Experience in Bali

Protests over Indonesian 'anti-porn' law

2008-11-15T20:12:00.000+07:00

Hundreds of people rallied in the Hindu-majority holiday island of Bali against a tough anti-pornography law branded by critics as a threat to religious freedom.

About 400 people marched through the Balinese capital Denpasar in defiance of the law passed by mainly Muslim lawmakers in Jakarta last month.

Protesters denounced as too broad the law's definition of pornography, saying it was a threat to Indonesia's diverse non-Muslim minorities and could shatter national unity.

High-spirited protesters in traditional sarongs and translucent temple blouses marched toward the provincial governor's office, cheering wildly at traditional dances and performances by local pop singers in curve-hugging pants.

The chair of the West Papua provincial parliament, Jimmy Demianus Ijie, said the law passed after years of deliberation in Jakarta criminalised Papuan culture, where many people go semi-naked.

"I've taken part in many Papuan performances in many places and I've only worn traditional clothes, but you could see my arse and I was swaying my hips, I was being sexy. Are they going to arrest me for that too?" he told reporters.

A challenge to the law would be launched in Indonesia's Constitutional Court next week, activist Ngurah Harta told the protest.

"We have to win this judicial review or we will hold a massive civil disobedience campaign," he said.

Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika pledged last month that his government would not enforce the pornography bill, but he did not turn up to Saturday's protest.

Muslims make up roughly 90 per cent of Indonesia's 234 million population, which also contains sizeable Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian minorities.

Source: AAP

INDONESIA: Media Turns Bali Bombers Into Martyrs

2008-11-15T20:08:00.000+07:00

In a crowded neighbourhood in this sprawling city families sat glued to their television sets late into the night of Nov. 8 watching updates on the execution of three men convicted for the 2002 nightclub bombings on the resort island of Bali, killing 202 people.

Among those drawn to this weekend media spectacle was Saida, who runs a furniture business in Jakarta. '’Many, many people watched TV that Saturday night to understand what was going on,’’ said the 35-year-old single mother, who, like many Indonesians, has no second name. ‘’There were five people in our house. We went to sleep at two.’’

But that was not the only night that she and her neighbours followed a routine that ended early Sunday morning with the execution by firing squad of the three men in the Nusakambangan island prison. ‘’We kept watching the TV for a week, day and night, following the programmes about these men.’’ Saida added.

Such intense coverage, led by both the broadcast and print media, has generated a bout of soul-searching in the days after the execution. Sections of the media, too, are expressing regret at the manner in which the stories about the Bali bombers -- Imam Samudra, 38, and the brothers Amrozi Nurhaqim, 47, and Ali Ghufron, 48 -- transformed them into heroes.

‘’Almost every day for the past month Amrozi and friends received extensive media coverage normally reserved for celebrities facing marital problems or sex scandals,’’ commented ‘The Jakarta Post’ in a Monday editorial titled ‘Good riddance’. ‘’They have become instant celebrities in their own right. Only in Indonesia can a convicted terrorist become a media darling.’’

Media ‘excesses’ included interviews and press conferences given by the death-row trio in a ‘high security’ prison, stories about their families and details about one of the Muslim militants getting married even as he awaited the bullets. It was an avenue that gave the condemned men the licence to project themselves as martyrs.

‘’Originally we had a naïve view that if we gave them the space to speak, they will use the occasion to express remorse,’’ Endy Bayuni, chief editor of the ‘Post’, said in an interview. ‘’But they used the media access to turn this opening into a political circus. They openly justified their brutal acts.’’

The coverage has also provoked some analysts to raise the issue of ethics in a country that has one of the freest and most independent media in South-east Asia. ‘’Many of us think it was unethical for the media, especially TV, to glorify these men,’’ says Dewi Fortuna Anwar, director for programmes and research at the Habibie Centre, a respected Indonesian think tank. ‘’They were able to get their militant messages out on prime time.’’

‘’The impact can already be felt among sections of the public, who are starting to say that the three men are martyrs,’’ she revealed in an interview. ‘’We are proud of our free media, but the media have a role to play in building ethics. It is not the government’s role to control the media.’’

But the television stations that fed the national audience with accounts of the Bali bombers say they were driven by the news value of an event that had also taken on qualities of drama as the public were kept is suspense about the exact date of the execution. The executions were postponed many times, often without a clear explanation by the authorities.

‘’After the Barack Obama story in the U.S., this was the biggest. There was no way we could avoid such news; we could not turn away from it,’’ says Rullah Malik, executive producer of Metro TV, a national broadcaster, which had three reporting teams on the ground covering the story. ‘’We had several programmes covering the three men.’’

‘’Our policy was to tell it straight, to show that these men are criminals but that they also have families and neighbourhoods,’’ he told IPS. ‘’We also wanted to show that their acts are not justified in Islam. It is not jihad as Islam describes it.’’

The Bali bombers are the first to be executed under Indonesia’s tough 2003 anti-terrorism law. It followed a five-year court case, where the men admitted to planning and assisting in the acts of terror unleashed at nightspots, popular with foreign tourists, on Oct. 12, 2002.

This operation is reported to have been funded by the Jemaah Islamiya, a network of militant Muslims operating in a country that has the largest followers of Islam, a majority of whom adhere to a moderate and tolerant form of the faith. This Indonesian version of Islam was on display in the wake of the media coverage for the bombers, with leading religious leaders making pronouncements that the condemned trio were anything but martyrs.

On the island of Bali, which has a rich Hindu tradition, the executions of the three men -- who had caused so much pain and suffering with their violent acts -- were received with an air of calmness. ‘’The Balinese believe in karma. They did not display any strong reaction,’’ says Hira Jhamtani, a resident of the island and an environmental researcher. ‘’There was a sense of relief, though.’’

‘’In fact there was a group that conducted a multi-faith prayer for the victims of Bali as well as for the souls of the Bali bombers,’’ she told IPS. ‘’To them it was a tragic episode that is now over.’’
Source : IPSnews, By Marwaan Macan-Markar

Bali police will enforce pornography law: Chief

2008-11-15T20:03:00.001+07:00

Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Ashikin Husein on Monday said his institution had no option but to enforce the new pornography law in the province.

"I have no option. The police must enforce every positive law in the country," he said in Denpasar, as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com.

Ashikin said the law would be implemented through a government regulation which had yet to be established.

Last week, Bali's governor and speaker of the provincial legislature announced that the province would not be able to enforce the newly passed law, saying it was not in line with Balinese philosophical and sociological values.

Ashikin, however, said the statement was not a refusal of the law.

"We will try to hold dialogues with all parties about this issue," he said.

Bali leaders and members of the public have united in an organization named the Bali People's Component to challenge the new law through the Constitutional Court. (dre)
Source : The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 11/10/2008

Indonesia on alert after execution of Bali bombers

2008-11-15T19:53:00.004+07:00

Indonesian security forces were bracing for an extremist backlash on Monday after the execution of three Islamists over the 2002 Bali bombings.

Tensions were high after Islamic radicals including members of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network blamed for the attacks promised retribution for the executions during emotional burial services.

"We're still on alert for any security disturbances after the executions," national police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira told AFP, saying the readiness level was at its highest.

Indonesia stepped up security at tourist spots and embassies ahead of the execution of the bombers behind the attacks on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.

Amrozi, his brother Mukhlas and Imam Samudra were executed by firing squad shortly after midnight on Sunday on a prison island off southern Java.

Â Their funerals in their home villages turned into rallies for hundreds of Islamic extremists bent on jihad or "holy war" with the West, even though the vast majority of Indonesian Muslims are moderates.

Hardline cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the co-founder of Jemaah Islamiyah who was jailed on a conspiracy charge related to the bombings before being released in 2006, led prayers at the burial service for Amrozi and Mukhlas.

Noor Huda Ismail, an expert on Jemaah Islamiyah, which was allegedly behind the Bali carnage, said he saw more than 20 JI militants from Malaysia and Indonesia at one of the funerals.

"That occasion unified these people to share contacts and for making strategies," he told AFP after attending the chaotic funerals for Amrozi and Mukhlas in Tenggulun, east Java.

Several senior JI militants are believed to be at large in Indonesia, including Malaysian-born extremist Noordin Mohammad Top, the self-proclaimed leader of a group called Al-Qaeda for the Malay Archipelago.

Police said they had arrested two men on the weekend for making bomb threats in protest at the executions. The suspects had no links to any known militant organisation, they said.

The Australian and US embassies received bomb threats last week, along with shopping centres and hotels around Jakarta.

Australia, which lost 88 nationals in the Bali attacks and had its embassy here car-bombed in 2004, has warned against unnecessary travel to Indonesia. The United States has told citizens in the country to keep a "low profile."

Until the end, the bombers expressed no remorse for their "infidel" victims and claimed they wanted to die as "martyrs."

Sentenced in 2003, they launched at least four failed legal challenges, which delayed their executions and kept them in the media spotlight.

"Even on death row they continued to make news, obviously aided by the prison authorities... Only in Indonesia can a convicted terrorist awaiting execution become a media darling," The Jakarta Post said in an editorial.

The vast majority of Indonesian Muslims had little sympathy for the militants.

"Someone who killed others will not die as a martyr unless they waged a war in the name of religion. They were not fighting for religion," Umar Shihab, the head of the country's top Islamic body, said Sunday.

Sidney Jones, a terrorism analyst with the International Crisis Group in Jakarta, said the government's bizarre handling of the executions had increased the threat of reprisal attacks.

"If the government had denied the Bali bombers access to the media from the time they were first convicted, the risk (of violent retaliation to their executions) would have been lower than it is now," she told The Jakarta Post.

Source : JAKARTA (AFP), by Presi Mandari – Mon Nov 10

A Ride with Destiny

2008-08-12T19:32:00.001+07:00

It is 1975. The Pan Am flight circles low around the Indonesian Island of Bali, as it makes its' final approach. This is the first time overseas for the young Australian, who excitedly peers through the grubby aircraft windows. The flight - direct from Sydney- is surprisingly empty, which is in sharp contrast to the crammed charters of later decades. Suddenly, he glimpses the rice fields, towering volcanoes and coconut trees that are synonymous with Bali. The plane sweeps so low, he can make out in the distance a Balinese fisherman wading waist-high in crystal clear water, casting his net into the sea. And from that very moment, Greg too is ensnared, the mystical allure of Bali casting a life-long spell. It was the start of a love affair lasting more than twenty years with the tropical paradise that enchanted him forever.

But Greg comes to Bali on a mission. The 23-year-old is here to surf. He is also here to shoot surfing film and photographs. His journey begins with the cult surfing film "Morning of the Earth," made by Australian film-maker and surfer, Alby Falzon. This film, shown worldwide to packed houses in the early seventies, perhaps single-handedly kick-started the phenomena of surfing in Bali and changed the Island forever. When Greg first saw the Balinese waves unfolding on the cinema screen in downtown Sydney, he knew that he was a lost cause. Around this time, surfing magazines also started to feature the hidden treasures of Balinese surf. And of course, there was word of mouth. From the 1960's onwards, there were a handful of international surfers - mostly from the US and Australia - who tried to keep Bali "their little secret." But talk of colossal, awesome waves, sultry climate, magical lands and dirt-cheap living could not be kept quiet for too long. Nevertheless, Greg and his peers were still some of the first waves of surfers, before the subsequent rush of thousands of Brazilians and Japanese got in on the act.

Armed with his photographic paraphernalia, Greg walks down the steps of the plane and into a cauldron. The suffocating heat almost burns the hairs in his nostrils. The airport is tiny as relatively few travellers pass through here and he claims his bags and surfboard straight off the searing tarmac. Before he can collect his thoughts however, he is whisked away by the ubitiquous bemo to his home for the next two weeks, Kuta. Kuta. It's hard to imagine now, but this chaotic, sprawling beach town was very different back in 1975. Then it was just a laid-back, affable community with the odd hotel, losmen (simple, family-run accommodation) stores and temples and warungs (corner snack bar). Carpets of coconut trees blocked your route. They also lined the pristine, sweeping stretch of staggeringly gorgeous beach. The noise level encountered was the surf crashing down on the soft sand. The privileged few enjoying its virginal forms on the bygone six-month visas were travellers on the hippy route between Australia and Europe. Kuta was one of the legendary three "K's," the others being Kathmandu and Kabul which were a pre-requisite on any hippies must-see list. And of course, the steady trickle of surfers like Greg, who wanted to see for themselves if Albys' celluloid wasn't just an unattainable fairy tale.

But this morning is a severe culture shock. On an unsealed and dusty road, a bumpy ride is endured narrowly missing dogs and chickens roaming freely. The cramped bemo drops him off at the losmen where fellow Australian friends are already installed. This is a no-frills establishment, one of a growing number catering for the rising number of travellers. Consisting of a basic room with twin beds and concrete floor, there is no electricity. Come night time, gas lamps are used and there is no such thing as air-conditioning - let alone fans -to keep cool in the stifling heat. Inquiring upon the whereabouts of the bathroom, he is led to an outer room. There is a crude water tank and two wooden slats flanking a hole in the ground - the infamous squat toilet. Greg nervously looks for the toilet paper, but he is advised to use the plastic scoop provided and his left hand; the right one-his friends point out- is for eating. There is no running tap water, instead this is collected daily from the communal well and naturally has to be boiled before consumed.

Greg is fascinated. By the time his bags hit the floor, he is off exploring Kuta; ever the curious voyeur, he takes his camera. It is like opening Pandora's Box and he feels like a child in Wonderland. From the losmen there are a series of shady, coconut-lined paths strewn with frangipanis that in no time lead to a tangle of identical gangs (narrow alleys). Their high, coral-clad walls hide family compounds, creative workshops and religious quarters. Peeking through the open wooden doors, a secret world is revealed. Young girls practice traditional dance routines to the sound of the gamelan. Offerings to the Gods of fruit and rice - wrapped in banana leaves - are laid out beneath Hindu statuettes. An all-pervading smell of aromatic cloves hangs heavily in the air. This first encounter for Greg captures not only the charming Balinese on film, but also his very soul. Inspired by what he witnesses here, the young man subsequently continues a lifetimes' odyssey, roaming the world and taking photographs of different cultures and surf.

