Balinese dance and drama

Dance and drama have played a historically important role in Balinese society. Through this medium, people learned about the tales of the Ramayana, Mahabarata and other epics stories from Balinese history. The following are brief descriptions of some of the more well-known dance-dramas that can be seen at regular performances throughout Bali.

Baris
This is a warrior’s dance. It is usually performed by men, either solo or in a group of five or more.

Barong Rangda
This is a story about the struggle between good and evil. Good is personified by the Barong Keket, a strange but fun-loving creature in the shape of a shaggy semi-lion. Evil is represented by Rangda, a witch.

Kecak
The most famous of the Balinese dances, originated from the Sanghyang dance choirs, holds its uniqueness in the entrancing ‘Kecak, kecak’ chant. The Kecak as a dance developed in the 1930s, in the village of Bona, where it is still performed regularly.

Legong
This dance tells a story of princess Rangkesari being held captive by King Lakesmi. Rangkesari’s brother, prince Dana, gathers an army to rescue his sister. The Legong is a very classical and graceful dance, always performed by prepubescent girls, who can be as young as eight or nine years old.

Wayang Kulit or Shadow Puppet
Wayang Kulit is one the great story-telling traditions of the Javanese and Balinese people. The wayang show usually consists of a small four-piece orchestra, which provides the musical accompaniment, around sixty ‘puppets’, carved out of flat pieces of water buffalo hide, and the dalang or puppet-master. The good characters speak in ancient ‘Kawi’, whereas the evil or coarse ones speak Balinese.

Hening Empat Jam untuk Bumi -- 21 Maret 2008

World Silent Day

Rekan-rekan penghuni bumi,

Berikut ini kami sampaikan himbauan dan ajakan mematikan peralatan listrik selama empat jam pada 21 Maret 2008, sebagai bagian dari kontribusi individu mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca. Ini adalah langkah awal kampanye mencanangkan 21 Maret sebagai HARI HENING DUNIA (World Silent Day).

Kampanye tersebut dipelopori masyarakat dan LSM Bali yang tergabung dalam Kolaborasi Bali untuk Perubahan Iklim pada konferensi PBB mengenai perubahan iklim di Bali Desember 2007 lalu. 21 Maret adalah juga Hari Air dan hari pertama musim semi di utara - simbolisasi dari kehidupan.

Mohon kampanye ini disebarkan ke jaringan anda.

BERI SATU HARI UNTUK BUMI BERNAFAS

HARI HENING SEDUNIA - 21 MARET

Insurance

Before travelling to Bali or Lombok, it is important to take out travel insurance A typical policy provides cover for medical expenses due to illness or mturv loss Or baggage, tickets and - up to a certain limit - cash or cheques, plus cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most exclude so-called dangerous sport unless an extra premium is paid: m Bali and Lombok, this can mean scubadiving, kayakinq and white-water rafting.

Before buying a policy, check that you're not already covered. Your home-Insurance policy may cover your possessions against loss or theft even when overseas, or you can extend cover through your household-contents insurer. Many charge cards include some form of travel cover, and very limited medi­cal cover is sometimes included if you pay for your trip with a credit card. Many private medical schemes also include cover when abroad. In Canada, provincial health plans usually provide partial cover for medical mis­haps overseas, while holders of official stu­dent/teacher/youth cards in Canada and the US are entitled to meager accident coverage and hospital in-patient benefits. Students may find that their student health cc extends during the vacations and one term beyond the date of last enrollment.

After exhausting the possibilities you might want to contact a specialist insurance company, or consider the travel insurance deal we offerMany policies can be chopped and a to exclude coverage you don't need example, sickness and accident benefits can often be excluded or included at will do take medical coverage, ascertain benefits will be paid as treatment pr or only after return home, and whether 24-hour medical emergency number (which you should carry with you at all times

Kode Rahasia Ponsel (Handphone)

Untuk mengetahui kode akses (informasi) tersembunyi,
tekanlah kode akses di bawah ini dan diikuti tekan
"CALL" (biasanya bergambar gagang telepon hijau)

KODE AKSES NOKIA
*#30# Menampilkan 'private number' yg menghubungi Anda

*#73# Mereset timer ponsel dan skor game (pd bbrp ponsel)

*#7780# Mengembalikan ke setting pabrik (factory setting)

*#2820# Alamat IP perangkat Bluetooth (hanya utk yg memiliki fitur Bluetooth)

xx# Akses cepat ke nama/nomor telepon di phonebook ponsel misal 20#
Tombol OFF Menekan dg singkat, utk berpindah antar profile

*3370# Mengaktifkan ENHANCED FULL RATE Codec (EFR). Ponsel Nokia Anda akan
memakai kualitas suara terbaik, namun fitur ini memerlukan energi lebih shg
sedikit menguras daya baterai. Catatan: kode ini tidak berlaku di ponsel2
Symbian.

