TRAVELING TO BALI (1) : UBUD

Do you know BALI ? Pulau Dewata, or in English means " The Island of God ". One of the most famous island located within the archipelago of Indonesia, culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are thus closely related to the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and Oceania. It is lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. Bali was inhabited by Austronesian peoples by about 2000 BC who migrated originally from Taiwan through Maritime Southeast Asia.
(pic source :http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Bali_Labeled.png)


BALI TRAVELING DESTINATION : UBUD


Ubud has a population of about 8,000 people, but it is becoming difficult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that surround it. 8th century legend tells of a Javanese priest, Rsi Markendya, who meditated at the confluence of two rivers (an auspicious site for Hindus) at the Ubud locality of Campuan. Here he founded the Gunung Lebah Temple on the valley floor, the site of which remains a pilgrim destination. Ubud gets its name from the Balinese word ubad (medicine).
The main street is Jalan Raya Ubud (Jalan Raya means main road), which runs east-west through the center of town. Two long roads, Jalan Monkey Forest and Jalan Hanoman, extend south from Jalan Raya Ubud. Puri Saren Agung is a large palace located at the intersection of Monkey Forest and Raya Ubud roads. The home of Tjokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (1910-1978), the last "king" of Ubud, it is now occupied by his descendants and dance performances are held in its courtyard. It was also one of Ubud's first hotels, dating back to the 1930s.

The Ubud Monkey Forest
The Ubud Monkey Forestis a sacred nature reserve located near the southern end of Jalan Monkey Forest. It houses a temple and approximately 340 Crab-eating Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys. This is a picture of an Ubud monkey mother with her lil monkey. It was taken by D.Meutia.

The Moon of Pejeng & Elephant Cave
The Moon of Pejeng, is the largest single-cast bronze kettle drum in the world, dated from circa 300BC.It is kept at Pura Penataran Asih Temple in Pejeng. It is a popular destination for tourists interested in local culture, as is the 11th century Goa Gajah, or 'Elephant Cave', temple complex. The enterance of this cave is as seen in the picture taken by a wikimedia user named China_Chrisis on 2005.

Gunung Kawi , Tampaksiring.
Gunung Kawi (Poet Mountain), Tampaksiring (18 km northeast from Ubud). 7AM-5PM daily. Dating from the eleventh century, this is presumed to be the burial complex of King Anak Wungsu and his many wives.The smaller complex on the south side of the river is presumed to have been built for the King's wives, while the larger complex is thought to have been the residence of the King himself, and perhaps his concubines. You must take off your shoes before entering into the central pura complex. gunung Kawi picture was also taken by China_Chrisis. (
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bali.GunungKawi.jpg)


Pura Kehen ( Kehen Temple )
Pura Kehen (Kehen Temple), Jl Sriwijaya, Bangli (just north of Bangli town centre, which itself is about 30 minutes north east from Ubud). 8AM-5PM daily. One of the most attractive temples in the whole of Bali, and as it is slightly off the beaten path, one which receives relatively few visitors. The temple was founded in 1206, and has an especially impressive 11-tiered meru in the inner courtyard. When you visit here take a little extra time to look around Bangli. It is a quiet and attractive market town. Rp 6,000.

Puri Saren Agung (Water Palace)
Puri Saren Agung (Royal Palace, Water Palace), (across Jl Raya Ubud from Ubud Market). 9AM-5PM daily. This was the palace of the kings of Ubud until the 1940s, and some royal descendants live there to this day. Parts of the complex are off limits to the public, but entry to the rest is free, and this is Ubud's best setting for dance performances.

