Posts filed under 'Bali Tourism News'
By Aryn Baker
Planning a weekend in Bali? Then look further than the tourist magnet of Kuta Beach, which has suffered from the easy access that its location near the airport affords. Instead, spend a few more minutes in the taxi and head for Seminyak. This seafront town easily charms with its laid-back vibe and great restaurants. Here’s our itinerary for the perfect Seminyak break. (Read “A Greener Education in Bali.”)
FRIDAY: After checking in at one of the many luxury villas available in the area (see a selection at www.elitehavensbali.com), catch the sunset at Zanzibar Restaurant, tel: (62-361) 733 527. The restaurant, with an open terrace overlooking the beach, takes its Mediterranean décor to heart, offering an Italian-themed menu with a focus on fresh fish and locally grown vegetables. Try the salad of roast pumpkin, feta cheese and poached egg followed by the tuna carpaccio with avocado. After dinner, head for the Mannekepis bar, tel: (62-61) 847 5784, which pumps out Belgian beer and great live jazz. (See 10 things to do in Singapore.)
SATURDAY: After a leisurely brunch at La Luciola, tel: (62-361) 730 838, a Seminyak institution made famous for its ocean view and Australian-inspired cuisine, stroll down the beach for a lesson at the Rip Curl School of Surf, tel: (62-361) 735 858. At the end of the half-day lesson you will be standing up and waving to the camera. If not, the next lesson is free. (See pictures of Singapore.)
Wind down from the adrenaline rush at Body Works, tel: (62-361) 733 317, which offers the traditional Balinese mandi lulur — an hour-long massage followed by an exfoliating scrub made from turmeric, sandalwood, cinnamon and ground rice. The expert manicures and pedicures will leave fingers and toes glowing and ready for a night out.
Start the evening at Take, tel: (62-361) 759 745, for the best sushi and sashimi on the island. The décor probably hasn’t changed since the 1980s, but scenery is immaterial when it comes to the straight-from-the-line fish and variety of live sea creatures in the window tanks. The mantis prawns may look like monsters from a horror film, but the taste — finer than any lobster — is worth the fright.
The large lawn pillows at Hu’u Bar, tel: (62-361) 736 443, are the current place to be seen in Seminyak. Lounge under the stars with a cocktail or a glass of wine while waiting for the dance floor to kick into high gear sometime around midnight. Hu’u Bar’s international stable of DJs spin hot and cool, but never anything in between.
SUNDAY: Start the morning slowly with Italian coffee and a breakfast panini at Grocer & Grind delicatessen, tel: (62-361) 730 418. Once you’re awake, peruse the grocery aisle for locally made artisanal palm sugars, sea salt and coffee to take home as gifts and souvenirs. Or you can step around the corner to Jalan Oberoi and go gift-hunting in its fashion boutiques and design shops. Next, hop in a taxi and head west about 20 minutes to Echo Beach, a popular surf spot. Work up an appetite for lunch by putting the previous day’s surfing lesson into practice. A trio of beach shacks located where the road meets the sea offers grilled seafood, fresh juices and cold beers. Surfers, both in and out of the water, provide visual diversion.
When heading back to town at the end of the afternoon, stop at the charming Biku, tel: (62-361) 857 0888, for scones, clotted cream and jam. A small bookshop nestling in the corner of this teahouse makes it easy to spend time here. In the evenings, La Sal, tel: (62-361) 738 321, serves tapas in stylish surroundings. Uncork chilled cava and dive into chorizo, eggplant in Bloody Mary foam, or papas bravas. Appetite sated, head upstairs to the open-air lounge for a valedictory drink.
Got an awful travel gripe? The Avenger may be able to sort it out for you.
Source: www.time.com/time
April 17th, 2009
Indonesia’s consul in Darwin says Garuda Airlines has told him it will stop flights to Denpasar by April 22.
Harbangan Napitupulu says Garuda’a general manager in Darwin told him yesterday he had been instructed to cease all flights by the airline’s headquarters.
He says no airlines are immune from the effects of the global economic crisis.
“Garuda Indonesia has also been affected,” he said.
