Nikko Bali Resort & Spa celebrates the successful completion of its first decade of operations on June 10, 2006, with an Open Golf Tournament at the Bali Golf & Country Club at Nusa Dua.

A handicap stroke system will be in operation for the tournament which offers a range of exciting prizes including round trip flights to Seoul with Garuda Indonesia with accommodation in Seoul and an Isuzu Panther Touring for anyone making a hole-in-one during official play.

The entry fee for local residents and Indonesian is only Rp. 888,000 (approximately US$98) or US$140 for overseas visitors. The fee covers golf fees, award-dinner ceremony, official tournament bag, polo shirt and cap, light meals and refreshment during the tournament and 21% tax and service.

Registration begins at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, 2006 with a shot gun tee off one hour later at 12:00 p.m..

More information: Book a stay at the Nikko Bali Resort and Spa

Up to 30 adult and junior teams are expected to attend one of Bali's biggest football events in late May, the 2006 Crown Bali Soccer Sixes. Held at the Canggu Club, Bali’s only private member's sporting and recreational club, on Saturday May 27, 2006, the event is attracting interest from teams from across Indonesia.

Planned as an annual event, this year event’s main sponsor is Crown Worldwide Indonesia.

The event will see teams from Jakarta, Surabaya, Sumbawa and Bali play each other in a one day, round-robin format. Normal football rules apply, with the exception of a decrease in number of players per team to only six and a reduced pitch size; all leading to faster games with higher scores. Junior teams will also feature in this year’s events, with games being played in Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 divisions. Those attending the fun day of soccer competition will also be able to participate in a number of side events and attractions including "hit the crossbar" and juggling competitions.

Tournament Director Peter Muir said that the international standard facilities available at the Canggu Club means players and spectators will enjoy this year's event even more than in past years. "With a player's café, a great pitch surface and brand new amenities - it will be a great day for both players and spectators. And with the inclusion of our junior divisions, the whole family can now make the most of the day."

For more information telephone ++62-(0)361-7460641 or use the email link provided.

More information: Bali Soccer Six Email

The always authoritative e-newsletter Indonesia Digest, edited by Ibu Wuryastuti Sunario, reports that the Indonesian government has raised the maximum allowable tax on 7 types of amusement and entertainment, up from the former 35% to a maximum 75%. This measure is to allow Regions to receive additional incomes, or to limit excessive growth in the entertainment industry in their areas, said Director General on Administration of Regions in the Department of Home Affairs, Daeng M. Nazier on Thursday, 4 May, as reported in the Kompas daily. The seven that may be slapped these high tax rates are: games in skills, discos, bars, night clubs, karaoke, steam baths, massage parlors, fashion shows, and beauty contests.

Whereas, on other forms of entertainment outside the above, as well as traditional cultural performances still apply the old tax rate of 35%.

General Manager of Hard Rock Caféin Jakarta, Yoris Sebastian, expressed dismay at the sudden jump in these tax rates. This will cause promoters to think twice before staging performances in Indonesia. Indonesian musicians and artists will also face problems and will limit holding concerts in the regions, Yoris said.

Bali officials have yet to announce whether they will respond to the new tax option by creating a low tax regime to encourage entertainment events in Bali or take full advantage of the ability to impose the high tax level allowed under the new measures.

More information: Email Link for Free Subscription to Indonesian Digest

Early on Saturday morning, May 13, 2006, the official warning level of Central Java's Mount Merapi was raised to its highest level, signaling that a major eruption was now considered imminent. Provincial authorities immediately put into operation contingency evacuation plans to move from harm's way an estimated 70,000 -100,000 local residents living in the shadow of the volcano.

The decision to go to the highest alert status was made in the face of increases in lava flows and hot gas emissions from the 9.737 foot-high Mountain. Considered most at risk by experts are areas surrounding several rivers emanating from the mountain and flowing to the south-southeast in an 8 kilometer radius from the volcano. Meanwhile areas to west and southwest are being evacuated within a radius of 8-10 kilometers from the mountain's peak.

