Monthly Archives: April 2015

Reports are in that Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika is preparing to require that all those heading departments in the provincial government of Bali be able to speak English. “From time to time if they are receiving guests discussing cooperation in any sphere, the officials must be able to communicate in English to talk about anything. Let’s not have me always asked to do the talking in English. At times, the head of the government agency must also be able to talk,” explained Pastika. “If you can’t speak English, then you shouldn’t be promoted to a higher echelon and we need to demote you. I ask for all provincial workers to speak English,” warned Pastika. He justified the demand saying that as an international tourist destination, civil servants in Bali should speak English as a precondition of employment.

Starting on June 13 and running for almost an entire month, the 37th annual Bali Arts Festival will be showcasing the best in the island’s rich heritage of dance, music and artistic expression that makes Bali so unique, and will be held in Denpasar and centred around the Bali Arts Center. This year the festival carries the theme of “Jagaditha: Strengthening the Welfare of Society”, and will involve daily performances of dance and music alongside countless cultural and commercial activities, parades and processions, exhibitions, competitions, seminars, and workshops. With performers from both the island and abroad it will most certainly bring locals and tourists from far and wide to enjoy the spectacle. www.baliartsfestival.com

Indonesia should be stepping up its game if it wants to cash in on the burgeoning medical tourism market, if stats released recently about the industry in Southeast Asia are to be believed. Foreigners are flocking in droves to Asian hospitals as affordable health care for foreign visitors is being actively promoted by governments in the region. While medical tourism was once the preserve of affluent patients seeking elective or cosmetic procedures, it is now a burgeoning industry and major source of revenue for select countries. By offering a wide range of treatments, in areas from cardiology to orthopaedics, cosmetic surgery and fertility treatments, hospitals and health care professionals are able to provide comparable care at a fraction of the cost otherwise available to a patient. Case in point is Malaysia, which received more than 770,000 foreign patients in 2013, a 14.9% increase on the previous year.

Metis Gallery presents an amazing collection of Buddhas from all over Asia and Southeast Asia complemented
by antique furniture, weapons, and adornments from Java, Kalimantan, Irian Jaya, and Timor. The Métis collections capture the depth and range of Asian art across history, and for Easter, they will unveil their most recent acquisitions of bronze, wooden, alabaster and lacquer Buddha sculptures and other carvings from Thailand and Burma, followed by new grand-scale bronze sculptures and canvas works from China. www.metisbali.com

Raconteur and property guru, Bill Barnett, is back for a third with ‘Collective Swag’, a phantasmagorical gathering of rabid essays on everything from the evils of low-cost travel to the blunders in modern architecture. Reading his frantic, caffeine-charged chronicle of life on the road around Asia-Pacific and the Indian Subcontinent is a sure cure for elevator music gone viral. His previous works ‘It Might Get Weird’ and ‘Last Call: Never Trust A Mayan Selling Real Estate’ continue to live lives of their own. As for Bill’s other life as a leading hospitality consultant, public speaker and columnist, he is quick to point out, “There is no such thing as owning too many black t-shirts.” Check out a bookstore or online portal near you..

Bali may very well have the marina in Benoa it’s been waiting for if the powers that be can get approval from the Mayor of Denpasar to press ahead. “The design of Benoa marina has been made since three years ago and the construction will take only 18 months. It’s only the permit that is taking time,” said President Director of PT. IPC III Benoa Branch, Bali, Ali Sodikin. According to Ali, the marina was approved by Bali Governor Made Pastika in 2013, but they are still awaiting a nod from the mayor. Planned improvements include lengthening the long east pier from the current 306 metres to 600 metres in length to accommodate more cruise ships, a large marina and support businesses for local and visiting yachts, entertainment facilities, shopping malls and parks