“That’s why the decision has been taken for their operations including Darwin.”
He says Indonesian people living in the Territory are shocked and concerned over news.
“I think they will be not happy with the news, especially Indoesians who have been living in Darwin for quite sometime.
“When they go to their home town they will be, how do you call it, feel it will be difficult for them to go to Indonesia in the future.”
Source: www.abc.net.au/news
April 17th, 2009
Wasti Atmodjo , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar
The Bali provincial administration is scheduled to operate an integrated transportation system connecting the municipality of Denpasar with neighboring Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan regencies, in an attempt to reduce traffic congestions in these areas.
Chairman of the Bali chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), I Ketut Eddy Dharma Putra, revealed the plan after meeting with Denpasar Mayor IB Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra on Tuesday.
Eddy said there would be 17 new routes linking the provincial capital with the three neighboring regencies.
“In the first stage of the project, we will trial run three main routes in early 2010,” he said.
“Most of the routes will cross Denpasar, so we expect the city administration will coordinate with the provincial and regional transportation agencies.”
The development of the transportation system - nicknamed Sarbagita - is mainly aimed at encouraging people to use public transportation services instead of their private cars or motorcycles.
Most cities in Bali, including Denpasar, have limited transportation infrastructure, with an increasing number of vehicles and motorcycles causing chronic traffic jams.
“The regional administrations should actively participate by preparing feeder routes as well as spacious and comfortable shelters,” said Eddy.
“There will also be parking lots near the shelters.”
Eddy said Organda members were currently buying air-conditioned medium-sized buses with a capacity of 20 passengers for the new transit system.
“We expect residents will use public transportation instead of their private cars and motorcycles, thereby reducing traffic jams in the four regions,” he said.
Dharmawijaya welcomed the new transit system, expecting its implementation to start soon.
“The sooner the better because traffic in Denpasar is getting worse every day,” he said.
He said he had asked Denpasar Transportation Agency head Made Astika to cooperate with related agencies at both provincial and regional levels.
The mayor admitted the city only had a few public transportation vehicles and very little supporting infrastructure such as spacious parking lots, adequate bus shelters and well-designed bus terminals.
“Many existing bus shelters have been converted into *business sites’ for street vendors,” the mayor said.
“Maybe it is better to simply tear down those shelters and build new ones in accordance with the Sarbagita transit system.”
Source: The Jakarta Post
April 16th, 2009
Ni Komang Erviani , The Jakarta Post , Badung
The Bali provincial administration has allocated Rp 46.9 billion (US$4.2 million) from the provincial budget to revitalize 2,345 subak traditional agriculture and irrigation associations on the island.
Currently there are 1,546 subak yeh managing rice fields and another 799 subak abian managing farms.
Ida Bagus Sedhawa, head of the Bali Cultural Agency, said each subak would receive Rp 20 million (US$1,800) to revitalize and maintain the subak system.
“This financial assistance is expected to encourage local farmers to maintain its subak organization and to prevent farmers from selling their lands to outsiders.”
Bali is facing problems with decreasing agricultural lands being converted for various development projects, especially those related to the tourism and hospitality industries.
Annually, Bali loses at least 600 hectares of fertile land to make way for the construction of hotels, villas, shops and other properties.
Currently, the province has only 1,008 hectares of rice fields and 1,456 hectares of farms.
“The drastic changes in Bali’s land use have threatened the centuries-old subak system, the backbone of the island’s agricultural system,” Sedhawa said.
The traditional organization deals not only with technical agricultural methods such as irrigation and plantation.
Subak also incorporates social, cultural and religious concepts.
“If all farmers sell their rice paddies and plantations, subak will also die accordingly,” said Sedhawa.
“This means one of the island’s important cultural aspects will vanish.”
Made Nuada, head of a subak organization in Kapal village in Badung regency, said he was thrilled to receive the financial support.
“We will use the money to finance various religious ceremonies. The money will also be used to renovate a subak temple and to construct footpaths along the rice paddies.”
Nuada admitted many farmers preferred to sell their paddies because the harvest yields were not adequate to support their families.
