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Send an SMS to "5777" for Bali Tourism Information.
PT Telkomsel has entered into a cooperative agreement with the provincial government of Bali that has resulted in the launch of a Short Messaging Service (SMS) dedicated to providing tourism information to Bali visitors.
During the beginning phase of the SMS tourism information program, tourist will get instant replies listing local events, such as temple festivals, by sending to "5777" an SMS stating:
InfoBali event
Don't forget the space between InfoBali and event !
Over time additional SMS services will be expanded to include information of foreign consulates, post office locations, hospitals, and other local information.
Putting a Blush to the Pornography Law
PDI-P Party Call on Government to Ditch the Anti-Pornography Law.
As reported on balidiscovery.com [ See: Too Sexy for My Bali!], the proposed anti-pornography bill now being considered in Jakarta has stimulated wide-spread opposition across Indonesia, not least of which in Bali where the legislation is seen as fundamentally opposed to Bali's culture and its main industry of tourism.
Meanwhile, the powerful Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has labeled the proposed legislation as "extremely dangerous" in its efforts to "change a multicultural society into a monocultural one."
Pressure is mounting from the PDI-P, the party of Indonesia's former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, and many other quarters to drop the legislation completely or, at the very least, to water down its contents which seek to regulate public and private behavior into a more moderate law dealing only with the control of the distribution of pornographic material. Quoted in the Jakarta Post, the Secretary-general of PDI-P, Pramono Agung, said that the pornography bill threatened the nation's plurality, adding that an ideological battle was raging.
He warned that the current struggle to preserve the principles established by Indonesia's founding Fathers that honored plurality in not embracing any single religion as the State religion had the potential to erupt into a national full-scale confrontation. Pramono saw some groups as trying to "insert Islamic teachings" into the national law in its efforts to prohibit kissing in public, govern standards of dress, and nudity in the arts.
Will the Government Hold the Line on Telephones?
Security and Telecommunications Experts Call on Government to Hold Firm on April 28 Deadline for Pre-paid Card Registration.
As reported on balidiscovery.com [ See: Deadline Looms for Prepaid Phone Card Users], billions of Rupiahs in pre-paid telephone card credits are scheduled to evaporate if consumers continue to ignore the April 28, 2006 deadline for registering their personal details with telephone service providers.
In response to calls from telephone service providers for the Government to delay the looming deadline, security and telecommunication experts are calling for a firm adherence to the rules and all its consequences.
S. Teguh, a telecommunication’s expert based in Bandung, West Java, told the Indonesian language Bisnis Indonesia: "The customers cannot be the sole consideration. The potential burden on the Government and the character of our people must also be considered; the deadline for registration cannot be extended." Teguh explained that if the deadline is extended, the cost to the Government of validating identities of telephone card users will increase. Meanwhile, he added, the tendency of local people to always register at the very last moment when confronted with deadlines cannot become the basis for extending the closing date.
Indosat's Regional Vice President Customer Maintenance, Sonny Adiwijaya, said he is still confident that 100% of the pre-paid cards holders will register by the April 28, 2006 deadline. As of March 20, 2006, only 36.94% of all pre-paid card holders have fulfilled the registration requirements. In real terms, some 31,921,497 pre-paid telephone card holders remained unregistered as of March 20th.
Anne van Borselen's Beatiful People
An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawing by Anne van Borselen at Conrad Bali Resort and Spa from April 1, 2006.
Descended from great artists, both from her Indonesian and Dutch ancestors, Anne van Borselen has studied at the Royal Academy of the Arts in the Hague and Rotterdam. Born in Surabaya in 1937, Anne's first exhibition was on the island of Ibiza in Spain where she lived for five years.
An energetic and spirited artists, Anne paints on canvas, rice paper, and panels using acrylics, oils, gauche or ink. Refusing to be bound by the limits of working in any one style or medium, Anne van Borselen's work has been imperfectly compared to the works of Degas in its beauty and Rembrandt in the intensity of emotion it conveys. Bold and provocative in her paintings, Anne still manages to retain humor and an easy going style that pervades both her personal style and her art.
