this blog is dedicated to our beloved lecturer; Mr. Wage Myartawan.Thank you for the whole guidance and knowledge delivered to us so that we can make this blog in time. We do really appreciate what he has given to us this semester. Finally, we proudly present this House of Writing with the theme "BALI", especially the Tourism. HAPPY READING!!!
1. Students of English Education Department, Ganesha University of Education
2. Class III A
3. Have A Great Dedication on Writing
4. Always Hope for an 'A' in Writing II
5. It's US!
Finally, after the long road taken, this blog is successfully created!
We are from English Education Department, Ganesha University of Education. Faithfully, this blog is aimed as a final project for Writing II. Our deepest thanks is for Mr. Wage Myartawan, our beloved lecturer. Thank you for the information and also for tutoring us.
In the process of making this little project, of course, we've found many difficulties. That's why, maybe for several people, this project is just like dust in this big world. Well, we know that this project is far from the perfect one. We simply hope your criticism and also your advice to make this better.
:)
It was a lovely Sunday. A very nice day to start my new experience. I’ve just taken a bath and having my breakfast. Wearing white shirt plus combined it with my yellow pants, I was ready to go there. I really did not want to pass the biggest event of the year. Yes, that was the fourth Sanur Village Festival. I did not know why, my house was just 1 km from Sanur. But until that day, I haven’t stepped my feet on its white sand.
I have read in the newspaper that Sanur Village Festival would be bigger and better this year. The theme Marine Life would be the highlight of Sanur Village Festival 2009, which means most of its activities would be inspired from the marine life which also exist as a very important element in Balinese everyday life. I really could not wait to see this!
At around 8 o’clock, when I arrived, there were a large number of people. It made me so happy. I realized that this event would not disappoint me. I wore my white hat and came to the crowd. I tried to read the schedule given by the committees. A long list of interesting activities would be hold; traditional performance, jukung parade, music, collaboration show, water sports and food festival as its main attraction. The committees also planned a green program under water festival with its coral reef plantation. Wow, they were so amazing!
After looking at the schedule, I decided to see the Culinary Challenge 2009 (ICA). There were many chef came as a representative from different international hotels. They competed and shown their best performance. It was just like a very professional cooking competition. The chefs were not Indonesian only, but some of them were foreigners. They cooked international food. Then they presented their cooked food in front of the judges and visitors. The most interesting thing was I have a chance to taste the cooked food that they have made and it was all for free.
As I left that place, the coral plantation in Semawang Beach Area has just begun. The committees provided more than thousand corals to be planted by the visitors. There was no charge if we wanted to plant the coral. The coral plantation ran for an hour. But a pity, I could not take a part in this activity. I did not bring any wetsuit. I did not want to go home in a wet condition. So I decided to postpone this activity until next year.
Finally, after seeing the whole activity in Sanur Village Festival, I went home at about 6 p.m. I did really enjoy the festival. It was so exciting. I hope this festival would be bigger and better next year. And still, I wish I could attend this annual event next year.
On 1st January, most of the people celebrate New Year. I with my friend had a plan to spend this day by shopping all day long. We arranged it a day before. It was about 12 o’clock in the afternoon, we went for the first destination. It was a famous place in Bali. We went to Department Mall Bali which is located on Jalan Dewi Sartika, Kuta. It is the biggest shopping mall in Bali. I saw a lot of tourist there. Not only foreign but also domestic also spent their holiday in Bali. I with my friend decided to relax in Inul Vista because we wanted to sing like a pop singer. The price is not too expensive. It was only Rp 30.000 for an hour. After paying the bill, we walked to a small room. There is a large sofa and monitor for choosing the song. It was very interesting for me. We spent an hour there.
After that, we went out to see beautiful beach which is located behind this Mall. Some people were playing around the beach while the others walking along the seashore. This beach is called Kuta beach. It has white sand and calm wave. That makes most of the people like to spend their holiday in Kuta beach. I with my friend sat on the sand and relaxed for a while. We don’t forget to take a photo together.
