Grand Hyatt Bali

The Grand Hyatt Bali has re-opened following a US$35 million renovation that included a total facelift of its rooms and suites, the Grand Club, the lobby and three restaurants, and the addition of new facilities, including the Kriya Spa and a second Grand Ballroom.

Designers of the hotel´s renovations included Diana Simpson, one of Australia’s and Southeast Asia’s vanguard interior designers and Japan’s Super Potato, which is renowned as one of the world’s most cutting-edge restaurant designers.

“While introducing contemporary features to refresh and revitalise Grand Hyatt Bali, we also took special care to preserve its unique Balinese water palace concept, which has brought so much pleasure to travellers looking for an exotic luxury experience,” Ron Nomura, Grand Hyatt Bali´s director of marketing, said in a statement.

The room and suites now has an organic theme that uses local natural materials and an earthy colour palette. Fabrics and artworks by local artisans are also included in its interiors.

Each of the contemporary Balinese-inspired rooms has its own private balcony with ocean, lagoon or garden views.

A unique feature is an alcove area with a day bed for lounging, or which can be converted into a sleeping bay for children.

The luxurious marble and teak bathrooms have been fitted with removable shutters that can open up to the bedroom to bring natural daylight into this area.

The addition of a second Grand Ballroom has also created the largest hotel convention facility on the island.

It occupies a space of 1,200 sq m space, with lofty 10 m high ceilings and a 6 m deep in-built stage with dressing rooms.

It can be sub-divided into three separate sound-proofed function spaces, each with individual controls for lighting, A/V and entrances.

Another new addition is the Kriya Spa. This wellness sanctuary is nestled within the lush tropical gardens, offering an authentic Balinese healing experience with 24 luxurious spa villas for treatments and full-day spa programmes.

The Grand Hyatt Bali is located in Nusa Dua and was patterned after an ancient Balinese water palace.

It is set in 41 acres of cascading waterfalls, ponds, lakes, landscaped gardens and carp-filled lagoons.

It has 648 luxurious rooms located in low-rise Balinese style buildings and set within four villages discreetly interspersed throughout the tropical grounds.

Little Bali Support for Taller Buildings

Bali Tourism Leaders Voice Their Opposition to Any Change that Will Allow 33 Meter High Buildings.

Efforts in some circles to change Bali’s zoning and building regulations (RTRWP) to permit the building of 33 meters high structures – more than twice the current limit of 15 meters, is gaining virtually no support from Bali religious leaders, academicians, social commentators and tourism figures – all united in their opposition to the proposed building code change.

I Gusti Bagus Yudhara, past chairman of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Association of Travel Agents (ASITA), told the Bali Post that any agreement to change to current height limitation would only serve to open the door for changes in other areas. Yudhara said special exclusions for hospitals, schools, universities and public markets to allow structures standing 33 meters would be used as the basis for seeking wider exemptions for other classes of buildings in the future.

Elaborating on his reasons for opposing the change in maximum height rules, Yudhara said taller buildings would add to the general disorder in Bali and put added strain on an already over-burdened infrastructure. Finally, he sees permission for taller buildings as threatening the special character of the island and, in turn, its long-term sustainability as a tourism destination.

Arguing for retaining the 15 meter maximum height rule, Yudhara said that limited land area problems could be better addressed by allowing new buildings in Bali’s north and east in accordance with approved zoning laws and supported by good access roads.

Separately, another tourism activist, Putu Juliadi, condemned plans to change the height restriction as not reflecting the Balinese people’s love of culture, art and religion. Changes in the current rules, he insisted, would only serve special segments of society at the cost of Bali’s future.

The Chairman of the Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Tjokorda Artha Ardhana Sukawati, sees no need for a change to the current rules, fearing any change would have a negative impact on Bali’s tourism industry.

Bali tourism unaffected by global crisis

The current global financial crisis exacerbated by the outbreak of H1N1 influenza, has not affected Bali’s tourism industry, say experts.

Aloysius Purwa, chairman of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Association of Travel Agencies (Asita), said Bali had experienced significant growth in the number of tourists visiting from January to May 2009.

