Bali to turn into 'Silence of the Land'

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March 28 this year will mark the beginning of the Hindu New Year of Saka 1939. On this annual observance, known locally as as “nyepi”, the usually bustling island of Bali will grind to a peaceful halt for 24 hours.

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Between the hours of 6 a.m. until the following morning at the same time, everyone on the resort island will stop their daily activities, refrain from using electricity and remain in their homes.

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The entire island will come to a standstill, with no scheduled incoming or outgoing flights from the airport. The seaport will also be closed, broadcast stations (including cable networks) will go silent, streets will be empty of all traffic, all shops will be closed and visitors will be confined to their hotel or villa for the entire period.

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Everyone on the island, both residents and visitors, is required to abide by the Hindu religious rules called Catur Brata Penyepian. Encouraging meditation and reflection on this day of seclusion, the rules consist of amati geni (no open fires or flames), amati lelanguan (no pleasurable activities), amati karya (no work or labor) and amati lelungan (no journeys).

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 During this day of dedication to complete silence, community law enforcement officials called pecalang make their rounds to ensure that no persons, no light and no noise are emanating from any homes in the neighborhood.

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Nyepi rituals

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There is a series of rituals conducted before and after the day of Nyepi, which take place in every part of the island. Below are some of the most notable of these rituals.

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The first one is called melasti, a procession that features a pilgrimage to the sea to purify each temple’s religious paraphernalia. Usually performed three to four days before Nyepi, this ritual event incorporates a beach component, with pilgrims from various villages all over the island bearing temple heirlooms making long journeys on foot toward the coast.

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The second is the Bhuta Yajna ritual, which is performed one day before Nyepi, in order to vanquish negative elements and create a balance with God, mankind and nature.

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 On this day, Hindu adherents conduct ritual sacrifices, with different levels of sacrifice determined by the slaughtering of different types of animals, such as chickens, ducks and pigs.

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Just before sunset, which is around 4 to 5 p.m., the ritual of Pengrupukan takes place. At this time, locals parade the streets carrying ogoh-ogoh, giant demonic statues made of bamboo and paper, symbolizing malevolent spirits, while passionately playing a deafening mixture of the kulkul traditional bamboo bell and gamelan music. On the evening after the parade—which is actually the Saka New Year’s Eve, the ogoh-ogoh are ceremoniously burned in an all-encompassing inferno. The burning symbolizes the eradication of all evil influences in the lives of adherents.
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The peak of this religious celebration is on the third day, when people retreat from all daily activities into the silence of their homes."
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One day after the silence, Balinese Hindus perform the ngembak geni ritual, in which they visit relatives to exchange forgiveness.
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Hong Kong has been a much-loved tourist destination

In search of good fortune

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Hong Kong has been a much-loved tourist destination for decades and this year it is celebrates the 20th anniversary of the handover to China by introducing a new list of fortune spots matched with Chinese Zodiac signs by Feng Shui experts.

The Peak is symbolic of the Rooster and will ease the sense of dominance by rising to Hong Kong Island’s highest vantage point and broadening horizons with the view of the Kowloon and Hong Kong Island skyline to help you overcome any challenges in the new year.

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 Those born in the Year of the Dog should head Northeast to alleviate the negative energy at the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, Fanling. This scenic journey takes you to the history of the Tang Clan, one of the five largest clans in the New Territories, where a dragon could once be seen leaping in the mountains. The wisdom of Hong Kong’s ancestors is discovered in the stunning architecture that demonstrates how they unwound in these serene surroundings. 

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Those born in the Year of the Pig would do well to head to the Big Buddha and Wisdom Path and appreciate the zen of the large woodcut Heart Sutra scriptures. A trip will help you change the speed and maximise the energy of movement in the year to come.

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Find out more at DiscoverHongKong.com

 

Vietnam - Gov’t set to relax farmland ceiling

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Viet Nam News MEKONG DELTA — The Government is considering relaxing limits on individual farmland holdings, a move largely welcomed by experts despite misgivings about some negative social impacts. 

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Allowing larger land holdings will greatly facilitate modernisation of the country’s agriculture sector, many experts say.

