Oṃ shanti shanti shanti
By Jeff Ooi Aug 13, 2007 12:00AM UTCIt’s peak season again. A return flight to Bali on MAS or SIA would range around RM1,650, RM1,950 and RM2,100 depending on the pricing belts, and that was for booking some 45 days prior. Flexibility in changing flights was practically nil. The plane was so full that I got upgraded to business class on my way home yesterday. (Don’t ask me, but four of us from the Malaysian delegation refused to fly AirAsia.)
From what I can gather, and despite new travel warnings that Islamic militants might strike again, or that all Indonesian airlines including national carrier Garuda are banned from the European Union, tourists still flock to Bali these days.
The terrorist bombing of a Bali nightclub in Kuta in October 2002, which killed 202 people, now seems a distant history. Tourism is bouncing back, though it’s still not anywhere near its prime before the blast.
LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi
According to William J. Furney, managing editor of The Bali Times, the only English newspaper published in the island, budget guesthouses popular with surfers, backpackers and domestic tourists, have been fully booked in recent weeks, and mid-range hotels have also been busy.
In fact, statistics from the Bali Tourism Office show increased tourist arrivals for the first half of 2007. There were 745,949 tourist arrivals in Bali between January and June, compared to 552,573 during the same period last year.
Figures record 145,174 arrivals in June alone, and hoteliers in Kuta, the epic-centre of the 2002 terrorist bombing, say that bookings for July were also high.
Ramada Bintang Resort located in the Kuta area, 5 minutes from the airport
I heard that several international conferences are being scheduled to take place from now till October, and hotel resorts in Nusa Dua, the only place that have MICE facilities to house large delegation of over 200 pax, would certainly benefit from it
It’s a huge contrast to the moment I landed in KLIA to pick up the luggage. The trolleys in Malaysia are but snapped up by tourists in full black, some only seen with anatomy slit in the eyes.
RAMAYANA… A dinner version in micro-glimpses of the Hindu epic
Clearly, it’s the Balinese people that made the difference for the tourism trade there. Tourists the world over are simply wowed by the benevolence of the Balinese, who largely practise Hinduism, for their compassion, laid-back attitude and love of peace and harmony.
Hi-5 Bali on Wi-fi
Meanwhile, Bali is also catching fast on pervasive wi-fi hotspots for the visitors, including backpackers.
The Kuta Cyber Beach programme, which was launched in July, has been providing wireless internet access for 2,007 meters along Kuta Beach, stretching from the Bali Dynasty Hotel on Jalan Kartika Plaza to the Sahid Raya Hotel at Jalan Pantai.
There are currently 30 access points covering the beach, with each spot having a radius of 150 meters.
This means you can access the Internet while sitting on the steps leading to the spanking new Discovery Mall before you end up at Hard Rock Cafe.
Over the one week I was there, state telecoms company Telkom announced that the free trial period of the Kuta Cyber Beach hotspot program will be extended until August 17, in conjunction with the 62nd anniversary of Indonesia’s independence.
After the free trial period, the service will be accessible using a prepaid card called I-VAS, available at cellular phone counters for Rp10,000 to Rp50,000.
The slack is the speed. You can only get 128 kbps while upgrades are being planned to increase it up to 512 kbps. So, the idea is just to let you check emails while holidaying, but be sure to enjoy the sun and sand, and not get hooked to cyber-patrolling.
Rent-a-Villa
Another new trend is emerging in Bali.
For those with money to burn, and a discerning taste to dispense in life, the hip place is no longer the Nusa Dua resorts zone where the Grand Mirage is located.
The in-thing nowadays is stretched home-stays in luxury villas in upscale Seminyak area, which is fast developing into one of Bali’s most fashionable and desirable locales manicured in luscious greens.
One of such luxury villas is Club151 (or the C151 brand) developed by PT. Hanno Bali, a leading foreign-owned developer in Bali, which also developed the 11 private Islands near Singapore around Bintan, fit for the rich and famous.
With the platinum card, you can either rent or buy a C151 villa and add that posh Seminyak address in your collection. (Is Kee Hua Chee up here for the lifestyle review already?)
A C151 villa can be had from US$500++ per villa per night. It comes with 3 suites, a 12-metre private pool in private garden, 3 private bathrooms with jacuzzi, 8 large-screen LCD TVs, and music speakers throughout the villa, including garden and pool. Wireless broadband and satellite channels are an understatement. Mau?
(BTW, “Bali. Mau?” is the latest ad slogan this season.) Must check the Gini coefficient for Bali. I find it disturbing as a traditional masseure of two-year experience, working a maximum of three clients per day on good days, earns about US$150 per month and her rent for a spartan room in Denpasar eats up Rp250,000 (US$26) per month.
Peace and serenity
While attending an intensive course, I managed to steal time to click the shutter though the gloomy weather and overcast weren’t kind to a photographer.
TANAH LOT SUNSET… I would have preferred a much stronger sun to beam on the calm seas for more defined hue and contrast
The Sound of Calm in two parts
More high-resolution pictures are available on LensaMalaysia.
I had to make do with the bad lighting conditions and come home with a series on the Balinese serenity. Oṃ śānti śānti śānti.
FOOTNOTE: If you are a free-and easy traveller to Bali and need local transport, contact Mr Putu Suastika at mobile: 08123834146. Good English, a thirty-something, he works hard to raise money to educate his two kids.
Putu ferried us to Tanah Lot for the sunset shots, and brought us to Kedonganan beach (near Jimbaran) for dinner. We shared engaging conversation as I tried to put in a rich pinch of Indonesia accent chatting in Bahasa. On the way back to the hotel, he proudly told me that he has been booked to fetch a group of new arrivals at 1.00am. He would drop us at the hotel, put the kids to sleep, have shower and a short rest, and will dash to the airport for his pick-up. His enthusiasm in sharing me the trivias of his work life, motivated by his urge to educate the children. saya ngak bisa libur biar luang masa, harus kerja kuat, anak harus diberi education sebaik mungkin. Simple words and single-mindedness. They warmed my heart.
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