Nyepi Balinese New Year Day Of Silence

Once in your lifetime you must experience the real Balinese culture and its sacred event. The silence day happen to be celebrated once a year and all people are very excited to celebrate the coming day. The ceremony chain are three days, starting the day before Nyepi (silence day) and come to an end the day after.
Pengerupukan Day

On the day before Nyepi Balinese people will have a ceremony named Tawur Kesanga, a purification day. Held at the main village crossroad which is believed as the home or meeting point of demons and evils. All villagers having Hindus ceremony at their home as well to expel the bad evil surround it. Lighting the torch and making noise to get the Bhuta Kala (evil spirits) away from our lives. Afterward the people will gather at the crossroad to have a parade of ogoh - ogoh (big monster statue made of bamboo symbolize the evil). You will see many monsters in various designs and effects symbolizing the bad evil as well as revealing the story within the Hindus script. This sequence will start in the evening after the sunset, around 07.00 - 9.00 PM and there will be a big crowd in every main road you're passing by. Most of the restaurant will be closed on Sunday night until Tuesday afternoon.
Nyepi (Silence Day)
On Monday early morning, Nyepi day is started. Everything surround you is peaceful and quiet. Nothing but bird's voice will accompany your day. Nyepi is the day when you're back to the ancient day years ago and live away from the crowd of modern city. It's prohibited to have lights on around the clock, making any noise, going out of your residence. There are 4 Nyepi rules that should be the obligation for the Hindus to be pursued called Catur Brata Penyepian (Four obligations of Nyepi). First, not allowed to have any meal or drink, you have to do fasting for 24 hours. Second, it is not allowed to turn on light or any illumination. So the whole Bali will be dark without the light just the moonlit will enlighten. Third, prohibited to work or do any task related to profession or daily working activities. For that workaholic this is the best time for you to spend most of your time just relax and not doing the working sheet. The last rule is not going out of the house. Thus nobody will be around the street and keep staying in their house except the Pecalang (the Balinese people who will secure the area while the others have the Nyepi ritual). They are local men selected by the society to do the assignment as security during the sacred day.
Today is the day where you are free from pollution and healing your body and soul, away from the daily stressful activities for one day. The ancient Balinese take this moment to do meditation or reading a scripture. The philosophy of Nyepi is self introspection to add values of life, think wiser than the previous day. Experience this most sacred day through your holiday in Bali and have refreshment on mind and soul.

Ngembak Geni Day
Today all the activities are back to normal and the Catur Brata Penyepian is ended. Starting nearly sunrise people gather on the beach and purified themselves by bathing with the sea water that's belief as the holy water. Every relative is visiting each other in order to keep the good family relationship.
Have a walk along the beach to feel the fresh air of the New Year while you're going back to the routine activity but with a new inspiration of life. Get a chance to sit and relax on the beach or have your breakfast at a beachfront restaurant. It will be a nice holiday with the experience of Balinese culture.

Bali's Beautiful Attractions

The destination is famed for its miles and miles of pristine beaches but there are many other reasons to visit Bali, some of which are outlined below. While the geographical region does of course contain the threat of natural disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes, this has apparently not been enough to deter intrepid travellers from making their way there to enjoy a luxury holiday somewhere different from where they might ordinarily head.
Bali is famous for its scuba diving and snorkelling sites which are considered among the best dive sites anywhere on earth. Among the most popular dive destinations in Bali are Menjangan Island situated off the north-west coast and also the stunning sights and reefs off Nusa Penida to the south of Bali. Dive conditions often vary depending on the time of year so it can often be worth asking the staff in Bali hotels which is the best place to go diving at the time of your visit. Lots of visitors to Bali find that they fall in love with diving and as such choose to study for their PADI or SSI diving qualification while there.
Bali is also renowned for its many beautiful Hindu temples which are liberally scattered all over the island. The island has a law which requires every village to be home to a minimum of three temples and the influence of this tradition on the place is there for all to see. There is something quite mystical about Bali and a visit to the island's temples is an absolute must for any visitor. Remember though that there is a dress code for entering temples and that you should always be respectful while there.
Like many other south-east Asian destinations, Bali is home to many stunning natural waterfalls which are one of the chief attractions on the island. It is very easy to lose oneself on a trek through thickly canopied jungle to a beautiful lagoon where hikers are invited to cool off with a swim. Many Bali resorts are happy to help visitors arrange treks through the jungle with specialist firms which know the routes and provide guides.

