New at Boots...
No7 Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara, every woman’s make-up bag must-have this summer
"Michael Jackson...
Tribute to a Legend" hits news stands today. It's the must-have item for any fan, don’t miss it!
Book your tickets...
Precis Petite and SHE magazine host a fashion workshop with advice and tips for petites
WIN a £200 shopping spree on Zuneta...
Your chance to win £200 worth of amazing products
WIN a girly night out with five friends...
Get dressed up for a glamorous night at the theatre
WIN £165 worth of beauty products…
One lucky reader will win EVERYTHING in this picture
Honey, pistachio and orange flower baklava
These sweet and scented squares, which can be prepared a day in advance, make the perfect ending for any Mediterranean meal
| In short |
|
|---|---|
| Nutrition (per portion) |
|
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ 160ºC fan/Gas 4. Lightly brush a 25cm (10in) square, deep baking tray with some of the melted butter. Place a filo sheet in the bottom of the baking tray, brush with butter, then place another sheet on top and repeat, brushing with butter, to use up half of the filo sheets.
In a bowl, mix the pistachio nuts (reserving a few) with 2tbsp of the sugar. Spread over the filo in an even layer. Brush one sheet of filo with butter, then place it, butter-side down, onto the layer of nuts. Brush the top of the filo sheet with butter, then repeat with the remaining sheets, buttering each one. Using a sharp knife, score the top of the filo stack to make 16 squares. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.
Meanwhile, place the remaining sugar, 200ml (7fl oz) water, the honey, lemon juice, cardamom seeds and orange flower water in a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until just thickened to a syrup. Pour the warm syrup over the baklava, sprinkle with the reserved pistachios and leave to cool. Cut into squares and serve.
One-night wonder: an adventure at The Grove
Can a one-night stay feel like a real break? It can at The Grove in Hertfordshire. By Carol Muskoron
Recently there has been a boom in ‘nanobreaks'. Instead of going away for a few days, or even for weekend, people are increasingly going away for a single night to recharge their batteries. Recent figures show that the number of UK holidaymakers seeking one-day breaks has gone up by 29% over the last year.
Some people go to France for the day, but we didn't feel terribly adventurous, so we dumped the kids at my mother-in-law's and drove off to the Grove Hotel, which is just outside Watford - about 20 miles from where we live.
Just up the M1 and down a private road, you can tell you've reached the Grove when you get to the parking area, which is festooned with Porsches and top of the line Range Rovers. It's a five-star hotel - based in an old country house - and has a clientele to match. And, of course, it's incredibly relaxing.
We arrived in time for a light lunch on the patio - salmon salad and a pot of coffee. Everybody was terribly friendly, the service was attentive but not overly fussy, and we started to feel at home immediately.
After lunch we decided that, as it was a warm day, we'd go for a swim. The outdoor pool is in the old walled garden. The water is deliciously warm - no need to brace yourself as you enter the water.
We were so chilled out that we almost forgot that I had booked myself in for a facial at 5pm. The Grove's Sequoia Spa has won prizes for excellence. And I can see why. You start off in a relaxation room, in your white robe, munching on dates and drinking herb tea. You're then called to the treatment room. My facial included an incredible massage - I felt as limp as a strand of spaghetti by the end. Wonderful!
The hotel itself is luxurious without being ostentatious. In the walled garden there ' an old greenhouse, which has been filled with period furniture and where my husband and I had an impromptu game of snooker. I have missed spontaneity in my life recently, and coming across that snooker table really hit the mark.
In the evening, my husband took a long bath while I read a book and then we came down for dinner. We ate at the Glasshouse, which has a buffet meal - buffet is a word that doesn't really do the restaurant justice. The choice is huge and it is all beautifully laid out. The trick seems to be to put small amounts on your plate and go back for several helpings. It's a lovely meal. My husband particularly enjoyed the halibut; I tasted it and it was light as a feather. I adored the roast beef and the sushi - very authentic.
The following morning we had a light breakfast and then - after coffee on the patio - we borrowed a couple of bikes (free for residents) and went for a ride. The hotel grounds happen to adjoin the banks of the Grand Union Canal, so we rode through the woods, then back along the towpath (maps are provided with the bikes).
There was just time for a quick snack and another swim in the outdoor pool before we left. It didn't feel as if we'd just been there for a night - we felt we'd had a real adventure, together, in wonderful surroundings. We noticed that there were lots of families with young kids there and I have a feeling that a night there with the children would also be incredibly relaxing - not least because they have an award-winning nursery and a fun man-made beach and volleyball court near the outdoor pool. I might take the kids next time...
