Archive for November 27th, 2006
MBarGo is the best nightclub in Kuta. Located across the street from the old Sari Club, this modern joint offers a dance floor, large bar area and lounge bar. Usually its is rocking and a favourite with Aussie tourists.
Friday night I rode down there to check it out, arriving around 11.45pm. The place was pretty empty and I sat at the bar, watching a re-run of Arsenal vs. Newcastle, along with the staff. All the while MBarGo’s sound system pumped out the tunes. Looking at their drink menu, I saw a selection of the usual cocktails,
Caipirinha,
Mojito, etc. prices ranging frm 45,000-55,000rp. Beers were 15,000rp, your choice of Bintang, VB, Fosters, draught Heineken. I enjoyed a couple of VB’s, definitely a different taste than Bintang.
Freidns of mine in the surfing industry have told me the lack of Aussies, means way slower business. Kuta and Legian are hit the hardest. Seminyak does okay, because of the expats and Euro’s. Between Idul Fitri and Christmas there is always a slump.
Places like MBarGo, that spend a ton on rent, staff, eqiupment etc. really need to score big on Friday and Saturday, as well as creating some excitement at other nights in the week. There just didn’t seem to be that much going on last night. I left around 12.45am and there must of been 20 people in MBarGo.
source : www.baliblog.com
November 27th, 2006
Warm weather, sunshine, a great setting and the ocean. What more could you want? In Semnyak Bali, we’ve got all of that, and more.
Saturday morning I strolled down to the beach, to see what was going on. The usually array of taxi drivers were lounging in the shade, reading newspapers, eating etc. Although its technically the wet season now, there’s no rain. The wind is greatly reduced, meaning you can enjoy the beach without getting sand blasted and there is very little garbage on the beaches, or in the water. Ocean temperatures are also higher at this time of year, making Bali a phenomenal place for a vacation.
Check out air tickets in our right hand sidebar. With great bars and restaurants, friendly boys and girls, and perfect weather, you’d be crazy not to come to Bali.
source : www.baliblog.com
November 27th, 2006
A study group has concluded that introducing Sharia law in Indonesia, will harm foreign investment. God, these guys are smart! Whoever would of guessed, that forbidding women to go out at night, banning alcohol, nightclubs, and generally making the place hard to live in, would affect business?
Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
Sharia laws could hurt investment, EU MPs sayAvian E. Tumengkol, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The implementation of sharia-style laws in several regions in the country could negatively affect foreign investment and hurt Indonesia’s international relations, a European parliamentary delegation visiting the country says.
The head of the eight-member group, Hartmut Nassauer, said in Jakarta on Friday the delegation was concerned religious laws could discriminate against non-Muslims.
While Europe had strong Christian traditions, it was not a Christian continent but a secular collection of states, Nassauer said. There were 30 million Muslims living in Europe, he said.
Despite claims to the contrary, Nassauer said if a religious law became a state law, followers of other faiths and non-believers could be obliged to live under that law.
“You cannot force a citizen to hold a certain religion, which is against his or her will,” he said. Implementing religious laws could also isolate Indonesia from other nations and create frictions.
If sharia-style laws forbade a woman to leave her house after dark, they would not only be a major concern to followers of other faiths, Nassauer said.
Aceh is the only province that has so far applied sharia-influenced precepts in its local bylaws, while several regions in other provinces have issued regulations on public conduct, which have been criticized for being discriminatory to women.
“The final decision to institute sharia law is in the hands of the Indonesian people and government, and will involve other international organizations who intend to assist the country in its elections. And I am here to share my recommendations to Indonesia,” Nassauer said.
The eight-member delegation, which visited Indonesia to attend the third European-Indonesia Inter-parliamentary Meeting, ended its visit to the country Friday.
During their five-day stay, the members of the European Parliament met House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono and other legislators.
They also met with members of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, trade ministry officials, representatives from the country’s two-largest Muslim organizations Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, human rights activists and Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda.
