HYSTORICAL BATIK

 
Batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth, or cloth made using this technique. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a canting , or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap. The applied wax resists dyes and therefore allows the artisan to color selectively by soaking the cloth in one color, removing the wax with boiling water, and repeating if multiple colors are desired.
A tradition of making batik is found in various countries, including Nigeria, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka; the batik of Indonesia, however, is the most well-known. Indonesian batik made in the island of Java has a long history of acculturation, with diverse patterns influenced by a variety of cultures, and is the most developed in terms of pattern, technique, and the quality of workmanship. On October 2009, UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

HISTORY
Wax resist dyeing of fabric is an ancient art form. It already existed in Egypt in the 4th century BC, where it was used to wrap mummies; linen was soaked in wax, and scratched using a stylus. In Asia, the technique was practiced in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), and in India and Japan during the Nara Period (645-794 AD). In Africa it was originally practiced by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, Soninke and Wolof in Senegal. These African version however, uses cassava starch or rice paste, or mud as a resist instead of beeswax.
The art of batik is most highly developed in the island of Java in Indonesia. In Java, all the materials for the process are readily available — cotton and beeswax and plants from which different vegetable dyes are made. Indonesian batik predates written records: G. P. Rouffaer argues that the technique might have been introduced during the 6th or 7th century from India or Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the Dutch archaeologist J.L.A. Brandes and the Indonesian archaeologist F.A. Sutjipto believe Indonesian batik is a native tradition, since regions such as Toraja, Flores, Halmahera, and Papua, which were not directly influenced by Hinduism, have an age-old tradition of batik making.Rouffaer reported that the gringsing pattern was already known by the 12th century in Kediri, East Java. He concluded that this delicate pattern could be created only by using the canting, an etching tool that holds a small reservoir of hot wax, and proposed that the canting was invented in Java around that time. The carving details of clothes worn by East Javanese Prajnaparamita statues from around the 13th century show intricate floral patterns within rounded margins, similar to today's traditional Javanese jlamprang or ceplok batik motif. The motif is thought to represent the lotus, a sacred flower in Hindu-Buddhist beliefs. This evidence suggests that intricate batik fabric patterns applied with the canting existed in 13th-century Java or even earlier.
In Europe, the technique was described for the first time in the History of Java, published in London in 1817 by Stamford Raffles, who had been a British governor for the island. In 1873 the Dutch merchant Van Rijckevorsel gave the pieces he collected during a trip to Indonesia to the ethnographic museum in Rotterdam. Today the Tropenmuseum houses the biggest collection of Indonesian batik in the Netherlands. The Dutch and Chinese colonists were active in developing batik, particularly coastal batik, in the late colonial era. They introduced new patterns as well as the use of the cap (copper block stamps) to mass-produce batiks. Displayed at the Exposition Universelle at Paris in 1900, the Indonesian batik impressed the public and artists.
In the 1920s, Javanese batik makers migrating to Malaya (now Malaysia) introduced the use of wax and copper blocks to its east coast.
In Subsaharan Africa, Javanese batik was introduced in the 19th century by Dutch and English traders. The local people there adapted the Javanese batik, making larger motifs with thicker lines and more colors. In the 1970s, batik was introduced to Australia, where aboriginal artists at Erna Bella have developed it as their own craft.
 

Find Out A Old Turtle in Turtle Island

Place of interest at Tanjung Benoa, Badung now become one of the favorite destinations of tourists in filling the holidays in Bali. In addition to providing water attractions, Tanjung Benoa also provide tour packages to visit Turtle Island by boat motors.There are many tour packages offered water in Tanjung Benoa, ranging from Fly Fish, Water Skiing, Parasailing, Banana Boat, Snorkeling and Scuba Diving. One of which is not less exciting to try is a tour package to visit Turtle Island in the Bay of Tanjung Benoa, Bali.
Motor boat to Turtle Island can be rented with varying prices. Minimum 2 persons for all the rent and a maximum of 8 people for one boat. They are easily found hung on the edge of the beach is provided by water sports operators in Tanjung Benoa. Before visited Turtle Island, visitors will be invited to the sea is about 100-200 meters from the beach to see the beauty of the seabed. One of the guides as well as a boat driver to prepare bread to feed the fish. From the top of this boat, fish with beautiful colors shapes bring himself to approach the boat above the water surface.
“The fish here prefer to eat capcay, rather than eat bread,” joked Ida Bagus Redana, Glass Bottom Boat driver by the name of Family Travel stomach.In the midst of the sea, known as the Marine Park, the boat going to the Turtle Island will always stop here first. With the float position, through clear glass in the bottom of the boat, the scenery looks so close to the coral reefs interspersed with a variety of fish species are active swimming.
“Marine plants and fish that are here continuity is always maintained by the local community,” said Redana.
In addition to fish and marine plants served through Glass Bottom Boat, Marine Park in the middle of this, various marine activities fro displays its many attractions. If you’re lucky, an international cruise ship capacity of 3,000 passengers often loose the anchor in the middle of the ocean, lowering the passengers to lifeboats.

