BALI UPDATE #310 - 26 August 2002

Authorities Raid Illegal Sanur Tourism Businesses

Water Sports Companies Targeted in Crackdown.

A joint task force comprised of Regional Tourism Officials, Water Police, Immigration, and State Prosecutors in cooperation with representatives from the Association of Water Sports Businesses (Gahawisri), swept down on a number of Sanur-area business suspected of operating illegally in raids conducted on Thursday, August 22, 2002.

Following the raid a number of businesses, including two apparently employing foreign nationals, were found to lack the proper local operating licenses.

According to a report carried in the Bali Post, Bali Safari Divers, a foreign investment project located on Jalan Mertasari was discovered to be lacking a location permit and its owner, a Maldivien, to have overstayed his immigration permit. The paper reports that a lack of correct documentation was also cited to an Italian operating the Blue Oasis Beach Club, a joint venture wind-surfing company established in partnership with Bali's champion windsurfer.

Both of the foreign operators received formal summons to appear in court.

Several other water sports operators in the Sanur area whose owners were not present during the raids, received letters to report to the tourism office in the coming days and present proof that they possess all required permits and licenses.

The raids, apparently undertaken at the urging of Gahawisri, who protested to authorities about foreign investment companies stealing their market and not being in possession of a complete set of required operating licenses. The Association has indicated that they will keep the pressure on local authorities to expand their crackdown to other areas of the island.

Companies found to be operating without the required licenses are liable for fines of up to Rp. 50,000 or imprisonment of up to 6 months.

Refueling in Style in Bali

New York Times Praises Two Bali Resorts.

Alida Becker, a staff writer from the New York Times and her husband recently took a holiday break in Bali staying at the Chedi in Ubud and The Serai in Manggis, East Bali. Her coverage and comments appear in the New York Times On-Line Edition of August 25, 2002, under the title "Refueling in Style in Bali".

In her coverage, Ms. Becker not only acknowledged the excellent service and facilities of the two hotels, but also the apparent safety for U.S. visitors coming to Bali, despite the cautions offered by current U.S. State Department travel advisories.

The management of the two hotels visited by Alida have recently shifted from GHM Hotels to Alila Hotels & Resorts, as reported in Bali Update 307, a move made with minimal changes in local management and staff.

Smart Americans continue to come to Bali, enjoying the island that was just voted the world's best by Travel & Leisure Magazine.

balidiscovery.com offers guaranteed lowest prices on the Internet for stays at the Alila Ubud and Alila Manggis.

Nusa Dua Festival Opens

Festivities to Continue through August 29.

Mr. I Gede Ardika, Indonesia's Minister of Culture and Tourism, formally presided over the opening of the Nusa Dua Festival on Friday, August 23, 2002.

The beginning of the festival, which draws participation by communities from across the island and, this year, from 17 provinces from across Indonesia, began with a traditional mass parade or peed agung, involving over 1,000 participants in traditional dress and a massive moving gamelan orchestra.

Now in its 6^th season, the Nusa Dusa Festival had become one of the island's largest cultural celebrations involving performance, artistic workshops, and demonstrations groups from the many hotels located in the Nusa Dua Complex. This year's participating companies include Club Mediterranee, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Sheraton Nusa Indah And Convention Centre, Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua Hotel, Melia Bali Villas And Spa Resort, Grand Hyatt Bali, Inna Putri Bali, Bali Hilton International Hotel, Bali Golf & Country Club, Amanusa Resort, Hotel Bualu, Swiss BelHotel Bali Aga, Galeria Nusa Dua, Bali Desa Suites, Han's Restaurant, Keris Gallery, Emma Restaurant, Bali Interactive, Bali International Lawn Bowls Club and Hotel Bualu.

This year's festival, which runs for an entire week, features a daily program of activities organized around the theme of "Segara Lelanguan," the story of an epic ocean journey drawn from the Hindu epic "Mahabrata."

Admission to the Nusa Dua Festival is free of charge.