Located 25 kilometers north of the Central Javanese city of Yogyakarta, Merapi is more than 530 kilometers from Bali's capital of Denpasar.

Officials are now increasing concerned that the massive amounts of lava being accumulated in the volcanoes cone could form a cork-like dome, preparing the way for a cataclysmic explosion of the mountain. These explosions, in the form of pyroclastic flows can create fast-moving avalanches of molten ash, pumice rock, and poisonous gas that kill and incinerate all in their paths.

Historical records show that a 1994 eruption cost the lives of at least 66 people and that an earlier eruption in 1930 killed 1,370 people. Highly active, the Mountain has erupted a total of 68 times since 1548. A massive explosion in 1006 covered all of central Java with ash and is credited with the demise of the Hindu Kingdom of Mataram.

Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) will be held this year in Makassar, Sulawesi – known in former times as Ujung Pandang, from September 18-21, 2006.

The headquarters for TIME 2006 is the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center, featuring state-of-the-art facilities necessary to host a modern conference and exhibition.

According to the Chief Tourism Officer for Makassar, Eddy Kosasih Parawansa, buyers from a total of 23 different countries have already registered to participate at TIME 2006 as of early May, with new applications coming in on a daily basis. Meanwhile, 23 sellers of Indonesian travel products have registered to exhibit in Makassar.

With previous TIME events being held in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, the Government selected Makassar to host this year's gathering in order to showcase the many tourism wonders of Eastern Indonesia. Makassar is widely considered the gateway to all the Eastern provinces of Indonesia. One of Indonesia's most historical cities, Makassar is home to historic old Fort Rotterdam and a large and very active traditional sailing ship fleet. The City also serves as the entry point for visitors wishing to visit the world famous land of Toraja – home to hanging tombs and ship-shaped houses specific to this region.

Qualified travel industry buyers who pay a US$250 registration fee will received accommodation during the mart, admission to the event, access to 75% discount air travel to Makassar, ground transportation, pre-scheduled appointments, and invitations to a entire range of entertainment and dining programs being held in conjunction with TIME 2006. Buyers will also have the opportunity to participate in a whole range of post-conference tours to destinations throughout Indonesia.

More information: TIME 2006 Website

Plans are reportedly well advanced for a series of major events in September and November 2006 to commemorate the historic Puputan Badung War of 1906.

The Badung Puputan

Puputan, or a Balinese ritualistic fight to the death, once formed a cornerstone of Bali's Kings ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their subjects; the ultimate refusal to surrender in the face of a foe. With a literal meaning of 'ending' or 'finish,' it was incumbent on every Balinese King to display the necessary courage to die rather than be taken prisoner and be forced to leave his beloved island home.

In a series of puputan between 1894 and 1908, hundreds of Balinese, led by their kings in Bali and Lombok, died in the face of advancing Dutch colonial forces.

On September 20, 1906, on the pretext that the people of Badung (modern day Denpasar) had looted a Chinese merchant ship that washed ashore on Sanur Beach 4 months earlier, Dutch troops marched into Denpasar ostensibly to arrest and punish Raja Gede Ngurah Denpasar at his palace. Anticipating the Dutch assault and certain of any battles any eventual outcome, the Raja set fire to the palace and led his entire royal household and over 300 followers down the road for the ultimate confrontation with the Dutch. In an area known today at Puputan Field, the Balinese - men, women and children - armed largely only with traditional swords and spears met the Dutch invaders. The men, dressed splendidly in white cremation garments and ritual jewelry, and the women, in white cloaks and with their hair let down, stopped just meters before the heavily armed soldiers.

