Visitors to Bali might have seen beautifully-decorated bamboo poles or penjor erected on road sides in town or villages. That penjor, a symbol of prosperity, is an indication that there is a Bali Hindu ritual being held here. Traffic around that place usually slows down since the road is partly blocked either for ritual space or parking for invited guests...more

An amazing ceremony that has happened every five years, for almost 1000 years, the Dewa Sraya Ceremony has not happened for ten years due to lack of funds. This year, because of some helpful intervention from a group of concerned foreigners, who raised a healthy US$10,000 at a fundraiser held at the Canggu Club, the ceremony could go on bigger and better than ever...more

I'd been smiling like a lunatic on day release for the last eighty or so kilometres of my trip, I'd finally found the serenity and release of a Bali I had suspected was long extinct. I was only passing through Amed but I already wanted to stay a month. Stopping for a mid flight Teh Bottle on the side of the road I soon had an irate goat and sunburnt dog for company...more

When it comes to grape growing, Chile was blessed with a full deck of cards. Spanning a formidable length of 4,300 kilometres (2,700 miles), Chile is indeed a country that seems to have everything where it is needed, despite its geographical isolation...more

Restaurant reviews come and go, readers learn which reviewers they can trust and they don't care whether the writer has been lavishly entertained or has sneaked in pretending to be an average punter. They want the hard facts and this is what I aim to deliver...more

It all started with a call from Mario Ciccone, the proprietor of Spaghetti Jazz who needed to be included in our restaurant listings. So after a gracious invitation to lunch, which we, of course, graciously accepted we went to test the menu...more