Find out more
The Dome House
These photos are for a property advertised on Holiday Lettings.
Please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/72635
 The Dome and and Patio Area |  360 Degree Views from t he Dome! |
 Master Bedroom with Stunning Views |  Lounge Area with Stunning Views |
 Kitchen Area |  Twin Bedroom |
 Lovely Open Plan Design |  Dining Area |
 Bathroom |  Interior |
 Twin Bedroom |  Shower Room |
 Interior |  Interior |
 Stairs the the Dome! |  View to Dome House from the Golf Course |
Complete our online survey - there's a holidaylettings.co.uk break to be won
We want you to tell us what you think of Coast. Let us know what you like, and don't like, about the magazine, and we will take your feedback on board.
Plus, when you complete our survey you will be entered into our prize draw for the chance to win a coastal break in Cornwall with www.holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's number one for holiday homes worldwide.
Holidaylettings.co.uk is offering the winner of our draw a three-night, self-catering break for up to six people at The Dome House near Polzeath. Located in Roserow Golf and Country Club, the three-bedroom property has a private courtyard and is stylishly furnished throughout.
Guests enjoy free access to golf and leisure facilities, including state-of-the-art fitness suites, tennis, an indoor pool, spa facilities, brasserie,
bar and club house. Polzeath, Daymer Bay, Rock, Padstow and Port Isaac are all nearby.
The June 2009 Nursing Board Exam (NLE) Results SEO Mania
Board exam results are one of the most effective ways to generate traffics to a blog or website, especially when you flavor it with some search engine optimization strategies (SEO). One of the top 3 most popular board exam results is the Nursing Licensure Examinations (NLE).
This one can bring thousands of hits. It can even easily bring down a site - especially when a site is hosted on shared servers. My first attempt proved to be succesful way back in June 2008 Nursing board exam results. My other site, Bloggista.org amassed some 50,000 pageviews the day the results were released, and reached to more than 100,000 pageviews in just 3 days. Not as good as what the others (who are SEO masters) get, but good enough for a newbie in SEO like me.
The succeeding Nursing Board exam results got my Bloggista.org site suspended by Bluehost - which irritated me since its the only website running on that hosting account. It sucks, and yes, Bluehost sucks, but what can I do? I’m on a cheap hosting account, and I cannot afford a dedicated server to host my site.
This is the reason why I did not post any board exam results here on Bloggista.com. These are SEO experiments and surely, should increase traffic just like the hits generated from posts like pinay sex videos and scandals - which I got just one and is still surprisingly generating consistent traffic to this blog. But I preferred not to optimize those stuffs like Haydeen Kho - Halili sex videos or that with Vicky Belo or Aling Dionesia? (Manny forgive them). I just don’t want to take advantage on these kind of “unfortunate” incidents.
Going back to the 2009 June NLE Board passers (take note of the terms used now), many Pinoy Bloggers have been outdoing each other at the SERP’s. Kind of a healthy competition. Unfortunately, because of my really busy schedule the past 2 months, I was unable to do some optimizations - but yes, I made a post about it on Bloggista.org.
If you search such keywords like june 2009 nle board results, june 2009 nursing board exam results, june 2009 nursing board passers - my Bloggista.org site is nowhere near the first 5 pages of Google. Of course because I haven’t done any effort to boost my rankings. But its great to see lots of my friends getting some really good search engine positions on these keywords.
To you guys, keept it up and enjoy the traffic dudes. You just have to fill my belly with some mugs of beer when we get to meet.
The Cost of Text Messaging (SMS) and Mobile Internet Browsing in the Philippines
And this was not due to hundreds of thousands of people crying out loud about the “injustices” of this oligopoly in the country’s telecoms business, but was purely “accidental.”
Senator Enrile just uncovered this when he noticed that his prepaid mobile phone’s account load value mysteriously vanished, or diminished.
I have written some articles in the past about my (bad) experiences with these telecoms service providers. Which will probably remain a “rant” since our government turned a deaf ear to the cries of its people.
Now that election season is coming - some “politicos” will instantly become consumer advocates and will spend time delivering privilege speeches in the hollowed, err, hallowed hall of Congress. Perhaps its time for us to take advantage of this as well.
