Sited on the middle of Indonesian archipelago, first discovered by the European sailors, Bali becomes truly tranquil island. It is the earthy paradise for those, who are dedicated to the beauty of the tropical island. For summer holiday, honeymoon or even family perfect holiday. Not only its attractive view and exotic tourism spot but also the hospitality of the people you hardly find in a metropolitan city or highest civilization. Many travelers mesmerized by not just a part of it but almost completely all. The power of attracting people in the world has make Bali as one of the “must visit” world’s tourist destination.
Over 8 regencies spread out beautiful spots to be visited through the over 3 million inhabitants. Further, each of them presents unique character of the culture itself. The selling point of this island is The Hindus culture with the temples from ancient age. There is no day without celebration toward the God. The tradition blends within the Hindus people, their daily life filled in by ritual culture. Once you experienced Bali, the air of the island will capture your soul. The daily life and activities of the people reflect their spiritual culture. Everywhere you go all that can be found is ritual ceremony and the offerings on the street, temples, big trees and other places believed existing holy spirits. The belief and culture might be the main attention for tourist to get fascinated in conjunction with their aim to visit some tourist destinations spread along Bali.
Thus Bali is known as “Heaven on Earth” trough enchanting scenery, as it is acknowledged as “Island of Thousand Temples”. Along the paradise you will be able to find many temples from centuries ago remain with their unique and stunning presentation. Besakih Temple is the mother temple of all temples in Bali. It’s nestled on the slope of the highest mountain, Mount Agung. Other temples for they’re famed by where the two temples sited are Uluwatu Temples and Tanah Lot Temples. Uluwatu Temple is on the edge of the cliff in which it’s inhabited by group of monkeys. Right below the temple, most surfers find Uluwatu beach as paradise for high wave lovers. On the other part, Tanah Lot Temple is the 16th century temple that beautifully perched at the sea, rocky silhouette where many people come during the sunset to spoil their eyes and feel the moment. Whenever it’s not tide you are able to walk to reach the temple. Another mystical thing about this temple is the cave where there’s a holy snake living.
For accommodation, there are bunch of hotels can be hunted. From those small hotels or inns, which offer good rate with a standard service until those who have fantastic rate including their luxurious rooms, wonderful view and exclusive services. They are located not just around tourism object more likely in such “out of civilization” places, up high on the cliff or hill as well as down to the river and rice field area.
For surfers and passionate travelers, find your pleasure at south coast of Bali. Kuta is about 15 minutes from Ngurah Rai Airport where the white sand’s beach stretch over 10 Km. Travelers come not without any reason since this place has all that every traveler’s desire. Don’t just discern to the beach for it’s fantastic wave, topless sunbathers, masseurs relax your body with compatible price and those vendors selling the crafts, in spite of those motives try to give a glance at the night life as experiencing it, lots of fun can be gained. Even just for a chill out time at cafes or bar on the street to a tranquil dinner in a decent restaurant accompanied by easy listening music or “Gamelan” Balinese traditional music instrument.
Inland, away from the beach, some villages illustrate the serenity of the paradise. Hide away from the crowd, up to the mountain area where heart can be so peaceful by the lush tropical plants or green paddy fields. Central Bali and northern Bali is really famous by terraced rice fields, down to the Tabanan regency. The fresh air surround you whilst the song of the bird rhythm through the morning breeze. Feel the harmony within mind.
One to be attained for home present can be found down the art craft’s place. Just about the tourism object, plenty of art shops offer good stuffs for reasonable price and suggested for bargaining. Along the road of Gianyar regency, you will find handicraft’s shop, woodcarvings even jewelries workshop. As the eyes gaze to the display of wood or stone statue and painting, you can as well visit a village named Celuk for silver or gold jewelries or go along Mas village for another comparison instead.
Experience more to the bottomless part of Bali while you are away for holiday. Get the excitement differently through the places you visit, hence it’s never going to be ever come to Bali but for ever remain coming for another visit.
I hope that by sharing my personal experiences, you will avoid learning similar lessons the hard way. And it goes to show that those little details in the planning of a vacation can make a huge difference in the outcome. You can make your next vacation relaxing and enjoyable by following these simple vacation planning tips.
