A Passionate View on All Things Bali

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yogyakarta is supporting the recovery of more than 3,000 earthquake-affected micro- and small enterprises (MSE) in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces. As part of the IOM-JRF Livelihoods Recovery Project, funded by the multi donor Java Reconstruction Fund, IOM hosts regular free tours for members of the public to visit the village workshops and showrooms of these recovering craft makers (in agel, batik, lurik and silver sectors) and organic farmers. To watch a video about the free tours, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oitt-yUD5A

Indonesia’s batiks have long been familiar on the global fashion scene, but what is little known is that the vast archipelago has as many traditional fabrics as it has islands.

This is largely due to geographical accident, explains Jasmin Wirjawan, who organised a gala evening in Paris showcasing the work of three of Indonesia’s top designers using “tenun”, as the handwoven textiles are known.

“Batiks come from Java, historically the trade centre,” where the capital Jakarta is located. “In the past communications with other islands were not well coordinated.”

Tenun come from all over the country, every region having its own variants using different colours and raw materials, distinctive motifs and techniques, from Bali’s “ikats” to Sumatra’s gold threaded “songkets”.

Hand-weaving in Indonesia can be traced back over 2,300 years and reflects its position as a cultural melting pot. Indian, Chinese, Arab traders and even Europeans have all left their mark.

Cita Tenun Indonesia, the country’s woven cloths association, is behind a drive to promote tenun on the international fashion market.

That included a strong presence at Paris’ Pret a Porter trade salon this week, a source of inspiration for top designers of the likes of Dries van Noten, who is known for bringing ethnic influence into his work.

But Oscar Lawalata, one of the designers in Paris, is equally keen to boost domestic demand. The problem, he says, is that tenun are associated in people’s minds with traditional costumes and ceremonial wear.

“I am trying to develop textiles in a modern style, so that they can be worn every day.”

He has been working closely with weavers in East Nusa Tenggara over the past three years to introduce new technology alongside traditional methods, “half machine, half by hand, so they can produce a bigger quantity, so it is more efficient and faster.” It has also improved their income.

His initiative was rewarded last year with the British Council Young Entrepreneur Fashion Award during London Fashion Week.

Lawalata’s bold shapes, trapezes, cocoons and clean-cut tops using naturally-dyed handwoven silks and cottons, would not look out of place on the Paris ready-to-wear catwalk.

Fellow designer Priyo Oktaviano has already cut his teeth in Paris, assisting Nicolas Ghesquiere as one of his pattern makers at the prestigious house of Balenciaga.

He returned to Indonesia in 2003 to set up his own label, and clients include the singer Bjork. He has also worked closely with local weavers in Bali, which inspired him to research the cultural influence of China on the island.

According to Balinese folklore a Balinese king married a Chinese princess from the Chung Dynasty. His latest collection, dubbed “Romance of Heritage”, has a Chinese twist, mixing mandarin-collared cheongsams and Indonesian kebayas made up in lace and Balinese woven silk.

Denny Wirawan, who has shown in Dubai, Mumbai and Washington, brought to Paris a glamorous succession of cocktail frocks and evening gowns in the bright colours characteristic of South-East Sulawesi glittering with woven metallic threads.

For the past 10 years, water level at Buyan Lake has been mysteriously depleted. Based on satellite view, the current volume of water of Buyan Lake is approximated to be less than 50% of that in year 2000. At the south part of the lake, the dried lake has been filled with grasses and vegetations that cover almost 30% of the area. From our “eyes”…Buyan is dying.

In response to environmental damage at Buyan Lake, Tabanan-Bali, BALI Photography GUIDE initiates this photo story competition to expose to wider audiences the problems that we have in Buyan. We hope that through this event, many will be encouraged to visit Buyan and to see the real problem that we have there…and we hope that we can find the root of causes of the problems.

Do you care???….We do…please help us to stop the environmental damage in Buyan.

Criteria:
1. Photo must be taken around Buyan Lake, Tabanan-Bali.
2. The photos can be landscape, villagers’ activity at Buyan (Human Interest), animals (insects, fishes, etc) that fill the habitat, or portrait of Buyan villagers.
3. DON”T PRINT. Printing can be wasting a lot of papers…we don’t want to create any additional problems to mother earth…just upload the photos at this.
4. Dateline of the submission is 31 October 2010.
5. Title and short “story” of your photos must be presented to describe your photos but the write-up shall not more than 3000 words. [description can only with INDONESIA/ENGLISH]
6. Nominations are based on the photos & story/description.

Prize money:
1. 1st winner: Rp. 1’000’000.
2. 2nd winner: Rp. 500’000.
3. 3rd winner: Rp. 300’000.

