Bali Tropical Lifestyle

Bali is perhaps the most famous tropical island in the world. It is a tourist hub of Indonesia. Every year millions of visitors come to Bali. They want to enjoy swimming and sunbathing at Kuta and Legian beach or explore the beauty of terraces of rice fields in the inland areas. Although agriculture still provides the the largest employment, tourism is the driving power of the economy. Bali is also the center of art. Art lovers will feel that Ubud town is more suitable for them. Art galleries and museums present the superior craftsmanship of Balinese woodcarvers and painters.

Some businessmen make Bali as their trading hub. They import carvings, furniture, or even wooden houses for their clients in Europe, South America or Australia. Balinese carpenters can build timber frame houses that are decorated with artistic reliefs on the walls and carvings on the pillars. For Balinese, art is an integral part of their daily life.

In Bali - the island of the gods, everyday is a holiday. There are plenty of attractions which travelers can see, and enjoy. From hiking the mount Batur to watching dolphins at Lovina, travelers may choose activities and adventure packages which they want to experience in this tropical island. Lovers come to Bali to enjoy their honeymoon too. Feeling stressed with office works? Don't worry, Bali has got endless rows of tropical beach resorts and spas where you can stay to book for massage service or taking some yoga classes.

I have visited Bali several times. My last visit this year lasted for 3 months. I stayed in a nice tropical house in Ubud on Jalan Sukma. I ate Balinese nasi campur, I rode a mountain bike to explore the slopes of Ubud. I visited Neka and Anthony Blanco art galleries and Museum Puri Lukisan to see traditional and modern paintings. Drawing is my hobby. When I was on the second floor or Neka art gallery, I saw pastel paintings of Gerard Hofker. Such fantastic artworks from Western painters depict the traditional Balinese lifestyle that are slowly being mixed with cultures from all corners of the world.

Balinese are a religious society. Hinduism is the main religion here. However, the Balinese are tolerant to other cultures and religions. Temples are every where even in business centers such as Ubud market or the shopping center at Kuta main street. Yet, the Balinese culture will not be eliminated. It continues to exist side by side with other cultures that have entered this beautiful tropical island. So, culturally Bali does not belong to Indonesia anymore. It belongs to the world. It is a cosmopolitan. Come to Bali and you will feel as if you are at home. by Charles Roring

Balinese House in Watercolor painting

This is a sketch drawing of a varandah of a Balinese house. This is a watercolor painting of an outdoor view that I made during my stay in Bali.. Watercolor is one of the most difficult painting medias yet it was frequently used by architects to visualize their design concept to clients. Today there are a number of BIM softwares that can render a 3D model of a house or a big building.

The use of watercolor as a manual rendering tool is decreasing with the development of more sophisticated BIM software that can visualize design ideas in 3D and render them in more realistic views.

Balinese Architecture
I created the above drawing only as an artistic expression not for architectural purposes. But if you are really interested in Balinese style houses, please, related books on the internet both in Amazon and in Google Books.
Manual Drawing
However, the use of drawing pencils and watercolor painting are still being used by some designers due to their flexibility and ease of use particularly on models that have unique forms and complicated 3D curves that cannot easily be drawn in CAD software. Such curved models include wooden statues, carvings or relief on the legs of chairs and pillars of houses, or hull form of a ship. Although most of the BIM softwares can be used to create models in 3D environments, only CAD software with NURBS features that can visualize such complicated curved forms easily.
Sketchup
For architectural design, the most recommended software is Google Sketchup. Google has provided the free version of the software that can be downloaded from the official website of sketchup. In addition to the free edition, the Google Sketchup Pro 8 which can be obtained for 495 US dollars has got more features that designers and architects can use to model their design concepts in 3D environment. In version 8, Google introduced solid tools that greatly enhance Sketchup as a powerful BIM software. Google Sketchup can be used by naval architects to model ships and boats in 3D if special plugins such as the bezier lines are installed into the software. by Charles Roring

Ganesha Bookshop in Ubud town of Bali

On my first day arriving in Ubud town of Bali island, the first place that I visited was Ganesha bookstore. It was located on the corner of Tjokorda Putra street and Jembawan street. This small bookstore has a good collection of books about Bali and Indonesia. When I explored every shelf of the bookshop, I found some interesting titles such as the Ecology of New Guinea Volume 1 and 2, and Diving Indonesia's Bird's Head Seascape.

