Is Sari Organic “destroying” the rice fields around Ubud?
I have been doing a very beautiful walk trough the rice fields in Ubud many many times since more than 12 years ago.
The most foreigners living in Ubud or tourist coming to Ubud know this path because it is now on the most of the travel books and they do it to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the rice fields and coconut trees.
I went to do this walk last Sunday after a few months, starting from the end of Jalan Kajeng and finish on the other side in Abangan and I have to say that I finish the walk almost crying and with break heart, angry, furious, disappointed, sad, very very sad…………………….
I guess on the back of the philosophy of a organic business there is people who love the nature, the environmental, natural resources, eco things …………….but the point is they take the rice fields which give rice three times per a day to Balinese people ,to plant vegetables for foreigners eating in restaurants or selling in supermarkets where local people don’t buy even these things (for example lettuces), they made a cement path to make people to arrive there easily, faster and clean and promoted the place, so finally many tourist take that path and in consequence many locals ( “naïve” people in my opinion), see the potential to get money and start to sell their rice fields, built houses, warung and spas…………..
From the Sari Organic Restaurant to Abangan or the mean road of Ubud I saw two new houses, one already rented and one probably started by a local person with his small savings or borrowing money from the bank but not finish yet and already for rented, one spa, one warung, one big project with a big stand to make VILLAS with swimming pool, another warung, more new building on project……………….
Will have our future generations beautiful rice fields and walks to enjoy and walk?
Somebody is already starting to make as well another villa on the other side of the path, how many more new projects will be done in that side as well and how many more rice fields will disappear?????????
From Kutuh Kelod to Junjungan as well in Ubud has been a massive construction buildings in two or three years and doesn´t seen it is going to stop, everyday there is a new house start to built up, before there was pure rice fields everywhere……….
I am not a English speaker, sorry about my bad English, usually I am not very confident writing in English and showing my opinion but this time I feel really really sad about seeing rice fields disappearing everyday and seeing new houses everywhere!!!
I really needed to express myself.
For the people doesn´t know this path, is a path on the back of the mean road of Ubud and going around the rice fields with not roads, only a narrow path betwen rice fields.
When will be enough?
Does Bali need really that much tourists?
Another funny thing to me it is that the Balinese farmers sell their ricefields but their daily life doesn´t really change too much, they suppose to “became rich” by selling the rice fields but I am sure their children are still going to the local school, their houses are the same and will be the same, and they will continue doing offerings for the ceremony temples and probably they will buy one car or one more motorbike to make this island even have much traffic jam and much pollution......
Do they really need to sell their ricefields to be happier, richer, have more money?
Bali never have been a capitalism, consumes, materialist place, they never really live for making money until tourist arrive.
They sleep anywhere, eat anything, they don´t need much to live……
Where are the limits? Are not too many hotels, too many houses, too many spas, too many shops, too many cars, too many motorbikes already? And too many foreigners owning business and houses in Bali?
How much is the local people guilty or the foreigners guilty of the destruction of the rice fields?
What I can say, it is hard to believe but locals it seems are not aware about this and it seems don’t care much about how quick Bali is changing.
Change the beautiful things for worst and the bad things still remain the same, health resources, education, roads………….
Sell their rice fields and have to buy rice at the market or supermarket?
Last week I went to Pejeng very close to the Arqueologic Museum and I asked for rice fields to go for a walk and when we went to the back of some houses we came across mountains of rubbish beside the rice fields, some of the trucks around Ubud area or from Ubud trough all the rubbish in Pejeng, on the back of the houses next to the ricefields in a dry river which is probably already full of rubbish……………
Why the beautiful things cannot stay on and the bad things really improve?
One start to sell the rice fields and the neighbours will follow, one start to make a business and others will follow………..somebody usually it is the first.
I am not saying Sari Organic Restaurant is guilty of this but it is a fact that since the Sari Organic has been open the beautiful walk is disappearing little by little…..
Before it was just a path between ricefields now is another example to make money by foreigners and locals.
What about to do organic farming on the north of Bali in Kintamani area? Or in Bangli area? Where besides the most of vegetables from Bali are coming? And you will not destroy ricefields!!
Of course “Ubud is more beautiful and has all the commodities foreigners usually look for”.
Bhutan comes to my mind now.
