Bali Article

History Of Bali Arts Festival

When tourism took off after 1965, the Balinese insisted that it followed cultural guidelines: if tourism was to be accepted, it was to be a cultural tourism, or "pariwisata budaya".

As the Balinese put it: "Tourism should be for Bali instead of Bali for tourism." In time, this idea become national policy, as part of a larger revping of regional cultures for national purposes. The policy owes much to the former Director General of Culture (1968-1978) and Governor of Bali (1978-1988), Ida Bagus Mantra, an Indian-educed Balinese. It led, on the one side, to the creation of enclave resorts such as Nusa Dua to limit the direct impact of tourism, and on the other, to a long haul cultural policy aimed at nurturing and preserving the traditional agrarian culture while adapting it to the demands of modernity, and in particular of "cultural tourism".

At the village level, local music groups, dances and other cultural events were inventoried, then supported by a series of contests at the district and regency level. The ensuing competition energized the cultural life of villages, whose "young blood" was already being drained to the city by the process of economic change and urbanization.

Schools of dance and art were created, in particular the Kokar conservatory and the STSI School of Dance and Music. Beside research, these schools replaced the traditional master/disciple relationship by modern methods of teaching; standardized the dance movements, produced new types of Balinese dances for tourism and modern village entertainment. Most important, it enabled former students to return to the villages as teachers, where they diffused, beside the creed of cultural resilience and renewal, new dances and standardized versions of old ones.

Many of the performances are held at the amphitheater which can hold up to 6,000 spectators, in a temple-like stage.

Each year, the Bali Arts Festival, beside the fed classical dances of the island, such as the legong, gambuh, kecak, barong, baris, mask dances and the like, is based on the theme around which new "dance choreography" is produced and old village dances and activities revived. Over the years, the whole range of classical Balinese stories - Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sutasoma, Panji - have thus been turned into "colossal" Sendratari Ballets.

The main challenge to the Arts Festival is obviously economic in nature. As village life is increasingly feeling the strains of monetary considerations, dancers, musicians and others cannot be expected to continue participating simply for the sake and the pleasure of it. As costs soar, new sources of financing have to be found. The obvious answer is the private sector and in particular the tourism industry. The greater task then is to convince the hotels, travel agencies and tourist guides to be more participatory in the Arts Festival rather than to their own sponsored events.

Considering the pride the Balinese have in their culture, and the adaptability and dynism they have always demonstrated, this little hurdle can be overcome. Trust the Balinese. They will eventually succeed to transform their tradition into a modern, Balinese culture of their own.

Have Some Souvenirs From Bali At Ubud Art Market

Ubud is a lovely little city in the island of paradise. Located in the center of Bali, the city is a cultural landmark in the country. With its unspoiled nature, tradition, culture and inhabitants the city establishes itself as an ideal holiday resort. Known as the heaven for globetrotters, backpackers and artists, the lively city is a major tourist destination in the country.

Ubud is interesting for many reasons. The road side food stalls are the seventh heaven for the food lovers. The city's customs, culture, natives all will keep you mesmerized during your visit. Your trip in this cultural center of Bali will be a pleasant memory.

The city is also the paradise for the shopaholics. Among several markets, Ubud Art Market (Pasar Seni Ubud) is considered as the most important business center in the city. Ubud Art Market is Ubud's Shopping destinations. It is the most gorgeous shopping area in Ubud.

The market sells a wide range of clothing, fabrics, masks and souvenirs. You can also find silver, batiks and paintings in various styles. The silver quality can be less than desirable, but prices are quite cheap. You can do the transaction directly to the merchant which generally can be bargained.

Situated at the meeting point of Monkey Forest Road and highway, the market is very accessible. Ubud Art Market opened every day from 8 am to 6 pm. Some merchants even open until night.

Just ask Annora staffs for assistance, if you don't know how to get to Ubud Art Market. They will surely glad to assist you.

Hospitals in Bali

Having accident during your holiday is not something that you plan or expected. But you still need to know where you can find immediate help. Below is a list of hospital in Bali; varies from government hospital to privates. Trouble finding it? The Villa Manager of Annora will assist you anytime needed. You might want to keep his number for emergency.

General Public Hospitals:

• Sanglah General Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Pusat / RSUP Sanglah), Denpasar.
• Badung General Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Badung / RSUD Badung).
• Tabanan General Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Tabanan/ RSUD Tabanan).
• Singaraja General Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Singaraja / RSUD Singaraja).
• Gianyar General Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Gianyar / RSUD Gianyar ).
• Bangli General Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Bangli / RSUD Bangli ).
• Klungkung General Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Klungkung / RSUD Klungkung ).
• Negara general Hospital (Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Negara / RSUD Negara ).

Private Hospitals:

• BIMC Hospital
• Kasih Ibu Hospital
• Prima Medika Hospital
• Surya Husada Hospital
• Puri Bunda Maternity Hospital
• Dharma Husada Hospital
• Manuaba Hospital

Balinese Cremation

There are ceremonies for every stage of Balinese life but often the last ceremony--cremation--is the biggest. A Balinese cremation can be an amazing, spectacular, colourful, noisy and exciting event. In fact it often takes so long to organize a cremation that years have passed since the death. During that time the body is temporarily buried. Of course an auspicious day must be chosen for the cremation and since a big cremation can be very expensive business many less wealthy people may take the opportunity of joining in at a larger cremation and sending their own dead on their way at the same time. Brahmans, however, must be cremated immediately. Apart from being yet another occasion for Balinese noise and confusion it's a fine opportunity to observe the incredible energy the Balinese put into creating real works of art which are totally ephemeral. A lot more than a body gets burnt at the cremation. The body is carried from the burial ground (or from the deceased's home if it's and 'immediate' cremation) to the cremation ground in a high, multi-tiered tower made of bamboo, paper, string, tinsel, silk, cloth, mirrors, flowers and anything else bright and colourful you can think of. The tower is carried on the shoulders of a group of men, the size of the group depending on the importance of the deceased and hence the size of the tower. The funeral of a former rajah of high priest may require hundreds of men to tote the tower.

