Discovering the Balinese nature

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"At Jiwa Damai I felt as part of the nature, not apart from nature", says Bernardo, our volunteer.

Bernardo is a yoga teacher but he also had the chance to work closely on our mushroom project, taking care of them and planting them. He also worked with the coconuts and prepared the natural coconut oil. For Bernardo, Jiwa Damai was the place where he had his first woofing experience. 

"Jiwa Damai starts from the idea of a retreat. I felt that I could work on my emotional part, even having people around. It offered me the time to reflect on my own life. I visited Bali, I went to the south, the east, the west, but Jiwa Damai is the only place where I managed to reconnect with the Balinese nature. It is the nature that really creates the uniqueness of this place", says Bernardo. 

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While Bernardo was a volunteer at Jiwa Damai, a yoga teacher training course was also taking place. "As a yoga teacher myself, I can see why doing the course here is more interesting. This place enhances the experience of the training. You get more connected to the environment", says Bernardo.   

Originally from Brazil, Bernardo has traveled before to India and Thailand. His next stop is Malaysia. We wish him all the best and we are very grateful to having him as a volunteer at Jiwa Damai. 

Jiwa Damai on the rain

Did you know that in Bali there are two seasons: the Dry Season and the Rainy Season. The Rainy Season ends usually in April. But this year it lasted until May.  The nature is all green and beautiful! Here are some photos from a rainy day at Jiwa Damai.

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Garden Creature

Look carefully between the green leaves and you'll see this beautiful, nearly unrecognizable, lizard climbing in the Jiwa Damai garden. It has a wonderfully long tail and can jump from branch to branch.

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Chinampas project

Chinampas project

We have just started our new project - chinampas. Our volunteers, Egle, Hannah and Chris are going to change this piece of wild jungle into the breathtaking floating garden. In couple of weeks.

Our own Jiwa Damai pineapples

In the permaculture garden we also grow pineapples. In this tropical weather they grow really well.Once harvested, the green leaves are cut of and replanted.

Ketut with pinapple

single pinapple

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Creating Indigenous Microorganisms (IMOs)

At Jiwa Damai we practice biological organic gardening. We clearly do not use any type of chemicals to fertilize our lands. We use effective microorganisms for fertilization. Here we show you the Balinese way how to produce indiginous microorganisms. This is a fantastic technique !

Using cane sugar and cooked rice closed in a hollow bambu stick which is burried in the compost produces a flavourful yeast type fungus which is then mixed with the earth.

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Living in nature, in the Balinese Lumbung

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40 kids explore the nature at Jiwa Damai

School visit kidz

helping hands kidz

This Tuesday was busy at Jiwa Damai as 40 students from a local Balinese school visited for a field trip. It was such a pleasure teaching the young children about many of our plants, the importance of organic gardening, and the many different animals and organism we have at Jiwa Damai! The show started with coconut tree climbing, followed by descriptions of different trees and flowers. During the tour the children taste cocao, coconut, and sugarcane while exploring. The children also walked around the Mandala Garden identifying different vegetables, and tasting herbs. We also teach them about the importance of composting and recycling, and end the tour with each child planting a sprout in the earth with their hands!

After the tour the children enjoy lunch made at Jiwa Damai with food from the garden! We served them Taro, a root vegetable, which they see before it’s cooked and also when its in the garden. The children enjoy their lunch by the lake enveloped by nature all around them! Butterflies, fish, frogs, and lizards join the kids at lunchtime!

New Lumbungs at Jiwa Damai

We are currently constructing two new Lumbungs in our organic garden. A Lumbung is a traditional Balinese house, made out of bamboo and wood. We build them in an elevated part of our garden, overlooking the pool, right next to the ceremonial garden.

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We  offer these Balinese houses to guests, wanting to experience nature closely. These Lumbungs will  offer rural comfort and can accommodate two or threee people each. They are covered with mosquito nets and will have their own private bathroom.

This is our Lumbung Kunang-Kunang. Isn't that nice?

The two new Lumbungs will look similar to this one......

Lumbung

The construction started - phase one ......

Lumbung construction

Lumbung construction

We will keep you updated on the construction process !