 1998 they launched their website with an exclusive selection of fully-staffed villas.

From the beginning, Elite Havens focused on two main areas: outstanding villas that were a cut above the rest and exceptional customer service from start to finish. Their attention to detail paid off, and they soon gained a solid reputation in Bali and abroad.

CEO Jon Stonham says, “Originally there were 30 villas, and then we were up to about 100 until we partnered with Prestige Luxury Villas in 2013 and added another 23 villas, some of which hailed from the exclusive Seminyak enclave in Laksmana Estate on Jalan Oberoi.

“We were also looking to add some diversity to the portfolio as we had four villas in Phuket and saw this as a natural extension and a further opportunity for growth. Now our portfolio includes 19 villas, with another outstanding development of 10 villas about to be completed and join.

“And late last year we were thrilled to add eight stunning estates in the Maldives. These villas are definitely villas for the ‘rich and famous’ and truly add to our statement of the ‘the very best luxury villas in the world’s best tropical islands’.”

Now just five years on, Elite Havens boasts over 200 villas in Bali, Lombok, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Yet despite exponentially expanding their portfolio, they still stay true to the original mantra of ‘only the best’. Each villa is still hand selected and personally inspected by a team of villa specialists, and only a small percentage of villas they view make the grade.

Jon says, “We first look at the location, for example whether the villa is on the beachfront, a stone’s throw to the action, or has superb scenery in a tranquil rural setting. Then it’s the villa itself, the size, the grounds, the interior design, the suitability for families or maybe a party pad, the finishing and most importantly the attention to detail, the X factor that differentiates the villa from the masses on the market. Then we drill right down to the bed configuration, the linens, and even the quality of the knives and forks.”

Elite Havens also ensures that each villa is fully staffed with a villa

manager, housekeepers, butlers, gardeners, security and an experienced cook who can cater to guest’s every need. They also have experienced guest services reps on the ground in each travel destination, as well as offices in Bali, Phuket, Manila and Singapore.

“We really are customer obsessed,” says Jon. “We consider it the elite experience from start to finish, so the journey begins when a guest finds us on the Internet or interacts with our team and books. Then we have a guest relations officer meet them at the airport, a concierge to look after them at the villa, a full complement of staff at the villa, and officers on the ground to take care of any problems that may arise.”

“We also have our own app, The Elite Experience, which can be downloaded before guests arrive. On it we’ve selected businesses in Bali that we think are first-class. There is no monetary involvement with the businesses, we’ve just chosen those we think are the best. Guests can find suggestions for everything from restaurants to chartering a helicopter to throwing a kid’s party and having the circus arrive.”

What many people might not know is that Elite Havens actually personally manages more than 60 per cent of their villas, and they are the exclusive and official representatives for the owners of all their villas.

When they include a villa in their portfolio, they will market and distribute the villa on behalf of the owner, which means you may find the villa on a partner travel agent site, but actually all roads lead back to Elite Havens.

Jon says, “Because Elite Havens owns the relationship with the villa owners, the buck really does stop with us. Often people rent a villa and have no redress if something isn’t quite right. With us we are on the ground, and as the owners ‘partner’, we can fix any issue straight away.

We also have the depth of product so we can move a guest to another villa if need be. We really do take everything personally to add that extra bit of luxury at every turn.”

With so much value added to the Elite Havens experience, it should come as no surprise that the company works with clientele from around the world including regions as diverse as Australia, Europe, China, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Some seek spacious family villas, some seek secluded honeymoon hideaways, and yet others look for spectacular venues for weddings, retreats and corporate events. Yet what they all strive for is the luxury experience, which Elite Havens consistently delivers time after time. www.elitehavens.com

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Venting In A Villa

arguably bali’s most environmentally committed resort.

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As if they haven’t wowed us enough, now you can go even grander at Suarga Padang Padang, with their recently unveiled, fabulous private pool villas, writes katie truman.

Last year I wrote about Suarga Padang Padang, a pioneering new boutique resort in Southern Bukit: designed and built following sustainability principles, almost exclusively from regenerated woods, bamboo and other sustainable materials and showcasing Indonesia’s culture heritage infused with modern travel comforts. Arguably Bali’s most environmentally-committed and minimal impact resort.

Since launching late 2015, the Suarga team however have been busy developing four sensational private pool villas, evidently saving the best for last, with these masterpieces now available. Unlike Suarga’s 23 rooms and 17 pavilions gently terraced down cliff-top grounds, these new villas are secluded on a ledge nestled into the 220-metre cliff frontage.

Replicating traditional Balinese residences, all four villas have nothing out front, save for 180-degree vistas of a never-ending bay and southern Bukit’s world-renowned surf breaks and white beaches, from Padang Padang to Dreamland. In this tranquil spot (which extends to neighbourhood Padang Padang, still a low-key surfie hangout), the only loud din is likely the crashing waves. Grander and ultra-private, these main villas share Suarga’s trademark indigenous designs and environmental, repurposed commitment.

Carved into natural cliff contours in Suarga’s eastern section, a lavishsized 750-square-metres, Bajau four-bedroom villa comes with a name inspired by Indonesia’s nomadic sea gypsies and idyllic for families or friends. Timbered stairs lead down to landscaped tropical gardens and a duo of two-storey pavilions flanking the 60-square-metre pool. The first pavilion’s upper level reveals an oval-shaped, open-air living-dining space; simplistically rustic yet offering front-row seats for catching glorious sunsets or surfers riding legendary surf breaks, while a lengthy solid wood dining table, overhung with a massive oyster shell chandelier, sets a place for convivial group dining. Similar throughout Suarga and these villas, repurposed ironwood from Borneo’s old bridges and pontoons, form the earthy-raw pillars, posts and beams built here, while flooring is crafted from teak wood dismantled from an East Java Dutch colonial hospital.

An overhanging rounded roof cleverly deflects heat and rain, thanks to its ingenious bamboo shingle coverage. The second, smaller open-air pavilion follows a similar pattern, but has been adapted for personal fitness and yoga. Spacious terraces surrounding the turquoise-hued pool (utilizing petrified wood as stepping stones) offers daybed chilling or dining under starry skies.

Bajau’s four guestrooms are well-spaced apart on the ground level, again typically Suarga, with natural stone flooring, whitewashed wooden

walls and shutters made from repurposed Sulawesi Kubu wood, creating natural air circulation.

Closest to the sea, the Master guestroom has its own private terrace and king-sized canopied bed pointing towards the ocean: wake-up to daylight streaming in and up-close wave sounds. Furthest back, heading-up the pool, a super-cute, cottage room is kid’s-inclined, with twin beds and, unusually, an indoor bathroom. As elsewhere, rooms are individually and minimalist styled, showcasing archipelago heritage and craftsmanship, running from hand-sourced shell ornaments from Papua to boldly patterned, hand-printed Javanese batiks and bespoke furnishings by local artisans.

In Bahasa, Jurang means “cliff” and the three divine Jurang private villas – one two bed-room and two, three bedroom units – sit peacefully side by side on the western cliff-side, each within their own 500-squaremetre slice of land.

Accessed via ornately carved teak wood doors, steps lead down to an alluring 50-square-metre pool and adjacent open-air sunken gazebo, housing an outdoor dining space and lounge earmarked for leisurely lunches and sundowners.

A main pavilion houses two ensuite master guestrooms on a splitlevel set-up, guaranteeing privacy and equally tempting options. The upper room (one of the property’s largest), overlooks the pool from its spacious deck and daybed and within, its semi-open bathroom features Sumba stone, repurposed ironwood cladding and custom-made Javanese polished cement floor tiles, for a tropical island-meets-colonial feast.

Snuck down on a lower floor, accessed by discreet stairs, your second gorgeous hideaway reveals a secret sun terrace and low-ceilings created from Ajiro rattan, hand-woven in Borneo. Jurang’s three-bedroom villas follow a similar layout and style, albeit with additional guestroom.

For all villas, bookings can be flexible, from blocking off all three Jurang’s, to just one room with full use of facilities they also make sublime clifftop venues for small weddings and private celebrations. But perhaps equally gobsmacking are the rates: Bajau starting from around USD1,500 and Jurang, USD900 excellent villa value (do the math’s), especially for sets of couples and surfing buddies. Seems anyone can enjoy the high life. www.suargapadangpadang.com

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hotels

A slice of legendary Swiss hospitality has arrived in Jimbaran, writes Katie Truman.

After numerous international hotel brands have taken root in Bali – especially the last five years – it was just a matter of time before upscale Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts joined the hospitality gold rush.

Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali – Mövenpick’s first hotel for Indonesia and latest property in Asia – part of a big push in the region – has launched this January in what was an undeveloped part of Jimbaran, integrated Samasta Lifestyle Village, a new and still evolving open-air lifestyle and dining complex.

As Mövenpick’s seasoned General Manager, German Horst WaltherJones, attests: “Mövenpick breathes new life into the community, part of a lifestyle destination experience that fills the gap for previously lacking culinary options in Jimbaran.”

The Swiss-born hospitality brand has adapted easily to tropical island life, successfully balancing classic Swiss quality and traditional values with Balinese inspiration – without going overboard.

References to five elements of Balinese design and subtle nuances of its artistic and cultural traditions blend with uber-contemporary design and latest technologies throughout the resort facilities and 297 rooms and suites.

The scene is set upon arrival at a cathedral-like lobby, designed in light woods and earthy, natural tones, its soaring rafters hung with giant hanging mobiles alluding to Balinese kites and all open-sided to catch the natural breeze. This airy space comes dominated by Katha Lobby Lounge & Library, designed as an ultra-sociable café-style hub with stacks of comfy sofas and reading materials (‘Katha’ is Sanskrit for storytelling) – extending down to a timbered cabana-style extension for glorious Jimbaran Bay views.

Mövenpick may not be a beachfront resort, but is happy to lead you down the garden path, literally; this five-star is a mere 100-metre toddle down a pathway leading out to the western end of Jimbaran Beach.

It compromises big time with its oasis-like centerpiece, a whopping 2,900-square-metre lagoon-style multi-purpose swimming pool, edged with 200-plus sun loungers, landscaped palm trees and artificial beach – just so you don’t feel you’re missing out.

With Mövenpick brand originally a restaurant in the 1940s, typically for Mövenpick hotels, F&B is an important element here. Scrumptious Swiss influences cover a sinfully good “Chocolate Hour” served complimentary

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each afternoon at the lobby and exceptional buffet breakfast – a Mövenpick classic – with Swiss specialties like Raclette and Rosti, Mövenpick Coffee, with Swiss-roasted, superior beans and in-house baked artisan breads rare treats at signature all day-diner, Anarasa.

This seaside resort however is unashamedly family-focused, even during breakfast time, with a supervised kid’s dining corner at Anarasa, where everything is mini-sized, from the stools to the dishes. And amongst the seven room categories (which include elegant Premium Suites, “designed with discerning traveller’s in mind” and largest of ’em all, Jimbaran Pool Suites, with private pool and spacious balcony for oneupmanship entertaining) are non-smoking Family Rooms, designed loftstyle over 56-square-metres, with the children’s sofa bed, bathroom and 43-inch LED flat screen TV, set above the parent’s den downstairs. Book the higher floor rooms with pool views.

