China-Indonesia Art Cultural Festival performed in Jakarta

Sound of "dagu", the traditional Chinese drum, broke silence in the Theater Studio of Ismail Marzuki Park, a prominent art venue in Indonesia' s capital city of Jakarta, heralding the opening of China-Indonesia Art Cultural Festival on Friday night.

Four performers wearing lion suits, accompanied by five young girl musicians, performed lion dance for about two minutes, followed by the singing of the national anthem Indonesian Raya or Great Indonesia by all attendees.

After speeches by several officials, the event was officially opened by Mara Oloan Siregar, assistant of public welfare at Jakarta local government, who represented Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, by striking the Chinese drum.

The lion dance was performed again. The dancers wearing red and white costumes, colors of Indonesian flag, jumped around, ran around and moved their bodies beautifully.

Fajar Gita Nusantara Choir or Indonesia Song Dawn Choir followed with their angelic voices. Twenty six middle-age Indonesian Chinese women wearing red and white suits sang two Chinese songs, accompanied by the sound of piano.

Firman Ichsan, executive chairman of Art Council of Jakarta ( DKJ), said, "We hope that performances of the cultural art of China-Indonesia and discourses emerged in discussions could increase appreciation, respect and wisdom in facing diversity."

He said that the attitude is needed to promote peaceful life for the sake of glorious nation.

Indonesia opened the two-day festival to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the country's independence with performing various unique Chinese performances such as lion dance, classical Chinese music, product exhibition, Chinese culinary show, as well as motion pictures with the theme of independence and pluralism.

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CKE Opens New Carl’s Jr Restaurant In Indonesia

CKE Restaurants, an operator of Carl Jr and Hardee's restaurants in the US, has opened its first Carl’s Jr restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia. This marks the first of at least 25 Carl’s Jr restaurants to be opened in Indonesia over the next six years.

At present, CKE Restaurants operates Carl’s Jr restaurants in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia, Mexico and American Samoa and is actively seeking to expand its presence throughout China and Southeast Asia.
The 25-restaurant development deal in Indonesia is part of CKE Restaurants’ strategic plan to accelerate franchise development throughout Asia. CKE has signed a development agreement with the Mesa Asia Pacific Trading Services Company to open 25 additional Carl’s Jr restaurants in Vietnam over the next six years.

Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, said: “We are very pleased to welcome PT Fortune Food International as a part of the CKE team. With our strong presence in the Southeast Asia region and the local talent of PT Fortune Food International, we are confident that we will have a bright future in the market.”

Bali Hotels Association on Rabies

Rabies in Bali, common misperceptions and the way ahead

Rabies is a problem in Bali, of that there is no doubt. However if treated quickly and properly it can be healed in almost 100 % of cases. The disease can be eradicated on the island, but only if the proper measures are applied.

It is a sad misperception that rabies can be controlled through culling even though at first glance it appears a logical option. Culling in fact aggravates the problem and has never been successful in controlling the disease. According to the World Health Organization [WHO] rabies can only be controlled through vaccination in combination with sterilization. It has worked in India [Chennai!] Costa Rica and many other parts of the world.

The Way Ahead

In Bali we need to vaccinate al least 70 % of the dog population in order to overcome the disease. Organizations like BAWA [Bali Animal Welfare Association] are at the forefront of fighting rabies on the island. So far BAWA have vaccinated over 70.000 dogs in Gianyar with encouraging results. Treated dogs are marked with red or blue collars for survey reasons. The Bali government recently announced its intention to launch a massive 3 month vaccination campaign in September aiming to inoculate all Bali dogs.

Sterilization in combination with vaccination makes sure that the population can be reduced in a controlled and sustainable way. Culling is counter-productive.

Treatment Protocol

Everyone on Bali – residents and visitors alike – need to be made aware of what to do if they get bitten by a dog or any other animal capable of carrying rabies.

If bitten, flush and scrub the wound immediately for at least 15 minutes with soap/detergent and water, or just water alone if no soap/detergent is available. It is very important to prevent the virus from entering the body and central nervous system. Detergent breaks down the walls of the virus. The wound should also be disinfected with ethanol [alcohol] (700ml/l) or Betadine (tincture or aqueous solution).

Post exposure treatment must be continued at a clinic or hospital as soon as possible. Usually the treatment consists of emergency vaccination as well as a tetanus shot. In serious cases immunoglobulin needs to be administered. However this is a great problem because immunoglobulin is very scarce in Bali and expensive. If in doubt patients need to seek treatment in Singapore or Australia.

Sanglah hospital in Bali is the official rabies treatment centre, private health providers like International SOS or BIMC are amongst the best prepared.

Once rabies symptoms are detected in a person the disease will be fatal.
For further information check the extensive information on rabies, its treatment and eradication on the WHO rabies information websites and contact BAWA for a local update.

