Get bali Culture

The Balinese Culture

2010-04-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Balinese culture is a unique combination of spirituality, religion, tradition and art. Religion is considered to be art and it seems that almost every Balinese is a devoted artist, spending 'free time' applying skills and images which have been passed down from generation to generation and grasped from a very young age. Expressed through beautiful and intricate paintings, extraordinary carvings, superb weaving, and even in rice decorations that cover the myriad shrines found in public areas, in paddy fields or in homes, the island is alive with art and religious homage.

Sekala and Niskala

Balinese culture is a complex event characterised by diversity and adaptability. A central dictum in Balinese thinking is the concept of Desa - Kala - Patra, (time, place and situation), a dynamic notion holding that traditional thinking will blend in harmony with the new. The Balinese distinguish between Sekala, the material, and Niskala the eternal. Reality is a coincidence of the material and the eternal realms. One does not exist without the other. The world, therefore, is the product of the interaction of Sekala and Niskala.

Temple Festivals

Temple festivals are commonplace. Each village will hold some sort of colourful ceremony for each one of its own temples a couple of times a year. Add to this the rituals and celebrations for each persons' passage from birth, puberty, marriage, childbirth to death and the after-world, and include the major island-wide celebrations like Galungan, Kuningan and Nyepi; the day of silence when the whole island closes down in fear of evil spirits flying in from the sea, and you can begin to understand how important religion in Bali is.

Hindu Dharma

Art, culture and day to day activities for most Balinese are strongly bonded to a unique form of Hinduism called Hindu Dharma, which is widely thought to be the closest example to the religion and social framework that existed in Java during the zenith of its power and is now found nowhere else. Classical dance dramas based on the old Hindu epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabarata which arrived from Java, are like everywhere else in Indonesia, mixed with pre-Hindu animist belief and peculiar local folklore. Not all Balinese adopted the new Hindu religion though. The Bali Aga who now live in isolated groups in the mountains at Trunyan and Tenganan, for example, preferred their ancient animist beliefs, which are still practiced and remain largely intact today.

Balinese belief systems

The very soul of Bali and Balinese belief systems is rooted in religion and is expressed in art forms and skills that have been passionately preserved over the centuries. During the mid sixteenth century Bali reached a cultural climax, which encouraged and developed elaborate arts and customs, which are the foundations of what is practiced today. In a sense they have changed very little since that time, but as has been the case throughout much of the Indonesian archipelago, adaptation of new environments is absolutely essential for survival. It was at this time that the Javanese Hindu and the Balinese calendars were combined and a complex schedule of rituals and ceremonies was defined. Nine great temples, the Pura Agung, were also built, linking the structure of the new calendar with that of the gods. The most sacred being the Mother Temple, Pura Besakih, built high on the slopes of Bali 's most sacred mountain, Gunung Agung.

History of Festival in Bali

2010-03-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

When tourism took off after 1965, the Balinese insisted that it followed cultural guidelines: if tourism was to be accepted, it was to be a cultural tourism, or "pariwisata budaya".

As the Balinese put it: "Tourism should be for Bali instead of Bali for tourism." In time, this idea become national policy, as part of a larger revping of regional cultures for national purposes. The policy owes much to the former Director General of Culture (1968-1978) and Governor of Bali (1978-1988), Ida Bagus Mantra, an Indian-educed Balinese. It led, on the one side, to the creation of enclave resorts such as Nusa Dua to limit the direct impact of tourism, and on the other, to a long haul cultural policy aimed at nurturing and preserving the traditional agrarian culture while adapting it to the demands of modernity, and in particular of "cultural tourism".

At the village level, local music groups, dances and other cultural events were inventoried, then supported by a series of contests at the district and regency level. The ensuing competition energized the cultural life of villages, whose "young blood" was already being drained to the city by the process of economic change and urbanization.

Schools of dance and art were created, in particular the Kokar conservatory and the STSI School of Dance and Music. Beside research, these schools replaced the traditional master/disciple relationship by modern methods of teaching; standardized the dance movements, produced new types of Balinese dances for tourism and modern village entertainment. Most important, it enabled former students to return to the villages as teachers, where they diffused, beside the creed of cultural resilience and renewal, new dances and standardized versions of old ones.

Many of the performances are held at the amphitheater which can hold up to 6,000 spectators, in a temple-like stage.

Each year, the Bali Arts Festival, beside the fed classical dances of the island, such as the legong, gambuh, kecak, barong, baris, mask dances and the like, is based on the theme around which new "dance choreography" is produced and old village dances and activities revived. Over the years, the whole range of classical Balinese stories - Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sutasoma, Panji - have thus been turned into "colossal" Sendratari Ballets.

The main challenge to the Arts Festival is obviously economic in nature. As village life is increasingly feeling the strains of monetary considerations, dancers, musicians and others cannot be expected to continue participating simply for the sake and the pleasure of it. As costs soar, new sources of financing have to be found. The obvious answer is the private sector and in particular the tourism industry. The greater task then is to convince the hotels, travel agencies and tourist guides to be more participatory in the Arts Festival rather than to their own sponsored events.

Considering the pride the Balinese have in their culture, and the adaptability and dynism they have always demonstrated, this little hurdle can be overcome. Trust the Balinese. They will eventually succeed to transform their tradition into a modern, Balinese culture of their
own.

Eyeglass man

2010-03-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

yoga lubak = is something zat to be there ^_^

Step How To Increase Your Blog Traffic

2009-07-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

Learn seo and learning to bring it to the blog traffik need perseverance, this may be, many questions: how ya How To Increase Traffic Blog / website, if you are a blogger or a website owner, you definitely want more traffic to a blog or your website is. You may often seek out information on the internet about how I Increase Traffic To Your Blog / Website you. On this paper I will be explaining the 75 How To Improve the Traffik blog / your website. List is different from the others because the simple, original and unique ideas. If you want to search for people to see the website / blog you are, you're reading the right article.

All of 75 How To Increase Traffic Blog / website I believe this can work well for the site / your blog. Here are 75 ways are:

1. Write contain more. If you want traffic, you must write contain. People do not akan charcoal-site you visit if you do not contain the good writing, interesting & quality, and new visitors will not return to your blog. So keep posting the interesting writing.
2. Design & layout is good. If your site design disorganized, difficult to navigate, or the color does not match the vision (glare), also full atao error, visitors certainly will not stand for long time on diblog you.
3. Use your own domain name. I believe that if you have your own domain name will be more traffic. Site by you will be more people & more people will be easy to remember the URL of your blog & you will seem more professional. Try to get your own domain name & "have it from the start." (Until this paper dipost not use my own domain alone, he he he ...)
4. Use StumbleUpon. I have success with pangalaman StumbleUpon. When a good article from your blog in the "StumbleUpon", many people will be expected to assess both your blog and akan "mengstumbling upon" your blog.
5. Post on another blog. Offer any posts to other people for dipost own blog. Even better, when any posts are ready dipost. Leave a blogger is that you have the text ready for the post on the blog, if mekera agree. When you write an article for the blog dipost other people, look at your blog post that you relefan & buatlan link to post it. You get a link on their blog & get traffic from here.
6. Start the "Tagging" diblog your image. When you insert the image dipostingan you, you should always give the identity (tagged). Make sure the size of the image width and height you know. But the most important keywords is write the image tags in the "alt" & "title". Example: img src = http://superbloggingtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/kenya-smokey-me-001.jpg alt = "Tortoise Shell Mix Kitten in Sink" title = "Tortoise Shell Kitten Mix in Sink "height =" 300? width = "350?. For more information, click here.
7. Immediate response commentar & email. People will love the blog owner interaktiv & commentar who responded immediately and incoming email. If you do this will be many readers who will be loyal and love you & you will get traffic and more links.
8. Use MyBlogLog. Signup to join MyBlogLog & communities to all MyBlogLog (max. 15 communities per day), and you will see akan visitor came to your blog from MyBlogLog.
9. Do not waste your time. Do not waste your time with program2 of money, such as PTC, PTR, Pay to surf, pay to search or the like. Such a program will not only akan apa2 but a waste of your time. Write contain high quality & traffic will come by itself.
10. Watch and learn the statistics you. Learn statistical Analitic you and google. See what keywords visitors used to find your blog & what the article is not liked or liked your blog readers. This will help you determine your next any posts that can be popular with the keyword disisipi & effective.
11. Links to other potingan. When you link to another blog on potingan, and it will create a Trackback, or pingback. When you ngelink posting to other blogs, if they have a Trackback is enabled then you will receive a linkback at the comments you post a link.
12. In the posting you, ask the readers of your blog a few questions. Readers will be pleased if deemed important & most of them will be happy to exchange opinions. If the next time you make any posts should ask readers a question, or their opinions on things. Then you will get lots of comments and visitor akan much like to return.
13. Create a "Lens" on Squidoo. On Squidoo, you can create a "lens" you own, also aka & page on their site. Create a "lens" that relate to your blog and make sure you mengelinkannya with your blog. On Squidoo you can also make money. click here to learn more.
14. Comment on other blogs. When you log in to comment another 99.9% have box where you can write your blog URL address. Someone from here when you see a comment that they can click the URL of your blog. Give comments on the blog that is different as much as possible, the more you give the comment much traffic you get.
15. Write Post List. All people like akan list posting. Post this list contains poting the potingan-ngelink to another posting. For example: "Top 10 Blog Themes" ' "25 Uses for Vinegar", & "5 Helpful Website Tools". List posting ngelink usually to more potingan & can get more traffic from the regular posting.
16. Submit your blog to search engines. Many of the majority trafficnya obtained from search engines. When people search for the keyword you and find your site, you will get traffic! Click here to submit your blog's index by google that if you had not done so, and remember to keep writing in order to contain the new blog you still have a rank on search engines.
17. Complicated cooperation with other bloggers. Develop cooperation with all the other bloggers who blog, especially in line with your blog. Please comment on their blog a conversation, a link with their complicated friendship &. And before you know they will mengelink blog that you would bring traffic to your blog.
18. Use Traffic Exchange. I'm not sure you will be exposed to penalty from adsense if you use traffic exchange. Traffic exchange will bring the readers a loyal blog if you get good enough next to the traffic that development. See the post on BlogMad traffic exchange.
19. Link to your other posting as much as you can. Internally potingan link to your blog. This will help your blog ranking and will also help traffic. If people come to your blog does not have the option to see more they will go away. When you post your ngeling to another akan They click a link and you will remain on your blog longer.
20. Sign up for Yahoo! Answer. At Yahoo you can answer the questions of others & help others. There are boxes where you can write down the source of your answer. Answer the questions and have a link to your blog as the source.
21. Sign up your blog in the top blog list. Blog top list is a blog of me listing all the blogs that a member on the blog. Blog you will be in a higher rank if you have more traffic, more & more good visitor. Joinnya very simple way, plus how this will be able to add traffic. Click here to see some blogs TOPlist (the world) that you can join & learn more.
22. Submit site to directory. Some of the hundreds of directory melisting site, & a few thousands. Blacklink of the directory is good, but traffic from the directory is only a small tric, even almost no results. Nevertheless submit the name of your site using the keywords you will be able to more tinngi ranking in Google for the keyword, which will mean more traffic.
23. Do not Use Link Train. This is not directly related to traffic, but this is of note. I never make the mistake of joining in ViraLink and ViralTags, and you should not do that, but if the readers like you & they read your blog longer.
24. Re-read, edit and continue posting your article. No one will want me posting a link that is not qualified, even though potingan was a brilliant idea that if full of spelling and grammatical wrong. There is no link that means no traffic.
25. Submit your posting to the blog carnival. Visit the Blog Carnival website and submit as many articles to the carnival you related your niche. When the carnival edition of the article you submit a post, not only you will be able to linkback, but you will get more visitor to your blog. If you do not understand what a blog carnival please review here.
26. Pertahankan your blog carnival. According to my blog carnival is fun to be. People will submit their articles to the carnival you, & almost all orang2 edition of this carnival will be visiting you to see their link there. Carnival and you can also become a major show on the homepage & Blog Carnival website.
27. Link exchange with other site dilingkungan you. In exchange for any link is made, either in the sidebar on every page of site, in the page site, or posting it up on you. Link exchange with other people who have a related blog will help a lot. Site and when they become so large akan more help.

28. Use Feedburner to subscribe people to your blog. When a blog you subscribe via RSS or get your blog updates via email, they will see the posting when you have a new one. This will be vital to keep the readers keep in touch with your blog & draw them back.

29. Use Youtube. Create an account on youtube, and then on your profile you will be able to melist alamat2 your website. List your blog address in there & start a video. When someone view your profile it is likely you will click on the blog.

30. Have a blog more for a link. Bangunlan a good relation ship before you ask something. Make sure you link them first dipostingan you. Before you do this please and abaca "Kumiko's post". If you get a lot of blog links will not only raise your page rank, but also will get a lot of traffic.
31. Use Techorati tags. Get more in the category Techorati means you'll get more Expose, which means getting more traffic. If you want to know more about Techorati please visit the Court's post.

32. Write about celebrity. No matter what you blog, you will be able to know how to adjust to the topic you blog about celebriti. For example, 6 Lessons Britney Spears Can Teach You About Blogging. People will find info about celebriti each time and the gossip about them. Lipatgandakan traffic you get when you gossip about a celebriti after something that is going on celebriti. For example, such as shaving the hair on their birthdays their children, their marriage or the death of them.

33. Encourage readers to "Digg" your article. Digg is a site that collects the vote on the article. In other words, readers like it or not these articles. Blogger akan your friend with the voluntary "Digg" the article if you ask politely with, or better add the Digg button at the bottom of all your posting. Make sure articles get your answer if the post & Digg are good enough they will get thousands of visitor each day.

34. Get the "plugins" to the Social Bookmarking site. On each blog article is often found that the key line mempersilahkan readers to vote and submit articles to social Bookmarking site (Digg, Reddit, Netscape, or other). Antisocial use my own plugin. If you implement your plugin this article you will tersubmit to social Bookmarking site which means more traffic.

35. Link to "A-listers." This technique is used to request the A-lister for a link or coax them to provide a link to you. The more you link to the A-listers and probloggers the more likely they know you, then perhaps they will link to articles that will give you lots of traffic to your blog.

36. Write a post pillar. Pilar post not only a list post. Pillar post merupaka core of your blog. Potingan is usually long, authoritative, & instructional. Pilar post requires a long time to write. You must link to a pillar post in the blog as much as possible & make sure you get the attention pillar post terbanyak. Pilar post will get many links & bring lots of traffic.

37. When the time comes, write about it. When Easter, Lebaran, Thanksgiving, Chrismas, or holidays / celebrations others arrive, make a post about it a month earlier. Make sure your posting & terindex linked. When the day arrived, it is possible to search by many people & blogs you might be found.

38. Use smart URLs in WordPress. If you use wordpress and use the URL they are messy, you should use this plugin to switch the URL including the date and name of post in the link. using the plugin will not be a statistical search engine that you or the other.

39. Create your blog visitors to feel as at home. If you are someone who is not complacent, never give anything to the readers of your blog, not a comment or email, do not help another blogger, or cynical and does not always make the readers feel like your blog into the home of their own, then most likely they will stop for visiting your blog. But if you make them yourself at home as you will get lots of traffic.

40. Be human, not robots. If in all poting you always just off the extrim business, for example, do not show yourself, just talking about the same thing every time, or 100% perfect, it just makes them menjauh. I do not intend you to mangatakan always polite, talk about yourself all the time, melenceng from your topic, or make many errors. But let your readers know that you also like them, that you are also human being. Do not make your blog boring.

41. Remove the ads from your blog. To improve traffic hilangkanlah ads. When you do not have a way to get money from your blog, you will feel pity, but believe that you will get traffic and loyal readers of the blog if you are qualified. And if it is possible you can install again to start the meraup money.

42. Start to create your own blog directory. Make a blog directory, for example, in the miserably. When you first create a directory, make a link with all the free and get a link submit form, the submission will send you an email. You can do a weekly / daily depending on the link sent to you, or you can assign the link to the "proper Categoies" provided. When your blog has become a major, you can submit a Demand "reciprocal link" & akan get "featured site table" that ngelink to your blog.

43. Post about A-listers. For example on blogger Darren Rowse and John Chow. You can write about them as personal or as a blogger, or you can write about how they do things. You can mempost your mind about that or katakana they develop and then posting them to leave a message dipostingan them that you also have done the same thing.

44. Interview other bloggers. Interview other bloggers will usually give a few posts & links. Means that the traffic link.

45. Make posting links that tune. I try to make me post the link like 2 times every week. This is only potingan link to the article in the blogosphere or the web that I like, especially with the theme of relefan my blog. This will not only get a Trackback, but will also give you the opportunity to get a link back medapatkan which means traffic.

46. Make berhadiah contest. This is a good idea. Make a contest with a prize. People who will follow your blog in the hope that will win prizes. If you give a gift that will surely attract beritanga spread, but first make sure that the previous blog that you have many loyal readers.

47. Play puralah sell your blog. This is one way to get traffic, but I do not merekomendasikannya. You can pay a few dollars to your blog in melist marketplace & get traffic from potential buyers. Then cancel bidding and keep your blog. There will be no traffic from that you will return. This is not a target and will only waste money. But if you just want to get traffic right way this can be tested.

48. Be comedian. Make visitors laugh. This is difficult so easy. If you can make your visitors happy and laughing they will remember your blog & will tell others about your blog & will be back again.

49. Help bloggers who need you. If there is a beginner blogger who leave your comments or email them help. Who is a time they will be great, & will always remember your goodness.

50. Make a poll on your blog. People like voting & always want to see the results of a poll. Polling is a popular & will bring traffic.

51. Create a new blog. If you still can make it better with a new blog, be it free or at hosingan your own domain. Whatever you want to try every traffic blog you have, and make sure that all your blog ngelink against the other, especially blogs that have a small link in the blog by the greater. It is expected that anyone who read one of your blog can be introduced to your blog the other.

52. Create a wordpress plugin or hack. Okay, this is only for the pitar "nge-hack" or create a wordpress plugin. I have never done so. But if you can, you will get many links & traffic of all the plugins you use.

53. Make a blog themes (wordpress, blogspot, or whatever). As well as create a plugin, traffic will come along with the link. Even create a blog theme from making it easier plugin or learn seo.

54. Create an image that can be used by other people. If you create an image that's free, you can use other people to their blog, you will get traffic from here. And if you create a professional image, you can get additional money from here.

55. Create images for social networking site. People who use Myspace, facebook, and all site types like to use this image. Banner color, animated images, flash image, making this if they will use, Place your link there.

56. Join in and get a lot of Myspace friends. Myspace klicklah join in the "browse" and add people. If you already have many friends make a link to your blog on the bulletin and in your profile or wherever you can. This will get the traffic if you do it correctly.

57. Answer the questions that you get from a comment or email with a post. If someone give a comment or question and the answer is quite long, Do not waste your time with a link to answer the potingan you. If posting about things that have not yet, make a posting about it.

58. Do Search Engine Optimization. The better your ranking on search engines then the more akan akan visitor that they send.

59. Buatlan a serial award / awards. Take your time to make a trophy or banner for an award or awards. Make sure that the award has a theme or name, for example, "Tropy Award For Best Blogger". Then linkkan banner to 5 other bloggers that you think best. Create a rule that the fifth blogger is to do the same with the banner, the link with five other bloggers who according to their best. Make sure the banner is there in your link as a banner. If this goes then there will be many linkback to your blog & you'll receive a lot of traffic.

60. Order review through ReviewMe. If you order a review on another blog with ReviewMe or PayPerPost many people will read about your blog. Review is the best way to advertise your blog to get your faithful readers.

61. Place an ad on Google Adwords. If you have more money does not have one you buy ads on Google Adwords. Those who are interested will click your ads. Some of them will become a faithful reader mungin and some do not. This is a good way to get traffic.

62. Use ReviewBack to get a free review. You will get a free review here, is useful to get traffic. Check in ReviewBack.

63. Write a Press Release. Click here to find out how bagainama.

64. Get in the Favorites list Techorati. Tachorati top 100 list favorited reviewed here. Will be very difficult to get, you need like a few hundred or even several thousand if you want to be at the top list. But this will generate lots of traffic if you do it successfully.

65. Join & forums and message board. Join the forum and message board that are relevant to the theme of your blog. If allowed to link your blog where you can. People will be happy to see mengecheck your blog.

66. Add your blog link in forum signatures. Ideas, but only if allowed to remain. Add your link in forum signatures and aktiflah communicate. Your link will appear on your every post. You will get a traffic bearable if many forum members.

67. Write a post with the title, interesting & easy to remember the keyword. Posting with the title of this interesting & easy to remember will usually get more traffic, especially if the keyword. You will get ranked on search engines, and if someone link to the article you have keywords you will get a better ranking and will get more traffic from google, yahoo, or the other.

68. Use the picture on your posting. If the posting is only a text postigan will quickly become boring. Images also are useful for SEO, if someone searches for images in search engines. But I recommend using only 1 image per post, so that confusion does not occur in the search engine.

69. Write a review. If you make a good review of a product, it will come to the attention of people who are interested to the product. Make a review of a product that more digandrungi at this time.

