Indonesia & Bali Tourism New

This morning on Kuta Beach, the sun was shining and the tourists who were around, there enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Down at the bottom end of Kuta Beach, between the pasar seni (art market) and Jl. Pantai Kuta, is a shady walkway, that is popular with older tourists. I spotted an Aussie flag strung up on a tree, at one drink stand. The chairs were empty, apart from the staff, patiently waiting for thirsty customers. Just a few hundred meters north, around the bend on Kuta Beach, dozens of surfers were making the most of the small waves that trickled in. Massage ladies sat well wrapped up in sarongs, long sleeves and hats, under tall palm trees. “You want massage, you want massage, just 50,000rp for 1 hour I give to you.”

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Package tourism can get boring, even in Bali. Jl. Kartika Plaza in Tuban, is wall to wall package tourism, including resorts hotels, family restaurants and Waterbom Park. If you are staying on Kartika Plaza and need to flush your system out with some adrenaline, there is no place better than Bali Sling Shot. This vicious looking contraption, allows to willing subjects, to be locked inside a metal ball, and catapulted into the air, bouncing and spinning wildly for a minute or 2. Today I passed by and asked the guy in charge if I could do it, with only one of the chords attached. The random nature of the swing would add even more excitement.

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Sanur is a quiet resort area on the SE coast of Bali. It is also home to many expats, with the International School located there. Today, while checking out some of the shops, along Jl. Danau Tamblingan, the long main street, Sanur felt quiet. It seemed to me many places had ’sale signs’ and the sidewalks were not so crowded. At Jl. Mertasari, I turned of and headed towards the beach for a look.

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Warung Bento is a Sanur eatery, that combines the best of Japanese and Javanese food. From the outside, you’ll notice a Japanese style place, with bamboo decoration and Japanese sign. Inside is seating room for around 20 people, with a simple decor.

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 Wage Silver is a silver jewelry shop located on Jl. Danau Tamblingan, in Sanur. Items on offer include silver and shell bracelets for 272,500rp, earrings for 78,000rp, small necklaces with a stone for 93,500rp, silver rings for 85,000rp-110,000rp, ankle bracelets for 90,000rp. Wholesale prices of 25% discount, can be had for 10 pieces, or a repeat customer.

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Dr. Lawrence Blair is one of Bali’s most famous faces. Together with his late brother Lorne, he travelled the eastern islands of Indonesia, exploring and documenting the culture of distant islands. Their documentary, ‘The Ring Of Fire‘ is a fascinating series. For those visitors to Bali, who would like to meet Dr. Blair, nows your chance. He will be hosting a series of films, at Fabio’s restaurant in Seminyak, starting February 1st.

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Pasar Badung is the huge market area in central Denpasar, famous among locals. Today I drove Ika, Jevon and my mother-in-law there, to check things out. You never quite know how somebody will react to a place. A westerner could view Pasar Badung as a wonderful example of Asian culture, or a stinking example of lack of hygiene and organization. But how would somebody from Java view it? The market is located on Jl. Veteren and took maybe 20 minutes to get to, because of traffic and my driving. Parking across the road on the Jl. Kartini, a Parkirman (parking attendant) quickly got 2,000rp out of me.

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Bali is a relatively safe place to visit, in comparison with other major destinations, such as London, Miami, Rio, Joburg and Bangkok. Still you need to be carefull, and keep aware of the possible dangers / crimes. Here’s a few tips.

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Living in Bali and not Pommy-land, I feel like the luckiest man alive. Seriously, this afternoon, strolling down my gang (alley) in Seminyak, I had to do a double-take, at how bright blue the sky was and how intensely green the trees seemed. Was it that mushroom-shake I had for lunch, or the tropical sunlight? Whichever, I was momentarily blown away by the power of the colors. Many people in the UK know one color very well…grey. That’s why the smart ones do their best to get down to the ‘Lucky Country‘, for a year’s fruit picking or pub work.

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Owning land and building your ‘dream home’ in Bali, is a dream for many people. Some people try it and have success, others find it a frustrating experience, others still don’t bother and simply rent. I’m in category ‘C’ for right now. A post on the Bali Expat Forum, asks about the legalities of your Indo wife owning property in Bali.

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