Dramatic of Kecak Dance in Bali

The Kecak dance is one of the most famous of Balinese dances. It is unusual because it has no musical accompaniment like many other Indonesian dances do, the rhythm of the dance is produced by the chanting 'monkey' chorus. Instead, a troupe of over 150 bare-chested men serve as the chorus, making a wondrous cacophony of synchronized "chak-achak-achak" clicking sounds while swaying their bodies and waving their hands .From that chanting noise of "Cak-cak-cak", then it gave the dance its name Kecak.
What makes the Kecak such a fascinating dance to watch are the fifty or so men in the checkered pants. They are both the choir and the props, providing the music for the story in a series of constant vocal chants that change with the mood of the actors. They don't sit still, either, they wave their arms to simulate fire, and reposition themselves around the stage to represent wind and fire, prison cells, and unseen hand of protection from the gods.
The dance is played in five acts and lasts roughly 45 minutes. It taken from the Hindu epic Ramayana, which tells the story of Prince Rama and his rescue of Princess Sita, who has been kidnapped by the evil King of Lanka, Rahwana and somehow with the help of the white monkey army, Rama rescues his wife and defeats the evil Rahwana.
Attending a Kecak recital is a must for any visitor to Bali. It is a wondrous experience, and a window into the musical and artistic culture that make the Balinese a special people.
By Land:Bali is connected to Java by a regular ferry service running between Gilimanuk and Banyuwangi. If you are taking the train or a night bus from Jakarta, Bandung or Yogyakarta, travels first to Surabaya for the connection to Banyuwangi. Buses can be boarded at Banyuwangi or Gilimanuk for the final leg to Denpasar.
By Sea:The state-run passengers line PELNI operates weekly sailing's between Bali and Jakarta, Ujung Pandang and Balikpapan. Regular ferries sail between Lombok and Bali.
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No need to worry where youll stay in Bali. There are many hotels range provided here, from the luxurious, middle range and budget hotels are spread around the island.
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There are a variety of restaurants in Bali offering a good choice of food to suit a variety of tastes at reasonable prices. Kuta and Jimbaran is a great place to eat especially Seafood and Western dishes are your best bets while in Ubud lots of sophisticated restaurants and many of the shopping centers in the area have places to eat and there are several fast food places for those fast food addicts.
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Its so easy to move around in Bali, especially in the tourist area. You can rent a bike or motorcycle to move around the city. Theres also car rental. Public buses ply routes throughout Bali from Denpasar's Ubung Terminal.
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There are a lot of things to do or see while youre in Bali. Beside its cultural and art, there are also numerous temples, ancient sites and of course, great restaurants around Ubud while in the roads around Kuta, Legian and Sanur are lined with shops and hawkers that sell about everything, offering a huge choice of places to eat and a lively nightlife.
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Handwoven fabrics are a great buy; a simple sarong is an inexpensive, portable and practical travel accessory,Ubud is the best place for you to buy paintings and other artworks,Browsing at the Sukawati Art Market and Galeria Nusa Dua offers a tempting range of Balinese goods in one place.
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Various hotels in Bali hold Kecak Dance performances and often deal providing dinner and tickets to the performance are offered at the main hotels in Bali. Ask your hotel for further information.
Weekly (in some places daily) performances of the Kecak abound around the island, but the most well-known Kecak Theater is in the town of Batubulan just north of the Balinese capital of Denpasar. The dance company provides transportation for a nominal fee to and from the resort.
Upon arrival, if your hotel has not arranged transportation from the airport, hire a taxi from the transport counter outside the arrival gate. Fares are listed by destination and must be paid in advance. Metered taxis are also available in Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Denpasar.
[=Travel Tips'>
By Air:Numerous international carriers service Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport either directly or via Jakarta. Domestic airlines operate schedule flights from various cities within Indonesia.
By Land:Bali is connected to Java by a regular ferry service running between Gilimanuk and Banyuwangi. If you are taking the train or a night bus from Jakarta, Bandung or Yogyakarta, travels first to Surabaya for the connection to Banyuwangi. Buses can be boarded at Banyuwangi or Gilimanuk for the final leg to Denpasar.
By Sea:The state-run passengers line PELNI operates weekly sailing's between Bali and Jakarta, Ujung Pandang and Balikpapan. Regular ferries sail between Lombok and Bali.
[=
No need to worry where youll stay in Bali. There are many hotels range provided here, from the luxurious, middle range and budget hotels are spread around the island.
[=
There are a variety of restaurants in Bali offering a good choice of food to suit a variety of tastes at reasonable prices. Kuta and Jimbaran is a great place to eat especially Seafood and Western dishes are your best bets while in Ubud lots of sophisticated restaurants and many of the shopping centers in the area have places to eat and there are several fast food places for those fast food addicts.
[=
Its so easy to move around in Bali, especially in the tourist area. You can rent a bike or motorcycle to move around the city. Theres also car rental. Public buses ply routes throughout Bali from Denpasar's Ubung Terminal.
[=
There are a lot of things to do or see while youre in Bali. Beside its cultural and art, there are also numerous temples, ancient sites and of course, great restaurants around Ubud while in the roads around Kuta, Legian and Sanur are lined with shops and hawkers that sell about everything, offering a huge choice of places to eat and a lively nightlife.
[=
Handwoven fabrics are a great buy; a simple sarong is an inexpensive, portable and practical travel accessory,Ubud is the best place for you to buy paintings and other artworks,Browsing at the Sukawati Art Market and Galeria Nusa Dua offers a tempting range of Balinese goods in one place.
[=
Various hotels in Bali hold Kecak Dance performances and often deal providing dinner and tickets to the performance are offered at the main hotels in Bali. Ask your hotel for further information.
Weekly (in some places daily) performances of the Kecak abound around the island, but the most well-known Kecak Theater is in the town of Batubulan just north of the Balinese capital of Denpasar. The dance company provides transportation for a nominal fee to and from the resort.
Upon arrival, if your hotel has not arranged transportation from the airport, hire a taxi from the transport counter outside the arrival gate. Fares are listed by destination and must be paid in advance. Metered taxis are also available in Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Denpasar.

