Archive for May, 2006
Japan Airline (JAL) have announced that commencing July 2006 they will resume their daily flight schedule between Japan and Indonesia.
Rapidly recovering visitors totals between the two countries has caused JAL executives to resume a number of flight operations to Indonesia curtailed following the October 1, 2005 bombing.
Beginning in July 2006, JAL will again operate a daily service between Narita (Tokyo) and Denpasar together with another daily service between Narita and Jakarta. Commencing on July 13, 2006, JAL will resume its daily flight schedule between Kansai (Osaka) and Denpasar.
Following the curtailment of JAL flight services in the aftermath of the October 2005 terrorist attack, the Airline reduced frequency of service by combining its Jakarta and Denpasar bound services into a single daily flight. Osaka flights were reduced from daily service to 3 flights per week.
May 31st, 2006
Published by [The Natural Guide] and Equinox Publishing the Natural Guide to Bali is a 448-page alternate guide to the world’s favorite holiday destination.
Steadfast in its dedication to promoting sustainable tourism through cultural understanding, the guide was written by an impressive list of contributors – each with a deep understanding and long-standing connection with Bali and its people.
It’s All About Sustainability
Seeking to help travelers comprehend the relationships between people, the land and culture - The Natural Guide to Bali encourages visitors to become voyagers; seekers of a deeper understanding of the destination who leave only footprints and photographs in their wake.
Encouraging positive and mutually rewarding contact between visitors and the local population The Natural Guide to Bali tells its readers the whys and wherefores of the Balinese people at work and play while suggesting the very best of Bali’s natural tourism. Covered in detail in the Guide are the ins and outs of diving, surfing, trekking, and bird watching on Bali. What’s more, here’s a guide to Bali that suggests the real way to enjoy your visit is by taking lessons in Balinese dance, gong playing, painting or cooking.
Practical and insightful, The Bali Natural Guide also includes 25 full-page maps proving 3-D views of the Island’s majestic mountain ranges. The guide also includes a unique eco-rating system – highlighting hotels, restaurants and tourism operators dedicated to sustainability.
All this, and outstanding photos make this one guide book on Bali sure to be found in the backpack of smart travelers bound for Bali.
May 31st, 2006
Scientists are worried about a sudden flurry of human bird flu cases in Indonesia, warning that a failure to control the situation may raise the chances of a virus mutation and lead to a pandemic.
When I saw my GP and asked him about the bird flu virus and what travellers could carry with them to assist or cope with an infection, he told me Tamiflu was the only medication available.
My GP then went on to tell me that you will know when you have the bird flu because it&339;s the same symptoms as the common flu. So, when I sneeze constantly&@44; run a temperature, my bones start aching and I feel like shit, then I am to surmise I have the bird flu. Huh, I’ve had the flu in Indonesia many times before but not the birdie type. Go figure.
May 31st, 2006
Today it was a wonderful sunny day in Seminyak. I was in the garden, laying out my down sleeping bag, and shaking off the cobwebs from my travelers money belt.
After wet season many items of clothing smell like fungus. My sleeping bag or shall I say ‘schlaffsack‘, hasn’t seen any action (or even me by myself ) since I moved here. Laying cushions, mattresses, blankets, tennis shoes in the sunshine kills off the fungus, and allows you to brush it off. My last full day in Bali will be tomorrow, so here’s how that day will look.
May 30th, 2006
Will Bali bounce back, that is the question many people ask. I have no doubt it will, for the very reasons it became popular in the first place.
Debra Chong, from the New Straits Times Online, visited Bail and here are her thoughts.
May 30th, 2006
As reported in April 2006 on balidiscovery.com [VOA Promised for Dutch Nationals], the Government has finally made good on its promise and began granting visas on arrival (VOA) to Dutch Nationals, effective May 23, 2006.
Dutch citizens now join the nationals of 35 other countries enjoying the privilege of purchasing a visa upon landing in Indonesia [See: Visa Guide for Bali and Indonesia].