The village’s rice fields have decreased from 240 hectares to 219 hectares in 2009.
Many farmers sold their rice paddies to developers who built housing complexes and business sites.
Source: The Jakarta Post
April 15th, 2009
by Erin Zagursky
While a storm raged outside of Phi Beta Kappa Hall last week, a small group of William & Mary professors, students and community members sat on the floor of the Dodge Room and combated the growling thunder with the sounds of traditional Balinese sacred performance.
The workshop came a day after Wayang Kali, an experimental shadow theater troupe, performed in the Kimball Theatre as the final event in this year’s Ewell Concert Series.
The show, which was directed by I Made Sidia, recounts “the traditional Hindu Mahabharata tale from the perspective of Kali, the Goddess of Death,” according to the Ewell Concert brochure. It blends contemporary and traditional elements of Balinese shadow theater and features narration and poetry by acclaimed Indonesian author Goenawan Mohamad.
Shadow theater is used in Balinese temple ceremonies to tell portions of the Hindu Mahabharata and Ramayana epics. The shadow master, or “dalang,” sits behind a screen and control dozens of carved leather puppets to tell the stories.
Monday’s Balinese dance workshop was offered in conjunction with the Wayang Kali performance. During the workshop, I Made Sidia, one of Bali’s most renowned shadow masters, spoke about his background and family, the origins of the Bali’s dances and their uses today. A workshop with the troupe’s musicians was also offered to composition students on Sunday afternoon at the Kimball Theater.
According to Francis Tanglao-Aguas, director of Asian Studies and assistant professor of theatre, speech, and dance, performance in Bali is for the protection of the community because all performance and art is “dedicated and done for the pleasure of the gods.”
“These ‘gods’ are a combination of the pantheon of Hindu gods as well as the indigenous Balinese spirits and gods which the Balinese held on to during the conversion to Hinduism of the islands,” he said. “As a result, the word ‘dance,’ ‘theatre,’ ‘stage-play’ and even ‘performance’ all fall short in translating what truly happens when all these four facets are utilized in Bali.”
Anna Wagner, a junior majoring in art, went to both the shadow theatre performance and Monday’s workshop. She said she really enjoyed the performance and wanted to learn more about why they put everything together the way they did and how the performers got involved in it.
“I’m making masks and I’m thinking about doing something like this eventually, so I like the way they are all working together and how they combined puppetry and craft and music. It was really engaging,” she said.
Source: www.wm.edu/news/
April 14th, 2009
CANGGU, Indonesia (AFP) — Villas are part of the latest building boom on the famous Indonesian holiday island of Bali, where homes for wealthy holidaymakers and expatriates are mushrooming across the bottle-green landscape.
Some see the growth of the villas as a boon. Others such as Sukadana, who toils not far from a beach favoured by expats, see a threat to a way of life that stretches back hundreds of years.
Snatching a quick rest from a day of back-breaking work, Balinese rice farmer I Gusti Made Sukadana contemplates the grey-walled villas crowding the edges of his paddy field.
“Farmers are working harder now but we’re earning less. Our major problem is a lack of water,” said the weather-beaten 44-year-old.
“Concrete buildings are everywhere, blocking irrigation. When it rains, the water flows to the beach instead of being absorbed through the soil,” he said.
“I think mine will be the last generation in Bali working the rice fields.”
While Bali is no stranger to hotels, at both the high and low end of the market, the fad for villas — many with open-plan design and swimming pools in huge gardens — is relatively new.
Developers say they are seeing very little impact from the global economic woes.
Land sales and construction of luxury villas have increased 30 percent every year since 2003, mainly due to demand from well-off Western Europeans and Asians, said Hera Heronika of construction company Bali Property.
“They usually come here during winter and rent out their villas for high prices when they are away,” Heronika said.
The trend is driven by foreigners moving towards quieter parts of the island to be close to nature — and Bali’s unique Hindu village culture — and away from well-worn tourist traps such as southern Bali’s storied Kuta beach.
“They like the rice fields and a view of the beach. Even with the global economic crisis, we continue to receive a lot of requests,” said Bali Villa Rentals Association board member Dharma Putra.