In the evening, we were so hungry. And then, we decided to buy fast food in KFC. But we got traffic jam along Kuta Square. It was so pity. We tried to be patient at that moment. After arriving at KFC, we found a problem again. I saw a lot of people were in enqueue in front of cashier. I have been waiting for half hour. Finally, I got the chance. We ate the meals together. Actually, it was sot good to eat fast food, but the place was near with our previous destination. So, we have dinner there. After about an hour, we come back to our house. I was happy because I could spend my holiday with my friends.
Every year, Balinese celebrate Nyepi, the new year of Hindu. Nyepi is the day when Balinese should do Catur Bratha Penyepian consisting of Amati Gni (means not to flame fire), Amati Lelungan (means not to go anywhere), Amati Karya (means not to do anything), and Amati Lelanguan (means not to eat anything). A day before Nyepi is called Pengrupukan. This day Balinese should do a kind of ceremony to avoid Butha Kala (a kind of unseen creature that can be good or bad but it is not ghost). This day, there will be the show of Ogoh-ogoh. Ogoh –ogoh is a big statue reflecting the Butha Kala or Devil which has scary face. This thing will be carried around the village or town, go along with Balinese traditional music instruments called Gamelan and Tektekan.
Like everybody else in Bali, I myself also celebrate Nyepi. I really like the part of watching the Ogoh-ogoh festival. My friends and I used to stand up in the edge of the street while waiting the Ogoh-ogoh to come. It was like another day of pengrupukan. I also watched the Ogoh-ogoh with my sister. She was a little child at that time and it was her first time to look at Ogoh-ogoh directly. She had ever watched Ogoh-ogoh on television but that’s all. I never took a risk to bring baby to that festival.
In the evening, the festival began. One by one, the Ogoh-ogoh passed us by. She was shocked because she had never expected that the Ogoh-ogoh could be that BIG. Her face was so funny that her eyes got bigger and her mouth opened and made a form of big “o”. She got stuck on her standing spot, maybe wanted to move but she could not. I was confused that she was silent like a statue. Then, I called her name out, but suddenly, she shouted, “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa….!!!!!!”
I was so shocked that when she screamed, everybody’s eyes were on her. They might be wondered why she screamed that way. Then I asked her, “What happen?”
She slapped my shoulder and replied, “You made me shocked! I thought that you were one of those monsters!!!”
“Huahahahahahahaha! You’re very funny, honey…” I laughed again and again until my stomach hurt. Even until I got home. And everytime I remember that moment, I laugh by myself just like a crazy person.
Located along the coast of Suwung, the park is one of a great place to spend your holiday on. MangroveInformationCenter is a big conservation for mangrove tree in Bali. Just go gently to Bypass Ngurah Rai until you find big flat wooden information – which shows the main road to reach MangroveInformationCenter – on your left side.
As you passing the main road, you will see tropical evergreen trees are standing on your left and right side.There are also several public signs – tell us not to drive more than 40 km/hour – on the way to parking area. This park is built in wooden atmosphere. It provides one-way wooden bridge route for visitors, so don’t be afraid to get lost here.
You can either pay for a guide or walk yourself.As you walk along the bridge, many kinds of mangrove including its description are waiting for you. It’s so interesting to see tropical evergreen trees of tidal coast all along the line. Even, if you are lucky enough, you would see crabs and fish around this area.
Visitors may feel uncomfortable because a lot of rubbish floating on the surface of the muddy water. For about ten minutes walking on the wooden bridge, there will be a huge gazebo built in two floors. This is the center part of the MangroveInformationCenter. Most visitors choose to fish on the ground. They usually get shrimps, crabs, and fish.
Furthermore, staying on the second floor, visitors will be pleased with the scenery below. Visitors can also relish on the wooden desk overlooking lush mangrove trees. Again and again, visitors may a little bit disappoint because there are too many scratch on the table made by irresponsible people. Despite all the inconvenient condition, MangroveInformationCenter is still the best place to chill out with family.
UjungWaterPalace which by the local people is called as Taman Soekasada Ujung was built in 1919. However the launching of this complex of water palace was performed in 1912. The water palace was constructed by the late King of Karangasem, I Gusti Bagus Jelantik between 1909 and 1945. Actually, this palace was built to welcome and serve important guests and Kings from neighboring countries, besides for the pleasure of the King and his royal family.