“The number of tourists from China, Malaysia and Taiwan has increased,” Purwa said.

Based on the latest data from the Bali office of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of Chinese tourists reached 21,492.

The number of tourists from Malaysia is also increasing, while Japan and Australia have remained the island’s top markets since the early l980s.

Visitors from the United States and Russia have also increased from 18.18 percent to 38.02 percent of tourists to Bali.

The total number of foreign tourists visiting Bali in March 2009 reached 168,205, a 4.66 percent increase, from the same time last year.

“The majority of tourist-related businesses on the island are still profitable,” Purwa said.

“Some even experienced higher business profits.”

Hadi Sutrisno, head of an association for domestic travel agencies, also shared Purwa’s optimism, saying the flood of domestic tourists began in early May. Traditionally, domestic visitors spend their holiday in Bali in the June and July school holiday seasons.

“Now, many travel agencies are already busy serving local tourists,” Sutrisno added.

Purwa said he did not have any idea whether the flood of foreign tourists was related to the current political situation in Thailand, a significant competitor to Bali tourism industry.

“It is important to maintain security and political stability to ensure tourists in Indonesia, and Bali in particular, are safe,” he noted.

The installation of security equipment in hotels, restaurants and other tourist hubs in Bali has also supported the tourism industry in Bali.

“A lot of tourists appreciate our security systems and feel more secure holidaying in Bali,” added Purwa.

88% surge in Chinese tourists to Bali

China is set to become one of Bali’s biggest contributors to the tourism industry following a significant surge in the number of Chinese tourists who visited the resort island over the last couple of months.

In March, the number of Chinese tourists reached 21,492, a whopping 88.16 percent increase compared to the number recorded in February. The increase is expected to continue in the following months.

Head of the Bali Statistic Office Ida Komang Wisnu said the increase has placed China as one of the top three contributors of tourists to Bali, behind Japan and Australia. Japan and Australia have been the traditional market of tourists since the Bali tourism boom of the mid-80s. China represents one of the island’s new markets.

“The increase *in Chinese tourists* is influenced by the opening up of direct flights from Bali to several cities in China,” he said.

Moreover, the unstable security situation in Thailand, long known as one of Bali’s strongest competitors, has led many potential holidaymakers to opt for Bali.

Bongo Ardana of Adisa, a travel agency that caters exclusively to Chinese tourists, confirmed the number of Chinese visitors is steadily increasing.

“Actually, the increase has been recorded since early this year,” he said.

He said that the average length of stay of a Chinese visitor to Bali is four days, in which time they show strong buying power.

“Their expenditures during their stay here is quite good, I believe that China is a very good prospective market for the Bali tourism industry,” he said.

The number of visitors from Australia, Russia, Taiwan and the U.S. also increased in March, but none booked an increase as significant as the Chinese.

The total number of foreign tourists in March was 168,205, a 4.66 percent increase compared to the same period in 2008 and a 13.88 percent increase compared to February 2009.

“It is very likely that the number of foreign tourists in 2009 will be higher than the one we recorded in 2008 and apparently the ongoing global financial crisis has yet to affect the tourism industry in a significant way,” Wisnu said.

Bali wins best island award yet again

Bali has again been recognized by a distinguished travel magazine as the best island in the Asia-Pacific region for 2009, Antara state news agency has reported.

“Bali has been honored as The Best Island in Asia Pacific 2009 by DestinAsian Magazine in Hong Kong,” Culture and Tourism Ministry’s director for promotion facilities Esthy Reko Astuty said Thursday.

She said Bali won the honor through a poll in DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards in a survey which sought readers’ opinions on their favorite destinations, hotels, and airlines in the Asia-Pacific region and announced every February.

“Bali has been chosen four times consecutively as the Best Island in Asia Pacific by DestinAsia Magazine since 2006,” she said.

DestinAsia Magazine is a travel magazine published and marketed in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Australia, Taiwan and several Middle Eastern countries.

