Indonesian Masks Festival 2010 in Cirebon

A big celebration called "Festival Topeng Nusantara 2010" or the Indonesian Masks Festival 2010 will be held in Cirebon  - West Java, Indonesia, October 2010. Festival participants come from various regions in Indonesia. Centers of mask  arts and crafts in Indonesia, such as Bali, Malang, Indramayu, Cirebon, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan (Borneo), North Sumatra and other cities will not miss this rare opportunity.
For spectators from outside Indonesia who are interested in the event can stop journey through Jakarta. From Jakarta to Cirebon can be reached via car or train with a long journey of

Balinese Art, From Majapahit Kingdom to Recent History

Image via Wikipedia

Balinese art is art of Hindu-Javanese origin that grew from the work of artisans of the Majapahit Kingdom, with their expansion to Bali in the late 13th century. From the sixteenth until the twentieth centuries, the village of Kamasan, Klungkung (East Bali), was the centre of classical Balinese art. During the first part of the twentieth century, new varieties of Balinese art developed. Since the late twentieth century, Ubud and its neighboring villages established a reputation as the center of Balinese art. Ubud and Batuan are known for their paintings, Mas for their woodcarvings, Celuk for gold and silver smiths, and Batubulan for their stone carvings. Covarrubias describes Balinese art as, "... a highly developed, although informal Baroque folk art that combines the peasant liveliness with the refinement of classicism of Hinduistic Java, but free of the conservative prejudice and with a new vitality fired by the exuberance of the demonic spirit of the tropical primitive." Eiseman correctly pointed out that Balinese art is actually carved, painted, woven, and prepared into objects intended for everyday use rather than as object d 'art.

Bali - Paradise Isle 1946

A tour of Bali and its religious traditions in 1946.

Cowboys in Paradise Bali

Pros And Cons About This Film!

Bali on The Brink of Destroying The Dream

If the threatened re-introduction of fingerprinting for visitors to Bali goes ahead, it may be the final straw for many who have kept faith with a destination that has tested our loyalty.

Australian visitors have returned to Bali in record numbers following the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005 despite warnings from the Australian government that it continues to “receive credible information that terrorists could be planning attacks in Indonesia and that Bali remains an attractive target for terrorists”.

We have suffered the long immigration queues at Ngurah Rai airport - which Travel and Leisure magazine has named as one of the “12 Ugliest Airports in the World” - waiting to fork out US$25 for a visa, our patience sustained by the thought that beyond immigration lie fabulous hotels and resorts, and an unmatched value-for-money destination.
Our patience has been further tested by the knowledge that the move by Indonesian authorities to scrap the US$10 7-day visa-on-arrival fee, and charge all visitors for a 30-day US$25 visa, is being linked to efforts to stamp out corruption among Bali’s immigration officers.

What Is Going On Bali?

Lombok is Actually Busy

Global economic crisis may have held back massive investment plan to build Lombok into a world class holiday destination on its own and cut away any dependencies to its more popular sister island of Bali. But its charm remains an attractive magnet to holiday makers seeking for sea, sand, and sun and get a bit bored with what Bali has to offer.
In our last business trip to Lombok a few days back we found that flights between Bali and Lombok are almost full. The small airport of Mataram is quite busy. During the night we spent in Senggigi, the most popular beach resort town in Lombok, we saw a lot of tourists around. We even rejected by a restaurant because whilst there was still a few tables empty, they thought they would not be able to serve as in reasonable speed.

Bali Culture

Bali is truly a unique isle; from its timeless traditions, colourful pageantry to rites of passage. The people possess a genuine sense inner happiness that is perhaps attributed to the strong Hindu faith. There is a fundamental belief in the spiritual world which should always be in balance and harmonize with the physical world to attain peace and prosperity.

History
Although there are no artifacts or records dating back to the Stone Age, it is believed that the first settlers on Bali migrated from China around 2500 BC. By the Bronze era, around 300 B.C. quite an evolved culture existed in Bali. The complex system of irrigation and rice production, still in use today, was established around this time.