Atlantis of the East? No, it is a theme park

When the remains of an ancient underwater city were photographed off the coast of Bali, the Indonesian government hailed it as a potentially "phenomenal" discovery.

Mystical statues of the gods, their faces covered in gorgonian fans, stood rooted to the ocean floor behind an ornate temple gateway 100 feet below sea level.
The undersea archaeological department of the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced an investigation as rumours quickly circulated of 10 more such temples in the strait between Java and Bali. Excited local media speculated that an Atlantis of the East had been found.

Unfortunately, hopes of a groundbreaking discovery have been sunk. The city turns out to be an underwater theme park built by a British diver to entertain his customers.
Paul Turley, 43, "sank" the city in 2005 as an underwater attraction for visitors to his dive school in Pemuteran, north west Bali. He and an Australian colleague, Chris Brown, also aimed to highlight the importance of marine conservation.
Divers who visit the temple garden then make a donation to the Reef Gardeners project, where unemployed local fishermen are trained to maintain the corals close to the temple garden.

“We sank the temple garden as a fun idea and to do something different and the people that have dived it have loved it. Perhaps our publicity wasn’t good enough as no-one knew about it, but now I guess another great mystery has been solved.”

Sexiest Southeast Asian beaches

Dreaming of a steamy, languid tropical escape but looking for someplace a bit more exotic than Hawaii or the Caribbean? Venture further afield in Southeast Asia, which has a dazzling array of sandy options. You can easily find luxury, a hint of adventure and even a few spots where the U.S. dollar still holds its value.

Indonesia's reputation as an exotic beach destination remains unmarred and sexy Aussies flock here. Coeds prefer the more obvious Kuta Beach, but sexy grown-ups consider Dreamland Beach, an up and coming spot on the Bukit Peninsula, the most beautiful beach in the entire country. About 30 minutes drive from Kuta (and now with impending development, nicknamed "New Kuta Beach"), Dreamland has traditionally been accessed through Tommy Suharto, son of former President Suharto's, abandoned property. Previously, your only options while watching the spectacular sunset were basic pretty basic cafes and local shops, but with the junior Suharto now building a tony new resort, if the beach isn't dreamy enough for you, new gourmet and pampering options are likely to impress.
If you're looking to get off the mainland and totally off the beaten track in Indonesia, Trawangan Gili, the largest of the three Gili islands, is just 25 minutes by ferry off the coast of Lombok. What makes this island sexy is its unplugged, "Age of Aquarius" vibe. Magic mushrooms are legal for sale, raves on the beach under the moonlight are not uncommon, and you can circumnavigate this undeveloped sandy islet in under two hours and be sure to find a private nook. The natural highs include spectacular snorkeling and dive sights, including the Trawangan Slope off the Southeast coast, Sunset Reef and Shark Point off the West coast, and the appropriately named Jammin' Reef off the south coast.
If you're a fan of the far-flung, you'll have ultimate bragging rights after a visit to Pasir Putih in East Timor. This pretty, pristine deserted beach is located about five miles east of the former Portuguese colony of Dili. Emerging after three years as an independent nation, a visit here is only for the intrepid, like travel in Thailand in the 1960s.

Full article by Cathay Che

"Convergence" wins Sail Banda 2010

The yacht "Convergence" skippered by Randolph Kent Repass of the US, has been declared the champion of the international marine event Sail Banda 2010.
Randolph was therefore on Tuesday night presented with the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister`s trophy by Maluku Vice Governor Said Assagaff at a ceremony held at Tantui Nusantara Fish Port as the mooring location of the yachts participating in Sail Banda.
Convergence, a multi-hull yacht from the US, was the first to arrive at Banda Island on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 4.45 p.m. Eastern Indonesia Standard Time (WIT) after being flagged off at Darwin`s Cullen Bay, Australia, on July 24.
The second yacht to arrive in Banda was "Pegasus" of England, skippered by Jason Charles Lawrence, who was eligible to receive the Maluku Governor`s trophy.
While "First Light III" of Australia, skippered by Bernard John McGoldrick, came in third as it arrived in Banda at 8 on Tuesday morning, July 27. Bernard received the Sail Banda Committee`s trophy.
The first three yachts were followed by six others, namely "Catspaw" of England which was skippered by Peter Richard Whitby, "Magnetic" of New Zealand by Trevor Clifford Clark, "Erica" of New Zealand by Erick Frederik Gray, "Umbra Luna" of Australia by Dale Lynn Clemons, and "Miranda I" of Australia by Goyffrey Philip Rawlins Birch.

Sail Banda 2010, organized by the central government in cooperation with Maluku provincial administration, is participated in by 49 yachts from five countries.

