Power outage in Seminyak Bali

Seminyak has a power outage this evening, at least the part of Seminyak north of Bintang supermarket, which includes the area in which I live.

Since living in Bali the power situation has got better. Back in 2003/4 power outages were a weekly fact of life. My Nyepi candles came in handy, providing enough of a glow so I could make it to the front door without breaking an ankle. My neighbour was enjoying a beautifully pitch black evening which I didn’t want to disturb.

Latest developments in Kuta include the roadworks on the loop that connects Jl. Melasti with Jl. Legian. The cops have a barricade diverting traffic going from the Kuta Galeria area, towards the loop (Jl. Patih Jelantik). For traffic going around the one-way loop this creates the unique sensation of having a lane of cars coming straight at you, in the other direction. At the point where the loop re-connects with Jl. Legian, huge earth moving equipment is parked, effectively blocking the street to anything but motorbikes. In Bali you’ll see some funny things and one guy in a Taruna was determined to get through. With one set of wheels up on the 18 inch high curb and the other set on the road which was now a building site, he managed to slide past.

There have been some closures in Kuta, including a couple of the newer interent cafes. The newest things seem to be these tourist friendly sandwich / burger bars, based on the successful ESC (if you want a great sandwich / burger go there!).