WHERE IS BALI?
The island of Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia and is located 8 to
9 degrees south of the equator between Java in the West and Lombok and the rest
of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba and Timor) in the East.
Flying time to Jakarta is about 1.5 hours, to Singapore and Perth (Australia)
2.5 and 3 hours, to Hong Kong about 4.5 hours, and to Sydney/Melbourne about
5.5 to 6 hours.
GEOGRAPHY:
The island of Bali has an area of only 5,632 square kilometers (2,175 square
miles) and measures just 55 miles (90 kilometers) along the north-south axis
and less than about 90 miles (140 kilometers) from East to West. Because of
this it's no problem to explore the island on day tours. You can go wherever
you want on the island and return to your hotel or villa in the evening.
Located only two kilometers east
of Jawa, Bali's climate, flora and fauna are quite similar to its much larger
neighbour. The island is famous for its beautiful landscape. A chain of six
volcanoes, between 1,350 meters and 3,014 meters high, stretches from west to
east. There are lush tropical forests, pristine crater lakes, fast flowing rivers
and deep ravines, picturesque rice terraces, and fertile vegetable and fruit
gardens. The beaches in the South consist of white sand, beaches in other parts
of the island are covered with gray or black volcanic sand.
FLORA:
The wide variety of tropical plants is surprising. You'll see huge banyan trees
in villages and temple grounds, tamarind trees in the North, clove trees in
the highlands, acacia trees, flame trees, and mangroves in the South. In Bali
grow a dozen species of coconut palms and even more varieties of bamboo.
And there are flowers, flowers everywhere.
You'll see (and smell the fragrance of) 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. Flowers are also
used as decorations in temples, on statues, as offerings for the gods, and during
prayers. Dancers wear blossoms in their crowns, and even the flower behind the
ear of your waitress seems natural in Bali.
FAUNA:
Elephants and tigers don't exist any more in Bali since early this century.
Wildlife, however, includes various species of monkeys, civets, barking deer
and mouse deer, and 300 species of birds including wild fowl, dollar birds,
blue kingfishers, sea eagles, sandpipers, white herons and egrets, cuckoos,
wood swallows, sparrows, and starlings. You can watch schools of dolphins near
Lovina, Candi Dasa, and Padangbai. Divers will see many colorful coral fish
and small reef fish, moray eels, and plankton eating whale sharks as well as
crustaceans, sponges, and colorful coral along the east coast and around Menjangan
Island near Gilimanuk.
CLIMATE:
You can expect pleasant day temperatures between 20 to 33 degrees Celsius or
68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. From December to March, the West monsoon
can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but usually days are sunny and the
rains start during the night and pass quickly. From June to September the humidity
is low, and it can be quite cool in the evenings. During this time of the year,
you'll have hardly any rain in the coastal areas.
Even when it rains in most parts
of Bali you can often enjoy sunny days on the "Bukit", the hill south
of Jimbaran Beach. On the other hand, in Ubud and the mountains you must expect
cloudy skies and showers throughout the year (this is why the international
weather reports for "Denpasar" or "Bali" mention showers
and rain storms during all times of the year). In higher regions such as in
Bedugul or Kintamani you'll also need either a sweater or jacket after the sun
sets.
POPULATION:
Bali's population has grown to over 3 million people the overwhelming majority
of which are Hindus. However, the number of Muslims is steadily increasing through
immigration of people from Java, Lombok and other areas of Indonesia who seek
work in Bali.
Most people live in the coastal areas
in the South, and the island's largest town and administrative center is fast
growing Denpasar with a population of now over 370,000. The villages between
the town of Ubud and Denpasar, Kuta (including Jimbaran, Tuban, and Legian,
Seminyak, Basangkasa, etc), Sanur, and Nusa Dua are spreading rapidly in all
directions, and before long the whole area from Ubud in the North to Sanur in
the East, Berawa/Canggu in the West, and Nusa Dua in the South will be urbanized.
ECONOMY:
This southern part of Bali is where most jobs are to be found, either in the
hotel and tourist industry, the textile and garment industry, and in many small
scale and home industries producing handicrafts and souvenirs. Textiles, garments,
and handicrafts have become the backbone of Bali's economy providing 300,000
jobs, and exports have been increasing by around 15% per year to over US$400
million. Textiles and garments contribute about 45%, and wood products including
statues, furniture and other handicrafts 22% to the province's total income
from exports. Silver work is ranked third (4.65%) with 5,000 workers employed.
Main buyers are the US and Europe with 38% each, and Japan with 9%.
Important agricultural products besides
rice are tea, coffee, tobacco, cacao, copra, vanilla, soy beans, chilies, fruit,
and vegetable (there are now even vineyards near the northwest coast). Bali's
fishing industry and seaweed farming provide other products which are important
exports.
The new free-trade regulations will
create some problems for Bali's exporters as they do not allow to employ children.
