Indonesia Bali
Garuda Indonesia Flights to India
Travelling to Indonesia could become much easier next month, when the country’s national airline Garuda’s maiden flight between Chennai and Medan is set to take off. Indonesia’s acting ambassador to India Rizali W. Indrakesuma told Chennai businessmen on Friday that the new flight would strengthen trade and tourism ties between the two regions. Speaking on the sidelines of an interactive session with city Chambers of Commerce, Mr. Indrakesuma explained that this would be the first Garuda flight to India since the economic crisis of the late 1990s forced the airline to cut its earlier flight to Mumbai according to the Hindu Times. Asked why the resumption of flights is starting with Chennai, Mr. Indrakesuma said that one factor was the demographic make-up of Medan, in northern Sumatra, which is home to a large number of ethnic south Indians with links to Chennai. Increasing economic relationships with southern India could also be a factor.
Date: May 16th, 2008 |
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Upcoming Events in Indonesia
Along with the endorsement of 2008 as Visit Indonesia Year, a line-up of programs has been arranged to give visitors a closer encounter with the country’s magnificent culture. Here are some of the highlights to come in the next few months:
Date: May 15th, 2008 |
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Indonesians in Focus: Wimar Witoelar
In Indonesia, the media should be cautious when covering four topics — suku, agama, ras, antar golongan (ethnicity, religion, race and the relationship between groups), better known as the acronym SARA — to avoid any legal consequences. But in a new talk show on ANTV, guests must refrain from talking about weight, or else the host, Wimar Witoelar, may become angry. The host of the half-hour-long show Perspektif Wimar (Wimar’s Perspective) was recently offended when he thought his co-host, Cathy Sharon, commented on his large body size.
Date: April 16th, 2008 |
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Raffles Builds its Brand in Bali
A lot of travellers to Bali that have visited Dreamland in Jimbaran, Bali, in years gone past will remember this idyllic spot as a secluded refuge away from the hustle and bustle of the pollution-choked Kuta strip. However, little by little recently the small warungs and losmens on the cliffs and around the area have disappeared making way for housing and villa development. Gone is the charm that Dreamland once had. That’s just the way things are in Bali. Personally, I think the island is being totally saturated with development. And, this development seems set to continue with a new resort being planned for Dreamland. According to Travelmole, in a further boost to confidence in Bali, Raffles Hotels & Resorts has started construction on its new property above Dreamland beach in Jimbaran.
Date: April 7th, 2008 |
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Is Bali Being Saturated?
Indonesia’s former Minister of Tourism, Gde Ardika, is quoted by Tempo Interaktif as saying that Bali’s tourism product has reached it saturation point due to a lack of variety in tourism objects and the way in which the island is currently managed. Speaking as a workshop of tourism attraction management sponsored by the Bali Tourism Authority Ardika said: “Every tourism object has a life cycle. Without creativity, that cycle will quickly come to an end.” This condition, he warned, represents a challenge to all members of the island’s tourism industry.
Date: April 6th, 2008 |
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Kopi Tubruk – Mud Coffee
Kopi tubruk literally means “collision coffee”. The concoction can be found in many parts of Indonesia, particularly in Java and Bali. Sources say kopi tubruk stems from a similar recipe brought over by traders from the Middle East, where it is known as “mud coffee.” Kopi tubruk is the simplest recipe for preparing coffee. To make a cup, one needs to add two teaspoons of ground coffee and sugar according to one’s taste.
Date: May 15th, 2008 |
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The Cultural Significance of Betel Leaf
At first too shy to approach the prince directly, Princess Kadambari Was persuaded to honor her guest. She stretched out her hand. She placed the betel leaf in his. She offered the leaf as though she offered her heart. Banabhatta (A.D. 7) Kadambari
Last week I told you a tale about daluman, that “ominous green leafy drink that is revered by the Balinese”. But as the world, including Ubud, falls into a heap of ill health (have you noticed how many people are getting sick these days?), maybe it’s time to start getting into some serious tonics to ward off those “evil spirits” that wreak havoc with our lovely bodies. Or are the evil spirits simply ourselves? Enter daun sirih, or what is otherwise known as betel leaf. Heart-shaped and as glossy as a polished green apple, the betel leaf is surrounded by myths and magic. Its use can be traced as far back as 2,000 years and it is even described in the most ancient books of Sri Lanka. A native of India and south-east Asia, it traveled the high seas in those old sea-faring days, venturing as far as Madagascar and East Africa. And what an impact it made.
Date: April 26th, 2008 |
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Garuda to Organize `Discover Indonesia`
The Indonesian consulate general in Sydney and national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will jointly organize a tourism promotion event called “Discover Indonesia” for Australian tourism operators and mass media. Intended to support the Visit Indonesia 2008 program, the promotional event would be held for two weeks starting late July 2008. Representatives of 20 Australian travel bureaus and a number of newspaper and television reporters would be invited to take part in the program.
They would be given the opportunity to visit and see some of Indonesia`s eco-tourism potentials outside Bali, especially on Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua islands. Garuda would among other things fly them to the Bunaken marine park in North Sulawesi, the centre for orangutan protection in Kalimantan, and Toba Lake in North Sumatra.
Date: April 11th, 2008 |
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The Luxury of Massages: Bali
Getting laid-out half naked and having some gorgeous Balinese lady massage oil into your skin is a fantasy or a dream for a lot of people. In Bali, there are several massage places, in fact dozens of establishments offering all kinds of massage, some expensive and some not so expensive. Of course, if you intend having a massage, then crease your wallet and pay for the best. It’s the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’. Although my Javanese wife is my personal masseur, I have in previous years had massages on the beach …
Date: April 6th, 2008 |
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Preserving Textile Weaving: Bali
Life’s threads are drawn from tales of the past; its rituals and religions woven into the fabric of culture and lands. Across Indonesia, this weaving of life’s threads is a link to history, and the stories of lives embedded in textiles. For centuries, women across the archipelago have been the storytellers of their cultures, daily writing across the warp and weft of their backstrap looms the cloth of bridal dowries, infant swaddling garments and shrouds for the dead. Before the advent of tourism, these textile heirlooms were handed down from mother to daughter — their motifs, colors and weaving forms, different in each region, copied and learned by osmosis over generations. However a late 20th Century shift from a bartering to monetary economy threatened to break this tradition.
Date: April 1st, 2008 |
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