True Effort

Was at Tanarimba last weekend and stopped by the lovely Balinese house somewhere along the main road that is being painstakingly built - you won't miss it - the majestic roof structures are great first impressions. And towards the back is that naturally occuring wall of green. Matured trees, some fruiting, greets the line of sight. The stream somewhere below lends a pleasant soundtrack to an already calm view. Leaf birds and black-capped bulbuls danced around the branches. I didn't have to crank my neck nor use my binoculars. Yes they were that close. The owner had said that he tried to maintain all the trees on the land and indeed he has done a good job at that.

To cap it off, 2 rhinoceros hornbills flew past overhead. At the same time, the screeching call of a gliding cresent serpent eagle resonated in the air. The two landed on a tree across the road for a couple of minutes before setting off again.

Ahh.... the spirit renewed once again.

To share your thoughts, just send me an email. Would appreciate if you can indicate your lot number, your name and a pseudonym if you so wish and i will just add you onto the next posting.

Keeping the natural undergrowth

For a start, i think the undergrowth as a vital component of the whole eco-system should be maintained in its natural state as much as possible... Without the natural undergrowth, Tanarimba will just be another Lake Gardens, just a garden. The undergrowth sustains life at the lower levels of the rainforest, which then feeds the needs of life higher up the food chain, the birds like the hornbills and the raptors, until the primates like the gibbons and the dusky leaf monkeys. Of course along with those lovable creatures, we have the less lovable ones (depending on who we ask) like snakes, mosquitoes and leeches. These creatures and insects are naturally part of the jungle. They come as a package and they should be accepted as such. There are ways of course to distance ourselves from them without having to wipe them and their ecosystem out..
And if you have any experience in this area, let's share...

Setting up Home

Tanarimba is our escape to paradise. Leaving behind the city trappings which are so wasteful to the soul, Tanarimba will be our true home. Therefore, the most important thing about Tanarimba to us is that the place must be set up right. No so much our house which has yet to be built, but the surroundings which makes Tanarimba special. I'm sure you, our present and future neighbours, feel the same way too. That spell that was cast upon us the first time we strolled into Tanarimba we hope will remain with us for a very long time. That spell to me would be the verdant surroundings, the thick rainforest, the sounds of the gibbons in the morning, the rhythmic sounds of the insects, the occasional bite of a leech. That whole ecosystem which is so well represented in Tanarimba.

So how do we keep Tanarimba as natural as possible? Let's share