NORTH AMERICA/BALI

Board your flight for Hanoi to begin your journey to Indonesia.

DAY 2:

EN ROUTE

ARRIVE BALI

Arrive and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for rest or to begin exploring the city. Bali was inhabited by Austronesian peoples by about 2,000 BC who migrated from Taiwan. Balinese culture was strongly influenced by the Indian and Chinese and particularly Hindu cultures, in a process beginning around the 1st century AD. The name Bali dwipa (Bali Island) has been discovered in various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD, mentions Walidwipa.

HALF DAY TANAH LOT TOUR

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. This afternoon embark on a tour of Alas Kedaton, nature reserve and temple complex in Ubud, Bali. It houses approximately 340 Crab-eating Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys (32 adult males, 19 male sub adult, 77 adult females, 122 juvenile and 54 infants). There are four groups of monkeys each occupying different territories in the park. There is a Pura dalem Agung Padangtegal temple as well as a "Holy Spring" bathing temple and another temple used for cremation ceremonies. The Monkey Forest is owned by the village of Padangtegal and village members serve on the Monkey Forest's governing council. The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation manages the Monkey Forest and serves to maintain its sacred integrity and to promote the sacred site as a destination for visitors. Continue to Pura Luhur Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home to a pilgrimage temple, the Pura Tanah Lot (Tanah Lot temple). Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of a 15th century priest Niratha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods. The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. B

BALI

This day will be spent at leisure to explore the city on your own. B

 BALI/YOGYAKARTA

Take a short flight to Yogyakarta. On arrival, upon arrival, transfer to the hotel. The Yogyakarta Sultanate, formally the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, was formed in 1755 when the existing Sultanate of Mataram was divided by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in two under the Treaty of Giyanti. In support of Indonesia declaring independence from the Dutch and Japanese occupation, in September 5, 1945, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX of Yogya and Sri Paku Alam VIII in Yogya declared their sultanates to be part of the Republic of Indonesia. In return for this support, a law was passed in 1950 where Yogyakarta was granted the status of province Daerah Istimewa (Special Region Province) recognizing the Sultan’s power in his own region's domestic affairs. During the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch after World War II (1945-1950), the capital of the newly declared Indonesian republic temporarily relocated to Yogyakarta when the Dutch reoccupied Jakarta from January 1946 until August 1950. B

YOGYAKARTA FULL DAY TOUR

This morning drive to Borobudur, a 9th century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. This shrine to Lord Buddha was built by Sailendra dynasty between 750 and 842 AD. In 1814 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, a British ruler of Java, was advised of its location by native Indonesians and has been preserved through several restorations. Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Mendut, Borobudur and Pawon are Buddhist temples, sharing a mutual religious relationship, although the exact ritual process is unknown. Built around early 9th century AD, Mendut is the oldest of the three temples including Pawon and Borobudur. The Karang Tengah inscription, the temple was built and finished during King Indra’s reign of the Sailendra dynasty. Kraton is the Javanese word for a royal palace. Its name is derived from ratu, which means "ruler" (king or queen). In Java, the palace of a prince is called puro or dalem. The general word to designate a palace is istana, as in Indonesian and Malay. The Sultante’s kraton was built in stages between 1756 and 1790 by Yogya’s founder, Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, which is a splendid example of traditional Javanese court architecture. Formerly Taman Sari (water castle) was a resting place for the royal family. It was constructed by a Portuguese architect in European aquatic construction adorned with Javanese design. Tamansari was built in the Sultan Hamengku Buwono I period at the end of the XVII century. Taman Sari is not only a recreation but also houses a bathing pool, canals, rooms and extremerly large swimming pool (if the canals opened). Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple of ancient Java and was probably begun by Rakai Pikatan as the Hindu Sanjayas answer to the Buddhist Sailendra's Borobudur and Sewu temples nearby. The construction of Prambanan probably was meant to mark the return of Sanjaya dynasty to power after almost a century being under Sailendra domination in Central Java. A temple was first built at the site around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan or Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya king of the Mataram Kingdom. According to Shivagrha inscription that wrote chandrasengkala “Wwalung gunung sang wiku” (778 Saka/856 M), the temple was built to honor lord Shiva. The original name of the temple is Shiva-grha (house of Shiva). Some archaeologists believe that Shiva’s idol in the garbhagriha (central chamber) is modeled after King Balitung, serving as a depiction of his deified self after death. Time permitting you will visit a batik center, wayang puppets gallery or silversmith home industry at Kota Gede. B

YOGYAKARTA/BALI

You will have free time till the time of your transfer to the airport for a short flight to Bali. On arrival, transfer to the hotel. B

DEPART BALI

Morning will be spent at leisure. Later, transfer to the airport to board your flight back home. B

LAND TOUR- Valid Jan to Dec. 20, 2010