Synopsis: Bali is one of the world's best kept secrets. Don't tell anyone.

I love it here, except for the bad driving and bad internet, both of which are great for my emotional-control practices, so I love them too.

To make a long story short: Around 1500 years ago Hindu people from India decided that Bali, of all places, was a nice spot, so they packed themselves into boats and sailed/paddled/sung over. They mixed with the local tribal people of the Island and the cultures merged and became “Bali-Hinduism-somethingsomething.” For the next 1500 years Bali and Indonesia and the lovely Dutch invaders went through a long series of political shenanigans, many of which resulted in mass-exodus of artisans from other parts of Indonesia to Bali, which for a variety of reasons (including the art-loving Bali-Hindu culture) was a lovely place for escaping artists to escape to. In the 1920s Bali was discovered by several influential artists from the west, who worked with the Balinese artisans to fuse Balinese arts with western arts and western production methods, and to promote Bali as a tourist destination.

The Balinese have long had a love for all things beautiful. Art gushes out of everything. Everything is art. I cannot stress this enough. The natural landscape, the way they've landscaped the nature, and the way they put statues and temples and offerings everywhere is mind-blowing. I can see them going, “hmmm, God obviously left that little bit over there for us to do something beautiful with. What do you think, a little Ganesha statue?” Apparently, if you ask somebody in Bali what heaven is like, they will say, “it's a lot like Bali.“ No joke. Much of it seems to stem from mysticism-infused methods of terracing the rice fields, which, incidentally, is at the heart of family, village, and cultural structure.

The people are constantly worshiping, having ceremonies, making offerings, and “moving the energy“ of the spaces where they live, with a sincere enthusiasm. I've had lots of talks with Balinese about spirits and the power of prayer. I'm sure there are people just going through the motions like other parts of the world, and there are the con-artists and sharks you find anywhere, but many Balinese people cultivate a deep faith. In general I feel like I can connect much more to the people here than in Thailand, and I find the art and culture more accessible. I could not ask for better settings for the photography and videos I want to create. I am already making plans for next season.

Bali is also home to a huge population of talented artisans who do incredible work in fabric, leather, wood, bone, and silver for affordable wages. They are friendly, happy, talented, and easy to work with. Thus there is a huge crew of young, neo-tribal fashion designers from North America producing beautiful lines of clothes, jewelry, and accessories, which they sell back home and abroad. This is possible partly because the artisans are so talented that the designers are able to go to them with sometimes vague ideas and drawings, and before you know it, the artisan has made a beautiful sample. Then the designer says, “yes! just like that! Can you make 50?“ I sense great opportunity to put my long-developed conscious-business-practices into motion here. If only there were three of me.

Now, take into account that I came straight to Ubud and have not explored much further. Much of Bali is definitely quite... overrun by tourism. The beaches the most, which is ok because I don't like the beach scene usually. Ubud is inland and has long been the hub for Balinese art, crafts, and culture. This makes Ubud very different than the trendy surf town of Kuta.

The exciting news is that I'm flying Jocelyn over to help me film more poi yumminess (oh, you're going to love what we'll be brining you). We'll go on some trips together for sure and show you a bit more of Bali :)

To see the complete Bali Photo Set, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/playpoi/sets/72157600158756972/