Bali daily

Culinary map

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Culinary map on the way to please domestic tourists
Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

A comprehensive culinary road map pointing out famous eateries in Bali’s tourist spots of Kuta, Denpasar, Sanur and Ubud is currently in the works.

The map is being prepared by the Bali Tourism Board, in cooperation with free culinary magazine ChefUs and Bali Village, an association of tourism promotion agencies.

Titled Warung Lipat (folded eateries), the map will feature a brief history of each restaurant as well as their location and popular menu items. About 40 such restaurants have been documented so far and the organizers are awaiting input from others.

The map’s publication is set to coincide with the school holidays which run from June to July.

“This map is designed especially for domestic tourists to explore our culinary spots for themselves,” tourism board chairman I Gusti Ngurah Wijaya said Wednesday.

The coordinator of the Warung Lipat production committee, Sri Dian Ekawaty, said the list of restaurants was drawn up by a team of independent food lovers made up of tourism board staffers and local journalists. The team spent months reviewing the food and interviewing the restaurants’ owners and customers.

“We also asked people who’d never visited the restaurants what their impressions were, just to get an idea of the place’s reputation. We’ve had to drop many restaurants from our list simply because their reputations weren’t very good,” she said.

Perry Markus of the Association of Bali Hotels and Restaurants said renowned chefs from the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Chefs Association’s would also be involved in checking the restaurants’ merits.

“We will ask these chefs to help increase the quality of the food served,” he said.

Komang Adi Arsana of the chefs’ association said a team of chefs had been tasked to regularly visit the restaurants and give advice on increasing food quality and maintaining cleanliness.will not only provide them with information but also some useful tips on topics such as how to preserve the food without losing the flavor so customers can savor it longer,” he said.

Besides providing information about popular restaurants, Wijaya said, it was hoped the map could positively contribute to the local economy because of its free advertising for restaurants.

“We’re not charging these local restaurant owners at all and that’s why it will be a free advertisement for them as well,” he said.

He said the tourism board planned to print about 100,000 maps to distribute at Ngurah Rai International Airport and in every hotel and shopping mall in the four tourist spots.

Ekawaty said up to Rp 195 million had been invested in the project with funding from the tourism board and several other tourism associations.

To cover the production costs, she said, the production committee was also selling advertising space in the map, with prices starting at Rp 4 million.

Art and Uniques

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Art and Uniques in Denpasar

How weird is weird? Well, nobody could answer that for sure including Tjia Jie Hong, the owner of Art and Uniques in Denpasar. There is no certain limitation to the meaning of the word aneh (weird). This was why he picked the name Aneh-aneh for his business. Aneh-aneh is a workshop providing various kinds of artworks with extraordinary designs, mostly made from wood and roots. It is located next to the busy Ngurah Rai express highway.

On the day, there were two big roots of litchi leaned against the side of the bridge connecting the workshop to the highway according to Irawaty Wardany.

One of which had an image of Medusa’s face, a monstrous snake-haired female character from Greek mythology, carved on its surface. The other was still in its original condition. Four workers were busy cleaning the root’s surface and preparing it for the carvers who would give the root a new existence. Doni, one of workers, said it would take them two weeks to a month to clean the root before it was ready to be carved.

Entering the workshop we found more artworks made of wood and stone, and some home decors made of glasses.

“Ninety percent of our products are made of woods — teak wood, litchi wood and suar wood (rain tree wood), which are mostly brought from Java,” he said.

However, he said, he did not want to restrict himself to certain mediums.

“Aneh-aneh also means we do not focus our work on a single material,” he said.

He said the ideas for his artworks mostly came from his or his customers’ imagination. He established Aneh-aneh five years ago after retiring from his previous job.

“I was jobless and I had no idea about how to start a business.
“I just called it Aneh-aneh,” he said. “We prioritize design rarities.”
Most of his artworks are sold abroad.

“I have sold my artworks all throughout the world. Eighty percent of them were sold abroad,” he said.

Currently 60 artists work for him in the workshop, he said.
The name Tjia Jie Hong and his Aneh-aneh Arts and Uniques entered the public’s consciousness in 2007 when the Indonesian Record Museum recorded that he had made the largest baby cart.

The cart was displayed at an exhibition conducted during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December last year.

Visit the website in www.rajacraft.com

Elephant Safari Park

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:45:00 +0000

Elephant Safari Park in Taro

“There is never a surviving (rescued) baby in the camps. They are not adequately provided with enough medicines, foods, milk … there is simply not enough funding going into the camps,” said Nigel, who from 2002 until 2005 attempted to transport a group of Sumatran elephants from Minas camp in Riau province to the elephant park in Bali.

The park is an eco-tourism center that aims to conserve the Sumatran elephant according to Trisha Sertori.

Changes in law thwarted a 2002 effort to transport and save the animals, which included two baby elephants orphaned when their parents fled farmers.

“The 2002 transfer went on hold until 2004. The baby elephants died within months of the failed transfer. We had left milk and medical supplies, but maybe workers took the milk home for their own families,” said Nigel of the hardship faced by the elephants and their human protectors in the underfunded camps.

He said since the successful transfer of ten elephants in 2005, the park has repeatedly offered to take abandoned baby elephants, raise them and return them to Sumatra for release or camp life.

“We have offered to take any babies, bring them here, raise them and send them back as adults. Never has one been sent,” said Nigel, who became involved in elephant conservation quite accidentally in 1997.

“An Australian guy came to my office and asked if I wanted to take on some elephants. This was something I had never given thought too. Elephants are not native to Bali, but I went out to Taro to have a look. There were nine adult elephants in the middle of a dried out paddy field. It was the most horrible environment for elephants I’d ever seen. I had to do something for these animals. That’s how the Elephant Safari Park was born,” said Nigel.

It is almost impossible to compare that dried paddy field of ten years ago with the lush new jungle of the park. More than US$1 million has been spent recreating a shaded jungle habitat needed by elephants.

