Klub Kokos

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Personalities at Klub Kokos

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Because we are set 'Far From the Madding Crowd' and work closely with the surrounding rural community, our staff and neighbours are more like part of the family rather than just employees. Therefore we would like to introduce you to some of those you will regularly come in contact with during your stay at KLUB KOKOS, to add more of a personal touch to your time with us.

The staffing requirements have increased over the years since KLUB KOKOS began to operate in 1995. The opening of the gallery in 2001 marked the formal completion of the KLUB KOKOS complex. Since then we have gradually increased the number of people to cater to your needs, and the current complement of staff now totals 15. However, those who have stayed with us in the past should recognise some familiar faces.

Our longest serving member of staff is Ketut Sunitri, or Ibu Ketut as we call her these days. She has been with us at KLUB KOKOS since January 1997 as one of our cooks. She had some time off at the beginning of 1999 to give birth to her first child, a son (see December 2000 newsletter), after marrying a local from our village of Bangkiang Sidem, and then again for the birth of her second child, a daughter, in 2005. Her husband has also been quite involved in the building at KLUB KOKOS, being the head of the group of wood carvers who were responsible for the creation of the beautifully carved doors that lead into each of our bungalows.

Another of our old timers is Nengah, who came to work with us here at KLUB KOKOS in July 2000, after his older sister married one of the locals of Bangkiang Sidem. He works diligently with the rest of his friends to keep your bungalows spotless each day, as well as relieving in the bar/restaurant area. You may also hear the distant, gentle strumming of his guitar in the evening hours as he relaxes after work. Nengah also enjoys a game of a table tennis table in the area above the gallery.

Kadek Murdika started working with us at KLUB KOKOS in August 2000 with the approaching completion of the gallery. A nephew of Ketut Partha (our favourite driver), he has brought with him that same bubbly personality, loving the opportunity to spend time with our guests and improve his English language skills, as well as French and Japanese when the opportunity arises. While secondary students in Indonesia study six years of English, very little oral work is done, and so communication in English remains difficult for many graduates unless their personality allows them to practice it with the many visitors that come to this island. Kadek quickly became one of the favourites amongst our guests, as he sees to their needs during their stay. In 2004 he married another of our staff at the time, and is blessed with a little girl born the following year.

Although Ayu only began working with us at KLUB KOKOS in August 2000, we have known her since the early 90s when she used to work for Krishna’s parents in their restaurant in Ubud. Since then she has been married – a fascinating story of intrigue, involving an elopement with another of the staff from Krishna’s parents’ restaurant - and now has two daughters and a son. Bringing her experience of cooking in a Chinese and Japanese restaurant in the Ubud district, Ayu was able to teach our other cooks some of these recipes, so that we have a fine variety of flavours to suit all tastes in our menu here at KLUB KOKOS.

Wayan Sutini has also been developing her skills of cooking at KLUB KOKOS since she started working here in August 2001. She quickly became as accomplished in cooking as her aunt, Ibu Ketut. Then in early 2005 she had time off to give birth to her first child, that sadly died of a heart problem. Since then she has been able to give birth to two healthy boys, and then in 2007 was welcomed back on staff to work with us again.

A nephew of Wayan Ardika, one of our favourite drivers, Wayan Bangli, started working with us in December 2001, after his uncle appealed to us to give him the work opportunity that is very much lacking in the Bangli area where his family comes from. This area of Bali is much poorer than Southern Bali, so he was glad to be able to come to work with us at KLUB KOKOS. Wayan enjoys table tennis, jogging and reading in his spare time, and leads the group of room servicing staff when on duty here.

Since our close relationship with the Sebali Primary School, we had a request from one of the teachers there for us to employ his son, De Gung. Starting in May 2002, De Gung gives assistance to the kitchen and restaurant staff to make sure that we always have everything needed to fulfill any orders from our extensive menu as well as helping to make sure your bungalows and the surrounding area in the KLUB KOKOS complex are attended to.

After our having a long association with his father, a bricklayer, from the time that we originally built our home here at Bangkiang Sidem, Yan De began working with us in June 2002 after graduating from senior high school (see August 2002 Newsletter). As well as enjoying sports such as soccer and volleyball, he also has a keen interest in music, so enjoys being able to play after hours with his friends here at KLUB KOKOS We have seen Yan De develop from a young boy into a keen young man, now married with a little daughter to add to the ever-growing KOKOS family.

Adi started working for us in September 2003, when his uncle from the village of Taro came to us to appeal for a job for him. He has proved to be a reliable addition to the staff that tends the bungalows and grounds daily, as well as helping to maintain the high standard of cleanliness of our salt-water pool each morning as he vacuums any debris that has collected on the pool floor over the past 24 hours. In his spare time he enjoys playing volleyball and listening to music.

Ketut Sumiati, born in our village of Bangkiang Sidem, was one of the first of the group of students that we were sponsoring through secondary school to graduate from Year 12. She actually began working for us part-time from January 2004 while she was still at school, so that she could gain extra experience for her final examinations in the hospitality course she was doing that year. Since then she has continued to be a valuable addition to the kitchen and laundry areas at KLUB KOKOS, and has now found her partner for life within her own community, marrying in 2007 and shifting a few doors down from her old home to that of her husband’s family.

