Your Guide to Bali

Taman Ayun Temple

2007-07-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

Located at Mengwi village, district of Mengwi, Badung regency, about 19 km, North-west of Denpasar on the direction to Singaraja (north Bali), Taman Ayun is a royal temple built in 1634, surrounded by moat full of water lilies and is about 300 meters of the former palace of the King of Mengwi.

The temple yard is always green and fresh with well-cared flower plants and grass, while in the inner yard row of "Meru" (multi storied shrine), the ancestors shrine of the royal family of Mengwi called "Paibon" and the shrine to worship Ida Sang Hyang Tri Murti (God with His Three manifestation) called "Padmasana".

Across the temple is the "Museum Manusa Yadnya" (museum of human life cycle rituals) where displayed series of rituals to be undergone by Hindu Balinese starting from the time inside the mother's womb up to cremation ceremony.

Tirta Empul

2007-07-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Tirta Empul, one of the holiest temples in Bali. Located at Tampak Siring in the regency of Gianyar. The name means "crystal clear stream" and indeed, a stream runs through it. But the star attractions here are the hot springs tat bubble eerily in the central courtyard.

According to legend, when the evil king Mayadenawa oppressed Bali and banned all the religious rites, the locals secretly prayed for the God of War, Indra, to come rescue them. Indra duly appeared with a cohort of heavenly troops and Mayadenawa fled before the sight, but he snuck back during the night and poisoned the water that Indra's army drank from. The army duly fell sick, but when Indra notice this, he created the springs of Tirta Empul and used it to heal his troops, who resumed their battle with Mayadenawa and eventually managed to kill him. The tyrant's death is commemorated in the yearly festival of Galungan, when the sacred Barong Lion dance masks are bathed in the healing waters of Tirta Empul, and the Balinese themselves come here to bathe and purify themselves physically and spiritually.

While archaeologist have dated the complex back to 960, in earthquake-prone Bali the buildings are all modern reconstructions. Visitors are not allowed beyond the man courtyard, but from here you could access the bathing pools and visit all the main shrines to Brahma, Shiva, Krishna, and of course, Indra himself. The toughest gauntlet, though, awaits when you leave - the only way out to back to the parking lot leads through a labyrinth of souvenirs shops.

Uluwatu Temple

2007-06-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

Legend says that the lump of lime stone found on the location of the temple is the metamorphosis of the Lake Goddess or the Water Goddess.

Uluwatu temple and its neighborhood is supposed to be built around the eleventh century, the same time as when Empu Kuturan (one of Hindu holy high priests coming to Bali) built some shrines within the mother temple, Besakih. This location was chosen by high priest Dangyang Nirartha to achieve "Moksa" (to unite with God almighty).

The bush surrounding the temples occupied by groups of monkeys protected by the locals nearby.

Uluwatu temple is located on the cliff of coral hill, the most southern tip of Bali. The area belongs to Pecatu village, district of Kuta, the regency of Badung. It is about 30km from Denpasar. The beach is best for surfing all the year round, however since the soil is so barren that fresh water is scarce to be found.

There is an extensive parking lot avaliable close to the temple as well as souvenir shops and little restaurant.

Nyepi - The Silence Day

2007-06-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Nyepi is important day as this is the Balinese Lunar New Year called "Saka" New Year. It is a day of total silent through the island. No physical activity is allowed, there can no be traffic at all on the roads, no fire may be lit and no amusement held all day long until next morning. Great purification and sacrificial rites are held the day before Nyepi so as to exorcize evil spirits from every corner of the village. Nyepi falls on the first day after the new moon closest to the March equinox, usually in March to early April.

Galungan and Kuningan

2007-06-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

Galungan is the most important holiday. This symbolizes the victory of virtue (dharma) over evil (adharma). On Galungan every family puts a "penjor" a tall bamboo pole, placed on the right side of the entrance to the house compound. Each penjor is decorated with woven coconut leaves, fruit, cakes, flower and other the gifts of nature. People attire themselves in their finest traditional clothing and jewels to wear to their temple and over thanks.

Kuningan holiday takes place 10 (ten) days after Galungan, bringing the holiday period to a close. On this day, special ritual ceremonies are held for the ancestral spirits.

Barong and Keris Dance

2007-06-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

This is the story of the endless metaphysical battle between good and evil which is symbolically re-enacted by two weird characters, barong and rangda, who by their very performed reinforce the magic power of the village and restore the balance between these two contrary force.

Barong is a strange creature that dance by two man inside a highly decorated framework that represents a stylised animal, often a kind Chinese lion. Barong adversary is Queen of the witches, un ugly creature with a long tongue, fangs and pendulous breasts.