Family Room rates include complimentary access to Meera Kid’s Club, one of the island’s largest and most impressive kid’s facilities, armed with a Worldwide Kids UK City & Guilds accredited programme, super-fun Pirate’s theme, the club designed as a three-storey high pirate’s ship with cavernous rooms dedicated to various pursuits and superior familyoriented activities.

Just outside, a toddler’s pool and adjoining playground and beyond, that ginormous pool with activity zones, are all a Godsend for families.

However, as this singleton can attest, Mövenpick’s stellar pool is serious fun for anybody, taking practically all day to swim around, what with all the interlinked distractions of the Jacuzzi, beach-like shallow end, dedicated water slide zone and lap pool.

Best pace yourself; fortunately, there’s a sunken bar slap-bang in the midst, where bartenders kindly whip-up cocktails. Flop-out on squashy bean bags, swim-up hammocks or oversized floating cushions.

“Watch this space” openings include a rooftop restaurant and sky bar, Above Eleven Bali (this Bangkok franchise arriving soon), focused on authentic Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine, overseen by a resident Peruvian Chef. This, plus live DJs, innovative cocktails and awesome topfloor views of the pool and sunsets over the bay, promises another supercool venue – and resort – for this lovely fishing community. www.movenpick.com/jimbaran-bali

MOVENPICK MOVES.

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Luna2 opens its doors to the public and invites Chris Le to enjoy their special brand of ’60s futurism

venting in a villa The early sixties, that special time of the century when the Western world was transitioning from the moralistic fifties to the freewheeling seventies. Things were blatantly optimistic, we were free to have casual relationships, free sex was just becoming a thing, vaccines had eradicated the worst diseases, and people were in charge of how and when they wanted to start a family. From their perspective, the future seemed bright and amazing. We were making leaps and bounds in technology in everything from household appliances to spacecraft, it probably was the most amazing time to be alive.

Luna2 studiotel essentially encapsulates this optimism in their brand and interiors. It isn’t quite how 2017 looks like, but is how you’d imagine someone from 1962 would imagine what 2017 would look like. Well, minus the flying cars, sky cities, colonies on the moon, and personalized jetpacks. The interiors are full of clean lines with overwhelmingly white, almost clinical motifs that scream retro futurism like a Verner Panton chair. Imagine the base coat to be the set of Barbarella with a white minimalistic touch and without Bridget Fonda gyrating on a shag carpet. Now add in some cheeky fun bits that are quintessentially British and you essentially have Luna2’s design concept down pat.

All this nostalgic fun used to be reserved for those privileged with being able to call one of their 14 studio rooms home, albeit temporarily, and Luna2 club members.

But times are changing and the retro futuristic fun can be enjoyed by anyone keen on all yours.

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a good time in the past’s version of the future. The little boutique hotel has opened its facilities to the public, which is a giant ray of good news in these dark depressing Trump times. Because I for one don’t want to live in 2017’s 2017, I want to live in 1962’s 2017.

So if you’re after an all out day enjoying Luna2’s newly public offerings, you should start with breakfast at their Orbit restaurant. Andy Warhol quite famously said “New York restaurants now have a new thing – they don’t sell their food, they sell their atmosphere. They say, ‘How dare you say we don’t have good food, when we never said we had good food. We have good atmosphere.’” Luckily for Luna2, they have an excellent breakfast selection. They do a Full English exceptionally well with all the trimmings one would expect in just about the prettiest presentation possible.

The remarkable thing is the sheer unpretentiousness of it all, bacon, sausage, an appropriately sized tin of baked beans with a couple of poached eggs and onion chutney on toast. So British. One standout is their French Toast, order it with extra bacon, trust us on this one.

After enjoying breakfast and waiting the required 20 minutes for your food to digest, it’s time to hit Poolside. If you find yourself on the lighter end of this scene from 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, you’ll be happy to know that there are excellent lounging opportunities Butch Cassidy: Alright. I’ll jump first.

Sundance Kid: No. Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first.

Sundance Kid: No, I said.

Butch Cassidy: What’s the matter with you?

Sundance Kid: I can’t swim.

Lounging at Poolside is just about as good as it gets, especially with what the government deems as natural phenomena washing up on the beach lately. What’s extra cool is that there’s a window in the pool to Pop! downstairs. If you’re extra nice to the staff, they might just let you in Pop! and you can pretend to be a spectator at the aquarium checking out strange monkey-like sea lions swimming about. I personally prefer to be the primate whale hybrid checking out the humans gawking at the window, it really puts the whole world in perspective, well, maybe more the world of a semi-intelligent aquatic mammal at an aquarium. Whatever roles you prefer playing, it’s Instagram gold and remember you saw it here first before it blows up and becomes another swing-in-the-middle of the sea thing. There’s a pretty descent lunchtime menu available as well as a full list of cocktails so that you can be rewarded for doing all those underwater tricks those strange humans want you to do.

Ideally, it’s about time for the sun to dip under the horizon by now (at least for the purposes of this article), and you want to check out an amazing Bali sunset. Just pop up into Space Rooftop Bar a convenient elevator ride away. It boasts amazing panoramas of the island and there isn’t much as tall as it in the generall vicinity. You can watch a commanding view of the Indian ocean or stare as the sun bathes the sky behind in brilliantly pink light. All while enjoying oysters, canapés, and again, an amazing cocktail selection. If wine is your thing, check out their wine selection or go a step further and check out their actual wine cellar, it won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence four years in a row. I personally like to drink wine, but I guess being a spectator is cool too. John Glenn once said “I don’t know what you could say about a day in which you have seen four beautiful sunsets.” He was in a different space, but if I could do four sunsets in Space at Luna2 , I’d have to say that my quality of life had significantly improved.

Ok, it’s getting dark so naturally it’s time to eat something substantial. According to John Cleese, “the English contribution to world cuisine [is] the chip.” Despite the Britishness of Luna2, they thankfully have an actual menu full of deliciousness which they describe as “based on European classic cuisine with an innovative twist.” They also offer these amazing private dining packages where their head chef Alanna will tailor something specifically for you and a significant other, a group of friends or just you and yourself if that’s how you like to roll. They don’t judge. Just give them a couple days heads up so that they can sit down with you and bounce around ideas on how to truly customize your experience. After that day at the pool, I would try to make it aquarium-themed, where mackerel and sardines can accompany lobster and caviar for a feast fit for the classiest of pinnipeds. For a more terrestrial experience, they also serve a grilled bistro-style grass-fed Nebraskan prime rib eye which is dry aged in-house for about 20 days. It’s on their standard dinner menu and pulls apart in the most satisfying way. Another strong item on their menu is their Crab on Toast, fresh crab flesh is expertly extracted and placed between homemade bread. The result is a cool, zesty dish perfect for almost any time of the day.

After you’re done with dinner, it’s generally movie time. Alfred Hitchcock said “always make the audience suffer as much as possible.” Luna2 did not get the memo.

Lunaplex is just about as comfortable as it gets. They have 16 recliners in two neat little rows facing a respectably large screen where you are cocooned by seven speakers of sheer bass. They serve you food, drinks, and wine from their awardwinning wine cellar. One of the coolest things about Lunaplex is that you can hire it for private screenings, with a movie of your choice. Missed that Oscar-nominated sci-fi epic at the theaters because it had a ridiculously short theater run to make room for Fast and the Furious 17’s six week run (yes, I’m talking about Arrival, yes I saw it at Lunaplex, yes it was epic)? Well worry no more, Lunaplex has your back.

Then there’s Pop!, their underground club with the window into the pool. They have parties there once in a blue moon that are themed like Purple Rain, Studio 54, Pink Panther, you get the idea. Twiggy said “want to continue to try and break the barrier between male and female? If you want to do that, that’s fine. At our shows, it’s like a Halloween party, which isn’t a bad thing. I’d like to see more of it actually.” Well, if 1960s Twiggy was around at a Pop! party, well, I guess she would just think people were dressed like normal. Normal for the ’60s. As for blurring those gender lines, they have a stripper pole at Luna2 and to be honest, I think we’ve seen just as many men hit it as women. It’s that kind of a party, where people like to get loose. If there isn’t a party happening there, you can always pull yourself up by your bootstraps and make a party there because it’s totally available for private events.

Luna2 celebrates that joyful optimism the ’60s once had. Their ethos is “respect the past, welcome the future and have fun in the process.” What could be a better message in these gloomy somewhat pessimistic times? Sure we have a little device in our pocket that is somehow connected to all the world’s information, but the ’60s had a certain feeling that humanity had bigger and greater things just around the corner and that it was finally okay to break from societal norms and be whoever it is that you want to be. Luna2 encapsulates that feeling, and has fun at the same time. www. luna2.com

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Venting In A Villa

Presidential

your private enclave.

stephanie mee samples the best of fairmont sanur beach bali.

Space has never been an issue at the Fairmont Sanur Beach Bali, as this stunning seaside resort is set on four hectares of tropical gardens that spill down to a swathe of golden sand on Sanur Beach, and each of the 120 suites and villas is generously proportioned with luxe sitting areas, huge bathrooms and balconies overlooking the ocean and grounds. However, if you really want to spread out in style, the Presidential Beachfront Villa is a worthy indulgence.

Your presidential experience starts under the soaring ceilings of the Fairmont’s impressive lobby, which is decked out in tropical coconut wood tiles and open on all sides to allow gentle ocean breezes to flow through the space. Here you will meet your personal butler, who will show you to the villa and around the grounds and be on call around the clock to cater to your every need.

The Presidential Beachfront Villa is set in a special villa enclave within the resort, which adds to the sense of exclusiveness and seclusion. Yet at 937 square metres, the villa actually feels like a private enclave all in itself. As you enter the property, lush gardens and fragrant frangipani trees abound and the open plan layout offers glimpses out to the Indian Ocean and all the way to Nusa Lembongan.

Designed by Genius Loci from Jakarta, the villa boasts fresh modern interiors with traditional Balinese touches like rich wooden accents, natural stone floors, and sliding doors that allow you to seamlessly blend indoor and outdoor living. Verdant tropical plants add splashes of green that contrast nicely with the aquamarine and deep blue hues of your 130-square-metre pool.

Perfect for families and groups, this palatial abode offers two luxurious bedrooms, one with a super king-sized bed and another with twin beds. Both bedrooms have polished wooden floors, handcrafted furniture with ancient fossilized art pieces, mod cons like flat-screen LED HD televisions, and lavish bathrooms outfitted with bath and body products by Le Labo from New York.

Taking centre place at the villa is an immense living room with high ceilings, soft sofas, an iPod docking station with a BOSE sound system, and a fully equipped kitchen and pantry. There is also a separate dining area and options to dine outside under the stars. You could cook your own meals, but why would you when you can use the digital call button to have your personal butler deliver anything you might need through the separate butler’s entrance?

Another central feature at the villa is a serene private spa treatment room with a 104

steam room that runs alongside the swimming pool. Call up the Fairmont Spa and they can send over talented therapists for a morning or afternoon of soothing massages and holistic body treatments. Afterwards you can unwind further in the private outdoor Jacuzzi or in a lounger on one of the sundecks overlooking the beach.

Of course, should you feel like getting out and exploring a bit, the resort and surrounding area provide plenty to excite and entertain travellers of all ages. Little ones can join in the many activities on offer at the kid’s club, which comes complete with a mini cinema and Sony PlayStation.