Taman Soekasada Ujung took place at Tumbuvillage, Karangasem district. It is approximately 85 km from Airport Denpasar and 5 km from Amlapura. In Taman Soekasada Ujung, you will see beautiful nature panorama. It is one of cultural tourist object that is famous in Bali. Taman Soekasada Ujung has been announced to be cultural tourist objects because of cultural heritages exist in Karangasem regency. The place was protected and kept by the government.In Taman Soekasada Ujung, you will see the architecture that is still exist until now. The complex of this water is the combination of Balinese and European architectures. There are three big and large ponds inside the area. In the middle of the main pond, there is a building that connected to the edge of the pond by 2 bridges.
On the highest level of this complex, we will find a great statue of ”warak” (rhinoceros). Under the statue, there is a Bull statue. From this high place we will see a marvelous view of sea, hills, and green forest. The beauty of MountAgung combined with the green terraced rice fields are the amazing panorama that will make your heart falling in love with this palace. The greatest of UjungWaterPalace had been destructed by the explosion of MountAgung which was made worst by the great shake happened in 1979. And then, the recovery had been performed tobring back the glory of this complex of water palace by holding a reconstruction and revitalization project on it. Although it is not as great as it was, the beautiful panorama can be seen here this moment.Now day, Tourism activity in this area is supported by the available of food stalls, small restaurants and quite large parking area. Visitors who are interested in local crafts product can find some of them in art shops available here.
DreamlandBeach is one of the beautiful beaches in Bali. This beach is located in Pecatu, on the South part of BaliIsland. You will need about 45 minutes to reach this beach from NgurahRaiAirport, or 30 minutes from Kuta beach, or 20 minutes from Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) CulturalPark. To get into this beach, you just need to pay 5000 rupiahs for parking. It is very cheap compared to the happiness brought by this beach.
The panorama in this beach is absolutely beautiful. Hills and rocks surround this beach. Therefore, to reach this beach, you should go downstairs through the hill. On the way, you can see how wide the sea is. You will realize that God has made a pretty world for us to live in.
From the hill, you can see the fantastic view. The white sand glistens shone by the sun. The waves run after each other.And in the evening, you can see the sunset through the hill. It is just awesome.
On the beach, you can do many things. You can just walk along the beach, seeing the wonderful scenery. You can also sunbathe, play beach volleyball with your friends, play with the sand, and so on. Sometimes, there is also shooting of movie or music video along the beach. So, do not be surprised if you see “camera, roll on, and action!”.
There are also some facilities in this beach in order to make you more comfortable to enjoy your holiday. There are umbrellas you can rent if you want to relax without getting dark because of the sunlight. If you want to swim but you do not bring any swimsuit, you can buy one there. If you are hungry or thirsty, just go to the restaurant or buy things in the stands selling food and drink. There are also toilets to change clothes in. For more entertainment, you can even play golf near the beach! And if you want to stay longer, there are many resorts and villas you can sleep in which provide the wonderful panorama along the hill. Café, souvenir shops, clothes shops, anything, spread in this beach.
Those beauty and comfort make people interested to come. There are many people visit this beach every day. Most of them are foreigners. Sometimes they drink alcohol or sunbathe topless. But they do not against the law because International law is used in this beach. Many surfers also like to come because the waves are big and strong.
Ecotourism can be an alternative to mass tourism in Bali. First, this sustainable tourism requires a good managing in all resources. It means that social, economic, and aesthetic needs are met without ignoring the simultaneous maintaining of cultural integrity, ecological process, biological diversity, and life support system. What you can see today in Bali is mostly mass tourism. Investors built hotels and villas everywhere. They over-exploit the nature to get a large amount of money. They often miss the conservation. Beaches and rice paddies are fragile, thus there needs to be caution in their development. If not, they will easily be destroyed. By doing ecotourism, we will not only get money but also get good benefits for our future generation. The nature will be preserved.
