  It’s difficult
to write about Sidemen because I am tempted to keep the secret to myself. My fear is that
attention and “success” might send it in the direction of Dunkin Donuts and
shopping malls, three-story hotels, pollution and traffic jams. So I write this
reluctantly, and attach this gentle reminder: If you go to Sidemen, tread lightly, and
remember that a wise quantum physicist once declared, “Seeing is changing.”
Since observing is participating, there is no such thing as an innocent bystander.
The Sidemen area has served as a secluded haven for the world-weary for decades, or
perhaps even millennia. Sixty years ago, the renowned painter Walter Spies moved from Ubud
to the Sidemen area to seek peace and inspiration. He felt that Ubud had already become
too crowded. In Sidemen he found his Shangri-La.
A hidden sanctuary
The term “Shangri-La” is, in fact, most apropos in relation to Sidemen. During a
recent visit I was constantly reminded of James Hilton’s Lost Horizon. Like the
fictive Valley of the Blue Moon, Sideman reveals itself reluctantly, and not to just
anybody. Some people might stop in Sidemen and see nothing but a dirty row of market
stalls shielded with corrugated tin, and a bunch of surly children begging for ballpoint
pens. These people would, perhaps, drive on. Others might stay and wait for the magic of
the evening light, then rise at dawn to look beneath the surface, looking down shady lanes
that seem designed to entice exploration.
Nothing shouts for one’s attention here or waves the obtuse banner
of commercialism, so Sideman does not, on the surface, appear to be a compelling
destination for travellers. As one local resident has said, “There are no obyek
wisata here. There’s nothing ready-made; it’s an internal experience.” The
more recent appearance of several centres devoted to meditation and retreat seems to
underline this particular quality of the area.
One of these centres, the Nirartha Centre for Living Awareness, is
located on a ridge overlooking the river valley. It is a beautifully situated venue for
meditation and study, named after a 16th Century priest who arrived in Bali from Java and
spread the doctrine which has continued to form the framework of Balinese Hindu religion
to this day. I learned that the Nirartha Centre was founded under the auspices of Ketut
Suryani, a renowned Balinese psychiatrist, meditation master, and advocate of sustainable
development.
I based myself at Sacred Mountain Sanctuary, a unique
“eco-retreat” on the banks of the Unda River, which combines the principles of
sustainable living with unabashed luxury. The place is nothing short of a small miracle.
Its co-developers, Ken Ballard and Emerald Starr, wanted to create a testing ground and
model for ecologically and socially sound practices; without sacrificing aesthetics or
luxury. They seem to be succeeding.
The place offers 19 spectacular villas built entirely of bamboo, palm fibre, rattan and
grass. They exude a sense of peace and simplicity, yet lay on the luxuries and little
touches of a five star hotel: plunge pools, sunken garden bath tubs, IDD phones,
mini-bars, room service, and so on. Ken and Emerald have been working with the most
renowned healers and teachers on the planet, and offer Sacred Mountain Sanctuary as a
venue for their group programs. They move among the world’s most enlightened
environmental and healing circles, and while discussing this involvement, I heard a litany
of familiar names: The Omega Institute, Ojai Foundation, the Santa Fe Zen Centre, the
Biosphere, and more.
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