Archive for December 11th, 2006
Visitors to Bali might like to hear they have another option for excitement. A new airline is offering trips from Jakarta to the world’s gambling capital Macao, for $10.99.
‘Vegas of the East’ only $10.99 away with Viva MacauAndi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Often dubbed the Asian Las Vegas, Macau is set to become one of the most sought after destinations for both Indonesian tourists and gamblers after direct flights from Jakarta to Macau commence Dec. 22.
New airline Viva Macau announced Wednesday that it would launch services to Jakarta this month, with fares starting from as low as US$10.99, excluding taxes.
“Our introductory fares from Jakarta represent the best value for money available in Asian skies today and bring the whole of Southern China within affordable reach of a vast new market in Indonesia,” Viva Macau CEO Andrew Pyne told the media in Jakarta.
“Macau is also a convenient low cost base from which to explore the attractions of Hong Kong — just one hour away by ferry,” he added.
Pyne said Viva Macau would fly to Jakarta three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning Dec. 22, while the special introductory fare was valid for travel until Jan. 31, 2007.
“This period will give Indonesians more chances to travel with friends and family during the holiday season and into the New Year,” he said.
Meanwhile, tour packages are also on offer at prices of between $300 and $550 per person, depending on the cities and attractions visited. The tours include airfare, accommodation, and sightseeing trips.
The airline offers two cabin classes — star class and economy class, to which the introductory fares apply, and superstar or business class, where the prices start from $250, which is about the same price as a Jakarta-Hong Kong economy fare on a full-service airline.
The introductory fares will only be applied to 10 percent of the total seats in the economy class.
In addition to Jakarta, the airline will also start flying from Macau to Phuket and the Maldives in December.
Viva Macau, Pyne said, was targeting around 60,000 Indonesian passengers during its first year flying the Jakarta route.
“Currently, Macau receives around 20,000 Indonesian visitors coming through Hong Kong, with the growth rate being 50 percent per year. Presently, we have three aircraft, which we will increase to four in spring and then five next summer,” he said.
With the commencement of Viva Macau’s operations, inbound traffic to Macau is expected to increase significantly. Indonesia is ranked 5th in terms of visitor growth, according to a recent Pacific Asia Travel Association report on Macau.
The number of visits from Indonesia registered 41.8 percent growth between January and October 2006, compared to the same period last year. The recent addition of world-class casinos developed by Las Vegas-based groups, and the development of more family-oriented entertainment facilities, coupled with Macau’s rich cultural heritage, have contributed to the boom.
Macau hit a new tourism record in November with 20 million visitors since the start of 2006. Officials said the total would exceed 20 million by the end of the year, assuming the 15.85 percent year-on-year growth seen in the first 10 months is sustained.
Tourism arrivals have doubled since 2002, when the former Portuguese enclave reformed its casino ownership laws, breaking a 40-year monopoly held by tycoon Stanley Ho, so as to allow foreign investors into the sector.
Since the early 1960s, around 50 percent of Macau’s official revenue has been driven by gambling. The percentage remained steady until the late 1990s.
I went to Macao in 1995, when living in Hong Kong. Its a funky little place, with remnant of Portuguese culture. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency on Taipa Island, and ate at the Pousada del sao Tiago, a cool location. Fernando’s is a relaxed place to eat, famous in Macao. If you can get hold of a cheap ticket to Jakarta, 10.99 to Macao doesn’t seem bad.
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
Vasu Rasiah, the former Indonesian legal assistance to convicted drug trafficker, Schapelle Corby, has made claims about how certain aspects of Corby’s case were handled.
Mr. Rasiah complained that during the trial, the Corby side focused on money making deals with media companies, instead of the actual case. He also claims the Corby family declined an offer, by the Australian federal Police (AFP), to DNA test the marijuana, Corby was carrying. Your guess is a as good as mine what actually went on, but Mr. Rasiah has recently been angered by comments made in Schapelle Corby’s book, My Story.
Here’s more from ABC News Online.
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
Bali is in the tropics, as anyone who is in Bali at the moment can attest to. Its steamy, and last night that steam conspired to create a sudden downpour. I actually did not hear it as I was asleep, but this morning I noticed the bathroom was flooded, the flower pots were full of water, and one of the papaya trees, was laying on the grass. Four large unripe papayas were still attached, so when Ana showed up, I asked her if we should try to re-plant the tree. “Tidak bisa.” (not possible) she said, and with sawing gestures indicated the path she would take.
Papaya trees grow fast, so its not like we lost something that took 20 years get big. A few yards away, I noticed a small papaya on another tree was ripe. Bats and other creatures also notice, when a fruit turns yellow / orange. The small papaya was tasty and I gave 4 large green ones to Ana, who said she would use them as vegetables. Indonesians make a sour fruit salad called rujak, which I’ve had, but am not crazy about.