Lost it seems for hours, he is bought back to reality as soon as he manages to stumble home. His surfing mates tell him to wax his board pronto as the swell that day is perfect. With not a minute to loose, they head off straight away to the decisive surfer's paradise- the waves off Ulu Watu, where some of the most breathtaking surf in the world can be found. But first obstacles have to be overcome; like some precious Holy Grail - the exquisite prize rewarded after the arduous quest. Rented motorbikes are the most convenient form of transport, but even this is a death-defying feat. Driving two-wheeled transport along pot-holed roads with trucks heading straight at them is dangerous enough. But the surfboards are slung precariously to the side of the bike and if the wind gets up they and the passengers are in danger of being blown over to Lombok. Very soon, Kuta and its' environs are left far behind and grazing land, plantations and coconut tree jungles are all that keeps them from the Western coastline.

At the mystical Ulu Watu, - an open-air clifftop temple and nowadays Bali's top tourist destination- there is not a soul around. Apart from, that is, an epidemic of monkeys surrounding the temple, keeping guard. Nearby is an overgrown path, which heads down towards the sea. Local children clamber round Greg and his friends and for a small fee offer to carry the surfboards down to a cave. To access the waves, the surfers must drop down onto the sandy cave floor. At its' opening a few paces later, the tide rushes through the narrow gap of the cave walls. The only way out to sea is paddling through on surfboards, skilfully negotiating a jagged coral pinnacle-head just to the right of the exit. There is more to come. Greg learns that there are man-eating sharks, poisonous sea snakes and sea lice lurking in the water, as well as a strong rip undertow. Yet as he experiences the thrill of Ulu Watu's legendary surf, all this is worth it. Some of the most powerful and solid waves in the world, they are ten feet tall and roll flawlessly along for seemingly forever, keeping their shape and momentum. The perilous coral reef - that with one wrong turn of the board rips your skin to shreds - is ironically the very factor that contributes to their perfection. When Greg first approaches these waves he is simultaneously awestruck and scared out of his wits. They are unlike anything he has ever encountered before and this is literally the ride of his life. There are just a handful of surfer's here; graceful and stylish figures. Very much out on their own, they are willing to risk their lives as they master the explosive breakers in unison. It's addictive stuff and this is the first of many blissful days surfing here and on the beaches of Kuta and Sanur. During the 'seventies and 'eighties, Greg makes over fifteen return visits to Bali, sometimes staying for months. The passion and desire to relive again and again the ultimate experience comes above all else.

But every idyll has its curse and Bali is no exception. Sanitary conditions are not good and unused to the local cuisine and water, it is only a matter of time before Greg falls victim to the infamous "Bali Belly." No one escapes the islands' wrath; the only Western doctor is on the East Coast - at Sanur - and might as well have been in Australia. On daily surfing excursions, there is always someone laid up in bed; too weak to reach the door to say "not today boys, it's not been a good night" as the surf patrol roars off into the distance.

From very early on, Greg forgets home comforts and goes native as if it's second nature. He takes to wearing hand-made batik sarongs. He is befriended by the losmens' resident family, who each morning perform the daily ritual of bringing him tea in thermos flasks and bananas. The young daughters endearingly hold his hands as they ask him if he slept well. He always replies "yes. " After a hard day on the surf, he pays for soothing evening massages as the sun sets. After a delicious meal rustled up by nearby warungs, he and his friends retire early to the repetitive sounds of frogs and crickets and the distant drone of a motorbike. In the early days, there isn't much nightlife to speak of; besides it's an obligatory early rise for the next day of catching waves.

Many years, rolls of film and airline flights pass and Greg has his last tour of Bali four years ago. By this time, much has changed in Kuta and the place is almost unrecognisable. Designer shops and hamburger joints replace coconut trees and Western music blares out from bars serving gross-named cocktails. International hotels and resorts dwarf the losmens of yesteryear. Amongst the surf, a multi-cultural army decked out in a uniform of Billabong and Hot Tuna now jockey for position, in what is regarded as one of the premier surfing destinations in the world. Surfing is now big business and a highly commercialised, well-oiled enterprise not just here, but worldwide. But Bali still maintains its beauty and tranquillity. Greg knows that he is a lucky man to be here at the beginning of it all. The vivid memories of those pioneering trips will never dim. They cling hard and stubborn like the nimble feet on his surfboard, that first magical morning when an ecstatic young Australian tamed the wild waves of Ulu Watu.

Source : http://www.thingsasian.com

TO DO & TOURS IN LOVINA

2008-08-12T19:24:00.006+07:00

Lovina is a small fisherman village in the North of Bali. In the village are several good restaurants, an internet café, a money machine, a 5 star Padi dive center and some café's and bars. The water is very clear and fisherman get up early to get some fish. The name Lovina comes from the abbreviation "Love Indonesia".

Mister Gede likes to talk with his guests about the religion on Bali and the meaning of the various hindu ceremonies. He also loves to talk about the culture and history of Bali and his life as a former fisherman in Lovina. He can tell very enthousiastic and is willing to answer all your questions.

Ceremonies
Mr Gede has taken guest to several ceremonies and explained the meaning of the rituals. We had the opportunity to go with him for a ceremony in his family temple and later we were invited to a baby ceremony. On these ceremonies you will find Mr Gede playing the Gamelan with his family. If there is a ceremony in the neigborhood off Lovina, that is open for public, Mr gede will know and can bring you there and explain the meaning of the Balinese rituals.

Dolphin Trips Lovina
If you come to Lovina for a boat trip to see the dolphins, than can Mr Gede take care of the boat tickets. The boat will pick you up at the beach in front of Gede Homestay. The boat leaves very early in the morning, but the coffee is ready. When you come back from the dolphin/snorkling trip, breakfast is served.

Banjar Hotsprings
The Banjar hotspings is a natural Balinese swiming pool. A lot of Balinese people are swimming here and eat something in the restaurant. The Hotsprings are about 15 minutes from Gede Homestay. You can drive there yourself, or Mr Gede can take care of transport to the banjar hotsprings. There are also taxis at the hotspring that can bring you back.

Balinese dancing
In the center of Lovina you can go to a traditional Balinese dance performance. The people from the village have an 1 hour show you can watch and enjoy. Mr Gede can take care of transportation and tickets. He also can explain the meaning of the dragons in the show and the meaning of the dance.

Fishing & Sailing Trips
The brother of Mr Gede is still a fisherman. If you want you can go fishing with him in a traditional Balinese fisherboat. The catch will be put on the BBQ. If you don't catch anything, you can always buy fresh fish on the market. It is also possible to sail with a balinese fisherboat and relax on the water.

Lake Bratan & Gitgit waterfall
Lake Bratan in Bedugul is a beautifull spot with a famous temple, just 40 minutes from Lovina. You can visit it on the way to Lovina, or Mr Gede can bring you there. There are ricefields, several hindu temples, and a Buddhist Monastery near Lovina. Nearby the Gitgit waterfall is Lake Buyan, where you can feed wild monkeys.

Relaxing Massage
On the beach you can get a massage from woman on the beach, or Mr. gede can also bring you to a professional Balinese massage salon in the neighbourhood. The professional massage salon has some nice packacges for +/- 110.000 Rupiah for 1,5 hour Balinese massage (9 euro).

Padi Dive Center
In Lovina is a 5 Star Padi dive center "Spice Dive". Here you can take a course or make a dive trip to Tulumben (US Liberty shipwreck) or to Menjangan Island. The dive in Tulumben is a great wreck-dive spot. You can ask Mr Gede to bring you to Spice Dive. Spice Dive will pick you up from Gede Homestay.

Singaraja
Singaraja is a city 15 minutes from Lovina. It has an population of 80.000 people. Singaraja means 'lion king' and was the capital city during the dutch colonial period. There are nice markets and several temples around Singaraja. In one temple there is a stone carving of a bike and the first car on Bali. This car and bike were imported by the dutch during the colonial period.

Trip to the rice terrace
Around Lovina are some rice terraces. You can walk trough the rice fields and look at the simple but efficient irrigation systems.

Gede, for all your Transport
Mr Gede takes care off all the transport on land or sea, that you need! There are shuttle buses that go from Lovina to all big cities on Bali or Mr Gede can also take care of a private chauffeur that can bring you anywhere and drop you at another hotel or homestay. On the way to your new location, like Ubud, you can do some sightseeing on the way.

Source:http://www.gede-homestay.com

Fun things to do with kids in Bali

2008-08-12T19:14:00.008+07:00

EAST BALI

Time seems to stand still in East Bali. Oxen plowing the rice fields, roosters crowing in the morning, the crumbling palaces and water gardens of the kings of Karangasem are a gentle reminder of life in Bali over the centuries.

Climb Gunung Agung – Gunung Agung, the volcanic mountain in east Bali, is often shrouded in clouds. Hiking up the mountain takes you above the clouds and at the top, you have a spectacular panorama of the entire island. On Gunung Agung you do feel as if you are in the morning of the world. The hike up the mountain is awe-inspiring but not for small kids or kids who are not experienced hikers.

Take a guide. The trail is not all that well marked and it goes straight up and straight down. It's recommended to start early in the morning, 4:00am to beat the tropical heat. (This also has the advantage that you get a spectacular sunrise while on the mountain). Bring a windbreaker for chill winds you may encounter at the top. Take real hiking shoes. Although my boys hiked in sneakers, I hiked in sneakers, but my feet were pretty sore.

Pura Besakih – Besakih, located on the slopes of Gunung Agung, is one of the oldest and largest temples in Bali. To be close to the mountains is to be close to the gods – as you climb the wide stairs, and pass through the split gate into the temple courtyards, it's simply spine tingling. The complex has three temples, one dedicated to Brahma, another to Wisnu, and the largest is dedicated to Siwa.

Tirta Gangga – Tirta Gangga in East Bali is a fantasy water garden built by the last raja of Karangasm. The pools are decorated with carved stone dragons and mythical animals, water cascading from stone pagodas in the middle. There is a large swimming pool and restaurant on the grounds. This is a great day trip.

Amlapura (Karangasem) – Stop into the Puri Agung Palace, home of the kings of Karangasem, once one of the most powerful kingdoms in Bali. The 19th century palace has a mixture of styles – a Chinese-style pagoda entrance to the palace compound, one room filled with furniture presented by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, other rooms have Balinese gamelans (musical instruments). Don't miss the dance pavillion surrounded by a moat with floating lotus flowers.

Down the road, next to the beach, you can also run around the crumbling "Floating Palace" at Ujung. The artificial lakes are quite large, and a good place to picnic or just stretch your legs.

Amed – This small fishing village is the perfect spot for snorkeling, warm clear water, coral and gorgeous tropical fishes. Go for a sail in a Balinese outrigger (it may be a genuine Balinese fishing outrigger).We sailed with a fisherman off the coast near Amed and for a time it looked at if we were headed straight to Lombok (we did turn back eventually). My kids were fascinated when the fisherman rotated the sail to come about and used a coconut to bail out the boat.

Kerta Gosa (Klungkung) – Today Klungkung is a pretty busy city, but it was once the royal capital of Bali, presided over by the raja of Klungkung. At the Kerta Gosa, the Palace of Justice, the raja and his judges sat to decide legal cases. The roof of the Kerta Gosa is decorated with the most amazing paintings of Bhima Swarga, the adventures of Bhima in heaven and hell.

The paintings depict the adventures of the stout-hearted hero Bhima, accompanied by two fat clowns, Twalen and Mredah, as he travels for hell to rescue his father and mother. Bhima fights and defeats the lord of Hell and his armies. Bhima reclaims his parents, but before they can enter heaven, Bhima and the clowns go on another quest to heaven to obtain holy water. In heaven, Bhima wages war with the gods, dies, is brought back to life, and finally battles the gods into giving him the holy water. The holy water restores his parents giving them eternal life and a spot in heaven.

Source : http://www.travelforkids.com

Tips for visiting Bali

2008-08-12T19:12:00.001+07:00

On a recent trip to East Bali, it occurred to me that if s person arrived in Bali with a day pack, containing a couple of shirt, shorts, pants, hat and not much else, they could let go of the worry about luggage and valuables. It also occurred to me, that is a person took a Perama bus out to East Bali, got dropped off and found a place they liked, things would happen for them. One place I visited this last time was Pasir Putih, the white sand beach in Perasi, just past Candi Dasa. If you showed up, chatted with locals and asked if anyone had a room for rent, you'd find somewhere no doubt at all.

Imagine the experiences you have after a month, hanging out with Balinese locals in Bali! The day times would be learning about their daily life and routine, plus exploring the lesser known areas. If your hosts were fishermen, you'd be able to tag along and experience how a Balinese fisherman actually operates. Local ceremonies would no doubt come along which you'd be invited to. Evenings would be a mixture of traditional village life, combining with elements of the 21st Century (motorbikes, TV, etc). The cost for your month would probably be amazingly low, considering in many remote places its all local shops and warungs.

How possible is this kind of experience? Its all possible, you've just got to ask for it. I have had situations just like this in many countries in the world, while travelling, hitch hiking etc. Now your guide book / travel agent isn't going to sell you this kind of experience for 2 reasons; 1) They can't make this kind of things happen, 2) there's no money it for them. This is actually great news for travelers, since where travel agents and guidebooks don't go, you will find the best experiences.

So for an awesome Bali adventure, leave your possessions at home, bring a small bag and a sense of adventure. That's my tip for visiting Bali.

Source:BootsnAll Travel Community

Balinese Farmers Use IT: Bali

2008-06-25T16:52:00.003+07:00

High in the small mountain village of Pancasari some 50 kilometers north of Denpasar the stocky fingers of a young Balinese farmer are dancing on a computer keyboard typing the contents of a website according to an interesting article in the JP.

I Wayan Kanten, 29, once saw computers as strange and daunting. He never thought of using one to help his farm business. But he has lost his fear of technology. Now the head of the Young Independent Farmers Group (Kelompok Tani Muda Mandiri) knows how to build a web site to promote the 12 member group's organic capsicum pepper business.

In the heart of the information era when lots of young people see farming as traditional and old-fashioned, Kanten and his friends use the latest technology to learn about organic farming and to find contacts through the Internet to distribute their products.

Kanten's first encounter with computers was when the software company Microsoft, working with the Mitra Mandiri Foundation, set up a Community Training and Learning Center last June in Pancasari. The facility is equipped with a half dozen computers, a printer and an Internet connection.

Microsoft flew Kanten to Jakarta for computer training along with young community leaders from Gianyar, Bali, East Java and North Sumatra. It was part of the company's Unlimited Potential program which aims to introduce computer technology to people in rural areas worldwide to help communities improve their quality of life.

Since 2003 the company has been working with institutions including the Asia Foundation of the United States and the Indonesian Coalition for Women to set up community training centres. So far Microsoft has opened 33 centres across Indonesia and trained more than 4,000 people.

