I wanted to reblog this post from Baliskytour as it is a sobering reminder, least one forget, of the absolute sanctity of Nyepi on Bali. I wrote a post recently ‘Please Be Quiet For 24 Hours’ about this special Hindu festival, stressing the significance of this special day for the Islanders. Tourists are not exempt from ‘The day of Silence’ and are expected to stay in their hotels. Beaches are out of bounds too. For the most part I understand that there is great respect from visitors for this festival and I should imagine that they would enjoy being a part of such a unique experience. Sadly it seems that there are some folks who have no respect for their fellow Islanders and feel that they are above the law in such matters.
Baliskytour is a great site which I have recently started following. You may have noticed that they use a swastika as their logo. I am sure that many of you are aware of the origins of the swastika but for those that aren’t, here is the answer. Taken from
The word “swastika” comes from the Sanskrit svastika – “su” meaning “good,” “asti” meaning “to be,” and “ka” as a suffix.
Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck.
Even in the early twentieth century, the swastika was still a symbol with positive connotations. For instance, the swastika was a common decoration that often adorned cigarette cases, postcards, coins, and buildings. During World War I, the swastika could even be found on the shoulder patches of the American 45th Division and on the Finnish air force until after World War II.I hope you enjoy reading their post and that it gives you some more insight into Nyepi,and Bali. Most importantly, it is a valuable lesson to us all on being respectful, wherever we are in the world.
Expatriate American in North Bali Pays the Price of Violating Nyepi – the Day of Silence
A report in The Bali Post outlines the risks foreign residents in Bali run when they choose to ignore local customs and traditions. A villa in the village of Kaliaget, Seririt in Buleleng regency has been sealed and blockaded by angry villagers after its 62-year-old American owner chose to ignore the rules of absolute silence and leave the confines of his property of Nyepi, March 23, 2012.
Members of Banjar Alas Arum blockaded the man’s villa at 10:00 am on Saturday, March 24 – the day after Nyepi, using wood and bamboo to bar access road to the property. The villagers closed the road when the villa’s owner and the villa manager where inside the property, effectively blocking their ability to leave the property. The irate villagers were demanding an apology and a…
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Lottie Nevin - The Red House Diaries 
Lottie, I think when people are in another country they should be respectful of sacred traditions. That owner is simply a jerk.
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My thoughts exactly. There is no excuse for his behaviour and I think he will feel quite isolated now from the community, having incurred their wrath.
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They are plain (plane?) thieves. I just psarhcued a ticket. At the beginning of the process there’s a message warning you that you have to complete the whole process within 9 minutes, otherwise you’ll be re-directed to the starting page. So I hurried and ended up paying for luggage (one way because I de-selected the only possible option available and it turned out to be for the flight there but not back) and an insurance that I hadn’t chosen. Isn’t it theft, or what? How can you force customers to complete anything within anytime? Why do I have to pay for options I haven’t selected? So it’s gonna be the last time I’ll use the AAsia and within my limited means I’ll try to make sure no one I know ever will. Just venting, arghhh
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Manx, you are welcome to vent anytime on here! I do have to agree with you about booking tickets online, especialy for budget airlines. I used to do it back in the UK with Ryanair – it drove me nuts. Sorry you got robbed, can you get in touch with Air Asia direct and get it cancelled. If you paid on a card I’m pretty sure that you can cancel that purchase…ring the bank or credit card company and they will stop it.
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