Category Archives: eBooks

Secrets of Bali – Book review by Rob Goodfellow

Book review by Rob Goodfellow

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

Book review by Rob Goodfellow

An account of Bali’s past and present

(Jakarta Post, 5 September 2010)

Bali is one of the world’s best-known “tourist brands”. It is not just an island, but a phenomenon. Ironically, until recent times, most Americans, Europeans, Japanese and Australians knew something about Bali, but were not sure where Indonesia was.

   Yet, increasingly, Bali is the prism through which the world sees and judges Indonesia, one of the most important countries on Earth.

   As far as the pervasive global media industry is concerned, if all is well in Bali, then all must be well in Indonesia. The world-wide media coverage of the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings is evidence of what happens when this tranquility is disturbed. Suddenly, Indonesian home-grown terrorism was thrust onto the world’s conceptual radar screen, where it has remained ever since.

   This perspective has come into sharper focus as “the West” has become increasingly concerned with the advent of a pan-Southeast Asian Islamist movement—one that combines a collective base of 200 million Indonesian Muslims, mistreated Muslims in southern Thailand, internationally organized Malaysian Muslims, the wealthy Muslims of Brunei and the Muslim guerrilla fighters in the southern Philippines.

   On the outer rim of this potential ideological “ring of fire” is the extraordinary outpost of Hindu culture and religion known as the Island of Bali.

   Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru once poetically called Bali “the morning of the world”. The island gives us a glimpse of what Indonesia might have become had the Java-based Islamic Kingdom of Mataram not defeated the Hindu kingdom of Majapahit over five hundred years ago, irrevocably changing the character of the then “East Indies”, and in turn, modern Indonesia.

   For this reason Bali is sometimes referred to as a “living museum of Hindu-Buddhist Java”. However, for many visitors the fascination with Bali is not about the past at all, but it is about the right now—today. Bali can teach us many lessons. One lesson is about the values of an ancient culture that has stood the test of time despite the forces of globalization and cultural homogenization.

   Above all, Bali represents the hope that human diversity can survive the 21st Century. For reasons not completely understood by anthropologists, Balinese culture remains vibrant, complex and colorful, both in spite of mass tourism and because of it.

   Bali has not withered into a pale brochure-like parody of itself because of the onslaught of mass tourism, but instead has thrived and prospered by continually reinventing itself in parallel with, and not in isolation from, other influences.

   Human cultures are never static; they are always changing. They may be in decline like some tribal cultures in Africa, the Indian sub-continent, China, Russia and Australia, or they may be in ascendancy, like the American consumer “Coca Cola culture”, none of which ever stand still.

   Bali is changing, but in ways that often surprise and delight.

   In Secrets of Bali, Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni present a wonderfully fast moving account of Bali from the outside in and from the inside out. Secrets of Bali places Bali into the warp and weft of a rich historical tapestry of ever changing contemporary life.

   The book explains, clarifies and reveals. It generously offers us a feast of rare and passionate insights from a man who has so obviously fallen in love with Bali, and from a woman, who in so many ways, is Bali.

Book review by Ni Luh Dian Purniawati

Book review by Ni Luh Dian Purniawati

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

Book review by Ni Luh Dian Purniawati

(Bali & Beyond January 2011)

When I reminisce back to my childhood days, I remember how the Balinese people were so proud of their ‘Bali-ness’. There was one joke they frequently brought up. It goes that when a Balinese asks a tourist, “what do you think of Indonesia”, tourists back in the day would often look confused and say that they had no idea, “Indonesia? Which side of Bali is Indonesia?” No offence to their depth of geography, though. The joke is still relevant up to this day. There are still some who know Bali, the island, far better than Indonesia, the nation.

   Small wonder that Jonathan Copeland in a chapter in his book wrote, “Bali is a small island with a big reputation.” This small island has indeed become an inspiration to many of its visitors. Many foreigners have come, fallen in love with, and then stayed on in Bali. There are also those who came and left but still keep Bali in memory, be it in the form of paintings or books.

   One of the latest to have put Bali down in writing is Copeland through his book, Secrets of Bali. Copeland was born and went to school in Belfast, Northern Ireland before going to London to study law at University Collage London. He practiced law in two major law firms in the city of London for 25 years. Throughout that time he traveled to Southeast Asia. He came to Bali with a travel survival kit in hand and knew nothing about the island.

   Soon he found out that there were so many things that he did not comprehend about Bali. Indeed, Bali has many things that seem to not fit into mainstream logic and cannot be easily comprehensible to the western way of thought. The latter, being identical to individualistic living patterns and logical thinking, while the Balinese live a communal life with their banjar community groups being the smallest social group and at the same time the strongest.

   The Balinese are also very inseparable from their rituals and have strong beliefs in dynamism. Many things remain incomprehensible. This reminds me of the big question from a German friend. Back then she saw me preparing offerings for rituals. There were many fruits, flowers, and young coconut leaves used. Also a great deal of time used in arranging them. She asked, “What are these offerings for? It looks like a frittering away of time and resources.” It is not surprising that she asked, because it was not the first time, but many time she had seen such a procession.

   This question would never be asked by a Balinese due to their perspective differences. Offerings or banten in the local tongue is derived from the word ‘enten’ meaning awakened or conscious. Offering banten can be defined as a form of self awakening that humans are subjects of a universal energy. All that exists and humans possess come from God. Ceremonies are not processions that are meant to waste money. Besides attaining meanings, what’s left of the rituals can be taken back and enjoyed by the offering’s arranger.

   Copeland perhaps had the same question. But luckily he met up with Wayan Murni, a lady from Ubud who had and ran a warung there. Murni is a Balinese woman with a keen insight on tourism. She realized that Bali has many unique aspects that invoke foreigner’s curiosity. It seems that the realization of the many hidden secrets Bali keeps pushes them to dig up explanations and record them in books. This 412-page book tries to summarize every aspect of Bali. Starting from the creation of the universe from a Hindu approach (the major religion in Bali), Balinese architecture, rituals, and the arts and up to the paradigm shift among the modern Balinese. All are explained in the 60 chapters. This book is very interesting in particular for those who want to know about Bali and are eager for answers to general questions. However for more specific and profound questions, a book with a more complete assessment is yet to be published. And in several volumes, perhaps.

Secrets of Bali – Book review by Hello Bali

Book review by Hello Bali

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

Book review by Hello Bali

(Hello Bali Magazine, 5 February 2011)

The production of books about Bali isn’t driven by the identification of a hole in the market, but the never-ending curiosity for the land of enigmas. Secrets of Bali: Fresh Light on the Morning of the World is an excellent book that examines almost everything about the island.

   When it comes to books covering Balinese culture, Fred Eiseman Jr’s three volume Bali: Sekala & Niskala, a collection of detailed essays first collated between 1985 and 1988-revised twice since-is hard to beat. Any ventures into similar territory are bound to be compared to it. But that is not to say there isn’t room for more forays into the arena.

   Indeed, there would seem to be no stopping them because what really drives visitors to write books about Bali is not the identification of a hole in the market, but the intense love and curiosity the island inspires. Secrets of Bali is an excellent and welcome example of this. It is a book whose encyclopaedic scope and many fascinating detours are enlivened by a passion for the subject matter and the awareness that there is always more to know.

   For a number of reasons, the definitive reference on all things Balinese is yet to be—and may never be—written: Bali’s fabulously arcane and frequently opaque cultural and religious life continues to evolve and throw up new enigmas. Eiseman’s essays, as he himself admitted, are so specifically about the community near his house in Jimbaran, every other region will have differences and idiosyncrasies worth recording, especially as we venture away from Balinese Hindu heartland. Lay-cultural anthropologists and their informants furthermore, frequently have very different interpretations of the same practices or rituals.

   The quality of the relationship between knowledge seekers and their informants is a major factor in the success of any book like this. While Copeland has assumed the greater responsibility for the book’s authorship, his avid curiosity has clearly been ably abetted by his good friend of 25 years, the Ubud insider and restaurateur Ni Wayan Murni of Murni’s Warung fame.

   The result is an eclectic, lively and very accessible account of Bali since the Big Bang, one that dips into such diverse, foundational subjects as geology, DNA, and prehistoric migrations, as well as culture, history, politics and religion. Mixing up rocks, biology, archaeology, language, ritual and culture offers tantalising possibilities, but at the same time it also presents organisational and structural challenges.

