Vivid dresses and gold headpieces shimmer as Balinese dancers gracefully perform the classic legong, gambuh and other spectacular local dances at the immensely popular Bali Arts Festival.

The Bali Arts Festival or commonly known as ‘Pesta Kesenian Bali’ is a full month of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which literally the whole of Bali comes to the city to present its offerings of dance, music and beauty. On display are trances from remote mountain slopes, forgotten or recently revived village dances, food and offering contests, classical palace dances, stars of Balinese stage, odd musical performances, “kreasi baru” (new creations) from the dance schools of Denpasar, as well as contemporary choreography and dance companies from other islands and from abroad.

The festival is thus a unique opportunity to see local village culture both “live” and at first hand. Tourists are warmly welcomed and the most important thing is this event is for free.

For detail schedule please click: http://bit.ly/kDvKBC

Balinese Hindus celebrate Pagerwesi ceremony every six months based on Bali’s calender system (210 days). Pagarwesi means “iron fence,” and is a day to strengthen one’s fortification against evil. The offerings to the Gods and ask for spiritual power to cope with hardship and misfortune. Offerings are made for the uncremated dead at the cemeteries.
This year the Pagerwesi ceremony falls on Wednesday April 27th.

The meaning of the word Pagerwesi comes from two Javanese words, pager (fence) and wesi (iron). Pagerwesi literally means the day of “iron fence”. According to this belief, a person should protect themselves with a strong fortification against the forces of evil.

The Pagerwesi Day is believed to be a day upon which an ancient battle between good and evil is celebrated.

Mount Merapi has broken its own record after erupting nonstop for more than 24 hours, and geologists are now calling this episode the mountain’s worst since the 1870s.
After erupting and spewing heat clouds since Wednesday morning, the mountain unleashed its most extreme volcanic activity yet on Thursday, sending ash seven kilometers into the air.

Geologists said Thursday’s eruption at 5:55 a.m. was five times stronger that the initial eruption on Oct. 26, which lasted only 33 minutes.
Having erupted almost daily for 10 days, Surono, head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), said this episode was considered Merapi’s worst eruption since the 1870s.
The 1872 eruption, which until now had been considered Merapi’s most violent in recent history, destroyed 13 villages and killed 1,400 people.
Later on Thursday, Surono said the heat clouds were spreading as far as 11.5 kilometers from the crater, dangerously near the edge of the expanded 15-kilometer danger zone, and lava was flowing into the mountain’s rivers.
“The heat clouds are moving more freely since Mount Merapi’s marathon eruptions, destroying houses, trees and anything else in the way,” he said.
“The temperature of the heat clouds is 600 to 800 degrees Celsius. Anyone who does not flee from the disaster zone will not be safe.”
Surono also called on people to keep a safe distance from rivers flowing from the slopes of Mount Merapi.
Heavy rain overnight triggered lahars, mixtures of water and rock debris, that cascaded down the Kuning, Gendol, Woro, Boyong, Krasak and Opak rivers on the slopes of the volcano, destroying a bridge and riverbanks.
“We’re concerned about public safety because there have been lahar flows and this can lead to flooding if they exceed the capacity of those rivers,” Surono said.
Raden Sukhyar, chief of the geology department at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said there was still no indication when the eruptions would end.
“We still cannot ensure that the extreme catastrophic events on Thursday will mark a decrease in activity of Mount Merapi,” he said.
“We’re not going to drop its status from the highest alert because we don’t know when the eruptions will end.”
The eruptions have forced the residents of 32 villages within the disaster zone to evacuate.
Central Java’s governor, Bibit Waluyo, said more than 62,000 people from Magelang, Klaten and Boyolali districts had been forced from their homes, while Sri Purnomo, head of Sleman district in Yogyakarta, said his area had more than 22,000 evacuees.
The geologists warned that the dangers posed by the volcano extended beyond the people in the immediate danger zone.
Sukhyar said the volcano had spewed more than 50 million cubic meters of ash, sand and gravel.
“The winds tend to move to the west, taking volcanic ash toward Magelang, but it can spread anywhere depending on the wind direction,” he said.
Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi, speaking in Jakarta, said he had instructed airlines to direct all flights crossing Java to the north or south to avoid Merapi. “We have already prepared alternative routes for all flights,” he said.
“It may cost more and use up more fuel, but safety comes first.”
At least one hajj flight from Solo to Batam is known to have had engine trouble relatedto volanic ash.
Herry Bakti Gumay, director general of air transportation, said they had issued a warning last week to all airline operators with flights into Yogyakarta and would not withdraw it until conditions returned to normal.
However, the minister said airports in Yogyakarta, Solo and Semarang would remain open.
“If the ash covers the runways, then we will need to close them,” Freddy said.
“But they can be reopened after cleaning, which would take just a few hours.”

