April 2013
TRAVEL
The Balinese Wedding
EXOTIC & ELEGANT
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CONTENTS 8 10
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Editor’s Note
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Exotic & Elegant Balinese Wedding A photographer shares her memories of the Balinese wedding she attended in Ubud, Bali.
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Readers Response & Last Word Readers response to the previour issue and the last word from the Editor in Chief.
Pendet Dance The traditional Welcoming Balinese Dance which consists of young girls dressed up in traditional Balinese.
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Two selections of World class luxury resorts in Bali.
Tanah Lot Temple A beautiful temple that is most commonly used for religious celebration.
Hotel & Resort
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Discover Bali Discover every aspect of Bali; the beautiful beaches, art & crafts, culture & tradition, foods, and nightlife.
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The traditional Balinese wedding has a totally different wedding culture; a culture that is really unique, exotic, and elegant in a way the whole wedding is organized.
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EDITOR’S NOTE / maesa putra
Across the culture Travelling has been my passion since I was a kid. Bali, the most popular tourist island in Indonesia, is one of my favorite places to go. Arriving at the destination welcomed by an exotic and warm Balinese Welcoming Dance is the first reason why I love to explore Bali. It is the cultural symbol of Bali. Looking at the Balinese people walking down the street bringing their offerrings for the Gods makes me come to an understanding that there is always something Travel connects me to the unique about one culture that undiscovered parts we can’t really find in Western of the world society. The warm Balinese hospitality, the luxury beach hotels
TRAVEL
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Maesa Putra
CREATIVE SERVICES Executive Director Designer Photo Editor Print Coordinator
Andrew McDonagh Kathryn Niemiroski Adam Jasudason Kathrine Brine
MARKETING Marketing Director Promotional
Parker Howland Josh Leonard
ART & PRODUCTION Art Director Digital Art Specialist Production Manager
ADVERTISING
Executive Director Advertising Sales Account Planner
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Trevor Cook Shanna Clement Andrew Cialek
COPY & RESEARCH Research Director Copy Editor
Jeremy Hecth Veronica Butka Christy Muller
Brendan Sage Gurshinder Budwal
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The Welcoming Balinese Dance is the cultural symbol of Bali
and resorts providing world class services, and the Balinese traditional food accompanied with a variety of tasty spices all combined into a memorable experince. The people in Bali: awesome!! They are very friendly and love to make new friends. It is just unbelievably amazing to experience something different out of my usual environment and I really enjoy it. Searching for the vacation spot, booking the hotel and airplane ticket, flying 40,000 feet above the ground, arriving at the destination, experiencing many new things, meeting up with different people of different cultures, opening up my eyes to see the World, and flying back home with great memories is a package of what I call my “ideal travel”. Maesa Putra
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FAST FACT / tanah lot temple
Tanah Lot Temple Tanah Lot is built on the rock with 3 acre size. This temple is very famous among tourist destinations in Bali with spectacular view of sunset. At some nooks of coral reef around Tanah Lot Temple there are holy tame snake in black and white color where according to the local society believe that it as a deity.
The word of Tanah Lot is consisted of two words that are Tanah word interpreted as a reef looking like gili or isle. Lot or Lod word has meaning the sea. So Tanah Lot is meaning the small island floating on the sea. The location is now called as Tanah Lot has been used at a Megalithic period as a place that looked into holy, proven from the existence of menhir. Pursuant to environmental condition, hence the structure of Tanah Lot Temple is built at irregular reef plain of its angle which is only consisted of one plain yard as Jeroan. The function of this temple can be realized from the function of the main temple building which is located in the temple main area. In this place, there is a main temple to worship the god in form of Dewa Baruna or Bhatara Segara, the sea power. The media of worship to this god is the temple building with 5 storied meanwhile the 3 storied temple building in north part of this area is purposing to worship to Dang Hyang Nirartha. In order to know the status of Tanah Lot Tem10
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ple can be realized from the temple history, function and also incoming devotee existence pray when temple ceremony is held. Tanah Lot Temple as dang Kahyangan(the big Holy Temples in Bali ), because the history and the Penyiwi (The people taking care of the temple) are from the local people from Tabanan regency and surrounding area Tanah Lot temple as Segara Temple, because its function as sanctum to worship the Bhatara Segara, the God with manifestation as the ocean Power Deity. The unique animal can be seen in this temple area is the snake which are generally can be met in the coast. Part of its stomach there are no athwart skin, there is only small skin, but this sea water snake is very noxious it is generally very passive.Tanah Lot owns a magnificent view in particular at the sunset time where the sun slows down to the earth stomach. Every visitor who is paying a visit to this place will be marveled to see the beauty panorama of Tanah Lot.
