Kuta Bali

Kuta is a town in southern Bali, Indonesia. A former fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist development, and as a beach resort remains one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations. It is known internationally for its long sandy beach, varied accommodation, many restaurants and bars, and substantial Australian population. It is located near Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport.

Kuta was the site of the October 12, 2002 Bali bombing (202 killed) and the October 1, 2005 Bali bombing (26 killed).

Kuta is now the center of an extensive tourist-oriented urban area that merges into the neighboring towns. Legian, to the north, is the commercial hub of Kuta and the site of many restaurants and entertainment spots. Most of the area's big beachfront hotels are in the southern section of Tuban.

Legian and Seminyak are northern extensions of Kuta along Jl. Legian and Jl. Basangkasa. They are somewhat quieter suburbs with cottage-style accommodations, where many of the expat crowd live. Also to the north are Petitenget, Berawa, Canggu, and Seseh - new and quieter continuations of Kuta's beach. They are easy to reach through Abian Timbul or Denpasar and Kerobokan. Several large hotels are located in this area: the Oberoi Bali, Hard Rock Hotel Bali, the Intan Bali Village, the Legian in Petitenget, the Dewata Beach and the Bali Sani Suites in Berawa.

To the south, Kuta Beach extends beyond the airport into Jimbaran. Other nearby towns and villages include Seseh (6.4 nm), Denpasar (4.5 nm), Ujung (1.8 nm), Pesanggaran (2.0 nm), Kedunganan (2.9 nm) and Tuban (1.0 nm).

The Balinese Provincial Government have taken the view that the preservation of the Balinese culture, natural resources and wildlife are of primary importance in the development of the island. To this end they have limited tourist development to the peninsula on the extreme southern aspect of the island; Kuta beach is on the western side of this peninsula and Sanur is on the east. To the north of the peninsula no new tourist development is supposedly permitted.


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Kecak Dance - Bali

Painting, woodcarving and dancing reflect the soul of the Balinese. Traditional dances are performed especially on Hindus holiday and also to welcome visitors. The one you see below is ‘Kecak Dance’ which was performed on Galungan, the biggest Hindus holiday, at Pura (temple) Luhur Ulu Watu, up on a cliff at the most southern part of the island.

The Kecak Dance tells the Indian story of Ramayana. Rama, a warrior and rightful hier to the throne of Ayodya, is exiled with his wife Sita to a faraway desert. There, an evil king spies Sita, falls in love with her, and sends a golden deer to lure Rama away. Sita is captured, and Rama rounds up his armies to defeat those of the evil king and rescue her. Rama is the man in green dancing in the center of the circle, the golden deer is in yellow in the back.

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. 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.

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.






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1st Asian Beach Game in Bali

1st Asian Beach Game in Bali

Emblem

The Logo of the 1st Asian Beach Games Bali 2008 represents the water element that embodies the sporting event.

The shining sun comes from the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia and represents its vital role in Asia's sport development and spreading energy created by the solidarity of the OCA.

The selection of the light and deep blue effects the color of the Balinese waters at the beach.

The two vertical lines represent two "pura" (Balinese Hindu temple), an image of the gate to the Balinese house of worship which is signifies the ultimate hospitality of the Bali society in honoring and welcoming people from all over Asia.

The two big waves represent the commitment as well as the enthusiasm of the host city to run the 1st Asian Beach Games.

The letters "BALI 2008" are red to show the spirit of sportsmanship and that typeface selection emphasizes the pride of all athletes competing in Bali.

"hospitality, commitment, enthusiasm, sports spirited"

Mascot

"Djalak" is the Mascot of the 1st Asian Beach Games Bali 2008.

The Concept of the Mascot is based on the Djalak Bali (Bali Starling), a bird that can only be found in Bali.

It symbolized that Bali, with its uniqueness will organize the Asian Beach Games to the best of standards.

An endangered species, the mascot serves a reminder to the world that the bird is beautiful but yet sacred.

The Bali Starling, Leucopsar Rothschildi, is a medium-sized, up to 25cm long bird, which is almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail.

In 1991, the Bali Starling was declared as the fauna symbol of Bali.

The Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony for the 1st Asian Beach Games Bali 2008 will be held on October 18, 2008 at the GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) in Bukit in Jimbaran . The GWK Covers 239 hectares of land and boasts a statue that was planned to stand taller than the Empire State building in the USA, how ever due to economical reasons, the statue construction was halted in 2003. Wisnu or Vishnu is the Hindu God who is the protector-part of the Hindu trinity, which is Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer.

The unique statue of half man half bird will one day be a national landmark. In front of the head of the garuda bird which has already been completed is an open air stage and amphi-theater for various events and ceremonies. The area will comfortably fit about 5000 invitations only guests for the opening ceremony of the 1st Asian Beach Games. "The Opening Ceremony will be a grand opening to the 1st Asian Beach Games. We will present entertainment that will be uniquely Balinese and Indonesian", hints Mr. Ervan Ibrahim, Director of events and ceremonies for Babgoc. The Closing Ceremony for the Games will also be held at the GWK Venue

Pictogram
The same design objectives that was used to the logo are being applied to the pictograms, which resulted in a more modern and sophisticated look. The traces of brush symbolizes the liquid form while the different background colors represents the nature of the sports: green for sports to be held on the land, blue for sports to be held in the ocean, while tangerine reflects the sandy soil on which the sports are being performed.

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