During the inaugural BII Maybank Bali Marathon held on Sunday, April 22, 2012, a large number of management together with the rank and file from across  Bali’s tourism industry participated in the first full-marathon held in Indonesia for more than two decades.

Shown on Balidiscovery.com is a photo of three hoteliers photographed at the finishing line in front of the Bali Safari and Marine Park.

ft to right are Torsten Richter, the general manager designate of the Westin Resort and Spa, Ubud; Ivan Casadevall, general manager of Anantara Seminyak Resort and Spa; and Alexandre Hulen, director of sales and marketing at the Regent Bali.

Related Links

[BII Maybank Bali Marathon Results]

[Bali Marathon: Hakuna Matata]

The Anantara Seminyak Resort and Spa in Bali joined more than one billion people worldwide in marking Earth Day on April 22, 2012.

The boutique hotel on Seminyak Beach set aside two days to raise environmental consciousness and persuade community members to do more to clean local environments.

Anantara Seminyak’s environmental education day took place on the morning of Wednesday, April 18, 2012, at Seminyak State Primary School. Anantara associates visited the elementary school to teach lessons to the students on the importance of caring for nature.

Anantara’s Environmental Officer, I Wayan Sucitra, delivered a presentation to 60 students from grades 5 and 6 on the topics of cleanliness, rubbish and pollution. This was followed by a fun-filled environmental quiz with prizes, for the student.

As shown on Balidiscovery.com, at the end of the visit, Anantara preserved the moment with a photograph of the students and their teachers as a souvenir of their Earth Day experience.

m>Anantara Seminyak is also encouraging students to put what they had learned into practice by donating four garbage bins to the school.

Sucitra, commented: “Knowing, owning and living a commitment to preserve nature is everyone’s responsibility. By explaining this to the next generation at such an early age, they will realize how important it is to protect the earth from environmental problems, and therefore contribute to a greener, cleaner future”.

For Anantara Seminyak’s beach cleaning activity on Saturday, April 21, 2012, some 30 Anantara associates spent two hours combing 100 kilometers in Seminyak for rubbish. 55 students from Seminyak State Primary School joined the cleanup.

InterContinental Bali Resort have announced their continuing support BIZNET Bali International Triathlon.

Centered at Jimbaran Bay, the challenging Olympic and Sprint distance event will be held for the sixth time on Sunday, June 24, 2012.

The area where individual participants and relay teams transition from the swimming, cycling and running segments of the race has moved in 2012 from the Four Seasona Resort at Jimbaran Bay to a spacious area on the north side of the spacious 5-star resort.

As a major sponsor of the event, the Resort’s grounds will be used as a transit point for athletes to collect and deposit their bikes. Spectators will be invited to gather at the Spa Garden to cheer on the competitors as they set off on the arduous ride around the hilly roads of Bali’s southern peninsula. Live music, food and beverage stands, and booths operated by local companies and non-governmental agencies will also be on offer.

In addition to the larger transition area to accommodate a growing number of participants, other major changes include closure of one lane of the Ngurah Rai Bypass between Jimbaran and Nusa Dua to provide a more secure race course for cyclists.

ion to the InterContinental Bali Resort, the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay and AYANA Resort and Spa Bali form the main hotel sponsors of the event.

This year’s event, as with past years, has been dubbed the “Triathlon for the Soul" and is expected to attract a record number of world-class athletes competing for a prizes and trophies. Athletes, support teams, families and spectators are encouraged to book rooms at the InterContinental Bali Resort now in order to secure strategically located accommodation for the event.

To welcome the sixth running of the BIZNET Bali Triathlon, InterContinental Bali Resort is offering a special triathlon season rate starting from just US$185++ per room /per night. This exceptional package includes daily breakfast, complimentary Wi-Fi Internet access throughout the entire duration of stay and a 60-minute Relaxation Massage at Spa Uluwatu. Terms and conditions apply.