Against the ominously distracting and incessant beating of Balinese war drums, the incredulous foreign soldiers saw the Raja, carried by four men on a state palanquin, die instantly as one of his priests suddenly plunged a dagger into his heart. Sparking a frenzy of death, others in the Raja's entourage then began turning their weapons upon themselves and each other. Meanwhile, women mocked and scorned the foreign soldiers, throwing money and jewels in their faces, insisting the soldiers impale them. Panicked by the scene before them or, by some reports, the historically ubiquitous stray gunshots from "an unknown source," the Dutch forces then turned their rifles and artillery on the crowd - creating helter-skelter mounds of corpses; royalty on the bottom with, even in death, their subjects provding a protective layer on the top.

In keeping with the sordid but time-honored tradition of conquering hordes everywhere, the Dutch soldiers wasted little time stripping the jewels from the corpses of the Balinese and looting the palace ruins.

Later that same day in nearby Pemacutan, the scene was repeated. The aging and frail co-ruler of Badung, Gusti Gede Ngurah Pemacutan, led hundreds of men, women and children onto the swords of waiting Dutch troops, failing which they died at their own hands.

Puputan Badung 100 Year Later

Organizers of the 2006 Centenary Commemoration of the Puputan Badung have expressed their desire to honor Bali's fallen heroes while at the same time creating an event that will help foster greater mutual understanding with the rest of the world, particularly the people of Holland.

The highlight of the commemoration will take place between September 20 -28, 2006 at the Catur Muka, Puputan Badung Park.A series of religious rituals, cultural and art presentations, exhibits of historical artifacts and documents, seminars and a special musical performance presented by students from the University of Leidenhave all been scheduled during that 8 day period. Organizers also report that Queen Beatrice of The Netherlands has been invited to attend and participate in the event.

Mabhiseka Ratu Ida Tjokorda Denpasar IX - 25 November 2005

As a closing event for the commemoration of the Centenary of the Puputan Badung and to ensure perpetuation of royal household of Denpasar, the coronation of Ida Tjokorda Ngurah Mayun Samirana, SH will take place on November 25, 2006, installing him as the Ida Tjokorda Denpasar IX – Penglingsir Puri Agung Denpasar.

Six years after their very successful collaboration in Tri Taksu, a three artists exhibition at Jakarta's Galeri Ina - I Wayan Wirawan, I Gusti Ngurah Udiantara and I Wayan Sudarna Putra were desirous to once again combine visions and energies for another three-man show.

While staging another combined exhibition appears at first glance to be a relatively straight forward matter to conclude, the actual execution of the plan proved much more problematic. How to discover a common theme equally interesting to each artist? How to foster the process and the vision of a shared exhibition that will actually permit the enterprise to come into existence? Is the same spirit that inspired the first exhibition still intact after 6 years of separation and diverse personal artistic development?

Green Zone: Mendamba Kenyamanan

Green Zone: Mendamba Kenyamanan or Green Zone: Seeking Security - represents the respective sensitivities of three young Balinese artists to environmental issues.

Artists exploring their environment is a sufficiently generic theme to risk being mundane; however, in the current instance the three artists have managed to plumb new creative depths with their latest exhibition. The end result is a moving and memorable statement reflecting the frustration of 3 artists considering the current state of the world around them.

Green Zone: Mendamba Kenyamanan an exhibition by - I Wayan Wirawan, I Gusti Ngurah Udiantara and I Wayan Sudarna Putra will run from June 17 until July 18, 2006 at the Green House Restaurant at Pertiwi Resort and Spa in Ubud.

More information: Book a Stay at the Pertiwi Resort and Spa

Effective May 1, 2006, Bali's Waterbom Park has introduced a cashless payment system able to resolve the age-old problem of how to carry cash when you’re only wearing a swimming suit.

Guests arriving at the Park are now issued a waterproof bar-coded wrist band on which cash values in increments of Rp. 50,000 (approximately US$5.55) can be stored. Cash is rendered obsolete as guests need only to present their Splashbands to make electronic payments for all the food, beverage, merchandise and services available to Park visitors.

These adjustable bands are waterproof and made from anti-allergic materials.