As Mount Merapi continues to erupt, cigarette companies sponsor rescue efforts.Indonesia: This volcano brought to you by Philip Morris
As Mount Merapi continues to erupt, cigarette companies sponsor rescue efforts.
By Will Carless
Published: November 4, 2010 12:55 ET in Asia

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia — Nobody is allowed to smoke in the Sampoerna Rescue camp.

The cluster of leaky, ash-covered canvas tents that has been set up in a muddy field here, on the slopes of erupting Mount Merapi in Central Java, has been designated a smoke-free zone by volunteers and employees of Sampoerna, one of Indonesia’s largest tobacco companies.

The camp is one of the only places here in Java, where almost two-thirds of adult males are addicted to cigarettes, and where smoking is tolerated everywhere from airport lounges to children’s play parks, that you can’t smoke.

The company, which has been owned by Philip Morris since 2005, paid for the camp, the flashy four-wheel drive vehicles parked in front of it, and the cluster of eager staffers wearing natty red and black uniforms covered with company logos. The team is one of several emergency response efforts organized by large Indonesian corporations in response to the devastating series of eruptions that have so far killed more than 100 people and displaced more than 150,000 rural residents in the last week.

On Thursday, as the volcano unleashed its biggest explosion yet — only to be dwarfed by another explosion Friday that more than doubled the death toll — the mountainside crawled with expensive ambulances, water purification trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles, all provided by the companies.

Businesses as diverse as Jakarta-based conglomerate Artha Graha, telecommunications giant Telkomsel and state oil company Pertamina provided the vehicles, which, like the uniforms of the squads of employees who operate them, are typically emblazoned with corporate logos.

Known here as “corporate social responsibility” efforts, the disaster relief teams aim to augment efforts by a stretched Indonesian government to house, clothe and feed evacuees from the volcano. Representatives of the companies working on the mountain said their efforts are entirely altruistic, and balked at any suggestion that the aid teams double as a marketing campaign for the companies.

But local residents and evacuees were not so sure.

“Why can’t they just do the good stuff, but without the advertising?” asked 18-year-old Anin, who like many Indonesians only uses one name and who was volunteering at an evacuation camp opposite the Sampoerna camp in her home village of Harjobinangung. “Why can’t they just use plain white vehicles or something?”

Earlier this week, police and military officers tore down hundreds of banners and advertisements for political parties that had quickly sprung up on main streets in the evacuation zone. The removal of the advertisements, which had rankled local residents and evacuees, came after a local official announced that they had been erected without permits.

Aprilianto, a 31-year-old evacuee from the slopes north of Harjobinagung, said the government should apply the same rules to private companies that have erected banners and tents displaying their corporate logos.

“The companies are taking advantage of the situation, so why should they be treated differently?” Aprilianto said.

Inside one of the Sampoerna tents, Herman Sudjarwo, a general practitioner who usually works in a private hospital in the city of Surabaya in East Java, attended to evacuees in a makeshift clinic. He said most of the 90 to 100 patients he sees a day are suffering from breathing difficulties attributable to the high levels of volcanic ash and dust that have rained down from the volcano’s crater.

Asked whether he sees any irony in a cigarette company providing free medical checkups, Sudjarwo giggled.