After quite content to feed the fish in Marine Park, then travel into Turtle Island which is about 20 minutes away. The boat cruised with a maximum power of 40 HP outboard engine power. In the advanced position, tourists are expected to sit back satisfy both sides, in order to position the boat drove quite stable. Along the way, another beauty that tourists come in the form of various forms of activity are visible in the distance, such as loading and unloading of ships that rely on the Port Benoa, takeoff aircraft, as well as fishing activities in the base of Tanjung Benoa.
While waiting with curiosity to immediately get in Turtle Island, others seem dreamy views of Bali Mandara Toll road stretches above sea level Benoa Bay.
Arriving at Turtle Island, tourists greeted local guide with a smile. Prior to admission, admission will be charged in advance. Travelers will be subject to a ticket for Rp 20 thousand to Rp 10 thousand foreign and local tourists for. As for the child ren will be charged Rp 10 thousand for foreign and Rp 5 thousand for the for the local. Most of these ticket sales will be used as a turtle and animal care costs in place of preservation.
Kindly guide then lets go in and introduce more closely on the preparation turtles preserved by Turtle Conservation Group Sari Moon Cot. In this area there are at least three types of turtles that have been successful in tangkar, among Enduring Turtle, Green Turtle and Hawksbill, “We have the age of the oldest turtle, green turtle is 75 years old,” said one female guides.
In addition to turtles, there are other types of animals like Eagles, Bats, Birds Bangkok, iguanas and snakes. All these animals are tame be additional attractions besides seeing the turtle as the main destination. The place is very suitable as a family recreation, didactic and add insight for school children. Keberapadan turtles can be seen from hacking, shaped hatchlings, until an adult turtle.
When the school holidays, the place is always crowded by families and children – children. This turtle breeding place, other than through the camera can capture photos, visitors can also hold. The existence of this turtle conservationists place, enough to help some of the fishermen who are around Tanjung Benoa, because all those involved in turtle conservation groups could obtain employment.
“This breeding Land indication borrowed by forestry and marine services. In a land area of one hectare there are at least three turtle conservation groups, “said Ketut Roka, Turtle Conservation Group Field Coordinator Moon Cot Sari, who worked for 12 years.
Add Ketut Roka, sea turtles on Turtle Conservation Group Sari Moon Cot Turtle Island is managed independently by the local community. This group has a total membership of 10 people. At least this time as many as 37 turtles were already in taging, and 95 others have not been in taging tail. The release also often done to increase the number of turtles in the wild existence. All species are protected in this place under the supervision of Bali Conservation of Natural Resources (BKSDA) Bali, “Maintaining this turtle to be true – really inspiring, if not so dead all penyunya,” said Ketut Roka.
In Turtle Island, as one of the tourist destinations, other support facilities are already adequate toilets, souvenir stalls, food stalls, refreshments stall, as well as other facilities such as Fish SPA facilities that can be tried for all travelers. This tourist attraction is open daily from 8 o’clock until the afternoon. After being around visiting the turtle island, before continuing back to the dock water sport activities, riding the same boat.

Australian tourist arrivals in Bali increasing

 

The Indonesian plan to execute two Australian nationals on death-row convicts for a drug case has not reduced Australian tourist visits to Bali.

"This indicates that Australian tourists are ignoring warnings against visiting Indonesia, particularly Bali," tourism observer Tjok Gede Agung told Antara Bali over the weekend.

In January 2015, Bali recorded 85,059 tourist arrivals from Australia. During the past two months, Australian tourists visiting the province were the highest among other foreign tourist arrivals, reaching 156,424, up 16.74 percent from the same period last year, when their number was recorded a 133,966.

Further, Australian tourist arrivals were the highest among foreign tourists arriving from different countries.

They accounted for 24.41 percent of the total number of foreign tourists arriving in the first two months of 2015, which stood at 640,739.

The highest number of Australian tourists arriving in Bali was followed by the number of tourists coming from China, which stood at 145,747 during the same period (January and February, 2015).

The number of Japanese tourists visiting Bali has also begun to increase since the opening of regular direct flight from Japan to Denpasar.

In the January - February 2015 period, the number of Japanese turists was recorded on the third biggest list, recording 40,544 arrivals, followed by that of South Korea which stood at 28,523.

The political issues are expected to not affect the foreign tourist arrivals in Bali. Therefore Agung hoped that the government, tourism operators and the people should continue to increase the quality of their services.

"This needs to be done because Bali still constitutes the main destination of foreign tourists in Indonesia," he said.

In the meantime, the regional government of Bali province has set itself the target of attracting one million Chinese tourists in 2015, following the implementation of a visa-free visit policy for 45 countries.

"Indonesia received 560 thousand Chinese tourists last year. We hope the figure increases to one million this year," Governor of Bali Made Mangku Pastika said here on Saturday.

He added that there was a great chance for Chinese tourist arrivals in Bali to rise as they constituted the second largest number of foreign tourists that visited the resort island.

After all, Pastika remarked, he had made reciprocal visits to the two Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Hainan.

