Public complaints that villas have been built within a 5 kilometer "no-building" sacred zone surround Bali's Uluwatu temple, have caused Bali's Governor Made Beratha to request an urgent crackdown against all structures falling within the protected area. The Governor also condemned residents of Pecatu (near Uluwatu), who have demanded that the "no-build" zone be reduced to only a 1 kilometer radius as being misguided and confused.

As reported in Radar Bali, the Provincial Zoning Rules (RTRW) clearly stipulated that any area within 5 kilometers a major temple complex is to be considered a sacred zone. Speaking though a spokesperson, the Governor reminded that the Provincial zoning rules were not drawn up in a day. but were the end result of a long discussion process involving many parties. Because of this broad based consensus, the Governor is vowing to jealously protect the 5 kilometer sacred zone surrounding Uluwatu.

When asked about the numerous villas now standing within the "sacred zone," the Governor's spokesman ask how was it possible that any of the necessary permits were issued by those entrusted with the responsibility to enforce local regulations.

Illegal villas to be Demolished

The spokesman said that if it is proven that there are villas without the required permits, the Badung Government will be faced with the choice of whether or not to enforce the law, saying a failure to do so will create a poor precedent for the future. "If they (the illegal villas) must be demolished, then demolish them," added the Governor spokesperson.

Spiritual Villas?

The Governor has also rejected out of hand a suggestion from a local parliamentarian, IB Suryatmaja, who is urging exemptions for villas built in the "sacred zone" for spiritual purposes be exempted form the ban. The Governor has questioned what constitutes a "spiritual villa" and how such a special category would be monitored and enforced. The Governor's response: Maintain the 5 kilometer sacred zone!

Supporting the Governor's tough stance is the Chief of Tourism for the Island of Bali, I Gde Nurjaya, who told Radar Bali "there can be negotiation; the sacred radius for a temple must be honored."

Jail and Fine for Illegal Villa Owners?

Radar Bali also reports the a provincial law passed in 2005 provides for fines of Rp. 50 million (US$5,430) and 6 months in jail for those convicted of building within the 5 kilometer sacred zone surrounding a major temple.

When the Vice-Chairman of Bali's provincial House of Representatives (DPRD), IGK Adhiputra, was challenged by the press, asking if villa owners eventually prosecuted for illegal buildings would be in a legal position to sue the Badung Government for illegally issuing permits for sacred zone construction, he said the prosecution of illegal villa could proceed in any case. "If they want to sue, let them," said Adhiputra in supporting the Governors "get tough" stance. Adhiputra worked as a State Prosecutor before retiring to become a local legislator.

Adhiputa also called on the Government to assist the preservation of sacred lands by eliminating property taxes within the sacred zone. Such a move, he maintains, would ease the burden on local Balinese ordered to refrain from building or developing these areas.

Readers continue to share their stories of encounters with Balinese monkeys.

• Doug Decker, who works for Cathay Pacific, is a frequent visitor to Bali with his Balinese wife, wrote to say:

"A friend of mine, who is also a frequent Bali visitor, recently brought a Canadian friend for a visit in Bali. The new visitor had just picked up a brand new digital camera on his way over in Hong Kong. He was having a lot of fun getting familiar with his new toy, and had some great shots. Then they went to Uluwatu. Well, you know what happened, the monkeys converged and took his camera. He did get it back, but not before it was pretty well destroyed as they smashed it looking for food."

As he and my friend sat commiserating the loss, another monkey snuck up behind them and stole a full package of Imodium out of his pocket. Then the monkey went about 10 feet away, and they watched as he ate the whole thing. If there is any justice, that monkey probably didn't have a bowel movement for at least a week!

Love you updates and insights to Bali, keep up the good work.”

•Ray Jessen shared his "monkey business" encounter:

"Several years ago, I was at Uluwatu with our good friend, I. Wayan Budiasa. I had been there previously and knew about the monkeys. I was walking up the main steps and saw a monkey on the pediment above me, I moved over to avoid and with a long arm, the monkey snatched my glasses. I was not real cool, they were new auto-chromatic, and expensive, Budiasa called a Priest, who offered a treat to the monkey, who dropped my glasses, after haven eaten the plastic nose piece. We went to Denpasar the next day, to an Optic shop Budi knew and had the nose piece replaced."

Send us Your Bali Monkey Story!

Send us you Bali monkey encounter story [Email Link for Submitting Your Taming the Monkeys of Bali Story]. We'll publish the best emails and rewarded the author with peanuts, bananas and pairs of slightly-used sun glasses.

