BALI - the island of God, INDONESIA

About Bali

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Bali for few years awarded as the world best island by The International Travel Magazine. There, however, are still many people who do not know in depth about the uniqueness of Balinese culture. Life in Bali is always related to "Tri Hita Karana" or a tripartite concept that include the spiritual relationship between human and God, and their environment.

The rapid growth of development in tourism has had a big impact and influences to Bali tradition and lifestyle. Interestingly, Balinese culture is still as what it was, growing along with the of globalization. It is the Balinese civilization what makes the island different from other destination.

GEOGRAPHY
Among 17,500 islands across the Indonesian archipelago, Bali is one of the 33 provinces of the Republic of Indonesia, the largest archipelagic country in the world, made up of 2,000,000 km2 of land with a chain of islands stretching over 500,000 km from Sumatra to Papua, and covers territorial waters of more than 5,000,000 km2.

Situated between Java and Lombok, the island of Bali is located 8 to 9 degrees south of the equator with the Java Sea to the north, the Indian Ocean to the south. Bali’s covers an area of 5,636 km2 or 0.29% of Indonesia, measuring just 90km long the north-south axis and less than about 140km from west to east.Divided into three areas of water, the North Bali Sea is about 3,168km2, the East about 3.350km2, and the West about 2,982km2. Bali Sea covers an area of 9,500km2. The North Bali sea runs along the coastline of Buleleng, the East Bali Sea runs along the coastline of Karangasem, Klungkung and Gianyar, and the West Bali Sea include the coastline of Badung Tabanan and Jembrana.

PEOPLE AND LIFE STYLE

Bali’s population of over 3,000,000 souls spread over the whole island, including those in the smaller islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan, Serangan and Menjangan Island. The overwhelming majority of Balinese are Hindus, with the increasing number on non-Hindu migrating from the closest neighboring islands of Java and Lombok.

The coastal areas in the south are the most populous area with over 370,000 people living in various professions in the capital of Denpasar. Farming has been the primary way of living in Balinese life. Where else fishing, trading and craftsmanship are also in fashion from generation to generation.

Yet with the fast growing of tourism since past few decades, young people start to build up a new touch in their living culture.Life in Bali is very communal under the organization of villages. Temple ceremonies, marriage, cremation, farming and even the creative art festivals are decided by the local community institution called “Banjar”.

The responsibilities in the day-to-day life are normally administered by both the Banjar and the government. The local government mostly responsible for schools, health clinics, hospitals and roads, and Banjar is responsible for all other aspects of life. There is another association exists in the banjar named “Subak” that concerns to the production of rice and organizes the complex irrigation system. Every family who owns a rice field must be a member of their local Subak, which then ensures that every member gets his fair distribution of water. A banjar consists of an average of 50 to 150 family members, owning a meeting venue called the Bale Banjar, which is used for regular gatherings and a center for local gamelan orchestras and drama groups.


FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora
Just like common tropical islands, in Bali you will find a wide variety of plants by surprise.
Huge banyan trees are everywhere in the villages by the Bale banjar or pavilion, or temples ground. Tamarind is also a typical Balinese tree mostly found in the north coast, as well as clove at the highlands.

Meanwhile acacia, flame tree and mangrove can be found along the south coastlines. Craft and house use basketries, a dozen species of coconut palms and varieties of bamboos are also everywhere across the island.Flowers families are just as surprisingly as the variety of big plants.

The most common are hibiscus, bougainvillea, jasmine, and water lilies. Magnolia, frangipani, and a variety of orchids are found in many front yards and gardens, along roads, and in temple grounds. In the day to day life flowers are routinely used as decorations in temples, on statues, as offerings for the gods, and during prayers. Dancers wear blossoms in their crowns, and flowers are worn behind the ear during ceremony sessions.

Fauna
Like some other parts of Indonesia, Bali was home for big mammals such as elephant and tiger, although they no longer exist since early of last century.

However, Bali still is rich of wildlife with the existence of various species of monkeys, civets, barking deer and mouse deer. There are 300 species of birds occupy the island including wild fowl, dollar birds, blue kingfishers, sea eagles, sandpipers, white herons and egrets, cuckoos, wood swallows, sparrows, and the endangered Bali starlings.

The underwater world or marine life of Bali has been noted as one of the best in the world with various species such as dolphin, shark and sun fish, and some smaller inhabitants like colorful coral fish, small reef fish, and moray eels, as well as crustaceans and sponges.

