Archive for March, 2007
Once upon a time, Balinese kings and their courtiers strutted the battlements of the Royal Palace in Klungkung - a renowned artistic centre in the east of the fabled Indonesian island, near the great sacred volcano, Agung. The partly rebuilt palace still stands in the bustling town, and there’s another legacy of those colourful days that lives on today - the kris.
These fearsome wavy-edged weapons - in fact, there are also straight-edged examples - were crafted by artist-swordsmiths known as empu, who specialised in forging and folding iron and nickel into blades displaying a curious layered or striated effect known as pamor. Legend has it that much of the nickel came from meteorites that fell on the island.
As well as elaborate blades, great care was lavished on kris hilts and their T-shaped scabbards, which were fashioned from exotic woods, horn or ivory and mounted with gold and gems. The kris was, perhaps in some places still is, thought to have magical properties through which rulers could retain their powers. For this reason, kris makers were revered as sorcerers and worked under royal patronage. Many empu lived in and around Klungkung.
Magic or not, however, the kris-wielding Balinese had little chance against the superior weapons of the Dutch, who overran much of the island in the mid-19th century. Early in the 1900s, many of Bali’s last “royals” used their krisses to commit suicide.
Of course the kris was made and used in many parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern Philippines, and ranges in size from a small dagger to a sturdy short sword.
Bali is still a centre for krisses, where they are brought out for barong dance ceremonies. Like wares from all over Indonesia, they can be found in antique shops in Kuta, Legian and Kerobokan. Many krisses went back to Holland with the Dutch, and Netherlands museums have big collections. But they also turn up elsewhere in Europe, and are sometimes offered by Australian dealers and collectors of edged weapons.
A 19th century Sumatran kris with a bird-like hilt of ivory, a silver collar and traces of gilding to the blade came up on March 22 at a weapons sale at Holt’s in London’s Hammersmith. The kris fanciers had obviously nosed it out because it sold for a cool £840 ($2058) on an estimate of £150-£250 despite damage to the scabbard.
Of course krisses are by no means the only fascinating edged weapons to emanate from the remoter regions of Indonesia’s 6000 or so inhabited islands. In largely subsistence economies, knives for personal use, rituals or even harvesting particular palms lived on into the 20th century. Headhunters’ swords from Nias, sometimes complete with scabbards bearing tiger tooth amulets, are rare and spectacular.
But even smaller weapons sometimes display attractive carved hilts and scabbards, made by craftsmen using primitive tools. Both tribal art and artifact, they embody much of the skill - and perhaps a little of the sorcery - of the Balinese empu.
Peter Fish
March 31, 2007
Sourxe: Sydney Morning Herald
March 31st, 2007
With the launch of direct flight from Doha to Bali’s provincial capital, Denpasar, last week, Qatar Airways is expected to help bring more tourists from the Middle East and Europe to the resort island.
Speaking Thursday to reporters at a media gathering at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Jimbaran Bay, Qatar Airways’s chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker, said he hoped the airline would not only bring visitors from the Middle East to Bali, but also from Europe and North America.
“Bali has always been one of the world’s top destinations despite terrorist attacks years ago. People will again go back to Bali and forget those terrible events,” Al Baker said.
Qatar Airways, which launched its new route to Denpasar on Saturday, flies to Bali’s capital four times a week via Kuala Lumpur using Airbus A300-600 aircraft.
In 2001, Qatar Airways introduced Indonesia’s capital Jakarta to its growing list of global destinations.
“With stronger economic ties developing between Indonesia and other countries, we can expect a surge in the number of visitors both to and from Bali,” Al Baker explained.
According to figures from the Bali Tourism Authority, the number of visitors from the Middle East is still very small, amounting to only 800 a month. Bali receives about 1.2 million visitors a year.
“We can’t tell you how many passengers from the Middle East will come to Bali, but I can assure you that people in my country consider Bali to be an attractive holiday destination,” he said, adding that at present Qataris and other people from the Middle East mostly spent their holidays in Europe.