Nigel said when he took on the nine elephants already in Bali, he knew he was taking on a workload that would continue for the rest of his life. But he said recreating a healthy environment was essential if the animals were to survive away from their Sumatran jungle home.

“This area was ideal. It’s mountainous and cooler than the coast. Elephants do not do well near the coast and in dry climates. They get cataracts and skin complaints and need to live in humid cool mountain areas. They don’t like the full sun and are happy in the jungle. We have tried to replicate that here.

“That’s why we chose this area, which is a long way off the tourist track, but we figured tourists need to come to the elephants’ habitat rather than moving elephants to the tourists,” said Nigel.

He added that any idea of establishing an elephant park in Sumatra, home of the elephants, was almost an impossibility given the costs involved.

“This is a business. We receive no funding. People would not go to Sumatra … it’s hard enough to do it here,” he said, adding the cost of housing and feeding 27 elephants around 250 kilograms of food each day meant the park needed to be run as a business.

And while business may at times seem to be a dirty word, Nigel points out that it is through business that the 27 elephants at the park live healthy and happy lives. So successful and happy are the elephants that one, Fatima, is pregnant.

“We have been trying to breed here for some time, but it is extremely difficult. But we have now managed to get one female pregnant. She is due in 2009 after a 22 month gestation period.”
Unlike many captive breeding programs, the Elephant Safari Park does not use artificial insemination (AI), allowing the elephants to breed naturally in a secluded area of the park, closed to tourists.

“We don’t use AI. We have a honeymoon area north of the park. When the male comes into musth (heat) he chooses his female and they are moved to the honeymoon area. It is a huge success for us that the elephants are breeding,” said Nigel.

In the future, the park aims to develop a full research area. A lab has already been built, according to Nigel, but hospital grade equipment — such as ultrasound machines — is expensive and so far out of the park’s financial reach.

“With the lab we can do blood and urine tests here, rather than sending them to Jakarta. With an ultrasound we can monitor a baby elephant’s development. We can have ongoing research done here.

“There is very little information on elephants in Indonesia at this time and I believe we can have far more success with our breeding program with good research. If there are any hospitals out there with an old ultrasound machine, we’d love it,” Nigel said.

With the rate of destruction of Sumatra’s remaining forests, and the ongoing battle for land between elephants and farmers on the island, there are grave fears that parks, such as the Elephant Safari Park at Taro may be the only places left with living Sumatran elephants and their precious DNA.

“When people look at Sumatra’s jungles, they believe there is still plenty of jungle for the elephants. But this is simply not true. There are isolated patches of jungle between palm oil plantations, farms and towns, but they are not linked and the areas are not adequate to sustain elephant populations.

“Even if there were corridors linking these jungles, there would still be battles between farmers and elephants. In a perfect world these animals would live wild in the jungle, but this is not a perfect world,” Nigel said.

“The alternative is that these elephants remain in the dusty, underfunded camps in Sumatra where too many are dying.”

He stressed the park did not own the elephants, saying they were on loan from the Indonesian government.

“We have an obligation to care for these animals for the rest of their lives.

“This is a really sensitive issue, but if things continue as they are, the Sumatran elephant will be extinct within 20 to 50 years,” said Nigel pointing out that around half of Sumatra’s remaining wild elephant population are in camps, where breeding is unlikely.

The other half that represent a breeding population are still in the wild and constantly at risk of death at the hands of farmers, or starvation as forests are lost.

It seems that only parks like the one at Taro are able to offer these animals salvation.

“I think the park is a good example of how business can care for the environment and build a stronger economy for the local people here,” said Nigel.

Most staff members at the park have been recruited directly form Taro village.

One elderly local said the park was a critical development for the area, offering many young people work.

“This is very important to our village and we are happy to have the elephant park here,” said the elderly Balinese man.

The park pays royalties to the village for allowing the elephants to be ridden through a community jungle.

30 things, you should know in Bali and Lombok

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 13:36:00 +0000

30 things you can do in Bali and Lombok. I’ll list them and hope they give you a idea for an activity while you are here.

1. South Lombok beaches - great coastline,sweeping bays, dramatic headlands.
2. Pura Luhur Batukaru - one of Bali’s most beautiful and atmospheric temples located in the highlands.
3. Sunrise from Gunung Batur - sunrise views of Mt. Abang, Mt.Agung and Mt. Rinjani
4. Temple festivals - Bali as 20,000 Hindu temples and all have ceremonies.
5. Kuta nightlife - This part of the island offers a variety of late nightlife entertainment.
6. Nusa Penida’s south coast - Awesome cliffs drop off to the ocean hundreds of meters below.
7. Gunung Agung - The largest and most magnificent volcano located in east Bali.
8. Tenganen - The ancient Bali Aga village where crafts such as ikat weaving are kept alive.
9. Pemuteran - Scuba diving center and traditional fishing boats are the attraction here.
10. Kerta Gosa paintings, Klungkung - Classical Balinese paintings.
11. Rice paddies of Iseh and Sideman - lovely sweeping terraces.
12. Seafood barbecues, Jimbaran - Sit on the beach side tables and enjoy a mountain of freshly grilled seafood.
13. Bali museum, Denpasar - a great collection of exhibits featuring Balinese traditional life.
14. Tirtagangga Water Palace - Situation is tranquil east Bali the gardens features fountains and pools for swimming.
15. Street food - choose from a variety of traditional offering including chicken and turtle sate, bakso and spicy fruit salad.
16. Ubud - Bali’s top inland destination featuring a relaxed environment, arts and crafts as well as fine restaurants.
17. Spas - For those wanting to get away from it all and try something new here’s the answer. Try one of the many traditional massages or baths.
18. Gili Islands - White sandy beaches and clear turquoise water make this great get away spot.
19. Gamelan music - The glong glong rattle rattle is synonymous with Bali for returning visitors.
20. Diving and snorkeling - Shallow reefs and great marine life are very accessible from the beach and using a local with a boat.
21. Sanur - a low key resort area located on Bali’s south coast.
22. Shopping - knock off fashion in Kuta, arts and crafts in Ubud, bargains galore.
23. Tanah Lot - The most photographed temple in Bali perched on a rocky outcrop that is only accessible at low tide.
24. Barong-Rangda dance - This traditional dance is a metaphor for the battle between good and evil, very much a part of the culture.
25. Lombok crafts - featuring textiles, baskets, pottery and furniture.
26. Kecak dance - Performance by torchlight accompanied by a chorus of 50 men.
27. Neka Art Museum Ubud - A collection of the finest art in Bali featuring works from the 17the century to the 1960’s.
28. Learning to paint, cook or dance - Short tourist-oriented courses are accessible and enjoyable for visitors.
29. Pura Meduwa Karang - A great example of northern Bali’s temple architecture.
30. Climbing Rinjani - This challenging multi-day climb takes you through forest, rocky peaks and a crater lake.

