Miss World In Bali
The Miss World Contest started yesterday and will now be conducted entirely on the island of Bali.
The contest opened on Sunday and later rounds were due to take place in and around Jakarta, with the winner originally set to be crowned at a venue outside the capital on September 28.
Indonesia said on Saturday the final of the Miss World pageant later this month would take place on the Hindu-majority holiday island of Bali instead of near the capital, after days of Muslim hardline protests.
Although the Miss World organizers had already promised to replace the contest’s trademark bikinis with Balinese sarongs for its beach fashion segment, thousands have taken to the streets this week to denounce the decision to hold the contest in Indonesia.
You can read the full story at news.yahoo.com/miss-world
Tourist Dies After Falling Into Volcano
A SWEDISH tourist was killed yesterday when he fell 150 meters into the crater of Mount Batur, an active volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali.
The 25-year-old man slipped as he tried to peer into the crater after a dawn trek to the summit, which climbs to 1700m on the north-eastern side of the island, police said.
“He was looking into the crater, slipped and fell 150m,” local police chief Made Oka said.
He said emergency responders were at the scene and were trying recover the tourist’s body using ropes.
Full story at News.Com.Au
Bali Visitors Fingerprinted
Airport Delays Expected As Authorities Introduce Fingerprinting Of Tourists
(17/4/2010) The Jakarta Globe carries the news that visitors to Bali can now expect yet another delay in the notoriously long lines at customs and immigration at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport with the introduction of a mandatory fingerprinting for tourist visitors.
The head of immigration’s sub directorate for Information-systems, Rohadi Iman Santoso, has announced the new requirement to be introduced at Bali’s airport, with subsequent implementation planned at all international gateways in Indonesia.
The fingerprinting, carried out with ink-less electronic fingerprint readers, will only be required for those using short-stay visas. Foreigners who have permanent or temporary stay permits and who have already been fingerprinted in the process of obtaining their residency in Indonesia are exempted from the new requirement. Children under the age of 14 and those traveling on diplomatic passports are also exempted from the requirement.
Rohadi also announced that tourist visitors would also be photographed using a system that completes the process in 2 minutes.
Rohadi acknowledged that the new requirement would add to the delay for those processing through Bali’s immigration and customs process. Only 10 of the 23 immigration counters at the airport will be initially equipped with the fingerprint scanner.
The system will be introduced nation-wide by July 2010 with scanners then in place at 21 airports, five seaports and at the border crossing between Malaysia and Indonesia at Entikong. The trial introduction now underway is fingerprinting visitors arriving in Bali, Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Solo.
The immigration department has apparently seen little need to socialize the new fingerprinting system with Surya Dharma, a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Ngurah Wijaya, the head of the Bali Tourism Board, claiming no knowledge of the new system.
Biometric screening procedures are already in effect in a number of countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and the United States.
This story is reproduced with the permission of Bali Discovery Tours http://www.balidiscovery.com
Eat Pray Love Trailer
The movie Eat Pray Love starring Julie Roberts is due for release in August 2010. It was filmed in Italy, India and Bali during 2009. The filming in Bali took place on various parts of the island in September and October 2009.
The movie is a big-screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book “Eat Pray Love”
Here is the trailer for the movie Eat Pray Love.
Visa On Arrival
Recent changes to the Indonesia’s visa on arrival, has seen the 7 day visa scrapped.
Previously there were two options available, the US$10 visa which was good for 7 days and the 30 day visa for US$25. From January 26 2010 there is only one option which is US$25 for a 30 day visa which can be extended for a further 30 days.
These changes were introduced to encourage visitors to stay longer, and to combat corruption within Indonesia’s immigration department. The changes have drawn criticism from some circles who believe that it will increase the cost for frequent short stay visitors.
Julia Enjoys a Splash While Filming EPL
Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem shook off controversy over their new movie as they filmed a romantic scene in Bali yesterday.
The Oscar-winning actress, who turns 42 this week, stripped down to a string bikini as she cosied up to her on-screen lover for their new film Eat, Pray, Love.
The pair resumed filming after locals in the village of Bentuyung attempted to disrupt the movie in a row over pay.
Roberts has been filming the big-screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book in Italy, India and Indonesia in recent weeks.
Roberts Expected in Bali Mid October
Famous movie star Julia Roberts is expected in Bali for the filming of “Eat Pray Love” to commence on 16 October.
According to Jakarta Globe, permits have been issued for the filming in Bali, with Roberts due on set from 16 October to 6 November.
“We have issued the permit to shoot in Gianyar. Their preparation is complete,” said Ida Bagus Puruvita, the Gianyar cultural office’s chief of permits and films.
The shoot is planned to take place at the traditional markets and Monkey Forest in Ubud, along with the nearby villages of Demayu and Tegalalang, and in Badung, Uluwatu and Nusa Dua.
Permits for these locations were obtained by the official representative of the production crew, Tino Taroengallo.
Roberts has finished the filming in Rome, and is currently in India. The picture of Roberts was taken during the filming in Rome.
Ubud Pothole Update
The pothole in the Ubud Main Road that first appeared in early July is being repaired. 10 days after it appeared an excavator was brought in to find the problem. After digging a hole 8 metres deep, 8 metres wide and 20 metes long, the cause is quite clear. There is a river running under the road. 3 weeks after the excavation, work has started to repair the damage.
Watch this video and see this monster pothole for yourself.
Krakatoa Back From the Dead
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.
Jakarta Bombing – What is Bali Doing?
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.
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