TOURISM

Gili Trawangan

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 05:48:00 +0000

Gili Trawangan, the most popular island of the Gili's. Just kick back and enjoy the sun, nightly beach parties and sea. The main stripe is full of accommodations, restaurants, and dive shops. If you are seeking a quieter place to stay, there are bungalows in the north. This Island is also known as "Party Island", where mostly young European found them "Lost In Paradise". With spectacular sunrises over Lombok's Mount Rinjani volcano and breathtaking sunsets that illuminate Bali's towering Mount Agung volcano, together with warm hospitality of Gili Trawangan residents, it's not surprising that most visitors end up staying longer than originally plan.

Snorkeling off the shore, sunbathing, swimming, or join any dive trips with any dive operators, which colored the lines. There are quality dive schools available to cater the needs of tourists, offering complete range of PADI courses, as well as Fun Dives for those already certified. By night, the waterfront comes to life as various foreign and locally restaurants and bars start to fire up, with fresh snapper, grouper and tuna, cooked over charcoal flames, readily available. (www.rainbowdiplomacy.com/indonesia-tourism.com/Photo:Dana Anwari)

Saudi Clock Tower to establish Makkah time

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:04:00 +0000

Muslims around the world could be setting their watches to a new time soon when the world’s largest clock begins ticking atop a soaring skyscraper in Islam’s holiest city of Makkah.

Saudi Arabia hopes the four faces of the new clock, which will loom over Makkah’s Grand Mosque from what is expected to be the world’s second tallest building, will establish Makkah as an alternate time standard to the Greenwich median.

The clock is targeted to enter service with a three-month trial period in the first week of the holy month of Ramadan on or about August 12, according to the Saudi state news agency SPA.

It boasts four glimmering 46 metre-across (151 feet) faces of high-tech composite tiles, some laced with gold, sitting more than 400 metres (1,320 feet) over the Holy Haram compound.

The tower’s height will reach 601 metres (1,983 feet), SPA said. On its website, Premiere Composite, which is responsible for cladding the top section, including a shimmering spire topped by a golden crescent moon, puts the planned height at 590 metres (1,947 feet).

That would make it the world’s second tallest building — ahead of Taiwan’s 509 metre (1,670 feet) Taipei 101, but well behind the Burj Khalifa, the 828 metre (2,717 feet) skyscraper inaugurated in Dubai in January.

Some 250 “highly qualified Muslim workers” were completing welding work on the clock’s frame, SPA said.

More than six times larger in diameter than London’s famed Big Ben, the clock faces, with the Arabic words “In the Name of Allah” in huge lettering underneath and will be lit with two million LED lights.

Some 21,000 white and green coloured lights, fitted at the top of the clock, will flash to as far as 30 kilometres (18.7 miles) to signal Islam’s mandatory five-times daily prayers.

On special Muslim occasions, 16 bands of vertical lights will shoot some 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) up into the sky.

“Everyone is interested to see the clock, despite the lack of sufficient information about it, and its mechanism,” said Makkah resident Hani al-Wajeeh.

“We in Makkah hope to be the world’s central time zone, and not just have a clock to look at, to show off,” he said.

The developer of the massive seven-tower Abraj al-Bait complex had kept the details of the clock a secret, but it is visibly in place now, adorned with the green crossed sword and palm symbol of the Saudi state.

Mohammed al-Arkubi, the manager of the Royal Makkah Clock Tower Hotel in the building below, said the installation of the clock, its faces made by the German-owned Dubai company, Premiere Composite Technologies, has been “a huge operation.”

The clock reflects a goal by some Muslims to replace the 126-year-old Universal Time standard — originally called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) — with Makkah mean time.

At a conference in Doha in 2008, Muslim clerics and scholars presented “scientific” arguments that Makkah time is the true global meridian. They said that Makkah is the centre of the world and that the Greenwich standard was imposed by the west in 1884.

Big does not begin to describe the Abraj al-Bait complex just across the street from the south gate of the Grand Mosque, the Muslim world’s most sacred site.

Built by a government-controlled fund, the complex sits seven huge towers atop a massive podium. Six are between 42 and 48 stories, and in the middle is the clock tower, appearing nearly twice as tall as the others.

Moreover, the entire complex, with 3,000 hotel rooms and apartments, a five-story shopping centre and gigantic prayer and conference halls, will give it 1.5 million square metres (16.1 million square feet) of floor space, according to architects and construction industry reports.

At that it will tie Dubai International Airport’s newest terminal three for the world’s largest building by floor space.

The complex will sport three top-class hotels, the Fairmont, Raffles and Swiss Hotel. It will also have hundreds of luxury apartments, most of them designed to have a direct view of the Grand Mosque.

The project is part of the Saudi government’s plan to develop Makkah to be able to receive as many as 10 million hajj Pilgrims every year, up from the current three million capacity.

That is necessary to accommodate a rapidly growing global population of Muslims, who have a duty to make a pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetimes, if possible.

At the peak of the hajj, according to architect Dar al-Handasah, the complex should accommodate 65,000 people.

The clock will be the focus. Elevators will take visitors up to a huge viewing balcony just underneath the faces, and also a four-story astronomical observatory and Islamic museum.

“The construction of the biggest clock in the world in the purest spot on the earth is a dream-come-true for Muslims,” said Atif Felmban, who lives in the city.

“Before, we heard and saw famous clocks in the West. But today we can as Muslims be proud of this giant project,” said Ahmed Haleem, an Egyptian living in the Muslim holy city.

“I might leave Makkah before the opening ceremony for the clock. But I will be keen to follow it and set my watch to it as soon as it is working,” Haleem said.

“It means an honour for a place, and time for me,” he said. (AFP/www.khaleejtimes.com)

Civet coffee = Halal

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:13:00 +0000

By: Yoedi Karyono

Drink of the most exclusive and that only in Indonesia, even the price of one drink a small cup that could reach USD 100 or USD 200 in the United States (U.S.) and is similar to Rp 2,000,000. Incredibly, this drink is known as the mongoose and coffee with a fantastic price, when the price of U.S. pride drinks, Coca Cola for a single bottle of less than USD 2.