The existence of these flora and fauna become necessary for the day to day life of Balinese, where ceremonies and rituals always flourish.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Because of the size of the island, it is not difficult to get around Bali by various modes of transportation. The traditional types of transportation to the high class limousine are available for tourist to choose. Not to forget the sea transportation that connect Bali to some of its sister islands. However, train does not exist in Bali.

Bemo :
this is the most used transportation in Bali especially in the city of Denpasar.
It is a miniature van with a routine route set by local government periodically. This type of transportation is good for short distance around town and cities, because of its size and passenger can get in and out at any point. Most importantly, it is cheaper compared to some other type of transportations, even though fairly slow. Price ranges usually around Rp 3,200 to Rp 4,000 (Eqv $0.30 - 0.35) per one stop over.

Buses :
there are buses for transportation between towns that relatively bigger compared to bemo. These buses connect all towns and most places of the island through local bus stations. Likewise bemo, buses also can be stopped at any point of the routes. They mostly operate day time inter island, but some are available at night for long distances within cities. Fares are between Rp.1.500 to Rp. 10.000 (Eqv $0.15 - $1) per one stop point.

Taxi :
Taxi is the most efficient and convenience transportation in the island. Either chartered or metered one, they are everywhere and quite inexpensive compared to some other countries. In Bali there are some different companies providing taxi services.

Rental Cars, Motorbikes and Bicycles :
If you plan to explore Bali in half day or full day trip, the best way is hiring a car with the driver. The average rate is from Rp 120,000 to Rp 300,000 (Eqv $12 - $30) a day depending on the type of the vehicle.

There are many independent car rentals around the island. If you wish to have better services, you can go to a Travel Agent. You even can hire a tour guide of your own language.

The other possibility is to rent a self drive car. An international driving license from your own country is required. This rule also applicable for motorbike rental, but in some cases you can get a temporary permit at local police office. Price ranges are around Rp. 35,000 to Rp. 50,000 (Eqv $3 - $5) per day for motorbike and Rp. 15,000 (Eqv $1.5) for bicycle. Likewise, a safety helmet is a compulsory when you ride a motorbike. Meanwhile, bicycles are normally available for rent at hotels. Some bigger resorts even provides bicycle tour for free including a professional tour guide.

Dokar :
in many areas of Indonesia, a traditional horse and cart transportation still can be found in many different versions. In Bali, this kind of transportation is known as “dokar”. Nowadays, the use of dokar is simply limited due to efficiency. In some areas dokars are even prohibited by the government because it becomes a dwindling sight around the street. A dokar ride can be a fairly bumpy and unique experience. That is why some hotels and event organizers sometime offer a dokar ride for their guests, wedding couples or special groups.

Sea transportation :
to travel to some sister islands of Bali famous for their marine activities, local cruises is the most convenient. They normally offer a tour package including meal, activities and even a resort to stay over night. Some traditional boats are also in service for shorter distances such as to Serangan or Menjangan island

HOW TO GET TO BALI

With the increasing number of direct flight to Bali from some other parts of the world, it makes it easier to go to Bali.

From Bali, flight to Jakarta is about 1.5 hours,
to Singapore and Perth (Australia) 2.5 and 3 hours,
to Hong Kong about 4.5 hours, and to Sydney/Melbourne about 5.5 to 6 hours,
with various airlines offering their services.

Please check at "airline info" for more information about flight schedules. Just make sure you look for "Denpasar (DPS)" instead of "Bali" in airline time tables. It is the capital of Bali. Or you can check your "Travel Agents" for more travel arrangements and accommodation.

Shanghai, China

After forty years of stagnation, the great metropolis of SHANGHAI is currently undergoing one of the fastest economic expansions that the world has ever seen.

While shops overflow and the skyline fills with skyscrapers, Shanghai now seems certain to recapture its position as East Asia's leading business city, a status it last held before World War II.

And yet, for all the modernization Shanghai has retained deep links with its colonial past.
Shanghai is still known in the West for its infamous role as the base of European imperialism in mainland China – its decadence, illicit pleasures, racism, appalling social inequalities, and Mafia syndicates.