Now is probably the time that all complaints and pains consumers get from these service providers be heard. Now is the time that finally, someone in the government will take genuine action against these cheaters and bring justice to everyone.
Have you ever wondered how much it costs us for every SMS or text message we send?
We know that we are allowed to send up to a maximum of 160 characters for each text message. These 160 characters are actually equivalent to 140bytes of data. A kilobyte is equivalent t0 1,024 bytes, thus for every text message we send, we assume we are sending 0.1367Kilobyte of data, and we are charged somewhere from Php0.50 to Php1.00 per text message.
Let’s use the one peso charge per text message sent - common to prepaid users and to those low-monthly postpaid subscribers. That means we pay Php7.315 per kilobyte of data sent to the service providers.
On the other hand, these telecom companies charge Php0.15 for every kilobyte of usage if you browse the internet using your mobile phone. This means, if you browse this blog using your blackberry or internet-enabled phone, you will pay Php9.30 because the homepage is about 62 kilobytes of data to load.
So how much will you pay if you download “Careless Whisper” MP3 over the internet? Lets assume the full song is about 4MB - so that’s Php600,000.00 in your next month’s bill.
Now if you use the charge per kilobyte the telecom companies apply for sending text messages (Php7.315) - downloading and listening to George Michael’s song with a gyrating lady in the background will cost you a whooping Php29,260,000.00!!! Now that’s probably more than enough money to pay to go and see George Michael perform live with a dozen gyrating ladies all around you.
In contrast my DSL provider bills me Php999.00 a month for an unlimited usage. There is no restriction as to how big are the files I download over the internet. The technologies used here is no different than the technology used in sending and receiving SMS or browsing the web with mobile phones.
So what are we missing, dear Senators and Congressmen? Our country’s deregulated telecom industry actually prevented new players from coming in and give some pretty competition.
The industry is still controlled by these few service providers and unfortunately, they are holding the government by the neck - leaving us consumers hapless, helpless. Its the sad reality.
Cancer Cure: Dying to Have Known (Gerson Therapy)
In the end he presents the testimony of patients, scientists, surgeons and nutritionists who testify to the effectiveness of the Gerson Therapy and shows the hard scientific evidence to back up their claims.
The question that remains is, “Why is this powerful curative therapy still suppressed, more than 75 years after it was clearly proven to cure degenerative disease?”
Create your flash banner online in minutes
My guy friend IMs me:
My response:
I've since come to an observation about Web-mating:
online dating = loser pet store
Yeah, yeah, I, too, am an online dater now. But hey, I never said I was not a loser. If anything, it's easier for me to spot 'em. I've been there, done that, and I'll be the first to support dating via cyberspace. And I'll also be the first to say, it's as slim pickings on the Web as it is certain locales in America -- so there's not a huge difference there.
I conclude, dating online is like going to the demented zoo -- the horses are too short, the owl has an eye patch, and the lion can't growl. If you're still reading, you must have also come to the conclusion that I'm a horrible human. But I call it as I see it, and I'm not even alone on the matter. I've talked to a handful of online daters who have surmised there are only 10 percent online who are actually datable. Of course, there are no scientific experiments or significant surveys to prove or disprove this number, so please take this information with a grain of salt. I dare you to weigh in... Join an online dating site (if you're single, that is) and let me know what you think.
Like I said, I'm an online dater now. I have a strong suspicion that at the end of the day, those demented zoo animals can be pretty damn cool. You'll seldom find creatures like those around. Some will make you laugh, some will teach you a lesson, and some may just surprise you.
Upon telling my guy friend about my "loser pet store" theory, he responds, "I like to think of it as the 'land of misfit toys.' It's more endearing."