Rent for a top-end villa complete with swimming pool, maid service, gym and private cook can vary from 500 dollars a night to as much as 2,500, he said.
But activists said the villa fad comes with other costs to the island.
Around 600 to 1,000 hectares (up to 2,471 acres) of “green space” disappears beneath concrete in readiness for villa construction every year, especially those areas surrounding the tourist centre hub on the island’s south, said Friends of the Earth Indonesia campaigner Agung Wardana.
The trigger for the explosive growth of the villas was national political reforms passed in the last decade that gave more power to local and provincial governments, allowing the spread of large-scale tourist developments in previously restricted areas, Wardana said.
“It’s like a cancer that spread out very quickly,” he said.
The main environmental problem is one of water. More buildings mean less land to absorb floodwater, leading to the inundation of low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, increasing water use by swimming pools and paved-over land disrupt the intricate irrigation system that waters the famous rice terraces that spread from Bali’s volcanic interior to the seaside.
“Bali is a small island. If this villa development continues, it’s not impossible that in 15 years Bali will be abandoned by tourists,” Wardana said.
Adding to the squeeze is the fact that the demand for villas is pushing up property prices and with them, land taxes, he said. This leaves farmers with ever-decreasing incomes.
In some parts of Badung district, where Sukadana farms, the land tax has doubled annually in recent years, Wardana said.
But Chandra Kirana, the owner of Bali Property, said farmers too can share in the boom.
“As demand increases, the price of land goes up and local people benefit. They can sell their land at a high price and buy cheap land somewhere else,” he said.
Source: www.google.com/hostednews
April 13th, 2009
Wasti Atmodjo , Contributor , Denpasar
Following their success with transplanting coral, residents of Serangan, Denpasar, are planning to develop a marine tourism site to give visitors a chance to experience the beautiful underwater scenery while learning about environment.
“We are still working on the concept,” said Wayan Patut, who pioneered the coral reef transplantation in Serangan. “But basically the people, the village administration and the traditional leaders have agreed to make it happen.”
Serangan, about 10 kilometers south of the heart of Denpasar, used to be a small island, separate from Bali. But the Bali Turtle Island Development (BTID), one of the business enterprises belonging to the family of former president Soeharto, reclaimed the area in 1995 and 1996 as a tourist development.
Patut was one of the public figures in Serangan who opposed the megaproject, as it had a negative impact on locals, who until then had earned a living as fishermen, by damaging both the local economy and the environment.
“The fish disappeared, many coral reefs died. Some fishermen turned to collecting coral for a living,” he said, referring to an activity that is harmful to the environment.
In 2002, Patut started to transplant coral using the grafting technique, or planting coral seeds on substrates (where the coral grows, including dead coral). In attaching the “seeds”, Patut was helped by local youth groups, who later established the Karya Segara Beach Fishermen’s Group. They make small “stools” or plates from cement with metal or concrete frames to position the coral.
They have planted 32 species of corals, which are growing well across a 3.5-hectare area, according to Patut.
“Many fish have also started to come. What makes me happier is that since 2003 people have stopped collecting coral,” he said.
He is also glad because local customary rules have been revised, stipulating that people are obliged to help preserve the environment, especially coral reefs.
When Serangan becomes a marine tourism site, its long history will be an important story for tourists, while the main attraction will be the magnificent underwater coral reef garden.
Patut added that he has mapped out the route for visitors who are interested in snorkeling and diving. A glass boat will be available for those who do not dive.
It will start from the location outside the transplantation zone, where visitors will see the spread of destroyed coral. “It is a vast area. It is so sad to see it because it looks like a desert,” he said.
The journey will continue to the coral reef garden. Visitors will first see the young coral and the stools and plates that support them, before they are taken to see the adult ones surrounded by a range of species of fishes and other marine biota.
“This route will allow visitors to see the real underwater state of Serangan, coral that died because of natural causes or reclamation or because of people’s activities, collecting coral for commercial purposes,” he said.