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Currently, the allocation quota of farmland for annual crops for each household or individual must not exceed 2-3 hectares. Many people have been arguing for sometime that this limit runs counter to the needs of co-operatives and businesses engaging in industrialised, large-scale agricultural production.

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The national average land allocation for each household is extremely small at around 0.5-0.7ha. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reckons that in order to overcome poverty, on average, each rice cultivating household must own at least 2ha.

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In a recent resolution, the government tasked the MARD, the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, and the Ministry of Justice, to prepare amendments to the existing Law on Land by the end of this year, with the focus on rectifying farmland quotas.

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Vũ Trọng Khải, former rector of the School for Training Rural and Agriculture Development Management Experts, said the government should have done this long ago.

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“The existing allocation quota that has been in place for years has actually hindered agricultural production,” he said.

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Khải pointed out the fact that the Law on Land also contains contradictory clauses, in that it stipulates a ceiling on how much land a farmer can own, but imposes no such limit on businesses.

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“That’s why some people still can work around this limit. Sáu Đức, a farmer I know in An Giang Province, had accumulated some 70 hectares of farmland years ago, despite the restriction. However, the ‘excessive’ land parcels are all registered under his relatives’ names. When he was able to open a company, he used the company’s legal entity to gather back all the parcels, and now he owns some 150 hectares,” Khải said

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 READ CONTINUE

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Cambodia - Air cargo service takes flight

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Cambodia Angkor Air launched what it claimed to be the country’s first domestic air cargo service yesterday, using the existing capacity of its commercial passenger flights to fill the growing demand for air shipments.

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The new service, called Angkor Express Go, will transport goods along two main flight paths, with shipments travelling between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, company representatives said.

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Eng Molina, the airline’s general manager of marketing, said there is a growing demand in Cambodia for air cargo, especially for seafood, vegetables and other perishable products that are in high demand in Siem Reap, the country’s main tourism destination. 

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“We have learned that there is a huge demand for local transportation services, including air transport,” he said. “We believe that there is a big potential for this type of operation.”

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Molina said he expects people will start shifting away from land transport and transition to the faster air service for products that depend of rapid delivery times to maintain their quality. 

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Notoriously slow road travel from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap can take 10 hours, while air service can have the goods delivered in about an hour though at a higher cost, he conceded.

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Cambodia Angkor Air already operates cargo services, but only on international flights, Molina noted, adding that the airline has transported close to 4,700 tonnes of goods since 2013.

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The carrier uses two types of aircraft on its domestic routes. It flies 68-seater ATR72 planes, capable of carrying 400 kilograms of goods, as well as larger Airbus A320s, with 180 seats and a 2,000-kilogram cargo capacity.

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Cambodia Angkor Air is one of four Cambodian carriers serving domestic routes, along with Sky Angkor Airlines, Bassaka Air and Cambodia Bayon Airlines. Startup airline JC International Airlines is scheduled to commence service today.

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Sinn Chanserey Vutha, spokesman for the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said Cambodia already has domestic cargo services through other airlines, though he expects Cambodia Angkor Air’s new service will be popular. 

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“There is more and more demand for cargo transportation by air, both for international and domestic flights he said. “I think the new service will be used by many and will be successful.”

However, Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Freight Forwarders Association, said he did not expect the new air service would result in any significant shift away from overland transport.

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“It just provides more options, but I don’t think it will be overly popular because the transportation fees will be much higher compared to land shipments,” he said. “Cambodian roads are getting much better and the transport of goods is also getting faster and easier.”

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Source Phnom Phen Post - author: Hor Kimsay'

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The Khlong San neighbourhood is full of historical treasure not found on any tourist map.

Wat Phichaya Yatikaram Worawiharn

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The Khlong San neighborhood is full of historical treasure not found on any tourist map

ONCE A thriving trade hub on the west bank of Chao Phraya River, today the Khlong San neighborhood is a popular biking and walking route with travellers, both local and foreign, and a treasure trove of history dating back to the Thon Buri and early Rattanakosin kingdoms. 

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Despite being a stone’s throw away from downtown Bangkok, it’s a place to escape the city’s fast pace while indulging in a diversity of cultures. Thai temples stand proudly beside Chinese shrines and mosques along the riverside mixed in with old houses and businesses that pay testament to the craftsmanship of the past. 