Parents can enjoy light bites and drinks on the poolside terrace at Nyala Beach Club & Grill while the kids splash in the waters of the resort’s 50-metre infinity pool, and couples can settle into one of the beachfront cabanas and watch the world unfold along the sand and in the water.

Drinking and dining options at the Fairmont Sanur Beach Bali include Layang Layang, which puts out gorgeous buffet spreads for breakfast with international delicacies like freshly baked bread and cheeses, dim sum and waffles. Come evening Layang Layang serves authentic Indonesian cuisine. The Nyala Beach Club & Grill offers a Pan Asian menu that focuses on fresh seafood, grilled meats and locally sourced produce.

For those who want to explore more of Sanur, there is a pedestrian-only walking trail that winds its way between the resort and the beach and stretches out for five kilometres along the coast. As you walk along the path you’ll encounter plenty of seafood restaurants, breezy cafes and colourful local shops.

However, if bringing the party to you is more your style, the Fairmont can arrange anything from afternoon tea to sundowner cocktails and canapés, or even an extravagant dinner party with bubbles and sit down service right in the privacy of the Presidential Beachfront Villa. Planning an event like a birthday, wedding or business meeting? Just talk to their efficient behind-the-scenes team, and they will do everything they can to make your vision a reality.

No matter whether you’re travelling with little ones in tow, looking to get your groove on for a girl’s weekend, or seeking a secluded hideaway for your honeymoon, living it up large like a president at the Fairmont definitely has its perks. www.fairmont.com/sanur-bali

S A M AYA

MEMORY

The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the MEMORIES we’ve made along the way. A picture is worth a thousand words, but MEMORIES are priceless. Discover our resort with its spectacular location on the Ayung River, an ideal place to capture your moments in our tropical paradise. Guests can encounter the artistic and cultural heart of the island, walk the infamous terraced rice fields and retreat in to the peace and tranquility of the Samaya Ubud. The Samaya Ubud proudly presents a new package complete with professional photographic services and an exclusive photo album for you to keep your memories in your hands.

Inclusions: Two nights stay at One Bedroom Villa with Private Pool A five course romantic candle-lit dinner (excluding beverage) A 90-minute hot-stone spa treatment Round trip airport transfer with resort’s chauffeur A 3 hour photo session with 2 professional photographers An exclusive Photo Album (20 pages) with 50 edited images Daily either picnic breakfast served any time in the villa or a la carte menu served at Scene Restaurant Daily afternoon tea Morning Yoga based on Hotel schedule Morning cycling and afternoon green trekking based on Hotel schedule 24-Hour Shuttle service within Ubud town area FREE Wi-Fi internet connection covering 100% of the property 24-Hour butler service

This package is valid until March 2018. Above rate is subject to 21% goverment tax & service charge. Benefits are valid for two persons and not redeemable High season surcharge will be added from 01-31 August and 27 December - 04 January For futher information, please contact (62) 361 973 606 or email: lia@thesamayabali.com | http://ubud.thesamayabali.com

oral pleasures

ondy sweeting kicks back at the lawn beach lounge canggu. photos: lucky 8.

lawn prawns.

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This gorgeous addition to Canggu’s flourishing dining scene is a standout when it comes to location and the food attracts a mixed bag of hipsters, expats and honeymooners.

It is a place where its namesake lawn rolls down to greet the sparkling night-sky sand of Batu Bolong beach. Think languid picnics with frosty cocktails and super chilled beer. Casual fine dining with views that memories are made of.

The menu is a bit of a mixed bag that aims to please everyone – no easy thing to pull off. But The Lawn has a monumental menu packed with international dining delights heavy with fish, steaks and vegan choices, which are ideal to eat as shared plates or to keep greedily to yourself.

Launching with the grazing menu, the kitchen offers up edamame with chilli and sea salt, crispy lemon squid and a tuna ceviche that is a full-flavoured bowl of high quality fish soaked in lime and red chilli then mixed with coconut cream, tiny julienned grape tomato with cucumber and rich avocado. The grazing showstopper is The Lawn’s signature truffled four-cheese mac & cheese balls that are served with a tangy red pepper aioli. These deep fried balls are ordered en masse and seemingly inhaled, ideally with a squirt from the juicy lemon wedge, which helps both balance the richness of the cheeses while enhancing the aroma of the truffle oil.

The Lawn beams into leaves and greens with three different salads – a mixed leaf with radish, radicchio, avocado and tiny tomatoes; a caprese with opulent mozzarella, tomatoes and basil plus a quinoa and beetroot number that is sweetened with orange segments, crispy young kale and goat curd. The sole vegetable dish is a hearty gado gado of popular Indonesian veggies topped with a spicy peanut sauce.

The Lawn has dishes to suit the dedicated meat lover with lemon grass chicken and turmeric skewers and a fabulous babi guling – or Bali-style roast pork – which made an appearance in the form of perfectly cooked pork belly where the fat was slowly melted into the luscious sweet layers of white meat and crowned with crunchy salted crackling. The generous chunks of rich pork belly was stabilised with radish and apple slaw. The chorizo crumbs made little sense with the dish but this was absolved by the cauliflower puree.

The star of the sea section is the split king prawns that delicately take on the flavour of lemongrass with very subtle chilli, lime and pungent kemangi leaf that refuse to overpower the succulent meat. This dish is soft and tasty and served warm rather than hot. The accompanying sauces ended up overlooked in favour of the fresh lime, which added a cool kick to this heavenly package.

On the lighter side is a menu page dedicated to simpler foods that mark The Lawn’s position as an all day hangout where breakfast starts at 11 am and dinner finishes at 10pm.

It is carved into zones for pizzetta and sliders with a choice of side dishes that includes the unexpected such as Moroccan burnt carrots dressed with pumpkin seeds, sprinkled with dukkah and splattered with labne. Here can be found a tight dessert menu that explores local sweet treats and traditional European dishes with a tropical twist.

This is a super family friendly destination and kiddies get a special look in, too, with their own version of mac & cheese and other bespoke nom noms plus a seaside swing and lawns on which to run free.

With buckets of beachside chic and charming dining, the cocktail menu is packed full of signature concoctions that seems to have been precisely designed for the tropical sunset. The Coconut Mojito comes served in an actual coconut that is devoid of its nature-given water. The Chilli Sour is the colour of the sunset and decorated with a red grape and watermelon. Much thought and skill has gone into developing and executing ten signature cocktails – with most leaning towards the light and fruity – apart from the Caramel and White Chocolate Espresso Martini.

Being in deepest Canggu, expect to see super green juices, roots juice and morning boosters listed below the surprisingly large wine and champagne menu.

Another bow will soon be added to this establishment’s crown in April when a swimming pool will be launched as part of this fabulously unique non-beach club dining alternative. www.thelawnbali.com

freshly mown.

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oral pleasures

Chef Ryan Clift brings a new

concept to Bali with his unique take on bistronomy at Grow,

Sarah Douglas finds out more.

Photo: Lucky 8.

there’s great food too (hic).

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When it looks like parsley, smells and tastes like parsley, is it really parsley? These kinds of questions will occur to diners at Grow from time to time. If you have found yourself in the latest hot spot in Petitenget, well done, because you have stumbled across something that is fresh and new and combines a world class chef with a cruisy bar and a down-to-earth approach to both the menu and the prices.

Being a chef can be the most arduous task, or the most joyful. Taking simple ingredients, understanding their true nature, applying a little chemistry to bring out their strengths and combining them in ways that spark not only the taste buds but also the imagination – it is a real skill.

Ryan Clift is almost a force of nature himself. The rough and ready Englishman rolled over Singapore like a tsunami. With four restaurants and an armful of awards, he’s like a boxer with a tricky right, destined to surprise. From the fine dining Tippling Club to his latest rooftop farm to table diner, Clift has spent enough time in Bali to get the lay of the land.

“Every time I go out in Bali I’m surprised by the mark ups, it doesn’t have to be that expensive,” he tells us. I’m working with local farmers and suppliers on a reasonable margin to make it affordable for everyone.

Clift was captivated by the science of food from an early age and has worked with some of the best chefs on the planet. From Melbourne’s Vue de Monde, widely considered the food-driven city’s best restaurant for a time, he moved to Singapore and took the helm of his own restaurant where he introduced intensive modern gastronomy to the foodie island.

There’s more than a bit of mad scientist here, and if he wasn’t so cool, he might risk being labeled a food nerd. The other thing about the guy is that he can really cook. Smart food, modern food and we now discover very down-to-earth food as well.

My first intro to Ryan Clift was at an Ubud Food Festival event held at Bridges. I was loaded with preconceptions that I would find the food, ‘too tricky, overworked’.

The menu did nothing to assuage the sinking feeling that it was going to be weird.

It turned out to be one of the most memorable and delicious meals ever. The menu was so light on detail it was almost non existent; beef, milk etc.

The foundations of his dishes are flavour and texture and he manages to elevate the simplest things to another level without being too tricky or changing its profile. Which is not to say that some of the techniques aren’t sophisticated or time consuming. Making it look simple is the trick.

Our lunch at Grow was earthy and delicious. First stop was the bar, where a few stragglers from breakfast remained chatting to the chef. The avant-guarde (his words not mine) cocktails were a definite pick me up, a whisky-based sour cocktail for me, a light and refreshing gin and cassis cocktail for my friend. The cocktails are serious contenders among the likes of neighbours Baker Street Social, Frestro, Saigon Street and Ling Lings.

Upstairs the dining room is still being finished, a bright and airy space overlooking the lobby bar. The staff is warm and friendly and keen to suggest the top sellers. A creamy potato and leek soup arrived in a bowl studded with roasted potatoes and large green leaves. The soup was poured over it. It did occur to me that the leaves were rather large but it wasn’t until the crunch happened that we realized these were parsley crackers, they added a richness of flavour and another

layer of texture to the creamy soup. Based on his mother’s recipe, the menu suggests, it was a beautiful soup, vibrant and hearty without being too rich.

My entrée was a large, crisp nori cracker the size of the plate with marinated slices of tuna on a creamy avocado sauce, crowned with peppery watercress. Large for an entrée but great textures and flavor, light eaters could happily order this for lunch.

Clift has been creating his own organic garden on a rooftop in Singapore and is captivated with fresh, organic produce, both dishes offered a chance to show off his liaisons with local farmers which is a driving force behind Grow.

The wine chosen by my partner was a classy French Bordeaux priced around Rp400,000, a great wine for the price. The wine list is considered and not overly large but hits all the right price points and works beautifully with the menu.

Diving into mains cemented his description of Grow as an exercise in bistronomy, “Fine dining without the price,” explains Clift.

Next up, strozzapreti pasta with a 48-hour braised oxtail ragu was the kind of dish you wake up at night wanting, and I didn’t need to be told that the pasta was home-made, it was telling in every bite. Topped simply with parmesan and parmesan crackers and a scatter of pea shoots, it was delicious.

My partner chose the pork belly, braised and saucy, served with pumpkin puree, braised grapes, walnut and a marsala jus. The pork was melting, the pumpkin sweet and the jus provided a fruity finish. Both dishes are stayers on this menu I predict.

The rain was pouring down on this day, so our choices leaned towards the hearty, the perfect foil for the smooth red wine. Not a large menu, there’s still plenty to tempt.

Entrees range from Rp60,000 to Rp100,000 and include a bone marrow salad, duck and cashew rillettes, a Grow salad with fresh crab meat and the dish that has everyone talking, the steak tartare with confit egg.

