BALI UPDATE #314 - 23 September 2002

Air Fares that are Truly Fair Dinkum!

Air Paradise Announces Oz Fares for its October 27 Commencement of Services.

If the fares published in local Bali advertisements for Bali's first airline, Air Paradise, are any indication, the upstart air carrier connecting Bali to Melbourne and Perth is going to give Qantas and Garuda Indonesia a run for your money.

Introductory Bali to Oz Fares

While fares ex-Perth and Melbourne have yet to be formally announced, Air Paradise will offer special introductory prices for travel commenced and completed by December 15, 2002, flying Denpasar-Perth-Denpasar for only US$ 200. The fare Denpasar-Melbourne-Denpasar during the same period of validity sells for only US$ 300.

Student Fares

The Airline is offering a special 1-year validity ticket to Indonesian students traveling Denpasar-Perth-Denpasar at US$ 250 and Denpasar-Melbourne-Denpasar for US$ 385.

Special Domestic Prices

During the introductory operation period of October 27 through December 15, 2002, a limited number of passengers will be able to fly round-trip Denpasar to Jakarta on the Airline's thrice weekly service for special prices starting from Rp. 1,100,000 (approximately US$ 120).

Schedules

Paradise Air will operate Denpasar to Perth on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays departing Bali at 10:00 a.m. and arriving in Perth at 1:30 p.m.. The return leg operating on the same day departs Perth at 2:30 p.m. landing in Bali at 6:00 p.m..

Service between Denpasar and Melbourne will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays departing Bali at 11:45 p.m. and arriving the following morning in Melbourne at 8:20 a.m.. Melbourne to Denpasar flights fly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from Melbourne at 10:00 a.m. landing in Bali at 1:00 p.m..

Domestic service between Bali and Jakarta fly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Denpasar flights leave at 6:00 p.m. and arrive in Jakarta at 6:30 p.m. with the return leg leaving the nation's capital at 7:30 p.m. to land in Bali at 10:00 p.m..

All times quoted are local times.

Air Paradise has leased A310-300 aircraft in a 202 seat economy and 12 Paradise Class seat configuration. The maintenance of the aircraft is reportedly being done under a technical service agreement with Singapore Airlines.

Waterbom Resumes Full Operations.

After Closure Due to Power Problems, Attraction Now Re-Open for Business.

Waterbom Park & Spa re-opened to the public on Friday, September 20, 2002.

The park experienced closed its doors due to an interruption in the Park's power supply system last week.

Part III - Nyoman & Kadek Are Getting Married

The Final Installment on our Coverage of a Wedding in Bali.

From sunrise until after sundown on their wedding day, Nyoman and Kadek wore their elegant ceremonial clothing. A shimmering golden bridal crown made of leaf-shaped foil rose above the Kadek's black hair. Her sarong, wrapped tightly layer upon layer, accentuated her perfect posture. Nyoman's attire was not dissimilar - tight layers of red sarongs bound by a brilliant yellow sash decorated with prada. A ceremonial sword was tucked behind his back, the gilded hilt topped by a pearl-colored handle. Both bride and groom wore heavy make-up.

Family and friends wore their finest clothes. The women wore lacy kabayas and multi-colored sarongs. The men wore dark blue Nero style jackets and two layers of sarongs.

The day-long ceremonial was consumed with prayers to bless their union. All the while, the ringing bell-tones of gamelangongs blended with a throaty flute song, the recitation of ancient Balinese texts, and the insistent chime of the priest's bell. It was a cacophony difficult to join into one orchestration. Their vows were not proclaimed in a climactic "I do," rather, the couple, the parents, a local priest, and a high priest solemnized the union via their abundance of prayers vocalized over clouds of incense.

