THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NYEPI DAY
         ( Balinese Hindu Silent Day )
The Nyepi feast day is a marked by undertaking 'Brata Nyepi' (brata penyepian) that meaning abstinence during the Nyepi.The Balinese enter a serene moment, perfectly silent. As mentioned in the palm-leaf manuscript Sundarigama, devotees should perform the abstinence consisting of amati gni ( lighting no fire ), amati karya ( no working ), amati lelungan ( no traveling ), and amati lelanguan ( no relishing any entertainment). Since they concentrate on those abstinences, Bali island automatically turn totally silent, just like an uninhabited island. In the evening, it's absolutely dark. Similarly, it's ambience is so quite and pollution free.
Essentially, amatigni denotes a guidance to empty out the emotion by controlling the passion of sense of taught in the Sarasamusccaya . " As matters of fact, senses are assumes a heaven or hell, if one is capable of controlling it, it's called heaven and if she or he is not, it's just like a hell ".
Mean while, the amati karya or doing no activities primarily means guidance for self introspection, contemplation towards all deeds performing during the last year. Everybody should consider, separate or determine the bad and good of a deed, as whatever deed one performs will surely bear an effect, it will be lucky if the proceeds are good and could make the people prosperous. The Sarasamuccaya also remind us that one will be renowned as descendant with noble character in terms of the proceeds on his or her work for the sake of public interest, not of what he or she has taken from nature just for self interest.
Amati lelungan and amati lelanguan also make people aware in order they are not easily tempted by hedonistic life style.Qualities like unserious, extravagant, and jealous of seeing others progress and self satisfaction should be avoided, as it's contradictory to the miserable condition of countries all over the world.

BATUR VULCANO

Standing a massive as 1.717 meters,mount Batur is one the active volcanoes in Indonesia. This mountain has a large caldera which is considered to be one of the biggest and most beautiful in the world. The caldera was formed after two big eruption 29,300 and 20,150 years ago. The dry black mountain stand arrogantly as if a dead junk of rock,but actually it still has breath and it's give live to the people of the island.
Located in Kintamani area, Bangli Regency, the mountain has erupted 26 times since 1804. The biggest eruption was in 1926 which caused the Batur village to be covered by lava. The last eruption took place in 2000, but lucky it was not a big one. So the Batur village on the south of the vulcano that exist now is a new village that was built after the eruption.
According to a story in a manuscript, mount Batur is actually the peak of mount Mahameru that was shipted by Lord Pasupati in order to make it as a palace of the Goddes Danu. That's why the Balinese come to mount Batur on a certain day and make offerings in the Ulun Danu Batur Temple to respect Lord Pasupati and Goddes Danu so that they bless the people with fertile soil and prosperity.

Mount Batur plays a significant role in the life of the people arround the vulcano as well as everybody on the island. Mount Batur is a popular destination for sight seeing in Bali, restaurant stretch a long the Kintamani roadside and hotels are built.
The caldera, the crater, and the lake are located side by side and, the view of the vulcano is just a picture perfect scene , a simple beauty that takes your breath away.

Rice terraces view in the country side of Bali.

Natural waterfall view in northern part of Bali.

Route : Singaraja - Sangsit - Sawan - Bebetin - Sekumpul

What You can do in Bali

For those who has any willing come to Bali can choose between filling every minute with activity, passing the the warm sunny and beautiful day, or anything in between. As a tropical island, most types of marine sports are available, including some of the best surfing breaks in the world. But Bali is a volcanic island; the steep forested slopes are excellent to do hiking, mountain biking, and other adventure tourism activities.

Touring around the island is also a great thing to do, to witness the actifity of the local artist, cultural perfomances and to see closer the lifestyle of the local comunity. Charming landscape of paddy terraces and others tropical plans, Balinese house compound and many Balinese Hindu temple spread over the island.

The gentle slopes and quiet back roads of lowlands are ideal for bicycling, while the shaded forest trails around Ubud make for fine walking excursions. Golfers can choose from several world-standard courses, including one in a volcanic crater at Bedugul.