In response to the award, she said the ministry plans to improve the quality of the island’s tourism.

According to Bali Tourism Office records, Bali has garnered at least 25 awards from various international magazines and countries since 1998. Most of the awards were given to Bali for its unique destination and natural beauty found nowhere else in the world.

Bali Transportation

Bali’s natural attractions include miles of sandy beaches (many are well-known amongst surfers), picturesque rice terraces, towering active volcanoes over 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.) high, fast flowing rivers, deep ravines, pristine crater lakes, sacred caves, and lush tropical forests full of exotic wildlife.

The island’s rich cultural heritage is visible everywhere – in over 20,000 temples and palaces, in many colorful festivals and ceremonies (including tooth filings and cremations), in drama, music, and dance.

You can experience Bali on many different excursions and guided tours by coach, private car or “Big Bike”, by boat or by air plane: seeing Bali’s beaches and rice terraces, the famous Besakih Temple on the slopes of holy Mount Agung, Lake Batur and it’s active volcano, Ubud, Legian, Kuta, Nusa Dua, and the temples of Tanah Lot and Ulu Watu from a helicopter is a really special experience. For helicopter tours and private charters (3 to 6 passengers) please contact the Balivillas.com Service Center at 703-060 as soon as you arrive.

Most full day tours by car (about 8 to 10 hours, min 2 persons) cost about US$45 to US$50 per person, half day tours US$30 to US$35. These prices include a multi-lingual guide and transport in an air-conditioned private car, all entrance fees, but no meals. Which guide and driver you choose can make or break your day: be warned that those who offer very low prices tend to waste your time by showing you hardly any more than those shops which pay them a commission on your purchases.

The Paradise Paradox

Romantic Westerners once sold Balinese culture to the globe. Now locals wonder if their island is becoming a giant theme park © By Keith Loveard

BIG MACS IN THE macrobiotic hills of Ubud? West Bali National Park handed over to a timber magnate for eco-tourism? Similar rumors of development doom have been flying on Indonesia’s fabled island ever since the 1930s, when it was first marketed to the world as paradise on earth. True or not, the latest whispers making the rounds point to an increasingly gnawing worry. More and more Balinese are asking: Is our home being turned into a giant theme park?

Nothing perhaps has stoked fears more that Bali is being Disneyfied than the 40-story (140-meter) statue of the mythical Garuda bird that sculptor I Nyoman Nuarta is creating across from the international airport. Once it is completed in a couple of years, you can be sure tourist brochures will describe it as “The Largest in the World!”

The Garuda statue symbolizes a growing divide on the island. Some see the big bird as an apt metaphor for modern Bali. Governor Ida Bagus Oka, for example, compares it favorably to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Others, like environmentalist I Made Suarnatha, see the statue as a crass tourist attraction that will cheapen Bali’s heritage and send the message that anything goes. “The people of Bali are shocked by the image this will present,” says Suarnatha. “But as with all these projects, developers and officials refuse to discuss it. I am tired of trying to talk when the other side doesn’t want to.”

A recent history of Bali might well be called The Paradise Paradox. Here we have an Asian culture that was sold to the world by Western romantics, a Hindu island in a mostly Muslim archipelago, a tourist destination that is at once commercial and deeply spiritual. While other famous tropical idylls have succumbed to jet-loads of fun-seekers, Bali culture has proved itself remarkably resilient. Nor have the people utterly lost out to the powerful business elites from the neighboring island of Java. Nonetheless, with the government planning to divide the island into 21 tourist zones, locals and tourists alike are wondering yet again whether Bali’s photogenic dances and festivals, beaches and rice terraces can survive intact.

Make no mistake, Bali faces serious environmental problems. In the capital Denpasar, drinking water dwindles to a trickle during the day, owing, say conservationists, to the unquenchable thirst of Nusa Dua, the elite resort. The hotel industry’s demand for electricity has pushed forward plans for a controversial geothermal power station at Bedugal, a sacred mountain lake. Nor are the beaches immune to the build-it-and-they-will-come philosophy. Sand dredging off the port of Benoa to enlarge an island for yet more hotels has altered the water currents; they are now eating away at the beaches in the old resort area of Sanur. Such developments are supposed to be accompanied by an environmental impact study guaranteeing that the projects are sustainable. “These studies are no more than procedure,” says environmentalist Yuyun Ilham. “It doesn’t matter how they implement the project. As long as they have the document, it’s fine.”