toraja south sulawesi

The road from Makassar or Ujung Pandand to Toraja runs along the coast for about 130 km's and then hits the mountains. After the entrance to Tana Toraja you enter a majestic landscape with giant gray, granites and stones and blue mountains at a distance after passing the market village of Mebali. They form a sharp contrast with the lively green of the fertile, rain-fed terraces and the rusty read of the tropical laterite soil. This is Tana Toraja, one of the most splendid areas in Indonesia.
Tana Toraja has a specific and unique funeral ceremony which is called Rambu Solo. In Tana Toraja, dead body is not buried, but it is put in Tongkonan for several times, even can be more than ten years until the family have enough money to held the ceremony. After ceremony, the dead body is brought to the cave or to the wall of the mountain. The skulls show us that the dead body is not buried but just put on stone or ground, or put in the hole.The funeral festival season begins when the last rice has been harvested, usually in late June or July, and lasts through to September.
By AirDirectly from Hasanuddin airport, Makassar or Ujung Pandang, proceed to TANA TORAJA through the airport of Rantetayo, near Makle, 24 km south of Rantepao and there is a bus service to town.
By Land
Buses to Rantepao from Ujung Pandang leave daily from Ujung Pandang. The journey takes 8 hours and includes a meal stop. Tickets should be bought in town but coaches actually leave from Panaikan bus terminal, 20 minutes out of town by bemo. Coaches typically leave in the morning ( 7 am ), noon ( 1 pm ) and at night ( 7 pm).Several companies in Rantepao run buses back to Ujung Pandang with the departure time and prices. The number of buses each day depends on the number of passengers.
Tourist who wants to stay in the heart of the city has many choices since there is lot of hotels available. Or if you had an adventurous soul, you can sleep in villages on the way.
Bemo is the best way to get to know the locals, besides chartered vehicles (minibuses and Jeeps) with or without driver. While you are in the village you can take a walk to move around.
Exploring the market; You should not to be missed going to the traditional market. Here you can get the top end of Toraja coffee beans [like Robusta and Arabica]. And several local veggies, fruits Tamarella or Terong Belanda and gold fish [ikan mas].
Visit Batu Tumonga Plateu; It means stone that facing to the sky. From here can be seen many volcanic stones comes up in between padi fields. And, several giant stones became cave graveyard. The views is pretty awesome. The huge of Tana Toraja [Toraja land] looks so lush and greenery. Like a patchwork in gradation hue of green color
Palawa is an excellent village to visit a Tongkonan, or a burial place still swarming with celebrations and festivals.
Take a side trip from Rantepao to Kete, a traditional village with excellent handicraft shops. Behind the village on a hillside is a grave site with lifesize statues guarding over old coffins
Most of the times, you can't eat at these locations; however more warung and restaurants appear along the road. You can also bring your own foods and drinks.
There is a souvenirs shop where you can buy everything specific from Tana Toraja. There are clothes, bags, wallets and other handicrafts.
Visitor are expected to adhere to local dress customs and to bring a token present, such as cigarettes or coffee whenever entered Tongkonan.
As roads are not always paved, it is necessary to use a jeep or walk, even when the weather is good (between May and October).
Beware with your head whenever going inside to Tongkonan, The Torajan traditional house.
Enrekang, Makale and Toraja Higland are surrounded by astonishing volcanic rocky cliffs. Do not miss it , just stop and take picture for awhile and you will not regret.