Now in Pancasari, the knowledge has spread to 286 young farmers.

Kanten and his friends tend to their peppers in greenhouses during the day and teach village youngsters how to use the computer at night. "We also train youngsters here to love farming" Kanten said. The villagers participating in the training are charged Rp 50,000 for 15 classes.

"Part of the aim of the program is to curb urbanization and provide ways for people to improve their quality of life through technology" Microsoft Indonesia spokesperson Cynthia Iskandar said.

Kanten said since the Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005 hurt the tourism business people have been coming back to their villages. Now, Ketut and Kanten have forgotten about the lure of the city and are staying in Pancasari supplying almost their entire crop of 300 kilograms of organic capsicum per week to PT DIF Nusantara a supplier of fresh vegetables to hotels and supermarkets in Bali, Lombok and Java.

The two-year-old farmers' group borrowed Rp 150 million in capital from the Bali Organic Farmers Foundation which Kanten also contacted by email to establish six greenhouses. The group has been growing capsicum in greenhouses for seven months. They have harvested 11.5 tons of capsicum. The distributor wants them to supply 1.5 tons per week but the group's production capacity has yet to reach that amount.

The head of the Bali Organic Farmers Foundation, Joko Trisayoga, said the farmers' group in Pancasari had wider knowledge and was more innovative than other groups under his guidance. The foundation serves 26 farmers' groups. Indeed the digital divide between urban and rural areas in Indonesia as well as between the haves and the have-nots, is wide. Only 2 percent of the population of 215 million have personal computers. Only 16 million people, mostly in big cities, have access to the Internet.

The success story goes beyond Pancasari with a peanut farmer in Bojonegoro and a small and medium enterprise group in Surabaya also using the internet connections at area CTLCs to market their products.

It's always heart-warming to read about success stories and especially in places that are suffering. It would be great to see this idea spread all over Bali.

Source : http://www.baliblog.com

Farmer’s Market: Ubud, Bali

2008-06-25T16:33:00.006+07:00

A week spent mapping Bali’s rice fields was enough to convince one Negara farmer that chemical fertilizers come at a price beyond the rupiah.

“I was mapping with IDEP (Indonesian Development Permaculture) and got really sick and ended up in the intensive care unit for a week with chemical poisoning. I was already into organic farming, but that really shocked me,” says Sayu Komang, who is now committed to not only farming organically, but spreading the word, and healthy foods, to the wider community.

Sayu, along with almost a dozen other organic farmers, has set up a weekly organic food market in Ubud to not only sell their produce, but also to let the wider community know there is another choice in the foods they buy.

“We set up a cooperative of organic farmers late last year with the goal of marketing our chemical-free produce. There are a lot of farmers who have returned to traditional farming methods, but marketing their produce was a problem.

“The farmers’ market and cooperative was started to address that,” says Sayu, who travels weekly from Negara to sell her virgin coconut oils, cocoa and vanilla beans.

The farmers’ market is held from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. every Saturday on the verandah of Pizza Bagus in Ubud. Pizza Bagus has given the space free to the cooperative to support the goals of Bali’s chemical-free farmers.

Sayu said the decision by farmers to shift from a dependence on chemical fertilizers to organic farming is not easy.

The sheer hard work involved in the changeover from chemical to chemical free farming had held many farmers back from the move.

“Organic farming is famous and more Balinese people are really getting into it, but in the beginning there are problems with pests and other farming issues.

“I help farmers work through these, teaching them how to control pests naturally. The mission of our farmers’ market is helping chemical free farmers and small business market the produce they have grown,” says Sayu.

The potential returns to farmers who take the plunge into organic farming are high, according to Sayu, who says her own farming family achieves much higher returns for their produce since going organic.

“I have a garden in Negara growing broccoli, lettuce, vanilla, coca and coconuts. We make our own virgin coconut oil that we press ourselves.

“My family formed a group to make the oil and they are all really happy with the results. We can sell at a much better price, because it is all chemical free. The family is very happy to have gone chemical-free,” says Sayu.

And the prices at the weekly market prove the value in better quality foods. Tomatoes sell like hotcakes for Rp 12,000 per kilo versus less than half that in supermarkets or traditional markets; lettuce goes for Rp 3000 per 100 grams and a loaf of fresh bread, still warm from the oven is Rp 17,000.

But these prices are not holding back customers, who weekly queue up to buy chemical free foods.

Some people even make the hour-long journey to Ubud from Kerobokan and Kuta to shop at the farmers’ market and discussions are now underway to expand into those areas.

She stresses all the food at the market is fresh with the farmers’ cooperative having a strict policy on the quality of foods sold at the market.

“All the food is fresh. We explained to the cooperative members that they have to sell really fresh food. Because we grow these ourselves the food is good and we try to grow the best quality we can,” says Sayu in between a rush of customers keen to try her chemical-free vanilla beans before they are sold out.

Trisha Sertori
Source : http://www.indonesialogue.com, http://pointreyesvisions.com

Bali Travel Tips

2008-06-24T15:50:00.002+07:00

The Different Visa available for Travellers to Bali
Diplomatic VisaThe diplomatic visa is specially for foreigners holding diplomatic passports traveling to Indonesia on diplomatic work. Service VisaThe service visa is specially for foreigners sent b...

Bali Visa Policy - Countries that need Visa and Countries that dont
A visa is needed for citizens of these nations: Australia Argentina Brazil Canada Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Italy Japan New Zea...

What You should Not Do when in Bali (Dont's)
When visiting Bali, please take note of the following dos and don’ts.Don’t: Don’t Buy Drugs Drug-peddling happens mostly in Kuta. As you saunter about the streets you will hear people whisper,”cheap drugs, mushroom, ganja...

What You Should Do when in Bali (Do's)
Do: Do Protect Yourself from MalariaThough Bali and most parts of Indonesia are considered malaria-free; dengue fever is still a problem. Guard yourself against mosquitoes with insect repellant and other such applications....

Finding the Appropriate Bali Resorts
People are traveling with diverse desire one want to do business, to meet relatives or for holiday and total relaxation. If you are on vacation alone, couple or with your family and may be boring with the glint and the glamorous of the big hotel or the bustling city, why don’t you choose a place ...

What to Consider when Choosing Accommodations In Bali
As the prominent tourist destination, Bali has abundance choice of accommodation. It is ranged from budget hotel, guesthouse run by local people, cottage, bungalow, boutique hotel, luxury villa, to the international 5 star hotels. The accommodation spread up throughout Bali. Cluster acco...

Easy Way to Discover Appropriate Bali Resorts Away from Bustling City
In Bali, People are traveling with diverse desire from wanting to do business, to meeting relatives or for holiday and total relaxation. If you are on vacation alone, couple or with your family and may be bored with the glint and the glamorous of the big hotel or the bustling city, why don’t...

How & Where To Select Your Preferred Bali Hotel!
Bali is a wonderful island situated in Indonesia, the ultimate tourist destination in Asia, is worth a visit. Most people come to Bali for its beach, waves, sun, some come for business, some come for its undying art and culture, some come for its breathtaking landscapes and some for pure relaxati...

Ten Essential Tips For Bali Vacation
Bali is a small, beautiful island famed for its unique arts and cultures, enchanting nature and the friendliness of its people. Most people come to Bali to experience the marvelously rich cultural heritage; some come for the beaches and the waves, others for pure relaxation. Bali is situated in I...

Tips For Family Holiday In Bali
Bali is a perfect place for those who are on holiday with children. Bring all your family to explore the island. You all will love the natural surroundings, and it is definitely easy to find a baby sitter or somebody to take care of your kids. Kids club are available in major hotels. Man...

The Differences between choosing a Bali Hotel or a Bali Villa
One says that traveling is not an exact science, to combine between their cultures, traditions, countries and different languages sometimes are not easy. Trust an expert, contact your reputable travel agent may be important. Most people come to Bali want to see and enjoy its arts and cul...

Perama: from A to B in Bali for an apple and an egg
One of the easiest and reliable ways to get around in Bali is by use of the Perama company. They have daily connections to all major destinations of the island and although the busses are not what you would call executive class, the fares are very economical and they have by far the widest networ...

Bali do’s and don’ts to avoid diarrhea & Food Poisoining
Your holiday in the sun can be turned into a holiday in the toilet at any given time. The sudden change of food, environment, temperature and hygienic codes has an impact on your body that might make you feel like a stranded slug who can't make it in time to the bathroom. There are some simple ru...

Bali Vacation, Honeymoon Vacation Tips In Bali
Bali is the paradise for honeymooner that many couple wish to spend such a special occasion on the island. It’s mesmerized various views such as; beaches, mountain, rice field, and romantic place to stay like: Bali hotel, resort, villa, Bali private villa shall enable you to get a perfect honeymo...

Bali Hotel offers a secret world of Comfort, Culture and Art at Waka Namya Ubud
Bali; The name can arouse your curiosity; its breathtaking physical beauty, its nice beaches, its friendly people, its good weather and its vivid art and culture that drive people to flock to visit this enchanting island. Bali is one of the best island tourist destinations in the world.If ar...

The Breath of Villas in Bali
A villa is basically a house where a family can spend their time together. In Bali however, a villa is a breath of nature for the family, for first time honeymooners, or individuals who want to re-encounter the self being. Most ...

Bali for cheapskates: become a beachbum with a budget under Rp.100,000 a day
Sleep cheap. There are plenty of cheap lodging options in Kuta and other tourist destinations. You can sleep in a private room for as little as Rp.30,000. Check out the backpackers ‘ Bali budget accomodation' section to find your budget bed. Eat eco...

Source : http://www.streetdirectory.com

2007 BILLABONG PRO JUNIOR BALI, INDONESIA

2008-03-20T16:12:00.000+07:00

Padang-Padang Bali Beach Surf

2008-03-20T16:09:00.000+07:00

Bali Event Dec 2008

2008-03-20T15:35:00.002+07:00

03. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Dalem Tarukan, Pulasari, Peninjoan village, district of Tembuku, Bangli regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel, Boading, Kaba-kaba village, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency.
Pura Desa, Bubunan village, district of Seririt, Buleleng regency.
Pura Agung Gunung Raung, Tarokaja village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.

12. Temple anniversary celebrations and fullmoon ceremonies at:

Pura Kiduling Kreteg, Besakih (the mother temple) complex, Karangasem regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel, Kekeran village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency.
Pura Dalem Putra Belingkung, Benawah village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.

13. "Tumpek wayang" day, when blessing ceremony is held for shadow puppet play set, music instruments etc, requesting for magical power and
proper function, Throughout Bali.

Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Bhatara Ratu Gede, Celuk village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Bhatara Ratu Widyadari, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Bhatara Ratu Alit and Ratu Lingsir Singakerta village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pedharman (all), Besakih (the mother temple) complex, Karangasem regency.
Pura Pemerajan Agung, Sulang village, district of Dawan, Klungkung regency.

17. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Penataran Agung, Padangbai village, district of Manggis, Karangasem regency.
Pura Melanting, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran Ped, Nusa Penida Island.
Pura Gaduhan Jagat, Singakerta village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Masceti, Sanding village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel Pengembungan, Bongkasa village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.

23. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Dalem, Batuyang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel, Mengening village, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency.
Pura Desa and Pura Pucak, Bedulu village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.

24. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Agung Pasek Gelgel, Sibang Kaja village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.
Pura Dalem Samprangan, Samprangan village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Paibon Dukuh Segening, Serongga Kelod village, Gianyar regency.

Source : http://www.bali-events.com/

Bali Event Nov 2008

2008-03-20T15:35:00.001+07:00

08. Tumpek Kandang / Uye day devoted to "Sanghyang Rare Agnon", Lord of cattle and livestock, when blessing ceremony is given to them,
praying for good growth and product. Every farm and animal husbanday throughout Bali.

Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Downtown of Gianyar.
Pura Luhur Dalem Segening, Kediri village, Tabanan regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel, Tegal Gede village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.

12. Temple anniversary celebrations and fullmoon ceremonies at:

Pura Dalem Tarukan, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran Dalem Ketut, Pejeng Kaja village, district of Tampaksiring.
Pura Puseh Manikaji, Peninjoan village, district of Tembuku, Bangli regency.
Pura Mrajan Agung, Blangsinga village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Batumadeg, Besakih (the mother temple) complex, district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Pedharman Agung Puri Satriya, Downtown of Denpasar.
Pura Kehen, Downtown of Bangli.
Pura Pucak Bukit, Tampaksiring village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Puri, Kintamani village, Bangli regency.
Pura Dalem Agung, Nongan village, district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Dalem Ubung, Kupang Dukuh village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem Balingkang, Pinggan village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Tampurhyang, Songan village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Pasar Agung, Sebudi village, district of Muncan, Karangasem regency.
Pura Bukit Mentik, Gunung Lebah Batur village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.

18. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Bukit Buluh, Gunaksa village, district of Dawan, Klungkung regency.
Pura Tirta Sudamala, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.
Pura Dalem, Benawah village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalam, Bitra village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Tengah Padang, Tegallalang village, Gianyar regency.

19. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Puri Agung Dalem Tarukan, Sawah Jero Agung, Pejeng village, district of Tampaksiring.
Pura Rambut Siwi, Yeh Embang village, district of Mendoyo, Jembrana regency.
Pura Batu Bolong, Canggu village, district of Kuta, Badung regency.
Pura Tirta Anom, Padangsigi, Sandung village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dadya Agung Pasek Bendesa, Dukuh Manuaba village, district of Tegallalang, Gianayr regency.
Pura Desa, Banyuning village, East of the town of Singarja.

Bali Event Oct 2008

2008-03-20T15:34:00.000+07:00

04. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Dalem Pemuteran, Jelantik Tojan village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Taman Sari, Gunung Sari village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem Tarukan, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.
Pura Banua Kangin, Besakih (the mother temple) complex, district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.

08. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Bendesa Mas Kepisah, Pedungan village, South of Denpasar.
Pura Natih, Banjar Kalah, Batubulan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Silakarang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Petitenget, Krobokan village, district of Kuta, Badung regency.
Pura Dalem Pulasari, Samprangan village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasar Agung, Kaba-kaba village, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency.