Visit [www.bali.intercontinental.com]  for more information.

[BIZNET Bali International Triathlon Website] 

Foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia for the first three months of 2012 have increased 10%, buoyed by the growing number of new direct flights serving the Republic. Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu predicted growth when the final tally for Q1 of 2012 based on results already in hand for January-February 2012.

Quoted by Bisnis.com, Minister Pangestu said: “I estimate that growth will be double-digit. Until the end of February the growth is around 11%. The first quarter of 2012 will be above 10%.”

The Minister continued, the increase in direct flights to a number of Indonesian air gateways has a positive correlation to the increase in tourists for the current year. Pangestu pointed to the resumption of flights between Haneda (Japan) and Denpasar (Bali) as likely to help Indonesia remedy declining number of Japanese visitors over the past year.

After the Japanese tsunami, both Garuda Indonesia and Japan Airlines closed flight services between Indonesia and Japan, reflecting a sharp decline in Japanese arrivals to Bali.

The Bali Tourism Service reports that Japanese visitors to Bali dropped drastically over the past four years from 354,817 tourists in 2008 to only 183,284 in 2011.

During the same period Japan has dropped from being the main source of foreign tourist visitors to its current ranking of third place, after Australia and the People’s Republic of China.

The Tourism Minister added: “I hope that the flights between Haneda and Denpasar can reverse the drop in Japanese tourists. I also have heard that there will be direct flights between Manila and Denpasar. The function of increasing flight frequencies is fundamental to increasing tourism numbers.”

Jakarta Globe reports that a 16-year-old Australian boy died on Thursday, May 3, 2012, while snorkeling at Nusa Lembongan Island, an island a short distance from Bali’s southeastern shore.

The boy, from New South Wales, has been identified as Jack Francis McCabe, who perished while snorkeling with his family. The youth reportedly insisted on being allowed to continue to swim when his family decided to return to shore. A short time later, the swimming boy's head collided with a boat at anchor.

The boy’s Father brought his son to shore where he administered CPR. But, McCabe was pronounced dead on arrival when he arrived at the Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the family did not request an autopsy on boy’s body, which will be returned to Australia for final disposition.

Police have described the incident as a “pure accident” while providing little detail on how the teenager came into close contact with a boat.

Officials from the Australian Consulate-General in Bali are providing assistance to the boy’s family.

A special detachment “Bravo 90” of the Indonesian Air Force conducted a terrorist simulation at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport on Monday. April 30, 2012.

The highly realistic exercise included a shoot-out between the military forces and the make-believe terrorists that lasted almost 30-minutes.

Radar Bali reports that, in the end, the Indonesian Air Force Commandos successfully managed to defeat the simulated terrorists who, in the course of the exercise, had temporary control of the VVIP terminal and a passenger airplane.

The Commander of “Detachment Bravo 90” – Air Force Lt. Col. M. Juanda, told the press how the simulated terrorists – a 15 man rebel force of the “Liberation Front” led by Fuad Malik suffered 8 fatalities. “The remaining 7 we arrested. The remaining terrorists, who suffered wound in the practice scenario, were eventually evacuated to safety,” Junada explained.

He explained that the terror simulation was part of a larger terrorism prevention programs labeled “Albara.” The exercise involving the VVIP Terminal and a landed airplane was observed the Supreme Commander for District II of the Air Force Command, Marshal Ismonon SIB.

The exercise commenced with the dispatching by air from Jakata’s Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport of the Commando unit at 8:30 a.m. Prior to landing, 15 frogmen who infiltrated the airport by sea.

An Air Force spokesman said the information on hand indicated that the terrorists had managed to hijack a passenger aircraft with 45 passengers on board. At the same time, the rebels had taken control of the VVIP terminal in Bali containing 60 innocents.

After reviewing the situation, a special team, including negotiators, snipers and bomb squad members, approached the target while strategizing how to minimize civilian casualties.