1. Keep your vacation planning information in one place. Create a labeled file folder (”Bali Vacation“) and use it to keep your airline, hotel, villa rental, car rental information, as well as maps or AAA guide books, tourist information, contact information for people you know in that city, etc. You can find all this information at Holidays, Vacations and Traveling
2. Plan ahead for your wardrobe. Think about all of the activities you might do, and imagine what you’d want to wear for each activity. For example, on the beach you might want a swimsuit, cover-up, slip-on footwear or water shoes, a sun hat, sunglasses… maybe even a face mask, snorkel, and some flippers. Will the kids want shovels and buckets to build a sand castle? Do you need to supply your own beach towel, or will you be staying somewhere that supplies this for you? What about waterproof sunscreen? The more you can visualize yourself on the beach, the better prepared you will be.
3. Use a travel checklist. Once you’ve tailored this to your needs, keep it in the travel file you’ve created. This will help you remember to pack both the basic necessities, as well as some of the more obscure things you might not remember but would want to take with you.
4. Let children pack their own travel bags, and make sure their bag is small enough that they can carry it themselves. Help them select things they can do on the road or in the air: Walkman and cassettes or CDs, books, handheld video games, portable crafts, card games. Talk about seating arrangements ahead of time to avoid conflict among siblings about who will sit where.
5. Pack a carry-on that is small enough to stay with you at all times. Include necessities that you must have, in the event that you get separated from your other luggage for a day. If you need to take medication on a regular basis, be sure this is with you, and not in your checked luggage. If you are combining a business and vacation trip and need something for a presentation the next day, take it in your carry-on rather than checking it.
6. Plan early to get the best selection and to get early booking discounts. If you’re really adventuresome and are not particular about where you want to go, you can also book reservations last-minute. There is some risk involved in doing this, but you can also get some great deals this way. Find some great bargains at airline tickets.
7. If you’re driving, you may wish to map out your trip ahead of time and make hotel reservations along the way if you are traveling during peak vacation time. Mapquest offers a helpful Website for mapping out your route and estimating travel time under normal driving conditions.
8. If you’re traveling to another country, check out the Currency Converter for International Exchange Rates.
If you’d like to master a few useful phrases in a foreign language, visit the Foreign Language Assistance Website. It even contains some sound clips so you can pronounce words properly.
9. If your vacation plans include staying home rather than traveling, plan how you will spend your vacation to rejuvenate yourself. Perhaps there are some local attractions that you’ve been wanting to experience but have not had the time to experience. Are there people you want to connect with? Get clear about what you want to do and who you want to do it with, and then plan to make it happen. If your vacation includes having a friend or relative flying in to visit you, you can check the status of a flight to see if they will arrive on time.
10. This is the most important tip of all: pack the right attitude. Let go of the “what if” and enjoy the moment. Remind yourself what matters most, and focus on that. If this is a vacation to get away and relax, then focus on activities and thoughts that will be relaxing. If your goal is to reconnect with family and build memories together, that can be done regardless of circumstances (missing a flight, not getting tickets to an event you wanted to attend, etc.). If your goal is to sight-see and take in some special attractions or shows, then plan ahead and make the reservations necessary to ensure that you can do what you want to do when you get there.
The Bali Arts Festival is a full month of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which literally the whole of Bali comes to the city to present its offerings of dance, music and beauty. On display are trances from remote mountain slopes, forgotten or recently revived village dances, food and offering contests, classical palace dances, stars of Balinese stage, odd musical performances, “kreasi baru” (new creations) from the dance schools of Denpasar, as well as contemporary choreography and dance companies from other islands and from abroad.
It is a month long revelry that perhaps no other place in the world can put up on such a low budget as the Balinese. Not only is their traditional culture alive and well, but they have a tremendous pride in it.
It begins in the villages, where the seka or cultural groups are selected and organized at the regency level, vie with each other to perform the Arts Festival and thus display in front of a large audience the uniqueness of their village of birth and resting place of their ancestors.
The Bali Arts Festival is the Denpasar cultural event of the year, perhaps it would no be too far fetched to suggest that it is the cultural event of Indonesia. The festival is thus a unique opportunity to see local village culture both “live” and at first hand. Tourists are warmly welcomed.
The History of the Bali Arts Festival
When tourism took off after 1965, the Balinese insisted that it followed cultural guidelines: if tourism was to be accepted, it was to be a cultural tourism, or “pariwisata budaya”.
As the Balinese put it: “Tourism should be for Bali instead of Bali for tourism.” In time, this idea become national policy, as part of a larger revping of regional cultures for national purposes. The policy owes much to the former Director General of Culture (1968-1978) and Governor of Bali (1978-1988), Ida Bagus Mantra, an Indian-educed Balinese. It led, on the one side, to the creation of enclave resorts such as Nusa Dua to limit the direct impact of tourism, and on the other, to a long haul cultural policy aimed at nurturing and preserving the traditional agrarian culture while adapting it to the demands of modernity, and in particular of “cultural tourism”.
