If you plan to come to Ubud at this time you are probably aware that one of the volcanoes on the island has been showing some activity since September 2017. For people who live here in Ubud and for the most of the rest of Bali, except for the area within 12km of the vo...

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is a mind-body health system developed by sages in India thousands of years ago. Ayur means life and Veda means science or knowledge. Ayurveda offers a body of wisdom to help people stay healthy and vibrant.

Guiding principles are that the mind...

Tri Hita Karana is the Balinese philosophy of life where prosperity is brought about through a person's harmonious relationships with God ( Parahyangan), their environmental surroundings (Palemahan) and the human community (Pawongan).

Tri – Three

Hita – Prosperity

Karana...

When I set out to write about Balinese given names I thought I would just have to explain the four most common names that locals seem to use everywhere. But the Balinese Naming system is somewhat more complex than that.

The most common names are Wayan, Made, Nyoman, and...

It's not just about birds

We hadn't contacted Wayan Sumardi before two of us turned up at the Murni restaurant near the Ubud bridges. There was a sign for Bali Bird Walks but no people about. Then Sumardi appeared with a welcoming smile inviting us in to get a bottle of...

When you walk around Bali you are sure to see small palm leaf baskets containing flowers and other objects on the ground or on small platforms at the front of houses and you may wonder what they are.

They are Canang Sari where canang means basket and sari means essence....

Campuhan Ridge walk in Ubud

Also known as bukit cinta (hill of love)

Busiest time according to statistic is around midnight on Saturday but the nicest time is just after dawn. The air is cool then. There are not many people around. At 200m plus above sea-level  Ubud is c...

If you are in Bali around the time of celebration of Galungan you are sure to see Penjors lining most streets outside Bali homes. The most recent Galungan ran from 5 April 2017 until 15 April.  Galungan is held every 210 days always beginning on a Wednesday and ending...

In your spare time you might want to go cycling in the beautiful countryside around Ubud. Its easy to hire mountain bikes in the area but make sure that the bike is in good shape. You can sometimes hire road bikes but the variation of terrain suits mountain bikes bette...

Drink a lot of water when you are in tropical Balli

You will lose a lot  from your body through sweating and advice is that should drink at least 2 litres of water each day in addition to other drinks that you may have.

Make sure your urine doesn't get darker than a very...