At times, the priests were nowhere to be seen, and the family was left to remember the complex sequence of offerings on their own. When the priests officiated, a more ancient and guttural sounding Balinese came quietly from their concentrated mouths. They sprinkled holy water and precisely flicked red, white, or magenta flowers. Meanwhile, guests mingled and chatted, ate and drank, appearing seemingly indifferent to the binding moments their hosts were celebrating.

Prayers were made in numerous places at Nyoman's house, at the family temple, before an altar specially prepared by the priests, and at the neighborhood temple. This went on throughout the day, first at Nyoman's and later at Kadek's parent's house, more than one hour away. Offerings made in advance surrounded every place of prayer and were presented in hand-made plates and palm-sized, boat-shaped tangkeh, all prepared by the families using a variety of natural materials such as palm leaves, apples, oranges, salak, bananas, eggs, chickens, and flowers - all presented to the gods on behalf of Nyoman and Kadek. Elaborately cut, round decorations appeared like suns and moons at every concentration of offerings. At Kadek's parents house, a whole-roasted pig glistened at the foot of a mountain of offerings. At times, the couple were encouraged to make gestures, cryptic even to them, urged on by family elders.

Nyoman and Kadek's wedding day over-fills any attempts to capture the event in mere words. In the ceremony's wake we are left with memorized nuances of a multitude of voices, gamelan music, the visual stir of brightly-colored cloths, spicy foods and sweet cakes, and the sense of prayers hovering overheard.

The life changing ceremony of Nyoman and Kadek's wedding, just one of the traditional religious events that makes Bali exotic to an outsider and home to the Balinese.

Me & My God

HHPB - Association of Public Relation Professionals Makes October Special for Kids.

The members of the Association of Hotel Public Relations Professionals (HHPB) are joining forces to October a very special month for kids living on or visiting the island of Bali.

To celebrate the HHPB's 4^th anniversary, the association is sponsoring a series of children's competitions titled "Me & My God," giving young people the chance to compete for medals and prizes. Funds raised by HHPB in the course of the event will be shared among needy rural primary schools in Bali.

Three Separate Events

Under the theme of "Me & My God," HHPB will host three distinct competitions in the areas of photography, painting, and poetry reading.

Photography Competition

The first competition in the area of photography is open to junior and amateur photographers below the age of 30. Final submissions must be sent to Ms. Adrayani, Public Relations Manager of the Kuta Paradiso Hotel before October 20, 2002. Entries must be a minimum size of 10R, in either black & white or color. Judges are drawn from the ranks of professional photographers and photo editors.

Children's Painting Competition

A Children's Painting Competition will be held on October, 6, 2002 at the Hotel Padma Bali.

Poetry Reading Competition

The final of the three events sponsored by HHPB will be a Poetry Reading Competition & Speech Contest scheduled for October 27, 2002 at the Kuta Paradiso Hotel.

Book Envisioned

Anatasia Lijadi, HHPB Chairwoman, commented, "Our goal is to launch a book entitled 'Me & My God,' based on the photos, paintings, and poems we gather from the competitions." The organization will be working together with a local publisher to realize the book with funds generated by the books' sales to be donated to needy primary schools in Bali's rural areas.

Established in 1999, HHPB has 28 members from 26 hotels across Bali.

Chairman and Vice Chairman of HHPB for the period 2002-2003 are, respectively, Anastasia Lijadi from the Bali Hyatt and Deddy Sasmita of the Hard Rock Hotel Bali. Serving as the organization's Secretary is Brany Ferushita Dewi of the Novotel Coralia Bali, with Rainata Tjoa of The Bale acting as Treasurer.

The winners from each of the three categories will be announced on October 27, 2002, at the Kuta Paradiso Hotel at HHPB's 4^th anniversary celebration.

More information: E-mail HHPB for more information.

Golden Key Keepers

One-Day Seminar on 'The Concierge' Set for October 5 in Jakarta.

The Clefs d'Or - the Society of Golden Keys, a worldwide fellowship of professional Concierge, will host a one day workshop in Jakarta on Saturday, October 5, 2002, at The Sari Pan Pacific Hotel.

