Our long time support and volunteer at Jiwa Damai Philippe fell in love with a beautiful Balinese woman, Ari, and they were married in a traditional Balinese wedding ceremony last week. We wish our Swiss and Balinese combination much happiness ever there after.
My name is Ketut and I am the head gardener here at Jiwa Damai. I am responsible for the huge organic permaculture garden with all the variety of tropical flowers, plants and trees.
Today I want to show you my nursery, where we grow the small plants out of seeds. Once the plants are well nurtured and big enough, we put them out in the open field.
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The nursery has a roof, to shelter the small plants from the heavy rains. Without a roof they would regularly be destroyed by the down-pouring rains.
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We organize guided tours through the extensive organic permaculture garden - stop by and have a look for yourself.
See you soon at Jiwa Damai !
Ketut
Coconut Escape3 days at Jiwa Damai
A health program based on the multiple physical benefits of virgin coconut oil. At Jiwa Damai we produce our own Bali Virgin Coconut Oil from the finest organic coconuts, grown in rich lava soil.
Package includes:
Price: Price for one person: IDR 5 640.000 / US$ 660 Price for two persons: IDR 9 030.000 / US$ 1.050 incl. a 5% service fee
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The potato tower is our latest invention in the permaculture garden.Since it proved impossible to grow potatoes in the wet soil here at Jiwa Damai, we had to think a bout a different way how to grow potatoes. We decided to create a tower that is filled with stones, sand and earth, so the water is able to flow through it and thus the potatoes are kept dry.
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Our gardeners , together with a volunteer took on the task to dig the whole in the ground, which was needed to place the potato tower. The tower itsself is made out of woven bamboo sticks.
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Now our experiment of growing potatoes is ready to start!
We will keep you updated on the progress :-)
The Penjor is a traditional Balinese decoration made for the Galungan festival. Galungan is a traditional Balinese celebration, similar to a Western Christmas, where families get together.The Penjor is usually made by the head of the family, and it takes a whole day for the family to put it together. It is then erected outside each family compound.
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The Penjor is made and assembled then it is erected in front of the house / compound.
What a beautiful piece of art!
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Do it like the snail. Wouldn't it sometimes be nice to operate on a slower speed, leave the hustle and bustle of everyday life behind and live life more consciously and deliberatly?
Jiwa Damai is the ideal place for such a time-out. Here on Bali you can relax in a beautiful tropical setting, enjoy nature and find time for reflection and contemplation.
Snail on tree
to be continued.......
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It has to be midnight and full moon (purnama) and the bees have to be asleep before the honey can be taken out.
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The beekeeper opens the beehive without any protection. He breathes water onto the outside of the beehives which is full of sleeping bees.
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The bees disperse and some begin to fly around. He then takes two bamboo sticks to remove the honey combs slowly one after another.
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The honeycombs are then broken into small pieces and put on to a filter and steamed from below. When the honey is liquid it is being pressed out.
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Today we show you another traditional Balinese dish made from Tempeh. Tempeh is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm texture and strong flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine.
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At Jiwa Damai we place a high value on sustainable food practices and organically grown produce. We grow and eat a fair amount from our permaculture garden. Astri, our very talented Balinese cook, prepares food with great care and love. Below is her recipe for Fried Tempe. Very yummy.....
Astri's recipe for Fried Tempeh:
Ingredients:
Preparation:
First cut tempeh into flat squares. Combine with Merica Bubuk, vegetable stock, and salt. Add ½ cup water and allow to soak 20 minutes. Drain, vegetable oil in wok and fry tempeh. We enjoy tempeh with rice and sambal.
Other variations include cutting the tempe into thin rectangles and combining with peanuts and red peppers. This makes a great addition to stir fried bok choy, or added to a salad like croutons.
Fried Tempeh
Today we want to introduce you to some of the beautiful animals in our organic garden. This fantastic red dragonfly visited the garden. In fact, there are many dragonflies in many different colors, here at Jiwa Damai. What an amazingly beautiful creature !
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We are lucky here to be blessed by beautiful butterfly visitors as well.
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Come by and enjoy the fauna on Bali at Jiwa Damai!
Working on the Lumbungs
Here at Jiwa Damai, we are currently in the process of adding to the retreat center with the construction of two Balinese lumbungs. A type of traditional Balinese housing, lumbungs are small, two-story bamboo huts that are open to nature. Ours sit on the hillside and have a scenic overlook to the jungle and swimming pool.
The first floor has of the lumbung will feature a couch, living area and patio with large hammock. The second story is a bedroom. The lumbungs are for guests who want to be closer to nature. Here, you will be sleeping open to hum of cicadas, singing of frogs and croak of the gecko. The patio provides a perfect place for meditation and yoga.
In our efforts to be the forerunners in environmental friendliness and to pioneer energy efficiency in Bali, we have installed a BioPro, bio septic tank for the lumbungs. We considered a solar water heater but ultimately decided that it was not worthwhile - too many rainy days here! Our bio tank is one of only two pieces available on the island.
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The pipe runs, as pictured, from the lumbung bathroom into the bio tank. From there it goes through a treatment process. Clean, recyled water flows out at the other side.
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The outflow of the tank will be used to water the upper garden. This will be particularly useful during the dry season, when every drop of water counts.
Jiwa Damai is a hands-on, socially responsible organic garden and retreat center.
We are located amidst lush tropical vegetation in the heart of Bali (20 mins from Ubud).