He said he believed people’s hard work and strong commitment would lead to the existence of a coral reef garden with ecological and economic benefits.
But, he stressed, it was not about the money. For this reason, he plans to limit the number of participants in each underwater tour.
“In a day, we will allow only 10 to 15 people to prevent any impression that we are exploiting or commercializing it,” he said.
The aim of the policy is to protect the coral’s growth and to prevent any potential harmful impact from the tourists.
He also said he was determined to avoid any interference by investors, especially the BTID. “We have quite a lot of experience, so we will be more careful about the persuasion of investors, even though we are in need of money. We won’t let them cheat us again.”
He said the planned tourism development required not only equipment such as a boat and snorkeling and diving equipment but also guides who have diving certificates and can speak foreign languages, at least English.
Local people, he said, would be able to do everything and would be managed by the traditional village authorities.
“We want to create our own jobs to earn a living, so there won’t be any moral duty to any party, and we won’t be under their command.”
According to head of Kaja hamlet in Serangan, Ketut Pusara, local people now have a greater awareness about the environment. For example, he said, those who used to make money by collecting coral now become fishermen.
“In the past, many people used coral to build houses or temples. But not anymore,” he said, “We agree to the tourism development plan as long as it is good, for us and for the environment in Serangan.”
Patut added that he had set a target of completing the coral transplantation on the 8-hectare area by 2015, considering the limited funding and human resources.
He is relying on the support of the government and NGOs for the coral cuttings and the procurement of a place to grow them. Patut and a group of local youths will look after planting and maintaining the coral voluntarily; the only money they might receive will be a meal allowance.
By his calculations, people’s volunteer contributions were worth Rp 5 billion. “This was calculated from making the plates to the plantation and the maintenance,” said Patut.
He has also formed a special team providing coral-planting services, called the Working Group for Bali Coral Reef Conservation. The group has served several clients in Bali and other islands.
He said the group had provided 200,000 seeds for the coral transplantation in Serangan. The market price of an 8-centimeter coral seed, under special permit from Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA), is anywhere between US$6 and $15.
But Patut said they still needed seeds to expand the coral reef garden, adding that tourists might later be involved in the plantation project by putting their names to a special plate, for a fee.
Marine tourism activities at Serangan will be priced affordably. Visitors will be able to rent a boat for Rp 250,000 per trip and scuba equipment for Rp 100,000 per person. The fee for hiring a guide is Rp 100,000.
Tourists will also be invited to see the economic activities of fishermen at Karya Segara beach.
The fishermen, who are part of a savings and credit cooperative, which has about 40 members, sell soft coral to several countries. Patut said that soft coral harms other types of coral, and so collecting it supported the efforts to preserve the coral reef garden.
The group also cultivates aquarocks, or rocks to decorate aquariums. The process of making such rocks is similar to that for making the plates or stools for the coral reefs garden, using cements and filler.
The rocks are then planted in the sea so that sea biota, a kind of algae, grows on them. After between three and six months, they can be harvested and sold for about Rp 8,000 per kilogram.
Patut said many visitors from various areas had come to Serangan to learn about coral transplantation. They included government officials who wanted develop similar projects in their regions and high school students who came for their scientific projects.
Source: The Jakarta Post
April 13th, 2009
Wasti Atmodjo , Contributor , Denpasar
Following their success with transplanting coral, residents of Serangan, Denpasar, are planning to develop a marine tourism site to give visitors a chance to experience the beautiful underwater scenery while learning about environment.
“We are still working on the concept,” said Wayan Patut, who pioneered the coral reef transplantation in Serangan. “But basically the people, the village administration and the traditional leaders have agreed to make it happen.”
Serangan, about 10 kilometers south of the heart of Denpasar, used to be a small island, separate from Bali. But the Bali Turtle Island Development (BTID), one of the business enterprises belonging to the family of former president Soeharto, reclaimed the area in 1995 and 1996 as a tourist development.
Patut was one of the public figures in Serangan who opposed the megaproject, as it had a negative impact on locals, who until then had earned a living as fishermen, by damaging both the local economy and the environment.
