Bali Pictures...

Massive Jackfruit at the Holy Spring Water Temple...YES!

We just met two new friends while eating at Bali Buddha,
Alexandra, from My Goddess Life, (good friend of Angela Stokes)
and Jody, a Naturopathic Physician who has been working
in Thailand lately. This place has so many cool people living here!

Ok...so onto the pictures.

We visited an organic cacao plantation a few days ago,
and I was just totally geeking out about it.

I think the Balinese get it about agro-tourism.
So many people are getting into this...
This is where the LIFE is. Temples and Churches
feel dead to me. Markets and Gardens are teaming
with life. Museums...kind of in the middle.
About one hour into a museum and my back starts
to ache...I don't know if thats some mind body thing or what,
but I could spend HOURS in a garden and not even think about.

So...I ate cacao fresh for the first time.
The verdict??? Drumroll please.........
Um...whats the big fuss? I wasnt blown away.
It was kind of sweet and sour...same texture
as a firm mangosteen maybe...but the fermented
beans are way nicer I think. They told us not to eat
the bean inside because it might be too bitter,
but it was just fine. I loved that it was purple.

I still loved the durians the most. The roadside
stands offered them for about half as much as in town.
Dawn prefers the mangosteens far more,
but Im a creamy durian fan for life.

The ones here right now are similar
to the ones I had in Borneo...smaller and sublime.
No big pillows. Overall though, Cambodia in late December
still has my #1 vote for seed/flesh ratio and taste combined.

They taste better here, but the seeds are big compared to
the pillow...anyways...onto the next pic.

I filmed this guy climb a 30 foot coconut tree
while we did a wild herb walk.
His age?
63 times around the sun.
Look at those arms!
Can you imagine what rich (in money terms) men
would pay for those arms?
Lesson? Use your body or lose your body.
If I can climb a 30 foot coconut tree when Im
30 Ill be ecstatic...not to mention 63.

Massive young coconuts here...Thailand has NOTHING
on these babies...so much water and not sweet...
the way it is supposed to be.
When you have a super sweet "thai" coconut,
think about how much selective breeding it took
to get a coconut that sweet. Better to go for the
wild ones...of course.

Me eating spinach from Sari Organik
and watching the Discovery Channel.
Just give me some greens and Im happy!

Here is the back area of Yoga Barn and the Kafe...
the Kafe is a raw food spot created by Leah Rinaldi.
I am getting SO much inspiration for the permaculture
project in Minnesota. I have a good sized slope
on the front of the property and I would LOVE
to do something similar to this.

Here is a custom beehive we randomly saw on the
wild herb walk. Again...lots of ideas and inspiration.

Here is a tip...if you are getting the mature coconuts
with the hard shell...be careful not to cut
your hand while cracking them into smaller pieces.
Use a towel!! Im glad I had the hydrogen peroxide
and Dawn to fix me up...use a towel!


Our original frugivore buddies at the Monkey Forest.
Not shy at all.


Note: Dont walk around with Cherimoyas
in your hand unless you want to get VERY
close and personal with a monkey.

Ok...gotta get off the computer!
I hope this was enjoyable for everyone reading.
Bali is really great, you would all love it.

Peace,

Anthony