The Balinese sculpture with natural media - wood, stone, bone, horn, deadwood, and even gnarled tree roots. Nowadays, souvenir-caliber wood carving is churned out and successful creations are mass produced. Any visitor to Bali is likely to be exposed to wood carving in all forms, be it the traditional ornate carved doors, the carved figures of gods, or the countless carved items in craft shops. Wood carving is a craft practiced all over Bali. Open your ears to the tapping sound of the carver’s mallet and you would know that there is one around. It would be taxing to separate traditional and foreign influences. However, Balinese are intense observers of the outside world, effortlessly incorporating and adapting foreign themes into their work.
For quality wood carving, head to Tegallalang, Pujung, and Sebatu, which is north of Ubud. It is a great area to meet woodcarvers; it is best to take note of the artist’s name and visit him at the workshop to negotiate a better price. Bali is a perfect place for western artists to study their crafts. There are wood carving lessons in which you can learn to carve your own mask in about three weeks.
Bali Wood Carving
Bali Stone Carving
The technique used in stone carving is very much the same as wood carving since soft volcanic rock is used. Stone carving is relatively unaffected by tourist consumerism as most pieces are too exorbitant to ship. You can vividly see stone carving skills in the distinctive split gates, swirling stone friezes, and absurd and menacing mythological statuary. The centers for stone carving are Kapal and Batubulan. Although stone carvings were mainly used to decorate temples and palaces, the carvers had much more leeway in their use of subject matter than the artists and illustrators. There is little difference between the iconography decorating temples and that of private buildings. Gateways represent the dividing line between the inner and outer worlds, and as such are the recipients of some of the most fantastic carvings. As well as portraying deities and demons, the carvers included many scenes from public life and there are many temple surfaces enriched with the antics of the Dutch Colonialists, including scenes of bicycles, drunken parties, car break-downs and even airplanes. Bali’s modem-day centre of stone carving is the village of Batubulan, situated halfway between Denpasar and Gianyar. Although you can see excellent examples of Balinese stone carving all over the island, the temples in the North tend to bc much more creative (with the exception of Pura Puseh in Batabulan).
Garuda Wisnu Kencana will be Completed in October 2008
According to the Indonesian-language Bisnis Indonesia, President Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono expressed the wish that the complex of Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) of cultural park and monument of 250 hectares on the peninsula of Ungasan, Bali can be finally complete for October 2008, for the cultural festival of the world envisaged in Bali.
The achievement cost differently being estimated at between US$70 and US$270 million, the center piece of the park will be a monument holding 146 meters in height and approximately 286 meters above sea level. With a basic structure one estimates that weighs 2.000 tons thereafter once achieved and will resemble the equivalent of a building of 16 stages, all the statue with the image of the Hindu stop epic of meeting of Wisnu lord of hero the back of the mythical bird of Garuda.
The scale of wing of the bird of Garuda will be of the 60 meters impressive. The project of 250 hectares will include the plaza monument, a center of international trade and promotion, gardens arranged in park, a park of festival and water, a center of convention of capacity of 5.000 people, a complex of resource, and a residential complex.
Fact for October 2008?
The Minister of Indonesia of the culture and tourism, Jero Wacik, known as Bisnis Indonesia which “the president hopes for that for October 2008 the construction of GWK will be accomplished. ” In relative comments after a meeting with President Yudhoyono, Made Mangku Pastika, the President of the base of GWK, admitted that it will be difficult to produce the target of the president in current conditions, but the aforementioned chances for success will be increased if the support of the local investors and the federal banks materializes. Pastika indicated the pressure which around RP. 2.5 trillions (roughly US$270 million) are necessary to finish the project with half being spent on the real statue and other half on the equipment and the buildings of support. According to Bisnis Indonesia, 15% of technical work on GWK are finished with 42% of accomplished construction. Pastika is trustful that, once complete, the park of monument of GWK will draw 10.000 visitors per day, a given realistic target the fact which in it is half-accomplished state that it already manages to attract 2.000-3.000 daily visitors
Australian tourists return to Bali
Australian tourists are returning to the Indonesian island of Bali after the fatal bomb attacks on the island in 2002 and 2005 and several drug cases apparently drove them away.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Indonesia jumped to fourth place on the list of the most popular overseas destinations for Australians in 2007.
The ABS said the total number of Australian travellers increased by nearly 65 percent to a total of roughly half a million.