70. Create a better quality of any posts. If the articles that you have in Digg or StumbleUpon by the readers of your blog, postinglah article is more interesting and better quality. Let your blog visitors to a blog that you are a quality blog and they will come back.

71. Post about the important events related to your blog. If something important event that matches the theme of your blog will come, write about it a month before the event arrives, give the opportunity for the search engines you mengindext article. And if the event that you will be able to arrive traffic from people searching for articles about the event.

72. Share your secret with the readers of your blog. Whether it your business success secret, confidential or secret seo learn of your life people will know about it and happy will not be antipati against you.

73. Be of the other. Build the image and do something different that other people have never done so. You will get the thanks you get for the reader something new. Your name will be remembered for a long time, but not forever. Muncullah with a new concept that other people have never done so.

Bali Panorama

2009-01-28T18:00:00.001-08:00

Most people come to Bali to experience the marvelously rich culture heritage; some come for the beaches and the waves; some come for meeting and convention; others for pure relaxation. But if you are a nature lover don’t miss Jatiluwih, is a breathtaking panorama of genuine and fertile rice fields stretch from the foothills of Batukaru volcano to the south coast.

It is located at the western district of Tabanan. This western uplands of Batukaru are famed for magnificent landscapes. The view from the mountain village, Jatiluwih, takes in the whole of South Bali. Perched on a high terraced slope, Jatiluwih deserves its name, which means “Truly Marvelous”. A wonder of the world. It’s worth a venture.

You can initiate your trip in the morning leaving the hotel at 09.00. A.M. There are many ways to see Bali and each serves its own purpose well. Motorcycles are a pleasant (but extremely risky) way to see the countryside and cooler than ride in a car. Jeep and minivans are also available for hire – with or without a driver. It is advisable to settle the price with the driver before starting on a journey.

After passing the town of Tabanan the road takes you to the north through the villages of Wanasari, Jegu, Buruan and Wangaya Gede. On the route you will be amazed by the wonderful rural ambience; farmhouses, characteristically, a little shrine to place offerings dedicated to Dewi Sri the Goddess of rice, plowing, flocks of ducks that are brought to bathe and feed all day in the flooded paddies, and harvesting, that one pictures when remembering Bali. The cascading terraces of rice fields are the most striking features of the landscape.

If you see farmers are working the rice, planting or harvesting, and if you are interested in experience it, you can stop and joint them, you will be welcomed gladly. “Alo turis, alo turis!” followed by giggles is the standard greeting from children everywhere on Bali. Older people will be more sedate but their curious eyes will follow you, as will their more modest greeting of “mau kemana” (where are you going). Traveling in Bali can be exhilarating and getting off the beaten track can take you right to the heart of Balinese life, although you don’t have to stray far to feel it.

On the route at the village of Wanasari there is a butterflies park, you can stop and watch various kinds of colorful tropical butterflies. And then nearby the temple Pura Luhur is the holy spring of Air Panas, where hot water surges from the river bank. All strange, natural phenomena are believed to be frequented by spirits. Thus, Air Panas is graced by a small temple where people make their prayers with offerings.

The journey continues up the road until it dead ends at Pura Luhur Batukaru (2,278 m / 7,474 ft). Being one of Bali’s most venerated temples, every West Balinese temple has a shrine dedicated to it; it is isolated within its solitary clearing far above the populated farmlands. The dense rainforest of this upland would invite every adventurer to explore it. Wild orchids, healing herbs, fragrant spices and exotic trees could be discovered in this mystical heart and soul of this amazing island.

Then, the last destination (the goal of the journey) is the mountain village Jatiluwih, a breathtaking panorama of genuine and the most fertile terraces rice fields on the island. It is said as the granary of the whole Bali. Perched on a high terraced slope, Jatiluwih deserves its name, which means “Truly Marvelous”. The cascading terraces of rice fields are the most striking features of the landscape. Stretch from the foothill of Batukaru volcano to the south coast. The cool western uplands, overlooking half the island, offer magnificent views.

On the route to Jatiluwih you can observe many kinds of tropical vegetation; coffee, coconuts, cacaos, cloves, jack fruits, bananas, papayas, sirsaks, an extremely juicy fruit, rambutans, mangoes, durians the smelly fruit, etc. The western upland is the most interesting area to hike. If you love hiking (don’t forget your picnic basket). A true journey to the secret soul of Bali. But if you want to have your meals at a restaurant, continue your travel to the east till you arrive at Pacung, there is a good restaurant offers delicious buffet lunch – with its wonderful sight of terraces rice field and the sacred volcano Batukaru in the distance.

Waka Land Cruise a reputable company has been organizing a sacred adventure to the secret soul of Bali. Travel by legendary luxury Land Rover, on tiny country roads and tracks, through terraced rice fields and untouched rainforest to the real heart of Bali.

So keep in mind the beautiful Bali for your holiday, because it would be worth to venture there.

Hotel Lovina Bali

2009-01-18T23:32:00.001-08:00

Aditya Beach Bungalows US$ 36/r/n Bungalow consist of Deluxe sea view cottage, Superior Garden view and standard main building. Each room at Aditya Beach Bungalow is equipped with air condition, private verandah, overlooking the sea
Adhirama Hotel US$ 35/r/n 20 spacious and comfortable rooms offer the luxurious amenities including splendid views, king size bed or twin beds, AC or fans, private bathrooms, hot and cold shower
Aneka Bagus Pemutaran US$ 40/r/n fully equipped with air conditioning, IDD phone, mini bar, hair dryer, hot and cold running water, bath tub, out door shower (in villa only), Color TV, Private safe deposit box
Aneka Lovina Hotel US$ 40/r/n 35 villas and 24 standard rooms with Balinese style. Each room at Aneka Lovina Hotel is fully equipped with air conditioned, private bath (tub and shower)
Bali Lovina Hotel US$ 30/r/n air conditioned, private bathroom with bath tub and shower, hot and cold running water, IDD phone, safety box, Color TV, Video/VCD player, hair dryer, mini bar, terrace, balcony
Bali Taman Hotel Lovina US$ 30/r/n 30 rooms in standard, cottages and 2 suites. All rooms at Bali Taman Hotel featuring air condition, IDD telephone, Color TV, mini bar, refrigerator, hot and cold running water
Celuk Agung Hotel US$ 28/r/n 27 rooms in category of Superior, Suites and Balinese Bungalows. Each room at Celuk Agung Hotel is equipped with air condition, private balcony
Damai Hotel US$ 175/r/n 8 bungalows, in Balinese traditional Balinese style with luxury. Antiquities, teak furniture, textile with re-created Indonesian pattern
Jepun Bali Hotel US$ 80/r/n 34 exquisitely decorated and furnished deluxe room (45 square meters) teak furniture, tiled in cool marble and polished granite bathroom
Kalaspa Hotel US$ 105/r/n 6 private and 2 family Villas hidden among the threes of rain forest, located at the height of more than 1200 meters above sea level
Matahari Beach Resort US$ 217/r/n Large swimming pool (23 m x 11 m) has a depth of 1 to 3 m, Boutique, conference room, gallery, open stage, Massage pavilion, David's dive sport center, Balinese art pavilion
Mimpi Resort Hotel US$ 85/r/n Surrounded by tropical flora and fauna, the spacious ground is connected by pathways leading to luxury and privacy of the courtyard villas
Puri Bagus Lovina Hotel US$ 95/r/n 40 spacious villas, first luxury hotel in the area, in traditional Balinese style thatched roofs, zoo beach front
Puri Lumbung Hotel US$ 65/r/n around 1000 meters above sea level. Puri Lumbung Cottages is a real Bali hotel style with materials taken from local sources to give strong impression of Bali hotel
Sunari Bali Hotel US$ 50/r/n 129 rooms in 19 standards, 77 superior, 25 deluxe cottages, 5 villa with pool, 3 deluxe villas and President Suite
Taman Sari Bali Cottages US$ 40/r/n around 10 minutes drive to West Bali National Park and the peer of boats for sailing to famous diving site of Menjangan island
Taman Selini Beach Bungalows US$ 75/r/n around 10 minutes drive to West Bali Barat National Park and the peer of boats for sailing to popular menjangan diving site.
Waka Shorea Resort US$ 153/r/n 12 Bungalows, 1 Villa of 1-bedroom (1 living room-converts to bedroom), 1 open traditional pavilion

Bali Global Business

2009-01-07T00:53:00.000-08:00

Global Business Calls for New Climate Change Framework
Bali, 13 December 2007 - "There is a real sense of urgency now," said Bjorn Stigson, President of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) at the Bali Global Business Day on Monday. "Regulators need to come up with a clear policy framework, which can then 'guide the investment decisions by businesses', and within which businesses can then 'do the right thing'"
"There is an urgency to act and define a new global policy framework post 2012 to guide long-term investments in technology and infrastructure"
"The private sector is the major source of innovation, technology and investments that can transform the global energy system. We are making investment decisions that will impact the climate issue for 20, 30, 50 years or more into the future. To do “the right thing” we need clarity on the policy framework within which we do our business" said WBCSD President, Bjorn Stigson at the Bali Global Business Day.
"You have made a clear statement that you stand ready to deliver"
"I firmly believe that the engagement of the business sector in fighting climate change is crucial... An international climate change deal for the post 2012 period should therefore be designed in a way that makes sense from a business point of view. But first we need political agreement on the launch of negotiations on such a new climate deal. And that has to happen this week here in Bali" said UNFCCC's Executive Secretary, Yvo de Boer, during his opening remarks at the Bali Global Business Day.

Jagat Natha Temple Bali

2009-01-01T23:48:00.001-08:00

Jagat Natha Temple Bali

One of the most beautiful temples of Denpasar is the Central Pura Jagat Natha, at the Northeast corner of Puputan Square. This this temple comes alive at the full moon ceremony, when worshippers from all over the city gather to bring offerings and devotions. On the main street of Denpasar, its restful shade and gnarled frangipani trees offer a welcome contrast to the hubbub of city traffic. Also, you’ll find the market temple, Pura Melanting, where busy vendors pause

Bali Traditional and Bali Art

2009-01-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

Bali Traditional and Bali Art Villages

Baha Village Bali
The population here is dominated by workers and the traditional farming community, who own wide rice fields, and by the ...

Celuk Bali
Balinese jewelry is unique, and Celuk is the home of much of it. Nearly every family in Celuk is involved in some aspect....

Mas Village Bali
This is a village specializing in woodcarvings of any kind. Most of the prominent wood-carvers of Bali dwell in Mas vill...

Tenganan Bali
Protected for centuries from the outside world by its surrounding walls, the village of Tenganan has maintained its anci....

Batubulan Bali
Just outside of Denpasar, on the road to Ubud, is a small village where stone statues line the roadside in a impressive ...

Krambitan Bali
The village of Krambitan, southwest of Tabanan, was once an extension of the ruling Raja’s court and is still a cultural....

Petang - Pelaga Village Bali
Located 800 meters above sea level, about 45 kilometers north of Denpasar at the northern most point of Badung Regency. ....

Ubud Bali
Famous for its paiter’s community, Ubud is special in more ways than one. It has its own magic, and its particularly ...

Christmas Sing

2008-12-19T19:57:00.001-08:00

We wish you a marry Christmas
We wish you a marry Christmas
we wish you a marry Christmas
we wish you a marry Christmas
and a happy new year. (2 v.)

Good tidings to you
wherever you are
good tidings for Christmas
and happy new year.

Now bring us some wiggle pudding
now bring us some wiggle pudding
now bring us some wiggle pudding
and bring some right here.
We won't go until we get some
we won't go until we get some
we won't go until we get some
so bring some right here.
We wish...

Good tidings to you
wherever you are
good tidings for Christmas
and happy new year.

Now bring us some tea and crumpets
now bring us some tea and crumpets
now bring us some tea and crumpets
and bring some right here.
We won't go until we get some
we won't go until we get some
we won't go until we get some
so bring some right here.
We wish..

We all know that Santa's coming,
we all know that Santa's coming,
we all know that Santa's coming,
and soon will be here.

Komodo Conservation Camp

2008-12-17T22:41:00.001-08:00

Komodo Conservation Camp is one of the facilities existing in the beautiful island where the biggest dragon of Komodo living in east Indonesia National Park. The camps are well equipped by luxury building for the conservation purpose and other part of presentations. It is located just in front of the beautiful white sandy beach or just beside of the national park reception. There are also many beautiful souvenirs presented in this area where you can buy for taking home. In this page is presented the beautiful camp and it is one of the best selection photo from the Komodo National Park.
Komodo National Park Camp
Komodo National Park Camp, Flores Island, Indonesia

Dewandaru Lebih Atraktif Dibanding Buah Sayuran

2008-12-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

JAKARTA - Dewandaru disebut juga belimbing mempunyai khasiat mencegah kerusakan oksidatif, akibat radikal bebas yang tidak dapat diatasi oleh antioksidan endogen dalam tubuh.

Dewandaru Lebih Atraktif Dibanding Buah Sayuran
Dewandaru Lebih Atraktif Dibanding Buah Sayuran
Article Tags
antioksidan bebas elektron endogen konsumsi oksidatif orbital radikal senyawa

Polusi yang dikeluarkan kendaraan bermotor dan industri, dan konsumsi cepat saji dapat mendorong terjadinya radikal bebas di dalam tubuh.

Radikal bebas adalah atom atau senyawa elektron yang tidak berpasangan pada orbital terluarnya, sehingga sifatnya tidak stabil dan cenderung dekstruktif.

Tidak ada pasangan elektro ini yang menyebabkan elektron bebas ini sangat reaktif dan mampu bereaksi dengan protein, lipid, karbohidrat, atau DNA.

Penyebab penyakit jantung koroner, kerusakan lensa mata, dan proses penuaan yang terlalu cepat karena terjadi kerusakan sel atau jaringan hidup.

Di dalam tubuh manusia, kerusakan akibat radikal bebas sebenarnya dapat diatasi oleh antioksidan endogen, tetapi jika radikal bebas berlebihan maka dibutuhkan antioksidan tambahan dari luar untuk menetralkan radikal yang terbentuk.

Cara mencegahnya dengan menghindari poluis, tidak merokok, kurangi konsumsi lemak jenuh, olahraga dengan tepat, dan hindari konsumsi makanan berpengawet dan pewarna.

Juga dengan mengkonsumsi vitamin A,C dan E dapat menangkal radikal bebas seperti sayur dan buah.

Dari Dewandaru ini karena mempunyai antioksidan yang lebih atraktif dibanding dengan buah atau sayuran lainnya.

Tanamannya memiliki kandungan polifenol maupun komponen flavonoid yang cukup tinggi.

Sixth International Bird Flu Summit Bali

2008-12-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

Top leaders and key decision-makers of major companies representing a broad range of industries will meet with noted scientists, public health officials, law enforcers, and other experts to discuss pandemic prevention, preparedness, responses and recovery of bird flu at the summit, said the agency.

The summit's participants will be able to draw on first-hand best practices to create the solid business continuity plans that their companies and organizations need in order to prepare for, respond to, and survive a pandemic, the agency quoted the organizing committee, the U.S.-based New Fields Exhibitions, Inc. as saying.

More information:

http://www.new-fields.com/birdflu6/

Peranan Guru Spiritual Hindu Di Bali

2008-12-10T16:39:00.001-08:00

Guru spiritual mendapat tempat tersendiri dalam tradisi Jawa. Para
guru ini umumnya mereka sudah berusia lanjut, hingga layak mendapat sebutan “orang tua”. Karena itu ilmu yang diajarkan biasanya juga disebut “ilmu tua”, yang artinya ilmu spiritual, yang hanya bisa diberikan kepada mereka yang “cukup umur”. Tentang batasan umur bagi siswa ini ada bermacam-macam, sementara guru bahkan ada yang hanya mau menerima siswa yang sudah pernah “mantu” atau mengawinkan anaknya. Kalau belum masih dianggap terlalu muda dan belum layak mendapat ilmu. Sebenarnya hal yang sama juga berlaku di Bali. Ilmu hanya boleh diajarkan oleh sang “guru”, sedang siswa tidak. Karena itu awalnya jarang ada ilmu “kejawen” bersifat terbuka bisa dipelajari oleh siapa saja. Penerimaan siswa amat selektif. Bila itu terjadi di Jawa tentunya bisa dimaklumi, mungkin karena lingkungannya mengharuskan demikian. tetapi kalau hal yang sama terjadi di Bali, tentunya akan menjadi pertanyaan.

Sikap siswa terhadap guru, umumnya hanya sebatas rasa hormat, dengan menganggapnya sebagai orang suci. Penghargaan yang bersifat materi (Reshi Yadnya) tidak seberapa dan bahkan tidak ada. Guru umumnya benar-benar sepi pamrih. Umumnya orang berpendapat semakin tanpa pamrih nama guru tersebut akan menjadi semakin terkenal dan dihormati. Situasi lingkungan rupanya telah menyebabkan para guru “kebatinan” tersebut, banyak yang tidak mau menunjukkan identitas agamanya secara jelas. Berbagai aturan yang dibuat mengindikasikan bahwa para guru tersebut jauh dari rasa bebas dalam menyampaikan ajarannya. Misalnya mengajarnya di tempat sepi, yang jauh dari keramaian, siswa harus merahasiakan nama gurunya, dilarang membicarakan hal-hal yang diajarkan kecuali dengan sesama siswa, dll. Karena aturan yang begitu ketat, maka para siswa umumnya pun sangat tertutup, bahkan pantang menyebut nama sang guru. Yang terakhir ini juga terjadi di Bali. Hubungan antar sesama siswa sangat akrab. Mereka disumpah untuk menjadi “saudara seperguruan”, yang diistilahkan “sedulur tunggal banyu”, yang artinya “saudara seair”. Mungkin penamaan itu diberikan karena pengangkatannya sebagai saudara seperguruan dilaksanakan dengan upacara “pemercikan air”. Ajaran yang disampaikan oleh para guru itu sebenarnya ajaran biasa, misalnya tentang “sangkan paraning dumadi”, “manunggaling kawula gusti” dan sejenisnya, yang tak jauh berbeda dengan dasar-dasar ajaran Hindu, Ajaran etika menempati tempat yang pokok, berupa berbagai anjuran dan larangan yang bersifat khusus. Anjuran dan larangan itu merupakan hal yang wajib dilaksanakan tanpa harus mengetahui apa alasannya. Hal inilah yang membuat moral dan perilaku para penganut kejawen umumnya selalu terjaga. Biasanya kegiatan belajar ditutup dengan pelajaran “samadhi”, dalam sebuah upacara khusus, yang terkesan sakral dan amat tertutup. Hal ini dilaksanakan setelah siswa mendapat “wejangan” mantra-mantra khusus, yang hanya diberikan setelah melaksanakan “laku” (brata) tertentu. Laku (brata) ini ada bermacam-macam, antara lain: puasa, mutih, tidak tidur (jagra), berpantang seks dan lain-lainnya. Sifat tertutup ini membuat mereka sering mendapat sebutan dukun “klenik”, yang dicurigai dan divonis sebagai pengajar ilmu sesat. Tudingan bahwa mereka adalah kaum sinkretis, yang suka meramu ajaran berbagai agama mungkin ada benarnya, sebab mereka umumnya mengajarkan tentang dasar-dasar ajaran Hindu dan melaksanakan berbagai upacara yang bernafas Hindu tetapi tak jarang doa-doanya dalam bahasa Arab dan Jawa.
Guru spiritual mendapat tempat tersendiri dalam tradisi Jawa. Para
guru ini umumnya mereka sudah berusia lanjut, hingga layak mendapat sebutan “orang tua”. Karena itu ilmu yang diajarkan biasanya juga disebut “ilmu tua”, yang artinya ilmu spiritual, yang hanya bisa diberikan kepada mereka yang “cukup umur”. Tentang batasan umur bagi siswa ini ada bermacam-macam, sementara guru bahkan ada yang hanya mau menerima siswa yang sudah pernah “mantu” atau mengawinkan anaknya. Kalau belum masih dianggap terlalu muda dan belum layak mendapat ilmu. Sebenarnya hal yang sama juga berlaku di Bali. Ilmu hanya boleh diajarkan oleh sang “guru”, sedang siswa tidak. Karena itu awalnya jarang ada ilmu “kejawen” bersifat terbuka bisa dipelajari oleh siapa saja. Penerimaan siswa amat selektif. Bila itu terjadi di Jawa tentunya bisa dimaklumi, mungkin karena lingkungannya mengharuskan demikian. tetapi kalau hal yang sama terjadi di Bali, tentunya akan menjadi pertanyaan.