   The book’s ambitiousness does occasionally open up some small weaknesses. Its attempt to touch on all there is to know from the pre-Cambrian era to the present day stretches it thin in places, particularly in some of the earlier sections, yet there is something entirely admirable in a book whose eyes are bigger than its stomach, an enthusiasm that is infectious.

   My only criticism is for the book’s designer and editor: the captions to the numerous line drawings repeat verbatim passages that appear just millimetres away and were read just milliseconds before. At first this seemed like serial déjà vu, but then it just seemed like a waste of precious space on pages already packed with information.

   A book of these modest dimensions can’t afford those sorts of redundancies. This was a slight annoyance more than anything else but it did sometimes disrupt my reading pleasure and unnecessarily detract from what was otherwise the perfect travel companion: a playful, informative and easy-to-read single-volume introduction to Bali—which I now know, if I was ever in any doubt, to be a relatively young island in geological terms but one already crammed with scintillating and complex mysteries.

More Reviews

Book review by William Dalton, Bali Advertiser

Another Book review by William Dalton, Bali Advertiser

Book review by Professor Michael Hitchcock, ASEASUK News

Book review by Andrew Charles, Tropical Life Magazine

Book review by Hello Bali Magazine

Book review by Michael Clugston, The South China Morning Post

Book review by Ni Luh Dian Purniawati,  Bali & Beyond]

Book review by Roy Thompson, The Bali Times

Book review by Rob Goodfellow, The Jakarta Post

 

Book review by Roy Thompson

Book review by Roy Thompson

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

Book review by Roy Thompson

(Bali Times 18 June 2010)

In the past few years there has been a plethora of new books on Bali. Most of these books are primarily illustrative, for example, books of old photos of Bali, paintings of Bali, great homes and architecture of Bali, its arts and crafts, travel guides, and on and on.

   Since Fred Eiseman first published what still remains the most important and definitive English language text on the essence of Bali, his brilliant work, Bali, Sekala & Niskala in 1990, there has been no other tome which has attempted to define and present the endless intricacies of Balinese culture and religion in an understandable and accurate manner.

   Authors Jonathan Copeland and Ni Wayan Murni have bridged the gap between the scholarly and excessively detailed analysis presented by Eiseman and all the “fluff only” books subsequently published. Moreover, Eiseman freely admits in his seminal work that most of what he presents is based on his own studies in Jimbaran and thusly not indicative or representational of other areas of Bali.

   Copeland and Ibu Murni present a broader picture, one which is based in what can arguably (be) called the cultural heart of Bali, which is Ubud.

   Secrets of Bali is an insightful book which touches on virtually all facets of Balinese life and religion but it is not a watered down version of Eiseman’s seminal work. On the contrary, Secrets of Bali is a very easy read dealing with an almost incomprehensible and most surely confusing topic. It is well organized, carefully thought out and, most importantly, accurate. It is a must read for anyone who considers Bali as beyond the playground that is Kuta, or who comes here yearning for more than sun, fun and sex.

   Secrets of Bali is the best book about the island written and published since 1990 when Eiseman’s book was first published. And on a personal note, I have little doubt that it could not have been accomplished without the input of the “Dame d’Ubud,” a brilliant and wonderful lady who is well known to all “Ubudians” as Ibu Murni, Ni Wayan Murni.

   While a seasoned Baliphile may be left with a desire to dig deeper into certain topics, this brilliant primer into Balinese culture will surely satisfy those who are more serious about their Balinese studies, yearning for more than is available in guide books or books that are outdated and no longer representative of the Bali of today.

Secrets of Bali – Book review by Michael Clugston

Book review by Michael Clugston

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

Book review by Michael Clugston

(South China Morning Post 22 August 2010)

Any visitor to Bali with a shred of curiosity will wonder what, exactly, is going on: all that art, music, dance and celebration. Everyone’s a sculptor, painter or jeweller, it seems. Don’t these three million people know the world is supposedly hurtling towards a Western monoculture?

   As Secrets of Bali makes amply clear, the profusion of visible culture is just the gateway to a complex inner world of belief and custom, based on centuries of bending outside influences to mesh with local ways. Secrets is a sort of love letter by Jonathan Copeland, a British lawyer who visited the island often during his 25-year working career in London. Upon retirement he set out to research and write the book with Ni Wayan Mumi, a knowledgeable Balinese personality and entrepreneur.

   They produced about 400 pages of accessible, bite-sized entries on a host of subjects, but this is not a standard travel guide to gamelan and nasi goring-it’s an almost encyclopedic snapshot of a people and what makes them so startlingly distinct and interesting. Readers will find a host of interesting tidbits.

   For example, Balinese architects scale homes and their courtyards to the size of the head of the family. “The architect measures the owner and transfers the measurements to his bamboo measuring stick,” Copeland writes. Imagine what Yao Ming’s house would look like.

   Much of Balinese culture is a variation on Asian themes such as community-before-individual. The emphasis on sociability extends even to the ranking of animals as suitable offerings for the temple. “Pigs and chickens, which are highly individualistic in their behaviour, rank behind ducks, which are more sociable characters.”

   Yet their table manners are puzzling for so sociable a people: very little talking is the rule. “A Balinese family rarely sits down to eat together. The concept of the family meal is almost unknown. They rarely (if ever) give dinner parties,” Copeland writes.

   Secrets of Bali also delves into the island’s Hindu traditions with a profusion of ceremonies, and its sometimes grim history.

   This book will definitely go with me on my next trip to Bali.

Secrets of Bali – Book review by Andrew Charles

Book review by Andrew Charles

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

 

Email Murni

Ebook: US$7.99

Amazon

Ebook: US$9.06

Amazon UK

Ebook: £7.85

Amazon AU

Ebook: $11.99

Book review by Andrew Charles

(Tropical Life September-December 2011)

It isn’t often that a reviewer has the time to read a book from cover to cover, but Secrets of Bali is an exception for me as I was asked to edit the text and therefore had to devote many hours to the work but please don’t feel sorry for me because I enjoyed every minute of reading through this excellent book and I am very happy to recommend it.

   The author, Jonathan Copeland, is probably one of the most unlikely people to produce a book on the history, culture and traditions of Bali, as he is a Belfast-born lawyer with many years experience of practising law in the City of London. However, he is also an inveterate traveller and has acquired a great deal of knowledge about Asia and Bali in particular. The subject matter has been meticulously researched and the latest findings carefully analysed. His forensic skills are apparent on every page. He has also had the great advantage of being able to consult Ni Wayan Murni, the famous Ubud personality, who has lived through, and contributed to, many aspects of Balinese culture; especially those relating to tourism.

   He wanted this book to be useful for both tourists and students of Southeast Asia and he has achieved this aim by writing a very easy to read account of so many aspects of life in Bali. Local residents, expatriates or otherwise, will all find out something they didn’t already know and the style of writing makes everything so easy to understand. As the noted medical anthropologist, Angela Hobart says, “it is eloquent, enthusiastic and jargon-free.”

   There are so many books on Balinese culture and traditions but Secrets of Bali is the single most comprehensive approach to the important aspects of Balinese life; including religion, offerings, architecture, music, dance, textiles, dress, carvings and paintings. The book also gives detailed explanations of how things are made; including shadow puppets, musical instruments, textiles, masks, paintings on glass and palm-leaf manuscripts.

   Fascinating Western parallels are drawn, from Darwin to Palladio and from the ‘Big Bang’ to the treatment of witches. I am not aware of any other book on the market attempting such an analysis. Learn some Balinese recipes and not just how to cook the food but how to eat it and how to comply with Balinese etiquette.

   The book is divided into 60 self-contained chapters and most of them are fairly short, which makes it all the easier to read. You can either read it straight through or check in the index for whatever interests you. The final chapter is perhaps rather controversial, but fascinating, and I haven’t seen it tackled elsewhere: ‘Do the Balinese think like Westerners?’

   Numerous line drawings by a talented Balinese artist save a lot of explanations and are a delight in themselves. There are no colour photographs and this is unfortunate but colour adds to the cost of production and it is important that this book be available to as wide a readership as possible at a reasonable price. I think, however, that it may be an attractive proposition to publish a future edition lavishly illustrated with colour photographs for those who enjoy that kind of thing.