In Indonesia the price of coffee per one kilogram of this type is only Rp 350.000 course or not up to EUR 5. After the beans are processed and prepared into a powder ready brewed coffee prices reached USD 900 000 or about USD 10.

Commodity exports from Indonesia and is very exclusive, rather than the Village of East Java, Jember Regency Jampit could make doubts, whether this type of beverage or halaal. That's why the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) needs to deliver a fatwa, after the producers and consumers of this coffee have doubts about lawful or illicit copies of this, and on July 20, 2010, after going through research and trials, then the MUI Fatwa Commission chairman Ma'ruf KH Amin said that coffee is kosher mongoose.

The statement will be strengthened again on July 25, 2010 in, more extensive trials, and is the final statement in the trial of the MUI. Why about halal and haram coffee mongoose is a problem? This is because the process to make the most expensive and exclusive coffee was remarkable.

Ripe coffee beans which are naturally eaten by a mongoose or a palm civet, which is sweet nut shell it becomes food mongoose, but can not digest the coffee beans in the stomach mongoose and finally out of the rectum with feces mongoose.

Seed that has been fermented for 12 hours in the stomach mongoose and out with dirt is then collected by the farmers in the coffee plantation, PTPN XII Jampit Jember, East Java, further processed into high-quality coffee powder with very expensive price, and indeed become the mainstay of export commodities district it.

Natural way is to gather dirt mongoose farmers who had mixed with coffee beans every morning on the sidelines of the coffee tree, and this is a very high quality coffee with recognized experts and enthusiasts worldwide coffee drinks coffee.

The second method, coffee farmers deliberately maintain a mongoose and the mongoose was deliberately fed ripe coffee beans, then the mongoose that choose and eat the beans, after 12 hours later, the mongoose will defecate coffee beans that have been fermented. How this is done in the area of West Java.

The second way is still producing high-quality coffee, but coffee experts prefer a more natural way first, because the quality of coffee produced is very high quality.

U.S. as a country with a population of the world's biggest coffee drinkers in this country and always provides the majority of the population drinks coffee at breakfast or a particular order, but to drink the coffee mongoose is a very expensive thing was done for a special warning only.

Indeed in this country are available various kinds of coffee, including coffee from Colombia, a country with geographical location closer to the U.S. and Colombia is also the world's coffee producing countries. But for the type of coffee mongoose only owned by Indonesia, especially Java. Why, animals mongoose or palm civet is endemic animals that only live on the island of Java.

This coffee is indeed''muta 'unclean (najis), unclean out with dirt, but if cleaned syar'i clean unclean according to religious rules, then no problem to be consumed or traded,''said KH Ma'ruf Amin.

According to KH Ma'ruf Amin, earlier doubts about the lawful and the illicit copies of this type, because that process is what some people considered to be very disgusting, but after research conducted by the MUI, then cleaned out the Islamic religion if this commodity is no problem. Why, because the raw material itself is not the type of illicit goods, its own process of coffee beans to be eaten by a mongoose's natural processes, these animals do feed on seeds of coffee.

Furthermore, digestion mongoose could not digest the beans and then out again, and in the circumstances provided the seed coat is peeling off the skin rather than in the nodes are not peeling, then the coffee beans is not a problem, wash it in an Islamic religious syar'i how to eliminate the odious . How to remove unclean in Islam is to wash seven times rinsed with clean water and one was washed with sand or soil.

''No problem, after cleaning can be consumed by the people of Islam Islam and traded. If somebody or some people become disgusted because the process of fermentation in the stomach during the 12-hour mongoose. Yes if you want to drink coffee he is still a lot of other coffee choices or do not drink coffee at all, it is still great selection of halal and toyibah drinks,''said KH Amin.

How the coffee is very exclusive Hollywood even made a film that connects with a very famous coffee. Movie called Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman tells of two elderly people affected by the disease and can not be cured, they were given a list of last request before dying menjempunya, one of the options list include mongoose drink coffee, and both chose to drink coffee that is considered as one of the pleasures that exist in this world that will be enjoyed before his death. (rainbowdiplomacy.com)

Romania

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Sun, 30 May 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Romania is the largest of the Balkan states with a population of about 22 million people, sitting at the crossroads of Europe bordering Bulgaria in the South, Ukraine to the North, Hungary and Serbia to the West, and Moldova and the Black Sea to the East. The country has seen several empires come and go - Roman, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian, all leaving their legacy in terms of language, culture, food, architecture and the arts. The capital, Bucharest, earned the nickname ‘Little Paris of the East’, though it was the stunning medieval city of Sibiu in Transylvania that was crowned European Capital of Culture in 2007.

Romania has a rich cultural and natural diversity. Its dramatic mountain scenery includes the densely forested Carpathian Mountains, the Danube Delta (the largest and best preserved wetland in Europe) and 70km of fine white sandy beaches on the Black Sea Coast.

In picturesque valleys and on mountain slopes are many health and winter resorts. Romania’s cultural heritage can be experienced in the Saxon towns of Transylvania, also home to Bran Castle, of Dracula fame, the painted monasteries of Bucovina and the rural village idyll of Maramures, just a few of the many UNESCO preserved sites.

Traditional occupations such as shepherding, weaving and carpentry are still very much alive in quaint villages, where painting icons on glass and coloring eggs provide a stark contrast to the other 21st century activities. Food in rural Transylvania is frequently organic and, surprisingly to the Western visitor, full of flavor, while a glass of ‘palinca’- twice distilled local plum brandy- is always a treat. Romanian folklore is among some of the most varied and traditional in Europe with famous poets such as Mihai Eminescu, and Ion Creanga who wrote Romanian traditional stories. Extremely captivating and beautiful regional costumes can be seen in villages near Sibiu, in the Apuseni Mountains or Maramures, Bucovina. Transylvanian folk music and dancing are also well known abroad, particularly the national traditional folk ethnic costumes and accessories.

Some of the most famous Romanian personalities worldwide include sculptor Constantin Brancusi, famous for his amazing and original wood carving talent, George Enescu, arguably one of the greatest violin players of all time, former tennis player, Ilie “Nasty” Nastase, gymnast Nadia Comaneci who won three gold medals at the 1976 Olympics, including scoring the first perfect “10” in Olympics gymnastics history. Many other writers, painters, statesmen, and academics have also enhanced Romania’s image around the world and left lasting legacies.