Tino, from the village of Sebali, just to the north of KLUB KOKOS, started working with us in August 2005. His smiling face is a welcomed sight for guests staying with us, as he tends to the cleanliness of the bungalows daily. Tino has been “blessed” – although he says that it doesn’t feel like it sometimes! – with the birth of twin sons in 2006, and enjoys participating in a number of different sporting activities in the little time that he has to spare these days.

Another addition to our staff from Sebali is Gusti Ayu Sri, who started working at KLUB KOKOS in August 2005. With her extra year of training after secondary school doing a hospitality course, she has been a valuable addition to our restaurant staff since our long-standing staff member Komang Trimo had to stop working for us to become a full-time carer for his daughter. Ayu enjoys playing badminton and dancing in her spare time.

Komang Latra, the younger brother of one of our previous staff members, Putu Gatra, started work with us in May 2006. His quiet and diligent manner has been of beneficial support to our restaurant staff as they serve the needs of guests at KLUB KOKOS. His enthusiasm in playing sport has been most handy when he took over the role of goal keeper for the KLUB KOKOS soccer team last year, helping them through to the grand final!

Another of the graduates from Bangkiang Sidem that we supported through high school, Wayan Menuh, started working with us in August 2006. She has been very thorough in organizing the laundry area to run smoothly, and she is now assisting with relief work in the restaurant area too, so that her bubbly personality may reach some of the guests that are enjoying staying with us at KLUB KOKOS. Wayan has recently successfully completed a course in Hospitality English that we are encouraging all of our staff to do, to give her a stronger grounding in communicating with guests. With her enthusiasm to practice her English, we are confident that she will become a favourite with our guests in the future.

The latest addition to our staff at KLUB KOKOS is Gusti Ayu Parwati in December 2007. Gusti Ayu is the daughter of our good neighbours, Gusti Aji and Gusti Biang (see below), and we have seen her grow from a small girl into a responsible young woman. While she assists in the kitchen and laundry areas when working at KLUB KOKOS, she enjoys reading in her spare time, and watching TV in the evening as she helps her mother weave the daily offerings or while playing with her little nephew in the extended family life that they lead.

Another person that lives here with us at KLUB KOKOS is Nuada, who has been here since he started senior high school in mid-2007. Coming from a very poor village in the Bangli area, his father appealed for our help to support him through to at least his completion of secondary school. Most of the students that we are financially supporting through school still live at home with their families, but we are supporting Nuada fully with all of his living expenses as well as school expenses, and hope to see him one day being able to take back home the knowledge and experience that he is gaining to benefit his family and the community where he came from.

A number of other personalities are also often seen around KLUB KOKOS. We have known Ketut Partha since the early 90s when he used to work as a waiter in Krishna's parents' restaurant in Ubud. Since then he has learnt how to drive a car, and has proven to be a very reliable driver for us since we started entertaining guests in 1996. His marriage to one of our past cooks, Ketut Mariani, is an indication of just how closely he has been linked to our development, and a browse through our guest book will show just how appreciative guests are of his care. (More details about Ketut's wedding ceremony are in the December 2000 newsletter, the birth of a daughter in the June 2001 newsletter, and his daughter's 3-month old ceremony is featured as one of the special Balinese celebrations in our Bali Travel Guidebook). Ketut now also has a second child, a son, completing their family, and has become very involved in his village’s affairs as one of the elected heads.

No one has had a closer connection to the development of KLUB KOKOS than Gusti Aji. As well as being one of our nearest neighbours, he has demonstrated his excellent building skills (acquired from working in the trade for most of his adult life) by doing such a fine job in heading the work force to build KLUB KOKOS. However, as guests you may meet him in a different role, as that of a gifted masseur that we call upon if any of you would like a massage in the comfort of your own bungalow, either for relaxation or for therapeutic purposes. As neighbours go, this one can't be beaten!

Gusti Biang, the gentle wife of Gusti Aji, takes care of all of the everyday spiritual needs of KLUB KOKOS. While you are staying with us you will find her each afternoon circling the whole complex plus our house compound delivering offerings and prayer to every corner of the property. This is after taking great care in making the offerings each day, a skill that is admired by many other people in this community, as her ability to make the more complex types of offerings far exceeds the knowledge of the average Balinese woman.With their son’s marriage in 2005, Gusti Biang gained an extra pair of helping hands with her new daughter-in-law living with them, and she and Gusti Aji are now very proud to be grandparents of a little boy born the following year.

This list could not be complete without some mention of the animal population of KLUB KOKOS. Almost every household in Bali has at least one dog, and we are no exception. After our old Sammy – a “Balinese” dog - died in December 2002 we adopted a new Sammy – a golden retriever - to cheer up our saddened family. Although he's definitely not cut out to be a watch dog, Sammy has proved to be a great favourite with our guests as he wins hearts and acts as the “surrogate pet” for those that have left their pets behind to holiday in Bali.

This page was last updated on Januay 9, 2008