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The proliferation of handicraft industry in Bali, for many people is considered the side effect of tourism. It is true that when the tourism of Bali experienced its darkest moment after the first and second Bali bomb, handicrafts industry has its hardest time when many workshops and factories stop their activities, the some art shops and galleries closed, and some continue to operate with a hope of recovery of tourism.

It is also true that in the earliest stage of tourism in Bali, the handicraft market of Bali was overloaded with local traditional products for the consumption of visitors who come to Bali. However, handicraft industries in Bali develops and became less ethno-centric, more modern and cope with the demand of the costumer with the magical words “made to order” and at the end the handicraft industry in Bali find that they begins to make products for export and they have another source of income besides the local market.

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Bali is an island that has progressed economically through tourism and moved forward in an era of technology, but there are still some traditions that will never change. A large majority of the population, especially those from rural areas, place great faith in herbal medicines and tonics for mild ailments rather than pay a visit to a local doctor or health clinic.

Jamu is a blended Javanese drink made from a concoction of herbs, spices and plant matter believed to possess medicinal properties. It is consumed regularly to alleviate failing health, boost stamina, promote beauty and recreate harmonious sexual relations between husband and wife amongst other things. Jamu can be traced back as far as the 9th Century where ancient Javanese scripts have recorded its use in the royal palaces. However, even today the specific healing powers of jamu still remain a mystery.

A type of jamu that is produced very simply in a home-industry environment and sold door to door is known as ‘jamu gendong’. The Indonesian word ‘gendong’ literally means to hold and this type of jamu is carried by women in large baskets strapped to their backs through the streets. Most jamu vendors are Central Javanese women who uniformly dress in faded batik sarongs and conical straw hats to ply their bottles of herbal drinks.

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Birds are animals which inspired many choreographers to produced beautiful Balinese contemporary dances. Their energetic and sometimes elegant movements combined with their beautiful feathers are never-ending source of inspiration and imagination for Balinese choreographers to depict in a dance or two. Here are some well known dances which draw their inspiration from birds.

Manuk Rawa
Manuk Rawa dance was the first contemporary dance which based on the movements of the bird to make a great impression on Balinese. Manuk Rawa was created by I wayan Dibia in 1981 as a part of Mahabharata Sendratari (Balinese dance-drama) entitled Bale Gala-gala (house of wax). The dance depicts the life of a flock of waterbirds (manuk rawa) who play freely and peacefully in a pond deep inside the forest. In this dance the traditional movements of Balinese dance is combined with a dance from West Java which depicts the movement of a peacock.

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The gymnasium in ancient Greece functioned as a training facility for competitors in public games. It was also a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. The name comes from the Greek term gymnos meaning naked. Athletes competed in the nude, a practice said to encourage aesthetic appreciation of the male body and a tribute to the Gods. Some early tyrants feared gymnasia facilitated politically subversive erotic attachments between competitors. Gymnasia and palestrae were under the protection and patronage of Heracles, Hermes and, in Athens, Theseus.

Gymnasium is a Latin and English derivative of the original Greek noun gymnasion. Gymnasion is derived from the common Greek adjective gymnos , meaning “naked”, by way of the related verb gymnazein, whose meaning is “to do physical exercise”. The verb had this meaning because one undressed for exercise. Hence the noun, which appears to mean “place to be naked”, means “place for physical exercise”. Historically, the gymnasium was used for exercise, communal bathing, and scholarly and philosophical pursuits. The English noun gymnast, first recorded in 1594,  is formed from the Greek gymnast?s, but in Greek this word means “trainer” not “gymnast”. The palaistra was the part of the gymnasium devoted to wrestling, boxing and ball games.