“The fish disappeared, many coral reefs died. Some fishermen turned to collecting coral for a living,” he said, referring to an activity that is harmful to the environment.
In 2002, Patut started to transplant coral using the grafting technique, or planting coral seeds on substrates (where the coral grows, including dead coral). In attaching the “seeds”, Patut was helped by local youth groups, who later established the Karya Segara Beach Fishermen’s Group. They make small “stools” or plates from cement with metal or concrete frames to position the coral.
They have planted 32 species of corals, which are growing well across a 3.5-hectare area, according to Patut.
“Many fish have also started to come. What makes me happier is that since 2003 people have stopped collecting coral,” he said.
He is also glad because local customary rules have been revised, stipulating that people are obliged to help preserve the environment, especially coral reefs.
When Serangan becomes a marine tourism site, its long history will be an important story for tourists, while the main attraction will be the magnificent underwater coral reef garden.
Patut added that he has mapped out the route for visitors who are interested in snorkeling and diving. A glass boat will be available for those who do not dive.
It will start from the location outside the transplantation zone, where visitors will see the spread of destroyed coral. “It is a vast area. It is so sad to see it because it looks like a desert,” he said.
The journey will continue to the coral reef garden. Visitors will first see the young coral and the stools and plates that support them, before they are taken to see the adult ones surrounded by a range of species of fishes and other marine biota.
“This route will allow visitors to see the real underwater state of Serangan, coral that died because of natural causes or reclamation or because of people’s activities, collecting coral for commercial purposes,” he said.
He said he believed people’s hard work and strong commitment would lead to the existence of a coral reef garden with ecological and economic benefits.
But, he stressed, it was not about the money. For this reason, he plans to limit the number of participants in each underwater tour.
“In a day, we will allow only 10 to 15 people to prevent any impression that we are exploiting or commercializing it,” he said.
The aim of the policy is to protect the coral’s growth and to prevent any potential harmful impact from the tourists.
He also said he was determined to avoid any interference by investors, especially the BTID. “We have quite a lot of experience, so we will be more careful about the persuasion of investors, even though we are in need of money. We won’t let them cheat us again.”
He said the planned tourism development required not only equipment such as a boat and snorkeling and diving equipment but also guides who have diving certificates and can speak foreign languages, at least English.
Local people, he said, would be able to do everything and would be managed by the traditional village authorities.
“We want to create our own jobs to earn a living, so there won’t be any moral duty to any party, and we won’t be under their command.”
According to head of Kaja hamlet in Serangan, Ketut Pusara, local people now have a greater awareness about the environment. For example, he said, those who used to make money by collecting coral now become fishermen.
“In the past, many people used coral to build houses or temples. But not anymore,” he said, “We agree to the tourism development plan as long as it is good, for us and for the environment in Serangan.”
Patut added that he had set a target of completing the coral transplantation on the 8-hectare area by 2015, considering the limited funding and human resources.
He is relying on the support of the government and NGOs for the coral cuttings and the procurement of a place to grow them. Patut and a group of local youths will look after planting and maintaining the coral voluntarily; the only money they might receive will be a meal allowance.
By his calculations, people’s volunteer contributions were worth Rp 5 billion. “This was calculated from making the plates to the plantation and the maintenance,” said Patut.
He has also formed a special team providing coral-planting services, called the Working Group for Bali Coral Reef Conservation. The group has served several clients in Bali and other islands.
He said the group had provided 200,000 seeds for the coral transplantation in Serangan. The market price of an 8-centimeter coral seed, under special permit from Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA), is anywhere between US$6 and $15.
But Patut said they still needed seeds to expand the coral reef garden, adding that tourists might later be involved in the plantation project by putting their names to a special plate, for a fee.
Marine tourism activities at Serangan will be priced affordably. Visitors will be able to rent a boat for Rp 250,000 per trip and scuba equipment for Rp 100,000 per person. The fee for hiring a guide is Rp 100,000.
Tourists will also be invited to see the economic activities of fishermen at Karya Segara beach.
The fishermen, who are part of a savings and credit cooperative, which has about 40 members, sell soft coral to several countries. Patut said that soft coral harms other types of coral, and so collecting it supported the efforts to preserve the coral reef garden.