Cost of a 30-day non-extendable visa is US$25 and a 7-day visa is US$10. Passports should have a minimum of 6 month’s remaining validity from the arrival date. Visa for longer stays must be arranged prior to arrival in Indonesia through application at an Indonesian Embassy.
www.balidiscovery.com
May 30th, 2006
The Canggu Club Bali (CCB) recently announced ten new beneficiaries of a Rp. 50,000,000 (approximately US$5,434) Sports Academy Scholarship Fund during a special appreciation dinner held at the Club on Friday, May 19, 2006.
The CCB Sports Academy Scholarship Fund sponsors talented children and other deserving children from the community allowing the recipients to attend the Clubs’ Sports Academy. In addition to 20 scholarships already awarded to Indonesian children earlier this year, a further ten were presented to Japanese, Italian, Dutch, German, Swiss, New Zealand British, American and Australian children, aged 10-13 years.
The Canggu Club Sports Academy
Established in 2005, The Canggu Club Sports Academy provides an educational platform for children to learn and excel in soccer, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, baseball, martial arts and other sports-orientated activities.
Tutored by qualified professionals and accredited coaches in various fields of sports expertise, the Sports Academy aims to develop a child’s sporting interest and potential to engage in the challenging environment of the modern world.
Currently, approximately 200 children are enrolled at the Academy in addition to the 30 that have been sponsored under the scholarship program.
The Scholarship
The scholarships will allow the ten new recipients the opportunity to attend 5 training sessions a week and other Academy programs over a 12 month period.
Sports Academy soccer coach Wolfgang Pikal explained that the Club is working to expand the scholarship program to both Indonesians and foreigners who show talent, a good attitude and commitment. “These kids are here because they display all of these characteristics, regardless of their nationality,” he said. “We are happy to be in a position to foster their natural talent and assist their sporting development.”
The Club has established a program for CC members to sponsor individual players at the Canggu Club All Stars Soccer Academy.The yearly sponsorships includes annual fees, registration and monthly training sessions up to 5 times a week under the tutelage of internationally qualified coaches, attendance at training camps, tournaments and clinics. Sponsored children receive an All Stars Sports Academy training uniforms, ‘Play Like a Champ’ DVDs, and soccer balls for home practice.
Show on balidiscovery.com, pictures of happy members of the All Stars Sports Academy.
Source : www.balidiscovery.com Â
May 30th, 2006
Taking advantage of the pristine tropical waters surrounding Bali considered perfect for nurturing and production of South Sea Pearls, Bali’s near neighbour of Nusa Lembongan is now home to a fully operational pearl farm.
A joint venture between Bali Hai Cruises and Atlas Pacific - acknowledged leaders in the field of pearl cultivation, the pearl farm will allow passengers on board Bali Hai’s popular day cruise the chance to see first-hand how valuable pearls are produced by nature, all done with a little help from man.
The pearl experience tour begins with a cruise along the coral reef aboard Bali Hai’s Semi Submersible Coral Viewer. Guests can observe the long line nets from which developing oysters are suspended beneath the ocean’s surface in a process that takes up to four years.
Pearl Cultivation
Two years into the growth process, the oysters are momentarily removed from the sea and “starved” overnight, encouraging the shell to open naturally. Seeding involves an intricate procedure in which a tiny bead or nucleus, made from donated pearl shell, is introduced into the oyster around which a pearl should eventually form.
Guests on the new pearl experience tour will have the opportunity to watch technicians performing this surgery at the Visitors Center, located within Bali Hai’s Private Beach Club. In the often secretive and well guarded world of pearl cultivation, this will be a rare opportunity for the public to observe the seeding procedure.
Once seeded, the oysters are returned to their nets for an additional two years during which they “grow” a pearl. Also at the Visitor’s Center a nine minute movie illustrating the life of a pearl producing oyster this process. And, yes, pearls are available for purchase with helpful staff ready to impart how size, color, shape, surface and luster of a pearl determine its commercial value.