Gede Nurjaya, the head of the Bali Tourism Authority, warmly welcomed the start of direct flights between Doha and Denpasar.
“We have to be prepared to receive Middle Eastern visitors, and also more Europeans,” he said, adding that since Garuda Indonesian discontinued its European routes, including London, Amsterdam and Paris, several years ago, the number of European visitors had dropped significantly.
Europe is one of Bali’s most important markets, in addition to Australia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik praised Qatar’s decision to fly to Denpasar, hoping that with the airline’s arrival, more tourists from the Middle East and Europe would visit Bali and other parts of Indonesia.
Besides Denpasar, the airline also launched inaugural flights last week from Doha to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and from Doha to Chennai, India.
The addition of Denpasar and Ho Chi Minh City sees Qatar Airways’ Far East network increase from 12 to 14 destinations. The airline also serves Hong Kong, Osaka, Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Yangon, Manila and Cebu.
Rita A.Widiadana
March 30, 2007
Source: The Jakarta Post
March 30th, 2007
Branded residences are currently stamping their intentions on Bali, with Banyan Tree and St Regis promoting their upcoming developments in key markets across Asia, including Singapore, Jakarta and Hong Kong. Both resorts are scheduled to open in the first half of 2008 and are now focusing on early sales of their properties.
The 73-villa Banyan Tree Ungasan staged its first official public launch in Jakarta in mid-March, after about 20 units had earlier been sold or reserved in previews. “The weekend went quite well, with about 120 people attending and more than a dozen expressing serious interest,” said Johannes Suriadjaja, President Director of Sitiagung Makmur, the property’s developer and a subsidiary of Surya Internusa, whose previous hotel projects include Melia Bali Villas and Spa Resort, Gran Melia Jakarta and Melia Purosani Jogjakarta.
“This segment of the market is quite high end and many have heard of or stayed at Banyan Tree. Many were surprised to hear that they could buy properties at Banyan Tree Ungasan, because the likes of Four Seasons, Aman, Ritz-Carlton and Bulgari don’t have properties for sale in Bali.”
Banyan Tree Ungasan is set on a dramatic, cliff-top site at the southern tip of Bali’s southernmost Bukit Peninsula, close to other brand resorts such as Karma Kandara, the new Angsana, Alila Villas Uluwatu and Bulgari. The south-facing, 10-hectare site rises from the 70m-high cliff-face to the resort’s entrance, which is about 110m above sea level, so providing all villas with great views of the Indian Ocean.
“Banyan Tree is Asia’s premier resort operator and had been looking for a presence in Bali for a long time,” Suriadjaja said. “The Banyan Tree Holdings team was very pleased with the site when we showed them. So far, the greatest demand from buyers is for the prime units, closest to the sea.”
The resort features 59 one-bedroom villas priced from about US$560,000-$870,000, all with 239sqm of built-up area and 403sqm of land. The 11 two-bedroom villas, with 315sqm of built-up area on 565sqm of land, range from US$950,000-$1,150,000, while the trio of three-bedroom, 680sqm Presidential Villas, each set on 1,200sqm of land, are going for up to US$2,495,000. Owners receive guaranteed returns of 8% per annum for two years and subsequently 40% of room revenue.
St Regis Resort and Residences, Bali occupies a prime nine-hectare site in Nusa Dua, with 220m of beachfront, the Bali Golf and Country Club as an immediate neighbour, and a swimmable lagoon and a spa among the attractions. Bali marks St Regis’s first villa development in Asia, where the brand has hotels in Beijing and Shanghai, and an upcoming hotel and residences in Singapore.
Canvas Developments, the Malaysia-registered property arm of Indonesia-based Rajawali Corporation, will develop the site, which was earmarked for the prestigious St Regis brand very early on. “Rajawali has a long cooperation with the Starwood group and this site was seen as particularly suitable for St Regis, arguably their most high-end brand,” said Erhard Hotter, CEO of Hotel Operations for Canvas Developments, who oversees all seven Rajawali-owned hotels in Indonesia and Malaysia.
