| Information On Bali |
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BALI Regions
North Bali
North Bali includes most of the Buleleng district around Singaraja. Behind its casual daily life, Bali has a rich history. In Singaraja you will find remnants of Dutch imperialism from when it was the administrative center of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Horse-pulled carriages (dokar or sado) elegantly walk the tree-lined streets filled with Dutch colonial houses. Lovina Beach, west of Singaraja, offers popular beach resorts with many of the Kuta amenities but without its crowds. Sunsets in Kuta are spectacular: dolphin watch out, snorkelling, diving in as well as social and night life scenes can also be found in Lovina.
East Bali
The Eastern part of Bali is the most mountainous area of the island. The Gunung Agung is the highest point in Bali (which means Holy Mountain). The Mother Temple of Bali, Besakih Temple is located at the foot of Mount Agung.
The Klungkung area is also historically significant, having served as a focal point of art and culture in the Gelgel dynasty. The roof of Kertha Gosa, the court room of the Klungkung kingdom is covered with painted panels telling the story of justice.
The East side of Bali displays many beaches for diving, snorkelling, spectacular sunsets and sun bathing. At Tenganan, a village of the Bali Aga people west of Candidasa, one can see a mysterious water temple emerge from the water.
Central Bali
Central Bali around Ubud, is the central art spot in Bali. Ubud is the birthplace of Bali's modern paintings. Both Puri Lukisan Museum (Palace of Fine Arts) and Neka Museum are excellent museums with permanent painting exhibitions that show the evolution of Balinese paintings. Art galleries are practically everywher. A little South of the city you can find Celuk where silver and gold jewellery has been perfected to the very details and Mas where dance and other performance masks are made. Further North, in Kitamani you can enjoy the panorama of the highland of Bali by Lake Batur or in Bedugul by Lake Bratan.
South Bali
In South Bali, from Denpasar to Kuta and to Nusa Dua, one can find a wide variety of things. Traces of the Badung Raja of Puputan War fame still exist. Beautiful, tranquil beaches gracefully integrate with the world's most sumptuous and luxurious hotels in Nusa Dua. Then, there is Kuta, where everything you either love or hate as a tourist is.
West Bali
The West Bali areas are not as popular (mostly for those who prefer to get away from it all). Gilimanuk, at the Western tip of Bali is the gateway to Java. The wildlife of Bali is preserved in the Bali Barat National Park.
Also found here is the tomb of Jayaprana, a 17th century king whose Romeo and Juliet style love story is immortalised by folklore in Bali.
The Weather
What is the weather like in Bali? It's in the tropics, located about 6 degrees South of the equator. The sun rises at 6am and sets at 6pm most of the year. The temperature variations are very little and Bali does not have four seasons but has only a wet season from September to February and a dry season for the other half of the year. But the difference is marginal; at the peak of the wet season you will see about a half-hour to an hour serious downpour in the afternoon, about perfect for a siesta. The rest of the time you enjoy a nice, warm temperature, especially with a twist of sea-breeze in the beaches of Kuta or Nusa Dua.
One of the over fourteen thousand islands of the Indonesian archipelago, the island of Bali sits exactly 12 time zones away from New York City, approximately halfway between Singapore on the tip of the South East Asian peninsula and Darwin on the north-western part of Australia.
Bali island is not too big - about 100 miles from North to South, and 175 miles from West to East. You can start after breakfast from your hotel in Nusa Dua, which is practically the southern most point of the island, drive up North and have lunch in Singaraja, which is the northern most point of the island. Or you can drive around the perimeter of the island, starting from your hotel in the morning, and might even make it back before supper. And that's doing it leisurely.
Geography
One of the approximately 14,000 islands that comprise the Indonesian archipelago, Bali anchors east of Java, separated by the small Strait of Bali, and surrounded by the Java Sea on the north, the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Strait of Lombok on the east. A string of volcanic mountains crown the northern part of Bali, with Gunung Agung (Litterally Divine Mount) as the tallest at 3,142 meters. This volcano, as well as Mount Batukaru, Mount Batur, and Mount Merebuk, is still active.
Extremely important to the agricultural life of Bali, especially for rice crops, the Ayung, Unda, Sungsang, Balian, Yeh Sumi, Petanu, and Saban rivers carry the water from the highland to the seas. There are four major lakes: Lake Batur at the crater of Mount Batur, Lake Buyan, Lake Bratan, and Lake Temblingan.
Climate
Bali, being only a few degrees south of the equator, enjoys tropical weather. It means that the sun rises at 6 a.m.in the morning and sets at 6 p.m. all year round., The average temperature is around 26-30 Celsius
This climate endows Bali with a number of unique vegetation, including wringing trees (Banyan), salak Bali, and a multitude of flowers from a very fragrant cempaka (Michelia champaca) to literally thousand kinds of orchids. Its fauna is equally rich. Bali is the native land to the Bali Tiger, which is almost extinct; Bali cattle, graceful animals not like other cows; bats that haunt caves like the Bat Cave near Kusamba; sea turtles of Nusa Dua; Jalak Bali or Bali Sterling (Leucopsar rothschildi) that has inspired countless number of painters and artists.
Economy
In 1990, the population of Bali was 2,778,000, 93.18% are Hindus, with a density of 500 persons per sq. km, and an average growth of 1.18%. Bali's economy is one of the most vivacious in Indonesia, fuelled by constant flow of tourism dollars and supported by agricultural production and trade revenues. Balinese people are gifted artists, producing garments arts & crafts that are exported. In addition to gorgeous nature and enchanting people and culture, Bali is also endowed with fertile land.
