Villa Semana Hotel Bali Blog

It’s Galungan today. Everyone in Bali is celebrating at home so it is rather quiet in Ubud. The streets are lined with bamboo poles placed at the entrance of each home which the locals have spent the past few days making. The celebrations go on for the next 10 days until Kuningan.

November 7, 2006 thru December 1, 2006
Time: 10:00 - 18:00, Daily

Ganesha Gallery’s third exhibit of works by multi-talented Dutch sculptor, Carola Vooges, marks her digression into monumental free-standing sculptures.

The aesthetic pieces herald Vooges’s expressive and conceptual intentions of extending a subject matter linked with immortality, high virtue and grace and a form that is sacred and manifest in myth, beyond its usual structure.

Through the shrewd use of an array of visual mediums including wood, chosen for color and pattern, a fragment of wave polished shell or a miniature seed pod as well as light and shade, Vooges coerces interaction with her art. Using scale, texture and material, she subtly detaches forms from their natural world beginnings and alchemically transforms them into zoological and anthropomorphic creations.

The sequential nuance of man made plumage and talon design elements throughout the exhibit evoke diverging responses to her visual forms. Juxtaposing reflective imagery and thought, her works include the provocative jagged beak-like tops of her totem-like bird series whilst other pieces draw on sensuous surfaces and curves to mirror her personal quest for a sense of balance against the backdrop of a complex world.

Indulge in a restful moment of sculptural commentary. Pause, examine and react to the visually aesthetic and expressive narrative of her pliant technique of manipulating conventionality …. you won’t be disappointed.
Birds - at the Ganesha Gallery at The Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay, daily from November 7 – December 1, 2006.
Gallery open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 6: 00 p.m..
Location of event : Ganesha Gallery at The Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay
Contact: Ms. Luh Resiki

Article Source : http://www.balicalendar.com

Fly to Bali from : Singapore | USA | UK | New Delhi
Scroll down for rest of Europe and other countries.

We often get asked what airlines fly to Denpasar Bali (Ngurah Rai International Airport, Airport Code : DPS) and there is some confusion between which airlines operate flights such as British Airways which has shared flight arrangements with other airlines, known as “codeshares”. For example if you fly from London to Bali you could be boarding a Qantas flight instead of a British Airways flight in London as Qantas is a “Codeshare Partner” of British Airways. In the same way, Qantas and Cathay Pacific are Codeshare Partners of American Airlines and American Airlines don’t actually operate their own flights to Bali even though you can buy an airticket to Bali from them.

There are no airlines flying direct non-stop from the USA, UK or Europe to Bali. Depending on which airline you fly, you will need to transit either in Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur or Sydney. The best airline with the most flights is Singapore Airlines which flies direct from the US or Europe to Singapore and flies 21 times a week from Singapore to Bali.

American Airlines (codeshare with Qantas via Sydney & Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong)
Australian Airlines / Qantas - See route map
British Airways (codeshare with Qantas & Cathay Pacific)
Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong)
China Airlines
Garuda
KLM
Korean Air
Lufthansa (SQ flight from Brussels)
Malaysia Airlines (via Kuala Lumpur)
Japan Airlines - Check Flight Schedules (next 8 months)
Qatar Airways - via Doha in Qatar.. More
Singapore Airlines (via Singapore) - Check Worldwide Flight Schedules
Thai Airways (via Bangkok)
Transaero (Moscow - Singapore - Denpasar)
AirAsia - Budget Airline, flights from Malaysia (KL) and Jarkarta
Jetstar / Valuair - Budget Airline, flights from Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) & Singapore. Jetstar Airways is part of the Qantas Group. Valuair is the budget airline that operates the Singapore - Bali sector for Jetstar.

Codeshare Flight Timetables (Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Qantas, British Airways)

Airlines flying from the UK to Bali

You will need to stopover in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok or Doha to catch your flight to Denpasar, Bali. Here are airlines flying to these countries.

From London Heathrow to :
Bangkok - British Airways, Qantas, Thai Airways, Eva Air

Singapore - British Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines
SQ317 - Dep LHR 12:00 - Arr SIN 07:45 (+1) - daily, non-stop
SQ319 - DEP LHR 18:30 - Arr SIN 14:15 (+1) - daily, non-stop
SQ321 - Dep LHR 22:15 - Arr SIN 18:00 (+1) - daily, non-stop
QF032 - Dep LHR 12:15 - Arr SIN 08:00 (+1) - daily, non-stop
BA011 - Dep LHR 21:25 - Arr SIN 17:15 (+1) - daily, non-stop
Please check above times. This is only a guide. Flight times change every 6 mths.

(SQ departs Singapore for Bali thrice daily at 9.35am, 4.40pm, 7.00pm,
Qantas/BA depart SG every Tues & Sat at 9.25pm arrive in Bali at midnight)

Hong Kong - British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific.
(Departure time from HK is daily at 10.05am. Same flight for all airlines.)

Doha (Qatar, Middle East in case you don’t know where it is) - British Airways, Qatar Airways

Heathrow Scheduled Flight Timetable
Destinations & Airlines from Heathrow

Airlines flying from Europe to Bali (updating information)

Amsterdam
Singapore Airlines : Amsterdam (SQ323 daily) - Singapore - Bali

Barcelona
Brussels - Research Flights
Singapore Airlines : Brussels - Frankfurt (SQ25) - Singapore - Bali
[Brussels to Frankfurt sector operated by Lufthansa. Flight No. SQ2037 & SQ2073]
Cathay Pacific : Brussels - London - Hong Kong - Bali
Thai Airways : Brussels - Longon - Bangkok - Bali
Also China Airlines & Eva Air from Brussels.