At the village level, local music groups, dances and other cultural events were inventoried, then supported by a series of contests at the district and regency level. The ensuing competition energized the cultural life of villages, whose “young blood” was already being drained to the city by the process of economic change and urbanization.
Schools of dance and art were created, in particular the Kokar conservatory and the ISI School of Dance and Music. Beside research, these schools replaced the traditional master/disciple relationship by modern methods of teaching; standardized the dance movements, produced new types of Balinese dances for tourism and modern village entertainment. Most important, it enabled former students to return to the villages as teachers, where they diffused, beside the creed of cultural resilience and renewal, new dances and standardized versions of old ones.
Many of the performances are held at the amphitheater which can hold up to 6,000 spectators, in a temple-like stage.
Each year, the Bali Arts Festival, beside the fed classical dances of the island, such as the legong, gambuh, kecak, barong, baris, mask dances and the like, is based on the theme around which new “dance choreography” is produced and old village dances and activities revived. Over the years, the whole range of classical Balinese stories - Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sutasoma, Panji - have thus been turned into “colossal” Sendratari Ballets.
The main challenge to the Arts Festival is obviously economic in nature. As village life is increasingly feeling the strains of monetary considerations, dancers, musicians and others cannot be expected to continue participating simply for the sake and the pleasure of it. As costs soar, new sources of financing have to be found. The obvious answer is the private sector and in particular the tourism industry. The greater task then is to convince the hotels, travel agencies and tourist guides to be more participatory in the Arts Festival rather than to their own sponsored events.
Considering the pride the Balinese have in their culture, and the adaptability and dynism they have always demonstrated, this little hurdle can be overcome. Trust the Balinese. They will eventually succeed to transform their tradition into a modern, Balinese culture of their own.
original article from http://www.bali-paradise.com/
Picture yourself on the Island of the Gods…a warm tropical breeze, a golden sun, and the magical, spiritual charm of Bali. This is paradise, the perfect place to celebrate your romantic wedding. Your wedding organizer will help you to make your Romantic Bali wedding a dream come true.
Wedding and honeymoon is really romantic dreams for most people in the world. There are some movie stars, rock star, and celebrities also decided to celebrate their wedding ceremony and honeymoon in Bali.
Lush and tropical, Bali beguiles with its picturesque beaches, rice fields, mountains and volcanoes. The island beckons all seeking the ultimate romantic escape! Begin your most important beginning in Paradise!
Before you go to Bali, you can contact your travel agent and ask them to provide you a wedding ceremony package in Bali. Imagine saying “I Do” in one of Balinese style exclusive private villas overlooking the Indian Ocean, during a ride on a majestic elephant or during an exotic Royal Balinese wedding. The wedding organizer can handle everything from start to finish as they work to create an event that reflects your style.
Your agent will gives you advise how to plan your wedding in Bali, so all of aspect will inclusive and create your wedding in Bali not just romantic also fulfill the legal aspect. You can choose your wedding ceremony in Balinese church, villa, resort hotel, and other places with very romantic atmosphere.
Most of the wedding organizer in Bali has over 10 years of experience; they have highly qualified staff has been trained to cater to your every need and to ensure all your wedding arrangements are well-organized. They treat every wedding as if it were their own!
They will help you with one stop wedding services. All aspect of your wedding such as food and beverages, accommodation, party, photographer (video and digital still photography), outside activities, honeymoon package, etc.
So, meet your fiancé and whisper your dream that you want to fly to the island of paradise, Bali. Remind your fiancé to prepare say “I do” in Bali. Imagine walk on a tropical beach hand in hand. A beautiful sunset is waiting for you. What a wonderful moment.
Bali is one of thousand islands in Indonesia South East Asia. Bali is so popular with Bali bombing tragedies that happened on 2002 still interesting to visit. The Bali bombing tragedies make many international facilities, like Hotel, Air Port, big café and night club is keeping with detector. The improvement of Information Communication technology like internet connection, make Bali Island more popular than before. The world wide tourists that come there depend of the season. Europe and American tourist always come on June until July, but Asian tourist interested in coming on August. The domestic tourist more interested in coming on September until December, because the month is full holiday for students so that the parent will follow the situation.
Nyepi is religion day that Bali Island closed to people out side. No light, car passing or store opened. The Balinese will stay at home, no eating, and light. The Ngurah Ray Air Port as International Air port is closed, no departure and arriving passengers.