More information: Related Story: Nusa Dua Festival

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

A 3 Days/2 Nights Safari to East Java's Majestic Baluran National Park.

Bali Discovery Tours now offers an exciting 3 days/2 nights Savannah Safari to the 25,000 hectare Baluran National Park in East Java. Only a 5 hours drive from Bali's main tourist areas to base camp at Rosa's Ecolodge in the village of Sumberwaru, this fully escorted program offers the chance to view a variety of distinct eco-systems and the surprisingly abundant array of wildlife, flora, and birds that make the park their home.

Included in the program are safari expeditions from the base-camp to the seaside at Bama Beach and a night-time safari in search of the largely nocturnal wildlife population of the park. Although thought to be extinct, some experts point to growing evidence that an extremely small group of Javan Tigers may still be extant at the park in addition to the known populations of spotted leopards, jackals (Coun Alpinus), primates, wild buffalo, banteng (bos javanicus), wild boar, and deer. An exotic range of birds also live in the park with special ornithological outing options available.

The 3 Days East Java Wildlife Savannah Safari includes all transportation, 2 safari expeditions from the base camp, accommodation, all meals, all admissions, tolls, guide fees, and accident insurance cover.

More information: 3 Days East Java Wildlife Savannah Safari

Don't Talk Politics at This Dinner

Special Dinner planned at ku dé ta with Officers of Esmeralda.

Bali's ku dé ta Restaurant is planning a special red, white, and blue dinner to honor the Captain and crew of the Chilean Navy's four-masted barquentine Esmeralda during its early September call in Bali. On Wednesday evening, September 4, 2002, a sumptuous array of Chilean wines and seafood delicacies will be served with the Captain and officers of the ship as special guests of the restaurant. An 18-piece orchestra comprised of sailors from the Esmeralda will provide dance music for the evening.

The ku dé ta Restaurant has prepared a special "wine & dine" offer for Rp. 975,000 net per person and a "standing only wine and canapés" option for only Rp. 575,000 net per person. Music from the orchestra will continue throughout the evening with doors open to the public and a cash bar from 11.00 p.m..

A Ship with a Long and Sometimes Troubled Past

Built in 1952 and with a home port in Valparaiso, Chile, Esmeralda, at an overall length of 371 feet, is the world's second largest sailing ship. While the ship's mission today is as a roving goodwill ambassador, its visit to Wellington, New Zealand in December of 2001, was tainted with controversy. Members of the New Zealand Chapter of Amnesty International staged protests in connection with the visit, citing the ship's alleged use as a torture and prison ship during the reign of General Augusto Pinochet. According to Amnesty International, some 100 men and women were held on the ship without charges or trial, including Father Michael Woodward who later died as a result of tortures allegedly inflicted while held prisoner on the Esmeralda.

The Chilean Navy consistently denied the charges made against the ship and its personnel by those testifying at the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation. No individual has ever been prosecuted in connection with the incidents.

How to Book

For more information and tickets contract Marita Daniell, function's manager at telephone ++62-361-736969 or facsimile ++62-361-736464.

More information: Email contact for ku dé ta

Putting Members First

The Bali MICE Initiative Offers Value & Benefits to Members Joining Booth at IT&CMA in Bangkok October 23-25.

The Bali MICE Initiative, the publishers of Bali's only comprehensive guide to meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), continues to seek out propositions of outstanding value and savings for those joining the Initiative's stand at the IT&CMA show October 23-25, 2002, in Bangkok, Thailand.

With participation open to any member of Bali's tourism industry at a cost of only US$ 2,250 per company, the Bali MICE Initiative is extending the following value-added services to those who join them in Thailand at this major promotional event on the MICE calendar.

+ Special Air Fare. A special industry rate air fare of US$ 320 per delegate including a 40 Kg. double luggage allowance to facilitate brochure carriage.

+ Special Hotel Rates. A very special negotiated hotel rate at one of the official hotels, including an upgrade in room category.