What to watch out for when dating online
His Pictures
Some red flags come to mind if the guy in question only posts one or two pictures. And if those images are segmented -- like you only see his head and neck, for instance -- something is up. In this day and age, everyone should have a viable digital camera. There are no excuses for not posting full body shots (or at the very least, the upper body). If he's not showing you all of him, he may be hiding something or at least insecure about his frame.The Timeline
Okay, so there are four or five great pictures of him on his profile. You think, score! Not quite, ladies. Imagine that these four or five "great" pictures were taken of him 10 years ago when he was at his college prime. Now, he could be a victim of male pattern baldness, have gained 100 pounds and has aged more than you know. This is not to say you judge everyone's pictures as such. But before you meet a guy, politely ask him when his photos were taken."Hey, Beautiful"
If those words weren't a red flag to you before, listen up. Yes, it's flattery at its best. But if a man who barely knows you just said that, consider that he may be saying it to other girls. In my experience, men who are quick to call you a pet name, is so comfortable with doing that because he, in fact, does it all the time. His "hey, beautiful" habits may be shared with plenty of other women. Do you want a guy who is spreading the love like that? Probably not.Quick to Date
Some guys are clearly screening for a wife on some of these dating sites. Okay, that's fine, but it's important for you not to get swept up in that. Instead, take your time and find someone who's absolutely perfect for you. I don't care if you're in a rush, too. It's better to be safe than sorry. Before you go out with a guy, employ your own screening process -- ask him questions that are important to you, figure out what he's looking for, and realize that he's a "good egg." There are a lot of bad ones out there, but if you don't e-mail back and forth, chat online or talk on the phone beforehand, you may just end up being disappointed date after date. Choose wisely, ladies!Happy hunting!
Online dating dos and don'ts
... go into online dating cold. Before you start entering your sassy stats, do a search as if you were looking for "you" and see what comes up. Read other gals' profiles to see your competition, get some clever ideas, and take note of the things that scream turnoff.
... make your user name unique. "It doesn't have to be brilliant, but it should signify some expressive detail about what makes you you," suggests Gail Laguna, online dating expert and spokesperson for Spark Networks, which operates several niche online dating sites. Some of her examples: TennisTime, Luv2cook, SalsaDancer. Much more intriguing than Sexylady123, isn't is?
... go overboard with the seductive picture poses or bawdy talk. Overly suggestive pics or innuendo may attract the wrong type of person, warns Stephany Alexander author of the book "Sex, Lies & the Internet: An Online Dating Survival Guide." Remember, there's a fine line between flirty and trashy -- don't cross it.
be intimidating. Often Mr Right just needs a little nudge in the right direction to get the courage to contact you, says Laguna. Be sure to include an invitation to contact you in your profile to come off as approachable and warm.
How to find love online
If you're mulling it over yourself, I say, go for it. You've got nothing to lose. And that old stigma (that online dating is for losers) is no longer the case. But if you're going to do it, do it right.
With so many singles on a quest to make a computer connection, there are a few rules to keep in mind. I don't want you to be that dyslexic online dater without a clue, now. Do you? So I asked Dan Abelon, co-founder and love expert for www.speeddate.com, the world's first online speed dating application, for his online-socializing tips to ensure your inbox stays full of online admirers, and quality ones at that.
Follow Abelon's rules here:
Rule #1
Avoid the "Fauxtograph:" Known as the dreaded "fauxtograph," posting an outdated or altered image only delays the inevitable truth. Choose an image that not only shows your face but portrays your personality as well.
Rule #2
Go with Your Gut: Chemistry is key in online dating. Don't waste time going back and forth with someone that you're not connecting with. SpeedDate.com offers 3-minute speed dates, with the option to opt out of a dull date gracefully at any time. If you're not feeling it, move on!
Rule #3
Show your Stuff: Skip the lengthy questionnaires typical to most online dating sites. Post interesting facts about yourself that will allow potential suitors with similar interests to learn more about you, without being bored to death by hum-drum details. SpeedDate.com allows users to cut to the chase with profile pages that take approximately five minutes to fill out and showcase users music, TV shows, movies and book favorites. Additionally, the Web site provides a section for singles to highlight fun information about themselves that they would like to share with other members.
Rule #4
Get Creative: Sure, you could just attach a string of meaningless numbers to your real name, but why not create a screen name that captures your personality? Some SpeedDate.com user names include FreshAndFrench, SalsaLover66 and SurferGuy.
Rule #5
Play the Numbers Game: Host to more than 120,000 dates per day, SpeedDate.com puts thousands of singles at your fingertips in no time. Who says third time's the charm? The more dates you go on, the more you increase your chances of meeting Mr./Miss Right.
Rule #6
Start a Spark: The cyber flirt is all about witty conversation. Asking your potential love interest fun and unique questions lets him know that you want to get to know him/her. Can't think of anything? SpeedDate.com's "ice breakers" offer conversation starter questions to get the ball rolling such as "If you were a superhero, what super-power would you want to have?"
The kissing style of the younger generation
I've been asking some of my close friends a question that is making them all uncomfortable but, like the good friends that they are, they are offering me advice to the best of their abilities. My question has to do with kissing and some differences I've noticed in some of the girls I've kissed lately.
