donderdag 28 mei 2009
woensdag 27 mei 2009
Prijsvraag 1
Het eerste verzoek betreffende een "souveniertje" is al binnen. Maar van wie............
Wie het weet mag het zeggen!
BALI: sacred & secret
The Island
Over the last century, Bali has endured violence from man and nature. Life was precarious. The Dutch took over in 1906, provoking many suicidal wars called puputan, a sacred way for men, women and children alike to die together with honour rather than surrendering to the enemy. In the Second World War, despite a brutal Japanese invasion that left the island in poverty, the exhausted people found strength to fight the returning Dutch and win their independence in 1946. Then came pest, famine and the devastating earthquake of 1963, followed by a bloodbath in 1965 when, in a population of two million people, 90,000 were slaughtered during the so-called ‘communist purge’, after which, armed with an inner strength, the Balinese rebuilt their ravaged island on the enduring strength of their religious conviction. The memory remains as a reminder of how violently the fabric of life can be torn apart.
The terrorist bomb on the 12th Oct 2002 incinerated 200 people in a Kuta nightclub, severely wounded 300, put thousands out of work, and badly damaged the economy. But it also brought forth the essence of the unique Balinese-Hindu religion. Once again the spiritual fortitude of the Balinese came into its full power. The people prayed in all humility asking forgiveness for whatever wrong they had done to bring such pain and suffering to their island. Many believed that the gods allowed calamity to hit Bali after an ancient and sacred visitor in the guise of a sea turtle had come to Bali’s shores to lay eggs. Blinded by greed, the villagers feasted upon the turtle and its progeny. They fell sick. A month later, the bomb shook Bali. There was no retribution sought. The elders, guardians of the memory of 1965, cautioned the young to refrain from any form of revenge.
The world today is perceived as an unsafe place, yet the Balinese continue to face it gladly. Choosing first to look within, they live life with devotion and maintain balance between the spirit world, nature, and man.
Even the second spate of bombings in Bali failed to plunge the island into a rash of retaliatory violence. The Balinese grieved and held purification rites for the victims and survivors. They doubled their efforts to maintain harmony with their neighbours, seeking to purify the negative energy that they themselves had helped produce.
Indeed, we live in interesting times. Times when the people of the world are often forced to choose sides, react against aggression and thus become more militant. Perhaps there is a quality we can all learn from the Balinese in their way of cleansing trauma and fully experiencing grief.
The Island
Over the last century, Bali has endured violence from man and nature. Life was precarious. The Dutch took over in 1906, provoking many suicidal wars called puputan, a sacred way for men, women and children alike to die together with honour rather than surrendering to the enemy. In the Second World War, despite a brutal Japanese invasion that left the island in poverty, the exhausted people found strength to fight the returning Dutch and win their independence in 1946. Then came pest, famine and the devastating earthquake of 1963, followed by a bloodbath in 1965 when, in a population of two million people, 90,000 were slaughtered during the so-called ‘communist purge’, after which, armed with an inner strength, the Balinese rebuilt their ravaged island on the enduring strength of their religious conviction. The memory remains as a reminder of how violently the fabric of life can be torn apart.
The terrorist bomb on the 12th Oct 2002 incinerated 200 people in a Kuta nightclub, severely wounded 300, put thousands out of work, and badly damaged the economy. But it also brought forth the essence of the unique Balinese-Hindu religion. Once again the spiritual fortitude of the Balinese came into its full power. The people prayed in all humility asking forgiveness for whatever wrong they had done to bring such pain and suffering to their island. Many believed that the gods allowed calamity to hit Bali after an ancient and sacred visitor in the guise of a sea turtle had come to Bali’s shores to lay eggs. Blinded by greed, the villagers feasted upon the turtle and its progeny. They fell sick. A month later, the bomb shook Bali. There was no retribution sought. The elders, guardians of the memory of 1965, cautioned the young to refrain from any form of revenge.
The world today is perceived as an unsafe place, yet the Balinese continue to face it gladly. Choosing first to look within, they live life with devotion and maintain balance between the spirit world, nature, and man.
Even the second spate of bombings in Bali failed to plunge the island into a rash of retaliatory violence. The Balinese grieved and held purification rites for the victims and survivors. They doubled their efforts to maintain harmony with their neighbours, seeking to purify the negative energy that they themselves had helped produce.
Indeed, we live in interesting times. Times when the people of the world are often forced to choose sides, react against aggression and thus become more militant. Perhaps there is a quality we can all learn from the Balinese in their way of cleansing trauma and fully experiencing grief.
maandag 25 mei 2009
Villa Sonia - Ubud
De vorige keer dat we Bali hebben bezocht zijn we helaas maar 1 dag in Ubud geweest. Nu gelukkig een hele week in het culturele centrum van Bali. We logeren bij Emile Snellen van Vollenhoven (zie links Bali). Emile heeft voor PALM/B de voorkant ontworpen voor de nieuwsbrief (zie boven).
Villa Taman Indah - Lovina
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Na Amed vervolgen we onze reis naar het noorden van Bali (Lovina). Hier ontmoeten we o.a. Theo, Marja, Zoe en de staf van villa Asmara, waar we twee jaar geleden met heel veel plezier hebben mogen vertoeven. Nu verblijven we in een ander stulpje, maar naar alle waarschijnlijkheid met evenveel plezier.....
KEMBALI BEACH BUNGALOWS - AMED
Aangekomen in DenPasar vertrekken we naar Oost-Bali, waar we een week zullen verblijven.
BALI 2009 - "HET AFTELLEN IS BEGONNEN".
vlucht-reis-schema:
zaterdag 13 juli: Amsterdam-Singapore
zondag 14 juli: Singapore-DenPasar
zondag 14 juli: DenPasar - Amed
vervolgens: Amed-Lovina-Ubud-Sanur
12 augustus: DenPasar-Singapore-Amsterdam
13 augustus: aankomst Amsterdam
Wij wensen iedereen veel leesplezier!
Jorn, Femke, Mena, Jan, Berber, Augustien & Watze
"HET AFTELLEN IS BEGONNEN"
Zaterdag 13 juli 2009 vertrekken we voor 4 weken naar Bali. Indien de tijd het toe laat zullen we jullie op de hoogte houden van onze belevenissen en ervaringen.
Het weblog is met name opgedragen aan mijn vader die binnenkort een zware operatie moet ondergaan. Eveneens aan Emile Snellen van Vollenhoven die net herstellende is van een zware hartinfarct.
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