Some stunning pictures of Krakatoa have been captured by an amateur photographer. Krakatoa lies between Sumatra and Java and in 1883 killed 36,000 people when it blew up.
More pictures can be found at Nine MSN.
Krakatoa Back From the Dead
By admin on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 | No Comments
Bali Visit – Spectacular Kintamani
The Bali Driver takes you on a trip to Kintamani and Mount Batur.
Head towards the center of the island traveling through the magnificent terraced rice fields. At the top of the climb you will see the recently active Mount Batur and the peaceful Lake Batur below. The diverse scenery you will see here is another one of the treasures of a Bali visit.
Bali – World's Best Island
By admin on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 | No Comments
Travel & Leisure Magazine has concluded its annual survey of the discerning travelers who comprise its readership asking them to name their favorite cities, islands, hotels, resorts, airlines, cruise ships and even rental car agencies.
Bali has topped the poll and is regarded as the world’s best island.
For many years, Bali consistently ranked as the world’s best island in the prestigious poll, slipping momentarily in the 2008 polling to the number two slot. However, the 2009 Travel & Leisure survey has returned Bali to the coveted number 1 spot, followed by Galapagos, which displaced Bali in the 2008 rankings.
Reproduced with the permission of Bali Discovery Tours http://www.balidiscovery.com
Jakarta Bombing – What is Bali Doing?
By admin on Monday, July 20th, 2009 | No Comments
Friday terrorists detonated bombs at the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Hotels in Jakarta. 55 people were injured and 8 killed in the blasts.
Since then, Bali has taken a number of steps to improve security on the island, including:
Bali Governer Made Mangku Pastika
• Bali’s Governor Made Mangku Pastika, the former Police officer credited with resolving the 2002 and 2003 Bali bombings, immediately convened an emergency coordinating meeting with the Udayana IX Military Command, Bali’s provincial police, local prosecutors and Bali-based intelligence agencies.
• The island’s security status was raise to the highest level of “siaga satu” by the island’s Chief of Police, Inspector General T. Ashikin Husein, putting some 12,000 security personal on duty and at the highest state of readiness.
• Bali’s sea ports and single airport were tightened up with careful checks introduced for both materials and people traveling to the island.
• Within minutes of the blasts in Jakarta, the Bali Hotel Association (BHA) told its members to raise their security levels to “red” – bringing pre-existing security screens and surveillance procedures to their highest level.
• Within hours of the Jakarta attack, members of the BHA met with the Chief of Police to enhance coordination with the security forces. During that meeting, the Chief of Police indicated that no credible threat to Bali’s security had been detected at this time, but, in response to the Jakarta attacks, the island was now on “high alert.”
• Hotel, restaurant and travel agency staff have been briefed by their respective stakeholder organizations to remain calm and focus on the comfort and safety of island visitors, avoiding speculation and rumors in connection with the Jakarta attacks.
• A check of several hotels and the Bali airport do not provide proof of any mass exodus of visitors following the Jakarta bombings.
• The Governor’s office has issued written instructions to mayors and regency heads, ordering heightened security measures and complete cooperation with the police in introducing security checks in every district of the province.
• The regional administration is moving “full ahead” with plans to enhance security measures by a self-imposed August deadlines that will see 33 emergency service units distributed across the island, the installation of 1,000 closed circuit TV and the operation of a crisis center charged with crisis management for Bali.
Reproduced with permission from Bali Discovery Tours. http://www.balidiscovery.com.
The Hole is Bigger
By admin on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 | No Comments
Repairs Start on Ubud Main Road
A few days ago we posted a video on the rather large pothole in Jalan Raya Ubud right outside the Ubud Market.
Work started today to repair the damage and the heavy machinary was brought in to do the excavating. It turns out that the water running under the road was about 5 metres below the surface.
The work was the centre of attention for locals and tourists, and provided some very interesting moments. Especially when the water pipe was broken.
Watch out for the next video on this monster hole.
The Bali Driver – Meet Coman
Do You Need a Good Bali Driver?
If its a Bali Driver you are looking for then you have to meet this guy. He is one of the best.
At least that is what this video just posted on YouTube says.
New 20 Cent Note
By admin on Monday, July 13th, 2009 | No Comments
The Indonesian central bank, Bank Indonesia, officially launched the new 2,000 Rupiah banknote last week. The banknote, which has a value of approximately US 20 cents, will eventually replace the 1,000 Rupiah note as the smallest note in Indonesia.
With the introduction of the new banknotes, the government plans to reduce production of the Rp. 1,000 notes. They will replace them over time with Rp. 1,000 coins.
The mainly gray-colored note features an image of Prince Antasari on the front. He is a national hero from Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. On the back is a drawing of a traditional Dayak dance.
It is expected that 1.2 million notes will be on the streets by the end of the year.
Prostitutes and Transvestites Arrested at Bali Bombing Memorial
By admin on Monday, July 13th, 2009 | 2 Comments
Evening Raid Nets Beggars, Prostitutes and Transvestites
In response to reports that beggars and prostitutes were disturbing visitors in the vicinity of Ground Zero and the Bali Bombing Memorial, sweeping raids were conducted in the area on 1 July.
The evening raids netted a total 37 beggars, 11 commercial sex workers, 19 transvestites, 3 people with no identity cards and 2 improperly parked taxis. Most of the arrests were made in the vicinity of the Bali Bombing Monument.
Most of those arrested had their personal details taken for processing on public nuisance complaints. However, the beggars, many of whom were children, were rounded up for eventual return to their home villages.
The raids were made after receiving numerous complaints from local residents of the nuisance caused by the transient street workers.
Article produced with permission of Bali Discovery Tours. http://www.balidiscovery.com/
Sukawati Ceremony
By admin on Monday, July 13th, 2009 | No Comments
Ceremonies are common in Bali, but this particular one was worth seeing. It stopped traffic for about 40 minutes on a major road north of Denpasar at about 5.00 on Friday afternoon.
Pothole Causes Traffic Chaos
By admin on Monday, July 6th, 2009 | No Comments
A huge pothole in the Ubud main road has caused traffic chaos in the area.
The hole is in the centre of the road, right outside the market in the heart of Ubud. That section of road is usually bumper to bumper most of the day, but today it was completely closed.
The hole looks to be at least 2 meters deep and the sound of running water can be heard coming from the hole. It appears that there is a large drainage system running under the road.
West bound traffic was diverted about 1 kilometer, but for people traveling east it was not so easy. The detour was about 10 kilometers through the rice fields to the north, which takes about 20 minutes.
One can only imagine the scale of the work required to repair the damage. It could be weeks before traffic can pass again.
