From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bala has several meanings:

Places

• Balâ, Ankara, a town and district of Ankara Province in Turkey
• Bala (biblical), another name for Segor or Zoara, one of the Old Testament "Cities of the Plain"
• Bala, Gwynedd, Wales, United Kingdom
  • Bala Lake, the largest natural lake in Wales
  • Bala Series of geologic beds in Bala, Wales
• Bala, Mehedinţi, a commune in Mehedinţi County, Romania
• Bala, Nepal, a Village Development Committee in Sankhuwasabha District in northeastern Nepal
• Băla, a commune in Mureş County, Romania
• Bala, Ontario, Canada
• Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a conglomerate of the suburbs Bala and Cynwyd of Philadelphia
• Bal'a, Palestine, a town near Tulkarm in the West Bank
• Bala (South Africa), a place in the Mbizana Local Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Religion

• The Five Strengths, aka bala, the spiritual powers possessed by a Buddha or bodhisattva

People

• Bala (actor), a South Indian film actor
• Bala (director), a South Indian film director
• Bala Jones, Wales international rugby player
• Krystian Bala, convicted Polish murderer and author

Other

• Bala shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus), a semi-aggressive minnow from Southeast Asia, somewhat common as an aquarium fish
• A common name for the flowering plant Country Mallow (Sida cordifolia), especially when used in Ayurvedic medicine
• Bala (film), a 1976 documentary by Satyajit Ray about the Bharatanatyam dancer Balasaraswati
• BALA, the Business And Liberal Arts program at Queens College, City University of New York
• Bala (comics), a comic book character from the Devi comic book by Virgin Comics
• Bala (2002 film), an Indian Tamil film starring Shaam and Meera Jasmine
• Bala (SEPTA station), a regional railway station in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
• Bala (New) railway station, a disused railway station in Bala, Gwynedd, Wales

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

From Wikitravel

Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) and the Aran Mountains

Bala [1] is a small picturesque town located near the shores of Lake Bala (Welsh: Llyn Tegid) in Gwynedd, North Wales. It lies at the south-eastern edge of the Snowdonia National Park.

Get in

By Road

Bala lies on the main A494 Mold - Dolgellau road, just a few miles south of its junction with the A5 London - Holyhead trunk road.

By Bus

Bala is served by Traws Cambria[2] service X94, Wrexham - Barmouth. Connections with services from South Wales and North-West Wales can be made at Dolgellau.

By Train

Bala is not connected to the national rail network. The nearest connections are at Wrexham or Blaenau Ffestiniog. The Bala Lake Railway[3] makes the 9 mile journey to the village of Llanuwchllyn at the southern end of Bala Lake. This follows part of the route of the old Ruabon - Barmouth line, which was closed in the 1960s.

Talk

According to the 2001 census, Bala ranked 11th most Welsh-speaking town in the country, with 80.1% of the town's population able to speak the language fluently. As with anywhere in Wales, visitors will encounter no problems conversing in English, though a "Bore da" (Good morning) or "Diolch" (thank-you) will always be appreciated.

• Bala Tourist Office, Penllyn, Pensarn Road. Tel:+44 1678 521-021. Fax+44 1678 521-021.
• The National Eisteddfod of Wales[4] has been held in Bala on two previous occasions, and will visit the town again in 2009. An Eisteddfod is a traditional festival of literature, music and performance, conducted in the Welsh language.

National Whitewater Centre

Canolfan Tryweryn - The National Whitewater Centre[5], Frongoch, Bala. Tel: 01678 521083. White-water rafting and canoeing on the River Tryweryn. The flow of water in the river is governed by a dam controlling the flow of water from Llyn Celyn reservoir, meaning that conditions in the water are predictable - though this does not make the experience any less exhilarating once you are actually on the river!

For a more sedate water-borne experience, it is possible to hire rowing boats, canoes and sailing dinghys on Bala Lake.

Aran Fawddwy, at the southern end of Bala Lake, is the highest mountain in the old county of Meirionydd (Merionethshire, the southern part of the modern county of Gwynedd). Bala is the main centre for walking in both the Aran and Arenig mountain ranges, which are considerably less frequented by walkers than Cadair Idris to the south or the ranges around Snowdon in the north of Snowdonia, and can therefore offer a peaceful days walk.

Angling/Fishing It is possible to fish Bala Lake from a boat or from the shore. River Angling is also available in the area.

The Bala Lake Railway[6] makes the 9 mile journey to the village of Llanuwchllyn at the southern end of Bala Lake. This follows part of the route of the old Ruabon - Barmouth line, which was closed in the 1960s.

Look out for Tegi, Bala's answer to the Loch Ness Monster, which is said to inhabit the deep waters of Bala Lake. Visitors can make up their own minds as to the likelihood of her existence. The lake does actually house a genuinely (scientifically verified) unique creature - the Gwyniad (Coregonus pennantii), a freshwater fish of the salmon family. The Gwyniad is native only to Bala Lake and until recently existed nowhere else in the World. A project to introduce it to another nearby lake has recently been undertaken, to mitigate the risk of it's extinction should some tragedy (pollution or similar) befall Bala Lake.

• Summer Strawberries (Mefus Yr Haf), 104 High Street Bala LL23 7AD (Opposite Texaco garage at end of high street), ☎ 01678521937, [7].  edit

• Bala Backpackers' Hostel, 32 Tegid Street, Tel:+44 1678 521-700. [8]
• Ty Newydd Bala B&B (Ty Newydd Bed and Breakfast Bala), 12a Cae Gadlas, Bala, LL23 7AT, ☎ +44 (0)1678 520964, [9]. checkin: 16:00; checkout: 10:00. Offering two double rooms, one with en-suite and one with its own private bathroom. Decorated to a high standard all rooms have a colour TV, wireless internet access with tea and coffee available on request. Off street parking is also available. Ty Newydd has a no smoking policy throughout. £68-70. (52.911184,-3.604194) edit

From LoveToKnow 1911

From BibleWiki

Meaning: faltering; bashful

Rachel's handmaid, whom she gave to Jacob (Gen 29:29). She was the mother of Dan and Naphtali (Gen 30:3ff). Reuben was cursed by his father for committing adultery with her (Gen 35:22; Gen 49:4). He was deprived of the birth-right, which was given to the sons of Joseph.

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