For most of the world, Bali means beach resorts. The peerless beach at Kuta is the most famous, but Bali offers much more, ranging from hard-core surfing spots such as dreamland and Canggu to protected lagoons in Sanur and the gentle waves along at Lovina, suitable for older visitors and families. Beach resorts like Candi Dasa in the east offer a relaxing experience, usually including diving and snorkeling.

History of Bali

Bali has a long chain of history from the ice-age era (pre-historic time) to modern, global civilization era. With a dynamic characteristic indicating selectivity and flexibility, the Balinese culture initially reflects a configuration of an expressive culture dominated by religious, solidarity and aesthetic values. Nowadays, it develops along with the adoption of foreign values especially in the aspects of the economic, science and technology, as a result of the global modernization.

In general, the history of Bali is divided into three different eras including the pre-historic, the Hindu-Buddhist era and the modern culture.

The pre-historic marked the oldest and simplest way of life, an era of hunting and food-stuff gathering, verified by the discovery of several tools and hunting equipments. In the following era there were also building construction system and a particular communication system. These were just proofs of the existence and further development of Balinese culture. The Balinese culture flourished that nowadays one can indicates a perfect bonds between religions, tradition and culture to become the identity of the Balinese community.The Dutch seamen were the first Europeans to arrive on Bali and started to introduce western culture in 1597, though they hadn’t discovered any appealing aspect until 1800s. Around 1846 the Dutch returned with colonization in their minds, having established a strong political base as majority of the Indonesian islands were under their control since the 1700s. The military campaign embarked from the northern coast of Bali. With the help of Sasak people of Lombok, by 1911, all Balinese principalities were under the Dutch control.

The sense of Indonesian nationalism began to grow after the World War I, with the young generation declaring the national language in 1928, known as Bahasa Indonesia. During the height of World War II the Japanese arrived, expelling the Dutch and ruled the country for about 3.5 years, which ended later in 1945 when Indonesia declared independent led by its very first president, Sukarno. Yet the new-born nation was only recognized by the international community as an independent country in 1949.

People and Life Style

Bali’s population of over 3,000,000 souls spread over the whole island, including those in the smaller islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan, Serangan and Menjangan Island. The overwhelming majority of Balinese are Hindus, with the increasing number on non-Hindu migrating from the closest neighboring islands of Java and Lombok.
The coastal areas in the south are the most populous area with over 370,000 people living in various professions in the capital of Denpasar. Farming has been the primary way of living in Balinese life. Where else fishing, trading and craftsmanship are also in fashion from generation to generation. Yet with the fast growing of tourism since past few decades, young people start to build up a new touch in their living culture.
Life in Bali is very communal under the organization of villages. Temple ceremonies, marriage, cremation, farming and even the creative art festivals are decided by the local community institution called “Banjar”. The responsibilities in the day-to-day life are normally administered by both the Banjar and the government. The local government mostly responsible for schools, health clinics, hospitals and roads, and Banjar is responsible for all other aspects of life. There is another association exists in the banjar named “Subak” that concerns to the production of rice and organizes the complex irrigation system. Every family who owns a rice field must be a member of their local Subak, which then ensures that every member gets his fair distribution of water. A banjar consists of an average of 50 to 150 family members, owning a meeting venue called the Bale Banjar, which is used for regular gatherings and a center for local gamelan orchestras and drama groups.

Flora & Fauna

Flora

Just like common tropical islands, in Bali you will find a wide variety of plants by surprise. Huge banyan trees are everywhere in the villages by the Bale banjar or pavilion, or temples ground. Tamarind is also a typical Balinese tree mostly found in the north coast, as well as clove at the highlands. Meanwhile acacia, flame tree and mangrove can be found along the south coastlines. Craft and house use basketries, a dozen species of coconut palms and varieties of bamboos are also everywhere across the island.Flowers families are just as surprisingly as the variety of big plants. The most common are hibiscus, bougainvillea, jasmine, and water lilies. Magnolia, frangipani, and a variety of orchids are found in many front yards and gardens, along roads, and in temple grounds. In the day to day life flowers are routinely used as decorations in temples, on statues, as offerings for the gods, and during prayers. Dancers wear blossoms in their crowns, and flowers are worn behind the ear during ceremony sessions.