The trend that has been bothering me is that the three girls I've recently made out with do a lot of pecking. That is, pecking on the lips and cheek and neck. Sure, this feels great, but there is not as much passion in these kisses. And there is a major absence of tongue.
Now, I'm very sensitive about tongue use. But I believe it is necessary for a "sexier" kiss. I never go in first with tongue, and I use it in a pretty discretionary manner: I go with the girl's whims. I feel her vibe during a kiss and then give or take tongue accordingly. Sometimes it's passionate with a ridiculous amount of tongue. Or sometimes it's just gentle, with the tips of tongues touching. It can be a combination of both.
I anticipate what the first kiss with a new girl will feel like. Part of that anticipating has to with her tongue skills and how our styles will be compatible or clash.
In all three cases, I didn't really get aggressive with my tongue because I don't want a girl to feel like I'm attacking her with it. But I did eventually get frustrated with the lack of tongue, and the passion was lacking throughout the kissing. How is it possible, in some instances, to make out for two hours without using tongue in a kiss? I've tried to develop a theory for why the latest group of girls I've made out with have not used enough tongue.
The only unifying factor with all these girls I made out with is that they were all at least five years younger than me. This led me to believe that, at some point, there must have been some kind of cultural shift that my generation of kissers is not aware of: Maybe younger people just don't use as much tongue? Growing up, it was definitely part of the kissing learning process. But maybe this whole generation learned with different standards and ideas about what a passionate kiss is.
Is it possible that there was some kind of cultural shift or generational gap between me and these girls when it came to kissing? Perhaps.
Remember when France opposed the war in Iraq? Americans spitefully renamed all things "French": freedom fries (French fries), freedom dressing (French dressing), freedom manicure (French manicure). Maybe these girls are very patriotic and became so angry at France's opposing the Iraq war that they decided to subscribe to "freedom kissing": freeing themselves from French kissing.
On a more serious note, all three of my confidants (one girl and two guys) said, yes, they do enjoy having tongue involved in kissing and found it strange that there was virtually no tongue involved in my recent kisses with the three girls I made out with. One of my friends simply stated about one of them: "Maybe she's just a bad kisser."
Perhaps. But in my world of self-doubt, I considered whether I had too much garlic on my breath, or if these girls were just younger and intimidated and I should have taken more command with the use of tongue in our kissing. But I'm actually confident in my kissing style — it allows us both to express ourselves — and I really don't like attacking with my tongue. I like to use it skillfully and appropriately.
So, that begs the question: Is it possible that the younger generation just isn't into that?
The kissing style of the younger generation
The trend that has been bothering me is that the three girls I've recently made out with do a lot of pecking. That is, pecking on the lips and cheek and neck. Sure, this feels great, but there is not as much passion in these kisses. And there is a major absence of tongue.
Now, I'm very sensitive about tongue use. But I believe it is necessary for a "sexier" kiss. I never go in first with tongue, and I use it in a pretty discretionary manner: I go with the girl's whims. I feel her vibe during a kiss and then give or take tongue accordingly. Sometimes it's passionate with a ridiculous amount of tongue. Or sometimes it's just gentle, with the tips of tongues touching. It can be a combination of both.
I anticipate what the first kiss with a new girl will feel like. Part of that anticipating has to with her tongue skills and how our styles will be compatible or clash.
In all three cases, I didn't really get aggressive with my tongue because I don't want a girl to feel like I'm attacking her with it. But I did eventually get frustrated with the lack of tongue, and the passion was lacking throughout the kissing. How is it possible, in some instances, to make out for two hours without using tongue in a kiss? I've tried to develop a theory for why the latest group of girls I've made out with have not used enough tongue.
The only unifying factor with all these girls I made out with is that they were all at least five years younger than me. This led me to believe that, at some point, there must have been some kind of cultural shift that my generation of kissers is not aware of: Maybe younger people just don't use as much tongue? Growing up, it was definitely part of the kissing learning process. But maybe this whole generation learned with different standards and ideas about what a passionate kiss is.
Is it possible that there was some kind of cultural shift or generational gap between me and these girls when it came to kissing? Perhaps.
Remember when France opposed the war in Iraq? Americans spitefully renamed all things "French": freedom fries (French fries), freedom dressing (French dressing), freedom manicure (French manicure). Maybe these girls are very patriotic and became so angry at France's opposing the Iraq war that they decided to subscribe to "freedom kissing": freeing themselves from French kissing.