In Yogyakarta, they observed the progress of EU assistance programs for the victims of May’s earthquake.
Robert Goebbels, of the parliament’s economic and monetary affairs division, said the European Union and other ASEAN nations were working closely with Indonesia. “Indonesia is an important trade and investment partner for the EU,” he said.
Goebbels, Luxembourg’s former minister for the economy and finance, cited ASEAN statistics, which said that one-third of foreign direct investment to ASEAN nations came from the EU.
He recommended Indonesian companies involved in foreign trade consider using the euro more often because it would reduce their vulnerability to the instability of the U.S. dollar.
Asked about the high-profile case of murdered activist Munir, and whether the EU would press Indonesia for a prompt solution, Ambassador Jean Breteche, head of the European Commission delegation to Indonesia, said Munir’s widow, Suciwati, had paid him a visit.
“The Munir case is a concern. We will study the case and see how the EU can contribute,” Breteche said.
Where would the sexy dancers go if Sharia Law came to Bali?
source : www.baliblog.com
November 27th, 2006
Anantara Seminyak is the name of a project at the end of Jl. Dhyana Pura in Seminyak. For those people who have been to Seminyak before, the site is directly across from Gado Gado, in the area that was used for parking. How much they paid for that land, I hate to think, but looking at the billboards outside, Anantara Seminyak is going to be a smart place when its ready.
There is a law on the books here in Indonesia, that says something like ‘you can’t build within 50 meters of the high tide line. Of course everybody does, this place included. The units will be going for US$300,000. I don’t know the details of when the project is going to be complete or the length of the lease. For that much cash you’d want 99 years I reckon. A couple of friends were recently chatting to me, about buying land and building houses in Bali. The first thing I told them is I don’t know much about real estate, and they should talk to someone who does. One of them asked me what parts of Bali had great scenery like Jatiluwih. I told him you can still find beautiful valleys, with rivers and streams, where the land is very cheap and there are no neighbors (westerners). The question that everything comes back to is, how close to town do you want to be? If you don’t need to work, don’t like surfing, don’t like partying and enjoy the village life, you’re set. If not, you’ve got to factor in how l;ong its gonig to take you to get to town. I know scenically lovely spots in Bali, but it would take me 2-3 hours to get to a main town, never mind Seminyak.
Acoording to an ad for Anantara Seminyak, there will be 59 rooms, 5 star interior design, restaurant terrace on top, Spa with private bar, terrace with jacuzzi, internet broadband, TV LCD 37 inch.
Pretty sweet if you’ve got the cash. Advantages of buying into this place would be:
•Ready made luxury accommodation
•Holiday rental income.
•Beach access.
•Nightlife / restaurant / shopping access.
•Located in expensive real estate area, likely to climb.
•Many other foreigners around, if you enjoy contact with foriengners.
Disadvantages of buying into this project include:
•You are paying top dollar.
•You will be in close proximity with 59 other people.
•In the hot, dusty, tropical climate of Bali, this place won’t look brand new for very long.
•The beach isn’t the greatest beach in Bali.
•There are maintenance fees on top of the cost of buying a unit.
•Seminyak may not always have the sparkle it currently does.
For sure you can rent land for 25 years, and bang up an okay house for $50,000 in places such as the Bukit and other areas located slightly out of the expat areas. Here in Seminyak land goes for 300m rp per ‘are’ (100 meters sq). In places like Tabanan, you can get it for 20m rp or less. In Buleleng you might find land for 5m rp, but you’ll be in the middle of nowhere. Currently there is a strong building trend in Canggu, with the Canggu Club and all. Land prices in Canggu have risen a lot, but if you get over the road, that joins Tanah Lot, to Tabanan, price drop by 50%. Whenh I was at the wedding in Kediri, locals told me no bules live out there. They will someday, just not right now.