Unfortunately, Romania's long history has not been as idyllically peaceful as its geography. From about 200 B.C., when it was settled by the Dacians, a Thracian tribe, Romania has been in the path of a series of migrations and conquests. Under the emperor Trajan early in the second century A.D., Dacia was incorporated into the Roman Empire, but was abandoned by a declining Rome less than two centuries later. Until 14th century A.D., Dacia was in turn invaded by several nomadic peoples and in order to defend themselves against such invasions, the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were founded around 1310 and 1352, in the Southern and Eastern parts of today's Romania, respectively. Romanians lived in three distinct principalities: besides Wallachia and Moldavia, there was also Transylvania, in the Western part of today's Romania.

Heavily taxed and badly administered under the Ottoman Empire, Wallachia and Moldavia were unified under a single native prince in 1859, and had their full independence ratified in the 1878 Treaty of Berlin. A German prince, Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was crowned first King of Romania in 1881. The new state, squeezed between the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian empires, looked to the West, for its cultural, educational, and administrative models and influence.

In World War I, Romania joined the Allies in their fight against the Axis powers, and at the end of the war it achieved its greatest territorial extent, uniting all the historical Romanian territories, Moldavia and Wallachia with Transylvania, Banat, Bessarabia (present-day Moldova), and Bucovina. Most of Romania's pre-World War II governments maintained the forms, but not always the substance, of a liberal constitutional monarchy. The quasi-mystical fascist Iron Guard movement was a key destabilizing factor, which led to the creation of a royal dictatorship in 1938 under King Carol II. In 1940, the authoritarian General Antonescu took control. Romania entered World War II on the side of the Axis Powers in June 1941, invading the Soviet Union to recover Bessarabia and Bukovina, which had been annexed in 1940.

In 1947, Romania became a people's republic, under a Communist rule. Subsequently, it became a socialist republic during Nicolae Ceausescu's regime, which started in the late 1960's. The Communist regime was overthrown as a result of the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. After the revolution, Romania adopted a new constitution, started intense economic and political reforms and set December 1st as the National Day, also referred to as the Great Union Day, the most significant event that originally marked the unification of the country in 1918.

Almost two decades have past since Romania became a young democracy. Romania joined NATO in 2004, and in 2005 the European Union (EU) approved entry with final acceptance contingent upon a number of reforms, including increased law enforcement and environmental measures, and the protection of the rights of the Roma minority, since Romania has the world's largest population of Roma. On January 1, 2007, Romania officially joined the EU, which now comprises 27 member states, and is the seventh largest nation among the EU member states. The country is expected to join the Eurozone by 2014.(www.rainbowdiplomacy.com)

Gigolo in Kuta Bali, ah not new!

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:25:00 +0000

By: Yoedi Karyono

Tourism Office and the Government of the Province of Bali, angry, offended by the existence of semi-documentary films Kuta Cowboys in Paradise made director of the practice in Singapore who told a male prostitute or a gigolo on the island of Bali especially Kuta beach which is very famous in many countries. Why, with so eager Bali Governor I Made Pastika said that filming of manufacture pollute the island of Bali was not asking for government permission, what if the filmmakers were then allowed to ask permission? was another question. The movie was''illegal movie made without permission and damaged the image of Bali,''said Made.

Film licensed or not, the fact is along the Kuta beach that's the way it is, well-built men with Indonesian special color brown, their faces lined up along the coast of Indonesian cuisine, they are ready to give lessons in the waves beselancar Kuta Beach which was great fun to surf . They're the gigolo?, Of course not, but it is not unusual for the gigolo was also disguised as a surf coach, merchants, artists or whatever they can to cover up their original professions.

Indeed no one wants to put a name on the chest or other identification indicating that they are a gigolo. For this region, of course, done by the transaction under hand, until whenever they will not come clean, the seller of sexual services and the satisfaction of consumers already know the track, and traksaksi lust rose in progress, want to use for how long, how much, if already suitable agreement then there's passion.

Order on the island of Bali is broken?, Not all, those who still hold traditional, traditions and religion with a very strong and very well still very taxes they even still the majority. However, it can not be denied the existence of prostitution, whether by a male prostitute or a female prostitute. To look is not too difficult, as well as at Soekarno Hatta airport, the driver with a very agile tells where sex attractions and shows, as well as taxi drivers in Thailand's Chiang Mai Airport. Want to watch live shows or intercourse more than that, in Jakarta were also there.

In the island resort of Bali, the same taxi drivers also deftly provides clues where sex tourism and could get a gigolo, prostitute, homosexual enthusiasts and even under-age sex - there is also a pedophile, they are also ready to deliver where the destination.

Tradition, there is good and religion on the island is long eroded even in the '70s artists who are very familiar with the customs and traditions of Bali, Guruh Soekarno Putera with Gipsy Band released a song called Chopin float which illustrated damage customs, traditions , culture and even religion in Bali. Bali''If not careful it will happen is the second Hawaii is going to happen in Bali, customs, traditions, culture and religion will only just be a tourism package that only consumed for the show alone,''said Guruh.

Hawaiian growth solely rely on the state of the United States income from tourism was a very negative impact on the population, the number of tourists who bring bad influences, including free sex and also the proliferation of prostitution and also fertile gigolo, the same thing also happened in Brazil Copacapabana Beach , a Spanish tourist numbers far greater than the population in a single season tourism.

Well, now Bali feel the negative effects that, if a few decades ago they were the perpetrators of crimes and immoral acts, and immoral are the newcomers, both the tourists and migrants who are not original inhabitants of Bali, and now this murder, pedophilia, theft and acts breaking the law, including homosexual practice is gigolo and also include a Balinese.

Of course, traditional elders vehemently deny what terkadi in Bali, but in fact is along the Kuta Beach is very easy to find a couple of women with age above 50 years and foreign tourists are white-faced and posture are making out with a man aged 20 years younger brown-skinned, thick local dialect is still in English, couples were making out on the beach and even the occasional kiss on the mouth with very hot without shame.

