Controversy Bali gigolo movie "Kuta Tourism Growing Not because Gigolo"

Bali Tourism Board chairman Ngurah Wijaya sure, the emergence of a gigolo movie titled Cowboys in Paradise is very little impact on the tourism image of the island known as cultural tourism.

 

The image that the gigolo is one attraction for tourists Kuta Beach woman as depicted in the movie Cowboys in Paradise rebutted by Gusti Ketut Sudira, Bendesa Adat Kuta or Kuta Customary Village Head. "Tourism Kuta grow not because of a gigolo," said Sudira.

 

He did not dismiss the existence of male female entertainer in Kuta. According to him, gigolo in Kuta existing since 20 years ago when tourism began to be known world Kuta. 'The existence of a gigolo in Kuta has existed since the first. However, it covertly and illegally, 'added Sudira, Tuesday (04/27/2010).

 

He believes, the gigolo hide behind the traders who make a living day-to-day in Kuta. "Sometimes sellers do not understand and are protecting them by telling this friend of mine," added Sudira. To anticipate this, Sudira will give instructions to the trader that is not easy to accept people from outside who do not have identities.

 

One member of the Agency for Tourism Saviour Tirta (Balawista), Putu Arya, also denied that the purpose of tourists in here just looking for a gigolo. "I often take guests (Caucasian) dinner, but I'm just friends," he said.

 

"The possibility that (gigolo) exist, but do not be generalized," Arya added.

 

Translate form Kompas

Gigolo Movie Not Affect Citra Bali

"I think people will still see that Bali is Bali with the main icon as the cultural and natural attractions. So, the influence of the film is very small for decreasing the image of Bali," he said in Denpasar, on Wednesday.

 

Nevertheless, he said, the problem remains to be seen as a valuable lesson because of the phenomenon of prostitution who used the guise of tourism, it could really happen in foreign tourist destinations.

 

"Similarly, the phenomenon of filming without permission by foreigners should be the government's attention. Pratik Regarding prostitution, as depicted in the film, it is difficult to prove whether or not there. This is a social problem that must be a common concern," he said.

 

He acknowledged, if indeed such a gigolo practice really exist in Kuta, it is the excesses of the tourism industry must find a way out so as not to damage the tourism image of Bali as a whole.

 

"Bali is different from Thailand, so these problems need to look for a way out so that this practice can be eliminated," he said.

 

He also reminded the media not too encouraging news about the film so that the issue could soon subside.

 

translate from kompas

Alila receives ASEAN Green Hotel Award

UBUD: Alila Manggis in East Bali and Alila Ubud in Gianyar received the ASEAN Green Hotel Award for their commitment to supporting responsible tourism.

The ASEAN Green Hotel Award is one of six ASEAN Tourism Standards considered essential for supporting ASEAN to become a world-class destination.

The award is presented to hotels that measure up to 11 environmental and energy conservation criteria.

Among the criteria are environmental policies and actions for hotel operation, use of green and local products, collaboration with the local community on environmental protection, the hotel's steps to providing staff training programs on environmental management, as well as efficient management of water, energy, waste, air quality and noise pollution.

Organizers of the award said Alila Manggis and Alila Ubud fully embraced Alila's philosophy that commerce, conservation and community could and should be integrated. - JP

http://www.thejakartapost.com

Bali Cultural Center to be built in India

DENPASAR: Bali Hindu Center will be built on a 2-hectare plot near the Ganges River to allow visitors to learn more about the island's culture and religion.

Indra Udayana from Ashram Gandhi Puri said the center would serve as a cultural and religious bridge connecting Balinese and Indian people. The Ganges is considered a sacred river in Hinduism.

"Every year, millions of people visit the site for spiritual enlightenment," Udayana said.

"Therefore, it would be quite strategic to introduce Balinese culture to fellow Hindus from around the world," he said.

The development of the center was an initiative by Hindu leaders such as Pedanda (High Priest) Made Gunung, Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka and former  Bali governors Ida Bagus Mantra and Dewa Made Beratha. — JP

The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Cheap Bali Car Rental

We organize and arrange your car rental needs for a Holiday or Business stay in Bali. Our car rental services includes pick up at the airport or delivery to your hotel or holiday home on Bali.

Our Bali rental rates are quoted in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) please choose one type car you preferred.

APV or Avanza :

Self Drive            Rp 250.000 (24 hours)

Drop at airport or hotel & pick up at airport & hotel also

 

Include driver & gasoline :

08 hours               Rp 410.000

10 hours               Rp 440.000

Overtime will be charge Rp 40.000/hours

 

 

Toyota Innova :

Self Drive            Rp 400.000 (24 hours)

Drop at airport or hotel & pick up at airport & hotel also

 

Include driver & gasoline :

08 hours               Rp 550.000

10 hours               Rp 600.000

Overtime will be charge Rp 55.000/hours

 

 

Carnival

Include driver & gasoline :

08 hours               Rp 525.000

10 hours               Rp 550.000

Overtime will be charge Rp 50.000/hours

 

 

Toyota Camry

Include driver & gasoline :

10 hours               Rp 1.650.000

Overtime will be charge Rp 160.000/hours

 

 

Toyota Alphard

Include driver & gasoline :

10 hours               Rp 1.800.000

Overtime will be charge Rp 170.000/hours

No place like home (except Bali)

CATCHYA later, Melbourne; get outta my face, Australia, I thought to myself as my plane took off from Tullamarine. It's not that I don't love Australia, because I do, I love her from the bottom of her quirky Great Australian Underbite to the top of her cute There's-Something-About-Mary flicky hair-thing around Cape York Peninsula.

