Now that we’re about to call it a wrap on 2018, we think it’s pretty fair to say that 2018 was a standout year for Coconuts Bali in putting out compelling, affecting, original content.
From chasing natural disasters and telling the stories of the people (and animals) in the danger zone to connecting with the marginalized, to debunking a silly myth perpetuated by sensationalist international media, we kept busy.
The New Year always seems to be just the perfect moment for reflection, so as we close out one chapter and get ready to open another, we want to bring you through some of our strongest displays of original reporting and storytelling.
Without further ado, here are our favorite features from 2018, in chronological order from when they were published:
Life on the Edge: At home in Mount Agung’s danger zone
The residents of Temukus, a village straddling the edge of Mount Agung’s danger zone, were torn between living life at home at the mouth of a rumbling volcano, versus camping it out at as evacuees in shelters for who knows how long. Coconuts Bali visited the slopes of the volcano for the story.
Volcano dog: A refugee puppy’s homecoming (PHOTOS)
Not all the evacuees from the erupting Mount Agung were human. Animal rescuers put their own lives at risk to evacuate the hundreds of animals left behind at the erupting volcano. Thankfully, there were some ‘happy tails’, like the saga of this puppy who was returned home to her family after the volcano seemed to quiet down.
Ogoh-ogoh in photos: ‘Demons’ paraded through Bali streets on eve of Hindu New Year
Every year, before Bali falls silent for the Hindu New Year, Nyepi, things get lit in the streets. Literally. Balinese construct spectacular demon ogoh-ogoh effigies that get paraded through the street and neighborhoods compete for the accolade of the best ogoh-ogoh. We captured it all in a photo essay.
Myth Busted: Bali merchants are not giving you color-coded bags based on your haggling skills
Contrary to what rando tourists and popular international media will have you believe, Balinese merchants are not giving you color-coded plastic bags based on your haggling skills. Coconuts Bali hopped on a scooter to Kuta, Bali’s tourism hub, and put the silly urban legend to rest.
‘Island of Happiness’? Not for the vendors swept aside for development at Bali’s Serangan
There’s a massive development poised for Bali’s reclaimed Serangan island, so all the vendors at the beach got kicked out with compensation, their stalls reduced to nothing but dust. Dubbed the “Island of Happiness”, the project hardly poses a happy story for the vendors who had been set up, selling things like coconuts and fried rice to surfers and tourists for the past couple of decades.
Life Finds a Way: Birth, loss, and the midwives of the Lombok earthquake
Lombok was hit by a series of of earthquakes earlier this year. Right as the big 7.0 quake hit on Aug. 5, a woman’s contractions began and she had to go into survival mode to find a safe place to give birth. Coconuts Bali traveled to Lombok in the thick of the earthquake activity to meet the baby born with the quake and shadow a team of roaming midwives providing medical relief in the disaster zone.
A World Undone: Life in Lombok’s evacuation camps (PHOTO ESSAY)
You can’t even begin to fully comprehend the extent of natural disaster and grief until you see it for yourself. We combed through the rubble in quake-stricken West Lombok to show the daily lives of evacuees, whose new lives were in camps, many in makeshift tents, their villages either totally demolished by the earthquakes, or barely left standing.
Vital Signs: In Bali’s ‘deaf village,’ a unique language gives hope to a new generation
There’s a village up in Bali’s more remote northern end, that has a disproportionately high deaf population and its own unique sign language. Bengkala is a special place, offering refuge for marginalized deaf people on the island, like Asih, an 11-year-old girl who had no language until just a few years ago. Now she can sign in “kata kolok”, the village’s sign language and read and write in Indonesian, thanks to the village’s inclusive school.
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