“What makes it especially exciting is that Bali will be the first St Regis resort in the world to offer all-suite accommodation and is an indication that this great American name is making a big push into the Asia-Pacific,” added the German, who is particularly familiar with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, having previously served 35 years with the group.
The official launches for the 64 St Regis hotel villas and residences will take place at Singapore’s Four Seasons in mid-April, followed by an event at Hong Kong’s Ritz-Carlton. The show villa – a one-bedroom beachfront villa with a value of almost US$1 million was completed in late March.
At earlier media previews in Singapore and Hong Kong, expressions of interest were taken for over a quarter of the 64 one and two-bedroom units (141-233sqm), which have 50-year leases to 2054 and range in price from about US$800,000 to over US$2 million. Prices include a guaranteed return on investment of 7% annually for the first three years.
“The buyers from Hong Kong and Singapore really like the branded residences, especially one as prestigious at St Regis,” said Jerry Tan, Managing Director of JTResi, the project’s sole marketing agent. “For me, it’s all about the location, which is hard to beat. It’s in a really pretty part of Nusa Dua, great for swimming and windsurfing.”
The first prospective buyers began to visit the site in mid-March, even before the show villa was open. “People want to come and see the site for themselves,” Tan said. “The most impressive thing in the show villa is that when you’re in the living and dining rooms, you’re eye level with the sea.”
Both Banyan Tree and St Regis, which will also have 81 hotel suites, are expected to price their one-bedroom villas from about US$500-650 per night for visitors, putting the resorts in the same upscale market as the Four Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton villas, although not pitching as high as Bulgari. The overall confidence in the island of such esteemed brands comes as no surprise to local real estate experts.
“Culturally, there is so much going for Bali, compared to other popular tropical destinations in Asia, and the land and construction prices are so competitive in comparison, even though they are rising,” says Ric Shreves, Managing Director of Bali-based Elite Havens.
“Bali has enjoyed a steady 20% annual growth in property prices, even through the bombings, yet there is still a lot more room for capital appreciation. If I was conservative, I would say we expect continued growth in prices for three years, and if I was bullish I would say five years.”
Bali, however, is just one aspect of the development plans for both of these prestigious brands. As well as its projects in Bali and Singapore set for next year, St Regis is set to open new properties in Mexico (two this year), Anguilla, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica (all 2008), and three new developments in the USA by 2009.
Singapore-based Banyan Tree Holdings is in the midst of an enormous global expansion. As well as its Bali project, a total of 22 other new Banyan Tree resorts are set to open by 2010, in China (five resorts), Mexico (four), UAE, Thailand, India and Maldives (two each), Bahrain, Barbados, Morocco, Greece and Oman (one each).
Angsana Resorts and Spa, Banyan Tree’s sister company, is also spreading its wings globally, with its Tepi Kahyangan resort in Bali among 15 developments set to open around the world by 2010, while Italian luxury icon Armani is also believed to be looking at a site on the ’Island of the Gods’.
By John Higginson
Source: Asia Property Report
March 29th, 2007
The resort island of Bali will be temporarily closed for 24 hours as of Monday morning at 6 a.m. through to the same time Tuesday to observe Nyepi (the Hindu Day of Silence).
The island’s Ngurah Rai International Airport will welcome its last flight on Sunday at midnight and will halt operations until the morning of March 20, according to airport spokesman Ahmad Munir.
“We announced the closure on Jan. 9 to all domestic and international airlines plying Bali routes. Therefore, (the companies) already understand the situation,” Munir said.
During the ritual of Nyepi, 90 percent of the island’s 3.5 million inhabitants will practice Yoga Semedi and Catur Berata Penyepian (meditation), Amati Geni (which forbids them from lighting fires and switching on lights), Amati Karya (working), Amati Lelanguan (enjoying leisure activities) and Amati Lelungan (leaving their houses).
Bali will be completely darkened and silenced for a full day, allowing the island’s Hindu population to meditate, contemplate and pray for a better future.
Nyepi is one of the most important religious rituals for Balinese Hindus to welcome the Saka New Year 1929.