Well that’s the list. I think we can all add our own and I’m surprised to think they left out surfing, with the best wave in the world at Desert Point in Lombok and novice friendly Kuta beach right here for beginners to learn on.

I’d like to add East Bali to the list as it for me represents the Bali I imagine, with its lush paddies, towering volcanoes and slow pace of life. Cruising the countryside in Tabanan on a motorbike as this gives a tourist all the freedom you can want and awesome views. For partiers Jalan Dhyana Pura offers more than Kuta in my opinion and for fine dining try Jalan Oberoi ( Laksmana ) in Seminyak.

Tamasha in Bali

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:48:00 +0000

Bali, a small island paradise of Indonesia, has a population of 30 lakh people, of whom 93 per cent are Hindus. A few weeks ago, in the star hotels of this remote corner of the world were assembled around 10,000 important people, representing governments, scientific institutes, and NGOs from 192 countries, to discuss what should be done to counter dangerous global climate change.

The previous Kyoto conference on the same theme failed to achieve anything, mainly because the United States refused to accept enforceable international guidelines for curbing carbon dioxide emissions. This time as well, the United States agreed only at the very last minute to investigate the question further, buying itself time for two more years.

Following the recently published U.N. Inter-Governmental Climate Change report, which won the Nobel Peace Prize, it is abundantly clear that more than a 2° C rise in global temperature by 2050 can cause untold harm to the environment and human societies. It has been calculated that this temperature limit can be maintained if heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are kept to 450 parts per million of CO{-2} equivalent.

To keep to this limit global emission of these gases should not exceed 1,700 gigatonnes in the first half of this century, and Western nations should reduce emissions by 80 per cent below the present levels by 2050. The European Union promises to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent compared to 1990 levels, provided other industrial countries also act, though so far it has not kept even the modest commitments it made at Kyoto.

But many scientists are pleading that global temperatures should be lowered to pre-industrial, that is 1860, levels if we are to strive for security.

Garuda supporters bring Christmas Spirit to Bali

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:47:00 +0000

On Tuesday 18 December, Garuda Indonesia in Sydney once again opened its doors for what has become an industry tradition at Christmas time – the annual Garuda “open house”.
Each year friends and colleagues are invited to celebrate the holiday season with some excellent food, a few drinks and the opportunity to share the spirit of giving that epitomizes Christmas by entering a raffle to raise funds for a Balinese charity.

This year the charity was the Baithel Children’s Home in East Bali.

“For several years, Garuda Indonesia’s Sydney staff has been supporting the children’s home with funds raised through regular “jeans” days,” NSW Sales Manager for Garuda Indonesia, Kerry Timms, said.

“The home provides shelter, food and care to some 200 children from Bali and other neighbouring islands; some as far away as Irian Jaya. Their lifestyle is very basic and meals consist mainly of rice and a few home grown vegetables but Bapak Gama and Ibu Sara (pictured) provide a loving and stable environment for the children.”

The raffle raised $384 for Baithel with first prize of a magnum of champagne going to Carmel Eastick and Adam Watson of World Reps. Second prize, a 1.5 litre bottle of Shiraz, went to Elena Lonergan of TIFS.

“The real winners will be the children of Baithel, who collectively consume 75kg of rice per day! So, as you can imagine, the organizers are very grateful for any amount of financial assistance.” said Mr. Timms.

Visit Indonesia Year 2008

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 04:04:00 +0000

Indonesia is ramping up for a giant tourism year in 2008. The Indonesian government launched Visit Indonesia Year 2008 on Wednesday and hopes are high that this campaign can get the tourist sector to the next level. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.Visit Indonesia Year 2008 officially launched

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government officially launched Visit Indonesia Year 2008 on Wednesday, with the main aim of luring up to 7 million foreign tourists and booking US$6.4 billion in foreign exchange income.

To help reach the target, the government is setting aside $15 million for a domestic and international advertising blitz.

“The budget will be used to finance the promotion campaign, especially abroad,” Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik told a media conference before the grand launch of the program, which will be the second for the country.

The government held its first Visit Indonesia program in 1991, which was not particularly successful, increasing the number of foreign tourists by merely 400,000 from the year earlier, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

BPS data show that in 1991, around 2.5 million foreign tourists visited the country, from 2.1 million in the previous year.

This year, foreign tourist arrivals are expected to hit 5.5 million, well short of the 6 million targeted.

Jero said the ministry had so far bought advertising time on several international television channels.

However, the larger portion of the money will be used to finance international forums, where it can effectively introduce and promote the program.

Thamrin B.Bachri, the ministry’s director general, added that such forums would be held mainly in countries which traditionally provided the most tourists for Indonesia, such as Australia, Singapore, Malaysia Korea and China.