Related Articles

[Avoiding Monkey Business in Bali]

[Bali Monkey Business – Part II]

Cry, The Beloved Island

Balidiscovery.com's Earth Day editorial [Cry, The Beloved Island] caused a large number of readers to write in. A sampling of those emails:

• David took issue with the editorial, claiming it pointed a finger at expatriate developers:

"I appreciate your coverage of the problems facing Bali and share nearly all of your concerns. However, I have noticed here and in many other publications a none to subtle association of western villa owner/builders on the island and the devastating current development trends here. Tourism development and residential building are very different and it is in tourism area where the damage is taking place and, I may add, it is mostly all being done by locals - as your examples so clearly demonstrate. So with respect to foreign participation, I find such finger pointing a distraction which provides an easily identifiable but misguided target for blame. IT IS NOT THE WHO! It's the what and the how that's important. Unless your aim is to rid Bali of its resident expats."

• Bali hand and former editor of Bali Blog, Nick O'Neill wrote from Southern Bolivia:

"Totally agree with everything you said in your article ´Cry, the Beloved Island. The pace at which foreigners and locals are tearing up Bali is shocking. That is compounded by the absolute lack of concern for the environment, PLUS the outrageously ugly and misplaced buildings."

"Financial interests aside, we live on a beautiful island and it is sad to see it steadily decline. Examples are everywhere, including a ridiculous mini-golf outfit along the road past Canggu to Tanah Lot. Did the person behind this creation feel that the rice field views needed brightening up?"

"Expats have mentioned to me that many locals are incompetent and corrupt, a bad combination. Your article points out again the ease with which bribery gets the job done. Your other article about the water sports deaths points out the outrageous lack of responsibility offered by water sport operators, using shoddy equipment during periods when they should be closed. Examples of this are found each day on Kuta beach, local surf board renters offering boards to European beachgoers at low tide, when a trip into the surf could easily result in severe injury."

"A well known expat saying is 'That's Indo, take it or leave it.' Fair enough, but a bit of accountability wouldn't go amiss."

• Gina Putland from Australia said the following:

"I am regular visitor to Bali(every three months) and l have seen the Island disappear. Every time I go I see less and less of the lovely rice fields, banana plantations and of the way Bali was."

It is becoming a 'concrete jungle.'"

"Once I could walk from Legian to Seminyak along the beach and see lots of trees, palms and flowers. Now all l see are Villas, restaurants and rubbish strewn everywhere. The serenity of the island has gone. Loud music blaring out from restaurants(day and night)."

”Once the land is gone it's gone forever."

"Please. STOP all of this happening."

Happy Hearts at Your Service in Bali Hotels

Our coverage on work experience positions being given to handicapped Balinese at Ubud area hotels [Happy Hearts at Your Service in Bali Hotels] brought several letters, including:

• Lyn Ellard from Australia wrote to say:

"We are a registered charity called Peduli Bali (Caring for Bali) Inc. we operate from Perth and travel twice a year to Bali helping in remote areas with food and school supplies."

"Last September we were lucky enough to be taken to visit the Senang Hati Foundation (Happy Hearts) we were very impressed with the way the people there were being taught how to lead an active and normal life. We hope to visit them sometime this year when we return to Bali in August."

"One main concern there was that a physiotherapist only visited once a month. We would like to make more people aware of this foundation and also maybe they can get help for more people to visit and especially a physiotherapist to be able to be there more often."

Thank you to all who took the time to write in!

More than 250 people attended a celebration of West Flores culture, food and tourism held on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at the Ramada Bintang Bali Resort & Spa. Hosted by the Bintang Flores Resort, the Government of West Flores (Manggarai Barat), Swisscontact, and AusAid - the evening's aim was to launch the new branding for the region ”West Flores: Komodo and So Much More”; introduce West Flores' new website www.floreskomodo.com and celebrate the opening of West Flores' new Bintang Flores Resort in on May 8, 2008.

The "West Flores" night in Bali was hosted by the Regent of Manggarai Barat, Drs. Wilfridus Fidelis Pranda who formally welcomed the guest to a night that included traditional dance and music, a traditional fashion parade, West Flores culinary specialties and door prizes comprised exciting travel packages to Komodo and West Flores.

Presentations on West Flores tourism, diving programs and travel options available at the Komodo National Park presented by PT Putri Naga Komodo.

Shown on Balidiscovery.com are pictures from ”West Flores: Komodo and So Much More” held at the Ramada Bintang Bali Resort & Spa.

[www.floreskomodo.com Website]

Flores Party

click image to enlarge

More information: West Flores Official Website

Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) presents "360 Degree of Yaari" an exhibition featuring more than sixty works by an American artist who has been living in Bali for the past five years. The exhibition features evocative abstract compositions and figurative works of the internationally acclaimed Yaari Rom.