Pearl Evening Cruise
As part of Bali Hai Cruises new emphasis on the pearl industry, the Company has also launched a Pearl Evening Cruise onboard their sailing catamaran Aristocat. Evening departures from Benoa Harbor an evening cruise of fine dining and musical entertainment will also include an opportunity to taste pearl meat.
Source : www.balidiscovery.com Â
May 29th, 2006
15 Foreign Art Groups to Perform in Bali Arts Festival June 17 - July 15, 2006.
The Indonesian national press agency ANTARA reports that a record-setting 15 foreign performing groups are expected in Bali to participate in the 28th Annual Bali Arts Festival to be held June 17- July 15, 2006.
Organizers of the event, which showcases musical and performing groups from Bali and the rest of Indonesia, said the 15 foreign performing groups are scheduled to perform throughout the month-long event.
While 15 groups from abroad have formally confirmed their participation, it is not unusual for last-minute entries from abroad to contact the organizers and request performance slots.
The growing interest by foreign performers has outstripped past participation by international artists and reflects the widening reputation of the Bali Arts Festival and the confidence felt by participating musicians and dancers in Bali’s overall security situation.
Among the foreign groups registered to participate in the 2006 festival are from the U.S.A., Japan, South Korea, Germany, Canada, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the U.K..
Source : www.balidiscovery.com
May 29th, 2006
Details Emerge on 3rd Annual Ubud Writers & Readers Festival September 28 – October 3, 2006 in Ubud.
Last year’s wildly successful Ubud Writers & Readers Festival played host to a number of celebrated writers including Michael Ondaatje, Amitav Ghosh, Xanana Gusmao, Kirsty Sword Gusmao, Putu Wijaya and Shaun Tan – each exploring from their perspective the theme “Between Worlds.” This year’s Festival has adopted the theme “Desa-Kala-Patra: Place-Time-Identity” inviting another exciting line-up of authors from all over the world.
In 2006, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival will spotlight brave, new writers who have dared to challenge and expose the ways of the world in which we live. Invited writers include Orhan Pamuk - one of Turkey’s most notable literary figures, who will discuss the responsibility of the writer in today’s world. Su Tong, of Raise the Red Lantern fame, will turn the light on China, the world’s most populated country, and discuss his inspiration and challenges in writing and film-making. Ziauddin Sadar will discuss the Islamic identity and the new fundamentalists. William Dalrymple will share his stories of researching the White Moghuls and the days of the Raj in India. Foreign correspondent, Eric Campbell, will give you an Absurdistan account of how he’s been stoned by the Taliban, wounded by a suicide bomber, and arrested and drugged in some of the most dysfunctional places on earth.
Bali’s Indian neighbors are expected to steal the show with a line up of young stars. Suketu Mehta will take participants on an unforgettable journey through the crowded streets of Bombay with his award-winning Maximum City. Kunal Basu will reveal the secrets of a bizarre racial experiment on a remote African island, from his latest book, The Racists. Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka fame will wrap listeners up in the Alchemy of Desire and Rana Dasgupta will spin a tale of Tokyo, travel and undisputed fate. From across the seas in Canada, Shauna Singh Baldwin will pick up the threads with her story of identity and displacement and Indian-Fijian, Shalini Akhil, will add pepper and spice to the narrative.
Award-winning Sri Lankan writers, Romesh Gunesekara, Nihal de Silva and Elmo Jayawardena will shed light on the days of civil war and the rebuilding of Sri Lanka. The Festival’s line-up of intrepid travel writers will bring participants to the departure lounge of adventure and share their stories of discovery and the importance of place. Poets from all over the world will startle, sing, beat-box, recite, shout and add inspiration to four unforgettable days of literary wonder.
According to organizers, the new faces of Indonesia will be celebrated alongside Indonesia’s most exciting thinkers and writers. This year’s hot topics will include the censorship and pornography reform laws of Indonesia and the concept of “Islamaphobia.”
And, as with past festivals, days of discussion will drift into nights of hilarious entertainment – all part of the Balinese hospitality for which the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is becoming world famous.
Source : www.balidiscovery.com
May 29th, 2006
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