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Murni has created a special Travel Package at Murni’s Houses & Spa.

3 Days / 2 Nights

Perfect for a short yet immersive wellness escape in the heart of Bali.

Stay at Murni’s Houses & Spa with its lovely garden full of sculptures and tribal art objects, which the New York Times said is one of the best small hotels in the world and that was even before Murni improved it!

Relax in one of our new luxurious couple’s rooms at the popular Tamarind Spa at Murni’s Houses, which many say is the best spa in Bali, and a spa enthusiast even said was the best spa in the world (and she should know). En suite baths and showers, subdued lighting, individually controlled music, air conditioned.

Dine at the historic Murni’s Warung which was first real international restaurant in Ubud, now celebrating over 50 years, in a stunning, riverside gorge, a real photogenic location, and try Bali’s most famous local dishes.

Your All-Inclusive Getaway Includes:

2 Nights in The Suite at Murni’s Houses & Spa    
• Check-in: 2:00 PM
• Check-out: 12:00 Noon

Welcome Drink on Arrival           

                                  
• Refresh and relax after your journey.

2 Murni’s Big Breakfasts per Person

 
• Served any time from 7:00 AM
• Balinese and Vegetarian options available

One 60 Minute Spa Session at Tamarind Spa

• Choose from:
– Balinese Massage
– Relaxing Massage
– Reflexology Foot Massage
• Available daily from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM

One 60 Minute Beauty Treatment at Tamarind Spa

• Choose from:
– Traditional Facial
– Modern Facial
– Manicure
– Pedicure
• Available daily from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM

2 Meals per Person at Murni’s Warung  

    
• Lunch or Dinner
• Choose any 2 courses:
– Appetizer & Main Course or Main Course & Dessert
• Served daily any time from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
• Drinks not included

Round-Trip Airport Transfers

• Provided by a fully vaccinated, English-speaking driver

Up to 3 People 

• Payable on booking by Wise, Revolut, local Indonesian bank transfer or secure link by Visa or MasterCard credit card.

Optional Add-On

Choose from 7 curated tours.

Charged by the hour.

Includes a free copy of our eBook:

Murni’s Bali Tours: Where to Go, What to Do and How to Do It

NOTE: We can add nights at Murni’s Houses (subject to availability).

Reviews for Murni’s Houses in Magazines, Papers and Books

To book

Email: murni (at) murnis.com

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Bali was nominated as the second-best destination world wide, after Dubai.

London is in third place, followed by Hanoi, Rome, Paris, Cancun, Marrakech, Crete, and Hoi An.

TripAdvisor described Bali as a living postcard, an Indonesian paradise that feels like a fantasy. Soak up the sun on a stretch of fine white sand, or commune with the tropical creatures as you dive along coral ridges or the colorful wreck of a WWII war ship. On shore, the lush jungle shelters stone temples and mischievous monkeys. The “artistic capital” of Ubud is the perfect place to see a cultural dance performance, take a batik or silver-smithing workshop, or invigorate your mind and body in a yoga class.

Bali was also awarded the “world’s favorite honeymoon destination”.

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A Locals’ Guide to Bali, Beyond the Tourist Crowds

To some, the Indonesian island has become synonymous with throngs of tourists, but you can still break away from the pack. Here’s how, according to four insiders.

BALI HIGH The daily kecak performance at a temple in the Uluwatu region of Bali is unique in that the musicians use their voices instead of traditional gamelan percussion instruments. Alamy

FEW ISLANDS serve up as varied a grab bag of holiday pursuits as Bali. On a landmass about the size of Delaware, you can seek out tranquility in the DayGlo-green rice paddies around the yogi haven of Ubud and adventure up the slopes of massive volcanoes. Along Bali’s southern beaches, nightclubs attract big-name DJs and ever-more-ambitious restaurants are popping up like mushrooms after a downpour. But the secret is out—and has been for a while. As tourist arrivals return to prepandemic numbers and more transplants put down roots, Bali’s ever-growing traffic and garbage woes have turned it into an overtourism poster child. Luckily there are as many dimensions to the Indonesian island as the number of gods worshiped in its Hindu temples. Know where to look, and you can still experience the island not only as it once was but also as it might be in a more sustainable future. Below, four locals point you in the right direction. 

 

Murni’s Warung has been a staple for local cuisine since it opened in 1974.

The Writer: Radit Mahindro

Author of ‘Paras,’ an upcoming book about Balinese hospitality 

Radit Mahindro

REAL DEAL: Murni’s Warung: The nasi campur (rice with meat and vegetables) here is the best on the island. The owner opened this restaurant in 1974, and still occasionally pops in to meet guests and share fascinating stories.

Read the full article: A Locals Guide to Bali, Beyond the Tourist Crowds

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Petit Futé 2023 Bali

Recommended hotel

Murni’s Houses & Spa

Jalan Raya Ubud
✆ +62361975165
www.murnis.com

Cet établissement possède 12 maisons confortables à la décoration traditionnelle balinaise. Certaines maisons comportent deux chambres, un salon, une véranda et deux baignoires. Murni’s Houses and Spa appartenait au célèbre pionnier local Murni qui a fondé le premier r estaurant international d’Ubud en 1974, ainsi que le premier magasin d’arts tribaux et d’antiquités à Ubud. Les objets d’art ornent les murs et font du Murni’s Houses un véritable musée. Aux maisons, au restaurant et à la boutique s’ajoute un spa, propice à la détente.

The hotel has twelve comfortable houses with traditional Balinese decoration. Some have two bedrooms, a living room, a veranda and two bathrooms. Murni’s Houses and Spa belongs to the famous local pioneer Murni who founded Murni’s Warung, Ubud’s first international restaurant in 1974, as well as the Murni’s shop, the first tribal arts and antiques store in Ubud. Art objects adorn walls and make Murni’s Houses a real museum. As well as the houses, the restaurant and the shop, there is Tamarind Spa where qualified staff welcomes you in an atmosphere conducive to relaxation.