14. Temple anniversary celebrations and fullmoon ceremonies at:

Pura Dalem Puri, Batuan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Kediri, Silakarang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem, Singakerta village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem, Sukawati village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Puseh Ngukuhuni, Kramas village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Desa, Downtown of Denpasar.
Pura Pucak Payogan, Lungsiakan, Kedewatan village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Tanah Kilap, Suwung Kauh village, South of Denpasar.
Pura Dalem Tampuagan, Peninjoan village, district of Tembuku, Bangli regency.
Pura Penataran Agung Besakih (the mother temple) complex, district of Rendang, Karanasem regency.
Pura Lempuyang Madya, Purwakerti village, district of Abang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Panerajon, Kintamani village, Bangli regency.
Pura Agung Pulaki, Banyupoh village, district of Grokgak, Buleleng regency.
Pura Tirta Empul, Tampaksiring village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Tangsub village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Tirta, Negari village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Ulun Danu Batur, Songan village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Pancering Jagat (known for the performance at "Barong Brutuk", a "Barong" made of old banana leaves for the body white the mask is made of coconut shell), Trunyan the ancient Balinese village, on the edge of Lake Batur, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.

15. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Sari, Banjar Titih, Kapal village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency.

29. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Sukawati village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Mrajan Agung, Batuyang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Maspahit, Sesetan village, South of Denpasar.
Pura Pasek Bendesa Manik Mas, Dukuh Kendran village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.

Source : http://www.bali-events.com

Bali Event Sept 2008

2008-03-20T15:33:00.000+07:00

05. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Tanah Lot (wellknown as "Temple on the rock"), Beraban village, district of Kediri, Tabanan reegncy.
Pura Bukcabe, Mas village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Puseh, Ganggang Canggi, Batuan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Masceti, Sanding village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Luhur Batur Pucangan, Buahan village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem Tarukan, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Bagun Sakti, Kapal village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency.
Pura Dang Kahyangan Penataran Agung Baturening, Mambal village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.

07. Pura Petilan Pengerebongan know for "Ngerebong" ceremony, when a group of the temple adherents being in trance, stab themselves with
"Kris" the sacred heirlooms as to indicate that the rituals have been properly done while in the day a cock fighting is held for "Tabuh rah" ritual
(blood shedding) to please the underworld spirits during the ceremony, Kesiman village, East of Denpasar.

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09. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Luhur Uluwatu, Pecatu village, district of Kuta, Badung regency.
Pura Taman Ayun, Mengwi village, Badung regency.
Pura Penataran Agung, Jukut Paku, Singakerta village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Andakasa, Antiga village, district of Manggis, Karangasem regency.
Pura Gua Lawah (the bat cave temple), Kusamba village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Suralaya, Banda village, district of Banjarangkan, Klungkung regency.
Pura Dalem Senapati, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.
Pura Gaduh, Blahbatuh village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Pusering Jagat, Pejeng village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Geria Sakti, Tulikup village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.

10. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Dalem Dauma, Batuan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Nataran Kacangdawa, Downtown of Klungkung.
Pura Puseh Brahmana, Kamasan village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Dalem Purwa, Kubontinggah village, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem, Sukahet village, district of Dawan, Klungkung regency.
Pura Dalem Maopait, Guwang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Taman, Dukuh Kendran village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.
Pura Desa, Sanding village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.

24. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Luhur Pucak Padangdawa, Bangli village, district of Baturiti, Tabanan regency.
Pura Silayukti, Padangbai village, district of Manggis, Karangasem regency.
Pura Air Jeruk, South beach of Sukawati village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dangin Pasar, Batuan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran, Batuyang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Desa, Lembeng Ketewel village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Budha Kliwon, Penatih village, East of Denpasar.

Source : http://www.bali-events.com

Bali Event Aug 2008

2008-03-20T15:32:00.000+07:00

05. Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, Candi Kuning village, district of Baturiti, Tabanan regency.
Pura Batu Klotok, South beach of the town of Klungkung.
Pura Dalem Waturenggong, Tarokaja village, district of Tagallalang, Gianyar regency.
Pura Manik Bringin, Dukuh village, district of Sidemen, Karangasem regency.

06. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Penataran Gana, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.
Pura Dalem Gede, Banjar Pande, down town of Bangli.
Pura Pucak Sari (monkey forest temple), Sangeh village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.
Pura Dadya Agung Pasek Sanak Sapta Resi, Sidan village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.

14. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Kawitan Tangkas Kori Agung, Tangkas village, district of Dawa, Klungkung regency.
Pura Siang Kangin Tampuagan, Peninjoan village, district of Tembuku, Bangli regency.

20. "Galungan" holiday celebrated as the commemoration of the victory of "Dharma" (virtue) upon "Adharma" (evil) derived from the mythology "mayadewa" the demon king, when involved in a war against God Indra's troops. On this day, a tall bamboo-pole decorated with coconut's leaves and flowers, fruit, cakes etc, stuck on every house entrance and make a marvelous sight along the village roads, symbolizing prosperity, Throughout Bali.

Temple anniversary celebrations at:

Pura Gelap, Besakih (the mother temple) complex district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Dang Kahyangan Pengukur-ukur, Pejeng village, district of Tampaksiring, Gaianyar regency.
Pura Ponjok Batu, Palasari village, district of Tejakula, Buleleng regency.

21. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Luhur Watukaru, Wongaya Gede village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.
Pura Lempuyang Luhur, Purwakerti village, district of Abang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Pasek Kentel, Banjarangkan village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Pasek Gaduh, Umadesa village, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency.
Pura Pasek Kubayan, Wongaya Gede village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.

22. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Ulun Suwi, Jimbaran village, district of Kuta, Badung regency.
Pura Luhur, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.

24. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem, Tegaltamu, Batubulan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Kubayan Umagunung, Sempidi village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency.

25. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dasar Buana, Gelgel village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Mrajan Agung, Benawah village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Kahyangan Tulus Dewa, Apuan village, district of Susut, Bangli regency.

30. "Kuningan" holiday the day believed as the ascending day of the ancestral holy spirits back to heaven after spending time with their
descendants during Galungan celebration, Throughout Bali.

Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Taman Pule, Mas village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Ularan, Takmung village, district of Banjarangkan, Klungkung regency.
Pura Bukit Jati, Guliang Kawan village, Bangli regency.
Pura Dalem Tegaljaya, Batubulan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Guwang vilalge, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Jenengan Majapahit, Cemenggaon Celuk village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Sadha, Kapal village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency.
Pura Sakenan, Serangan Island, the municipality of Denpasar.
Pura Luhur Pekendungan, Tanah Lot Beach, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem, Sanding village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
"Perang Jempana" rituals when the temple's adherents carrying temple-effigies push one another as to indicate that the ceremony as a whole has been properly done, Pura Panti Timbrah, Paksebali village, district of Banjarangkan, Klungkung regency.

31. "Pemendakan" / Welcomeing procession held started from Sakenan temple to Denpasar, Serangan Island, South of Denpasar.

Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem Pauman Bhujangga, Penatih village, East of Denpasar.
Pura Alas Arum, Batur village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Batuaji, Ubung Tenah village, West of Denpasar.

Source : http://www.bali-events.com

Bali Event July 2008

2008-03-20T15:31:00.000+07:00

01. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Penataran Tangkas, Sukawati village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Lagan, Bebalang village, south of the town of Bangli.
Pura Puseh, Lembeng, Ketewel village, district of Sukwati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Gandamayu, Downtown of Klungkung.
Pura Sanghyang Tegal, Tarokaja village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.

16. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Pasek Gelgel, Kukuh village, district of Marga, Tabanan regency.
Pura Puseh dan Pura Desa, Guwang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Ketewel, Ketewel village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.

17. Temple anniversary celebrations fullmoon ceremonies at :

Pura Penataran Agung, Besakih (the mother temple) district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Purnama, Cemanggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Sanghyang Tulus Dewa, Apuan village, district of Susut, Bangli regency.
Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Batur village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Dalem Kedewatan, Celuk village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pengubengan, Besakih (the mother temple complex) district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Penataran Agung, Sukawati village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Bukit Mentik, Gunung Lebah Batur village, district of Kintamani, Bangli.

26. "Tumpek Pengatag" day devoted to Ida Sanghyang widhi Wasa / almighty God as "Sanghyang Sangkara", Lord of all food-plant and
vegetarian, when blessing ceremonies are focused at gardens, ricefields and plantations, for good crops and products, Throughout Bali.

Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Batuan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Bendesa, Kekeran village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency.

30. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Pasek Gelgel, Gerih village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.
Pura Pucak Sari, Peninjoan village, district of Tembuku, Bangli regency.
Pura Kepisah, Sumertha village, downtown of Denpasar.

Source : http://www.bali-events.com

Bali Event June 2008

2008-03-20T15:30:00.000+07:00

07. "Saraswati" holiday, the day devoted to Sanghyang Aji Saraswati, when blessing ceremony is held for holi scripture, books of arts,
knowledges and sciences, and people pray for wisdom and wits, Throughout Bali.

Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Pasek Gelgel, Bongkasa village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.
Pura Dadya Agung Bendesa Tangkas Kori Agung, Gerih village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.
Pura Pemaksan, Banyuning village, East of the town of Singaraja.

11. "Pagerwesi" holiday, the word literally means "iron tence" when people pray to "Sanghyang Pramesti Guru" (Lord of the universe) for strong
mental defense in facing wordly temptations, More lively celebrated in North Bali (Buleleng regency).

Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Laban Sindujiwa, Kedewatan village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Kehen, North of the town of Bangli.
Pura Padang Sakti, Tangtu village, East of Denpasar.
Pura Jangan Agung, Ketewel village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Masceti, Selasih-Sanding village district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Ketewel, Sempidi village, Badung regency.

Mid June (3rd week) up to mid July:
"The Bali Arts Festival" as an annual cultural event is commenced with procession of art and cultural treasures of each regency in Bali, started from "Bajra Sandhi Monument", Renon heading to the art centre downtown of Denpasar where exhibitions of handicrafts, garments, jewels etc are held while live performances of traditional dances, dance drames, theatres etc, are performed day and night for one month time, Location, Werdhi Budaya Art Centre Nusa Indah, Street Denpasar.

21. "Tumpek Landep" day the day devoted to "Sanghyang Pasupati" when blessing ceremony is given to heirlooms, sacret weapons, all
implements and tools made of metal for proper fuction and magical power, throughout Bali, especially at smith's garages and workshoops.

Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Mutering Jagat, Sidakarya village, Denpasar Municipality.
Pura Pasek Tangkas, Kediri village, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem Tenggaling, Singapadu village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Taman, Bubunan village, district of Seririt, Buleleng regency.
Pura Dalem Pingit, Tarokaja village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran Agung Penatih, Tulikup village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Terate Bang, Candi Kuning village, district of Baturiti, Tabanan regency.
Pura Penataran Pande, Kusamba village, Klungkung regency.

25.Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Pasar Agung, Sebudi village, district of Munca, Karangasem regency.
Pura Pasek Bendesa Pasar Badung, Legian Kaja village, district of Kuta, Badung regency.
Pura Gede Gunung Agung, Munggu village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency.
Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.
Pura Dalem Gandamayu, Downtown of Klungkung.
Pura Sanghyang Tegal, Tarokaja village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.

Source: http://www.bali-events.com

Bali Event May 2008

2008-03-20T15:29:00.002+07:00

07. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem Tarukan, Peninjoan village, district of Tembuku, Bangli regency.
Pura Kahyangan Tiga, Bubunan village, district of Seririt, Buleleng regency.
Pura Agung Gunung Raung, Tarokaja village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.

17. "Tempek wayang" day when blessing ceremonies are given to shadow puppet play sets, music instruments etc, for magic all power and
proper function.
Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Bhatara Ratu Gede, Celuk village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Padharman (All), Besakih, temple comples, district Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Pemrajan Agung, Sulang village district of Dawan, Klungkung regency.

19. Temple anniversary celebrations and fullmoon ceremonies at :

Pura Dalem Pemuteran, Jelantik village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Taman Sari, Gunung Sari village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem Tarukan, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.
Pura Banua Kangin, Besakih (the mother temple) complex, district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Puncak Tinggah, Angsri village, district of Baturiti, Tabanan regency.
Pura Penataran Agung, Sidemen village, Karangasem regency.
Pura Samuan Tiga, Bedulu village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.

21. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Penataran Agung, Padangbai village, district of Manggis, Karangasem regency.
Pura Melanting, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran Ped Nusapenida Island, Klungkung regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel Pengembangan, Bongkasa village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.
Pura Penataran Batulepang, Kamasan village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Gadulan Jagat, Singakerta village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Masceti, Sanding village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.

27. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem, Batuyang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel, Mengening village, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency.
Pura Desa and Pura Pucak, Bedulu village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.

28. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem Samprangan, Samprangan village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Agung Pasek Gelgel, Sibang Kaja village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.

Source : http://www.bali-events.com

Bali Event April 2008

2008-03-20T15:29:00.001+07:00

02. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Sukawati village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Mrajan Agung, Batuyang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Bendesa, Kenderan village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasek Kubayan, Wongaya Gede village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.

12. "Tumpek Kandang" day devoted to Sanghyang "Rare Angon" Lord of cattle and livestock when blessing ceremonies are held in every farm and
nursery, for good growth and product, Throughout Bali.

Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Downtown of Gianyar.
Pura Luhur Dalem Segening, Kediri village, Tabanan regency.
Pura Pasek Gelgel, Tegal Gede village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.

16. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem Tarukan, Cemenggaon village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran Dalem Ketut, Pejeng Kaja village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Puseh Manikkaji, Peninjoan village, district of tembuku, Bangli regency.
Pura Mrajan Agung, Blangsinga village district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.

20. Temple anniversary celebrations and fullmoon ceremonies at :

Pura Penataran Agung (Bethara Turun Kabeh/ the descent of all Deitis) ceremony, Besakih (the mother temple) complex, district of Rendang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Bukit Jati, Toyabungkah village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Batur, Batur village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Masceti, Pejengaji village, district of Tegallalang, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem, Tangsub village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penambangan Badung, Pemedilan village, downtown of Denpasar.
Pura Lempuyang Madya, Purwakerti village, district of Abang, Karangasem regency.
Pura Desa, Singakerta village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Agung, Jagatnatha, Downtown of Denpasar.
Pura Puseh, Dukuh village, district of Sidemen, Karangasem regency.
Pura Dadya Agung Bendesa Tangkas Kori Agung, Gerih village, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.

22. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Bukit Buluh, Gunaksa village, district of Dawan, Klungkung regency.
Pura Tirta Sudamala, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.
Pura Dalem, Benawah village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem, Bitra village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Tengah Padang, Tegallalang village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Tengkulak, Tulikup village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Penataran Badung, Ogang village, district of Sidemen, Karangasem regeny.

23. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Puri Agung Dalem Tarukan, Pejeng village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Rambut Siwi, Yeh Embang village, Jembrana regency.
Pura Batu Bolong, Canggu village, district of Kuta, Badung regency.
Pura Tirta Anom, Padangsigi, Sanding village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dadya Agung Pasek Bendesa, Dukuh Manuaba village, district of tegallalang, Gianyar regency.

Bali Event March 2008

2008-03-20T15:27:00.000+07:00

08. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem Pemuteran, Jelantik village, Klungkung regency.
Pura Taman Sari, Gunung Sari village, district of Penebel, Tabanan regency.
Pura Dalem Tarukan, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli.

12. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Natih, Batublan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Puseh and Pura Desa, Silakarang village, district Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Petitenget, Krobokan village, district of Kuta, Badung regency.
Pura Dalem Pulasari, Samprangan village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pasar Agung, Kaba-kaba village, district of Kediri, Tabanan regency.

18. Temple anniversary celebrations at :

Pura Dalem Puri, Batuan village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem Kediri, Silakarang village, district of Sukawati, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem, Sukawati village, Gianyar regency.
Pura Dalem, Singakerta village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Puseh Ngukuhin, Kramas village, district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar regency.
Pura Pucak Payogan, Kedewatan village, district of Ubud, Gianyar regency.
Pura Desa, Downtown of Denpasar.
Pura Dalem Tampuagan, Peninjoan village, district of Tembuku, Bangli regency.

21. Temple anniversary celebrations and fullmoon ceremonies at :

Pura Penataran Sasih, Pejeng village, district of Tampaksiring, Gianyar regency.
Pura Bukit Mentik, Gunung Lebah, Batur village, district of Kintamani, Bangli regency.
Pura Penataran Gana, Bebalang village, South of the town of Bangli regency.
Pura Dalem Gede, Banjar Pande, Downtown of Bangli.
Pura Pucak Sari (monkey forest temple), Sangeh vilalge, district of Abiansemal, Badung regency.
Pura Dadya Agung Pasek Sanak Sapta Resi, Sidan village, Gianyar regency.

Source : http://www.bali-events.com

Bali Calendar of Event 2008

2008-03-20T15:18:00.001+07:00

Galungan 2008 23rd January & 2008 20th August

This is the most important holiday symbolizing the victory of Virtue (Dharma) upon Evil (Adharma). The holiday is specialized by the fitting of 'penjor', a tall bamboo pole splendidly decorated with woven young coconut leaves, fruit, cakes and flowers, on the right side of every house entrance. People are attired in their finest clothes and jewels this day.

Kuningan 2008 2nd February & 2008 30th August

This holiday takes place ten days after Galungan, bringing the holiday period to a closing time. On this day, a special ritual ceremony is held for the Ancestral spirits.

Nyepi 2007 19th March & 2008 7th March

This holiday is the Balinese New Year called icaka New Year, the day of total silence throughout the island. No activity, no traffic at all on the roads, no fire may be lit for 24 hours. Great purification and sacrificial rites are held the day before so as to exorcize evil spirits from every corner of the island.

Saraswati 2007 10th November & 2008 07th June

This day is devoted to God's Manifestation as Dewi Saraswati, the beautiful Goddess of Knowledge, Art and Literature. On this day, books of knowledge, manuscripts and the Wedas are blessed and special offerings are made for them.

Pagerwesi 2007 14th November & 2008 11th June

The name literally means 'iron fence', on which day ceremonies and prayers are held for strong mental and spiritual defense in welcoming the Galungan holiday.

Galungan

2008-03-20T15:13:00.002+07:00

A Celebration of the Hindu festival of Galungan in Ubud, Bali, 2001.

Hindu Melasti Ceremony in Bali

2008-03-20T15:08:00.000+07:00

Odalan

2008-03-20T15:06:00.000+07:00

Procession in Ubud, Bali, Oct. 2001, for the odalan of the pura Dalem

Ngaben

2008-03-20T14:52:00.001+07:00

Ngaben or the Cremation Ceremony is the ritual performed to send the dead through the transition to his next life.

Bali Ngaben Singaraja Cremation Ceremony

Funeral@Ubud,Bali

NGABEN WARGA DESA DUKUHPULUH TENGAH, TABANAN BALI

Nyepi Day

2008-03-20T14:45:00.003+07:00

Ogoh-ogoh Parade

2008-03-20T14:38:00.002+07:00

Bali Arts Festival Gong Kebyar Competation

2008-03-20T14:24:00.000+07:00

This is a video from the Gong Kebyar competition at the 2007 Bali Arts Festival.

Belibis Dance

2008-03-19T15:40:00.000+07:00

This Balinese dance depicts a group of Belibis (a type of wild duck) enjoying its natural surroundings. The coreography was inspired from the story "Anglingdarma." In this story, the king Anglingdarma was transformed into a Belibis duck by his wife. While transformed, he attempted to group with other birds but eventually failed because he's able to speak like a human. The dance was coreographed in 1984 by Swasthi Widjaya Bandem and the music was written by I Nyoman Windha.

Sekar Jagat Dance

2008-03-19T15:39:00.000+07:00

Beautiful and gracious balinese dancers performing a welcome dance called the Sekar Jagat (Flower of the Universe) Dance at Lagoa (17-12-2007)

Tari Kebyar Duduk

2008-03-19T15:38:00.001+07:00

One of the most beautiful and difficult Balinese Male Dances in the Royal Court of the Ubud Palace - Bali...

Panji Semirang Dance

2008-03-19T15:34:00.001+07:00

This dance is based on the Panji cycle of stories from Java. It depicts princess Candrakirana disguised as a man to search for her beloved prince Panji Inu Kertapati. This dance was created in 1942 by I Nyoman Kaler.

Jegog Pendet Dance

2008-03-19T15:31:00.000+07:00

Tari Jaran Teji

2008-03-19T15:25:00.002+07:00

This Balinese dance was created by I Wayan Dibia in 1985. It tells the story of Dewi Sekartaji who disguised herself as a male rider, along with her consort, to search for her lover, Raden Panji Inu Kertha Pathi who diseappeared from his castle. Inspiration for this dance came from the Sanghyang Jaran, a unique sacred dance that involves fire-walking.

Sanghyang Jaran or Kuda Lumping Dance in Bali

2008-03-19T15:25:00.001+07:00

This dance is danced by a possessed male who danced like a horse. He usually dances on a scorching and burning coconut fruit. When the song Sanghyang guides the dancer to the fire, he would dance on the fire. I watched and recorded this performance in Batubulan, Bali. It was a really scary and amazing show

Barong Dace

2008-03-19T15:14:00.004+07:00

The are several versions of the Barong Dance, as Bali has an abundance of myths and legends. There is Barong Ket, Barong Asu (Dog Barong), Barong Macan (Tiger Barong), Barong Bangkal (Pig Barong), Barong Gajah (Elephant Barong) and others.

Tari Panyembrama Welcome Balinese Dance

2008-03-19T14:59:00.000+07:00

The Welcome Dance - Tari Panyembrama dance is one of the most popular dance in Bali. It is created to be performed to welcome the guests by showering flowers at the end of the dance the hospitality and friendliness conveyed through the smiles of the Panymebrama girls, charms the audience.

Kecak Dance-Ramayana, Bali Style

2008-03-19T14:56:00.000+07:00

Depiction of the Hindu epic story. Kecak is a form of Balinese music drama performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where monkeys help Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana.

Legong Condong - Balinese Dance

2008-03-12T14:36:00.001+07:00

Legong Condong (leh.gung chon.dhong)
Performed by Dhita Viantono
at Asian Culture Night, San Pedro

In legends, Legong is the heavenly dance
of divine nymphs. Of all classical Balinese dances,
it remains the quintessence of femininity and grace.
The Legong follows (loosely) a story about
a princess, a king, a kidnapping, and a bird of omen.
It tells the story of Princess Rangkesari,
who is held prisoner by King Lakesmi.
Her brother, Prince Daha, gathers an army
to rescue her. To avoid war she tries to persuade
the King to release her. He refuses. On the way
to battle Daha is attacked by a raven,
a bad omen. He dies in battle.
The dance ends at the point the king departs for battle.

Balinese Dances

2008-02-14T15:36:00.003+07:00

Dance and Drama
The lifestyles of Balinese people is expressed in their dance. Not only do we learn about the Balinese religion from their dance creations but also we can come to understand the flow of cultural events and activities that belong to everyday life. We can discover Balinese attitudes, how they look at nature, and how they regard their fauna and flora.

The very essence of the Balinese culture is dance and drama, which is performed during temple festivals and in ceremonies. The dances performed in hotels is a small fraction of what Balinese dance has to offer.

Balinese dance goes as far back as Balinese written history with much of the heritage originating from Java. Ironically, as a result of the Islamisation of Java, the Javanese culture has disappeared but has still survived in Bali and has become part of classical Balinese culture.

Balinese dance cannot be separated from religion. Even the dances for the tourists are preceded by many dancers praying at their family shrine for taksu (inspiration) from the gods.

Dance fulfils a number of specific functions: It may be a channel for visiting gods or demons, the dancers acting as a sort of living repository. It may be as a welcome for visiting gods. It may be entertainment for visiting gods.

The typical posture of Balinese dance has the legs half-bent, the torso shifted to one side with the elbow raised and lowered in a gesture that displays suppleness of the hands and fingers. The torso is shifted in symmetry with the arms. If the arms are to the right, the shifting is to the left and vice-versa.

The Ramayana
The story of the Ramayana greatly inspires the Balinese. Many of their dances are based on this great story which is often depicted in a ballet.

The Balinese version differs from the Indian Version. It is told that Rama, as the first son in a family, was the heir to the Ayodya kingdom but the king's second wife, through her treachery forced the king to crown her own son as the King of Ayodya and asked him to send Rama and his wife into exile.

Because he respected his father, Rama went with his wife called Sita and his beloved younger brother, Laksmana into a forest called Dandaka. Usually the first act of the ballet depicts Rama and entourage in the heart of the Dandaka forest.

Rahwana, the evil King of Alengka, enchanted by the beauty of Sita, wanted to have her as his concubine. He sent one of his knights, Marica, to temp Sita by transforming himself into a golden deer. Sita, captivated by her curiosity, asked her husband to catch the golden deer.

The next act explains how Rama succeeds in hunting the golden deer but as his arrow struck the golden deer it transformed back into Marica. Meanwhile Sita heard a distant cry for help. Laksmana, who had been asked by his brother to look after his sister-in-law, tried to explain to her that the cry sounds very suspicious. But nevertheless, Sita was convinced that someone was in need of help. So she sent Laksmana to look for this person and to help whoever it is. In his desperate attempt, Laksmana asked Sita, no matter what would happen, to stay inside the guarding circle that he created.

Rahwana, knowing that Sita was protected by the circle transforms himself into an old priest. He approaches Sita and asks her for a drink. Sita, without hesitation, extends her hands beyond the circle to hand him the water. Rahwana takes the advantage, snatches her hand and takes her to his palace in Alengka.

On the way, Rahwana encounters a mighty eagle Jatayu. By every means possible, Jatayu tries to rescue Sita from the evil king but fails and is killed by Rahwana.

Rama and Laksmana find the dying Jatayu who tells them the whole story of what had happened to Sita.

In his attempt to release his wife, Rama seeks the help from Hanoman and his monkey soldiers. Hanoman finds Sita in the palace's garden. She had been asked by Rahwana to marry him but she would rather die. Hanoman convinces Sita that he is Rama's messenger and talks of a plan.

Rahwana catches Hanoman and burns his tail but in so doing, set fire to the palace's' gardens. The pyrotechnics can be very impressive.

In the last act, Rama and his troops are depicted attacking Rakhwana's palace. Finally Rama manages to kill Rahwana and therefore takes his wife back to his country.

The abridged version ends here but if you see paintings in Kamasan style based on the Ramayana story, you would notice that in the last of serialised paintings, Sita had to prove she was still pure, and had not been tainted by Rahwana, by plunging herself into a fire. Because of her faith in her husband, God saved her from the fire and she lived happily ever after with Rama.

The Indian version reveals a very different ending with Sita saved by Mother Earth, never returning to her husband.

The Welcome Dance - Tari Panyembrama
The Panyembrama is probably the most popular Balinese social dance. In keeping with its meaning in the Balinese Language, Panymebrama is frequently staged to welcome guests of honour who are making a visit to this islands of the Gods.

Four or eight young girls bearing a bokor, a heavily engraved bowl made from silver or aluminium, laden with flowers, dance expressively to the accompaniment of vibrant gamelan music.

During the dance, the flowers are scattered over the guest or audience as an expression of welcome. The Panymebrama has taken many of its movements from temple dances, such as the Rejang Dance, Pendet and Gabor, which are considered sacred and performed exclusively for God. There is an analogy between the secular Panymebrama and the religious temple dances, as all these dances are welcoming dances, the difference being in the place in which they are stage.

The Tari Panymebrama comes under the Balinese classification of Legong (individual dances), because it has no connection with other dances, has no story and was specifically created for welcoming and entertainment purposes.

The hospitality and friendliness conveyed through the smiles of the Panymebrama girls, charms the audience and so is very fitting as an opening for a show, etc.

The Yudapati Dance
Yudapati is a dance which depicts a male character but is performed by female dancers. The word Yudapati is derived from Yuda which means war and Pati which means death. The dance represents the kamikaze warrior in defending the truth. The dance was created in 1987. It is based on the Baris dance.

The dancer wears typical male attire, headcloth, shirt, carved leather belt and other jewellery. The reason for a male being performed by a female is that the choreographer wishes to reveal all the subtle gestures and movements in the dance by using the flexibility of a woman's body.

Male dance performed by females is called Bebancihan. A number of other dances have been created in the s style, such as Margapati, Trunajaya, Prawireng Puti, Wiranata and Danur Dara. They require masculine interpretation and expression which is quite hard for female dancers. Yudapati dance was originally performed for religious purposes but nowadays is performed regularly as a tourist attraction in some restaurants.

The Ghopala Dance
This dance provides the audience with an interesting insight into the lives of people who live in a simple and pure manner in an environment of blissful tranquillity. This dance originated in 1984 and usually performed by five boy dancers. The characters of the Ghopala dance are especially funny and will draw laughter from the audience.

The Ghopala theme depicts the world of children herdsmen who gleefully meet and play along the boundaries of rice fields while tending their cows. Their lives are filled with happiness as they dance and play in a way which highlights their individual characters. They never tire of their duties as herdsmen, faithfully defending the lives of their cattle. Thus the audience are transported to a distant time when people lived in peace and contentment, an age which had not yet become influenced by the bustle of business which now constantly steals our time.

