"If you change nothing..."

What if you lived in a place where...

1. The pink and purple sunrise through the palms and curly ferns (see pic) woke you up every morning right in your front window, visible straight from your bed, and a volcanic mountain top were visible through the left window;

2. You took your shower (outdoors, in a naturally green landscape!) with products locally made with all local, natural herbal ingredients, and the water went into a local waste water treatment used to fertilize banana trees;

3. Openess were a part of life in many ways. There were no locks on doors because there were no criminals. There were barely any walls because the natural mountain breeze tops A/C and you can see the sunrise more clearly that way;

4. The perfect breakfast consisted of fried bananas and chocolate or passion fruit ice cream, and coffee, all grown in the back yard;

5. You were surrounded by a dense, fertile "food forest," far from the polluted city 700 meters above sea level on a volcanic mountain. It had over 100 edible plants and spices like vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, cocoa, papaya, edible ferns, snake skin fruit(!), etc. providing abundant ingredients for meals that looked beautiful on top of being super fresh, organic, and healthy;

6. Everything around you were built from sustainable building materials (bamboo, palm leaves, etc., including your bed sheets!) which didn't dominate the landscape and were based on permaculture principles. And they even featured traditional wood carving door and window frames. (See pic of our romantic dinner set in a bamboo gazebo overlooking the mountains and fireflies.)

7. Fair wages, new skill development, talent nourishment, and ecosystem awareness were important parts of the training for staff working for you. And business profits plus donations went directly to supporting the local village through college scholarships, ecosystem conservation projects, trekking guide associations, tree planting, and school improvements;

8. There were no need for dishwashers because banana leaves served as vessels for streaming dishes (creating very moist chicken!) and as decorative plates, too, and could be composted afterwards;

9. Feedback for improvement were taken very seriously, since locals attend regular village meetings and provide input, including on ecosystem conservation;

10. Ecotourism meant something, showing that is possible to create a business that provides support and income for the long term, not just short term gains that destroy habitats;

11. Insects and crawly creatures, even though brightly colored and sometimes the size of your first, were not at all harmful to you or even something you want to fear or kill. Rather, they were seen as a sign of a healthy ecosystem that composts garden waste, and effectively cleaned up lizard poop in your room;

12. Massage (with sounds of cicadas chirping in the background) was a part of daily life, including the opportunity to learn the technique and practice on your partner;

13. Vacation didn't mean just luxury. It also meant self-improvement, through workshops such as language class, traditional offerings and costumes, cooking class (see pics of the last two below!), and learning through locals who took you on day trips and treks. And they didn't just teach you history about a temple or scenic lake; they shared wisdom with you about their life and village and then you learned it was because they were also part time farmers, physics teachers, town hall leaders, and bird conservation activists!

14. A social and economic model existed to inspire all who visited about traditional culture, stimulating the local economy, and sustainable life in harmony with nature, all at the same time?

Well, this place isn't fictional. Heaven exists on Earth and it's called Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, in the mountains of central Bali island, Indonesia. This lodge is the first of its kind, built from scratch by an Australian couple to be dream retreat in paradise. It's in a village of 200 locals, supporting 25 village families directly and many others indirectly (see #7 above).

We experienced every one of these things during our weeklong stay here, and we left feeling more inspired, pampered, and nourished then the rest of our month traveling. This place shows it's possible to create a sustainable, eco business and do it in a beautiful, inspiring way that benefits the ecosystem, the local community, the staff, and of course, anyone who has the pleasure of staying here.

Sarinbuana is a true model for the future of our planet. The lodge bathroom has a sign on it that encapsulated the way we felt here: "if you change nothing, nothing will change." The builders of this place had a vision to redefine extravagant, wasteful, harmful "luxury" tourism and to build a small heaven on Earth. Well, they accomplished this and inspire visitors like us to go home and make a change too.

We're excited about our upcoming week back in Thailand to do some turtle conservation, but Sarinbuana will likely remain the highlight of our trip.

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Imaginez un endroit où...

1. On est réveillé par des ciels flamboyants au lever du soleil, et en tournant la tête on peut contempler le volcan par la fenêtre de gauche (en général, on s'est recouchés après jusqu'au petit déj),

2. On se douche dehors avec du savon naturel, et l'eau sert ensuite à irriguer les bananiers, caféiers, et cacaoyers du jardin pour faire pousser ledit petit déj (et ses assiettes en feuille de bananier),

3. Au total, une centaine d'autres plantes alimentaires poussent dans ce jardin d'Eden : vanille, fruit de la passion, papaye, fruit de "peau de serpent", muscade, fougères pour les salades...,

4. Loin d'être considérés comme nuisibles, les insectes (parfois gros comme le poing et souvent très colorés), dedans et dehors, sont le signe que l'écosystème est en bonne condition,

5. Les habitations sont dissimulées dans la forêt, construites en bambou, palme, et autres matériaux qui poussent sur place (ainsi que tout à l'intérieur, jusqu'aux draps !), ouvertes sur le monde : les portes n'ont pas de serrures et les murs sont ajourés pour rafraîchir les intérieurs par convection, et le bois des encadrements est entièrement entièrement sculpté par tradition,

6. Tout le village participe aux activités du lodge : cuisine, jardinage, excursions, treks, massages, activités artistiques..., est payé correctement, et chacun peut perfectionner ses talents ou apprendre un nouveau job, tout ça dans le respect de l'environnement, les profits sont réinvestis dans l'école, des bourses pour l'université, la reforestation, etc., et les gérants du lodge assistent aux réunions du village pour avoir leur feedback,

7. Les massages font parti du quotidien, et on peut apprendre ou perfectionner sa technique,

8. Le cadre est non seulement enchanteur, mais aussi source d'inspiration, tout comme les conversations avec les guides et taxis, qui sont tout à la fois cultivateurs et profs de physique à l'université !

Tout ça existe à Sarinbuana, sur les pentes du Mt Batukaru à Bali, où un couple d'Australiens s'est expatrié il y a 15 ans et a développé cet Eco Lodge sur un terrain où il ne restait plus que quelques cocotiers. On en est repartis reposés, inspirés, et impressionnés par la société Balinaise qui a compris depuis longtemps comment vivre en harmonie sur une petite terre aux ressources limitées, sans vraies disparités, mais pourtant avec une culture phénoménale qui investit tous les aspects du quotidien. Il nous reste beaucoup à apprendre d'eux et changer nos habitudes et décisions pour réussir la même expérience à l'échelle de la planète !

On a hâte de démarrer notre semaine de conservation des tortues marines en Thaïlande, mais ce séjour à Sarinbuana était probablement le meilleur moment du voyage.Read more