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In 1829, Thad Bunnag, a regent serving as Somdet Chao Phraya Bor om Maha Pichaiyat, restored an abandoned temple built in the Ayutthaya period and dedicated it to King Rama III. King Rama IV later renamed it Wat Phichaya Yatikaram Worawiharn.

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Located on Somdet Chao Phraya Road, the temple blends classic Thai and Chinese style architecture. A mix of such materials as cement, ballast, coloured tiles and Chinese stones add an exotic touch. 

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The entrance has an auspicious arch decorated with Thai-style ornaments, while a pair of lion-shaped stone statues act as the gatekeepers. 

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 “In the past, most of the properties in Khlong San district were owned by Bunnag family. During his reign, King Rama III had a project to renovate many temples around the town, and Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Pichaiyat was in charge of Krung Thonburi and Phra Nakhon districts. To save time and money, King Rama III renovated all temples with plain walls and roofs. There were no longer any gables or tooth-like ridges on the edge of gables because they made from wood and were therefore not durable,” explains Thanat Bhumarush from the tourism division of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. 

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 This fine mural at Wat Phichaya Yatikaram Worawiharn depicts auspicious symbols such as a falling flower, pomegranate and butterfly.
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A soaring Ubosot stands in middle showcasing a pink Chinese-style pediment on its roof, adorned with beautifully crafted coloured tiles and ceramic-ware that looks like dragons flying in the sky.
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The temple is home to an ancient Sukhothai-style Buddha statue from Phitsanulok province with an oval, smiling face, spiral-like hair and a bulging chest. There’s also a boundary maker fashioned from granite and engraved with a breast chain motif.

The walls are covered with murals depicting such auspicious symbols as a falling flower referencing goodness, a butterfly referring to long life and pomegranate representing numerous descendants.
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“The two-dimensional murals were influenced by the Ayutthaya period. Skilled artisans used organic colours made from natural materials. For example, the white came from shells, the red was blended from sealing lac, the brown was extracted from bark and the yellow obtained from ore,” Thanat says.
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Inspired by Mount Meru, the white beautiful stupa is a combination of Khmer and Indian styles and borrows from the shapes of corn and bells. It houses four gold Buddha statues and four footprints, paying tribute to the four lords of Buddha.
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During the reign of King Rama III, Somdet Thad’s wife built Wat Anong Kharam. This temple is lined with stone boundary makers imported from China and a sacred ubosot that’s home to a Phra Chulanak statue from Sukhothai province. There’s also a small Buddha statue called Phra Phuttamongkol, created by the Bunnag family, that is plated with bronze and copper and contained in a movable gold pavilion and a refined painting that plays with Thai proverbs.
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A little further along on the riverbank stands the Gong Wu Shrine. It was erected back in 1736 as a place of worship by Teochew migrants. Refurbished in 1901, this sacred shrine features a collection of three Gong Wu sculptures from China and a stunning mural telling the story of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang as he travelled with his followers from China to India.
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“The design is based on the principles of feng shui and uses crab-like sculptures to represent the monk’s followers and shows two Western men carrying a shoulder pole,” Thanat explains. 

A short walk from the shrine is the old Laem Thong salt factory, which 50 years ago produced 1,000 tons of salt every month for export to Malaysia and Singapore. Today, the factory is located in Khlong Dao Khanong and distributes saline to Malaysia and Borneo Island for use in the tofu industry.
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Surrounded by old shophouses and warehouses is the Saifee Mosque, a white masjid that mimics the design of the original mosque in Bharuch, India.

Its history dates back to 1907 when an Indian diamond merchant and his family transformed an old warehouse into a two-storey mosque using premium-grade granite and marble left over from the construction of Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall.
.Source - TheNation
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Pitbull plans to bring the party to Bangkok

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Cuban-American pop star and rapper Pitbull announced that his upcoming tour, The Climate Change Tour, will include a date in Bangkok. Tickets for the show, slated for May 25, will go on sale on March 18.

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 With a seemingly endless string of hits and collaborations under his belt, fans may know him best for songs like “Timber,” “Feel This Moment,” “International Love” and “I Know You Want Me.”