The Semarayana Dance
As we know, there exists many art forms such as music, painting, poetry, drama, sculpture, etc. and, of course, dancing is yet another and is a popular form of expression. Artists will take a certain aspect of a medium, build on it to form another. This is the case of the Semarayana dance developed in 1994 as a subject for a thesis submitted by Ms Ni Nyoman Sri Armita to the Indonesian Arts Academy of Denpasar for her graduation.

The main character is Dewi Chandra Kirana, a princess from the kingdom of Daha who disguised herself as a male youth so she could venture out and seek her beloved who had disappeared without a trace.

With shoulder length hair, commonly used centuries ago throughout Java and Bali, the princess was unrecognisable as a female. The symbol of manhood which fooled people she met on the road, was the use of the Balinese male headgear called the Destar. It is made from material that wraps around the head and has an artistic formation of bunched material at the front.

Balinese males still use the destar when attending ceremonies. The feature of the destar is the decorative use of gold lines.

Dewi meets her beloved but due to her disguise and the fact that he is partly obscured when they meet, a fight develops. In the ensuing melee, the princess's destar is knocked from her head and her sweetheart, Raden Inu Kertapati, recognises her and rushes to her side to embrace her.

And, of course, they lived happily ever after.

The Barong Dance
The are several versions of the Barong Dance, as Bali has an abundance of myths and legends. There is Barong Ket, Barong Asu (Dog Barong), Barong Macan (Tiger Barong), Barong Bangkal (Pig Barong), Barong Gajah (Elephant Barong) and others.

One of the well known stories on which the Barong Dance is based, is the Kunti Seraya. The plot is very intriguing, showing the effect of the Gods intervention upon the people through supernatural powers.

It is told that Dewi Kunti, from the royal family of Hastinapura, was very ill. As a devotee of the Goddess Durga, she seeks help, however, the Goddess tells her that the price of health is her own son, Sahadewa. It seems that the Goddess fancied Sahadewa's young and luscious flesh for her dinner.

Dewi Kunta recovers from her illness and it is time to pay the price. She regrets her decision to pay the price but a promise is a promise. One of the Goddess's followers put her into a trance and enters her body. She becomes a terrifying creature and unconsciously beats Sahadewa mercilessly. She then takes him to an unpenetratable jungle and ties him to a tree. Later Sahadewa is given immortality by God and she overcomes the wrath of the Goddess and she is able to release her son.

The Sanghyang Jaran Dance
The unique feature of the Sanghyang Jaran dance is the courage of the dancers who in a state of Kesurupan or trance, calmly step and trample on red hot coals just as if they were walking in cold water.

This dance is believed to have the power to invite the gods or sacred spirits to enter the body of the dancers and put them in a state of trance. It dates back to the ancient Pre-Hindu culture, a time when the Balinese people strongly believed that a dance could eliminate sickness and disease. The is dance is usually performed in the fifth or sixth month of the Balinese traditional calendar as it is believe that during these particular months, the Balinese are vulnerable to all kinds of illnesses.

The War Dance - Gebug Ende
The Gebug Ende is a combination of dance and trial of prowess. It is usually performed by two to sixty male dancers who dance and fight on stage in pairs. Each dancer/fighter carries a one and a half metre long rattan stick as as a weapon and a shield called an ende. During the performance the two men try to beat one another with the stick while using the ende to protect themselves. The dance is called Gebug Ende as it literally means beating the ende or shield. One cannot afford to make mistakes in this dance as otherwise injury results.

The Gebug Ende is quite unique as it has certain rules that have to be followed by the participants. Led by a jury, this dance starts with two dancers, while the rest sit in a circle, cracking jokes and singing, while waiting their turn. The jury decide which of the two contestants loses the game and has to leave the stage. Then they will call the next men to the stage. This continues until all have had a turn. Sometimes the fight becomes very fierce and the dancers get thrown of the stage from the blows of the rattan stick. Bruises and wounds are common in this ritual.

Legong Trunajaya - The dance of love and emotions
The Trunajaya dance describes the emotions of a young man through love and passion. The dance movements reflect the theme of courtship and love.

Truna meaning 'single' and jaya meaning 'to win' immediately gives an understanding of the dance. Ironically, the dancer are young women who take on the role of young men. The women wear a 'destar' normally worn by men and an unusual loin-cloth called a 'kancut'. The Trunajaya is normally danced by a single female but sometimes two, dancing together in synchronous movements and to the mesmorotic sounds of the 'Gong Kebyar', a fast, rhythmic beat which goes in harmony to the dance. The dance was created by Wayan Wandres, from Singaraja, Northern Bali.

Source:www.budgetbali.com

Kecak Dance

2007-06-16T16:48:00.001+07:00

Legong Dance

2007-06-16T16:30:00.000+07:00

Another Paradise!

2007-06-16T16:02:00.000+07:00

It's been over a month since I got to Ubud, Bali. A town about an hour ride inland from the beaches synonymous with Bali. Up here where the air is cool, the rice terraces are a brighter shade of green than you can imagine, the hippies congregate, the gurus heal, I find my self stuck. Drawn by accommodation unrivaled during the last seventeen months on the road. The story goes a bit like this...

So I board my flight in the Delhi Airport after the longest, most grueling security process I've encountered at any airport. People pushing and shoving, in typical Indian style, complete disregard for a line. So off to Kuala Lumpur for a pit stop before catching a plane to Denpessar, Bali. Small side note worth mentioning. India being a Hindu country beef vanishes from all menus, so with four months without even so mush as a taste off red meat my only mission to accomplish during my eight hour layover in KL... Eating a cheeseburger with sauteed onions and mushrooms at Chillis in KLCC. Don't say Uncle Sam wouldn't be proud. Remember, "Beef it's what's for dinner!" So having accomplished this one task, savoring each and every delectable bight of that half pound behemoth, grinning from ear to ear, I grabbed my bag from storage and headed to the low cost terminal at KL airport for my Air Asia flight. So back to the story... During my flight a twenty something Canadian guy and a French girl (Jasmine) sat down next to me. The Canadian guy turned out to be a real bore, even worked for GM and was happy about it, if you can believe that. But Jasmine turned out to be a traveler, so after chatting on the plane I grabbed hear Indonesian mobile number and mentioned I'd text her when Brian and I got to Ubud to grab a drink. Jasmine had already lived in Ubud for two months so she had some friends one being Putu, who looks after a house for an American guy who visits Bali annually. So when we all met up for drinks Jasmine made the introductions having already informed Putu that Brian and I are on a budget, he agreed to rent us the house for 100,000 rupiah a night (about twelve bucks!). I guess it's time to mention the house has two bedrooms (mine being on the top floor with an attached balcony with a view), two bathes, a sweet kitchen, open air living room with roll down rattan mats, terraced gardens with a gazebo, all set in the rice paddies, a fish pond with a Ganesha statue. Oh, did I mention there are two servants included (the help as I like to call them, Neoman and Wayan) who take care of the laundry, clean, cook and take care of anything else we needed. Not that Brian or I demanded much, but it was nice to have Neoman say Salamat Pagi (Good Morning) followed by "Coffee?" every single day. So the above is the reason three weeks ago I changed my plans, split back up with Brian and just stayed in Ubud while he headed to the Gili Islands and then to Malaysia to meet up with his Bro. Miss you buddy!!!

It was great to see Brian after not traveling together for over six months but I just couldn't bring my self, firstly to leave these pimp digs and secondly leave Indonesia after only one month. Since I'm not really in the mood to write a long winded tale about the last five weeks I'll mention the highlights of my time here in Bali. Spent the first five days sitting by a pool in Kuta, drinking beers on the beach while the sunset in the background. Went to Jimbaran Bay for two seafood feasts, got to see NOFX the punk rock band from California at the Hard Rock Cafe, have taken numerous road trips on my motor scooter, one to Lake Batur, another to Lake Bratan, the Botanical Gardens and some Hindu Temples. Headed to Seminyak for a night out on the town that ended sometime around sunrise. We had two BBQ's at the house. At the first one Wayan made Balinese Chicken Sate, Neoman added assorted vegetables along with sambal (spicy garlic, onion, chilli relish) plus we ordered two smoked chickens for the feast. During the second BBQ, Putu took charge and smoked/BBQ'd fresh tuna delivered fresh from East Bali and we ate off banana leaves spread on the floor with our hands in pure Balinese style. I've filled my time with numerous balinese massages (less than eight bucks for two hours). And taken some other impromptu rides on my motor bike down random roads just to enjoy the scenery and get the adrenaline pumping.

What's left to tell. After Brian left I was sitting at Dewa Warung, local food spot eating some lunch when I overheard two girls chatting with American accents and I jumped right into the conversation. From that random meeting I ended up spending the majority of my time during the next week with my new friend Tara, from Cali/Texas. We had so much fun chilling, drinking Jim Beam, watching sunsets in the rice paddies Bintang's in hand, going for rides in her jeep down to Kuta (thank-god she drove, because driving a motor bike here is one thing but I am not about to get behind the wheel of a car). I even let her give me two Tarot card readings, can you imagine me having a Tarot card reading? Well, I have to say the cards I pulled meshed exactly with my life at the moment so much that they made me a believer, on some level. Not that Tara told me my future or anything crazy like that. It was more a form of spiritual/mental therapy, if that makes any sense? Anyway, there are some people you meet along the road you know you'll never cross paths with ever again and others you know one day you'll see again, I'm sure you can figure out which one I put Tara in.

So since getting back from Singapore I've started to get a bit bored with Ubud. Not much going on here lately, so with a new two month social visa that's extendable up to six months I'm off tomorrow to Manado, Northern Sulawesi. With my final destination being Paulu Bunaken a small island an hour from shore known for it's diving. Then hopefully the Togian Islands in Central Sulawesi. Looks like the hammock's gonna get some use. Not that this will be my last visit to Ubud, I plan to come back here for at least a week before I end my travels and finally head back to the good old USA. Later from PARADISE!!!

Source: Alan Zapolsky

MY FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH-- AFTER HOME: BALI

2007-05-14T21:23:00.000+07:00

Because I've traveled so much and to so many places people are always asking me which was my favorite. For many years I would always say that it was a three-way tie between Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. These were all places I went between 1969 and 1971, places that blew my young mind. I went back to Sri Lanka in 1996-97 and I've been back to Nepal twice as well. Nepal holds up pretty well-- and I'll be writing about my trips there-- but Sri Lanka... well, long civil wars usually screw places up pretty badly. Afghanistan is still exquisite and pristine in my mind. But since those days I've been to many places and eventually Thailand supplanted my Big 3.

Last year, however, I discovered a place I had never been to but instantly fell in love with: Bali. I'm not a beach kind of guy; I always prefer a shark-free/non-sewage dumping swimming pool to the ocean-- and Bali is a small island famous for beach life. And drunken Australians, another thing of no interest to me. I'm more interested in native culture than sunburn and tourists; always have been. In researching Bali, I soon figured out that as long as you stay away from one little tiny area on the Southeast coast, specifically developed as a tourist ghetto so as not to pollute the island's incredible indigenous culture, you can still be in paradise. (Al Qaeda apparently figured this out too and the bombs you've heard about were all in the tourist ghetto area.)

So I decided to rent a villa in the interior, away from the crowded beach area-- but where? And how? Short answer: a Google search of "Bali + villa" soon brought me to Bali Villas, a great local company that rents out villas to visitors, most of which are owned by wealthy foreigners who only use them a month or two per year. (About 20% of tourists who came to Bali in the last couple of years rented a villa!) The one I rented has 4 bedrooms, lots of common space, a really beautiful swimming pool, 4 incredible people who live in an attached house and do all the work around the place-- including a mind-blowing chef. (She was able to adapt all the traditional Balinese and Indonesian recipes to my dietary restrictions of no sugar and no flour-- and, aside from fish, I'm a vegan; every single meal was MAGNIFICENT.) Also included was a van with a driver, Anwar, who was always there for whatever crazy requests the 4 of us made. I mean, some people love the beach and some love Hindu temples in remote mountains (me) and Anwar worked it all out, always.

Most of the great villas are on or near the beach. Most tourists go to Bali for the beaches. But there are places in the mountains and up near Ubud, the kind of cultural center of the island. Ours overlooked the mighty Ayung River (the photo above was taken from my bedroom terrace) and we never saw another foreigner anywhere nearby for the 3 weeks we were there. We never did find the "village" on a map and it had an impossible, unpronounceable name. It's between Denpasar and Ubud. That link gives all the details, amenities, prices, etc. I'll get into the reasons why I think Bali is the best overall place I ever visited in the next couple of blogs.

Source : Howie Klein

Bali High

2007-05-13T09:49:00.000+07:00

THE Balinese love to carve. They carve on stone, wood, clay, coral, practically anything they could lay their mallet and chisel on. And it’s not a tourism-driven endeavor either. It’s an expression of religious devotion. Hinduism and Buddhism have always been big on carving, and the two faiths have deep roots in Bali.

I found this out when I visited the fabled Indonesian island in November. Everywhere I turned there were altars, shrines and small temples whose gates, doors, windows, walls came alive with carvings. This obsession is carried over to the statues, masks and idols that teem in Bali.

Too bad I never really had the time to fully explore the island. I flew to Bali as a part-time tourist and full-time conference participant. I manage to squeeze in some shopping and sightseeing only on the afternoon after the conference ended.

Source : The Manila Times

Garuda Wisnu Park Completed by October 2008?

2007-05-13T00:34:00.000+07:00

According to the Indonesian-language Bisnis Indonesia, President Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono has expressed the wish that the 250-hectare cultural park and monument Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) complex on Bali's Ungasan peninsula can be finally complete by October 2008, in time for the World Cultural Festival planned in Bali.
With a completion cost variously estimated at between US$70 and US$270 million, the centerpiece of the park will be a monument standing 146 meters high and some 286 meters above sea level. With a foundation structure the equivalent of a 16 storey building, the total statue is estimated to eventually weigh 2,000 tons when completed and will resemble the image of the Hindu epic hero Lord Wisnu sitting stop the back of the mythical Garuda bird. The wing span of the Garuda bird will be an impressive 60 meters.

The 250-hectare project will include the monument plaza, an international trade and promotion center, landscaped gardens, a festival and water park, a 5,000 person capacity convention center, a resort complex, and a residential complex.

Source:Tourism Indonesia

Bali memorial monument

2007-05-13T00:11:00.000+07:00

A memorial to the victims of the Bali bombing was unveiled at Legian Street in Kuta to remember the 202 killed in the October 2002 bombings, including 88 Australians.