No visit to Bali is complete without seeing the landscape's famous fields of rice paddies. The fields go on for miles and miles and are quite a sight, being laid out as they are in terraced rows making them a sight to see in their own right. The stretch between Candidasa and Amplapura is arguably the most famous area around for seeing the rice paddies and many tourists like to take in the route by bicycle - getting a bit of fresh air and exercise while seeing the countryside too!
Indonesia is of course famous for its many natural disasters caused by its unique geography and geology, so while in Bali it is always worth a visit to a volcano. Gunung Batur is arguably the place's most famous volcano and symbolises female reproduction and fertility, in contrast to Bali's other famous volcano, Gunung Agung. The volcano is still active though so be very sure to seek advice from a local or a tour guide about when and how to go to see the volcano safely.

The 10 Best Bali Hotels For the Ultimate Indulgence

The economy in Bali has the same amazing low prices as Thailand. In a country where it is possible to live on less than ten dollars a week, it is understandable that accommodation in Bali are incredibly low-priced. You can get an ultra-luxury hotel in Bali for the same price as a budget to mid-range hotel in Australia, and at the same price as a backpacker hostel in New York or London! If you are interested in seeing the best that Bali has to offer, check out one of these luxurious hotels.
1. Amandari
Amandari is located in the village of Kedetewan, around five minutes from Ubud. The complex consists of thatch-roofed individual villas with private gardens, and appointed with paras volcanic stone and Balinese marble. This hotel in Bali is a Conde Nast award winner as well as a Travel and Leisure award winner.
2. Amankila
Amankila overlooks the Lombok Straights, on Bali's East Coast, and much like Amandari, the Bali accommodation is thatch-roofed beach houses, located within a coconut grove. Amankila has its own beach!
3. Amanusa

This hotel in Bali overlooks quiet, rural Nusa Dua. Some suites have private swimming pools, there is nearby golf and childcare is available through the hotel.
4. Anantara Seminyak
All the gorgeous Bali hotel rooms here have sea views, floor to ceiling glass windows and gorgeous terrazzo tubs on the verandas. The hotel has 3500 square meters of private beachfront - no need to battle the budget tourists at the main beaches.
5. Ayana Resort and Spa
This five star Bali hotel is located on South Sea Island, and features inspired traditional-style architecture, a two-tiered saltwater pool, an aquatic seawater therapy pool, and a ballroom for major functions!
6. Como Shambhala Estate
The most stunning thing about this five star resort in Bali is the silence. The accommodation here is split into residences, each with four or five suites and a private swimming pool. Unless you need a lot of space to spread yourself out, it is most cost-effective to come here with another family or a few other couples.
7. Intercontinental Resort Bali
This facility is more of a traditional style hotel, towering above other buildings and with normal hotel suites. However, it is certainly not in the 'ordinary' category when it comes to furnishings, service or features! There are six pools, tennis courts and fine dining on site.
8. Jimbaran Puri Resort and Spa
Don't let the unpretentious furnishings fool you - this resort is the ultimate in luxury. Each cottage has its own private walled garden, a spacious indoor sitting area, sunken terrazzo marble bathtubs, rain showers and floor to ceiling windows overlooking beautiful gardens.
9. Legian Bali
Excellent service, attention to detail, constant cleaning and updating of the rooms and little extras like return limos to the airport, daily American breakfast and complimentary snacks make the difference here.
10. Uma Ubud
The Uma Ubud is a relatively new Bali hotel, opened in 2004. The hotel here is very much focused on the spirit of Bali, incorporating spiritual practices and ecological awareness into the entire experience.
There are hundreds of gorgeous resorts and hotels in Bali, all available at prices that are attainable for most of us. A definite must-see!

Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot

http://ian-baliwallpaper.blogspot.com/

Sawah Indah Ubud

Sawah Indah Ubud

 http://ian-baliwallpaper.blogspot.com/

Uluwatu

Uluwatu

http://ian-baliwallpaper.blogspot.com/

Nasty Bali - Balinese & Indonesian Mafia

Bali is not the tropical island paradise people say it is, especially not for the Balinese who suffer human rights abuse from Jakarta and are insulted and abused by the majority of Javanese and foreign expatriates on their island. The conduit for this abuse from every angle is the Balinese (Indonesian) police, whose officers pay to get their jobs and positions despite the low wages because they know how much money they will be able to extort from others; this is Nasty Bali.

Other web sites show just how nasty it gets;
Nasty Bali
Bali BS
Fugly Bali
Bali SOS
Bomb Bali
Save A Life
Human Rights Watch Indonesia
Wikipedia on human rights in Indonesia
Tapol - The Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
US Congress Report on Indonesia (search for "human rights")
Transparency International December 2006 Corruption Report (look for "police")
Transparency International Corruption Index (look for "Indonesia" at the bottom)
Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer 2006 (Indonesian parliament, police and judiciary score some of the very worst marks for the whole world)

Nasty Bali expatriates do all they can to trash these sites but the truth is there for you to see; there are 2 cases of cited human rights abuse by the Balinese police against 2 different people on 2 different occasions (although involving the same police officers, including Made Pastika) who were involved in charitable work in Bali. These people were tortured by Bali's mafia police at the bequest of others for a few dollars and their services to the island and the Balinese people meant nothing! Why? Because the nasty expatriate and Javanese community in Bali care nothing about the Balinese, they only care about their wallets, which makes them excellent bed fellows for the corrupt Indonesian police.

This Nasty Bali blog looks to set the record straight and to highlight / expose just some of the nasty expats and Indonesians living / working in Bali. People like police chief and potential governor I Made Mangku Pastika, former PATA chairman Jack Daniels in Sanur who tried to murder a business rival, gay Bali real estate broker and alleged pedophile Bert Vierstra in Lovina, and Roy "Majapahit" Thompson the Ubud based drug dealer who is friends with both Bert and Made's sons.

Bali's Bert Vierstra; Dutch Nazi, Lovina Villa Sales Agent & Gay Pedophile

I am not the sort of person who normally publishes here-say, but I have been told by no less then 3 people now that Dutch citizen Bert Vierstra, who lives and works as an unlawful Bali villas sales agent in Lovina, had to leave the Netherlands quickly and is in fact a practicing gay pedophile in Bali. Please be aware the UNCHR described Bali and Lombok as pedophile black-spots in 2007 and most of the island's expatriate child abusers are protected by the corrupt Balinese police; Transparency International rank them and their pet prosecutors and judges as one of the most corrupt in the world. What is of concern and why I feel this charge should be published is;
a) One of Mr. Vierstra's accusers said he himself was a pedophile and a member of the ring Bert belongs to in Bali.
b) Mr. Vierstra has published clear libel about another person on his web site based on a sole anonymous posting on some hack forum likely done by himself.
c) Mr. Vierstra defamed someone involved in charity work for Bali and who had previously helped Vierstra; Vierstra helps no-one but himself and unlawfully so.