Anne said: "I discover beauty in everyday things. There is no real separation between the observer and the observed. Dance movements, compositions with figures, I have to enter into a sort of trance that will give me the feeling that my work is being guided by a cosmic force. In the end, the work itself takes over and you don’t even know you are working."
Beautiful People
Anne van Borselen's latest exhibition ”Beautiful People” opened in the East Lobby Lounge of the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa on April 1, 2006 where it is scheduled to be open to the public on a daily basis for the coming two months.
The Beautiful People exhibition by Anne can Borselen is a joint promotion between the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa and Jenggala Ceramics.
April Showers: Storms in Northwest Australian Wreak Havoc and Rain in Bali.
There's an old oriental belief that rain on the New Year portends good fortune in the year ahead. In that vein, Bali is now officially waiting for both good fortune and fair weather.
Rains spun off from the force 4 cyclone Glenda that hit Northwest Australia have visited cloudy skies and almost constant rain fall on most of South Bali starting from Balinese New Year (Caka 1928) on Friday, March 31, 2006.
A combination of heavy rains, strong winds and large waves ranging from 1.5 - 3 meters have resulted in widespread erosion along Bali's western coast from Kedongan to Kuta Beach. A number of small beachside restaurants on South Bali's popular surfing beaches and tens of local fishing boats (jukung) suffered substantial damage as the result of the inclimate weather.
According to a report in the Jakarta Post, at least one death is being attributed to a three-meter wave swepte away a number of swimmers on Legian Beach on Saturday, April 1st. Life saving guards along Kuta Beach closed the beach for swimmers for a period over the weekend of April 1 - 2 in response to the high waves hitting the popular beach front.
Local weather reports for Bali suggest a clearing weather pattern on Monday or Tuesday, likely to be followed by more rain and thunderstorms for the remainder of the week.
Gender Bending Legong in Bali April 9th
Unique Legong Bapang Saba Performance Starring Didik Nini Thowok at Puri Taman Saba, Blahbatuh Gianyar on Sunday, April 9, 2006.
Arguably among the most recognized works in the Balinese dance repertoire, the Legong was once "owned" by every Bali raja who recruited only the most beautiful pre-pubescent girls to present the refined movements of the Legong accompanied by music performed by the palace gamelan. With the singular exception of the Legong's earlier form - the Nandir, which was performed by young boys, the Legong is today the almost exclusive preserve of very young Balinese female dancers.
Any gender-based cultural expectations are scheduled to be challenged on a fundamental level during a special Legong Bapang Saba performance set for the Puri Taman Saba in Blahbatuh, Gianyar at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 9, 2006. On that evening, key roles in the Legong will be danced not only by older dancers but by one of Indonesia's most famous senior male dancers.
Award winning dancer and choreographer, Didik Nini Thowok, whose real name is Didik Hadi Prayitno, is a 51 year-old male dancer noted for his championing of Indonesia's long tradition of "cross-gender" dance forms; portraying women's role in Sundanese, Cirebon, Balinese, Central Javanese and an entire range of Indonesian traditional mask dances.
On April 9th at the special Legong performance, Didik will perform with a community dance troupe from Sanggar Saba Sari of Blahbatuh and Ni Nyoman Sudewi, a professor and researcher in the Legong who is originally from Bali, but now teaching at Yogyakarta's School of Fine Arts (ISI).
According to Didik, the inspiration for the performance stems from his desire to document the Legong Bapang Gaya Saba and to honor the memory of his mentor and teacher, the late I Gusti Gde Raka Saba.
The special performance, supported by Maharani Records, will be recorded and eventually available to the public on CD, VCD and DVD.
More Information
Don't miss this rare opportunity to witness the seldom seen dance traditions of the Legong Bapang Saba performed by Didik Nini Thowok, a man who has performed and taught Indonesian dances in tens of countries around the world.
