Since the dawn of tourism in Bali, many researchers, writers, tourists, and others people have showed a great concern on the negative effects of tourism to the environment, culture and people of Bali. Here are some examples of the warnings from them on the threats that tourism brings to the island of Bali:

“How much more tourism can the island take? How much more traffic? How much more craft shops? How many more Kutas? How many more jets? The answer is that it never stops, the road are widened, the hotels multiply, the direct flight increase. Commercialism has crept into every aspect of Balinese life… It is now clear that the unbelievably complex social and religious fabric of the Balinese is at last breaking down under the tourist onslaught (Dalton 1990: 35-36)

“Say Bali, and two things come in mind: tourism and paradise. Both are inalienable features of the island, and also incompatible. For as fast as paradises seduce tourists, tourists reduce the paradises… Hardly has a last paradise been discovered than everyone converges on it so fast that it quickly becomes a paradise lost”. (Iyer 1988: 88)

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Bali was brought to the attention of the Western world through photography. Krause’s provocative black and white shots of maidens and lads bathing, topless women going about their daily business and posed half naked women amid coconut palms evoked an island paradise where women easily gave out favors, the fruit and juices flowed and the cares of the world could be forgotten.

This perpetuation of an island paradise continued throughout the early twentieth century with the publication of Miguel Covarrubias’s encyclopedic (and romanticized vision) Island of Bali, Gotthard Schuh’s Insel der Gotter, Beryl de Zoete and Walter Spies’ Dance and Drama in Bali, Hickman Powell’s The Last Paradise and many more. Many of these early writers and photographers extolled the beauty of Balinese women and their breasts.

What is interesting to note is that when Balinese look at these images from 80 years ago, they see the malnutrition and weariness in the faces and bodies of their ancestors. Where the European saw harmony and peace and of course, the “lost paradise” they had been seeking after their countries had been torn apart by World War I, the Balinese saw the ordinary—an island filled with hard-working and poor inhabitants

Photography, by its very existence, puts up a wall between the object being photographed and the person taking the picture. Usually the tourist photographer is taking pictures of the “other” to show to his/her cohorts back home. The tourist gaze tends to focus on difference, the exotic. The Bali of the 1930s – 1950s was one of (male) fantasy: golden maidens and lads in various stages of undress conjured up a dream island of unlimited sexuality, when in fact the Balinese culture was nothing like the image represented. In the early photographs, we see little of daily life if there is not a (often posed) topless young woman involved.

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Bali, this february, is entering the ninth month of Caka lunar year which is known as Kesanga. The Kesanga is well-known as the worst month in a year which full of pestilences, swarms with bhuta kala or evil spirits, and the world ( in Balinese conception the island of Bali is the world) is littered with the wastes. The Kesanga is always related with the perils and disturbance by the Balinese.

In this month Balinese will perform many kinds of ceremonies is dedicated to pacify the evil spirits in order to reach the harmony. the grand payment to the evil spirits ceremony which is known as Tawur Agung is held in this month; each house compound performs a small payment ceremony (tawur) in front of their house, each hamlet holds a bigger payment ceremony, a bigger ceremony is held in village level which is performed in the biggest crossroad in that village. Bigger still is the payment ceremony that is performed in the district level and regency level, and the biggest one is held in the provincial level in the center of Denpasar.

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By Marwaan Macan-Markar

TENGANAN, Bali, Indonesia , Dec 19, 2007 (IPS) - When they next harvest the the terraced paddy fields on a gently sloping hill, the farmers in this village will reinforce a tradition that celebrates harmony between people and the environment — and do their bit to slow down climate change.

Credit, carbon or otherwise, must go to the young men in this community of some 200 families with a history going back centuries. For it were they who took the lead in building a micro-hydro power generator to produce electricity using run-of-the-river water to run a small mill to husk and polish locally grown rice.

”This generator can produce 12 to 15 kilowatts of power,” says Putu Wiadnyana, 25, the architect of the single-room micro-hydro generator, which is located near the shimmering green terraced fields along the eastern border of Tenganan. ”The mill should be ready by early next year in time for the next rice harvest.”

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Bali known as the “Island of the Gods“. Its unique art and culture, beautiful beaches and main tourist destination will make your holiday “a memorable one“. The island of Bali is famous in the world. Hinduism is the major faith of the in habitants. Differs from whichever island on the globe. “This is Paradise“.

Bumi Ayu Hotel is confident that one day you’ll come to Bali and enjoy our products and in all our facilities and services during your stay with Bumi Ayu Hotel. Bumi Ayu Hotel friendly staff and out standing service will make your Bali holiday unforgettable.

Bumi Ayu Bungalow designed in a comfortable Balinese style, which is surrounded by beautiful lush tropical gardens. As a semi - traditional bungalow style hotel in the heart of Sanur, Bumi Ayu Bungalow offers many great modern hotel features.

Bumi Ayu Hotel is located in the heart of Sanur, just 5 minutes drive to town and 10 minutes to the beach. Public transport is available just around the corner.

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ON TOUR

ODALAN BALI: An Offering of Music & Dance by Gamelan Cudamani

USA/Canada (Oct-Nov ‘07)
www.cudamani.org

ÇUDAMANI, the 26-member music & dance ensemble from Bali, Indonesia presents ODALAN BALI featuring cutting edge new works as well as rare classical forms of Gamelan repertoire.

Bali is known worldwide for its music and dance. But in the village of Ubud, in Pengosekan a new music is forging ahead: Çudamani’s bold and cutting edge music compositions and dance choreography is created collaboratively and resonates with both traditional and contemporary audiences. Never performing solely to entertain tourists, the 26 member Çudamani ensemble will travel to USA and Canada this fall, to present it’s critically acclaimed production of “Odalan Bali: An Offering of Music and Dance” in twelve cities from Oct 18 – Nov 19, 2007.

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