One of my favourite panels so far at the 2011 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival was this afternoon’s session on writing for children and young people, called Growing Young Readers. One of my least favourite parts about writers festivals (although I’ll admit that this is my first one) is hearing writers read their own work. … read the full post

My favourite part of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival so far has been the opportunity to meet so many young authors, who, as it turns out, are just normal people. (I think they become less so as they get older.) I had the chance to talk to Benjamin Law, a young Australian author whose … read the full post

I’ve been rushing around trying to attend as many sessions of the 2011 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival so that you, dear reader, don’t have to. Here are some highlights from my favourite sessions so far. Life’s But a Roll of the Dice Yesterday, Australian-British author and Booker Prize winner DBC Pierre talked about his … read the full post

Today’s session at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival called ‘The Cycle of Rice‘ was about living simply, consuming less and sharing more, and how it all related to rice farming in Bali. The panel’s host, Gouri Mirpuri the author of Eco-Heroes of Indonesia, introduced the panelist Steve Lansing by saying, “You can’t talk about … read the full post

Rob Lilwall is the author of Cycling Home from Siberia, a book about his expedition across Asia, Australia and Europe by bicycle. When he was 27 he decided to fly to the furthest, most remote place he could think of and try and make his way home from there. He spent the next three years … read the full post

This afternoon as the first day of the Ubud Writer and Reader Festival got underway, news broke of a 14-year-old Australian boy arrested in Bali for drugs possession. According to reports, the boy was arrested on Tuesday in possession of a few grams of marijuana that he’d allegedly purchased from a street dealer for 250,000 … read the full post

The 2011 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival has started with a bang in Bali, and the streets of Ubud are teeming with readers, writers, and, as usual, taxi drivers, hopefully searching for fares. Authors from more than 20 countries are here, as well as countless readers — with Australia well represented. (Although during his session, … read the full post

What to do on a sunny Bali Sunday with kids? Visit the turtle centre on Serangan Island of course! We’ve written about this under-visited attraction before and it makes for a perfect half-day outing from anywhere in south Bali — especially if combined with a meal out on the nearby beaches. The Turtle Conservation and … read the full post

So yesterday afternoon I decided to finish off a decidedly ordinary week by running out of money. On the final day that school fees were due. This is a more common occurrence than it should be at Casa Travelfish and we even have an emergency money frame with $100 in it. So I broke the … read the full post

Congratulations to Gabriela for winning our competition giving away a full four-day pass to the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. The competition was simple. Tell us in 25 words what “Bali” means to you. This was Gabriela’s entry: “Pacifying bad spirits, fearing ricefield rats. Feeling adrenaline in left-hand traffic. Happy ducks. Why is so much … read the full post