THE BATAK

Some of the TOP Hotels in Bali

Bali's most famous and crowded resort is Kuta beach, a six-kilometre sweep of golden sand, with plenty of accommodation, shops and nightlife. Nearby Sanur is much quieter, but most backpackers prefer the beaches of peaceful east-coast Candi Dasa and traveller-oriented Lovina on the north coast. The island's other major destination is the cultural centre of Ubud , a still charming but undeniably commercialized overgrown village, where traditional dances are staged every night of the week and the streets are full of arts-and-crafts galleries.

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa : The Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa is a luxury property strategically located only 15 kilometers away from the... Nusa Dua
Aston Bali Resort & Spa : The Aston Bali Resort and Spa is a luxury hotel located on the waterfront facing golden sandy beaches... Tanjung Benoa
Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel : Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel is situated in the coastal village of Sanur, an ideal location from which to explore... Sanur
Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites : The Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites is located in Sanur Village just two kilometers from the Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel....Grand Bali Beach Hotel also is a nice hotel in Sanur.
Swiss Belhotel Bali Aga : The Swiss Belhotel Bali Aga is a deluxe property strategically located only 20 kilometers northeast from the Ngurah Rai... Nusa Dua
Grand Hyatt Bali Hotels located in Nusa Dua and The Oberoi Bali located in Seminyak, Maya Ubud located in Ubud, The Alilia Ubud, Chedi, Hard Rock Hotel Bali located in Kuta beach, Melia Bali located in Nusa Dua and Padma Bali located in Kuta

The word Batak was originally a derogatory Old Malay term for 'robber'- other translations give it as pig eaters'. This name covers a number of related ethnic groups or clans, the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Mandailing, Angola, and the Toba Batak, whose dialects are different though intelligible to each other. Batak communities (huts) consist of small clusters of multi-family households. A larger unit (marga) is made up of a number of huta, each tracing their descent from a single male ancestor. These sturdy rice-growing people (the saying goes, 'Batak are workers, not thinkers') live in fertile mountainous valleys growing rice, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, pineapples. Their territory extends up to 200 km north and 300 km south of Lake Toba in the narrowest stretch of the island's upper neck. They are shorter than the Minangkabau because they have lived inland away from the sea and thus have kept their racial stock pure. Because of mass migrations from their heartland seeking a better life in the lowland regions and in Jakarta, modernization is slow amongst the Bataks. Each week the ship Tampomas down to Jakarta is packed, but coming back it is half empty. Many of the tribes' (esp. the Toba Batak) traditional agriculture and land tenure practices- and thus their way of life- are almost unchanged. Most homeland Batak speak an almost remedial Bahasa Indonesia. In modern literature, Sitor Situmorang, born of Christian Batak parents, traveled extensively in Europe in the 1950's and wrote highly charged, sad, personalized poems of existential dilemma. Wellknown for their warlike traditions, Bataks have provided modern-day Indonesia with many military officers. Batak women are strong spirited and robust, not as coy as many of their Indonesian sisters. See them smoking foot long stoggies in the ricefields of South Tapanuli, dress their husbands up like dolls in the market towns of Lake Toba, and break out in vibrant hymns on the buses. Bataks are some of the best chess players in the East. Learned from age 10 or 11, every village has its expert. The loser has to scratch the winner's back. A barefoot peasant once stalemated the Dutch World Champion in the Grand Hotel in Medan in 1939, a major event in Batak history.