Sikap siswa terhadap guru, umumnya hanya sebatas rasa hormat, dengan menganggapnya sebagai orang suci. Penghargaan yang bersifat materi (Reshi Yadnya) tidak seberapa dan bahkan tidak ada. Guru umumnya benar-benar sepi pamrih. Umumnya orang berpendapat semakin tanpa pamrih nama guru tersebut akan menjadi semakin terkenal dan dihormati. Situasi lingkungan rupanya telah menyebabkan para guru “kebatinan” tersebut, banyak yang tidak mau menunjukkan identitas agamanya secara jelas. Berbagai aturan yang dibuat mengindikasikan bahwa para guru tersebut jauh dari rasa bebas dalam menyampaikan ajarannya. Misalnya mengajarnya di tempat sepi, yang jauh dari keramaian, siswa harus merahasiakan nama gurunya, dilarang membicarakan hal-hal yang diajarkan kecuali dengan sesama siswa, dll. Karena aturan yang begitu ketat, maka para siswa umumnya pun sangat tertutup, bahkan pantang menyebut nama sang guru. Yang terakhir ini juga terjadi di Bali. Hubungan antar sesama siswa sangat akrab. Mereka disumpah untuk menjadi “saudara seperguruan”, yang diistilahkan “sedulur tunggal banyu”, yang artinya “saudara seair”. Mungkin penamaan itu diberikan karena pengangkatannya sebagai saudara seperguruan dilaksanakan dengan upacara “pemercikan air”. Ajaran yang disampaikan oleh para guru itu sebenarnya ajaran biasa, misalnya tentang “sangkan paraning dumadi”, “manunggaling kawula gusti” dan sejenisnya, yang tak jauh berbeda dengan dasar-dasar ajaran Hindu, Ajaran etika menempati tempat yang pokok, berupa berbagai anjuran dan larangan yang bersifat khusus. Anjuran dan larangan itu merupakan hal yang wajib dilaksanakan tanpa harus mengetahui apa alasannya. Hal inilah yang membuat moral dan perilaku para penganut kejawen umumnya selalu terjaga. Biasanya kegiatan belajar ditutup dengan pelajaran “samadhi”, dalam sebuah upacara khusus, yang terkesan sakral dan amat tertutup. Hal ini dilaksanakan setelah siswa mendapat “wejangan” mantra-mantra khusus, yang hanya diberikan setelah melaksanakan “laku” (brata) tertentu. Laku (brata) ini ada bermacam-macam, antara lain: puasa, mutih, tidak tidur (jagra), berpantang seks dan lain-lainnya. Sifat tertutup ini membuat mereka sering mendapat sebutan dukun “klenik”, yang dicurigai dan divonis sebagai pengajar ilmu sesat. Tudingan bahwa mereka adalah kaum sinkretis, yang suka meramu ajaran berbagai agama mungkin ada benarnya, sebab mereka umumnya mengajarkan tentang dasar-dasar ajaran Hindu dan melaksanakan berbagai upacara yang bernafas Hindu tetapi tak jarang doa-doanya dalam bahasa Arab dan Jawa.

8 - Seputar Bali: Balinese Art & Culture

2008-11-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

8 - Seputar Bali: Balinese Art & Culture

Other Balinese Ceremonies

2008-11-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

There are many events and ceremonies, religious and non-religious, held all over Bali at one time or another throughout the year.

The most important ones being Galungan, Kuningan, Tumpek and Nyepi to name a few. But there are those ceremonies that a majority of travellers to Bali are unaware of. Here are just a few.

BERSIH DESA: This ritual is an expression of appreciation to the fertility Gods such as Dewi Sri. Subsequently this ritual takes place around the period of the rice harvest. I suppose you could call it a village 'spring-clean'. Roads and paths in the village area are repaired. Houses and other buildings of importance are cleaned as are most of the garden areas within the village. Whatever needs painting gets painted and in general the whole village is renewed in appearance.

HARI RAYA SARISWATI: Batari Dewi Saraswati, the beautiful goddess, was the wife of Brahma. She was the goddess of the arts, sciences and learning. This day is to commemorate her and nobody on the island is allowed to write or read for the day.

Special ceremonies are conducted by a Pedanda early in the morning at the Pura Jagat Natha temple in Denpasar. On this day books are offered to be blessed by the Gods. Hari Raya Saraswati is a day of appreciation when wisdom was brought to the world by the Gods.

PAGERWESI: Literally interpreted means 'iron fence'. It is a day when man should fortify the space around himself to fend off evil sprits - the continuous battle between good and evil. Pagerwesi is a day of offerings requesting spiritual strength when confronting the life-cycles of suffering and worldly fulfilment. It is also a day of offerings for the protection of the village and families and the world around them. On this day villagers take offerings to cemeteries for the uncremated dead.

As on the day Galungan, on the day of Pagerwesi 'penjors' are raised which makes it a day as almost as important as Galungan. You will find this ceremony almost strictly observed in the regency of Buleleng, the northern regions of Bali.

MELASTI: The day before Nyepi. Everybody knows that the day of Nyepi is a day of silence but the day of Melasti is far from that and especially at night. It is a day when the villagers purify the deities known as Pratima with water. This is the day when the villagers, dressed in their finery and carrying long-poled umbrellas, proceed in lines towards a source of water - a holy spring or the sea. In this procession the women carry offerings of fruit and sweet cakes and flowers and the men carry the sacred family statues on bamboo litters. Upon arriving at the water source, generally the sea, the pedanda prays and rings his small bells whilst the men carrying the litters rush the sacred figures into the water symbolically washing them and thus purifying the statues.

On the day of Melasti you will also find the offerings of the flesh of domestic animals at crossroads - the haven of the evil sprits bhuta and kala. The offering of flesh is to placate these demons. Later in the evening all hell breaks loose with all manner of noise and din created to awaken all the evil sprits and demons. This is the most spectacular part of this day.

There is also another very important ceremony called EKA DASA RUDRA. It is a ceremony to restore balance in the world and is the most important and biggest religious ceremony on the island of Bali.

Bali Experiences

2008-10-30T00:14:00.001-07:00

My Bali Experiences - An island paradise for whom?

SuhartoMy history with Bali first started with a holiday there in 1998. It was a choice between a package holiday to Bali, Jamaica or somewhere else I forget; Bali won as the other possible destinations were going to be in the middle of their rainy seasons. After deciding on Bali I started to research the island and found the hotel options in the "bargain" packages I had discovered were reportedly tourist traps devoid of true Balinese influence (Nusa Dua) or endured hoards of drunken profane red necks (Kuta), so I booked the cheapest option (Wina Cottages Kuta) and decided to stay there only for the first night, then travel around the island to see the "Real Bali". I used what Internet resources existed at the time including a Bali Travel Forum and various hotel sites but had significant cause to question their authenticity and legitimacy, which gave me the idea to set up my own. In retrospect it is ironic though, I did not even think of Bali as part of Indonesia at the time and I had no idea the island was ruled over by a dictator who reportedly killed thousands of his own people. But then perhaps I wouldn't all the time world leaders like John Howard described Suharto as "a very skilled and sensitive national leader"; more of nasty Prime Minister Howard here: Australian Foreign Policy.

The more experience I had of Bali, the sader I became for the Balinese.

When I arrived in Kuta and had a chance to look around, I was very glad I had made plans already to get out of the area. Although many people enjoy the bars and shops of Kuta and I enjoyed a cold beer and walkabout somewhere completely different, it was ultimately as Balinese and tasteful to me as a McDonalds. It is kind of like the Spanish Balearic Islands in that the popular tourist towns are often pretty raucous while the remote areas actually relatively free from mass tourists, unspoiled and even Spanish. So the next day I set off around Bali to places and hotels there were scant information available for at the time. I loved the remote areas of Bali so much, was so amazed as to the contrast between what some people call “The Real Bali” and the tourist south (although I know all is not bad in the south) in terms of enjoyment, historical preservation, authenticity and value for money that when I returned to England I set up the Bali and Lombok Travel Forum and (then called) Bali Direct hotel reservation site as hobbies. With these I tried to focus on real Balinese hotels and culture in both the real Bali and even the mass tourism areas. I also tried my best to speak the truth which is not often appreciated in Indonesia.

My first major problem with the corrupt police of Bali came when two Javanese youths high on marijuana and on a stolen motorbike (they had stolen it on Lombok and were travelling back to Java) crashed into the back of my rental car as I drove legally, responsibly and normally along a straight section of the quiet North Bali coast road. These drug taking thieves hit the back of my car as they tried to overtake me straight into the path of an oncoming truck; if they had not hit the back of my car they would have surely died. Because their hitting my car delayed their bike by a split second they bounced into the side of the truck and then my car and then the truck again. I know they were on drugs because lying next to them on the roads were half smoked joints and because the police later told me so. They were carted off to the public hospital in Singaraja and the police arrived. The police said I had a "good accident" because the damage to my rental car was at the back, so I was proportionately less liable. The truck driver had a "bad accident" because the impact of the bike was at the front side of his truck, so he was proportionately more liable! Liable? Yes, even though neither I nor the truck driver could have done anything about these young men the way they were driving, because I was a foreigner / could afford a car and because the truck belonged to a business which must have money, the police were holding us liable! The police explained it that someone had to pay for the medical treatment and to pay for the two youths to get home to Java now but as they had no money, we had to pay because we were involved. I hear many foreigners talk about this aspect of liability by involvement as being a legitimate system; it is BS.

I was lucky, a local hotel worker I was friends with came with me to the police station. I was amazed, we were taken to the hospital to see the injured men and had to sit down and discuss matters! Actually we were not taken, I was asked to drive using my damaged rental car; the police did not want to use their own vehicles they said because they have to pay for their own petrol ! Then we had to go back to the police station and negotiate a "release fee"; how much "compensation" I would pay in order to be absolved of any liability ! This process took days, the police would comment on my watch saying how nice and expensive it was (it was not that expensive a watch); I had to counter that by explaining how expensive houses are in England so that my house was smaller than the police investigator's. What a "joke" and it became clear to me the money was for the police, not for the bike riders or the hospital (for medical fees which the police said had to be paid by someone). In the end we agreed a price and I asked to pay that directly to the hospital and to the two injured men, which really made the police angry. "You do not trust us?" they screamed. I said "I trust you, I just wanted to wish the hospital and injured men well". My friend said it was best to pay the police or the matter would not end. It was clear these police monkeys in uniform pocketed the release fee themselves. Since that time whenever I have seen Balinese police I have noticed them more. I have noticed how they are always asking for money under false "on the spot fine" pretences and how they never actually do any genuine police work.

My first serious encounter with the equally nasty business culture of Indonesia came when the General Manager of Waka Shorea Hotel on Menjangan Island (Bali Barat National Park) posted a spam “come and stay with us” message on the forum I run. Coincidentally I had only been discussing his hotel a few days before with friends in nearby wonderful Pemuteran; you see the park authority had closed their own small hostel on the basis no accommodations could be located on park grounds as that is unlawful, just before Waka Shorea got their building permit! The locals were furious about this and said Waka had bought their permit from Suharto's son. Anyway, when I replied to his posting “Aren’t you the hotel with an unlawfully gained building permit” he responded by email that he would sue me the Indonesian way, by slashing my throat from behind! When I complained about his threat to the Waka Group, owned by a very influential Balinese family, of course I got no apology and no action was ever taken against this man. I even filed a police complaint about his very clear threat, but nothing happened. Foolishly I did not see the woods for the trees or the writing on the wall about Indonesia. Sure I was being stopped once every two days or so by bent traffic cops alleging ridiculous motoring offences against me to extort 50,000 Rupiah from me, sure I heard Indonesia was a very corrupt country, but like most foreigners at this stage I still had my rose coloured glasses on; this was Bali after all.

I invested large sums of money into a small Balinese and environmentally friendly beachfront villa project which friends and relatives basically own and operate. I can say with pride these villas do everything to bring foreign tourists into contact with the real Balinese, that the villas were only built after a properly / legally obtained building permit was issued (unlike many perhaps most villas in Bali), that the villas are 100% legal (fully licensed, etc.), 100% Balinese friendly (the staff were not sent home after the 2002 bombings and they get an equal share of all the service charges paid by guests), 100% community friendly (the villas paid for local electricity to come to some villagers, maintain the public beach access road and built steps down for the locals to access the beach with safety) and 100% environmentally friendly (the villas even have an Indonesian Ministry of Fisheries backed coral protection and development project running).

I did not just invest in commercial projects I also helped foreign bomb victims with free accommodation plus Balinese hotel worker families desperate after family members were sent home without wages in a country with no social welfare system. I started to set up classes for Balinese children in computer and internet literacy, I was also planning the formation of a small International IT service company and an olive grove test project in one of the poorest areas of Bali which had its citrus plantations destroyed by blight. I had even applied for and been granted a KITAS work permit to come and live and work some of the time in Bali and was starting to look at houses to buy with my wife. Thank God we had not already made any such move when I found out the hard way what Indonesia is all about. You see, because of my legally exercising my freedom of speech rights (outside Indonesia) and due to increasing connections with Bali, I was overdue becoming a victim of the hate and extortion that prevails there; my rose tinted glasses were soon enough to come off.

My then girlfriend (now wife) Suci and I lived in Thailand. We lived there for a number of reasons; because I also had business there, to be candid I much preferred the food and other resources there (such as quality hospitals), we also also both much preferred the atmosphere in Thailand. In Bali, girls who date foreigners are often branded “whores”; not surprising for an island where many young men stone girls while shouting “lesbian” at them simply because they are trying to protect their virtue. When I witnessed such things first hand I started realizing Bali was not the paradise for all I had once thought it was. When Suci and I travelled together once in Bali, Indonesian men would come up to her behind my back and ask her "How much?". As is normal with the Balinese and other Indonesians, my wife did not reveal much of the problems of life in Bali for many years. It was only after she had become a little bit more worldly, confident and secure that she told me what goes on in Balinese villages. Believe me, decent everyday Balinese have little to smile about.

Business wise I saw that the small truly Balinese hotels offered not just a better, more genuine taste of Bali to guests, but that they paid my company the money they owed it; many large hotels cheated us. In Thailand we started going to an Indonesian expatriate group thing and I actually met the former general manager of one of the island's most prestigious hotels, the Bali Padma. I told him they were not paying my company the money they owed us and he asked who I was dealing with there. When I told him he advised me that person had left long ago but they kept his name and email address going to avoid giving out genuine names to suppliers, and that they cheated many people. During my travels around Bali, I tried out many hotels to experience them for myself. I was amazed that hotels like the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel had such a large following; I was actually looking forward to staying there but can say hand-on-heart it was by far the worst so called luxury 5 star hotel I have ever stayed at. It was not just the hotel (rooms, service, food, etc.) quality, it was the fact I was lied to and cheated over my hotel room (I had paid for a sea view but got dumped into a garden room which the hotel insisted was a suite when it was not) and they lost my laptop and luggage; my laptop having been deposited with reception to keep in a safe area. Compared with places like Thailand, I found so many of Bali's so called luxury hotels really terrible value for money, and said so of course. I was also amazed that people posted travel forum messages such as "The Nusa Dua Beach Hotel is the best hotel in Bali if not the world. I have been going back for the last 14 years"; who were these people, travel agents? I slowly began to realize many western tourists were not interested in the real Bali so much but safety in fellow tour group numbers, familiarity and self-vindication of their location choice. That is fine, people are entitled to no brainer package holidays; they deserve their breaks along with the next guy. I am just an avid independent traveller and want to experience the local culture, not an entertainment program for tourists and can honestly say that guests of these concrete blocks get mostly that, concrete.

I believe these self interested self-perpetuating myths illustrate how Bali can be somehow presented as an island paradise when it is not. For me Nusa Dua is easily proven factually to be devoid of Balinese authenticity and being the opposite of a paradise for the people of Bali. After all, the Balinese's legal right to access to all beaches, which are all public, clearly is being abused by token of the fact there are not many "hawkers" on Nusa Dua's beaches and those that are have license ID's! Where some tourists may exclaim "Good, I hate hawkers", that does nothing for Balinese legal rights or for reality, after all the reason there are so many hawkers in Bali is because the islanders are so impoverished. It is relevant to look at the history of Nusa Dua in that the land was compulsory purchased at below market rates from the Balinese owners in order to build expensive hotels almost all part-owned by members of the Suharto family; the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel for example is owned by the Sultan of Brunei and "Tutut" Suharto, through front companies of course. Also unlike many other hotels in Bali you will see more Javanese names on Nusa Dua hotel staff name badges then you do Balinese. Finally, when I stayed at each of the main hotels in Nusa Dua their weekly "cultural performance" almost to a hotel was the Kecak Dance; the Kecak Dance being a German resident's invention in the 1930's, not a cultural Balinese dance at all. Please tell me how Nusa Dua is either Balinese or somehow helps Bali.

Of course my saying these things does not just upset the large hotel owners but the loyal band of no brainer holiday makers that show allegiance to one hotel or another. I did not criticize for the sake of it, I told it as it was. An example of what many tourists hold important and caused a few on another travel forum to "hate" me came from what I said about the beer in Bali; I said "Bintang", the favorite beer of tourists by far and regarded to the point of extremism, sucked. But I am entitled to say and can even prove Bintang sucks, so why did so many western tourists to Bali "hate" me for saying such things? Like all beer in Indonesia, they rely on imported hops and I do not suppose they get the best by token of commercial necessity. Secondly, take a look at how the Balinese / Indonesian shop and restaurant owners store their beer, in sheds which get very hot inside. Then look at the "sell by" date on a bottle of beer and wonder what magical ingredient they put in it that it can last so long in hot sheds? Just get a glass of water and turn a bottle of Bali's "best" beer upside down so it is just beneath the water surface and wait; What you will see is an oil slick! So how is the beer in Bali so great and why does it invoke such an aggressive response when you demean it. By understanding that I believe you begin to understand the false myths about other aspects of Bali.

Do not get me wrong, I think that Bali can be a wonderful holiday destination. I believe however it only becomes wonderful when you take the time to get past the suffocating weight of mass institutional tourism and find what is truly Balinese and Bali friendly. I actually sadly believe there is very little that is so great and so ethical, but it is there if you make the effort (please see my page on Bali's ethical tourism). Being in the business I got to see much more of the ugly truth of Bali than regular tourists. I started to find out about how hotels en mass cheat their staff and Bali generally by unlawfully retaining tax and service charges as profit. I started to find out how travel related businesses cut corners which impacted the health, safety, physical and financial security of their customers. I saw how too many uninsured Indonesian travel agents and tour operators committed credit card fraud, plus used "bait and switch" by advertising a low rate at a popular hotel they could not honour only to report to potential guests that hotel was fully booked, when it was not / they did not even ask, but they had something "better". I got tired of the crime and fraud on the island, all due to the fact the police are out to make extortion money, not uphold the law. I got tired of being offered drugs on the street by pushers working with the police. I got tired of being offered young women and men for rent. I got tired of hearing western tourists swear at the Balinese. I got tired of food from large packets with copious amounts of MSG added in large tourist area hotels and reheated leftovers from last year with copious amounts of MSG added in small tourist area hotels. But I also knew and loved certain areas of Bali, outside the zoo zone, and I had every admiration for many traditional Balinese.

After the October 2002 Bali terrorist bombings I went to Bali as a sign of support and after receiving assurances from many business contacts on Bali that the authorities had now made Bali one of the most secure places in the world. When I arrived at and looked around however I was shocked, became very nervous and then very worried at what I saw. Far from tight security, I saw nothing had changed; laziness and inability prevailed. For me I could not accept this situation for the sake of the safety of future potential visitors to Bali and for the sake of the Balinese themselves. I was sure the recipe was there for another bombing which would take yet more lives and money from the Balinese. So I sent a well intentioned, 100% honest and accurate email to many of the people I did business with in Bali warning them of what I had seen and my fears; you can read that email here. The email was exceptionally well received with many people asking if they could bring it to local security meetings in Bali, etc. to which I said “Yes” as my wish was to protect Bali and its visitors. Unfortunately this act of sharing my email meant a copy of it fell into the hands of a business competitor I had two months earlier caught and stopped offering false hotel rates on the Internet.

Why Bali Wedding?

2008-10-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

Why Bali Wedding?

Bali has become a popular destination for honeymoon and wedding ceremony. Because it’s beautifull and exotic island in Indonesia, So it’s the main reason, the wedding should be placed. Welcome to Bali, the paradise isle.So many beautifull places where you could choose for your wedding ceremony, there are temples, rivers, mountain, field rice, carves hillsides and especially beaches. Make Your wedding to be unforgettable memorial. Plus it, don’t hestitate to choose open air wedding area, that’s so long hot season in bali from Januari till September.
Simplicity your wedding in Bali with Low Money, there are consulate, your wedding would be illegal one. Make wedding and your honeymoon becoming simple, cheap and easy. Bali also have a friendly and familiar culture. Balinese culture make bali becoming a place for exotic, friendly, honesty.

KUPU-KUPU BARONG Wedding Package

2008-10-10T21:04:00.003-07:00

Wedding Packages | Hotel Profile

Kupu Kupu Barong provides honeymooners with all the ingredients for a perfect romantic journey – complete privacy, exotic setting, a candle light dinner served by a private butler and personalized service. Couples can experience Ayung River Villa with private plunge pool, one-hour massage for two, a bottle of Champagne, round-trip limousine airport transfer, daily flowers and fruit platter, and late check-out.