“These international promotion programs will take the biggest portion of the budget allocation.”
Wednesday’s grand launch was highlighted by performances from Indonesian singers such as Ruth Sahanaya, Rossa and pop band Ungu.

Last week, the ministry had to revise its tourism slogan when it was pointed out it was grammatically incorrect. “Celebrating 100 years of nation’s awakening” was changed to “100 years of national awakening”.

Garuda Indonesia was forced to repaint 10 planes servicing international routes that had already been daubed with the slogan.

Next year the ministry is set to organize more than 100 international events and cultural festivals across the country. (ndr)

In the past there have been complaints about the lack of a coordinated marketing effort for the Indonesian tourism industry. The fact that people flock to Bali, Sulawesi and other places being due more to the efforts of private companies than ant national industry marketing. This new campaign got off to a stuttering start with grammar errors in the logo’s tag line. However that sorts itself out the fact remains that Indonesia offers unique cultures, tremendous bio-diversity, fabulous opportunities for adventure and all the creature comforts a short term tourism could hope for. Getting that across to more people will be the challenge, but its one that is possible.

Christmas 07 & New Year's 08 season in Bali

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 04:02:00 +0000

The Christmas / New Years season in Bali attracts tourists and a the recent break in bad weather brought them out. Driving anywhere in Kuta / Seminyak one will notice the license plates (DK = Bali, L = Surabaya, B = Jakarta and so forth). Lately there is ample opportunity to stop and spot out of town license plates due to the traffic jams.

On many Kuta streets the road is wide enough for 1 car and 1 lane of motorbikes, Jl. Legian being a good example. Out of towners often don’t realize this and try to go 2 abreast, getting stuck at the first wide parked car. The scenes this creates can be frustrating or hilarious depending on your point of view. The other night on Jl. Kunti in Seminyak a westerner was patiently waiting in his SUV to squeeze down the narrow street. A jam occurred and other cars and bikes piled up to prevent anyone backing up. Jumping out of his car and hollering “Use your heads, just use your heads,” he attempted to manually direct the cars backwards. When his turn to go came a local lady on a bike pulled in front of him, generating unkind words from him. She is reciprocated and for the rest of us it was like viewing some sort of unruly sitcom. The best way to handle these hold ups is to sit tight and think of something funny.

My next door neighbour went to Gili Trawangan for Christmas. Not sure what she was hoping to find, some peace and quiet with her rain? Wanting to return yesterday she as told the boats were not sailing due to high winds and waves.

Qatar Airways shows confidence in Bali

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 13:01:00 +0000

Qatar Airways formally inaugurated its two new offices in Denpasar, Bali. The two offices are located in the Wisthi Sabha Building at the Ngurah Rai International Airport and off the lobby of the Kartika Plaza Hotel in Kuta.
The offices were officially opened by Marwan Koleilat, Senior Manager Commercial Operations Far East, Qatar Airways. Koleilat told the press, that the new Bali route opened in March 2007, had far exceeded the Airline’s expectations and “is among the fasted growing new routes within the airline’s network worldwide.”

“The opening of the Bali office is another milestone in the airline’s business in Indonesia after it previously accelerated its plans to upgrade the aircraft on the Bali route from the Airbus A300 to the larger capacity Airbus A330-220 and Airbus A330-300 aircrafts to cope with the overwhelming number of passengers on the route.”

According to the Jakarta Post, the Airline plans to increase its four flights a week to daily service sometime in 2008, in order to meet unprecedented demand from both Middle Eastern and European travelers. Koleilat also told the Jakarta Post that Qatar Airways was also actively exploring the possibility of non-stop connections between Denpasar and Doha, eliminating the current intermediate stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Qatar Airways currently operate a modern fleet of 58 airplanes to 79 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Far East, the Indian Subcontinent and North America. Aircraft on order mean that the Airline’s fleet will grow to 110 aircraft by 2015.

Visit Indonesia Year 2008 hopes to draw 7m tourists

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 12:50:00 +0000

INDONESIA has announced an ambitious plan to attract seven million tourists - especially Malaysians and Singaporeans - next year despite falling short of its targets two years in a row.
The government hopes to chalk up US$6.4 billion (S$9.3 billion) in tourism revenue for 'Visit Indonesia Year 2008'. The campaign will be officially launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Jan 1.

The year-long tourism drive, the first since 1992, will include 100 international-scale events and cultural festivals such as the Hondodento sea offering to the gods in central Java on Valentine's Day.

Mr Thamrin Bhiwana Bachri, the Tourism Ministry's director-general for marketing, said the campaign would target visitors from Asean, especially Malaysia and Singapore, which have been its main focus for the past 15 years.

'Their proximity, the high number of flights available and the similar customs and food are the main factors that stimulate the interest of people from these countries,' he told the Jakarta Post.
Indonesia attracted almost four million visitors in the first 10 months of this year, far below its annual target of six million tourists.

Last year, 4.8 million people visited the country.

Mr Thamrin said Indonesia would be happy with just 5.4 million visitors by the end of the year, as this would still be a record compared with the 5.3 million arrivals in 2004.

Indonesia's tourism sector has been reeling over the past two years under the weight of terrorist bombings and natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

A series of air crashes has also scared away some visitors.

The European Union's ban on all Indonesian airlines flying to the continent since July also dampened tourism as European travel agents are obliged to advise Indonesia-bound tourists not to fly on these carriers due to safety concerns.

Meanwhile, the new tourism campaign has started off on a bad note.

Its English-language campaign slogan was criticised last week for being 'ungrammatical and incomprehensible'.

The slogan for Visit Indonesia Year 2008 - Celebrating 100 Years Of Nation's Awakening - had been painted on several Garuda aircraft.

It had also appeared on the ministry's website and tourism brochures.

Admitting the mistake, Mr Thamrin said the slogan would be rewritten to read Celebrating Indonesia's 100 Years Of National Awakening'.

Critics have also asked what specific event happened 100 years ago that Indonesia is celebrating now.

