Photo of the Day ~ Crescent Moon Sunset ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

Our photo of the day for today is a beautiful Balinese scene from Singaraja in the north of the island.

Copyright © 2011 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael DoliveckSingaraja is known for its glorious sunsets.  The north of Bali can be a great break from the hustle and bustle of the southern Bali.  It is a chance to see more of the real Bali and if you can get up into the mountains there are great opportunities to visit small villages, see increadible temples, meet friendly locals, etc.  The Balinese gamelon was perfected here so Singaraja is the place to purchase instruments or just take in some of the increadibly talanted gamelon groups from the area.

Our Adventure Photo Safaris ~ Are you a photographer or just love to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in our gallery, as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us atphoto@balifornian.com today for more information.

Do you have some great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your fantastic photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels! Salamat Jalan!

Michael and Maryam ~

Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Voted The best website for news and information on Bali and Indonesia.

The Rolls Royce of Water Buffalo

The water buffalo is invaluable throughout Asia as every thing from the milk, meat and dung are used in everyday life.  There are few places where the powerful animal is more prized than in Tana Toraja on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.  The huge animal is treated like a member of the family and their human partner spends each and everyday with the bovine beast washing, feeding and caring for his companion.  The relationship is mutually beneficial as the beast of burden provides labor by plowing fields, providing transportation and many other tasks that the largely agrarian society requires.

The animals come in various colors, hide patterns and sizes with horns up to 2 meters (over 6.5 feet) long. The most prized however are the albino variety with blue eyes and well-shaped horns, much like the guy pictured here.  To own a near perfect specimen like this is akin to having a fleet of the finest automobiles, a private jet or any other show of wealth in our Western world.

These images come from Balifornian Films (http://www.balifornian.com) upcoming documentary on the elaborate Torajan funerary traditions and rituals, which include the slaughter of these loyal animals.  The funeral celebrations can last weeks with hundreds of mourners bringing offerings including cigarettes, pigs and their own coveted water buffalo. The deceased are then entombed in cliff side tombs, deep in caves or even hanging graves. There is much mystery and intrigue woven into this part of the world.

Bali Tour Toraja

Sulawesi is the home of the age old frightening myth of the "boogie man" propagated in the 15th century by the English to promote negative views of their rivals, the Buginese, who battled the marauding English, Dutch and other Europeans who were trying to obtain strategic control of the lucrative spice trade. In colonial times, cloves for example, coveted by dentists for their anesthetic properties, were more expensive than gold. The cloves only grew on the small ‘spice islands' of Sulawesi. This was also home to many other spices that were desirable the world over.

Copyright © 2010 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael Doliveck

Our Adventure Photo Safaris ~ Are you a photographer or just love to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery, as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us atphoto@balifornian.com today for more information.

Do you have some great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your fantastic photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels! Salamat Jalan!

Michael and Maryam ~

Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Is The best website for news and information on Bali and Indonesia.

The Real Home of the Boogie Man (photo)

In Southeast Asia the term is commonly used to refer to the ethnic group The Bugis and Buganese pirates, who were (and to some extent, still are) ruthless seafarers from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes).

Sulawesi is the home of the age old frightening myth of the "boogie man" propagated in the 15th century by the English to promote negative views of their rivals, the Buginese, who battled the marauding English, Dutch and other Europeans who were trying to obtain strategic control of the lucrative spice trade. In colonial times, cloves for example, coveted by dentists for their anesthetic properties, were more expensive than gold. The cloves only grew on the small ‘spice islands' of Sulawesi. This was also home to many other spices that were desirable the world over.

Sulawesi and its incredible funerary practices in Tana Toraja is the subject of an upcoming Balifornian documentary. 

Photo Copyright 2010 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael Doliveck

Our Adventure Photo Safaris ~ Are you a photographer or just love to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery, as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us at photo@balifornian.com today for more information.

Do you have some great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels! Salamat Jalan!

Michael and Maryam ~

Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ You're best source for news and information on Bali and Indonesia.

Photo of the Day ~ Borobudur Bokeh ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

Borobudur is the largest and widely hailed as one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world.  The colossal temple, composed of 55,000 square meters of lava-rock is erected on a hill  in Muntilan, Magelang, and is about 42 km from Yogyakarta city in Central Java, Indonesia. 

This massive structure was built between AD 700 and  AD 850, (over 300 years prior to Cambodia's Angkor Wat, and more than 400 years before any of the great European cathedrals).  The monument comprises of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular stories topped by three circular terraces, and a central stupacrowning this incredible architectural achievement on par with the great pyramids of Egypt.  The entire structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of The Buddha.

Copyright © 2010 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael Doliveck

Our Photo Safaris ~ Are you a photographer or just like to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us at photo@balifornian.com today for more information.

Do you have some great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels!

Michael and Maryam Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog- Your best source for information on Bali Travel

Photo of the Day ~ Lotus Fountain, Yogja ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

The lotus fountain at Candi Prambanan Temple in Yogjakarta as seen from our Eco-Adventure Tour.

Copyright © 2010 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael Doliveck

Are you a photographer or just like to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us at photo@balifornian.com today for more information.

Have great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels!

Michael and Maryam ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ The best Bali website.  You best option for Bali and Indonesia Travel information.