Avid wind surfer Wayan Sujana first joined The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali in 1991 as a Recreational Attendant. He has always maintained a passion for this extreme sport and over the years he has participated in many tournaments to win a number of gold medals and now he is the official coach for the Indonesian wind surfing team competing in the Beijing Olympics. As an athlete, Sujana celebrated winning the Bali Open in 1994, the pre-tournament National Championships in Jakarta as well as East Java in 1995 and 1999.
Sujana first started coaching in 2005 when his team won a silver medal in SEA Games in Manila. From there his coaching carrier began to soar and he then led his team to win gold as well as silver medals in prestigious events such as the Singapore Open, World Championship Hong Kong Open, Sailing Championship in Doha, ASEAN Games in Doha, SEA Games. However, his greatest achievement to date was being chosen to be the official coach for the Indonesian wind surfing team competing in the Beijing Olympics.
Married with 3 children, Sujana is an easy going and fun loving person. He now leads the Recreational Team at The Westin Bali and his main goal is to ensure that guests receive energizing and renewing activities during their time at the resort.
“We are extremely proud to have Sujana, represent Indonesia in the Beijing Olympics as the official coach of the wind surfing team. He not only represents Indonesia but also the spirit of all Westin associates at the resort. Sujana is a perfect Brand champion and a role model to all of us.” commented Bipan Kapur, General Manager of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali.
Being the only Westin branded property in Indonesia since December 2003, The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali enjoys a prime beachfront location in the exclusive Nusa Dua enclave on Bali’s southern tip with 346 cozy rooms; a place where you can be at your best and experience total renewal.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched AloftSM, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
Source: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/
August 8th, 2008
By SHERI TRUSTY • News Herald correspondent
On the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali lies the small village of Ubud where all but the strong men are forgotten.
The women are not considered important enough to educate, the orphans must often fend for themselves, and the handicapped are expected to sit on the street corners and beg.
Yet in the midst of this village lives a man who has dedicated his life to a higher vision for the people of Ubud. He has found a way to educate the females and give some self-sufficiency to those who would otherwise be unable to help themselves. And his help all centers on the building of a kite.
I Ma-de Budiasa, or simply Ma-de as he is known, manufactures and sells kites that have been handcrafted by those he helps. He has created a school for girls at his home, and to help keep the school running, the girls paint the kites after their studies.
“In Bali, women aren’t educated. They don’t normally go to school,” said Bill Rost of Curtice. He and his wife, Wati, help support Ma-de’s work by selling the kites here in the states.
“Ma-de supplies the books and teachers for the mornings. In the afternoons, they paint kites for him,” he said.
Orphans and the handicapped are also given the chance to support themselves by doing the same work at one of his shops elsewhere in the village. Rost said that Ma-de tells them, “Your legs don’t work, but you can sit up here at the table and paint.”
“He’s one of the nicest persons I’ve ever met,” said Rost, explaining that between the schoolchildren and the people working in the shops, Ma-de is helping about 500 people. “He basically takes care of everybody.”
The kites are handmade, and all but the paint and nylon are recycled. “The houses over there are made of bamboo,” said Rost. “They use the leftover bamboo to make the frames. And they search for flip-flops on the beach and recycle the rubber.”
The kites are made by a simple process in a simple setting. The workers just sit on the floor and paint.
“Some of them paint the body; some of them paint the wings,” said Wati.
But while the work itself may be unextraordinary, the end result is not. What these children and adults are creating are beautiful works of art. “Seventy-five percent (of the kites we sell) don’t get flown,” said Rost. “They just like them for art.”
But that doesn’t mean they can’t be flown. They are not only lovely, but functional as well. “The peacock is easiest to fly and the most popular because of the colors,” he said.
“I’ve taken them to a lot of parties and got it up in the air and held it down with a rock. They’ll stay up for hours.”
Rost and Wati have traveled to Wati’s native Indonesia several times and seen first hand the work Ma-de is doing. They have chosen to support his work by selling the kites here in America. They sell at festivals, and a few stores, and are looking for more retailers interested in handling the kites.
The Rosts are keeping the costs of the kites down in the hopes that they will generate more money for Ma-de’s work. The kites sell for $12 (x-small), $15 (small), $20 (medium), $25 (large) and $50 (x-large).
This summer they sold their kites at the Maumee Bay Kite Festival on July 19-20, and the Dragonboat Festival in Downtown Toledo on July 26.
Kites can also be purchased directly through the Rosts. Anyone interested in purchasing or retailing the kites can contact the Rosts at (419) 836-8800.
Source: http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/
August 8th, 2008