The 1908 event actually referred to a campaign during the founding of Indonesia's first nationalist group, Boedi Oetomo.

It is seen as a key step in the country's eventual independence from Dutch rule in 1945. But most outsiders have never heard of the event.

Still, officials remain upbeat about their plans and have asked Indonesians to chip in to realise the national goal.

'Our people must be friendly, show smiling faces, and all concerned must cater to foreign tourists in a friendly way so as to help the country promote its tourism industry next year,' Tourism Minister Jero urged.

A Roadmap to Anywhere

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 12:43:00 +0000

The US was brought back to the fold, but at the cost of excising from the final document--the so-called Bali Roadmap--any reference to the need for a 25 to 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020 to keep the mean global temperature increase to 2.0 to 2.4 degrees Celsius in the 21st century.

Reference to quantitative figures was reduced to a footnote referring readers to some pages in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 Report which simply enumerate several climate stabilization scenarios. The alternative scenarios ranged from a 2.0 to 2.4 degree rise in temperature to a 4.9 to 6.1 degree increase. This prompted one civil society participant to remark that the “Bali roadmap is a roadmap to anywhere.”

A few days after the new agreement was forged, many are now having doubts whether on balance, it was positive. Would it have been better to have simply let the US walk out, allowing the rest of the world to forge a strong agreement containing deep mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions on the part of the developed countries? With a new US president with a new policy on climate change at the beginning of 2009, the US would have rejoined a process that would already be moving along with strong binding targets. As it is now, having been part of the Bali consensus, Bush administration negotiators, say skeptics, will be able to continue their obstructionist tactics to further water down global action throughout the negotiations in 2008.

One wonders what would have happened had Washington remained true to its ideological propensities and decided to stomp out of the room when the delegate from Papua New Guinea, releasing the conference’s pent up collective frustration, issued his now historic challenge: “We ask for your leadership and we seek your leadership. If you are not willing to lead, please get out of the way.” As everyone now knows, after last-minute consultations with Washington, the American negotiator backed down from the US’s hard-line position on an Indian amendment seeking the conference’s understanding for the different capacities of developing countries to deal with climate change and said Washington “will go forward and join the consensus.”

Wet in Seminyak Bali

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:14:00 +0000

December means wet season in Bali and right now its living up to that promise. Looking out of my window the view is more like Sydney on a grey winter’s day, than a tropical island.

Rain is lashing down, but the temperature is pleasant.If Santa is out delivering gifts on Christmas eve he better wear his poncho, wet weather is predicted to continue through the Christmas period, although storms tend to blow through giving way to sunshine.

Indonesia to give Bali bombers 1mth to seek clemency

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:12:00 +0000

Indonesian authorities are to give a one-month deadline to three men on death row for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings to ask for presidential clemency or face execution, a report said Wednesday.

The trio - Imam Samudra, Amrozi and Ali Ghufron - played key roles in the 2002 bombings on the mainly Hindu resort island, which left 202 people dead, mostly foreign holiday makers.
The head of Bali's prosecutor's office, Made Suratmana, told the Detikcom online news portal that the 30-day deadline would begin once full copies of the Supreme Court verdict rejecting their demand for a case review was given to them.

The documents are due to be handed to them before the end of the year, he said, without giving a date. "If within one month (they) do not submit a demand for clemency, then they will be executed," Suratmana reportedly said. The office had closed for business by the time the report came out so it could not immediately be verified.

Suratmana said that the office would ensure that the three men had been told that they had the right to file a request for presidential clemency. The trio, who have shown no remorse for the attacks, have already said they would not.

The convicts are detained at the maximum security island jail of Nusakambangan off the southern coast of Central Java.

Three potential sites have been selected for their executions, which occur by firing squad at unannounced locations and times in Indonesia, including on Nusakambangan, Suratmaja also reportedly said without giving further details. Officials have already said they would not be killed in Bali.

The 2002 bombings were blamed on the militant Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network and the three admitted during trial that they were JI members. JI is blamed for a series of bombing attacks in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries but the Bali attacks were the most deadly.

Abu Dhabi Hosts 1st Energy Summit Post Bali

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:10:00 +0000

The world’s 5th largest oil producer, Abu Dhabi, is taking the lead in addressing the need for developing alternatives for cleaner and safer sources of energy hosting the inaugural World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi from 21-23 January 2008. Since the dramatic UN conference on climate change in Bali, this will be the first major summit, where Government, Business and NGOs gather in Abu Dhabi next month to address energy alternatives and progress global co-operation on future energy.

Under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Summit promises to be the largest and most comprehensive event on future energy to date and will include 78 high profile speakers. Over 180 leading international exhibitors from energy, finance, green construction, government and environment sectors will be on show. Major announcements and contributions are expected from HRH Prince Charles, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland and President Ismail Omer Guelleh of Djibouti. There will be 13 overseas Energy Ministers, State Secretaries from Germany and Norway also participating.

Shell, BP, Total, Occidental and International Power top management will join top financers from Credit Suisse, Standard Charter and Merrill Lynch as well as Greenpeace International and Forum for the Future as business, government and NGO’s clarify positions on energy and climate crisis issues.

Pachauri welcomes Bali accord

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:41:00 +0000

Chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, has welcomed last weekend's accord at Bali in Indonesia to launch negotiations on a new pact to fight global warming.

"It's important that global community starts cutting down on emission of greenhouse gases. You cannot allow one set of countries to continue to emit all these gases and the suffering is carried out by another set of countries who are not at all responsible for this problem. We have to see that whatever was decided in Bali is actually implemented with a sense of urgency and sense of fairness," Pachauri told Asian News International . Pachauri said India should also fulfill its obligations towards ensuring a cleaner environment."India has number of choices.