Date: Sunday, April 9, 2006
Place: Puri Taman Saba Blahbatuh, Gianyar (Telp. ++62-(0361) 298530
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Price: Rp. 150,000 (approximately US$16.30)
Reservations:
• I Nyoman Windha - telephone ++62-(0)361-461065 or ++62-(0)81338326405 • Ni Ketut Arini – telephone ++62-(0)361-228644 or ++62-(0)8179764272 • Nunik Anumingsih telephone ++62-(0)81381160697.
A Case of Mutual Admiration
Balidiscovery.com Praised By Friskodude.blogspot.com.
Befitting someone living on a tropical island, John Daniels, the Editor of balidiscovery.com, begins each day with a morning surf. Candidly, however, until somone devises a way to install a couch on a surfboard, "Jack" will continue to limit his morning surf to the Internet.
As essential as Jack Daniels' double espresso is a morning visit to [Frisko Dude Blogspot] - the Asian-oriented Blog of the very talented Carl Parkes. Based in San Francisco, Southeast Asia is the passion of Carl who has written six guidebooks to Southeast Asia published by Avalon Travel and National Geographic. As a result, you'll understand if we cherish praise from Carl who is the winner of two Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers.
We thought it would be nice to share the above link to Carl Parkes' Blogspot and the direct link below to his recent comments regarding balidiscovery.com.
Hey, surf's up!
Catch you tomorrow morning at FriskoDude.blogspot.com.
Now 7 Flights Each Week Between Seoul and Korea Operated by Garuda and Korean Airlines.
Commencing from April 2, 2006, Garuda Indonesia resumed its three time a week service between Bali and Seoul, South Korea, after discontinuing the service in September 2004.
Flying Airbus A-300 equipment capable of carrying 294 passengers (42 in business class and 251 in economy), Garuda's Denpasar - Seoul services (GA-780) are scheduled every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, departing from Denpasar at 00:45 a.m. local time and arriving in Seoul at 08:30 a.m. local time. On the return leg, Seoul - Denpasar, Garuda (GA-871) flies every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, leaving Seoul at 11.00 a.m. local time and arriving in Denpasar at 4:50 p.m. local time.
With these additional flights to Seoul, the Denpasar - Seoul route is served a total of 7 times a week in which Garuda flies 3 times a week while the other 4 flights are flown by Korean Airlines through a code-sharing arrangement that sees Garuda Indonesia using A-330 aircraft and Korean Airlines flying Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
The South Korean inbound market is the fourth largest source of Bali visitors after Japan, Australia and Taiwan. In 2005, a total 78.146 Koreans visited Bali.
No TV Please, We're Balinese
Local Broadcast Commission Wants Indonesian TV Stations to Cease Broadcasts in Bali During Future Nyepi Observances.
The local Bali Commission for Broadcasting (KPI-Bali) has formally expressed its disappointment at how a number of national television stations continued to broadcast to Bali during the official Nyepi celebrations on Thursday, March 30, 2006.
Prior to the most recent celebration of Bali's "official day of silence," the KPI-Bali had forwarded requests to the KPI headquarters in Jakarta and the Minister of Communications asking that TV stations refrain from broadcasting for the 24-hour period starting from 06:00 a.m. on March 30th. The head of the KPID-Bali, Drs. Dewa Gede Windhu Sancaya, said the failure of certain stations to heed the request to pause their Bali broadcast for 24 hours may be considered in future permits to broadcast in Bali, required by law from 2007.
According to the Indonesian language Bali Post, only three national TV stations honored Bali’s request to stop broadcasting to Bali during Nyepi: TVRI, Metro TV and ANTV.
USA to Bali – It's Never Been Cheaper!
Cathay Pacific's Deal of the Month for April 2006 Offers September Fares: USA's West Coat to Bali Starting from US$699 and US$799 from New York!
It's a "steal of a deal" flying Cathay Pacific (CX) from the United States to Bali if you fly in September 2006 and purchase your ticket during the month of April.