In 2006, Indonesia was the ninth choice for Australian travellers. Other top destinations for Australian tourists are New Zealand, the United States, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Competitive international airfares are said to be one reason for Australians taking more overseas holidays.
The number of international arrivals to the archipelago’s main tourist location, Bali, fell dramatically after the October 2002 and October 2005 Bali bombings, as travellers feared further attacks.
The highly publicised drug trial of Australian Schapelle Corby also deterred tourists. Corby is currently serving a 20-year sentence for drug smuggling in Bali but many Australians still believe she is innocent.
The so-called “Bali nine” case involving a nine members of a drug ring caught trying to smuggle 8.2 kg of heroin from Bali into Australia in April 2005 has also created fierce debate. Six of them are currently awaiting execution in Bali.
The Indonesian government has a goal to attract seven million tourist arrivals during this year’s Visit Indonesia programme and expects to make some 6.7 billion dollars in foreign exchange revenue from tourism this year.
Last year, Indonesia received around 5.5 million international visitors, which was half a million short of official targets, but still generated around 5.3 billion dollars in foreign exchange income.
Bali Textiles
One of the most striking things about Bali is the rich variety of cloths and materials that are to be seen in thousands of shops throughout the island. However, only a small proportion of these are indigenous to Bali. The myriad of batik clothes and sarongs available everywhere are mainly imported from Java. A large proportion of the woven cloths (Ikat) round in and around the Kuta / Legian area, are imported from the islands of Sumba and Flores. However, Bali does have a very rich textile industry of its own. The beautiful Songket fabrics wom by performers of traditional dance are a good example. In Songket, gold and silver threads are woven into the cloth to create complex motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers. Sometimes they use so much gold and silver that the underlying cloth is barely visible.
The first kind of textile that you will find in Bali is batik, which is popular among tourists and locals alike. There is every imaginable style and quality that you can chance upon throughout the island, but it is surprising that batik is actually produced in central Java and then shipped to Bali. Bali’s own home-produced cloth is a weft ikat called endek. Ikat is made by tying the weft threads of a cloth before it is woven and then dying them so that the tied areas do not absorb the dye. The cloth is then woven and the pattern, created by the tying of the threads, emerges. This cloth is not very popular with visitors but is indispensable to the locals. Authentic ikat is made of silk but cotton and synthetic yarns are also widely used. Also, keep a look out for kain prada, fabrics woven of silk or cotton and decorated with silver or gold threads or gold leaf. These colorful kerchiefs are worn by temple girls during festivals and take three weeks to a month to weave.
Bali Lampshades, Lamp Stands And Lighting Accessories
Bali Lampshades come in a variety of unique designs crafted from natural materials and textures Order lamp bases or Shade only.All bases supplied with cable and inline switch
Unique cane and rattan lampshades ranging from large floor stands to smaller side table style. All our lampshades have an individual look and will be sure to add a touch of class to your decor.
Bali Lampshade, lamp stands and Lighting Accessories; Bali Lampshades come in a variety of unique designs crafted from natural materials and textures, biggest collection of lampshades made from bamboo, rattan, coconut stick, glass, shellfish, coconut shell.
MODERN LAMPSHADES Wood and cloth to suit the modern environment STAINLESS STEEL Stainless and Acrylic works of Art ONYX VASES AND LAMPS Unique translucent Onyx stone Vases and Lampshades.MARBLE GARDEN LAMPS The style and class of marble for your garden. COPPER CREATIONS Free standing and wall mounted Copper light fittings. JUNGLE SHADES These unique light stands are made from materials found in the Indonesian jungle BALI BAMBOO LAMP SHADES Crafted from Bali Bamboo featuring Bamboo poles of various diameters GLASS SHADES Free standing and wall mounting glass lamp shades, MOSAIC GLASS, FIBER-GLASS lampshades and MOROCCAN LAMPSHADES ( Tiffany styled ) RATTAN LAMPSHADES Rattan woven over a wire frame free standing large and small shades and panels.
VETIVER LAMPSHADES Cloth Lampshades made from organic and synthetic materials. SHELL LAMP SHADES Spectacular shell creations Corals and mother of pearl set in resin.
BANANA LEAF Wire frames woven with Banana Leaf, Water Hyacinth and Sea Grass COCO STICK LAMPSHADES Lidi AKA Coco stick Free standing ” Onion lamps.