The intervening fifty years have almost been forgotten, as though the period from when the Communists arrived and the foreigners moved out was an era in which nothing happened. To some extent this perception is actually true: for most of the Communist period into the early 1990s, the central government in Beijing deliberately ran Shanghai down, siphoning off its surplus to other parts of the country to the point where the city came to resemble a living museum, frozen in time since the 1940s, and housing the largest array of Art Deco architecture in the world.

Yet the Shanghainese never lost their ability to make waves for themselves and, in recent years, China's central government has come to be dominated by individuals from the Shanghai area, who look with favour on the rebuilding of their old metropolis.

In the mid 1980s, the decision was made to push Shanghai once again to the forefront of China's drive for modernization, and an explosion of economic activity has been unleashed. In the last two decades, city planners have been busy creating a subway network, colossal highways, flyovers and bridges, shopping malls, hotel complexes and the beginnings of a "New Bund" – the Special Economic Zone across the river in Pudong, soon to be crowned with the world's tallest building. Significantly, China's main money-printing mint is near here, hence the high proportion of shiny new coins and bills in circulation in the city.

The Shanghainese are by far the most highly skilled labour force in the country, renowned for their ability to combine style and sophistication with a sharp sense for business, and international in outlook. Thanks to them their city is riding high.

Not that the old Shanghai is set to disappear overnight. Although the pace of redevelopment has quickened, parts of the city still resemble a 1920s vision of the future; a grimy metropolis of monolithic pseudo-classical facades, threaded with overhead cables and walkways, and choked by vast crowds and rattling trolley buses.

Unlike other major Chinese cities, Shanghai has only recently been subjected to large-scale rebuilding. Most of the urban area was partitioned between foreign powers until 1949, and their former embassies, banks and official residences still give large areas of Shanghai an early-twentieth-century European flavour that the odd Soviet-inspired government building cannot overshadow. It is still possible to make out the boundaries of what used to be the foreign concessions, with the bewildering tangle of alleyways of the old Chinese city at its heart. Only along the Huangpu waterfront, amid the stolid grandeur of the Bund, is there some sense of space – and here you feel the past more strongly than ever, its outward forms, shabby and battered, still very much a working part of the city. Today, strolling the Bund is a required attraction for any visitor to Shanghai, and it's ironic that relics of hated foreign imperialism such as the Bund are now protected as city monuments.

Like Hong Kong, its model of economic development, Shanghai does not brim with obvious attractions to see. Besides the Shanghai Museum, the Suzhou-reminiscent Yu Yuan Gardens, and the Huangpu River Cruise, there are few sights with broad appeal – many travellers leave the city with a sense of letdown. But the beauty of visiting Shanghai lies not so much in scurrying from attraction to attraction, but in less obvious pleasures: strolling the Bund, exploring the pockets of colonial architecture in the old French Concession, sampling the exploding restaurant and nightlife scene, or wandering the shopping streets and absorbing the rebirth of one of the world's great cities.

Inevitably, many of the social ills that the Communists were supposed to have eliminated after 1949 are making a comeback. Unemployment, drug abuse and prostitution are rife. But the dynamic contrast that Shanghai presents with the rest of China is one that even the most China-weary of travellers can hardly fail to enjoy.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong works as a useful gateway into Southeast Asia and into China.

It is also an interesting place in its own right – an extraordinary, complex territory of seven million people that's a repository of traditional Chinese culture, a recently relinquished British outpost, and one of the key economies of the Pacific Rim.

The view of sky-scrapered Hong Kong Island, across the harbour from Kowloon, is one of the most stunning urban panoramas on earth, but Hong Kong also holds some surprises for the traveller – alongside the myriad shopping possibilities (not all of them such a bargain as they used to be), are a surprising number of inviting beaches, rewarding hiking trails and some surviving bastions of Chinese village life, most of them in the New Territories. An excellent infrastructure, an efficient underground system and all the other facilities of an international city make this an extremely soft entry into the Chinese world.

Some visitors dislike the speed, the obsessive materialism and the addiction to shopping, money and brand names in Hong Kong. Downtown is certainly not a place to recover from a headache, but it's hard not to enjoy the sheer energy of its street and commercial life. Hong Kong's per capita GNP has doubled in a decade, overtaking that of the former imperial power, and the territory is currently the largest trading partner and largest source of foreign investment for the People's Republic of China, a country of 1.3 billion people. Yet the inequality of incomes is staggering: the conspicuous consumption of the few hundred super-rich (all Cantonese), for which Hong Kong is famous, tends to mask the fact that most people work long hours and live in crowded, tiny apartments.