“This is to balance it out,” he said.
Arief Triastika, a national coordinator for Sampoerna’s community development efforts, who has been managing the camp on Merapi, said his company is only interested in providing assistance to people affected by the volcano and is not using the disaster as a promotional opportunity.
Sampoerna maintains three disaster management teams on the island of Java and has dispatched crews of volunteers to disasters all over Indonesia since 2002, Triastika said. The company has helped provide food, medical equipment and logistical aid to victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the 2006 tsunami in West Java, earthquakes in Padang and Yogyakarta and floods across Java in 2010, he said.
Asked if skeptical evacuees have criticized his efforts, Triastika shook his head vigorously.

“At the moment we don’t have that criticism. And we keep giving the best we can do for the community,” he said.

When employees and volunteers want to smoke at the Sampoerna Rescue camp, they have to leave the tents, even if it is pouring with rain, Triastika said. The camp is a de facto medical clinic, he said, and therefore must be kept sterile.

Locals eyeing the tents and the Sampoerna banners from an evacuation camp across the street had other ideas about the Sampoerna effort, however.

Asked if he had ever thought to approach the camp volunteers for free cigarettes (the company does not hand out cigarettes), Aprilianto’s eyes lit up.

“No,” he said as he stubbed out a rival brand’s clove cigarette. “Do they do that?”

AND ALSO SEE :

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/11/mount_merapis_eruptions.html

Money can buy a house, but not a home.

Money can buy a bed, but not sleep.

Money can buy a clock, but not time.

Money can buy a book, but not knowledge.

Money can buy food, but not an appetite.

Money can buy position, but not respect.

Money can buy blood, but not life.

Money can buy medicine, but not health.

Money can buy sex, but not love.

Money can buy insurance, but not safety.

Carrying tradition: Male dancers from Bangli regency perform a traditional dance during the opening of the annual festival.JP/Stanny Anggono Carrying tradition: Male dancers from Bangli regency perform a traditional dance during the opening of the annual festival.JP/Stanny Anggono

“If the international community has an annual World Economic Forum, it should also create an annual World Cultural Forum here in Bali,” Yudhoyono said during the opening of the annual Bali Arts Festival last weekend.

The annual arts festival, initiated by noted scholar and former Bali Governor Ida Bagus Mantra in 1978, has been a showcase for the island’s rich culture and tradition.

However, it will take more than organizing an art festival to develop the island into an international art venue.

Bali still lacks professional art management and international-standard art venues including well-equipped theater stages and concert halls. Supporting infrastructures are badly needed to make the island a world-class art venue.

The Art Center complex in downtown Denpasar — which is currently hosting the art festival — is no longer adequate to accommodate colossal art performances.

Furthermore, many artists and scholars have strongly criticized the festival committee’s lack of professionalism in handling the event.

The art festival, which created a Rp 5 billion hole in the provincial budget, has turned into a traditional market rather than a sophisticated art event.

Every Sekehe (community-based art troop) complained it could do much better if it had enough money to support artistic endeavors. Improving the management of the annual Pekan Kesenian Bali (PKB) Arts Festival could be the key to making the president’s dream come true.

Ready to dance: Female dancers are ready to perform at the 32nd Bali Arts Festival in Puputan field, Badung, Bali, on Saturday. About 3,000 artists from Bali and seven countries are participating in the cultural fiesta, which is taking place between June 11 and July 11. JP/Zul Trio AnggonoReady to dance: Female dancers are ready to perform at the 32nd Bali Arts Festival in Puputan field, Badung, Bali, on Saturday. About 3,000 artists from Bali and seven countries are participating in the cultural fiesta, which is taking place between June 11 and July 11. JP/Zul Trio Anggono

The local administration, with financial and technical support from the central government, should be able to turn this annual art event into international scale art gathering, by taking a closer look at how our neighbor Singapore handles annual festivals for example.

The one-month long festival, started from June 11 through July 11, has the potential to become one of the island’s most popular tourist attractions since it is held during school holidays and summer holidays for overseas visitors.