There is no debate about the debacle at Candi Dasa, a development on the east coast. Limestone from offshore reefs was used to build the hotels. Oops. With the reefs ground down, the resort beach was left open to the waves. Rather than see their inns slip into the sea, the owners ordered a series of water-breaks that march along the beach like ragged dinosaur teeth. “That was the Balinese people being stupid,” says Oka, referring to the development. He denies any current projects are ecologically unsound. “The people are aware that the culture, the people, the beaches are their natural wealth. There is no way they would destroy their environment, though in some cases they may not understand the effects of what they want to do.”

In fact, Balinese talk far less about ruined beaches and feeble water pressure than they do about destruction of their way of life, how their culture is being mass-marketed to the world. The government constantly urges the people to smile and make their traditional ceremonies extra lavish to please the visitors, so much so that many communities have run up hefty debts trying to outdo the neighbors. But while they endure modern rituals thrust upon them by a government eager for foreign exchange, the Balinese, as in other famous vacation spots, have a tendency to blame the tourists. Anak Agung Oka is typical in this regard. Agung, 33, is in charge of the community’s adat, traditional laws that cover everything from land ownership to relationships. He lives in a village in Legian, now a northerly extension of the tourist tack of Kuta. When skimpily attired tourists venture into town, Agung feels like telling them “not to kill my tradition.”

In 1993, Indonesia’s Bakrie group unveiled plans to build a resort and golf course at Tanah Lot. Some locals expressed horror that they would be able to see the complex from the nearby temple, one of the holiest on Bali. In a virtually unprecedented display of disenchantment, Hindu priests organized protests. In the end a compromise was worked out. Bakrie moved the hotel back a few hundred meters, though temple-goers can still spy tourists teeing off.

The small victory has been hailed by activists who see in it the seeds of a revolt against the evils of unplanned tourism that is wrecking the environment and undermining Bali’s vaunted culture. But the temple protest may have had less to do with religion than jealousy – namely that outsiders (in this case a Jakartan) were making money at the expense of locals. Long before the resort opened, the path to the holy site was lined with ramshackle shops selling souvenirs to tourists watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean. A double standard? Governor Oka says he asked the same thing. “If this is a protest against outsiders,” he asks, “what happens if people outside don’t like us?”

The governor has a point. Even Balinese who bemoan the paving of their island acknowledge that they have done handsomely by the planeloads of free-spending tourists. Last year, according to official figures, there were 1.16 million direct arrivals, a big advance on the 738,533 who visited four years earlier. That does not take into account the extra one-million-plus foreigners who don’t fly direct, not to mention the weekenders from Java. Whatever the exact figures, Bali’s economy is moving far faster than the rest of the country. Balinese proudly buzz around on motorscooters. They rarely have to look far for work. And many are downright enthusiastic about tourism.

Priests happily marry non-Hindus such as Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall for cash. Get-rich-quick artists are willing to overlook the adat laws to sell off ancestral land for big bucks. One Balinese entrepreneur runs two hotels, a restaurant and two discos, where locals and tourists alike pop ecstacy to improve their view of paradise. He is making so much cash, his neighbors speculate that Bali has become a money-laundering hub for drug barons. Balinese are increasingly savvy when it comes to their birthright: most developments are on land that is leased for 30 years. Hence, the hotels, restaurants and homes that smother much of southern Bali will revert to the Balinese.