Second, Bali always has been an enchanting place for foreigners. There is no need to worry that after applying the ecotourism there will be no foreigners visit Bali. Images of rice paddies, beautiful beaches and temples and a fascinating culture draw tourists from all around the world.That is the nature. That is the nature what the foreigners are searching for. They are not looking for how many hotels or villas been built in Bali. But they seek the uniqueness of Bali. And the only way – to explore the true Bali – is ecotourism.Ecotourism doesn’t expect the visitors to exploit the nature. Instead it asks them to explore our nature without passing the conservation of the nature over. Let’s take a look at NusaPenidaIsland – one of tourism destination in Bali which has applied ecotourism for decades. Nusa Penida provides fascinating idea of sustainable tourism. It upholds the culture and traditional lifestyle of seaweed planting. Local people also have been involved in planning and approval the ecotourism. The visitors sleep in local people’s home, they eat the local people’s dishes, and they plant seaweed just like what local people do. Therefore, ecotourism in NusaPenidaIsland will provide visitors with a high-quality experience while the visitors unconsciously take a part in maintain the quality of the environment of NusaPenidaIsland itself.
Next, one of the major problems of mass tourism is Balinese never ever receive the ‘real income’ for all of the money comes from tourism sector. All those large amount of money goes to the investors’ pocket. Balinese mostly become the workers or labor. They run their life as a waiter, not as the General Manager of a hotel. But since one of the requirements for ecotourism is "to hire and buy locally" it can be a sound alternative for Balinese. The willingness of visitors to pay considerable amounts of money to visit ecologically valuable places in Bali can be a source of great revenue for Balinese and its conservation efforts.
Bali does really need a remedial for its nature. Even though ecotourism is not perfect, it can make a difference. At least it can be a resource to the host communities to help them decide what kind of development their residents want to pursue.
The development of hotels in Bali is increasing. Most of fertile lands are changed into villa, restaurant or hotel. Some investors which come from abroad want to buy the land in Bali. After that, they will change it into tourist object.It will give bad impact for our environment. First, most our fertile land have been sold to investor. It means that the area for planting rice is narrower. All of them have been changed into building. The real example is happen in Bedugul. In 2006, the investors cut the forest and change it into hotel. They said that there was an allowance from Jakarta without any permission from local people. It appears many pros and cons at that time. It can damage the ecosystem around Bedugul.
Second, some investors also make building on the hill. It becomes trend in some area in Bali. Most of foreigners like to stay in a unique place like that. They cut the tress and build some hotels on it. It can appear natural disaster. The trees that function is to keep the ground from landslide have been destroyed by the people. How if heavily rains come? It will make landslide and flood. That is one of the effects of destroying the environment. Third, development of building for tourist destination will give impact to local people. Most of western culture can influence local people’s life style. As we know that in Kuta, there are some tourist objects that owned by foreigner. For example, Centro and Water boom are owned by France. The local people will influence western culture by following the mode. Besides, Dreamland beach which is located in Nusa Dua has been owned by Tommy Soeharto. It shows that Balinese don’t care about their lands. They only sell it to the investor in order to get money.
Those are the effect of changing fertile lands to building. Not only affect our environment but also our life style. We should keep our environment because it is very important for us in the future. The government roles are very important to limit investor to Bali. We can see the fertile land is still 45 percent. The government should concern to this problem because Bali is famous with its tourism.
Tourism is one important part that supports the life of Balinese. Tourism does not only bring good for Balinese, but also harms. One aspect that gets bad impact from Tourism is Balinese culture. The culture brought by the tourists can affect Balinese pure culture. Some of foreign culture may be good for Balinese, such as the discipline, open minded, and the advance of technology. But not all of them can be accepted in eastern culture.
For example, the way the tourists dress up. Foreigners, especially the females usually wear minim dress, like tank top, hot pants, or even just sport bra. This style is followed by teenagers in Bali. The girls in here also like to wear tank top and hot pants in their daily life. Whereas, Balinese girls used to wear sarong.
Another example is some of those tourists sometimes wear that kind of clothes to visit Balinese temples. It is not good to keep the holiness of the temple. Some sacred dances are also presented to the tourists. Moreover, the temples sometimes are commercialized for tourist object and people should pay to get into the temple. If this happens continuously, the sacred value of Balinese ritual and ceremony will lost their essence.
The culture of togetherness is also decreasing. Nowadays, many people are likely to be more individualistic. The way Balinese greet each other is also changing. We used to put our hands in front of chest while saying “Om Swastyastu” when we meet someone. But now, we just shake hands, kiss them on the cheek, just say “hi”, sometimes even act like we do not care about them at all. You see, past and present are different.
