The King of Saudi Arabia Vacationing in Bali
King Salman will arrive to Indonesia on the 1st of March. He will go to Jakarta and Bali during his stay. Here are some juicy pieces of information, that have caught our attention on the news.
Over the past week, Indonesian news have been mostly about the preparations for the king’s visit. For the first three days, Salman will have several meetings in Jakarta and the last six days are intended for a vacation in Bali. The visit is even called historic, as it’s the first time of almost over 50 years, the king has landed in Indonesia. Indonesian politicians are hoping, that the visit will help to bring in investments of up to 25 billion USD, improve relationships and start joint projects with Indonesian state-owned oil company, increase flight frequency and tourism between Indonesia and Middle-East, promote modern religion and increase the quota of Indonesian pilgrims going to Mecca.
Let’s move to the impressive part:
- The king will come with 1500 people (will they also bring a few eagles to the trip? 🙂 ).
- They will arrive with seven airplanes (other flights will be closed at the airports for 45 minutes during the landing… be prepared for delays, if you’re in Jakarta (01/03/2017) or Denpasar (04/03/2017).
- 460 tons of cargo has already been sent to Indonesia for the visit (including a few escalators and Mercedes-Maybach for the elderly).
- The king and his entourage will stay in southern Bali, in Nusa Dua, where allegedly four hotels have been fully booked. The news have mentioned St. Regis Bali Resort (where the room prices start from ca. 500 euros per night) and Hilton Bali Resort (with prices starting from ca. 120 euros per night).
- On the king’s request, construction works to build a lift inside Istiqlal Mosque (the biggest mosque in South-East Asia) were started in the beginning of February. Later it will be available for disabled and elderly visitors, to access the second floor of the mosque. Besides that, the restrooms were renovated and adapted to the needs of the king (e.g. higher toilets).
Finally, we would like to send greetings to our nimble grandma, who will be 85 this year. Few weeks ago, she was rushing down the stairs in a jungle (hundreds of steps), to relax and get some natural treatment in hot springs. Of course with Indonesian Language Cards in her hand. She told her secret of such a good health is keeping herself active and moving!
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