31 October 2010

Bali News (From Bali With Love)

What will theft in Bali get you? 9 years in prison and a fine of Rp. 100 million ($11,100) each.
Read the full article HERE.

The fiscal tax is being eliminated starting January 1, 2011. In the past, all Indonesian residents wishing to depart Indonesia by plane were required to pay Rp. 1 million ($111).
Read the full article HERE.

Flights from Russia to Bali three times per week.
See the full article HERE.

5 of Indonesia's airports hope to have Open Sky Status, for ASEAN Open Sky Policy, by 2015. The list includes Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport, Jakarta's Soekarno-Jatta Airport, Makassar's Sultan Hasanuddin Airport, Surabaya's Juanda Airport and Medan's North Sumatra Polonia Airport.
Read the full article HERE.

Bali legislator's want to tear down all villas violating zoning rules.
Read the full article HERE.

Bali recognized in the World Travel Awards for the Asia Region. Bali was a winner in the following categories: Best Leading Beach Resort in Asia, Best Leading Luxury Resort in Asia, Best Leading Luxury Villa in Asia and Indonesia's Leading Golf Course.
Read the full article HERE.

All articles and images can be found at Bali Discovery.

Whoo Hoo! Shout Out! (From Bali With Love)

I was SO super excited today to see my blog on Desire to Inspire. Jo gave From Bali With Love a shout-out as recommended reading! Thank you so much Jo! 
It looks like there are some amazing reads on the list. I've already bookmarked several to check out. Go HERE to see the full post and the other amazing sites listed.
Thank you again Desire to Inspire! ;)

30 October 2010

Surprise! (From Bali With Love)

Hey everyone! I hope you all are having a fantastic week. I want to tell you all about a surprise! From Bali With Love currently has over 500 followers with Google, FB fan page, NetworkedBlogs, Bloglovin' and Twitter. The highest traffic counts are as follows and in no particular order:
-Indonesia: Surabaya, Jakarta, Bali
-Japan: Chiba, Makuhari, Osaka
-United States: Tennessee, Alaska, South Carolina
-Australia: Melbourne, Perth
-United Kingdon: London
I have been so blessed to have such wonderful followers that I have decided to start periodic giveaways, throughout 2011, of items from Indonesia. All you have to do is follow From Bali With Love on FB and/or Twitter. I will post details for the giveaways on those two sites and winners will be announced here on my blog, From Bali With Love.

And, speaking of giveaways, I would like to start now! 
Many of you may remember, I posted twice about a poll of questions and also placed the poll in the sidebar of this site. Well, only ONE reader answered all the poll questions. She was following anonymously. Now, I can't find her or contact her, but I hope she sees this post. KELLI, you are the winner. You answered in the poll that if you could have ONE thing from Indonesia, it would be a cookbook. Well, I'd like to send you a cookbook. Please follow publicly and email me with your address. Thank you KELLI!

Be sure to check back here often at From Bali With Love for more winners! I look forward to seeing you all. More details to come soon, so stay tuned!

24 October 2010

Indonesian Ikat Bed Cover (From Bali With Love)

Do you remember my previous posts about Peacock pavilions boutique hotel in Morocco? You can see them HERE and HERE. Well, I have a new addition today. Maryam has done it again with this gorgeous room featuring an ikat bed cover. SWOON! I love how she paired it with items from Morocco, France and Thailand.
Image taken from HERE.
This particular style ikat, if I'm not mistaken, is from Sumba. Sumba is located in the eastern part of Indonesia in East Nusa Tengarra Province. I haven't had the opportunity to go to Sumba yet but I hope to soon. It's about 2 hours or so by plane from Bali. Here's a map of Eastern Indonesia. You can see Bali on the left and Sumba is 3 island hops over to the right.
I love Sumba ikat. It's so tribal looking. Here are a few other beautiful examples of gorgeous Sumba ikat:
Map taken from HERE.
Taken from HERE, HERE, HERE and the last two from HERE.

23 October 2010

Blog Makeover Part 2 (From Bali With Love)

Hello everyone! I hope you all are having a fabulous week. A few days ago, I blogged about some of the improvements I've been working on here at From Bali With Love. In case you missed the post, you can find it HERE. Today, I want to give you a quick update on my new pages. As you may have noticed, I added page tabs to my blog a few months ago that can be found across the top of this blog page.

In the ABOUT section, you can learn a little bit about me. Also, I would love to hear from YOU and get your feedback about the content of this blog. If there is something you would like to see showcased on this blog about Bali or Indonesia in general, or if you have questions about life in Bali, please email me and let me know. I'll be happy to accommodate you.

In the ADVERTISE section, you will find the rates and available sizes to advertise your blog, business, product or services on From Bali With Love.