The session billed as "The Little Known Profession: The Concierge" will be conducted by Mr. Sam Osman, President of The Clefs d'Or Singapore Chapter and the organization's Area Director for Asia.

Limited seats are available for the workshop scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.. Cost for participation is Rp. 175,000 (approximately US$ 19.25) and covers the cost of the workshop, lunch, and a completion certificate.

Reservations should be made with Mr. Kartiman, Chief Concierge of the Four Seasons Regent Residences in Jakarta, telephone ++62-(0)21-5790 1888 or facsimile ++62-(0)21-5790 1788.

More information: E-mail contact for Society of Golden Keys Workshop

Open Oz Skies for Indonesia

Australian Government Opens Air Access to All Indonesian Air Carriers.

travelbiz.com.au reports that changes now being implemented in Australian Government Air Policies will permit all Indonesian airlines open access to international airports located outside the traditional destinations in Australia's main city centers.

Australia's Transport Minister John Anderson and Tourism Minister Joe Hockey described the agreement as a next step in the Australian government's plans to provide unlimited capacity to all foreign airlines in cities other than Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

The new policy is expected to help boost the economies of cities such as Darwin and Cairns and do much to make up for the shortfall of Australian visitors to Bali occasioned by the recent failure of Ansett Airlines.

Wash, Soak, and Rinse Cycle

Money Laundering Conference in Bali Dec. 12-13.

A brief meeting between Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Indonesian Foreign Affair Minister Hasan Wirajuda, during the recent 57^th General Assembly of the United Nations, has resulted in a decision for their two governments to jointly sponsor an international conference on money laundering and terrorist financing to be held in Bali, December 12-13, 2002.

In a joint statement announcing the conference, the two top diplomats from their respective nations said, "the conference will augment and contribute to existing initiatives being undertaken by the U.N. counter-terrorism committee and organizations such as Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering."

Power to The People

Bali Slated to Be Among the First Regions Open to Private Electrification Investment.

Indonesia is in the midst of an acute power shortage. Official estimates that some US$ 28.45 billion of additional investment in the nation's electrical power generating capabilities are required over the next 10 years to stave off the growing power shortage crisis.

Regular power outages in the Bali power grid point to a situation, expected to peak by 2003, in which the demand for electrical power exceed the current generating capabilities of the State Power Company (PLN). Under a new law, expected to soon receive Presidential approval, the private sector will be allowed to produce and sell electricity to the consumers. The current law only permits the private producers of power to sell electricity to PLN who hold a monopoly on the electricity market.

The liberalization of the electricity market is scheduled to commence in 2007 with Batam, Java and Bali slated as the trial-areas for free market competition. It is estimated that Bali's electrical requirements grow at an average annual rate of 13%.

Police Chief Vows To Get Tough on Pedophiles

Closer Cooperation Ahead with NGO's in Fight Against Child Sex Crimes.

Bali's Police Chief, Brigadier General Budi Setyawan has pledged to increase the seriousness with which his department confronts pedophilic crime on the island.

As a first step in curbing the sexual abuse of under-aged children, Bali's top cop has stated that he will issue a written order to all his subordinates directing them to cooperate with local non-governmental agencies, such as the Committee Against Sexual Abuse (CASA). This pledge was made in a meeting with Professor Dr. Luh Ketut Suryani who led a delegation from CASA on a visit to the Chief of Police on Thursday, September 12, 2002.

As a further step to eliminate pedophilic practice on the island, Brigadier General Setyawan said he would endeavor to send information on those pedophiles convicted by the courts in Bali to the country of national origin of the offenders.

He also called on local community members to be aware of the threat of pedophiles operating in their areas, reporting to police any suspicious situations. Unfortunately, according to Setyawan, some pedophile rings have managed to gain access to remote impoverished sections of Bali by posing as representatives of philanthropic organizations. (KOMPAS)