Baliem Valley - Papua

Once you read or give it a deeper study to Danis way of life, dont be surprise that you may find your eye lifting or forehead wrinkling. Why? Because the Dani is uniquely amazing.
The Dani men and women sleep separately in different honai (Danis traditional house). The men sleep grouped in one honai, while the women and children slumber in another honai. As descended from their ancestor, sex is taboo for the women after giving birth, for 2 or 5 years, as the result the Dani generated healthier kids since the women focus on babysitting the kids during the most important phase of growth. This situation makes the men vulnerable to polygamy, its a true fact of life that the Dani men are allowed to have more than 1 wife or as many as he can afford. A man should give 4-5 pigs to the girls parent he wants to marry. For Dani men, his social status are initiated by the number of wives and pigs he has.

Another remarkable custom of Dani is that women will amputate their finger when their relatives die, hence doesnt be surprise when you see women with missing finger.
To enhance the quality of your experience in Baliem Valley, guide is essential since there are no clear maps or signage initiated for visitor. The guide will help to lead the track, communicate with the local people and in advance, the guide will inform the tourist about local dos and donts.
Flying might be the only way to access the Baliem Valley through Wamena. Here are some alternatives on carrier from Jayapura to Wamena: (For further info, ask the officers at Sentani Airport Information Center).
Trigana Air Services provide daily flights into and out of Wamena. Spot the Trigana Air Service Offices at Sentani Airport terminal and Wamena Airport terminal.

MAF
AMA
Yajasi
Manunggal Air
Hercules carrier provide by Indonesian army (TNI)
To access Baliem Valley, you can rent car or public bus from Wamena.

For those who are adventurer and cultural observer in heart, stay and mingle with the Baliem Valley people is possible, just make sure your guide booked it before your visit. Go Show? Affordable.
If the first alternative is way too extreme, you can stay at hotels at Wamena:
Wamena Hotel at Jl. Homhom 61
Srikandi Hotel at Jl. Irian 16
Pondok Wisata Putri Dani at Jl. Irian 40
Nayak Hotel at Jl. Gatot Subroto 63
Hotel Syah Rial Makmur at Jl. Gatot Subroto 45
Hotel Anggrek at Jalan Ambon 1
Baliem Pilamo Hotel at Jalan Trikora
Baliem Valley Resort (3 star resort), www.baliem-valley-resort.de
Would you mind if we say ON FOOT? Healthy foot and fit body? Absolutely. Through trekking, you can witness traditional ceremonies, traditional markets and the people of Dani.
There is no restaurant inside the Baliem- Valley, a guide could bargain the Dani people to provide simple meals. Its stoutly advised, that the visitor bring their own meals and snack during the trekking. Meals and snacks can be found in grocery store at Wamena
Souvenir can be easily found on the valley and buy the crafts directly from the Dani people.
Stone blade is a major favorite for the tourist
Sekan: rattan bracelate
Noken: made from trees bark
Head and arm necklace
Jogal: grass skirt
And other head decorations
The captivating Baliem Fiesta is held on August around 10 - 17 August every year. The festival performs traditional dances, pig races, ancestral fighting and races. Today, Baliem Fiesta is one of the main reasons why tourists visit Papua. Its a magical Fiesta says most of the tourist.
Join the large and busy local market at Sinatma.
Spotting mummies at Kurulu Village.
Guide is needed to explore the valley
Dont forget to bring the copy of your Surat Keterangan Jalan
Best time to visit is between March and August
If you travel during the rainy season, be prepared with cold weather equipment
Ask your guide about Dos and Donts in the Baliem Valley
Foreigner must obtain a travel permit letter or known as Surat Keterangan Jalan to get the access into the interior part of Papua. You can obtain the Surat Keterangan Jalan at main town police station such as Jayapura, Merauka, Timika, Biak, Nabire, Monokwari and other main city. The permit of lasts will depend on your request, from 1 week until 1 month or even longer. Please prepare copies of your passport, recent photograph and list of places you wish to visit. Its easy to get the Surat Keterangan Jalan, because the officers are friendly and helpful.
You can ask your travel agent to arrange the Surat Keterangan Jalan.

Further Reading:
www.papua-adventures.com