The Bali bombing by terrorist make bad image and deep impressed to people world wide so that the people decide to build Bali bombing monument at Kute. Australian and American come there to pry for the victims.
Many reasons why people world wide interested in coming to Bali Island,
1.Pure culture.
Bali people follow strong Hinduism. They devote their life to the Hindu religion. You will see many puras when going around there. The Balinese tradition life from birth until death, followed by ceremony. You can see Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi, ngaben and others ceremony at Bali.
The artist from Bali creates many dances because of soul of art. The statue was created there reflect of Hinduism. You can see the Kecak and Barongsai dance performance from small village until five stars Hotel.
It is not astonished, Balinese never interfered by others culture, although people world wide come there never stopped.
2.Friendly people
Balinese is popular with smiling face. They are always friendly to others and welcome to new comers. You will feel like at your home.
3.Excellent craft
Balinese tend to be artist. They like to paint, carving and make others beautiful craft. You can visit Antonio Blanco Museum, the painter that married to Balinese woman, Sukowati Art market center. You are always followed by craft seller whenever you go. They always beg you to buy the crafts.
4.Beautiful places to visit.
You never have time to rest when you are at Bali. There many interesting places, you should visit. The scenery is so natural, let’s see Nusa dua beach that have International cruise ship, bedugul, Tanpak siring that have president palace. Kute and legian beach with international facilities or Tanah lot, is beach especially for praying.
5.Save to stay
The regency of Bali and Indonesian police try to improve the security Bali after Bali bombing tragedies. Star hotel, luxury villas and café with international reputation with detector facilities.
By considering Bali for your next holiday, you can have an amazing experience in your life. Bali is an Indonesian tropical island with amazing beaches, friendly citizens, and breathtaking scenery. It is considered as one of the top holiday destinations since the olden days and has a tropical climate that ranges between 28 and 32 degrees round the year.
Every year each and every of us prefer to go for a luxurious vacation. Most of us choose tropical paradises because all of us want to be in a relaxing environment. However, most people like to spend their vacation in a furtive tropical place that is not only beautiful but also possesses some of the best attractions in the world. Bali in Indonesia is one of such beautiful places to enjoy your vacation.
Bali is home to some of the world famous artworks and is a great place for travelers who want a wonderful vacation. When considering Bali for your next holiday, keep in mind that the island’s climate is hot throughout the year.
There are hundreds of tourist attractions around Bali. Kuta, Sanur, and Seminyak are among the best tourist spots in Bali. The southern areas of Bali are warmer than other areas. The sandy beaches of Bali are well-known for abundance of coral reefs and marine life. The Beaches on the island include Sanur beach, Jimbaran, Soka beach, Nusa Dua, Medewi beach, Lovina beach, Kuta, and Legian beach. Beaches in Bali are famous for their magnificent view of sunset and surfing.
Numerous hotels are available on the shores of Nusa dua beach and these hotels offers comfortable swimming experience in secluded lagoons. Delicious gourmet food is also served on site.
Sanur beach has calm and secluded lagoons which are suitable for activities such as wind surfing and para-sailing. Soka beach and Mediwi beach are situated between Despansar and Gilimanuk. Jimbaran Beach is some what attractive and is a favorite place for tourists as well as natives alike.
Several seafood restaurants are available on the shores of Jimbaran. Lovina Beach is most visited by the people around the world irrespective of the season. Most of the people visit here especially to view Dolphin swimming. Kuta is the best place for those who like a warm beach atmosphere. Also known as tourist mecca, the beach has several shops, pubs, and fully equipped first class hotels. Kuta beach is best for swimming and recognized for its random underwater currents.
Situated to the east of the island of Java, Bali is the primary focus of Indonesia’s booming tourist industry. Bali, one of the provinces in Indonesia, is divided into nine regions from west to east including Jembrana, Tabanan, Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Klungkung, Bangli, Karangasem and Buleleng region.
Now-a-days, Bali attracts people from around the world, drawing in more than one million of tourists every year. Also known as “The Island of God” or “The Island of Thousand Temples”, the island has become one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world offering all the facilities expected by the tourists. If you are planning to enjoy your next vacation in Bali, the best time to visit is from April through September and November through January.
Bali has a lot to offer tourists, from historical places to scenic views. The main reason why many tourists keep visiting Bali is Bali’s image as a beach destination. Several accommodation facilities are available in Bali. Private Villas with different price ranges are available. Most of the villas have a large array of amenities such as swimming pools, restrooms, change rooms, golf courses and tennis courts. Luxurious private villas with standard facilities are also available within your budget.