Kadek Suartaya, an art lecturer and expert in traditional music instruments, was of the opinion that PKB had become a significant secular cultural activity that could draw thousands of spectators if it wanted to.

“This [the festival] is the most awaited event for the majority of Balinese artists and commoners alike,” wrote Suartaya. Both amateur and professional artists see the festival as a landmark for their artistic careers.

PKB features more than three hundred performing arts — theater, dance, traditional and contemporary music and more importantly the island’s ancient and rare arts, preserved so well by its talented and dedicated artists.

Watching the two-kilometer long art procession prior to the opening of the festival on Saturday afternoon was thrilling.

It was a real multicultural event, a window into Balinese arts and culture as well as the culture of other ethnic groups of Indonesia. The active participation of seven foreign countries such as the United States, Sweden, India, Singapore and Japan further enriched and colored this festivity.

Who says you can’t laugh: Comedy dancers entertain spectators during a Calon Arang folklore performance in Denpasar.JP/Zul Trio AnggonoWho says you can’t laugh: Comedy dancers entertain spectators during a Calon Arang folklore performance in Denpasar.JP/Zul Trio Anggono

Under the sub-theme Bhuana Kerti, the purification of the Universe, the procession started with a special ritual carried out by Governor Made Mangku Pastika.

Beautiful and handsome musicians and dancers performed Adi Merdangga bale ganjur traditional percussion followed by Siwa Nata Raja dance theater.

Clad in glamorous and glittering Balinese traditional costumes, hundreds of artists mesmerized distinguished guests and spectators.

Delegations from the island’s eight regencies and representatives of artists from 20 provinces in Indonesia and seven foreign countries participated in the procession.

The festival itself is more than just a joyous art activity. It is a search for spiritual enlightenment. This year’s festival bears a specific theme Sudama: Searching for the purity of our conscience.

For the next 30 days, Bali will host hundreds of quality art performances that will enrich anybody watching them.

For Indonesians fed up with the current media hullabaloo, the Bali Arts Festival might just be the perfect antidote — an artistic as well as spiritual oasis.

Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com

Pendet Dance constitutes a dance presentation to ancestors (Bhatara and Bhatari). It is regularly presented at the outermost courtyard of temple, facing to a shrine where Bhatara and Bhatari abide. The dance is performed by women in customary attires and they bring silver bowl with wide rim filled with canang sari, flowers and kwangen. Some of them also bring ritual paraphernalia such as holy water container and earthware flask. This dance is performed en masse, led by a temple priest and the dancers bring a pasepan or aromatic barks burnt on standing tray.

At the ending session, some dancers put the offerings, canang sari and kwangen in the shrine, while others sprinkle the flower to Bhatara as their honor. This dance is accompanied by gamelan music. At some regions in Southern Bali, this dance is presented in duet by some pairs of dancers called Gabor Dance. Sometimes it is also inserted with male dancers bringing kris dagger that later on known as Baris Pendet Dance.

In the 1960s, the Pendet Dance was presented to welcome guests in relation to Bali as a tourist destination. Interestingly, it was once performed en masse on the opening ceremony of Asian Games in Jakarta on the special request of President Soekarno.

Today, the Pendet Dance is usually presented by six to eight female dancers in arranged costumes. At the end of the dance, the flowers are sprinkled to guests. (BTN/015)

Copyright : http://www.bali-travelnews.com

Bali News: Bali Hotels Association Issues Security Statement
(7/27/2009) Following the bombing of two Jakarta hotels on Friday, July 18, 2009, the Bali Hotels Association issued the following security statement:

The Bali Hotels Association would like to convey its deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the victims and families involved in the recent incident in Jakarta on July 17th and we wish those injured, a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts go out to our fellow colleagues and hoteliers in Jakarta affected by these events.

Security in Bali remains on high alert and key stakeholders in Bali have developed a close network with Local and National Authorities to ensure the communication and distribution of relevant updates and actions that have a direct impact on the safety of our guests, staff and communities.