A long the way to the cremation ground certain precautions must be taken to ensure that the deceased's spirit does not find its way back home. Loose spirits around the house can be a real nuisance. To ensure this doesn't happen requires getting the spirits confused as to their whereabouts, which you do by shaking the tower, running it around in circles, spinning it around, throwing water at it, generally making the trip to the cremation ground anything but a stately funeral crawl.

A priest officiates at the last rites, and then the fires are lit. after the burning, another raucous procession begins, carrying the ashes to the sea or the local river, where they are thrown to the wind. This represents the cleansing and disposal of the material body, and is cause for singing and laughing in the procession. Later, there are private ceremonies for the care of the soul is believed to be reborn. The status of reborn soul relates to the person’s karma, or his conduct in previous lives. In general, the Balinese feel that the soul is reborn within the same circle of blood relations. This cycle of death and re-birth is the cause of the Balinese reference for ancestors. Every Balinese knows that one day he will be an ancestor, whose long passage through the other world must be expedited and cared for it if he is to return to his beloved island of Bali. Read more about Balinese Reincarnation at Villa Annora website article pages.

Kuta Beach

Kuta Beach, Legian, and Seminyak, is by far Bali's busiest beach resort area. Kuta is busy with vendors, tourists and locals. Foods and drinks widely available, shade under trees close to the street and nice sandy beach. And a perfect place to learn to surf. This is the place where foreign females meets with local guys. The beach which is around 4 kms long divided consecutively into Kuta Beach, Legian Beach, Seminyak Beach, and Canggu Beach. It was not much development until 1980, when the speed of construction of various accommodation and restaurants was uncontrollable giving pressure to the local settlements. More than hundred of big and small hotels were filed up along the beach plus various establishments such as boutiques, supermarkets, minimarts, banks, and so on.

Starting 1990s the immediate impact of building proliferation are traffic jam, illegal immigrants, and various unexpected problem such as flooding and waste management. The most pressure was falling to locals who had the rice fields, they have to sell their rice field due to the cut-off the water supply by the construction of buildings. Modern way of living emerges with sparkling hotels, bars, and discotheques. Most locals now changed profession to tourism related sector and related services.

The sea along Kuta, Jimbaran, and Legian has some times strong under current swept. And normally safety guard will put red-banner on the areas and time during dangerous under current, and during certain seasons. On the white sandy beach, guests usually start to sun bathe around 4 pm or even earlier. There were various massagers, vendors, and people who want to practice their English and certain language. But all of these have been controlled by local security and were given the ethic of selling thing. The best way when you meet this people if you do not want to buy some thing is better not to response, If you give response usually they will chase you to buy their things. This lovely beach is only a few minutes walk from Annora Villa.

Kuta Shopping

Kuta is the most famous place in Bali.  Natives often call it 'downtown'. Various clubs, restaurants, stores and hotels are all here.  The primary reason why people come to Kuta is to shop, and Kuta's shopping areas sprawl tens of city blocks wide. Most tourists spend their time in Kuta when they are in Bali. Shopping in Kuta is irresistable. Even if you aren't interested in buying anything, you will end up in small shops, bargaining for some merchandise. The streets (particularly Poppies Gang II) are lined with stalls offering tie-dyed sarongs, shorts, swimsuits, knock-off brand-name cologne, hats, and wristwatches. Given the hard sell, this might be the best place to hone your bargaining skills.

Just 10 minutes from Annora Villa, Kuta's main road is lined with shops selling everything from swimwear, sarongs, handicrafts and CDs to jewelry, clothing, furniture and leather goods. There are even more street vendors or hawkers peddling bracelets or watches. Remember to say no, if you're not interested in buying their things. Shopping in Bali is not simply walking into a shop, picking something from a shelf and paying for it. Shopping is an art. In every traditional market and art shop around Bali bargaining is a must.

This traditional way makes shopping in Bali a fun time, where you can feel the sense of value in every transaction. Before you begin your shopping tour on this island, make sure to bring enough cash because most places do not accept credit cards.

And if you think you had enough bargaining for the right price, Kuta has a number of department stores and shopping centres with fixed prices. Try Kuta Square and Kuta Centre located very close to each other in Jalan Kartika Plaza. Kuta Square is also popular with local shops and a branch of the Matahari Department Stores & Supermarket. Galena Nusa Dua, a 30 minutes drive from Villa Annora, with over 80 specialty shops is also a hit with the avid shopper, as it has everything a tourist and shopper could be interested in.

Legian Beach Bali Indonesia

Legian beach is on the southwest side of Denpasar, so close to the Kuta beach. A few
years ago Legian was a small village situated a short distance from Kuta, which
has spread out so much that Legian is now part of the greater Kuta beach area.
Legian is easy to walk around . Legian have a more laid back beach style, fewer
vendors, but still a good facilities. Here you can rent surfboards, play
volleyball, or just relax and take in the scene.

Legian has seen extensively develop over the last few years, with boutique and first
class hotels and restaurants. A few years ago Legian was a small village
situated a short distance from Kuta, which has spread out so much that Legian
is now part of the greater Kuta area.

Legian is a quieter alternative and with a more sophisticated nightlife scene focusing on
dining-out and socialising rather than full-on partying. It's a perfect place
for looking for a lively night out with a new found dive buddies. This is the
place to be with many of the bars having live music, special drink promotions
and organised pub crawls. This peaceful heaven is only 5 minutes walk from
Annora Villa.