During the simulation, negotiators determined that the terrorists had shot one of the hostages. Reacting, the Special Forces swept into the VVIP terminaland hijacked aicraft  taking complete control of both in only 7 minutes.

The entire exercise took 2.5 hours to complete.

An Air Force spokesman said specially trained response teams were on stand-by at all times across the nation, prepared to respond at any hour in a manner that was “appropriate, rapid and accurate.”

Radar Bali reports that water sports tourism activities surrounding Gilimanuk Bay in West Bali are threatened by leaking diesel fuel, which is contaminating coastal areas. The fuel slicks were first noticed on Sunday, April 29, 2012.

Press reports say that waters at Gilimanuk Bay are so badly polluted and emitting an unpleasant odors detectable for up to 200 meters.

As a result, fishermen and visiting tourists are avoiding the beach areas. Putu, a local resident who normally fishes at Gilimanuk Bay, told Radar Bali: “In addition to the smell, fumes from the diesel fuel stings the eyes. How can we fish?

Agung Putu Alit Wirawan, leaders of a local citizen’s group at Gilimanuk Bay, said, “We are very worried if the tourists see the bay contaminated by diesel fuel.” Agung admitted that each year when northerly winds start blowing contamination of the waters becomes a problem, but when this has occurred in the past the problem disappeared after 2-3 hours.

However, this year the contamination has become more acute and long lasting. The diesel is killing sea life, destroying the eco-system and ruining the natural beauty of underwater areas once visited by divers.

Wirawan said the source of the diesel fuel leak remains a mystery with local citizens and officials busily trying to identify how to stop the noxious flow.

The Gilimanuk Bay covers an area of 600 hectares. Some suspect the oil slicks are originating from ferries operating the Bali to Java route and a nearby Pertamina fuel depot at Ketapang.

Adding also to local problems is pollution from plastic waste discharged into the ocean by local residents and shipping.

Meanwhile,local port officials are denying the fuel contamination as coming from cross-straits ferries because of the careful monitoring of ships operating in that port. According to the officials, ships discovered to be leaking fuel are not allowed to operate and are denied the right to purchase fuel from the Pertamina depot.

The official, meanwhile, are putting the blame for the slicks on shipping passing through the Bali Straits.

On the morning of Friday, April 27, 2012, the community of Ubud in Bali lost one of its much beloved foreign residents when Stefan Reisner succumbed to cancer.

Born in Berlin in 1942 during World War II, Stefan Reisner was a true renaissance man who had, at various times in his life, worked as an author of children’s literature, a publisher, poet, essayist, filmmaker and foreign news correspondent based in Hong Kong.

The last 11 years of Stefan’s life were spent in Bali surrounded by the beauty provided by his Indonesian wife Faizah and the island he called home.

Initially involved with the Puri Asri Hotel in Petulu, he later discovered an all-consuming passion by conceptualizing and operating the Ubud Botanical Gardens. 

Eclectic, whimsical and diverse are all adjectives that equally describe both the Ubud Botanical Gardens and the man who built them.

Stefan was buried in the Muslim cemetery in Denpasar, Bali on the day of his death.

A celebration of Stefan Reisner’s life was held among friends in Ubud on Sunday, April 6, 2012.

Related Links

[Ubud Botanic Garden]

[New Botanical Garden in Ubud]

While thousands marched around the globe in solidarity for “May Day” on May 1, 2012, the day dedicated to the working man and woman was celebrated with somewhat less fanfare in Bali.

While thousands marched in other parts of Indonesia, “May Day” marches in Bali attracted only around 30 demonstrators.

Kompas.com covered the “May Day” protests that were held in front of the office of Bali’s governor in Renon, Denpasar. The head of the Denpasar police precinct, I Wayan Sunartha, told the press, “Based on reports we have received from Bali’s provincial capital, the demonstration attracted about 30 people.”

The 30 protestors, proclaiming themselves as “United for the People’s Independence” (Perkasa), demanded the right to work, sufficient living conditions and human rights.