That has not stopped the griping, of course. Balinese say the Javanese are scooping most of the tourism profits – and that the Jakarta establishment, including the children of President Suharto, are more interested in “ego-tourism” than in prudent investments; so many hotels are being built that room-price wars erupt from time to time at five-star inns. There are also complaints that developers cheat landowners. Those who refuse to sell at low prices risk having their homes demolished by bulldozers; that is what allegedly happened this year at the Pecatu project of Suharto son Hutomo Mandala Putera. All that aside, compared to their neighbors on Lombok, where foreign and Jakarta investors have mostly shoved the Sasak people out of the tourist game, Balinese are doing well.

In 1937, Miguel Covarrubias wrote the seminal work Island of Bali. In it the Mexican author reckoned that the isle was “doomed to disappear under the merciless onslaught of modern commercialism and standardization.” Years later, the American anthropologist Margaret Mead came to much the same conclusion. Today’s jet-fresh tourists might well, too. In Kuta, confused, sun-burned visitors are hassled by day by sellers of cold drinks, copy watches and sunglasses and by night by touts pushing sex and drugs. Here Japanese and Australian girls can find instant romances with bronzed gigolos. In Ubud, tourists buy batik hangings that are rolled out like so much wallpaper. In fact, if tourists have any interest at all in Balinese culture, it is usually limited to buying mass-market folk art or attending a dance show, often at their hotel. Kids, bored with the thought of visiting yet another temple, want theme parks and water slides, such as the Kuta Water Bom park.

Even well-heeled Balinese would rather hang out at Kuta’s Hard Rock Cafe than watch a classical legong dance. “There is a very serious middle class here with money to spend,” says Stuart, an Australian who has made a good living from the tourist trade for the past 10 years. “Jakarta has its Taman Mini theme park. So why shouldn’t Bali have its own? These are diversions, whether you’re talking about parks or prostitutes. It’s what comes with money.”

And yet, amid the hungry commercial rush of Kuta’s strip, each day young Balinese women place floral offerings to the gods in front of every doorway. On the sacred day of Nyepi, the entire island shuts down. On lesser feast days, some devoted to such quaint chores as blessing steel, wood and other materials, processions of brightly clad women and men in their Hindu whites take to the streets, delighting foreign onlookers. Sitting by the lotus pond in his garden, Agung says adat remains a big force in the lives of ordinary folk. “Youngsters might experiment a little with Western lifestyles,” he says. “But the sanctions of the community are strong enough that they quickly get pulled back in line. The ritual drum that summons people for ceremonies still has a strong charisma.”

In a place where most people will tell you that adat and religion come first in the scale of priorities, followed by family and, only then, business, clearly some kind of culture endures. The problem, says local anthropologist Degung Santikarma, is how to define what it is. “We are asking, ‘What is authentic?'” he says. “But no one wants to listen. What we have is something fluid.” In the meantime, he dismisses foreigners – “these romantic junkies from the West” – who stay a month or 12 and start telling the Balinese how to rescue their culture.

Of course, it was foreigners who helped to create much of the Bali that the world knows today. Before the colonial period, the Balinese were better known for frequent internecine wars and a thriving slave trade than for an enlightened culture. A handful of foreigners who lived on the island between the two world wars helped shape Bali’s reputation as a cultural destination. The places they chose to settle – Kuta, Ubud, Sanur – became the focal nodes of modern tourism. Even as they disseminated images of the so-called last paradise – best exemplified by the bare-breasted Balinese beauty – these early residents encouraged art forms that might well have died out otherwise. “From the 1930s there was the appearance of imitation arts,” says Prof. I Made Bandem, head of the Indonesian Institute of Arts at Denpasar. “Ritual forms were turned into mass art and sold to the tourists. This served to preserve them from extinction.”

One of the most influential foreign residents was Walter Spies, a German painter and musician. He moved to Ubud, encouraged other artists and writers to settle in Bali, and did much to sow the seeds of artistic development in painting, sculpture and dance. When Ronald Reagan visited Bali in 1986, according to American ethnologist Edward M. Bruner, the then U.S. president was shown a kecak dance performance. The choreographer? None other than Walter Spies, who put together the routine with a Balinese troupe back in the 1930s.