Frankfurt
Singapore Airlines : Frankfurt (SQ25,daily) - Singapore - Bali

Milan
Singapore Airlines : Milan (SQ377,3x) - Singapore - Bali

Paris
Singapore Airlines : Charles de Gaulle (SQ333 daily) - Singapore - Bali

Zurich
Singapore Airlines : Zurich (SQ 345 daily) - Singapore - Bali

Airlines flying from USA & Canada to Bali

Singapore Airlines
LAX / SFO / New York EWR / New York JFK -> Singapore -> Denpasar Bali
Direct flights to Singapore available from LAX & EWR, otherwise transit in Taipei, Hong Kong or Japan. Via France if going from JFK.

Japan Airlines
Flights from Hawaii, LAX, SFO, JFK, Mexico City, Brazil & Vancouver via Tokyo.

Qantas
Flights from most major cities in the USA and Canada via Sydney. See this route map.

Qatar Airways (New!)
Flights from Washington (IAD) and New York (EWR) to Denpasar via Doha.

Korean Air
via Seoul. From Anchorage, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC.
Flight KE629 from Seoul to Denpasar Bali.

Check the Oneworld Alliance Codeshare Flight Timetable for American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, British Airways.

Airlines flying from Australia to Bali
Qantas, Jetstar, Garuda.

Garuda flies to Bali from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin and Perth.
Days of flights:
Sydney - Mo, Tu, Sa, Su
Melbourne - Tu, Th, Fr, Su
Adelaide - Tu, Fr
Brisbane - Mo, We, Sa
Darwin - Fr, Su
Perth - daily
Airlines flying from Singapore to Bali

We recommend stopping over in Singapore at the Singapore Changi Airport to catch your connecting flight to Bali for choice of airlines, competitive prices and the world’s best airport. Qantas/Australian Airlines, Garuda and Jetstar/Valuair have good airfares. Singapore Airlines have very good prices for 2 or 4 pax travelling together. Also try the Russian airline Transaero. Read our updates on special fares to Bali from Singapore.

* Airport passengers who have at least 6 hours to spare in transit, can hop onto the Free City Shuttle to town, scheduled at regular intervals, to discover Singapore’s ethnic heritage at Little India, or opt for retail therapy at Suntec City or Bugis Street. (Subject to visa requirements)

View Summary Information with Flight Times

How to get from New Delhi India to Bali
You can fly from New Delhi or Mumbai to Bali via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. For best choice of airlines/flights and airport comforts, we believe the best way is to go via Singapore. Try Singapore Airlines, Jet Airways (via Mumbai or Madras), Malaysian Airlines (via Kuala Lumpur), Air Sahara, Air India, Indian Airlines from New Delhi direct to Singapore.Or you could also try Thai Airways but you will transit in Bangkok en route to Singapore. Cathay Pacific flies from India to Bali via Hong Kong.

Galungan is a Balinese holiday celebrated every 210 days and usually falls on a Wednesday. Galungan is when the Gods visit Bali and stay for 10 days before leaving on Kuningan which is the last day. It is the victory of Good over Evil and the Balinese celebrate by preparing offerings to thank the Gods. During the Galungan period the deified ancestors of the family descend to their former homes. They must be suitably entertained and welcomed, and prayers and offerings must be made for them. Those families who have ancestors that have not yet been cremated, but are still buried in the village cemetery, must make offerings at the graves. Look out for the “penjors” which are decorated long bamboo poles which you will see lining the streets at the entrances of all Balinese homes at this time. They make for colourful photo opportunities.

The 2007 schedule for Indonesia public holidays can now be found on our website. The Indonesian government has added new shared holidays to boost tourism. So plan your holidays to Bali now!

Recently we had our Odalan at Villa Semana temple which was well attended by all Villa Semana hotel staff and family memebers. Here are some photos which we took. The morning started early with preparations of offerings of fruit and colourful decorations for the temple and shrines around our hotel. Once the offereing were done, we began our prayers after which we all enjoyed a good meal, singing and had alot of fun.  (more…)

Here are some photos from a recent Balinese Cremation in October. Few tourists to Bali get to witness such an important event as this unless they visit Ubud and even then, it does not happen every day.

Information on Balinese Cremations

A Balinese cremation is a big and dramatic event totally opposite of that of a Christian cremation. For the Balinese, the cremation is the end of months and sometimes years of preparations. Unlike other religions, Balinese cremations are less about the dead physical body and more about the soul. Thus in the words of Robert Monroe … “We are more than our physical body…”. So for the Hindu Balinese, the human body is nothing but a temporary home for the soul. Upon death, the soul is released and will find another home - reincarnated into another form depending on how one has lived on this earth. However, the soul cannot immediately leave the body and a series of ceremonies, called pengabenan, ending in a cremation must be done to assist the souls’ release from the body. Balinese cremations are happy events celebrated by everyone in the family; cousins, grandparents, distant aunts and uncles.

A few days before the cremation day, the body is brought to and rests in a special place at the home of the family and then is carried in a noisy procession to the cremation grounds where it is placed on a bull sarcophagus. The elaborate and huge cremation tower is created days earlier. The entire structure with the corpse is then lit, going up in flames ensuring the release of the soul from it’s body.

You will only see happy faces at a Balinese cremation and no tears of sadness. Of course, after spending years trapped in the inconveniences of the physical body, we are only too happy that our loved ones have been freed by death. Hence the joyous celebration. Free … at last.

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