FAST FACT / the pendet dance
The Pendet Dance Pendet is a traditional welcomingBalinese dance, in which offeings are made to purify the temple or theater as a prelude to ceremories or other dances. Pendet is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are cast into the air at various times in the dance. Pendet can be thought of as a dance of greeting, to welcome the audience and invite spirits to enjoy a performance. Pendet is the presentation of an offering in the form of a ritual dance. Unlike the exhibition dances that demand arduous training, Pendet may be danced by everyone: male and female pemangkus, women and girls of the village. It is taught simply by imitation and is seldom practiced in the
banjars. Younger girls follow the movements of the elder women who recognize their responsibility in setting a good example. Proficiency comes with age, and often, is the grandmothers who possess the most Man of the grouli. As a religious dance,
pendet is usually performed during temple ceremonies. All dancers carry in their right hand a small offering of incense, water vessels, or flower formations set in palm leaf With these they dance from shrine to shrine within the temple. Pendet, thus, may be performed as a serial and continue intermittently throughoin,the day and late into the night during temple feasts. In 1968, a huge religious procession in Tabanan produced many versions of Pendet. One was danced by a member of the household, who presented the family’s offerings in a slow Pendet before the approaching wave of thousands of people. In larger villages, a selected group of young girls, bare-shouldered and formally dressed in wraps of gold cloth, carried silver bowls of flowers as they danced a more elaborate Pendet, when the procession settled before a small temple, old women dressed in ordinary clothes began to dance still another form of Pendet.
Barong dance (on the right) is a continuating of Pendet dance, representing the battle between good and evil.
Recently, Pendet was introduced to open the Barong dance. Here, the young girls are accomplished members of a dance troupe, and their movements are coordinated and exact. Toward the finish of the dance, the girls make praying gestures and throw flowers to the audience-a welcome and blessing to the public. T RAV E L \ AP R I L 2 0 1 3
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MAIN FIGURE / The Balinese Wedding
Exotic & Elegant
Balinese Wedding BY CINZIA BRUSCHINI
You know why we love Cinzia Bruschini? Because she’s completely inspired by love stories. So much so that she stumbled upon a Balinese wedding, of which she was not invited to (but so courteously welcomed into), and photographed it. Yep, she basically “crashed” a wedding. This wedding. And she’s here to share her wonderful and memorable experience!
It was a dream and I was lucky to find out that there was a wedding taking place inside
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It was my last day in Bali. I’d been there photographing a wedding. Our driver was showing us around Ubud. It was gorgeous! At one point the exterior decoration of one particular house caught my eye. We asked the driver to stop, walked to the front of the house and politely asked the people standing there if it would be possible to enter to see what was happening inside. It was a dream and I was lucky to find out that there was a wedding taking place inside! We get off our car and we saw this huge welcoming entrance full of Balinese wedding ornaments with yellow, red, and orange flowers. Right at the entrence we were immediately greeted by a few younger girls that were part of the family serving some coke, fanta and delicious homemade cakes. They said, “selamat datang!”, which meant “welcome”. I was impressed with the whole Balinese wedding culture;
The Balinese Wedding / MAIN FIGURE
the balinese entrance, the greeters, the welcoming music and the colorful Balinese costumes. Then, they asked if we could sign their guest book and we happily obliged. We also wrote a happy wedding letter and put it in the provided gifts basket. After that they gave us little gifts as an appreciation from the bride and groom for guests who came. The little gift I got was a small jewelry case with their names written on it. In Indonesia it is a cultural thing when you attend a wedding ceremony, sign their guest book, and get a small gift.
Fact: In Balinese culture, colorful flowers are the symbols of happiness. Not only in weddings, colorful flowers are also used for religious celebrations as symbols of give thanks to the gods.
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MAIN FIGURE / The Balinese Wedding
Fact: In Indonesian culture, food is a big thing in weddings. Balinese weddings, especially, provide a variety of food that takes usually a day or two to prepare before the actually wedding ceremony.
Inside people were eating, others lis� tening to music, and others were playing Balinese music with flutes and xylophones Walking into the rest of the house we could see a great bed of decorations and batik textiles ready to welcome the bride and the groom at the center of the house. Inside people were eating, others listening to music, and others were playing Balinese music with flutes and xylophones. The bride and groom, along with their witnesses welcomed us, and even though it was difficult to communicate with them, it was easy to see that the atmosphere was relaxed and informal, pervaded by a genuine and heartfelt mysticism. I was also amazed with the beautiful and colorful bride’s dress. When I saw her dress, I immediately thought of my self wearing a traditional Balinese wedding dress in my future wedding part. The traditional dress was called “Batik”. The groom gave an orange Batik Balinese scarf so that my driver and I could celebrate the wedding altogether with other guests in the main room of their house. My last day in Ubud was perfect! I’ve always wanted to go to a Balinese traditional wedding. I will never forget this one; the wedding itself, the people, the music, the food, all combined into an amazing cultural experience. This wedding has inspired me even more to continue my journey to find other colorful weddings in South East Asia.
