Archive for September 19th, 2006
Name: Pantai Berawa
Where is it: Canggu, South Bali
Directions: From Kuta take Sunset Rd to Kerobokan, follow sign in direction of Canggu / Tanah Lot. Take left hand turn when you see Pantai Berawa sign, follow locals roads for 15 minutes to end. You can also keep going straight after taking the left at the Pantai Berawa sign. After 200 meters you’ll come to an archway. Go through and follow the road towards the beach, ask locals if you get lost. This rute takes you through the local village which is built up.
Distance from Kuta:
Approximately 30 minutes during hours outside of rush hour.
Arriving:
Parking along the street is available for cars and bikes.
Facilities:
The only facilities at Pantai Berawa is the Legong Keraton Beach Hotel, which has a lovely patio area with shades. 100 meters back on the road from the beach is a small shop / warung selling the basics. Keep going straight, and head through the town, rather than past the rice fields, and you’ll have a small selection of local shops.
Changing facilities:
No.
Surfboard rentals:
No.
Recliners / shades:
No.
Handicraft vendors:
Yes.
Lifeguards:
No.
Pay Phone:
No.
Why would you come to Pantai Berawa?
You would come to Pantai Berawa if you wanted a beach that was less busy than Kuta beach. Pantai Berawa is a local beach that attracts surfers on occasion. If you want to sunbathe, take a swim, go for a walk in peace, this is a good beach.
Dangers:
Pantai Berawa does not have lifeguards and is not heavily trafficked. Currents are stronger than on Kuta Beach. If you get into difficulties swimming, probably no one will notice.
Best time to go:
Anytime of day is good. Morning around 6.30am will be good if you don’t like strong sun, the wind is less in the morning too.
Review:
Pantai Berawa is a local beach that is reasonably close to Kuta. Sand is a light brown, fairly clean. There is low scrub and trees at the back of the beach, but not the swaying palms some people associate with paradise. Pantai Berawa, and the whole Canggu beach area is windy and part of the attraction is watching the waves crash in. Sipping an iced tea at Legong Keraton is very pleasant and relaxing. Souvenir vendors hang around the entrance to the beach, but on
the beach its pretty deserted.
Legong Keraton - The Bistro:
Nice location, comfortable seating under shades.
Menu:
Breakfast - includes American breakfast (42,000rp)
Lunch & Dinner - includes Appetizers, Soup, Salads, Sandwiches,
Burgers & Jaffles. Club Sandwich & French Fries (28,000rp).
Entree:
Oriental dishes - including Chicken garlic rice set (27,000rp)
International dishes - including Black pepper steak with potatoes and salad (38,000rp)
Indonesian dishes - including Sate rice set (38,000rp)
Desserts - including Fresh fruit platter (13,000rp)
A small Bintang is 14,000rp. A Coke is 9,000rp.
All prices subject to 21% tax and service.
Here’s the coordinates if anyone has a GPS.
08 40.048 S
115 08.380E
source : www.baliblog.com
September 19th, 2006
Former Bali police chief Made Pastika, now the National Narcotics Agency chief, says that drugs are flowing through indonesia’s prisons, creating an atmosphere where drug dealing prevails.
Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
National drug agency chief says prisons awash in narcotics.
The Jakarta Post, JakartaPrisons across the country have been infiltrated by drug syndicates that are preying on inmates, the head of a narcotics body said Monday.
National Narcotics Agency chief I Made Mangku Pastika said the country’s prisons were so poorly managed that the facilities were awash in illegal drugs.
“Prisons are the last places that law enforcers would look for drug deals, and as a result the use of drugs and other illegal substances is prevalent in these facilities,” Pastika told a hearing with House of Representatives Commission III for legal affairs and domestic security.
Giving an example, he said drugs circulated freely in Kerobokan penitentiary in Denpasar, Bali, where many inmates had fallen into the trap of addiction.
“Almost every inmate there displayed symptoms of withdrawal after we transferred an inmate who was a major dealer, thereby cutting off the supply,” said Pastika, a three-star general and former Bali provincial police chief.
He said the inmate in question who supplied drugs at Kerobokan was transferred to the maximum security prison on the island of Nusakambangan, off the coast of Cilacap, Central Java.
Pastika’s comments will come as no surprise to many, given the common perception that the prison system has become infested with drugs, thanks in part to the willing cooperation of some guards eager to make a quick profit.
Numerous guards have been arrested and prosecuted for their involvement in the smuggling and sale of drugs inside prisons.
During the hearing Monday, lawmakers questioned Pastika about the National Narcotics Agency’s campaign to break up drug networks operating in the country. They also raised concerns that illegal drugs were becoming more common in the country, as the networks extended their reach.
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Trimedya Pandjaitan criticized the agency for not launching enough raids to arrest drug dealers and users in red-light districts.
Responding to the criticism, Pastika said the National Police had made drugs one of its top priorities, so arrest numbers were sometimes higher than might otherwise be expected.
“We see a large number of people arrested for pushing drugs. While an achievement, this can also give the impression that the drug rings are bigger than ever,” he said.
Well I never. So its not just Schapelle and the Bali Nine who are rocking the jailhouse.
Source : www.baliblog.com
September 19th, 2006
Jimbaran Bay real estate is creeping onto the world radar. To be honest its there already, with the Intercontinental hotel and the Four Seasons. Location is the key once more, and for people who are looking for access to the shopping and nighlife of Kuta / Seminyak, the airport, the Bukit and live on a sweeping white sand bay, Jimbaran is it.
I can see the time in 20 years time when someone says ‘He’s got a villa in Jimbaran Bay,’ (not me, someone else), and people nod, enough said. Back in 2004 I was looking for a new place to live and a friend suggested Jimbaran. Why the heck would I want to live next to a highway, a stinky fish market, and apart from all the action, I thought. Smart property investors are all over Jimbaran, and they probably won’t be dissapointed.
At times I don’t know what to make of this Bali place for property. You’ve got all these tasty looking locations, guys building delux villas, people telling you every other day they are making a packet etc. The other day an expat said to me he’s buying in Thailand, where the laws allow a proper freehold, not this screwy nonsense they have in Bali. I say its your money and its your call.
source : www.baliblog.com
September 19th, 2006