While the demonstrator numbered only 30, the police personnel deployed at the location to maintain the peace reached 300,a contingent that brought along a range of anti-riot equipment, including a water canon.

Sunartha said the security procedures were in keeping plans to monitor the peace on “May Day.” In fact, he revealed that the number of officers on stand-by totaled 500 across Bali.

Police forces were stationed at a number of critical points including Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, the Manpower Office and other areas in the downtown Denpasar district of Renon.

450 executives representing leading media brands gathered at AYANA Resort and Spa Bali as part of FOX International Channels’ 2012 Asia-Pacific Pay-TV Operators Summit held from April 20-27, 2012.

A highlight of the gathering was the ‘MNC Beyond the Sea’ beach-themed event at AYANA’s 22,000 square meter cliff-top Champa Garden event facility, featuring a full-sized pirate ship.

;s fames Master Chef Sharone Hakman assisted in preparing the Gala Dinner that progressed into an after-party Rock Bar party. 

Sharone entertained the audience with live-cooking demonstrations throughout the lavish 5-course dinner before yielding the stage for a performance by American Idol Season 11 finalist Thia Megia that included a stirring cover of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’.

This was followed by a snake handling demonstration by National Geographic’s Wild Dangerous Encounters host, Brady Barr. 


The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation is predicting that by 2017 Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport carrying capacity will become critical, exceeding the airport’s ability to handle passenger loads.

Beritabali.com says that by 2017 the through-flow of both domestic and international passengers using Bali’s airport will reach 25 million.

Government planners say that by that year Bali’s airport will be at an impasse in terms of tourist numbers; unable to accommodate more passengers and incapable of further expansion beyond that already underway.

The Director General of Air Communication Hery Bakti outlined this problem following a dialog on tourism held in Bali on May 1, 2012. Bakti said the current flow-through of tourist at Bali’s airport has reached 12 million passengers.

He went on to explain that with an average growth in passengers of 20% that within four years Ngurah Rai Airport will have reached its limits of further growth.

Bakti stressed that now is the time for the development of a North Bali Airport to address the coming under capacity of Bali’s only international airport.

Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport is one of five Indonesian airports designated by the Ministry of Transportation to join a “ASEAN Open Skies” program intended to deregulate air transportation among the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by 2015.

Beritabali.com lists the five Indonesian airport participating in “ASEAN Open Skies” are:

• Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta
• Polonia – Medan, Sumatra
• Juanda – Surabaya, East Java
• Sultan Hasanuddin Makasar – Makassar
• Ngurah Rai – Denpasar, Bali

The Director General of Civil Aviation Hery Bakti said ASEAN member country airlines will be eligible to offer international flights to any of the listed Indonesian gateways.

Bakti called on Indonesian air carriers to continually upgrade their capacity in order to remain competitive with foreign carriers in the region.

The Indonesian government is targeting the caldera area of the Batur volcano at Kintamani for Global Geopark Network Status (GGN) as part of the global UNESCO network of such parks.

As reported by Beritabali.com, the designation of the Batur Caldera as a Global Geopark Network Member is lauded as having the potential of providing a positive impact on tourist arrivals to Bali in the coming years.

The Director General for the Development of Tourist Destinations from the Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Firmansyah Rahim, told the press in Denpasar on May 1, 2012, that efforts to improve the area are underway while awaiting a final decision on Geopark status from UNESCO.

Last year the Batur Caldera region was unsuccessful in its effort to obtain GGN UNECO status. That failure was blamed on weak and poor management of the hilltop tourism destination.

Said Rahim: “In fact, we should have earned the GGN status last year. But, apparently, last year there were a number of deficiencies noted, including lapses in management, that we have now addressed.”

Related Link

[Kintamani Volcano and Barong Dance]

The Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy is targeting to Increase Japanese arrivals to Bali by between 5-7 percent in 2012.