The two opposite forces that Barong and Rangda portray as they fight is enough to send the followers of the Barong into trance as they try to attack Rangda with their Keris. But Rangda's magical power turns their keris away and toward themselves. Barong's power saves them from harm and the result is draw. And this is a mortal fight.

Kecak

2007-05-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

The dark expanse of the banyan tree above the temple gate casts a dense shadow on the courtyard and the carvings that flicker like apparitions in the uneven light. A serpentine stream of bodies coils itself, circle within circle, around a large, branching torch. Two hemispheres of men: one, a pattern of silhouettes; th other, sculptural faces of brown skin caught in a net of torchlight. The half-seen multitude waits in silence. A priest enters with offerings, a blessing of holy water. One piercing voice cracks the suspense; the circle electrifies.

No other dance is so unnerving as the amazing Kecak: one hundred and fifty men who, by a regimented counterplay of sounds, simulate the orchestration of the gamelan. Kecak, a name indicating the "chak-a-chak" sounds, evolved from the male chorus of the ritual Sanghyang trance ceremony. By a choreography ingeniously simple, chorus is transfigured into ecstasy. The annihilation of the individual, the cries, the erratic pulse of sound and sublimated violence of the Kecak are perfectly contained in the precise use of a few basic motions of head, arms and torso. Through a coordination rehearsed for months prior to a performance, various parts of the dance merge in a startling continuum of grouped motion and voice. Many words and gestures have no meaning other than as derivatives of incantations to drive out evil, as was the original purpose of the Sanghyang chorus.

Kecaks include a drama, in which the circle of light around the torch becomes a stage, and its periphery of men, a living theatre with all dramatic effects. Accompanied by the bizarre music of human instruments, the storyteller relates the episode enacted within the performance, usually one drawn from Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana. When demon-king Rawana leaps to the center, the chorus simulates his flight with a long hissing sound. When Hanoman enters the mystic circle, the men become an army of chattering monkeys-hence, the nickname "Monkey Dance".

How To Come To Bali (Part 2)

2007-05-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

BY SEA

Large International cruise ship and yachts can anchor at two of the four seaport in Bali; Benoa, which is south of Denpasar, and Padangbai on the northeast coast.

The harbour of Singaraja (Celukan Bawang) on the north coast now serve only a few Bugis schooners and smaller crafts that provide service between North Bali and Java. Gilimanuk on the northwest link Bali with Java. A regular ferry service, operating 24 hours a day connect Java and Bali.

PELNI, the state-owned shipping company has several ships that serve Indonesia's main ports. PELNI's passenger ship call regularly at Benoa harbour. This include: KM. Awu, KM. Dobonsolo, KM. Tilong Kabila and KM. Binaiya.

You could contact PELNI office in Denpasar at Jl. Diponegoro 165, phone (0361) 234680 for further information. Regular service of Ferry services connect Padangbai with Lombok. Ferries leaves Padangbai four times daily at 08.00 am, 12.00 noon and at 02.00 pm.

How To Come To Bali (Part 1)

2007-05-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

BY AIR

Bali could easily be reached by air. There are now many International Airlines running scheduled flight to and from Ngurah Rai, Bali International Airport. Garuda Indonesia is the national flag carrier. In addition to Garuda, international flight are offered by Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines System, Thai Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air. Air Asia, and some other. The routes for some of the international airlines take flights from foreign airports to Singapore first. It only takes two and one half hours to fly from Singapore to Bali.

Garuda Indonesia offers regular direct international service to Bali from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hongkong, Tokyo, Nagoya, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, and Auckland. There also flights to Bali via Jakarta from Abu Dhabi, Rome, Zurich, Brussel, and Frankfurt. Garuda also support regular flights to Australian destination; Darwin, Port Headland, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, and Townville. Garuda Indonesia serve all main provincial cities in Indonesia with several daily flights from Jakarta to cities of commercial and tourist importance. Services from provincial capitals to remote areas are provided by domestic carriers; Lion Air, Adam Air, Merpati Air, Batavia Air and Mandala Air.

Music, Dance and Drama

2007-05-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

In Bali, no temple festival or ceremony is complete without accompanying entertainment for the God, attending guest and local people. Temple anniversaries are occasion for all-night drama and dance performance. This re found nowhere else in the world.

The basic accompaniment to any such performance is provided by the local gamelan orchestra, a group of bronze instruments, met allophones, tunes gongs, cymbal, and hand drums. The instruments are generally owned by the village, as they are extremely expensive. They are stored at the village's meeting hall (Bale Banjar).

In times gone by Balinese music was passed from generation to generation purely by memory recently Balinese music has been written down or recorded on audio or videotape. Each particular dance and dramatic performance has its own special combination of instrument to built the nature of the ceremony. Melodious bamboo flutes (suling), reedy four stringed, violin like instrument (rebab) and twinging jew's harp-like instrument (genggong) are all used to provide their own special effect.

