Petrol
fumes, coal cooked corn and coconut oil. Sweat sodden bean bags, cheap sarongs
and drunken Aussies. You guessed it…I have arrived in Bali.
With a
trickle of sweat running down my neck, I walk the streets of Legian. Careful
not to trip over or into the broken pavements, I wander. Is this the Bali I
dreamed of? I get a sinking feeling that I have missed the boat. I have arrived
in Bali thirty years too late.
Through the
frenetic mayhem of this buzzing beachside town I dodge a thousand scooters and
taxis to make my way to ocean. Sunset is almost upon us and I become part of
the human surge toward the sea. We tourists love a good sunset over the ocean. What a shame it seems to go hand in hand with copious amounts of
alcohol and drunkenness here.
I wonder
what the beautiful Balinese people think of all this madness. There is money to
be made of course and the constant pressure of commerce does my head in. I
escape back to my hotel (one of literally THOUSANDS) to the tepid pool and a
glass of Aussie Sav Blanc. I would have gladly tried another drop, but alas…Australian
wine was the only wine on offer.
The next morning, I wake to sunrise and roosters calling that a new day has begun. Legian is quiet. Draped in a humid hangover from last night’s frivolity. Even the dogs are done in. Sprawled out on pavements oblivious to the early morning sweeping and dusting of shop fronts and stalls.
The next morning, I wake to sunrise and roosters calling that a new day has begun. Legian is quiet. Draped in a humid hangover from last night’s frivolity. Even the dogs are done in. Sprawled out on pavements oblivious to the early morning sweeping and dusting of shop fronts and stalls.
Down on the
beach the bean bags lay empty. Umbrellas look forlorn and exhausted. The
tractors scrape away the evidence. Mountains of glass, paper and more horrifying…plastic.
I have never seen so much plastic.
The Balinese
greet me as I pass. Each one a smile, a nod. How do they keep smiling? What
have we done to this town? Do they see it as progress and a constant
source of income or do they resent us tourists for the disrespect we seem to
have for their once beautiful shores?
Today I will
travel three hours north. Far from the night clubs and brightly coloured bean
bags. What will I find there? I pray I will find Bali.
To be
continued….
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