Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel

When a friend of mine at Ngurah Rai Airport in August,2008, he read a bulletin. In the bulletin it was written that Ubud Hanging Gardens is one of the top 10 hotels in Bali. Wow, he was surprised. He was involved in the hotel construction. I went there once with Mr. Gordon Shaw the architect of Jimbaran Puri Bali 2 to see the rooms at Ubud Hanging Gardens. We met Mr. Nicolas Pillet the General Manager of this hotel. He gave us the permission to check the villas there.

Below is the photo I took from Cafe balcony, its taken from cellphone, I'm sorry that the image is not very good



The hotel is located at Payangan, Ubud. It's a very nice hotel, with natural plants and forest around it. The villas lies on the land with different elevation up to 60 m high. So they use 2 small elevator for the guest and staff. The rooms are very nice, each villas has a plunge pool with the wooden deck.

Ubud Hanging Gardens recently won the prestigious 2008 Asean Energy Award, in the Tropical category.
Jean-Christophe Moreaux (Commercial Director, Asia) and the property's architect, Popo Danes, accepted the award on behalf of the resort at the Royal Thai Navy Auditorium in Bangkok, during the 3 day Asean Energy Business Forum held in August.

Below is the cafe, the elevation is at the middle of the hotel, around 30 m high from the ground level, the hotel lobby is at 60 m from the ground level.



Popo Danes' roots remain firmly planted in his native Balinese culture and community. He maintains these by reinvesting in education and supporting young talent for the benefit of the island and its future generations, and always strives to ensure that any development blends into the surroundings, the community and the spiritual aspects of the space it occupies. As such, his design philosophy fully matched that of Orient-Express Hotels and was perfectly aligned to the group's responsible tourism strategy.

The resort was praised for:

1. Its low site coverage ratios
2. Its energy-efficient split of electricity and gas (the latter used for heating the individual cottages' private pools)Its use of natural vegetation as an umbrella for cooling
3. Its design with respect to the local topography, maximizing natural ventilation to obviate air-conditioning in public areas
4. Its energy-efficient and site-protecting use of an inclined lift, avoiding the need for roads and golf carts
5. Its heat transfer reduction through organically thatched roofs with overhangs
6. Its biotech sewage treatment plan
7. Its protection and promotion of indigenous flora and fauna

Ubud Hanging Gardens is set in the heart of the tropical paradise of Bali. The resort has 38 luxury private pool villas, each with a heated private infinity plunge pool set high in the rice terraces overlooking the Ayung river. Guests often choose to combine a stay here with several nights at Jimbaran Puri Bali, Ubud Hanging Gardens' sister hotel that offers individual luxury cottages and villas with private gardens beside the soft white sands of Jimbaran Bay.

If you want more information just visit the hotel website at http://www.ubudhanginggardens.com/

Obama : The New US President

The election day for US President already done. The electoral vote needed to win is 270. But on Nopember,5, 2008, 12.00 o'clock Bali time he already reached 338. Obama become the first Afro American President. He already made a new history in America. We hope he will make the next history to the world. We do not now what will be done in the future. But like he said, together we can make improvement to the country and the world.

Go inspire the world Mr. Barrack Obama, make the world a better place to live. We support you.

Jimbaran Puri Bali Hotel

From April 2008 until the end of March 2009 I will be in Bali Island. Right now I am running a project called Jimbaran Puri Bali 2. The project is an extension of the existing Jimbaran Puri Bali Hotel. That's why we call it Jimbaran Puri Bali 2. It's located at Jalan Yoga Perkanthi, next to the football field at Jimbaran, not far from the famous Four Season Hotel & Bali Intercontinental Jimbaran.

We are now building 22 villas with gym, staff room, house keeping units, and the infrastructure. The land is around 13.000 m2. Right now we already finished built the mock up room that inspected by the owner at the end of September 2008. You can see the mock up at our photo gallery at the project website www.freewebs.com/jimbaranpuribali2. Formerly its called Pansea Hotel. Now its owned by Orient Express. An International Company which runs many hotels in the world today.

This new hotel will offer a nice and private villas to tourists who want to visit Bali Island. It has a private beach. The General Affair manager told me that the big star & singer Mick Jagger spend the night here during the late 20th century. Many of the guest talked to him & took picture together.

Back to Bali Again

I was in Bali during mid 1997 until early 2000. At that time I was single. I went around with my friends and staffs at every corner of Bali Island. Its a beautiful island, who will deny that. Here is still one of the best place to have vacation with friends or family. Domestic or international tourist love it. Especially because the culture, the scenery, the balinese custom that preserved well until today. The beaches are very well known in the world. Such as Kuta beach, Sanur beach, Legian & Seminyak Beach, etc. There are also beautiful lake & mountains here. Kintamani Lake, Bedugul Lake are two of many scenery that everybody like.

