Perspective on the times in Indonesia
On my first trip to Bali in 1993 everyone was saying Bali is spoilt, Bali is too touristy. That was because we were hitting all the little tourist spots, Kuta, Ubud, Lovina, Padangbai etc. The neighborhood where I live now, Seminyak was just beginning to appear on the tourist map, with no restaurants or bars. Exploring Bali with my bike I can now get a fuller picture of the development. It is happening at a rapid rate, but most of the island is not a tourist destination. Interestingly Covarrubias was saying that Bali was too toursity back in 1937.
Reading a 1991 version of The Indonesia Handbook I was surprised by Bill Daltons analysis of the environmental damage in Java, to the west. Locals do not care about the environment for sure, but his description makes Java seem like a Russian nuclear facility. Bill says: The island is already involved in a race against time, its precious topsoil sliding into the sea. The cycle of floods and droughts has also taken a deadly toll on lowland rice fields, causing serious rice shortages. Pollution problems have reached critical mass. Because of its expanding, most of Javas mountain lakes become cesspools. The canals and rivers which wind their way through Javas cities are a lethal grey color, putrefying with slime and rotting garbage, serving as receptacles for industrial and human waste.
Yikes! Java does not sound too appealing, but there are lovely parts of that island too and I want to explore East Java when I get the chance, including the mountains around Malang, the Ijen Plateau the Meru Betiri Reserve.
By Nick | Permalink
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Comments
Hi Nick
My firsttrip to Bali was in 1989.I recently looked at the guide book that I used from 1989.It amused me to note that electricity had just been connected to Ubud although it was unreliable. I remember eating by the light if lanterns in some restaurants.
In Legian the area seemed to stop at Jalan Melasti and as you say the Seminyak area was completely undeveloped.I have been back numerous times since and plan a visit beginning next week.
Sure, times have changed the obvious tourist spots, but away from those areas the more traditional Balinese life still prevails.
Like you, a sepeda motor is the way to go to find these places.
Enjoy your comments in Bali Blog
Hi Nick
My firsttrip to Bali was in 1989.I recently looked at the guide book that I used from 1989.It amused me to note that electricity had just been connected to Ubud although it was unreliable. I remember eating by the light if lanterns in some restaurants.
In Legian the area seemed to stop at Jalan Melasti and as you say the Seminyak area was completely undeveloped.I have been back numerous times since and plan a visit beginning next week.
Sure, times have changed the obvious tourist spots, but away from those areas the more traditional Balinese life still prevails.
Like you, a sepeda motor is the way to go to find these places.
Enjoy your comments in Bali Blog
Hi Nick
My firsttrip to Bali was in 1989.I recently looked at the guide book that I used from 1989.It amused me to note that electricity had just been connected to Ubud although it was unreliable. I remember eating by the light if lanterns in some restaurants.
In Legian the area seemed to stop at Jalan Melasti and as you say the Seminyak area was completely undeveloped.I have been back numerous times since and plan a visit beginning next week.
Sure, times have changed the obvious tourist spots, but away from those areas the more traditional Balinese life still prevails.
Like you, a sepeda motor is the way to go to find these places.
Enjoy your comments in Bali Blog