Fauna

Like some other parts of Indonesia, Bali was home for big mammals such as elephant and tiger, although they no longer exist since early of last century. However, Bali still is rich of wildlife with the existence of various species of monkeys, civets, barking deer and mouse deer. There are 300 species of birds occupy the island including wild fowl, dollar birds, blue kingfishers, sea eagles, sandpipers, white herons and egrets, cuckoos, wood swallows, sparrows, and the endangered Bali starlings.
The underwater world or marine life of Bali has been noted as one of the best in the world with various species such as dolphin, shark and sun fish, and some smaller inhabitants like colorful coral fish, small reef fish, and moray eels, as well as crustaceans and sponges.

The existence of these flora and fauna become necessary for the day to day life of Balinese, where ceremonies and rituals always flourish.

Climate

With sunshine shining throughout the year, Bali has a tropical monsoon climate, with pleasant day temperatures between 20 to 33 degrees Celsius or 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit. Rainy season starts from October to March, when the West monsoon brings heavy showers and high humidity. June to September is considered the driest season, with low humidity and it can be fairly cold in the evenings, the best time for any outdoor activities.


Something unique can be found about climate in Bali. Even when it rains most times in the most parts of Bali you can often enjoy sunny days on the "Bukit", the hill south of Jimbaran. On the other hand, you may expect cloudy skies and drips throughout the year in Ubud and the mountainous areas. Most interestingly perhaps, the international weather reports for "Denpasar" or "Bali" mention showers and rain storms all times of the year. In higher regions such as in Bedugul or Kintamani you'll expect to wear either a sweater or jacket when evening falls.

Topography

The province of Bali is divided into nine regencies (eight regencies and one municipality) with its own capital. Buleleng covers an area of 1,365.88 km2 or about 24% of the Bali’s land. Jembrana covers an area of 841,80 km2 or about 14.94%, Karangasem 839,54 km2 or about 15% of Bali’s land, Badung 420,09 km2, Denpasar 123,98 km2, Gianyar 368 km2, Klungkung 315,00 km2 and Bangli 520,81 km2 or about 31%.The topography of Bali is formed by a mountain chain that stretches from west to east splitting the island into two parts. Some of the volcanic peaks are active, including Mount Agung, 3,142m, the tallest point above sea level, and mount Batur 1717m. Some barren peaks include mount Merbuk, Patas, Seraya, Prapat Agung, Klatakan, Sanghyang, Mesehe, Musi, Lesung, Tapak, Adeng, Pengiligan, Catur, Penulisan and mount Abang. The north side of the mountain slopes is fairly steep, creating narrow lowland along the coastal area. Meanwhile, the south slopes are much leaner, forming a fertile plain that becomes the main center of Balinese culture. Some of the most beautiful white sandy beaches are in the south, including Sanur Beach, Kuta and Nusa Dua. The south slope also is home to four lakes, i.e. Lake Buyan (367 hectares), Lake Tamblingan (115 hectares), Lake Beratan (376 hectares) and Lake Batur (1,605 hectares).

Geography

Among 17,500 islands across the Indonesian archipelago, Bali is one of the 33 provinces of the Republic of Indonesia, the largest archipelagic country in the world, made up of 2,000,000 km2 of land with a chain of islands stretching over 500,000 km from Sumatra to Papua, and covers territorial waters of more than 5,000,000 km2.Situated between Java and Lombok, the island of Bali is located 8 to 9 degrees south of the equator with the Java Sea to the north, the Indian Ocean to the south. Bali’s covers an area of 5,636 km2 or 0.29% of Indonesia, measuring just 90km long the north-south axis and less than about 140km from west to east.

Divided into three areas of water, the North Bali Sea is about 3,168km2, the East about 3.350km2, and the West about 2,982km2. Bali Sea covers an area of 9,500km2. The North Bali sea runs along the coastline of Buleleng, the East Bali Sea runs along the coastline of Karangasem, Klungkung and Gianyar, and the West Bali Sea include the coastline of Badung Tabanan and Jembrana.

