At Bali's Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua even the youngest guests deserve five-star treatment. The luxury property in Bali’s Nusa Dua Complex has introduced new amenities and services geared especially for children under the age of 12. Heading the program is the resort's new "Director of Fun," a role filled by a mascot squirrel named Mr. Tupai (Indonesia for "Mr. Squirrel") - fashioned after the many squirrels that frequent the hotel's grounds.

Kid Glove Treatment

The "kid glove" treatment begins upon reservation, when accompanying children's names are included in the booking. Rooms for children are pre-blocked and special needs or requests are delivered to the room prior to guest arrival. Upon arrival, children are greeted by name by the Bellmen. During in-room registration, each child is assisted to complete his or her own registration card after which they receive a special gift packaged in a backpack. The gift pack includes a personalized welcome card, a coloring book and crayons, a program of children's activities and an easy-to-follow cartoon map of the Resort. Parents are also provided with a special welcome letter outlining services available for their children.

Children's activities on tap daily from the Resort's Recreation Department include arts and crafts, kite flying, sand sculpting, treasure hunts and, the highlight of the week - baking cookies with the Chef. Kids can splash in the Kiddy Lagoon Pool, shallow enough for safety and full of spouting fountains. The calm waters off the resort's pristine beach are also suitable for swimming and safe for supervised children. When it’s time to dine, kids receive their very own cartoon menu full of puzzles and activities for amusement while awaiting their special meal selection.

There's More

Additionally, family rooms are stocked with kid-size bathrobes, hypoallergenic bath and shampoo amenities, step stool, and if appropriate, crib, bottle warmer, high chair, booster seat and potty seat. Also available upon request are kid’s insect repellent, sun protection cream, after sun lotion, disposable diapers, wipes and cream.

More information: Book a Holiday at the Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua Resort

The Yayasan Bali Purnati (The Bali Purnati Center For The Arts) held a very Balinese book launching at a gala reception on Sunday, September 4, 2005, at Griya Gede Keniten. The formal hosts for the launching of the book - Sanur, The Birthplace of Bali Style was Sanur's village elder, Ida Bagus Tjethana Putra and his extended family at their quintessential Balinese family compound in Sanur.

Stylish and Balinese in every detail, the evening included a number of orchestras, both traditional and modern; a fashion show; some of the earliest film clips ever made of Bali; and a lavish array of outstanding Balinese cuisine.

Sanur, The Birthplace of Bali Style is the first book dedicated exclusively to the fascinating history and development of Sanur Community. Written by six authors - Christopher Carlisle, Bruce Carpenter, Vaughan Hatch, Richard Lewis, Lorca Lueras Putu Evie Suyadnyani and Miranda Suryadjaja the volume was designed and photographed by Leonard Lueras, the director of the Publications Division of the Yayasan Bali Purnati. Additional photography was provided by Jason Childs, Jan Lovett and Gil Rosellini.

Sanur, The Birthplace of Bali Style is the third book published by the Yayasan Bali Purnati. Previous titles include a book about Ubud (Ubud Is A Mood), a book about I La Galigo, the creation epic of the Bugis people of Makassar. A fourth book, Kuta and Kuta, is slated for imminent release.

Chapters of the Sanur book include special essays on the history of Sanur, the art of Sanur, the music and dance of Sanur, Sanur style, voices of Sanur, the magic of Sanur and surfing in Sanur.

For More Information

For more information on Sanur, The Birthplace of Bali Style please contact:

• Yayasan Bali Purnati: Leonard Lueras or Ibu Wayan Waratini at ++62-(0)361- 294590 or ++62-(0)361-285865

• Travel Works: Kora Amalwati or Andisuari Dewi at ++62-(0)361- 710-508.

19 teams of cyclists – 14 from abroad and 5 from Indonesia – will set off on a grueling 1,433 "Tour d' Indonesia" on September 12 from Bandung, West Java - concluding 10 days and 9 stages later in downtown Denpasar, Bali.

Sponsored by Indonesia clove cigarette maker Dji Sam Soe, the race will involve 85 cyclists from teams hailing from Perth, Australia; The Netherlands; Hamburg, Germany; Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong, China; Philippines; Beijing, China; Thailand; Malaysia; Vietnam together with a 5 separate Indonesian teams.

Tour d' Indonesia Schedule

• Stage One – Monday, September 12, 2005: Bandung to Cirebon - 134.1 kilometers.

• Stage Two – Tuesday, September 13, 2005: Cirebon to Purwokerto – 187.5 kilometers.

• Stage Three – Wednesday, September 14, 2005: Purwokerto to Yogyakarta – 204.8 kilometers.

• Stage Four – Thursday, September 15, 2005: Yogyakarta to Solo – 135.2 kilometers.