At a special launching ceremony on Saturday, May 6, 2006, held at the Nyoman Gunarsa Museum of Classical Balinese Painting in Klungkung, marked the publication of a new book providing a comprehensive overview of the various museums to be found in Bali.

Treasures of Bali

"Treasures of Bali", published by Gateway Books International and written by Richard Mann in cooperation with The Bali Museum Association, reviews and provides practical information on the 27 muesums.

Readers will find heretofore difficult to obtain information on Bali's better known museums but also information on lesser know cultural repositories, such a the prehistoric museum in Gilimanuk, the Subak Museum in Tabanan and the lontar palm book museum (Gedung Kirtya) in Singaraja.

The initial print run for Treasures of Bali – A Guide to Bali's Museums is 5,000 copies with a selling price of Rp. 300,000 (approximately US$33.33) per copy.

A man who ranks among one of Holland's most recognizable celebrities – a singer, dancer, recording artist, TV host, culinary expert and cookery books author – traces his roots to the kitchen of Denpasar's Bali Hotel (now the Inna Bali Hotel).

Born to the "chef-kok" of the hotel on May 4, 1956, Marlon "Lonny" Gerungan was actually born in a back room of the hotel where his Father, John Gerungen, then ran the kitchen of what was the Island's busiest and most prestigious lodging place. Among those who paused in Bali and dined at tables set by Lonny's Dad were President Soekarno, Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard, Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward and Marlon Brando. In fact, the young American actor so impressed the kitchen staff of the Hotel that John Gerungen pledged to Mr. Brando, upon his departure from Hotel, that his forth Son would be named after him.

Lonny still marvels at the good fortune that allowed him to be born on an island that was the natural complement to his personal passions: music, dance and cooking. As he grew up on the grounds of a busy hotel, Lonny's playmates were the staff of the Hotel's kitchen whose recipes and kitchen lore supplanted the fairy-tales on which children in more conventional settings are weaned. When not busy stirring the ingredients for an evening banquet, the precocious "keukenkind" was entering and winning local dance and singing contests.

Europe Bound

Certain there was a larger world to explore, at the age of 21 Lonny set-off for Amsterdam where he moved in with relatives and accepted a job as a dishwasher at an Indonesian restaurant.

Testimony to the innate skills and focused determination of the man, just eight years after his arrival in Holland Lonny had become the Dutch speaking manager and host of the restaurant where he once washed the pots and pans. Shortly thereafter, he recruited his Sister and Mother from Bali and launched his own restaurant in Holland. Dressed in his trademark sarong and Balinese headdress udeng, the Balinese-style restaurant quickly became a culinary landmark welcoming international political and theatrical figures. While his guests supped on authentic Balinese cuisine, Lonny took to the restaurant's stage where his nightly singing appearances became the launching pad for his next career as an internationally known musical performer.

Guest appearances on Dutch TV led to recording contracts, special travel and cooking programs on TROS TV and eventually his own TV series. Equally at home singing traditional Indonesian pop songs or performing Jazz standards before a big band on international TV, Lonny's vast reservoirs of personal charm and talent never fail to amaze and mesmerize his audiences.

The head of his own entertainment and life-style enterprise, Lonny has produced 10 books, 12 CDs, and 9 DVDs; is an instantly recognized figure in a continuing series of appearances in travel documentaries, TV documentaries and a long-running weekly TV series; and the man behind a popular line of Indonesian food specialties produced under his name and found in every Dutch supermarket.

Happy Birthday - Hartelijk Gefeliciteerd!

To celebrate his 50th birthday, Lonny's traveled back to Bali with 2 TV crews from Holland to visit the haunts of his youth including the kitchen of the Hotel Bali. In a special evening of Balinese food, music and dance nearly 200 friends gathered at the Griya Gede Keniten in Sanur on May 6th to celebrate the half-century of this local boy made good.

To honor Lonny’s role as a "Goodwill Ambassador for Bali," Mr. Wisnu Wardana, Chief Editor of Bali Travel News presented a painting and an award certificate to one of Bali's favorite and most talented Sons.