   Coverage of historic events is very informative and written in a way that anyone can understand. Several chapters deal with life in Bali under the Dutch colonialists who, despite their brutality, left some long-lasting benefits. The author explains how the caste system was enforced by the Dutch in order to keep control of the population and perhaps this was one of their less wise decisions but it has resulted in a hierarchical order that will probably endure for a very long time.

   It seems that the majority of books about Bali have been written by foreigners and most people will be familiar with the writings of people such as Miguel Covarrubias, Fred Eiseman, Urs Ramseyer, Angela Hobart and Hugh Mabbett, to name just a few. I feel that Secrets of Bali will join the ranks of the definitive and authoritative volumes of reference books for lovers of Bali everywhere.

Secrets of Bali – Book review by Professor Michael Hitchcock

Book review by Professor Michael Hitchcock

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

 

 

Email Murni

Ebook: US$7.99

Amazon

Ebook: US$9.06

Amazon UK

Ebook: £7.85

Amazon AU

Ebook: $11.99

Book review by Professor Michael Hitchcock

(IMI University Centre, Switzerland)
(In ASEASUK News 50, Autumn 2011)

This is the second time that I have been asked to comment on this book as my positive assessment of the pre-publication draft appears in the foreword of the published version. However, what I did not have chance to examine was the overall appearance of the book and, in particular the charming and very accurate line drawings. What I wrote in my original review was that fortunately for the reader Secrets of Bali was not in the slightest bit secretive and that the outcome was an accessible and wide ranging guide to the island’s culture and history. I also noted that the casual reader could dip into it to answer specific questions, while an enthusiast could read the book from cover to cover with equal pleasure. My viewpoint has not changed with publication, but what has is my realisation that the addition of the drawings brings a whole new feel to the book.

   The drawings rely on spare outlines, sometimes with shading, and remind me of the illustrations that were once common in ethnographic treatises until the rise of inexpensive photography and in particular digital photographs. By the early 1990s electronic drawings and diagrams were also becoming quite common in ethnographies of Southeast Asia and it appeared that the hand drawn illustration had largely fallen into abeyance, though I included line drawings alongside photographs in my book on Bima, Sumbawa (Hitchcock, 1996). What this volume shows us is that the drawing is far from obsolescent as an analytical and communicative aid since it guides the eye to key elements of material culture in a way that the photograph cannot. This author is well aware that this kind of debate has been around since the 19th century, but it is refreshing to consider it in the context of a user friendly compendium on Balinese culture in the 21st century.

   The drawings work because they focus on key details much in the way that a limited depth of field excludes visual confusion in photography. We may liken this to the very helpful observation by Clifford Geertz (1973), namely that one of the ways of interpreting culture is through the use of what he termed ‘thick description’. The drawings in Secrets of Bali work in a similar way as they provide us with insights that strengthen our understanding alongside a well informed text. Geertz was largely thinking of ‘thick description’ in terms of the written word and he was writing before the rise of the critical debates on visual anthropology that appeared in the 1980s. Interestingly, the drawing seemed to slide out of these debates, though it has a very long history in the interpretation of culture. This book serves therefore to remind us that hand drawings can do certain things that other media cannot do so well and this is particularly the case with regard to mythology. The artist can, for example, imagine what a demon or a goddess might look like thus providing the reader with the fullest possible insight. A drawing can also lay out the intentionality of a site’s design revealing very clearly the orientation of great temples such as Pura Besakih, something that this reviewer has tried very hard to capture in photography with limited success. The drawing is not a substitute for the written word in ethnography and what makes this book a delight is how the two work together so well to provide an accessible and very accurate overview of Balinese culture. I would imagine that like one of its forerunners, Miguel Covarrubias’ Island of Bali, which also makes widespread use of drawings, Secrets of Bali will be around for some time. It is a delightful and highly informative book, and it is a pleasure to have this review copy.

References:

Covarrubias, M. (1937) Island of Bali, New York: Knopf (Reprinted by Periplus Editions 1999)
Geertz, C. (1973) The interpretation of culture, New York : Basic Books
Hitchcock, M. (1996) Islam and identity in eastern Indonesia, Hull: Hull University Press

Secrets of Bali – Another Book review by William Dalton

Another Book review by William Dalton

secrets of bali

Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

Email Murni

Ebook: US$7.99

Amazon

Ebook: US$9.06

Amazon UK

Ebook: £7.85

Amazon AU

Ebook: $11.99

Another Book review by William Dalton

(Bali Advertiser ‘Toko Buku’ column, 17 February, 2016)

Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World, co-authored with Jonathan Copeland, was published by Orchid Press in 2010. This comprehensive account of Bali’s history and culture arose from questions that guests staying at Murni’s Houses asked her to explain The persistence of inquiries gave her the idea of researching specific subjects in more detail and putting it all down on paper so that it was available for everyone.

   The book offers succinct and wide ranging information about Balinese life, religion, festivals and offerings, architecture, music, dance, textiles, dress, carvings and paintings, manuscripts and food Secrets of Bali is not a guidebook per se. but a valuable and authoritative reference source as well as an entertaining read for the visitor, scholar and Bali aficionado. Encyclopedic in its coverage, the result of prodigious research, difficult subjects from the sublime to the arcane are simply explained in this well written and up to date work which will reveal a great number of facts and misconceptions that are little known to even long-term residents of Bali.

Secrets of Bali – Book review by William Dalton

Book review by William Dalton

Secrets of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

 

 

 

 

 

 

Email Murni

Ebook: US$7.99

Amazon

Ebook: US$9.06

Amazon UK

Ebook: £7.85

Amazon AU

Ebook: $11.99

Book review by William Dalton

(Bali Advertiser ‘Toko Buku’ column, 11 August, 2010)

Incredibly, ancient Balinese cultural traditions remain intact today alongside 21st century modernity and a highly developed tourist industry. Yet few visitors ever begin to really understand the colorful pageantry and the origins of the ritual practices that surround them virtually everywhere they travel on the island.

   Unpretentious and easily readable in its approach, Secrets of Bali is the key to this understanding. For succinct and wide ranging information about Balinese life, religion, festivals and offerings, architecture, music, dance, textiles, dress, carvings and paintings, manuscripts, food and much more, this is the book to which the visitor or the student can turn for answers which explain both traditional culture and the ever changing realities of contemporary life.

   A close reading will reveal a great number of facts that are little known to even long-term residents of Bali, whether it be such fascinating trivia as Walter Spies introducing Balinese artists to picture frames, the earliest surviving photographs of Bali were taken between 1862 and 1868, or that food prepared using a mortar and pestle tastes noticeably better than grinding the ingredients with a blender.

   The “secrets” revealed are not just about Bali but about the island’s historical and cultural significance in the larger universe of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Did you know that Sembiran in northern Bali was visited by Indian traders as early as 210 B.C., that the first English colony founded anywhere was on the tiny island of Run in the Bandas, that there is no depiction of rice on Borobudur, and that wealthy homes in 18th century Batavia had cells to incarcerate Balinese slaves if they were disobedient.

  Most readers are also probably unaware that a major sect of Balinese Hinduism is based on the Hare Krishna philosophy, how dark complexions evolved in tropical regions, the Pejeng drum is the largest bronze drum ever found, the first Christian missionary to Bali was murdered, many Balinese temples in on the west coast have shrines dedicated to Muslim ancestors and that 11% of Bali’s population are migrants.

   A few misconceptions and misinterpretations are also exploded. For example, the sea is not seen as evil and unclean, an assertion found in much of the popular and even academic literature on Bali. Purification ceremonies regularly take place in the sea, ritual objects and a person’s ashes are taken to the ocean for purification, and the sea is the source of holy water.

   The quality of the book’s index enables the reader to readily access information. Indonesian and Balinese words in italics indicate the page number where the subject is discussed and there’s also a nine-page glossary that gives even more thorough definitions. Topics not found in the index can be found in the contents pages. If you wanted to find out about tumpek (certain days dedicated to respect for objects) or the origin and choreography of the Kebyar Duduk dance, both the index and the glossary provide information.

