Buddhist Sunday School Buddha Sakyamuni Monastery (VBSM) held Chinese New Year celebration 2563 on Sunday (29/1). Hundreds children were happily celebrating Chinese New Year in the yard of this monastery. Buddha Sakyamuni monastery located in Padang Udayana, Gunung Agung Street, Denpasar. Any kinds of events performed such as barong sai show, angpao sharing and other Chinese tradition.

The chairman of Dayakasabha of Buddha Sakyamuni Monastery, Romo Sudiarta Indrajaya said this New Year celebration is aiming to grow early morale values such as goodness and togetherness. “In the other side this activity wished to grow our love towards tradition so children could appreciate their tradition and preserve them,” said him.

Furthermore he explained angpao sharing is a form of thankful for God’s blessings last year. It is also welcoming the new year. “Buddhist culture is teaching us to start by giving others. We want our kids to learn to give something in accord with the teaching of Buddha Sakyamuni that called ‘releasing’. It is better and happier if we can give something to others rather than receiving,” said him.

Barongsai show is aiming to keep ancestor heritage but also tightening the cooperation of monasteries in Bali. “It has been our habit in our monastery. New Year celebration is an event to invite barongsai studios from other monastery. This year we are proudly presenting Pusaka Tantra Dharmayana Monastery Kuta. We ever invited barongsai group from Griya Kongco Dwipayana, Tanah Kilap, TITD Cao Fuk Miao and other monasteries,” said him.

Further the coordinator of Buddhist Sunday School of Buddha Sakyamuni Monastery, Ninik Liliani added this new year celebration is an annual activity. He said Buddhist Sunday School followed by 350 kids who sit on kindergarten level until Senior high school level. “There are ten teachers. On Sunday morning we are holding pujabakti and dhamma learning. In the same time adult Buddhists are following Pujabakti in Dhammasala. If there are special moments like New Year, we are connected its activity with the celebration,” said him.

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“Tejakula village had chosen to get disaster alert since 2011 due to this area is often getting flood and storm that attracting landslide and mud from surrounding hills,” said him. Further Social Department Bali is preparing its local people to be ready in facing sudden disaster. “This village also prepared a kind of warehouse disaster so local people have buffer stock for their disaster aid. We are still searching right location of the disaster warehouse,” said him.

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Some foreign tourists and domestic tourists who were in vacation in Bali following Chinese New Year 2563 ceremony in Dharmayana Monastery Kuta on Monday Morning. It is also following by Chinese people in Denpasar and other areas in Bali as they were filling some monasteries and temples to pray solemnly.

They are visiting those holy places in turns since Sunday (22/1) night after they were praying in their houses. “In the morning a group of tourists is coming with three vehicles to do New Year ceremony in Dharmayana Monastery Kuta. They were coming at 05.30,” said the coordinator of Dharmayana Monastery, Indra Suarlin. He said his side is opening itself for tourists who want to pray together with local Buddhists. The praying ceremony served by monastery priest as it divided into some parts base on tradition.

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But after more than a year in operation, we are seeing that load factor of AirAsia’s Bali-Phuket flights is extremely high. It indicated both by price and seat availability on its booking engine as well as how full the planes are, in each and every flights. Contrary to previously skeptical opinions, many holiday makers do combine Bali and Phuket in one single holiday. These people are of course taking quite long holidays like ten days or two weeks at least, which makes a lot of sense.

Private Leisure International, a Bali-based holiday rental marketing company providing private villa accommodation in various regional tropical destinations has predicted it even long before. “Actually we were wondering what if there is a direct flight connecting the two”, Wisna Wedhana, Private Leisure Internatinal’s Managing Director recalled. “And we were very enthusiastic when AirAsia announced that they would establish the route”, she continued. The company created started to promote packages combining split stays in Bali and Phuket villas even before the flight already inaugurated.

Most of long haul holiday makers from European countries come to Phuket through Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, or Bangkok, then continue to fly to Bali. From Bali they fly back home either directly from Bali or through nearest regional hubs like Jakarta or Singapore. Australian holiday makers do the opposite way round. They start their holiday in Bali and then move over to Phuket. They normally fly back home through Kuala Lumpur where they can catch direct AirAsiaX flights to major Australian cities.

“Many of my friends chose to go to Southern European beaches in France, Italy or Greece. Egypt is also quite popular as it only takes 5 hour to fly to Egypt from most European countries”, a European tourist told us in an interview at Seminyak beach. “It is also about time. For 13 hours one way that cost almost a grand, it does not make any sense if we only take a short holiday. It only makes sense if we have at least two weeks”, his wife added.

