Indonesia's Bali shuts down for Day of Silence

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AFP) — The normally vibrant Indonesian tourist destination of Bali came to a standstill Friday as the island's Hindu majority celebrated the start of the Hindu new year.

The Day of Silence, known here as Nyepi, saw Balinese confined to their homes, unable to work, play and -- for some -- even talk or eat.

The island's international Ngurah Rai airport was closed while shops were shuttered and streets deserted apart from the presence of traditional guards tasked with enforcing the silence.

Tourists who had on Thursday been hitting beaches and shopping streets were also made to spend the day inside their hotels out of deference to the holiday.

The strictly enforced silence -- which started at dawn and will continue until dawn on...