Trying to pin Nick down for an interview was almost an impossibility. It was driving me crazy!. The guy never stops in one place long enough. So, the other night at the Internet Outpost when Nick came in, I told him that he could do it himself in his own time. “Sure no worries. I’ll do it in bed!.” I gave Nick the list of questions, my micro-recorder, and told him to ‘Go for it!’. This is the first interview I have had no control over, and, the results were extremely interesting.
BARRIE: Whose idea was the Baliblog?.
NICK: Well, I’d worked for Boots N All for about 3 years, and had been in Oregon about 7 years. I said to Sean one day on top of Spencer’s Butte, the highest point in Eugene Oregon, where we had our daily meeting that I need a change from Oregon and suggested a move to India So we did some research on moving to India to set up a Blogsite. We figured out that the monsoon every year for 5 months every summer would wipe out the tourist scene.
So, we looked for a place that was on the travellers circuit, had an International Airport, that was affordable, and received a good year round flow of backpacker type travellers. Bali seemed like top of the list. So, we pretty much quickly decided to go with Bali. Last May onwards we started doing some research, and then the bombing occured. We just decided to carry on and I came out here on January 1st.
BARRIE: You have been here in Bali for 6 months. How would you relate the progress of Baliblog, and, do you consider it has fulfilled your expectations so far?.
NICK: I think the first thing we had to deal with was logisitics. Actually figuring out how willing the locals were to work with us, getting a house that suited us, and basic stuff like an internet connection. We don’t have it in our house, but we had to find a way so that we could update the site affordably and reliably and I use a bunch of internet cafes for this and it’s worked out pretty well.
Getting content up that people will respond to and getting it up in a regular manner and fast enough, as well as timely was important. That was a challenge, as well as moving ahead with some guide-writing stuff and meeting travellers. It’s definitely time-consuming and I think for the first 6 months, bearing it mind it was a new site, we had nothing really to go on….it was kinda pilot scheme and I reckon its worked out pretty well. I’d say its fulfilled our expectations so far.
BARRIE: What do you have planned for Baliblog in the near future?.
NICK: In the near future…uh…I’m almost finished with with a hotel booking section. That’s a kind of commercial aspect to the Baliblog and that will be previewed pretty soon. I want to get more information as far as guide information that has budget-related info for backpack travellers. That kind of information might not be that exciting to read for people back in the States or Australia, but for people who are here in Bali, that could be pretty key stuff to know. Like where to find affordable tickets inside of Indonesia, affordable guest houses, and ya know…keep updating the prices and looking for bargains for them. That’s something I want to start doing more of and I’ll definitely do that.
Another thing I’d like to do would be to have sponsored traveller get-togethers when the tourism picks up. We’ll have more and more travellers passing through and it will make more and more sense to have get-togethers where we can expect a dozen or more people to show up. That would be a good little way to stir the pot as far as traveller interaction. Those kinds of things we look forward to doing.
I also would like to met someone who is really kind of an expert, maybe lives here, and who really knows the Arts and Crafts scene. I know a couple of people who are experts but don’t really want to blog about it. A lot of people come over looking for Arts and Crafts and want to know about the style and history, what to look for etc. I can’t really tell them. I have as much idea as anyone else. Because the Arts and Crafts scene is so much a part of Bali, it would be great to meet someone who lives in maybe the Ubud area who could really point people towards the kinds of things they are looking for. Ya know, furniture, Arts and Crafts….you name it.
BARRIE: You were last in Bali in 1993. No doubt you have seen a tremendous amount of change. Do you think the culture of Bali has suffered under such rapid development?.
NICK: I think of culture in a very broad sense to mean the way we live. The elements of culture. That is, style of house, food and language, the arts and song, and daily interactions. They are always in a process of change. But I know what you mean as far as tradition or a Westerners idea of traditional Balinese culture. That really has not changed much over the last couple of hundred years, but it has changed quite a lot in the last 30 years.
I think in the last 10 years since 1993 there has been a tremendous amount of development as far as foreign-owned businesses, restaurants in particular, deli’s, little markets and I’m not sure if the culture has suffered. It seems to me that most Balinese I talk to that work in the restaurants and shops in Kuta, outside of every shop and restaurant they still do offerings and in shrines and temples. All over the place!.
People still go back to their villages. For example, my cleaner, Ketut. Whenever there’s a festival or ceremony then she’s off to Karangasem. It’s not a question of ‘Can I have the day off?’, she’s just gone!. I think for a lot of people it’s a priority for them. It seems to me that most Balinese I talk to, even the young folk, the culture and history is still a priority over work. I think anytime you have a rapid change, it can be unsettling and definitely has an affect. I think the overall culture is still very much intact.
I think it’s up to the individual to judge whether it’s beneficial or not…ya know. Often times change. Change can be viewed as a negative. 30 years ago, the average Balinese person was working on a farm or fishing and didn’t have options, and now they have more options. Some of these options are good and some bad. It’s basically a situation of choice and dangling the food in front of someone. It’s really up to them what they do with it.
