Mr. Ngurah Narendra (narendra@bali-export.import.com) is a native of the central Balinese town of Mengwi. Since obtaining certification from the Bali SMIP School of Tourism in 1993, Mr. Narendra has worked in progressive capacities in the Bali tourism industry at the Grand Bali Beach Hotel in Sanur, for Giri Puncak Sari Tours in Kuta, and since 2000, as Chief International Customer Correspondent at www.kecak.com, an all-purpose website for all manner of travel, business and culture-related information about Bali. Kecak.com, along with its subsidiary, www.baliforyou.com, are the first websites you’ll encounter when you search the Internet for keywords such as Bali Hotels, Bali Accommodations, Bali Handicrafts, etc.

In his thousands of interactions with international travelers, everything from answering inquiries for Bali lodgings to complete organizing, booking, and guiding of tour groups from abroad, Narendra has come to know his native Bali as few others do, and has developed a finely-tuned sense of customer needs. Narendra is diligent and capable in his dealings with guests, and you will find yourself fortunate to have him cater to your product inquiries and purchasing objectives.

Mr. Matthew Bloomfield (matthew@bali-export-import.com) is originally from Montreal, Canada and is a Master degree holder in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) from Ohio University, USA. He is currently teaching at the University of Macau in southern China, near Hong Kong. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and French, and is rapidly becoming so in Bahasa Indonesia, after studying it in graduate school and participating in a 2002 summer intensive language program at the University of Sam Ratulangi, in Manado, North Sulawesi. In addition to his extensive experience as a language instructor, Matthew has previously worked as an interpreter and documents editor at the United Nations in New York, as a technical writer and commercial voice talent, and is also an accomplished songwriter and singer/rapper, producing his debut recording Rap-CD In Blue in June, 2003. Contact him regarding the music at rapcdinblue@yahoo.com.

Matthew has had a fascination with Balinese culture since encountering recordings of Balinese music and dance (especially kecak) at a young age, and joined an Ohio University artists and writers tour of Bali in the summer of 2000, a tour facilitated by Mr. Narendra. Since that time, Matthew and Narendra have nurtured the desire to initiate an Internet-based business which would help to bring the myriad wonders of Balinese handicraft to the world, without dependence on the tourism industry, which is at the mercy of terrorism, natural disaster, epidemic illness and other factors beyond anyone’s control. Matthew is excited at the prospect of introducing you to the work of some of Bali’s finest artisans, and hopes you will enjoy sampling and perhaps purchasing some of their sublime work.