Together with Indonesian business partner Hary Tanoesoedibjo, the Trump Organization, which was ran by US President Donald Trump between 1971 and 2017, plans to build the biggest and most luxurious hotel on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, complete with an upgraded golf course and ocean view (which includes a view on the 16th century Hindu pilgrimage temple Pura Tanah Lot). However, this USD $1 billion (six-star) resort project met resistance from the local population.

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Music legend David Bowie, who passed away on 10 January 2016 after a battle with liver cancer, wanted to be cremated - and his ashed scattered - on the Indonesian island of Bali. American media reported that the rock star wrote in his will that he be cremated according to a Buddhist ritual (although Bali is better known for its Hinduism-inspired rituals). If it would be impossible to be cremated on Bali, then he would still want his ashes to be scattered on the island. Reportedly, Bowie was cremated in New Jersey (USA) on 12 January.

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Saturday 17 March 2018 is a public holiday in Indonesia. On this day the Hindu community of Indonesia, which mostly lives on the island of Bali, celebrates Nyepi i.e. the Day of Silence or the Hindu New Year in the Balinese Saka calendar. As Nyepi is a day of self-reflection for the Indonesian Hindu community, activities come to a near complete standstill from 6 am to 6 pm. Local rules instruct that Hindus are not allowed to light fires (or lamps), work, eat, talk, nor are they allowed to be engaged in any sort of other entertainment.

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A total of 1,555,609 foreign tourists have visited the island of Bali, the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia, in the first five months of 2015, an 11.3 percentage point growth from the same period last year. Given that the number of foreign tourists usually peaks in the period June-September it is most likely that the government’s target of welcoming 4 million foreign tourists on Bali in 2015 will be achieved, or exceeded. Most tourists that visit Bali originate from Australia, China and Japan.

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