Join our “VOICE FOR BUYAN” Photo Story Competition here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123148601069030&ref=mf

The island of Bali is a holiday maker’s dream, complete with pristine beaches, terraced rice fields, rich culture and traditions and luxurious accommodation — that is once you get past the airport.

The following are comments from foreigners who visited Bali as posted by several renowned airport review agencies.

Andreas Dubiella from Germany arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport in early August. “It was a horrible experience — I waited one hour at immigration. On top of that, they take US$25 in visa fees from you to come into the country and $15 in tax to leave the country.”

“Therefore you get an old ugly airport and chaotic surroundings. For me, this kind of treatment is
unacceptable at a popular tourist destination.”

Paul Meerman from the Netherlands expressed a similar point of view. “On arrival we found horrifying lines at immigration. For more than one hour we stood in line, and the hall was totally over crowded.”

The airport, Meerman said, needed a major face-lift and to think of new ways to manage tourists.

The some 2 million foreigners that visit Bali via Ngurah Rai International Airport every year likely have had similar experiences.

It is feared the airport’s dreadful reputation could tarnish Bali’s image as a world-class holiday
destination.

The number of arrivals to the airport per day during the off season is just lower than arrivals to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at about 13,000 people. However, that number can double during peak season.

Former vice president Jusuf Kalla has proposed a massive overhaul of the airport’s facilities.

To help cope with traveller numbers and improve facilities at the airport, a Rp 2.3 trillion (US$255 million) renovation project will commence this year.

Heru Legowo, general manager of Perusahaan Angkasa Pura (PAP) I state-owned airport management company, described the detailed renovation plan, which includes expanding the domestic and international terminals and renovating the airport’s interior and exterior.

Ngurah Rai airport sits on a 265-hectare site south of Kuta Beach in Tuban, Badung regency.

The airport was originally built as a simple 700-meter-long airstrip by the Dutch Colonial administration’s Voor Verkeer en Waterstaats public works office in the 1930s.

In 1959, president Sukarno developed the airstrip into an international airport. New facilities were built as part of a $13 million (Rp 35 billion in l969) renovation project.

President Soeharto officially inaugurated the airport named after Balinese Freedom Fighter I Gusti Ngurah Rai in l969.

Perusahaan Angkasa Pura (PAP) took over the management of the airport in 1980.

IGN Ardita, deputy director of Ngurah Rai airport’s Extension and Renovation Project, said construction would start this year.

“Our target is to complete the renovation by 2013,” Ardita said.

The project plans to expand the international terminal to 120,000 square meters and the domestic terminal to 65,000 square meters.

When in Yogyakarta, you don’t want to miss Java’s twin gems of Hindu and Buddhist treasures — Prambanan and Borobudur.

Prambanan, 18km east of Jogja, is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and one of the largest in South-East Asia. When we finally arrived at our destination, the rain had eased to a slight drizzle but the sky was still overcast. Entrance prices for Pramba nan and the two other historical monuments that come under the same administrative authority — namely Borobudur and Ratu Boko — are substantially different for locals and foreigners.

For Prambanan and Borobudur, you have to pay US$15.

Tip: If you go after 5pm, the ticket you obtain can be used for the next day as well. So you can enjoy sunset and night views for the day, and return the next morning to see the sunrise.

A lot of restoration work has gone into Borobudur and especially Prambanan which suffered extensive damage after the May 2006 earthquake in Java. In fact, many of the inner temples are still out of bounds to visitors because they are not structurally safe.

One highlight is the Ramayana show at night which is staged against the backdrop of a spectacularly lit temple (tickets are priced between Rp75,000 and Rp250,000).

Ah, Borobudur.

I was apprehensive about visiting the place because I had been to Angkor Wat, and everyone says it makes Borobudur seem somewhat ordinary.

I needn’t have worried, though. Borobudur still impressed. Sure, it is nowhere as extensive as Angkor Wat but it has a certain charm of its own.

This 9th century Mahayana Buddhist monument has six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The main dome located at the centre of the top platform is surrounded by 72 Buddhas.

Borobudur was restored between 1975 and 1982. The temple is 40km northwest of Jogja, and the view you get from the top is incredible. The whole valley sprawls below it as you take in the fantastic 360° view. There were many visitors when we were there but not too many. We still got that sense of calm and peace at the top.

What is sad, though, was that the repeated warnings coming through the loudspeakers — telling visitors not to climb over the statues and stupas — went unheeded.

The sunrise here is said to be spectacular, so much so that many people actually put up at the expensive, park-run Manohara Resort on the grounds of Borobudur just to catch a glimpse of it.