Balinese Decoration Wedding Package

Package Inclusive of :
• Religious ceremony with English speaking priest
• Religious certificate of marriage
• Civil registration
• Civil certificate of marriage
• Document processing
• Full Decoration - Balinese Style "La View Restaurant" wedding venue
• A small table for signing with top cloth
• Skirting & canang sari arrangement
• Two Janurs
• Two Balinese umbrellas
• Two small penjors
• Pipit (hanging artistic ornaments made of coconut leaves)
• Plengkungan (arches/fences of coconut leaves)
• Two Balinese costum girls with flower arrangement
• Rindik (2 Balinese musicians + instrument)
• Wedding cake (small size to serve 4 guest)

Bali Airport

2008-10-10T01:54:00.000-07:00

Ngurah Rai Denpasar, Bali airport
| click to see bali airport pictures |

Airport Location

The international airport of Bali, Ngurah Rai, is located at the south coast of Bali in Tuban close to Kuta Beach and Legian, at a distance of 13 km from the city of Denpasar.

The airport of Bali has a domestic and an international terminal.

Geography

The geographic location of Bali airport is at 08.44.51 S - 115.10.09 1. It's elevation is 4,3 M / 14 Feet and it comprises a total area of 265.60 Ha.
Bali airport info

At both of the terminals information desks are located.
Luggage

A left luggage counter is to be found next to the international departures terminal entrance.
Changing money

There are banks and money change offices, but you would get a more favourable rate at the banks in the towns, so just change as much as you need.
Shopping

A variety of shops serve the airport, including the duty free Plaza Bali at international departures. With world class outlets such as Hermes, Burberry's and Fendi.
Eating / Drinking

Restaurants and cafes from McDonalds to coffee shops to smart Balinese dining are open from 6am till the last flight in both terminals.
Airport Tax

Payable at departure:
Rp. 100,000 on international flights
Rp. 9 - 20,000 on domestic flights.
Business Facilities

Citibank offers executive lounges in both terminals and there is another one on the third floor with internet access and showers. Secretarial services and catering can be hired.
Disabled Facilities

Wheelchairs, lifts and general assistance are readily available.
Available Transport

Taxi, Car Rental, City Transportation

International Departures

Other Information

* Airport classification
Class 1
.
* Airport ICAO/IATA Code
WADD / DPS.
.
* Runway
Name: R-09 - 27.
Surface: asphalt / concrete.
Magnetic angle: 088-26.
Dimension: 3000m x 45m.
.
* Apron
Wide : 126.730 m 2 + 30.000 m 2 (inv. 1996)
Strengths : PCN 69 RCXT
Surface : Concrete cement
Capacity : type B- 747/ MD-11=6 ; Max. a/c B-747.400
type DC-10 =4
type DC-9 =21
.
* Street and Parking:
STREET : 134.110 m2
PARKING : 38.358 m2.
.
* Terminals:
Domestic Arrival and Departure Wide : 9.039 m2
International Arrival and Departure Wide : 28.630 m2
.
* Security facilities:
X-Ray, Walk Trough, Explosive Detector, Handy Metal Detector, PAS, PABX, Fire Alarm, CCTV, Perimeter System, Door Control, FIDS.

Contact information

Bandar Udara Ngurah Rai
Jl. Raya I Gusti Ngurah Rai
DENPASAR
80361 BALI
Phone: +62 (0)361 751011
Fax: +62 (0)361 751032
E-mail: dps@angkasapura1.co.id

Bali Learning

2008-10-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

The Cultural balinese special is its culture itself, so wanna be a target for making or gathering info from another person to make a perspectif for respect the another people, . we can look it //http:culturebalinese.blogspot.com//here
.

Balinese Article

2008-10-06T01:42:00.001-07:00

Balinese practice their Hindu differently from those originated in India. Much of its astonishment, Hinduism blossom in this island for centuries and have surpassed the influx of Islam that flooded to its neighboring islands. Though Balinese Hinduism shares the same conceptual from those of India, the daily practice and tradition are very much different. Through-out the years, it adapts new methods, and still holds the traditional values that inherited by their grandparents.

Certain similarities are directly adopted from India such as the Weda, the Hindu bible, many epics are told for generations such as the famous Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, the gods and goddess names derived from india's origin, the Balinese writing that similar to indian characters and many other Hinduism concept. Nonetheless, Balinese Hinduism seem to developed its own tradition through the offerings (the so called banten in Bali), the establishment of castes system on the island and the temples that are similar but in many ways exquisite and are nowhere to be found but in Bali.

The articles above are collection of the best articles about Bali Hinduism, as an overview and possibly outline some distinctions from India's Hinduism.

Bali Traditional Medicine (Dewandaru)

2008-10-03T00:25:00.000-07:00

Eugenia uniflora Lam

a. Morfologi tanaman
Tanaman Eugenia uniflora berbentuk perdu yang tumbuh secara tahunan dengan tinggi lebih dari 5 meter. Batangnya tegak berkayu, berbentuk bulat danberwarna coklat. Daun yang dimiliki berwarna hijau serta merupakan daun tunggal tersebar berbentuk lonjong dengan ujung runcing dan pangkal meruncing. Tepi daun rata, pertulangan menyirip dengan panjang lebih dari 5 cm dan lebar kurang lebih 4 cm. Tanaman ini memiliki bunga berbetuk tunggal berkelamin dua dengan daun pelindung yang kecil berwarna hijau. Kelopak bunga bertaju tiga sampai lima, benangsari yang dimiliki banyak dengan warna putih. Putik berbentuk slindris, makota bunga berbentuk kuku dan berwarna kuning. Buah Eugenia uniflora berupa buah buni bulat denagn diameter kurang lebih 1,5 cm dan berwarna merah. Bijinya keras, berwarna coklat, dan kecil. Akar yang dimiliki berwarna coklat dan merupakan akar tunggang (Hutapea, 1994).

b. Habitat dan Penyebaran
Tanaman Eugenia uniflora tersebar luas di negara-negara Amerika Selatan terutama di Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay, dan Paraguay (Consolini&Sarubbio,2002). Tanaman ini menyebar di Indonesia hingga di daerah Sumatera dan Jawa (Hutapea, 1994)

c. Sistematika Tanaman
Klasifikasi Eugenia uniflora Lam. dalam sistematika tumbuhan adalah sebagai berikut :
Divisi : Spermatophyta
Sub divisi : Angiospermae
Kelas : Dicotyledoneae
Bangsa : Myrtales
Suku : Myrtaceae
Marga : Eugenia
Jenis : Eugenia uniflora L.
(Hutapea, 1994)

d. Nama Daerah
Tanaman : Eugenia uniflora L.
Sinonim : Eugenia micnelii Lamk.
Nama Daerah : Cereme asam (Melayu), Asem selong, belimbing londo, dewandaru (Jawa) (Hutapea, 1994).

e. Kandungan Kimia
Daun tanaman Eugenia uniflora menagndung flavonoid, saponin, dan tanin (Hutapea, 1994). Flavonoid dari ekstrak daun berupa myricetrin, myrcitrin, gallocatechin, quercetin, dan quercitrin (Schmeda-Hirschmann et al, 1987). Senyawa tannin yang diisolasi dari fraksi aktif Eugenia uniflora antara lain gallocatechin, oenothein B, eugeniflorins D(1) and D(2) (Lee et al, 2000)

f. Manfaat Tanaman
Buah dan daun Eugenia uniflora digunakan sebagai peningkat kualitas astringent dan mengurangi tekanan darah tinggi (Bandoni et al, 1972). Hasil decocta daun Eugenia uniflora di Paraguai digunakan untuk menurunkan kolesterol dan tekanan darah (Ferro et al, 1994). Selain itu juga dapat menurunkan metabolisme lipid dan dapat digunakan sebagai efek proteksi pada trigliserida dan level lipoprotein yang sangat rendah (Ferro et al, 1988).
Daun Eugenia uniflora sebagai obat tradisional berkhasiat sebagai obat mencret (Hutapea, 1994). Aksi anti infamasi yang tinggi juga ditemukan pada daun Eugenia uniflora (Scapoval et al, 1994). Pada Brazilian folk medicine buah Eugenia uniflora digunakan sebagai antidiare, diuretik, antirematik, anti-febrile, dan antidiabetik. Selain itu, ekstrak daun Eugenia uniflora juga sebagai agen hipotensif (Consolini et al, 2000) dan menghambat peningkatan level trigliserida dan glukosa plasma (Matsumura et al, 2000).

g. Penelitian tentang Eugenia uniflora Lam.
Eugenia uniflora Lam. merupakan salah satu tanaman yang memiliki prospek yang bagus untuk dikembangkan sebagai obat antikanker. Beberapa penelitian mengenai khasiat daun Eugenia uniflora sebagai obat antikanker telah dilakukan.
Uji sitotoksik Eugenia uniflora L terhadap sel Hela menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak etil asetat mempunyai efek sitotoksik yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan ekstrak etanol dan kloroform. Uji sitotoksik dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode MTT dengan seri konsentrasi 5, 10, 25, 50, 125, 250Âµg/ml. Nilai IC50 ekstrak etil asetat 241,546Âµg/ml dan IC50 ekstrak kloroform 244,906Âµg/ml. Sedangkan pada ekstrak etanol tidak dapat ditentukan nilai IC50 nya karena tidak menunjukkan potensi penghambatannya terhadap pertumbuhan sel HeLa (Handayani, 2006).
Lee M.H. et al (2000) melakukan penelitian pengaruh Eugenia uniflora L terhadap Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) yang sering berhubungan dengan Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Empat senyawa tanin pada Eugenia uniflora L dan IC50 yang dimiliki yaitu gallocatechin (26,5 microM), oenothein B (62,3 microM), eugeniflorins D(1) (3,0 microM), dan eugeniflorins D(2) (3,5 microM). hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa eugeniflorins D(1) dan D(2) merupakan senyawa yang paling berpotensi dalam menghambat DNA polymerase pada EBV.

Daftar pustaka

Consolini,A.E.,&Sarubbio,M.G.(2002).Pharmacological effects of Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae)aqueous crude extract on rats heart. Journal of Ethno pharmacology,81,57-63.

Ferro, E., A. Schinini, M. Maldonado, J. Rosner & G.S. Hirschman. 1988. Eugenia uniflora leaf extract and lipid me- tabolism in Cebus apella monkeys. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 24:321-325.

Hutapea, J.R., 1994, Inventaris Tanaman Obat Indonesia, Jilid III, Departemen Kesehatan RI dan Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Kesehatan, 29-30

Lee,M.,Chiou,J.,Yen,K.,&Yang,L.(2000).EBV DNA polymerase Inhibition of tannins from Eugenia uniflora.Cancer Letters,154,131-136

Matsumura,T., Kasai,M., Hayashi,T., Arisawa,M., Momose,Y., Arai,I.,etal.(2000). a Glucosidase inhibitors fromParaguay an Natural medicine, Nangapiry, the leaves of Eugenia uniflora. Pharmaceutical Biology,38,302-307.

Your Balinese Guide

2008-09-23T22:08:00.001-07:00

Introducing your guideYour trekking guide is Ketut 'Bluey' Ariana. Already at a young age Ketut felt a great love for the nature of North Bali. He loves to be out there and meditate in the solitude of nature.
During one of his private expeditions in 2003, Ketut (re)discovered the great falls of Lemukih. As the energy and beauty of this spectacular area was so unexpectedly overwhelming, he felt he should share this exceptional and unique experience with nature with all who are interested to follow his steps - the Lemukih Tekking Tour was born.

Bali Sea

2008-09-18T02:42:00.001-07:00

Two of the four sea ports in Bali anchored by International cruiser-ships and yachts are Benoa, South of Denpasar and Padangbai on the East for larger and luxury cruise ships.

The Harbour of Singaraja (Telukan Bawang), on the North coast now plays host only to very few Bugis schooners and smaller crafts serve the line between North Bali and Java. Gilimanuk on the Northwest links Bali with Java, there is a regular ferry-service connecting the Island with 24 hours service.

PELNI, the state-owned shipping-company has several ships serves the Indonesian's main ports. The passenger ships call regularly to Benoa Harbour is: KM.AWU, KM DOBONSOLO and KM. TILONG KABILA & KM. BINAIYA.

A regular service of ferry serves Padangbai-Lombok four times daily at 08.00 am, 12.00 noons and 02.00 pm.

Bali Honeymoon Guide

2008-09-15T01:07:00.000-07:00

An ideal destination for your honeymoon
Honeymoon in Bali

Bali's beauty and allure make it a perfect place fro a honeymoon. Idyllic vistas over tropical shores, cool green forest with gentle breezes, or stunning views from cliff tops.
Honeymoon Hotels & Resorts in Bali

Snuggle up close in a private villa, or tucked up a deluxe suite secluded in a stunning beachside hotel.

Submerge yourself in total luxury at Bali's five star resorts like Four Season's Resort and the superlative Ritz-Carlton Bali at Jimbaran, for some unforgettable memories. Jimbaran's lovely setting also offers numerous restaurants with delectable offerings of ocean fresh seafood. The beaches here are dark and warm with exhilarating surfs and great waves to ride. If you prefer a cool hillside setting where you can relax in style, the incomparable Amanusa, located on the hillside overlooking the sea at Jimbaran may be just the answer - style with anonymity.

For a classy and stylish honeymoon, Nusa Dua provides elegant hotels and a beautiful setting. Luxury international hotels line a long stretch of fine white sand lapped by azure warm water. While Sanur offers luxury in the midst of traditional Balinese culture.

Tanjung Benoa and Amed with terrific sands and warm waters for great diving, snorkelling, and a host of fun water sports also offer excellent resorts.

Padang Bai has some of the most temptingly secluded beaches in Bali. Padang Bai is a truly charming village set in the beauty of a picturesque bay, which also doubles as a harbour for boats sailing the waters of Bali and its nearby Lombok.

There is a collection of idyllic seaside villages stretching from Lovina to the western part of Singaraja. This seafront charm lies in its many lovely coves. While the sand is a grey colour - a reflection of its volcanic origins, it's warm, smooth and fine. These coves also make for perfect snorkelling, but for breathtaking sunsets head for Tanah Lot.

history of majapahit

2008-08-22T20:26:00.001-07:00

History of Majapahit
The kingdom of Majapahit, with its capital in East Java, flourished at the end of what is known as Indonesia's 'classical age'. This was a period in which the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism were predominant cultural influences

Bali History

2008-08-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

pict51.jpg (14514 bytes)The Golden Age
Out of the rubble of the Majapahit Empire which fell in 1515, rose the new Javanese Empire of Mataram built out of small kingdoms newly reinspired and reinvigorated by the advent of powerful Islamic influences. ....

dutch31.jpg (18656 bytes)The Dutch Campaigns
At the beginning of the 19th Century, Bali remained relatively unaffected by the Western influences which were already transforming much of the Indonesian archipelago. Bali's 16th Century Hindu civilization was still inviolate to any serious .....

Bali Quick Guide

2008-08-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

Before going to Bali, we keep asking ourselves, “Why are there so many travelers calling this island “The Island of Gods”. In Balinese mythology, it is said that the gods created the place to be special. Its purpose is to be a shrine, housing all the deities and the land was sacred. Once visiting the place, we are consistently reminded of this story with the locals’ constant celebration of it. This is an island where god and goddesses statues are found every few hundred meters i.e everywhere from the road junction of a road to shops, paddy fields, hotels and motels, you name it! You also cannot help noticing the locals offering their prayers almost every other hour as well.

Bali is definitely a paradise island. A classic tropical island that has something for everyone of any age. If you are looking for beaches, Southern Bali is the place to go (though it may be too commercialized and filled with beach vendors). If you are into arts, you must visit Ubud. This is Bali’s Cultural and Artistic Centre with interesting galleries and crafts shops. If you are into trekking, the northern part of Bali will keep you busy. From climbing Mount Abang or Mount Batur you can also opt for buggy driving here. We must warn you though that to climb Mount Abang is about 4 gruelling hours and you need to set off at 2am in the morning to get a view of the magnificient sunrise. And after enjoying the view, there is still the way to make down and that is another 4 hrs. Rookie trekkers do take note of this to mentally prepare yourself for the activity. If you are looking for fantastic seaviews, Uluwatu is the place. Perched on a limestone cliff 70meters above the Indian Ocean, this is apparently Bali’s holiest site where an 11th century temple sits.

Filled with charm, culture, mysticism and some of the most magnificent scenery on earth, Bali has enchanted visitors for centuries and is also home to people rich in spirituality and who embody qualities of gentle friendliness. This place is also full of tourists from Australia, UK and Japan. Apparently, the most Japan provides the most number of travelers to Bali these days.

Bali offers picture postcard, white sand beaches fringed with palm trees and a lush interior of sloping rice fields. Volcanic mountains such as Mt. Gunung Agung and Mt. Batur rise from delicately terraced rice fields, palm groves and white sandy beaches. Dance, music, sculpture, wood carvings, painting and puppets depict the daily life of the Balinese and celebrate the eternal struggle of "Good and Evil" - the very essence of this Hindu island, the "Island of the Gods". In short, Bali truly has captured the imaginations of generations of travelers looking for the ultimate tropical escape.

Bali Popular Places

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As Bali is a small island, there is nowhere that cannot be reached in a single day. You do not really need a fixed itinerary but only a general plan of places to visit and stay. Almost the entire island is ready and waiting for visitors from around the world, so it is better to be mobile, travel light, have a comfortable pair of shoes, and carry a positive attitude!

Bali is gentle and kind to the inexperienced traveler. Most of the local people have at least a limited knowledge of English, low cost accommodation is plentiful, transport is usually reliable, a wide choice of food awaits you, and there is safe drinking water

Denpasar

The capital city of Bali, Denpasar has countless community temples called Pura and one of them is Pura Jaganatha, which is dedicated to the Supreme God Sang Hyang Widi Wasa. The statue of a turtle and two dragons is prevalent in all temples as it signifies the foundation of the world. Pura Jaganatha offers a fine array of prehistoric and modern art, while its architectural design resembles that of a palace. The government-supervised Sanggraha Kriya Hasta has a wide display of handicraft and works of art. Between June and July is the Werdi Budaya, an annual art festival with performances, exhibitions, and art contests.

Sanur

Sanur beach has long been a popular recreation site. The palm-lined beach curves from the Bali Beach Hotel toward the south and faces the Indian Ocean to the east. On this beach, you will discover many wonderful hotels, restaurants, shops, and other tourist facilities. Sanur is only a short distance from public transportation accesses in Denpasar, and trips to and from the city are available well into the night. Offshore reefs protect the beach from waves and it is thus a great site for windsurfing, boating, and various types of water-sports. Sanur is also famous for its black and white sorcery practices.

Kuta

Once a lonely village and the entry point to southern Bali since the 18th Century, Kuta is now a thriving tourist resort especially for the young and young at heart. A favorite beach for surfers, it is less suitable for swimming due to strong currents; however, there are coast guards constantly on duty during the day. Kuta is one of the most dynamic places in Indonesia and accommodation ranges from international hotels to home stays. The village abounds with restaurants, shops, discotheques and tourist facilities. It is easier to find regular Balinese musical and dance performances here than anywhere else in Bali. This would be the ideal place to mingle with other people, locals as well as visitors abroad.

Nusa Dua

One of the most recent tourist centers, Nusa Dua has some of the most beautiful and luxurious hotels. This resort is known for its clean, white beaches and pristine waters. Nusa Dua differs from Bukit Peninsula despite being a part of it. It is sheltered by coral reefs, which makes it an ideal family beach.

Batubulan

Northeast of Denpasar, stone figures along the road mark the village of Batubulan. Divinities and demons are carved from soapstone to decorate homes and temples. However, soapstone has a porous nature and the harsh weather of the tropics wears it down, thus renewal is necessary every other century. One is able to watch the carvers perform their skills at roadside 'factories'. Apart from stone carving, Batubulan is also known for its daily performances of the barong dance on a purpose-built stage near Pura Puseh.

Batuan

The old and famous center of the arts, it is noted for its dances, wood panel carving, and half-wayang, half-naturalistic paintings.

Celuk

A name synonymous with silver and goldsmiths, Celuk's art shops beckon visitors to sterling silver and gold butterfly brooches, garnet-studded bracelets, earrings and ear-clips of all designs. The bigger showrooms are on the main road and have marked prices that are quite high although negotiations are possible. Craftsmen use a tree stump with a protruding metal spike for an anvil, a bamboo stem to catch the filings, and a manually operated pump for heat.

Mas

Although Mas literally means 'gold', this village does not specialize in gold jewelry but in woodcarving. The Tilem Art Gallery is a fine place to view the highest quality woodcarvings, all sold at the most exorbitant prices. Carving was a traditional art for the priestly Brahman caste and the skills are believed to have been a gift from the gods. The inhabitants of Mas are also primarily Brahmans and trace their roots back to Danghyang Nirartha, the great Brahman sage.

Ubud

Renowned as the center for the arts, Ubud has been attracting and cultivating artistic talent since it became the seat of the aristocratic family in the late 19th century. Western artists and intellectuals who visited the area in the 1930s provided an enormous stimulus to local art, introduced new ideas and techniques, and began a process a of displaying and promoting Balinese culture worldwide. Ubud is charming not because of its beaches or bars, but for its art, music, architecture, and dance. Even having gone through tremendous development, Ubud is still pretty and relaxed, especially if you're staying in a secluded family compound or eating at one of the pleasant open-air restaurants. It is one of those destinations where people plan to stay a couple of days but extend it to a couple of weeks.