• Stage Five – Saturday, September 17, 2005: Solo to Madiun – 108.2 kilometers.

• Stage Six – Sunday, September 18, 2005: Madiun to Malang – 234 kilometers.

• Stage Seven – Monday, September 19, 2005: Malang to Jember – 181 kilometers.

• Stage Eight – Tuesday, September 20, 2005: Jember to Banyuwangi – 112.3 kilometers.

• Stage Nine – Wednesday, September 21, 2005: Gilamanuk to Denpasar – 135.3 kilometers.

Finish Line in Denpasar

Those in Bali wishing to watch the race to the finish line should begin gathering at the Puputan Field in Renon, Denpasar, starting between 11:00 a.m. – 12 noon Wednesday, September 21, 2005. The final day's race will start at 7:30 a.m. in Gilamanuk, the entry port in Bali's far West, covering the final 135.3 kilometer leg within 4-5 hours to cross the finish line at mid-day in downtown Denpasar.

For the past year, carvers from Bali's woodworking centers in Gianyar have faced an ever increasing shortages of teak wood. Traditionally, teak wood used by Bali's wood carvers originates from Surabaya, Banyuwangi, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

In the past several years the cost of a cubic meter of teak wood has increased significantly from Rp. 1 million (approximately US$95) to Rp. 1.75 million (approximately US$166). In addition to higher cost of raw materials, woodworkers are also facing increasing uncertainty of supply.

Despite problems of supply and cost of woods, Bali's wood working craftsmen have been reluctant to increase the price of their goods, concerned that higher priced handicraft would fail to sell in the a highly competitive marketplace. Meanwhile, efforts to replace teak with other woods, such as jackfruit wood, have not been enthusiastically accepted by handicraft consumers who still prefer teak products.

According to a report in the Indonesian language newspaper Kompas, in 2003 Gianyar recorded 14,368 woodworking units employing a total 37,150 workers.

An expert in fisheries and the coral reef has warned that only 8.74% of Bali's underwater reef system remains in "good" condition.

Ir. I Made Sudarsana, from the Sea and Fisheries Department, speaking at a conference on coordination of installation and management of man-made reefs on Thursday, September 8, 2005, said that of the 61.13 square kilometers of reefs surrounding Bali only 50.05 square kilometers or 76.81% remains. Of the remaining amount of living coral 69.81% is in poor condition, 21.45% in satisfactory condition, and only 4.37 square kilometers or 8.74% is in good shape.

According to the reef and fisheries expert, the declining condition of Bali's coral reefs underlines the urgent need to support all steps to rehabilitate the reefs using man-made bio-rock techniques.

According to Surdarsana, Bali reeds are under threat on a number of fronts including the use of explosives to capture fish, water pollution and poorly managed tourism activities.

3rd Biorock Workshop

The Third Biorock Workshop will be held in Pemuteran, North Bali, from November 21-28, 2005.

The Biorock Process is a revolutionary technology used to grow structures and marine ecosystems in seawater. It provides a cost-effective and sustainable method to accelerate coral growth and increase coral survival particularly in areas where environmental stress has affected existing reefs. Biorock methods can help restore damaged coral reefs and provide building materials from sustainable energy resources for marine culture of corals, oysters, clams, lobsters, fish, and erosion control structures.

More information: Biorock Workshop in North Bali November 21-28, 2005

A formal decision by Bali's provincial parliament rejecting the planned operation of a geothermal power generation project by Bali Energy Limited (BEL) has put the future of the Bedugul-based power plant in serious jeopardy.

The Bedugul project is located about 60 kilometers northwest of Denpasar where geothermal energy potential has been explored by BEL, a joint venture company formed with local investors and California Energy and a joint-operating contract with the State Energy Company Pertamina and the National Electricity Board (PLN).

Preliminary work on the power generation project is estimated to have cost in excess of US$50 million, spent to determine the viability of producing power from steam generated from bore holes placed deep into the earth's surface.

Growing Local Resistance to Project

In recent months, various religious, environmental and community groups have vociferously stated their opposition to the project leading to the most recent rejection of the project by the Bali's local parliament.

Uncertain Jurisdictional Issues

The Bali parliament's recommendations to Governor Beratha to close the geothermal project may, however, be insufficient to halt the plant, which was initiated in 1995 and targeted to eventually produce 10 megawatts of power. The Indonesian-language Bali Post quoted the President Director of BEL, Ngurah Wijaya, as saying the geothermal project would continue it work despite the local parliament's most recent objection. According to Wijaya, BEL acts only as the developer of the power project with final ownership in the hands of the government.