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HIGH NOTES / discover bali
Discover Bali There’s more than one way to discover a destination
Beach Dream Land With the beautiful view, Dream Land beach has gained world’s attention. The green cristal ocean water is perfect for photography.
Kuta It is the most popular beach for local , especially families, and Australian tourists. Kuta beach is the right place for surving, jetskis, and other water sports .
Nusa Dua Located in south of Bali, Nusa Dua beach is very popular among European tourists because of the white sand, quite environment, and luxury hotels, resorts, and spas.
Art & Craft Traditional Bracelets You can find many of these pretty bracelets made by Balinese local shops in Kuta, Seminyak, and Nusa Dua area. These are the representation of the Balinese art, made from shells and beats.
Indonesian Batik Batik is a cloth that is traditionally made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. It has unique patterns that usually take themes from everyday lives.
Street Shops Street shops offer a great variety of Balinese souvenirs such as bracelets, Balinese traditional clothes, ceramics, art & crafts, and Balinese paintings.
Rock Bar Rock Bar, designed by a Japanese architect, is a brand new bar located at the Ayana Resort & Spa. With the luxury decoration and its location facing the Indian ocean, it is popular among celebrities and upper class communities.
Nightlife Anantara Beach Bar It is a re-designed top floor space with an elevated 20-meter glass catwalk at Anantara Seminyak Resort, facing the Indian Ocean.
Potato Head Lounge Potato Head Lounge is a great place to watch the Sunset. The lounge offers a great variety of international food and cocktails, accompanied with the modern interior design decoration.
Cooking Class
Foodie
With the increasing demand from tourists, a lot of Balinese restaurants are offering fun cooking classes where tourists can learn how to make Balinese food.
Lobster Seafood Seafod is the most popular type of food in Bali. It is extremely fresh and can be found in many restaurants mostly located in the South of Bali.
Culture & Tradition
Nasi Campur This is a traditional Indonesian food consists of rice, chicken, noodles, tofu, and tempe, accompanied by Indonesian seasonings.
Religious Ceremony During the religious ceremony or celebration, Balinese girls are required to wear Balinese traditional Kebaya, bringing a bucket of fruits to the designated temple. The buckets of fruits are forms of offerrings for the Gods.
Gamelan Gamelan is a traditional Javanese music instrument used in many Balinese traditional celebrations to welcome visitors.
Offerings for the Gods In Hinduism, these are the offerings for the Gods, consisting of colorful flowers and snacks. You will see many of these in public spaces.
HOTEL & RESORT / ayana
Escape the urban landscape and retreat to the best luxury villa in Bali at AYANA Resort and Spa. Designed to ensure maximum seclusion for every guest, our 78 free-standing, cliff-top Bali luxurious villas are set in traditional Balinese compounds with private pools surrounded by tropical gardens. You will feel like the only people on earth. If you do decide to venture out of your luxury private villas, you enjoy convenient access to all AYANA Resort and Spa Bali facilities, including Thermes Marins Bali Spa, restaurants, and cafes.
Location
rock bar vip villa package
Jl. Karang Mas Sejahtera, Jimbara, Bali, Indonesia 80364
Room rates The Villa Club Rooms Rooms & Suites
US$ 313 / night US$ 425 / night US$ 610 / night
activities Four pools & beaches Spas & massages Dining Weddings Rock Bar
AYANA awards Travel + Leisure 2013 World’s Best Hotel List CNN Travel 2012 Best Wedding Venue Forbes Travel Guide 2012 World’s Best Bars 20
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There’s only one thing better than a Rock Bar sunset, and that’s an AYANA sunrise. The innovative design, dramatic inclinator access and unique location have resulted in Rock Bar being voted amongst the World’s Best Bars, but the best way to experience it is as an in-house guest of AYANA Resort and Spa Bali, entitling you to skip the queue with Priority Access. Exclusive for Villa guests, this 3-day/2-night Rock Bar VIP Villa Package includes a bonus credit against your Rock Bar bill, daily breakfast, and accommodation in a luxurious private villa with 24-hour butler service, private pool and exclusive benefits.