Mains follow the bistro theme with three pastas, four seafood dishes and three meat courses including a confit chicken that almost won the day.

Grow began simply and does double duty as the L Hotel’s lobby bar and restaurant. By the time you are reading this, Grow Up will have opened on the rooftop, giving the Seminyak crowd a new place to play. With a curated soundtrack, tapas Clift-style and quality cocktails, I’m betting I’ll see you there.

Walking the fine line between doing enough and delivering too much is handled perfectly at Grow. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and everything in between, with sunsets, cocktail hour and late nights upstairs, Grow is the kind of place you could just pop into, regularly.

As the rain is still pelting down we decide it would be rude not to stay for coffee and dessert. The bistro theme continues with a few subtle tricks employed to raise the interest. An orange meringue tart spiked with fresh basil was a winner while my lemon thyme panna cotta was an instagram moment waiting to happen with the smooth panna cotta woven between textured apple and a granny smith consommé poured over at the table. The fruits and the herbs worked perfectly together, a fabulous expression of what you can Grow. www.growbali.com

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oral pleasures

The little gastrobar designed to bring the food and flavours of Mozaic to a wider audience opens its doors in Sanur. we walked right in, photos: lucky 8.

Mozaic in Ubud is a treat, it’s a special occasion restaurant that has earned more awards than any other in Bali. And now it’s offspring Spice gastrobar brings the amazing conceptual food of Chris Salans to the street with a funky diner that showcases both food and cocktails that draw on the spices of Indonesia as inspiration. The techniques are still classical French, the dishes mix and mingle and there are lots of light bites to share.

Spice in Sanur is a different concept that retains many of the characteristics of the original Ubud gastrobar in a far larger, airy restaurant space that offers both indoor and outdoor dining.

The menu is still built around sharing with 3-4 courses per couple recommended, although for a light meal one or two would satisfy most people.

Sanur has traditionally been left behind a little bit with the serious food options of Ubud offering a wide choice and a new flash restaurant opening in Seminyak almost every week it seems. Sanur relishes its laid back atmosphere and its old world Bali charm. Food hasn’t been a big feature in Sanur, but Spice definitely takes it a step up.

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A gorgeous snapper carpaccio is spiked with a fruity rujak sauce and served with tamarind croutons that has the Salans name all over it, pure Mozaic in inspiration, it is sophisticated, fresh and vibrant. A winner.

So we had tried a selection from the raw menu, one from the sliders menu, and so there remained the harvest and farmed, two legs and four legs or fins and shells, each offering three or four choices.

We opted for legs and chose a crispy pork belly with turmeric dressing and dukkah spices, an excellent choice we decided, the dressing was a key feature. Sat in the garden with a twinkling fountain surrounded by blooming bougainvillea under the shade trees brought on an unexpected urge to indulge in a few of the famous cocktails.

Decisions, decisions on a sunny afternoon in sleepy Sanur, such were our third world problems. Decide we must, so a Kemangi gin and tonic sounded good and a kalamansi margarita arrived, frosty and fruity. Naturally this led to another round, an Andalima bloody mary solved the world’s problems while an artisan espresso martini was the perfect foil for a slice of chocolate cake, officially our fourth selection.

The restaurant itself is elegant in a Raffles sort of way, overhead fans spin, potted palms provide softness and wide doors to the terrace provide elegance in everything. plenty of natural light. The bar is a feature but not central to this Spice space but the cocktails are still a key element, playing on spices and local flavours for inspiration, and the daily happy hour is a bonus for those who enjoy their comfort and want a quality drink.

With a full arsenal of talented chefs behind Spice, it’s little wonder that the food shines. Chris Salans still oversees all the menus with Corporate Executive Chef James behind the stoves at Mozaic and overseeing Spice, while Chef Miles is charged with daily execution of the ever-evolving menu. There’s no shortage of creativity and despite bringing gourmet food down to earth with the Spice concept the hallmarks of fine dining apply across the board.

Food though is central and though this isn’t my first time the evolving menu offered lots of new choices as well as some of the favourites, including sliders which can be ordered with fish, steak or vegetables. The steak slider was my pick and the meat was perfectly cooked, the home-made ciabatta was soft and the sambal hijau was subtle and lovely.

Spice in Sanur looks lovely at night as well. Housed in the lobby of a colonial-styled hotel, it’s a seductive space. Sanur’s beach bars might be getting bigger but streetside Spice is the perfect partner for a meal with family or friends – and a few damn good cocktails. S.D. www. spicebali.com

spicing it up in sanur.

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oral pleasures Alila Uluwatu’s concept restaurant Quila invites guests to surrender to the unexpected.

Sarah Douglas went along for the ride.

surprising and theatrical quila.

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It’s impossible to arrive at Alila Uluwatu without catching your breath. Not because it’s much of a climb to the edge of the cliff on which it sits, but because of the view that leads from it, to what could easily be the edge of the world. It’s nothing less than astounding, and possibly the biggest reason why this design-driven resort is one of the sexiest properties in Bali, and as such graces countless magazine spreads.

Looking at the view isn’t my reason for visiting though. Rather I am about to be taken on what promises to be a sensory culinary journey by their Catalan chef, Marc Lores Panades. Seven months into the job, he has created a concept restaurant within the main restaurant, Cire, which takes diners on a journey that encompasses story telling, blindfolds, aromatherapy and even sound. Dive in, don’t wait, it promises to be an interesting dining experience.

Firstly let me say that this isn’t an undertaking you would want to rush, in fact you can’t. Ten courses play out as chapters in a story where service and food function together create the Five Senses dinner.

Encased in an air-conditioned dining area adorned with a series of old batik stamps around the high ceiling, the waitress begins with a story about St George and the dragon. The course is a cold gazpacho-inspired soup served in a dragon fruit with crunchy croutons on top. It is served with a beetroot mocktail complete with a beet-shaped ice cube. The dinner is designed to pair with fruit and vegetable drinks as the chef explains that in the absence of quality Balinese wine, he opted to match it with juices. Thankfully they will happily serve wine for those who prefer it. That would be us.

Alila as a group is committed to working with the local community and 99% of the menu is inspired by local produce. Olive oil and beef are the exceptions, and the wine of course, a lovely New Zealand pinot noir. The menu gives little hint of what is to come and the chef refuses to be drawn on the type of cuisine we can expect. Indeed it is a fusion of cooking techniques, local products, international inspiration and lots of local spices.

“When I was working overseas, the ingredients that I can find here cheaply were considered exotic and were very expensive. The kitchen staff have learned to appreciate their local products and we experiment a lot with dishes that combine my experience and theirs,” explains the chef.

The dishes will change according to what’s available, guest feedback and new ideas.

“Some people will love certain dishes, others not, so we continue to improve the menu, build on what we learn and try new things,” he continues.

The first dishes were largely vegetarian. One dish billed as beef carpaccio produced a twinkle in the eye of our waitress as she placed it on our table. “Is it or is it not?” she asks. Definitely not but it was a stand out on the night. Grilled slivers of watermelon dressed with pine nuts and parmesan wafers. It was fresh and delicious and the texture was fantastic. Much of what we ate early in the dinner is also cold, including the “beef” carpaccio and a startling carrot dish that combined carrots three ways in a pronounced play on sweet and sour.

The chef believes that every dish should include something sour or bitter as balance so there are pickles and foams that play off sweeter flavours. It is very complex and definitely surprising, chances are you have never imagined, let alone eaten, many dishes like these.

There are playful moments as well as serious ones as we travel through the sensory journey. See, taste, hear, feel and smell are all addressed with two

dishes each. One surprising moment included the waitress arriving with a blindfold and a shell. After donning the blindfold the guest is asked to hold the shell to his or her ear, producing the sound of the sea while a scent of the ocean is produced from the dish, which is revealed as a beautifully cooked charred rock lobster served on a bed of shells with a rich side of burratta and corn. The lobster was stunning, the side was rich and there’s a charming element of drama in the service of the dish.

Another involved a burner being set up with fresh herbs infusing black tea which was then poured over a bowl of potato balls, somewhere between gnocchi and bakso, the local soup sold on the roadside, the smokey dish was a little out there but this is a journey full of twists and turns.

Local spices and Balinese dishes play a major role in the menu of plates.

Those new to Bali will be introduced to tastes, dishes and flavours that may be new to them. Those who are familiar with local food will find many dishes blur the elements between street food and modern gastronomy but retain their original profile.

Sate lilit is one such dish. The fresh white fish is raw and marinated in ginger, galangal and lemongrass and topped with an ice cream inspired by a Balinese sambal. Deep fried shallots provide a textural element and a side of fresh lemongrass sits alongside. The fish is meltingly tender, the spices are up front but not overpowering, it’s a play on all the elements.

The cold courses melt into more substantial dishes and two breads appear during the meal, both incredibly light. One with sea salt and candlenut, a local nut used for thickening, the lightness testament to a skilled baker. The second, served with the lobster, is a tiny black roll created with squid ink and cheese. It sounds out there, it is out there, but it was delicious.

The final dish is a beef dish and the spice temperature is turned down for this one – a small but beautifully tender piece of slow-cooked beef with a traditional jus served with fresh garden vegetables.

It’s a lengthy process eating 10 courses and our dinner lasted almost three hours. Diners who start to feel the chill of the room are offered pashminas and the two waitresses servicing the 10 tables clearly enjoy the theatrics of the meal. The chef arrives from time to time to discuss the courses and the ingredients. It’s a dinner that’s designed to involve the guests as well as the staff.

Two desserts arrive and we were eliminating menu items as they arrived.

The Mutiara (pearl) was on the dessert list. A large glass filled with chunks of white chocolate meringue (I’m still guessing), strips of sea plants, with a tart yoghurt sauce that reveals a pearl-like ball of chocolate. The Uluwatu mushroom was the finale and I had guessed it; chocolate meringue shaped as a mushroom sits on a ball of hazelnut ice cream on a bed of nuts resembling earth.

This isn’t a dinner you would eat regularly, it’s fair to say it is unlike any other meal I’ve eaten, and as the chef suggested there were elements we loved and others not so much. Overall though, it’s an adventure that takes you places you may not have been. Modern in its conception, traditional in much of its flavours, it’s a surprising degustation from start to finish and well worth the commitment. www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/quila

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oral pleasures

spanish fly.

El Merkat – the perfect pit stop on the way to Uluwatu. photos: lucky 8.

The baby brother of El Kabron is a bright and lively diner where the focus is on food you can enjoy any time. Chef Agustin Baltzer, who is Argentinean by heritage but grew up in Madrid, has created a menu that gives El Merkat a sense of ethnicity that sets it apart from the local diners on the long road to Uluwatu.

The fare is simple yet vibrant and energetic. The café offers both indoor and outdoor seating, sofas for enjoying a chat over coffee, tall tables with bar stools to linger over their house-made sangrias and light wood tables to enjoy a more serious meal.

The staff and the chef gave us their suggestions and we followed them through.

Two salads gave us a measure of what the kitchen can do. A curried hummous was brilliant in a chickpea salad with fresh greens, home-dried tomatoes and crisp pita bread. The hummous was spiced to perfection while the unusual addition of curry didn’t overpower the garlic and sesame notes of the hummous. A large bowl will satisfy the hungry while still being fresh and light, and did I mention the garlic?

