Pinterest Update

As promised here is my update.

I went on the Pinterest waitlist on 30 January, and on 03 February I received my confirmation. Just a 4 day wait, which I used to browse around Pinterest – but I still have to learn a lot. One thing I am already sure off – it’s a lot of fun, and I have to watch that I don’t spend too much time just having fun – but then again, why not?

Living and working in Bali, it’s easy to get into a routine which is not so very different from living elsewhere. Sometimes I forget why I am here, and that’s when I take a day out, trying to visit places which I either have not been to before, or have not been to for quite a while.

Last week my first stop was a few kilometers out of Amed, on the east coast of Bali. I had read about a place called Bangle Yeh Masem – the 5 Holy Springs. The narrow, slippery path winds down to a river which needs to be crossed, so don’t wear your dancing shoes. On the other side one enters a beautiful bamboo forest. The sound of bamboo whispering in the breeze, to me, is pure magic. I came across a family with a tiny baby, carried in a sling by the father, and proudly shown to me. When I came to a small temple, I had a break and then turned around, to get back to the car. Because my second destination of the day, was about two hours drive away.

Pura Pasar Agung

Although a fair distance away, the Pura Pasar Agung Group, located on the higher slopes of Mt. Agung at 1600m,  is considered to be part of the Besakih Group, the Mother Temple of Bali.

From the car park I noticed steps, and more steps, leading steeply up towards the temple. Neither being the youngest, nor the fittest person, I started climbing with a sense of trepidation, not sure that I would make it to the temple. But I did, and luckily I only found out afterwards that it’s some 300 steps.  On the way up we met some young men coming down, still wearing their beautiful temple clothing.  It never fails to impress me how closely religion is interwoven with day to day activities here in Bali. Pura Pasar Agung is an impressive group of temples and shrines, with Mount Agung a mighty pressence in the background. It is also the start of one of the Mount Agung hikes – which I had no intention of doing. On the way home I stopped and bought some freshly harvested salak, the famous and very tasty local fruit which we call snake fruit.

Neither at Bangle Yeh Masem near Amed, nor at Pura Pasar Agung did I meet any tourists or souvenir sellers, and I once again remembered why I live in Bali.

I came across this relatively new social network called Pinterest (rhymes with Interest). Well, I checked it out and really looks like a lot of fun, so I decided to join up. Joining Pinterest is a little different, as you ask for an invite to join, and then you go on a waiting list. Don’t know how long it takes for the waiting list to be confirmed (to use airline lingo), but I’ll keep you up to date. In the meantime I did some browsing, and found this image which I think is rather funny

So you have decided to DIY (do it yourself). Who needs a travel agent anyway, when all the information needed is freely available on the internet? Of course you are right, all it needs is a bit of (patient) googling. There is just one small problem: information is not the same as knowledge.

Travel forums like Thorntree and travel fish get 100s of posts each day (or maybe even thousands – I don’t really know)  from people who are trying to make sense of all the information they have collected on the first part of their trip – their journey through various search engines.

OK, you have booked your flights – that was easy enough, and now you start sending emails to local operators, transport companies, and hotels. Blast, the cute little homestay you absolutely need to stay at, does not have an email address, or does not reply to your email – and the phone number either no longer works, or the person at the other end does not speak your language and simply hangs up on you – what now? Back to Thorntree and travel fish, maybe, just maybe someone out there has the information you need, and wouldn’t it be fantastic if that information was up to date as well?

By now you have spent considerable time on the internet, maybe you have printed off pages and pages of information, but you still have the feeling that you are not  making any progress. Maybe your departure is only a couple of weeks away, and other than having booked your flights, you are still up in the air (no pun intended) about the rest of your holidays.

Let me give you a hand – I’ll put together a suggested time line (also called itinerary) for you. I’ll put everything into a geographically logical order, to avoid you wasting time and money. And I’ll provide you with up to date contact information and links, or, if you want me to, I can make your reservations for you – things you feel you really need to book before you leave home, as the success of your holiday hinges on these components being in place.

Check out the Specials page for contact information. The price you pay for my knowledge (not simply information) is US$/AU$20.

I live in Bali, but have lived in other parts of Indonesia as well. I have been a travel agent for close to ? years – I started straight after school, and I am still at it. I have worked for very upmarket retail outlets, and for adventure travel companies, I have worked as a tour escort and for international airlines. I am not saying that I know it all, because I don’t. However, this part of the world is my backyard, and if I can’t help you, there is a good chance that I can put you in touch with someone who has more specific, local knowledge than I do.

I promise that I’ll acknowledge your email/payment the moment I receive it (unless it’s in the middle of the night and I am asleep), and that I’ll send you your tailor made itinerary within 48 hours.

Why wait –  click on the link and send me an email now

If you can’t be bothered with the nitty-gritty of putting your holiday together, why not let us do all the hard work for you?

To get an idea of what we can do for you, have a look at our Specials page.

In an article published in The Bali Times Governor Pastika reported on the progress made during his time in office, but also about the challenges faced in the future. Pastika said that:

“Programmes including the free healthcare scheme for registered Bali residents, the assistance for renovating houses owned by poor families and scholarship schemes for poor students were helping alleviate poverty, while environmental schemes were improving the condition of the island”

Unfortunately none of the Balinese I have spoken to, are aware of the existence of the above healthcare scheme. Information is power, and those in power in Bali simply show neither the will nor any urgency in making important information available to the general population. It’s simply not good enough for the government to institute such schemes, and leave the population totally in the dark. Governor Pastika is very skilled in publizing his achievements, how about using these skills to get, what could be life-saving information, to the people of Bali. Or are these schemes, which are supposed to assist all Balinese, really only there for those “in the know”, that segment of the population which is well connected, well educated, and financially well off?

Nyepi is the Balinese ”Day of Silence” that is commemorated every Isakawarsa (Saka new year) according to Bali’s calendar (in 2012, it will be on March 23rd). It is a day of silence, fasting, and meditation. The day following Nyepi is also celebrated as New year.

Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are: no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and for some, no talking or eating at all. The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali’s usually bustling streets and roads are empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes. The only people to be seen outdoors are the Pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed.

Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents of Bali observe the day of silence as well, out of respect for their fellow citizens. Even tourists are not exempt; although free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles carrying those with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth.

On the day after Nyepi, known as Ngembak Geni, social activity picks up again quickly, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another, and to perform certain religious rituals together.

reprinted from WikiTravel under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License