After all in every sector of economy, we have some choices for improving the efficiency of energy use. We have means by which we can bring about some structural shifts. Just to give you an example, in transport sector, we should really be emphasising public transport much more than private vehicle transportation. That is good for us for local reasons. Incidentally, we will also be able to reduce or at least contain the growth of greenhouse gasses," he added. Nearly 200 nations agreed at U.N.-led talks in Bali on Saturday on a "roadmap" for two years of negotiations to adopt a new treaty to succeed Kyoto accord beyond 2012.

The breakthrough was achieved after the United States softened its stand all the last minute. The United States dropped opposition to a proposal by the main developing-nation bloc, the G77, which wanted the rich nations to do more to help the developing world fight rising greenhouse emissions.Under the deal, a successor pact to the Kyoto accord will be negotiated at a meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009.

That would give governments time to ratify the pact and help investors who want to switch to cleaner energy technologies, such as wind turbines and solar panels.Kyoto accord binds all industrial countries except the United States to cut emissions of greenhouse gases between 2008 and 2012. The new negotiations will seek to bind all countries to emission curbs from 2013.

The Bali accord marks a step toward slowing global warming that the U.N. climate panel says is caused by human activities led by burning fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.According to scientists, rising temperatures could cause seas to rise sharply, glaciers to melt, storms and droughts to become more intense and mass migration of climate refugees.

Bali summit deal reached; tears and recriminations begin

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:21:00 +0000

This weekend saw the conclusion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia, a day later than planned. The summit, designed to put in place a global plan to tackle climate change once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012 was highly fractious, and intransigence by a number of nations resulted in the threat of a failure to come to an agreement. At the last minute, however, a certain measure of consensus was achieved, and an action plan was approved by the member nations.

As we've reported before, the summit's aim was to take over from the Kyoto Protocol once it expires in 2012, in light of the reams of data contained within the Fourth Assesment Report (4AR), the recent four-part study concluded by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The 4AR has painted a much bleaker picture of the world's climate than before, with all signs pointing to an accelerated degree of disruption to the world's climate than previously agreed upon. Some of these changes are now underway, but there is still a window for action, albeit short, to prevent some of the worst effects.

Running over its schedule by a day, the Bali conference agreed on a roadmap on Saturday that puts in place a two-year process to attempt to agree on widespread reductions on anthropogenic climate emissions. Two days earlier, the European Union was highly critical of the US' continued intransigence on the issue. The mood could be summed up by an impassioned plea from the Papua New Guinea's representative, telling the US, "If you're not willing to lead, get out of the way." The plea was effective, as the US agreed to support the roadmap

However, although an agreement was arrived at, one has to question its worth. The US opposition centered around the the EU and China's proposal for a reduction in emissions to 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by the developed nations, and a lack of any concrete demands on the developing world. As a result, the EU's targets have been omitted to be replaced by a commitment to "deep cuts," and the US is already seen by many to be backtracking on the plan.

The things money can buy

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:53:00 +0000

Global warming poses a significant threat to our future. That much is now widely accepted. Less certain is what we need to do to arrest the process. When the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) drew up the Kyoto Protocol, the decision was taken to ignore deforestation, although it accounts for over a quarter of man-made carbon emissions. That was a mistake.

As concluded at the High-Level Meeting on Climate and Forests in Sydney in July, we can no longer afford to overlook the role forests play. This is why proposals for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation - REDD, in the jargon - will be high on the agenda at the meeting of the UNFCCC in Bali.

Several influential reports have suggested that paying countries not to cut down forests could become a highly cost-effective way of reducing emissions. Needless to say, this has created high expectations among carbon traders, forest conservationists and forest-rich developing countries. At Bali, the world’s environment ministers will have to decide whether REDD needs a separate protocol, what the deal should include, and where the money should come from.

A key problem in most remote forest regions is weak governance. Certain areas in Indonesia have been beset by lasting ethnic conflicts, sometimes created by government resettlement programs, and parts of Amazonia have some of the highest homicide rates in the world. Institutional reforms in these “wild west” areas tend to take time, and they may meet powerful resistance from local tycoons who benefit from forest clearance. Furthermore, poor migrants could easily lose out if REDD projects prevent them from clearing forest land. This could make for bad international headlines.

Another problem relates to land tenure. In tropical forests, secure land tenure is the exception, rather than the rule. In rural Indonesia, most forest land is owned by the state, although communities often have de facto customary rights. However, such rights often overlap between communities, or control of access are disputed - a blatant drawback to schemes involving payments to conserve forests.

Compromise Reached at Bali Climate Talks

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:46:00 +0000

Two weeks of international climate talks marked by bitter disagreements and angry accusations culminated Saturday in a last-minute U.S. compromise and an agreement to adopt a blueprint for fighting global warming by 2009. Now comes the hard part.

Delegates from nearly 190 nations must fix goals for industrialized nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions while helping developing countries cut their own emissions and adapt to rising temperatures.

Negotiators also will consider ways to encourage developing countries to protect their rapidly dwindling forests -- which absorb carbon dioxide.

Those gathering on the resort island of Bali were charged with launching negotiations to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. What they decide in the next two years will help determine how much the world warms in the decades to come.

In a series of pivotal reports this year, a U.N. network of climate and other scientists warned of severe consequences -- from rising seas, droughts, severe weather, species extinction and other effects -- without sharp cutbacks in emissions of the industrial, transportation and agricultural gases blamed for global warming.

To avoid the worst, the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said, emissions should be reduced by 25 percent to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Greenhouse and other heat-trapping gases should be reduced at least by half by 2050, they added.

Despite an aggressive EU-led campaign to include specific emissions reduction targets for industrial nations -- using the figures and time table above -- the final roadmap has none.

After praise for Bali climate deal

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:38:00 +0000

A "historic" Bali deal. A "Berlin Wall" dividing rich and poor nations on global warming policy falls. A "new chapter" for Washington after six years of climate disputes with many of its allies.