The second salad played off colour while also balancing sweet and salty flavours with chunks of grilled haloumi, nuggets of beetroot and mango with fresh, crisp green salad leaves. The dressing was balanced and fresh and not surprisingly the dish is billed as the ‘high contrast salad’.

Beyond the salads, the concise menu has some interesting offerings, including some Catalan specialties. El Merkat has a deli beside it where a range of imported meat from Spain will be sold among their house-made sausages, Spanish cheeses, dips including their home-made hummous, sauces and breads. If you like something on the menu, you can head next door and take some home.

Making their own products is at the heart of El Merkat, and offering genuine Spanish meat and cheese gives El Merkat a difference that shows.

The classic tomato-topped bread much loved by the Spanish comes with different toppings including the manchego cheese we tried. It looks like a pale version of cheese on toast but once you bite into the grilled bread topped with the fresh tomato

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spread, spiced once again with garlic, with the hard cheese on top, the simplicity and combination of simple flavours makes a lot of sense.

The sangria was ordered before we had even arrived and all that was left to us was to choose our particular poison. A classic red sangria for my friend, a lighter red berry one for me. A white sangria is also on the menu. The Sangria is cool on a hot day and packed a definite punch.

The menu is presented with a hint of humour and lots of Spanish. At heart a café, there are plenty of suggestions for breakfast including “The usual breakfast eggs’, and ‘the unusual all day eggs’. These include a Catalan scramble with their home-made sausages, garlic (of course) and white beans; or the Iberian sunny side up with homemade chorizo.

The toast, or tartine, comes with toppings that are purely Spanish including Iberico ham, cured manchego or butifarra blanca or negra – black or white pudding sausage on tomato bread.

There are bokatas, which we discover are sandwiches, including a Cuban pulled pork version, the home-made sausages and a “Fantastic” fried chicken version with sriracha sauce and sautéed mushrooms. Besides there is a menu of starters, soups and salads, a carpaccio selection alongside crudo platters and a small roasted menu offering beef, tuna or salmon.

Desserts are café standards and there are bakery items to choose from including croissants and muffins and plenty of fresh juices.

El Merkat is surely a welcome addition to Bukit residents as it’s different, lively and fresh. The deli beside will thrill local foodies as the pickings up this way are fairly run of the mill. El Merkat offers simple gourmet food at café prices. Ole.S.D. www.elmerkatbali.com

oral pleasures

bok bok

chicken dinner.

Chicken Brothers is real. Sarah Douglas goes cold turkey. Photos: Lucky 8.

Fans of Breaking Bad will no doubt get a kick out of the Chicken Brothers shop that has opened in Jl Dhyana Pura. There’s no sign of crazed Spanish-accented individuals, nor is there room for a meth lab, but the hint of a humorous connection remains.

all kinds of ways, from the French-style rotisserie chicken with stuffing and gravy to a char-grilled version with a choice of seasonings. On top of that there are chicken rolls, chicken salads, chicken hot dogs and Indian-inspired dishes, Indonesian favourites and a board of specials.

‘Los Pollos Hermanos’, the restaurant-star of the show, translates in bad Spanish as ‘chicken brothers’. The owner of Bali’s inspired chicken shop, and who knows how many others across the globe, is clearly a fan and his chicken shop alludes to the theme.

There’s a large list of home-made sauces and sides, from potatoes four ways to creamed spinach, buttered or southern style corn and enough spicy options to satisfy the local crowd.

Lunchtime at Chicken Brothers would seem very tame to the characters in the long-running hit series. The patrons are extremely well behaved, only one had a Bintang, many of the others were sucking on iced lollies for dessert, a grown-up version mind you.

The owner’s wife, Nora, is a delightful hostess and the spinning chickens on the rotisserie are as golden as birds should be. Chicken Brothers is a retirement project for the owners. Living in Perth they decided on a move to Bali and to keep them busy, a chicken shop. The world loves chicken so this is a fairly safe choice.

Franchise moves are talked about but first the little diner is focusing on getting things right. The choice is large for such a small shop. There’s chicken offered

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Street-side is where the chickens roast and the smell is irresistible to lovers of the bird. Chicken Brothers offers air-conditioned seating inside and upstairs, where large televisions play popular sports events and there is an outside bar for hanging out and watching the world go by.

Keeping it simple is harder than it looks in Indonesia, yet these guys seem to have covered all the basics with a few frills and more than a bit of home-style charm.

The food is fresh, arrives hot and the portions are enough to keep the biggest case of the munchies happy. Throw in a gourmet iced lolly and there is lunch or dinner sown up; quick, easy, hot and fresh. How we like our chickens to roll. www.facebook.com/chickenbrothersbali

WELCOME TO THE FIRST HAUTE COUTURE BRUNCH

Available every Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm at Cut Catch Cucina.

Starts from IDR 499,000++ • •

Complimentary for kids under 12 years old Free access to the pool

ITDC Complex lot N5, Bali 80363 | +62 361 849 2888 | H9078-FB11@sofitel.com | www.sofitel.com sofitelbalinusadua

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oral pleasures

Down Mexico Way taco beach bali is hot stuff. S.D heads south.

Whilst a certain Donald tries to build a wall, here in Bali we have a Bob insisting on building bridges … both, funnily enough, have a Mexican connection. But that is were the similarity comes to an abrupt halt!

Bob Nicksic, founder of one of our favourite restorantes Mejicanos en Bali has been building those bridges for six years. Taco Beach Grill is his venue and he has been crossing borders, rivers and seas, boldly going where no taco has gone before. Ever.

Opening 9am to midnight (with the kitchen closing its blinds around 11 pm) you can scramble out of bed in the morning and chow down on a breakfast of Chilaquiles with Egg, Steak and Huevos, Breakfast tacos or a Good Morning Breakfast Burrito plate.

Midday sees the start of TBG’s first Happy Hour, 2-6pm with Margaritas at IDR40.000 and small Bintangs at IDR20.000; how inclusional and diplomatic is that?

Pumpkin-yellow walls with ladrillo-visto sport coloured-tile tables and a skull or two; it’s Mexican taqueria to a T. Spicy is as spicy does, and here Bob wants to transport you over that wall on pure firepower. Freshly made seasonal salsas, green sauce (not that hot) Habanero sauce (hot) and Extreme hot sauce (very hot and displayed in a dropper bottle labeled “Not right in the Head’) all open your palate to the tangy and unique flavours of Bob’s menu.

side to its menu. Apart from the Mexican classics that some know and love, the menu also offers Asian accents to this Central American cuisine. Nachos Supreme vs Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Crema; Carne Asada Beef Tenderloin; Quesadilla vs Tofu Chorizo Bean and Rice Plate (one of the vegan friendly dishes).

The pieza de resistencia is the Taco Bar with a very democratic “build’em yourself” attitude. Four people, eight tacos with a choice of Chicken, Carne Asada or Babi Guling (Bali’s Suckling Pig) and a myriad of sour cremas, Pico de Gallo, fresh coriander, Mexican rice, sliced cabbage, guacamole, salsas red and green and unlimited seasonal salsas … he couldn’t be more generous and inviting.

Then there are the Gluten-free tacos – the crispy and the soft variety – burritos and chimichangas, all with lush meat or vegetable fillings hailing from Texas, San Diego, Bali and of course Mexico … over the border flavours!

On the drinks menu with the second set of Happy Hours going from 9-11, expect Sangrias, Baja Brain Freezes and tequila. With an off-the-menu line of ice creams that are hand-crafted by Bob himself … we won’t tell you the flavours, it’s up to you to come, cross the bridge into Taco Beach Grill – funnily enough not located near the beach, although if you ask nicely he’ll even come and cook for you and your tribe in your casa as he’s all geared up for in-villa catering.

Hey, hermano any ideas where I left my sombrero?

Bob curates TBG’s menu with the love of a mother hen, and being the all-inclusive and welcoming guy that he is, TBG has a comprehensive vegan, gluten-free and healthy

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www.tacobeachgrill.com

oral pleasures

what the truck

roll up roll up . . . to the vw combi at Courtyard by Marriot Bali Seminyak.

open for business.

What The Truck? It’s marketing genius … and Courtyard by Marriott Bali Seminyak has landed this gem of an idea into the lap of Seminyak. Yes, food trucks have been around for a while, and according to The New York Times magazine, can be traced back to 1872 when Walter Scott cut some windows into the side of his van and sold sandwiches and pies to journalists on deadlines … so we at The Yak feel very beholden to Walter, and to the US of A! Same era, but on the other side of the world, Indonesia was already town-crying their “kaki lima” (Indonesian for five legs – or to clarify three legs – two of which are human and one of which is wood, plus two wheels) these mobile food maestros have been plying their wares up and down narrow streets, ever-expanding the idea of meals on wheels to suburbia and beyond.

But back to What The Truck; parked curbside by the Courtyard’s lobby, it serves up tangy fusion tacos and wraps accompanied by either a cold Bintang, a chilled Albens cider or a crushed-ice Mojito. What a combination; sounds better than a Starsky and Hutch episode and tastes better than eggs and bacon! From 8am10pm the gloved-up WTT Team fulfills our cravings for fresh, frozen and fabulous.

Breakfast burritos come with an espresso, cappuccino or café latte by Illy Coffee or even a chilled Bootstrap (cold brew coffee). Midday, order up a Combo (a beef taco + a chicken taco + a margarita for a mere 100k nett). Maybe you’d prefer the babi guling taco or the chicken pelalah wrap? Wrap or taco? Mayo, sambal or cheese?

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But what about the thirst? Beer or cocktail? Mojito, Long Island, Mexijito, Caipiroska or Margarita. Or you could just quench your thirst with a mocktail.

A team of four, led by the energetic Heri, with iPod playlist pumping, run this 1984 VW Combi with flair and panache. They can been seen at beach festivals, private parties, at food truck gatherings and even in some out-of-the-way spots, as What The Truck and the team are totally up for catering to your private party or event.

On a side note, What The Truck is about to turn one, and in the upcoming anniversary month it has invited like-minded trucks to come and celebrate its first birthday with a Food Truck Block Party. The party is on; the invites have been sent out. Eight to 10 trucks are heading to the corner next to Courtyard by Marriott Bali Seminyak (on Jl. Dhyana Pura) and they will gather. Expect music, dance and Dj’s and an across-the-truck food styles. (Slated for either March 12th or 18th TBC check into The Yak Group page on FB for more info nearer the date).

What the Truck likes to party in typical Yak style, so do expect another party sometime in August if you miss this one in March. Until then Taco On and ‘May The Yak be with you’. S.D.

www.facebook.com/whatthetruckbali

oral pleasures

hipStark Ondy Sweeting goes gaga for craft beer Stark.

Stark Dark Wheat Beer This is a melange of Flemish red ale and Germany’s famous dunkelweizen – or dark ale. With elaborate tastes of multi-level malt this beer often tastes like cloves and tropical fruits such as bananas. Expect this drop to be dark and murky from the yeast. Drink it with any roasted meat, particularly chicken. It’s also wonderful with Dutch cheeses.

Deep in northern Bali the village of Banyuning Selatan is the epicentre of premium craft beer production in Indonesia – and it is creating a product so fine that Canggu hipsters and artisanloving gastronomes are hopping with delight.