Just a few years ago peace took place in Sri Lanka after more than 30 years of domestic unrest that put the country – including its tourism industry – out of consideration. But Sri Lanka was once a popular tropical destination and the only reason people stop visiting it was security related to the unrest. As peace resumed, slowly but surely foreign tourists started to pour in. With its beautiful beaches, amazing national parks, and well-preserved cultural heritage back to even BC period, peace is all Sri Lanka needs to regain its glory as one of the most sought after tropical holiday destination of the world.

Flying to Sri Lanka from most European country is between 7 to 8 hours, quite a long flight, but definitely less than 12 to 13 hours needed to fly to Bali. Sri Lanka’s return into world’s tourism map is therefore a serious threat to Bali when it comes to its European market. What is it best for Bali to respond to the changing competition map can drag a lot of discussion but everything will end up at two things: (1) strengthening tourism promotion to Europe and (2) leave Europe as it is and concentrate to “realistic” feeders like Japan, China, and Australia.

“We spotted the potential as soon as we saw improving security situation in Sri Lanka, when it settled down and spread throughout the country we know it is time for us to set our feet out there”, Wisna Wedhana, Managing Director of Private Leisure International, Bali-based regional tourism business explained when asked why her company started its expansion to Sri Lanka. “Sri Lanka has everything Bali has to offer so when the peace took place, there is nothing holding people to go to Sri Lanka instead”, she continued.

Representing private villas in Bali and its sister island of Lombok as well as a number of tropical holiday destination in South-East Asia, on early 2011 Private Leisure International started its expansion to Sri Lanka. “They have been in the dust of war for 30 years so as they started to build their country, Sri Lanka feels like Bali 30 years ago. It will take time for Sri Lanka to be at the same par as Bali, but it definitely will”, Wisna said. Private Leisure International now has about 50 Sri Lanka villas in its nearly 1000 private villa portfolio. “Less than 10% of what we have in Bali but there are many in the pipeline, being built”, she continued.

Some believers who are also being coordinators in Griya Kongco Dwipayana Tanah Kilap, Denpasar cleaned up tens gods and goddess statues along upcoming Chinese New Year (Imlek) 2012. The Head of Public Relation Division of Griya Kongco Dwipayana Tanah Kilap Denpasar Linda on Wednesday explained before cleaning god statues, she had prayed for seven days at midnight to welcome Imlek.

She added base on this belief it is holding for delivering gods and goddess to the heaven to report all of people dedication in a year. According to Linda this session advantaging to clean the statue due to the gods are not staying in the statue for a while. “Before this ceremony, we were not allowed to clean the statue and other praying facilities,” said her.

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Dwi said though fish consumption is so high but freshwater farmers in this city were not yet able to fulfill the high demand. “Local freshwater farmers are only able to fulfill 20% from the total of the consumption level so most of fish supply is still coming from outside Bali,” said him. Dwi explained 80% of fish supply is coming from catfish and carp cultivator from any regions in East Java and West Java.

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Bangli government with Kennel Club Indonesia (Perkin) suggests Kintamani dog to get international confession. The club then did Kintamani contest as part of their effort. Kintamani dog especially the white one established including to international scale species. “This year we are holding a contest by inviting Asia Kennel Union representative, Ichiro Ishikawa to watch directly the specialty of Kintamani dog so they can assess this dog whether they proper or not including to Asia race,” said Putu Suantara as the committee of this contest in Bangli on Monday.

In this contest each dog will assess base on their anatomy by the grand jury team. The dogs which following this contest were varied. They are coming from baby level, junior until intermediate level. The winner will get an award as “Best in Show”. Agility test in this contest was showing Kintamani dog’ intelligence. According to Mr Suantara Kintamani dog is not only having dancing ability but also able to imitate any kinds of human behavior including following their trainer instruction.

“So Kintamani dog is so amazing. Even Kintamani dog physically has some specialties such as the thick fur and its squirrel-like tail,” said him. He also added if this dog has strong instinct and it is fitted keeping your house. Bangli Regent Made Gianyar hoped the contest of Kintamani dog wished can encourage people especially dog lovers. “Kintamani dog has proven itself through their intelligence,” said him.

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The purification ceremony soon did due to Pandawa Beach will be a venue of any ceremonies in Pura Dang Kahyangan Gunung Payung, Kutuh Village. “This coastal area is usually using for ceremony sites so this area should purified with ‘caru panca kelud’ ceremony. The ceremony is drowning some offerings such as goat, duck, piglet and chicken. The animals were all black colored,” said him. Within this ceremony, said him, all of ceremony that takes place in Pura Gunung Payung can hold on schedule.

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He said along 2010 Bali sent crabs as much as 21,06 tons worth US$22,425. Decreasing crab export is drastically enough due to the provision of this product is much fulfilling local need for restaurants and stalls in the edge of the beach. In the future fisherman catch wished to increase export achievement from crab products both export market and local one.

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