The Head of the Provincial Tourism Service for Bali, IB Kade Subhisku, told Bisnis Bali on Monday, April 30, 2012, that tourism arrivals to Bali will increase this year,

Subhisku’s optimistic prediction runs in the face of a continually declining performance in arrival number from Japan, down nearly 20% for January-February 2012, as compared to the same months in 2011.

Subhisku said the 5-7% increase in Japanese arrivals are a national target, claiming that Japanese arrivals increased 2 percent in 2011. However, according to [Balidiscovery.com] , Japanese arrivals to Bali declined 25.63% in 2011 when 183,284 Japanese came to the island.

Subhisku sees his perception of the slowing in the decline in Japanese arrivals to Bali as a positive sign of slow recovery that will be aided further by new flight frequencies between Bali and Haneda operated by Garuda Indonesia. For this reason, he remains optimistic that by year’s end Japanese arrivals will have increased 5-7% over 2011.
 

March 2012 foreign tourist arrivals to Bali hit 227,846 - improving 12.86% over the same month last year when 201,883 tourists came to the island.
t quarter of 2012 closed with 695,239 foreign tourists coming to Bali creating a 14.76% increase over Q1 2011.

If Bali is able to sustain the current 14.76% rate of growth through the end of the current year it will end 2012 with 3.16 million foreign tourist visitors.

Review by Major Markets

Australia – Still solidly in front as the source of the most foreign visitors to Bali, Australia, claims a 26.75% market share. In March 2012 the total Australian visitors reached 64,269 – a dramatic 23.8% increase over the number of Australians who came to Bali in March 2011. Equally impressive is the 19.32% cumulative improvement in Australian visitors for Q1 2012 (186,068) as compared to the first three months of 2011.

People’s Republic of China – The PRC remains secure in second place among source countries for Bali tourist arrivals. In March 2012 some 21,212 PRC nationals came to the island, a whopping 73.1% increase over PRC arrivals in the name month one year before. Cumulatively, PRC arrivals for Q1 2012 are up 82.54%.

Japan – Japanese tourist arrivals continue to slide downward declining 19.26% at 13,958 visitors in March 2012 as compared to March 2011 (17,288). This, and cumulative decline of 19.7% for Q1 2012, make predictions by Bali’s top tourism official that Japanese arrivals would improve 5-7% in 2011 difficult to grasp. In fact,  should Japanese arrivals continue to decline that Country may move further down the scale from its current #3 ranking among source markets for Bali; a distant shadow of its once predominate role in Bali tourism.

Malaysia – Malaysia remains the fourth largest source of tourist visitors for Bali. In March 2012 some 15,069 Malaysians came to Bali, decreasing 5.8% from the 16,001 visitors in March 2011. Arrivals from Malaysia from January-March 2012 are also down 3.11% when compared to Q1 2011.

South Korean – South Korean arrivals have moved to a fifth ranking, up from sixth place last year at this time. In March 2012 a total of 9,141 visitors came to Bali from South Korea, an improvement of 17.46% over arrivals for March 2011. For Q1 2012 South Korean arrivals are up 14.48% (22,060).

United Kingdom – U.K. visitors to Bali are surging, up 23.4% for March 2012 (10.234). For the first three months of 2012 U.K. arrivals are up 31.32% moving the U.K. into a sixth ranking, an advance of 3 positions from 2011 when U.K. visitors ranked 9th among all markets to Bali.

Russia – Russian visitors totaled 8,888 in March 2012, improving 20.3% over March 2011. Q1 2012 saw 6.3% more Russians visiting Bali as compared to Q1 2011.

Taiwan – Taiwan has slipped from being the 5th largest source of tourist visitors to a ranking of 8th. March saw 9,260 Taiwanese vacationing in Bali – an improvement of 19.9% over March 2011. However, on a cumulative basis for Q1 2012 Taiwanese visitors declined 4.4%,

Singapore – Singapore holds 8th place among source countries for Bali visitors. Virtually flat with March from one year before, 9,918 Singaporeans came to Bali in March 2012.

