Joannes Rhino's Blog, page 16

Courtesy of AQUA - Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene

Functioning under Danone group Indonesia, as AQUA’s corporate social responsibility, AQUA Lestari aims to create a sustainable business for the company, highlighting the importance of environment as a key for a long and profitable business that benefits all parties. They have four priorities in program; Environment and Water Protection, Green Company, Product Distribution, and Community Involvement and Development. 
In Bali, AQUA provides people who live in the rural area of Pelaga Village an easy access to clean water. The water will be transferred from the water source using small pipes to several tanks in the village. Access to safe water and sanitation facilities is a basic need for these people, and AQUA is committed to actively contribute in this field through an ambitious WASH (Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene) program aiming at improving the health of thousands families in remote villages in Bali. All the projects are community based, meaning that villagers contribute through manpower and land. Water committees are formed and trained to design the facilities, monitor the works, and ensure proper management on long term. Currently, the WASH program has provided benefits to more than 130,000 people in 18 districts in Indonesia and will continue to grow until the future.

PT Tirta Investama – AQUA
Mambal Village, Gumasih, Abiansemal, Badung
0361 469751
www.aqua.com www.sethlestath.com

Go Up North and Away

If you have decided to take your family to the north part of Bali as April’s holiday destination, for sure you don’t want to skip Lovina Beach. Located about 10 km to the west of Singaraja, this black-volcanic sand beach and the entire coastline is undeniably beautiful. One of the first things you will notice that you won’t find huge sprawling expanses of sandy beach and enormous waves on the shore like the ones you have seen on other parts of the island, which make it less stressful if you bring small children. The waterfront scene is more relaxed here, so no surfing on the beach. However, you’ll definitely want to visit this place very early in the morning to catch the dolphins in action. Hire a boat to get a close-up look at these beautiful creatures about one kilometer offshore, and that’s a sight that gives a very charming appeal.
Moving on from the beach, about 25 Km from Singaraja, Banjar Hot Spring is your next destination. Due to the water’s sulfuric content, this hot water spring provides a recreational and therapeutic experience. The warm temperature of 37 degrees Celsius is ideal for people suffering from rheumatic diseases. Setting in the middle of the jungle, the hot water spring complex consists of three public and one private pool, with the largest and central bathing pool featuring a restaurant perched high above the northern side where you can have lunch here.
 Sharing the same district as the hot spring, Brahma Vihara Arama Buddhist monastery is only 15 minutes’ drive at a hilly area of at Tegehe Village. Known as the biggest Buddhist temple in Bali, the place is very peaceful with view of Lovina Beach and lush green hill as a background. The temple is painted with colorful decorations; a very bright orange roof and some Buddha statues are definitely something that will attract your kids’ eyes. Every steps up to the temple, you will see Buddha’s wisdom around the walls. Don’t be surprise if you find visitors take the opportunity to meditate as the temple provides a vast meditation area. Brahma Vihara Arama is a perfect place not just for relaxation admiring the beautiful buildings and surroundings, but also to teach your little ones the wisdoms of life.
 After getting the spiritual journey, on your way back you may want to make a quick stop to visit the very charming twin lakes of Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan. You can feel the authenticity of nature in both lakes right away when your car reaches the edge of the beautiful lake side, where the forest seems untouched by human. The fact that the location is 1000 meter above sea level makes the air a bit cold and gets cooler at night. Having the cool air that completely surrounded by green mountains, the place provides a calm and comfortable atmosphere. For those who loved nature and recreation, this is a recommended spot to go.

www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of East Bali Poverty Project