No visitors are allowed to come to the island during the day of silence. All entry points, apart from the international airport, Gilimanuk Port in West Bali and Padang Bai Port in East Bali, will be closed.
Gede Putrawan, head of Gilimanuk Port said the ferry port will be closed on Monday morning from 5:30 a.m. through to Tuesday at 6 p.m.
In Padang Bai, the last ferry to travel to Lombok Island will depart by 4:30 a.m. on Monday morning.
Domestic and foreign visitors are encouraged to stay in their hotels and other places of accommodation during the holiday, as the island will be tightly guarded by traditional Balinese security guards, Pecalang, to ensure all people abide by the holiday regulations.
Schools, public and private offices, and banks will put a hold on operations on the day. Most local and foreign bank ATMs will only operate until 12 noon on Sunday and will be reopened on March 21.
Prior to the Nyepi holiday, Balinese Hindus carried out a series of rituals that began last Friday when thousands of Hindus paraded to the beach nearest them to hold the Melasti ritual — the cleansing of utensils and more importantly, their souls.
The Melasti ceremony symbolizes the purification of the earth and the universe through the removal of all evil elements.
On Sunday, the Balinese will hold a Tawur Kesanga ceremony, a ritual to present a caru (sacrifice) to the Bhuta Kala (demons), which will be symbolized by giant Ogoh-ogoh dolls that act to ward off any devilish or negative forces.
On the same afternoon, thousands of people will carry their Ogoh-ogoh and set them on fire at a Pengurupukan ritual.
Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko said he had already deployed hundreds of police officers to ensure the smooth running of the ceremony.
“Many streets will be closed and rerouted to avoid traffic jams in many places in Bali this coming Sunday afternoon. I suggest to visitors they stay away from the crowds for their own security,” Purwoko said.
He said Christian leaders have also been asked to hold Sunday mass by 4 p.m. at the latest due to the impending traffic jams.
But for many of the island’s visitors, these ceremonies provide a rare tourist attraction, with many traveling to Bali specifically to watch the holiday celebrations.
Tjokorda Ardana Sukawati, chairman of the Bali Hotels and Restaurants Association, said that despite the many tourists who have been attracted to the island over the Nyepi holiday, hotels have been encouraged not to hold live music performances and to refrain from switching on lights.
“The majority of hotels in Bali are now fully booked. They are offering a variety of Nyepi packages,” he said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
March 19th, 2007
Australia’s Foreign Minister has expressed his delight that chief September 11 suspect and self-confessed Bali bombing ringleader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was in Guantanamo Bay and facing terrorist charges.
Mohammed has admitted responsibility for the first Bali bombing and other major al-Qaeda operations, according to the transcript of a hearing at Guantanamo Bay released today.
“I was responsible for the 9/11 Operation, from A to Z,” Mohammed, speaking through a personal representative, said, according to the transcript of the hearing on Saturday at the US military prison camp in Cuba.
Mohammed, a Pakistani national, also said he was responsible for a 1993 attack on New York’s World Trade Centre, the bombing of a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia, and an attempt to down two American airplanes using shoe bombs.
Alexander Downer told reporters in Melbourne this afternoon that what Mohammed had done was “truly deplorable” and such people should face charges.
“All Australians should be reminded by these confessions of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed of the importance of us being determined to fight the scourge of terrorism so we don’t see a repeat of what we saw in Bali or in 9/11 a few years ago.”
Mr Downer defended the authenticity of the confession against claims that independent journalists and lawyers were not allowed in to the hearings and there was no independent assessment of its veracity.
“We got a good deal more than a transcript,” he said. “We got a good deal of corroborating information provided to us by other governments, including the Indonesians.”
Mohammed is among 14 prisoners identified by US authorities as “high-value” terrorism suspects and transferred to Guantanamo last year from secret CIA prisons abroad.
He was arrested in Pakistan in March 2003 and handed over to the United States.
Andra Jackson
March 15, 2007
Source: The Age
March 16th, 2007
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