The Badung Head of Regency, in cooperation with Police, Military and Intelligence, have met with Bali Hotel Owners, Management and Hotel Security Personnel to discuss and communicate the strategies and procedures in place from Indonesian Authorities down to the Community level.

Police and Military and increased their security measures and presence at all levels and have in place a direct emergency communication number or “Community Hotline ” to report any suspicious individuals or behavior. The Bali Hotels Association is sharing resources with the authorities and enhancing the communication infrastructure amongst all stakeholders to further improve security support and collaboration.

“In any crisis there is always something to ultimately learn and improve” BHA chairman, Robert Lagerwey added. “Emergency situations demand an accurate and timely response, and BHA is doing everything possible to ensure assistance and a balanced reporting on the situation in Bali.”

Copyright : http://www.balidiscovery.com

“Bali is an idyll; a strange oriental idyll, wonderful in line and color. We must not compare it to any other idyll. Bali is itself. Bali is Bali and nothing else” (Louis Couperus, a Dutch writer and journalist, wrote in the Haagsche Post, quoted from Shavit 2004:33, italic by the writer).

1. Preliminary
Change signifies one of the authentic characteristics of a community and its culture. In passing through such a change, there is always pulling-extending among several groups, either in the community itself or external parties seeing the community and culture as an object. This matter is very obviously seen in the case of Bali, a community appraised to have a considerably unique culture. Since over a hundred years ago, the Western researchers, artists and circles of Dutch bureaucracy has been extremely apprehensive that one day Bali would ‘change’ and be no more ‘Bali.’ Jan Poortenar, who visited Bali in 1921, wrote in his book ‘An Artist in Java’ that “Bali shall soon be no more”.

Due to its uniqueness, Bali was intended to be ‘conserved’ in order to become Bali as implied in the policy of Dutch administration that was known as ‘Balizering’. It had happened long before the policy of Balizering, as mentioned in the writing of Frederick who came to Bali in 1848. In the meaning of this conservation, there was one having more extreme opinion in order that Bali would not change at all, did not get disturbed and persisted to become the ‘past community and culture’. This can be seen in the writing of Gerrit Pieter

Rouffaer, published in 1915:
‘Let the Balinese live their own beautiful native life as undisturbed as possible! Their agriculture, their village-life, their own forms of worship, their religious art, and their own literature – all bear witness to an autonomous native civilization or rare versatility and richness…
Let the colonial administration, with the strong backing of the Netherlands (home) government, treat the island as a rare jewel that we must protect and whose virginity must remain intact’ (Gerrit Pieter Rouffaer, 1915, in David Shavit, 2004:8)
Such romanticism drew opposition from many circles as change is a certainty within every community and culture and the change itself indeed posed a basic right of the community. Balinese community definitely did not want to be bound by conservation that would freeze its culture as it would even disable the culture itself through a decaying process. This view was more open to change; it even considered such a change a must and paradigm in practice was ‘dynamic conservation’ which included the content of reconstruction, rehabilitation, adaptation, reinterpretation, revitalization, reproduction and utilization other than conservation-preservation in the narrower sense.
In such a dynamic process occurred a prolonged debate with framework-over- framework and multilayered questions as follows:
•     To what extent is the change allowed, tolerated or acceptable?
•     How do we make a definition on the core aspects and accessory aspects of a community and culture in order to be able to say, despite the change, the identity of its community and culture is maintained?
•     How do we classify and select the elements of culture that should be disposed of (archaic) and the elements that should be maintained (functional) and who has the authority to determine this classification and selection?

Pertaining to the questions above, there are a number of qualitative signs becoming a third way that is widely acceptable, namely the community and culture should change in compliance with the condition of internal and external environment. However, that allowed to change is the external layer of the culture itself, while its core layer becoming the identity of the culture should be conserved.

