BLUE WATER EXPRESS GOING EXPRESS TO THE BLUE WATER UP CLOSE : SHANKARI THE ALCHEMIST No.03 | DEC 15–MAR 14 2010
WHERE DO YOU GO TO CHILL OUT? VIEW BALI THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE'S EYES
M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
Om Swastiastu
W
e always bring you nothing but good news. This time, it is a tremendous pleasure for us to introduce a new brood in the big family of only Baru di Bali: The Mag Mini. As the little sister of The Mag, The Mag Mini functions to compliment the currentlybooming The Bali Bag; you know…that cool, little paper bag many tourists are carrying around. And you guessed it right; The Bali Bag is stepping into the next cool level with The Mag Mini in it. She may be little, but The Mag Mini talks a lot! From her, you can get information about everything Bali. Be it places to go, see, eat, drink, sleep, shop and many others – she shows you your ways around the island. But if you feel that The Mag Mini is just too mini, you can always turn to the big sister, The Mag. In any case, both The Mag Mini and The Mag aim to provide you with honest, original, quality information about Bali. We wish you a pleasant stay in Bali. Enjoy! THE TEAM
The Mag Mini
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CALL +62 (0) 361 737 913 MAIL info@barudibali.com VISIT Jl. Laksmana 9, Seminyak Copyright © 2009 - All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without written permission from PT Baru di Bali and CV Baru di Bali. Opinions expressed in ‘The Mag Mini’ are the writers' and not necessarily endorsed by PT Baru di Bali or CV Baru di Bali. PT Baru di Bali and CV Baru di Bali are not responsible or liable in any way for the contents (advertising included)
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Banjar Hot Springs Lovina has its best soaking spot Where do you go to chill out? View Bali through Other People's Eyes Uluwatu Temple Bali's Most Spectacular Temple Up Close: Shankari The Alchemist Blue Water Express Going Fast to the Blue Water Heaven and Hell on Ceilings An Insight on Hall of Justice in Klungkung Crash Course Bahasa Indonesia Phrases to help you survive in Bali
M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
Banjar Hot Springs BY NAMHAR
I
f a trip to Lovina and the surrounding areas is on your travel agenda, then you must make a stop at the Banjar Hot Springs (Air Panas Banjar). The lush jungle location has several swimming pools with carved statues on the walls spouting pure, natural, hot water into the pools from overhead. A hot soak in the middle of nature can be very refreshing, especially after a long drive checking out places in the northern part of the island. A number of shops offering snacks,
drinks and souvenirs are also available within the hot spring compound, and an inexpensive restaurant named Restoran Komala Tirta sits just above the springs, affording broad views of the happily soaking visitors as well as the abundant tropical flora. And if soaking in the hot water is not soothing enough, you could always have a relaxing massage in the middle of the greeneries of the hot spring area just over the drawbridge. The entrance fee to the Banjar Hot Springs is reasonably priced at IDR 4000, and lockers, change rooms and showers are available on site. The springs are located thirty minutes west of Lovina.
M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
INDIRA & CHLOE SINGAPORE
TINA & MING TA I WA N
LO C AT I O N : K U TA B E AC H
LO C AT I O N : K U TA B E AC H
The beach. This is because we don’t have many beaches in Singapore.
Any place in Kuta. Watching many people makes us feel so relaxed. Hehehe…don’t ask me why.
CHRIS NEW ZEAL AND
TANYA & GRACIA J A K A RTA
MIKE NETHERLANDS
LO C AT I O N : K U TA B E AC H
LO C AT I O N : K U TA B E AC H
LO C AT I O N : K U TA B E AC H
Bali’s beaches of course. What can be more chillin’ than lying on the sand, under the sun.
We love Rumours in Oberoi. That place is perfect to chill out because the atmosphere is awesome.
Oh, I chill out at surf shops. Weird, eh? I just love surf shops and they make me feel so relaxed.
WHERE DO YOU GO TO CHILL OUT?
