Travel Destinations in Asia

The First Bali Asian Beach Games to Include Surfing

This is a great time for visiting Indonesia with a huge plethora of events happening around the archipelago to commemorate Visit Indonesia Year 2008 and as it so happens, the first Asian Beach Games will happen on Bali in the month of October. Combine this with what will be occurring in Beijing and you have [...]

Discovery Mall Evolving

After a 10 year absence from Bali having had these years in Yogyakarta, Central Java, I returned in 2003 to see many changes had occurred on the island of Bali. One place that particularly took my attention was the near completion of the Discovery Mall on Jalan Kartika Plaza. At that time I can recall [...]

Crap in Bali

Seems like a stupid title to an article but, that’s what it’s about. Okay, let’s start at the beginning. Over the decades tourism has increased on the island to the point now of what is referred to a ‘mass tourism’ where the island is literally saturated. Although this is great for the Balinese as far [...]

Sanur Village Festival

It’s back again for its third year after two very successful previous years. This fun and cultural events festival highlighting Balinese art and cultural performances will be this year around the area of the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel on Jl Pantai Segara. But, it’s not only art and culture performances that will be the [...]

Bali Becoming Very Busy According to Garuda Indonesia

A University colleague of mine rang me on Friday quite dismayed at the fact he could not obtain a flight to Bali and wondered if I could do anything. As if I am a travel agent!. Anyway, I rang my friend at Garuda Indonesia and was told that even though flight bookings had been heavy [...]

Royal Cremation: Ubud

There is one thing that I encourage all visitors to Bali to do is witness a cremation. Culturally and spiritually inspirational, Balinese cremations are a colourful and, depending on the caste level, an extravaganza to rival any funeral in the world. Naturally, over the decades I have seen many but I was fortunate in the [...]

Threads of Life

The Indonesian archipelago occupies an esteemed place in the world of textiles. Peoples of this vast chain of islands use a wide variety of woven, embroidered and resist-dyed techniques to prepare fabrics of great ingenuity and beauty. – Indonesian Textiles: Michael Hitchcock . More and more traditional textiles and their ritual use are disappearing, becoming endangered [...]

Billabong Pro Junior Series Indonesia

Indonesia’s hottest junior surfers will be joined by a truly international field of the world’s best junior’s to put on a display of hi-fi surfing from June 18-22 at Bali’s most popular lava bottomed black sand right-hander of Keramas Beach, as the opening event of the Billabong Pro Junior Series Indonesia blasts off. The waves [...]

Bali Arts Festival Programme

The 30th Bali Arts Festival was officially opened yesterday by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and it apparently was quite a colourful affair with dignitaries present like the Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik. As I mentioned in a previous article, the month long event will feature traditional dance and drama, discussions and exhibitions as [...]

Bali International Triathlon

Dust off your running shoes, grease-up the bicycle and find your swimming gear. It’s on again – the Bali International Triathlon to be held from June 27 to 29. In its second year, the triathlon looks to attract even more competitors than the previous year. According to sources there are 250 athletes from a variety [...]

Bali Arts Festival

Without a doubt my favourite festival is the Bali Arts Festival and it will be held from June 14 to July 12, and will feature a plethora of local and international performers. This is a wonderful spectacle and a great introduction to Balinese artistic traditions and culture for those who are first-timers to the island. [...]

Lion Air Direct to Singapore from Bali

Another new airline route has been added to the growing number of service from Denpasar to other places on the planet. This one is a direct flight to Singapore vice versa which would make it ideal for all expats doing a visa-run. The new service is also ideal for those travellers coming through Singapore that [...]

Ecotourism in Bali

More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and, as they travel, are also aware of their carbon footprint. But it is not only this that we have to take into consideration. Ecotourism is an excellent alternative to the mass tourism that exists now in Bali and therefore we should look to utilising the resources [...]

Sheppy’s Bar and Restaurant

I am always on the lookout for a good warung or restaurant that serves delicious cuisine wherever I travel in the archipelago and on my last sojourn to Bali, I discovered a great place. Sheppy’s restaurant is located on Jalan Melasti in Legian and I must have passed this place many times but never really [...]

The Lombok Project

Lombok has always lagged behind Bali in regards to tourism. These days, Lombok is used as a stepping stone to the nearby Gili Islands. This doesn’t mean that there is nothing to do on the island. On the contrary, Lombok is an island of stunning palm-fringed, white sand beaches and the interior of the island [...]

Han Snel’s Retrospective Exhibition: Ubud

Numerous foreign artists have made Bali their home and created their own themes and styles in painting the Balinese and their culture and religion. Bali became an artist enclave for avant-garde artists such as Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet, Arie Smit and the most famous being Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur who married Ni Pollock, a renowned legong [...]

Shark Delicacies

For as long as I can remember on my travels I have never imbibed in seafood cuisine that contained shark meat of any kind. As a scuba diver and an environmentalist, I do have a very healthy respect for these beautiful creatures. There are those that don’t considering them the scourge of the oceans. [...]

Bali Kite Festival

There are several main cultural events in Bali that draw the crowds. For instance, the Bali Arts Festival, the Writer’s Festival to mention a few, but it is the Bali Kite Festival that is appreciated by young and old, whether they be international tourists or domestic tourists. The annual international Kite Festival is held in [...]

Silver in Ubud

As most tourists who have visited Bali and travelled to Ubud will know, there are a prolific amount of galleries and one of the most famous being the Neka Gallery, amongst others. A stroll around the side streets and gangs will provide you with the opportunity to visit other fine art galleries. When we think [...]

Be Aware of Your Wares

Unfortunately, I was robbed last week and my wallet expertly removed from my person. And, this was in Australia!. When I reflected back on my misfortune having lost quite a bit of money, bank cards and the ilk, I realised that in all the years I have travelled throughout the archipelago of Indonesia I never [...]

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