   Educated at the University College London, Jonathon Copeland spent 25 years practicing law while traveling extensively in Bali where he researched and photographed all aspects of the culture. His formal university training is undoubtedly the source of his deep knowledge of the classics of Western literature and philosophy and of modern psychology which is so evident in the text. His many years as a lawyer taught him how to explain complex subjects easily.

   Co-author Ni Wayan Murni, born in Penestanan, is a well-known personality on the Bali scene and a pioneer of Balinese tourism. In 1974 Murni opened Ubud’s first real restaurant, Murni’s Warung, and also established the town’s first proper gallery of antique ethnic artifacts. On numerous occasions Murni took the author to places and religious ceremonies where he was the only non-Balinese.

   In many ways, the book is also a cultural and social history of mankind and the planet as seen through the microcosm of the tiny island of Bali, constantly drawing parallels and comparisons with other cultures. The author consistently explains phenomena—from the Big Bang to the Bali Bomb—as it fits in the larger global context. Thus when the author discusses of Balinese history we get to learn about Chinese and Indian seafaring empires and 16th century Portugal; when he explains the Balinese calendar we learn about ancient Egypt and Rome.

   Copeland takes us back to the beginnings of human life in Indonesia as he discusses Java Man and even devotes three pages on the discovery in 2003 of “island dwarves” (the Hobbits) who died out 12,000 years ago. The book is full of small essays like how Bali got its name, a chapter on the core beliefs of Bali Hinduism, and the dramatic story of Danish trader Mads Lange, the White Raja of Bali.

   The last chapter, Summing Up, lays out the differences between Western and Asian cultures, the first step in avoiding misunderstandings, and the myriad ways in which the Balinese perceive and reason differently than Westerners.

   Encyclopedic in its coverage, the product of prodigious research, difficult subjects from the sublime to the arcane are simply explained in this well written and up to date work. Secrets of Bali is a valuable and authoritative reference source as well as an entertaining read for the visitor, scholar and Bali aficionado.

[Read another review from the Bali Advertiser]

[Read a review from ASEASUK News]

[Read a review from Tropical Life Magazine]

[Read a review from Hello Bali Magazine]

[Read a review from The South China Morning Post]

[Read a review from Bali & Beyond]

[Read a review from The Bali Times]

[Read a review from The Jakarta Post]

[Read about the remarkable life of co-author Murni]

Walking Tour of Cheltenham

Look Inside

 

Walking Tour of Cheltenham WALKING TOUR OF CHELTENHAM

The Most Beautiful Regency Town in England

by Jonathan Copeland

Ebook: US$4.99




This book is a guide to walking through the streets of Cheltenham. It is a delightful town, full of wonderful architectural gems, all of which have interesting stories to tell. It was a fashionable place to visit in Georgian and Regency England at a time of momentous change, when foreign kings ruled the country. It was when Britain successfully fought to be the leading player on the world stage, becoming modern and global in the process.

Fortunately the most interesting places to see can be covered on foot in a day or two. Don’t rush. It is a town full of history, buildings, shops and many fine restaurants. You will find the locals are friendly and happy to chat.

I hope you enjoy the book and the photographs and most of all the town of Cheltenham.

151 pages
Colour photographs
Bibliography
What they said about Walking Tour of Cheltenham, The Most Beautiful Regency Town in England

“Jonathan Copeland takes us on a lucid and enlightening stroll through the streets of Cheltenham. Whatever your pace – and whatever your distance – this wonderful guide gives context and depth to the city’s rich history and architecture.”

Peter Stark, adventure writer, author of Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire

“A sublime account of 18th century British history when the country changed out of all recognition and the kings were foreign and sometimes mad.”

Ni Wayan Murni, owner of Murni’s Warung, Murni’s Warung Shop and Murni’s Houses and Spa, Ubud, Bali

“The architecture, the history, what to look for, all simply explained.”

Queens Hotel, Cheltenham, since 1838

WALKING TOUR OF CHELTENHAM

Walking the Streets of Yangon

Look Inside

 

WALKING THE STREETS OF YANGONWALKING THE STREETS OF YANGON

The people, stories and hidden treasures of downtown cosmopolitan Yangon (Rangoon)

by Bob Percival and Jonathan Copeland

Ebook: US$4.99




My Balinese partner Murni and I first met Bob shortly after he left China and moved to Yangon. He had set up his successful walking tours of local streets around the neighbourhood where he lived on 29th Street. The streets were amazingly contrasted, colourful and pulsating with life. At the same time everything was crumbling and paint peeled off the mildewed walls. It was a photographer’s paradise. Bob seemed to know everyone. He was excited to be living there in a time of transition, in a place that was changing before his eyes.

We met in his office, the Shangri-La Hotel reception. It had the best wifi and best breakfasts in the city and was the perfect starting point for his tours. We hit it off immediately and got together for meals and drinks and breakfasts after that. He came to Bali with his daughter Gina a few months later.

I suggested that he write a book about his walks and he said that he was already thinking of that. I told him that I’d be delighted to come back and take the photographs.

We kept in touch and the next time I visited he’d finished the book and had printed it himself. It was doing well. The photographs were his own, in black and white.

We talked about an ebook, so that the streets and their stories could reach a wider audience, with photographs in colour to bring the streets to life. I came back a month later and met him in his Shangri-La office, the day before his return to Australia. He had to go back and live there for two years to establish residence to claim his pension and also to see his doctors. Some years earlier he had had a heart attack in Amsterdam.

I spent a week walking up and down Bob’s streets, book in hand, going into as many of the buildings and chatting to as many of the people he describes as I could. I accomplished the whole thing with a day to spare, which I used to photograph the colonial side of Rangoon, which is totally different and gave rise to the accompanying ebook Strolling down the Streets of Old Rangoon, The History and the Buildings.

Bob was back in Sydney, catching up with friends and doctors. I’m pleased to say that he approved the photographs and added another five streets to the book. The book is a real contribution to the history of Yangon, a unique and valuable record of real life in the city. We’ve kept his black and white photographs for Local Products, Local People, Odds and Ends.

Unfortunately Bob did not live to see the book although he knew what it would look like. He died of a heart attack on a flight to New York to attend his son’s 40th birthday party.

Jonathan Copeland

Bob Percival Bob Percival

Jonathan CopelandJonathan Copeland

 

Colour photographs
Bibliography

 

What they said about


WALKING THE STREETS OF YANGON

The people, stories and hidden treasures of downtown cosmopolitan Yangon (Rangoon)

 

“An authoritative and poetic insight into the streets of Yangon. If there was ever one book that purportedly held the magical secret of downtown Yangon, we may have discovered it, at last.”

Sondang Grace Sirait, MYANMORE, 12 September 2016

“Bob Percival’s Walking the Streets of Yangon, a collection of vignettes on downtown blocks, local restaurants and random shops.”

Coconuts Yangon, 21 September 2016

“Whether new to the city or a Yangon veteran, the book makes one feel as if Yangon is full of nooks and crannies begging to be explored.”

R.J. Vogt, Myanmar Times, 9 December 2016

 WALKING THE STREETS OF YANGON

 

Strolling down the Streets of Old Rangoon

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Cover-Strolling-Down-the-Streets-of-Old-RangoonStrolling down the Streets of Old Rangoon: The History and the Buildings
by Jonathan Copeland

Ebook: US$4.99


I first went to Rangoon in 1981. It was called Rangoon then before the military government changed the name to Yangon in 1989. They also changed the name of the country to Myanmar, but most people preferred to use the old, poetic, evocative names, partly to make a political statement.

I was immediately struck by the time warp that the city was languishing in. Old-fashioned limousines cruised around the city. Old British fire engines languidly poked out from the old British Fire Station. It was as if time had stopped still at the very moment that the British had sailed away in 1948.

Since then I have become even more enchanted, but even more concerned by the endangered condition of the colonial buildings. Hence I determined to photograph thirty-five of my favourites and place them in their historical context, because each one of them has a fascinating story to tell and is best understood and appreciated as a milestone in the history of Rangoon.

Jonathan CopelandJonathan Copeland

190 pages
Colour photographs
Bibliography

What they said about
 Strolling down the Streets of Old Rangoon, The History and the Buildings

“Take a leisurely stroll through Old Rangoon and be mesmerized by the fin-de-siècle architecture—a unique time capsule of a bygone age.”

