Lush, terraced rice fields make up a million postcard visions from Bali, but on ground level, it's significant to note that a farmer's hand has planted every single seedling that makes up those breath-taking green scenes. Astungkara Way is on a great mission to keep Bali's ancient farming tradition sown into modern life for generations to come.
Above: Traditional Balinese rice farmer, Pak Ketut, still working at age 82. Photo courtesy Astungkara Way.
Read MoreAlthough still grounded Down Under, our belated SHIBUI Issue 9 takes us far… from the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land, Australia to the ‘city of baskets’ in Bolgatanga, Ghana. We slow travel in Guatemala and Georgia, discover ancient tribal life in Papua New Guinea and a slow stay resting beauty in rural Portugal. Every place is unique, rich with cultural fascination and missing tourism greatly.
Add a little magic with guest storyteller, Rich Manley, who bestows an enviable travel skill to break down cultural barriers, or learn from traditional farmers in Bali with the team at Astangara Way who are making global sense to sow Bali's ancient farming techniques back into modern life for future sustainability, we hope this edition lands lightly into in-boxes, full of upbeat inspiration and positivity.
COVER: Antigua in Guatemala is a UNESCO World Heritage listed destination buzzing with cultural heritage and street markets dripping with traditional textiles from the region. Photographed by Jessica Bercovici, featured slow travel host and founder of STELA 9 (page 74).
Read MoreWith over 17,000 tropical islands to call home, Indonesia is a cultural fascination. From batik to betel nuts and every island culture in between, this region has some of the world's poorest places but so rich with traditions.
Threads of Life work directly with more than 35 artisan groups on islands from Kalimantan to Timor, to help empower and preserve ancient cultures unique to this great archipelago.
IMAGE: The Hinggi is traditionally worn by Sumbanese men with the unique motifs announcing a man’s social status. Photo © Threads of Life.
Read MoreFrom a corporate-chasing, career girl in America, to a not-for-profit organisation founder in third world Cambodia, Kate Davis has cultivated everything in her power to inspire fair-trade equality for traditional communities in Cambodia.
Kate's journey is an honest perspective that reminds us that humanity can be achieved with collective unity and kindness. Her story also validates a common though not often practiced affirmation... 'follow your heart…’
We love this story!
Photo by Brandon Hill.
Read MoreIf you’ve been to Bali you will definitely be familiar with the local craftsmanship and beauty of Canang Saris sprinkled all over the island, as daily offerings for the Gods that have been handmade for generations. This traditional connection to Mother Nature and the spiritual world through ceremony with gratitude is the Bali way…
Natural, sustainable and incredible… the artisan team at Make a Scene! in Bali, Indonesia combine traditional craftsmanship with wild imagination to create theatrical designs set to take the world stage, without being wasteful. Meet the talented, local team creating all the magic behind the Island’s larger-than-life scenes…
Image courtesy Juraj Sedlak
Read MoreOne island, worlds away… furtherest from madding crowds, remote as the eye can see and as wild as the Tasman Sea can throw… Satellite Island is a tiny slice of Australian wilderness anchored on the eastern side of Tasmania. Private, cosy and peaceful. A precious, little slow stay getaway…
Photo courtesy, featured Storyteller Emilie Ristevski. (SHIBUI Issue 8.)
Read MoreAustralian Photographer, Storyteller and Author, Emilie Ristevski has over one million followers on instagram, which is not surprising when you look at her breath-taking work. Her dream-like imagery has taken her to all corners of the world, from remote villages in South America to wild landscapes in Iceland, Namibia and everywhere in-between. She has also partnered with some impressive brands including Adobe and Lonely Planet.
Photo: The dreamy outback, Uluru-Kata Tjura National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.
Read MoreOh Sumba, sweet Sumba! A surprising little gem that looks as exotic as she sounds. Not only sublimely quieter in comparison with her bigger island sister, Bali… Sumba still breathes with old-island culture and charm.
This is not just a picture-perfect postcard waiting to be taken, this is a Globetrotting horse-riding holiday of a lifetime, and Sumba may very well be the BEST kept secret on the planet! Giddy up!
Photo courtesy Globetrotting.com.au
Read MoreA very devoted team of artisans have picked up their brushes to hand-paint our beautiful, old world with the most delicate care and finest attention to detail.
Bellerby & Co. Globemakers are located in London, but their bespoke artwork is being sought after all over the world.
From ancient mythology to modern times, every globe is custom-crafted to capture a sentimental story that will spin in time with it's beholder, for generations to come.