When Made Yudha was growing up, his village in the Legian region was nothing but rice fields. Today they have for the most part been swallowed up by the hotels, lodges, restaurants, bars and shops that thrust for 10 kilometers north from Ngurah Rai airport through Kuta. “Development has been too fast,” says Made, 35, who now oversees environmental affairs for the village association. “Maybe the government has handed out too many development licenses.”

The governor, of course, believes different. Oka says that the 21 tourist zones are part of a master plan that involved discussions with all the affected communities. Each zone, he vows, will be developed to meet the individual needs of the area. Few Balinese believe it. “The government seems intent on pursuing mass tourism,” says Suarnatha. “We could be looking for quality tourism, with lower numbers but more lasting value. Now the Bali government is saying every area of the island has to have a resort development. It’s crazy.”

Crazy or not, the Balinese are making money out of tourism in a style that their compatriots elsewhere in Indonesia can only envy. The changes continuing to press on the island may not suit romantics, and many Balinese admit they worry about what it will mean for their future. “We are not completely content,” the governor acknowledges. “The people of Bali have to be aware that with all the changes we have seen, we now have to make corrections and learn to work efficiently. We know that what we enjoy now is our heritage, and we have to give it back to our children and grandchildren in a form they too can enjoy and use.”

For the past century, Bali has endured dramatic change. But for every tourist who complains that the real Bali is dead, there is another who is impressed by the island’s cultural individuality. Motorbikes and cars are now part of the Balinese legacy – and their owners take them to the temple for an annual blessing. In the midst of so much change, ritual lives on. Only the Gods of Bali can know how real it all is.

Keith Loveard is an Asiaweek senior correspondent based in Jakarta

Bali water police release four protected sea turtles

“Go! Go! Go!” screamed a bunch of kids and teens at four green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) as the protected animals were released by Bali Water Police officers back into the sea Sunday afternoon at Kuta.

“Yes, kids! Help me encourage these big turtles to swim away!” said one of the officers, while his friends carried two huge turtles. One has a carapace length of 1 meter and the other 1.5 meters.

The sea turtles were seized Saturday afternoon during a raid at a house belonging to a suspected turtle trader in South Kuta.

During the raid the police arrested the alleged trader I Kadek Suastika, as well as Hendrianto, the skipper of a boat transporting the protected species.

The police moved on after receiving a tip from Tanjung Benoa residents about possible smuggling activities.

The water police immediately sent a patrol boat to monitor the waters around Kedonganan and Tanjung Benoa. The officers identified one suspicious boat and tailed it closely.

“The suspicious boat moved to Nusa Dua waters. As we could not reach Nusa Dua waters due to big waves, we waited for the suspects to drop off the rare wildlife onto land,” said chief of operations at the Bali Water Police, Comr. I Putu S. Dinata.

“We captured them at Kadek Suastika’s house.”

Dinata added his team had found six green turtles, but only four were released into the sea Sunday because the other two would be kept as evidence for the suspects’ trial.

Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gede Sugianyar said the suspects might face a maximum of five years imprisonment as they have allegedly violated Government Regulation No. 21/1999 concerning the conservation of natural resources.

“The turtles were poached in the waters off Java and will be sold here.”

“The small ones command a price around Rp 1.5 million *US$145.70* while the big ones are worth up to Rp 5 million.

The Balinese usually buy turtles for consumption.

“We intentionally release the turtles in the crowded Kuta beach, because we also want to give a public education that green turtle is facing extinction.

“Especially for Bali residents, who we are hope will reduce their consumption of turtles.”

During the release, some foreign tourists took photos and also encouraged the newly free turtles to swim back into the ocean.

Selong – Lombok Timur

The trimmed flower shrub-lined highways, the tall glass-walled commercial buildings, the modern street and direction signs, even the uniformed policemen patrol cars surprised me. This was not the Selong I knew thirteen years ago.

Being the capital of Lotim (short for Lombok Timor or East Lombok), the city Selong has always been the epicenter of business in this southeast corner of Lombok. However, way back in 1993-1995, the period of my life that I was its constant visitor – I typically stayed there for a week 4 times a year – Selong was as backwater a town bereft of tourism can be. It was contagiously slow, defiantly unharried and relatively uncrowded.