San Tin Lun, Yangon writer and author of ten books, including The Legendary Heroes of Myanmar, Ancient Myanmar Heroes, and Reading A George Orwell Novel in A Myanmar Teashop and Other Essays

“Follow in the footsteps of Somerset Maugham and Noël Coward: high tea at the Strand Hotel—five-star history at its best.”

Ni Wayan Murni, owner of Murni’s Warung, Murni’s Warung Shop, Murni’s Houses and Tamarind Spa, Ubud, Bali

“The highest number of colonial buildings in one square mile—a fascinating glimpse of a distant corner of the British Empire.”

Audrey Pipe, Anglo-Burmese, resident of the United Kingdom

Strolling down the Streets of Old Rangoon: The History and the Buildings

Walking Tour of Rye

Walking Tour of Rye, the Most Beautiful Town in England

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Walking-Tour-of-RyeWalking Tour of Rye, the Most Beautiful Town in England
by
Jonathan Copeland

 

 

 

Rye, 70 miles south of London, is a small town, rich in history, and numerous well-preserved historical buildings. The town is just the right size to go on a walking tour. This guide takes you to every important building and explains it and directs you to the next one.

There are stories of French raids, piracy, murder, plague and Royal visits.

The historical background is set out in brief history lessons to read on the tour or at home.

77 landmarks described.

There are over 100 photographs.

Published: August 2012

Bibliography

161 pages

US$7.85

If you don’t have a Kindle, you can read it as a pdf file, and either way you can read the first 10% as a free sample on the Kindle Store on Amazon.

Start reading Walking Tour of Rye, the most beautiful town in England in under a minute.

Jonathan CopelandJonathan Copeland

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

RYE MAP

 

Reviews

A guidebook that makes you wish to visit the place!!!

June 25, 2015

A delightful book about a delightful town! We literally used the book step by step!

What I especially liked were the short “history lessons”, spiked with saucy, little scandal tales! I wish my history professor in school was like that, it would have made me like history much more!

I usually do not like guidebooks that are written endlessly long. this one was so interesting, that I was sorry when I finished it!

Cornelia Bock

 

Just like being there

11 September 2012

In reading Jonathan Copeland’s “Walking Tour of Rye, the most beautiful town in England,” I felt as though I was right there rather than sitting at my desk in Australia. It came as a surprise to me that this town should have accumulated such a big slice of the history of England over the years. Well done!

Quince D

 

A Walk Around Rye

Walking Tour of Rye, the Most Beautiful Town in England

The Bangkok Story

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The_Bangkok_StoryThe Bangkok Story, an Historical Guide to the Most Exciting City in the World
by Jonathan Copeland

 

 

 

The Bangkok Story traces the history of Bangkok up to the present day, and describes and places the main buildings in the city in context, to explain to the visitor their meaning and relevance, something that the usual guide books do not cover. There are a lot of places not mentioned in other books. There are directions on how to find them and their opening hours.

Jonathan CopelandJonathan Copeland

483 pages
Over 400 colour photographs
Glossary
Bibliography

“Jonathan Copeland lifts the lid on the planet’s most captivating metropolis – every page offers the reader a highly delicious serving that will keep you coming back for more and more!”

Vinder Balbir, owner of Mrs Balbir’s Indian Restaurant, Bangkok

“The Bangkok Story tells the story of the most interesting city in the World – brought to life by more than four hundred glorious photographs.”

Marc Pettibone, art collector and dealer and long-time resident of Thailand

“My favourite book about my favourite city”

Stephanie Brookes, Travel Writer

“When I step out the door, The Bangkok Story is my constant companion.”

Gavin Gough, freelance travel photographer based in Bangkok

“The Bangkok Story – like the great city itself – is irresistible.”

Dr Rob Goodfellow, author, journalist, researcher and academic

The Bangkok Story

 

Secrets of Bali

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Secrets Of BaliSecrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland
with
Ni Wayan Murni

Published by Orchid Books

Ebook:  US$9.99:

 

Paperback:  Rp 500,000. Please email: murni@murnis.com or pick up a copy at Murni’s Warung Shop or Murni’s Houses & Spa.

The magical isle of Bali has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions, ever since visitors from the West began to arrive in the early 20th century.

Incredibly, ancient Balinese cultural traditions remain richly intact today, in the face of, and alongside, 21st century modernity and a highly developed tourist industry. Yet few visitors ever really begin to understand the colourful pageantry that surrounds them virtually everywhere they travel on the island.

Unpretentious and easily readable in its approach and encyclopaedic in its coverage, Secrets of Bali is the key to this understanding. From Balinese life, religion, festivals and offerings, architecture, music, dance, textiles, dress, carvings and paintings, masks, manuscripts, meals and much, much more, this is the book to which the visitor can turn for the answers.

Each chapter is written both as a part of the overall narrative, and as a ‘stand alone’ reference on the topic addressed.

If you buy only one book in addition to a standard travel guide, this is the volume for you. Simply a ‘must read’ for foreign visitors, residents, and those everywhere who have fallen under the spell of ‘The Morning of the World’.

Jonathan CopelandJonathan Copeland

Ni Wayan MurniNi Wayan Murni

  • 424 pages
  • 110 line drawings
  • 1 map
  • Glossary
  • Bibliography

“In Secrets of Bali Jonathan Copeland and Ibu Murni present a wonderfully fast moving account of Bali – from the outside in and from the inside out. Secrets of Bali places Bali into the warp and weft of the rich tapestry of historical context and ever changing contemporary life. It generously offers us a feast of rare and passionate insights from a man who has so obviously fallen in love with Bali and from a woman who, in so many ways, is Bali.”

Dr Rob Goodfellow
Author, journalist and academic, Australia

 

“From Balinese Gods to Balinese gamelan, difficult subjects are simply explained in this beautifully written and illustrated work.”

Bill Dalton
Author of Bali Handbook, USA

 

“Eloquent, enthusiastic, and jargon-free.”

Dr Angela Hobart
Visiting Reader at Goldsmiths College, University of London and Honorary Research Fellow at University College London

 

“Fortunately for the reader, the author of Secrets of Bali is not in the slightest bit secretive. The outcome is an accessible and wide ranging guide to the island’s culture and history. The casual reader can dip into it to answer specific questions, whereas the enthusiast can read with equal pleasure from cover to cover.”

Professor Michael Hitchcock
Deputy Dean (Research and External Relations)
Faculty of Business, Arts and Humanities,
University of Chichester, England

 

“In Bali they say…when the durians come down, the sarongs go up.”

Julia Suryakusuma
Author of Sex, Power and Nation

 

Secrets of Bali is the best book about the island written and published since 1990 …”

Roy Thompson
The Bali Times, 18-24 June 2010

 

“This book will definitely go with me on my next trip to Bali.”

Michael Clugston
South China Morning Post, 22 August 2010

 

“This 412-page book tries to summarize every aspect of Bali. Starting from the creation of the universe from a Hindu approach (the major religion in Bali), Balinese architecture, rituals, and the arts and up to the paradigm shift among the modern Balinese. All are explained in the 60 chapters.”

Ni Luh Dian Purniawati
Bali & Beyond, January 2011

 

“I feel that Secrets of Bali will join the ranks of the definitive and authoritative volumes of reference books for lovers of Bali everywhere.”

Andrew Charles
Tropical Life, September – December 2011

“One of the most readable books about Bali, its people and its traditions.”

Lonely Planet Guide to Bali & Lombok, 2015

To order the paperback

Rp 295,000

Email: murni (at) murnis.com

Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World

Murni’s Bali Tours

Murni’s Bali Tours, Where to go, What to do and How to do it

Look Inside

 

MurnisBaliTours-2016Murni’s Bali Tours, Where to go, What to do and How to do it




 

ABOUT MY TOURS

Tours of Bali routinely offered by travel agents and drivers haven’t really changed for decades, at least not since I was a girl. But there are now a lot of exciting new places to visit and I want my guests at Murni’s Houses to see them all.

I would also like my guests to have helpful and accurate information about these fresh destinations, so I’ve put together a whole new set of trips and ebook, which you can carry along as an easy-to-read guide.

