Sunday, March 20, 2011

Can the “Real Bali” be Saved?

For those of you visiting Bali for the first time, welcome and enjoy yourselves to the absolute maximum! Bali is a marvelous place to have a holiday and I certainly don’t want to scare you off. We need more visitors to come and enjoy the beauty of this magical island. And you will!

But, and there always is a ‘but’ isn’t there, Bali ain’t what it used to be, and is in danger of changing from the “Bali we want it to be” if we are not very, very careful.

Bali, in the minds of millions of tourists and armchair tourists around the world, is the epitome of tropical, exotic travel, where beautiful native girls dance to the hypnotic pounding of gongs in temples and palaces surrounded by lush terraces of paddy fields, and palm trees wave in the gentle breezes as the sunset cocktails are sipped. Idyllic indeed!

The reality is that while that aspect is still (just) available, an absolute army of developers, traders, retailers, restauranters and industrialists are doing everything they can to dig up pristine Bali while still using the exotic Bali image they are destroying to sell their wares! And it’s happening quickly.

Just 25 years ago Bali was still the green, lush island that we (or at least I) want it to be. Now it’s disappearing behind a mass of billboards, shop houses, high rise malls, villa developments (with 20m high walls), and it seems we are powerless to stop it. Why?

It appears that even at the highest levels there is no connection between the preservation (never mind protection, enhancement, and improvement) of the tourism product and the every day unplanned development that continues unabated.

Bali, after two sad and meaningless bombings, has lost much of its appeal in the tourist markets of the world and arrivals are at a very low ebb. Does that mean the authorities take a long hard look at what the island has become and start to put things right? It seems not. The building of ‘rukos’ (shop houses) continues unabated, the proliferation of incredibly unsightly billboards accelerates, the destruction of beautiful farmland for ‘un-necessary’ housing rockets forward, and roads are pushed into fields and immediately lined with low quality buildings (which should be zoned off into industrial estates).

Until now, from Canggu to Jimbaran, from Sanur to Nusa Dua, there is hardly a visible trace of ‘Bali’: only buildings, workshops, showrooms, factories, billboards, and offices. All of them ‘businesses’ that depend on having a dynamic, desired tourism product called Bali

Yet there are regulations, which I believe still exist, that say every building must reflect Balinese culture and tradition, that no building should be higher than a coconut tree, and that all buildings and developments should respect Balinese traditions and community needs first. This simply is not being enforced at all and in my opinion presents more danger to the future of Bali tourism than the threat of terrorism ever will.

There are millions of sea, sand and sun, fun, food, and frolic destinations around the world, cheaper and closer to main markets and with little to distinguish them except the price and the temperature. This is not what Bali should be, but as we watch and do nothing that’s what it is turning into—quickly.

Bali is, and must always be, a place where tradition should take precedence over development, where culture must take the nod over shopping, where nature must win over malls, where gamelan gets the license not discos, where not one more square meter of productive, beautiful paddy field is turned into villas.

If not, we’ll be sitting here in 10 years time with a million villas, all of them bought by people “looking for Bali” and finding nothing but fast food, malls, traffic jams, discos, restaurants, more shops, more offices and more motorbikes than they left behind in the ‘industrialized’ west.

Does anyone care? I hope so, and that as millions of dollars are being spent to lure people back to Bali, equal amounts of money –or at least energy– can be spent preserving the beauty, tradition, culture and heritage of this marvelous and irreplaceable island. Because once it’s gone, we won’t get it back.

Intoduction To Bali, Indonesia

Where is Bali ?
The island of Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia and is located 8 to 9 degrees south of the equator between Java in the West and Lombok and the rest of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba and Timor) in the East. Flying time to Jakarta is about 1.5 hours, to Singapore and Perth (Australia) 2.5 and 3 hours, to Hong Kong about 4.5 hours, and to Sydney/Melbourne about 5.5 to 6 hours.

Geography :
The island of Bali has an area of only 5,632 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) and measures just 55 miles (90 kilometers) along the north-south axis and less than about 90 miles (140 kilometers) from East to West. Because of this it's no problem to explore the island on day tours. You can go wherever you want on the island and return to your hotel or villa in the evening.
Located only two kilometers east of Jawa, Bali's climate, flora and fauna are quite similar to its much larger neighbour. The island is famous for its beautiful landscape. A chain of six volcanoes, between 1,350 meters and 3,014 meters high, stretches from west to east. There are lush tropical forests, pristine crater lakes, fast flowing rivers and deep ravines, picturesque rice terraces, and fertile vegetable and fruit gardens. The beaches in the South consist of white sand, beaches in other parts of the island are covered with gray or black volcanic sand.