Papayas have many small black seeds inside, so planting a few of them, and waiting to see what comes up can be fun. As the tree gets bigger the new papayas get higher and higher, never growing in same place twice.
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
Javanese food is a more refined type of cuisine, than that of Bali. You will find many places in the Kuta / Tuban area, as well as the Sunset Rd in Seminyak, displaying signs that offer food from Jember, Yogyakarta, Solo and other parts of Java. In Kerobokan, one such place is Warung Kolega.
Warung Kolega is a simply designed place, with warung style tables and a great selection of pre-cooked food. It is popular with Indonesians working in hotels and offices, as well as expats. Basically a lunch place, Warung Kolega is located on Jl. Petitenget, which is why most tourists don’t make it there. From my house which is near Jl. Dhyana Pura, it will take about 10 minutes.
Today I had fish with sambal, chicken, rice and 3 types of vegetable. That was completed with sambal and kecap manis (sweet thick soy sauce), for 13,000rp. The way these type of warungs work their pricing, is that meat / fish / eggs etc cost the most. Vegetables cost little and are sometimes free. I don’t really care, and get what I want, figuring $1.50 for lunch is okay.
Warung Kolega
Jl. Petitenget
Kerobokan
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
Indonesia is rich with languages. The national language itself, Bahasa Indonesia, is a conglomeration of over a dozen languages. As in every language, new words and slang terms are rife.
Many Indonesian slang words are simply shortened versions of the original, eg. tahu (know) into tau, habis (depleted) into abis. Many slang words, as well as proper words, are taken directly from another language, eg. sori (sorry), pren (friend).
Regional variations abound, and a person from Jakarta, who speaks Batawi, will not understand a person from Semarang when they say ‘Piye, jal?’ (How about it?), or when a person from Surabaya says they are Gacoran (A Big Mouth).
Trends come and go in every country. Back in the mid 80’s in California, everything was ‘Rad’ (radical), which changed overtime to ‘Sick’, ‘Fat’ and many other things. What tickles me is the local use of certain expressions, that give an incling to the stuff that is around. Alternatively its fun to see nonsensical expressions, such as in the city of Bandung, in west Java. One distinct characteristic in Bandung slang grammar is generous insertion of the word ‘anjing’ in a sentence. The word means dog, but its usage in Bandung slang is merely for emphasis and not as a swearword, eg. ‘Nasi goreng Jalan Madura ngeunah pisan, anjing!’ which means ‘Fried rice in Madura Street is really delicious, gosh!’
Here’s Wikipedia’s page on Indonesian slang. You might try learning a couple of polite slang terms to have fun with, next time you visit Indonesia.
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
Owning a piece of Bali is fantasy people literally buy into. I say fantasy, because often its the ‘Bali dream’ that inspires them, and fantasy because it doesn’t always end up the way they’d hoped.
Last night I was having a drink with an American expat, who has been coming to Bali for over 15 years. He told me he owns and entire city block in the US, and is doing okay. He told me he bought land in Tabanan a while back, but sold it at a loss, as his Indonesian ‘agent’ was threatening to act up, something that is not uncommon.
A few weeks ago I met a lady from New york who has been coming to Bali for 30 years. She too told me she owned land, but was glad to sell it as (this time doubling her money), as again the person who’s name it was in, started getting funny.
Mr City Block (I’ll call him CB) was very knowledgeable about real estate, both in the US and in Indonesia. “They blew it,” he said, “they had their chance, to let ‘bules’ own land, when this place was going off.” CB went through all the types of land ownership you can obtain in Indonesia (right of use, right to develop etc.) and I asked him what was the major stumbling block for him. He said “You cannot secure your assets, simple as that.” CB went on to say that if the local wants to create problems, and has connections, your certificate is worth the paper its written on. I asked why so many real estate places existed, and so many villas were getting built. He said its partly due to inflation. If you have $100,000 to spend on construction and you know its going to be $500,000 in 5 years, it makes sense to build now, if you can afford it. Also the thing that makes a lot of Bali real estate cheap is there is no liability. CB said back in the US, he has to pay massive property tax, insurance fees, lawyers fees, to ensure he will be protected against lawsuits. “You can’t sue anybody over here, you don’t even need a realtor’s licence.” he said, “In the US we really screwed ourselves.”