As well as including the classic jewels in the Balinese crown, my tours cover off the beaten track destinations too, special places away from the mainstream. We have covered a range of interests in each new tour, so whether you are a temple lover, an art aficionado or a history buff, there will be something special just for you.

We’ve also included some wonderful short walks, such as a trek through a cool tropical bamboo forest or a walk along the beautifully terraced rice paddies, or even a refreshing dip in a towering waterfall.

As far as possible our drivers will keep off the main roads and personally accompany you to the sites (unless you don’t want them to). Bear in mind that in some places this is not allowed and local guides are required.

Remember that almost every place has a small entrance charge of a few dollars or a donation. This is needed by local people for expenses such as basic maintenance of the buildings and sites.

Food and meals outside the main tourist areas are not usually of the highest standard and sometimes restaurants are hard to find. Please discuss with the driver what time you would like to eat and he will give you the options and an idea of the price you might expect to pay.

Bring sun cream, a hat and your camera. Above all, be ready for adventure and have fun. The great thing about Bali is to expect the unexpected. You never know when you may come across something really important and exciting, like a religious procession winding down the road with a gamelan orchestra or even a temple ceremony with Balinese dancers. That’s why, like me, you need to be ready to change your plans at the drop of a hat and enjoy the moment.

TOUR 1

Goa Gajah the Elephant Cave – Yeh Pulu Rock-Cut Carvings – Sukarno Center – Gunung Kawi “Valley of the Queens“ – Tirta Empul Holy Water Spring Temple – Mount Batur – Lake Batur – Hot Springs – Tegalalang Rice Terraces – Coffee Plantation and Tea, Coffee and Chocolate Tasting

TOUR 2

Bongkasa – Chocolate Factory – Bedugul – Lake Bratan – Bali Botanic Garden – Candikuning Market – Strawberry Farms – Jatiluwi – Pura Taman Ayun Temple, Mengwi

TOUR 3

Gianyar Market – Nyoman Gunarsa Museum of Classical and Contemporary Balinese Painting – Palace of Klungkung – Kerta Gosa – Semarajaya Museum – Kusamba Beach and Salt Makers – Bat Cave – Candi Dasa – Tenganan

TOUR 4

Margarana War Memorial – Bali Butterfly Park –Ceramic Factory and Showroom – Tanah Lot Temple – Kecak and Fire Trance Dance

TOUR 5

Pejeng Market – Moon Drum Temple, Pura Panataran Sasih – Archaeological Museum – Water Blessing by Bali’s Youngest High Priestess – Kehen Temple – Penglipuran Village – Walk in a Bamboo Forest

TOUR 6

Woodcarvers in Teges – Nyana Tilem Gallery in Mas – Museum Rudana – House of Masks and Puppets – Big Baby Statue – Pura Puseh Desa Batuan – Art Museum Batuan – Take a Dip in a Waterfall

TOUR 7

Taro – Sacred White Cows – Pura Gunung Raung – Gunung Kawi Sebatu – Garuda Village – Ceking Rice Terraces – Chocolate Factory – Petulu, the Heron Village – Walk through the Rice Paddies

TOUR 8

Design Your Own Tour

The tours above are tours that we have designed and love, but feel free to design your own and we will be happy to advise, work out a route and take you there.

 

What they said about Murni’s Bali Tours, Where to go, What to do and How to do it

 

“I fell for the waterfall.”
David Metcalf, New Zealand, author, photographer and activist

 

“A must take guide, on a must do tour, on a must see island… detailed descriptions, insightful observations, and stunning photography.”

Dr Rob Goodfellow, Australia, author, journalist, cultural consultant and historian

 

“Everything I love about a great vacation on this gem of an island … picturesque scenery, priestesses, and piles of chocolate.”

Rupert Pullee, Wales, Proprietor Pen y Gwryd Hotel

 

“This wonderful guide validates my oft-repeated assertion that there can never be too much Bali in one’s life.”

Lennard Thal, New York City, Rabbi, traveller and after-dinner speaker

 

“Murni reveals some special Balinese treats … very highly recommended.”

Claudia Auger, Bali, long-term Bali resident

Murni’s Bali Tours, Where to go, What to do and How to do it

Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud

Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud

Look Inside

 

Murnis-Very-Personal-Guide-to-UbudMurni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud
by

Ni Wayan Murni (author)

Jonathan Copeland (photographer)

 

 

Roy Thompson said “Secrets of Bali is the best book about the island written and published since 1990 …”.  That was our last book. This time we decided to concentrate just on Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali, which is a must for most visitors to Bali. I’ve lived all my life in Ubud and for most of it I have been involved in tourism: restaurant, shops, textiles, art, accommodation and spa, so it was right that I should share some of my knowledge. I’ve travelled the world, so I’ve also added some pitfalls and traps and a few warnings.

Ni Wayan MurniNi Wayan Murni

Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud

Stephanie Brookes, Travel Writer wrote “This is all you need to experience the best of Ubud written by Murni, a legendary local insider and cultural expert.”

Published: 24 October 2011

44 Chapters

Bibliography

Words: 23,646

US$2.99

If you don’t have a Kindle, you can read it as a pdf file, and either way you can read the first 10% as a free sample on the Kindle Store on Amazon.

Start reading Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud in under a minute.

 

“This is all you need to experience the best of Ubud written by Murni, a legendary local insider and cultural expert.”

Stephanie Brookes, Travel Writer

 

“I loved this guide to Ubud by Ni Wayan Murni with photos by Jonathan Copeland. I have been to Ubud many times, but found new secrets in Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud. It’s true that she toots her own horn a bit, but she has every reason to do that since the places she owns are well worth checking out. And she doesn’t only give information about her own businesses – she also shares so much information about Ubud that it definitely gives travelers many reasons to go there. Well done..”

Kate Benzin

Author of HowTo Find The Heart Of Bali

 

A Little Gem

“Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud is to the point and for that reason I love it. Instead of having to wade through the more traditional guides, for those wanting to get to the heart of Ubud quickly, grab this one first.

If you do pop into Murni’s Warung, ask if she is about, or to their spa. She is one of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure to meet and if it wasn’t for this book, I would never have known of her. However, she is famous in Ubud for her entrepreneurial life and the prosperity she has brought to her village.

I have read the previous review and must say I can’t agree that it is true for all people. If you want to read lots of information to try and work out what to do, and you want to spend hours doing it, sure, pick up the wordy Lonely Planet. To say that Murni has just plucked all of this from the Internet is absurd. She has lived in Ubud all her life!

I really value the information in this, it helped me immensely when I first went to Ubud to research it for my own book, there is likely no-one who knows Ubud as well as Murni and Jonathan. For $2.99, this is a little gem and if you want the easy and informative guide to get your head around a city that literally sprawls over mountains and vales, this guide is perfect.”

Clare McAlaney

Author of Things You Need to Know About Bali

 

Written with the simple traveler in mind

“When I travel, I try to find everything I can about the place in the internet. Sometimes, it gets too confusing when you have to browse through several web sites to get the basic information you need. Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud gave me most of the information I needed on Ubud. Sure, it is subjective but the writer did put a caveat from the start. I’m just a simple traveler who wants to know the mode of transport in Ubud, what are the places I can see in the area, should I activate my roaming or just get a local sim card, etc. The book is very helpful guide for travelers like me and you can’t go wrong with a price equivalent to a cup of coffee in your local coffee shop.”

Jay Rodriguez

 

Very Enriching

“Who else but Murni to write a guide about Ubud. Anyone who sees Ubud, indeed Bali without any depth of knowledge is missing out on a lot. I first went to Ubud in early 1980, and still go regularly. And I have tramped dusty paths in the evenings to eat at Murni’s over the years. The best places are the places I go on my FEET, and not in a car. Murni, over so many years has gone from being a girl with a simple food stall to writing an app about Ubud. She is all class.”

Janice Brown

 

Thank You, Murni

“Thank you Murni! You have certainly filled this Ubud guide with information and insights that I have not found revealed elsewhere. I just finished my 3rd visit and was still using your guide to explore this very special area.”

