Soapbox

“I really fell in love with Bali the first time I came here”, said one American lady I know, and she has been here a long time now. What’s surprising perhaps is that she doesn’t speak Balinese, nor Indonesian, and isn’t really up to speed on Balinese customs, rituals, beliefs, ceremonies and well, really everything […]

As you will see throughout our January 2019 Issue we are celebrating ten years of publishing NOW! Bali and while I have no wish to be immodest, I have to say we’ve done a good job! But of course I had some experience before launching NOW! Bali having started the first real visitor magazine on the […]

Last month we did a round-up of nightlife options across the island and wow what options there were! There were pubs and cafes, clubs and dance venues, rooftops and beach bars all competing for those determined to make the best of every evening. And I have to say the great majority of them are well […]

“When the night falls, my lonely heart calls” I bet only a few of you are old enough to remember the great old disco hit “I wanna dance with somebody” but I’m sure you understand the context all too well. You’ve been busy all day, you say goodbye to your friends and as the evening approaches you […]

“Hot sausage and mustard, cold jelly and custard, pease pudding and saveloys”, these were the dishes fantasised over by the workhouse boys in the Musical Oliver! Wow, that Victorian English fare doesn’t hold much magic for us nowadays. (And by the way, don’t know what a “Saveloy” is? Actually it’s a highly seasoned red sausage […]

The Asian Games were recently held in Jakarta, the Capital of Indonesia, and Palembang a city in South Sumatra. This is the second largest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and is something that Indonesia should be very proud to host. This reminds me of the ideals behind the Olympic games, and […]

I have been coming to Bali for 40 years and in that time seen heroes and villains, entrepreneurs and hustlers, artists and artisans, chefs and surfers, designers and dancers, all coming to Bali from all over the world and all over Indonesia to “find their fortune” to test their luck and often just to enjoy […]

When is the right time to celebrate? Well since you are on holiday, it’s today. And you are in luck, Bali is a GREAT place to celebrate just about anything – birthdays, coming of age, engagements, weddings, perhaps even a divorce! Partying is easy in July and August in Bali when the clubs are in […]

There is so much magic associated with beaches. Almost everything in life is able to be dramatised and magnified by those magnificent links between land and sea. Our childhood memories are full of sandcastles and playing in the waves with our parents, the picnics and the beach games, the kites and the buckets and spades. […]

This message is in relation to NOW! Bali’s May 2018 issue, called “Ten Temple Tales”. It is a continuation of our efforts to remind everyone , especially first time visitors, of the importance that religion has in the life of the Balinese. Unlike many western countries (and some eastern as well) where religion has been relegated […]