8º of latitude

April 22, 2017

Capital Capers

HECTOR’S DIARY His diet of worms and other non-religious experiences The Cage, Bali Apr. 22, 2017 IT’S a shame that Basuki Tjahaya Purnama (Ahok) lost Wednesday’s ballot for mayor of Jakarta. He has shown a commitment to civic service that’s rare anywhere, but rarer still in Indonesia, where winning office is so often a licence… Continue reading

America, Economic Development, Foreign Aid, General Interest, Indonesia, Indonesian Law

Blasphemy, Camping trips, former mayors, mendicant ministers

April 9, 2017

Property Bloom

HECTOR’S DIARY His regular diet of worms and other non-religious experiences The Cage, Bali Apr. 8, 2017 OK, so in Bali a property boom that will surely be unregulated – if it eventuates anywhere beyond the hype files of realtors – has about as much of a helpful impact as an algal bloom in fragile… Continue reading

Animal Welfare, Australia, Bali, Bureaucracy, Economic Development, Environment, NGOs, Rabies, Social Development

All Fools’ Day, Aussie rules (not the footy), Beach dogs, Karang Beach, Property blooms, Sanur

March 29, 2017

PLN’s Best Day

HECTOR’S DIARY in the Bali Advertiser Wednesday, Mar. 29, 2017 IT was Nyepi yesterday (Mar. 28): Bali’s Silent Day. It is celebrated on the first new moon in March – at the same time as Indian Hindus mark their festival of Ugadi – and ushers in the Balinese New Year. It was then 1939… Continue reading

Animal Welfare, Bali, Bureaucracy, Charity, Indonesia, Rabies, Social Development

Bangli, Governor Pastika, Jembrana, King Salman, rabies, Tabanan, Traditional Dress, Zoonotic diseases

March 26, 2017

Lights Out!

HECTOR’S DIARY His diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Bali, Saturday, Mar. 25, 2017 IT’S Nyepi on Tuesday, Bali’s Silent Day. It is celebrated on the first new moon in March, which this year is on Mar. 28, at the same time as Indian Hindus mark their festival of Ugadi. It ushers in the… Continue reading

Bali, China, History, Indonesia, Japan, USA

Japan Times, Nyepi, Osaka, Prime Minister Abe

March 11, 2017

Statues of Liberty

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali, Saturday, Mar. 11, 2017 IT was so nice to hear that our high profile regal Arabian visitor – Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Head of the House of Saud – liked Bali so much that he extended his stay. He’s due… Continue reading

Bali

Bill Leak, Regal visitors, Traffic delights

February 28, 2017

A Spicy Date

HECTOR’S DIARY in the Bali Advertiser Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2017 UBUD is the centre of much heritage and tradition in Bali. This remains its principal charm, which is offset only by its other role as a testing ground for the skills – or lack of these – of drivers of huge buses that service… Continue reading

Bali, Environment, Festivals, NGOs, Public Administration, Public Works, Random Thoughts, Sustainable tourism, Tourism, Ubud, Water resources

Down Under, Fivelements, IDEP Foundation, La Niña, Men at Work, Navel gazing, Spicy dates, Water Rites

February 6, 2017

Blocked Roads, Anyone?

HECTOR’S DIARY His regular diet of worms and other delicacies Bali, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 BALI’S singular contributions to Chaos Theory are well known. They fuel debate, sometimes, but mostly they result only in huffing and puffing that gets no one anywhere, or else create fractious ennui, quite often of the terminal variety. It’s… Continue reading

Australia, Bali, Economy, Environment, Indonesia, USA

Airport taxis, Chaos Theory, Dana Millbank, Flying cheese, Grab, La Niña, Potholes, President Trump, Prime Minister Turnbull, Tolak Reklamasi, Traffic mismanagement, Uber, Washington Post

February 1, 2017

Seriously, Folks

HECTOR’S DIARY in the Bali Advertiser Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 WE had an interesting chat the other day (no names, no pack-drill) about Bali’s new tourism demographics and their effect on the five-star-plus hotel sector. Basically, it’s not good news. The emphasis on the low-cost domestic and Chinese markets is bringing in lots more people… Continue reading

Animal Welfare, Bali, Charity, Economic Development, Foreign Aid, Rabies

Be my babi, Fire Roosters, Happy Endings., Hotel room rates, Japanese Aid, MinYak, Rabies control, Rudi Suliawan, Sophie Digby

January 28, 2017

Law v Lore

HECTOR’S DIARY His diet of worms and other delicacies Bali, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 THERE’S a great deal of misinformation about on the issue of Sharia law, particularly in western countries. So when Ubud identity Darsih Gede passed along a handy brief from a long-time friend, an American woman married to an Indonesian Muslim,… Continue reading

Australia, Bali, Global Politics, Indonesia, Islamic beliefs, USA

Australia Day, Donald Trump, Fire Roosters, Gong Xi Fa Chai, Holy Quran, India’s Republic Day, Montezuma’s Revenge, North African music, Splendid hotels

January 21, 2017

Another Round

HECTOR’S DIARY His diet of worms and other tasty morsels Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 THE Bali authorities have accepted a proposal from the Japanese city of Kumamoto to help with rabies eradication, a duty they’ve managed to evade for nine years now despite help from local animal welfare charities, foreign governments and the United Nations. Two… Continue reading

Animal Welfare, Australia, Bali, Foreign Aid, Indonesia, Rabies, USA

Afferbeck Lauder, Bad Bouncers, Eat Live Travel, Illicit Sex, Inauguration Moments, Japanese Aid, La Favela, Nancy Sinatra, Seminal Songs, Traffic Plans