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Future site of BALIKANA - 1999
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The Two faces of
BALIKANA
"I have met many interesting travelers which have been guided to my
home at Balikana Retreat on Gili Trawangan, and I have to give the guide
books two thumbs up for leading them here. I host guests from all over the
world. There is always one person that wants to know how it came about that
a lady from Canada
started the project of building a Retreat on a small island in Indonesia.
People have shown such interest in my journey that I thought I might share
some anecdotes with you."
This is the true story of what it was like to go from being a western
business woman and president of a corporation in Alberta,
Canada, to living on a
small island in Indonesia.
It covers the highlights of my experiences on Gili Trawangan and how
tourism was affected by the Holy War and elections in Indonesia, the destruction of the World
Trade Centre in New York, USA, the SARS epidemic in Asia,
earthquakes and the Tsunami in Indonesia South East Asia.
It takes you through Made's transition as a young Hindu man living embraced
in family tradition and culture, to being exiled to an island where his
religion and ceremony had to be downplayed to co-exist with the island
people. This is the true story of a lady from Canada,
and a man from Bali, and how they together
against all odds made it happen. This is the story of the two faces of
Balikana. It is our story, but it could easily be your story. The destiny
of all human beings is to walk a path leaving footprints along the way for
others to follow. These are our footprints.
Excerpts from the book From Heels to Flip Flops -
A Gili Island Adventure
"It is not one big event that happens in life that is the catalyst for
change. Fear allows you the time to procrastinate. You weight the pros, the
cons, and then repeat the same process. You look at all you have to gain,
and then all that you have to lose. Usually commitments tip the scales
towards avoiding making decisions that will impact not only your life but
also the life of others."
"Through the years that I have been associated with Made, I have
learnt to adapt my thinking. There are no bad things that happen, there are
only challenges that we are given from higher beings, and that is our test
in life. This philosophy has changed my attitude toward negative experiences,
and has created positive energy which surrounds our home at Balikana
Retreat. This was not always the case, and I had to go through many tests
from the God to arrive at the mental place that I reside in at this point
in time."
"We purchased 2500 square meters of raw land filled with trees,
bushes, red ants, and deep holes created by burrowing mini reptiles.
Obscuring the beach was a thick curtain of crabby bushes and spreading
prickly cactus plants. We walked along the shore of our property at sunset,
and it was peace and everything I had never dreamt my life would be. Colors
of every hue flooded the sky, and the planets and stars were peeking
through the veil of twilight. I was facing to the west and in the distance
I could still make out the shadow of Bali."
"The jumbled pieces of my life were mixing into another pattern that
finally fit into a picture that made sense. I was positive that this was my
destiny. I was finally where I was supposed to be. The shadows deepened,
and we continued walking each of us lost in our own thoughts and our own
dreams. We were on Gili Trawangan, and we were strolling along the shore of
the future site of Balikana Retreat, and our own Golden Paradise."
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