In the BALI GUIDE section, you will find places to go, things to do, hotels to stay, best beaches and more. This section is almost complete and I hope to have it up and ready for you all in the next two weeks! I am so excited with how it is turning out! :)

In the BANNERS section, you will find From Bali With Love banners and buttons in various styles and sizes. Feel free to put one on your blog or website and link it back to From Bali With Love with: http://annaelizabethpoole.blogspot.com/

The BLOG tab is just the HOME tab to get back to the regular weekly posted content.

In the LINKS section, you will find some helpful sites for blog resources, my favorite cooking sites, Indonesia related sites, my favorite magazines, my favorite shopping sites, South Carolina related sites and more!

In the LINK LOVE section, you will find some websites that refer back to From Bali With Love. If you are interested in doing a text link exchange, simply place a link to From Bali With Love on your website and it will automatically generate a text link back to your site within 24 hours. So show some love for From Bali With Love and it will be returned to you as well! :)

In the MENTIONS section, you will see other sites and blogs that have given a shout-out to From Bali With Love. Click on the images to be taken to the related article or post.

In the RECIPES section, I'll be adding recipes for everyday, children, quick and easy dishes, desserts and Indonesian foods. You can also go to my RECIPE COLLECTION to view much more than I have included on my blog!

In the SHOP BALI section, you will SOON be able to find my online shop of various products from throughout Indonesia. I'm super excited about it and will be launching it by the end of the year. Also, if you have any special requests for items from Indonesia, I'd love to be your personal shopper! Just email me with your request and I'll see what I can do. :)

Ok, there's all for now. More blog makeover updates coming soon. Hope you are enjoying the new and improved From Bali With Love site! Thank you to all of my readers.
Happy Blogging!

A Doll For My Daughter (From Bali With Love)

A friend of mine from Japan bought this beautiful doll for my daughter.
For those of you who may not know, I named my daughter Akira which is Japanese for intelligent. 
Akira is generally used for a man's name, but I fell in love with it. 
There were many reasons for picking the name. First, I always liked the Spanish name Shakira, but didn't want to use it. I did notice, however, the word Akira (sh"akira") in it, but never looked it up to see what it meant. 
Second, I met a wonderful man one day from Japan whose name was Akira. Every time I said his name, I loved it more and more. I finally told him, if I ever have a daughter, I think I'd like to name her Akira. My decision still wasn't entirely concrete yet, at that time.
Third, my daughter was born on the Balinese holiday, Saraswati. Saraswati is a Hindu goddess who represents intelligence, creativity, music and power, just to name a few. "Saras" means flow/essence and "wati" means woman/self. Essentially, the essence of the self. The Balinese highly respect Saraswati and claim the special day to give thanks for the gift of knowledge and celebrate by making offerings to books. All of my Balinese friends kept telling me what good luck it was to have her on the day of Saraswati. In Bali, those children born on this special day usually are given a name that coincides with it, such as Saras for a girl. Again, since Akira means intelligent, it goes well with Saraswati. You can read more information on Saraswati HERE and HERE.
Finally, I still was struggling between Akira and a Southern name I had picked out. That night, I decided to ask her. As I held her in my arms, I asked her which name she liked. I said each name twice and both times I said Akira, she smiled at me. 
SO, Akira it is....

Life in Bali (From Bali With Love)

People are usually surprised when they realize how "simple" my life is in Bali. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of my daily life in Bali.
This is how I wash clothes and diapers. Yes, I wash cloth diapers BY HAND! :)
This is how I dry all the laundry. 
The only downfall is trying to dry the laundry during rainy season!
Sometimes, I have to rewash laundry if outside more than 2 days and there's no sun to dry everything. :)
This is how I wash dishes. Washing dishes by hand is something I'm used to though since I've only lived in one house EVER with an automatic dishwasher! :)
And, lastly, this is how I cut grass!

Hope you enjoyed my life in Bali series today! :)
Have a great day! And, stay tuned for more...

20 October 2010

Kitchen Love Via Lonny (From Bali With Love)

Do you Lonny? You should...
All images taken from HERE.

Blog Makeover Update (From Bali With Love)

Hey everyone! I know you have noticed the past few months I have been giving my blog a little, and much needed, makeover. Ok, so far in my blog revamp I have changed my background, header, color scheme, fonts and overall layout of things. I hope you will find everything easier to navigate. I have also included many new features and links and introduced advertising on From Bali With Love.

In the weeks to come, I'll give you a breakdown of all the new features, debut my bali guide, showcase some exciting recent photos and recipes and discuss my upcoming giveaways. You will also have access to all of my connections and online inspiration. It's going to be so much fun!

Furthermore, I'll be updating you all on my current projects, upcoming travels and new business!

There are so many exciting things happening on From Bali With Love. I hope you all stay tuned to explore and find out more!

Until then, take care!

18 October 2010

FREEBIE: Recycle Bin Labels (From Bali With Love)

I found these super cute recycle bin labels and they are available to download for FREE. Sadly, there's not much of a recycling program here in Indonesia, though people do recycle glass but I still had to share these anyway. Enjoy!
Taken from Poppytalk.

