The idea of holding a Presidential, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), and all three levels of parliamentary election simultaneously seemed overly ambitious to begin with, and …

A sputtering Bavarian machine, an inscrutable mountain, buried roads. Rio Helmi checks up on the mountain and it’s people. Mt Agung remains somewhat inscrutable and …

In which Rio Helmi picks up and does a very wet round-the-volcano bike trip this week to check on what’s there now, what isn’t anymore, …

Featuring the first prototype temporary shelter  built – for under Rp 8 million; and a farewell to the last of the Mt Agung evacuees. words …

This weekend is the anniversary of the first mass evacuation on Gunung Agung’s slopes following the level 4 (Awas) alert issued by the official the …

Rio Helmi thinks this, his latest in the series, should be called Under the Volcano and Across the Straits instead, but we don’t want to …

The Next Generation of Artisans Would Rather be Texting: long term resident and author Cat Wheeler tells us a true story, and gave us photos …

On the road again: A couple of weeks of volcanic drama finds us on the road again. photos and text copyright Rio Helmi above: The …

Vale Nyoman Suradnya, a.k.a. Badung, larger than life, who had an even bigger heart and loved his hometown Ubud with every inch of it.  The …

Graeme MacRae delves into history  to give us some perspective on the importance of food in the emergence from obscurity of the princedom of Ubud …