Feb 18 - Mitra Bali

We left our hotel in Jogja at 7 am to catch our 9 am flight on Garuda Airlines to Denpasar, Bali. 

Getting onto the plane in Jogja. Betty and Imam are last in line.
 

We landed at the Denpasar, Bali airport and were greeted by warm ocean breezes and the folks from Mitra Bali.
 

 

The Mitra Bali crew commandeered our luggage and overfilled a pickup truck with our over-stuffed luggage - we still have a week of artisan visits and shopping ahead of us.

 

We were met at the Denpasar airport by Agung Alit and his staff from Mitra Bali. They loaded our luggage into their pickup truck and took it to our hotel, the Puri Dalem at Sanur. We boarded our nice blue bus and drove out to the Mitra Bali office near Ubud. At the office we were treated to a great buffet lunch and a program about the history of Mitra Bali. Agung, the director, is a passionate advocate of fair trade and gave us a speech about the importance of fair trade to Mitra Bali. Some choice quotes:

• free trade is the enemy of fair trade
• the soul of fair trade: empathy and solidarity
• well-being starts with living wages

In addition to working with artisans to sell their products, Mitra Bali also has some artisan support programs:

• cow advocacy project where they supply cows to artisans so they have an extra source of income,
• tree plantation and farming support
• water projects - drinking water and irrigation
• village co-ops so artisans have access to produce and supplies
• toilet projects so artisans have decent sanitation facilities

Mitra Bali works with 50 artisan groups on Bali who make wood, ceramic, metal, basket and batik products.




 

Agung and Dave comparing tatoos.

 

Local fresh fruit at lunchtime: mangosteens and snake fruit (skin has scales and looks like snakeskin.
 

Bali cats looking out Mitra Bali's rain-soaked front window.
 

Showroom at Mitra Bali.
 

Showroom innundaed by learning tour shoppers: Christina, Judith, Charlotte and Amy.
 

Agung and his staff at Mitra Bali are intensely committed to fair trade but they also know how to relax and have fun. Here Agung is leading a rousing rendition of a song he wrote called 'Viva Fair Trade'.
 

Everybody joined in the fun and danced away the afternoon.
 

Amy found a new drummer friend at Mitra Bali.
 

Mitra Bali staff formed an impromtu choir to seranade us with 'Viva Fair Trade'.
 

Mitra Bali also helped to form Fair Trade Forum Indonesia. Together with other members they opened a retail store in Sanur a few years ago. Dave is the first one to the door.
 

Dave is opening the door and standing aside to let the serious fair trade shoppers into the store.
 

 

Agung is explaining why fair trade is good for the people and the planet to Wendy and Christina before they enter the store.

 

We went out to dinner at a restaurant called the Jazz Cafe, just around the corner from our hotel. Tomorrow morning a bunch of us will get up early to see the sunrise over Sanur Beach and maybe take a swim in the ocean. After breakfast we will start our artisan visits with Mitra Bali.