Since the handover to China in 1997 the people of Hong Kong have found themselves in a unique position: subject to the ultimate rule of Beijing, they live in a semi-democratic capitalist enclave – a "Special Administrative Region of China" – under the control of an unaccountable communist state. This is not to say that the people of Hong Kong were not glad to see the end of colonialism – an overwhelming majority supported the transfer of power, and a huge majority speak only the Cantonese dialect, eat only Cantonese food, pray in Chinese temples and enjoy close cultural and blood relations with the Cantonese population that lives just over the border, in the southern provinces of mainland China.

Indeed, it is hard to overstate the symbolic importance that the handover had for the entire Chinese population, marking the end of the era of foreign domination. However, worrying questions remain, notably whether the One Country/Two Systems policy created by Deng Xiaoping will work in the longer term, especially if China's own economic progress begins to falter.

Hong Kong's climate is subtropical. The pleasantest time to visit is between October and April. The weather is cooler, humidity and pollution levels drop, and the flowers are in bloom. In January and February it can get quite rainy and cold – you'll need a light jacket and sweater. The temperature and humidity start to pick up in mid-April, and between late June and early September readings of 30ÞC and 95 percent humidity or more are the norm. Walking and other physical activities become unpleasant and sleeping without air-con difficult. May to September is also the peak typhoon season, when ferry and airline timetables are often disrupted by bad weather.

Kuala Lumpur

Founded in the mid-nineteenth century, KUALA LUMPUR, or KL as it's popularly known, is the youngest Southeast Asian capital and the most economically successful after Singapore – and it's still growing.

Building sites abound and the city is awash with stunning examples of modern architecture, not least the famous Petronas Towers and the recently opened Museum of Islamic Arts.

It's not one of Malaysia's most charming cities, perhaps: it doesn't have, for example, the narrow alleys, bicycles and mahjong games of Melaka or Kota Bharu or the atmospheric waterfront of Kuching. But it's safe and sociable, and with a population of nearly two million, it's usually exciting in the day and always buzzing with energy at night. From a cultural standpoint, it certainly has enough interesting monuments, galleries, markets and museums to keep visitors busy for at least a week.

KL began life as a swampy staging post for Chinese tin miners in 1857 – Kuala Lumpur means "muddy estuary" in Malay – and blossomed under the competitive rule of pioneering merchants.

But as fights over tin concessions erupted across the country, the British used gunboat diplomacy to settle the Selangor Civil War and the British Resident, Frank Swettenham, took command of KL, making it the capital of the state and, in 1896, the capital of the Federated Malay States. Swettenham imported British architects from India to design suitably grand buildings, and thousands of Tamil labourers poured in to build them; development continued steadily through the first quarter of the twentieth century.

The Japanese invaded in December 1941, but although they bombed the city, they missed their main targets. Following the Japanese surrender in September 1945, the British were once more in charge in the capital, but Nationalist demands had replaced the Malays' former acceptance of the colonizers, and Malaysian independence – Merdeka – finally came in 1957

Singapore

A city as small as Singapore can be toured in just three days, many would say, but to see all the highlights and get beneath the skin of this charming place definitely warrants a longer stay.

A tour planned around the major districts allows one to appreciate its history, people and rich cultural diversity in an optimal period of time.

Here is the best of Singapore not to be missed:
Colonial Core Singapore's architectural goldmine. Let yourself be whisked back in time to 1819, when Sir Stamford Raffles first stepped ashore and the Union Jack was raised. Still exuding a strong air of colonialism, are well restored government buildings, cathedrals and churches, notably Singapore Cricket Club , once a sports center for the British colonists.

Esplanade Park makes for a pleasant stroll, while learning about the martyrs and heroes, for whom the various memorials in the park have been built. The city's finest museums also lie nestled in and around the district including the Singapore Art Museum , Asian Civilisations Museum , Singapore Philatelic Museum and Singapore History Museum . Just at the eastern outskirts of the colonial core stands the renowned Raffles Hotel . A modest museum on the third floor retells its legend.