On the other hand, when the sun sets there are partner among countries with shamelessly when they makes love - coitus sunset on the beach, they are not the only one spouse only. Coitus on the beach were also conducted at night, when the coast is considered to be quiet.

Regional Government of Bali had indeed been doing policing what happens on the beach, but still the same thing happens repeatedly or foreign tourists casually opened the top of the bikini even those with very relaxed swim naked way along the coast that is known very romantic.

The existence of the practice of gigolo, homosexuals and even pedophiles do occur because of the demand and supply, and the foreign tourists it's not uncommon to want to do while in Bali adventure and it's not just happening on a fairly old woman and idly looking young gigolo, but also a young woman from the tourists who really want to feel the adventure of Indonesia sex with men, especially those who were in Bali, their numbers are not large, but they are there and the adventure had already happened a long time.

Permissive attitude to the widespread influence of globalization is not uncommon to change the perspective and attitudes of young people of Bali itself. They also want to try an adventure sex with Caucasian women. The women also want to experiment with Western men, it happens transaction lust that, while cases of pedophilia is more common because of fraud, they were promised will become an adopted child, schooled in his country or other lure, but eventually sexually exploited.

Thus, the Provincial Government of Bali not be offended by the film Kuta Cowboys in Paradise, in the 80s Televisi Republik Indonesia has also been running stories about youth unemployment and Bali who happens to have no skill gigolo trapped in the practice of contracting HIV Aids and finally, the story built on facts and no one was hurt and the fact that there are, the Provincial Government of Bali not a broken heart and broken spirit, in Côte Patttaya Thailand and other places around the world this kind of moral disease still exists.

One of the reasons why the Bali bomb Amrozi Cs, because the morality in this area has been badly damaged, besides liquor circulated very freely even too free. All people must condemn such killings and terrorism by Amrozi Cs, and those who are maintaining the tradition, culture, customs and religion in Bali is certainly not littered gigolo practices and other immoral acts. Up to now stay in Bali Province 10 major areas that are infected with HIV Aids, what morality is because of sin. (rainbowdiplomacy.com/Photo: Dana Anwari)

History of Ubud Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:59:00 +0000

Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. One of Bali's major arts and culture centres, it has developed a large tourism industry.

Ubud has a population of about 8,000 people, but it is becoming difficult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that surround it.

8th century legend tells of a Javanese priest, Rsi Markendya, who meditated at the confluence of two rivers (an auspicious site for Hindus) at the Ubud locality of Campuan. Here he founded the Gunung Lebah Temple on the valley floor, the site of which remains a pilgrim destination.

The town was originally important as a source of medicinal herbs and plants; Ubud gets its name from the Balinese word ubad (medicine).

In the late nineteenth century, Ubud became the seat of feudal lords who owed their allegiance to the king of Gianyar, at one time the most powerful of Bali's southern states. The lords were members of the satriya family of Sukawati, and were significant supporters of the village's increasingly renowned arts scene.

Tourism on the island developed after the arrival of Walter Spies, an ethnic German born in Russia who taught painting and music, and dabbled in dance. Spies and foreign painters Willem Hofker and Rudolf Bonnet entertained celebrities including Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Barbara Hutton, H.G. Wells and Vicki Baum. They brought in some of the greatest artists from all over Bali to teach and train the Balinese in arts, helping Ubud become the cultural centre of Bali.

A new burst of creative energy came in 1960s in the wake of Dutch painter Arie Smit (1916-), and development of the Young Artists Movement. There are many museums in Ubud, including the Museum Puri Lukisan and the Agung Rai Museum of Art.

The Bali tourist boom since the late 1960s has seen much development in the town; however, it remains a centre of artistic pursuit. (rainbowdiplomacy.com/wikipedia/photo:balipurnama.com)

Tanjung Lesung at Banten

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:24:00 +0000

Welcome to Tanjung Lesung Bay Villas Hotel & Resort, where the warm Indonesian hospitality will make you feel at home from the very beginning of your stay.

Far away from the busy city life, Tanjung Lesung Bay Villas Hotel & Resort is the ideal place to treat yourself to a quite and relaxing vacation.

Characterized by the unique traditional Banten architecture, the villas blend in with their rich natural environment, overlooking to the famous Krakatau volcano, offer you a comfortable and memorable holiday for all of your family members, as well as a perfect destination for romance-seekers, honeymooners, and special occasion guests who yearn for tranquility and privacy in a stunning natural surrounding.

Leisures: Three different types of cottage at Tanjung Lesung Resort Hotel offer luxurious accommodation. All cottages at Tanjung Lesung Resort Hotel are fully air conditioned. Spacious terrace overlook the lush landscaped gardens and are positioned to provide privacy from neighbors. (www.rainbowdiplomacy.com/baliwww.com)

Why Diving at Wakatobi?

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Wakatobi as one of the world's marine tourism objects the real underwater paradise. As a World’s Class Diving Centre, Wakatobi spoiles you with its uniqueness and easy things even it is your first diving experience. As a beginner, you can start diving in a house reef in one of the resorts where you can dive only 20 meters (60 feet) from the dive center. The island offers divers an incredible marine life diversity, both color and natural splendor, and several dive sites easy to access.

Wakatobi is one of the Regencies in South-East Sulawesi having its own vision to realize the only real underwater paradise at the world's coral reef triangle center. This visionary vision has a strong reason that beside as the richest site in coral reef collection and as the most beautiful site, (Operation Wallacea 2006) Wakatobi is also situated geographically at the world's coral reef triangle center with its 942 fish species and 750 coral reef species from total 850 of world's collection comparing to the two world's famous diving center like Caribbean Sea that owes only 50 species and other 300 coral reef species in the Red Sea, Egypt.

One of the most popular sites is Wakatobi Marine Park with its superb diving sanctuary. A great diving holiday and at the same time, marine conservation and community development will remain as an inspiration key to love more to the nature by protecting from all the damages.

