Word: indonesianness
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...shaman inhaled the incense smoke and flicked flower petals into the tropical air. My husband and I were sitting on a patch of earth on the Indonesian island of Bali as the local priest, Ida Bagus Putu Wija, communed with the resident spirits about our vague plans to build a holiday home there. Eventually, the Balinese wise man gave us the news that would literally determine the shape of our future villa. In the parallel spirit world of this devoutly Hindu island, our peaceful stretch of riverbank was actually a bustling spirit town, far bigger than the nearby human village...
...while Bali fans boast of the island's volcanoes and great surfing spots. Nevertheless, the business of vacation villas isn't a zero-sum game, largely because the members of the international jet set who dig Phuket are a breed apart from the culture vultures who flock to the Indonesian island. "People are usually either Bali people or Phuket people," says Dominique Gallmann, the Swiss-born director of Exotiq Real Estate, which has offices in both Thailand and Indonesia. "They attract different crowds, so the idea of the two islands fighting over the second-home market isn't really true...
...Oceans Apart Despite the seeming similarities - balmy islands in Southeast Asia with international airports, abundant marine life and plenty of cafés serving espresso and freshly baked croissants - Bali and Phuket offer vastly different real estate experiences. First off, Bali is much cheaper than Phuket. Because the Indonesian island is so much larger than its Thai counterpart, Bali offers a wider diversity in terms of topography: verdant rice paddies, soaring volcanoes and several distinctive urban centers. The Indonesian island cherishes its deep cultural roots, with traditions interwoven into daily life, not manufactured for some cheesy ethnic show...
...dominated other industries, with hotels and nightclubs lining once empty beaches. By the 1990s, as overworked Hong Kong investment bankers and Europeans priced out of the Mediterranean real estate market began looking for getaway-home alternatives, the residential property markets in Bali and Phuket began to sizzle. On the Indonesian island, vacation homes mostly take the form of individually constructed villas or those built by smaller developers. The houses, usually designed in a Bali modern style that is now an architectural touchstone for tropical hotels worldwide, are often rented out most of the year to offset building and maintenance costs...
Ahtisaari's most successful effort may have been in 2005, when he hosted talks between the Indonesian government and separatist rebels from the province of Aceh that ultimately led to the cessation of hostilities after 130 years of fighting. He also helped bring an end to war and nearly 10 years of negotiations in Namibia, paving the way to that country's independence in 1990. In Iraq, the diplomat has hosted talks between feuding Sunni and Shi'ite groups, modeled on successful dialogues in South Africa and Northern Ireland...