Goa Gajah

The 'elephant cave' harbors no elephants but a great number of stalls, selling and flogging cheap items to tourists. This cave was excavated in the 11th century, and its entrance is a monstrous head with gaping mouth and hands that appear to be pushing the entrance apart. It was believed to have been built as a temple but the sleeping niches and Buddhist ruins just outside the cave suggest otherwise. Within the cave at the end of the T-shaped passage is a four-armed statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity. At the opposite end sits a set of three lingga, or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva. To the side of the cave's entrance is a 1,000-year-old statue of Hariti, a Buddhist demoness cum goddess. She used to devour children but reformed to become a devout Buddhist and protector of children. Excavations have uncovered a bathing place with six statues of nymphs holding waterspouts.

Tampak Siring

The sacred spring of Tirta Empul is situated here and revered by all Balinese. It is said that the god Indra created the spring when he pierced the earth to build the amerta, the elixir of immortality. The water is used by the Balinese for its curative powers for good health and prosperity. Regular ceremonies are held for purification, especially pregnant women and those who have survived a long illness.

Bali Popular Places

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Bali Popular Places

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Bali Culture

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Bali Culture

Bali island has been both a tropical paradise island in the Indonesian archipelago, is so picturesque and immaculate. It has a rich culture, beautiful landscapes, rice paddies tripping down hillsides like giant steps, volcanoes soaring up through the clouds, dense tropical jungle, long sandy beaches, warm blue water, crashing surf and friendly people who don't just have a culture but actually live it. Bali, the perfect holiday destination for all ages offers something for everyone. This tropical paradise has a unique blend of modern tourist facilities combined with wonderful shopping and a rich past and heritage. Balinese dancing, music, visual arts and architecture are unique and accessible to visitors.

The Balinese people are proud of having preserved their unique Hindu culture against the advance of Islam, the dominant religion throughout Indonesia. This is still reflected in day-to-day life and can be seen in the numerous ceremonies, Balinese festivals and magnificent temples and palaces. Some of the best surfing beaches in the world can be found on the western side of the island whilst conversely the eastern side is a wonderful haven for families, with beautiful white sand beach and gentle seas.
Bali Religion

The Balinese religion have strong spiritual roots , their culture is still very much alive. The main religion is Hindu Dharma, which arrived in Bali with the spread of Hinduism through Sumatra and Java during the 11th century. Although originally from India, the Balinese religion is a unique blend of Hindu, Buddhist, Javanese and ancient indigenous beliefs, with customs that are very different from the traditional form of Hinduism practiced in India today. With the arrival of Islam in neighboring Java during the 15th century, a large member of courtiers, artists, musicians and craftsmen fled to Bali, creating an artistic renaissance.

Naturally creative, the Balinese have traditionally used their talents for religious purposes and most beautiful work to be seen here has been inspired by stories from Ramayana and other Hindu epics. The incredibly colorful cremation pyres and the everyday offerings to the Gods, placed inside every shop and business, are made with precision and an eye of beauty. In Bali spirits come out to play in the moonlight, every night is a festival and even a funeral is an opportunity to have a good time.
Bali People

ife in Bali is very communal with the organization of villages, farming and even the creative arts being decided by the community. The population of Bali is estimated 3,500,000 people who live mostly at southern part of the island. Every village (desa) has its temple of origin (puseh) , its temple of dead (pura dalem) its temple for irrigation system (subak).

The basis of this community structure is the Subak and the Banjar. Everyone who owns a rice paddy must join the Subak in their village. The Subak controls who will plant rice and when (plantings are staggered so that pestilence is minimized).

As well and more importantly the Subak ensures that all farmers receive their fair share of irrigation water since traditionally the head the Subak was the farmer whose field was at the bottom of the hill and water first had to pass through everybody else's field before it was allowed to irrigate his own.

The other community organization is the Banjar which, organizes all other aspects of Balinese life (i.e. marriages, cremations, community service, festivals and the like) as well as a form of community service known as Gotong Royong. When a man marries he is expected to join the village Banjar and must participate in community affairs.

Most villages have at least one banjar and a membership of between 50 to 100 families, and each banjar has its own meeting place called the Bale Banjar The Balinese do have a caste system but there are no untouchables. The caste system is most evident in the language which has three levels: a low level for commoners, a mid level to address strangers and a high level only used when addressing aristocracy

Balinese are always pious and they constantly remember where they come from. For that reason, this creates strata of groups in the society nowadays it is commonly called wangsa or soroh. The society order is based on this soroh so strong that it encompasses all kinds of balinese people's' activities. They persistently maintain and preserve their own genealogy. They cherish and keep their family line age inscriptions carefully and meticulously.

Kebyar Dance

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The Kebyar Dance is a male solo dance like the Baris. There are various forms of Kebyar including the Kebyar Duduk and Kebyar Trompong.

In Kebyar, the accent is upon the dancer himself, who interprets every nuance of the music in powerful facial expressions and movement. The most popular form of Kebyar in South Bali is Kebyar Duduk, the "seated" Kebyar, where the dancer sits cross-legged throughout most of the dance. By de-empasizing the legs and decreasing the space to a small sphere, the relation between dancer and gamelan is intensified. The dance is concentrated in the flexibility of the wrist and elbow, the magnetic power of the face, and the suppleness of the torso. The music seems infused in the dancer's body.

The fingers bend with singular beauty to catch the light melodies, while the body sways back and forth to the resounding beat of the gong. As the dance progresses, the dancer crosses the floor on the outer edges of his feet and approaches a member of the orchestra, usually the lead drummer. He woos the musician with side glances and smiles, but the drummer is too absorbed in the music to respond. Insulted, the Kebyar dancer leaves him and sets out for a new conquest.

The Kebyar is the most strenuous and subtle of Balinese dances. It is said that no one can become a great Kebyar dancer unless he can play every instrument of the orchestra. In Kebyar Trompong, in fact, the dancer actually joins the orchestra by playing a long instrument called the trompong while he continues to dance.

Bali History

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Natural History:
During the last Ice age the islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali were connected. Bali and Lombok however remained separated by the 1,300m deep Lombok Strait. Biologist Alfred Russel Wallace was the first to document this fact, the division becoming known as the Wallace Line. The distance between Bali and Lombok is small, a matter of only about 35 kilometers. The distributions of many bird species observe the line, as many birds refuse to cross even the smallest stretches of open water. Many volant (flying) mammals (i.e., bats) have distributions that cross the Wallace Line, but non-volant species are usually limited to one side or the other, with a few exceptions (e.g., rodents). Various taxa in other groups of plants and animals show differing patterns, but the overall pattern is striking and reasonably predictable.

An understanding of the biogeography of the region centers on ancient sea levels, and the continental shelves; Wallace’s Line is visible when one examines the sea contours, and can be seen as a deep-water channel which marks the southeastern edge of the Sunda Shelf linking Borneo, Bali, Java and Sumatra to the mainland of southeastern Asia. Australia, on the other hand, is united broadly with New Guinea, in the Sahul Shelf. At times when sea levels were lower, what are now islands were exposed and joined as continuous land masses, but the deep water between these two large shelf areas was — for a period in excess of 50 million years — a barrier that kept the flora and fauna of Australia largely separate from that of Asia.

Ancient history:
The earliest humans in Bali arrived approximately 40,000 years ago. The bones of homo erectus dating back 500,000 years have been found in Bali and Java. The earliest humans in Bali were hunter-gatherers who lived in caves.

Around 3,000 years BC, during the neolithic era, stone tools appeared of a superior quality, along with pottery and newer farming methods. Bronze tools came into being during the 7th & 8th Centuries BC. One of finest examples of Balinese bronze casting is the Moon of Pejeng, a 2 meter diameter drum, the largest in SE Asia located at Pura Penataran Sasih.

• Balinese Hinduism:
Bali is truly unique, in that it is the only Hindu island in Indonesia, a country dominated by Islam. Hinduism is a religion that developed out of the way of life of the people living on the banks of the Indus river in India and Hinduism came to Indonesia many centuries ago. The earliest written records in Bali, metal inscriptions called prasasti (Prasasti Blanjong is an example), speak of Buddhist and Hindu influences and date back to the 9th century AD. The caves, statues and bronzes of Goa Gajah and Gunung Kawi indicate this too.

As far as Bali is concerned the 3 big events that pushed Hinduism to the fore were the marriage of the Balinese king Udayana to Princess Mahendra from East Java, at the end of the 10th century thus bringing the 2 areas together. This was followed in 1343 by the conquest of Bali by the Majapahit empire of Gajah Mada, prime minister of that kingdom in East Java. Finally in 1515 the Majapahit empire in Java fell to the increasingly powerful Muslim Mataram empire. This created an exodus of priests, crafts people and noblemen and helped to make Bali the unique center of art that it is.

As many people will tell you the version of Hinduism (Agama Hindu ) that is practiced in Bali differs from that practiced in India. One of the most obvious differences is the quantity of offerings given in Bali, which is usually to either ward off evil spirits or to satisfy the Gods, a relic of the Balinese animist beliefs to which Hinduism has been melded.

• Colonial history:
Bali first appeared on European radar in the 1588, when the Portuguese, who were in the process of controlling Indian Ocean trade, sent a ship from the port of Malacca in what is now Malaysia. Upon reaching Bali the ship hit a reef, many of the survivors drowning, but some surviving. The dewa agung treated the newcomers well but did not allow them to leave the island. That was pretty much the end of the Portuguese exploration of Bali.

The Dutch were the next to attempt to explore the archipelago and on April 2nd 1595, 4 ships left Holland commanded by Commodore Cornelius Houtman. The group reached Bali on February 9th 1597 and anchored at Kuta. Houtman sent 3 men ashore to report on the island. One of these men was Aernoudt Lintgens, credited with the first western account of Bali. The other 2 men decided at first not to return to the ship, with 1 eventually returning, the other choosing to stay in Bali.

This brief visit was followed by another in 1601, under the leadership of Cornelius Heemskerk, who brought with him a formal request for trade relations, from the prince of Holland. In return for the letter, the dewa agung wrote his reply on a lontar palm leaf, accepting mutual trade between Bali and Holland.

• Indonesian Independence:
Indonesia attained independence from Holland in a long struggle during the 1940’s. When the Japanese invaded Indonesia in February 1942 the Dutch were forced to flee, or be captured. After the war was over Indonesia made it Declaration of Independence on August 17th 1945, with Sukarno as the first President.

The Dutch had other idea though and returned in March 1946. They fought in many famous skirmishes with the Balinese, including the massacre of Balinese hero Gusti Ngurah Rai, and managed to take back control of Bali. Nations around the world were not sympathetic to the Dutch position and in 1949 they withdrew to allow the formation of The Republic of Indonesia in 1950.

• The Suharto Era:
Suharto was President of Indonesia for over 30 years. While his focus was not Bali, there is no doubt he had a huge impact on Bali and the rest of Indonesia. While much of the western world was struggling with the Cold War, Indonesia has its own internal struggle against Communism. Some estimates say 100,000 Balinese were killed in the first couple of years during Suharto’s presidency.

Suharto seized power from his predecessor, the first president of Indonesia Sukarno, through a mixture of force and political maneuvering against the backdrop of foreign and domestic unrest. Over the three decades of his “New Order” regime, Suharto constructed a strong central government along militarist lines. An ability to maintain stability and an avowedly anti-Communist stance won him the economic and diplomatic support of several Western governments in the era of the Cold War. For most of his three-decade rule, Indonesia experienced significant economic growth and industrialization. His rule, however, led to political purges and the deaths of millions of Indonesian communists and Chinese-Indonesians, and enaction of legislation outlawing communist parties and ethnic Chinese in government.

By the 1990s, however, his New Order administration’s authoritarian and increasingly corrupt practices became a source of much discontent. Suharto’s almost unquestioned authority over Indonesian affairs slipped dramatically when the Asian financial crisis lowered Indonesians’ standard of living and fractured his support among the nation’s military, political and civil society institutions. After internal unrest, diplomatic isolation began to drain his support in the mid-to-late 1990s, Suharto was forced to resign from the presidency in May 1998 following mass demonstrations.

• History of Bali tourism:
Tourism in Bali started as a trickle in the 1930’s. Getting to Bali from Europe or N.America meant trans-oceanic voyages on steam ships, finally arriving at Buleleng, modern day Singaraja, which was already a trading port complete with Javanese, Arabs, Chinese and Europeans. Westerners were captivated by the ‘paradise lost’ image created by popular novels and reports by early visitors. Among the first expats in Bali was the German artist Walter Spies, who images of semi-clad Balinese tending rice fields helped create a mystique.

Mass tourism in the real sense started with surfers and hippies in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Undiscovered surfing breaks such as Uluwatu and white sand beaches on Padangbai and Candi Dasa, put Bali firmly on the hippie-trail and the surfing map. Kuta Beach was the epicenter of this new found awareness, with bamboo guest houses (losman) and warungs catering, on a basic level to the customers. Tourism numbers reached their peak in 1998 and the industry as a whole has changed from budget tourists to accommodate a more luxury market.

Bali Tourist Development Corporation: Organized tourism in Bali:
Tourism in Bali has progressed along a somewhat unguided path but one of the times where planning was at a premium was the creation of the Bali Tourist Development Corporation (BTDC). The BTDC was formed in 1972 by the Indonesian government at the recommendation of overseas consultants. The plan was to develop the area on the eastern side of the Bukit Peninsula at Nusa Dua.

The Bukit is sparsely populated and makes for poor farmland. It does however have a great location for resorts, being flat, expansive and on the beach. Nusa Dua was supposed to draw high-end tourists and the builders, hotel chains and BTDC were to benefit.

Nusa Dua has flourished with new resorts such as the Conrad leading the way. The BTDC really gave the impetus to developing the 300 hectare resort area at Nusa Dua, which has 4,500 hotel rooms. Nusa Dua gets its water from 60 meter wells that are sunk in the limestone. The area is not really a reflection of what Bali offers but does provide a place away from reality for those looking for relaxation.

• The 2002 Bali Bombing:
At 23:05 (15:05 UTC) on 12 October 2002, a suicide bomber inside the nightclub Paddy’s Pub detonated a bomb in his backpack, causing many patrons, with or without injuries, to immediately flee into the street. Fifteen seconds later, a second and much more powerful car bomb hidden inside a white Mitsubishi van, was detonated by another suicide bomber outside the Sari Club, located opposite Paddy’s Pub. The van was also rigged for detonation by remote control in case the second bomber had a sudden change of heart. Damage to the densely populated residential and commercial district was immense, destroying neighbouring buildings and shattering windows several blocks away. The car bomb explosion left a one meter deep crater.

The local Sanglah hospital was ill-equipped to deal with the scale of the disaster and was overwhelmed with the number of injured, particularly burn victims. There were so many people injured by the explosion that some of the injured had to be placed in hotel pools near the explosion site to ease the pain of their burns. Many of the injured were flown to the relatively close proximity of Darwin and Perth for specialist burns treatment. In all 202 people were killed in the Kuta bombings. The effect on the tourist industry was massive, with many Australians declaring they would never set foot in Bali again. The local economy suffered greatly and many local businesses went bankrupt, locals sometimes returning to their village to farm rice. The economy was slowly recovering when a second bombing occurred in 2005.

• The 2005 Bali Bombing:
The 2005 Bali bombings were a series of terrorist suicide bomb attacks that occurred on October 1, 2005, in Bali, Indonesia. Bombs exploded at two sites in Jimbaran and Kuta, both in south Bali. Twenty people were killed, and 129 people were injured by three bombers who killed themselves in the attacks.

The Indonesian national news agency, ANTARA, reported that the first two explosions occurred at 6:50 p.m. local time, near a Jimbaran food court and the third at 7:00 pm. in Kuta Town Square. Other reports claim that the blasts occurred at around 7:15 p.m. At least 3 blasts have been reported.

One of the blasts was at Raja’s in Kuta Square. Another two bombs exploded at warungs along the Jimbaran beach, one of which was near the Four Seasons Hotel. Police later said they had found three unexploded bombs in Jimbaran. They had apparently failed to go off after the security forces hastily shut down the island’s mobile telephone network following the first blasts.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said that the bombs used appear to have differed from previous blasts in that most deaths and injuries had been inflicted by shrapnel, rather than chemical explosion. A medical officer’s x-rays showed foreign objects described as “pellets” in many victims’ bodies and a victim reported ball bearings lodged in her back.

The bombings occurred the same day that Indonesia cut its fuel subsidies resulting in gas prices rising by 125% and just two days before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and 11 days before the third anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombing. The attack came during the school holiday period in some states of Australia, when an estimated 7,500 Australians are believed to have been visiting Bali. The 2005 Bali bombing also greatly affected the island’s economy, which took over a year to get back on track.

Bali Culture and Customs

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Temple procession in BaliEach stage of Balinese life is marked by a series of ceremonies and rituals known as Manusa Yadnya. They contribute to the rich, varied and active life the average Balinese leads.

Birth

The first ceremony of Balinese life takes place even before birth. Another ceremony takes place soon after the birth, during which the afterbirth is buried with appropriate offerings. The first major ceremony takes place halfway through the baby's first Balinese year of 210 days.

Names

Basically the Balinese only have four first names. The first child is Wayan or Putu, the second child is Made or Kadek, the third is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is Ketut. The fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth will be another Wayan, Made, Nyoman, Ketut and Wayan again.

Childhood

The Balinese certainly love children and they have plenty of them to prove it. Coping with a large family is made much easier by the policy of putting younger children in the care of older ones. After the ceremonies of babyhood come ceremonies marking the stages of childhood and puberty, including the important tooth-filing ceremony.

Marriage

Every Balinese expects to marry and raise a family, and marriage takes places at a comparatively young age. Marriages are not, in general, arranged as they are in many other Asian communities although strict rules apply to marriages between the castes. There are two basic forms of marriage in Bali - mapadik and ngorod. The respectable form, in which the family of the man visit the family of the woman and politely propose that the marriage take place, is mapadik. The Balinese, however, like their fun and often prefer marriage by elopement (ngorod) as the most exciting option. Of course, the Balinese are also a practical people so nobody is too surprised when the young man spirits away his bride-to-be, even if she loudly protests about being kidnapped. The couple go into hiding and somehow the girl's parents, no matter how assiduously they search, never manage to find her. Eventually the couple re-emerge, announce that it is too late to stop them now, the marriage is officially recognized and everybody has had a lot of fun and games. Marriage by elopement has another advantage apart from being exciting and mildly heroic it's cheaper.

The Household

There are many modern Balinese houses, but there are still a great number of traditional Balinese homes. The streets of Ubud; nearly every house will follow the same traditional walled design.

Men & Women

There are certain tasks clearly to be handled by women, and others reserved for men. Social life in Bali is relatively free and easy. In Balinese leisure activities the roles are also sex differentiated. Both men and women dance but only men play the gamelan. Today you do see some women painters, sculptors, and woodcarvers.

Community Life

Balinese have an amazingly active and organized village life. You simply cannot be a faceless nonentity in Bali. You can't help but get to know your neighbors as your life is so entwined and interrelated with theirs.

BALI travel FORUM

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History of bali

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There are few traces of Stone Age people on Bali, although it's almost certain that the island was inhabited very early in prehistoric times. There is also little known about Bali during the period when Indian traders brought Hinduism to the Indonesian archipelago. The earliest written records are inscriptions on a stone pillar near Sanur dating from around the 9th century AD. Hindu Java began to spread its influence into Bali in the first half of the 11th century, when the rock-cut memorials at Gunung Kawi were sculpted.

The Javanese Singasari dynasty conquered Bali in 1284, but when it collapsed shortly afterwards Bali regained its autonomy and the Pejeng dynasty, centred near modern-day Ubud, rose to great power. The Pejeng king was defeated by the great Majapahit dynasty in 1343 and Bali was brought back under Javanese influence. As Islam took hold in Java in the 15th century, the Majapahit kingdom collapsed and many of its intelligentsia moved to Bali. They included key priests who were credited with introducing many of the complexities of Balinese religion. Javanese artists, dancers and musicians also sought sanctuary in Bali, and the island experienced an explosion of cultural activity.

The first Europeans to set foot on Bali were Dutch seamen in 1597. Setting a tradition that has prevailed to the present day, they fell in love with the island and, when the ship's captain prepared to set sail, several of his crew refused to come with him. By the early 1600s the Dutch had established trade treaties with Javanese princes and had wrestled control of the spice trade from the Portuguese. They were, however, more interested in profit than culture and hardly gave Bali a second glance.

In the early 18th century, as local rule in Bali began to fracture, the Dutch began muscling in using the tried and tested divide-and-rule policy. They used Balinese salvage claims over shipwrecks as a pretext to land military forces in northern Bali in 1846. Teaming up with the Sasaks of Lombok to defeat the rajahs of Bali proved a bad tactic when the Sasaks changed their minds and slaughtered the Dutch. This incensed the Dutch so much that they invaded Bali with a heavy military force and severed its control of its smaller neighbour. With the north under Dutch control and ties with Lombok severed, the south of Bali was not going to remain autonomous for long. Another salvage dispute resulted in Dutch warships appearing off Sanur in 1906.
Modern History

It took Dutch troops five days to reach the outskirts of Denpasar. Surrounded by superior forces, Balinese royalty and religious leaders decided to take the honourable path of a suicidal puputan - a fight to the death - rather than surrender. First the palaces were burnt, then - dressed in their finest jewellery and waving golden daggers - the rajah led the royalty and priests out to face the Dutch and their modern weapons. The Dutch begged the Balinese to surrender, but their pleas went unheard and wave after wave of Balinese nobility marched forward to their death. In all, nearly 4000 Balinese died.

