Bali Tour
January 6 to 18, 2009
This
all-inclusive tour to Bali, Island of the Gods, is led througout
by our Naples Botanical Gardens Director, Brian Holley. In addition
to Brian a good friend of the NBG, Bali resident Made Wijaya, is
leading the tour for part of your Bali stay. As many of you know
Made designed many of Bali's best gardens (and others in many parts
of the world), and NBG is fortunate to have his services for the
new Asian Garden. This tour will provide participants with a preview
of his designs and exquisite work, as well as the many other sights
and sounds of what is usually called the most beautiful island in
the world. An added bonus is a stop in Singapore, where Brian's
personal contacts will provide special tours of the Singapore Botanic
Gardens, and several private homes.
The
tour is restricted to just 16 participants, and in addition to the
set activities there is ample time for personal exploration. As
many participants will want to take advantage of the carved stone
garden furniture and other unique Balinese offerings, in addition
to leading the tour Brian will make arrangements for the shipping
of purchases back to the US.
ITINERARY
(most images can be enlarged by
clicking on them)
Day
1 - Tuesday, January 6: Home Town/ New York / In Flight
Fly from your hometown to New York JFK this afternoon for your Singapore
Airlines flight 26 to Singapore via Frankfurt, departing at 8.55pm.
(*D)
Day
2 – Wednesday, January 7: In Flight / Frankfurt / In Flight
We arrive in Frankfurt at 10.50am this morning for a short stop
(no plane change) and continue on to Singapore at 12 noon.
(*L)
Day
3 – Thursday, January 8: In Flight / Singapore
After arriving in Singapore at 6.55am and passing through Customs
and Immigration we are met and transferred to our hotel, located
in the Tanglin district, convenient to one of our main destinations
here, including the Singapore Botanical Gardens, and the expressway
to the airport. Our rooms are waiting for us to refresh after our
flight. This afternoon we enjoy a tour of the old part of Singapore,
although much of it has been revitalized. Although we can’t
wander in the hotel at leisure, time permitting we will take afternoon
tea at Raffles Hotel. Other highlights of our tour today may include
Little India, with its colorful Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Chinatown
and the Riverwalk district. Tonight we have a “get to know
you” dinner at the hotel to begin our 10 days together. As
we’ll be tired, this will be suitably short. (B,L,D)
Day 4 – Friday, January 9: Singapore
This morning we visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens for a private
tour. These beautiful gardens combine developed areas and some natural
forest, and include the famed Nationa Orchid Garden. The Gardens
date from 1859, and today a morning visit reveals locals practicing
Tai Chi in a Kew-inspired landscape inhabited by tropical vegetation.
The Garde
ns
cover about 125 acres, of which 7 acres are devoted to the National
Orchid Garden, with over 1000 sp
ecies
and 2000 varieties of orchids. Although a beautiful place to visit,
the Gardens continue their research role – an early Director
was responsible for Malaya’s rubber boom when he discovered
how to extract the latex without killing the tree – and has
extensive conservation and education outreach. After our full morning
and lunch at the Gardens we continue to soak in the opportunities
offered by tropical gardening when we visit several private gardens
with Brian's Singapore colleagues (we may see some of these gardens
during yesterday's touring instead of today). As there may be choices
for this afternoon’s activity we have left dinner open. There
many choices near the hotel, including quality hotel restaurants,
several food malls offering a cosmopolitan selection of cuisines
and a variety of cafes and restaurants.
(B,L)
Day 5 – Saturday, January 10: Singapore / Denpasar, Bali
We return to the airport this morning to depart Singapore on Singapore
Airlines flight 942 at 9.35am for Bali, arriving at 12 
noon.
Here we’ll buy our entry visa, and after exiting passing through
Customs & Immigration we transfer to our ho
tel
in the cool highlands, about an hour away. The rooms are built and
decorated in Indonesian fashion, with a day bed in addition to the
night bed and sofas. The grounds are extensively landscaped, and
views are across a valley of native forest, or in the other directions
across paddy fields. Tonight we meet, or renew our aquaintance with,
Made Wijaya, the internationally recognized landscapist and architect
who is responsible for some of the world’s most remarkable
tropical gardens. NBG is fortunate to have Made as a friend, and
as the consultant for its own new Asian Garden. A welcome dinner
follows. (*B*M,D)
Day
6 – Sunday, January 11: Ubud
Today is spent touring various gardens and some of Made’s
preferred garden experiences in the cool highlands of Ubud. Many
of Bali’s best gardens, and Made’s work, are at hotels,
and we’ll have special access to these. Others are at private
homes, some designed, some just serendipitous creations by nature
and man combined. (B,L,D)
Day
7 – Monday, January 12: East and North to Besakih
The majority of Balinese are Hindu, the final repository of the
great Hindu culture of Java, remaining there only in the small ruined
tem
ples
dotted the island about and the great temple complex Prambanam near
Yogyakarta. While ultimately derived from India, the arts and religion
as practiced on Bali are noticeably different as they are a continuation
of this distinct Javan Hinduism, brought to Bali when the remnants
of the Majapah
it
court escaped from Java after the fall of that empire to Muslim
invaders. Although even with our short time here so far this influence
on daily life and architecture will have been inescapable, today’s
touring will expose us to this culture and its history in an indelible
way. We first travel east through villages and terraced rice paddies
to Klungkung, and its 17th Century Kerta Gosa (Hall of Justice).
This ornate free-standing building is famous for its painted ceiling.
Near the coast Goa Lawah is a cave temple, one of the important
directional temples that protect Bali, in this case from the Southeast.
Inside the cave, in addition to the temple decorations, are hundreds
of bats (lawah). At the village of Tanganan we’ll see a demonstration
of double ikat weaving; the geringsing cloth produced here is especially
fine and thought by locals to have magical powers. Lunch will be
enjoyed along th
e
way as we head north to Gunung Agung, Bali’s holiest mountain
(and an active but quiescent volcano which last erupted in 1963).
Nestled on the slo
pes
of Agung is the temple complex at Besakih, home of the Gods and
the site of Bali’s holiest temple, the mother temple towards
which all other temples, including home shrines, face. There are
22 separate temples in the Besakih complex. We return to Ubud this
evening, still amazed by the rich and vibrant culture of this small
island. As these temples are sacred places we need to dress respectfully;
a sarong is recommended to cover legs, a shirt or blouse reaching
to the lower neck should be worn (a typical shirt or t-shirt is
fine, but no tank tops or low cut shirts), and arms to the elbows
mustn’t be exposed. A special sash can be hired outside the
temple as they are required for entry, but buying one is recommended
as we’ll be using it often and they make a good souvenir.
(B,L,D)
Your
Naples Botanic Garden tour continues >>>>
