Celukan Bawang favorite port for skippers

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Existence of the freight stevedoring pier at Celukan Bawang Harbor, Gerokgak, becomes a featured icon for the Northern Bali community. As a natural and convenient harbor for skippers, this largest harbor in Buleleng has become favorite sojourn for barges which often transport goods to various towns in Bali.
The Head of Buleleng Development Planning Board (Bappeda), Gede Suyasa, said that designation of Celukan Bawang Harbor was very appropriate for barges and cruise ships to anchor in Bali. It was enabled because the construction of Celukan Bawang Harbor was natural without too big ocean waves. “According to provincial Spatial Plan, it should become the center of all stevedoring activities in Bali. Based on the experience of skippers, Celukan Bawang Harbor is the most convenient harbor for cruise ship to berth. As a natural harbor, the waves are not high and surrounding condition is very good as well,” he said, Monday (Jan 5).
When the freight was unloaded at Celukan Bawang Harbor, the condition of road construction would become a constraint for trucks transporting the freight. “Regent of Buleleng has often delivered the issue to provincial government if the Celukan Bawang Harbor is indeed used as stevedoring harbor it must be focused on stevedoring activity. However, there was complaint of employers where if the freight is unloaded in Buleleng, when it is transported to southern Bali, the road access is even not good as it can kindle congestion at Gitgit,” he said.
Cooperation between Bali and Buleleng government to maximize the role of Celukan Bawang Harbor remained to be done as well as in the matter of road access posing the main supporting infrastructure for smooth distribution of freight. “When freight is just unloaded at the harbor, there should be an access to distribute the freight. Unlike when stevedoring activities are done at Benoa Harbor Denpasar, the access of distribution can be smoother. Thus, the road access becomes a very important part,” said Suyasa.
Meanwhile, according to Dewa Gede Adi Kumarajaya, General Manager of PT Pelindo III of Celukan Bawang Branch, if the Benoa Harbor was merely intended for tourism vessel, the entire container ships would be directed to Celukan Bawang as set forth in the master plan of Celukan Bawang Harbor. “The role of Celukan Bawang Harbor will be developed in the future into a cargo harbor. It will depend on the status of Benoa Harbor whether it has become a special tourism harbor. As a result, cargo ships will certainly be directed to the North,” he said.
Stevedoring activities at Celukan Bawang covered the commodities such as iron, timber and cement, including the locally made cement of Indonesia to Vietnam. Distribution of cement was mostly sent to Denpasar. Furthermore, the Bali provincial government plan related to the development of Soka – Seririt Toll Road as road infrastructure was expected to facilitate the distribution access from North Bali to South Bali. “Hopefully, the distribution of freight in the future can become more fluent,” he added.www.bali-travelnews.com

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Penglipuran Village Festival Presents Typical Culture

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Creative and unique are the first impression can be captured when witnessing the Penglipuran Village Festival (PVF). Diverse cultures and handicrafts graced the second annual event. The PVF was opened by the Assistant to Bangli Regional Secretary in charge of Administration and Public Welfare  Affairs,  I  Wayan  Lawe.
The  event  was  attended  by  officials  of  Bangli, representative of the Indonesian Tour Guides Association (HPI)  of Bali  Chapter,  ASITA and tourism business people. The festival held at Penglipuran customary village, Kubu subdistrict, Bangli, showcased various handicraft products made from bamboo and woven fabrics.
There were also coloring contest, customary fashion show, dance, culinary contest, photography, souvenir manufacture, bondres traditional gag and bamboo music performance. It took place on December 18, 2014 to January1, 2015.Chief  of  Penglipuran  customary  village,  Wayan  Supat,  said  the  PVF aimed to  promote  the Penglipuran customary village to international community.
Besides, the activity also developedthe tourism supporting products such as the typical souvenir of Penglipuran. “The festival also organizes the competition of souvenir-making and exhibits futuristic souvenir,” he said. At the moment, added Supat, the average tourist visits per day to Penglipuran, both of domestic and foreign, reached 125 people.
 With the implementation of Penglipuran Village Festival, his party  expected  the  number  of  tourist  arrival  would  continue  to  rise.  “Our target  after  the Penglipuran Village Festival is the tourist arrival can reach 300 people per day,” he added.
Excellence of the Penglipuran customary village, explained Supat, was the entrance gates of house compound (angkul-angkul)  of the residents  having similar design.  It also remained top reserve traditional house building where the characteristic laid in the use of bamboo material. ” It  seems  incomplete  when  travelers  coming  to  Bali  without  dropping  in  at  Penglipuran customary village,” he said.www.bali-travelnews.com