I hope that some of the negative aspects won’t be…er…for example drug use. I don’t think there’s too much drug use in Bali. I’ve lived here for 6 months and I’ve seen or heard very little, so that’s good. I don’t hear about the local drug addicts. I know Kuta has a bad reputation, but when compared with some other city areas, for example King’s Cross in Sydney, it’s not really that bad.
BARRIE: Nick, you have witnessed the economic situation pre 12/10 and post 12/10. What is your opinion regarding the economic future of Bali?.
NICK: I actuallly wasn’t her prior to 12/10 but I did come on January 1st. But, as far as the economic future of Bali, I think it is extremely optimistic. Bali in my view is one of the best traveller/tourist destinations in the world. The things that have made it so are wonderful year-round weather, beautiful islands, unique culture, friendly people, a village type atmosphere even close to downtown, and very affordable. For a visitor on a short stay of 5-10 days, it’s perfect!.
You can land at the airport, 2 miles away you can get a nice hotel in Kuta, lie on the beach, and it’s affordable. You can take a day trip to Ubud 20 miles away, you can visit the south coast, east out to Karangasem, west to Balian where there’s only locals, visit mountains and temples, rent yourself a motorbike cheaply and explore the whole island on that. Compare that with Thailand where you land in Bangkok, and after taking an overnight train to Chiang Mai in the mountains, or even on a day long boat trip to the islands or another plane trip. Whereas in Bali, it’s a 2 or 3 hour bike ride and you are at wherever you want.
So, all those main factors, geography, culture and weather, hasn’t changed. The only thing that’s changed is that the infrastructure is better. Now, instead of having some decent hotels and a bunch of losmens, you have losmens, low-budget hotels, mid-range hotels, and up-scale hotels and resorts. Instead of having hotel restaurants and warungs, now you have warungs, sandwich places, deli’s, mid-range restaurants and expensive restaurants. So you really have a multitude of options. So the economic future of Bali does look good.
The two things that I look at that could be hurdles would be more terrorism, and the Indonesian Government, accidentally or whatever, screwing things up by messing with the tourist visa. In my opinion they (the government) should give tourists a free 6 month visa, maybe a welcome drink at the airport, and say thanks for coming.
BARRIE: Bali constitutes roughly 70% of the total tourist income in Indonesia. Do you think Bali would benefit as an Autonomy?.
NICK: I think when you come to Bali, the emotional reaction is to make Bali its own country. I’ve asked Balinese how they see themselves and they say ‘Indonesian’. So there is an association with Indonesia as a whole country. Bali really has a village mentality, even though Kuta is somewhat built-up than Denpasar. Yeah, that comes close to being a city. They probably don’t have everything they would need. For example, Army, decent enough regulatory infrastructure, and I don’t think they quite have it together yet.
I think the economy needs to get back on track several fold even before they start thinking about it. I don’t think they will ever be independant. In some ways they benefit a lot from having easy access to Java where Javanese workers can come and go and also the importation of goods from Java can come by truck. There are certain aspects like that which would be just more complicated if it were a foreign country.
So right now, if Bali ever got to the situation where so much infrastructure, business and tourism (like Singapore where it’s going off crazy), and it needed to have its own identity like that, then it’s okay. But, as an island as a whole, there is not enough economic activity or desire for independance. So, my answer is…No.
BARRIE: What do you think the Government of Indonesia should do to promote tourism?.
NICK: What they should do is to have 6 month free visa on arrival, and a welcome drink, alcoholic or not (should be an alcoholic drink after a 14 hour flight!). The Government of Indonesia should tell people, for crying out loud, how great Indonesia is and Bali is. I have already mentioned some of the highlights of Bali and you know the list goes on and on.
People in England and people in America have a very foggy impression of Bali and Indonesia. All the good things, first of all the Government doesn’t get across. Bali’s main competitor for a short-term visitor is Thailand. It has great beaches, temples, blah, blah, blah. Bali you really don’t hear that much about. All you hear about Indonesia is Muslim extremists, crazy Government, civil war, rebel action going on all over in places like Aceh and Kalimantan, bomb at Jakarta airport, bomb in Bali, Jemiah Islamiah etc etc.
Now that won’t affect the average person, but from a Westerners point of view, reading associated press in a foreign country it can be heavy going. Everytime Indonesia gets in the news then it’s always something bad and never something good. So the Indonesian Government should work on a massive media campaign. Some of the things they might do is to take out some ads in newspapers, run TV commercials of 20 seconds or 30 seconds in prime-time and do late-nite infomercials. Focus on what makes Bali unique and different. Show the viewers all of the things that will make their holiday just nice and easy.
By the end of the day, most tourist and travellers when they go to a foreign place, they want some things that are different. Like going to a temple or trying different foods. So there are some things the same, and some things different. Bali has all of that. So those images need to be shoved right up to the front and when someone thinks of Bali, there’s gotta be this understanding of an incredible place waiting for them.
I’d tell people in the tourist industry, as far as being a complete package, Bali is almost there. There’s a few tweeks needing ironing out as far as infrastructure, cleaning up the beaches etc, but the main thing they are missing is they are not getting the message across to the customer. That’s the greatest need of all.
BARRIE: You have seen most of the island both in 1993 and now. What would you consider to be your favourite place or area?.
