Poppies I: Small businesses growing in Kuta Bali

Sitting here at Bamboo Corner on Poppies Lane I in Kuta, eating a nasi goreng super for 6,500rp, I noticed the new businesses that have sprouted up across the street. I see people working, painting, sawing, and polishing. I see new roller-doors, shop windows. Right next door is a construction site that is boarded up with bamboo matting.

Poppies I is heavily developed already but when one person's contract runs out, others are keen to get in on the capitalist wagon. Some people are happy to tag along on other people's coat tails, copying them in every way. They know they will get a tiny slice of an already saturated market. Others prefer to be original and try to strike out in a new direction, or at least package the old one differently.

Bamboo Corner will be around for a while though. Cheap food with a decent quality and large portions means plenty of budget travellers and 50 years from Europe, all looking to economize.

For long-term stayers I have heard good reviews of Ayu Beach Inn which is located close to Swell on Poppies I. The place is affordable and the staff are apparently pretty cool.