More Upgrades and Tweaks
While it is true that we currently do not have any guests, and also true that we are deep into this crazy pandemic, you may ask yourself, “Why we are investing more money into Ohana?” The answer is simple. We…
Bali Kite Festival 2020
Known locally as layang-layang (kite) festival, Bali villages compete to see who can fly their kites the best. Unfortunately I don’t know the kite-winning criteria. I’m just an enthusiastic admirer of the festivities. I was always a fan of kite…
Bali is the Brooklyn of Indonesia and Canggu is the Brooklyn of Bali
It is presumptuous of me to make a claim about the entire country of Indonesia, when I have visited just a small percentage of its over 17,000 islands. The best book on Indonesia that I’ve come across is Indonesia Etc…
Red Button Ginger
It’s latin name is Costus woodsonii, but I like Red Button Ginger a lot more :) It is also called Red Button Costus. I don’t know how to write about plants. I just have a feeling for them and that…
My favorite farmer and other news
As some of you may know by now, there are great walking trails as well as quiet roads around Pererenan. I’ve documented my walks here, here, and here. Over time I have encountered many fellow walkers, as well as the…
Getting serious about grapes
About 15 months ago we began an experiment for 1 of our 2 roofs. We built a metal arbor and started to plant a local variety of grapes, in order to create a shaded space for weddings or group gatherings.…
Jl. Pantai Pererenan: What’s New and What’s Gone
About 13 months ago I wrote about 4 new cafes opening on our main street (Jl. Pantai Pererenan). I titled the post, “I turned my head & 4 cafes opened.” It was pre-covid and food venues were opening at a…
Airside Restaurant Takes Flight
There’s a new restaurant in Pererenan and it raises the bar for style and taste. Airside is owned by a Japanese woman (Satchi) and her Balinese husband. So trying their Japanese or Indonesian dishes is a sure thing. The bamboo…
Maintenance Items
During this pandemic downtime, it is a good idea to repair and upgrade whatever you can, since there are zero guests to disturb. Repair small leaks, install a few solar lights, plant a few new plants. Etc It is not…
First Wedding at Ohana Retreat Bali
Yes, in the middle of this crazy pandemic we were able to host a super lovely wedding. Under 25 people plus Zoom. On the roof, overlooking the Indian Ocean, and with a constant breeze. We all felt safe and happy…
Trying Traditional Medicine
I had an accident that was too ridiculous to describe in detail. Let’s just say I was on my way to adding a few tiny fish to our koi pond and ended up in it temporarily. I had a nice…
First Rooftop Event — Tune In: Story & Sound
One of our guests, Jennifer Capo, who has stayed at Ohana Retreat Bali several times, created a special event on our rooftop. She invited local artists, musicians, storytellers, and even an astrologer. It started out simple enough: we moved cushions…