Bali

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Kuta
August 18th 2008

Published: September 6th 2008

Edit Blog Post

ADB

Bamboo decoration

In the same way as we in the West put up Christmas lights around our houses, for Independence Day the Balinese put up bamboo poles with bamboo leaves tied to them in decorative fashion.

When I think of Indonesia, I think of dense rainforest, dripping water, dim green light, giant trees with leaves the size of picnic tables, dark wood, orangutans. I think mystery and the weight of millennia hanging in the unmoving air inside the rainforest.

This may be true of parts of the country, but not true of Kuta Beach on Bali. Think surfing, surfboards, surf shops, surf schools and surfers. Think suntan, suntan oil, sunbathers and sunshine. Think sand, waves, a fringe of palm trees and a beach road jammed with cars, motorbikes, scooters, minivans and even horse-drawn carts. Think shopping. It's dense here. Thousands of people on the long, long, broad beach, jade-green waves curling up and breaking a little offshore. On a reef further out more waves break, curling over in a white line with spray coming off, looking like running white horses, tails flying in the air.

I reached my hotel at 02h30 only to tell me I didn't have a reservation. WRONG! I'd phoned ahead and the woman who answered said she'd hold a room. Well, she wasn't there to argue on my behalf and the night clerk seemed to think it was my fault I

All in a row

Kuta Beach has plenty of scooters parked out front.

didn't have a piece of paper confirming the reservation. Full, he told me. At two-thirty in the morning that's not an answer I'm willing to hear. We need to find a solution to this problem, I answered. Full, he told me again. If you were in my shoes, I said, what would you do? It turned out there was a room, it just wasn't ready. He sent someone to clean in and 10 minutes later there was no longer a problem. No point in getting angry. Give them the power to solve your problem for you.

The Big D-huna.
This is where I learned how to surf, with Big Kahuna Surf School. A group of 10 or so, we watched a brief video about technique and safety, then two by two we carried a pair of surfboards across the busy road to the beach. We practised standing up on the boards, then headed for the water. The difference in stability between sand and sea was, ummmm... remarkable. My surfboard was the size of an aircraft carrier but the damn thing still managed to slip free from under my feet.

You lie on the board with an instructor behind

Scooters for surfers

I like these modified surf scooters, designed to carry surfboards on the side, like home-made ski racks for your car.

in waist-deep water, pushing and shouting Paddle! Paddle! Paddle...STAND UP! You stand up, you fall off. You try it again. Surfing, it seems, is 90 percent paddling and 10 percent surfing. No wonder surfers are so fit.

I guess a bit of experience at snowboarding helped me, however, as I was able to stand up after the third or fourth try. Still, it wasn't easy. I wanted to head for bigger waves, but the instructors wouldn't let me. They were probably right, but I was still disappointed. I wanted a longer ride, more thrills.

Kuta Beach is party beach. Bang a gong, get it on. Music pounding until late on the main and side streets, Poppies Gang 1 and Poppies Gang 2. Live music and Djs. Dope everywhere, although not done as openly as in India or Laos. But the median age must be less than 25 so this should be no surprise except to those who've led seriously sheltered lives.

Booths along Poppies 1 and 2 sell clothes, beads, sunglasses, sandals...all the usual. Ditto the beach, a mirror of Koh Samui with the fruit, bead, ice-cream and drinks sellers and the massage ladies. The only thing

Kuta Beach has...

...plenty of people...

different was the accent: they just say Hello, massage? They don't draw out the final syllable as they do in Thailand.

Don't take this as negative. It's a fun place, providing this is the fun you're looking for.

Additional photos below

Photos: 15, Displayed: 15