Bali, the island in Indonesia, located between Java and Lombok – it is a well-known thing.
Why is the Island of Bali so well-known? While around Indonesia, there are more than 17 000 islands! According to the Bali statistics agency, it welcomed 5.7 million international arrivals during the year!
The Island became famous for being a surfer’s paradise. Moreover, Bali has a majestic natural beauty which includes volcanoes and landscapes of rice fields.
What is the most prominent tourist magnet?
In my opinion for Bali, It’s the mix of colorful ceremonies, a vast amount of arts and local crafts, peaceful yoga places, and luxury beach resorts. All of which are located among amazing Balinese temples hidden in every corner of the island.
A big problem that is facing holiday destinations is the overuse of resources and the destroying of native landscape and culture.
“The Earth is what we all have in common.”
WENDELL BERRY
But I don’t want to complain as this is easy to do. I want to highlight some fantastic places and people I have met.
Nowadays, more and more 5-star hotels are going the eco-friendly way, and it is excellent! Growing small gardens, thinking about reusable materials and having a no plastic policy is the way to go in 2020 for sure!
But there is one place in faraway Indonesia where a generation does all of this, where nurturing ancestors and nature, respecting every living animal and plant, is the way that everyday life goes.
I’m talking about Bali Desa – culture village on Bali island.
It is a small community of traditional villages, organized into a tourist destination but with a focus on culture.
When I found the Rumah Desa, at first, they were my clients, and I created fantastic photography content for them. However, over the years, they became friends and a place that has special meaning to me.
It is incredible how they can connect the magical culture trip with holiday experience! If somebody would ever follow the steps from the “Eat, Pray, Love” movie, this is the place to go.
There is a good amount of food, scents, Balinese traditions, and magic all around the place.
What’s impressive is they not only cultivating and promote their tradition but also the natural way of life, growing plants and no plastic is allowed, while still be able to supply the whole village with jobs centered around tourism—but without changing or destroying their way of life.
The people behind this idea are so exceptional that I’m happy to create photography and videos for them. The way they are using these images is also very original. The advertising video about the place to see is handed over to the taxi drivers on Bali. These drivers keep it on their cellphones selling the trip to the tourists one-to-one! The process is totally offline, no YouTube, no website, just mouth to mouth recommendations.
There are plenty of very tropical fruits and flowers growing on Bali, but one which is very close to my heart and you can find on Bali is the Cacao tree!
It takes around five years for a tree to bear fruit, and cacao pods take 4-5 months to grow. We all know very well how the chocolate looks and how cacao beans look, but for me, the bigger surprise was the size of the cacao fruits and whole pallet of colors from red to yellow, and the enormous size!
Besides sweets, the cocoa beans are super healthy by themselves, and eating them brings you not only joy but a list of benefits for your mood and health!
This video we created shows step by step the process of harvesting to drinking the cacao with the explanation voiceover done by the head of the village Wayan itself.
Our lives pass quickly. We all want to travel to every corner of the world, discover and experience as much as possible in our lifetimes. This desire is not going to change as people are explorers inside the hearts.
We cannot stop this desire, either, nor should we. However, what we can do and need to do is not only talk about saving the planet but also look around, and with small steps, all of us can live in a better, healthier world. Within a new decade, we will still be able to enjoy places like Rumah Desa Bali.