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ULUWATU TEMPLE luwatu is one of Bali’s most spectacular temples, especially with its position that sits high on a cliff top some 250 feet above the sea level. The temple is dedicated to the spirits of the sea and is believed to protect the whole island from evil coming from the southwest. The Balinese name for Uluwatu is Pura Luhur Uluwatu, meaning temple (pura) of divine origin (luhur) at the end (ulu) of the rock (watu). The temple’s original form was most likely a small stone structure until the 11th century when Empu Kuturan, a legendary Hindu temple builder from Java, built on the site and expanded the temple into its present day form. In the 16th century
U LUWATU TEM PLE
Dang Hyang Niratha, a Hindu religious man from Java built the shrine to Shiva at Uluwatu, and purportedly gained enlightenment on the site. Aside from being a sacred temple, Uluwatu is also the home of hundreds of monkeys, which can be aggressive sometimes. This is why it is a good idea to heed the precautionary signs posted at the entrance gate and several other spots around the compound. Just like its counterpart in Tanah Lot, Uluwatu is a popular place where visitors can watch the sun set. Kecak dance is also often held in the amphitheatre within this temple area, and takes place every day between 6 and 7PM.
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M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
Shankari THE ALCHEMIST
ali seems to have a seductive allure that draws people in with its energy, culture and spirit. Nobody knows this better than Shankari the Alchemist, a roving soul who washed up on Bali’s shores twenty-two years ago and since then has utilized Bali’s unique energy to create her own highly successful jewelry line, a popular yoga retreat on Bali’s rugged west coast, and a centre where Balinese youth can learn and practice the traditional dances of their culture.
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What drew you to Bali? This is going to sound crazy, but I believe God told me to come here. I never really wanted to come to Bali actually. Being Australian, my impression of Bali was drunken Australian tourists on the beach. Of course I didn’t know about the culture. But I kept having dreams where God told me to go to Bali and make weapons of light for the people. Later I interpreted this as my jewelry.
What was Bali like back then? When I came in 1987, Kuta was a mess of beggars, rabid dogs and broken sidewalks. It was nothing like the Kuta of today. At that time there was only one electric light globe on Jalan Legian, and where Bintang supermarket is today there was a coconut grove. How did you begin making jewelry? I came with five hundred dollars and four kids in tow, and I ended up opening the first retail shop in Seminyak. At that time I was too poor to buy the silver to make jewelry, so I made pottery and clay earrings. I had my first break when a Canadian department store ordered three thousand of my clay earrings. With the money from that order I bought the supplies to start producing silver jewelry. Your yoga retreat, Shankari’s Bali Retreat, is set in the jungle along the west coast in Balian. Balian is quite isolated from the usual tourist hotspots. How did you arrive on this location? I was returning from a trip to Surabaya on the bus, and I was dozing off, when suddenly I woke up with a start just as the bus went over the bridge crossing the Balian River. I looked out to the river and the ocean and thought ‘that’s beautiful – that’s for me –I have to come back here one day’.
You’ve recently donated your yoga centre space at the retreat to local children to learn and practice Balinese dance. How did that come about? I’m very interested in sustaining the integrity of Balinese culture. You know, as children all Balinese are taught to dance, but as they get older they have no outlet for the dance that they used to enjoy so much. The children of Bali really need to have access to their own dances, and carry on their own culture. How has Bali influenced what you do in your own life? I feel that everything I have learned I learned in Bali. Right now I spend half the year in Bali and the other half in Hawaii where I’ve set up a soup kitchen for poor people. I came to Bali very damaged and I feel that Bali healed me, so I’m trying to create opportunities for healing, dance, and culture in Hawaii based on what my experience here. What are your hopes for the future? My hope is that I can give back something here. For example, I try to put all the money I make here back into Bali. And almost all of my staff at the retreat came to me with no skills, but a willingness to have a better life, and if someone has that spirit I’m more than happy to help them realize that dream.