On a more serious note, all three of my confidants (one girl and two guys) said, yes, they do enjoy having tongue involved in kissing and found it strange that there was virtually no tongue involved in my recent kisses with the three girls I made out with. One of my friends simply stated about one of them: "Maybe she's just a bad kisser."
Perhaps. But in my world of self-doubt, I considered whether I had too much garlic on my breath, or if these girls were just younger and intimidated and I should have taken more command with the use of tongue in our kissing. But I'm actually confident in my kissing style — it allows us both to express ourselves — and I really don't like attacking with my tongue. I like to use it skillfully and appropriately.
So, that begs the question: Is it possible that the younger generation just isn't into that?
Bruce Springsteen
| |  barroom eyes shine vacancy, to see her you gotta look hard Wounded deep in battle, I stand stuffed like some soldier undaunted To her Cheshire smile. I'll stand on file, she's all I ever wanted. But you let your blue walls get in the way of these facts honey, get your carpetbaggers off my backyou wouldn't even give me time to cover my tracks. You said, "Here's your mirror and your ball and jacks". But they're not what I came for, and I'm sure you see that too I came for you, for you, I came for you, but you did not need my urgency I came for you, for you, I came for you, but your life was one long emergency and your cloud line urges me, and my electric surges free Crawl into my ambulance, your pulse is getting weak reveal yourself all now to me girl while you've got the strength to speak Cause they're waiting for you at Bellevue with their oxygen masks But I could give it all to you now if only you could ask. And don't call for your surgeon even he says it's too late It's not your lungs this time, it's your heart that holds your fate Don't give me money, honey, I don't want it back you and your pony face and your union jack well take your local joker and teach him how to act I swear I was never that way even when I really cracked Didn't you think I knew that you were born with the power of a locomotive able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? And your Chelsea suicide with no apparent motive you could laugh and cry in a single sound. And your strength is devastating in the face of all these odds Remember how I kept you waiting when it was my turn to be the god? You were not quite half so proud when I found you broken on the beach Remember how I poured salt on your tongue and hung just out of reach And the band they played the homecoming theme as I caressed your cheek That ragged, jagged melody she still clings to me like a leech. But that medal you wore on your chest always got in the way like a little girl with a trophy so soft to buy her way We were both hitchhikers but you had your ear tuned to the roar of some metal-tempered engine on an alien, distant shore So you, left to find a better reason than the one we were living for and it's not that nursery mouth I came back for It's not the way you're stretched out on the floor cause I've broken all your windows and I've rammed through all your doors And who am I to ask you to lick my sores? And you should know that's true... I came for you, for you, I came for you, but you did not need my urgency I came for you, for you, I came for you, but your life was one long emergency and your cloud line urges me, and my electric surges free |
| Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)  © 2009 Thrill Hill Productions, Inc. - Powered by Signatures Network |
ABOUT BALI
Located in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago with close proximity to Australia, Bali is an island of approximately two thousand square miles, dominated by the volcanic mountainous areas in its center. Bali's rich soil and numerous water sources have resulted in a lush and verdant foliage cover, interspersed with the extensive rice paddy terraces created over generations by the hard working Balinese farmers. While the Balinese economy incorporates a fishing industry as well as tourism, this largely agricultural society, with a culture that is very much oriented to the soil. Historically, Bali was a collection of independent island kingdoms, before being brought under Dutch colonial control in the 19th century and incorporated into what was then the Dutch East Indies. In 1948, shortly after WWII, Bali along with the rest of the country achieved independence from Holland, becoming Indonesia. Having been a tourist destination since the early 1900's, Bali is accustomed to playing host to visitors from all over the world. This is expressed in the numerous facilities and activities for tourists on the island, along with the famed Balinese smile accompanying their friendly, relaxed, and personable service. The island has a population of approximately three million people, over 90% of whom subscribe to a particular offshoot of the Hindu religion. This differentiates Bali from the rest of Indonesia, which is predominantly Muslim. Religion plays a major role in the daily life of the Balinese. Colorful religious ceremonies are common at the numerous temples, both large and small, dotted all over the island; and it is rare for a visitor to Bali not to see at least one during their stay. Each home also contains a small temple for devotions, and offerings to the gods are visible wherever one goes. |
|