As other local kingdoms capitulated or were defeated, the entire island came under Dutch control and became a part of the Dutch East Indies. There was little development of exploitative plantation economy on Bali, and common people noticed very little difference between rule by the Dutch and rule by the rajahs. Despite the long prelude to colonisation, Dutch rule over Bali was short-lived; Indonesia soon fell to the Japanese in WWII.

At the end of WWII, the Indonesian leader Soekarno proclaimed independence, but it took 4 more years to persuade the Dutch that they were not going to get their colony back. In a virtual repeat of the puputan nearly half a century earlier, a Balinese resistance group was wiped out in the Battle of Marga in 1946. In 1949, the Dutch finally recognised Indonesia's independence. In 1965, an attempted coup blamed on communists led to Soekarno's downfall. General Soeharto suppressed the coup and emerged as a major political figure.

The Communist Party was outlawed and a wave of anti-communist reprisals followed. On Bali, local communists were perceived as a threat to traditional values and the caste system because of their calls for land reform and an end to social repression. Religious traditionalists took advantage of the post-coup hysteria and led a witch hunt against communist sympathisers. Mobs rounded up suspected communists and clubbed them to death. The Chinese community was particularly victimised before the army stepped in and restored order, but no-one on Bali was untouched by the killings. An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people were killed, at a time when the island's population only totalled two million.

Soeharto established himself as president, and under his government Indonesia looked to the West for alliances and investments. On Bali, economic growth and dramatic improvements in infrastructure were achieved by hugely expanding the tourist industry. This also resulted in the displacement of local populations and disruption of many traditional communities.
Recent History

The end of the reign of Soeharto in 1998 threw the entire country into a maelstrom of change and turmoil. For some time it seemed that Bali was to be spared much of the anguish experienced on other islands in the archipelago. But the bomb attacks targeting Westerners that killed about 200 people near Kuta Beach on 12 October 2002 ravaged the tourism industry and destroyed any such complacency. It took about a year, during which the Balinese were in a kind of shock, but tourism recovered and 2004 was one of the best years on record for visits. More bombs in October 2005 killed about 20, and this time visitors did not return in previous numbers. With tourism at the centre of the local economy, the Balinese are at a crossroads in deciding their future direction.

Loving Bali

2008-08-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

Bali is very identical with its culture. This relation makes Bali as a magnet for visitors coming to Bali. Among them are certainly difficult to distinguish religion, culture and art. As all of them are integrated into a unity. However, Hindu Religion in Bali seems to be a stream for the development of culture and art in Bali.

The wave of foreign culture is sunk by the current of local culture. If it exists to be a new culture, it will be born as a new concept of culture that is more delightful. Let us see, Patra of Egypt (Egyptian Pattern), Patra of China (Chinese Pattern) or barong ket, barong landung or young artists in Ubud.

Patra of Egypt

Patra of China

barong ket

When this transformation of value entered into (bertiwikrama) the system of Balinese culture, and it became a topic of conversation, it is very difficult to differ whether their conversation involves religious, cultural or art issues, Balinese never care about them. Most of Balinese surrender their understanding on conducts and duties to Hyang Widhi. They call it doing yadnya

Balinese culture is very close with the traditional arranging system of value in the society, starting from water division, pattern of cultivation, yield division, sub village system, place of shrines, color of clothes and so forth. The culture exists, borne, and develops in accordance with the dynamic life of Balinese society. Culture is signaled with three important dimensions: idea, behavior and physic.

Therefore, sor-singgih (level of language), pawiwahan (wedding ceremony), subak (traditional irrigation system), dadia (family group) and so forth are parts of Balinese Culture.

place of shrines

sor-singgih

pawiwahan

Island Paradise

2008-08-06T00:10:00.001-07:00

Dreamland Villa is an isolated villa located in Ungasan, south of Bali . Not only is it isolated, it is also very private with only 39 villas to spare. This peaceful refuge screams privacy, and those who are seeking for a more entertaining holiday might want to skip this option as its remote location doesn't make for a very exciting experience. It is though, an ideal location for honeymooners and couples looking to spend some quiet time away from the chaos of the outside world.

Opening its doors in July 2005, Dreamland Villa is one of the newer villas in the area and it shows as the interior and exterior are still pristine. The lobby area is relatively small compared to many but the welcome service is enough to make up for it. A refreshing tropical welcome drink and a cold towel is exactly what is needed after the long, winding and somewhat bumpy drive to its premises.

The villas comprise of one, two and three bedroom accommodations, all of which are fully equipped with the conveniences needed. The interior of each room is traditionally fashioned without compromising luxury and comfort. All the comforts of modern technology such as a flat screen 29” TV with in house movie and cable channels, home theatre system with DVD player, coffee and tea making facilities, shower jet massage, electronic bidet/toilet and many more to come with each villa. Its most interesting feature would be the private pool, the landscaped gardens and the Balinese gazebo that comes with it. With features like that, there's not much need to leave the comforts of the villa during your stay.

But what is Bali without the beach and it is exactly that which handicaps Dreamland Villa for it is not a beach front property. Walking by the beach or sunbathing would require one to travel 5-10 minutes by shuttle to Bali 's infamous Dreamland beach, known to many as surfers paradise. Might seem like a hassle, but the scenic drive will probably keep you occupied throughout the journey. Dreamland beach is relatively secluded and rather untouched and has managed to retain most of its natural beauty because of its remote location.

SD's verdict on Dreamland Villa
If you're looking for an isolated, private and peaceful place that has the perfect setting for a romantic honeymoon, Dreamland Villa would definitely be on the top of the list. Being far flung from the happenings of the island wouldn't be an issue once you're engrossed in all the luxuries of the villas. The villas are relatively large and spacious enough to accommodate the Von Trapp family and it has all the basic necessities minus the grand piano.

Nugraha Lovina Bay Resort Hotel

2008-08-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Nugraha Lovina Bay Resort Hotel - Swimming Pool

Nugraha Lovina Bay Resort ” The Escape to Undiscovered Nature ” is set in a beach-side coconut grove at the long side of Lovina Bay, road leading to Nugraha Lovina Bay Resort is most beautiful scenery, over the central mountains, past placid Lake Beratan and Lake Tamblingan at Bedugul, or through the terraced rice fields near Pupuan. The resort offers 22 well-appointed ocean view rooms, feature an art of Balinese design with private air-conditioner, television, in room telephone, refrigerator, hot shower and the verandah.

This small but sweet romantic resort, is a part of Bali’s marvelous kaleidoscope of artistic expression, the section of the Balinese culture and hospitable people. Just 7,5 Kms from Singaraja, a historic city where you can visit places of interest such as the Holy Hot Spring (± 15 minutes), the famous Git Git Waterfall (± 20 minutes), the Holy Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Beratan (± 45 minutes), Kintamani and Penelokan Area ( 90 minutes ), etc.

hotels in Candidasa and

2008-07-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

its
surrounding
Candidasa

Candidasa comes from words Candi meaning temple and Dasa means ten, so literally Candi dasa means ten temples. The tourist area in Karangasem that is known for its beach is a quaint seaside resort from which to explore the secluded bays and ancient temples.

CandidasaCandidasa is no more than a small resort on the dark sand eastern coastline. It is a right place for your "base camp" to explore the eastern part of Bali. Nearby is Tenganan, one of the old traditional villages in Bali where the inhabitants of this area believe that they are the origin of Balinese. Also, close by is Amed, one of Bali's famous dive areas.

CandidasaCandi Dasa still offers an escape from the hassles of the more populated tourist areas. There are lots of hotels, losmens and restaurants here. You can also hire boats for a day's snorkeling.

Government and Districts(about bali)

2008-07-24T00:14:00.001-07:00

Government and Districts

Bali is one of the 26 provinces of Indonesia. Within Bali there are eight kabupatens or districts, which under the Dutch were known as regencies. These are Badung, Gianyar, Bangli, Klungkung, Karangasem, Buleleng, Jembrana, Tabanan. There are now nine districts since the addition of Kotamadya Denpasar. Each district is headed by a government official known as a bupati. The districts are further subdivided into subdistricts called Kecamatan which is headed by a camat, then come the perbekels, the head of a desa (village) and finally, an enormous number of banjars, the local divisions of a village.

Badung Regency

The regency of Badung extends in a narrow ribbon from the central uplands in the north of the island to the Nusa Dua Peninsula, also known as Bukit Badung, in the south. The Peninsula is strikingly different from the northern fertile volcanic plain, consisting of a slightly-raised limestone plateau surrounded by the sea. Kuta and Jimbaran are to the north and west of the peninsula, Sanur to the east, while the famous Nusa Dua resort area is on the eastern tip of the peninsula itself.

The local government became concerned about the "immortality" of the western hippie communes, which developed in Kuta. It was thus decided to isolate future tourist resorts. The development of Nusa Dua was therefore carefully planned. Today, while Kuta is still synonymous with sun, fun and youth, Nusa Dua - which was developed in the 1980's - is home to the five-star resorts.

Nusa Dua and nearby Tanjung Benoa are in a world of their own, where the idea of tourism insulated from the Balinese environment has been implemented. Some of the most famous hotels in Asia are to be found here, among them the Hilton, the Hyatt, and Club Med. Their neo-Balinese architecture (giant split gates, huge statues and halls) complements the beautiful natural surroundings of white sandy beaches, pristine water and the ubiquitous palm trees, to provide all the ingredients of a tropical paradise. Nusa Dua differs from the rest of the Bukit Peninsula. The beach at Nusa Dua is sheltered by coral reef, creating an ideal family beach, while Tanjung Benoa specializes in water sports.

Bukit Badung is famous among surfers for its long, white rollers. The best surfing is at Suluban, Labuhan Sait and Bingin. For hikers, there are paths running along much of the cliff, while the inland region has many prehistoric caves including Gua Selonding. The tallest statue in the world, The Garuda Wisnu Kencana (145m), is built in an ancient quarry at the highest point on the Bukit. The famous Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple is an architectural marvel situated on a headland at the western tip of the plateau. According to local tradition, the first Uluwatu temple was built in the 11th century. In the 16th century, it was rebuilt into its current state.

The Bukit peninsula is connected to the rest of Bali by a narrow neck of land. Here, the Jimbaran bay area has one of the safest and most tranquil white beaches on the whole island. Jimbaran is renowned for the Barong (trance) dance. It also has Pura Ulun Siwi, a beautiful temple made of brick. To the north of the Bukit peninsula is the popular beach resort of Kuta. Its claim to fame owes much to two things, its beach (originally Bali's best) and the sunset. The beach front is now host to star hotels, except for Legian and Seminyak, where much of the social scene is now centered. The main shops are located along Legian street.

Beach bungalows first opened in Kuta in the 1930's. But mass tourism did not start here until the late 1960's, when it became known as a hippie haven. Kuta soon boomed. The bamboo beach bungalows were turned into losmen, then into hotels. The hippies either left or struck it rich, and Kuta has become one of the most dynamic places in Indonesia, a place to encounter new ideas and lifestyles and a place to experience all manner of pleasures.
Another resort to the south of Kuta is Tuban. Originally part of Kuta, it now claims an independent status. To the west of Kuta are the new resorts of Peti Tenget (with its beautiful temple), Canggu and Seseh.

Further west is the little town of Mengwi, which has one of the grandest temples of the island, Taman Ayun. Until the end of the last century, Mengwi was one of the main island kingdoms, and this temple was built around 1740. Pura Taman Ayun is a water garden temple, symbolizing the cosmic union of sea and mountain. The architectural structure has three parts, duplicating the order of the cosmos - nista (impure/demonic); madia (middle/human); and utama (godly) - corresponding to the three successive courts. The most sacred (utama) is the inner court. The shrines are made and decorated in the finest traditions of Balinese carving.

To the north of Mengwi is the famous Monkey Forest at Sangeh, set in the heart of the only primary forest in southern Bali. This forest consists entirely of pala (nutmeg) trees. The monkeys living here are considered sacred, an association from the Ramayana epic, wherein Prince Rama allied himself with the monkey hero Hanoman to attack Alengka.

2008-07-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

Discover Bali Paradise Island
(by: Administrator - on Oct 12, 2007 for country Indonesia)
The natural attractions of Bali include miles of sandy beaches, picturesque rice terraces, towering active volcanoes over 3000 meters high, fast flowing rives, deep ravines, pristine crater lakes, sacred caves and lush tropical forest full of exotic wildlife are the attractive points for travelers to come. Bali has been widely known as the holiday and travel destination for both business and leisure travelers.

The richness of the cultural heritage of the island can be found throughout Bali. It has over 20,000 temples and palaces, full with many colorful festivals and ceremonies including tooth filings and cremation, drama, music and dances. Hindu Balinese temples are found in almost every corner of the island. The religious ceremonies happen every day. Those will entertainment all visitor who want to learn and experience the real traditional Balinese way of life and culture. It seems that Bali has its daily ceremonies, you may see when travel around. Each village and small community has different cycles of ceremonies.

Travel around Bali is easier in any mode of land transportation. The friendly local people will be happily giving information and advice on where to go and how to get there. English is mostly practiced by the locals who work on the travel industry as well as other tourism related. Do and ask them if you have lost the direction. The distance from one tourist area to another takes not more than two and half hours. If you drive from Nusa Dua on the southern part of Bali to Singaraja on the north will take around 2 hours without stopping en-route. From Kuta, Legian and Seminyak to Ubud is just an hour drive.

Your holiday in Bali will not complete without flattering the richness of Balinese arts and culture, traditional dances and the breathtaking natural view. The traditional dances are performed daily in Ubud, the central part of Bali and other nearby villages. Some four and five star hotels in Bali offers regular Balinese dance performances, cooking class, and traditional activities such as painting, dancing, carving and making offerings. This gives a general overview of Balinese daily life embracing their cultural activities.

Festivals and religious ceremonies are the important part of the Balinese daily life. It occurs on fixed dates based on the Balinese calendar which takes place in every 210 days or every six months. The most important ceremonies and holidays in Bali are Nyepi, Galungan and Kuningan. Nyepi is a day of seclusion without any activities outdoor, no lights during the night and no transportation passing through the island. Galungan falls on Wednesday and ends with Kuningan on Saturday, the next 10 days.

Spend the rest of your holiday in Bali with other activities or just relax around the white sandy beach near your hotel. There are plenty of tourist attraction from guided local sightseeing tours, adventure tours such as whitewater rafting, sea cruises, trekking, hiking, bicycling, spa treatment for well being and relaxation. It is your time to refresh your soul while reenergize your body.

Besides art and culture, local tours, and colorful ceremonies, Bali is a shopping paradise especially on the southern part. Kuta, Legian, and Denpasar are the place where you can find options of shopping items. Local art shops, furniture shop and big shopping malls can be found around Kuta, Legian, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Seminyak and Denpasar. Just take a taxi ride and enjoy your time for shopping.

Discover the paradise island Bali not just on the southern part but there are plenty of other attractions on other parts of Bali. Plan your holiday and arrange your itinerary wisely to discover the island where the hidden treasure and natural beauty awaits.

Paradise beaches on the Bukit Bali

2008-07-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

Southern Bali is where 95% of tourists come to and spend their time. The most southerly tip of mainland Bali is the Bukit Peninsula. The Bukit is way behind Kuta / Legian / Seminyak / Sanur as far as development, but is getting popular, with people outside of the surfing industry.

The Bukit is a limestone plateau and the beaches are a pale yellow / white sand. The largest beaches on the Bukit are in Nusa Dua, Dreamland has the largest beach on the western side.

One of the best Bali beaches, is at the very southern end of the Bukit. Looking at a map, you ride up the hill from Jimbaran, heading to Uluwatu. Instead of turning west, you keep going stright south, towards Pura Masuka. This temple is tiny and is perched on a clifftop, overlooking the ocean. Directly in front of it is a hiking trail that leads you down to the beach, which is usually empty. The hike takes about 15 minutes.

A French guy told me once that along the coast to the west, is another empty beach. With even less access, you are assured of privacy. The Bukit is only 15 minutes from Kuta, so if Kuta beach isn’t what you’re looking for, get adventurous and check out the Bukit.

Pura Rambut Siwi and Nusa Lembongan

2008-07-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

It stay the same, from when I was only 5 the temple stay like what it was. Pura Rambut Siwi is located in the west side of Bali. There are only a few tourist visit this place. I was really happy to see the picture is available in flickr.

According to the legend, this small temple already existed here when Danghyang Nirartha (will tell you the story about this guru) arrived in Negara.

You will not regret to visit this Temple. The Temple sits on the border of the sea in Yeh Embang, offering the spectacular Indian Ocean and the peaceful landscape of rice terrace.

Nusa lembongan bridge

Oh I forgot, this bridge is connecting Nusa Lembongan island and Nusa Ceningan, during that periode of time when I visit this island (1989) the bridge was not buit yet.
In the old time people wait for the low tide to cross to the other island, and imagine you can cross it walking through, and the water level only your knee height, and you will enjoy to see some fish and other sea creature along the way.
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Nusa Lembongan

This is a traditional boat of Nusa Lembongan people, they colorful and naturally match with the white sandy beach and crystal water.
I remember when I was a kid, my dad took me to this island to see some relatives (we rarely meet), I had a bad seasick and was not enjoying the trip, but in the island I was having a great time playing in the beach.

During that time in Nusa Lembongan, there was no resort, and no tourist, and everything still natural, and people lives from the seaweed. It was an unforgotten memory.

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Diving And Surfing

2008-07-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Diving and Surfing | Golfing in the Island of Gods

Bali, as an island, is surrounded by sea. All year-long, sunshine gives you a chance to enjoy many offshore attractions.

Diving and snorkeling are among major attractions in Bali. Divers can view various marine creatures, such as colorful tropical fish and coral reefs. The best time for diving here is in the dry season that lasts from April to October, when warmer temperatures invite more fish and the objects can be clearly viewed.

Bali offers a lot of sites for beginners and professional divers, with some of them adjacent to the shore with abundant colorful hard and soft corals. Once you start diving, a wide variety of marine life, such as dolphins, rays, turtle, sea snakes and moray eels will greet you.

The locations for diving and snorkeling in Bali spread out along Bali's sea. The popular sites are located on the southern part: Sanur and Nusa Island (Lembongan and Nusa Penida); in the western part are Labuan Lalang, Menjangan Island, an uninhabited island with some of the best diving in Bali; in the north of the island is Lovina that will undoubtedly satisfy your diving needs. On the east coast are Amed where virgin nature can be enjoyed, Tulamben, Candidasa and Padang Bay also.

Surfing can be done everyday in Bali. Bali's magnificent surfing was introduced by Australian surfers at the end of 60's, and since then, Bali has become a paradise for surfers. Not just because of various choices for beaches and breaks, but surfing in Bali can be done everyday! Perfect wave to ride on are always available somewhere on this island. Kuta and Ulawatu are recognized for their magnificent surfing waves.

Out-standing reef breaks are found in Kuta and Sanur. Sanur reef is a real pleasure because, here you will find a tube-forming wave that will carry you back to the seashore and in this way, it is unnecessary for you to paddle like a madman.

Bali Modern Architecture

2008-07-15T20:55:00.001-07:00

The New Bali Style

The "Bali-Style" of architecture and interior design is renowned and increasingly popular the world over. How it came into being is a story of cross cultural legacy and an amalgamation of different design elements. In this chapter, we explain the connection between religion and architecture in traditional Balinese design, trace the development of new styles in both commercial and residential buildings and see how a thoroughly modern, international architectural form has been born.

The Art of Tropical Living

The island of Bali has along been a magnet for the western culture-hound-and over the last 100 year many people have set up home there. Most built their tropical dream villas in vernacular style. Today, however, a new internationalism is emerging : along with wood, alang-alang and bamboo are ceramics, stone and glass; pavilion-style is being replaced with a more modern vision of space. Here, we showcase the most inspiring examples of contemporary residences, shops, restaurants, studios and resort homes the island has to offer.

The Tropical Garden

Tropical gardens in Bali are traditionally associated with a sense of fecundity, Javanese-inspired water gardens or junglescapes with mossy walls and hand carved statues and fountains. Today's gardens seem to have taken this style one step further : firstly, they are designed more to complement the architecture that they are attached too, and, secondly, there is more order and definition in the planting. In this section we portray the creme-de-la-creme of Ball's private and resort landscaped gardens.

The Delightful Balinese Pavilion

No longer is the 'bale simply a 4-poster wooden platform protected by a thatched roof. Innovative designs are emerging: be they modernist stone structures shaded by canvas "umbrella-roofs" or vernacular-inspired, poolside loungers, all are excellent dens for the those seriously committed to languour-induced afternoons. Here, we showcase a selection of contemporary reinterpretations of the classic Balinese pavilion.

