A taste of paradise from Eco friendly resorts Bali, Indonesia
Gamelan Jegog
Jegog is a form of gamelan music indigenous to Bali, Indonesia played on instruments made of bamboo.
The tradition of jegog is centered in Jembrana, a region in Western Bali.
In recent years jegog has started to become popular in other regions of Bali with a few groups being established in central Bali to entertain tourists.
More at… Wikipedia
I discovered an interesting article in The Australian about a family who are fulfilling their dreams in Bali, Indonesia.
They wanted to create eco friendly resorts and Bali became their choice to try and impliment their dream.
Here is an excerpt from the article, I hope you enjoy it.
Eco friendly resorts in Bali offers sustainability and affordable style.
Dreamland Beach (Bali, Indonesia)
A FEW years ago, Johnny Blundstone from Noosa on the Queensland Sunshine Coast felt the urge to completely change his lifestyle.
As a veteran waiter, he had the perfect blend of understated attention and knowledge of his craft.
Then, with wife Cath and young son Huey, he trucked off to the outback for as long as it might take for a new life plan to emerge.
Under the stars at Kakadu, they found themselves sharing a campfire with Norm and Linda vant Hoff, Australians of Russian and Dutch extraction who had started a small resort, based on sustainable living, in the wet mountain jungle of central Bali.
If the Blundstones were looking for a radical lifestyle change, then Bali could be it.
Traditional Dance
in Ubud, BaliThey flew over for a look at the vant Hoffs’ Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, in the shadow of Mount Batukaru.
Blundstone told his hosts that while he admired what they were doing, it had now been done.
But Norm vant Hoff responded that the more people running eco friendly sustainable businesses there, the better it would be “for all of us”.
Mini, the lodge’s smiling chef, said she and her husband, Agung, had a large plot of family land a few kilometres down the valley, if the Blundstones were interested.
They shook hands on a deal that evening!
In 2010 they opened with a restaurant, small office and four one and two-bedroom cottages scattered along the rice terraces, with pristine spring water streaming under the entire property to nourish the land and grow crops to feed the guests.
The biggest single investment for their eco friendly resorts was not an infinity pool but a pelton-wheel hydro-electric generator to power most of the resort from the adjacent waterfall.
The resort became the first in Bali to generate its own power; by the end of next year, the Blundstones aim to be totally off the grid.
People keen on eco friendly resorts and ecotourism seek them out online, and there are enough of them for Bali Eco Stay to have achieved an average 60 per cent occupancy after just 18 months.
The water supply is from a spring near the edge of the property, and it creates a natural swimming pool, below which the waterfall provides the power.
The bungalows are of coconut timber and bamboo in traditional style, one side open to the view across the terraces to the coast.
There is no television, and the only music is the gurgling of the water below and the distant sounds of gamelan music from nearby villages.
Checklist:
BALI ECO STAY: Kanciana Village, Gunung Salak, Tabanan, Bali.GETTING THERE: Allow two hours from Denpasar airport or 90 minutes from Seminyak. The resort will arrange comfortable transport both ways.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: None.
BRICKBATS: The last half hour of the drive up the mountain is dreadful. Bring padding.
BOUQUETS: The Blundstones and their staff make you feel instantly at home.
More at… The Australian
What a brilliant success story, maybe with a little bit of luck I might be able to visit their oasis in their secluded spot of paradise, one day… I hope so!
If you have any interesting stories or special finds with eco friendly resorts as their theme please comment below, many thanks; oh and please click the share buttons to inform your friends.