Flora :
The wide variety of tropical plants is surprising. You'll see huge banyan trees in villages and temple grounds, tamarind trees in the North, clove trees in the highlands, acacia trees, flame trees, and mangroves in the South. In Bali grow a dozen species of coconut palms and even more varieties of bamboo.
And there are flowers, flowers everywhere. You'll see (and smell the fragrance of) hibiscus, bougainvillea, jasmine, and water lilies. Magnolia, frangipani, and a variety of orchids are found in many front yards and gardens, along roads, and in temple grounds. Flowers are also used as decorations in temples, on statues, as offerings for the gods, and during prayers. Dancers wear blossoms in their crowns, and even the flower behind the ear of your waitress seems natural in Bali.

Fauna :
Elephants and tigers don't exist any more in Bali since early this century. Wildlife, however, includes various species of monkeys, civets, barking deer and mouse deer, and 300 species of birds including wild fowl, dollar birds, blue kingfishers, sea eagles, sandpipers, white herons and egrets, cuckoos, wood swallows, sparrows, and starlings. You can watch schools of dolphins near Lovina, Candi Dasa, and Padangbai. Divers will see many colorful coral fish and small reef fish, moray eels, and plankton eating whale sharks as well as crustaceans, sponges, and colorful coral along the east coast and around Menjangan Island near Gilimanuk.

Climate :
You can expect pleasant day temperatures between 20 to 33 degrees Celsius or 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. From December to March, the West monsoon can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but usually days are sunny and the rains start during the night and pass quickly. From June to September the humidity is low, and it can be quite cool in the evenings. During this time of the year, you'll have hardly any rain in the coastal areas.
Even when it rains in most parts of Bali you can often enjoy sunny days on the "Bukit", the hill south of Jimbaran Beach. On the other hand, in Ubud and the mountains you must expect cloudy skies and showers throughout the year (this is why the international weather reports for "Denpasar" or "Bali" mention showers and rain storms during all times of the year). In higher regions such as in Bedugul or Kintamani you'll also need either a sweater or jacket after the sun sets.

Population :
Bali's population has grown to over 3 million people the overwhelming majority of which are Hindus. However, the number of Muslims is steadily increasing through immigration of people from Java, Lombok and other areas of Indonesia who seek work in Bali.
Most people live in the coastal areas in the South, and the island's largest town and administrative center is fast growing Denpasar with a population of now over 370,000. The villages between the town of Ubud and Denpasar, Kuta (including Jimbaran, Tuban, and Legian, Seminyak, Basangkasa, etc), Sanur, and Nusa Dua are spreading rapidly in all directions, and before long the whole area from Ubud in the North to Sanur in the East, Berawa/Canggu in the West, and Nusa Dua in the South will be urbanized.

Economy :
This southern part of Bali is where most jobs are to be found, either in the hotel and tourist industry, the textile and garment industry, and in many small scale and home industries producing handicrafts and souvenirs. Textiles, garments, and handicrafts have become the backbone of Bali's economy providing 300,000 jobs, and exports have been increasing by around 15% per year to over US$400 million. Textiles and garments contribute about 45%, and wood products including statues, furniture and other handicrafts 22% to the province's total income from exports. Silver work is ranked third (4.65%) with 5,000 workers employed. Main buyers are the US and Europe with 38% each, and Japan with 9%.
Important agricultural products besides rice are tea, coffee, tobacco, cacao, copra, vanilla, soy beans, chilies, fruit, and vegetable (there are now even vineyards near the northwest coast). Bali's fishing industry and seaweed farming provide other products which are important exports.
The new free-trade regulations will create some problems for Bali's exporters as they do not allow to employ children. Most children here work for their parents, and this is part of the process of acquiring professional skills and kind of an informal education which has been very important in the Balinese society for centuries.

What Makes Bali So Special :
There is the combination of the friendly people, the natural attractions, the great variety of things to see and do, the year-round pleasant climate, and the absence of security problems. And then there is Bali's special "magic", which is difficult to explain.
As soon as you step off the plane you might sense the difference. In the villages you'll notice the quietness and wisdom in old people's faces, and the interest and respect in the young's. Old men sit at the road side caressing their fighting cocks. Beautifully dressed women walk proudly through rice fields and forests carrying offerings on their heads to the next temple. There is the smell of flowers, and in the distance you hear the sound of gamelan music.
Gods and spirits have been an important part of Bali's daily life for hundreds of years. Gunung Agung – Bali's holy mountain – is internationally regarded as one of the eight "Chakra" points of the world. This may be more than an coincident. Watch out, the moment you feel the magic of this island, you're addicted for the rest of your life.