Archive for October 10th, 2006
The
Bali Barat National Park (
Taman Nasional Bali Barat) has a few short hikes. In order to
hike in the
National Park, you must
obtain a permit from the
National Park HQ at Cekik, or the
National Park office at Labuan Lalang. The price of the permit used to be 2,500rp a couple of years ago and may have risen, although its likely to be no more than a couple of dollars. You must
hire a guide, rates are around
120,000rp for a 2 hour hike.
For me this takes away part of my interest in visiting a National Park, but that’s how they do it here. One of the hike is the Tegal Bunder Trail. This hike like many others in Bali, is most pleasant in the morning and take 1-2 hours. A Bali Starling Pre-Release Center is set up in the middle of thick forest. Access is via the village of Sumber Klampok followed by a 2 km walk.
Driving up from Cekik you will see local vegetation, including Sonokeling (Rosewood trees), Panggal Buaya (Crocodile trees). These type of trees are part of the Dry Monsoon Forest, that cover a large portion of the Bali Barat National Park. They can survive for long periods with little rain, and shed their leaves periodically.
Sumber Klampok is the location of a ranger station. The completion of the National Park has not been totally without problems. Locals in Sumber Klampok say the government did not tell them how things would work. They complain that local fisherman cannot access certain areas, and locals are not able to search for wood as they used to. There was also a rumour that a large resort would be built in the area. The government has offered a tranmigrasi option to Sulawesi, for the people in Sumber Klampok, but obviously this is never a happy situation. Villagers have refused to leave and currently there is no resort.
Getting to the Bali Barat National Park from Kuta: Driving time is around 4 hours.
Accommodation: Pondok Wisata Lestari and Hotel Sari guesthouses back in Gilimanuk are cheap. For a resort style option go to the Waka Shorea or Menjangan Jungle & Beach Resort , just east of Labuan Lalang. Both places are a bit spendy.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 10th, 2006
Balinese painting has gone through a number of stages in its development, one of which is the wayang style. The wayang style draws its inspration from the wayang kulit ’shadow puppets’, that are an important part of the Balinese culture. The wayang style of painting tends to be a flat depiction of these ‘puppet like figures’, involved in scenes from the Indian epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The Kamasan Art Center is located in the village of Kamasan which is located about 1km south of Klungkung. The museum was opened in 2001, and offers visitors the chance to try the arts for themselves. In the afternoons (Mon-Sat 2-5pm), adults and kids come to practice painting, silver working, dance and gamelan. The Kamasan Art Center allows visitors to walk around, meet the artists and bargain for paintings.
Two of the most famous artists at the center are I Nyoman Mandra, who has a collection of very fine pieces, which are not for sale, and Ni Made Suciarmi, a women artist, whose art is also on display at the Seniwati gallery in Ubud. Getting to the Kamasan Art Center from Kuta takes around 1 hour 30 minutes.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 10th, 2006
Bali is a Hindu island in the middle of a predominately Muslim country. At one stage much of Indonesia was Hindu and the Majapahit empire, was eventually taken over , in 1515, by the Muslim Mataram empire. Why was Bali not taken over and how did it stay Hindu, when islands to the east, including Lombok, become Muslim?
There are a couple of answers to this question. The first would be that Balinese Agama Hindu, is an intense religion, one that incorporates animism, the worshipping of local geographic points (mountains, river ) and that involves the worship of ones ancestors. Giving this up isn’t easy.
The second reason was that the spread of Islam follow trade routes and Bali doesn’t have a good deep water port. Others islands that were more accessible, became Muslim. The last major reason is one I particularly like. It involves the dewa agung and Muslim missionaries. During the Hindu Majapahit empire, Muslim missionaries came to Bali to try to convert the population. They had little success, partly because the dewa agung, did not like the idea of circumcision. The missionaries told him the bamboo knife was so sharp he would feel no pain.
The dewa agung tried to cut his fingernails and then the hairs on his arms. Failing at both, he refused to let the knife neear the family jewels. The missionaries had failed and were to ashamed to return to Java. The dewa agung allowed them to stay in Bali, setting up Muslim villages in Gelgel and 2 other places.
Riding around Bali I have seen masjids (mosques) even in the most remote places, including near Jatiluwih and in Kintamani in the highlands.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 10th, 2006
The
Spice Islands of eastern Indonesia, conjure up images of galleons, emerald green jungle islands, amid turquoise seas. Australian comedienne,
Pamela Stevenson, journied to Banda, with a gunboat full of bodyguards, to discover the truth about her great, great, grandfather, Salty Sam.
Pamela tells her story of journeying to Banda, a few hours from Ambon, and meeting with Des Alwi, the old scalliwag who runs Banda. Stories bound about this guy! Pamela recalls waking up and seeing Banda for the first time, thinking it was quite possibly the most beautiful place she had ever seen.
Maluku Divers runs trips to Banda, so you can enjoy the tranquil beauty that Pamela raved about. This partof Indonesia and the western edge of Papua, is known to be the epicenter of marine species for the planet.
source: www.baliblog.com
October 10th, 2006
Is it love they neighbor, or ‘those bloody neighbors’? When you’re talking about Indonesia and Australia, the latter seems most appropriate.
A Sydney Morning Herald article asks if the 2 countries can ever see eye to eye and work together. I think Indonesia and Australia’s misunderstandings are a macro version of what we in Bali have to deal with on a daily basis, people’s perceptions.
Often Australia is viewed as interferring (Timor, Papua) and Indonesia can seem uncaring (raising the sentences of the Bali Nine) of Australia’s feelings, and illogical (death sentence for Scott Rush, 4 years for Bashir).
Can you operate a business in Bali and deal with the differences of opinion / perception, expectation? Just the other day a friend of mine’s driver went AWOL. He showed up hours later, with some excuse, (he was tired, didn’t feel like working anymore, thought it was alright if he went home). How do you deal with people, who carry on like this? I think you have to understand the environment, and position yourself so other people’s action won’t derail you. If you want to move forward, and form some kind of agreement with someone, both parties have to step forward, not just one.
Same is true with nations seeking cooperation. There has to be soem kind of basic agreement, on sovereignty and the appropriate way to change something. Difficult to always be on the same page as your neighbor, but Indonesia has th most to gain. As smart Indonesia would court Australia, to become its closest ally, not a threat
source : www.baliblog.com
October 10th, 2006