How did you first get to know about Ibu Robin and her work? What
 struck you most about her and what has drawn you to support 
Yayasan Bumi Sehat as we say goodbye to 2011?


I was introduced to Robin through her daughter Deja who I met in Ubud. 
The first time I visited Bumi Sehat Robin invited me straight into the 
birthing room as a delivery was happening as if to say, ‘look, this is
what we do here, we bring babies into the world’. She has an amazing sense
of purpose, drive and enthusiasm that is infectious. From the first day 
I saw how she had accomplished so much with such little funding, I told
 her I would do whatever I could to help.

How would you describe what Bali means to you?
The most beautiful thing about Bali are the Balinese people themselves.
 The community, culture, religion, art, creativity and love that they 
express is unique to the planet. Every time I return to Bali, or take a
 scooter right through the villages, I see something I’ve never witnessed 
before. I am inspired by the mystery of it, but have always felt at home
 since the first time I landed on the island.

What are the 5 most important things in your life right now?
My children, my lover, serving as many people as I can through music, my
 daily yoga/running/meditation practice and laughter.

Michael Franti and Ibu Robin Lim at the Bumi Sehat clinic.

What can people look forward to from the NYE celebration in Nyuh
 Kuning?


The show is going to Rock!!! I have Jay Bowman on guitar and Carl Young on 
bass from Spearhead performing with me, as well as a host of other friends
 and local musicians. We are going to be playing a wide selection of
 songs people know and love as well as several songs from the new album I 
am recording at the moment.
 The New Year’s Eve celebration is to raise funds and honor the the 
incredible work Bumi Sehat and Robin Lim do to birth new life into the
 world and to honor the people of the village of Nyuh 
Kuning who collectively help to give life to Bumi Sehat. 




How do you feel as you look back on 2011 and what are your hopes
 for 2012?


2011 was a time of great upheaval around the world and a time of great
 personal change for me. I’m excited by the changes I see on our planet. I want to be present for all the relationships in my life and be a
 difference maker in the world.

Michael Franti & Spearhead – Say Hey (I Love You)

Ticket information:
Limited pre-sale at Rp. 350,000/450,00 Rupiah at 3 walk-in ticket sales outlets: Bumi Sehat Clinic on Jl. Nyuh Kuning, Bali Buddha Ubud and Bali Buddha Kerobokan.
US$45 tickets can be purchased online at http://www.stayhumanstore.com/ticketsales.aspx and will be available at the door for Rp. 500,000 at the door.

Donation tickets can also be purchased online for US$35. These are provided to the local community.

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ART

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Real Sundanese food.

We took the Jalan Tol west to Serang, then headed south on the coast road towards Labuan. It didn’t look very promising at first – it’s a dusty, industrial stretch of road with rocks-only beaches and dirty water. Tourism is one of the main industries here (along with steel and petrochemicals- yum!) and there are lots of seedy guesthouses and mile after mile of kitsch pink concrete karaoke parlours. There are a few good hotels, all a bit expensive for what you get, but nothing that fit our ‘back to nature’ ideal. That said, if you do get stuck here you could do worse than staying at the Nuansa Bali or Ekowisata Carita Banten. We found one more place- a private beach called Pondok Anda with only two (rather ratty) bungalows run by a man named Pak Udi.

One very good reason to stop here though is the Bandulu watersports center. They have a massive selection of sailing dinghies, catamarans and windsurfers. If it wasn’t for the shipwrecked barge on the beach, this would be Java’s most idyllic sailing spot. The operation is twinned with the Ancol Windsurfing Club and is clearly signposted from the main road.

Further south the development begins to thin out- with the exception of the Sol Elite Marbella. This mind-numbingly ugly jumble of concrete boxes enables tourists to completely deny the existence of anything natural or beautiful on their holiday. I suppose it makes going home to Jakarta easier. It has a stretch of beach but it is almost always in the shadow of the hotel and the two-metre high cement walls around it.

As the developments thinned out, the road grew quieter and there was more and more green around. But there were still no good beaches. Most of the coast along here is rocky reef which is great if you like lobster but not so good for easy swimming.

Then we saw Sambolo.

A Banten Beach.

‘It’s Sambolo!’ I cried.
‘We already passed Sambolo,’ said our driver.
‘Okay, but could you please stop anyway,’ I said (I was learning).

Sambolo beach is idyllic. It’s got a clean sandy bottom and is protected from the open sea by two reefs that reach out to each other across the bay. The 7-bed bungalows are all made of traditional materials (ironic as it’s owned by a foreigner, unlike all the pink concrete monstrosities we’d passed), face the sea and have their own barbecue pits. Most of them are leased by embassies and foreign companies but the ones at the northern end of the beach can be rented by anybody who turns up, it seems.

Three minutes after we got out of the car the Great Banten Beach Hunt was officially discontinued. Sambolo wasn’t in need of any ‘discovering,’ but it is still very very nice. It’s quiet, it’s in tune with its surroundings and its surroundings are very nice too. The sea is nearly always calm and clean, making it perfect for families with small children. One of the local massage ladies who hangs around Sambolo, Ibu Sarni, offered to cook us dinner. We took her up on the offer and were treated to some absolute gems of Sundanese cuisine. Could life be any sweeter?

The next day we took a walk up to a waterfall a few kilometres south. It’s a fairly easy walk but it does get a bit rocky and slippery towards the end. The waterfall itself is stunningly gorgeous and you can jump from the top and swim down the river before climbing up and out through the jungle. It’s popular with locals and we had a really good time sipping Teh Botol from one of the warungs that somehow has appeared there and singing Beatles songs with some guitar-equipped local lads. There’s also an eco-resort nearby that offers lectures on the uses of the plants that grow in the area. Just ask the way to the air terjun.

The next day, as we headed back to Jakarta we stopped at one of the beachside ikan bakar places a few kilometres north of Sambolo. Like all the others, it’s a series of miniature huts in which you can while away your weekend with cheap lobster, views of Krakatau and a very lazy atmosphere. Sundanese cooking is healthy, tasty and credited with giving Sundanese women the halus-est skin in Indonesia. It simply must be tried- the specialities here are snapper and lobster.

Out of our planned 500km trip, we’d covered about 150km. That leaves 350km of possible perfect beach to explore next time. Or at least that’s what we told ourselves. After all, if you already know a perfect beach…

Contacts:

Ibu Sarni
Don’t worry- if you’re at Sambolo, she’ll find you!

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