Villa Pondok Idanna - Bali Tropical Villas :: Private and Exclusive Bali Villa Rental

Description:
Villa Pondok Idanna (3,500 sqm / 35 are) faces north-east toward the soaring volcano Gunung Agung. Under a single roof, supported by 27 teak pillars, lie three large covered verandahs, and three rooms: two large bedrooms and the library which can be transformed into another bedroom if needed. Each room has its own bathroom. The house can comfortably sleep three couples, or two couples with three children.

The entire structure was built in red brick or batu merah, fired in a local kiln, as well as volcanic stone called paras from Mount Agung. The teak pillars rest on paras bases. The windows are also teak, while the doors and support beams are camphor wood. The unique trapezoid table in the big verandah has a special story. It was designed by the Japanese sculptor, Isamo Naguchi. As a young man, he came to Iseh in the early 50’s and stayed for a few days with the painter Theo Meier. There were no tables at the Iseh house, and everyone sat on floor mats as is still done in the homes of Balinese farmers. The ingenious table sits up to ten people, and allows for easy conversation, much better than a round table. When Idanna moved from Iseh to Ogang, this Noguchi classic followed her. The four-poster bed in the southern master-bedroom as well as the sofas and chairs in the main verandah were made by an elderly Brahman carpenter from Sindhu, who later set down his chisel and hammer to become a high priest. The rest of the furniture has been designed by Idanna and made by Pak Made Nasib.

Perched on a promontory facing the rising sun, the house offers a spell-binding panorama of Sidemen Valley at the foot of the great Mount Agung, with cascading rice terraces that extend as far as the eye can see. Just 300 meters north of the house lay the village of Ogang, while Sidemen sit across the valley. The village of Ogang is off the beaten tourist track untouched by tourism. Most of the older farmers have never been to school, but all are aware of the history of their village with its legends and myths. They understand the workings of nature with the wisdom needed for a communal way of life. Those who are not sudra (the farmers' caste) come from the highly respected pande caste-renowned for its ironsmiths who have been long connected to the sacred art of kris making. (This art traditionally involved the fusion of meteorite stone into special blades for the rulers to endow them with unearthly powers. Ogang is noted for its Angklung-the percussion bamboo orchestra who preceded the gamelan. After making the customary offerings to Dewi Sri, the Rice Goddess, Terence and Idanna broke ground in 1996. They designed the house themselves and worked closely with master-builder I Made Nasib from Ketewel-a village traditionally known for its architects. From the beginning, the house exuded an ageless spirit with its clean lines and simplicity. Great care was taken to use only local materials.

The garden was conceived around the sacred Balinese colors: golden yellow and white. One can walk up to the house from two paths that join under a small grove of fruit trees: mango, banana, and clove. Over the entrance hangs orange bougainvillea. The inner courtyard holds clusters of gardenias, jasmine, frangipani, yellow bamboo, and palm trees. From the first verandah, the view opens out onto the pool and a lawn that blend into the vast landscape. The pool (3x18 meters or 6x60 feet) is surrounded by lava stone from the last eruption of Mount Agung in 1963. The green ceramic tiles trap the heat of the sun, making the water nice and warm even at night. This house is situated on the western side of the property, higher than the main house. The kitchen is located here, along with a large store room, two bedrooms, a family room and a verandah.