Cathay Pacific's April Deal of the Month is available for outbound travel from September 1 through September 30 with a maximum stay of 30 days.
Starting prices are for Economy Class Travel and do not include taxes for travel from the U.S.A. to Hong Kong and Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta or Bali.
Contact Cathay Pacific on line or your nearest travel agent for details and bookings.
'Operasi Ogoh Ogoh Agung' a Success as Police Mobilize 7,000 Police to Keep the Peace.
As reported on balidiscovery.com, [ See: Keeping Nyepi's Peace and Quiet as Advertised], some 7,000 police were deployed across Bali to ensure that pangerupukan (ngerupuk) celebrations were held on virtually every street of every village across the island took place without major incident.
Despite the potentially volatile combination of inter-banjar rivalry among competing Ogoh-Ogoh floats and readily available refreshment in the form of arak wine, the night of abandon followed by day of absolute silence Nyepi passed without major incident.
The Wild Boys of Tanjung Bungkak
According to the Indonesian language Bali Post, police charge six young men from the Denpasar community of Tanjung Bungkak in connection with a violation of rules regarding public intoxication and an alleged attack on a local rice storage shed. The six charged were among a group of 11 boys from the Jalan Akasia area who became angered when pecalang from the local village security force and police refused the group's attempt to bring their Ogoh-ogoh onto a major street, outside the pre-agreed parade area for their banjar.
The Lone Ranger from Holland
The Bali Post also carried the report of a frustrated attempt by 41 year-old Dutchman, Gregori van Gigh, to violate the peace of Nyepi by riding his motorbike from a rented villa in Dalung, Denpasar through the otherwise deserted streets of downtown Kuta. Forceably stopped by local pecalang charged with keeping the officially-mandated "quiet," the Dutchman was told he could only return to his residence if he would agree to push his motorbike the entire way.
The "easy-riding" Dutchman persisted, however, reportedly insisting that he be allowed to freely continue his journey, enjoying the completely deserted streets on his motorcycle. With local pecalang growing increasingly frustrated with van Gigh, the visitor and his motorcycle were eventually escorted to safety by Kuta police to a local home-stay immediately adjacent to the Kuta precinct house. The following morning, when Nyepi observances had officially finished, van Gigh was given his keys and allowed to drive back to his villa.
Police Chief Sunarko
Bali's Chief of Police Drs. Sunarko Danu Ardanto, who joined his oficers on patrol in South Bali during Ogoh-Ogoh celebrations, gave his "thumbs up" on the performance of his security team and the people, saying, "I am proud the witness the solid community spirit of the people of Bali."
I Love a Balinese Parade!
Balidiscovery.com Picture Civerage of Bali's Ogoh-Ogoh Parades Welcoming Bali's New Year - Caka 1928.
Police officials estimated that some 2,600 giant Ogoh-ogoh stalked the streets across the entire island of Bali on March 29. 2006, marking the festive commemoration of pangerupukan (ngerupuk) - the lively celebrations that precedes the day of absolute Silence of "Nyepi" that commences with sunrise the following morning.
Determined not to miss the fun, Bali Update's editor, John M. Daniels, headed to the community of Benoa, surrounding Nusa Dua, to enjoy the parade of Papier Mâchè effigies that went on for hours.
Seeking to win honors as the best presentation as judged by a blue-ribbon panel, each Ogoh-ogoh presentation before the jury was preceded with a banner containing wishes for a happy Balinese New Year that announced the traditional belaganjur orchestra. The musicians accompanied a village dance troupe presenting a piece of original choreography, followed finally by the giant (Ogoh-ogoh) carried on the shoulders of tens of village youths that presented a scene or character from Balinese mythology.
As shown on balidiscovery.com, some evening snapshots of the Ogoh-ogoh celebrations in Benoa together with several day-time shots of more contemporary Ogoh-ogoh themes kindly provided by professional photographer Didi Lotze of [ www.roundshot360.de]
Selemat Hari Nyepi Caka 1928!
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