Except for the regular Monday cattle market, nothing much disturbed the pace in Selong in the early 90s. Not the constant and inescapable calls for loudspeaker-blared calls-for-prayers by the mosques that are everywhere, not the transiting traffic of inter-island buses (Selong is at the crossroads to many destinations in and out of Lombok, including Sumbawa in the East), nor the daily bustle of horse-drawn cidomo ferrying people from place to place.

I remember vividly jogging almost every day break on the asphalt roads, passing by the small scattering of warung stalls openly peddling freshly cooked food. Now, more than a decade later, there are already numerous eateries and restaurants dotting the streets that are now in paved cement. When before these same thoroughfares were only notable for the wide, relatively clean Dutch-made canals at the side – granted that they often were used as open-air toilets by the people but they were highly effective in controlling flashfloods and sported surprisingly clear running waters – today, billboards and posts with advertisement signage are everywhere.

At its core though, I sense the same religious fervency. Islam was and still is the center of life in Selong. Mosques are still full especially during Friday. From seniors to adults to school-age kids, people still sling their sajada prayer rugs on their shoulders and march cheerfully to their masjid of worship. I witnessed a funeral march and like before, it still is conducted by men, with the women segregating themselves and waiting at the mosques. More and more mosques have sprouted, with few more in various state of construction, as evidenced by scaffolded minarets and the omnipresent men flagging motorists for donations.

Dompu

Sumbawa the island offers a lot for the hardy tourists, if people can get over the distance and the inconvenience in getting there. But nature in its unspoilt glory can offer lots of rewards. Think of surfing, volcano trekking and traditional horse racing. Now, let me add, playing with whale sharks.

The place is Pulau Bajo, one of the numerous islands dotting the northern central coast of Dompu. Vegetation, much less agriculture, is scarce in the island. It is just like a big outcrop of dusty brown sand and boulder crags. Nothing much is green there during summer except for the tracts of mangrove at its coast. What it does have are three villages and where there are people, the introduction of seaweed mariculture was not difficult. Of late, the island has done significant progress in seaweed farm development hence the visit.

So there we were in a boat, checking out the seaweed growth, when suddenly we were stalked by some big fish. It was large, at least 25 feet long, and it has a dorsal fin that stuck out like that of a shark.

Instinctively, we got alarmed. The boat driver, a resident of the island, said something in the local Mbojo (Bima) language. Lost in translation, the lady in our group got panicky as the giant fish ringed our boat in concentric circles, getting closer and closer. The driver was smiling so I took this as a good sign. It obviously was not his first encounter. Finally, the fish made a pass under our boat. Beneath us, it looked dark and looming. Our outrigger boat was only 8 feet long and the “monster” was three times bigger. We clearly were overmatched.

Playing with us, it went away for awhile but came back suddenly. It approached the boat purposely. When it was 10 feet away from us, it opened its mouth and everybody yelped. Then it became obvious to me. This was a whale shark. Its huge mouth was flat, round, probably about 3 feet wide and was in front of its head. In contrast, sharks have mouths at the underside of their head. The sharp scary teeth which make the shark’s jaw famous were missing. Whale sharks are filter feeders which eat planktons for food. We could see distinctive white spots covering its thick gray shiny body. But it was so big that its presence overwhelmed us.

With all the excitement, I still tried to take photographs of this wonderful creature. Too bad I could not get a higher elevation point to take a long shot. An underwater picture would have been nice but that was no option either. My photos clearly could not do justice.

We quizzed the driver and he said that they are fairly common in the island. People mostly leave them alone although others said that the meat can be palatable. He assured us that the locals consider them mostly as friends and leave them generally unharmed. Whale sharks are obviously extremely social and would toy with any boat in their search for company.

Clearly, in this tiny island in Dompu sits an untapped attraction. Ecotourism could not be any better than guaranteed close encounters with these gentle giants. I would be hard-pressed in describing the experience. Amazing becomes an understatement.

