Showing posts with label Bali Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bali Travel. Show all posts

Pendet Dance, Bali, Indonesia
Unknown10:46 AM 0 comments

Pendet is a traditional dance from Bali, Indonesia, in which offerings are made to purify the temple or theater as a prelude to ceremonies or other dances. Pendet is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are cast into the air at various times in the dance. Pendet can be thought of as a dance of greeting, to welcome the audience and invite spirits to enjoy a performance.
Traditional Balinese dances are the oldest form of performing arts in Bali. Traditional dances can be divided into two types, sacred dance called Wali and entertainment dance called Bebalihan. Wali (sacred dance) is usually performed in some ritual ceremonies only because it has strong magical powers and only can be performed by specific dancers. Bebalihan are usually performed in social events. In addition to entertain, Bebalihan also has other purposes such as: welcoming guests, celebration of harvests, or gathering crowds. Bebalihan has more variations than Wali.
Pendet is the presentation of an offering in the form of a ritual dance. Unlike the exhibition dances that demand arduous training, Pendet may be danced by anyone. It is taught simply by imitation.
Younger girls follow the movements of the elder women, who recognize their responsibility in setting a good example. Proficiency comes with age. As a religious dance, Pendet is usually performed during temple ceremonies.
All dancers carry in their right hand a small offering of incense, cakes, water vessels, or flower formations. With these they dance from shrine to shrine within the temple. Pendet may be performed intermittently throughout the day and late into the night during temple feasts.
The original Pendet dance is performed by 4-5 young girls (before their puberty) in temple yards. Pendet dancers bring flowers in small Bokor (silver bowls containing flowers in a ceremony). They spread the flowers around the temple. This dance is a symbol of welcoming God in some ritual ceremonies in Bali. Pendet actually has simple dance movements. These movements are the basic dance movements of Balinese dance. Pendet has undergone later development with variations and now is not only performed in ritual ceremonies but also in some social events. Pendet since has been known as a welcoming dance.

want to know about bali with the accompaniment of traditional music? click here.

source : en.wikipedia.com, youube.com.

Bali’s best spas and chill-out spots
Unknown2:53 PM 0 comments


Whether it’s a total wind-down for the mind, body and spirit, or simply the desire for some quick-fix serenity, lots of travellers in Bali are spending hours (and sometimes days) being massaged, scrubbed, perfumed, pampered, bathed and blissed-out. A quick rub down on the beach or in a garden, and you’ll be hooked. Here’s your guide to seeking out a bit of aah & aah.

Every upmarket hotel worth its stars has spa facilities (almost always open to non-guests) offering health, beauty and relaxation treatments. Day spas are also common, many of the best booked up days in advance during high season. The cost can be anything from a 20,000Rp beach rub to a multi-hour sybaritic soak for US$100 or more. In general however, the costs are quite low compared with other parts of the world and the Balinese have just the right cultural background and disposition to enhance the serenity.

The Balinese massage techniques of stretching, long strokes, skin rolling and palm and thumb pressure result in a lowering of tension, improved blood flow and circulation, and an all-over feeling of calm. Based on traditional herbal treatments, popular spa options include the mandi rempah (spice bath) and the mandi susu (milk bath). The mandi rempah begins with a massage, followed by a body scrub with a paste made from assorted spices, and ending with a herbal-and-spice hot bath.

Good spas can be found wherever there are tourists. Day spas are particularly common in Ubud, Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. Here are a few of our favourites:
Kuta/Legian

Mandara Spa: this divine spa, part of the Hotel Padma Bali, is decorated with water features and impressive stone sculptural reliefs.

Jamu spa at AlamKulKul Boutique Resort: in serene surrounds at a resort hotel, you can enjoy indoor massage rooms that open onto a pretty garden courtyard. If you’ve ever wanted to be part of a fruit cocktail, here’s your chance – treatments involve tropical nuts, coconuts, papayas and more, often in fragrant baths. Also has spas in Sanur and
Seminyak

Prana spa at The Villas: a palatial Moorish fantasy that is easily the most lavishly decorated spa in Bali

Jari Menari: its name means ‘dancing fingers’ and your body will be one happy dance floor! The all-male staff use massage techniques that emphasise rhythm. Many say this is the best place for a massage in Bali, a claim backed up by
numerous awards. Book in advance to ensure a spot.
Ubud

Zen: Down a little lane, this spa has a good reputation. It offers body scrubs, 90-minute mandi lulur (Javanese body scrubs) and a spice bath (160,000Rp), among myriad other pleasures.

Ubud Sari Health Resort: Enjoy a ‘total tissue cleansing’ with organic and natural ingredients. Function definitely trumps form at this no-nonsense spa, salon and hotel. The range of offerings is almost as copious as the poisons sure to be purged from your body.
Spa alternatives

It’s worth remembering that in a place as relaxing as Bali you don’t necessarily have to visit a spa to be soothed. These low-key resorts make every day an indulgence:

Air Panas Banjar: hot springs percolate down through a series of pools amidst lush tropical plants; soak in the top pools, or get a pummelling massage from the water as it falls into the lower pools.

Lovina: relaxed, low-key, low-rise… Lovina is Kuta’s polar opposite. Even the waves are calm… Here, you can get Balinese or Ayurveda treatments in simple, soothing settings.

Nusa Lembongan: What better place to mellow out? Quiet, white-sand beaches; simple rooms right on the beach; incredible sunsets… this is the Bali that many imagine, but rarely find. Find your inner peace amidst the serenity.

Further reading: Take a look at other travellers’ spa recommendations – and check out the full range of Bali spas.