Helping people to help themselves  Established in 1998 by an English man, East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) is a non-profit organization with focus on the mountain villages people in the east side on Bali. Forgotten by time and progress, those unfortunate thousands of people in 19 sub-villages were living in abject poverty without water, sanitation, roads, schools, health facilities and electricity. Malnutrition and iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) were endemic, iodine being the essential nutrient for healthy child births, brain and body development.
 As the founder, David Booth created this foundation with solid visons toward the future. There are three main parts as his guideline:
•    To empower illiterate and malnourished children through relevant education, improved nutrition, and basic stay-healthy principles;
•    To reduce poverty and promote culturally sensitive, sustainable development within impoverished rural communities that have little or no choice to alleviate their own plight; and
•    To harness human and natural resources for mutual benefit and sustainable social and economic development by the reforestation of land devastated by the massive eruption of Mt. Agung in 1963, which denuded thousands of hectares. To improve the living ecosystems, provide a sustainable food forest for the thousands of villagers, provide sustainable livelihoods for present and future, and ensure rain water is captured and conserved for the benefit of the land, nature, ecosystems, and, most of all the people.
 Carrying forward their mission to reduce poverty and promote culturally sensitive, sustainable social and economic development in the impoverished rural communities of East Bali, David believes that all programmes the team created are designed as models that can be replicated, and executed by local people who directly transfer knowledge and appropriate technology within their communities. As the result for that show, since their first integrated education programmes for illiterate children launched in August 1999 until today, they have gained so many achievements which include facilitating access road between Mount Agung and Mount Abang, sponsoring higher education for local children, building schools and libraries, providing micronutrient supplements for all children and mothers, giving education about health and initiating community health posts (Posyandu), facilitating clean water and the eventual construction of toilets for every family in the villages, providing electricity for remote villages with no access to electric power grid, leveraging and preserving natural resources by developing a sustainable bamboo reforestation of the eastern slopes of Mount Agung and Mount Abang, and the list is still long.
 Looking ahead, their goal is to continue empowering the communities to address their problems at the grassroots level, funding this effort through their growing partnership with the private sector. They will rely heavily on emerging technologies to make the most impactful and efficient use of both local resources and funding contributions. They will also continue to refine their messaging and expand their visibility on the social media platforms to help forge new partnerships with technology and industry leaders, NGOs, researchers and volunteers.

East Bali Poverty Project
(0361) 410071www.eastbalipovertyproject.org
www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan

Escape Completely
 For a person like I am, the excursion is the best way to do away with the hustle and bustle of routine life. The fortunate part of my life is that I dwell in a place full of love, peace, calmness and tranquility. There are numerous islands to visit and numerous sites to explore, but when I am in seek of peace and calmness and want to get rid of excruciating work, nothing gives me more relief than Nusa Lembongan island.
 Nothing can meet up with the calm and serenity of the place. As soon as you enter the island, you are taken away by the awe-inspiring scenes of the island. On your first afternoon on the island you will get a bit lost in the maze of sandy paths. Though smaller in size, its comprehensive in making your life full of beautiful memories. I made my first stop at Dream Beach. The scenes of the sun setting, hazel trees and lucid water below will leave everlasting impacts. Even when I come back to my fast paced life, these scenes refresh me whenever I am lethargic.
 This quiet island relies mostly on the economy of seaweed farming. You will see woman lifting a woven basket filled with dried seaweed onto her head in most part of the island. And the locals are eager to help tourists (not just foreigners but local tourists as well) and expecting nothing in return - such a true luxury of Southeast Asia. Nothing fancy but deeply meaning will linger on your memory.
The mangrove forest makes up a large portion of Lembongan’s land mass. Make sure the time of day you choose coincides with higher tides, as the boat will be able to maneuver further then. You can also ask the boat driver to switch off the engine for a few minutes of blissful silence. Such refreshing moment.
 Although the island provides me an esteemed sense of self-satisfaction, there is still something that I miss this is the size of the island. The island is small. Alternatively, you can consider to make a straight dash for the small island next to it, Nusa Ceningan Island. I noticed most of the accommodations here provide balcony angled out towards the ocean where you can sleep with the upstairs doors flung open so you can watch the sunrise over the horizon.
 If you are into trekking and cycling, the local village offers you the most appealing environment to explore. You will be greeted with exceptional landscapes and fields inhabited by colorful flora and fauna and most of all, the friendly locals. Another activity that delivers intense pleasure is deep diving. Diving in the crystal clear water is not only fun but it also assists the understanding of the beautiful nature. 
Put aside the images of busy beachfronts with music pounding late into the night and heavy foot traffic in the morning, because you will not experience such situation in these small islands. Prepare yourself for a complete package of absolute relaxation, comfort and adventure. It’s not enough to live on to your imagination only. You deserve a life changing treat like this.
www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of Lombok