Sharon J. Larson

Murni’s Very Personal Guide to Ubud

From Tattoos to Textiles

From Tattoos to Textiles, Murni’s Guide to Asian Textiles, All You Need to Know … And More

Look Inside

 

From-Tattoos-to-Textiles-2013From Tattoos to Textiles, Murni’s Guide to Asian Textiles, All You Need to Know … And More
by Ni Wayan Murni
and
Jonathan Copeland 




 

From Tattoos to Textiles, Murni’s Guide to Asian Textiles, All You Need to Know … And More unravels the mysteries inherent in the ancient culture of textile making in an easy to read narrative from one of Bali’s most famous textile collectors.

  • 357 pages
  • Over 270 colour photographs
  • Glossary
  • Bibliography

Ni Wayan MurniNi Wayan Murni

Jonathan CopelandJonathan Copeland

line

From Tattoos to Textiles binds together the colourful threads of an extraordinary human story.”

Dr Fiona Kerlogue
Deputy Keeper of Anthropology with responsibility for the Asian and European collections at the Horniman Museum, London, Author of Arts of Southeast Asia and
Batik: Design, Style and History

 

“What a treat to read such a beautiful, flowing, informative and passionate treatise on Indonesian textiles.”

Peter O’Neill OAM
Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

 

From Tattoos to Textiles is both easy-to-read and informative.”

Professor Michael Hitchcock
Dean, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Macau University of Science and Technology, Author of Indonesian Textiles

 

 

“This extraordinary book will not only enthral and enlighten readers but also energize the tradition of hand-woven textiles in Southeast Asia.”

Dr Linda McIntosh
Curator for The Jim Thompson House, Bangkok and Curator of The Tilleke & Gibbins Southeast Asian Textile Collection, Bangkok, Author of Ritual Thai Textiles, Status, Myth and the Supernatural and
Art of Southeast Asian Textiles: The Tilleke and Gibbins Collection

 

From Tattoos to Textiles tells a tale as old as Adam and Eve, as mysterious as Neith the Egyptian goddess, as intriguing as General George Washington, the first President of the United States, making his own clothes, and certainly a great deal more colourful than Chairman Mao’s cotton boiler suits.”

Stephanie Brookes
Travel Writer

 

“The 357 page eBook From Tattoos to Textiles with 270 color photos, is an informative guide to identifying hand woven ethnic textiles of Indonesia and how to tell the authentic from the fake.”

Bill Dalton
The Frugal Balinist, Bali Advertiser
23 July 2014

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Audrey Pipe
5.0 out of 5 stars A Hugely Successfull Collaboration On The A-Z of Asian Textiles

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 January 2014

Verified Purchase
Susan L. Ruddy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent primer on Indonesian Textiles

Reviewed in the United States on 26 March 2018

 

Forty Delicious Years – 1974 – 2014

Forty Delicious Years – 1974-2014, Murni’s Warung, Ubud, Bali, From Toasted Sandwiches to Balinese Smoked Duck

Gourmand Awards

GOURMAND AWARDS 2019

Finalist: A06 Special Awards

Look Inside

Forty-Delicious-Years-Forty Delicious Years – 1974-2014, Murni’s Warung, Ubud, Bali, From Toasted Sandwiches to Balinese Smoked Duck

Jonathan Copeland
Rob Goodfellow
Peter O’Neill

 

Email: murni (at) murnis.com

Forty Delicious Years is the story of Bali’s most enduring culinary landmark – Murni’s Warung in Ubud. Narrated by some of the Warung’s most intriguing patrons, with a Preface by Murni herself, the book tells the story of how a humble roadside stall became an institution – in fact a must visit on a magical must visit island.

This easy to read and immensely enjoyable collection of vignettes was published to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Murni’s Warung in February 2014.

line
 

“It’s an institution. It’s a favourite, and a hive of memories and friendships. It’s Murni’s Warung.”

Jero Asri Kerthyasa

“It’s not just food and a good time that you get at Murni’s Warung, but a complete sensual experience.”

Professor Michael Hitchcock

“Murni’s Warung … the best clubhouse in the Universe.”

Karen Goodman

“Murni is and always will be one of my favourite mothers in town.”

Janet de Neefe

“For forty delicious years Murni’s Warung has been somewhere to relish life, excellent service, good food, and the company of friends.”

José in den Kleef

line

 

Bring your copy to dinner at Murni’s Warung and if Murni is there she will sign it.

If she is not there … then there is still a wonderful menu, which deserves to be worked through course by course by course by course.
 

Book Reviews

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Forty Delicious Years - 1974 - 2014

Forty Forte

Murni’s Warung,

Hello Bali, Editor’s Finds, February 2015

 

If you have been living in Bali for some time, chances are you know and love Murni’s Warung in Ubud. Dating back to the 1970s, Murni’s Warung is
 a treasured food joint with authentic Balinese food and Campuhan River views. Furthermore, Ibu Murni herself is a beloved figure whose hospitality has earned her many friends and loves over the years. However, if you don’t yet know who Ibu Murni is or where
 to find Murni’s Warung, it’s high time you do. One of the best ways to do that is to read Forty Delicious Years, a compilation of stories about the warung and the namesake founder told by the warung’s eclectic patrons. It’s an interesting insight into what it’s like to be among the island’s insiders.

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Ubud Icon Murni’s Warung Turns Forty

Katrin Figge
Jakarta Globe
4 April 2014
 
Ubud Icon Murni’s Warung Turns Forty

Murni’s Warung remains an Ubud icon 40 years since it was established, with fans crediting its founder as the heart of the place and even of Ubud.

She is often referred to as the “mother of Ubud,” and her restaurant has been a longtime favorite among both travelers and locals: Ni Wayan Murni, a Bali native who recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of Murni’s Warung with the launch of a book that includes personal memories and anecdotes of people who have accompanied her on her journey from the 1970s until today.

Author and photographer Jonathan Copeland, co-editor of “Forty Delicious Years,” as well as a good friend of Murni, said that it felt right to celebrate this milestone “in a more tangible way than simply a T-shirt and party.”

“We didn’t want a book blowing our own trumpet — there are enough of those vanity publications around — but instead a book focussing on the times and life of Murni’s Warung as seen through the eyes of its guests over 40 years,” he said.

It is an approach that gives readers the chance to learn more about Murni and also about Ubud and Bali in general, and particularly how significantly it has changed over the years.

The first thing that needed to be done was to decide on the number of contributors; 40 contributor for 40 years was the logical solution.

“We then compiled a list of colorful, engaging and interesting characters whom we thought we could contact,” Copeland said. “We went through the time-consuming process of trying to track them down. Some were easy to locate but some were impossible to find. We were delighted with the final list as they comprised a wide range of nationalities, occupations and ages which cover the life of Murni’s Warung from day one until the present. They are all busy people with big jobs and we are very grateful for the time they spent on this.”

Murni, who was born in Penestanan, just a few minutes away from Ubud, began selling breakfast snacks before going to school in the 1950s. Less than 20 years later, Murni already owned four shops on Sanur Beach and established Murni’s Warung in Campuhan-Ubud.

Besides traveling the world and collecting Asian antiques and textiles, Murni built Murni’s Houses and Murni’s Villas catering to the growing number of tourists, and recently opened the Tamarind Spa at Murni’s Houses.

In the book, Murni writes that she still finds it incredible to look back at how she started Murni’s Warung — with no more than a bowl of soup and a sandwich.

“I wasn’t a cook and had no knowledge of what Western food was. I had no business plan, no mission statement, and no spreadsheets. I didn’t have electricity or a fridge or an electric oven. I didn’t have staff or suppliers or a car,” she said. “But I did have passion and drive and energy. And I had friends and customers and hard work. Luckily, Murni’s Warung grew and prospered and has been able to serve food and drinks to thousands of people these 40 years.”

Murni also has a very special connection to the restaurant’s location on a gorge above the river Wos, which is sacred to the Balinese people.

“It has been part of my life, going back more than 40 years,” she said. “When I was a very young child […] I played and bathed down there at the river and among the rocks. When I was older, I helped carry rocks up from the river bed to the road for construction use. Later still, after my parents split up, I secretly met my mother below the bridge. I never dreamed that I would be able to buy part of the gorge, live there and go to sleep to the sound of the sacred river crashing over the rocks.”