But I just needed a bit of time-out from all the Aussieness, so I was heading off on a six-day Aussie-escape holiday to the one place where I could escape all things Aussie. Yeah, I was going to Bali, ha ha, I was off to Bali.

But when the plane took off, I hadn't escaped from Australia because I was with a load of Aussies all going to Bali, too. Hundreds of them all around me, going maaaaaate-this and y'reckon-that, and a honeymoon couple behind me whispering: ''Awww, go on, Nicole, pleeeeeez?/Rack off, Jace, I'm not doing that on a plane, now bugger off and lemme read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!'' And most of them were immersing themselves in Balinese culture by knocking down can after can of free Bintang beer. But it'd be okay, we'd be landing in Bali soon.

But when we landed in Bali I still wasn't gone from Australia because my hotel was packed with Aussies shuffling around the hotel grounds - blokes in VB singlets with Warnie sunglasses wrapped round their heads, looking like giant futuristic blowflies. Women in knock-off Crocs and tight denim mini-skirts with ROXY scrawled across the bum, so when they bent over it spelt POXY. And mocktail-swigging mums and dads sunburning in lounge-chairs, yelling: ''BRAYDON, BRENDAN, BRYDEN, GET OUTTA THE POOOOOL AND FINISH YOUR SNNNITZEL FROM THE BUFFFFET! AND YOU, TOO, TAYLAAAA!''

But that was OK, too, because I was going to get out of this hotel and visit the local street markets to get a taste of the real Bali.

But when I got to the street markets of Bali I still hadn't left Australia because the stalls were selling loads of Aussie stuff: Billabong boardies, Rip Curl T-shirts and souvenir boomerangs (traditional Balinese ones that said I HEART BALI in Aboriginal dot-painting). And the Balinese shopkeepers kept asking me: ''Where you from?'' Because they're the nicest, friendliest people on the planet who want me to buy things from them. And as soon as I said ''Australia'', they instantly, instinctively, pulled big happy ocker faces and drawled: ''Oiiiii maaaate, bluddy Aussie, good onya, mongrel.'' And when I walked away without buying anything, they pulled a less-happy ocker face and mumbled: ''Oiiiii maaaate, bluddy Aussie, good onya, mongrel.''

But that was OK because I was going to get out of town and visit the authentic Balinese villages of the highlands.

But when I got to the authentic Balinese villages I was still kind of in Australia because the main street was lined with Aussie sports bars hosting AFL nights, and restaurants done up in green and gold serving ''Auzzie roast, meetpies, french flies''. And in the courtyard of the local Hindu temple, a gamelan player played a haunting melody on his bamboo xylophone that invoked ancient spiritual rituals, which on a closer listen turned out to be Waltzing Matilda.

It was then that I realised I could never escape everything Aussie on my Aussie-escape holiday because this was Bali.

But that was OK, and on my last night I was enjoying a beautiful Balinese seafood meal on a sunsetting Jimbaran Beach, and a strolling troupe of musicians were going around to all the tables of Aussie tourists, playing Land Down Under over and over again. So when they stopped in front of me and said, ''Where you from?'', I couldn't take it any more. I said, ''Canada'' instead, and they said, ''We play Ca-na-da song for you?'' And I said, ''Yes please, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, that'd be great,'' but they didn't know who any of those people were and for the first time in my holiday I wished I could be Aussie again because I was stuck there, listening to 20 minutes of Bryan Adams's ungreatest hits.

Source: The Age

Strict regulations needed to preserve Balinese style

The rapid growth of contemporary-styled buildings in Denpasar and other cities in Bali has threatened the existence of traditional buildings, an expert says.

I Ketut Rana Wiarcha, chairperson of Bali chapter of the Indonesian Architects Association, explained Bali used to have strict regulations concerning the construction of buildings on the island.

"In the past, the local authority insisted that any building must be designed adopting traditional Balinese architectural elements to adjust to the island's cultural landscape," he said.

Nowadays, Denpasar is reportedly like an urban city without proper planning and regulation. I Gusti Putu Anindya Putra, head of the provincial planning agency, admitted that such a chaotic situation was due to a lack of proper city planning and regulation.

"Hundreds of buildings in Denpasar and surrounding areas do not refl ect Balinese culture. This might have happened because of a lack coordination between the authority, architects, developers and investors."

Denpasar Mayor I. B. Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra complained that those involved in the construction of buildings had ignored existing bylaw No. 5 issued in 2005.

"They *developers/architects* actually know that regulation. They were just pretending it did not exist," the mayor said.

Based on the bylaw, any building constructed in Bali province must bear Balinese traditional architectural elements.

The mushrooming contemporary buildings with minimalist architectural styles had changed the face of Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran, Canggu areas mostly in Badung regency.

"Most of the buildings were constructed without necessary permits," the mayor said.

The mayor also urged local architects to preserve local culture by not violating the regulation for the sake of projects.

"*The architects* must have their own code of ethics. They must be in the front-run in preservation and conservation of old-age Balinese traditional architectures," Mantra said.

Wiarcha commented that the existing bylaw No 5 only regulates the physical buildings and end products.

"There is no article in the by law that touches the roles of architects in properly implementing the rule."

The association has 500 members out of more than 2,000 architects in Bali. Not to mention, numerous architects from Jakarta and other cities even from other countries are also practicing and opening architectural bureaus here in Bali.

The flood of foreign investors had changed property business in Bali. Many have sourced architects from their home countries.

Wasti Atmodjo, THE JAKARTA POST, DENPASAR