Where do Tiki Poles Come From?

Santa does not bring tiki poles down from The North Pole. But they do come from south of the equator in Bali.

The Balinese people have been known for centuries to be expert wood and stone carvers. They make the best wood carvings in the world.

That's why the St. Hazards tiki poles come from Bali. Pictured is the owner of this small shop that is making lots of wood carvings for Hazards and the gift shop right now. Everything is made one at a time - by hand.

The gift shop at Hazards will have the real thing - tiki items from south of the equator where tiki was born.

News from Bali

These photos were all taken from the central part of Bali in a town called Ubud. This area is known for its' woodcarvers, painters and craftsmen. The photo of the worker in the rice field was taken from the terrace of the hotel, which is built around a working rice field.

It seems that there is some kind of temple every 100 ft. or so because all of the families have their own temple for their compound plus there is one for the neighborhood. Here's a photo of one of thousands like it.

The streets are lined with shop after shop. Many sell the same thing, but of a lower quality. Some make what they sell, but others buy from the market. You really need to know what you are doing here to locate the best quality right from the family that makes the items to get a great price. Fortunately, our friends in St. Barths have made introductions to experts who live in Bali to help us out. The Hazards gift shop will have lots of new things this year.

Greetings From Bali

Back in 2004 St. Hazards owner Ed made his first trip to Bali, Indonesia and brought back Hazards' Tiki Bar, tiki poles, gazebos, the giant crocodile by the pool and lots of other special items for the gift shop.

Ed is back and this post is sent from Bali, literally half way around the world (13 hour time difference). Bali is just below the equator and above Australia and below Vietnam in very general terms.

The beach photos are from a neat bar on the beach near Kuta, the main tourist town. Hazards will have new ideas as seen in Bali for this season. The other photos are from a small hillside village where many of the craftsmen live and work. And yes, they are making one-of-a-kind things for the gift shop right now.

The Balinese are a very happy, welcoming people that often greet you and welcome you on the street as you walk by. There are very few Americans visiting, so we are an attraction in ourselves. They all wonder about our special accent because most of the English they here is from Australians. They speak the normal way, not us.

Middle Bass Island will have more influence from Bali this season. Stay tuned.