Image courtesty Jade Fenster
Read MoreSurrender. Focus. Cherish. Grow. There is not a day that passes without a moment to acknowledge the extraordinary situation our world is currently braving. Lost lives, lock downs or living in the moment… humanity is still being shaken. To help soothe ‘no travel’ blues, SHIBUI & Co. brings our beautiful, big, old world to you…
COVER: Gapura entrance, Potato Head Bali in Seminyak. Hand-crafted by Make A Scene! (Page 70.) This project was commissioned to celebrate Potato Head Bali being declared ‘climate neutral’ by the United Nations. Photo: Tommaso Riva.
Read MoreA country of contradiction… hard-working, extraordinary, broke, yet rich with an opulent past, fascinating influence of cultures and great pride for traditional crafts… Romania!
SHIBUI & Co. will publish a 'slow made’ story too, but for now we reminisce with slow made memories with Romanian-born and educated graphic artist Oana Befort, who illustrates with beautiful reflection, Romanian folk culture and happy childhood moments. Now based in the USA with her family, Oana’s artwork is in high demand.
Read More‘Tri Hita Karana: Harmony among people. Harmony with nature. Harmony with God.”
Fondly known for her stunning, natural beauty, peaceful allure and spiritual charms, Bali is the golden girl of slow world destinations by far. Locals welcome visitors with open hearts, joyful humour and hospitality so genuine that leaving Bali breaks hearts. She is rich in traditions and full of happy-go-lucky vibes. Just don’t step on a Canang Sari.
Photo © Eco Bali Stay
Woodblock printing in India is an old-world trade that still produces mile after mile of beautiful fabrics that could easily wrap the world!
Jeremy Fritzhand is the founder behind Studio Bagru in Rajasthan. He's been collaborating with these traditional artisans for years and is on a mission to help protect and empower these hard-working communities, so that their ancestral craftsmanship never fades. He takes us through the process of this 4000-year-old tradition… one manual woodblock print at a time.
Photo: Namdev Krishi Farm communal drying space in Bagru, India. Photo by Studio Bagru.
Read MoreWith 50 countries in 5 years mapped out in her soul, it's fair to say, Emily Lush loves to travel. She's a storyteller with all the savvy social skills to manage work on the roam. her passion for indigenous and cultural sustainability are well-preserved in her words and imagery. She's a 'Brissy' girl (Australian), now based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Caucasus region is her current lifestyle muse.
Read MoreIf your travel dream is to get lost in the chaos of souks and side streets in Marrakech, well… we’ve discovered a slow stay not far away… to rest your weary feet and take your mind to a million worlds away…
Photo © Berber Lodge.
Read MoreParis. London. New York. These locations are synonymous with fashion. But there’s another location emerging, all wild with fresh colour and traditional style… hello Ghana!
To introduce our very first artisan brand to SHIBUI store* we reached out to the owner and creative director behind AAKS, Akosua Afriyie-Kumi. Her vibrant ambition has manifested into a world-class accessories brand, and although 2020 started in a great cloud of uncertainty, the global wave of ‘black lives matter’ lifted spirits and Akosua’s team in Ghana have since been busy slow-making AAKS beautiful bags to keep up with the exciting new demand.
* We only support slow, fair, natural and traditional artisan brands.
Photo: Akosua Afriyie-Kumi, owner and creative director. ©AAKS
Read MoreAltered state… recalibrated life… whatever way we look at this year the world has been shaken, not spun, to reveal very raw, deep, sad, difficult and also beautiful truths. Humanity lost momentum in the face of uncertainty while Mother Nature went wild with the 'slow' down. But with adversity comes courage and whether individually, locally, nationally or globally it seems resilience, sufficiency, compassion and patience may be spinning the world into a new way…
Read MoreDesigned in New York City and hand-made with love from the other side of the globe, these artisans of Rwanda and Ghana are working hand-in-hand with the team at Indego Africa to create a beautiful lifestyle range that in return is helping to sustain their artisan communities, culture and traditional craftsmanship.
Photo by Brittany Barb, Indego Africa
Read MoreUnique, wild and more resilient than most, Ethiopia is an extraordinary and surprising travel destination. They have their own calendar, dates and celebrations, traditions, food and the most diverse tribal cultures, unlike anywhere else in the world. Multi-award winning, Australian photographer Jayne McLean hosts photographic tours in the Omo Valley. Her experiences are captured in her images and express what she knows. That Ethiopians are some of the happiest and friendliest people she has ever met.
Read MoreIn a remote part of the world is a vibrant and culturally thriving community of textile artisans. Although they inhabit a landscape that is a gentle palette of pastel hues, their handcrafted designs are some of the most colourful in the world. Meet the artisans from Cusco, Peru. This community is so unique and invaluable for world heritage interests and the textile industry, Threads of Peru is doing everything to help preserve this long-standing traditional community.
PHOTO Megan Revell. Artisan weaver Demesia Sinchi Echame partners with Threads of Peru.
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