Dear friends,

From a hot Netherlands – almost as hot as Bali – we send you this short update.

At Pantai Mas the renovation is continuing steadily. The 2-room apartment looking over the garden is almost finished now; it has really become a very beautiful and loving place. On the side where the dormitories for youngsters will be created, a new seawall has been built. This was necessary to prevent damage by the sometimes high waves that visit Pantai Mas in January and February. Later on a terrace will also be created there, where people can sit and lie down directly by the sea.  At this moment the building team is busy working on the large yoga/meditation hall on the first floor. This is becoming a wonderfully serene space, with a magnificent view of the bay on one side and the garden on the other side.

In May & June Dayu, Reny and myself travelled to the west coast of Canada, where we attended the “Rediscovery Leadership & Outdoor Education training” led by Thom Henley and others. We experienced it as a very intense and valuable training, with participants from all corners of the world, including many from first nations across Canada. Dayu, Reny and I all got a Wilderness First Aid certificate. Dayu and I also got a Life Saving Swimming certificate and Reny got a certificate in Flatwater Canoeing. We also learned lots of games and nature activities for doing with young people, also how to set up a camp, etc... and we shared lots of fun!

Of great support in the Rediscovery training were Penny Joy and Saul Arbess, who live in Victoria, Canada and have been Friends of Pantai Mas for some time now. They supported us in the application process and welcomed us into their home. It was wonderful they offered us such a warm “home away from home” during our stay in Canada, where we could stay before and after the training. Thank you Penny and Saul for your kindness!

The facilities for the In Touch With Nature Education program at Pantai Mas are now being completed, so that Pantai Mas will soon be ready to host the first international group of young people from In Touch With Nature Education. The program is called “Bali’s Hidden Nature” and it’s already on Thom’s website. Check it out here: www.in-touch-with-nature-education.com.

Another person we’d like to introduce is Alexander Arbess-Joy, son of Saul and Penny. Alex is working with Thom Henley to help advance and develop the “Bali’s Hidden Nature” program at Pantai Mas. Taking some time off from his work as a DJ, Alex also joined the Rediscovery training, where he got Wilderness First Aid and Life Saving Swimming certificates. Alex is very enthusiastic about joining the program in Bali and we look forward to working with him.

Another good news message: Dimas passed the entrance exam for the international hotel school Nikki in Denpasar (Bali) and he will be continuing his chef’s training starting in July. Well done Dimas and good luck!

Marco, Wahoe and Emilio are spending the summer months in Germany, visiting friends and taking care of some business. They will be back at Pantai Mas in September.
As for me, after Canada I came back to The Netherlands, where I want to do some work again for a while. I am now looking for a suitable job, preferably in the east of the country, near my family and some lovely nature.

We wish everybody an enjoyable and peaceful summer, wherever you may be on our beloved Earth.

Om शान्तिः, शान्तिः, शान्तिः om,

Wietske & the Pantai Mas family