"360 Degree of Yaari" will be on show at the Agung Rai Museum from June 10, 2008 to June 24, 2008.

Yaari's artwork employs a "psychedelic" language and imagery influenced by femininity and children. The energy inhabiting Balinese nature and local culture also largely influences work. "Energy is one of the main aspects of creativity and the journey is the process," explains the artist.

About Yaari Rom

Born in Los Angeles in 1956, Yaari Rom grew up in Israel, Spain, France, U.K. and the U.S. surrounded by an artistic family. He held his first exhibition at the tender age of only seven.

Yaari is a multimedia artist whose art practice includes photography, cinematography, theater, fashion, textile and interior design. A humanitarian, he supports art and children’s education through several local organizations.

His works have been exhibited in Spain, France, Israel, U.S.A., Mexico, Costa Rica, Japan, Singapore, Australia and now in Indonesia. Articles about his works have appeared in numerous publications, including The Los Angeles Times and People Magazine.

360 Degrees of Yaari

June 10 – 24 2008 Open Daily 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Agung Rai Museum of Art – Peliatan, Ubud, Gianyar

Agung Rai Museum

click image to enlarge

While the traditional wisdom in Bali tourism circles is that the months of January – March represent the lowest season for foreign tourist arrivals, figures now in hand for the first three months of 2008 indicate that model may have lost its relevancy.

Bali Numbers Continue to Soar

Month after month, from January through March, Bali foreign arrivals broke into new territory setting new "best ever" levels.

• March foreign arrival to Bali hit 153,216 - +28.58% ahead of March 2007 (119,163). Also worthy of note, March 2007 was the "best ever March" on record until the current March 2008 arrival totals broke new ground.

• Equally impressive, total first quarter (January-March) foreign arrivals to Bali reached 446,553 – that's +24.48% ahead of the same quarter in 2007 (347,310).

Shifting Markets

Looking at the results for the first three months of 2008, the order of "top-producing" markets show the emergence of Mainland China and Malaysia as key contributors to Bali tourism. Bali's top tourist producers for Q1 2008, in order of prominence:

• Japan 94,357

• Australia 57,238

• Taiwan 36,925

• Peoples Republic of China 35,994

• South Korea 31,609

• Malaysia 24,984

European Markets

Looking at European arrivals to Bali as an isolated set, demonstrates the new found importance of the Russian market. Top producers of tourists to Bali from Europe in order of importance for Q1 2008:

• Russia 19,182

• United Kingdom 16,712

• Germany 15,899

• France 13,032

• The Netherlands 11,078

2 Million Visitors in 2008?

If current growth rates are sustained through the remainder of 2008, Bali arrivals will top 2 million for the year.

Presented on Balidiscovery.com are graphics showing historical growth in Bali foreign arrivals for the period January-March 2000-2008.

Arrivals Graphic

click image to enlarge

The Bali International Women's Association (BIWA) in cooperation with the Bali Export Development Organization (BEDO) and Bali Now will organize a one day seminar on Sustainable Interior Design and Decoration for a better environment on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at the Ayodya Resort in Nusa Dua.

A featured speaker at the event is Australian John Eussen, a man with more than 20 years experience in interiors and textiles. Also appearing at the seminar will be Agus Djailani of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Nils Wetterlind (Sweden) from Tropical Homes Bali, and Yuyun from Bali Fokus.

Serving as moderator will be Emerald Starr (USA). Star is an educator who has undergone intensive training led personally by Al Gore on the subject of global warming.

The goal of the seminar is to create an awareness of the importance of considering the environment in design, demonstrating ways of sustainable living in interior design, decoration concepts and home wares. Participants will learn how to harness the natural elements of warming and cooling, while having only a minimal impact on the environment.

For more information, contact:

Rosalina Norita

Tel: +62-(0)361-7447 500 or Mobile +62-(0)81 657 2500.

A Bell 206 helicopter owned by Pt Deranzona and operated by Bali Air Charters made an emergency landing on Lebih Beach in the Gianyar Regency mid-day on Wednesday, April 23. 2008.

The helicopter was on a local sightseeing trip with four American visitors when it reportedly lost engine power, compelling the pilot, Darwis Wistoi (45), to auto-rotate while making an emergency landing in a farmer's field some 15 kilometers north of Bali's capital city of Denpasar.

Local press reports that both passengers and pilot were "shocked" in the hard landing but, with the exception of minor abrasions, were otherwise uninjured. Listed as passengers in addition to the pilot were Americans John Byrum (30), Daniel Gardner (24), Russell Nelson (26) and the sole female passenger, Randi Cain (24).

Representatives of Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee continue to investigate the incident but have given high marks to the skill demonstrated by the pilot in making the difficult landing.