Unfortunately, when I asked one of the staffs of the bookshop whether she has "Birds of New Guinea," she said that she didn't have it. There are some Japanese and European tourists in the Ganesha bookshop. Most of them were interested in books about Bali that are written in English language.
Besides selling books, Ganesha bookshop also sells postcards, and maps. All of us know that every trade has its tools. Since I also work as a tourist guide in West Papua, I really need a good map to show the locations of places both in the mountains and coastal areas in Manokwari regency to tourists who want to go hiking, camping and birdwatching, snorkeling. I bought a tourist map for West Papua for Rp. 95,000.
Ubud is a small town which has been a culture center for Balinese people for hundreds of years. I really enjoy traveling around Ubud and I will miss this town so much when I have to leave it. by Charles Roring
Also read: Oil Painting Gallery in Ubud

Watching Monkey in Ubud Forest of Bali island

Bali is the most popular travel destination in Indonesia. It is located between Java and Lombok islands. One of the most favorite tourist attractions in this tropical island is the monkey forest in Padangtegal village of Ubud. Here, you can see hundreds of monkeys (macaca fascicularis) sitting in the trees or walking on the pathways. If you go there, don't bring a big bag filled with food with you while walking through the jungle. Monkeys may chase you and jump to grab the bag particularly when you walk alone. There are a lot of villas, hotels and homestay rooms in Ubud. So, you can easily find a room for you to stay when you go to Bali - the island of the gods.

Besides visiting the monkey forest, you can also see paintings, carvings, or enjoy spa and massage services provided by various galleries and resorts in Ubud. The number of tourists going to Bali has risen significantly after the release of Eat, Pray, Love (EPL) film starred by Julia Roberts in August 2010. by Charles Roring
Also read:

• Air Asia Promotion in Ubud Bali
• Birds of Paradise in the Rainforest of Papua

Old and New Year Night 2012 Celebration in Kuta and Jimbaran Bali

Several hours before the Old 2011 and New Year Night 2012, Kuta beach was crowded with domestic and international tourists. Most of them would celebrate New Year by watching fireworks, eating and drinking with friends along the beach or dancing on the streets while listening to disco music. Beach hotels in Kuta provide live music concerts to their guests. Kuta beach is located in the south west of Bali. It has been a must see destination for beach goers who want to enjoy sunbathing, swimming, wave surfing and watching sunset.

After spending one hour in Kuta beach, we continued our trip to Jimbaran for dinner. While waiting for the grilled fish, and squid, I walked around to take the night landscape pictures of Bali. I used Nikon Coolpix P500 to shoot the landscapes of Kuta beach and the Ngurah Rai airport. I had to try several settings of the camera to find the best one for night shooting. Finally, I knew that the "aperture priority auto" as the best setting for the camera to shoot the beautiful night landscape of Jimbaran, Kuta beach and the airport areas. There were not many people eating in Jimbaran area during the old and new year night 2012 celebration. That's why we could enjoy the delicious sea food dinner that was served at around 7.30 p.m. While I am writing this short article inside a bungalow in Ubud, the sounds of fireworks are exploding in the air. Ubud is the town where a novel portrayed Elizabeth Gilbert personal life and movie Eat Pray and Love which starred Julia Robert were written and filmed. The computer clock on the bottom right corner of this laptop indicates that it is 23.58 Bali time. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you Merry Christmas 25 Dec 2011 and Happy New Year 1 January 2012. A healthy and beautiful life are waiting for you in the coming days. by Charles Roring
Also read: Where is Bali?

Air Asia Promotion in Ubud Bali

Air Asia has just launched a unique promotional campaign in Ubud, a small tourist town in Bali island. Every year millions of travelers visit the island of the gods. Most of them go by airplanes. In order to attract more customers, Air Asia hire several cyclists to ride their bicycles around the town. There is a small carriage attached at the back of each bicycle with red banner from Air Asia. "We give you the world - Fly thru from Bali to Tokyo, China, Taipei, Osaka, and Korea." This ads campaign can easily attract the attention of pedestrians on the streets of Ubud. Located in the north of Denpasar, Ubud became the destination for artists, dancers, musicians and Hindu priests, and the royality from Java when the Kingdom of Majapahit collapsed in 1400s. The arrival of these people triggered the rapid development of the Balinese society in all sectors of their life. Ubud now is famous for its village life, Balinese culture and art life that bring tourists closer to nature. Every cyclist wears Air Asia t-shirt and red hat. Bali is the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia. The competition among the airlines is tougher than ever before.

I like this advertisement campaign because it also promotes cycling lifestyle. When I saw three cyclists with the Air Asia banners, I stopped for a while to take some pictures of them. The way Air Asia promotes its services to tourists is excellent. I believe that more travelers will fly by Air Asia after seeing the ads. People in Ubud and other tourist hubs in Bali need more environmentally friendly vehicles to reduce street congestions which have now become daily scenes in Bali. by Charles Roring
Also read:
Flying to Manokwari
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