I have been doing a very beautiful walk trough the rice fields in Ubud many many times since more than 12 years ago.
The most foreigners living in Ubud or tourist coming to Ubud know this path because it is now on the most of the travel books and they do it to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the rice fields and coconut trees.
I went to do this walk last Sunday after a few months, starting from the end of Jalan Kajeng and finish on the other side in Abangan and I have to say that I finish the walk almost crying and with break heart, angry, furious, disappointed, sad, very very sad…………………….
I guess on the back of the philosophy of a organic business there is people who love the nature, the environmental, natural resources, eco things …………….but the point is they take the rice fields which give rice three times per a day to Balinese people ,to plant vegetables for foreigners eating in restaurants or selling in supermarkets where local people don’t buy even these things (for example lettuces), they made a cement path to make people to arrive there easily, faster and clean and promoted the place, so finally many tourist take that path and in consequence many locals ( “naïve” people in my opinion), see the potential to get money and start to sell their rice fields, built houses, warung and spas…………..
From the Sari Organic Restaurant to Abangan or the mean road of Ubud I saw two new houses, one already rented and one probably started by a local person with his small savings or borrowing money from the bank but not finish yet and already for rented, one spa, one warung, one big project with a big stand to make VILLAS with swimming pool, another warung, more new building on project……………….
Will have our future generations beautiful rice fields and walks to enjoy and walk?
Somebody is already starting to make as well another villa on the other side of the path, how many more new projects will be done in that side as well and how many more rice fields will disappear?????????
From Kutuh Kelod to Junjungan as well in Ubud has been a massive construction buildings in two or three years and doesn´t seen it is going to stop, everyday there is a new house start to built up, before there was pure rice fields everywhere……….
I am not a English speaker, sorry about my bad English, usually I am not very confident writing in English and showing my opinion but this time I feel really really sad about seeing rice fields disappearing everyday and seeing new houses everywhere!!!
I really needed to express myself.
For the people doesn´t know this path, is a path on the back of the mean road of Ubud and going around the rice fields with not roads, only a narrow path betwen rice fields.
When will be enough?
Does Bali need really that much tourists?
Another funny thing to me it is that the Balinese farmers sell their ricefields but their daily life doesn´t really change too much, they suppose to “became rich” by selling the rice fields but I am sure their children are still going to the local school, their houses are the same and will be the same, and they will continue doing offerings for the ceremony temples and probably they will buy one car or one more motorbike to make this island even have much traffic jam and much pollution......
Do they really need to sell their ricefields to be happier, richer, have more money?
Bali never have been a capitalism, consumes, materialist place, they never really live for making money until tourist arrive.
They sleep anywhere, eat anything, they don´t need much to live……
Where are the limits? Are not too many hotels, too many houses, too many spas, too many shops, too many cars, too many motorbikes already? And too many foreigners owning business and houses in Bali?
How much is the local people guilty or the foreigners guilty of the destruction of the rice fields?
What I can say, it is hard to believe but locals it seems are not aware about this and it seems don’t care much about how quick Bali is changing.
Change the beautiful things for worst and the bad things still remain the same, health resources, education, roads………….
Sell their rice fields and have to buy rice at the market or supermarket?
Last week I went to Pejeng very close to the Arqueologic Museum and I asked for rice fields to go for a walk and when we went to the back of some houses we came across mountains of rubbish beside the rice fields, some of the trucks around Ubud area or from Ubud trough all the rubbish in Pejeng, on the back of the houses next to the ricefields in a dry river which is probably already full of rubbish……………
Why the beautiful things cannot stay on and the bad things really improve?
One start to sell the rice fields and the neighbours will follow, one start to make a business and others will follow………..somebody usually it is the first.
I am not saying Sari Organic Restaurant is guilty of this but it is a fact that since the Sari Organic has been open the beautiful walk is disappearing little by little…..
Before it was just a path between ricefields now is another example to make money by foreigners and locals.
What about to do organic farming on the north of Bali in Kintamani area? Or in Bangli area? Where besides the most of vegetables from Bali are coming? And you will not destroy ricefields!!
Of course “Ubud is more beautiful and has all the commodities foreigners usually look for”.
Bhutan comes to my mind now.
. There are still many, many beautifully untouched (well, not too hard) places on the Island of the Gods to enjoy.