A Girijati Getaway: Hidden Allures in South Yogyakarta

Last month, Yogyakarta was packed with people, cars and tourist buses. A legion of schoolkids from Java, along with their parents, crowded into Yogyakarta’s narrow streets, making it feel like Jakarta.

Areas like Jalan Malioboro and parts of Jalan Parangtritis are the usual spots where tourist converge. A few hundred meters away is the Sultan’s Palace.

To the east is the Prambanan temple. A drive up north will take you to the Kaliurang Highlands and the famed Borobudur temple. To the south are Parangtritis and other beaches.

But Yogyakarta’s southern reaches have other treasures in store for visitors willing to explore places not mentioned in travel guidebooks or Web sites.

Not too far from Parangtritis or Parangkusumo lies the small village of Girijati — home of historic and beautiful spots like the Beji spring, Gua Tapan cave and the terraced Gembirowati building.

In the village, you can find many affordable lodgings perched on hills overlooking the ocean.

Located about a kilometer away from the coastline, the village rests on the western fringe of Gunung Kidul, a district where rivers are known to flow hundreds of meters underground.

From the admission gate at Parangtritis, head straight until you reach an uphill road. Turn right at a fork in the road and you will see Sendang Beji, which means spring in Javanese.

Beji’s clear and cool waters run through Girijati like sheets of ice amid the greenery.

Somewhat unknown, Beji spring is an outlet of one of the rivers.

It is the setting of a well-known folktale about a man named Jaka Tarub who stole the shawl of a goddess named Nawang Wulan, preventing her from flying back to heaven.

Tugiran, a caretaker at Beji, said pilgrims come to the site to perform rituals on malam jumat kliwon , or the night before kliwon (one of the five-day weeks in the Javanese calendar).

The rituals are held when kliwon falls on a Friday.

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At Sail Banda 2010, SBY Sees Hope For Maluku

The heavy downpours may have battered the port of Ambon during Tuesday’s peak event of Sail Banda 2010, but it failed to temper the excitement felt by thousands of Ambonese residents. The port was crowded with people trying to catch a glimpse of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono.

In great anticipation, the crowds lined both sides of the streets, including schoolchildren, who were dismissed early to join the throngs of people, waiting patiently in the rain.

In his speech Yudhoyono said that with Sail Banda 2010 the country would use the momentum to promote Indonesian marine diversity and to help develop remote islands.

Sail Banda 2010 is an international maritime event aimed at showcasing how Maluku has overcome years of conflict.

Yudhoyono declared Maluku — long famed as the “Spice Islands” — as the “National Fish Belt”. “These areas have the potential of producing 1.64 million tons of fish a year. This is a huge potential that will benefit the welfare of the people,” Yudhoyono said.

A parade of naval ships from Indonesia and the participating countries took place as part of the maritime event.

Joint operations have been carried out by the navies of Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the United States to offer free health treatment to residents in the run-up to Sail Banda 2010.

Also, a choir sang the song Rinduku Padamu (My Longing For You). The song, written by Yudhoyono, is the title song of his first album launched in 2007.

Sail Banda 2010 will be completed on Indonesian Independence Day on Aug. 17.

Jazz night calls to vote for Komodo Island

The two-day Jazz at Fort Rotterdam in Makassar, South Sulawesi has taken the opportunity to raise support for a movement encouraging people to cast their vote for Komodo Island as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

One of the performing musicians, Dwiki Dharmawan, called on the audience to give their vote.

“The Komodo dragon lives only in Indonesia. We should lend our support by voting,” said the musician, who appeared with the Krakatau Band for the World Peace Orchestra.

At the festival, the Culture and Tourism Ministry which worked with the committee set up a computer, allowing audience members to vote for Komodo.

The ministry’s marketing director general, Sapta Niswandar, said the vote is crucial to ensure the world helps protect and preserve the world’s largest lizard. Komodo Island is one of 28 finalists for the new seven wonders of the world. Out of the 28, seven winners will be announced on Nov. 11 next year.

Surfing: Why Bali's hotbed is getting hotter

This great video clip below from INSurfNews' lead editor, Andrew Oliver, is the latest of many to shed light on the creativity emanating out of Bali's best surfers.

Local boys Betet Merta, Dede Suriyana and Marlon Gerber represent the tip of the spear for Bali's ever-swelling local ranks. Over the past decade these guys have undoubtedly seen more high performance surfing than anyone else on the planet.

Bali's gorgeous scenery and highly rippable surf make it the new mecca of high-performance surfing -- where the world's best go to have fun, frolic and get their freak on in the water.

As the cover to the right so beautifully illustrates, the locals have been absorbing the lessons brought in from distant shores. And as you'd expect, the they're dutifully adding their own twists, supporting Nick Carroll's cover story argument in the same September issue of Surfing Magazine.

By: Chris Mauro, GrindTV.com
Surfing Video with music