Stark is the six-year-old beer baby of friends Bona Budhisurya and Jacob Surynata, who have determined to develop a world class Indonesian craft beer. It’s not surprising given that Jacob was raised in Austria, speaks fluent German and loves brewing.

Mango Ale This delicately sweet tropical beer is fabulous when served super cold on a hot day. It is light with a cloudy golden tinge and a moderate crown. It is very refreshing and easy on the palate. Mango Ale is perfect paired with salads and casual dining such as Mexican or BBQ seafood.

The duo’s approach to brewing is grounded in a philosophy that rejects chemicals and preservatives, uses thrice filtered spring water, high quality hops from Australia, yeast from Europe and sources superb malt from all over the globe. Importantly a heavy dose of passion is apparent in each of the seven varieties of Stark beer.

Given this perfect storm of quality, creativity and devotion, Stark beers have appeared on the menus on some of Bali’s culinary heavy hitters.

The low carb and low sugar beer – LC Lager – is Potato Head’s house beer and it’s on the menu at the stand out Indonesian restaurant Merah Putih, the French diner Metis, the world class Lacavore in Ubud and its cocktail bar Night Rooster, Biku restaurant and the five star resorts Double Six, Alila, the Mulia and Jimbaran’s Ayana.

Lychee Ale This is a fruity and lightly sweet beer that has fresh flavours, a golden colour and strong lychee taste that is not dissimilar to lychee ice tea. Pair it with fruit salad, fried chicken or sushi for a sensational lunch.

artisanal at last.

Stark LC Lager Dieters will adore this brew since it is low carbohydrate and low sugar at a ratio of 3:1. With full body flavours and health benefits, the LC Lager is the beautiful blond of the collection with less than 35% carb content and calories compared to standard lager. The hops bring a subtle bitterness, which goes well with fish, prawns and everything vegan.

While this may sound like a coup for the company, the fact is that Stark beer is fresh, produced in quality controlled small batches and has been taken to a market that is desperate to sample something other than the big commercial brands of lager. Stark is also educating the staff of every client with tastings and varietal characteristics, food pairing, flavours and even how to pour properly. This effort is paying off with its star rising on the gourmet scene.

Stark Indonesian Pale Ale This IPA tastes like summer with plenty of hops that give it a delicious aroma and flavour.

It is a tribute to the Indian Pale Ale that was produced by the British Raj in India. It is marginally bitter, quite malty and a little bit sweet with a medium body and lots of hops.

Drink it with spicy food, which is perfect for Indonesian dishes. It’s fabulous with babi guling – Balinese roast pork.

Stark – which means ‘strong’ in German – has honed a line of house-brewed suds starting with its flagship label Stark Wheat Beer. The brew master explored, tested, tried and developed a light beer, dark beer, fruit beer, a pilsner and local pale ale.

Stark Wheat Beer This is the brewer’s mother lode artisanal beer created by Stark’s original Hungarian master brewer and is Bali’s favourite craft beer. This is a wheat beer tailor made for the tropics with tones of yeast, fruit and spice with tingling bubbles bursting with a subtle and citrusy pomelo tang. Match it with salads, soups and sushi.

1945 Pilsner This is created from a mix of barley and high quality Balinese rice and delivers a complex range of flavours. It is reminiscent of popular Japanese beers due to its composition of rice. It goes well with any rice dish particularly nasi kuning and corn on the cob.

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www.stark-beer.co.id

AVAILABLE ON ICE AT FINER VENUES ACROSS BALI. @VEUVECLICQUOT

big six

sarah douglas goes on a dinner date for two.

Teatro Lovers of fine food will love Teatro, the intimate diner which launched chef Mandif Warokka as one of Bali’s most exciting, and busiest, chefs. The lights are low, the atmosphere is hushed, despite a full open kitchen, and the food is a revelation. Delicious from the tiny amuse bouche which marks the beginning of the degustation dinner to the jewel-like petit four that arrive at the end. It’s easy to hide away and enjoy some private moments in the candlelit dining room at the back, or snuggle up in the plush booths. The service is crisp yet friendly and distractions are few. If required a trip to watch the well-trained kitchen staff perform small miracles can be a welcome sidebar. The food may be fancy but degustation come in a variety of courses and while the food stakes are high, things are kept crisp but casual.

Tel. 085101700078 www.teatrobali.com Yak Map P.8

kudos and has won back the hearts of Japanese food lovers. Perhaps best of all the second generation has opened their own separate chapters, Kajin and Rajin, on the property drawing away the younger, rowdier crowds with their modern tepanyaki and sushi restaurants. Separated by a softly lit pool, surrounded by gardens, Dahana is now a peaceful paradise for those who want a quiet, intimate corner to catch up.

The restaurant is decorated in old school Bali with a touch of Japan, the menu is a beautiful representation of various schools of Japanese gastronomy and it is so discreet, you almost have to search for it. That is despite the handy location on Jl Petitenget. It’s a beautiful destination for a dinner for two but more are welcome.

Head to one of the other two venues if the silence becomes disturbing, Rajin, by contrast, offers a boisterous welcome to all guests.

Tel. 081238604621 www.dahanabali.com Yak Map L.5

Room4Dessert If chocolate is the food of love then Room4Dessert may be responsible for a great many make-ups and more than likely an offspring or two. The air-conditioned dining room where dessert degustation reigns is full of moody moments, from the low lights to the smooth blues and jazz played on the turntable. The cocktails here are justifiably famous for their stringent dedication to doing the classics well (this is a favourite after work haunt for the local chefs). Pairing dessert with their alcoholic suggestions is well advised. Then there is nothing at all to do but carry on with your private moments and enjoy what can only be called a truly unique experience with sweet interludes throughout. It’s hard to resist kicking on to the wine garden at the back and if you’re in luck there may be live music, a little cheese and more of those wickedly good cocktails.

Tel. 081236662806 www.room4dessert.asia

Fat Gajah Oh, how we love Fat Gajah, the little street-side noodle and dumpling house has won our hearts for its French bistro-style interiors, its small but delicious menu and the cocktails that have always been a part of Chef Agung’s repertoire. (Fat Gajah is the baby of the Chandi/Arang Sate Bar family). Fat Gajah is located street side in main street Seminyak and it’s the perfect spot for a drop in with a friend, or friends.

There’s plenty on the menu to share, not to mention the jugs of cocktails that are a perfect way to savour an indulgent afternoon. The menu lends itself to sharing, with a range of tapas style dishes and tasting platters. Fat Gajah is a light-hearted interpretation of the Chinese delicacies that inspire it. The similarities end there, with creative fillings for the steamed or fried dumplings, delicious noodle combinations and some lighter selections that tip the balance towards full flavour. Bring a friend and grab a small table and solve all the problems of the world, it is a delightful repast.

Tel: 8688212 www.fatgajah.com Yak Map T.8

Kura Kura at The Oberoi bali The Oberoi is yet another resort in Bali where every corner is full of romantic possibilities. The Bali charm whispers on the ocean breeze across the stunning landscaped gardens of the resort and infuses the experience. Kura Kura is the Oberoi’s evenings-only restaurant and thus it serves a varied crowd for dinner. The open-air gazebo with views across the beautifully lit resort is romantic, serene and memorable, while choosing Chef Enrico’s suggested menu is a revelation. It’s easy to find a quiet corner to simply enjoy a private chat or celebrate romance at Kura Kura. An a la carte menu is offered as well for those in search of a more casual dining experience, with Indian, Indonesia and Western choices on offer. Despite being in the centre of Seminyak, the seaside resort and its signature restaurant is off the well beaten track and a perfect hideaway. The food is also in the “amazing” category.

Tel. 730361 www.oberoihotels.com/hotels-in-bali/restaurants/kura-kura Yak Map O.9 Dahana Dahana is a bit of an institution in Bali and closing down for renovations caused ripples of disappointment among its many fans. The upgrade however has earned it

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Frestro Despite its large size, the layout of Frestro on Jl Petitenget is filled with discreet corners for a little tête-à-tête, a business conversation or a romantic dinner for two. The large oval bar at the entrance is perfect for sidling up to enjoy one of the island’s top bartenders as he earns his stripes. The bar is ringed with comfortable booths for those who want to enjoy a street view. The main dining room is air conditioned and discreet for more formal dinners, while food lovers can choose a table overlooking the kitchen to enjoy the culinary theatrics in the sparkling open kitchen. Frestro’s menu focuses on fresh, local ingredients with a little magic thrown in by the talented kitchen team. Indulge in great breakfast combos, easy lunches and casual dinners that include highlights like their house-made pasta and delicious gourmet pizzas. It may be hard to say but it is easy to find and full of quiet areas made for intimate dining.

Tel: 9345 888 www.frestro.co.id Yak Map P.4

oral pleasures

entrecote entre nous.

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MyWarung warms up the berawa and echo beach neighbourhoods with great food at a great price. god bless them both. Photos: Lucky 8.

The sign outside of MyWarung in Berawa could well read,

The couple next to us (the tables are small and close

‘welcome to the neighborhood’. It’s friendly, charming

together, adding to the intimacy of this venue), who

and inviting. The music plays out jazz and blues, the

were having the pork chops, didn’t have a lot of time

décor is simple but pretty and the food is a surprise, it’s

to say much between bites and blissful sound effects,

really good.

but hardly needed to say they enjoyed their meal.

There’s nothing outside to really give that away. On

Meat is a highlight here, (although don’t turn away yet

passing, a small terrace sits at the front while a modest

vegetarians). Cooked over coconut charcoal there is

sign alerts you to the presence of MyWarung, but then

another steak with a higher price tag, a crispy skinned

the doors open and diners are enveloped in the intimate

chicken thigh, the lamb and pork chops, all served with

space. By day, MyWarung is a café serving better than

hand cut chips, a green salad and a choice of sauces.

average breakfast. Lunch and dinner is serviced by a small but delicious menu designed by a former Michelinstarred restaurant chef, French Canadian Hugo Coudurier.

A youthful and dynamic entrepreneur from Jakarta,

The pork chops almost won me over, marinated in coconut sugar and mustard, they did look tempting.

French-Canadian chef Hugo has worked in celebrated kitchens across Europe and the United States,

the well-travelled Juan opened MyWarung with the help

his brief was to create a small menu to satisfy both

of friends. Many of them are former hotel staff who were

Western and Asian tastes, with an emphasis on high

convinced to join a more modest enterprise. The service

quality meat. Mentoring and training the local staff has

therefore has the backbones of experience but in a far

clearly worked a treat as the food comes out nicely plated

more casual setting; everyone working there seems to

with a home-style charm and it tastes great. All you can

have let out a huge sigh of relief and is rediscovering the

really ask for, but there is more to MyWarung and it is

joy of hospitality on a more personal basis.

definitely a sense of neighborhood, a charm that can’t be

It’s a little like an Indonesian version of the Cheers bar where everyone knows each other, people at adjoining

designed or tailored. It’s real.

For lunch, drop-ins will love the salad menus.

tables compare their meals and the staff greet guests in a

Indonesian dishes we can’t live without include mie

crisp but laidback way. MyWarung on Jl Subak Sari seats

goreng and nasi goreng, or the burgers, wraps and

only 40 guests at most, 20 downstairs and another 20 in a

sandwiches served with fries and salad. The host in

mezzanine upstairs. It’s cosy.

