a little detail

.... is what counts. A wonderful flower arrangement made by our Kanti in front of the Jiwa Damai Logo at the dining area.

The flowers are fom our pond garden.

JD

going to the market

…selling our organic products ! ;-) On Sunday mornings at the organic market in Ubud.

All our products are Organik Indonesia Certified

We offer Bali Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Honey, Dried Bananas, Pineapple, Jackfruit, Peppers, Tomatoes, Papaya, Pumpkin,.... possibilities are plenty !...considering the abundance of our organic garden.

Check out our website to see the full range of products we are producing and offering:  www.jiwadamai.net/our-products

organic market _3

organic market_2

Organic market

Awakening to the sounds of Nature

Awakening to the sounds of nature

After spending my time in Bali's tourist centre of Ubud it was a relief to arrive at Jiwa Damai. Upon descending the stairs into Jiwa's dining area I was immediately overcome by the tranquil surroundings. Smells of frangipani and other flowers abound as do the vibrant colours that go with them; greens, yellows and pinks that one rarely finds outside of the tropics. Terry, one of the resident Woofers, showed me the expansive gardens and led me to a Lumbung situated in the heart of the organic garden.

Awakening to the sounds of nature (1)

As you can see by the photo a Lumbung is essentially a bamboo hut with no walls. Instead of walls a mosquito net hangs to offer some protection from those irritating, and often sleep-depriving, insects. It was so exciting to get to bunk out in nature, protected from the rain and insects but still able to feel the gentle and often cooling mountain breeze.

Awakening to the sounds of nature (3)

I awoke the next morning early to the sounds of roosters off in the distance, running water from the river nearby and various birds up in the treetops. It was magical. Another of Jiwa's local residents, Orchid, the cat, had snuck into the Lumbung the night before and was sleeping near my feet. Needless to say I welcomed my new friend.

Awakening to the sounds of nature (2)

Lying there I felt a deep sense of calm and an appreciation for the serenity that is Jiwa Damai. Of course, there was much work to be done, but it was nice to really take in the environment before starting the day!

Berish Bilander

Troubled waters

When I arrived at Jiwa Damai the pressing issue of a lack of infrastructure to manage the large amounts of waste now being produced here in Bali, was quickly brought to the forefront.  My initial exposure to this was on my first beach walk from Legian to Seminyak when I noted trash scattered beneath my feet.  I was informed here that common practices of disposing trash include dumping it into the rivers or local waterways, burning the trash (plastics included releasing toxic chemicals into the air) or simply creating a trash pile in the backyard.  Each of these methods have both environmental and personal health implications that will surely grow worse as production here tries to keep up with mass amounts of visitors like myself. In an effort to begin addressing this issue, our host here at Jiwa Damai has begun a program to educate locals in the village of Mambal on the hazards of the current methods utilized for trash disposal.  As well, the volunteers and interns here at Jiwa maintain a weekly schedule of picking up trash from the river that runs through this beautiful property.

Troubled waters 1

Troubled Waters 2

Like many systemic problems, this one will take time and collaborative efforts to resolve.   For me, it was important to be exposed to a place like Jiwa where I could become a participant in the solution rather than just taking a backseat, as is easy to do when you are just a visitor.

Troubled Waters 3

Homemade basil pesto

In the permaculture garden we also grow basil - Balinese lemon basil as well as western basil.The land at Jiwa Damai is blessed with fertile grounds - and the basil bushes are growing really well !

Basil _2

We use the basil to make basil pesto - Today we want to share with you the recipe for our old fashioned basil pesto.

Fresh Basil

For our flavourful pesto we use the Balinese lemon basil from the garden, combined with stronger flavored Italian basil. At first all the leaves have to be cut in tiny pieces.

Cutting basil

Once the basil is cut, we add garlic, olive oil and shredded parsley. Et voila - the pesto is ready to be eaten.

Basil pesto

Enjoy with fresh pasta !

Selamat makan!

Tropical fauna on Bali

Experiencing the tropical wildlife in our extensive permaculture garden is quite a spectacle. Jiwa Damai is inhabited by different animals crawling, flying and jumping around in the huge garden. Today we want to introduce you to some of the little creatures.

The Tokes you'll hear as soon as it gets dark. They like to crawl around under the open roofs, looking for insects. They make that nice sounds: tookeeee, tokeeee.....

Toke

Our other noise-makers are the little froggies, quacking and quacking.

At nights, just sit back and listen to the beautiful concert !

Frog

Going for a walk in the garden , right after a heavy rainshower, I noticed some spiders weaving their nets.  - What incredibly talented  artists these creatures are !

Spider

But we have way more cute little animals in the huge garden. Beautiful animals..... butterflies, colorful birds, snails, ... ( it's just so hard to take pictures of the birds and butterflies.... but we'll keep on trying ;-) )

Snail

It is a pleasure walking through the garden and you can be sure not to be bothered by too many mosquitos and flies.  The ponds and water have been exposed to EM-Technology and as a result the breeding of mosquitoes has been significantly reduced.

Come visit us and see for yourself!