UBUD NEWS

  04 July 2011, 11:58:55 (458 clicks)

FREAK CAFÉ OPENS IN UBUD

Coffee roaster Asher Yaron has teamed up with longtime café owner and coffee grower Nyoman Wirata and opened a new café in town. F.R.E.A.K. serves what Cat Wheeler describes as "the best coffee in Bali", with beans grown on land in Kintamani farmed by the Wirata family for generations.

F.R.E.A.K. stands for Fresh Roasted enak Arabica from Kintamani, and these daily roasted coffee beans – taken every step of the way "from cherry to cup", as Asher describes it – give a whole new meaning to the term "fresh".

There's also an affordable local lunch menu, including delicious grilled fish and snail satay (yes, yum!). Bring your own mug for a "coffee on the road" or take home a bottle of "cold-pressed coffee", which has none of the acid of fresh-brews.

Just south of Tebongkang gas station on Sayan Road, at the Singakerta junction. Other outlets are planned around Bali. Info: 082145102193.

PELANGI EXPANSION PLANS

One of our best little inter-cultural schools, catering for children from families with many nationalities and mixtures of cultures, has secured land on a long-term lease and can begin to plan for the next fifty years.

Over the next months, the Pelangi School Advisory Board will listen to parents and educators; consult with architects and neighbours and whatever else you need to do when planning a major development for a bi-lingual, multi-cultural school.

After a big meeting earlier this year, Pelangi followed parent wishes and tried to obtain more land next to the existing SD campus, but adjacent rice fields were out of budget range. A generous offer by the local family owning land next to the TKA campus saved the day.

The larger vision is for the Pelangi School campus to act as an accessible community centre, with space and facilities for extra-curricular activities and a safe, fun place for families. Advisory Board Member Meg Mac says Pelangi hopes to meets the needs of the Balinese and growing expat community in and around Ubud. Pelangi is located at Desa Kembuh, 10 minutes drive south of central Ubud. Interested parties can direct any questions to Meg on 081 353 099 298.

PERFORMANCE IN FILM

Over the next two months we can see outstanding theatre, dance and music from across the globe, including Slovakia, Italy, France, Canada, Holland, China, India and Germany, at Black Beach Restaurant movie nights.

These will include five amazing performances from the renowned Cirque Du Soleil, beginning on Wednesday 6 July with Cirque Du Soleil's La Nouba, plus beautiful classical ballet and breath-taking opera. There's also the best movie ever made on the Indian epic Mahabharata and some humorous European films about social issues, in particular encounters between different cultures. You find Black Beach Restaurant near the top of Jl Hanoman. Ph 0361-971353. Full program www.blackbeachubud.blog.com.

ECO SHOP – JL DEWI SITA

An option for small local businesses producing eco products but not really interested in setting up a shop, is to sell their goods through Eco Shop on Jl Dewi Sita.

This is a good spot to recommend to visitors looking for interesting gifts, including a range of Bali-made recycled bags, eco-slogan t-shirts, re-usable stainless steel water bottles, organic spa products and a mouth-watering selection of raw untreated honeys. For those who live in Bali, organic shampoo and conditioner, an organic termite treatment that can be used on bamboo, wood, houses and gardens, and a wide range of Neem products for body, health, and garden are also available.
Eco Shop accepts old clean newspapers, which a local Balinese business turns into various recycled bags. They are also looking for a producer of small, packable, parachute bags.

Email admin#indonesiaorganic.com or phone 0817 970 9094 or 0819 999 47180 (Indonesian only); www.indonesiaorganic.com.

STARVED FOR A LIVE SHOW?

The "Moscow Circus" lured a lot of Ubud families down to the big tent in Central Parkir Kuta this month. Overall the circus was fun, with two actual Russian performers, but definitely not the legendary Moscow Circus, nor indeed up to the standard of the magnificent Cirkus Indonesia that toured two years ago. There were four elephants and a few other animals, three clowns with hilarious audience participation, some great high ropes and lots of good acrobatics. The unexpected highlight of our trip was the popcorn, which was served with free chopsticks! Weird.

SUZUKI MUSIC CENTRE OPENS

Indonesia's second Suzuki music centre will open here in Bali with the new school semester, offering the opportunity to learn the violin with a highly respected international education method.

Based in Denpasar, the Suzuki Music Centre has a very holistic focus. Centre guru Robert says the teaching helps make a better society. He says music study requires focus, concentration, love of beauty, persistence and respect, all character qualities important for the growth of the whole child, while the students have fun and enjoy making music together.

Guru Brown is offering to visit schools across Bali with some of his students next semester, to speak, play and demonstrate what he describes as "our joyous method". School principals wanting to organise a "violin" day can contact Robert on 0813 3857 8921 or email violinerbali#gmail.com.

COMPOSTING AT HOME

A new Ubud-based business, Kompos Bali, offers compost systems especially designed for domestic quantities amounts of organic kitchen waste. These systems were developed in Bali over many years and so work well here.

Able to cater from a 1-2 person household to a 5-7 person system, Kompos Bali will provide a full service, including initial planning, delivery and installation of a "complete compost system" (the structure and what goes in it), plus instructions and free training. They also sell consumables, such as compost bins, soil, straw, hand-tool mixers and the essential red composting worms. Other services include periodic maintenance of the system, and advice on other eco-design home ideas, blackwater systems and vegetable gardens.

Composting workshops at Kompos Bali's Open House near Ubud are free. Prices range from 1.6 – 2.5 juta (approx $180 to $275). Sign up or get more info by calling Jill on 085857049368. Or email komposbali#gmail.com.

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Copyright © 2011 Wayan Jen.