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M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
OUTDOOR
Going Express to the Blue Waters B L U E
W A T E R
scaping to the tranquil Gili Islands in neighboring Lombok would certainly rejuvenate your body and soul. With reputations as the most favorable, alternative destinations, the three sister islands of Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air are fit for those seeking laidback tranquility. Although there are several ways to get directly to the Gilis, going with the BlueWater Express would probably be the most convenient. As the longest running, most popular fast boat service between Bali and the Gilis – also Nusa Lembongan, BlueWater Express with its high-speed shuttles will quickly make your tropical island holiday dreams come true. The fast inter-island transfers are certainly comfortable and relaxing, especially with the enclosed cabin seating and spacious sundecks on all
E X P R E S S
boats. All of BlueWater Express boats apply navigational and safety equipments to international standards to assure highest level of safety on the journey. Free hotel transfer/pick up services are provided for free for most areas in South Bali (Seminyak, Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua, etc.). BlueWater Express departs from Bali International Marina at Benoa (15-minute drive from Kuta). Journey from Bali to the Gilis takes approximately two hours and only thirty minutes to Nusa Lembongan. BlueWater Express now also offers special rates on Bali-to-Gilis with stopover in Nusa Lembongan; two islands for the price of one. To make your bookings with BlueWater Express you can visit Explore Bali on Jalan Laksmana/Oberoi No. 9 (right across Mykonos) or call (0361) 911 4700.
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M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
Heaven & Hell on
Ceilings BY NAMHAR
lungkung plays an important role in the history and culture of Bali, so it is strange that this place is far less crowded with tourists than Bali’s more popular destinations such as Kuta and Ubud. This is even more surprising because around 200 years back, in the 1300s, Klungkung was the base of the ruler of the island. That means that this region is the home of many historical remnants left for today’s world to see. An example of these historical remnants is the Hall of Justice.
The Hall of Justice (Kerta Gosa) was built in the middle of the 18th century and is now still standing tall in the center of Klungkung Town. This court hall was built in the middle of a pond and is particularly renowned for its magnificent ceiling paintings, which depict heaven as the reward for those who obey the law and order in their lives, and hell, the horrors and punishments that await the sinners. In the center of the hall there is a rectangular table and six chairs for three judges, who were priests, and three assessors.
M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
Facts
about
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
ali is one of the tens of thousands islands in the Indonesian archipelago that lies between the country’s most populated island, Java, and Lombok. It is also one of the country’s most developed provinces with the capital in Denpasar, located on the southern part of the island. Bali is divided into 8 regencies (Badung, Bangli, Buleleng, Gianyar, Jembrana, Karangasem, Klungkung and Tabanan) and 1 city (Denpasar). Unlike most of the Muslim-majority Indonesia, around 94% out of Bali’s 3 million population adhere to Balinese Hinduism, which is a combination of the existing local beliefs and Hindu influences.
As the main tourist destination in Indonesia, Bali is renowned for its highly developed arts, including music, dance, sculpture, painting, metalworking and leather. The island is also the home of wildlife such as hundreds of bird species (including the endangered Bali Starling), Indian Muntjac, Mouse-deer, Leopard Cat, Black Giant Squirrel, and several species of macaque and leaf monkey. The island’s countless natural irresistible charms have awarded Bali as one of the world’s most visited holiday destination. With its tropical climate (temperatures averaging 31 degrees Celsius, 88 fahrenheit), Bali is warm all year round – which is perfect to explore its smoking volcanoes, stepped rice fields, remote beaches, towering cliffs, famous surf breaks and the majestic thousand- year-old temples. The hospitable and friendly natives of the Balinese and their way of life are by many considered as a magnet, inspiring those who have been in the island to go back again and those who have not to come.
CRASH COURSE BAHASA INDONESIA
Apa Kabar? Baik, terima kasih Selamat pagi Selamat siang Selamat malam
Bahasa Indonesia is the language spoken through the whole Indonesia. The Balinese speaks Bali language with each other, yet you will be fine with these words and short phrases. How are you?
Permisi
Fine, thank you
Tidak/ Ya
Good morning
Saya lapar
Good afternoon
Saya haus
Good evening
Ada bir?
Sampai jumpa lagi
See you later
Nasi Campur
Sampai nanti
See you later
Dimana hotel?
Nama saya...
My name is...
Kanan / Kiri
Silahkan
Here you go
Maaf
Excuse me No/ Yes I'm hungry I'm thirsty Do you have beer? Mixed rice Where is the hotel? Right / Left Sorry
M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010
M AG M I N I | D E C 15 – M A R 14 2 010