The structure is rising from dusty rubble on a 140-sq-m (1,500-sq-ft) plot across the street from the Sari Club, one of two nightclubs on the beach strip where Muslim militants set off bombs that dealt a huge blow to this mostly Hindu island's tourist-driven economy. It was the world's worst act of terror since the attacks on America in 2001.

The memorial depicts the three stages of Balinese life-cycle beliefs about the past, present and future.

The first stage - a reflection on memories of the past - it includes an altar, an elaborate granite and limestone wall engraved with the names of the blast victims and 22 poles for flags representing the victims' nationalities.

The next phase a white limestone structure symbolising the present, and forces of procreation.

A water fountain symbolizing the future is the third.

Bali Adventure at Campuhan

2007-05-12T23:48:00.000+07:00

At the dawn of Bali's Hindu history a traveling holy man from India found a place in central Bali where 'two rivers meet', Campuhan, in Balinese. He vowed to build a temple above the cliff overlooking the rivers. The temple is still today a place of ceremonies and quiet contemplation.

In the 1940s the princely family of Ubud opened the area to foreign painters which influenced a lively art culture in the surrounding villages which today is as vivid as ever. Their output is displayed and sold in the bustling streets of Ubud, ten minutes walk up the road. For me the area of Campuhan, so near the rich diversion of great restaurants and shops of Ubud, is a quiet heaven to escape to. Much of the tropical profusion on the two sides of the rivers has been preserved with an imaginative fusion of the old and well blended new... Read More

The Grand Bali Beach Golf Course

2007-05-12T22:01:00.000+07:00

The Grand Bali Beach Golf Course is an extreme challenge for accuracy and patience as many trees planted in the course area. Gear up and be patience.

The course is located in front of the Grand Bali Beach Hotel which is located on Sanur Beach. You can play golf in beautiful pitch spoteed by shady pines and blazing hibiscus surrounding the hotel.

Situated in the central of Sanur, this 9 holes golf course is operated by the Gand Bali Beach Hotel.

It's about 5 kms from Denpasar city or 15 kms from the Ngurah Rai International Airport. This court is an ideal one for those who has no little bit time to play golf among their busy in Bali.

Open to both hotel guests and visitors, The Grand Bali Beach Hotel has a challenging 9-hole golf course with many trees. The clubhouse has a restaurant and bar. Equipment and caddy services are available. The Grand Bali Beach hotel guests receive a 50% discount on green fees. Those not ready for the course can practice at a driving range in nearby Renon.

:: The clubhouse has a restaurant and bar.
:: Equipment and caddy services are available.
:: The Grand Bali Beach hotel guests receive a 50% discount on green
:: Those not ready for the course can practice at a driving range in nearby Renon.

Address:

THE GRAND BALI BEACH GOLF CLUB
Po. Box 3275 Sanur Denpasar 80032 Bali - Indonesia

BALI GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

2007-05-12T21:56:00.000+07:00

Bali Golf and Country Club, voted "One of Asia's 5 Best Golf Courses" (Fortune Magazine - USA) will offer visitors to Bali a truly unique golfing experience due to the fantastic setting of the course. Golfers will experience three distinct playing environments throughout the 18-hole course.

Holes 1 through 9 play inland and uphill through dense tropical vegetation and provide the player with magnificent views of Nusa Dua below, the Indian Ocean, and on a clear day a view of distant mountains.

The setting of holes 1 through 9 features creeks, canyons, and native vegetation filled with tropical birds. The golf course architect team of Robin Nelson and Rodney Wright incorporated small hand-built stone walls to terrace the sides of fairways and tees in order to emulate the rice fields terraces of the Bali countryside.

The setting for holes 10 through 16 present the golfer with lush gently sculptured fairways through a mature coconut grove. The coconut palms, some as tall as 100 feet, provide vertical definition to the golf course.

n the third distinct setting of holes 17 and 18 the golfer experiences a beautiful seaside setting. The 17th hole plays out to the beautiful blue Indian Ocean and usually into a cool ocean breeze. The 18th hole plays from the beach back to the clubhouse along side a 16-acre lake. n all, the varied natural setting of Bali Golf and Country Club provides Bali guests with a truly unique and memorable golfing experience.

BALI HANDARA KOSAIDO COUNTRY CLUB

2007-05-12T21:52:00.000+07:00

The Absolutely Green in the lush high heartland of Bali at an alitude of 1.142 meters above the sea level which surrounded by rolling mountain, crater lakes and ancient forest, the course design is meant to blend the fairways and create a dramatic backdrop for tea shots and approaches. The deep blue sky, the air fresh, clear and the temperature average between 14 - 20 celcius degrees. It is rights comfortable golfing destination in Bali.

It features tall trees and flowers of riotous colour separating the fairway of this 18 holes championship course. Designed by Peter Thompson, Michael Wolferidge & Associates, Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club will make you feel a part of the rich, sporty, and exotic nature.

Nirwana Bali Golf Club

2007-05-12T21:45:00.000+07:00

Nirwana Bali Golf Club is a visual masterpiece of dramatic ocean views and lush Balinese landscapes. Designed by Greg Norman, the golf course offers a spectacular challenge and a unique world-class experience for golfers of all skill levels.

Lying in the lush landscape of Bali's Southwest coast, Nirwana Bali Golf Club ly reflects the natural beauty, spiritllality and rich culture of Bali. A 30 minute scenic drive from Kuta the course is within easy distance of the famous temple ofTanah Lot, Ubud and the capital city of Bali Denpasar.

Designed by legendary golfer Greg Norman, Nirwana Bali's 18-hole golf course is one of the most photographed and challenging golf courses in the world.

With three holes running along the cliffs of the Indian ocean and terraced rice paddies providing unique hazards the course will test the accuracy and consistency of a PGA Professional and still be enjoyable for the average golfer. Set on the southwest coast of Bali 45 minute drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport, Nirwana Bali Golf Club is the centerpiece of the fully integrated Nirwana Bali Resort. Come and experience the ultimate that golf in Bali has to offer!

Address : NIRWANA BALI GOLF CLUB
PO. Box 158, Kediri Tanah Lot 82171
Bali - Indonesia

Bali Public Phone Information

2007-05-12T00:11:00.000+07:00

Here are important public phone information you can used when in Bali.

International phone operators: 101. International Direct Dialing prefix: 001, 007, or 008.

Directory inquires

108 (if using a cell phone locally dial 0361-108)

Tourist information centre:

Telephone: 166.
Jalan Raya Kuta No. 2 Kuta, Tel.: (62)(361) 766 188.
Bali Tourism Board: Jl. Raya Puputan No. 41, Denpasar 80235, Tel.: (62)(361) 235 600. Fax.: (62)(361) 239 200. Website: Bali Tourism Board.
Legian: Tel.: (62)(361) 755424.
Ubud: Tel.: (62)(361) 973285.

Immigration office:

Niti Mandala, Renon, Denpasar. Tel.: (62)(361) 227828.
I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport. Tel.: (62)(361) 751038.

Emergency

Ambulance: 118.
Police: 110.
Search & Rescue team: 115 ow 151. Tel.: (62)(361) 751111.
Bali Police HQ: Jl WR Supratman, Denpasar. Tel.: (62)(361) 227711 .
Badung Police HQ: Jl. Gunung Sanghyang, Denpasar Tel.: (62)(361) 424245.
Police stations:
- Denpasar: Jl. Ahmad Yani, Tel.: (62)(361) 225456.
- Sanur: Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai. Tel.: (62)(361) 288597.
- Kuta: Jl. Raya Tuban. Tel.: (62)(361) 751598.
- Nusa Dua: Jl. By Pass Nusa Dua, Tel.: (62)(361) 772110.

Hospitals with 24 hours emergency room (ER):

RS Umum Sanglah. Jl. Kesehatan No. 1, Denpasar. Tel.: (62)(361) 243307 (62)(361) 227911, (62)(361) 225483, (62)(361) 265064.
RS Umum Badung. Jl Raya Kapal Mengwi, Denpasar 80351. Tel.: (62)(361) 7421880.
RS Umum Dharma Usadha. Jl Jend Sudirman 50, Denpasar. Tel.: (62)(361) 227560, (62)(361) 233786, (62)(361) 233787.
RS Umum Manuaba. Jl HOS Cokroaminoto 28. Tel.: (62)(361) 426393, (62)(361) 226393.
RS Umum Surya Husadha. Jl Pulau Serangan 1-3, Denpasar. Tel.: (62)(361) 233787.
RS Umum Wangaya. Jl. RA Kartini 133, Denpasar. Tel.: (62)(361) 222141.

Medical Clinics:

Bali Medical Center, Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai 100 X. Tel.: (62)(361) 761263.
Manuaba. Jl. Raya Kuta Nusa Indah Plaza Bl IX. Tel.: (62)(361) 754748.
Nusa Dua Medical. Hotel Nusa Dua Beach. Tel.: (62)(361) 772118.
Surya Husadha. Jl D Buyan 47, Sanur, Denpasar 80228. Tel.: (62)(361) 285236. Jl. Kartika Plaza 9-X. Tel.: (62)(361) 752947.
SOS, Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai 505. Tel.: (62)(361) 710505.

My Paradise

2007-05-11T07:41:00.001+07:00

Song from Steven & Coconut Treez Indonesia

Remember with this song when in Bali? Let's sing and dance!!!

Come and take a look out through my eyes
And you decide
Why people act this way
People Theiving,fighting,telling lies
They’re criticize and hate each other
Natures colours all have changes some how
The seas are brown…the skies are thick and grey
All of these things make me fell so down
And think about finding my own place

*Bridge
a place where we can dance n drink
a place where we can share some weed
a place where there’s no bull shit
and everybody can come

**Reff
Welcome to my paradise
Where the sky so blue
Where the sunshine so bright
Welcome to my paradise
Where you can be free
Where the party never ending

Beautiful PhotoBlog

2007-05-10T17:02:00.000+07:00

A beautiful Bali photoblog from MerelyScene you can find using link below:
1. Sanur: A Sunrise of Late Monsoon Rain Session
2. Kuta Beach Reflection
3. A Dawn to Sunrise at Batur Lake
4. Wayang Wong Performance at Mas Village Ubud
5. A Morning at Pupuan - Bali
6. Weekend Shots: Makepung and Fishermen's Net
7. Wild Life in Bali
8. Bali Volcanoes
9. A Visit to Perang Pandan Festival
10. Ogoh-ogoh Parade at Nyepi Pangrupukan Day
11. The Sunset Kecak Performance at Uluwatu Temple
12. The Mount and The Lake of Batur
13. The Baliaga Village of Tenganan
14. Bali Mangrove Forest
15. Tripple Dances of Kecak, Sanghyang Dedari and Sanghyang Jaran --- an Ubud Showcase.
16. A Ritus Legong Dance Performance
17. Bali Art Festival 2004 Visit
18. Snorkeling trip to Lovina beach Bali.
19. Weekend Diving at Tulamben, Bali.
20. Ubud a Photo Hunting Trip.
21. WWF Reef Check at Padang Bai - Bali

Hindu ceremonies - a feast for the senses!

2007-05-09T21:14:00.000+07:00

Having watched the Melasti and Nyepi Processions here in Bali over the last couple of days; it leaves me still in awe with its colours and sounds. Thousands of people processing from temples to the beaches on the ‘Island of the Gods’.

Bali as the only Hindu oasis in a sea of 17.000 Muslim islands in Indonesia is very serious about its ceremonies... Read More

Source : Chris

My ‘Ogoh Ogoh’ Monster Collection

2007-05-09T19:31:00.000+07:00

Ogoh Ogoh monsters are colourful monster sculptures, which are made from bamboo frames and paper mache.

They are made in the form of creatures of the underworld known in Balinese as buta-kala. The creatures are based on characters taken from traditional myths and legends, however in modern times many also take the form of modern characters, including even people in the media or in the government.

Before the Hindu new year, Nyepi, is celebrated in the spring by a day of silence - you can find Ogoh Ogoh *everywhere* in Bali .... Read more

By : Chris

Hiking to Mt. Batur, Bali, Indonesia

2007-05-09T09:07:00.000+07:00

February, 2007. Its the rain season in Indonesia. I'm on a three day business trip to Nusa Dua, but I'm arriving a day early due to flight shedules and to give myself time to adjust to the timezone. When I arrive, its midnight, and I have spent the last 26 hours in an airplane. Time to rest? No, its time to unpack the luggage and pack the backpack, since the local mountain guide is coming to pick me up at 3 AM. Time to climb an active volcano, Mt. Batur in the northern part of Bali.

Arriving in Indonesia, by the way, was a bit unnerving due to signs like the one below. Hope no one is slipping anything in my pockets... Read More

Pagerwesi Day

2007-05-07T18:46:00.000+07:00

The Balinese celebrate the Pagerwesi ceremony every six months according to the Balinese calendar. The celebration is usually falls 3 days after the Saraswati day.

Pagerwesi commemorates the day upon which an ancient battle between good and evil was fought. The word Pagerwesi means “iron fence” and reflects the purpose of this important event: it is the day to strengthen one's fortifications against evil. The correlation between Pagerwesi and the Saraswati is that knowledge is so powerful that it must be protected from the bad influences. Pagerwesi Day reminds people to be wise and more aware of the function and power of knowledge.

During Pagerwesi, people make special offerings for the dead who have not yet been cremated. Observances are usually held at every house compound and at temples.

Saraswati Day - a day to honor the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom

2007-05-07T18:41:00.000+07:00

Balinese Hindu believes that knowledge is an essential medium to achieve the goal of life as a human being. Saraswati Day is celebrated to honor God as source of the knowledge. God, in this particular celebration, is manifested as Saraswati Dewi, Goddess Saraswati. She is depicted as a beautiful lady with four hands holding a musical instrument, meditation bead chain, as well as palm leaf manuscript. Many times the Saraswati is depicted to be standing on the swan. The beautiful lady is a symbol that the knowledge is attractive by many people. The musical instrument symbolized the knowledge is entertaining, the more you are into it the more beautiful and interesting it can be. The manuscript (or book) is where the knowledge is kept. The chain is a symbol that knowledge is never finish to learn, there is no beginning and ending.

Similar to other religious rites in Bali, Saraswati day also has various religious steps before and after the actual day. Six days before Saraswati is Pemelastali , a day to free our selves from worldly desire. Four days and the following days before Saraswati are called Paid Paidan, Urip and Patetegan which mean days to control desire, constantly do introspection by holding the purity of the knowledge. On day before Saraswati is called Pengeredanaan, a day to prepare Saraswati Day both spiritually and physically. Book are collected, cleaned and placed in properly places. Special offerings are made to be used for the following celebration.