The Geothermal BEL project was commenced after undergoing detailed environmental impact studies and receiving formal Presidential approval. Apparently, pending a formal closure of the project by the Central Government in Jakarta, the operators of the project intend to continue their work.

More Information on Bali's Geothermal Project

Well known journalist Lawrence Pintak has interviewed Donald M. O'Shei, Jr., President and Chief Operating Officer of CalEnergy - a partner in the BEL project. To help shed more light on the issues surrounding the Bedugul Geothermal Project, balidiscovery.com includes a link to that informative interview.

More information: Interview with Donald M. O’Shei on BEL Geothermal Project

Following the September 2, 2005, fatal crash of a Boeing 737-200 airplane owned by Mandala Airlines in Medan that claimed at least 150 lives, the House of Representatives (DPR) has called on Minister of Communications, M. Hatta Rajasa, to take 5 urgent steps to enhance the safety of the public on Indonesian domestic flights.

In a meeting of Commission V of the DPR, the Chairman of the Commission, Sofyan Mile, underlined the urgent need to enhance flight safety.

The five urgent steps to improve flight safety outlined by the legislators are:

• First, for the Minister of Communication to undertake an immediate evaluation of all "problematic" rules and regulations of his Ministry.

• Second, undertake strict audits of all companies and their flight safety and make those results available to the public.

• Third, enhance the standing of the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KKNT), including making a budget available to the KKNT from the 2006 State Budget.

• Fourth, the Department of Communications, in its capacity as regulator, must take strict action against companies who violate safety regulations in the pursuit of profit.

• Fifth, the Department of Communications must revamp the function and the staffing of the Directorate of Certification and Airworthiness (DSKU) within the Director General of Air Communications.

Recalling the loss of life in the Medan crash sustained by people on the ground, the Chairman of the Commission also called on the Minister to take steps to reduce population densities in close proximity to airports.

More Stringent Ramp Checks

Quoted in the Indonesian-language Bisnis Indonesia, Minister Hatta announced that his department will increase the frequency of safety audits or ramp checks of all aircraft from once every four months to a new schedule of once every two months, with the results of air safety audits to be reported to the House of Representatives.

Strong Action Taken By The Minister

In a much publicized surprised inspection of aircraft led by Minister Hatta at Jakarta's main airport on Saturday, September 10, 2005, five Boeing 737-200 aircraft operated by domestic carriers were grounded for failing to address mechanical problems affecting the plane's airworthines. During his inspection visit the Minister was accompanied by the Director-General of Air Communications and the Diretor of Air Worthiness Certification.

With preliminary total foreign tourist arrivals to Bali for August hitting a record 157,197 visitors, those counting the money collected for visa-on-arrival must have been initially surprised to discover a substantial drop in total fees collected for the month.

Compared to July 2005 when 158,424 tourists paid Rp. 31.2 billion (approximately US$2.97 million), the total VOA fees accumulated from 157,197 visitors in August amounted to only Rp. 21.6 billion (approximately US$2.06 million). In other words, a less than 1% drop in total visitors from July to August resulted in a disproportionate 30.6% dip in VOA fees.

In an article published in Bisnis Bali, an official from the Bali immigration office explained the sudden drop in VOA fees as the result of changes introduced by the Government in the VOA policy on August 1, 2005. On that date, new countries were added to the list of those eligible for the VOA facility, bringing to a total of 36 nations whose citizens can pay either US$10 for a 7 day visa and US$25 for 30 day visa upon arriving at Bali's airport.

The Devil's in the Detail

While the general assumption was that the liberalization of the visa policy would result in more visitors paying more in VOA fees, it now appears that the lengthening of the validity period for the US$10 visa from 3 to 7 days effective August 1, 2005 has, in fact, resulted in sudden surge of people opting for the shorter and much cheaper US$10 VOA option. In fact, with arrivals largely stable between July and August, the percentage increase in total arrivals purchasing the short-stay visa increased July to August by a remarkable 2,524%!

Expressed in terms of a percentage of all arrivals to Bali, those purchasing the 3 day visa grew from a 1.7%share of all arrivals in July to become 44.6% of all arrivals in August.

Bali's Quality Issue

These figure, once again, serve to underline the fundamental changes that have occurred in the market mix of Bali's arrivals over the past several years. While total number are setting new records, the overall quality of visitors as measured by actual length-of-stay and per diem spending have deteriorated markedly, suggesting the total value of Bali's foreign tourist arrivals, as measured in foreign exchange generated by tourist visitors, has decreased when compared to just 4-5 years before.

On Tuesday, September 6, 2005, ground-breaking ceremonies were held inside the Nusa Dua Complex for a magnificent new museum scheduled to open in June 2006.