The primary export products are garments, handicrafts and agricultural products such as fish, coffee, tuna, seaweed, and vanilla. The arable land of South Bali and a sophisticated irrigation mechanism arranged through the Water Temple system (which has been shown by a couple of University of Southern California scientists to be optimal), give Bali and its people two full crops of rice year after year. The land is also an excellent grazing pasture for Balinese cattle, water buffaloes, goats, sheep, and horses. Pigs are also raised and consumed a lot in Bali, and chickens and ducks are raised by the farmers in their land. The rain forests in Bali produce cayu put oil, rattan, and incense, which is used ubiquitously in Balinese ceremony. There is about 8,535.05 ha of productive forest area. The Balinese are not too eager to explore the sea because they believe that it is the place of evil spirits. However, tuna, baramundi, seaweed, and shrimp are quite abundant in the surrounding Bali waters. Balinese have about 841.37 ha of water fishery areas.
Epilogue
Having been promoted by the Dutch during the colonialization period, Balinese tourism is the most advanced in Indonesia. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Bali's tourism is the fact that the Balinese people retain its own cultural identity, despite the exposure and intermingling of all kinds of people and culture from all over the world.
No visa required for nationals of :
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
All visitors must have a valid passport for at least six months from the date of arrival. Proof of return tickets are also required.
Airlines
The primary gateway to Indonesia is the Sukarno-Hatta International Airport of Jakarta (also known as Cengkareng CKG), but there are increasingly more international airlines that offer direct flights to Bali. From Jakarta, Garuda Indonesia and Sempati Air have around a dozen departure times to Bali.
Internationally, Garuda also has direct flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, and a number of Australian cities; as well as flights from Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and other European cities. Qantas Airlines of Australia provides direct flights from a number of Australian cities as well as a number of European cities (e.g. London). Air New Zealand will also take you from Auckland to Bali. KLM of the Netherlands is one of the first international airlines to have an international flight to Bali, and it will take you from many cities in Europe, notably Amsterdam, to Bali. Lauda Air, Lufthansa Airlines and Air France can also assist you to escape from Europe. From Asia, direct flights from Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong are readily available from Garuda Indonesia, Thai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines.
Cruise lines and ferries
A number of international cruise lines has long included Bali in its scheduled stop. To get to Bali from Java, there is a ferry that runs regularly between Ketapang in East Java to Gilimanuk in the western tip of Bali. From Lombok, there are a number of ferry services from Lembar in Lombok to Padangbai or Benoa in Bali.
Ground transportation
If you have time, travelling by bus from Java to Bali will give you an unfiltered look of small Javanese villages and nature. The road network is good, and comfortable and safe buses like Lorena's Mercedes-Benz fleet will make the road trip even more memorable.
To get around Bali, you can use public transportation such as bemos or buses( usually very cheap). You should be prepared to appreciate the romance of sharing your seat with a rooster. You can also rent all modes of transportation from bicycles, motorcycles, cars and limousines. Alternatively, you can hire tourist guides who can provide transportation as part of their service.
Money
When it comes to spending, Bali is probably the cheapest paradise. You can get a round-trip ticket from Europe or from the U.S. for about US$1,200 to US$1,500 (or even less if you buy well ahead or wait for promotional sales). The average tourist spends less than $100 per day for everything: food, accommodation, souvenirs, etc. So two weeks of living in paradise for less than US $3,000...
Accommodation, can cost you from a $3 per night at a homestead to a $1,500 a night for a luxurious private bungalow facing the ocean. A painting of Bali from an apprentice in Ubud can cost you $100, but one from the Museum Puri Lukisan can cost you $10,000.
Business Travel
Bali has a sophisticated financial infrastructure to accommodate you. Most stores will accept most foreign currencies without hesitation. The local banks in Bali can help you transfer money easily from and to most countries, as well as exchanging your money into Rupiahs.
As a city of commerce like Singapore, Tokyo, Hamburg or New York, Jakarta sees plenty of visitors coming to the city for business purposes. With a high standard of meetings and convention facilities, the capital is one of the country's top convention destinations. The others are Bali, Yogyakarta in Central Java, Medan in North Sumatra, Surabaya in East Java, Bandung in West Java and Ujung Pandang in South Sulawesi. These locations offer high-standard facilities and services, professional management, state-of-the-art technology, exquisite scenery and unique cultures.
Despite its status as a city of commerce, Jakarta also offers places of interest to explore. For those of you with an interest in history and culture, you may be interested in visiting Jakarta's museums.
The Jakarta History Museum, for instance, provides the background of Jakarta through displays of old maps and antiques including furniture and porcelain used by the Dutch rulers of Batavia, and a 16th century Portuguese cannon which stands just across the cobble stone square.
Leisure Travel
Culture enthusiasts, don't miss out on visiting museums in Bali or Jakarta, or watch some of the numerous cultural performances. Bali offers plethora of traditional shows, the best place to see these being the art centre of the island, Ubud.
Leisure travel destinations in Indonesia are not just confined to Bali, Lombok and Yogyakarta, of course, since all provinces of the archipelago have their own unique places of interest.
Medan in North Sumatra is well known for its expansive Lake Toba, the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia, and South Kalimantan for its waterways stretching deep inland.
Bunaken Island in North Sulawesi is a veritable paradise for snorkels and scuba enthusiasts, to name but a few of the myriad of travel alternatives.
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