+ Complimentary Transfers. Complimentary transfers for all Initiative Members each day between the designated hotel and the conference venue.

+ Pre-Show Publicity. Special e-mail announcements sent to all registered buyers broadcasting the names and company backgrounds of those members of the Bali MICE Initiative exhibiting in Bangkok.

Commenting on the Bali MICE Initiative's participation at IT&CMA, Managing Director Arie Sukirno pointed to the Initiative's "without favor open-access policy" to all Bali travel industry players and its continuing efforts to seek added value and exposure for all its participants as part of the Initiative's commitment to provide Bali's MICE suppliers with an open, coordinated, and professional marketing approach to securing a share of the lucrative MICE market for the island.

The 2^nd edition of the guide - Bali MICE Guide 2003 will be available for distribution at the IT&CMA show in Bangkok.

Visit the Initiative's website at www.micebali.com.

More information: Contact the Bali MICE Initiative

Deep Connection

Solo Exhibition By Bali Based Australian Artist, Jo Odessa, at Seniwati Gallery.

Bali's only art gallery dedicated exclusively to the work of women artists, Seniwati Gallery for Women is welcoming back Australian-born artists, Jo Odessa for a second solo exhibition - "Deep Connection."

Jo Odessa, who lives in Bali and has her own gallery in Ubud, will be exhibiting her work at the Seniwati Gallery for Women's Showplace on Ubud's Main Street through September 12, 2002.

The images presented in this solo exhibition reflect the artist's intrinsic connection with the environment via the natural beauty of her adopted home – Bali. Working in an abstract expressionistic mode, Jo Odessa uses strong, bold colors to evoke the deep connection of all things with their physical environment and the natural beauty that surrounds us all.

The exhibition is open daily from 9.00 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information contact the Gallery at ++62-361-975485.

NZ Country Music Star at Centerstage August 29-30

Jackie Bristow in Limited Engagement at Hard Rock Hotel.

Bali residents and visitors will have a chance to catch a rising star with the appearance of Kiwi singing sensation Jackie Bristow in a limited two-night engagement at the Hard Rock Hotel's Centerstage.

Hailing from New Zealand's south island, this talented singer-songwriter first came to international prominence after moving to Sydney where she honed her composing and performing skills. A well-received demo single in Australia, quickly secured the chance to travel to America to record her first album, jointly produced by an Australian-U.S. music team.

Jackie's unique sound is well-known to Australian TV-viewers where her songs have been featured on Ten Network's popular TV series "The Secret Life of Us" and on the Australia perennial "Home and Away."

Jackie Britstow performs on Thursday and Friday, August 29 & 30, 2002, at Hard Rock Hotel's Centerstage.

Shows start at 9.30 p.m.. No cover charge applies.

BTB Meeting Postponed

Organizational Meeting for Bali Tourism Board Delayed Two Weeks.

An organizational meeting for the Bali Tourism Board (BTB), originally set for August 20-21, has been delayed two weeks and rescheduled for September 2-3, 2002.

In a press conference called by the Directors of the BTB, the reason cited for the delay was a need to sharpen the agenda for the meeting and further socialize the agenda to all the local tourism stakeholders.

In the period leading up to the coming 2-day meeting intended to result in the finalization of an action plan for Bali tourism, the various tourism organizations on Bali, government agencies, and non-governmental community organizations are reportedly all being consulted in order to secure a generalized consensus on goals and direction prior to the actual early September meeting.

Interpreting Heritage

balidiscovery.com's J.M. Daniels Speaks at Major Heritage Conference.

balidiscovery.com's President Director, J.M. Daniels was among the speakers invited to participate in an important cultural seminar held in Bandung, West Java, August 19-20, 2002.

HERITAGE INTERPRETATION: Illuminating Our Past and Our Future included among its participants museum operators, heritage enthusiasts, scholars, and members of the tourism community and was held at the historic campus of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in Bandung.

