Bali Blog

This is an exhibit you won’t want to miss. Designer Irwan will have his Indonesian gemstones and jewelry; will be displayed at the Neka Museum in Ubud, Bali, October 3 to 8, 2012. This exhibition is part of the numerous activities that are being held alongside the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.

Opals from West Java will be some of the most extraordinary gemstones on display. There will also be beautiful cultures South Sea pearls, black and red coral, and the very rare blue coral native to only Indonesia. Wait there is more to see – picture agates, rare amber, rose agate, amethyst, Chrysocolla, and Pancawarna Sanksrit agates.

Irwan has a very unique take on his jewelry, which involves the innovative use of bamboo, rare tropical woods, textiles, lava, and other materials. You will find a huge collection of gems and stones on display that can be placed into beautiful settings within 48 hours.

Irwan William-Holmes was born in New York City, travelling throughout Europe before in 1969 settling in Indonesian. He has been a member of the Subud Spiritual community in Indonesia for 50 years, and his designs contain only Indonesian. Irwan William-Holmes has won numerous awards including the Bijorcha Exhibition in Paris (2006), a very prestigious award.

Be sure to drop by and see the Painting by Angels exhibition.

It Could Soon Cost you More to Party in Bali

If you are planning to head to Bali for your next vacation, you need to be prepared to pay a little more to party the night away. That’s because the legislators from the Badung House of Representatives, are unhappy that lax collection policies by tax authorities are resulting in lost revenues because the nightspots and discotheques are underpaying taxes.

Badung lawmakers would like to see clubs paying the 12.5 percent rate rather than the lower 10 percent rate they are getting away with by disguising themselves as bars and restaurants. Badung lawmakers want to see that stop and that they are required to collect the tax rate that matches what their permits are for. It seems that’s another concern since many clubs, discotheques, and nightspots are operating on permits that are incorrect and they are sliding through at the 10% rate.

For tourists visiting Bali, and ready to party, they aren’t going to care if they is a 12.5 percent tax or a 10 percent tax. All they want is a good drink, good service, and a good time. After all, isn’t that what a vacation to Bali is about? Fun times!

So it might just make more sense to standardize the permit process or the taxes themselves and just get busy collecting the revenue to help Bali.