2. Everlasting Bali in the Waves of Change
Both theoretical and empirical studies have indeed indicated the existence of sustainable changes along the passage of Balinese societal and cultural history. Such changes often transpire fundamentally and revolutionarily and are known as the waves of change. Changes brought by Rishi Markandeya, Mpu Kuturan, Mpu Nirartha and Western (Dutch) integration into the territory of the Republic of Indonesia, tourism development or tertiary revolution are some of the waves of the change.
These waves of change regularly beg the question, will Bali soon lose its ‘balinesity’ or is Bali been no more ‘Bali’? This question was proposed by Frederick in 1859 and then continued by Dutch experts in 1970s. Gregor Krause in 1912 re-posed a similar question and was then resounded by many later writers, such as Miguel Covarrubias in 1937, Gregory Bateson (1941), Margaret Mead (1942), Walter Spies and de Zoete (1942), SCETO (1971), Willard Hanna (1974), Michel Picard (1995) and many more. But up to now, no one dares conclude that Bali is no more Bali. The great anthropologist, Clifford Geertz (1996) even firmly stated that Bali remains Bali and will be Bali forever.
This opinion of Geertz obtained solid foundation from empirical observations and theoretical studies developed by Noronha (1978), McKean (1974) and Fancillon (1980) and later studies (cf. Pitana, 2002). They came to the conclusion, despite several changes, Bali remains Bali. Bali is Bali forever.

3. Heading for Prosperous Bali Based on Tri Hita Karana
Balinese community and culture have the right to change toward the better, namely heading for the more prosperous life in several aspects or heading for jagadhita (prosperous) community. Footprints of passage measures this jagadhita is only possible to be passed through if the Balinese human and community remain to uphold the values existing in its identity, that indeed for the time being has guided such a passage. One of those ‘guidances’ that has indeed included several aspects in life is the Tri Hita Karana (THK). It is not only an advice or guidance, but also process and result. It means that THK should become an advice and guidance for Balinese community in describing the map of their passage; then following through the THK in the process of passage; and ultimately becomes advanced, modern, prosperous community that persistently represents the realization of THK implementation.
THK as an all-inclusive concept has the essence of balance or harmony. Miscellaneous teases and disturbances occurred, a variety of conflict ripples transpired (that are indeed unavoidable in the process of change), should be put back into the point of new equilibrium in conformity with the homeostasis of Balinese community. Related to this equilibrium, the Balinese people indeed have solid roots of history. In connection with the balance with nature, for instance, Gregor Krause (1912) said that Balinese human at all times acted by balancing them out with nature. Covarrubias (1937) said that there was no single ethnic in the world that could equal the Balinese in their harmony with nature. ‘…. no other race gives the impression of living in such close touch with nature, creates such a feeling of harmony between the people and its surrounding’ (1937:260).
It could happen as the Balinese humans ordinarily ‘regulate every act of their lives so that it shall be in harmony with natural forces’. As a consequence, it is like what has been said by de Zoete and Walter Spies (1973:2), ”the Balinese is so perfectly in harmony with his surrounding….”
Did that harmony merely denote a “pseudo-harmony” if seen at a glance by a foreigner, or the expression uttered was too good at hiding the contrastive facts inside? This book will not be capable of answering it completely, but what is carried in the book will be capable of giving reflection on how harmony is in the framework of THK implemented in different periods during the passage of Bali’s history.
This book will discuss several aspects therein that have been mentioned before. To make it convenient and to the point, that is also in keeping with the concept Trisamaya, this book is all in all divided into three important parts, namely:
1.     Historical studies (atita, past aspect);
2.     The current sectoral-dynamic studies (wartamana, present aspect)
3.     Strategic studies toward the aspired future of Bali (nagata, future aspect)
The three parts of the discussion have been adjusted to the principles of strategic thinking through sequential modification, namely (1) commencing by observing the past (atita) as reflection; (2) aspiring to the future (nagata) expected; and (3) designing the measures or programs that should be followed through now (wartamana) without disregarding the past. Every part will consist of several chapters arranged in accordance with the linear thinking logic.
This chronological division is also intended to make the assessment easier in compliance with the theory of Strategic Management, in which the concept of Balinese traditional also teaches the same thing that before leaping forward, there should be a self- evaluation  made in advance, pertaining to the past and present aspect (“wruhakena awakta rumuhun”). However, it would not be wise if we only know the past and present condition without planning the future. As expressed in wise words: “It’s important to know where we are coming from and where we are currently. Far more important though, is to ensure where we are going.”
Having discussed the past aspect, the present dynamic and expectation toward the future, this book is concluded with an epilogue as reflection in the whole. Likewise, this reflection denotes an essence or general conclusion of what has discussed previously in detail.

