Kuta feels very quiet right now
Last night around 7.30pm I walked from the beach at Jl. Benesari back to my motorbike at Internet Outpost on Poppies II. Along the way I walked through mostly empty streets, a handful of tourists and empty warungs. It felt like January 2003. Warung 96 had about 6 cutomers and Internet Outpost 5.
This is the festive season but I don’t think many of the locals are celebrating. Chatting with an Aussie tourist the other day, he told me he went out to De Ja Vu, at the end of Jl. Double Six. He said there were about 30 local ladies and about 6 foriegn guys. He also told me the next day he was having some local food in a warung in Kuta, when he spotted a lady from the night before. She owned a leather shop, and he told her he had seen her out at De Ja Vu. “My business very bad, so I think maybe I can pick up a western man.” she said. “But when I get there so many other women.” I guess people re-tool pretty quick out here.
Back in 1993 I ran into people in Bali who were complaining that Bali was too touristy, too many people. Well now its empty, so if you long for those good old days, where you could walk down the gangs towards the beach, swinging a bag of coconuts without any danger of hitting someone, now is the time. If you do come, especially after New Years, you will have a sensational choice of accommodation, places to eat and never have to line up.
By Nick | Permalink
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Comments
nick- have u heard anything about the new warnings of abduction of westerners and beheadings. Im due to go on my long awaited holiday in 13 days to spend 2 wks in bali. i dont know what to do.
Joel
Dont worry too much about the warnings, I think you should still go on your long awaited holiday and have a ball!! I am going in 5 days and not worried. I would like to know where the media is getting their information. I know they have to be cautious just in case something does happen, but I hate how they’re scarring all the tourists off in the process! I say go and have fun, dont give in to those bastards!!
FYI - from Jakarta Post
´´Filth and sloth on Kuta Beach
Opinion and Editorial - December 20, 2005
I have visited Bali at least 20 times and have always been very happy to meet the very friendly Balinese people, to see the great culture and the beauty of the island.
After the first bomb (2002) I even came twice a year to help and to promote tourism in Bali again. The problem I noticed last year, was that the beach in Kuta was very dirty, but now, this December 2005, the situation is unbearable.
Every day that I went down to the beach it was full of plastic bags, rubber sandals, other manmade rubbish and even condoms. Every day the same rubbish and the local people sitting around talking and talking and not cleaning the beach.
It has nothing to do with the rainy season or the wind from the west, those are only cheap excuses. I was recently in Thailand, also on the West Coast. Early every morning the beaches were cleaned up and it was wonderful to have a swim. I was recently in a hotel for two weeks in Kuta close to the beach, but not once did I dare go into the sea, because of the plastic hanging around my feet if I ever started to wade in.
Many tourists in Kuta have been complaining about this and many have said, they want to go to Thailand for their next holiday. I might too! It would be great, if you could not only publish my comment, but also inform the respective authorities in Jakarta and Bali.
As a friend of Indonesia, I want Bali to be as nice as before. With an attitude like there is now, Bali will lose even more tourists!
HORST GEERKEN, Bonn, Germany
´´
Hello Nick-
I have been enjoying your running commentary on life in Bali for sometime now. I am going back to Kuta sometime in the first quarter, I think.
If you are going to be there, I’d be glad to buy you a beer or a meal at one of the warungs. I have been over a few times and always enjoy the Dhyana Pura Hotel…seems nice and friendly, cheap…
sampai ketemu…
Mark Schweer
Selamat sore, dear friends in Bali,
next year in March/April I will be back in Bali for a holiday. http://www.BaliBlog.com is a wonderful website and platform to get the newest information of all kinds for planning my trip.
Thank you and best regards
Horst Geerken, Germany
Nick
have you read an opinion by horst geerken in jakarta post recently about kuta?