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 The show will be at Impact Exhibition Halls 3-4 in Muang Thong Thani. Standing tickets cost THB2,500 and THB3,500. They can be purchased here starting on Saturday. 

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Source - Coconuts

 

Turning away from shark fin soup

Shark fin shop in China
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Manila - A former fan of shark fin soup shares why he has stopped patronizing the popular delicacy. 

I admit it, I used to enjoy shark fin soup. Not anymore.
My wife and I stopped consuming shark fin soup after learning what sharks had to go through before a bowl of shark fin soup is served to humans.
Reasons why we should say no to shark fin soup:

First, shark fins have low nutritional value.
Second, shark fins have no taste. They get their taste from the other ingredients.
Third, shark fins are expensive.
Fourth, shark fins have no proven medicinal value. In fact, they contain high levels of mercury (made more concentrated by the treating and drying process), plus hydrogen peroxide, which is used to make the color more appealing.
Fifth, many shark species are on the brink of extinction.
Sixth, humans do not need shark fin soup to live but sharks need their fins to survive.
Finally, shark fins are harvested through a barbaric process known as shark finning.
Barbaric process
How are shark fins gathered?
First, sharks are caught.
Second, the fins are removed while the sharks are still alive. And because sharks have as many as six big and small fins, they agonize six times over.
Third, they are dumped back into the ocean and are left to die an excruciating death. Without their fins, they cannot swim properly, they cannot catch prey for food, they cannot defend themselves, and they cannot get oxygen, as water needs to be forced through their gills as they swim.|
Why are sharks dumped back into the ocean after finning?
1. Space - The shark’s body is huge and takes a lot of space in the boat
2. Price - The fins are worth much more than the rest of the shark’s body.
3. Spoilage - Ammonia produced by a decomposing shark body may contaminate other catch.
Why people eat shark fin soup
In many countries, including China and Hong Kong, the consumption of shark fins has declined after government interference, like banning the dish in state banquets.
However, since there is no law (yet) banning shark fin soup/dishes in the Philippines, some people still have the appetite to order them because of one or all of the following reasons:
1. Culture or habit - Some people still believe shark fin is delicious, a delicacy, an aphrodisiac, has medicinal or nutritional value.
2. Show of affluence - A bowl of shark fin soup costs a lot of money and being seen ordering or serving shark fin soup in a wedding or banquet sends a signal that the host is successful and has money.
3. Ignorance - Most consumers do not realize the barbaric process involved in removing the fins.
4. Indifference - They do not care about marine conservation or the fate of the sharks.
Why restaurants still serve shark fin soup
In the Philippines, many big, multinational hotels like Shangri-La and Peninsula have stopped serving shark fin soup since 2011 because they understand the bigger picture.
Their business continued to be brisk without shark fin soup.
Others, unfortunately, are still serving them because of one or all of the reasons below:
1. Brand association - Dishes with shark fins are core products.
2. Marketing - Customers ordering them have money, which means they can cross sell other expensive items as well.
3. Fear of losing to competition - Some feel that if they stop, business will go to the competition.
4. Apathy - They have no idea about shark finning or do not care to know anything about it.
5. No social implication - They have not been pressured enough to stop.
6. Law of foolish fellowship - If others are serving it, why should they stop? They failed to look into the possibility that stopping and publicising their reason for doing so can reposition them as a caring restaurant and a leader in seafood sustainability.
Citizen action requests
Now that you have read up to this point, I have three requests.
1. Please share this information with others.
2. Stop consuming shark fin soup or shark fin dishes. When you are served shark fin soup during weddings, banquets or meals, do not consume it.
3. Write to restaurants serving shark fin soup to ask them to stop.
If there is no demand, then hopefully the cruel practice will stop. When restaurants know we are vigilant, they will likely stop serving shark fin soup.
Action requests
To restaurants - Please stop buying shark fins and phase out this dish. Do not wait for people to hold placards or boycott your restaurant before you remove this dish from your menu. Offer alternatives.
To party hosts - Please refrain from including dishes with shark fin in your banquet order.
To guests and consumers - Again, please stop ordering and consuming dishes with shark fin.
. Source - TheNation