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In Bangli, Gandrung Dance No Longer Favored

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In the year 1950s, the Gandrung Dance was much loved by rural communities. Even, it became a favorite art for men. Unfortunately, the dance usually performed by female dancers had a chance to experience a bleak period, when the other kinds of art developed. “We have revived this noble art,” said Mrs. Erik Gianyar, the initiator of mass Gandrung Dance performed on Mother’s Day, last week.
In this case, the wife of Bangli Regent Made Gianyar held public figures of Pengotan customary village, where the dance had existed. His party also involved in person the former dancers. “Due to these figures, the Gandrung Dance can be seen again,” she said.
Ketut Suarno, one of the artists from Pengotan village, Bangli, said the Gandrung Dance at Pengotan village had been endangered. The Gandrung Dance art troupe had 2 dancers and 15 gamelan musicians. All the musical instruments were made of bamboo, so that they were very typical. The dance was very familiar to make itinerant performance from village to village.
Gandrung Dance, explained Mrs. Erik Gianyar, was not much different from Joged Bumbung Dance having been very popular in Bali. However, there were several characteristics distinguishing them where the dancers were required to wear polite attires, not to be sexy and deviated from the courtesy of Balinese culture.
The dance style was not much different, just on the pengibing or invited co-dancer was not allowed to make movement getting contact with the dancer. Most importantly, the porn movement was strictly prohibited in the dance. “Get motivated to preserve the wealth of Balinese culture, we try to display the Gandrung Dance en masse,” she explained.
And what made it a unique dance was the payment of the art troupe was not using money, but using rice or the like. Results of the itinerant performance were then divided equally by the members of the art troupe. “In the 1960s, the horrific eruption of Mount Agung had contribution to the fade of Gandrung Dance,” she said.
At that time, explained Suarno, the distance of Pengotan village located on highlands was close to Mount Agung, so the eruption had great impact on people’s life. At that time, the dust and sand from the eruption of Mount Agung covered most of the people’s agricultural lands so that they could not be worked on optimally. “At that time, the people only thought about the urgent needs or groceries because life was very difficult,” he said.
To preserve the Gandrung Dance, the figures of Pengotan village coalesced into the Candra Seka Gandrung Art Troupe attempted to reconstruct the dance. To refine the Gandrung Dance reconstruction, his party also took maestro of Gandrung Dance Men Coblong, 80, and the gamelan music composer Nang Rai and gamelan musician Nang Salin.
As a result, it was quite encouraging where the Gandrung Dance was then frequently staged in various occasions during customary and religious activities at Pengotan village. As the peak of its moment, the Gandrung Dance was staged en masse on the Mother’s Day in Bangli.www.bali-travelnews.com

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Rindik, a Balinese Folk Musical Art

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Rindik is one of the Balinese traditional musical instruments. This musical instrument is very simple, but has a distinctive sound. Rustic, peaceful and prosperous atmosphere is depicted in the tones played. In the wedding reception, thanksgiving and other ceremonial events, rindik can become a choice of entertainment. At hotel lobby, this bamboo music is often played as a welcome music. In the performing session, rindik is usually played by three musicians. A player of lanang (female) instrument plays the selangsih tone and another plays wadon (female) instrument with a plain tone. Then, another plays a flute to give the sweet feel in every gamelan composition.
To play the blades of rindik requires a good concentration because both hands should be able to play the mallet (beater) with different tempo and composition. The beat of left hand sets the tempo, while the right hand plays kotekan in accordance with the rhythm of gamelan composition played. Sometimes it can be fast and tender. Uniform of the players is not too flossy. They usually wear fabric, saput, selempot, clothes and headdress. If the performance is intended for reception or a large ceremonial event, the uniform put on by players usually arranged beautifully like a dancer. A combination of colors and patterns has become a main thing. Sometimes, it is embellished with yellowish golden leaf.
Prof. Dr. I Wayan Dibia said the traditional musical instrument was estimated to origin from pejogedan art emerging in 1940s. Pejodegan art was the development of Joged Pingitan circa 1811. After the independence period, it then developed into Joged Bumbung having full expression and spontaneity. As a popular art, continued Dibia, rindik was very appropriate to be combined with dance movements having the formality space. At the beginning, the Joged Bumbung emerged as a sensual dance, but not erotic. “Well, in the later development Joged Bumbung features erotic motion. As a result, it kindles an unfair judgment,” he said.
According to Dibia, we could not blame them (the joged dancers) alone. “Probably, it indicates if people are in severe stress or it also becomes the people’s demand today,” said the lecturer in the Indonesia Institute of Arts (ISI) Denpasar seriously. Similar opinion was also revealed by I Wayan Wendra. This man having composed dozens of gamelan musical art said the birth of rindik was predicted to come from the tingklik (bamboo blade musical instrument). Tingklik was estimated to have existed since 1930s. “The birth of rindik started when farmers were relaxing while hitting galar (bamboo mat). As sounding fun, they were then given the tone to produce very melodious sounds,” he said.
The tingklik then used intact bamboo stuffed with resonance chamber to produce tender tone. Creativity of the Hindu community in Bali was high and then the rindik was combined with dance, so that it developed into jejogedan accompanying the Joged Bumbung dance. “Almost all the regions in Bali have this art. This musical instrument is very close to the life of farmers in Bali,” he said.To make rindik instrument, added Wendra, people used selected bamboo to generate a nice tone. Other than being dry, the bamboo should also have a matching thickness. “A fanatic rindik player usually makes it from dry bamboo at place, not cleared it first before dried out,” he said.
According to him, every region in Bali has special day to present the offerings for the gamelan instrument. Meanwhile, each craftsman would not have different ability. “People who can make the rindik have strong auditory tone of gamelan,” he said.http://bali-travelnews.com

