KUTA, BALI, INDONESIA
As you may remember, Kuta was the location of two horrible terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005. Since then, here's been a real downturn in tourism to Bali. In addition, the Boxing Day tsunami of 2005, while not directly affecting the island, hasn't helped Indonesian tourism, either. I can't say that I've noticed the impact of all this--I don't know what the crowds were like before, but it's still pretty hoppin' around here, especially on the weekends. Not many Americans, but it's become pretty clear to me in the past three months that Americans just don't travel overseas like Europeans do.
Anyway, for the past couple of days I've been getting used to Kuta, which admittedly is a crazy place. It's a hodgepodge of little Indonesian shops and restaurants, mixed in with big western staples like Starbuck's, McDonald's, and the ubiquitous Hard Rock Cafe'. (And strangely, there are lots of Circle K convenience stores everywhere.) The streets and alleys are hot and hectic, but there are some really nice restaurants that offer relaxing courtyards to chill in just off the main drag. And you can get really good Indonesian and Western food here really cheap: For example, I had a great dinner of rosemary chicken breast on a bed of spinach and peppers, with oven-roasted garlic potatoes on the side, for about US$3.50. Not bad!
The main attraction of Kuta, other than all the tourist shops and restaurants, is Kuta Beach, which is nice enough (although not spectacular as beaches go), and appears to have some pretty decent surfing waves. It's an interesting place to people-watch, too, as it's where everyone, tourist and local, hangs out, and there are vendors selling everything from surfing lessons to massages, pineapples to temporary tattoos.
The one thing I still haven't figured out are the streets--the small "lanes" of Kuta really are a maze, and I've gotten lost more times than I can count. Once it took me over 40 minutes to find our hotel, and I know I was probably never more than several hundred yards away from it! One lane I call "bat alley," because it's a straightaway that little bats do high-speed runs down after dark, right at eye level. They come right at you, and at the last moment, pull up and fly over your head--kind of like X-wings in the Death Star trench. And there are bigger fruit bats that flap across the same alley over your head, just to add to the fun.
As you may remember, Kuta was the location of two horrible terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005. Since then, here's been a real downturn in tourism to Bali. In addition, the Boxing Day tsunami of 2005, while not directly affecting the island, hasn't helped Indonesian tourism, either. I can't say that I've noticed the impact of all this--I don't know what the crowds were like before, but it's still pretty hoppin' around here, especially on the weekends. Not many Americans, but it's become pretty clear to me in the past three months that Americans just don't travel overseas like Europeans do.
Anyway, for the past couple of days I've been getting used to Kuta, which admittedly is a crazy place. It's a hodgepodge of little Indonesian shops and restaurants, mixed in with big western staples like Starbuck's, McDonald's, and the ubiquitous Hard Rock Cafe'. (And strangely, there are lots of Circle K convenience stores everywhere.) The streets and alleys are hot and hectic, but there are some really nice restaurants that offer relaxing courtyards to chill in just off the main drag. And you can get really good Indonesian and Western food here really cheap: For example, I had a great dinner of rosemary chicken breast on a bed of spinach and peppers, with oven-roasted garlic potatoes on the side, for about US$3.50. Not bad!
The main attraction of Kuta, other than all the tourist shops and restaurants, is Kuta Beach, which is nice enough (although not spectacular as beaches go), and appears to have some pretty decent surfing waves. It's an interesting place to people-watch, too, as it's where everyone, tourist and local, hangs out, and there are vendors selling everything from surfing lessons to massages, pineapples to temporary tattoos.
The one thing I still haven't figured out are the streets--the small "lanes" of Kuta really are a maze, and I've gotten lost more times than I can count. Once it took me over 40 minutes to find our hotel, and I know I was probably never more than several hundred yards away from it! One lane I call "bat alley," because it's a straightaway that little bats do high-speed runs down after dark, right at eye level. They come right at you, and at the last moment, pull up and fly over your head--kind of like X-wings in the Death Star trench. And there are bigger fruit bats that flap across the same alley over your head, just to add to the fun.
posted by John Kuge at 10:13 PM
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