#3370# Menonaktifkan Enhanced Full Rate Codec (EFR)

*#4720# Mengaktifkan Hall Rate Codec. Ponsel Nokia Anda akan menggunakan
kualitas suara lebih rendah shg bisa menghemat energi baterai sekitar 30%

#4720# Menonaktifkan Half Rate Codec

*#0000# Menampilkan versi software ponsel. Baris pertama menunjukkan versi
software, baris kedua menunjukkan tgl pembuatan software, baris ketiga
menunjukkan tipe kompresi yg digunakan.

*#9999# Kode alternatif jika *#0000# tidak bekerja

*#06# Melihat nomor international Mobile Equipment Identity (nomor IMEI)

*#21# Mengecek nomor panggilan "All Calls" yg digunakan

*#2640# Menampilkan kode keamanan ponsel yg digunakan (bila masih
menggunakan standard kode tidak akan terlihat)

*#43# Mengecek status "Call Waiting"

*#61# Untuk mengecek nomor pemanggil yg dialihkan ketika tak Anda jawab
(Jika Anda mengaktifkan Call Divert/pengalihan panggilan)

*#62# Mengecek nomor pemanggil yg dialihkan ketika ponsel Anda di luar
jangkauan (jika Anda mengaktifkan Call Divert/pengalihan panggilan)

*#67# Mengecek nomor pemanggil yg dialihkan ketika ponsel Anda sedang sibuk
(Jika Anda mengaktifkan call Divert/pengalihan panggilan)

**21*number# Menghidupkan pengalihan "All Calls" pada nomor yg diisi

**61*number# Menghidupkan pengalihan "No Reply" pada nomor yg diisi

**67*number# Menghidupkan pengalihan "On Busy" pada nomor yg diisi

*#67705646# Mengganti Logo Operator Logo pada Nokia 3310 dan 3330

*#746025625# Menampilkan status SIM Clock. Jika ponsel Anda mendukung fitur
penghemat energi akan keluar tulisan "Sim Clock Stop Allowed", artinya Anda
akan mendapatkan waktu standby yg lebih panjang.

*#7760# Menampilkan kode pabrikan (utk sebagian besar ponsel tipe lama)

*#92702689# Memunculkan: 1.Serial Number (nomor serial), 2.Date Made (tgl
pembuatan), 3.Purchase Date (tgl pembelian), 4. Date of last repair (tgl
terakhir perbaikan / 0000 utk yg belum pernah diperbaiki). 5. Transfer User
Data. Di bbrp ponsel, untuk keluar dari mode ini Anda harus merestart ponsel.

The Many Faces of Ubud

There is an endless choice of accommodations in Ubud, most of very good value. You can start with simple, US$-a-night bungalows at the back of family compounds, and climb up the price­ range to hedonistic hotels and spas at US$100-a-night - or much more.

Many families offer a few rooms in their compounds in Central and Northern Ubud, along the streets branching out south of the main road (JI. Gotama, Hanoman, and Jenbawa), or north of the main road (on jl. Kajeng, Sriwedari, and surrounds). Here, budget trav­elers may find a vivid community life hidden behind a maze of shops and restaurants where health food com­petes with Balinese warungs and trendy cafes.

There is a high density of guest houses and resorts in Southern Ubud, especially along Monkey Forest Road. This once-quiet lane leading through rice paddies to a tiny sacred forest has turned into a tourist bazaar, where “zen” shops can be found side-by-side with more terrestrial outlets. Travelers looking for peace and good view will have to push to the southeast end of Monkey Forest Road, or to the end of Hanoman Street in Pengosekan, a 20-minute walk from Central Ubud. Also in Southern Ubud, but with no direct road access to the centre of town, the lovely hamlet of Nyuhkuning is a perfect haven of peace

Exploiting Paradise

Bali was now part of the Dutch East Indies, a small island in an archipelago as large as the United States. The main royal houses were decimated, bereft of their power and, Soon, impoverished: the sponsorship of the arts shifted to the village communities.
Hoping to make up for the emotion stirred at home by the puputan, the Dutch embarked on a policy of preserving and exploiting Balinese culture. They opened shipping routes to bring in wealthy travelers, many of them famous artist or scholars, like Charlie Chaplin or Margaret Mead, attracted by garish images of “the island of the gods.” Coming on the KPM (Dutch Royal Lines) the tourist would land in Buleleng, drive to Denpasar in a limousine and be welcomed with dances at the Bali Hotel. Later came the trip to Ubud, a small principality that had escaped the Dutch destruction since its mother kingdom, Gianyar, had voluntarily rejoined the colony. Some of these visitors stayed on the island, mostly in Ubud and Sanur. Paramount among these were painters Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet, who contributed to the renaissance of Balinese dance and fine arts.