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Cremation of Tjokorda ‘Sosrobahu’

Height of Bade Tower 24 meters, Paraded by 400 Residents

Cremation ceremony was the last tribute presented by the community of Ubud for the inventor of Sosrobahu technique, Dr. Tjokorda Raka Sukawati, on Anggara (Tuesday) Pahing, Sungsang (Dec 9). Even, the parade of the nine-tiered bade tower from Puri Kantor to Dalem Puri cemetery Ubud took place faster than usual.
The procession of taking out the corpse started around 12:30 a.m., preceded with a tribute memorial by military and police personnel. After that, the corpse was loaded to bade tower as high as 24 meters and then vivaciously paraded by 400 residents of Ubud.
“Previously, the parade of bade tower to cemetery could take 30 minutes, but just now it lasted very quickly, approximately 15 minutes. It happened because the spirit of the whole residents as their sincere tribute to the deceased who had built a good reputation of Ubud and this nation in the eyes of international community,” said Tjokorda Artha Ardana Sukawati at the Dalem Puri cemetery.
Dr. Tjokorda Raka Sukawati, better known as Tjokorda Sosrobahu, is the native to Bali who has a global reputation. The Sosrobahu technology he invented has been used in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and even Singapore. One of the longest flyovers in Metro Manila, namely the Vilamore-Bicutan road section, also applied the invention of Tjokorda Sosrobahu. In the Philippines, the Sosrobahu technology is applied to the 298 overpass beams, while in Kuala Lumpur was applied to 135 beams.www.bali-travelnews.com

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Every full moon in sixth month

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Pengotan youth involved in mass war

Bali has many unique traditions associated with war. All this time, the well-known war tradition is the pandanus war at Tenganan village, Karangasem and tipat-bantal war in Mengwi, Badung. Not many people know if Bangli County precisely Pengotan village also has similar war tradition namely the banana sheath war or perang papah biu.
As the name suggests, the banana sheath war is conducted by means of banana sheath. This war tradition is held en masse by hundreds of youths in the area of Penataran Agung Temple of local village every year around December. It precisely falls on full moon of the sixth month in Balinese calendar.
Before the war procession is done, people will organize a certain ritual at the local temple. The banana sheath war or Baris Babuang Dance will be preceded by senior figure of local village. To enrich the atmosphere, the war will usually be accompanied with gamelan music by local villagers.
War atmosphere will be getting more exciting when hundreds of youth of Pengotan customary village gets their turn to dance. With the command of a senior figure of the village, the banana sheath war begins. In practice, the hundreds of young men will hit one another by means of banana sheath like people in brawl. More uniquely, in this banana sheath war, the participants will not recognize which are friends and foes alike. Even, in spite of hit by banana sheath, the participants will not feel any pain.
Chief of Pengotan customary village, Jro Kopok, said the banana sheath war was one of the rituals having been passed down from generation to generation by residents of Pengotan since hundreds of years ago. It was meant to invoke people’s safety and prosperity. “In addition, it is also intended to strengthen togetherness and kinship among people,” he explained.www.bali-travelnews.com

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