East Bali Poverty Project

I've been doing a bit of work for a charitable foundation that has been setup here in Bali to help people living on the remote slopes of the Abang and Agung volcanoes - a particularly challenged part of the island where health care, education and decent roads have only recently been introduced. a lot more information about the villages of Ban and the work of the foundation is available on the EBPP website. (my sharp-eyed metro brethren may spot the wordpress/atahualpa/hostgator combination running the site. a pleasant surprise, in that i would have picked all three of these things myself if starting from scratch. also a good thing, since it looks like i will be in the frame for tidying up quite a few loose ends). i was lucky enough to be invited to the Independence Day celebration this week, which is the highlight of the calendar for the kids. People came from miles around, packed into trucks and dressed in their best. After games of sack racing, and an enormous Rice Cracker Eating contest, the kids put on a variety show, where kung-fu, rap numbers and gun battles featured almost as prominently as traditional balinese dance performances. It was also a chance to showcase some of the artwork from the up and coming talent and award various prizes for performance over the course of the year. there were about ten of us Bule (i.e. foreigners) there, and we were made to feel very welcome throughout. at the end, everyone sat down to a meal of nasi bungkus and families were given a package of household basics (from towels, to vitamins and toothbrushes) to take home. a good reminder that, despite the cheerful occasion, most of these people are living in incredibly challenging circumstances, without many of the basic amenities. below a few pictures from the day. i took many more, but some are of variable quality. the heat and…

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Balimorra

it's a little difficult not to state the obvious when trying to describe Bali, because the verdict seems to be unanimous: it is a singularly beautiful place full of people who are possibly the world's easiest smilers. we wasted no time planting ourselves in the town of Ubud , a place where you're either an artist or a tourist (sometimes both). contrary to what it sounds like, it's not a bad mix: rather, a tidy little ecosystem which sees planeloads of tourists departing under the weight of many lovely things, while the locals stay on in paradise, making more lovely things. Cue smiling. the boys are now firmly ensconced in a new school, which seems to spring directly out of a rice paddy. it's such an appealing place that i've yet to begrudge the three daily bike runs (5k each way), or the more 'challenging' start time of 8.30. and i'm proud of our little fellas. they took to the place without so much as a backward glance (see the missus' post on the state of supa-happiness). in terms of housing, it seems to have worked out pretty well, what with ample space, a swimming pool that's nearly too close (i didn't realise such a thing existed), and a lovely local family who have already taken us in as their own. once again, Tash has covered it better than i ever could, leaving me to do what i do best: post embarrassing photos with silly captions. till next time.... you see what i mean about the smiling haircutting can be hazardous too, folks ready to rumble... sports day guaranteed a police escort in north america fish. they're not just for dinner anymore even martians need orange juice... i wonder how long it will take for him to crawl all the way out...? the new gaff. a bit of a steal at roughly one fifth of London rental rates a word…

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i spam corrected…

thanks to Cory for pointing out, in that inimitable way of his, that i've used the country code for Oz and not Indo. that's now been updated in the original post. allow me to register contrition for my floppy-headed ways....

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Indonesian(ish) Phones

so, in a transaction taking 60-odd seconds and costing four of your english pounds, we have availed ourselves of two local sim cards with the following numbers: jay +62 (0) 858 5754 1865 & nis +62 (0) 858 5754 1866 we will no doubt recommence the rounds of telephony, starting today with a birthday call to Aunty Ba (Happy Birthday, Aunty Ba!), but if you feel like getting in touch, unburdening yourselves, or just shooting the breeze, then by all means pick up the phone and give us a bell . incoming calls are free.... for us. :) p.s. calling from Skype looks to be reasonable, at something around 8p per minute. terima kasih!

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Dumps sings the classics….

i was treated to a rare medley of tunes from his royal Dumps, including the classics "1,2,3,4,5", "Etikatinova", and a new updated version of "Old Macdonald". watch your back, Manilow, there's a new kid in town....

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