"We are ready to receive a larger number of Chinese tourists, now that we offer a visa-free visit. However, we still need to improve upon our shortcomings," the governor pointed out.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the largest number of tourist arrivals in Indonesia in February 2015 was from China.

BPS Chief Suryaman said that China accounted for 18.2 percent, or 144,000, of the 786,700 arrivals of foreign visitors to the country in February.

After China was Malaysia, accounting for 12.43 percent, or 97,800 arrivals, followed by Singapore with 12.39 percent, Australia with 10.43 percent, and Japan with 5.89 percent.

"Most of the Chinese travelers were probably visiting with the intention of expanding their businesses in Indonesia," Suryamin told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The number rose before the government announced that its visa-free visit policy for 30 more countries, including China, will come into effect in April, he noted.

The number of tourists from China is expected to increase with this facility for tourists from 30 more countries, he affirmed.

The government added these 30 countries to the list of 15 other countries that already enjoyed the visa-free visit policy.

The policy is expected to double the number of arrivals of foreign tourists to 20 million by the end of the present governments term in 2019.

Furthermore, a surge in tourist arrivals in February was recorded in a number of entrance gates. The highest increases were recorded at Sam Ratulangi Airport of North Sulawesi, up by 212.70 percent, at Jakartas Tanjung Priok Seaport, up by 43.46 percent, and at Tanjung Pinang Seaport of Riau Islands, up by 30.84 percent.

Declines were recorded in 10 other entrance gates, such as the airports of Sepinggan of East Kalimantan, down by 35.08 percent, and in Minangkabau of West Sumatra, down by 0.45 percent.

source: Antara News

3 Bali Beaches Got Best Beach On Traveler Choice

All the people in the world that like travelling certainly kwon about Bali beaches. Bali has a thousand beautiful beaches, start from western part until eastern, southern until northern part of Bali island. Everybody known about Bali and it’s beach, every year the beach that located at Bali always get a best reward from Trip Advisor,

Based on quantity and quality review and the rating from Bali visitor included domestic and international visitors. Trip advisor has been collect the data during 12 mouths. Trip Advisor declare 3 Bali beaches get 5 best place on traveler place to choices. The 3 beaches got best Travelers Choice there are : 
1. Nusa Dua Beach – Badung Bali
This beach located 40 kilometers southern from Denpasar town. Nusa Dua beach known with white sandy beach and safety place to explore the sea water with swimming activity. Beach, beautiful place, quite, and refreshable make everybody that will visit Nusa Dua beach always want to come back and visit this beach again and again.
2. Padang Padang Beach – Pecatu Uluwatu
Padang – padang beach is famous for surfer. This beach has big wave that can be great places for surfer that they want explore Bali beach with surf activity. This beach also can be explore from the high bridge that located near by this beach. Padang – padang beach has unique thing that is if the visitor will come and enjoy this beach the entrance gate look like get in to the cave. After passed it the visitor will enjoyable the beautiful beach and beautiful sunset.
3. Balangan Beach – Badung Bali
The Balangan beach are famous with big wave and the popular place to explore Bali beach with surf activity. The awesome beach has been given to this beach and the heaven for surfer. This beach also has food and beverage with reasonable price.
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Green Bowl Bali Exotic Beach

Green Bowl Bali Exotic Beach is located on the southern coast, next to the derelict hotel site of the Bali Cliff Resort, visitors need to walk down hundreds of concrete steps to reach the beach. At the base are a few bat caves; pretty harmless during the day as most of the bats are  sleep. Green Bowl is known as one of the best surf spots on the Bali island, and is not suitable for beginners. Access is from the long stairway at the temple next to the closed Bali Cliff Resort.

I first came here around July 2011. The most spectacular scenery in that time, either because the first time I saw it, or because it was the sea water low tide. Not all of visitor can get down to the beach, because some time the beach is high tide, until it reaches the bottom of stairs. According to information from the local people , sea water will high tide at the morning, began during the late afternoon will low tide and will turn back to high tide. Well before you going down,  you can ask the seller of local shop in the parking area if the water was high or not.

Environment  of  Green Bowl beach is still a virgin with the view was amazing. The color of seawater graded from light blue to dark blue and light green to the color of the blue sea. The sand is like flour, refined, white and thick that when stepped on the soles of our feet rather immersed. This beach is clean because it is rarely visited by visitor, no rubbish in addition just colorful coral reefs and sea grass dry.

The waves in the morning and evening tend to be large, only visitors mostly Australian tourists who love surfing come to the beach, and Local tourists barely visible. Other newcomers are seaweed farmers and traders souvenirs.

View when down the stairs:

The beach is not long, from the left to the right of the beach is less than 1 km, depending receding tides. The picture below is the left end side of the beach and the next is the right end side of the beach.

On the right side of the beach there is a cave which has the sacred temple. Inside this cave is often used for a shelter foreign tourists.

This is the right end of the beach, when the sea water is low tide, we can walk down the beach behind the big rock .

 Well Guest, getting to Green Bowl can be quite a task but once there, you can expect a quiet, secluded beach and world-class surf.