| Bali Update Sepember
4, 2003
As September 11 approaches, Bali is fully engaged in preparing
the upcoming Kuta Memorial Celebrations.
Celebrations?
Yes! Celebrations of Life!
Celebrations in spite of terror, terrorists, wars and all the
other troubles.
Celebrating life and living in peace, the festival commemorates
the New York World Trade Center terrorist tragedy in 2001 and
Bali’s bomb explosions 13 months later.
Opening with a Peace Ceremony on September 11, events will wrap
with a festive street parade on October 11, concluding with a
spiritual, candlelight remembrance ceremony on October 12.
Secular events along the beach are set to include 1,000 silent
dancers and moments of quiet followed by the sounding of gongs
or village drums across the island.
Bali expects to welcome 1,500 Australian victims of terror and
their families to the island to commemorate the tragedy of one
year earlier.
Backed by Bali’s community, Kuta Karnival has the endorsement
of local government, people from Bali, Indonesia and from many
foreigners, either living on Bali or being friends of Bali and
friends of Peace.
The festival is supported and organized by numerous individuals,
people, charities and -last not least- by terror-battered local
businesses, many of them joined under the umbrella of KSBA,
the Kuta Small Business Association.
KSBA was founded in the aftermath of the Kuta bombing last year,
but is anything less than a child of war.
Financial help comes from AUSAID, USAID and other
international donors.
The Kuta Celebration of Life Festival welcomes additional local,
national and international financial and in-kind sponsorships;
volunteer talents, artists and any assistance.
Please
come and participate or join in the month-long Kuta Celebrations.
Wanted: BaliSOS needs help
to translate this website to other languages!
Any language is welcome, Bahasa Bali, Bahasa Indonesia, German,
French, Japanese and Spanish or most wanted!
The Economy of Bali is in
excellent condition, considering the damage done to the major
bread winner, which is tourism and it's spring offs like arts
& handicraft export.
Tourism is still in very bad condition with low number of new
arrivals, which is no wonder after the October 12, 2002 bombs
in Kuta,
after the SARS containment fight and the decline in total travel
for the whole region of Southeast Asia,
after the Government of Indonesia declared a war on the separatists
in the province of Aceh in Sumatra.
Bali did loose hundred thousands of jobs, many people have problems
to cope with life, yet it could be much worse.
Considering all factors, Bali is doing surprisingly well at the
moment.
We understand that we have to thank the many friends of Bali for
this miracle.
Most people who came to Bali over the centuries tended to fall
in love with it's spirit.
They fall in love with a blessed island under a temperate tropical
sun;
They fall in love with the Balinese, with the blend of Hindu-Animist
tradition and 21st century cosmopolitan lifestyle;
They fall in love with the spirit of Bali.
And they come again and again. Whatever is on the News.
Bali's unique spirit of Hospitality, Grace and Smiles, the Balinese
love for Peace and the unique way of Bali lives on though this
Age of Technology of Terror and global Destruction.
Friends of Bali are the international community here with more
than 10.000 foreigners who made Bali their home.
Friends of Bali are the scores of people from all over the world
who shared our grief after the bombs last year;
Friends of Bali are those who know and they are coming in spite
of bad news;
they come here in spite of governmental travel warnings,
they come to Bali in spite of Indonesia's reputation regarding
Peace and Security.
Thank You to all friends of Bali.
Aceh is about 2,000 km away from Bali, but Bali, being
an autonomous province of the unitary Republic of Indonesia, is
nonetheless politically part of a country which is in an officially
declared state of war against part of it's own people.
That certainly does not provide additional motivation for the
typical vacationer.
Besides from the fact that many governments continue to issue
travel warnings for Indonesia including Bali, yet another obstacle
for the recovery of tourism on Bali is the central govenrments
new Visa Policy.
The latest news is that the new Visa law will be implemented starting
in October 2003.
The new visa regulations are based on the conceptof reciprocality
and therefore require visas for travellers from countries who
require indonesian citizens to apply for visas.
The maximum term of stay for a tourist visa will supposedly be
30 days.
The visa fee is supposed to be 45 US$ and payable on arrival.
The visas will be issued on a per province base.
A tourist visa can not be extended and re-entry is possible only
after 14 days outside of Indonesia.
The Good News
SARS did never hit us
No more bombs expected
Bali is far off from the haze in Sumatra and Malaysia
The people of Bali are as generous with smiles and as hospital
as ever!
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