U.S.A.- Visitors from the U.S.A. to Bali are experiencing a boom increasing 67.4% month-on-month for March 2012 with 13,418 arrivals. For all of Q1 2012 the 19,866 arrivals from the U.S.A. represent a 11.3% improvement over Q1 2011.

France – French arrivals are virtually flat for March 2012 with 6,922 visitors. At the end of Q1 2012 French tourist visitors t Bali are down 2.24%

Germany – German arrivals are up 11.2% for March 2012 (7.021) matching the cumulative improvement of 12.98% at the end of Q1 2012.

The Netherlands – Dutch visitors to Bali in March 2012 totaled 4,432 down 4.6% from the same month in 2011. Cumulatively for Q1, Dutch visitors are down 3.47%.

India – Indian visitors increased 27% month-on-month in March 2012 at 3,826 visitors. The cumulative results are less impressive, however, with Q1 2012 Indian tourist arrival down 0.4% when compared to Q1 2011.

Jakarta Post reports that the popular Bali destination of Ubud is scheduled for major investment in infrastructure improvements over the coming five years.

Speaking on Friday, May 4, 2012, at a gathering at the Ubud Royal Palace, Tjokorda Artha Ardana Sukawati (Cok Ace), told the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, of extensive measures that must be taken to preserve Ubud’s reputation with domestic and international tourists.

Cok Ace serves simultaneously as a member of the Ubud Palace household, the regent of Gianyar and the Head of Bali’s Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI-Bali).

The small gathering in Ubud permitted a frank interchange between the Minister, Regent and local leaders in Ubud who called for Ubud’s return to its “original vision” of village-based tourism.

The meeting said that “urban tourism” should not have a place in Ubud’s tourism planning using, instead, a dedicated focus on village-based tourism where culture, the arts, and a economic primacy extended tothe local community in development and planning matters.

“The tourism industry should be able to play an active role in sustaining the local culture, providing a significant contribution to the locals that in turn will be used by them to sustain religious rituals and art creations, which are the primary attractions for tourists. This is what is called a sustainable cycle,” Tjokorda explained.

Commenting on the many problems being encountered by Ubud due to the growth of tourism, Cok Ace, revealed to the meeting that the Gianyar government is planning to build two large parking complexes in Ubud at a total cost of US$21.47 million. The two parking complexes would be located at the location of the Ubud Police Station with the second a three-story underground parking facility under the alun-alun soccer field.
Other plans include closing the street in front of the palace to vehicular traffic, a renovation of the Ubud market and a separate 3.5-hectare art market at Singakerta village.

The Regent was not specific on when the outline projects would begin construction or how they would be funded.

Jakarta Post reports that Air Asia Indonesia will launch a new flight service between Yogyakarta and Bal starting on June 8, 2012.

The new flight service from Denpasar to Yogyakarta (QZ 8440) will leave Bali at 0600 hours and land in Yogya at 0610. The return flight (QZ 8441) leaves Yogyakarta at 0635 hour landing at 0845.

In the past Air Asia Indonesia passengers wanting to travel between the two cities were compelled to fly via Jakarta.

After being hospitalized for one day in the isolation ward of the Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar, an unidentified 44-year-old patient, known only as KW, died on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 6:00 a.m..

As reported by Radar Bali, Dr. Ken Wirasandhi, who head the Rabies Treatment Center at the hospital, said the symptoms presented by KW were consistent with a diagnosis of rabies, suggesting the disease was already attacking the victim’s brain and central nervous system.

“Rabies is usually fatal if the infection has already spread to the brain and nervous system. The administration of anti-rabies serum at this stage is too late and ineffective, “ explained dr. Wirasandhi.

The rabies vaccine spreads at varying rates before reaching the victims brain, depending on the location of the original wound and that wound's distance from the head. In some cases, it can take an entire year for the infection to spread to the brain.