We know from the Internet that Bert Vierstra is a practicing homosexual and therefore is living illegally in Indonesia (homosexuality is a crime under Indonesian law with a jail term of at least 2 years for these little "buggers"), just by checking Vierstra's Yahoo profile here and then doing a search on Google for his nickname "BuleBelanda" brings up his entry on a cyber meeting site called "faceparty"; do a search for his user name and what do we find, yes Bert Vierstra is gay. But what amazed me also were two claims that Bert comes from a Dutch nazi family. I always thought the Dutch hated nazis, but apparently not Click Here Mein Heir. Is it possible, a gay nazi living in Singaraja? He certainly has the "MO" for something very strange, ok, very ugly.

What I can also tell you and with absolute certainty about Bert Vierstra is that he runs an unlawful and very nasty business, works with corrupt immigration officials to get visas for villa buyers which one day will likely end them up in jail (check out the evidence here), runs a forum where he discusses how to abuse and hack other Bali web sites (quotes from Vierstra "I decided to post on his forum with an alias" and "but its true, I told someone that your privacy is better protected when you disable cookies, especially with sites that use this cookies to monitor individual behaviour of visitors" - actually he did much more), handles documents from confidential police files bought through corruption which he then abuses, and sells real estate under false pretenses claiming as he does foreigners can own land and operate holiday villa rentals in Bali when they can not. You will see the evidence against Bert Vierstra, Lovina's villa sales fraud is beyond doubt and that he should be in jail, not out amongst Balinese children and decent people. Bert Vierstra is a salesman and selectively "denies" everything of course, but look at the evidence and you will see he is a nasty crook.

Mr Vierstra makes money by lying and committing fraud in Bali; he sells villas to foreigners on the pretense they are freehold properties which can be used to generate rental income from holiday lets. First it is a fact that no foreigner can own land in Indonesia, so the properties he sells are not freehold as implied. Basically you have to allow the title of the land to be owned by an Indonesian and made available to you under a totally unlawful contract. The only way foreigners can even rent land, note never own land in Bali is to legally reside here and to pay taxes here. Also, only Indonesians or Indonesian companies (sorry, no foreign directors allowed) can legally operate holiday rental villas as only they can get operational permits. Of course foreigners do rent out "their" Bali villas (actually private residences under law) but these are now in the process of being closed down by the government; of course Bert Vierstra does not tell you that.

Bert Vierstra also runs the Bali Expat Forum, or one of them. On his forum he has discussed with members how to get past the security of other web sites, in particular certain travel forums which "compete" with Bert, so that hate and abusive messages can be posted by him and his expatriate friends there. Bert recently tried to cover up this well documented fact by claiming his and other's acts were to get past undue censorship on these forums! Undue censorship being where one forum owner does not allow the hate of another forum owner to be posted there! Thing is, once you have been banned from a forum, you have been told not to go back there (under law if you do this is trespass). If you go back and bypass their security to post hate / abusive messages there as Vierstra and his friends did, this is defacement as well on top of trespass. Research your law books Bert, defacement is classified as hacking and that makes you a hacker. Bert's accomplice and friend is this is one Roy "Majapahit" Thompson.

Bert Vierstra also works with a very shady character in Bali called John Millard Daniels (AKA Jack Daniels). Bert is actually one of Daniels' "spies" in the North of Bali to try and find a business rival by the name of Mark Austin. You can read about Daniels' own crimes here: Bali Discovery Tours, and Bert is his accomplice. You see, Jack Daniels gets bent police officers including Made Pastika to provide him with details out of the the police's highly unlawful unofficial investigation file on this character, Mark Austin, including copies of Austin's passport. Jack Daniels gave a copy of this to Bert Vierstra on the pretext it was police business and was needed for Bert and his friends to be able to recognize Austin from the passport photograph. Sound too unbelievable for you? Well it is true and Bert's forum buddy Roy "Majapahit" Thompson, who admitted being given a copy by Vierstra made the almighty mistake of actually publishing details from Austin's ill-gotten copy passport on the Internet.

Bert Vierstra is a smooth talking, sometimes credible individual and businessman, but just look at the facts about him and his unlawful Lovina Bali villas sales company.