Copyright : http://www.bali-travelnews.com

Language & Dialects in Indonesia

There are about 583 languages and dialects spoken in the archipelago of Indonesia. They belong to the different ethnic groups of the population spread across the nation.

Some of the distinctly different local languages are: Acehnese, Batak, Sundanese, Javanese, Sasak, Tetum of Timor, Dayak, Minahasa, Toraja, Buginese, Halmahera, Ambonese, Ceramese, and several Irianese languages. To make the picture even more colorful, these languages are also spoken in different dialects.

Bahasa Indonesia is the national language which is simimlar to Malay Language spoken in Malaysia. Most of the words are similar, the difference is only in the slang and tune. Bahasa Indonesia is written in Roman script (English Alphabets) and based on European orthography hence it can be easy to learn if one is familiar with English.

In most of the tourist destination in Indonesia, English is the number one foreign language fairly spoken and written, some Dutch is still spoken and understood in the bigger cities. Mandarin and some Chinese dialects such as the Hokkien may be spoken by the Chinese community especially in Medan!

So here are some basic Bahasa Indonesia which can be useful for your short trip to Indonesia.
Simple Bahasa Indonesia

Greetings and Civilities

* Good Morning (until 11 a.m) = Selamat Pagi
* Good day (11 a.m. to 3 p.m) = Selamat Siang
* Good afternoon (3 p.m. to 6 p.m) = Selamat Sore
* Good Night (after 6 p.m) = Selamat Malam
* Goodbye = Selamat Tinggal
* What is your name? = Siapa Nama anda?
* My name is…. = Nama Saya….
* Thank you = Terima kasih
* You’re welcome = Kembali
* How are you? = Apa kabar?
* Im fine = Kabar baik
* Please (asking for help) = Tolong
* Please (giving permission) = Silakan
* Sorry = Maaf
* Excuse me = Permisi

Questions

* How much? = Berapa?
* Whats the price? = Berapa harganya?
* Expensive = Mahal
* Cheap = Murah
* Discount = Diskon
* How many Kilometers? = Berapa Kilometer?
* Where is….? = Di mana ada?
* Which way? = Ke mana?
* May I take a photo? = Boleh saya foto?
* Where do you live? = Anda tinggal di mana?
* What is this called in Bahasa Indonesia? = Apa namanya ini dalam bahasa Indonesia?
* Do you have…..? = Ada….?
* What time is it? = Jam Berapa?
* Time = Jam

Directions:

* Straight = Lempang / Terus
* Turn = Belok
* Left = Kiri
* Right = Kanan
* Up = Naik
* Down = Turun
* On top = Atas
* Front = Depan
* Behind = Belakang
* Side = Samping
* North = Utara
* South = Selatan
* East = Timur
* West = Barat

Useful World And Phrases

* I don’t understand = Saya tidak mengerti
* I don’t want it = Saya tidak mau
* I want to go to…. = Saya mau ke….
* Yes = Ya
* No = Tidak
* Toilet = Kamar Kecil, WC (pronounced “way say”)
* Telephone number = Nomor telepon
* Hot = Panas
* Cold = Dingin
* Delicious = Enak

* A little = Sedikit
* A lot = Banyak
* More = Tambah
* Less = Kurang

Food & Dining

* Delicious = Enak
* Let’s Eat = Ayo Makan
* I cant take Hot Spicy Food = Saya tidak bisa makan cabe (chilli)

* Fruit = Buah Buahan
* Meat = Daging
* Vegetables = Sayur
* Seafood = Sari Laut
* Beef = Daging Lembu
* Pork = Daging Babi
* Chicken = Ayam
* Prawn = Udang
* Mutton = Daging Kambing
* Ikan = Fish
* Crab = Kepiting
* Salt = Garam
* Sugar = Gula
* Water = Air

