in harmony with the gangsa > jul/aug/sep 2010

warm greetings from the gangsa!

it gives me great pleasure the present the latest edition of our e-newsletter. this quarterly online initiative has been designed to share news, events and special promotions from the gangsa in the priestly village of sanur – bali.

in the lead up to the busy months of summer we proudly took the time to organise our annual social visit to a local balinese orphanage. the f&b team hosted another successful ‘cooking for life’ session that focused on teaching the children how to prepare simple meals. the visit also included an interactive demonstration that showed the youngsters how to perform basic cleaning duties and iron their own clothes. in an effort to encourage independence, these household activities will give the children the self confidence to survive when they eventually leave the orphanage.

on a cultural note, bali will celebrate saraswati day on 25th september 2010. this auspicious date honours education and all forms of higher learning. for travellers it is a great opportunity to see local school children dress in their ceremonial finery to pray for academic success. it is one many religious occasions on the balinese lunar calendar representing an endless cycle of rituals and rites that make the island so truly unique.

kind regards,

suwamana wahyu putra
general manager www.thegangsa.com

kayumanis fusion culinary journey
celebrate local culinary talent as kayumanis presents a stylish collaboration dinner to ignite the tastebuds. four balinese chefs have joined forces to create an exceptional 5-course menu of gourmet perfection.

kayumanis fusion culinary journey marries western cuisine with balinese entertainment in a memorable evening to delight the senses. take pleasure in superb flavours, traditional dance and even a soothing welcome massage in the tropical garden setting of gong restaurant. complimentary transportation is available within the jimbaran, nusa dua, sanur and kuta areas.

gong restaurant at the gangsa tuesday,
21st september 2010
cocktail hour starts at 7pm.
rp 650.000++/person

balinese dream
rebab spa invites you to indulge with a beauty ritual created to nurture the entire body by gently eliminating the tensions of modern living. the treatment begins with a nourishing ‘cem-ceman’ oil hair therapy followed by an aromatherapy foot wash and cleansing sea salt scrub in scented water. the pampering continues with a traditional balinese massage for a totally relaxing body and mind experience. a scrub of indigenous spices is then applied to naturally exfoliate the skin and remove any impurities before concluding with a leisurely soak in a warm bath infused with herbal ingredients. balinese dream is priced at just us$ 90 per person for two hours of pure pampering.

green ale
this refreshing drink is a great thirst quencher to beat the heat on a tropical day. treat your family and friends back home with this summer inspired beverage just by following these simple instructions.

ingredients:

1.5 oz balimoon vodka
0.5 oz balimoon melon liqueur
4 pcs Ice Cubes
Ginger Ale

method:
pour the vodka and melon liqueur into a juice glass together with the ice cubs. top with ginger ale and garnish with fresh slices of lime.

yellow rice/nasi kuning
nasi kuning refers to the yellow rice dish that is served at ceremonial events such as parties or other kinds of festive occasions. it is also a popular breakfast specialty in bali accompanied by a portion of fried chicken, shredded omelette and spicy condiments. the rice is cooked with fresh turmeric to produce a vibrant yellow colour that is a symbol of good fortune. follow this easy recipe to make nasi kuning at home. most ingredients are readily available from your local asian grocery store.

ingredients:

1 kg rice	3 pcs bay leaves
500 ml coconut cream	2 cm white turmeric (peeled and cut)
1 lt plain water	5 cm yellow turmeric (peeled and cut)
5 cm galangal (peeled and cut)	4 pcs shallot
5 cm ginger (peeled and cut)	4 pcs garlic clove
1 pc lemongrass stalk (bruised)	½ tsp white peppercorns
3 pcs lime leaves	2 lt water for the steamer

method:

soak rice for about 15 minutes, then wash, rinse and change the water. do this repeatedly until the water produced become clean
cut all spices into small pieces ready for blending. use a mortar and pestle or a handheld blender to create a fine textured mixture.
on a stovetop, heat water in a rice steamer. add the clean rice and steam for about 20 minutes until all the rice becomes hard and sticky
on the other stovetop, heat water, coconut cream and the blended spices in a stock pot. add in the lime leaves, bay leaves, salt, pepper and lemongrass stalk. stir using a wooden spatula over a medium heat.
take out the semi cooked rice from the steamer, put it in a stainless steel bowl and pour the yellow spice mixture over the top. allow it to soak for approximately 30 minutes.
once the water is absorbed, stir the rice evenly. return the rice to the preheated steamer and steam for another 40 minutes.
arrange the cooked rice in a clean rice basket.

