Protests over Indonesian 'anti-porn' law

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

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

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

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.

 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

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

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

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

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

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