The group also cultivates aquarocks, or rocks to decorate aquariums. The process of making such rocks is similar to that for making the plates or stools for the coral reefs garden, using cements and filler.
The rocks are then planted in the sea so that sea biota, a kind of algae, grows on them. After between three and six months, they can be harvested and sold for about Rp 8,000 per kilogram.
Patut said many visitors from various areas had come to Serangan to learn about coral transplantation. They included government officials who wanted develop similar projects in their regions and high school students who came for their scientific projects.
Source: The Jakarta Post
April 8th, 2009
Denpasar (ANTARA News) - Tourists from some foreign countries have confirmed their interest to have a close look at the implementation of the Indonesian democratic festivity which will take place on April 9 in Bali and some even had come and stayed in many hotels in this paradise island.
“We received such confirmation on a number of travelers from Europe and other countries who are eager to see in person the implementation of the legislative general election in Bali,” a senior tourist guide, Amos Lillo (56) said in Denpasar on Tuesday.
Amos, who is also an advisor of the Indonesian Tourist Guides Association, Bali chapter, expressed thanks to God, for having attracted foreign tourists to see the implementation of the legislative elections.
Therefore, he hoped that many efforts made for the sake of political objectives should not disrupt the tourism world and the culture of Indonesia especially in Bali.
“Just conduct political practices in an elegant manner in line with the value of our culture. During the cooling down period in the runup to the general elections, avoiding political practices which may harm the culture, constitutes one of the clues of national tourism,” he said.
(*)
Source: ANTARA News
April 8th, 2009
I would like to on an editorial titled: “Bali’s example”, (the Post, March 25, p. 6). Perhaps we need to remember that Bali’s culture, excluding the Bali Aga, was born in East Java. The traditions, culture and religion so enjoyed by visitors to Bali as a visual spectacle is a representation of the glorious Majapahit Empire.
With due respect to Islam, imagine Java today had Hinduism remained. Islamic expression in the 21st century is just not very pretty, unlike during its golden era when the Blue Mosque was built and Islamic scholars of science, literature and music led the world’s discoveries. That was also around the time the religion was making its way across Asia.
Tourists also need to realize maintaining Balinese traditions is extremely expensive, with often a family’s lands sold off to pay for cremations. I was in a small food shop (warung) recently; kids sweating it out in Barong costumes were busking for the upkeep of the Barong. A young female tourist adjacent refused to give these kids a single rupiah. worse, she ignored their very existence. So just how valued is Balinese tradition?
We also need to recognize the daily birthing of the universe in Bromo, the sheer scale and history of Lake Toba and the Batak people, the Bugis and Toraja of Sulawesi, the weavers of Flores, the Dayak of Kalimantan, the rare and marvelous Minang women of Padang, who despite their Islamic religion, choose to rule the family roost. The people of Aceh province, who got a kick out of the sweat-saturated frog on my head parading itself as jilbab - explaining jilbab is totally unnecessary for nonMuslims.
Fact: 99.9 percent of Indonesians are open, friendly, helpful and most often honest to the core - try saying that about the people of many other nations. Fact: Indonesia is home to 240 million extraordinary people and for Western governments to see them rise and develop confidence in their nation and their diversity, would be a threat too great to bear - lost forever would be cheap labor and an Asian scapegoat.
Certainly, there is lots of lunacy out there - a Sunday drive will display that, but Indonesia is not doing too badly if you ask me - just try governing a developing nation spread across 17,500 islands, with hundreds of ethnicities and 240 million people.
Unlike the so-very-well-developed United States, Indonesia does have a financial safety net for the poor, free medical services and hospitalization for the poor - who make up at least 19 percent of the nation, so that’s a few rupiah well spent; the nation also has communities and families that still care for each other. So as Indonesians and foreigners, let’s give the country a pat on the back, instead of a kick in the guts and support Bali’s cultural traditions and those of many hundreds in other parts of the nation.
Trisha
Denpasar
Source: The Jakarta Post
April 7th, 2009
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