The Australian entrecote is the star of the show here and people are talking about it. At just Rp150,000 (no ++), it’s a complete meal with a perfectly cooked 250g Australian rib eye blackened on the outside, pink and

the Berawa MyWarung, Kass, is a former Ritz-Carlton employee who was lured back to the hospitality industry after a long hiatus as a photographer.

He greets you at the door, pops by to make sure everything is going well and knows all the regular

tender inside. It’s served with hand cut chips, bearnaise

guests. Little wonder that MyWarung has already opened

sauce and a crisp green salad with walnuts dressed in

another chapter in Echo Beach and plans to open in

a mustardy vinaigrette. The price is a draw but you’d be

Jakarta and Surabaya soon.

happy to get a steak cooked this well for double the price. I couldn’t fault it.

My partner in dining doesn’t fancy blood so she chose the lamb chops, ‘suitably charred, please’. She loved

The restaurant is a gathering place as much as a food outlet and MyWarung has incorporated all the best aspects, made it a comfortable, pretty place to eat and hang out and added a little charisma to the mix. The

it as well, served with rosemary potatoes and vegetables

neighborhood just got a new favourite. S.D.

and three lovely lamb cutlets for Rp150,000. Game on.

www.mywarung.com

hood wise.

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spa out

ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT Mary Justice Thomasson-Croll laments the state of the world and experiences greatness at The Samaya Ubud.

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Suffice to say that after recent world events I’ve been a bit down in the mouth in our beloved Bali. Here’s a clue: I’ve ordered a hat that says “Make America Great Britain Again”.

If we are to survive these traumatic times ahead it’s best to take an occasional digital detox and emulate how the locals truly live in the moment. As we all know Balinese Hindus spend every day carefully balancing the forces of good and evil with a multitude of colourful religious ceremonies and daily delightful offerings. It’s a democratic process and a careful balancing act between the mind, body and spirit.

I needed an altitude adjustment to help with my attitude and I found it just an hour’s drive from Seminyak at the perfectly positioned resort, The Samaya Ubud. Taking eight years to build due to its pole position between the lively and active Ayung and Lauh rivers, Samaya enjoys spectacular deep valley views over rice terraces and is a tropical nirvana of flowers and fauna.

The hotel retains a heartfelt reverence for the local community that begins at the top with convivial GM Wayan Suambara and the presiding banjar Baung and extends to the majority of the staff who come from the local Bongkasa village. Pride is taken in showing off their neighbourhood and GM Suambara leads his team by empowering the staff, ensuring that the guests’ experience is a natural extension of the famous Balinese hospitality. Butler service is on call 24/7 and requests are met with pleasurable, friendly politeness.

The Samaya Ubud also helps ensure the local subak runs smoothly, with its complex water management systems sustaining a harmonious relationship with the natural and spiritual world through an intricate series of rituals, offerings and artistic performances. Furthering their commitment to the community The Samaya Ubud gives locals free and easy access to their natural spring water source for their daily use.

Tranquillity triumphs here and after checking into my villa with its private pool, cabana and shade of flowering frangipani trees, it was tempting to just shut out the world with a slam of the front door. The perfectly appointed private villa is complete with 500 thread count sheets, down pillows, warm woods and rattan, a spacious living area and well-lit bathrooms complete with oversized terrazzo Jacuzzis for a hearty soak. You can choose from five types of villa accommodations at The Samaya Ubud, varying from hill-side to river-side locations. All are sublime.

Still slightly tense from the state of world affairs, I headed to the spa for a three-hour Balinese Energizing ritual that begins with a gentle flower-filled foot wash, a deep tissue hot stone massage in which smooth warmed rocks collected from the river’s edge glide across your body in long flowing strokes. You can feel your muscles starting to relax and your mind unwind. The aptly named therapy room has full frontal views of the river gorge and you can maximize your time by lounging by the spa pool and watching the Balinese preform their daily adulations. Bliss.

Beginning to get my appetite back I indulged in a divine dinner at Swept Away where I was blown away by Chef Nyoman Wiratma’s Ayam Panggang with Sambal Matah (free range chicken with a spicy secret sauce), an old family recipe he learned from his older brother.

After a peaceful sleep in a totally serene environment I joined the impossibly delightful Kadek Anto (who grew up in the compound next door to the resort) for a pleasurable day peddling around his hometown.

As we headed out of the hotel I opened my eyes to chance encounters and serendipity and was mindful of the magic of Bali. We stopped in at the Moksa restaurant with its Saturday morning organic market and in a local gallery to pick up a painting of a pastoral Ubud farming scene that looked as if it had been in the gallery for decades.

Kind Kadek insisted on cleaning it when we returned to the hotel and it now has pride of place in my own guest bathroom, back in the land we are told will once again be great. As we made our way back to the hotel we encountered a group of women tending to their harvest in unison and I was moved by the simplistic state of affairs. It’s hard to believe there can actually be anything greater than this.

bliss at the samaya ubud.

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LIVIN G ...

WITHO SG FA L L I N LOVE WITU HT G LAWAL MPILN

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brands

soft sell With 70 employees, 200 products and trademarks in 40 coun tries, Sensatia Botanicals is taking Bali to the world, writes stephanie mee. photos: lucky 8.

clean dreams.

Sensatia Botanicals is a self-proclaimed ‘feel-good company’, and if you’ve ever used any of their divine all-natural products made with local ingredients like Bali cinnamon, lime, lemongrass and sea salt, then you’ve definitely experienced the ‘feel-good’ glow afterwards. But dig a little deeper into the history of the brand, and it soon becomes apparent that Sensatia is much more than just a luxe natural body care company.

The wheels for Sensatia were set in motion when a young Michael R. Lorenti Jr. washed up on the shores of Jasri, Karangasem, in East Bali by way of New York, Arizona, Colorado and California. He was lured to Bali by the tropical surf and ended up becoming enchanted with the small fishing village on a black sand beach, and more importantly with the villagers, who would soon become family to him.

Michael says: “When I first got to this part of the island, the local crew was just amazing. They were so incredibly friendly, fun, entertaining and ready to go anywhere with just the shirt on their back (and give you the shirt off their back).

This definitely made for some really ridiculous times back in the day, so of course I wanted to figure out how we could build something together … a vehicle by which to siphon some of the world’s affluence into this little tropical oasis.”

Sensatia Botanicals was formed in 2000 with just three employees making handmade soaps from native ingredients available around the island. Pretty soon requests for other products were rolling in, and just 18 months later, the company

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employed 23 Balinese people to help develop and produce body, face and bath products.

“Almost right out of the starting gate we were picked up by a large US chain store group who placed large orders with us on a pretty regular basis,” says Michael. “This really helped us to generate the capital we needed to expand. Then 9/11 happened and virtually all US foreign trade just halted. We had to look at other markets and luckily some Japanese surf friends of ours were interested in distributing Sensatia in Japan. That kept us moving forward, helping to keep our head above water while other opportunities seemed to pop up one after another.”

Another aspect that contributed to the company’s success was the fact that from the beginning Michael set up the firm as a profit-sharing cooperation, so the employees are 20 per cent shareholders in the business. In this way, the villagers are very much invested in the company and as a result the whole community benefits.

Community also helps drive the brand forward when it comes to product development. Michael says: “We generally create a product out of sheer necessity, trying to fill a product gap that perhaps we don’t fill at the moment. Besides that we also really listen to our customers, as they tend to lead us in the right direction (thank you everyone for your post comments, we do listen).”

Once a product idea has been hatched, Michael works with a pharmacist to draw up a rough composition, chooses natural ingredients that support the

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planned function, and works with the production team to whip up samples. Then the samples are taken to the Sensatia lab for stability testing, pH testing, plate counts and viscosity testing.

If all is good, the team will source the freshest ingredients to create batches, which are then checked by the pharmacist to ensure they meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. As it stands, Sensatia Botanicals is the only GMP certified cosmetic company in Bali.

Michael says: “It was really important for me to try achieve the highest level of certification required by the Indonesian government, virtually going above and beyond what is required by law in the cosmetic industry.

“Boy was that a lesson in crossing your T’s and dotting your I’s, but our company has been noted as a result. In fact, there is talk of coming to photograph our facility and the GMP procedures and systems we use in order to create a government type manual of how to make a proper medium-scale cosmetic production facility.

“Besides that, there are many foreign countries that require GMP Certificate for cosmetic materials to be imported into their country, including the entire Middle East, Europe, many Asian countries and even Indonesia. It’s a great feeling to know that because of the international GMP standard we apply, every single drop of raw material and every single unit of a final product can be tracked and traced.

That’s a pretty settling thought.”

Sensatia Botanicals now boasts a talented team of 70 people and creates 136

over 200 products that are trademarked in over 40 countries. You can find their products in boutiques around the island, as well as in world-class hotels like The Katamama, Alila Hotels & Resorts, Mandapa Ritz-Carlton, Kayumanis and the W Retreat & Spa Bali, to name just a few. And while they are always working on expanding the business, in true Sensatia style it’s more about making a difference in the world than just raking in the money.

For the last 10 years, Sensatia has been involved in the 1% For the Planet organisation, which was created by Yvon Chouinard, founder of the Patagonia outdoor clothing company. Companies in the program pledge to donate one per cent of their total annual sales to the environmental program of their choice. Recently Michael began to think about how this concept could apply to Indonesia specifically.

He says: “This year Sensatia will be developing 1% For Indo, a non-profit organisation that will focus on helping to fulfil basic human needs, then moving into education and eventually health and fitness. Our Earth can become healthy again when its inhabitants are healthy, cared for and educated. Even if Sensatia is the only company to make the 1% For Indo pledge, that will make me very happy, but if we can get some other big companies on board giving a bit back, then I will be as happy as a clam.”

And that is definitely something to feel good about. www.sensatia.com

THE YAK AWARDS The Yak Awards 2016 – held at LV8 Bali Resort Hotel – did what it promised … we blew the bloody doors off for 700 of Bali’s best and brightest!

party on.

The gala party cum award ceremony was held on Friday, December 2, 2016 at Vue Beach Club at the LV8 Bali Resort Hotel in Canggu and was themed as “The British Invasion”, celebrating the golden era of British music and fashion.

We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who came, saw and conquered in what was the highlight party of the year. And of course a big shout out to all our sponsors! See you in 2017 …

AND THE WINNERS WERE (drumroll)…

• Best Newcomer – Shanghai Baby • Best Photographer – Ev Jenya Nunyakpe • Best Designer (Fashion/Accessories) – Arturro Eggo • Best Social Media – Lee Stone – Secret Bali Life • Best Restaurant – Sardine • Best Bar – Red Carpet – Champagne Bar 138

• Best Chef – Ben Cross Ku De Ta / Mejekawi • Best Sunset – Finn’s Beach Club Canggu • Best Retail Space – Bungalow • Best Resort/Hotel – Alila Seminyak • Best Villa – Villa Tamarama, The Ungasan Clifftop Resort • Best Ad Campaign – Deus Ex Machina • Best Brand Award (Bali-based only) – Motel Mexicola • Best Event – Bali DIVAS Lunch with Polly Petrie • Yak Man of the Year Award – Helmut Roessler • Yak Woman of the Year Award – Morgana Reid • Best Community Services Award – Solemen • Outstanding Achievement – Ni Nengah Widiangsih – Bronze medals (various) winner Paraolympics 2016 Rio for Indonesia.

