Goodbye ‘Cripsy’: Bali expat passes away

Mark Cripp (‘Cripsy’) from Australia, owner of Kangkung Cottages in Jasri, East Bali, passed away recently, while working on a freighter in Australia. He was around 50 years old and suffered a heart attack. It always comes as a huge shock whenever someone you know passes away, especially the ones who seem healthy and full of life. I only knew Cripsy as an acquaintance, having stayed at his place 3 times over the last 4 years. He was quite a character and a good bloke in my opinion.

Mark’s place in Jasri consisted of 8 guest houses rooms, set close to the beach. The area doesn’t get much tourism and the funny thing was Mark didn’t seem to want to expend any energy promoting the place. Here is my account of the first visit to Cripsy’s place in East Bali.

Mark told me he first saw the island while working on a freighter, that passed the island in 1971. He saw waves crashing and the captain told him it was Bali. Back in Australia he tried to book a direct flight, but the travel agent in his town had never heard of Bali. Arriving as a fresh faced teenager in 1972, he saw a Balinese procession with topless women on the beach and knew he was in an entirely different world.