OCA Coordination Committee meeting for Bali Beach Games
Following the assessment in Bali and Hanoi, OCA members arrived in the Oman capital city of Muscat to meet with the Oman Olympic Committee at the 1st OCA Coordination Committee Meeting for the 2nd Asian Beach Games.
Participants include OCA Executive Board members and staff, and representatives from MAIGOC, Oman Olympic Committee and the related government departments.
Vice Chairman of the Oman Olympic Committee, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the 2nd Asian Beach Games – Muscat 2010 Engineer Habib Macki introduced the work progress and research of the related areas of OCA in the past months.
Representing OCA President Sheihk Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, OCA Coordination Committee Chairman and Media Committee Chairman Manuel Silvério emphasized that the Organising Committee should continuously promote and educate within the country this new and exciting multisport event.
“OCA will continue to support and guide the Organising Committee in its work, and together we shall build the brand and image of the OCA,” remarked Manuel Silvério.
During the meeting, Manuel Silverio has also presented the Official Report and DVD of the Macau 2007, 2nd Asian Indoor Games to the Vice Chairman of the Oman Olympic Committee Eng. Habib Macki.
To prepare for the 2nd Asian Beach Games to be held in the end of 2010 in Muscat, Oman’s government will build a brand new sports village in the city of Musanaa. The village will be host to six competing sports, athletes’ village, Main Press Centre and the International Broadcasting Centre. The present plan of 11 sports in the sport programme including Beach Handball, Beach Football, Beach Volleyball, Body Building, Jetski, Marathon Swimming, Sailing, Triathlon, Woodball, Beach Sepaktakraw and Beach Kabaddi will be held in six different venues.
OCA Sports Committee Chairman Wei Jizhong said that “the present sport programme is acceptable, but considering there will be more sports in the first edition in Bali, the Organising Committee should keep the door open for additional events suggested by the OCA or its 45 member NOCs.”
During his visit to Oman, Manuel Silvério and the delegation from MAIGOC also visited the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Sultanate of Oman Pan Weifang. Manuel Silvério introduced the hosting of the 2nd Asian Indoor Games in Macao last year, and also the preparatory work between the Oman Olympic Committee and the OCA for the 2nd Asian Beach Games.
He also said that with the support from the Central Government and the Chinese Olympic Committee, Macao will be the last overseas city for the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay. Pan Weifang explained that Beijing has selected Oman as a representation of the Middle East for the Torch Relay due to the fact that China and Oman has very good political and historic relations, which dates back thousand of years. In addition, it is a traditional country which embraces other cultures. He believes that the Muscat 2010, 2nd Asian Beach Games will further motivate development for local tourism and the tertiary industry in accordance to the country’s policy.
Bali's Ten Best Dive Sites
Bali's dive sites offer great diversity: vertical walls and sand slopes; shipwrecks, steel and wooden; limestone shorelines and black, volcanic outcrops; peaceful bays and ripping currents; deep, coral-covered ridges, shallow sea grass beds and big bommies (submerged reefs) with both shore- and boat-diving. The pelagics you can expect to see include mantas, whale sharks and, roughly July through October, molamolas (oceanic sunfish).
Diving safaris are becoming the package of choice for those wanting to see more of underwater Bali. These are basically hotel/diving and transport packages with or without a guide. Because you're staying near the dive sites, you can do earlier and later dives which means you avoid the day-tripping crowds from the southern tourist areas that pack out popular sites. It also allows you to do more dives each day at the beach entry locations. Snorkelling is available at Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai and Pemuteran/Menjangan, so non-diving partners and children can often join day trips and safaris.
Bali's Ten Best
1) USAT Liberty - The Liberty Shipwreck is considered by most operators to be Bali's most popular dive site. The American ship USAT Liberty was an armed cargo steamship that was torpedoed by the Japanese in 1942. It's large and somewhat broken up, sitting on a black sand shelf that slopes from about 20ft to 110.
The years under the sea have transformed it one of Indonesia's most beautiful artificial reefs. The currents running by the wreck bring lots of nutrients to feed the corals. Stunning gorgonian sea fans, huge soft coral trees and big barrel sponges have all flourished at this location. A resident school of bigeye jacks live on and around the ship and are unafraid of divers, so it's safe to enter the school and have them whirl around you. The ship is also a haven for emperators, batfish, sweetlips and parrotfish.