From Bima, Dompu is about 2.5 hours by private car, about 3.5 hours if by public bus. Turn north at Manggelewa district and ask directions for the small local dock for the islet of Pulau Bajo. The island can be covered in 1.5 hours. Boat rental varies from 15 to 30USD.

Dompu Regency

Dompu is the capital city of Central Sumbawa. It is situated on the main road between the district of Sumbawa and Bima district.

Tourism Objects in Dompu

* Mada Prama
It is located about 4 km from Dompu. Natural spring water for swimming and bathing set in lush tropical forest surrounding.

* Dermaga Kempo Beach
It is located in Saleh Bay. It is a port that connects Dompu to Nisa Pudu and Nisa Rate Islands.
* Nisa Pudu and Nisa Rate Islands
Nisa Pudu and Nisa Rate Islands have beautiful panorama. People can enjoy the sun from either island. They are located 45 km from Dompu and they can be reached by public transportation.

* Hodo Beach
Hodo Beach is about 45 km from Dompu. Located on Salch beach, the beach is an excellent stop over before ascending Mount Rinjani. Fresh water is available.

* Calabay
It is about 100 km from Dompu. It has a port called “Tiga Bangun”, a port through which timber are exported.

* Mount Tambora
Mount Tambora is about 100 km from Dompu. It is the highest mountain in Sumbawa. Its eruption in 1815 was one of the most destructive and powerful volcanic explosions in human history, caused a huge catastrophic all over the island. The explosion could be heard as far as Ternate (1400 km), and tremors were felt in Surabaya (800 km). The volcanic dust, ejected into stratosphere acted as a giant filter, creating a spectacular orange sunsets around the world, the eject which circled the world caused temperature to drop almost 2 F degrees below normal for the whole year, resulting in the famous ‘year without summer’ of 1816._Nowadays, the vicinity of this mountain has become a game and conversation area. Mount Tambora has a dense forest and various kinds of wood. There is a vast meadow, which extends on the slope of the mountain. The hunting area that faces the sea makes the panorama more beautiful. The port here connects to Kempo district.

Mataram

Mataram is the capital of Lombok. The town actually consists of four different towns Ampenan, Mataram, Cakranegara (Cakra) and Sweta. Ampenan has most of city sights, including Negeri Nusa Tenggara Barat museum, which gives a good overview of the culture of Lombok. Cakra is the best place for eating, sleeping and shopping. It also has the Water Palace, which is worth a visit and the largest temple of Lombok, Meru Purse. Mataram is the administrative centre and Sweta the transport connection of the whole island. As a center of government administration, Mataram has many large, impressive public buildings and substantial houses. The city also has transportation and shopping facilities. The main square is used for art exhibitions, theater, dance, and wayang kulit (puppet theater) performances. In other parts of Mataram, there are a variety of old-style markets and neighborhoods featuring traditional craftwork like basketware and gold- and silver-threaded sarongs, or wraparound garments.

Moyo Island

Moyo Island, at the mouth of Saleh Bay, has a nature reserve with wild oxen, deer, wild boars and a great variety bird species. Visits are best made during the dry season from June through August. A few kilometers of the north coast of Sumbawa, the national park island of Moyo Island is probably the most rewarding destination in Sumbawa, surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and home to wild pig, monitor lizards, 21 species of bat, huge herds of native deer and hordes of crab-eating macaques. The best time to visit is in June and July, though the seas are clear and quiet from April. There are basic private rooms at the PHPA post at Tanjung Pasir on the south coast, where most boats from the mainland arrive. Renting a fishing boat from Tanjung Pasir and going fifteen minutes east to Stama reeft is very rewarding, with lots of sharks and turtles. There’s nowhere on Moyo to rent masks and snorkels so bring our own; fins are advisable due to the strong currents.

To get to Moyo, take a bemo from beside Seketang Market in Sumbawa Besar to Air Bari , a small port settlement to the northeast. From Air Bari, we can charter a boat to Moyo.