Health officials urge anyone bitten by a dog to immediately clean the wound with soap for a minimum 10-15 minutes followed by an urgent visit to the nearest rabies center for the administration anti-rabies serum (VAR). If administered quickly after an infectious bite, VAR is effectives in preventing the fatal form of the disease.

The latest victim of rabies reportedly refused to seek treatment from a local health center or hospital after being bitten in Karangasem.

The positive identification of the rabies virus in the latest death is subject to final laboratory evaluation in Jakarta.

While the supply of VAR is free, hospitals and health center are known to charge patients a “handling charge” when administering the drug.

While official in Bali insist that the number of reported dog bites and confirmed rabies death have decreased greatly in recent months, the latest death add to the more than 130 people who have died from rabies in Bali since 2010.

Warning: The following article of ritual offerings in Bali may cause discomfort to those offended by cruelty inflicted on animals.

The village of Selulang at Kintamani, is from time to time the scene of a ceremony unique and, to the eyes of some observers, singularly cruel to the animal reluctantly forced to take part. The ritual is defended by those who partake in the brutalization of a young calf at the center of the event as the highest honor that can be paid to animal, immediately bestowing sacred status on the bovine.

As reported by Radar Bali, the Ngaturang Bhakti Pengeleb Ceremony requires that a young male calf endure a prolonged ordeal of beatings and himiliations as part of a purification ceremony to celebrate the birth of a son.

The tradition of the Ngaturan Bhakti Pengeleb mandates that a male calf be subjected to the ordeal of beatings. The Bendesa of Selulung village, Nengah Widiana, explained the animal is never beaten to death, adding, “while it does look cruel, the ceremony has a deeper meaning for the people who live here.”

On Tuesday, May 1, 2012, the ceremony. seen by locals as a form of spiritual debt fulfillment, was again held near the sacred temple of Selulung. Beginning with offerings at the Pura Bale Agung and Pura Dalem Selulung, village elders then held a community meeting to discuss the coming ceremony.

“Everyone, particularly the by the young men of the village, eagerly await the torture of the cow,” explained one villager.

Following the meeting, the religious figures from the village make their way to the Pura Dalem, located next to the Pura Bale Agung. There, offerings are made and the young male cow is lovingly cleaned in preparation for the coming ceremony.

Widiana continued to outline the event, saying, “Before the punishments are inflicted on the cow by the village men, both the cow and the boys are cleansed with holy water.”

Purified, a command is shouted by the leader to groups of tens of young men to bring the hapless cow forward. The mob, grabbing at the animal's tail, horn, head and ears - inflict an ordeal on the animal. Unable to offer any resistance despite furitive attempts to escape the vicious crowd, the men repeatedly pull on the screaming cow’s body, striking the animal and dragging it repeatedly to the ground.

Ignoring the plight of the cow, the work of the crowd continues with young men mercilessly beat the animal.

After what seems like an interminable period, the commander of the ceremony orders the assault to end and the animal is set free, allowed to wander at its will for the rest of its days.

Local residents are quick to explain that the main purpose of the ceremony is not torture. The ritual cleansing of the beast and the subsequent beating prepare the animal for its sacred duty of becoming the transport for the Lord Siwa. The ritualized beating is believed to rid the animal of its bestial nature.

The sacred status the ritual bestows on the animal means that he is no longer the property of any human and free to roam at will.

“Up until this time, there are perhaps 30 sacred cows roaming in areas from Buleleng to Tabanan,” explained a village resident.

Locals are convinced that anyone who disturbs the cow after the ceremony will precipitate disaster on themselves and their community.

The famous themed Hard Rock Hotel Bali on Kuta’s waterfront participated in Earth Day by planning 200 Nyamplung Trees (Callophylum Inophyllum) on Kuta Beach on April 27, 2012.
Nyamplung tree is a valuable source of biofuel via its seeds. Suitable to harsh mixed-forest environments, the trees prevent erosion and provide important windbreaks needed for beach preservation and assist in reducing carbon in the atmosphere.

