We like to think of extreme sports as those that involve gravity and humans flying through the air in unnatural ways. But lately scuba diving is looking more and more like a high-risk endeavor, too.

First there was the report of the Australian couple left by their tour operator in shark-infested waters for 19 hours. Then this past weekend we learned about the group of five divers in Indonesia that got pulled away from their wooden boat by a strong rip current, survived 12 hours in shark-infested waters and then landed on the island of Rinca to confront an aggressive Komodo dragon.]]> DanielR 2008-06-10T16:01:32-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/4/15/22354/8702

The environment's been getting an unexpected boost on the Indonesian island of Bali in the last couple of weeks. Fuel shortages caused by late arrivals of tankers to Bali's main fuel depot has meant that many gas stations simply closed up shop.

And that meant some tourists had their trips well and truly disrupted. With bus drivers unable to drive their empty-tanked buses, some travelers got stranded while others were ferried around in smaller cars that still had some gas.

Bali Tourism officials were quite concerned--especially as it's supposed to be Visit Indonesia Year--but perhaps it's just a strong shove from fate to remind people about the idea of green travel. Who knows where the fuel might run out next? We'd better start learning to walk again.

Related Stories:
· OilShortage Fuels Bali Discontent [TravelMole]
· Indonesia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: axoplasm]]]> amandak 2008-04-15T09:03:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/6/85547/41785

The commuter train's packed and you're late for work. Next move? Hop on top of the car and cling for dear life until your stop, right? Probably not, unless you're in Jakarta.

So many people are risking life and limb to get to work in the Indonesian capital that authorities are taking new and bizarre measures to prevent it. The latest? They're spraying people with food coloring.

Local train station guards told the BBC that warning signs and regular security checks haven't worked. Last year 23 people in the city were killed from electrocution or falling off the trains. The idea now is that these desperate commuters will stop if they think they might show up to work looking ridiculous--and the guards aren't holding back:

In the back office at Manggarai station, the team preparing the mixture told me it made victims' eyes water and their skin itch. I asked them if they aimed for any specific part of their targets. "No," was the answer, "we spray them all over."

Hey, whatever works. Maybe they could start using this stuff on unruly passengers in Manhattan.

Related Stories:
· Indonesia spray paints commuters [BBC]
· Train Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: diankarl]]]> benh 2008-03-06T10:35:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/11/2/42652/1755

If for some strange reason you've had enough of lying on the beach during your Bali holiday, then you can always check out the Bali Zoo. It's not massive, with just 350 animals calling it home, but it likes to double as a conservation unit and has dubbed itself "Nature's Education Centre".

Thanks to a cooperation going with the Peel Zoo in Western Australia, the Bali Zoo is modernizing its animal enclosures and has the aim of making it a zoo where "animals will be lining up at the gate to get in." We'd like to see that.

The news of the moment at Bali Zoo is that it's just started running Night Tours of the zoo. Since plenty of the 350 are usually pretty sleepy during a balmy tropical Bali day, night tours should help you see animals being a bit more active. Just watch out at the front gate for that animal queue.

Related Stories:
· Bali Zoo [Official Site]
· Get To Bloody Bali Now [Jaunted]
· Bali Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: viajar24h.com]]]> amandak 2007-11-02T09:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/8/14/55117/0910

Last year we were urging you to get to Bali quick smart, but looks like we might have to change our tune. Headlines today are telling the world that there's been a confirmed death from bird flu on the island. Given that Indonesia is the location of almost half of the world's known deaths from bird flu, it's hardly surprising that Bali's becoming a risk too.

Tourists traveling to Bali are now being strictly warned to avoid contact with poultry, as the disease is contracted directly from birds. At the moment the virus isn't contagious between humans, although scientists are worried that could change. For now, be careful and don't play with chickens, no matter how much you love animals.

Related Stories:
· Bali Tourism Hit Again [Independent]
· Get To Bloody Bali Now [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Bali [HotelChatter]

[Photo: sillydog]]]> amandak 2007-08-14T09:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/2/15/13437/4903
Time to hang with the locals and burn off those calories you were busy packing on back at the ho-tel: the Sumatran Orangutan Society is holding a 5K fundraiser this Sunday in Ubud, Bali. The race starts at 4 p.m. at the Ubud football field. Tickets are $3.50 for foreigners, and you can buy them at several shops around town. Food and massages await you at the finish line. If not for the workout, do it for the orangutans like you're supposed to. Are you seriously going to say no to the little dude above?

[Photo: Chrissie64]

Related Stories:
· Sumatran Orangutan Society [Official Site]
· Sumatran Orangutan Society Fun Run [Bali Blog]]]> djk 2007-02-15T15:22:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/1/2/122347/9867
Yesterday, an AdamAir plane lost contact with air traffic control while in flight over Indonesia--the second time in less than a year that such an incident occurred for the airline. While last year's affected plane ultimately landed safely, the news today is much worse: the plane has crashed, though the wreckage has yet to be located. More tragic still is the fact that reports were released saying that the plane had been found, along with some survivors. That is not true, and no one's sure how the mix-up occurred.

There is some chatter on the net regarding the condition of AdamAir's fleet, which is made up of heavily-used, aging hand-me-downs, not uncommon for a startup LCC. One post on FlyerTalk alerted to a discussion on a pilot's message board about substandard maintenance procedures. It's too early to come to conclusions about the flight's problems, but if you're concerned about the age of the next plane you'll be flying, visit AirFleets.net for more information.

[Photo: rosemaria]

Related Stories:
· Crashed AdamAir plane has yet to be found [Jakarta Post]
· Adam Air - Indonesia - missing [FlyerTalk]
· Adam Air - The Flying Circus Nightmare [PPRuNe]
]]> djk 2007-01-02T14:00:04-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/