PANCASILA CELEBRATION Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali

PANCASILA CELEBRATION

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Since President Joko Widodo decided in 2016 to establish June 1st as an official public holiday aimed at celebrating the 5 principles of the Pancasila , all institutions of Indonesia are holding special events on this occasion. Pancasila means in sanscrit “Five” (Panca) “Principles” (Sila). It is the official and foundational philosophy of Indonesia based indeed on 5 principles edicted in 1945 by President Sukarno’s in his famous speech “The Birth of Pancasila”.
June 1st is also the restart of all domestic commercial flights, some of them having already restarted in May.
A good opportunity to take a break in the stressful period of the pandemic which definitively shows a slow down everywhere.
Dajuma is open and ready to welcome you anytime!

THE BALINESE « MIRACLE » Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali

THE BALINESE « MIRACLE »

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This week, we were lucky to welcome a few guests, happy to swim in our pools without worrying about the distancing rules. Still far from returning to normal, but good in any case for morale!
The other good news is the status of the pandemic in Bali: on May 16, there are only 99 active cases out of 346 in total, with 243 people healed and 4 dead.
An interesting article published by Aljazeera on May 2 finds that there is no visible sign of spread of the pandemic in Bali and wonders about this miracle while the island was still welcoming thousands of Chinese tourists in the beginning of the year. In their investigation, several interesting hypotheses have been put forward that are worth reading.
Either way, Dajuma is holding on thanks to its staff, always as motivated and involved as usual. Simply let us form the wish that all this ends quickly!
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/miracle-explains-bali-coronavirus-cases-200502035557649.html

THE PEKUTATAN "GREEN WARRIORS" Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali

THE PEKUTATAN “GREEN WARRIORS”

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For more than twenty years we have been traveling around Bali and have seen the remarkable progress made in terms of environmental protection. Paradoxically, the Covid 19 crisis seems to have further accelerated this trend. All villages have now organized to prevent the spread of the virus with masks and hydroalcoholic gel available everywhere. This will undoubtedly have positive effects on the Covid 19 but also on other pathologies. In our village of Pekutatan, a team of volunteers called “Green Warriors” was created to keep the environment clean and green. Usually, they do general cleaning in the village and beaches. In this pandemic situation, they do spraying (with disinfectant liquid) regularly in the villagers houses, public places and they do it also in our hotel every Saturday. Hopefully this trend will continue when the current pandemic is over!

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?

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After a few weeks of confinement in Bali, it seems that the recovery is slowly progressing. The number of people infected is not growing exponentially like in the other countries and the number of fatal cases is only 3 to date (https://infocorona.baliprov.go.id). One could say that the Island of Gods deserves its name.
But health recovery does not yet mean economic recovery. The latter will also depend on the decision taken by other countries to open their borders and allow their populations to travel again. The opening dates announced by certain European countries do not allow us to hope for a restart in Bali before the end of May, at the earliest. Let us form the wish that it will be sooner.
At Dajuma, thanks to the foresight and commitment of our staff, we found the way to keep the hotel opened despite the rare customers and to offer them a full service from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. So, do not hesitate to visit us. In Dajuma we are sure you will forget about this unusual epidemic for a moment.
Waiting for better times, take good care of yourself!

FRUIT SEASON IN BALI Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali

FRUIT SEASON IN BALI

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Now is the fruit season in Bali, there are a lot of fruits that one can find, mainly mangosteen, duku, rambutan and durian. This year the harvest is particularly rich in quantity and quality. But the pandemic has changed the habits of the producers. Usually, those fruits are easily found along the roads. Now, due to the Covid19, only few of them are left, the producers preferring to sell them online to respect the “physical distancing” rule. But don’t worry: sold on the roads or on line, both of them are as usual delicious! Are you good at recognizing tropical fruits? Try to find on the picture mangosteen, passion fruit, salak, rambutan, duku, pomelo, soursop and mango.

BALI IN THE CRISIS Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali tropical garden

BALI IN THE CRISIS

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Very strange situation in Bali at the moment! The traffic on the roads, usually busy, is almost null, as well as in the streets. The villagers have been instructed to stay at home, what is widely respected. Hotels are no exception to the rule. Most of them operate in a reduced manner or are completely closed.
For Dajuma, we continue to welcome a few rare customers with a reduced team which nevertheless provides all the services of the hotel including catering, wellness and beach activities. With the legendary Balinese smile as a bonus! Don’t miss to stay for a few nights or just stop over for a lunch or dinner. We guarantee you will be, as usual, very warmly welcomed!