The Hard Rock tree-planting program ran from 4:00 pm until sunset with 100 management and staff participating.

The Hotel’s efforts were supported by I Wayan Wijana Chief of Kuta District, I Wayan Daryana Chief of Kuta Village and MA.A. Ngurah Tresna Chief of Kuta Beach Security.

“Our aim is to encourage individuals to take responsibility for the environment through a range of affordable actions. Climate change and other environmental challenges impact every corner and community on the planet And it is truly impressive to see so many communities responding to the challenge with grassroots enthusiasm and commitment. In this context, the Earth Day Campaign is playing a leadership role by providing practical action to make a difference.” said Darmawan, Director of Finance of Hard Rock Hotel Bali.

The Australian government has revised its travel advice for Indonesia, reducing the level of threat to the same level as Philippines, India, Turkey and Thailand.

While Australians were formerly told to “reconsider the need to travel” to Indonesian they are now offered the less strident warning to “exercise a high degree of caution.”

The reduction in warning level puts Bali and the rest of Indonesia on same warning level as that in place before the first Bali bombing of 2002.

While warning that terrorist attacks can occur in Indonesia at any time, the Australian government reduced warning is seen as acknowledging Indonesia’s many achievements in combating terrorism.

Quoted by the National News Agency Antara, the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Greg Moriarty said, "This is a positive development, based on a carefully considered assessment of the level of threat to Australian travelers in Indonesia."

The same warning also issues a cautionary note to traveling Australians on the severe penalties for committing drug offenses in Indonesia.

The 2nd Bali Emerging Writers Festival (BEWF) returns May 25 – 27, 2012 to Serambi Arts Antida – an alternative art space located in Denpasar, Bali.

Presented by the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival as a prelude to their internationally acclaimed festival, the Bali Emerging Writers Festival aspires to become the country's largest gathering of young and dynamic writers, featuring new and traditional forms of writing from blogging and poetry, to spoken word, hip hop, journalism and conventional prose.

This year’s line-up includes Roby Navicula, rock star cum eco-warrior and farmer; Pande Putu Setiawan, author and founder of Anak Alam - a foundation working to bring education to underprivileged children in remote villages; award-winning documentary filmmaker Dwitra J Ariana; video-art creator Ridwan Rudianto; graphic designer and internet literacy activist Saylow Alrite and photo-journalist Anggara Mahendra.

Established authors coming to Ubud for the May event include Saut Poltak Tambunan, award-winning poet Acep Zamzam Noor and Bali's own Cok Sawitri.

Festival Founder and Director Janet De Neefe, said: “A literary festival that specifically targets young writers and readers is quite a rarity in this country and we see BEWF as a testimony of our commitment to support and promote creative young Indonesians.”

BEWF will also feature a Community Day, during which idea-driven, youth-backed organizations will share their dreams and passions, including movie screenings featuring the works of the island's best young filmmakers.

Anom Darsana, the founder of Serambi and an accomplished sound engineer, has rallied several local bands to provide three consecutive nights of music while two local literary communities, Denpasar’s Sahaja and Singaraja’s Mahima, will perform theatrical piece and musical interpretation of poetry.

Kadek Purnami the development manager of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF), added: “We are trying to present as diverse and colorful voices as possible. These young writers, some who write with words, others with lights and images, will take the audience into the kaleidoscopic world of the contemporary Bali."

The BEWF program is free to the public in keeping with the UWRF aims to bridge the gap between established and emerging writers by providing an essential link that enables young people to confidently enter the global literary arena with established writers providing necessary advice gleaned from years in the industry.

Bali Emerging Writers Festival (BEWF)
May 25-27, 2012
Serambi Arts Antida
Jl. Waribang no. 32
Denpasar

Telephone ++62-(0)361 – 286725

[Ubud Writers and Readers Festival] 

[Email for More information]