Today a mechanical digger was at work, carving out the sides of a 5 meter depression. I watched 2 workmen stroll along the top edge, only for it to collapse and sending them tumbling to the bottom. They all laughed and were okay. Simultaneously a yellow dump truck (as synonymous as temples these days ) showed up and dumped a full load of limestone, to spread across the flatened Earth. I look forward to seeing the finished product.
source : www.baliblog.com
November 27th, 2006
‘Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy’ - John Denver -
I think John Denver would be happy in Bali right now.
A quick look at the 10 day weather forecast for Bali reveals nothings but sunshine. Beach goer’s, its smooth sailing, with uninterrupted paradise, guaranteed for the immediate future.
Nothing else to add when we have a perfect score.
source : www.baliblog.com
November 27th, 2006
On the outskirts of Ubud in the village of Lod Tunduh, there is a sign on the road, indicating a jewelry museum, named Museum RUNA, just 500 meters away. I know there are a ton of places calling themselves ‘museum’ / ‘galleries’ and are just shops, with flashy display cases. Back in 2004 I checked out Museum RUNA, to see what it had to offer.
The driveway to Museum RUNA is quiet, and gives the impression the Museum doesn’t see much traffic. The quiet elegant buildings are a pleasant surprise, and on arrival, you don’t see any staff on duty. Heading past the reception desk after paying the entrance fee, ( it costs 10,000rp to visit the museum), you can walk upstairs to view the gift shop, featuring assorted silver jewelry, fine batiks and sarongs. I picked up one sarong to find it cost $250, the batiks were $25. Nice stuff but I’ll wait till my pay rise, to shop here.
The RUNA House of Design and Museum is a celebration of the 25 years of jewelry making by Palar Runi from Bandung Java. The museum was opened in December 29th 2001 and named RUNA to include her husband Adrian’s first name.
Downstairs are the 2 museum rooms which featured glass cases containing elaborate silver jewelry by Runi. Staff will allow you to take photos. Regarding the question of whether Museum RUNA is a museaum or a shop, the staff say the items are not for sale, but if you are interested, you could enquire.
It seemed to me that most of the jewelry was elaborate and large, with a selection of pendants, broaches and necklaces. According to the free brochure Palar does brisk business overseas, not that she�s the one banging these things out.
Adjacent to the museum is a 2 storey set of rooms which are available for rent. This area really is tranquil and without traffic, unlike downtown Ubud. I was given the tour and the comfortable rooms with porch or balcony will run you $100 per night ( though I was told you can bargain). Across from the museum and the available rooms is the family house which I also got a tour of. This isn’t for rent but the whole place seemed to gel together in some weird way. I think the house was the original structure followed by the museum and the family still live here. I sat out in one of the bale�s sipping a hot tea with a staff member who told me about the place and about her family.
If a visitor came here, they might be the only guests, as prices promise to be high for this exclusive jewelry. This isn’t the back street Celuk deal, where a local will knock out 500 pieces of surfer jewelry for you.
It is though another little part of Bali that seems unique. I said goodbye to the staff and set off back to Kuta. You can make it from Kuta to the RUNA is an hour my car or motorbike.
Museum RUNA
•What is it?
Museum RUNA is a celebration of the 25 years of jewelry making by Palar Runi.
•Where is it?
Lodtunduh, south of Ubud.
•How far is it from Kuta?
60 minutes.
•What’s there?
Fine jewelry collection, batiks, sarongs.
•Who is Museum RUNA good for?
People looking for special jewelry, people who enjoy exploring small unique places.
•Who is Museum RUNA not good for?
People looking for cheap jewelry, people who want action / adventure.
•When it is open?
Museum RUNA is open daily from 9am - 5pm
•Admission:
10,000rp
source : www.baliblog.com
November 27th, 2006
Article correction: Tourist elephant accident
My article on November 6th, mentioned an accident involving a tourist at an elephant park. The account of the accident was provided by ABC.net. I went on to say that elephant rides are usually safe and one of the places that offers elephant rides is Bali Adventures Tours.
The accident did not happen at their park, they just happen to be the most well established place.
source : www.baliblog.com
November 27th, 2006