Tirta Empul, Tampaksiring
Tirta Empul, Tampaksiring (20 km northeast from Ubud). 8AM-6PM daily. One of the holiest temples in Bali built around hot springs that still bubble in the central courtyard. The Balinese come here to bathe and purify themselves physically and spiritually, and during Galungan, the sacred barong masks are bathed here. The complex dates to 960, but the present buildings are largely modern reconstructions. ( picture by Katja Kuusikumpu)

Ubud tourism focuses on culture, yoga and nature. In contrast to the main tourist area in southern Bali, the Ubud area has forests, rivers, cooler temperatures and less congestion although traffic has increased dramatically in the 21st century. A number of smaller "boutique"-style hotels are located in and around Ubud, which commonly offer spa treatments or treks up Ubud's mountains.


source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubud

TRAVELING ALL AROUND SOUTHEAST ASIA (1)

Southeast Asia (or Southeastern Asia) is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia.
Southeast Asia consists of two geographic regions: the Asian mainland (aka. Indochina), and island arcs and archipelagoes to the east and southeast. The mainland section consists of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia while the maritime section consists of Brunei, East Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Definitions of "Southeast Asia" vary, but most definitions include the area represented by the countries:Brunei,Burma (Myanmar),Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

TRAVEL ALL AROUND SOUTHEAST ASIA

Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar , and all of the other countries in southeast asia are very fascinating. The cultures are very rich. We will see Indianized kingdom statue , placed in Thailand area, Myanmar, and the biggest statue that is placed in Indonesia, Borobudur.

This is the Central chedi of Wat Phra Borom That Chaiya in Srivijaya style in Chaiya, Surat Thani province, Thailand. Chaiya is one of the oldest cities of Thailand. The name might be derived from its original Malay name "Cahaya" (means 'light', 'gleam', or 'glow').
However some scholars identify Chai-ya came from Sri-vi-ja-ya. It was a regional capital in the Srivijaya kingdom of the 5th to 13th century - some historians even claim that it was the capital for the kingdom for some time, but this is largely disputed.

Religions and peoples are diverse in Southeast Asia and not one country is homogeneous. In the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia, Hinduism is dominant on islands such as Bali. Christianity also predominates in Philipines, New Guinea and Timor. Pockets of Hindu population can also be found around Southeast Asia in Singapore, Malaysia etc. Garuda, the phoenix who is the mount (vahanam) of Vishnu, is a national symbol in both Thailand and Indonesia. Balinese Hinduism is somewhat different from Hinduism practiced elsewhere, as Animism and local culture is incorporated into it.Cambodia still involves today in pratice Hindism for mixture toward the excessity Buddhism disciple of the numerous special occasion, wornship and belief with the root of previous powerful Khmer Empire. In Vietnam, Mahayana Buddhism is practiced, which is influenced by native animism but with strong emphasis on Ancestor Worship.
This complexity mixture of the culture and religion has naturaly created a lot of beautiful tradition that is worth to share. Later, every details of Indonesian culture, Thailand traveling destinations, Malay, Vietnam, Philipines, and the others will be presented, with pleasure.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Borobudur-Nothwest-view.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Borom_That_Chaiya.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/AngkorWat_Westview_Keiwo.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Ac.buddhists.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/HindismmonastryinCambodia.JPG

THE BEAUTY OF ASIA

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. With approximation of 4 billion people, it obviously hosts more than 50 % of the human population in this world. Asia in Greek mythology was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, the wife of the Titan Iapetus, and mother of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius. ( picture from : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Location_Asia.svg)

T.R. Reid said that the term "Asia" is originally a concept exclusively of Western civilization. The peoples of ancient Asia (Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Persians, Arabs etc.) never conceived the idea of Asia, simply because they did not see themselves collectively. In their perspective, they were vastly varied civilizations, contrary to ancient European belief.

The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions : East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. There are more than 40 countries listed within the boundary of Asia with more than 600 languages are spoken in Indonesia, more than 800 languages spoken in India and more than 100 are spoken in the Philippines. China, Japan, and also Korea have many languages and dialects in different provinces. Not only the countries and languages, but also religions and cultures in Asia are very interesting. Almost all Asian religions have philosophical character and Asian philosophical traditions cover a large spectrum of philosophical thoughts and writings. Indian philosophy includes Hindu philosophy and Buddhist philosophy . They include elements of nonmaterial pursuits, whereas another school of thought from India, Carvaka, preached the enjoyment of material world. Christianity is also present in most Asian countries. These are all the reason to come to ASIA. Feel the the difference of the atmosphere within every place and every nature, and touch the beauty of the Eastern culture in every place visited in Indonesia, India, Thailand, Japan , Korea, and many others. Visit Asia!
( map source : https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/reference_maps/pdf/asia.pdf )