Nikki Stewart, 29 from Aberdeen died in her sleep while staying at a resort on the beautiful island of Gili Trawangan, just off Lombok Isand, Indonesia.

A resort spokesman said: “At about 3pm housekeeping staff tried to get into her room but she was dead,”. Nikki, of Aberdeen, worked for an oil company. Her devastated mother was yesterday flying to Bali and her family were too upset to talk.

The Foreign Office confirmed the death of a British national. “The family of the woman and are being provided with consular assistance. It is not known if any investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding the death.”

Source

Unfortunately I still have not made it to Bali, but it doesn’t stop me reading about the beautiful island. In the English edition of the Indonesian magazine of Tempo, they feature five warungs to check out in Bali.

Warung Sulawesi

Address: Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak

Features Indonesian and dishes from Sulawesi in a garden setting.

Biku

Address: Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak

Mixture of Indonesian and Australian dishes.

Batan Waru

Address: Jalan Dewi Sita, Ubud

Serves a variety of Balinese dishes and American cakes and pies.

Mak Beng’s

Address: Fisherman’s Cove, Sanur

Famous for its tuna steaks.

Nasi Ayam

Address: Kedewatan

One of the best value places for eating in Bali

The Jakarta Post reports that hotels in Denpasar had the highest occupancy rate compared to hotels in other regions in Bali.

Based on data compiled by the Bali office of the Statistic Central Agency (BPS) in March, hotels in Denpasar recorded an occupancy rate of 62.49 percent on average. Meanwhile, hotels in Karangasem regency recorded the lowest occupancy rate of 34.35 percent.

The data also shows that the average occupancy rate for the island’s star-rated hotels was 57.72 percent, a 6.73 point increase compared to the average booked in February.

“In March, star-rated hotels in every region in Bali had an increase in their occupancy rates,” Bali BPS chief Ida Komang Wisnu said.

The number of Australian tourists visiting Bali has seen a rebound recently, but the surprise increase has come from China.

The Jakarta Post reports:

In March, the number of Chinese tourists reached 21,492, a whopping 88.16 percent increase compared to the number recorded in February. The increase is expected to continue in the following months.

I spent most of last year in Beijing last year for the Olympics, and the country has undergone massive growth in its economy and spending power. Yes, there is still large amounts of poverty in rural areas, but in metropolitan areas, people are starting to make salaries which gives them larger spending power, with enough left over for domestic and overseas travel.

It is difficult for Chinese to get visas to most western countries, but it seems that Thailand and Indonesia it is not so difficult to travel to. Also, direct flight routes between mainland China and Bali are starting to open up.

With the outbreak of swine flu, I would expect Japanese tourist numbers to drop this year.

Antara News reports that Bali has received an award for being the “The Best Island in Asia Pacific 2009″ from the Hong Kong-based DestinAsia Magazine.

“Bali has been honored as The Best Island in Asia Pacific 2009 by DestinAsia Magazine in Hong Kong,” Culture and Tourism Ministry`s director for promotion facilities Esthy Reko Astuty said here on Thursday.

“Bali has been chosen four times consecutively as the Best Island in Asia Pacific by DestinAsia Magazine since 2006,” she said.

You would think that all of the stories in the media of tourists getting busted in Bali for drug possession would make people stop to think about buying or using drugs in Bali and Indonesia. Kjell Avald Holst and Karl John Bronell from Sweden have been arrested for allegedly possessing marijuana at their hotel in Kuta Beach.

From Jakarta Post:

Head of drug division Sr. Comr. Kokot Indarto said the suspects, Kjell Avald Holst, 25, and Karl John Bronell, 26, told police they spent the first week in Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, and bought 20 marijuana cigarettes from a stranger in Kuta beach.

People can complain that 10 years prisonment is too strict, but the fact is that anyone visiting Indonesia should be aware of the laws of the country when they visit.

One thing which I would like to feature on this blog are foreigners and locals running successful businesses in Bali. I think many people visit Bali for a holiday, fall in love with the place and then dream about starting a business there.

BusinessWeek featured CraftNetwork in their “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs”. Unfortunately, when I checked their website, it says it is down for maintenance.

Here is what BusinessWeek had to say about CraftNetwork:

Christopher Benz founded CraftNetwork in 2007 to connect artisan producers in the developing world with wholesale and retail customers in wealthy nations. By employing local artisans in marginalized communities under a unified brand, CraftNetwork helps them meet quality standards and respond to market demands, boosting their employment and sales. To date, the 26-employee company has exported goods from 1,355 artisans in 124 villages in three countries, and Benz hopes to continue to expand CraftNetwork’s reach. The 26-employee firm brought in $419,000 in revenue in 2008, and Benz projects it will hit $672,000 this year.

The 2009 Bali Spirit Festival is on right now in Ubud, Bali until the 3rd of May. It is a “celebration of Yoga, Dance and Music”.

A full festival pass costs USD 379 per person or 3,790,000 rupiah. Obviously aimed at well heeled travelers than the local population, or even the average expat living in Bali.

See their website for more details: Bali Spirit Festival