Saraswati Day is celebrated every 210-days on Saniscara Umanis Wuku Watugunung based on Balinese Pawukon (cycles) calender. On the actual day of Saraswati , offering are placed on the books and shrines. Worships are held at the temples in family compound, villages, businesses and others from morning to noon. Prime worships are held in school's temples attended by its student and teachers. In the afternoon and evening is a good time to held religious discussion.

The following day of Saraswati is called Banyupinaruh, a day to have spiritual and physical cleansing. Normally Balinese will go to nearby beaches or water spring or river to have the special bathing. Worship will also be held in the village temples or other respective temples afterward.

Bali Art Festival

2007-05-07T13:52:00.000+07:00

The Bali Arts Festival is a full month of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which literally the whole of Bali comes to the city to present its offerings of dance, music and beauty. On display are trances from remote mountain slopes, forgotten or recently revived village dances, food and offering contests, classical palace dances, stars of Balinese stage, odd musical performances, "kreasi baru" (new creations) from the dance schools of Denpasar, as well as contemporary choreography and dance companies from other islands and from abroad.

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Ngaben / Cremation Ceremony

2007-05-07T11:37:00.000+07:00

Ngaben or the Cremation Ceremony is the ritual performed to send the dead through the transition to his next life. The village Kul Kul, hanging in the tower of the village temple, will sound a certain beat to announce the departure of the deceased. The body of the deceased will be placed at Bale Delod, as if he were sleeping, and the family will continue to treat him as if he were still alive yet sleeping. No tears are shed, for he is only gone temporarily and he will reincarnate into the family.

The Priest consults the Dewasa to determine the proper day for the ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, the body of the deceased is placed inside a coffin which is then placed inside a sarcophagus in the form of a buffalo (called Lembu) or a temple structure called Wadah made of paper and light wood. The Wadah will be carried to the village cremation site in a procession.

The climax of Ngaben is the burning of the Wadah, using fire originating from a holy source. The deceased is sent to his afterlife, to be reincarnated in the future.

Indonesian Independence Day

2007-05-07T11:35:00.001+07:00

August 17th is celebrated as the day when the Republic of Indonesia achieved independence from the Dutch.

The rice harvest

2007-05-07T11:34:00.001+07:00

Dedicated to the rice god, Dewi Sri, the times of rice harvesting are boon times in the villages. This is when the villages are decorated with flags, and fresh paint, and an atmosphere of happiness pervades. Small straw rice god dolls are placed around fields and villages as a tribute.

Makepung bull races

2007-05-07T11:33:00.000+07:00

Held between July and October at Negara - located about 95 kms from Denpasar city, the races are conducted between highly decorated and pampered beasts, hitched in pairs to makeshift chariots ridden by jockeys who use a combination of riding skills and tail-twisting to induce maximum performance from their powerful bulls.

Eka Dasa Rudra

2007-05-07T11:30:00.000+07:00

Eka Dasa Rudra ritual is also called Windu Turas, in which every Tilem Sasih Kesanga (black moon around March) is performed Tawur Agung (exorcism) ceremony and continued with Nyepi (Caka New Year that falls around March). The Tawur Agung is conducted yearly, Tawur Manca Walikrama once in ten years and Tawur Eka Dasa Rudra once in one hundred years.
The compulsory rituals are performed every year; ten years and one hundred years are called “tawur”. The word “tawur” means returning. These rituals are categorized into Bhuta Yajna, one of five yajnas (Panca Yajnas) namely Deva Yajna (holy sacrifices to deities), Pitr Yajna (manes), Manusa Yajna (fellow human), Rsi Yajna (priest/sages) and Bhuta Yajna (lower creatures than human beings).

The preparations occurred in 1963 upon the request of President Sukarno, and shortly after, a massive volcanic eruption of Gunung Agung killed almost two thousand people. This highly religious and important ceremony was held again in the early months of 1979. Traditionally, the ceremony of Eka Dasa Rudra occurs every hundred years. There must be a balance in the world between the forces of good and evil, and when the balance favours the latter, the ceremony msut be performed.

When the ceremony of Eka Dasa Rudra occurs – its preparation and the entire ceremony – it is with the involvement of the entire population of Bali. Basically, the eleven demons [of which Rudra is the most powerful] must be transformed in order that they become less threatening to the world balance. This is why then the ceremonies duration is 11 weeks with the number of ceremonies totalling thirty in all.

The beginning of the Eka Dasa Rudra is spectacular. This involves the symbolic washing of the Gods images in the sea. The whole procession takes three days and in this time the images are carried to the sea. But it is the sacrificing of a buffalo [whose horns are covered in gold casings and adorned with other valuables] to the sea demons that to most westerners would seem cruel, but to the Balinese its not. A large heavy stone is tied around the neck of the buffalo as it is forced into the swirling ocean. There are various chants and prayers by pemangku and pedanda, and there are dance rituals performed. The main one being the war dance, ‘baris’.

With the conclusion of the initial sacrifice and accompanying rituals, virtually everybody in Bali [or most of them] travel to the mother temple at Besakih. Every path and road leading from all the villages in Bali are filled with lines of worshippers carrying offerings up to the main temple at Besakih. When all are gathered, then the climax of Eka Dasa Rudra begins – the ‘Taur’ sacrifices. These sacrifices involve the pedanda directing their prayers in all 11 directions of what is called ‘Balinese space’, according to ancient rituals written on lontar-palm scripts. Whilst these prayers are being directed, two dozen or so priests sacrifice many animals and birds in an effort to appease the demonic manifestation of Bali’s supreme-being, Rudra.

Odalan

2007-05-07T11:28:00.000+07:00

Signifies the anniversary of a temple's founding. Some festivals last a couple of days, while others can last for up to a week. The festivities require the temple to be beautifully decorated with flowers, palm leaves, flags and bamboo towers, and noisy parades, food offerings and prayers add religious ferver to the festive atmosphere. There will generally be dancing, food stalls and other events such as cock-fighting to complete the occasion.

Nyepi

2007-05-07T11:18:00.000+07:00

Signifying the beginning of a new lunar year, this festival usually falls during the spring equinox (late March, early April). On this day, all people (including tourists) must remain silent, and no-one may work, travel or partake in any indulgences. It is advised that visitors observe this local custom, and remain within their lodgings for the day.

Many tourists try to avoid visiting Bali at this time as most businesses close and you are confined to your hotel for Nyepi Day but take some time to understand the celebrations and perhaps you will leave Bali with something more than a cheap T-shirt. As a tourist, you are welcome to attend all the celebrations. On Nyepi Day itself, you will find that you are confined to your hotel from dawn until dawn the following day. Most hotels organise activities around the swimming pool to keep guests entertained and provide quiz nights etc in the evening. You are asked to keep lighting to a minimum and stay indoors after dark.

Tawur Kesanga and Caru are the sacrifice rituals held one day before Nyepi. There are different levels of sacrifice from chickens, ducks and goats to the biggest cow or bull. Many kinds of plants are also use as part of the offerings. Using those animal and plants, Balinese are encouraged to preserve the existence of other living creatures.

A large exorcism ceremony is held at the village cross roads, the meeting place of demons. Huge Ogoh-ogoh (the fantastic monsters or evil spirits) are carried through the streets and down to the water. The Ogoh-ogoh monsters symbolize the evil spirits around us which have to be destroyed. Some are giants taken from classical Balinese lore. All have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair and are illuminated by torches.

Carnivals are held all over Bali following sunset. Bleganjur, the Balinese gamelan music accompanies the procession. This procession called Tawur Kesanga is performed in every level of society. In the evening, Balinese celebrating Ngerupuk, when they start making noises and light burning torches and set fire to the Ogoh-ogoh in order to get the Bhuta Kala (evil spirits) out of their lives.

Melasti

2007-05-07T11:14:00.001+07:00

A purification festival held the day before Nyepi when brightly dressed villagers make their way to the sea or holy springs carrying umbrellas, offerings of flowers and fruit, and sacred statues. Water is used to wash the statues, and holy men sacrifice pigs, to be used as offerings to their gods. It is symbolic that all of these activities are carried out amid the din of gamelan and drums, and a great deal of shouting, as on the following day, Nyepi, all must be silent.

Galungan and Kuningan Festival

2007-05-07T10:33:00.000+07:00

Galungan is a Balinese holiday that occurs every 210 days and lasts for 10 days. Kuningan is the last day of the holiday. Galungan means "When the Dharma is winning." During this holiday the Balinese gods visit the Earth and leave on Kuningan.

Occurring once in every 210 days in the pawakon (Balinese cycle of days), Galungan marks the beginning of the most important recurring religious ceremony that is celebrated by all Balinese. During the Galungan period the deified ancestors of the family descend to their former homes. They must be suitably entertained and welcomed, and prayers and offerings must be made for them. Those families who have ancestors that have not yet been cremated, but are still buried in the village cemetery, must make offerings at the graves.

A day or two before the celebration, Balinese will start to make preparation of offering including penjor, the best part of the Galungan day is to prepare for original Balinese salad called Lawar, Lawar is differ by location, in Negare, Lawar made from young coconut, very delicious.　In the celebration day, it’s the time for all the villager to visit the Puseh Temple where located in every village in Bali. Actually there are three temple where every man must visit, the Merajan (house shrine), Pura Dalem, and Pura Puseh. The last visit was Jagatnatha in the centre of Town.

Long decorative bamboo poles, locally known as 'penjor' found when Balinese Hindus celebrate Galungan and Kuningan Day.

Most celebrations are held at the water temple of Tampaksiring, with other events at Bangli and Ubud.

Bali Calendar of Events 2007-2008

2007-05-07T09:55:00.000+07:00

Balinese calendars, with illustrations for each day indicating what activities that day is auspicious for, are popular souvenirs. Apart from the everyday Western calendar, the Balinese also use two local calendars, the saka and the wuku calendar. The wuku calendar is used to determine festival dates. The calendar uses 10 different weeks, each from one to 10 days and all running simultaneously.

The Galungan festival, Bali's major feast, is held throughout the island and is an annual event in the wuku year. During this ten day period all the gods, including the supreme deity Sanghyang Widi, come down to earth for the festivities. Barongs prance from temple to temple and village to village. The last and most important day of the ten day festival is called Kuningan.

Hindu saka calendar is a lunar cycle that more closely follows our own year in terms of the length of the year. Nyepi is a major festival of the saka year, it's the last day of the year, the day after the new moon on the ninth month The Nyepi celebrations start on the day of the Dead Moon, when "Tawur Agung Kesanga" (Great Sacrificial Ceremony) rituals' are held in welcoming the "Nyepi" holiday. The ritual will be followed by procession of "Ogoh-Ogoh" (huge monster dolls) symbolizing evil spirits along the village and city roads in the evening.

"Nyepi" Day is a Holiday and a day of absolute silence through out the island when no activity takes place, no traffic is seen anywhere, no fire is lit. It's the day of self-introspection for Hindhu followers - the evil spirits are tricked into thinking that the entire island is deserted and therefore go away. On this day you will not be permitted to leave your hotel - most hotels and resorts will operate with reduced staff and some services may be affected such as room service, limited restaurant hours. The airport is also officially closed.

Nyepi Day like certain major temples festivals are determined by the saka rather than the wuku calendar. This makes the actual date difficult to determine from our calendar since the lunar saka does not follow a fixed number of days like the wuku calendar. The full moons around the end of September to the beginning of October or from early to mid-April are often the times for important
temple festivals.

Galungan 2007 27th June & 2008 23rd january

This is the most important holiday symbolizing the victory of Virtue (Dharma) upon Evil (Adharma). The holiday is specialized by the fitting of 'penjor', a tall bamboo pole splendidly decorated with woven young coconut leaves, fruit, cakes and flowers, on the right side of every house entrance. People are attired in their finest clothes and jewels this day.

Kuningan 2007 7th July & 2008 2nd February

This holiday takes place ten days after Galungan, bringing the holiday period to a closing time. On this day, a special ritual ceremony is held for the Ancestral spirits.

Nyepi 2007 19th March (2008 2nd Still be Confirmed)

This holiday is the Balinese New Year called icaka New Year, the day of total silence throughout the island. No activity, no traffic at all on the roads, no fire may be lit for 24 hours. Great purification and sacrificial rites are held the day before so as to exorcize evil spirits from every corner of the island.

Saraswati 2007 14th April & 2007 10th November

This day is devoted to God's Manifestation as Dewi Saraswati, the beautiful Goddess of Knowledge, Art and Literature. On this day, books of knowledge, manuscripts and the Wedas are blessed and special offerings are made for them.

Pagerwesi 2007 18th April & 2007 14th November

The name literally means 'iron fence', on which day ceremonies and prayers are held for strong mental and spiritual defense in welcoming the Galungan holiday.

Source : Bali paradise

Bali Kite Festival

2007-05-07T07:48:00.000+07:00

The Bali Kite Festival is an annual international kite festival. Traditional giant kites (4 meters in width and almost 10 meters in length) are made and flown competitively by teams from the villages (banjar) of Denpasar. The event is a seasonal religious festival intended to send a message to the Hindu Gods to create abundant crops and harvests.

Bebean (fish-shaped), Janggan (bird-shaped) and Pecukan (leaf-shaped) are three traditional kites flown during this kite festival. The kites are flown by teams of 10 or more adult kitefliers. The Bebean is the largest kite, and looks like a broad-mouthed, split-tailed fish. The Janggan form has a broad flowing cloth tail that can reach more than 100 meters in length. The Pecukan requires the most skill to fly, as its unstable form often tumbles towards the ground. Red, white and black are traditional colours used in the kite's designs. Each type of traditional kite has its own competition, with heats of 10 teams vying for the best launch and longest flight. Sometimes the kites come down over the adjacent rice paddies, and the team members have to dash through the paddy to rescue the kite before it lands in the water.

A competition is also held for 'New Creation' kites which may include detailed three dimensional figures representing the Hindu Gods or sponsorship kites. Traditional and new creation kites are constructed from bamboo and cotton cloth.

Link to Bali kite festival held in 1996 and 2006

Bali? Where is it?

2007-05-07T07:29:00.000+07:00

Bali is an Indonesia Island located at 8°25′23″S, 115°14′55″ECoordinates: 8°25′23″S, 115°14′55″E, the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. The island is home to the vast majority of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music. Read more...