Sponsored by the Department of Culture and Tourism for West Java and the Center for Tourism Studies at ITB, the seminar's aim was to make the managers of museums and historical sites, together with members of the nation's tourism industry, more aware of the importance of interpretation in the day-to-day management of heritage sites.

Speaking on the topic of Merchandising our Heritage, Bali Discovery's co-founder told the group that museums and heritage sites "are where we store and preserve the stories we wish to pass on to our children and share with our visitors. Our museums and how we manage and present them, and the degree to which they are cherished by visitors and their own citizens, speak to how a country values its past history and the shared faith people have in their collective futures."

Using the Bali Museum as the organizing point for his comments, Daniels said that recent changes in government policy with increased autonomy for provincial governments meant that now was the time for the control and management of the Bali Museum to reside with the people of Bali. The current museum, according to Daniels, falls sadly short in its mission to effectively communicate the rich cultural and historical legacy of the people of Bali.

Urging that Bali Museum be reorganized under a Board of Trustees comprised of leading local community members, he called for an ambitious rebuilding and renovation program for the museum, funded by the Community, that would result in a new facility popular with locals and visitors alike. He further suggested that an expanded museum could accommodate live performances reflecting the role of dance and drama in Balinese life, provide space for visiting exhibits, and even have conference and entertainment areas to facilitate the growing conference and meeting market.

Paddy Fields Forever

Bali's First Irish Pub Opens at Bali Dynasty Resort.

Gracie Kelley's Bali's first authentic Irish Pub has opened on August 16, 2002, at the Bali Dynasty Resort in the South Kuta area of Bali.

With interiors inspired by a traditional Irish cottage pub, the 290 square meter facility recreates a bit of Ireland in tropical Bali via the use of wood paneling, rough wooden flooring, wooden church pews, stained-glass and authentic bric-a-brac imported from the ole country. The pub also offers a games room that includes pool tables and darts.

Groups of guests, sitting in "snugs" or small partitioned areas, will enjoy genuine Irish cuisine accompanied by generous pints of Guinness and Kilkenny.

Celtic Soul Performs

For a limited two-month engagement to mark the opening of Gracie Kelley's, Celtic Soul an Irish musical duo will perform nightly starting from 7 p.m.. Partially sponsored by QANTAS Airways, Celtic Soul, is comprised of two talented musicians hailing from Country Antrim and Dublin.

Celtic Soul will be offering their latest CD recording for sale during their Bali appearance with a portion of the proceeds being set aside to assist charity projects in support of Balinese children.

More information: Book a Stay at the Dynasty Resort

Here's Looking at You

Bali's Sanglah Hospital Inaugurates New CT Scan Unit.

On August 01, 2002, Bali's Sanglah General Hospital (RSUP Sanglah) commenced formal operation of a new state-of-the-art CT-Scan machine (Computed Tomographic Imaging). Imported from Japan at a cost of Rp. 5 billion (approximately US$510,000), the unit is being operated on a joint-venture basis with a local company, P.T. Menjangan.

The CT-Scan, able to handle 8 patients every day, will be available to all doctors practicing at the island's main hospital and is expected to substantially enhance the diagnostic capabilities of local physicians.

A Balinese Dutch Treat

Dutch TV Personality Lonny Gerungan Comes Home to Bali.

26 years ago Lonny Gerungan left his native Bali and moved to Holland. There his culinary talents acquired in his Mother's Balinese kitchen set him on a career course that made both him and the food of Bali increasingly famous.

Today, Lonny has his own TV series on TROS Television Holland. In the coming Winter season the Balinese chef, appearing in his trademark traditional dress, will star in 26 programs about Indonesia and Bali.

An author of 6 books on Indonesian cuisine, Lonny Gerungan also works as a food consultant to Garuda Indonesia, who serve his trademark Indonesian recipes on their Indonesian-Amsterdam flights.

Lonny Gerungan is presently in Bali visiting family and friends while undertaking preparations for a new series of TV productions to be shot in early 2003.

More information: Lonny Gerungan's Website (In Dutch)