The Tropical Water

Water is the source of life for the Balinese; it is also a wonderful cooling element in hot and humid climates, it's not surprising, therefore, that virtually every architect and landscape artist incorporates some type of water feature in their designs. Here, we present an array of contemporary water features: gardens, open-to-the-air bathrooms, numerous cascades, fountains and springs, modernist pool scapes, even a giant, eleptical, rooftop lily and lotus pond. Water as play, water as architectrual element and of course water as a natural source of nourishment for garden and soul alike.

Bali Forests & Mountains

2008-07-15T03:52:00.000-07:00

National Park, Gunung Batur Area, Bali Botanical Gardens

Venture into Bali's interior for a different perspective of this incredible island. Picturesque rice fields cover around 20% of the island with dense jungles in the interior. In drier areas, expect scrub, savannah and barren volcanic cones.

The lush greenery of Bali is stunning. Huge Banyan trees thrive in villages and temple grounds; tamarind trees in the northern region; clove trees cover the highlands; and bright red flame trees, acacias and mangroves dominate the south. About a dozen species of coconut palms call Bali home, with an even larger variety of bamboo species.

Flowers - are everywhere! Fragrant jasmines, graceful water lilies, bright hibiscus and cheery bougainvillea abound. In gardens, roadsides and temple grounds the scent and colours of magnolia, frangipani and orchids hangs in the air. Cut flowers decorate temples and statues as offerings to the Balinese gods. These same blooms are also delicately woven, plaited and arranged in the crown of Bali's mesmerizing dancers.

Bali's interior provides a home for monkeys, civets, mousedeer, barking deer and flocks of beautiful birds. The jalak putih or Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) is Bali's only indigenous bird, but there are over 300 species of birds in Bali. This includes dollar birds, wild fowl, sea eagles, sandpipers, blue kingfishers, white herons and egrets, sparrows, cuckoos and wood swallows.
Taman Nasional Bali Barat (National Park)

Taman Nasional Bali Barat, or Bali Barat Nasional Park makes up almost the whole of the western tip of Bali, covering an area of over 750 square km. The area that is the park, has been made into a conservation area.

The park's boundaries include open savannah, dense rainforest, tangles of mangrove swamp, colourful coral reefs and Pulau Menjangan, the famous Deer Island, which is really a small island reserve off the north coast of Bali. The park is a haven for over 300 species of animals and birds, most particularly the endangered jalak or Bali Starling.

Pulau Menjangan is home to the rare Java Deer, and welcomes visitors who enjoy good diving and snorkelling. You must be accompanied by an official guide and in possession of a park permit, to enter the park.
Gunung Batur Area

The Gunung Batur area, known as Danau Batur and the volcanic cones at Gunung Batur are contained in a huge awesome bowl-shaped caldera. Towering at 1717m, Gunung Batur is one of Bali's natural wonders, and just perfect for trekking, although the beauty of the place can still be enjoyed without such exertion.

Don't forget to drop by the much-revered Pura Ulun Danu temple, Pura Puncak Penulisan in Penulisan; and the hot springs at Toya Bungkah.
Gunung Agung

Gunung Agung is Bali's biggest trekking challenge. Fortunately, Bali's highest and most revered mountain is not difficult to climb. The tip is to start well before dawn, armed with a strong flashlight, water, food, and warm and waterproof clothing. The best time for a climb is during the dry season of April through October. But climbing is not permitted when major religious events are held at Pura Besakih, which is most of April.

The shortest and most popular route up Gunung Agung is from Selat or Muncan; involving the least walking due thankfully to serviceable roads from both Selat or Muncan town to the Pura Pasar Agung, or Agung Market Temple. From the temple, you can climb to top in as little as 2 short hours.

Do remember to report to the police station at Selat before start off on your excursion, and drop by again on your return. A guide is necessary, and one can be pre-arranged in Selat or Muncan by just asking around the markets, or by contacting the Selat police station.
Bali Botanical Gardens

It is truly a treat to be able to wander freely around the Bali Botanical Gardens in Bedugul deep in the heart of northern Bali, locally known as Kebun Raya Eka Karya.

Established in 1959 it's a rambling 120 hectares located high on the slopes of Tree Mountain with a massive collection of trees, a rich fluttering bird lifeand five hundred species of exotic orchids!

At Bali

2008-07-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

One on one with James R. Pitchon,
Executive Director, CB Richard Ellis Thailand

The sub prime mortgage crisis in the US seems to be widening and deepening as more lending institutes reveal loses in their portfolios. As interest rates reset again, an even wider group of companies are sure to find bad debt on their books. In all likelihood, we are looking at the bursting of the real estate bubble in the US. The result could mean that the US economy dips into a recession in the first or second quarter of 2008. In any event, we are witnessing a slow down as the real estate crisis seeps into other sectors of the economy.

The mortgage crisis isn’t only a domestic issue in United States. Japanese banks are also finding bad debt, causing tightening credit there as well. In fact, it seems as if they U.S. sub prime crisis has finger in nearly every major developed and developing country. The result has been a restricted of lending practices and worldwide shrinking of available credit.

What does that mean for countries like Thailand and others in the Asia Pacific? Hotel Management Magazine caught up with Mr. James R. Pitchon, Executive Director of CB Richard Ellis Thailand to get his feelings on the crisis as well as changes in the Thai tourism and hotel markets.

Do you feel that the sub prime crisis in the U.S. will have an effect on the investment climate for the hotel industry here in Asia?
I think sub prime is a misnomer. There is a tightening of finance globally and that has been brought on by banks suddenly realizing that they have problems with lots of their structured financial products, whether its sub prime or other collateralized debt. We can see now that banks are hesitant to lend to each other in the U.S. and in the U.K. and the cost of borrowing is rising. It’s a global trend where money is becoming more expensive and it is certainly much harder to get. However, Thailand has almost zero exposure to this collateralized market.

So you feel that Thailand won’t be affected?
Very little! I think there is global fall out from the western banking challenge in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe that is making money tighter around the world. That will have some impact but most of the development in Thailand is funded locally.

How have Thai lending institutes been reacting?
Thai banks have been very conservative about lending, particularly with regards to property. The memories of the problems of 1997 are still very strong in the Thai bankers mind. So Thailand has been doing exactly the opposite of many countries in the rest of the world and there is under exposure to real estate. Even mortgage lending in the residential sector has not been growing with rejection rates being very high.

What about lending institutes in other countries, Japan for example?
There is minimal exposure. The far bigger impact will be if the US has a recession. That will affect the number of travelers coming to Asia from the US.

Are there any markets that are more exposed to a global credit crunch?
Not in Asia. The biggest risk is a recession in the US that will reduce US visitors.

Just US visitors?
Well, if there isn’t a recession in Europe, it won’t affect visitors from Europe.

But isn’t there the famous saying that if Uncle Sam sneezes, the world gets a cold?
If I could predict that then I’d become a central banker. What I’m saying is that there is very little linkage between the US lending problems and hotel development in Asia apart from on a macro economic scale. If the world economy slows down, then everybody will be affected in every property sector, including hotels.

So most of the hotel industry here in locally owned?
Yes, but the Asian market has become more international so you have, for example, Morgan Stanley acquiring a group of hotels from ANA. There are some interesting funds that have been created and there is an awful lot of money chasing real estate around the world. A lot of it focuses on prime grade A offices but there are specific hospitality funds as well.

Turning to tourism, it appears that the leisure travel numbers are good, but there are some problems with business travel and MICE. Doesn’t that tie into the global economy which, in turn, ties into the US economy.
The effect has not been due to the sub prime lending though, it’s because there was a coup and the bombings. Now what we face in the future is different.

What have you seen changing in the Thai tourism market?
We’re not just looking at growth from the European markets, we’re looking at a domestic Asian market. The Indian market in Thailand has done quite well (it was up in the second quarter by 16%). It’s cheaper for someone to go on holiday from India to Thailand than it is to go on holiday in India. That’s because when it comes to room rates, India is suffering from room shortages.

If we’re looking at where Thailand has done well we can look at places like the Middle East market. There has been a 15% growth of visitors from the UAE and 34% from Saudi Arabia. These are year-on-year for the half year so that’s very positive. Then you’ve got Russia (and the former CIS states). Eastern Europe is up 35% year-on-year and Russia is up 41%.

Where Thailand scores poorly is in the Chinese market which is down 12%. I believe there will be about 40 million outbound Chinese tourists this year and Thailand gets less than 2%. That’s been very poor. The Japanese market is down 7% as well.

Where do you see the hotel market going here in Thailand?
What’s been happening in Thailand is that there has been a broadening of the Thai market. You’ve seen a lot of new product being built and I think just about every international hotel management company in the world wants a presence here. Not just a single presence but multiple locations. So the managers want to be here.

If you’re looking at the future of the Thai market, there will be a greater product offering. At the high end you’ve got some very interesting product coming on with things like W in Bangkok and Shangri La in Phuket. But then at the lower level I think Holiday Inn Express will be rolling out a mid-range brand as well. So it’s really something for everybody. And they are all going to be managed by international companies,… just about. Thailand’s marketing power is going to significantly increase because all these brands are going to be pushing the product into the global market place.

And we’re not just looking at Phuket! The opening of the Sheraton in Pattaya has proven that if you build up a good product, then people will pay the rate. That has created more interest in Pattaya helping people realize that it’s not just going to be a two or three star market. If we build the right product, we can get people coming.

There is a good range of product in Hua Hin and there are new hotels opening in Chiang Mai. So it’s not just a single destination like Indonesia for example, which is really Bali and not much else.

Do you see any difficulties other than a world wide recession?
There are challenges such as airlift in to Bangkok. The capacity of the new airport and what will happen to overcome that, for example. Luckily Thailand does have a lot of airports. Phuket and Krabi can both take more capacity and maybe Krabi can take the overspill from Phuket as a separate destination.

CB Richard Ellis is the largest commercial real estate company in the world. The Thailand branch is also the largest property consultant, offering strategic advice and execution for sales and leasing for luxury residential, office, retail, industrial, investment properties, and land, property and facilities management, valuation and advisory, and research and consulting. With more than 600 professionals throughout Thailand, CB Richard Ellis has four offices in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Samui. To learn more log on to their website at www.cbre.co.th.

Bali Shopping Places

2008-07-11T01:28:00.000-07:00

Bali owns many unique presentable thing to bring home as a souvenir since the Balinese very creative to create the value thing like handicraft, souvenir, gold, silver etc. they are full innovations and imaginations toward the earth and creates plenty of the high value artwork which has been exported to all over the world. The innovations and imaginations has been poured into the media which has produced the high artwork like pictures, wood carving, jewelry, art material, stone carving and a lot more. You can easy to locate the good shops and shopping mall offers the valuable thing and here we guide to find some of them.
Nusa Dua
Bali Collection at Nusa Dua is a perfect place to shop and it is located right in the center of the elite resort area. There are many good shops offering attractive valuable thing like t-shirt, cloth, souvenirs, handicraft and others. Restaurant and bars are also available in this place that completes it as a shopping center in Nusa Dua Bali. Other small shops along the road to the close village in Nusa Dua are offering the same thing with competitive prices.
Kuta
Kuta is well know as a center of tourist activities in Bali provides plenty of good shops sell the tourist needs, shopping mall, bars, restaurants and pub. The biggest shopping mall is available in this place and offering the beautiful thing that the tourist need. There are two big shopping malls in Kuta offering innovative items like Matahari Square and Centro.
Ubud
Ubud is well known the center of artwork in Bali. There are several traditional art market around Ubud are selling the multifarious of artwork for souvenir like handicraft. Ubud Art market is strategically located in the center of Ubud Bali offering plenty of handicrafts which you can bring home for souvenir.

What are you looking for in Bali for souvenir?
GOLF AND SILVER
Celuk Village is the right place to visit where a lot of gold shops available in this place like Sari Dewi Art Shop and Melati art shop. These shops offer multifarious of gold and silversmith like rings, bangle, mother of pearl, necklace, earring, brose etc.
WOOD CARVING
Mas Village is the right place to visit where you can find many galleries sell the wood carving with high value. The Siadja Gallery offers plenty of the wood carving you need.
PAINTING
Ubud is the perfect place to visit and it available plenty of painting galleries offer the world's class painting with multifarious of media, style and type.
BAG AND OTHER THIGNS
there are many art shop sell the several of handicraft available in Bali from Nusa Dua until Ubud Area. We are pleased to provide the list of good shop recommendation for your shopping time in Bali.
Shop's Name

Location

Product Selling
Bali Collection Nusa Dua Various
Nanami Art Shop Jimbaran Various of Handicraft
Ashitaba Jimbaran Traditional bag
Extreme Toys Jimbaran Surfing equipment, sun glasses etc
Centro Kuta Shopping mall
Matahari Square Kuta Shopping mall
S & W Batubulan Village Various of Handicraft
Sari Dewi Celuk Village Gold and Silver
Melati Celuk Village Gold and Silver
Siadja Mas Village Wood Carving
Semar Kuning Ubud Painting
Dian Lestari Ubud Painting

Bali Art Festival 2008

2008-07-02T00:49:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, Saturday (6/14/08) Bali Art Festival, a month-long festival participated by all regencies in the province of Bali and from other provinces in Indonesia and several foreign participants, like USA, Korea, Japan, Australia, will be opened with a grand opening ceremony that involve 3000 artist from all over the paradise island of Bali. This opening ceremony will be held in front of the Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat Bali (Bali People Struggle Monument, at Renon Square Denpasar. The main attractions of this opening ceremony is the parade various art performances and cultural treasures from each participants of Bali Art Festival that usually involve thousands of artists.

Badjra Sandi(Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat Bali)

The Bali Art Festival 2008 will be held from June 14 until July 12 in Bali Art Center Werdhi Budaya at Jalan Nusa Indah Denpasar. The theme of Bali Art Festival 2008 as the cultural event overall is “Citta Wretti Nirodha—Self Restrain toward Balance and Harmony”.

About Bali Island

2008-06-30T20:59:00.001-07:00

Demographics about Bali Island

The population of Bali is 3,151,000 (at 2005).

Religion
Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 92% of Bali’s population adheres to Balinese Hinduism, formed as a combination of existing local beliefs and Hindu influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. Minority religions include Islam (5.7%), Christianity (1.4%), and Buddhism (0.6%). These official statistical figures do not include immigrants from other parts of Indonesia.

Language
Balinese and Indonesian are the most widely spoken languages in Bali, and many Balinese people are bilingual or even trilingual. There are severeal indigenious Balinese languages, most widely spoken is modern common Balinese. The usage of different Balinese languages was traditionally determined by the Balinese caste system and by clan membership, but this tradition is becoming part of history.

English is a common third language owing to the island’s large tourism industry.

Culture
Bali is famous for dance, as well as painting, scuplture, and woodcarving. Balinese gamelan music is highly developed and varied. The dances portray stories from Hindu Epics such as Ramayana. Famous Balinese dances include Pendet, legong, baris, topeng, barong, and Kecak (the monkey dance).
Bali’s culture is facing many challenges today. National education programs and prevailent mass media as well as it’s own tourism industry are strong motors of Change. Mass immigration (transmigrasi from other parts of Indonesia, mainly from Java, will change Bali forever. More than 1 million immigrant guest workers, predominantly muslims, live permanently on Bali today.

Bali Useful Info

2008-06-23T20:20:00.001-07:00

Bali Useful Info

Bank
Banking hours are from 8.00am to 3.00 pm Mondays to Fridays. Banks in hotels usually stay open longer hours while Mon...

Consulates in Bali
Australia
JL. Prof. Moch. Yamin 51, Renon, Denpasar, Phone 235092, 235093, fax: 231990.

Goverment and Tourism Office
GOVERNMENT AND TOURISM OFFICE
All these offices can offer assistance and information about their...

Medical Center
SANGLAH PUBLIC HOSPITAL
Jl. Kesehatan, Denpasar - Bali Phone...

Visas
Overseas, you can contact the Indonesian embassy or consulate, or one of the following Indonesia Tourist Promotion Board...
Climate and Time Zone
The climate in this archipelago on the equator is tropical. In the lowlands, tempera...

Flight Schedule
Delta Air, Merpati, British Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Air, Continental Airlines, Air New Zealand

Health in Bali
Check with your physician for the latest news on the need for malaria prophylaxis and recommended vaccinations before...

Traveller Tips
Passport & Visas
A 2 (two) month tourist visa will be automatically issued for visitors f...

Bali Beauty And Spa

2008-06-23T00:47:00.001-07:00

Most women would agree that beauty is not just a matter of outer looks but also inner beauty. This is what is usually referred to as the holistic approach to looking at beauty. A lot of local or imported cosmetic brands may help women look younger, but recently there has been a growing trend of many women turning to traditional treatments that use less chemical materials. Chemical materials are often found to have longer-term destructive effects on the skin rather than making one's face fresh.

Indonesia has been famous for its spices for hundreds of years, originally for culinary purposes, but more recently for maintaining health and beauty. These traditions are cultural heritages handed down from one generation to the next. Natural ingredients such as cloves, cinnamon, potent leaf, roots and many others are the main material of Indonesian traditional cosmetics. Mustika Ratu and Sari Ayu are two well-known brands that offer a plethora of traditional herbal recipes.

Recently, a number of spas have sprung up also offering a wide range of health and beauty treatments. A spa is a beauty and health centre that uses water as the basic ingredient and source of energy, offering rejuvenation of both body and soul. A spa can be pampering, rejuvenating, nurturing, caring, and calming. It also can be so relaxing, both physically and more importantly, spiritually. A spa can help you improve fitness, detoxify, commune with nature, and learn about nutrition. At a spa, you can regain your inner balance and manage stress, enhance feelings of tranquility, well being and heal.

There are approximately 200 spas scattered across Indonesia, the second largest number of spas in any one country after the US. The best-known Indonesian spa treatment is traditional massage or aromatherapy. Indonesian massage usually uses traditional herbal cosmetics, for example: luluran. The purpose of this kind of massage is to lighten the skin and make it look much fresher.

Indonesian spa treatments normally offer also traditional drinks made of herbs and roots, known locally as "jamu". Most Indonesians believe that jamu is a powerful remedy to alleviate light ailments such as fatigue, headaches, aching bones or chills.

Spa in Bali
Most hotels on the island offer health treatments. Massage with various techniques, body scrub with traditional ingredients, Jacuzzi indoor or outdoor with natural or 'machine' hot springs are offered everywhere.

When you have spent your day sunbathing, heat sensation and burning skin cannot be avoided. But do not worry, just visit the spa at your hotel and ask for after-sunbathing treatment. You can find out more resources on spa in the following websites:

Bel-Air Spa
Bel-Air Spa offers a wide variety of massages and body treatments. A great place to indulge oneself.
Ubud Bodyworks Centre
The original Bodywork centre in Bali is dedicated to spiritual healing in all aspect of its functions. Whether you are passing through as a guest for massage and beauty treatment or a staff member, this sacred space is a place to rebalance the positive energies in you and the universe.

Jamu Traditional Spa
Jamu Traditional Spa leads the opening of Spa in Bali, Java and Malaysia. Each featuring unique, traditional and therapeutic treatments for both beauty and health, and committed to using only pure and traditional techniques and ingredients.
Secret Garden
Secret Garden offers a high quality range of hair and body services, affordable and offering real value for your holiday money, with prices in Rupiah. Friendly well-trained staff dedicated to your special salon experience. Massages and traditional body treatments, facials, reflexology & foot massage, manicure & pedicure, a luxury cream bath - scalp, neck and back massage, hair styling and treatment and more await your indulgence.
Ayutaya Spa
The Ayutaya Spa is a place where you can experience process of healing through varies rituals that will work all through your body, mind, and soul which lead you to achieve harmony and proper balance.

Bali Museums Guide

2008-06-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Everything you need to know about Bali's Museums

Most of Bali's museums and galleries are centred in Ubud, but culture and history rich Bali is peppered with museums and galleries - all individually interesting! These museums and galleries offer paintings, wood carvings, textiles and all kinds of souvenirs for viewing and also purchase.

The Museum Puri Lukisan in centre of Ubud, the Neka Museum in Campuhan, Seniwati Gallery and Agung Rai Museum in Pengosekan are a must, to see the difference between creative art and more commercial products.

Central Bali
Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud
Founded by Rudolf Bonnet and Cokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, Ubud's Museum Puri Lukisan houses a permanent collection of Balinese painting from the turn of the century; displaying fine examples off all schools of Balinese art. This museum has a collection of 150 painting and 62 pieces of sculptures. The first fine arts museum in Bali, it has a valuable aim of culturing Bali's very aesthetic art and culture for its next generation.

Museum Neka, Ubud
The superb Neka Museum, in Campuan, is another excellent museum, with marvelous collections of traditional Balinese paintings by local artists and foreign artists who lived in Bali; and items of modern Balinese art. The museum stores art from the Kamasan style of the 16th century to modern 20th century paintings. The whole collection is displayed chronologically, to provide an overview of Bali's history of fine arts.

The Neka Gallery on Jalan Raya , and the Agung Rai Gallery in Peliatan are some of Bali's largest and most important.

Museum Nyoman, Ubud
This three storey museum in Mas village follows the conception of Tri Angga, that is, the three parts of human body; head, body, and legs. The museum's art collection is a mix of works of painters from the olden days of the ancient Klungkung Kingdom to this very day.