Our next stop was Kaliurang, and the ride there is said to be quite scenic. Unfortunately, I was drowsy, so I missed much of it. When we arrived at the foothills of Plawangan Hill, we were told that there was a small park within, so we ventured forth and found ourselves greeted by a troop of macaques and a rather pathetic trickle of water down the slopes of the hill in the foreground — their “waterfall”.

In order to get a good view of nearby Mt Merapi, we had to take a path up the summit of the hill. It was a trek of about a 1.5km or so. So up we went, huffing and puffing, until we reached a dilapidated watchtower that had three levels of platforms.

Full article by SS Yoga

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The clink of Balinese traditional music, Gamelan, performed by a team from Indonesian Fine Arts Institute of Denpasar shook Russian music community, a release from the Secretary of the Indonesia Embassy in Moscow, Johannes O S Manginsela, said Monday.

The Indonesian team initiated their performance in the Philharmonic in Tula, 200 Km from Moscow.

With the theme “The color of Indonesia”, the performance was part of the 60th anniversary of Indonesia-Russia diplomatic relations at the Indonesia Embassy, the Indonesian Fine Arts Institute of Denpasar, and supported by the Indonesia Education Ministry.

The Gamelan and Indonesian dance performances dazzled about 750 spectators at the theater in the hometown of the great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy.

At the end of the performance, the spectators applauded and exclaimed `malajet…malajet,` which means great.

The Indonesia Fine Art Institute`s team also managed to mesmerize the Moscow art community in Rachmaninov Hall, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Some 200 spectators crammed the concert hall of the most prestigious school of classical music in Russia.

At the end of the show, the spectators kept applauding continuously that the Balinese artists had to drag themselves back to the main stage to perform an encore of additional Gamelan play for at least another 3 minutes as the final performance which was applauded by the spectators with a standing ovation.

The Gamelan play served as a background music of Indonesian dances such as Selat Segara from Bali, Padang Bulan from E Java, Oleg Tambulingan from Bali, Pakerana of Sulawesi, Mandau, Garuda, and Berburu from Papua.

Saman dance from Aceh, however, was accompanied by live traditional music relying the prime acoustic design of the concert hall without speakers or sound system.

Indonesia Ambassador to Moscow, Hamid Awaludin said the Indonesian art and culture exhibition and performance, which was artistic and cultural diplomacy, can encourage the development of Indonesian tourism sector.

The Russians who had known Bali as one of the tourism objects were expected to know Indonesia entirely through Bali.

The 60th anniversary of Indonesia-Russia diplomatic relations was a great momentum to improve the relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Margaritha Karatygina of the Moscow International relations department Tchaikovsky Conservatory appreciated and welcomed the success of Indonesia Fine Art Institute of Denpasar, and believed that the success will encourage Russian students to study Eastern music, especially Gamelan.

Indonesia has a very rich cultures, assistant rector of the Indonesia Fine Art Institute of Denpasar, I Wayan Suweca said, adding that the Institute presented a `Nusantara Package`.

Russia was one of the countries rich in arts and cultures with high appreciations, he said.

Both countries had potentials to develop cooperation in art and culture and the Art Institute of Denpasar was willing and ready to establish cooperation with the Russian Art institute, he said.

Bali by the Number: July Arrivals Up 10.3%. Putting Bali within Striking Distance of 2.5 Million Foreign Visitors by Year’s End 2010.

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(9/1/2010) Bali arrivals for the month of July 2010 totaled 247,778, an improvement of 10.3% when compared to the same month in 2009 (224,636).

When comparing the period January – July, Bali arrivals for 2010 stand at 1,393,806 or 12.2% ahead of the same 7 months in 2009 (1,242,297).

On the assumption that Bali can maintain its current year-on-year growth rate of 12.2%, there is the potential of total arrivals to Bali of foreign visitors by the end of 2010 approaching or even slightly surpassing the 2.5 million mark.

Performance by Key Markets

• Australia – Australian visitors increased 39.98% when comparing July 2010 (63,552) with July 2009 (45,401). On a cumulative basis, January-July Australian arrivals are a truly amazing 50.87% ahead of 2009.

• Japan – Japanese arrivals provide no hope of a short term turn-around in that troubled economy. Gliding down a slippery slope, Japanese arrivals month-on-month for July 2010 (22,015) declined 31.55% as compared with July 2009 (32,161). On a cumulative basis for the first 7 months of 2010, Japanese arrivals are down a full 23.10%.