Beside the underwater beauty, Wakatobi has also other beauty and richness such as white sandy beach, clear sea water, sunset in every islands edge, historical ruins like ancient fortresses and cannon that spread out in the four main islands, old village with its pillar house, traditional waving, blacksmiths, Bajo tribe and various particular dances. This nature and culture heritages put Wakatobi as the world's famous marine tourism objects. (www.rainbowdiplomacy.com/www.wakatobi.info)

Tourism to famous Dracula

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:45:00 +0000

Dracula, that figure not only famous at origin country Romania but famous all over the world First Secretary – DCM Political Affairs Embassy of Romania to Indonesia Mr Eugen Sihleanu today told to us, Transylvania the castle of Dracula is the ones famous tourism destination in this country, even much people from another country visit this castle.

At the beginning of this new millennium, the Dracula myth continues to fascinate. It is obvious that the appeal of this solitary, lovelorn, romantic but bloodthirsty vampire,who has haunted the world since his first appearance in Bram Stoker's novel of 1897, has not even remotely begun to fade.

This strange creature had made his way from the pages of the novel into film, the popular imagination, and now the tourist circuit. Much of the story of Dracula is set in Transylvania, in the Birgau Pass of Carpathian Mountains. Here, in majestic scenery, where the pass lead from Bistrita (remember the celebrated Golden Crown inn?) into Moldavia, there is hotel which even today evokes of shadow of the castle where the vampire was slain and the spell broken at least at the end of the novel.

In winter, the snow here glints with violaceous hue. Hinting at eldritch mysteries. Over three centuries, from 1394 to 1690, Transylvania was devastated fourteen times by Tartar and Ottoman invasion. By 1600, there were three hundren Saxon fortresses, of which half re still standing today. (yoedi karyono/source: Embassy of Romania Jakarta)

Italy: Tower of Pisa

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:11:00 +0000

Who does not know the tower of Pisa? It is a place famous in the world in Italy.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa (La Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry.

Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The tower presently leans to the southwest.

The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the highest side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft) and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from where it would stand if the tower were perfectly vertical.

The Tower of Pisa was a work of art, performed in three stages over a period of about 177 years. Construction of the first floor of the white marble campanile began on August 9, 1173, a period of military success and prosperity. This first floor is a blind arcade articulated by engaged columns with classical Corinthian capitals.

The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the third floor in 1178. This was due to a mere three-meter foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for almost a century, because the Pisans were almost continually engaged in battles with Genoa, Lucca and Florence. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled. In 1198, clocks were temporarily installed on the third floor of the unfinished construction.

In 1272, construction resumed under Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. This made the tower begin to lean in the other direction. Because of this, the tower is actually curved. Construction was halted again in 1284, when the Pisans were defeated by the Genoans in the Battle of Meloria.

The seventh floor was completed in 1319. The bell-chamber was not finally added until 1372. It was built by Tommaso di Andrea Pisano, who succeeded in harmonizing the Gothic elements of the bell-chamber with the Romanesque style of the tower. There are seven bells, one for each note of the musical major scale. The largest one was installed in 1655.

After a phase (1990-2001) of structural strengthening, the tower is currently undergoing gradual surface restoration, in order to repair visual damage, mostly corrosion and blackening. These are particularly strong due to the tower's age and to its particular exposure to wind and rain. (www.rainbowdiplomacy.com/wikipedia/photo:i.telegraph.co.uk)

Norway tourist interested Bali wedding tour package

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:43:00 +0000

Tourism businesses in Norway, interested in selling cycling adventure tour packages and tour packages and wedding in Bali diving adventure tour packages in several places in Indonesia, particularly in King Amphat in Papua.

Norway is a share of the promising tourism market in the world. Based on Statistics Norway, the Norwegian population aged 16-79 years to travel as much as about 22.1 million times throughout the year 2008. This means that approximately 70% of the approximately 4.8 million inhabitants of Norway vacation travel more than once each year. This is what encourages the participation of Oslo Embassy for the fourth time in the biggest international tourism market in Norway, "Reiseliv 2010."

Reiseliv 2010 Exhibition which opened Thursday (14/01) at the exhibition "Norges Varemesse", Lillestrøm, Norway, will last until January 17 next. Reiseliv an exchange exhibition's largest travel and tourism not only in Norway, but also in the Scandinavian countries.

The exhibition is held in an area of 20,000 square meters was followed by about 400 participants from 150 countries. For the year 2010, focusing on the theme Reiseliv tourism 'sports and mega-tourism' and make Spain a major partner.

Reiseliv 2010 was officially opened by Director Torill Engelberg and Reiseliv Spanish ambassador in Oslo Santiago Salas and sky jump athlete Bjorn Wircola Norway. Engelberg, in the opening ceremony said Reiseliv market is expected to be an inspiration and a meeting place for both tourism businesses and communities who want to travel for face to face directly with the 400 exhibitors and offer the latest information on tourism beauty in the world. Engelberg also expects this year's exhibition can capture at least 33,300 visitors, which on the first day is devoted to tourism and business visitors visited 3757. Exhibition third and fourth days will be open to the public.

Visitors who visited the Pavilion of Indonesia, convey their enthusiasm to make Indonesia its flagship destination in the tour packages that will be offered to the Norwegian people who travel on average between 17-40 days per year. Some visitors from the tourism business told Charge d'Affaires Ad Interim Oslo Embassy Mansyur Councellor Prince and Minister of Economic Esthyprobo Wening Embassy Oslo, their interest to sell package tours adventure cycling tours and wedding packages in Bali and diving adventure tour packages in several places in Indonesia, especially in the King Amphat in Papua.

Indonesia's presence in the market last week Scandinavian tour is intended to maintain order in Indonesia remain in the network map of Norway and net tourism tourists from this country as much as possible to come to Indonesia.

Efforts to attract potential tourists to Indonesia Norway, among others done with serving the beauty of art and culture of Indonesia in the second pavilion of Indonesia. Exhibit a variety of art objects and objects of tourism promotion, showing the diversity of tourism potential through the glass screen and distribute tourism brochures.

The variety of typical Indonesian snacks, like peanut brittle, pukis, spring rolls and ginger candy are also not forget sold, in addition to various Indonesian food products that can easily be obtained in various supermarkets in Norway.