After all the praise for the agreement hammered out at the 190-nation Bali meeting to work out a long-term climate treaty involving all nations by late 2009, governments will have to work out the details.

"We will have two tremendously demanding years, starting right in January," said Humberto Rosa, head of the European Union delegation, after a dramatic U.S. U-turn on Saturday paved the way for a deal to start negotiations on a global pact.

The world has a lot to do to slow soaring emissions and time is running short, even though the U.N. Climate Panel says warming can be beaten at a cost below 0.1 percent of world gross domestic product annually until 2030.

Negotiators left Bali speaking of a historic breakthrough and promising urgent action to fight climate change that could bring more floods, droughts, storms, heatwaves and rising seas.
But in the marathon talks on the Indonesian resort island they spent more than 7 hours one night, for instance, arguing over whether the final text should urge poor countries to take "action" or make a "contribution" to combating climate change. The phrase "cut emissions" was not used.

Working out a fair share of the burden between the United States, China, Russia and India, the top four greenhouse gas emitters, and the rest of the world will be one of the most complex diplomatic puzzles in history.

US Needs to Do Proper Role to Ease Global Warming

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:03:00 +0000

The United Nations Climate Change Conference ended on Saturday with delegates having reached a broad consensus on the need to map out a new device by 2009 to replace the current Kyodo Protocol that expires in 2012. It is meaningful that the participants managed to build a momentum for the post-Kyodo regime though they have largely failed to set out standards for curtailing of emissions of carbon dioxide to relieve the aggravating global warming phenomenon due to different positions among them.

Delegates from developed countries proposed a 25 to 40 percent reduction of the greenhouse gas by the year 2020 from the level seen in 1990. But the United States has been opposing the idea of presenting a numerical target, calling for reductions on a voluntary basis. The U.S. has been criticized since it failed to sign the Kyodo Protocol that was adopted at the U.N. 10 years ago and took effect in 2005. The U.S. has been rebuffing all convincing evidence that shows greenhouse gases have been causing global warming. The reality is that the U.S. has been eager to protect its domestic industries by not signing the climate change accord.

The U.S. is the largest emitter of harmful gases and without its participation any international agreement will be useless. But Paula Dobriansky, the U.S. delegate in Bali, refused to accept language calling on industrialized nations to deliver ``measurable, reportable and verifiable'' assistance. Her remarks triggered rebukes from representatives of developing countries. She also underlined that Canada and Russia, as well as the U.S. have also been opposing the possible setting up of target emission volumes.

This seemingly selfish attitude is feared to negatively affect other nations such as China and India, in particular. China, the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has been avoiding its obligations while stressing the need for the U.S. and other developed nations to perform their ``historical responsibility.'' Former U.S. vice president and Nobel laureate Al Gore even proposed a new climate change regime ignoring the U.S., claiming Washington has been blocking progress toward an agreement on launching negotiations to replace the Kyodo Protocol.

We believe numerical goals are essential reference points in efforts to reduce the effect of global warming, as most European countries agree. But any agreement is not meaningful unless the U.S. is involved. In addition to its status as the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, the U.S. is currently the most influential nation in international community. We urge Washington to pay heed to the warning of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about the catastrophic outcome unless proper measures are taken in the very near future over climate change.

Banjar Hot Water

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:20:00 +0000

Banjar Hot Water is a nature hot wellspring assumed can heal the disease. Its water is accommodated at one small swimming pool encircled by unique rural nature, its situation near by a Wihara (Buda Temple). Banjar Hot Water is located in Banjar Countryside, Banjar sub district and Singaraja Regency. Its traveled distance 1,5 Km from Banjar or 24 Km from Singaraja Town. To reach the Hot Water location in Banjar can be used the motor vehicle with the good road condition. The nearest accommodation or lodging is hotels and restaurants which are a lot available in Lovina area. There is a lot of public transportation available here because the roadway connective through the Singaraja town.

This hot wellspring source estimated available since of hundreds of year and since the Japanese occupying in Indonesia has developed three pools to relocate the water for taking a bath, cause bathe in the heat water consist of brimstone will be able to heal skin disease. The Japanese also develop its military officer resort. This public bath which is built by Japanese now is exploited by public society. Beside to use for bathing, the tourist can swim in hot pool and also enjoy the water fall its body which feel like squeezing, especially at pool equipped by the douche with the high about 3,5 meters, so that can result the body condition become fresher .

Hot water in Banjar then progressively recognized to be a place of interest in north of Bali or a tourist destination in Singaraja Bali which is visited by many tourist from local and Foreign countries. To manage this mini tourism object is hence formed an institution that is Nirmala Hot Spring Institution on 12 June 1984 .

Ten Travel Trends

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:08:00 +0000

Forbes is a company that serves the luxury travel market and won’t appeal to many long distance budget travelers. Still it is interesting to note the 10 new travel trends Forbes note and see how they are relevant to Bali.

Here’s how that list might relate to Bali.
1. Environmental awareness. Environmental / cultural awareness is something you can add to a Bali holiday. There are 2 places at Gunung Batukaru (The Eco Lodge and Batukaru Mountain Retreat) that are wonderfully situated in highland jungle and who’s owners are knowledgable about the flora and fauna. JED is a non-profit that offers culturally sensitive village tours to 4 areas in Bali.

2. Hotel Owned Villas. This is something Bali has taken to heart. Simply browse the websites of any Major hotel / resort and you’ll see options for private villas, which come with plunge pools, bale structures, zen rock styling, personal chef / pembantu etc.

3. Private Jet Travel. You could use your own jet to get to Bali from other SE Asian / Australian airports. Once in Bali its is possible to rent helicopters and fixed wing planes from Air Bali.

4. Human travel agents. Bali has a wealth of local travel agents who can provide services such as day tours, vehicle hire, car with driver, booking domestic and international airline tickets. These places are informal, easy to use and fairly efficient.

