At Villa M in Bali

As you lie back and take it easy in the ‘bale bengong’ relaxation pavilion at Villa M, you will surely marvel at the beauty at the rice terraces that surround this luxury Bali villa.

These vivid green plantings and mirror-like watery surfaces cascade like giants’ staircases, from the mountains to the sea. The intensely productive sawah (rice fields) of Bali are a thousand years old and so are the democratic irrigation cooperatives, or ’subak’, that manage them. The substance of rural life is dependent on the accuracy of the water flow as it is diverted from the rivers and steams, which gush from the crater lakes in Bali’s central highlands. Through ancient-yet-sophisticated systems of aquatic engineering, including canals, tunnels, and bamboo pipes, combined with elaborate social structures, the subak control the flow of water to ensure the equitable and even distribution of this precious resource to all of Bali’s farmers. Using gravity, water is channelled into the uppermost sawah before flowing downhill to supply each farm in turn. The subak are not responsible for the unkeep and maintenance of the channels, tunnels, and aqueducts, but also the coordination of the rice planting.

At anytime of year, you will have the opportunity to watch the rice being planted, tended or harvest in the rice fields beside Villa M.