LOCATION
Bali has been the favorite destination for locals and international
tourists for ages. Bali has been the favorite destination for locals and
international tourists for ages. Full of magnificent beaches, breathtaking
sceneries, marvellous trinkets and interesting culture, Bali is ideal for
people wanting to escape from daily activities, enjoy a honeymoon, or even,
have a great time with family and friends.
Bali is an Indonesian island located at 8°25'23?S 115°14'55?E, the
westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and
Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial
capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island.
With a population recorded as 3,151,000 in 2005, the island is home to the
vast majority of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. 93.18% of Bali's population
adheres to Balinese Hinduism, while most of the remainder follow Islam. It is
also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its
highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather,
metalworking and music.
HISTORY
Though no artifacts or records exist that would date Bali as far back as
the Stone Age, it is thought that the very first settlers to Bali emigrated
from China in 2500 BC, having created quite the evolved culture by the Bronze
era, in around 300BC. This culture included a complex, effective
irrigation system, as well as agriculture of rice, which is still used to this
day.
Bali’s history remained vague for the first few centuries, though many
Hindu artifacts have been found, which lead back to the first century,
indicating a tie with that religion. Though it is strongly held that the
first primary religion of Bali, discovered as far back as 500 AD, was Buddhism.
Additionally, Yi-Tsing, a Chinese scholar who visited Bali in the year 670 AD
stated that he had visited this place and seen Buddhism there.
By the 11th century, Hindu and Javanese influences became very important to
Bali. In fact, when the Balinese Prince Airlanggha’s father died in about
1011 AD, he moved to East Java, uniting it under one principality and
appointing his brother, Anak Wungsu, the ruler of all of Bali. Following
this time, there were many reciprocal political and artistic ideas that formed.
Javanese language, called Kawi, became the aristocracy’s preference, among
other Javanese traits and customs that were worked into Bali life.
When Airlanggha died in the mid-11th century, Bali remained quite
autonomous until 1284, when East Javanese king Kertanegara conquered Bali and
ruled over it from his home in Java. Kertanegara was assassinated in
1292, and Bali was once again liberated, until 1343 when it was brought back
into Javanese control by Hindu-Javanese general Gajah Mada, of the Majapahit
empire.
At this time, the 16th century, Islam was spreading throughout Sumatra and
Java, and the Majapahit Empire started to fall, creating a large exodus of
aristocracy, priests, artists and artisans to Bali. This brought Bali
great prosperity, becoming Bali’s golden age of cultural history for the
following centuries. Bali soon became the major power of the region,
taking control of its neighboring country, Lombok, as well as pieces of East
Java.
In 1597, Dutch seamen were the first Europeans to land in Bali, though they
had no true interest in Bali until the 1800’s. In 1846 the Dutch returned
with colonization on their minds, having already had vast expanses of Indonesia
under their control since the 1700’s. The Dutch sent troops into northern
Bali, and by 1894, they had sided with the Sasak people of Lombok to defeat the
Balinese. By 1911, all Balinese principalities were under Dutch
control.
After World War I, a sense of Indonesian Nationalism began to grow, leading
to the declaration of the national language in 1928, as Bahasa Indonesia.
World War II brought the Japanese, who expelled the Dutch and occupied
Indonesia from 1942 until 1945.
The Japanese were later defeated, and the Dutch returned to attempt to
regain control of Bali and Indonesia. However, in 1945, Indonesia was
declared independent by its very first president, Sukarno. The Dutch
government ceded, and Indonesia was officially recognized as an independent
country in 1949.
ENTRY
Most international visitors will fly to Bali directly.
Flights
* Numerous direct flights from Europe, America, Australia and most Asian Countries.
* Domestic flights to and from major cities within Indonesia.
Sea
* Regular passenger ferries from Java and Lombok.
* Cruise ship stop-offs.
Overland
* By car or bus from Java.
Flights
* Numerous direct flights from Europe, America, Australia and most Asian Countries.
* Domestic flights to and from major cities within Indonesia.
Sea
* Regular passenger ferries from Java and Lombok.
* Cruise ship stop-offs.
Overland
* By car or bus from Java.
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Bali's reputation as a tourist destination is already established in the
minds of so many people around the world. It is known as a beautiful island
with mountains, temples, palaces and visits of terraced rice fields.
It is known as a place where traditions of art and culture predominate,
where the village way of life based on their strong religious beliefs is still
in place.
But, it is also a place where modern sports such as diving, sailing, rafting
and above all surfing have taken hold and are enjoyed by thousands of visitors
every year. It is a place where the ultimate luxuries of life: fine dining,
spas and massage have reached the peak of perfection.
Behind all of this is a single unseen premise; none of these practices,
pursuits and pleasures are created as tourist industries in Bali, but are based
on the talents, dedication and skills of the Balinese people in their normal
course of life.
CUISINE
Like the food of other regions in Indonesia, Balinese
food is rice as the central dish served with small portions of spicy, pungent
vegetables, fish or meat and served almost always with sambal or chili paste.
Bali is a few of the regions in Indonesia whose majority of its people are non
Muslims, thus babi guling or roasted suckling pig is a specialty, as is bebek
betutu, smoked stuffed duck wrapped in bamboo leaves.
In Jimbaran area, for instance, you can sample
seafood dishes while sitting on the beach. Visit this place in the evening, the
cool atmosphere and caressing breeze will make your dining experience
remarkable.
TOURISM OFFICE
Bali Government Tourism Office Jl. S. Parman No. 1, Niti Mandala,
Denpasar-Bali 80235, Phone (62-361) 222387, Fax (62-361) 226313 , Website:http://www.tourism.baliprov.go.id/ ,Email infotourism@baliprov.go.id
Sumber:
No comments:
Post a Comment