I was lucky that when there was Bali Bombing in Oct, 2002 I was not there. After that there was also Bali Bombing II that made the tourism was not good at that time. Let's not talk about the bad times. After went back to my hometown in Surabaya in early 2000, now I'm back again here in March 2008. But now I'm not alone. I'm in Bali with my charming and sweet lady. She is my wife Henny. We were married in Des, 2003. I went back to Bali to run a project here. It's sad to leave my hometown, my families especially my dad. He was sick of cancer at that time. But let's have positive thinking O.K. Just do what we are gonna do. So here we are in Bali to meet lovely people, beautiful scenery, beautiful culture and new friends.

Global Economic Crisis

Three days ago I saw a news in Metro TV-an Indonesian local TV. Indonesian government that day announce to the public that guarantee for the savings at banks account are increased. Before its only Rp 100 million, now become Rp 2 billion the amount of saving that guaranteed by the government.

The government of Indonesia change the policy to anticipate the global economic crisis. As we know recently there is economic crisis in US and many other countries. To prevent the money in Indonesia goes out of Indonesia the interest rate were increased too. The slowing down of economic growth in China also will have effected other countries. China growth in 2007 was only 12%, this year 2008 will be around 9%.

Indonesia economic growth this year today is 6,9%. Many economic experts forecast that next year the economic growth will decrease around 2% up to 3%. We must be aware and prepare the bad things that will occur next year. How about you? If you have any comment, please leave it here.

Ubud Writers & Reader Festival

Last week there was a festival in Ubud. Many writers and readers from all over the world gathering here to attend The 5th Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. This festival was held on October, 14 until October, 19, 2008. Many Indonesian writers also invited.

Why the festival held in Ubud? It's because Ubud is well known as the centre of arts in Bali. Many arts products are available here and the village is very tranquil. Accomodatian are very easy to get here. The climate also very friendly. It's goes with the Balinese concept of life called "Tri Hita Karana". It's how to keep the balance of three factors that will read the balance of life.

In the ongoing battle between tradition and modernity, globalization and localization, the radicals and the moderates, and tourism against agriculture, Bali is an island that struggles to stay in the middle. "Achieving modern progress without abandoning the traditional roots" is the ever-present mantra.

How did the Festival start?

The international Ubud Writers & Readers Festival began as a healing and economic development project after the Bali bombings in 2002. The Festival is an annual-ongoing event, held each October, in a month that commemorates the first Bali bombing. Now in its fifth year, the Festival promises to become the largest and most prestigious literary gathering in the South-East Asian region.

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is a respected international event, attracting authors, publishers, festival directors and academics from all over the world. In previous years our headlining guests were Michael Ondaatje [Canada], Amitav Ghosh [India] and the President of East Timor Xanana Gusmao, who each participated alongside over 100 other writers from New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, India Canada, the United States, France, the UK, Germany and Indonesia.

It's a world class festival and has a noble goal, so we all should support them. After all, how can we know about history, culture, etc. if there were no writers in the world.

The 1st Bali Asean Beach Games 2008

Sport game in Indonesia has just reach a new level today. We proudly present The 1st Bali Asean Beach Games 2008. These occasions will be held from October, 18 until October, 26, 2008. This games already held by Asean Beach Games Organizing Committe, followed by 45 participan countries with 17 sport branches..

The matches will centered in four cluster namely: Nusa Dua, Kuta, Sanur, and Pulau Serangan. The official opening already held on 18 October 2008 in Garuda Wisnu Kencana by President of the Republic Indonesia, Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Below is one report from our Journalists:

SANUR (10/21/08) - Kaori Kitai (42), The Daily Jakarta Shimbun journalist says how she really enjoys her job as one of the reporters in Asian Beach Games (ABG). At Main Press Center (MPC), Inna Grand Beach Hotel, Sanur, Kaori said ABG is not only a sporting event to be covered but also a chance for her to enjoy herself.

“For me, Asian Beach Games is not only a sporting event but also more of a festive as journalists can also enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Bali, one of the greatest places in the world. It is an experience I can not find in any other places as a reporter,” she said. The Daily Jakarta Shimbun is a Japanese daily published in Jakarta to cater the Japanese in Indonesia, mostly residing in Jakarta and Bali.

“Indonesia must show the world that they have all recovered from the Bali bomb incident. I’m sure everything will be running as planned with the support from many parties,” Kaori said in smile. (bali2008)

If you need more information just visit the official website of this even at http://www.bali2008.com/

MEN SANA IN CORPORE SANO, GO INDONESIA !!