Museum Agung Rai, Ubud
Sprawling all over six hectares, the Museum Agung Rai was built based on the concept of a "living museum". It displays paintings and holds stage presentations for various art forms; and is a place for karawitan. It comes complete with an arts library and book gallery, hotel, restaurant, cafe, and coffee shop. One of the museums main specialty is its terrific views of Ubud, with rice fields and trenches integrated into part of the museum.

Seniwati Gallery of Art by Women
This gallery was established in 1991 by Mary Northmore, the very personable wife of famous painter Abdul Azis; with the aim of helping Balinese women to be accepted as artists; and also to expose the long hidden and unrecognised brilliance of women artists in Bali. The gallery also serves to motivate, train and encourage young talented Balinese girls achieve their full potential in the world of arts.

Southern Bali
Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali, Denpasar
This museum in Denpasar was founded by the Yayasan Bali Museum in December 8, 1932. It has interesting exhibits of traditional tools, crafts, masks and costumes from all over Bali; and displays archaeological items and a collection of ethnographical exhibits.

Museum Le Mayeur, Sanur
This memorial museum immortalizes the memory and enduring love of a pair of lovers - Le Mayeur and Ni Polok. All displays and exhibits are from the collection of Le Mayeur's paintings.

Museum Manusa Yadnya, Taman Ayun
Just as its name implies, the Museum Manusa Yadnya details items regarding the process of a human's life from the womb to the tomb.

Northern Bali
Museum Gedong Kirtya, Singaraja
This wonderful museum in Singaraja is a display of thousands of ancient Balinese letters in chronological order; the kakawin, or old Balinese poetry; and the geguritan which written on the palm leaf. All these and more are stored in the original building that was built in 1928 and still standing tall today.

Western Bali
Museum Subak, Tabanan
Tabanan is a region popularly known as Bali's 'rice warehouse'. Hence, it is no surprise to learn that Tabanan is home to the Subak Museum, which houses a vast collection of, what else, but agricultural items. An interesting display to take note of is Bali's typical watering system, called Subak, the museum's namesake.

Museum Gedong Area, Gianyar
Located in the Bedulu Village, this museum's collection is dedicated to archaeological items reflecting the history of Bali's cultural development.

Eastern Bali
Museum Seni Lukis Klasik, Klungkung
This museum is owned by the talented Nyoman Gunarsa, and is used as an outlet by the man himself to exhibit his masterpieces, completing the museum's collection, which documents the classical paintings of Bali. The Museum Seni Lukis Klasik is located in the village of Banda village.

Museum Manusia Purba, Gilimanuk
The Museum Manusia Purba, at the western end of Bali, was established in 1990s. It all began with an archaeological expedition of Dukuh Cekik in 1962, by R.P. Soejoeno from the Bali Archaeological Service. The expedition estimated that approximately 2,000 years ago, the stone age man dwelled on the site of the museum.

The Village

2008-06-16T01:35:00.000-07:00

The capitals of the princes' districts, the seats of the regencies, are commercialized half-European, half-Chinese towns like Denpasar and Buleleng; but the true life of Bali is concentrated in thousands of villages and hamlets. With their thatched roofs they lie buried under awnings of tropical vegetation, the groves and gardens that provide for the needs of the villagers. Out of the chartreuse sea of ricefields they surge like dark green islands of tall palms, breadfruit, mango, papaya, and banana trees.

Underneath the cool darkness, pierced only by the shafts of sunlight that sift through the mesh of leaves, are the houses hidden from view by interminable mud walls that are broken at regular intervals by long narrow gates. All the gates are alike: two mud pillars supporting a small roof of thick thatch, giving access to each household by a raised doorstep of rough stones. In front of every gate is a stone bridge, or, simpler still, a section of coconut tree trunk to ford the deep irrigation ditch that runs invariably along both sides of the road.

A simple village consists of family compounds, each completely surrounded by walls, lined on each side of a wide well built avenue that runs in the direction of the cardinal points; from the mountain to the sea, the Balinese equivalent to our " north and " south." The villages grew as they spread in these directions, and the Dutch bad only to pave the main streets and extend them through the rice fields to obtain the five hundred mile net of automobile roads that covers this small island.

The Balinese, being still essentially pedestrians, took good care to shade the roads with large trees, and every morning and every evening one sees the people in the streets, men going to work, nonchalantly beating rhythms on their agricultural implements, or returning from the fields overloaded with sheaves of rice heavy with grain. Poised women come and go with great loads or shin black clay pots on their beads. If it happens to be market day in the village, at dawn the roads are crowded with husky people from the nearby villages who come to sell their produce - piles of coconuts, bananas, or vegetables, pottery, mats, baskets, and forth - carrying on their beads even the table that serves as stand. If there is a feast in the village temple, the people parade in yellow, green, and magenta silks with fantastic pyramids fruit and flowers, offerings to the gods, in a pageant that you have made Diaghilev turn green with envy.

Naked children play at the gates by the bell-shaped bask where the fighting cocks are kept. Each morning the baskets a', lined out on the street so that the roosters may enjoy the spectacle of people passing by. Small boys wearing only oversize sun-hat drive the enormous water-buffaloes, which in Bali appear in colours, a dark muddy grey, and a pale, almost transparent pink albino variety. A water-buffalo will not hesitate to attack tiger; their ponderous calm and their gigantic horns are awe inspiring to Europeans, who have been told that their evening bath. the buffaloes. They have often charged white people for no apparent reason, although the smallest Balinese boy can man handle the great beasts. They love to lie in the water and be scrubbed by their little guardians, who climb all over them and bang from their horns when they take them for their evening bath. The buffalo tolerates the children perhaps as a rhinoceros tolerates the birds that eat the ticks on its back.

The Balinese raise a fine breed of cattle, a beautiful variety of cow, with delicate legs and a long neck, that resembles overgrown deer more than ordinary cows. Ducks are driven in flocks to the rice fields, where they feed on all sorts of small water animals. Their guardian is a boy or an old man who leads them with a little banner of white cloth on the end of a bamboo pole topped by a bunch of white feathers. This he plants on the ground and be can then go away for the rest of the day, sure that his ducks will not wander away. At sundown the trained ducks gather around the flag waiting to be taken home. When the duck guardian arrives, the flock is all together, and at a signal from the flag, they march home, straight as penguins and in perfect military formation.

All Balinese domestic animals are rather extraordinary; chickens are killed constantly by rushing automobiles, but their owners make no provision to keep them from the road except the low bamboo fence that bars the house gate, and that is intended, perhaps, more for the pigs, which in Bali belong to a monstrous variety that surely exists nowhere else. The Balinese pig, an untamed descendant of the wild bog, has an absurd sagging back and a fat stomach that drags on the ground like a heavy bag suspended loosely from its bony hips and shoulders.

The roads are particularly infested with miserable dogs, the scavengers of the island. Most dogs are attached to the house they protect and keep clean of garbage, but they reproduce unchecked and there are thousands of homeless living skeletons, covered with ulcers and mange, that bark and wail all night in great choruses. The Balinese are not disturbed by them and peacefully through the hideous noise. The curs are suppose frighten away witches and evil spirits, but I could never disco bow our neighbours knew when it was an ordinary mortal not a devil that the dogs barked at; they always awoke when stranger came into the house at night. Such dogs were undoubtedly provided by the gods to keep Bali from perfection.

The Balinese make a clear differentiation e dwelling-grounds and the " unlived " parts of the village, for public use such as the temples, assembly halls, market, cemeteries, public baths. The village is a unified organism in every individual is a corpuscle and every institution and organ. The heart of the village is the central square, invariably located in the " center " of the village, the intersection of the two-A avenues: the big road that runs from the Balinese " , South " and a street that cuts it at right angles from " east west " Consequently the crossroads are the center of a Rose Winds formed by the entire village; the cardinal dir mean a great deal to the Balinese and the crossroads are a spot of great importance.

All around and in the square are the important public. places of the village; the town temple (pura desa) , with its assembly (bale agung) , the palace Of the local feudal prince , the market, the large shed for cockfights (wantilan) , and the tall and often elaborate tower where hang the alarm tomtoms (kulkul) to call to meetings, announce events, or warn of dangers. Also important to the village life is the ever present waringin , a giant banyan, the sacred tree of the Hindus, planted in the square. Under its shadow take place the shows and dances given in connection with the frequent festivals; market is also held there in villages that do not have a special market enclosure. In ancient villages the waringin grows to a giant size, shading the entire square and dripping aerial roots that, unless clipped before they reached the ground, would grow into trunks that unchecked might swallow up a village. A beautiful village waringin is an enormous rounded dome of shiny leaves supported by a mossy, gnarled single trunk hung with a curtain of tentacles that are cut evenly at the height of a man; but in the waringins that have grown freely outside the village, the tree spreads in every direction in fantastic shapes. The aerial filaments dig into the earth and grow into whitish trunks and branches emerging at illogical angles and filled with parasite ferns, a dreamlike forest that is in reality a single tree.

Somewhere in the outskirts of the village are the public bath and the cemetery, a neglected field overgrown with weeds and decaying bamboo altars, with its temple of the Dead and its mournful kepuh tree, a sad and eerie place. The bathing-place is generally a cool spot shaded by clusters of bamboo in the river that runs near the village, where all day long men and women bathe in the brown water in separate modest groups. Some villages have special bathing-places with fancy water-spouts and low walls of carved stone, with separate compartments for men and women. Tedjakula in North Bali is famous for its horse bath, a special compartment that is larger and even more elaborate than the baths for the people.

Classical Balinese Painting Museum

2008-06-13T18:31:00.001-07:00

Nyoman Gunarsa Museum of Classical Balinese Painting where traditional meet modern. Its appearance is similar to a huge apartment. The style is more a prosaic cubistic on a gigantic scale rather than Bali's Traditional Building. But if we look in interior more detail the atmospheres of Bali feel so strong. With its ornamental Balinese structures and decorated with Bali's sculptures and its antiques. Bring Bali as a whole, beauty of arts and culture and the mystic vibrant.

Museum which was opened on the 16th of January 1994, is located in every sacred area (based on Balinese Faith) between Setra Banda and Setra Umesalakan cemeteries, in Gelgel, in Klungkung area, the 15th century art capital of Bali. This area was silent spectator to the "Golden Age" during the reign of Dalem Waturenggong (one of the greatest King in Bali), a time when classical Balinese painting, a tradition which inspires to this day, originated as a separate 'school' for the first time.

Nyoman Gunarsa as the founder of this Museum dedicates it for Bali arts development. Its classical traditional painting collections are an inspiration for to the development of their art and design, known as Post Modern or New Age with combines classic with contemporary. Therefor Mr. Gunarsa gives all of his ability, material and spirit, to collect classical traditional painting from all around the world.

As the first private Museum in Klungkung, Nyoman Gunarsa Museum of Classical Balinese Painting gave a big contribution to promote Klungkung and Bali in national and international relationship by attract many tourist visiting Klungkung.

Bali November

2008-06-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Since the starting of November, Bali has offially entered the wet rainy season. The abvious sign was several days ago, a bad storm with strong wind has damaged some houses in East Bali.

The BMG Bali (Bali’s Metereorology and Geophysics Department) has announced that this year there will be more rain fall than the previous year, and will occurs from October 2007 through April 2008. However the rain will be different depends on its location. Mostly Central Bali such as Denpasar, Tabanan, Ubud, Gianyar will have a high rain level.

For me, there is nothing to be affraid of this rainy season, it is the season for the farmer to start the plantation especially the place like Jatiluwih in Tabanan. Just remember, if you are now in Bali, prepare your self with umbrella wherever you want to go.

Taman Ujung before earthquake 1979

2008-06-10T01:45:00.001-07:00

The following article is written by R.Paulin who was in Taman Ujung or Ujung Water Palace in 1979 before the earth quake destroyed The Palace for the second time.

“About a month ago I was searching the web for pictures of the Ujung water palace that were taken years after it was destroyed. They showed the palace derelect and sitting peacefully in ruin. I originally got the pictures off the web, but in my recent search I could not find them, but I did come across the picture of the reconstructed palace on dee-bali.com.

In October of 1979 my brother and I were in Bali and visited Ujung sometime between the 15th and 22nd of that month. I had to find my old passport to check on the dates that I had entered and left Indonesia and I remember that we had spent about a week in Bali. We arrived at the palace late in the afternoon and I remember walking down the hill and around to the entrance gate after taking the picture you see here looking down at the building. They were ready to close and told us we could enter, if we didn’t stay too long. At that time you couldn’t walk out to the main building. We were told by other travellers in Kuta that the palace was occupied by two western academics who had made some sort of deal with authorites which allowed them to live in there, if they restored the building. There were no other tourist in sight while we were there and we saw none on our walk back around the tank and up the hill.

By this time the sun was getting low on the horizon. We made o! ur way back to Legian and were woken early the next morning by an earthquake, which we learned later was centered near Ujung. The pictures I have above are probably the last taken before the palace was leveled”.

The Traditional Art On Bali

2008-06-08T23:41:00.000-07:00

The tradition of bali is very traditional, more than 100 years ago...the traditional art still function at now,,so we are very2 want to make it...

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2008-06-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

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Our Clients :
Conrad hotel
Ritz Carlton hotel bali
Hard Rock hotel bali
Four Season resort bali
Inter continental jakarta
Twin towers bangkok thailand
Nikko Hotel bali
Nusa dua beach hotel bali
maya ubud resort bali
Novotel Resort bali
Sheraton lagoon hotel bali
Riyal santrian resort bali
Puri santrian resort bali
Blue point resort n spa bali
Hilton resort n spa bali
The Legian resort Bali
The bale bali
Amanusa resort bali
Grand Hyatt hotel bali
Mercure resort bali
Sofitel Seminyak rresort bali
Aston Pradha hotel
Lifetech Corp japan
Indien Haus germany
Starbuck Bali
Warisan Cafe bali
Honzen resto ritz carlton bali
Honzen resto intercontinental jkt
The istana villa bali
Tirta Uluwatu glass chapel bali
Infinity glass chapel conrad resort bali
Blue point glass chapel bali
bali exotic wedding bali
bali jepun wedding bali
i do...wedding bali
Wedding abroad hongkong
Bali wedding international bali
exotique property bali
paradise property bali
and 150 villas in bali
BALI, KUTA, DENPASAR, UBUD, LOVINA, SANUR, JIMBARAN, NUSA DUA, NUSA PENIDA, GIANYAR, SINGARAJA, BANGLI, KINTAMANI, BEDUGUL, ULUWATU, TANAH LOT, KESIMAN, SUKAWATI, TABANAN, NEGARA, BANGLI, GILIMANUK, PADANGBAI, LOMBOK, SENGGI GI, GILI TRAWANGAN, SEMINYAK, UBUNG, SANGLAH, GATSU, BADUNG, MATARAM, SELONG, PRAYA, BATUR, BER ATAN, MOUNT, GUNUNG, AGUNG, BESAKIH, TANAH LOT, SANGEH, BATUKARU, PURA, RENON, NGURAH RAI, KARANGASEM, BATUBULAN, SANGEH, RAMBUT SIWI, KOMODO, FLORES, SUMBAWA, SUMBA, RINJA NI, TAMBORA, BERATAN, GILI TRAWANGAN, GEDE, RUTENG, BAJO, JOGJA, YOGYA, SOLO, SURAKARTA, SURABAYA, MALANG, SEMERU , SIDARJO, JOMBANG, MADIUN, SEMARANG, JAKARTA, BANDUNG, DEPOK, TANGERANG, BANTEN, MANA DO, MENADO, SAMARINDA, BALIKPAPAN, BATAM, DILI, KUPANG, BANYUWANGI, MADIUN, PONOROGO
BALI WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY, BALI WEDDING, BALI WEDDING PHOTO, BALI PHOTOGRAPHY, BALI FOTO, PHOTO BALI

balinese DJ

2008-05-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

this is an example image,he is dj from bali,,,tomorow he will make show at denpasar phone shop. if you want to show it,,please show. it is free for public.

bali cat and kitten

2008-05-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

Our family has been breeding Traditional Siamese cats for nearly thirty years and two generations, and we are proud to have selected our breeding stock for their intelligence, loving and calm temperaments, robust health and beauty.

Recently, we've begun to breed the silky-haired 'cousins' to Traditional Siamese, the Traditional Balinese which, in our opinion, is the only breed to rival the Traditional Siamese for being the finest of all companion cats. (For more information on Traditional Balinese history and traits see Traditional Balinese History, Temperament and Characteristics).

Traditional Balinese cats and kittens are not only loving and playful, but extremely intelligent, being ranked most intelligent among all longer-haired cats while their silky non-matting coats shed minimally, the least of all medium-haired cats.

This makes the Traditional Balinese ideal for people who love the outgoing intelligence and the cuddly robust body type of the Traditional Siamese and also love the silky touch of longer fur. Traditional Balinese are much like a Traditional Siamese wrapped in silk. To see a Balinese is to want to touch it, to pick it up, to hold it to your cheek.

We have found the Traditional Balinese irresistible and people who visit us agree that the Balinese combines the very best traits of both long and short-haired cats.

Our Balinese cats are family members, loose in our house with us. We raise very high quality Old Fashion Balinese. Our kittens are hand raised friendly and affectionate companions, unafraid of children or the activity of a household. Their personalities range from lap cats to clowns. Our goal is to match you with the kitten that suits you best.

Our kittens my go to their new homes beginning at 10 weeks old. We feel that 10 to 14 weeks is the optimum time for a kitten to bond to their new people.

No destructive, neurotic or cross-eyed cats are ever used for breeding, and these traits do not appear in our cats.

Show Record. At this time, Traditional Balinese are shown only in cat shows that recognize the traditional Balinese such as the 'Traditional and Classic Cat International' (TCCI). Cosset, one of our queens, was 1997 Best Traditional Balinese. In 1998 one of our Balinese kittens received the prestigious 'Morris Award' as Best Kitten In Show. In the 1999 show, one of our kittens was again Best Kitten in Show and the father was Best Traditional Balinese and Best Traditional Seal Point Balinese. In the most recent 2002 International competition one of our cats was Best Cat In Show and our kittens placed second and third Best Kitten In Show as well as many other first places.

We are proud to say that historically our cats and kittens take many first prizes in various classes including Best Seal Point, Best Chocolate Point, and several of our kittens usually place in the top five.

Our Balinese kittens and cats will be featured in a video entitled "Kittens and Stuff," released in 2001.

References. We have a well-documented reputation for raising top quality, superbly socialized kittens in immaculate conditions. References from previous customers are available upon request.

Health Care. From a veterinarian-conducted inspection we received a perfect score on all criteria to receive certification as a "CFA Cattery of Excellence" and a TCCI Supreme Cattery of Excellence." All cats are up to date on innoculations and are guaranteed free of Leukemia and FIV as well as any genetic defects. Written health guarantee provided. All kittens are free of both internal and external parasites and will have at least their first shot before leaving the premises. Cats from our family commonly live between 18 to 21 years.

Transportation. Because of the unusually calm and reasonable nature of our kittens, they have been shipped all over North America with no difficulty and we are happy to do so, conditions permitting.

Stud Service. To be absolutely certain of the health of our cats and kittens, under no circumstances are outside cats permitted on the premises, and therefore no stud service is available.

Price and Registrations. General price range is between $600 and up with exceptional individuals priced separately. References and photos are available. Our cats are registered CFA and/or TCCI and come with a 5 generation Pedigree. We guarantee our kittens to be pure and authentic Traditional Balinese of the highest quality.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about the Traditional Balinese.

Goals. Our goal in raising the Traditional Balinese is to keep this noble and highly intelligent breed alive and to share them with other Traditional Balinese lovers. It is extremely important to us that you and your cat are a 'love match' and, since we are fully acquainted with our kittens' individual personalities before they leave us, we can often match you with exactly the right kitten for your particular situation.

About the Breeder. Besides breeding Traditional Siamese and Balinese, Diane Dunaway is a best-selling writer who has published five books including her latest, LOSING THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD - A Spiritual Diet to Nourish the Soul (Doubleday, April '97, Berkley '98), a nondenominational book helping people toward greater inner contentment even in the midst of busy lives filled with careers, chores, and children. She teaches at three California universities, is married and the mother of two children and two playful standard poodles, Rhett and Scarlett.

Bali Island Of Gods

2008-05-27T18:42:00.001-07:00

Bali,which been named as the Island of a thousand temples. A true paradise that is renowed world wide, Bali attracts and endlessstream of visitor because of a thousand reasons.

The surf scene is fantastic, the nightlife is exiting, the rice culture is filed with rituals, festivals and dances that area fascinating, sourronding seas offer many fabulous divesites, the spas are extremely rejuvenating, and the food is incribiblt exotic.

Bali, is sure to have the right type of hotels and villas, and other type of accommodation that you can choose from. Whether you are looking for an international hotel or more modest accommodation there is a great selection from which to choose. To assist you, Baliforyou.com have classified all Bali Vacation Villa Bali Hotels, Bali Villas,Bali Accommodations,Bali SPA, Bali Restaurant and Bar, Bali Tour & Travel, Bali Weddings Information, and bali courses in categories from budget to deluxe

Art Bali Media

2008-05-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

This image is a spirit in bali, like a god template.....
many people can share this picture,,firs is balinese people or hinduis religion.