The Results of International Conference and Festival Cultural Identity of North Balinese

by ablteam on Tuesday, 4 August 2009

International Conference and Festival Cultural Identity of North Balinese were held successfully from July 30 to August 2, 2009. The conference formulated four recommendations that are aimed to preserve North Balinese culture. These four recommendations are,

1. There is a need for political will from the government of Buleleng and Bali, the house of representative of Buleleng and Bali, government as well as private institutions, artists, culture connoisseurs and public in general to work hand in hand in preserving North Balinese culture.
2. To promote the passing of bills that protect the preservation and development of North Balinese culture that take their root from government regulation on the preservation North Balinese culture’s legacies.
3. A data base of all North Balinese culture’ aspects especially art troupes, artists, architects, art performance, oral art performance, language, custom, art potential of each village, and others cultural legacies that is tangible or intangible, needs to be built through the collaboration of Undiksha, Buleleng government, and Preservation of North Balinese Culture Foundation.
4. An action plan that comprises publication of International Conference and Festival Cultural Identity of North Balinese’s proceedings, WOJ Nieuwenkamp’s sketches and Van der Tuuk picture collections needs to be formulated.

Read more at blog.Baliwww.com

Sailing among Indonesia’s wild islands

"There's no more evocative way to explore Indonesia's 17,000 islands than by phinisi, a traditional teak sailing boat," says Claire Wrathall in the Financial Times.
These elegant wooden vessels have been plying the waters of the archipelago for centuries, during which time the techniques used in building them have scarcely changed. But today you can sail in one without leaving the comforts of modern civilisation behind. Thirty-four metres long, the Tiger Blue was built in the traditional way on the island of Sulawesi - and then fitted out with latter-day luxuries by its English and Dutch owners. After thorough testing on their own family holidays, it is available for charter by groups of up to ten.

Sailing through Indonesia impresses on you the vastness and wildness of the world's largest archipelago in a way no other form of travel could. Lying on the equator and stretching over three time zones, it is one of the most bio-diverse countries on Earth. The Tiger Blue is based to the east of Bali, near Komodo Island, a tropical paradise where you can dive, kayak and surf to your heart's content - but you should on no account miss the chance to go searching for Komodo dragons, the largest lizards in the world

Rainbow Tours Charters from £2,750 a day. Visit tigerblue.info for more information.

Alila Hotels and Resorts to unveil two luxury properties

Alila Hotels and Resorts, which manages hotels and resorts in the Asia Pacific region, will unveil two eco-luxury and contemporary hotels and resorts - Alila Villas Soori in Bali, and Alila Diwa Goa, in the western state of Goa, India.

Alila Villas Soori is designed to offer beachfront living, integrating contemporary Asian design, executed by SCDA Architects from Singapore.

Alila Villas Soori combines exclusive living and relaxation with spa wellness and a vibrant mix of destination experiences. Located on rice terraces that lead down to a beautiful black-sand beach, the resort offers panoramic views of the azure Indian Ocean at all of its 48 villas. Alila Villas Soori is less than an hour from Ngurah Rai International Airport. It lies within the Tabanan Regency, one of Bali's most fertile and picturesque regions.

Alila hotels and resorts is a member of Design Hotels, properties selected for creative style and outstanding design.

Indonesia's June tourist arrivals up 4.1 pct y/y

Indonesia's foreign tourist arrivals rose just 4.1 percent in June from a year ago, data showed on Monday, as a global economic slowdown curbed foreign travel.
Tourism accounts for about 3 percent of gross domestic product in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, but some areas, including the resort island of Bali, are heavily dependent on tourism for jobs and growth.

In June, 550,582 foreign tourists visited Indonesia, up from 529,100 a year ago, while in the first half the number rose 2.2 percent to 2.97 million people.

"Although the global crisis has affected foreign arrivals to Indonesia, the impact hasn't been significant," said Carla Parengkuan, executive director of the Indonesian Hotels Association, adding that the impact might be felt within the next three to six months.

Indonesia hopes to attract 7 million tourists this year, up from 6.32 million in 2008, although this target was seen as over-optimistic by some in the industry even before the bomb attacks on two luxury hotels in Jakarta last month.

The association and the statistics bureau did not provide data about trip cancellations.

Expatriates pack Kemang festival despite bombings

Dozens of foreigners put their horrible memories of two hotel bombings on July 17 behind them as they turned up for the opening of Kemang Palang Pintu Festival in South Jakarta on Saturday.

The annual Betawi cultural festival will last until Sunday.

Hundreds of people crowded the 500-meter long Jl. Kemang Raya street, where hundreds of stalls stood on each side of the road.

The Betawi atmosphere prevailed with the ethnic group ornaments decorating the street. Festival officials and security guards were all dressed in traditional Betawi outfits.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said in his opening speech that the primary aim of the festival was to conserve and promote Betawi, the native Jakarta culture. “This festival will prove to the world that Jakarta remains safe despite the twin hotel blasts in Kuningan last month,” said Fauzi, who is a Betawi descent.

A Scottish visitor, Anderson, said he did not feel threatened at all by the hotel blasts. “I'm not leaving Jakarta. Why should I?” he said.

Having lived in the city for 14 years, he said he still strongly believed the terrorists did not represent Indonesian people.

Australian Tourist missing after snorkelling

AN AUSTRALIAN tourist went missing while snorkelling alone off Indonesia's Lombok island, an official said on Saturday.

'The man had gone snorkelling in Gili Trawangan on Wednesday morning but he failed to return in the evening,' Mataram district search and rescue chief Budisma told AFP.

'We sent out two rescue boats and 22 personnel to look for him since Thursday but we couldn't find him. It's been a few days... the waves are big, we fear he might not survive,' he added.

The man had planned to snorkel in Gili Trawangan on the northwest tip of Lombok and move south to Teluk Nara and Bangko-Bangko, Budisma said.

'He shouldn't have snorkelled alone. The people in the area said they had seen a man surfacing from the waters a few times. After that he disappeared,' he added.

The Gili Islands are a popular tourist destination known for their sandy beaches, coral reefs, and colourful fish.