CB told me that Thailand offers foreigners a much better situation, as you can own land through a trust, which is completely legal, “Not like the horse shit you gotta go through here.” he said. CB said he comes to Bali because he can speak the language, enjoys the culture, but has no interest at all investing in the country. That’s too bad for Indonesia. Here’s a guy with money, time and experience, who could help the country develop, but he’s seen too much nonsense, to make him want to get his feet wet again.
Of course there are many people who buy / lease land, live on it, rent it, make friends with the locals etc. and live happilly ever after. I just wanted to share some of the stuff I hear from people who have experience.
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
My friend Toby from Oregon is visiting soon, with his young daughter. Man is he in for a shock! Extremely hot and humid right now, and just eating today, I was sweating profusely. Lucky are the local people who work in an AC environment.
The others, who work for example in small shops, local travel offices etc., have to deal with minimal air flow, and steamy conditions. On more than one occasion, I have wandered into a local convenience store, and been aware of the smell of the staff, who have been there all day in the heat.
Toby is going to need a pool and an AC room, with minimal running around, at least at first. Today I rode down to the Puri Cendana on Jl. Dhyana Pura in Seminyak. The place has a nice pool, good rooms and is only 100 meters from the beach. Their rates were 500,000rp for a Deluxe room, and 400,000rp for a Superior. I knew exactly what to do, go to an internet cafe and print out a price. After typing Puri Cendana into Google, the hotel’s own site was #1, Indo.com was #2, and their pages included better prices, $29 for a Superior room, which is around 264,000rp.
In the past I have managed to get 50% off, just by checking the web around the corner.
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
Indonesian VP Yusuf Kalla has made a request to the island’s tour operators, and the Culture and Tourism Ministry, to start using the expression ‘Beautiful Bali Indonesia’.
Many people in the tourism industry have complained for a long time, that Indonesia does not have an organized marketing campaign, maybe this is the first step. The reason places like Manado got some popular, is that Europeans and other outsiders, set up businesses there, and marketed the place themselves.
‘Beautiful Bali Indonesia‘ is okay with me, but why not just ‘Beautiful Bali’? Also if we’re calling Bali ‘beautiful’, let’s clean up the joint, starting with the trash along the side of the road. I’ve got no problem with the airport, other than the amount of time it can take to get processed.
Its a positive step that the VP is taking, and I hope Bali’s beauty gets the attention it deserves. You can just see the commercial, towering volcanoes, barong dancers, the Tanah Lot temple, a procession of elegantly dressed ladies on their way to the shore singing “Jiggy-jiggy boom-boom, Jiggy-jiggy boom-boom, Bali holiday.”
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006
Check out these topics currently being discussed on the Bali Forum at BootsnAll:
December 11th, 2006
Selamat Hari Raya Kuningan. Saturday December 9th is Kuningan, the end of the Galungan celebration, in which ancestors descend to Earth. On this day the Gods and spirits return to heaven. Around Bali, people will be attending ceremonies at their family temple to honor the spirits of their ancestors. Last I got a call from a Balinese friend who was sad, at not being able to go home to East Bali, due to work commitments.
The 21st Century and westernizing of the economy, means many Balinese people have to balance a job with cultural / religious activities. This morning the staff at Cafe Seminyak were looking lovely, dressed in sarongs and kebaya’s. One of them asked me where my sarong was. I said it was back home in the closet.
For visitors in the Kuta area, there are some big ceremonies going on today. Back in 2003 I visited Serangan Island, which is located on the Bypass between Kuta and Sanur. Serangan has 2 temples the largest of which is Pura Sakenan
Here are some of the temples in Bali that are having ceremonies today.
•Pura Taman Pule, Mas - Ubud.
•Pura Ularan, Takmung - Klungkung.
•Pura Bukit Jati, Gulingan - Kawan - Bangli.
•Pura Dalem, Desa Guang - Sukawati.
•Pura Sadha - Kapal, Badung.
•Pura Sakenan, Serangan - Denpasar Selatan.
•Pura Pekedungan - Kediri - Tabanan.
•Pura Pasek Gaduh - Grokgak Gde - Tabanan.
•Pura Dalem Sanding - Tampaksiring.
•Pura Dalem Agung Sri Nararya Kresna Kepakisan, Br. Dukuh - Gelgel - Klungkung
I’ve also seen Kuningan celebrations at Tanah Lot and in Klungkung. If you wish to visit a Balinese temple, to check out the ceremonies, remember to wear a sarong and sash. No sexy clothing, or loud behaviour either. The atmosphere around ceremonies I find is relaxed, but it is a religious occasion, so try to avoid charging in, without thinking about the important aspects. For example, do not touch the offerings, do not step in front of people praying, do not talk loudly during a blessing by a priest etc.
Have a great Kuningan in Bali.
source : www.baliblog.com
December 11th, 2006