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fashion freestyle

www.religionclothing.com

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fashion freestyle

www.deuscustoms.com

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www.bambooblonde.com

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fashion freestyle

www.bythesea.co.id

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www.dhatrijewellery.com

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fashion freestyle

www.biasagroup.com

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www.paulropp.com

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fashion freestyle

www.dimasfashion.com

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A BEACH FRONT LUXURY COLONIAL RESORT, YOUR NEW HOME ADDRESS WHERE ELEGANCE RESIDES Discover the essence of Balinese hospitality at Rumah Luwih, a Bali beachfront luxury hotel. Designed by noted architect Hadiprana. Rumah Luwih is a private lavish residence that is magniďŹ cently styled after a classic colonial Indonesian mansion.

A philosophy that is reected in the name Luwih, meaning "more", more than just a house, we are a home. At Rumah Luwih, a Bali beachfront luxury resort, we combine the service of a resort with the intimate comfort of a home. A stay at Rumah Luwih feels like your favorite vacation retreat, from sunrise walks on the beach to delicious home-cooked meals, and outings to the many major cultural and eco-tourism attractions nearby.

Jl Prof. Ida Bagus Mantra, Km 19.9. Gianyar, Bali Phone: +62 361 2005899 | Direct line: +62 361 2005888 | Email: reservations@rumahluwih.com

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advertiser's directory

EVENT ORGANISER Pro Motion Events Tel: +623614725190 www.pro-motion-events.com Page 121

HEALTH, SPAS & SALONS Cocoon Medical Spa Tel: +628113882240/41 www.cocoonmedicalspa.com Page 37 Yak Map E.7 Kaiana Spa Tel: +62361730562/737067 www.kaianaspa.com Page 133 Yak Map V.11 Kayu Manis Tel: +62361705777 www.kayumanis.com Page 135 Soham Tel: +62361739090 www.sohamwellnesscenter.com Page 52 Yak Map R.5 Spoiled Tel: +62 3618475141/+62 81999288555 www.spoiledhairdressers.com Yak Directory Page 8 Yak Map G.1

Lv8 Resort Hotel Bali Tel: +62 361 8948888 www.lv8bali.com Page 137 Yak Map.J.1 Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali Tel: +62 361 4725777 www.movenpick.com Page Back Inside Cover Rumah Luwih Beach Resort Tel: +623612005888/99 www.rumahluwih.com Page 149 Sandat Glamping Tel: +623618946388 www.glampingsandat.com Page 132 Sofitel Hotel & Resort Tel: +623618492888 www.sofitel.com Page 119 Suarga Padang Padang Tel: +623614725088 www.suargapadangpadang.com Page 74 The Trans Resort Bali Tel: +623618981234 www.transresortbali.com Page 83 Yak Map V.7 HOTELS & VILLAS The Anvaya Beach Resort Bali Alila Manggis Tel: +62361759991 www.alilahotels.com/manggis www.santika.com/id/indonesia/kuta/ Page 4-5 anvaya-beach-resorts-bali/ Alila Seminyak Page 106 Yak Map C.13 www.alilahotels.com/seminyak The Gangsa Page 4-5 Yak Map. N.5 www.thegangsa.com Alila Ubud Page 135 www.alilahotels.com/ubud The Samaya Ubud Page 4-5 Tel: +62361973606 Alila Villas Uluwatu www.thesamayabali.com www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu Page 105 Page 4-5 The Ungasan Clifftop Resort Bali Handara Golf Tel: +623618482111 Tel: +62 361 288944 www.theungasan.com www.handaragolfresort.com Page 33 Page 133 W Hotel Bali National Golf Resort Tel: +623614738106 Tel: +62361771791 www.wretreatbali.com www.balinational.com Page 23 Yak Map K.4 Page 24-25 Fairmont MISCELLANEOUS Tel: +623613011888 Babayaga Tattoo Studio Canggu Bali www.fairmont.com/sanur-bali Tel: +6281238429702 Page 53 Page 55 Yak Map N.1 Hu’u Villas Bali Landscape Tel: +623618499130 Tel: +6281805661227 www.huuvillasbali.com www.balilandscapecompany.com Page 107 Yak Map N.5 Yak Directory Page 6 Yak Map P.1 Karma Beach Gili Meno Bali Photo Booth Tel: +62370630982/+623618482202 www.baliphotobooth.com www.karmaclub.com Yak Directory Page 4 www.karmabeach.com Mahallati Interior Design Page Front Inside Cover Tel: +623617122488

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www.mhllt.com Page 17 Yak Map Y.11 Nusa Cana Tropical Island Rum www.nusacana.com Page 123 Third Millennia Health Tel +62361737317 www.thirdmillenniahealth.com Yak Directory Page 2 Yak Map Z.1 Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne Page 125 Yak Map F.10 Waterbom Bali Tel +62361755676 www.waterbom-bali.com Page 63 Yak Map C.12

PROPERTY Elite Havens www.elitehavens.com Page 1

Yak Map P.8

The Bistrot Tel: +62361738308/7162325 www.bistrot-bali.com Page 19 Yak Map S.8 The Butchers Club Tel: +623618974004 www.thebutchers.club/steakhouse-bali Page 121 Yak Map Q.3 The Lawn Canggu Tel: +623613351055 www.thelawncanggu.com Page 117 Yak Map N.1

SHOPS Bamboo Blonde www.bambooblonde.com Page 27 Yak Map S.8, U.11 Biasa www.biasagroup.com Page 8-9 Yak Map V.12

By The Sea RESTAURANTS & BARS www.bythesea.co.id Akua Bali Page 35 Yak Map T.8, V.9, V.12 Tel: +62361709071 Deus Ex Machina www.akuabali.com www.deuscustoms.com Page 62 Page 6-7 Yak Map O.8 Azul Beach Club Bali Dhatri Jewellery Tel: +62361765759 Tel: +62361285806 www.azulbali.com www.dhatrijewellery.com Page 31 Yak Map.C.9 Page 2 Yak Map G.12 Chicken Brothers Kapal Laut Tel: +623619345056 /+6282144462426 www.kapal-laut.com www.chickenbro.com Page 135 Yak Map T.14 Page 127 Yak Map. S.11 Malamadre Da Maria Bali www.malamadremotorcyles.com Tel: +6282237733099 Yak Directory Page 3 Yak Map O.1 www.damariabali.com Paul Ropp Page 15 Yak Map. T.3 Tel: +62361701202/735613/730212/730023/ El Kabron 974369 Tel: +6285100803416 www.paulropp.com www.elkabron.com Page Back Cover Yak Map T.8 Page 75 Periplus Grow Bali www.periplus.com Tel: +623618947908 Page 151 Yak Map F.13/P.7 www.growbali.com Religion Page 21 Yak Map Q.3 www.religionclothing.com Ku De Ta Page 10 Yak Map S.8/T.7 Tel: +62361736969 Sensatia Botanicals www.kudeta.com Tel: +62363 23260/+623614741927/ 762960/ Page 3

Yak Map N.8 728563 Motel Mexicola www.sensatia.com Tel: +62361736688 Page 29 Yak Map P.7 www.motelmexicola.com Sunbrella Page 13

Yak Map N.6 www.sunbrella.com/yak Naughty Nuri’s Page 95 Tel: +623618476783 Warisan Furniture www.naughtynurisseminyak.com Tel: +62361730048 Page 57 Yak Map.W.5 www.warisan.com Queen’s Tandoor Page 11 Yak Map U.7 Tel: +62361732770/765988 www.bali.queenstandoor.com Page 151 Yak Map.B.13/T.10

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astroyak

moodofthemoment

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

There’s a strange duality going on – abundance and restriction at the same time. Do you have what it takes? Displays of personal wealth abound while Rome burns and London Bridge falls down. Infrastructure needs to be maintained and rebuilt, but there aren’t enough funds to do the job. No one is prepared to deal with The-Out-Of-Ordinary – and yet that is what comes.

aries Almost half the planets are in Aries now and the Universe is going your way. Still a long time Uranus transit that emphasizes your own individuality at the expense of compromise. But Venus transit now gives you the charm that charms other people to admire and agree with you. You don’t have to butt your head against brick walls anymore, but you will be spending more money.

libra People ask me when is the best time to find love and I tell them it is when there is Venus transit through the 7th House. It is not the only time, but it is the best time. Now Libra is having a Venus transit and it is absolutely beautiful. Your relationships are at their best now. Also because you are having a Jupiter transit giving you good luck, self-confidence and joy.

taurus

You can appreciate a time of silence and retreat before the storm because things are about to get more active in your life. Most of this time Mars will be transiting Taurus, which will bring more energy into your life. This energy can help you get things done or it will make you more impatient and irritable. To the degree you learn from silence now, this extra energy will work for you in a beneficial way.

scorpio

gemini

Friendship time. Nearly half the planets are in your house of friends and common goals and this should be a busy social time for you. Go where the people are and your friends will be there. Any invitations involving action, activity, adventure, or sports would be best for you now. Enjoy being liked by others my friend. You deserve it.

sagittarius It is a good time to start the party early. You have been going through a Saturn transit for a couple of years now and it is a heavy, dry energy intended to make you a practical person. Well, now your chart says party time and have some fun. Get out of the house and have some fun with something a little bit risky. When you have something to lose, you have the most to gain.

cancer

capricorn During the Pluto transit 2008 to 2024, something will break. That is its job, to stress your weak spots to make them stronger or fail. Later this year you will be having a Saturn transit, which is about practicality and hard work. The purpose of all of this is to establish your security so strongly that storms and super-tsunamis will not knock it down. Good to begin now.

There are so many forces and energies provoking, supporting, enhancing, blocking you at this time that it is hard to predict. Some of you will be in a love story and some of you will be separating from a love story. Some of you will be shocked by surprise and others stuck in the mud. The biggest impact for Cancer is the aspect of Pluto since 2008. Born before the 8th, you may be healing. Born after, the challenge is yet to come.

leo

Well, this is interesting. It seems like during this time, you are more interested in truth than you are in sex. Everything is pointing to knowing, understanding, reading, discussing the truth as you understand it or how you would like for it to be. The trick to this is that truth does not come from the mind. Sometimes it comes from sweat or pain or orgasm or even a sneeze.

virgo

Three planets in Pisces opposite Virgo bringing some lack of clarity or confusion into your logical paradigm for a while. It is a contribution not a calamity.

Logic works by excluding that which doesn’t fit; Pisces intuition works by including everything. When inclusion and exclusion are used in the same sentence, then you can have a complete thought.

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Almost half the planets are in your house of health now. It can indicate you will be spending more time on medical or health matters. They are not the same, but both are ignored through most our lives. This is a time to pay attention to your health and what it takes in your daily life-diet, nutrition-to keep your body and mind working well. Pay attention to the little things.

aquarius The last sentence of your last horoscope last issue said, “Through objective clarity and subjective revelation you will know”. Your search for consciousness continues and intensifies, but money matters may distract you for a while. Knowledge is expensive you discover. Good to make a financial plan and continue on. Money is not the purpose of your life. pisces Happy Birthday Beloved and many more. The transits indicate that this is a time of abundance for you, that you have all that you need, but that you tend to overspend too much, mostly on gifts and help to other people. Good for you to start a savings plan that motivates you to always have something in the pot for both yourself and others.