• Peoples Republic of China (PRC) – China’s rapid-fire growth of visitors to Bali has cooled somewhat. July PRC arrivals increased 4.54% (19,750). On a cumulative basis year-on-year Chinese arrivals are up only 1.27%.

• Taiwan – Taiwanese visitors showed some signs of a possible turn around in progress, improving 9.65% month-on-month in July at 12,471. Despite this increase, year-on-year visitors from Taiwan are still down -4.51%.

• Malaysia – Malaysian arrivals in July improved 11% standing at 11,159. This was counter to a year-on-year decline of 2.09% for the first seven months of the year. Tourism professionals in Bali wait to see what, in any, negative impact on arrivals from Malaysia will be created by the escalating acrimony between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur which has manifested itself in street demonstrations in both Jakarta and Bali that commenced in August.

• South Korea – South Korean arrivals improved month-on-month by 5.42% for July (11,635). The results for the first seven months of 2010 from South Korean are down 3.52% when compared to the same period in 2009.

• United Kingdom – U.K. foreign visitors remain bullish. July arrivals ex the U.K. improved 24.26% at 13,045. Year to date figures reflect similar robustness, improving 21.13%.

• France Summer holidays saw French arrivals for July 2010 improve 4.8% (14,533). Cumulative arrivals from France for January-July are down slightly by 1.63%

• Russia Good air access between Moscow and Bali are allowing Russian arrivals to counter-trend the lackluster Russian economy. July arrivals ex Russia improved 22.83% (4,621). When viewed for the first seven months of the years, 3.75% more Russians have come to Bali thus far in 2010 as compared to 2009.

• Singapore – Singapore arrivals improved a very substantial 58.36% for July 2010 (6.545). Similarly, year-on-year Singapore visitors are up 56.25%.

• The Netherlands – The rapid growth in Dutch visitors cooled somewhat in July, perhaps signally capacity issues as most flights are running very full. 0.5% fewer Dutch came to Bali in July 2010 (10,265) versus July 2009 (10,863). Year-on-year the Dutch market is still 29.14% ahead of 2009.

• U.S.A. – U.S. visitors to Bali declined 8.7% for July 2010 (6,570). Year on year Americans are still ahead of 2009 by 2%.

• Germany Although German visitors to Bali year-on-year are up 3.02%, the number of Germans coming to Bali in July declined 2.9% at 8,264.

Arrivals by Geographic Areas

Every geographic region of the world is showing improvement in visitors to Bali over the first seven months of the year. The Asia-Pacific remains the main engine of that growth, reflecting a wider travel trend of people taking holidays closer to home. The long-haul, longer-staying, higher spending markets from the Americas and Europe continue to grow also, but at approximately have the pace of countries from the Asia-Pacific.

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Ten tourism villages in Sleman regency are ready to welcome visitors during Idul Fitri, says a local official.

“The ten villages are Kembangarum, Kelor, Garongan and Ledoknonglo in Turi district; Pentingsari in Cangkringan; Tanjung in Sleman; Brayut in Nganglik; Ketingan in Mlati; Jethak in Godean and Turgo in Pakem,” tourism village forum chief Haryono said Wednesday as quoted by Antara.

Haryono said the villages are capable of welcoming up to 730 visitors, adding that Kelor village has been fully booked for Idul Fitri.

North Sumatra`s Toba Lake region has great potential to be developed into a marine tourism area while Samosir Island`s plains and the surrounding mountains can become a nature , agro and cultural tourism destination.

The statement was made by the head of Samosir`s tourism office, Melani Butar Butar, here Wednesday.

She said the natural and cultural wealth of Samosir district held many things that would attract tourists because it was located on an island in Toba Lake.

“There are a lot of cultural and historical sites and also unique attractions , hereditary legacies in this area, ” Melani said.

“Tangible tourism objects such as museums , holidaying sites and also beautiful panorama can be found easily here . Also, intangible assets such as cultural and historical objects of traditional societies and also cultural events that will attract tourists,” she said.

Melani said that actually Toba Lake and the Samosir region were in the past already known as a foreign and domestic tourist destination. Their development as a tourist destination began in 1970 when they were visited by many ousters because of its beautiful panoramas , unique customs including its Batak tribal culture.

The most interesting thing in the region , according to her, was the legend of Toba Lake. In addition, there was Pusuk Buhit, the place where “Si Raja Batak” originated.

Then there were periodical geographic or geological occurrences in the lake which became one of the wonders of the world.

The Samosir district government had published a master plan on the development of the regions as a tourist destination and details of the enginering design of a hot water springs area or “aek rangat pangururan” while the Pusuk Buhit region was proposed to be the cultural heritage area