When the exhibition opened to the public, on 16-17 January 2010, the pavilion will be enlivened with Indonesia pertujukan dance Yapong, Bajidor Kahot, Peacock and Saman are performed by dance groups built Anak Indonesia Embassy Oslo, and the appearance of the gamelan. (www.rainbowdiplomacy.com/photo:fnetravel.com)

Bali Restaurant Nusa Dua : Bumbu Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:29:00 +0000

The extravagant beauty and delights of Bali also extends to its much-celebrated local cuisine. Discovering the tropical island paradise also requires the exploration of its traditional cooking by treating yourself to such delicacies as slow-roasted chickens and ducks in banana leaves; superbly fresh grilled seafood; tantalizing sates; soups from banana stems, green papayas and mushrooms; a large selection of vegetarian dishes; and an ever changing selection of Balinese cakes; black rice pudding; not forgetting the daily changing selection of tropical fruits found at the local markets. This are just some of the delectable creations, certain to even please the palates of Bali’s fabled Gods, that await the gastronomically curious visitor to our beloved Indonesian island.

Bali’s first authentic Balinese restaurant was created following the principals used in designing a traditional Balinese home compound. On the menu you will not find Balinese food commonly served in hotels and tourist restaurants, as it is our aim to serve Balinese food the way you find it prepared in Balinese homes or during traditional ceremonies. We take you on a journey into the culinary delights our island paradise has to offer.

Countless trips into villages, homes and temples, together with an endless drive in researching deeper into the food culture of Bali have resulted in several highly acclaimed publications by Heinz von Holzen the Godfather of Bumbu Bali. In “The Food of Bali”, “Bali Unveiled: The Secrets of Balinese Cuisine”, “Feast of Flavors from the Balinese Kitchen”, and the soon to be released “Street food of Bali” one will discover most of the secret dishes and delights served on our menu.

Recognized by locals and visitors alike as the leading Balinese Restaurant in Bali, and the many awards received since opening the small door in 1997, together with the incorporation of every day Balinese life into a harmonious surrounding will ensure a most memorable and authentic dining experience.

To promote the food of Bali further we offer interested visitors to participate in our very popular cooking program. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we take participants to the local markets where we purchase many of the produces for the day’s class. After a hearty Balinese Breakfast we will spend a most informative morning in a specially designed kitchen preparing and grinding a minimum of 25 recipes.

Classes are limited to 14 participants, this to give everyone a chance to receive personal attention in the step-by-step preparation of the dishes. No effort has been spared in creating a place of discovery, friendliness and comfort. It is our aim not only to share with you the best dishes of Bali, put to also let you into the many secrets of a true Balinese home. (www.rainbowdiplomacy.com/balifoods.com)

Burj Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:35:00 +0000

Burj Dubai Opus tells the story of the world's tallest building with inspiring words and spectacular pictures. A stunning keepsake to commemorate this shining embodiment of aspiration and achievement.
Emaar Properties has signed an exclusive publishing contract with Kraken Opus, a leading publisher recognised for luxury publications on epic subjects in an epic scale, to create the Burj Dubai Opus, a definitive account charting the creation of the iconic tower.

Burj Dubai is a singular project that illustrates the success of collective human endeavour. A project of Burj Dubai's size and scale happens once in a lifetime, and we are showcasing the making of Burj Dubai and its various features with a limited edition collection of Burj Dubai Opuses.

The Burj Dubai Opus will showcase the various facets of developing Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building and will feature exclusive content and never-before-seen photography. The publication contract, in addition to one luxurious signature book, will include a limited collection of different formats including specialized versions and collector's editions. A select set of publications will be auctioned for charity. The flagship book will be housed within Burj Dubai for public display following the opening of the tower in 2009.

More than 70 per cent of the Burj Dubai Opus is exclusive content, including photographs, interviews and behind the scenes information all contained in a giant tome of mesmerizing cinematic quality. (www.burjdubai.com/photo:weeklydrop.com)

World Press Photo 09 at Pacific Place, Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:48:00 +0000

By Dana Anwari

World Press Photo is an independent nonprofit organization exhibition at Jakarta, December 11, 2009 - January 4, 2010. Its main aim is to internationally support and promote the work of profesional press photographers.
Over the years, World Press Photo has evolved into an independent platform for photojournalism and the free exchange on information. Each year, WPP invites press photography throughout the world to participate in the World Press Contest, the premier annual international competition in press photography. In 2009 5,508 photographers from 124 countries entered a total number of 96,269 images.

Chairman of the 2009 jury, MaryAnne Golod said, "How can anyone believe that photojournalism is dying? The truth is that photojournalism is experiencing a period of extraordinary growth in new markets and cultures, and in new forms of media."
Pep Bonet, Spain, Noor for Positive Lives
Transsexual sex workers in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. San Pedro Sula is the second largest cinty in Honduras and has one of the highest instances of HIV in the country. Sex workers are particularly vulnerable to infection. Conservative family and religious values mean that gays and transsexuals are often victims of rejection and violence.

Left: Raul Coto is an occasional sex worker, using the name Gladis, and knows he is HIV positive.
Right: 'Escarlet Rubi' is twelve years old and was raped at the age of five. He has been working the streets since he was nine, after he was kicked out of the family home for being gay.

Anthony Suau, USA, for Time.
Detective Robert Kole of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office enters a home in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 26, following mortgage foreclosure and eviction. He needs to check that the owners have vacated the premises, and that no weapons have been left lying around. Officers go in at gunpoint as a precaution, as many houses have been vandalized or occupied by squatters or drug addicts.

Kevin Frayer, Canada, The Associated Press
Palestinian protectors take cover behind an olive tree as they get caught in tear gas fired by Israeli troops, in the West Bank village of Ni'lin, near Ramallah, in May. Residents of the village began staging weekly demonstrations in May against Israel's extension of a barrier which would cut off part of their farmland.

Franck Robichon, France, European Pressphoto Agency.
Alex Copello of Cuba competes during a qualification round for the men's triple jump, at the Beijing Olympics on August 18. Copello missed qualifying for the final by just two centimeters.