Singapore River This is the very origin of Singapore's prosperity, with the Merlion (the city's tourism icon) steadfastly standing guard at the mouth of the river. Quaint bridges span the river, ranging from the elegant Anderson Bridge to the simple Ord Bridge. Boat Quay , an excellent reincarnation of Peranakan shophouses and godowns, is a pleasant place to dine alfresco, with its long slew of chic cafes, restaurants and pubs.

Further upstream is Clarke Quay , yet another series of restored shophouses, where a carnival atmosphere prevails at the fall of dusk. Come Sunday, a flea market thrives here, displaying an appealing range of old treasures, curios and collectibles.

Other dining and entertainment attractions along the river include the Riverside Point, Riverside Village and Robertson Quay at the uppermost end. Financial District Home to the towering skyscrapers that lend Singapore its distinctive skyline. Over the years, building after building has battled to be the tallest; today, three have tied for the honors—OUB Building, UOB Building and Republic Plaza, all standing at the maximum permissible height of 280 meters.

At one end near the mouth of the Singapore River is The Fullerton Singapore , a hotel built in the classical architecture that once dominated the district.

Further south is Clifford Pier , built in 1931 and is today the embarkation point for cruises to neighboring islands. Another piece of old Singapore is the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market , a complete reconstruction of the first municipal market of 1894 that has been transformed into a thriving food centre—the perfect venue for relishing Asian cuisines at rock-bottom prices.

Orchard Road Shop till you drop! Join the jostling crowds and do what young and trendy Singaporeans do best—shop, catwalk and flaunt their latest buys. Swanky malls and charming boutiques dot Singapore's prime shopping belt from end to end, while chic alfresco eateries make great spots for watching the fashion parade go by. Top stops include local department stores Robinsons and Tangs (which is a landmark in itself with the distinctive pagoda-roofed tower of the Singapore Marriott just above it), and mammoth shopping arcade Ngee Ann City for its posh boutiques and the anchor tenant, Takashimaya. Christmastime along Orchard Road is always a colorful spectacle of bright lights and exuberant decorations.

Chinatown—Once a victim of redevelopment, this ethnic enclave still holds pockets of old, dilapidated buildings where Singaporeans continue to practice age-old trades. Others have been restored to their former state, like the series of shophouses at the Tanjong Pagar Conservation Area . For an authentic taste of Chinese culture, try visiting a teahouse, then take a peek into a typical middle-class Chinese home in the 1920s at the Chinaman Scholar's Gallery. Crowded streets throb with people, especially just before Chinese New Year, when Chinese opera and lion dances add to the festivity.

Do not forget to visit the eclectic mix of mosques and temples while you are here—the serene Nagore Durgha Shrine , the elaborate Sri Mariamman Temple and the grand Thian Hock Keng Temple are just a few.

Arab Street—With its top draw being the Sultan Mosque , this is the repository of culture for Singapore's muslim community. Muslim restaurants and coffee shops line the streets, serving up mostly traditional Indian and Malay fare. During the holy month of Ramadan , even more food stalls are set up in preparation for breaking fast at dusk. Shopping here is a delight and a welcomed change from the glitzy malls of Orchard Road , with stores selling Malay, Indonesian and Middle Eastern merchandise—lots of textiles, carpets, antiques, jewelry, artifacts, basket wares and alcohol-free perfumes.

Do not forget to drop by Istana Kampung Glam and take a stroll around Singapore's oldest Malay cemetery. Little India A riot of color, particularly on Sundays and during major Hindu festivals, like Thaipusam and Deepavali . Awash with scents and sights of the Indian subcontinent, this is where Indian men and sari-clad women abound, and everything needed by Indian households is found. Traces of Hinduism are seen everywhere, from the embellished Veeramukaliamman Temple to pictures of Hindu deities. Mustafa Centre sells just about anything you need under one roof and is a haven for bargain hunters.

Bangkok, Thailand

The headlong pace and flawed modernity of BANGKOK (called "Krung Thep" in Thai) match few people's visions of the capital of exotic Siam.

Spiked with scores of highrise buildings of concrete and glass, it's a vast flatness which holds a population of at least nine million, and feels even bigger. But under the shadow of the skyscrapers you'll find a heady mix of frenetic markets and hushed golden temples, of glossy cutting-edge clubs and early-morning almsgiving ceremonies.

Most budget travellers head for the Banglamphu district, which is just a short walk from the dazzling Grand Palace and Wat Po and the very worthwhile National Museum. For livelier scenes, explore the dark alleys of Chinatown's bazaars or head for the water: the great Chao Phraya River is the backbone of a network of canals and a useful way of crossing the city.