Ayana’s new cliff villa Located along the cliffs just south of the main hotel, AYANA Resort and Spa Bali’s 38 one-bedroom Cliff Villas represent a ‘resort within a resort’. These luxury private villas in Bali enjoy their own dedicated lobby surrounded by a lotus pond, which overlooks a two-tiered, infinity-edged freshwater pool and library/recreation lounge. The Ayana’s New Cliff Villa
is very a great place for honeymoon. The chic Dave Restaurant serves a la carte breakfast and modern French dining at night, while The Martini Club provides a stunning sunset venue with panoramic views and an extensive list of more than 50 perfectly-shaken classic and contemporary martinis. Reservation & bookings: (+62) 361-70-2222
st. regis / HOTEL & RESORT
This stunning beachfront resort boasts panoramic ocean views, 3,668 square meters of seawater lagoons on 9 hectares of lush gardens, legendary bespoke Butler Service, award-winning dining venues, bars, Remède Spa, and the Children’s Learning Center. St. Regis is a leading world class hotel and resort, providing a variety of leisure facilities, including private spas and massage, private villa swimming poolsand, yoga and sport center, executive lounges, and white-sand beach.
the strand residence master bedroom
Location
The majestic Strand Residence is located on The St. Regis Bali Resort beachfront, with unobstructed ocean views that stretch to the horizon. A private entrance, lush with tropical plants and the sound of water graciously introduce guests to this enviable mode of Bali island living. The two-storey residence is open and airy, with a grand foyer, high ceilings, mahogany wood floors, and fine furnishings.
Jl. Kawasan Pariwisata Btdc, Nusa Dua Lot S6, Bali, Indonesia 80363
st. regis features
Room rates The Villa Suites Strand Residence
US$ 340 / night US$ 465 / night US$ 684 / night
activities 2 pools & beaches Spas & massages Dining Bar/lounge Water sport
ST.REGIS awards Travel + Leisure 2013 World’s Best Hotel List The St. Regis Bali Resort offers all that guests might desire in a tropical paradise and much more. Experience sheer relaxation in the Remède Spa, an exclusive destination with 12 treatment rooms, including two Spa Suites and island-inspired treatments using natural, healing ingredients. High or low tide, the resort’s sandy beach leads to refreshing ocean dips and snorkeling in crystal waters. Nearby, guests will find fascinating day trips, all easily arranged with the resort’s concierge. Reservation & bookings: (+62) 361-847-8111
Forbes Travel Guide 2012 World’s Best Spa
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Reader Responses I really like that you really emphasize the cultural part of your last issue. It really made me more aware of different traditions in many other countries. I think you really should keep this up! Great work!
Alexander Rancic, Los Angeles, CA One thing I love from your magazine is the use of amazing photographs. Your photographs did deliver the message you aimed to convey.
Nova Amilia, Washington, DC I am always impressed by your layout design. Your design is very modern and it does work well with the overall content of your publication. I am very excited to read the new issue and explore other countries that are rich in culture.
Richard Ness, Boston, MA I really liked the Italian food culture article provided in your last issue. I went to Italy last year for a vacation and your article just reminded me a lot of my experience trying different kinds of food in Italy. You have done a great job in connecting your publication with the reader’s personal experience. Love it!!
Kristina Millian, Miami, FL
Last Word.. By Maesa Putra
Travel is not about visiting beautiful places. It is not just about taking awesome pictures of all the places you visit. Travel is more than that. It is the experience that you want to look for because it connects you to the outside world or daily environment. Travelling has been my passion since I was in elementary school. My family and I have some sort of yearly family vacation to some of the world’s best tourist places such as Singapore, Japan, Australia, France, Holland, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa, Tanzania, and many more. In the past few years I start to realize that travelling has been teaching me so much about people, culture, and the world. Take an example, Dubai, UAE. The day I arrived there I was really amazed with all the advanced technology, the diverse culture in the city, and the modern buildings. People came from all over the world, spoke many different languages, brought many different approaches, and showed different attitudes, all together combined into one culture. A completely different environment, Tanzania as an example. I went there last Christmas break with my family and we stayed in the jungle for 7 days. I had such a totally different experience; something that showed me the opposite of a fancy and luxurious lifestyle. I remember that when we wanted to shower, we had to call the resort reception to prepare us water because they used the solar energy to heat up the water. Can you imagine this? Even if you stay in a nice resort in an African jungle or some other remote or undeveloped place you still have to use the solar energy to have hot showers, This is what I mean by “experience”. Travel gives you a lot of opportunities to experience different things, to feel the cultures, and to meet people from different backgrounds. It teaches you a lot of undiscovered things about the world. 22
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