Asia Pacific Art Centre, located within the Nusa Dua Complex, will cover a total 12,600 meters comprised of a museum, gallery, and café. Planners are targeting that more than 200 works by local artists together with the works of artists from Australia, Japan, China, Tahiti and other Asia-Pacific nations will eventually be on display at the modern museum designed by the renowned Indonesian architect Popo Danes.

With an estimated construction cost of Rp. 5 billion (approximately US$476,000), the Pacific Art Center will join a number of existing museums of fine art in Bali, including the Neka Museum, Agung Rai Museum, Rudana Museum, Le Mayeur Museum, and Nyoman Gunarsa’s Bali International Museum of Classical and Modern Art.

One of the initiators for the new project, Mr. Moetarytanto P., said at the ground breaking ceremony for the new Centre that the establishment of the new museum "would contribute to the promotion of Balinese, Indonesian and Indo-European Art, as well as establishing the reference of Bali as a center for Art and Culture in Asia."

Nyoman Suteja Neka, the founder of the famous Neka Museum in Ubud and an Advisor the Bali Museum Society (HIMUSBA), welcome the steps to establish the first museum in Nusa Dua showing the world that Nua Dua is not just a home to large hotels.

Popo Danes, the architect for the project, said the museum will demonstrate Bali and Nusa Dua's concern for the development of arts on the island.

Bali International Hotel Institute for Education and Training has launched a series of intensive 4-day International Hotel Management (IHM) programs to be held in Bali starting from October 2005 through July 2006.

Conducted by Barry Doesburg, a professional trainer with experience as a General Manager with a leading hotel chain, the program is targeted towards department heads as well as middle and senior managers actively working in a hotel environment with on-the-job assignments between sessions to ensure the lessons shared have an immediate practical application.

Held at the HotelKumala Pantai, the 4-day course, comprised of 30 hours of classroom work, is spread over a two week period. Divided into 8 modules, the training covers :

• Personal Development – Addressing management style and techniques, time management, delegation, mental approaches to problem solving, and organizational behavior.

• Strategic Planning - Creating company vision, values and mission statements. Assessing the competitive and operational environment of a hotel. Matching strategy with company culture. Setting and achieving goals and targets.

• Organizing Resources - Creating responsibility through job descriptions. Making your hotel profit, quality and guest satisfaction oriented. Human Resources and hiring the right people for the right job. How to train and motivate staff. Setting operating procedures.

• Leading Employees - Distinguishing the three roles of management. Developing leadership qualities and characteristics. Effective decision making. Running productive and efficient meetings. Improving communications. Negotiating. Building a team culture.

• Controlling/Finance - How to use controlling to benchmark and improve service quality. How to analyze hotel results, and profit and loss statements. Improving GOP. Finance for non-financial managers.

• Revenue Management - Think and work SMART. How to brainstorm to increase profit possibilities. Up selling techniques to improve the bottom line. Making yield a part of your organization's culture.

• Crisis Management - How to be open to change and make it part of your operation. Awakening creativity to solve problems. Dealing with resistance to change. How to handle a financial crisis situation.

• Individual Consultation - Every participant receives a private consultation with Mr. Doesburg on issues of personal career development.

A new course is held every month costing Rp. 4 million (approximately US$380) - covering course materials, coffee breaks, 4 lunches and a completion certificate at the end of the 4-week program. Each course is limited to a maximum of 15 participants.

More information: International Hotel Management Program Web Site

The National News Agency Antara reports that export sales in candles and incense from Bali have almost doubled during the first 7 months of 2005, as compared to the same period one year before.

Bali's export sales for candles and incense reached US$122,190 for January-July 2005 – an increase of 96% over 2004, according to figures collected by the local department of trade.

Nine small-scale producers currently dominate the manufacture of candles and incense, with main markets for their goods in Singapore and Japan.

One local businessman interviewed by Antara, Made Suprapti, said he began making the candles three years ago at the suggestion of an Italian tourist visiting Bali. The growing demand of a world-wide market for Bali candles and incense he attributed to the increasing quality of the locally made products and the resulting demand from new markets in the United States and Europe.

Air Paradise International has added a Tuesday flight between Denpasar (Bali) and Melbourne for the month of October 2005 to help handle strong passenger uplifts of Australians vacationing in Bali.

Melbourne – Bali

In addition to their current schedule for AD063 of 5 flights per week between Melbourne and Bali (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) Air Paradise is adding a Tuesday flight – AD631 on Tuesday October 4, 11, and 18.

Bali – Melbourne

The five night time flights from Bali (Denpasar) to Melbourne with AD062 (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will be supplemented with a day light flight AD621 from Bali to Melbourne on October 4, 11, and 18.

The new flights are not shown on the Airline’s website. Contact Air Paradise or your travel agent for more information.

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