Copeland, who has worked with Murni on three previous publications, said that not many people can survive in the highly competitive F&B industry, especially these days, when new restaurants pop up everywhere in Bali.

“Restaurants often start out as flavor of the month and fizzle out,” he said. “It is not an easy business and diners are demanding and unforgiving customers who don’t give you a second chance.

“I think it’s easy, in retrospect, to see how Murni’s early success came about,” he added. “In the early days there simply wasn’t a place in Ubud to get good food. Murni’s Warung was a beacon for early travelers to hang out. They spread the word and they still do. But obviously there had to be substance to it. I think the substance is what has made Murni’s Warung remain a favorite for so long. Murni is a perfectionist. She is very concerned about the comfort and happiness of her guests. And she is a traditionalist concerned about the preservation of Balinese culture. Murni’s Warung is a Balinese building with Balinese food served by Balinese waitresses in Balinese dress.”

Dr. Lawrence Blair, an anthropologist, author and filmmaker who has been based in Bali for almost 40 years, was among the warung’s earliest customers and still vividly remembers a quiet Ubud.

“Instead of tourists, there were only a few ‘travelers’ and barely a handful of eccentric resident expats,” he writes in his section in the book. “And the place to meet them was Murni’s Warung. But the first real draw to Murni’s was the discovery that hers was the sole place in Ubud to have mastered that most rare and esoteric art of producing a sunny-side up properly fried egg. Further cause for enthusiasm was when she also became the first person in Ubud to provide natural yoghurt and wild honey with one’s tropical fruit.”

Blair was also witness to some of the illustrious figures who have visited Murni’s Warung over the years, including Richard Branson, Mick Jagger, Richard Gere and Diane Von Furstenberg.

“My only regret is that they weren’t all there at the same time,” Blair wrote.

Australian-born Janet de Neefe, founder of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, has also been a regular to Murni’s since the 1980s.

“Many of my fondest memories of Ubud in the Eighties are wrapped up in the walls of this multi-leveled eatery,” she writes in the book. “We’d sip on freshly squeezed lime drinks brimming with crushed ice while slowly eating nasi campur or nasi goreng . Lunchtimes drifted into dinner and it didn’t matter. There was nothing urgent to be done except chat about life, love and cosmic heroes — there were no mobile phones, Internet, e-mails, reality TV, not even Facebook.”

De Neefe, like the other contributors, have always enjoyed the peaceful surroundings as much as the delicious food. But they also all agree that Murni, the heart and the soul of the restaurant — some might even argue, of Ubud — has always been the real draw and the secret of the restaurant’s lasting success.

“Back then, I remember that one of the greatest joys about visiting Murni’s Warung was simply Murni,” de Neefe said. “She used to sit at the front desk and invariably wander up to your table and have a chat. There is so much to love about Murni. Whether it be her heart that’s as big as the moon, her gentle nature, grace or soft humor.”

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Forty Delicious Years, 1974-2014

“I enjoyed every chapter of this book.  A wonderful collection of stories from long-term residents, many of whom are famous authors, artists and scholars. An entertaining and interesting read of reflections of Murni, the “Mother of Ubud”, who started a humble little restaurant some forty years ago.  It’s a journey of loving, living and laughter through these pages.  Highly recommended read.”

Stephanie Brookes

Author Indonesia’s Hidden Heritage – Cultural Journeys of Discovery

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An Ubud icon – Murni’s Warung is celebrating 40 years of operations with the publication of a new foodie book.

Murni’s Warung, located in what is arguably the cultural capital of Bali, was Ubud’s first international standard restaurant and, on February 20, 2014, it marked 40 years of continual operations.

Celebrating the landmark, The Orchid Press publication “Forty Delicious Years” is the story of Bali’s most enduring culinary landmark—Murni’s Warung in Ubud.

Narrated by some of the Warung’s most noteworthy patrons and with a preface by the legendary Murni, the book tells the story of how a humble roadside food stall became an Ubud institution and a ‘must visit’ on a magical ‘must visit’ island.

According to Ibu Murni, considered by many to be a “Mother of Balinese Tourism”: “The 20th of February in 2014 also happened to be my calendar birthday and, what’s more, this date also fell on the same day as my Balinese birthday. This rarely happens, so it’s was a triple … no, a quadruple celebration.”

Bali Update

6 April 2014

www.balidiscovery.com

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FORTY DELICIOUS YEARS IS THE BEST BOOK ON BALI–TAKE A VOYAGE TO THE CULINARY AND SOCIAL HEART OF THE ISLAND OF THE GODS

By Vivienne Kruger on July 7, 2014

Forty Delicious Years is one of the finest books ever produced about the mystical, legendary, god-blessed island of Bali–the sacred, unsullied morning of the world. Bali is a brilliant, bright emerald jewel set in the elongated necklace of 17,000 islands that comprise the brooding, primeval Indonesian archipelago. Anyone who has ever visited my beloved Bali–or is planning a sojourn of personal discovery or food discovery–should bring this book along with them. Forty Delicious Years is an incredibly revealing and intimate masterpiece about Ni Wayan Murni, her gorgeous gorge-side Warung restaurant in Ubud, and the constellation of notable expatriates and international personalities that have made Murni’s Warung their social and culinary home away from home. The tell-almost-all book is filled with the charm and beauty of Murni’s universe, reflected in the anecdotes, accolades, reflections, and stories penned by forty of her often famous, well-known (Mick Jagger) customers and fans. These intensely personal, soul-revealing chapters empower all of us to be expats on Bali for awhile, and experience life as very lucky strangers in an unknown paradise. I lived in Bali for two years, and know first-hand the seductive, permanent pull on the soul by the spiritual, always-god-conscious Balinese and this very fertile, bountiful island sanctuary.

The writing is incredibly alive and spectacular, and is delightfully easy to read and digest. The book takes us into the sanctified world of Balinese cooking, traditional village social life, tinkling gamelan orchestras, and culture–seasoned with Murni’s kindness and career, and deep, longstanding friendships in the community. Situated near the old Dutch suspension bridge in Campuan-Ubud, Murni’s Warung was built from the ground up, and is a legend in its own time. For almost four scrumptious decades, it has been the ultimate place for Ubud expatriates (and tourists alike) to fulfill their most deep-seated Balinese and western dessert fantasies. The stunning, four-level restaurant is carefully decorated with Murni’s exquisite antiques, Balinese stone statuary, Buddha images, and artworks–and enjoys a spellbinding, natural riverside location and view. A visually and spiritually enlightening, five-foot-tall bronze statue of Ganesha the Elephant God symbolically creates prosperity and removes all obstacles in the Lounge Bar of Murni’s Warung. Ordered by Murni as a specially designed commissioned piece in 1997, it took highly esteemed, respected, experienced Balinese artisans-craftsmen five years to complete!

Murni remains an integral part of her village of birth and her island of Bali–and the forty testimonial chapters written by forty different long-time expatriates, visiting Bali scholars, and international adventurers/wayfarers are personal, unique, revealing and priceless. This book is a deep and memorable journey through residence in Bali, religious devotion, ceremonial splendor, and life as an expat (or repeat, Bali-obsessed visitor) eight sacred degrees south of the equator. As a first-hand travel journal collection in its own right, these personal tales of adventure–and longing for the spirituality and benediction of Bali–are amazing. And they all swirl around the wonderful people of Bali, Balinese life, and Murni’s longstanding contributions to and dedication to her community, family, local temples, and the gods. One of the best stories is about a very loyal, Kintamani Bali dog named Dausa–who spent his life lounging on the front steps of Murni’s Warung as Murni’s personal guard dog. He lead a charmed life, and enjoyed such delicious foods as chicken sate sticks and Murni’s highly coveted chocolate chip cookies! A very pampered Balinese dog indeed!

I am an expert on Bali, as well as on traditional Balinese food and food culture, and have complete admiration for this very special new book about one of Bali’s most important and iconic purveyors of Balinese food, art, antiques, and hotel accommodation on the unforgettable island of the gods.

Reviewed by Dr. Vivienne Kruger, Ph.D. Author of Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali. Tuttle Publishing, 2014.

Forty Delicious Years – 1974-2014, Murni’s Warung, Ubud, Bali, From Toasted Sandwiches to Balinese Smoked Duck

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