Festivals and Special Events

2007-05-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

Festivals are important features of Balinese life. Most of these ceremonies occur on fixed dates within the Balinese calendar that is based upon a cycle 210 days. Some of these festivals are anniversary celebrations of temples. Many are life cycle ceremonies that begin at conception and continue at major stages of an individual's life, ending only with his cremation and subsequent installation as a defined ancestor in his family temple.

The provincial government of Bali tries to maintain and preserve every aspect of Balinese cultural life by sponsoring annual festival that emphasize the importance of the arts. The best known of these events is the Bali Art Festival that held mid June to mid July each year. The art festival featuring exhibitions of various kinds, cultural achievement, a kite festival, and many other activities.

Custom Regulations

2007-05-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Adult is allowed to bring into Indonesia a maximum one litter of alcoholic beverages, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 1000 grams of tobacco, and reasonable amount of perfume.

Photographic, video and filming equipment, radio, typewriters, and cars are admitted provided they are recorded in your passport on entry and taken out of the county on departure.

Narcotics, firearm, and ammunition, TV sets, and Chinese medicine are strictly prohibited. Fresh fruit, plants and animal must be passed by the quarantine office.

There is no restriction on the import or export of foreign curries. However it is prohibited to import or export Indonesian currency exceeding Rp. 50.000,-

Travel Formalities

2007-05-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

Travellers to Indonesia must be in posession of a passport valid for at least six months after arrival. No visa is required for nationals of 46 countries. This tourist visa is valid for a period of two months and cannot be renewed.

This 60-day tourist visa can be obtained by applying to Indonesian Embassies or Consulates that Indonesia includes in the free visa list. Extension of this visa is only given at the discretion of local Immigration authorities.

An exit permit is required for visitors who stay for six month or longer. The departure tax for international destination is Rp. 100.000,- for domestic destination it is Rp. 30.000,-

Introduction of Bali

2007-05-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Bali is one of the thousand island that make up the Indonesian Archipelago. Bali has been famous world wide as a leading tourist destination, known for its exotic and vibrant art and culture, nature beauties and the hospitality of the people.

Bali has an area of 5.653 square kilometers. The island consists mostly of an East-West string of mountains and their alluvial that are widest on the south side. About 95% of Bali's million people practice a form of Hinduism, blended with Buddhism, animism and ancestor worship. For the Balinese people, their religion is inseparable from everyday life. Nobody misses and opportunity to worship God in unending series of ceremonies that extend from birth to death, and far beyond.

Most Balinese people are rice farmers. Other important crops include: coconut, vanilla, cloves, and maize (corn). Bali also known for its wide variety of tropical fruits such as, mangoes, mandarin oranges, bananas, salak (snake skin fruit), grapes, and many others. Tourism and agriculture are not the only job opportunities. Small scale and home industries such as handicrafts are also flourishing. English is widely understood in major tourist areas. Japanese, Frence, Gremany and other foreign languages are also spoken. But less commonly that English.

The Balinese philosophy of life is called "Tri Hita Karana". Tri Hita Karana dictates that happiness can only achieved if there are harmonious relationship between human and God, between human and their community, and between human and their environment. This philosophy is part of every aspect of the daily lives of all Balinese people.

Bali has year round mild and agreeable climates. In coastal areas the average daily temperatures from May through July are about 28 degree Celsius (82 degree Fahrenheit). It is only a little warmer between March and October, about 30-degree Celsius (86 degree Fahrenheit). The most pleasent weather is between May and September.

The Government of Bali tries to maintain and preserve the Balinese way of the life by developing tourism that is based upon Hinduism interwoven with ancient traditions. Many nicknames have been given to this small island such as, The island of Thousand Temples, The Morning of the World, Paradise Island, Island of The Gods, and many others. The latest nickname; The Island of Peace was bestowed upon Bali by the 51th annual Conference that met in India in 2002.

Welcome to Bali

2007-05-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Warmest Greetings from Bali - The Unique Paradise!

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Bali known among Indonesians as "Pulau Dewata". For decades the tranquil beauty of the island has enchanted visitors from all over the world, and prompted former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to call Bali the "Morning of the World". We hope its deep-rooted Balinese-Hindu culture with unique temple festivals, traditional music and dances will leave you with delightful memories and a longing to return. Our gentle and smiling people greet you as friends in this relaxing atmosphere of a lush green land.

This blog was made to give information which is meant to add your knowledge through a comprehensive introduction to Balinese traditions and ways of life and should be an eloquent guide to those desiring to widen their knowledge about different cultures with a heritage of ancient Eastern civilization.

The invaluable assets this island offers to the visitor and the joint efforts of everyone active in the field of tourism make Bali a highlight of world travel in the East and South Pacific.

Best wishes.