Amed ~ Bali's Honeymoon Getaway

One of our favorite spots in Bali is Amed. We go quite often when we need a little break. Yea, I know, rough life her in Bali so we need a break once in a while. We work hard so its nice to just retreat and settle in to a place we really love. Putu and I have a little joke each time we go to Amed. we say lets go on our 25th Honeymoon, 26th, 27th, etc. It is peaceful and easy. It's not crowded like Seminyak, Kuta and other areas in the south and there are some great inexpensive hotels right on the beach. To find out more and learn some great tips on where to stay, where to eat and what to do in Amed, please see our blog post Great Insider’s Travel Tips to Amed, Bali

Amed Bali is a great retreat to relax by the ocean, scuba dive and view Mount Agung Volcano

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.

Borobudur Temple- Your Definitive Guide (photos)

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.

The Temple is adorned with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha sculptures.  A huge main dome, located at the very center of the top most platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupas.  Each of these Buddhas are performing a mudra or hand gesture indicating one of the five directions.  East, with the mudra of calling the earth to witness.  South, with the hand position of blessing.  West, with the gesture of meditation and north, the mudra of fearlessness.  And finally, the centre with the teaching gesture.  The name Borobudur is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit words 'vihara', 'Buddha' and  'uhr', which loosely translates as 'the Buddhist monastery on the hill'.

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Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction and  is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  But fear not as Balifornian Tours can get you there at times when you will not be inundated with tourists.  This is a "no miss" site on any Indonesian tour and we can help you get there with the least hassle possible and get you to all the secret spots while explaining this heroic achievement of human vision that others might miss.

Borobudur is included in Balifornian's Eco-Tour, Adventure Tour and The Photographer's Photo Safari.  Contact us today for details. m@balifornian.com

For more images of Borobudur please see our gallery.

Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ The best Bali website.