NYEPI NOT AS USUAL THIS YEAR Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali

NYEPI NOT AS USUAL THIS YEAR

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On March 25th, took place in Bali the famous Nyepi, the sacred and peaceful day of silence that welcomes the Saka New Year in the Balinese calendar. Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection, and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and, for some, no talking or eating at all.
This year, Nyepi takes on a new dimension with the coronavirus pandemic. It’s like the whole world is celebrating Nyepi as well, by staying at home and spending time on self-reflection. In Bali a lot of celebrations and gatherings have been disrupted such as Melasti (purifying ceremony) and Pengerupukan, a day before, which is finished by doing Pecaruan (a ritual to neutralize negative spirits) and Ogoh-Ogoh parade. All those rituals usually involve mass participants, but this year all the rituals were restricted (the number of participants cannot be more than 10, only the priest and some village committee members who must keep the physical distancing), and the other prayed at home. Due to Covid 19 the Bali governor instructed to extend one of the restriction on the day after, people were not allowed to travel and must stay at home. Our traditional vows of good health take on particular relief on this occasion. May the pandemic so violent in the world, ends soon. Happy and Healthy Nyepi!

WOOD CARVING ART IN BALI Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali balinese art

WOOD CARVING ART IN BALI

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Wood carving is one of the ancestral art praticed in Bali by skilled carvers trained in numerous schools in the island.
In Pekutatan, we are lucky enough to have some of them happy to share their know-how with our guests once a week, for an unforgettable “wood carving experience”. This is what happened this week to Anne and Maja from Sweden who were able to carve their names by themselves under the attentive guidance of the master carver Gede Budiarsa. A good memory of Bali to be brought back home!

How the villagers of Pekutatan celebrate Independence Day Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali independence bali

How the villagers of Pekutatan celebrate Independence Day

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In August, all Indonesia is keen to comemorate the independence day. Many funny activities were held on this occasion. Having no desire to break with this fine tradition, Pekutatan Village held its own activities, prepared and organised by its villagers. Few days before the independence day, there are some funny games, gate decoration competition using only natural material, Balinese dances performances and many more (see on picture). On August 17th was the formal flag ceremony, with the participation of students from the local schools based in Pekutatan, government officials, police, army and villagers representatives. This year, all the participants of flag ceremony were wearing Balinese traditional dress based on the instruction of the Bali Governor.

BALI MORE BALINESE Puri Dajuma, Beach Eco-Resort & Spa, West Bali

BALI MORE BALINESE

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Part of the large Indonesia and its 279 Million inhabitants, welcoming 4 millions foreigners every year, one’s may fear that the small island of Bali could be losing step by step its brilliant culture and traditions.
This was before the new Bali’s Governor, Wayan KOSTER was elected last June, and made it clear that his administration intends to bring Bali back to its cultural roots, which is now effective through several decrees.
Changes are visible from anyone in Bali after applying these two:
N° 79/2018 Decree regarding customary Balinese Dress use stipulates that people working in Bali should don traditional wear every Thursday.
Same requirement during full moon (Purnama Day), new moon (Tilem Day), anniversary of Bali Province, regency anniversary days, and city anniversaries.
The island’s indigenous langage is traditionally written with an elaborate Brahmic-derived script natively known as Aksara Bali and Hanacaraka. Used in ceremonies and religious texts, the traditional script is deeply tied to Balinese Hindu practices.
“I think Balinese letters, Balinese text is in our identity, a symbol of our civilization” he said.
In accordance with Decree n° 80/2018, Balinese script will be written alongside Latin writing in public facilities, including our hotel as shown on the picture with the new signage on the road.
Many opportunities to enjoy the graceful « Udeng » on men head and women « Kebaya », and remember the Balinese long History through its everywhere writing.
On the picture taken in Dajuma garden, besides our colorful Jegog music instrument, some of our staff proud to wear the traditional Balinese dressing every thursday. From left to right, Dina, Alit, Kadek, Gusalit and Erly.