Romance:

* I like you = Saya suka kamu
* I love you = Saya cinta kamu

Pronouns & Title:

* I = Saya
* You = Anda, Kamu
* We = Kita, Kami
* He / She = Dia
* They = Mereka
* Mr.  = Bapak
* Miss = mBak
* Mrs. = Ibu
* Man / Boy = Lelaki / Laki – Laki
* Woman / Girl = Perempuan / Cewek

Weather and Temperature:

* Hot = Panas
* Cold = Dingin
* Warm = Hangat

Numbers:

One of the most important Bahasa to learn is the numbers. You use numbers everywhere, for time, dates, prices, descriptions etc. If you could find a calculator to indicate prices, that can help or even papaer to write down the numbers would work great. This is because numerical numbers in Indonesia are of international standards.

So here are the numerical numbers and translations to Bahasa Indonesia:

1. satu
2. dua
3. tiga
4. empat
5. lima
6. enam
7. tujuh
8. delapan / lapan
9. sembilan
10. sepuluh
11. sebelas ( for numbers 11-19 use word “belas” behind the single numbers, see below)
12. dua belas
13. tiga belas
14. empat belas
15. lima belas
16. enam belas
17. tujuh belas
18. delapan belas
19. sembilan belas
20. dua puluh (“puluh” means tens, or the “ty” in twenty = dua puluh, thirty = tiga puluh , forty = empat puluh)
21. dua puluh satu (add single numbers behind twenty-one = dua puluh satu)
22. dua puluh dua and so on

* tens = puluh
* hundreds = ratus
* thousands = ribu
* millions = juta
* billions = milyar

Hope these basic Bahasa Indonesia will be useful for your trip to Indonesia.

According to her, the two generic assets become leading asset owned by Bali. Even, within the last four years spa has become a trend and even virtually all accommodations has spa treatment products. “Not only hotel, travel agents also have a package including spa treatment offered at cheap to expensive rates. Even, in recent years guests often prefer to choose the package that does not only include room, lunch and dinner but also spa,” she added.

Though various treatments can be found in Bali, Balinese spa remains to become the mainstay of this region. “Types of treatment chosen are mostly Balinese spa, lulur and boreh (Balinese herbs used for the treatment). Even, today some foreign countries also sell original boreh and lulur (scrub) of Bali. For instance, foreign visitors from Kuba, Turkey, China and so forth purchased them in Bali and then sold them in their home country,” she revealed.

Occurrence of this spa trend in Bali is influenced by the awareness of wider community considering the importance of health through treatment and relaxation. In addition, aura of Bali obtaining an epithet as the Island of Thousand Temples is also no less important in providing different nuance to those who like this activity,” she added.

Japanese tourists like best this activity. However, lately the market trend develops to Russian, Korean and Taiwanese. “I think the tourists coming to Bali, other than due to its nature, are also drawn by its spa. Spa does not only offer treatment but more than that, namely the experience touching the three aspects namely mind, body and soul,” she affirmed.

This matter was also reaffirmed by starred hotels located at Pecatu, Sanur and Ubud area. According to Diah Wahyuni, Spa Sales Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort & Spa and Sayang Mustika, Human Resources Manager of Griya Santrian Sanur, that the total in-house guests who take spa treatment in the hotel normally 40% per month. Almost all travel agents also include their room package with spa or sell spa package separately. “Seemingly spa facility has become one of the activities or facilities that guests are looking for. Even it contributes 10 % to overall hotel income,” she said.

Similar opinion was expressed by Wayan Ariadi, Assistant Spa Manager of Kamandalu Resort & Spa. According to him, spa poses an important need for guests. Even, guests have a great interest in this treatment, starting from 30-minute treatment of foot massage or those who would like to indulge themselves in six-hour complete treatment. Since spa has become a trend in Bali, Kamandalu Resort offers a variety of room packages including spa treatment.(*Copyright: http://www.bali-travelnews.com)