Bali lost one of its finest "adopted Sons" on Monday, May 8, 2006, with the death of Father Norbert Shadeg SVD at the age of 86.

Born into a family of 14 children in Union Hill, Minnesota on December 10, 1921, Norbert Antonius Shadeq followed an early calling and entered the Divine Word Noviate in Techny, Illionois at the age of 21. From among his group of siblings, Father Shadeg had two brothers who became priests and five sisters who became nuns. One brother, Father Werner Shadeq, who preceded him in death only one month before, spent 55 years in New Guinea teaching at seminaries and high schools.

Father Norbert Shadeq came to Indonesia shortly after his ordination working in Makassar and Flores before accepting an assignment in Bali in July of 1950.

In Bali Father Norbert Shadeq served as a pastor at a number of churches in Bali while pursuing a keen interest in education and cultural studies. While serving as an English teacher in Singaraja, Father Shadeq embarked on a life-long study of the Balinese language mastering the intricacies of both the prosaic and refined forms needed for fluent communication. As the result of his study of Balinese the Priest published two books: "A Basic Balinese Vocabulary" and "Bali Pocket Dictionary."

In 2005 Father received the K. Nadha Nugraha Award for his long service to the Balinese community and his work to promote the Balinese language.

Following a funeral mass on May 10th, Father Shadeq was laid to rest in a cemetery of the Diocese of Denpasar located in Palasari.

The latest international arrival figures collected at Bali's Airport give positive indication that the Island's tourism industry – as measured in terms of total arrivals – is on a quick mend. In April 2006 a total of 103,866 foreign visitors landed in Bali, a figure a mere -10.65% behind the total achieved in April 2005 (116,272).

A Narrowing Gap

In statistics it's trends that matter.

Although still lagging behind arrivals from last year, the -10.65% gap in April 2006 on April 2005 is a dramatic advance over the post-bombing month of November 2005 when international arrivals slumped -43.26%.

As shown on balidiscovery.com, a comparison on Bali arrivals for January-April for 2000-2006, show current tourism arrivals making significant strides every month in shaking off the ill-effects of October 2005's terrorist attack.

When viewed on a market-by-market basis, April 2006 arrival figures show:

• Australian arrivals for April (11,373) are down -45.74% from one year before. Although the absence of Australians on Bali is still sorely felt, current figures demonstrate concrete trends towards recovery from just a few months before when arrivals from that market were down more than 60%.

• Japan, Bali's number one in-bound market, was similarly affected by last year's bombing, dipping more than -60% in the months just following the event. Apparently recovering at an even faster-pace than the Australians, Japanese arrivals (17,352) improved markedly in April, down only -25.57% from the same month in 2005.

• Bali's third largest market of Taiwan put in a very solid performance in April 2006, posting 11,817 arrivals, that's an impressive +52.42% improvement over April 2005.

• South Korea, traditionally the fourth largest source of Bali visitors, produced 8,411 visitors to Bali in April 2006, down -24.03% from the same month one year before.

• ASEAN visitors in April totaled 10,958 – a figure down only -8.4% from 2005, again demonstrating a bounce back from this market.

• Arrivals from the Americas in April 2006 totaled 6,381, down -19.04% from April 2005.

• European arrivals offer perhaps the best proof of market recovery. 30,336 European visitors came to Bali in April 2006, an improvement of 1.9% over April 2005.

A Tale of Two Bombings

Two graphics presented on balidiscovery.com served to isolate the recovery patterns following the October 12, 2002 and October 1, 2005 terror attacks, examining arrival trends for the months September – April over both periods.

These charts suggest that the recovery from Bali's most recent terror attack is happening at both a faster pace and a higher aggregate level than was the case just 3 years before.

As already pointed out, April 2006 arrivals were down only -10.65% from April 2005. Looking back to April 2003 following Bali's first terror attack, arrivals in that month were much more severly affected, down -49.03% from April 2002.

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