Jérôme Bonnet, France, Corbis Outline for Le Monde 2.
Anaïs (12) is a young dancer at the Paris Opera Ballet School. Founded during the reign of Louis XIV, the École de danse of the Paris Opera is the oldest ballet school in the western world.
(www.rainbowdiplomacy.com/Photo: Althur Taiko)

BATIK: Nelson Mandela dan Presiden Soeharto Populerkan Indonesian Batik

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Soeharto Pemantik Batik oleh Iwan Satyanegara Kamah.

Jauh sebelum Nelson Mandela mempopulerkan batik di dunia internasional, Presiden Soeharto sudah melakukannya, hanya intensitasnya berbeda. Soeharto memantik dari dalam Indonesia, dan Mandela mengobarkannya di luar Indonesia.

Memang agak aneh, mengapa Presiden Soekarno yang dikenal sangat membakar semangat agar selalu berpijak pada identitas diri bangsa, tidak pernah terlihat memakai baju batik. Sulit sekali menemukan gambar atau foto visual Soekarno sedang memakai batik pada sebuah kesempatan acara apapun. Padahal dia pernah mengobarkan sebuah manifesto yang terkenal, MANIPOL USDEK. MANIPOL itu singkatan dari Manifestasi Politik. Sedangkan USDEK bila dijabarkan menjadi Undang-Undang Dasar 1945, Sosialisme Terpimpin, Demokrasi Terpimpin, Ekonomi Terpimpin dan Kepribadian Indonesia. Tapi, orang awam yang sulit mengerti sering mencibir Manipol Usdek itu, dengan menyebutnya manipol (manifold) knalpot.

Batik pada masa pemerintahan Soekarno belum populer sampai pada tingkatan acara kenegaraan. Jarang pada acara-acara resmi ada orang berpakaian batik di pusat kekuasaan. Kebanyakan pakai jas model barat. Untungnya kualitas lingkungan hidup pada masa Soekarno masih agak bagus, jadi iklim masih rendah belum ada global warming. Wah, kebayang waktu sekarang saat matahari sedang hot-hot-nya di atas ubun-ubun tepat khatulistiwa, kita pakai jas lengkap siang hari. Hmm..badan bisa jadi seperti ketupat hasil rebusan air yang panas, dengan peluh berlinang sekujur tubuh. Bedanya rasanya kalau memakai batik, yang sangat praktis, sangat Indonesia dan sesuai dengan iklim tropis kita.

Presiden Soeharto pun tak pernah dan belum menjadi trendsetter pemakai batik pada sepuluh tahun pertama kekuasaannya. Malah dia sering terlihat mengenakan pakaian adat Jawa. Barulah pada pertangahan tahun 1980an, Soeharto mulai berani memakai batik pada acara kenegaraan resmi, saat menjamu kedatangan Perdana Menteri Australia Gough Whitlam di Jogjakarta tahun 1974. Ketika itu Ibu Tien Soeharto membuatkan khusus baju batik kepada sahabat suaminya itu. “Eksklusif!”, kata pembantu Ibu Tien yang mengawasi pembuatan batik itu.

Kok khusus? Ya gimana nggak, tubuh Whitlam yang setinggi 2,4 meter itu yang sebesar anak gajah, memang memerlukan kain yang banyak. Yang satu tangan panjang dipakai Whitlam saat mengunjungi Candi Borobudur, dan satu lagi lengan pendek ketika mau meninggalkan Jogjakarta untuk pulang. Yang lengan panjang butuh kain 5 meter, sedangkan lengan pendek 3,5 meter. Wah, bisa buat bikin tenda warung bubur kacang ijo dan ketan item kain sebanyak itu.

Pada waktu kedatangan Presiden AS Ronald Reagan dan Nancy di Bali bulan April 1986, Soeharto kembali memperkenalkan batik kepada dunia, ketika dia memberikannya kepada pemimpin adi daya itu untuk memakainya bersama istrinya. Kunjungan Reagan di Bali itu banyak diliput dunia dengan pengawalan ekstra ketat, karena tiga minggu sebelumnya Reagan sukses membom Libya tapi gagal membunuh pemimpinnya. Inilah kunjungan seorang presiden AS terlama ke luar negeri. Reagan datang hari Selasa malam 29 April dan baru berangkat Jumat siang 2 Mei 1986.

Sebelumnya Soeharto hanya memberi cinderamata batik kepada tamu negara yang datang ke Indonesia, seperti yang dipersembahkan, misalnya kepada Perdana Menteri Kanada Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Bahkan Perdana Menteri Australia Paul Keating sering datang ke sini dan memakai batik saat mengadakan pembicaraan tak resmi dengan Soeharto. Sejak itu batik mulai naik pamornya di mata dunia, meski hanya diperkenalkan di dalam negeri kepada tamu negara atau tokoh dunia penting yang datang ke Indnonesia. Namun belum sampai pada keberanian Soeharto memakainya saat berkunjungan resmi ke luar negeri, seperti yang dilakukan oleh Presiden Afrika Selatan Nelson Mandela.

Banyak tokoh dunia mulai saat itu 'dibatiki’ oleh Soeharto. Para astronot Space Shuttle yang meluncurkan satelit Palapa memakainya saat datang ke sini. Hampir semua para pemimpin ASEAN yang bertandang ke sini secara tak resmi, juga “dibatiki” oleh Soeharto, kecuali Presiden Ferdinand Marcos, yang keukeuh memakai pakaian barong, sebagai kebanggaan pakaian nasionalnya. Saya sih, kepengen sekali melihat Yasser Arafat memakai batik, karena dia sering datang ke Indonesia. Namun hal itu sulit terjadi karena Arafat sudah punya trade mark dengan pakaiannya. Apalagi memaksa Paus Johannes Paulus II memakai batik waktu ke sini tahun 1989, sungguh tak masuk akal dan akan menjadi kejadian langka dalam sejarah manusia.

Puncak kepopuleran batik sebagai kebanggaan bangsa Indonesia mencapai puncaknya pada November 1994 di Bogor, Jawa Barat, ketika Soeharto atas bantuan rancangan Iwan Tirta, memaksa 17 kepala negara dan kepala pemerintahan dari kumpulan negara-negara APEC, memakai batik tulis yang khusus di buat dengan corak yang melambang simbol negara masing-masing dengan sentuhan etnis Jawa. Termasuk Presiden AS Bill Clinton. Untuk kedua kalinya presiden AS memakai batik.