ALL ABOUT BALI

Bali as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Bali has awarded as the world best island by the international travel magazine. There are still many people who do not know exactly about the uniqueness of Balinese culture. In their routinity the Balinese always related to Tri Hita Karana or a local concept that include the spiritual relationship between human and God, and their environment.

Fast growth of development in tourism has a big impact and influences to Bali tradition and lifestyle. Interestingly, Balinese culture is still as what it was, growing along with the world globalization. It's make the Balinese island and their civilization different from others.

Mother Temple, East Bali tour

Driving straight to Klungkung, to see the court justice hall. The only thing who still left during the battle again the Dutch. About 7 km away from Klungkung there is a magnificent view of rice terrace, the green hill of Bukit Jambul.

Need only half an hour from here to Besakih the mother temple. This temple is located on the slope of mount Agung,the biggest and the highest mountain in Bali.
Mother temple is the biggest and the most important temple for Balinese Hindu. Bat cave temple is our next stop and finally to Tenganan village, one of the traditional village in Bali.

Monkey forest Ubud

The monkeys that live in this sanctuary are called Balinese Macaque, also known as long tail macaques. Their scientific name is macaca fascicularis and a side from humans, macaques are the most wide spread and successful of all primates.

About 300 macaques currently reside in the monkey forest. There are approximately 35 adult males, 95 adult female and 170 young.
Conflict sometimes arise when two group are in the same area.

Adult males weigh up 8-10 kilos, have a large canine teeth, broad shoulders and facial hair that resembles a mustache.The adult females are smaller than the males( 4-8 kg)and have long facial hair resembling beards.

If available they like very much to eat bananas, papayas or other kind of fruit. Even also they like to eat bread as well!
You will have a great time by walking under the shade of big trees and feeding the monkeys.

Barong And Kris Dance

The barong play represents an eternal fight between good and evil spirit.
A barong it's a mythological animal, shaggy semi lion representing as a good spirit and Rangda it's a mythological monster represent as a bad spirit.

Sanghyang Jaran Dance

An entranced boy dancer on a horse (jaran), behaving like a horse.
He dance around bonfire made from coconut husks.
The sanghyang song leads him to a fire, then he will dance in the fire.

Kecak Dance and Sanghyang Dedari Dance.

Kecak is the most unique balinese dance which is not accompanied by any orchestra or gamelan but by a choir of hundred men it has it's origin in an old ritual dance.

Sanghyang Dedari dance, is developed from the essential religious funtion maintaining of the heart and wellbeing of the village. They are perfomed to drive evil spirit a way and stop them intesting the comunity in the form of sickness or death.
Sanghyang is the title a diving spirit and means "honess" dedari means "angel"and describes the trance ceremony.It's dance by two litle girl who are always underaged, a virgin child is considered holy.

Bali Tour Guide

Dear Visitor,
My name is Rudi, I'm an English tour guide in my homeland Bali. I've years experience in manage many different kind of tours and others tourism activities.
I used to work as bartender in a small hotel for several years and also used to work as a travel agent guide before finally I decided to be an independent tour guide.

So, for those who has any plan to visit Bali and need a private tour guide with amazing service and reachable price, don't be hesitate to give me phone call or text me to my E-mail. It will be a pleasure for me to take you around the island to see the interesting places in Bali including the explanations of it. My vehicles is completed with air conditions, so you don't have to worry of the heat during your tour!

The rate of this private tour is about between US $ 35-50 per car for full day tour, of course it's depending on your itenery or the distance of your tour. That price are include air conditioned car, driver/tour guide and petrol.

Jimbaran Bay

It is located south of Kuta, Jimbaran Bay is a superb crescent of white sand and blue sea.
Jimbaran itself is a fishing village but if you want just to see the beach or to stay for a fresh sea food dinner with a great sunset view, it's a good place for that.
Enjoying the sunset and the beach panorama with cold drink and fresh fish on fire is a wonderfull way to spend an evening.

Uluwatu (The Cliff) Temple

The temple of Uluwatu perches at the south western tip of the peninsula, where sheer cliff drop precipitiously into the clear blue sea.
The temple hangs right over the edge. Uluwatu is one of several important temple to the spirit of the sea to be found a long the southern coast of Bali.