Most children here work for their parents, and this is part of the process of
acquiring professional skills and kind of an informal education which has been
very important in the Balinese society for centuries.
WHAT MAKES BALI SO SPECIAL:
There is the combination of the friendly people, the natural attractions, the
great variety of things to see and do, the year-round pleasant climate, and
the absence of security problems. And then there is Bali's special "magic",
which is difficult to explain.
As soon as you step off the plane
you might sense the difference. In the villages you'll notice the quietness
and wisdom in old people's faces, and the interest and respect in the young's.
Old men sit at the road side caressing their fighting cocks. Beautifully dressed
women walk proudly through rice fields and forests carrying offerings on their
heads to the next temple. There is the smell of flowers, and in the distance
you hear the sound of gamelan music.
Gods and spirits have been an important
part of Bali's daily life for hundreds of years. Gunung Agung – Bali's
holy mountain – is internationally regarded as one of the eight "Chakra"
points of the world. This may be more than an coincident. Watch out, the moment
you feel the magic of this island, you're addicted for the rest of your life.
To quote the "BALI travel FORUM"
contributor "Si Badak" who posted the following message on September
4th, 2000:
"The intricate patterns of Batik.
A walk on the beach at low tide,near where a stream flows into the ocean at,
for instance, the bottom of Jl. 66 in Seminyak, will show you where some ideas
originate. Because of different coloured minerals in the sand, swirling patterns
are intermingled by the action of the tide meeting the out-flowing stream very
reminiscent of Batik design. For many years it was forbidden to depict human
or animal forms so that people had to look to other natural forms for ideas.
It would be good to hear on this from the real experts.
Shining delight upon the faces of
newly arrived visitors, "baru datang" to local people, as they forge
ahead into the great unknown that is Bali. Confronted by a sea of golden faces,
the visiting children are the first to smile and reap emotional profit as they
are cosseted and cuddled by every Balinese woman or man they meet : sale or
no sale, children are all adored as spirits newly returned from the after-life.
Giving a happy smile in the direction of Balinese children is a very rewarding
pass-time also ; the proud Mum or Dad are only too willing to stop for a chat,
even without a language in common !
Boys and girls who are there to Party,
Party, Party ! These are no different to the Party Animals to be met on the
Costa Brava, in Baja California, at Blackpool, Bondi or anywhere people go for
a good time. Doesn't matter which nationality, although loud they are seldom
obnoxious unless you attempt to impose your ides of decorum upon them. A smile
and a snippet of badinage works well. Even WE were young ! Do you remember ?
An erect old lady on her 1940s bicycle,
pedalling through traffic while carrying 1000 eggs, in cartons 60cm square,
balanced precariously we think, upon her head of old, honorable grey. Thoughts
of very large omelets pass through tourists' minds but seldom has one of these
ladies of remarkable poise been seen to provide entertainment by falling over.
Carrying heavy buckets of water on their heads, from an early age, has given
them a balance and strength to be envied by olympic gymnasts.
Pairs of men on motor-bikes who deliver
newly made, wooden beds on their heads and shoulders from town to country. Sometimes
they can be seen carrying as many as three mattresses in the same way, or even
a bundle of pillows larger than themselves, buffeted by the slip-stream of passing
trucks : the man on the pillion is responsible for load security while the driver
controls the bike and attempts to keep them both steady. One wonders if this
merchandise gets tested along the way, maybe at about 2pm ?
The "8 Ps" are not often
in evidence ON this blessed isle, i.e. "proper prior planning & preparation
prevents pathetically poor performance". How many more time are we to see
the streets of Kuta being excavated for the installation of yet another public
utility ? To date we have had : drains at roadside dug and covered up, asphalted
a week or two later : footpaths to be paved and raised above drains : excavations
for telephone lines followed 6 months later by excavations for more cabling
and each time asphalting carried out when the pot-holes have been allowed to
mature to their full, axle-shattering width and depth : oops ! Then ? "The
drains are not deep / wide enough, let's do it all again !" Town planning
?
Early morning on the beach at Legian
towards Seminyak. A light breeze wafts aromas of the morning's rice to the fisherman,
sarung and basket tucked up near his waist, casting his net into the surf in
the hope of some extra food for his family. Old ladies and gentlemen appear
for a bath, cautiously dipping into the water, fully clothed, at its shallowest.
Tourist joggers and power-walkers come thundering sweatily along, ( to the amusement
of locals from a less punishing lifestyle), to be joined by a few enthusiastic
dogs, barking happily, who add to the fun by companionably running between their
legs.
Gunung Agung can be seen raising
his mighty head above his vassal clouds to see what his subjects are up to.
Having made his ritual inspection he draws his court around him and, usually,
hides for the rest of the day: he doesn't go away, the Balinese people know
he is still there, unseen but all-seeing as he ponders upon the doings of everybody,
even the stupid tourists!"
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