Once you choose your Bali villa rental, the next step is to learn about the local culture of the native people. You will get guidance from your Bali Holiday Rental regarding how to shop for your groceries and stroll around the island.
Villas are available for both short and long-term rental. Most of the Bali villa rentals are set in lush tropical gardens while some others have seashore settings. Additional amenities such as private pools, house dining, and staff assistance during your stay are also available with most of the villa rentals. Be there in this wonderful location for your next vacation and make your vacation a fantastic experience in your life.
The Wahana Kria Putri Foundation, a local non-profit-organization that aims to empower women in Bali would like to present Bali Artisans first Fair Trade handicraft expo. Bali Artisans provide skills training and business assistance to the poor so that they can have an opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty by using their own creative abilities. Over 20 local producers, including guest artisans from YAKKUM Bali, will be there to showcase their finest work and demonstrate their craft skills.
Meet the real craftspeople of Bali and support fair trading in the handicraft industry. Join us for live music, traditional dance performances, craft demonstrations and hourly prize draws in a refreshing tropical garden setting.
April 18, 2008 thru April 20, 2008 Time: 12:00 - 18:00
Daily
On the 1st and 15th of every month, four generations of talented dancers from the Djimat family in Batuan will take to the stage to share their rich cultural legacy of Balinese performing arts. Performances will be held at Umah Kodok Stage at Batuan Sukawati Gianyar starting at 8:00 p.m. on the designated dates every month.
Presented by the Djimat family and the Tri Pusaka Sakti Foundation, each performance will showcase dancing family members ranging in age from 6 to 85 years-of-age.
Highlights of each performance, include:
NI KETUT CENIK - The Source. At 85, Ibu Cenik is a living repository of Balinese dance and theatre, embracing both the male and female dance styles. A sought-after teacher and active performer well into her 9th decade of life, Ibu Cenik still manages to fill any stage with her indomitable spirit and charm.
I MADE DJIMAT - The Dance Maestro. “Djimat” - in the original Balinese means a “sign” or “item of magic or fortune.” The artistic flare and personal charisma of I Made Djimat confirms the nuance of his given name. His world-renowned stardom in the world of dance is rooted deeply in local tradition, grounding his fame in a humanity which is classic of the great Balinese masters.
I NYOMAN BUDI ARTHA - The Bridge Builder. As the son of Djimat, Nyoman first began dancing at age three, winning prizes in national competitions for Baris, Jauk and Topeng at the age of only 13. In possession of a mind too active to be satisfied by the arts alone, Budi Artha has become “the bridge” - the means of providing and presenting the essence of Bali to the outside world. Tri Pusaka Sakti Foundation is Nyoman Budi Artha’s newest vehicle, designed to accommodate his noble vision of sharing Balinese dance with the world.
I GEDE AGUS HENDRA ARTADINATA - The Future. First son of Nyoman Budi Artha and, his wife, Putu, by the tender age of five and a half, “Agus” had already performed in Bali, Jakarta and abroad. Already accomplished and confident on the stage before his sixth birthday, Agus is an living argument that great Balinese dancers may indeed by born to their cultural calling.
The Performance
Each evening’s performance will present each of four living generations of the Djimat Arts Family:
The Grandson : Agus Hendra
The Son: I Nyoman Budi Artha
Master: I Made Djimat
The Mother: Ni Ketut Cenik
Each performance will be supported by a supporting dance troupe of 15 dancers and 30 musicians.
Divided into four separate sections, the dance program includes:
Section One:
- Overture Orchestra with Semara Pagulingan Saih Pitu
- The Welcome Dance Pusaka Sari
- Baris Tunggal by the grand son Of the Maestro
- Legong Jobog by two daughter of the Maestro
Section Two:
- Gambuh Music Orchestra
- The Hero’s Panji Character by the Maestro
Section Three:
- Genggong Orchestra
- Frog Dance
Section Four:
- Jauk Dance
- Joged Pingitan by the Grandmother of the Maestro
- The Djimat Topeng
The Wahana Kria Putri Foundation, a local non-profit-organization that aims to empower women in Bali would like to present Bali Artisans first Fair Trade handicraft expo. Bali Artisans provide skills training and business assistance to the poor so that they can have an opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty by using their own creative abilities. Over 20 local producers, including guest artisans from YAKKUM Bali, will be there to showcase their finest work and demonstrate their craft skills.