NICK: I would say Karangasem, which is in the east of Bali. It’s reasonably large, its the area that covers the south-east coast and includes Mt Agung, and it also stretches all the way up to a place called Cape Ngis on the north coast. It includes areas such as Padangbai (a beautiful little bay), Candi Dasa which is very scenic, Amlapura which is the biggest town in the area, and Tirtigangga where the King’s palace and wot not are.
A friend of mine owns a guest house on Pantai Jasri near the town of Jasri. It’s almost like something out of a movie. A beautiful little river comes down to the ocean, deserted beaches, volcanic black sand, palm trees lining the beach and you can look up at Mt Agung from there, bright green everywhere, and a perfect blue sky. A tiny village exists right there with not much going on. Yeah, it’s the kind of Bali you imagine it to be. For me that’s one of my favourite places.
Then there’s a place on the south-west coast called Balian. It has surf and wot not, and a similar kind of atmosphere. It has a river that runs down to the ocean and there’s really no one there. You can swim and go for a walk, go for a hike in the forest, and just observe locals going about their daily lives. A really pleasant break for a foreigner like me.
BARRIE: How has your interaction been with the various levels of Balinese society?. Have you ever met any difficulties?.
NICK: As far as meeting levels of Balinese society, I basically meet people in economic situations as far as trying to make transactions with me, and I haven’t encountered too many problems. Most people are pretty polite and respectful. Back in 1993 there were more tourists here and it was harder to bargain, and I remember having some real headaches negotiating with the Bemo drivers for bus rides. I was anticipating when I got here having to haggle and negotiate for everything and expecting the run around.
So far I would say for the most part people have been very straight. No one’s tried to rip me off really, and my interactions are pretty cool. I try to relax, not get wound up, and that works pretty well. Ya gotta understand that coming from a Western country we have this ‘I am the customer’ and ‘I am God’ mentality. It’s slightly different over here. Often a vendor will look at you and think ‘You are my customer’ and you almost have to give a regular place you go to a reason why you don’t want to go there anymore.
It sounds crazy, but I’m not saying which one is right and which one is wrong. It’s just a slightly different mentality. You just have to adapt and not stress out on things and everything gets done. Everything’s pretty cool.
BARRIE: And finally, who was the most interesting Balinese character you have encountered since being here?.
NICK: I think two people come to mind. First is my ex-girlfriend, Yumi. She’s from Kerobokan. It was interesting simply because when you start dating a Balinese, it’s like opening a whole new can of worms. I was totally ‘green’ as far as what to expect. What I didn’t expect was a phone call for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner saying things like “Dear, don’t forget to makan”, “Dear, don’t forget to rest”, and “Dear, don’t work too hard”. You get this 7 days a week. That leads into “Dear, where are you?”, and “Dear, what are you doing?” and “Dear, who are you with?. Are there any women around?”. That’s kinda funny and it can be humorous when they get bent out of shape. Ya know, they may expect that you are gonna drop everything and just show up. I think it’s an interesting clash of cultures. Anyway, she was pretty interesting. She liked to go to the festivals and temples, but on the other side, where she works at a Sports Bar, she is very comfortable around foreigners. Seeing kind of someone in that situation go from one persona to another….that’s pretty interesting.
The other person would be a friend of mine called Ebong who lives in Jimbaran. Ebong has been to the States and a few other places. His family is from Bali and Lombok. Having travelled, Ebong seems rather like almost a Balinese expat in Bali ‘cos he hangs around expats. He’s almost like one in many respects, the places he eats and the places he hangs out. But he is also Balinese, he has insight into local culture, he understands hop the foreigners are, as well as being a very nice guy. I always value his opinion, and definitely look forward to hanging out with him. So, he’s definitely one of the most interesting people.
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Cheers Dusty,
Barrie had a lot of patience typing that out. Makes me realise how incoherant some of my answers must seem in person.
wow. that was a great interview. really like an excellent summary of your time here so far nick.
even though i’ve been following the blog for some time, there were alot of new things that i learned and that you put very well — like the discussions of why you chose bali, the contrasts and benefits of bali over thailand, an idea of your future plans, and your personal impressions of two balinese close to you.
when i was there two years ago (http://www.bootsnall.com/travelogues/kan/1.shtml), i was a little overwhelmed in a negative way by the touts, development, and pollution. but even just reading this article would get me to change my mind.
great jobs both — barrie and nick!
Quite excellent, Nick. Cultures are interesting, fascinating, frustrating needing understanding and acceptance.
You’d make a good tourist ambassador for Bali.
Thanks for sharing. I’ve learned a lot.
That was an interesting interview. I visited Bali in 1998 after Suarto was ousted and the economic crisis was in full swing. Tourism was really hurting and Bali was very affordable. Although I was only there for 9 days, I saw quite a bit of the island. It’s as beautiful as you say, but the people are the biggest asset. They are so friendly and open. Makes me want to return. Will have to wait till late 2004 when I swing around that way again, but thanks for the insight. I’ll definitely have to spend more time there next visit.
Denise
India’s loss is Bali’s gain. sigh…But this interview sure was interesting. Good luck with all your plans in Bali.