Bangkok is a relatively young capital, established in 1782 after the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya, the former capital. A temporary base was set up on the western bank of the Chao Phraya, in what is now Thonburi, before work started on the more defensible east bank.

The first king of the new dynasty, Rama I, built his palace at Ratanakosin and this remains the city's spiritual heart. Initially, the city was largely amphibious: only the temples and royal palaces were built on dry land, while ordinary residences floated on thick bamboo rafts on the river and canals, and even shops and warehouses were moored to the river bank. In the late nineteenth century, Rama IV and Rama V modernized their capital along European lines, building roads and constructing a new royal residence in Dusit, north of Ratanakosin.

Since World War II, and especially from the mid-1960s onwards, Bangkok has seen an explosion of modernization, leaving the city without an obvious centre. Most of the canals have been filled in, to be replaced by endless rows of concrete shop-houses, sprawling over a built-up area of 330 square kilometres.

The benefits of the economic boom of the 1980s and early 1990s were concentrated in Bangkok, as were the calamitous effects of the late-1990s economic crisis, both of which attracted mass migration from all over Thailand and made the capital ever more dominant: the population is now forty times that of the second city, Chiang Mai, and Bangkokians own four-fifths of the nation's cars.

The Spice of Night Life in New Delhi, India

FIVE years ago, a typical night out in New Delhi was a family trip to the latest Bollywood blockbuster. Then came the so-called children of the liberation. The young heirs to India's new market economy grew up on Indian MTV, made more money than their parents and now wanted to party.

Flushed with disposable income, they carved out a kinetic new night life in south Delhi, an upscale collection of neighborhoods stretching from Humayun's tomb in the north to Qutab Minar in the south. "Delhi is no longer a snake charmer city," said Sandeep Gandotra, a nightclub promoter who is planning to publish Delhi's first party listings magazine.

There are now roughly 150 bars and nightclubs in the area, most of them appearing in the last several years. And more seem to arrive every week. Cover charges usually don't exceed 500 rupees (about $10.50 at 47 rupees to the dollar), and women usually get in free.

One of the most popular, at least for the moment, is Turquoise Cottage (81/3 Adchini, 91-11-26853896; http://www.turquoisecottage.com/), a brick-walled basement bar that caters to a casual, rock-oriented crowd. On a recent weeknight, a packed house of mostly young men, with shirts tucked neatly into jeans, gathered amid marijuana smoke and beers. They bounced their heads as local bands mashed Sufi devotionals with Eminem, and the Beatles with Rage Against the Machine.

A hot new spot is Urban Pind (4 North Block Market, Greater Kailash I; 91-11-32514646), in a modern two-floor building with a dance floor, glass atrium and wall murals depicting the erotic sculptures of the famous temple in Khajuraho. Big-name D.J.'s often fill the club on weekends, while a pretty good local jazz band sometimes plays during the week. The upstairs restaurant offers outstanding Kashmiri dishes like rista, a mutton dish, and Pakistani fare like murg tikka lahori. Entrees run about 300 rupees. (On Thursdays patrons get unlimited drinks for 700 rupees.) While city codes require most bars to stop serving by midnight, Urban Pind simply shuts its doors and continues pouring into the wee hours.

For a bar more conducive to sitting and chatting, head to Ego Lounge, part of a Thai restaurant of the same name (53 Community Center, New Friends Colony; 91-11-26331181). In a city where calm is precious, Ego offers a low-lighted room decked with big, comfortable couches, lush plants and a D.J. who plays an eclectic mix of Hindi and Western pop. Cocktails are 200 rupees and up.

The south Delhi scene has even spread east and south into the neighboring suburbs of Noida and Gurgaon. The most popular club is Elevate (Centerstage Mall, Sector 18; 91-120-2513904; www.elevateindia.com), in Noida, a four-story, techno-playing joint that forbids traditional Indian attire like saris and is known for its pickup scene. The taps flow until 4 a.m. Typical of the Elevate patrons is Raghav Bhalla, 25, a self-declared playboy, with shoulder-length hair. Young Indians are shedding their conventionality now that "the bourgeois has taken over," he said, as drove around the city in his late-model car, blasting the Doors' song "The End." "People are going absolutely mad."