saraswati day
the next auspicious day on the balinese cultural calendar is saraswati on 25th september 2010. it is a hindu celebration that pays homage to education and all forms of higher learning. students around the island gather at schools and universities for ceremonies of communal prayer. books and other tools of learning are blessed with flower offerings and a sprinkle of holy water. it is a time to express gratitude for past academic achievements and seek guidance for future scholarly pursuits.

social visit
as part of the gangsa’s ongoing corporate social responsibility programme, a team of staff members visited the tat twam asi orphanage on 28th may 2010. this is an initiative carried out on an annual basis with the vision to spend time with the children and teach them some basic life skills. activities included demonstrations on how to clean the bathroom and wash windows. the children were also taught how to iron and care for their own clothes in order to look presentable at all times. these simple tasks have been designed to boost self confidence and help the children become independent in preparation for when they eventually leave the orphanage.

cooking for life
to complement the gangsa’s social visit to the tat twam asi orphanage, the f&b department conducted the next instalment of its ‘cooking for life’ programme. this is an interactive demonstration that introduces youngsters to cooking and prepares them for life beyond the orphanage. under the guidance of our experienced team, children were given the chance to learn how to create simple and nutritional dishes. this activity was extremely well-received and the children are now eager to help in the kitchen and start using some of the utensils that were donated by the gangsa.

staff profile

gusti ayu sukawati – sales executive
the ongoing success of the gangsa is largely due to the dedication of our service staff. in this edition we would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of sales executive, gusti ayu sukawati.

ayu sukawati is a hospitality graduate from denpasar’s udayana university. in 2006 she began her career as a daily worker at rama beach resort & spa and from there she was soon promoted to become a permanent member of the reservations team. ayu sukawati joined kayumanis nusa dua in 2008 where she was challenged to move out of her comfort zone by working in a villa property as opposed to a hotel. after two years ayu sukawati was promoted and moved to become part of the small team at the gangsa.

as a highly motivated individual, ayu sukawati is passionate about self development and learning from the experts. she is an open communicator and enjoys the ‘family-style’ working conditions at the gangsa. “we are like a compact team of brothers and sisters. i think that this closeness is the key to our success and it is automatically felt by our guests when they stay here,” says ayu sukawati. the balinese calendar is an endless cycle of ceremonial rites and rituals featuring elaborate offerings that are performed to appease God Almighty and his many manifestations. listed below is an explanation of some of the auspicious occasions that will be celebrated by bali’s Hindu community over the coming weeks.

guest testimonies
we regularly receive valuable feedback from our guests that is used to evaluate staff performance and the quality of personalized service that is offered at the gangsa. we'd like to share some of the most recent comments that have been made:

"we were pleasantly surprised at how kind the people in bali were, especially the staff at the gangsa. every time we went out we felt like we were coming home upon our return to the gangsa. thank you so much"
> bapak bernd & ibu martina schrueder from germany stayed in villa jegogan on 27th may ~ 5th june 2010

"very good service, friendly and helpful staff. breakfast was perfect and dinner superb. the villa was clean & neat"
> bapak rob van der ent from holand stayed in villa cengceng on 28th april ~ 2nd may 2010

"it was wonderful to stay at the gangsa and it was a very pleasant experience. the food and service were good. all of the butlers and drivers were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable"
> esther wee & lester fong from singapore stayed in villa kendang on 21th ~ 25th may 2010

"i cannot praise this sanctuary high enough. wonderful staff and generous service. beautiful, serene space with luxury private villas"
> bapak bart sayle from britain stayed in villa kempur from 23rd ~ 25th may 2010

jalan tirta akasa no. 28, sanur 80227 bali, indonesia
p. +62 361 270 260 f. +62 361 270 262 e. info@thegangsa.com
www.thegangsa.com