Sejak itu, atas jasa dan ide Presiden Soeharto, telah menjadi tradisi di setiap KTT APEC berikutnya semua kepala negara yang hadir akan memakai pakaian nasional tuan rumah saat foto bersama saja, tetapi tidak saat melakukan pembicaraan resmi. Beda dengan batik yang dipakai pada KTT APEC II di Bogor itu, yang dikenakan saat acara serius sekaligus pada acara foto bersama. Kita lihat saja nanti, apakah Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono akan “membatikkan” kembali para tamu negara yang datang pada saat KTT APEC kembali diadakan di Indonesia beberapa tahun mendekat ini, karena sudah waktunya setelah hampir 20 tahun Indonesia akan mendapat giliran kembali menjadi tuan rumah. Kita lihat bagaimana Presiden Barack Obama akan memakai batik. Presiden George Bush yang menjadi presiden AS pertama yang datang dua kali ke Indonesia, tidak sempat ”dibatikkan” oleh Megawati saat menjadi tuan rumah di Bali tahun 2003, dan juga tak ada waktu “dibatiki” oleh SBY waktu menjamu Bush muda datang ke Bogor tahun 2006. Mungkin karena kunjungan singkat, tak sempat untuk berbatik ria.

Meskipun Soeharto menjadi pencetus membatikkan dunia, namun tetap saja dia belum berani memakainya saat berkunjung resmi ke luar negeri. Keengganan ini dikuti dengan baik oleh para penggantinya. Memang hanya tokoh sekelas dunia seperti Mandela saja yang berani memakai batik pada saat acara apapun di manapun di dunia. Mandela-lah yang menggelorakan batik ke dunia, tetapi Soeharto yang memantiknya pertama kali. Ini yang membuat dunia mengakui bahwa batik Indonesia pantas menjadi warisan dunia. Bukan batik yang lain. (baltyra.com / Foto:www.kaskus.us -portal.volarefm.com)

Bali Island, Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Publisher : Danari & Danari) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Bali was inhabited by Austronesian peoples by about 2000 BC who migrated originally from Taiwan through Maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are thus closely related to the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and Oceania. Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.

Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture, in a process beginning around the 1st century AD. The name Bali dwipa ("Bali island") has been discovered from various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD and mentioning "Walidwipa". It was during this time that the complex irrigation system subak was developed to grow rice. Some religious and cultural traditions still in existence today can be traced back to this period. The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. When the empire declined, there was an exodus of intellectuals, artists, priests and musicians from Java to Bali in the 15th century.

The first European contact with Bali is thought to have been made by Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman who arrived in 1597, though a Portuguese ship had foundered off the Bukit Peninsula as early as 1585 and left a few Portuguese in the service of Dewa Agung. Dutch colonial control expanded across the Indonesian archipelago in the nineteenth century (see Dutch East Indies). Their political and economic control over Bali began in the 1840s on the island's north coast by pitting various distrustful Balinese realms against each other. In the late 1890s, struggles between Balinese kingdoms in the island's south were exploited by the Dutch to increase their control.

The Dutch mounted large naval and ground assaults at the Sanur region in 1906 and were met by the thousands of members of the royal family and their followers who fought against the superior Dutch force in a suicidal puputan defensive assault rather than face the humiliation of surrender. Despite Dutch demands for surrender, an estimated 1,000 Balinese marched to their death against the invaders.[8] In the Dutch intervention in Bali (1908), a similar massacre occurred in the face of a Dutch assault in Klungkung. Afterwards the Dutch governors were able to exercise administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali had come later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku.

In the 1930s, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, and artists Miguel Covarrubias and Walter Spies, and musicologist Colin McPhee created a western image of Bali as "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature", and western tourism first developed on the island.

Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II during which time a Balinese military officer, Gusti Ngurah Rai, formed a Balinese 'freedom army'. The lack of institutional changes from the time of Dutch rule however, and the harshness of war requisitions made Japanese rule little better than the Dutch one.[10] Following Japan's Pacific surrender in August 1945, the Dutch promptly returned to Indonesia, including Bali, immediately to reinstate their pre-war colonial administration. This was resisted by the Balinese rebels now using Japanese weapons. On 20 November 1946, the Battle of Marga was fought in Tabanan in central Bali. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai, by then 29 years old, finally rallied his forces in east Bali at Marga Rana, where they made a suicide attack on the heavily armed Dutch. The Balinese battalion was entirely wiped out, breaking the last thread of Balinese military resistance. In 1946 the Dutch constituted Bali as one of the 13 administrative districts of the newly-proclaimed State of East Indonesia, a rival state to the Republic of Indonesia which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali was included in the "Republic of the United States of Indonesia" when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence on 29 December 1949.

The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung killed thousands, created economic havoc and forced many displaced Balinese to be transmigrated to other parts of Indonesia. Mirroring the widening of social divisions across Indonesia in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bali saw conflict between supporters of the traditional caste system, and those rejecting these traditional values. Politically, this was represented by opposing supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), with tensions and ill-feeling further increased by the PKI's land reform programs. An attempted coup in Jakarta was put down by forces led by General Suharto. The army became the dominant power as it instigated a violent anti-communist purge, in which the army blamed the PKI for the coup. Most estimates suggest that at least 500,000 people were killed across Indonesia, with an estimated 80,000 killed in Bali, equivalent to 5% of the island's population. With no Islamic forces involved as in Java and Sumatra, upper-caste PNI landlords led the extermination of PKI members.

As a result of the 1965/66 upheavals, Suharto was able to maneuver Sukarno out of the presidency, and his "New Order" government reestablished relations with western countries. The pre-War Bali as "paradise" was revived in a modern form, and the resulting large growth in tourism has led to a dramatic increase in Balinese standards of living and significant foreign exchange earned for the country. A bombing in 2002 by militant Islamists in the tourist area of Kuta killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. This attack, and another in 2005, severely affected tourism, bringing much economic hardship to the island. (Wikipedia)