17 October 2010

Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu! (From Bali With Love)

I feel so blessed and lucky to have such wonderful viewers. I know, I know. I just thanked my readers a few days ago, but I want to thank them again.
Today, my blog From Bali With Love, hit an all-time high ranking from readers in Japan! This is the first time my viewership has been ranked so high in Japan. From my traffic data, it seems that all the views are coming straight from Yahoo Search.
........So, YAY Japan and Yahoo Search! :)
Thank you for taking the time to come to From Bali With Love, or as they say in Japan, Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!

Room Love! (From Bali With Love)

Pictures speak a thousand words...or in this case, of many travels! 
This gorgeous room can only be found at Peacock Pavilion, a boutique hotel located in Marrakech. It is decorated with finds from Turkey, Afghanistan, India, Morrocco, Pakistan, Syria, Paris and more! 
Don't you just LOVE the colors and textures WORLD TREASURES add to a room? And what stories they tell! I really adore the beautiful suzani quilt and rug. Oh, that rug! I would LOVE to have one for myself!
Read all the details of the room at HERE at My Marrakech. You can also see another post I did HERE about a room at Peacock Pavilion.

Travel Tip: Indonesian Bathrooms (From Bali With Love)

I stumbled across this interestingly, funny yet VERY helpful and informative bathroom tip for traveling to Indonesia. I have actually been asked this before and received a few emails about it.
Have a look at it HERE.

Here are 2 common examples of standard bathrooms in Indonesia.
Image taken from HERE.
Image taken from HERE.

Most bathrooms do not have a sink or shower. You use the "dipper" to bathe with. Showers can be installed easily though and now, at least here in Bali that I know of, many bathrooms are being renovated to "western" standards.

15 October 2010

Batik as Wall Art (From Bali With Love)

I found this beautiful image of a framed Batik from Bali, hanging in an old farmhouse in Rhode Island. I have always loved fabrics and patterns. I love colors and bold patterns/designs. So, it's easy for me to fall in love with Indonesian batik, any and every piece I see!
I have not seen this particular design before here, but it is very beautiful!
I hope to have some beautiful batiks and other textiles to share with you all soon! 
Stay tuned to From Bali With Love for more! 
Image taken from HERE.

14 October 2010

The Business of Begging (From Bali With Love)

Anyone who has ever been to Indonesia has experienced beggars. They are everywhere. They come to your car window or stand outside of restaurants while you are eating to ask for money. It is actually very sad to see women standing on the side of the road with a baby in their arms and two other small children by their side. Beggars are on the streets day and night.

The reality of this, however, is 90% of them are fake. They beg for a living, as an occupation. When I just holidayed here, I never thought anything other than the fact that they needed help or food. Now that I live here, I know different. There are many "coordinators" here in Indonesia fill a bus or van up with people and drop them off at various locations to beg for money. At the end of the day, he picks them all up again and collects a percentage of the money they received.

I'm sure this comes as a shock to many of you. It did to me as well when I first learned about it.
The article I found states that the business of begging is quite lucrative. It is estimated that the average beggar makes between Rp. 30,000 and 280,000 per day. Let's say, at the lowest average of Rp. 30,000 per day, working 5 days a week, they would make Rp. 600,000 per month. At the highest average of Rp. 280,000 per day, working 5 days a week, they would make Rp. 5,600,000 per month. Now, in comparison, the average income in Indonesia is about Rp. 1,000,000 per month.

It's all really amazing to me. Indonesia has no set law for loitering that I'm aware of, but I know the Governor, here in Bali, has been trying to combat this problem.

To read the full article, go HERE.

Sad News From Surabaya (From Bali With Love)

News from Surabaya Zoo, Indonesia's largest zoo, explains that in the next five years, many of their animals, including critically, endangered species, will be dead.

They have, on average, 25 animals that die each month. Some of old age or health problems, but many die due to stress from overcrowded, outdated, dirty cages. The facility was built 94 years ago under Dutch rule and is occupied by around 4,200 animals. Recently deceased animals included a Sumatran tiger, African lion and Australian kangaroo.

This is just so sad. I hope they find a way soon to move these animals to a new facility!

Read the full article HERE.

Thank you :) (From Bali With Love)

I just want to say thank you to all of my readers this week from AMERICA, INDONESIA, JAPAN, CANADA, ISRAEL, CAMBODIA, SWEDEN, AUSTRALIA, INDIA, MALAYSIA, NETHERLANDS, CHINA, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM and the PHILLIPINES! 
Image taken from HERE.

I see the time you spend on my blog through my statistical data and I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to stop by From Bali With Love!

Image Source Unknown.

YOU make my blog wonderful! 
Image taken from HERE where the hat is also available for sale :)

Have a great day!
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