The NOW! Bali Podcast

Art has a long history on the island, and really was one of the early lures for tourism to the island back in the 1920s, since then the art industry has grown and grown and Balinese artists today find themselves on the global art stage. To help us navigate the interesting art landscape in Bali, we’ve invited one of NOW! Bali’s contributors, Richard Horstman , to share his thoughts. In this episode...

This week, our Publisher Alistair Speirs takes over the airwaves and shares his thoughts and analysis of tourism, and the new vision that Bali, and in fact all of Indonesia, should embrace in order to re-open the industry in the most effective and efficient way possible going forward.

With many self-help books sharing their own "rules for life", this episode shares the wisdom of Balinese and Hindu belief on what makes a complete life. We share the Purasa Artha, the 4 Goals of Life in Hindu philosophy and unpack this with the duties, rites and actions to achieve this here in Bali.  Other than providing a deeper understanding of the Balinese way of life, this episode may eve...

This episode's topic is born out of the social unrest surrounding Black Lives Matter (or BLM), and has inspired us to discuss and explore the ideas of embracing and celebrating differences. Whilst BLM is centred around systemic racism in the US, many countries have their own form of ethnic, cultural or religious oppression. In Indonesia, this has long been centred around religion. In this episode,...

Being stuck at home for so long, the dreams of travelling are keeping many people sane. Something to look forward to. No doubt Bali will be high on the list for many — but what will a visit to Bali look be like, post-Covid crisis? We explore the possibilities in this week’s episode.

More tourists is always good, right? Not always. What if they don’t care about the local culture, or have no curiosity for the history? Then numbers don’t mean anything. So, how can we promote Bali to attract people who DO care?

In this opinion piece, NOW! Publisher Alistair Speirs shares his thoughts on business ethics and tourism in the time of Covid-19 in Bali. He touches on why, in these difficult times, it is the absolute responsibility of business owners and leaders to help those most vulnerable.

Did you know, being centuries old, Bali's great temples have a whole host of wonderful myths and legends surrounding their founding? As with all things in Bali, there is plenty of magic and mysticism involved. This week we share the stories of Tanah Lot Temple (Pura Tanah Lot) and Uluwatu Temple (Pura Luhur Uluwatu), and the role the travelling priest, Dang Hyang Nirartha, had to play. 

"The crisis will end. They all do. And usually precipitate another because our ability to recover is pretty much equal to our ability to plan, says Alistair Speirs who has seen his weary way through many crises in Indonesia: from riots to earthquakes, from financial collapses to tsunamis. And if we are truly honest and compare our recovery time and our recovery programs to our neighbours in Singap...

In Bali, north has a different meaning. North, or Kaja, is towards the mountain, Mount Agung to be exact. It is the direction towards the spiritual, where the Balinese orient themselves towards. This orientation is found throughout Balinese structures and is all about orienting oneself with the universe. 

In this episode of The NOW! Bali Podcast, we share the unique way in which the Balinese Hindu perceive disaster as well as deal with disaster. This is a nice segue into the discussion of 'balance': how mankind is at the centre of balance between 'good' and 'evil'; and the purpose of ceremonies and offerings in keeping that balance.

In this debut episode of The NOW! Bali Podcast, we share the story of Jero Gede Mecaling, an old animist myth surrounding the 'Honourable Fanged One', written by Jean Couteau. Jero Gede Mecaling is said to be the bringer of death and disease; a timely myth to discuss for the COVID-19 situation taking place during the recording.  NOW! Bali is a multimedia company based on the Island of the God...