5. Adults only vacations. Bali does attack the tourism market from all angles. With budget, mid-range, boutique hotels and large high end resorts and villas, it is not that hard to create a ‘kids-free’ environment for yourself.

6. Multi-Generational Travel. Hotels in Bali often have ‘Family rooms’ for rent, with a couple of bedrooms lounge area and kitchen. This is great for families with kids or family groups wanting a closer experience than just eating in the hotel restaurant.

7. Yacht Charters. Bali may not be a big yacht center (due to lack of a decent harbor, reef and waves) but you can rent boats for the day or longer. Visiting yachts do stop off in Padangbai and Bali would make a great place to come ashore for anyone touring with a yacht.

8. Traveling with An Entourage. For those with an entourage, Bali has the large scale hotel resorts that can handle your group. Nusa Dua in particular is set up for large scale events and large family / wedding/ social groups.

9. A New Definition Of Camping. Camping is not something that is popular in Bali, either with local or tourists. This is not likely to change and even the staff in a Kuta camping store will tell you they don’t like camping. Oh well, you can’t be good at everything. If you have to camp, the higher elevations on Gunung Batukaru will work.

10. Vacation On The Decline. For many people the time constraints of work and budget limitations mean vacations / holidays get axed. Bali can work for both of those problem areas. People on a time crunch who are looking to maximize their short holiday can fly into Bali and stay at a great hotel in Tuban, right on the beach just 1 mile from the airport. It doesn’t get much easier than that and you can be in your hotel pool with cold drink within an hour of landing. Flying to Bali may cost you a bit more than driving to the Gold Coast, but once here you do have budget options that can swing the pendulum in your favour. Kuta, Seminyak, Candi Dasa, Padangbai, Lovina, Amed all have budget accommodation from 50,000-100,000rp per night (cheaper if you book for a week / month). Meals are cheap to and if you are willing to drive yourself a motorbike will cost 450,000-500,000rp per month.

Balinese VS Outsiders

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:03:00 +0000

The proportion of Hindus in Bali fell to 87 percent in 2000, from 93 percent in 1995, Suryani said, as Indonesians from densely populated and mainly Muslim Java flocked to Bali in search of work following the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.

In Bali's capital Denpasar, the proportion of Hindus may be closer to 60 percent and in certain districts it is only one in six, she said. The issue of Balinese versus outsiders is likely to be a hot topic in next year's election for governor. "Balinese only have one or two kids because family planning here is very strong" due to pressures from the local banjar, or neighborhood associations, she said. "But imagine, if Balinese have only one or two kids but people from outside have four, five or six, in a few years the composition will change."

Besieged by outsiders, some Balinese are becoming more aware of the need to preserve their identity.

Instead of using Indonesia's unifying language bahasa indonesia, which is similar to Malay, some Balinese want the Balinese language, steeped in Sanskrit and Javanese with a feudal emphasis on the caste of the person being addressed, to be used more widely.

10th anniversary celebrations of the Kyoto Protocol

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:01:00 +0000

The row overshadowed Tuesday's 10th anniversary celebrations of the Kyoto Protocol, the current U.N. plan for combating global warming. Delegates ate a 1.8 metre (5 ft 10 inch) high cake and sang "Happy Birthday".

Negotiators are seeking a formula to draw in the developing world, particularly India and China, as well as the United States, which is outside Kyoto.

"Good progress has been made but it's not a done deal yet," the head of the U.N.'s Climate Change Secretariat, Yvo de Boer, told a separate meeting of finance ministers. "It's probably going to take a couple of sleepless nights to bring all countries, rich and poor, on board."

Australia's new centre-left Prime Minister Kevin Rudd arrived in Bali and plans to hand over documents ratifying the Kyoto Protocol to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday, when more than 100 environment ministers will attend.

Australia's ratification leaves the United States as the only rich nation outside Kyoto. President George W. Bush argues that it would cost jobs and wrongly excludes poor nations.

Finance ministers meeting on the fringes of the meeting agreed to further debate but little else after two days trying to find ways to fund the fight against global warming.

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged the ministers to do more. "Ministers of finance can and should play a much larger and more active role in responding to climate change, both domestically and internationally," he said.

The United Nations wants all countries to aim for a 2009 deadline to decide on a successor to Kyoto, building on global momentum after reports by the U.N. panel this year squarely blaming mankind for warming, mainly by burning fossil fuels.

Carbon markets and investors, for instance in coal mines or wind farms, also need to know long-term rules as soon as possible. And it may take governments years to ratify a deal.

Separately, the talks made a draft decision to start up a fledgling $36 million fund to help poor nations cope with the worst impacts of climate change.

Emissions goal ??

noreply@blogger.com (dr3w) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:52:00 +0000

Delegates at U.N. climate talks resisted U.S. pressure to delete tough 2020 guidelines for cutting greenhouse gases with the European Commission saying they were a "crucial" element in a draft text.

The U.N.-led talks have become dominated by disputes over whether a text should keep a mention of a need for rich nations to axe greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to avoid the worst impacts.

Any watering down or removal of the non-binding range would anger developing nations, which are demanding rich nations do more to cut their own greenhouse gas emissions.

Washington and Tokyo want the range cut out but it was still in the latest draft on Tuesday, delegates said.

"Of course it is crucial for the European Union, and not only for the European Union," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said of the indicative 25 to 40 percent range.
"In order to gather an effective fight against climate change we need this range of reductions for developed countries by 2020," he told a news conference at the 190-nation meeting.

The Dec 3-14 talks are seeking to agree guidelines to launch formal negotiations on a new deal for all nations to curb greenhouse gases beyond 2012, widening the current Kyoto Protocol which only sets targets for 36 industrialised nations.

Washington says a mention of 2020 cuts would prejudge the outcome of negotiations on a new pact meant to widen action against climate changes such as droughts, rising seas or a melting of Himalayan glaciers.