As reported on Balidiscovery.com, plans have been announced for a US$100 million 18-hectare spiritual healing center in West Bali, near Tabanan [See: US$100 Million Spiritual Resort for West Bali]

Leaders of the regional house of representatives (DPRD) in Tabanan have reacted with some surprise to the mega-project, claiming little knowledge of a product which will consume large tracts of productive agricultural land. As a result, local legislators have called on the investor in the Resort - PT Bali Permata Indah, to make a full and open disclosure presentation on the project.

As reported in the Bali Post, the Chief of the Democratic Party for the People's Struggle (PDI-P) faction from Tabanan, IGM Suryantha Putra, said his party has no prior information on the investment process which will eventually lay claim to so much arable land and border on critical organic farms in the area. Suryantha also said he was shocked to read of the inauguration of the project by Tabanan's Regent, meaning permits and licenses had been issued without socializing the project to community leaders.

The local political leader urged PT Bali Permata Indah to give a complete expose on the project. Adding: "We wish to obtain an explanation of this project. So far, the Investor has not informed the local House of Representatives and, accordingly, does not have our approval. If there is a member of the leadership that has granted his approval, such approval without the agreement of the legislature is inappropriate."

He went on to explain that while Tabanan is not closed to tourism investments, new projects cannot disturb the local environment or infringe on sacred areas.

Underlining his stance further, he said a project that will claim so much agricultural land and impose substantial demands on the local water table will have a definite impact on the local environment. Adding: "Because of this, the appropriate government bodies must understand the details of this project. We do not wish to have new investments which destroy the environment and become a burden for future generations."

The Director General of Marketing for the Department of Culture and Tourism, Sapta Niwandar, told Bisnis Indonesia that he is confident that Indonesia will play host to 100 cruise ship visits during the current 2008-2009 season.

Niwandar credited the increase in cruise ship visits to Indonesia's improving security and the traveling public's improved view of Indonesia as a whole. As explained by the man in charge of Indonesian tourism marketing: "Although Indonesia is not yet a main destination, the desire to undertake cruise visits to Indonesia is large. Cruise operators from Puerto Rico, for example, will soon deploy their ships towards Bali. Puerto Rico earns 1.4 million tourist visitors each year from the cruise sector."

Based on discussions with Puerto Rican cruise operators, Niwandar said that even wider opportunities for cooperation between the two countries remained to be explored. Puerto Rican tourism operators are interested not only in cruise shipping, but also in cooperating on spa projects and creating employment opportunities.

Niwandar said that the recent increase in cruise ships is also attributable to allowing companies other than PT Pelni to act as local agents for visiting ships.

According to Niwandar: "The benefits from ship visits can bring between 200-2,000 people to Bali. The MV Rhapsody came to Indonesia last year with 2,000 passengers visiting Bali, Lombok and Komodo along the way."

Bali as a Yacht Cruise Center

The tourism official also reminded of efforts now underway to establish Bali as a yacht tourism center.

More information: Indonesian Cruise Ship & Yacht Services

Bisnis Indonesia reports that AirAsia is interested in building a network of low-cost hotels in several locations across Indonesia, including Bali.

Sendjaja Widjaja, the Deputy-Chairman, Indonesia, for AirAia, told the press that hotels to be built in Indonesia will pursue a low-cost formula in keeping with the carriers low-fare approach to the market.

Widjaja said: "The construction of the hotel will take place this year and begin operations next year. In their operation we will introduce a tariff based on consumption; if a guest uses the air-conditioning he'll pay more than the customer who does not turn on the air-conditioner."

AirAsia, through its Indonesian affiliate Indonesian AirAsia, flies to a large network of Indonesian destinations using Boeing 737-400 and Airbus 320 aircraft.

Related Article

[Editorial: Out of Tune in Bali]

Indonesia's Lion Air has declared its intention to begin flying between Bali and Singapore in June or July 2008, utilizing Boeing 737-900ER aircraft.

As reported in Bisnis Indonesia, the public relations manager of Lion Air, Hasyim Alhabsi, said service would initially be once each day with additional flights to follow.

Alhabsi told the press that the Bali-Singapore flights would strengthen the Airline's new service between Jakarta and Vietnam, explaining "passengers to Vietnam can fly from Jakarta or via Denpasar, Bali."

In order to stimulate the Vietnamese market Lion Air recently brought 30 Vietnamese travel agents to Bali on a familiarization tour.

Lion Air is seeking a share of the additional flight frequencies recently promised by the Indonesian government on the Bali-Singapore sector.

The Airline is awaiting the delivery of a new Boeing 737-900ER aircraft that arrived in Indonesia on April 20, 2008.