That favorite holiday isle of Indonesia, the tropical paradise that is Bali, almost got a radical new look.

The mostly Muslim country was considering banning the wearing of bikinis in every part of the country as part of an anti-pornography bill being pushed through the Indonesian parliament by some of the more conservative Muslim parties. Which is totally their right, of course--but it probably wouldn't be great for tourism on Bali in particular.

In any case, Bali is mainly Hindu, and plenty of locals there were vowing to simply break the law if the no-bikini rule got passed. Luckily it looks like they won't have to. The bill now contains exemptions for special tourist areas so relax: You can still pack your bikini for Bali.

Related Stories:
· Bikinis Given the Green Light in Bali [news.com.au]
· Bali Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: mag3737]]]> amandak 2008-10-17T09:30:46-05:00 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/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/2006/11/6/81128/2790
It started out with Australians trying to get tourists to come down under with the Where the Bloody Hell Are You? campaign. A bit of controversy (ooh dear, we can't have them using that "B" word on TV now, can we!) got a lot of clicks on the website: so why not copy it?

That's what some Balinese thought, anyhow. Island-paradise Bali has seen a drop in visitors--especially from Oz, usually one of their biggest sources of tourists--after the Bali bombings and other terrorist activities. So some clever guys came up with Where the Bali Hell Are You?, aimed squarely at getting Australian tourists back to their shores. Gems in the video include these disasters for Aussies: "The Japanese are surfing your bloody waves, the Americans are doing all your bloody shopping" and--something which will hit hard at the Australian psyche--"the Italians are drinking all your bloody beer." If the scheme works, be prepared for decades more of tourism campaigns using swearwords.

Related Stories:
· Bali Spoof Ad [Bali Discovery Tours]
· Where the Bali Hell Are You? [Official Site]
· So Where the Bloody Hell Are You? Part Deux [Jaunted]
· Bloody Campaign Bloody Good [Jaunted]
]]> amandak 2006-11-06T11:14:21-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/