Awaken to a Different World
John Keats once said, “The thing of beauty is joy forever”. Sometimes, in ordinary circumstances, we cannot comprehend the real meaning of those esteemed people who strived to bring the truth of the life. I would say I wasn’t completely aware of the deeper meanings of the sentence said by the greatest poet. But after having the experience of traveling in Lombok, I can reiterate the statement with its full vastness and greater meaning. If you are a person who desires to explore the real meaning of life through traveling, observing, and understanding, then I would suggest to visit Lombok once in your life.
The island is full of life, colors, tones, tastes and varieties coupled with air of calmness, peace and love.  Not to mention that it has numerous spots to visit. You need to have ample time to get completely absorbed in the island so that you can get full of its life from head to toe. Senggigi is the place where art and culture combines with modern science and technology, and emanates something really unique and worth visiting. As much as I enjoyed this part of the island, my quest for hidden treasures of life coaxed me to explore other parts of the island. Mount Rinjani is a fantabulous spot. As the second highest mountain in Indonesia, this active volcano is perfect for those who love trekking and hiking. For surfer’s addict, I don’t think I could find any better place than South Lombok. Surfing in the clear blue waters with mild waves, just take the fun of surfing to its zenith. However, it comes with price. According to the surfers I’ve met, surfing in South Lombok is bit heavy on purse compare to other surfing spots in the island. Sekotong is a good place for scuba diving. It won’t be difficult to find schools which provide all the guidance and paraphernalia necessary for diving.
However, for you guys who are not always in the mood for exerting energies, you can deliberate over the beauty and designs of the nature. To give a new taste and dimension for your romance, visit the enigmatic and enamoring Kuta area which composed of white sand beaches. Visualize yourself lying on warm sand with nebulous sounds of water and air mixing together. When it comes down to food, not just pricy restaurants but also small local eateries maintain the taste and quality quite well. They offer traditional food, western and Chinese as well. All the food has exquisite taste with fresh ingredients. 
Ending up this exploring trip on a field which full tank of extraordinary positive energy around. Stand in and smell green, taste the air, feel the earth embracing us! One thing I would like to mention is that almost all the times prevails a dry atmosphere in Lombok. This is something vexing and irritating for some people, and they need to keep applying the moisturizing the lotions. Except for this discomfort, everything that the island offers will rejuvenate you.
www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of The Gilis Island

Go Barefoot at The Gilis  Life offers stupendous opportunities to everyone to explore and to dig out the real meaning of life and to comprehend the intricate and obscure working of nature. As far as I am concerned, the opportunity has been bestowed to me in the form of travelling because it allows me to accumulate the unknown and to complete the missing dots.
 Refreshing my recent trip at the Gili Islands, Gili Trawangan tenders to unveil the uniqueness and different colors of joy in the form of music, dances, excursions and other amazements. Being human, variety is the necessity of life and sometimes we need to enthuse ourselves with the excitements of parties. Pubs, beaches and clubs in the island furnish these desires to its pinnacle until you feel no need to go elsewhere.  Without a doubt, Gili Trawangan is the place to exert all extra energies. However, too much party and drinking sometimes make the environment unbearable and that compels me to seek out placid and smooth spot.
 Gili Meno is the place that alleviates commotion and ruffle of daily life by providing calm and sedating surroundings. The environment is tranquil while the nature is more lucidly. As smaller in size and having lower tourist’s density, the island offers a unique opportunity to completely revive your inner soul with sense of ultimate content. The beautiful beaches incite people to have a walk over it, and it feels like the nature is uttering its melody through the composition of winds with waves striking the shores. The sun setting scene at the white sand beaches of Gili Meno hazes my brain while the aroma of the atmosphere in the evening seems to uttering some untold romantic story. As I grazed upon a lonely bunch of trees, I remembered the words of Robert Frost, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
The island of Gili Air offers an exquisite blend of traditional values with the beautification carried out by craftsman of science and technology. It is composed of modern resorts with most up to date technologies and at the same time provides the opportunity of seeing natural bounties in its full exposure. Similar with Gili Meno, the pace of life in this island is slow and endearing to those who really want to escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world. However, unlike Gili Trawangan, Gili Air doesn’t have the full on party vibe going on all night long, but still has enough entertainment to keep you dancing under the moonlight. Being in this island is completely a novel world exhibiting the experiences that can’t be narrated by simple words.
www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of LIO Collection Premium

Redecorate Now   
Whether you need to decorate a new space in your villa or are ready to replace old furniture in your hotel, LIO Collection Premium offers high-quality, fashionable, indoor/outdoor furniture in Bali. As you browse into their newest store, you can find exactly what you need to match your personality. From modern furnishings to vintage-style options, they have the selection you need. The owner believes that this store will answer the growing demand from Hotels and Villas who seek advice in terms of furniture and interior matching. With over 40 years of professional service and having experience in serving thousands of different customers in over 40 countries, LIO Collection has proved to be one of the most well renowned furniture and lifestyle products makers in the world.

