Word: balies
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...shaman inhaled the incense smoke and flicked flower petals into the tropical air. My husband and I were sitting on a patch of earth on the Indonesian island of Bali as the local priest, Ida Bagus Putu Wija, communed with the resident spirits about our vague plans to build a holiday home there. Eventually, the Balinese wise man gave us the news that would literally determine the shape of our future villa. In the parallel spirit world of this devoutly Hindu island, our peaceful stretch of riverbank was actually a bustling spirit town, far bigger than the nearby human village...
...prescription or delivering a motorcycle for a tune-up. We also would need to leave a section of riverbank undeveloped because a local demigod traversed the land on his daily pilgrimage to a volcano up north. My husband and I eyed each other. We'd been prepared for the Bali property market to throw up a challenge or two. But a hopping spirit metropolis and a commuting demigod weren't exactly what we had expected...
...sitting at a computer all day, hasn't imagined owning a personal slice of paradise, lush with bougainvillea and frangipani, perhaps a sea breeze carrying the scent of exotic herbs and barbecued delights? Southeast Asia abounds with such dream locales, but two destinations trump all others: Bali and the southern Thai island of Phuket. It is on these two chunks of land, a mere 2,400 square miles (6,200 sq km) combined, that thousands of expatriates have bought tropical vacation homes. Indeed, a global real estate slump notwithstanding, Bali and Phuket's residential sectors are still booming, in part...
...there only one heaven on earth? As the holiday-home market has taken off in Asia, Phuket and Bali have nurtured a healthy rivalry with each other, trading off the honor of being listed as Asia's best island in travel magazines. Phuket aficionados talk loftily of the Thai island's superior beaches and cheap but professional hospitals, while Bali fans boast of the island's volcanoes and great surfing spots. Nevertheless, the business of vacation villas isn't a zero-sum game, largely because the members of the international jet set who dig Phuket are a breed apart from...
Over the course of his 18-month journey, the Solartaxi has accrued a considerable following, attracting the attention of media and luminaries from around the world. Palmer has chauffeured various guests, from Jay Leno in Los Angeles to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in Bali to the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York...