2) Tulamben Dropoff - Tulamben Bay, like the rest of Bali, is situated in the richest marine biogeographic zone in the world. Being on the northeast coast, the bay receives very plankton-rich waters from the major ocean current that moves from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. This, coupled with the fact that the three main dive sites provide totally different physical environments, mean that Tulamben Bay contains a stunning and diverse underwater ecosystem. The black sand in the area provides a dramatic contrast, which brings out the colours of the corals, gorgonians, fish and other marine life. At the south end of the bay, a rocky point falls off sharply underwater to create a deep drop-off where sharks, whale sharks and sunfish have been found. About 4kms south is Seraya Secrets, a great spot for macro photography.
3) Amed - Amed lies to the south, along the eastern coastline. It was traditionally dependent on salt-panning and fishing, and despite the arrival of tourists, it's retained that feeling. There are three main dive sites here; head south to the shipwreck at Lipah fishing village or a bit further south to the drift dive at Gili Selang, Bali's easternmost point.
4) Lipah Shipwreck - This village is tiny and so is the wreck which can be found at the inner bay drop-off at the north end of Lipah Bay. Divers can take a boat down the coast or just drive along the winding coast and walk in. It's full of copper sweepers, a batfish school, hard coral growth and waving sea fans, and can be both dived or snorkelled. Go with a good guide, as the currents can come up fast and strong. Divers should take care not to kick the coral.
5) Gili Tepekong - This is a big volcanic hump rising out of the water not far from the Candi Dasa shore on the southeast coast. Underwater, the area is covered with Medusa-like heads that vary in size from huge boulders to small sea gardens. They are adorned with blood-red sea fans, tunicates and sponges. In some spots, the competition for space amid the corals is incredible. Other sites include Gili Mimpang and Gili Biaha. Currents are common in this area, but that means pelagic life like big tuna, jacks, sharks and even molamola come in here. Exciting, but an experienced guide is a must.
6) Blue Lagoon - The shallow reefs of Blue Lagoon, near Padang Bai, are used for introductory dives, night dives and long photo excursions. Staghorn coral patch reefs start in only 3m of water. The reef then opens out onto an area with huge coral bommies, soft leather corals and flowing anemones. The area here can be good for macro buffs; there are rumours of a rhinopius or (lacey scorpionfish) being seen here.
7) Napoleon Reef - Named for a large Napoleon wrasse seen here, Napoleon Reef in the north near Pemuteran is a great little reef. It can be dived deep or shallow, day or night. On the northeast end is the Ikan Warung fish house, where you'll see schools of fish all over the place. Golden sea fans and large clumps of cotton-candy coral grow beside other gorgonians along the slope.
8) Menjangen Island - The drop-offs at Menjangan Island Marine Park can be a real treat. This is the site of a now abandoned guard post for park guards that has a broad channel leading to the beach. Expect to be greeted by batfish. The dive offers spectacular corals and many deep crevices and fissures as well as small caves pocking the reef. Sleeping groupers and wary bigeyes are found in the dark recesses. There are many fan corals along this drop-off to 38m and more.
9) Crystal Bay - Crystal Bay on Nusa Penida, close to Lembongan Island, is protected and relatively shallow, offering enjoyable conditions for divers of all levels. Its big claim to fame is its molamolas. The bay has two entrances and a large rock sits in the centre.
Be careful when diving this central rock or along the outside edge of the bay, as the current can be strong, sweeping divers out along the outside wall into very tricky diving conditions. An experienced guide will help to prevent a disoriented diver from taking a wrong turn. When near the drop-off, look for larger creatures like molas, eagle rays, dogtooth tuna, sharks and an occasional bumphead wrasse. Schooling surgeonfish are abundant in some spots. The other famous spot for molamolas in the area is Juraissic Point, off tranquil Lembongan Island.
10) Manta Point - Lucky divers may have a close encounter with the manta rays that are known to traverse this dive site. One of the mantas is pure white, a truly unearthly creature. Manta Point is located along the high and rugged cliffs of Nusa Penida, so it's not always easy to get there due to the big swells that sometimes hit it, but it's worth it to experience these gentle, graceful creatures.
What to Bring
Bali's waters are generally warm, so a dive skin or a 1-3mm wetsuit is adequate thermal protection. Both retail and rental diving gear are available in Bali and Lembongan but, for serious diving, it's best to bring your own gear. Weights, belts and tanks are always provided on dive trips. For those travelling with metric gear, DIN adapters are available on a limited basis. It's best to carry your own. Don't forget to pack a safety sausage.