Lio Collection Premium
Jalan Raya Kerobokan, No. 51X, Kerobokan
Phone: 0361 8552715
www.liocollection.com
www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of Bali Animal Welfare Association

Save Our Strays
 Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) is a non-profit organisation which works to save, protect and improve the lives of all animals in Bali. Founded by Janice Girardi, an American jewellery designer, BAWA is carrying the mission of improving the lives of Bali’s animals through rescue, rehabilitation, education and advocacy. They provide emergency response and rescue, rehabilitation and adoption, while at the same time practicing humane population control, disease control and runs intensive education and advocacy programs for sustainable improvement to animal welfare now and into the future. Having 40 Indonesian staff including veterinary specialists, investigators, educators, street feeders and dog walkers, they commit to do everything they can to ensure the immediate health and wellbeing of animals and to facilitate sustainable improvement of animal welfare.
 While BAWA continues their frontline work to rescue and save animals in distress, their longer-term vision is to create natural sanctuaries for animals in Bali. The vision relies on education and advocacy for sustainable change and has developed partly from their important work in banjars with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). They would like to further develop and extend this program with IFAW and an important new partner and to focus it on One Health principles that recognise that safe and healthy populations of animals help create safe and healthy communities for humans too.
 As for the source of fund, BAWA relies on donations to fund its work. They have a truly wonderful network of supporters around the world. Many of them have travelled to Bali and understand that an environment that is safe and healthy for animals is safe and healthy for humans too. Because of this, BAWA hopes to see more tourist businesses come to Bali and support their work which clearly supports their industry.
 Apart from financial, another challenge they are facing is working effectively and sensitively in an environment in which both cultural and introduced practices can contravene accepted standards of animal welfare. Having very little recourse to the law, which does not properly protect animals from cruelty, is another. They wish that Bali government would revoke or amend the Regulation prohibiting the export of dogs from Bali. Properly regulated export is better for rabies control than uncontrolled, covert export which is what happens now. The government has shown little respect or appreciation for Bali’s pure indigenous dog which is at risk of extinction.
 However, as difficult as it looks, Janice believes that animal rescue is the most heartbreaking work she has ever done. But it is also the most joyful and rewarding. In her eyes, rescuing animal brings such endless unconditional love.

Bali Animal Welfare Association
Jl. Monkey Forest 100 x, Ubud, Gianyar
Phone: 0811 389 004 / 0812 3840 133
Website: www.bawabali.com
www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of Chez Monique Jewelry

Strengthen the bond with your lover  
They say actions speak louder than words, so why not speak the loudest by making your own ring for and with your loved one? Designing your own ring is symbolic. The ring is a powerful symbol of commitment to one another. It may signify other more intimate ideas that only you and your loved one will understand. That person will be able to appreciate the time and effort you take when selecting the elements for the special ring. This adds to its uniqueness as the person knows that no one else will ever possess that rare item. So, how does one go about designing this unique piece of treasure for their loved one?

Melting and MillingGuided by certificated master silversmith, they will explain the process to the couple, and supervise along the entire process. The first step for the couple would be to select the type of metal they want their rings to be made from. This tends to cause a little squabble sometimes, seeing the lady may want gold and the guy probably wants to use some other metal. Gold is the preferred choice by many, but there are others who like to be different and go for other metals, or even choose to combine a few for their own unique touch. The metal is put into a furnace and heated at extremely high temperatures of 500 C to get the metal down to a liquid form. With guided assistance, the couple will attempt to pour the liquid into an oblong shaped mold called an ingot, and allowed to cool. After cooling, the ingot is then removed from the mold and milled into a wire shaped form. Milling is the process by which the ingot is carved a shaped in to a long square piece of wire. A bit complex, but this process will bring the couple closer together in the creation of this sacred and timeless piece.

