Made Wijaya: Tropical gardens and humor in Indonesia

Made Wijaya is the Balinese name of Australian Michael White, who came to Bali 30 years ago. Made is known nationally and internationally for 2 things, his humor and his tropical gardens. As an original and outspoken expat, Made has a his own website, Stranger in Paradise and magazine, Poleng.

According to his official profile:
‘Made Wijaya was born Michael White in Sydney, Australia. He arrived in Bali in 1973, having jumped ship and swum ashore in a rainstorm. A student of architecture, he first of all intended the visit as a short break from his studies, but his fascination with Bali’s rich culture and tradition led him to move in with a Brahman family in South Bali. After various jobs teaching tennis and English, working as a tourist guide and photo-journalist, he began contributing to guide books before being asked to design the gardens of the legendary Bali Oberoi.

More than 600 gardens later, Wijaya is a world renowned tropical garden designer whose company, P.T. Wijaya Tribwana International, has a 500–strong team of artisans and “garden commandos,” as he calls them. He travels between his Bali base and Singapore, India, Spain, Morocco, Hawaii, Australia and Mexico to weave his magic.

A recognized authority on tropical gardens and South East Asian architecture, he has published five books, The Complete Stranger in Paradise; Balinese Architecture: Towards an Encyclopaedia; Tropical Garden Design (Archipelago Press and Wijaya Words, 1999); At Home in Bali (Abbeville Press, 2000); and Architecture of Bali – A Source Book of Traditional and Modern Forms (Archipelago Press and Wijaya Words, 2002). He also contributed to Tropical Asian Style and was the main author of a pocket guidebook to Bali.

His signature column “Stranger in Paradise–Diary of an expatriate in Bali” at (www.strangerinparadise.com and Hello Bali monthly magazine and Jakarta Post for trightly) and “Poleng” magazine and as well are much loved across the land.’

PT Wijaya is his site outlining Made Wijaya’s garden design talents. One magazine article he wrote was called ‘Super bule’ and featured stereotypical images and profiles of the Bali expat scene. Its not often somebody cuts loose with straightforward opinion that is also entertaining and clever. Made Wijaya is obviously very knowledgeable about Balinese culture and incorporates elements of Balinese and SE Asian design into his tropical gardens.

Read about Bali’s Muslim Kampung, an article that the junta in Jakarta wouldn’t publish.