My coconut island home, Bali, Island of the Gods.

I came to Indonesia in 1995 expecting to stay and work as an English teacher for a year or two, and instead I have made this beautiful country my home. After a year in Eastern Java teaching English I moved to Bali to continue teaching and exploring Indonesian culture. It is here I fell in love with the island, culture, food, sunshine,the lifestyle I can have here, and the people. I feel blessed to be living on the Island of the Gods, that I affectionately call the Coconut Island, and am inspired daily by this island paradise.

 

Image taken from Bali: Island of the Gods ebook by Robin Nichols

My passion for cooking has followed me from the UK to South East Asia and I am forever experimenting with cooking simple, healthy and vegetarian food. With the cost of living being so much less here in Indonesia I am lucky enough to be able to eat out often and be inspired by the food I try at the local warungs and restaurants. As so many expats like me have made Bali their home there is a fantastic array of food from around the world available here. With almost every blink of my eyes a new cafe, restaurant or warung has sprung open and I very much enjoy visiting these new eateries with my husband and friends to see what is on offer and get ideas for my own kitchen adventures. In future blogs I will share these moments with you and give you a glimpse of Bali, my life and my loves.

 

Jemeluk Bay, Amed, Bali. Photo by David Burden

 

I can't help but get excited by simple things such as my regular trips to the local fruit market (pasar buah) where an incredible selection of tropical delights are always to be found, bursting with color and flavor. Just when I think I have sampled all the fruits Indonesia has to offer I will stumble across a new one. With bags laden with fruit I rush home to make a tropical fruit salad, experiment with new juice combinations and think of ways to use these wonderful ingredients in my cooking and everyday menus. 

It is hard to tire of a place that is constantly changing and evolving, and I hope I never do.  The people I meet, the friends I make and the places I visit have a huge impact on me and my tastes and I too am always changing and evolving alongside the island. I hope you will find pleasure in my posts and photos about the things I enjoy and encounter here in Bali, the things that make me smile.