Bending and SawingIn this part, the metal that was previously milled, is now bent into a circular shape. This part is one of the less complicated parts but still demands oversight from the specialist ring maker, who will take over every now and then when he needs to, while explain the process as he goes along. This bending is done with a special set pliers. In the meantime, the groom can occasionally ask his bride to insert her finger momentarily to ensure that the circle is a good fit for the size of her finger. The bride can always reciprocate this almost playful activity. When the bending is complete, it is then sawed by a special machine to cut away the excess metal, so that the two ends can be brought together perfectly.

Joining and Final TouchesNext step, you need to hold the two ends of the metal permanently together. In order to make this process, hands on as possible for the couple, one can hold the metal with pliers, while the other applies the heat to partially melt, join and shape the ends into a whole. After this done, a file is used to remove the excess solder, and then shape the rings. Now for the final touches, which is buffing; that is used to remove the final flaws including tiny scratches and marks made by the file. Finally, a kind of jeweler’s polish is applied for that extra sparkle and then held up to a polishing machine. The couple will be more than excited to take part in this final process, knowing there was a lot of work put into it and they will now get to see the final shine and finish of their precious memorabilia.
 At the end of the day, whether or not the ring that you are making is going to look exactly like in the brochure, it wouldn’t matter. It is not actually the rings but the process of making them that matters.

Chez Monique Jewelry
Address: Jalan Sri Wedari no 57, Taman Kaja, Ubud, Kab. Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Phone: +62 813-3845-4677
Email: info@chezmoniquejewelry.com
Web: www.chezmoniquejewelry.com
www.sethlestath.com

Courtesy of Bali Children Foundation

A pair of hands for the kids
Bali Children Foundation (Yayasan Samiarsa Seminyak) provides educational opportunities for disadvantaged children in Bali. Working mostly in North and West Bali, the foundation offers education scholarships for over a thousand children at school, about 40 in University and delivers English teaching and Computer studies classes to over 1,500 children in 36 communities. While the foundation supports education opportunities in six children’s homes around Bali, the majority of the work is in Bali’s rural communities.  
 As the founder of Bali Children Foundation, Margaret Barry, started almost immediately working in a children’s home in North Bali and later another in West Bali. Working this way, she developed an understanding of the families who sent their children to these homes, as their only chance to be educated. By 2005, together with Agung Sutama (Ketua Yayasan Samiarsa Seminyak), they took the first steps towards working in communities. In a small volunteer team, they established their first community based project with 40 scholarships in the Village of Corot, North Bali. Her main vision was to educate students until graduation, to help them finding good jobs so they eventually can provide income for themselves, their families and their communities. She believes this is a sustainable model which would keep Bali safe. 
 All of the students they sponsor must attend ‘Work Ready’ mentoring classes to prepare them for their work or university future. Their students stay in mentoring until they have secured a good job. To cover this number of students and communities, Bali Children Foundation have a team of local staff and teachers working from the office in Banjar North Bali. Besides the skilled staff, they have ‘monitors’ in each community who remind the children about their English or Computer studies class times and who are there to lend a hand if a student is having any problems managing their school life.
They also work closely with partners who cover areas they do not. Most importantly Bali Kids who provide health checks, health education and dental care. They assist Bali Kids with aspects of their work, including funding their dental program and fully cover the health needs in the communities.
 Looking forward, they are planning to extend their English programs into remote schools which cannot afford to establish their own English Language Programs. From their work in the North and the West, they have established that reasonable English language skills provide access to better paying work that any other model they have trialed to date. Bali Kids have agreed to support this initiative and will be providing health education including HIV awareness into this ever growing list of communities.
Their biggest challenge moving forwards will be funding all these initiatives and providing job opportunities for the growing number of graduates. They expect 85 graduates in 2016 and 127 graduates in 2017. To ensure employment for these numbers, they need strong partnerships with businesses who will be the future employers of the students. Bali Children Foundation would encourage hospitality industry to contact us regarding work opportunities. For readers living in Bali or outside, sponsoring a child’s education is very satisfying.

Bali Children Foundation
Address: Pertokoan Semer Jaya Kav 3-4, Jl Raya Kerobokan, Kerobokan, Bali, Indonesia
Phone: +62 361 8475399
Email: info@balichildrenfoundation.org.
Website: www.balichildrenfoundation.org
www.sethlestath.com