Petit Futé 2023 Bali

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Secrets 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.

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Secrets 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.

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Secrets 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

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Secrets 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.

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Secrets 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.

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

Published by Orchid Books

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.

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

Published by Orchid Books

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

The post Secrets of Bali – Book review by Professor Michael Hitchcock appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

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

Published by Orchid Books

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.

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

Published by Orchid Books

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]

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[Read a review from Tropical Life Magazine]

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[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]

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Rob Goodfellow Wollongong, New South Wales, The Jakarta Post, October 25, 2021

Throughout the global pandemic, business figure Ni Wayan Murni has been an inspiration to fellow Balinese people. Her landmark restaurant, Murni’s Warung, in the island’s highland village of Ubud-Campuhan, has been one of only a dozen or so restaurants to remain open for business and retain staff.

Before COVID-19, the vast majority of Balinese adults were directly employed in the tourism sector with 60 percent of the Balinese gross domestic product attributed to tourism alone. The collapse of overseas visitors, in particular the number one visitor cohort, Australians, has hit the Island of the gods very hard.

Over the course of the last two years, foreign tourist arrivals plunged from over 6 million to less than a million, with nearly 105,000 Balinese losing their jobs in August 2021 alone. (Six in 10 Indonesians work in the informal sectors, so this figure is likely to be much higher than reported.) As a result, the island’s economy contracted by a staggering 9.3 percent.

As an essential public health measure, the island was largely closed to overseas visitors, instead relying on domestic tourism to keep the economic wheels turning. (This strategy resulted in a “life-saving” turnaround of 2.8 percent for the second quarter of this year.)

Often referred to as “the Ibu of Ubud” and “the mother of modern-day tourism in Bali”, Ibu (Mrs) Murni was one of the very first Balinese to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has credited Bali’s high vaccination rate now 76 percent of the population for the first dose and 65 percent for the second dose—for the decision to reopen.)

Ibu Murni said, “I wanted to be a good example and show my staff and my community that the vaccination was safe. And, of course, we all want to welcome back visitors. In Balinese culture we have a strong sense of ‘we’ and not just ‘me.’ We understand responsibilities and obligations very well. And now we are being rewarded for working together and trusting the experts and the science as we move towards opening up our beautiful island again.”

To survive, Murni’s Warung resized its menu and played to its strengths, the way it began in 1974, serving mainly popular local dishes at local prices. Deliveries became more frequent than they used to be. In the process, her restaurant won Restaurant Guru’s Award for the Best Food Delivery in Ubud! (Her restaurant had earlier won the prestigious Gourmand Award in 2019—just before COVID-19 hit —and her Tamarind Spa at Murni’s Houses was the winner of the 2021/22 Contemporary Spa of the Year award—Indonesia Prestige Awards.)

Last week, the Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, sent a clear message to the Australian government that Indonesia has taken the necessary steps to welcome back tourists to Bali. On Friday, the Australian prime minister responded.

At an Oct. 22 press conference with the QANTAS boss Alan Joyce (reported in the national newspaper, The Australian), Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the words Ibu Murni and her nearly four million fellow Balinese have been waiting to hear. “I’ll be seeing President Widodo this weekend (at the COP26 United Nation’s sponsored Glasgow Climate Summit), and after at the G20. This [re-opening of Bali to Australian tourists] has been a regular matter that’s come up in our discussions over the course of the pandemic about when we can have travel to Indonesia going again.”

Confirmed in an ABC (the national broadcaster) news bulletin, Joyce reinforced the prime minister’s comments that discussions were underway with the Indonesian government about welcoming fully vaccinated Australians back to Bali with reduced or no quarantine requirements.

On hearing the news, Ibu Murni’s immediate comment was, “This is wonderful. It has really lifted our spirits. Not only does our President understand how difficult life has been in Bali during the pandemic, but now our neighbor Australia understands too and both leaders will meet and work together. This has made us all so happy and optimistic for the future.”

When Australians do return, however, there is a discussion about what positive changes can be made to improve the visitor experience. As Ibu Murni says, “Bapak Luhut (Luhut Panjaitan, the coordinating maritime affairs and investment minister) says, that in the post-pandemic future, there should be a greater emphasis on low ecological impact/high value tourism. I know my friends who have suffered during the pandemic too—like my neighbors at Casa Luna, the extraordinary Blanco Museum across the river from my Warung, and Yanie and Nigel Mason’s multi-award-winning Elephant Safari Park and rescue facility in Taro would agree.”

The “Ibu of Ubud” has clearly been inspired by the prospect of the Indonesian president and the Australian prime minister meeting on the sidelines in Glasgow: to help Bali. She said, “Because Australians are loved and appreciated by the Balinese, and because generations of Australians have fallen in love with Bali, these ‘man-to-man’ discussions can only bring our two neighboring peoples closer together.”

But more than this, Bali is the world’s most recognized tourism brand. And when Bali is doing well—the world is doing well too.

The writer is the co-author of the book, So Many Delicious Years: Murni’s Warung, Ubud, Bali

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Travel + Leisure’s readers have voted Ubud as the 4th Best City in the World, 2021. 

Readers rate cities on their sights and landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and overall value.

1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (Score: 93.54)

2. ​​Udaipur, India  (Score: 91.63)

3. Istanbul Score (Score 91.32)

4. Ubud, Indonesia (Score: 91.25)

5. Kyoto, Japan  (Score: 90.94)

It’s interesting that the voting was a close run thing.

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