Kuta, Bali is Not to be Confused With Kuta, Lombok

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Unless you are a surfer seeking out the world class breakers of Bali's Ulawatu Beach, Kuta is the most popular beach strip tourist destination in Bali. That is, if you are looking for a location which provides sun, sand, and seaside beach culture, as well as a zillion shopping opportunities from low to very high end, and a full range of spas, restaurants, and bars, all congested together in a strip of land that borders the ocean for more than a few kilometres. Every inch of land space in Kuta, Bali, is developed, and its beaches are similarly covered three umbrellas deep as far as the eye can see. If I could take you back, just for a moment, to recall the family of goats and herd of water buffalo that passed by "my office" at my beachside hotel restaurant every morning in Kuta, Lombok, you will understand why I think of Kuta, Bali as its polar opposite.

Because we felt that not visiting Kuta when in Bali was a little like not visiting the Eiffel Tower when in Paris, last year we hired a taxi to take us through the famous area of Kuta. However, after spending a half hour crawling down the main strip in the twenty four / seven traffic jam, we decided we had seen enough restaurants and exclusive shopping boutiques and left the scene. So this year we decided to give it another shot, and we actually rented a hotel in Kuta - although not one right on the strip - and made a point of getting to its famous beach. We had also planned to get our Tourist Visas extended while in Kuta, a process we naively thought would take us one day, and ended up taking six, but that is another story, one which ended happily because of the assistance we were provided by the excellent staff at our hotel, The Kana Kuta. If you are interested, you can check out my full review for the hotel on Trip Advisor.

Kuta Beach is Bali's answer, I would say, to maybe Hawaii's Oahu, or Australia's Sunshine Coast, or India's Goa, or any number of world famous beach resort areas. Although our preference is decidedly for more isolated, natural beaches, we did enjoy some moments of Kuta beach culture. One fun experience we had while en route to the beach involved each of us getting pleasantly dragged into a beauty salon by no less than four happy, smiling, very smooth Balinese women whose job it was not only to work as beauty specialists in their spa salon, but also to actively solicit potential customers passing by. So we got hooked and reeled in for the full nine yards: a hair colour for me, hair cuts for both of us, a beard trim for Stan the Man, and a one hour long foot massage for each of us. For the full two hours we were there, we were the only customers in the shop - it was early in the day, maybe before the real busy time - and we got the full attention of a staff of six or more. Plus, we ended up listening to all the soundtracks from THE WOMAN IN BLACK, and sharing more than a few stories. When the time came us to leave, we were exchanging group hugs, taking pictures, and feeling, once more, like we were leaving friends - which exemplifies, once again, why we keep coming back to Asia.

Another experience stands out as well, this time after we reached our beach destination, when we were invited to stop for a beer at one of the many beach side "beer cooler" restaurants. This is not an exaggeration. Some local entrepreneur sets up a cooler of beer and other alcohol options, a couple of large umbrellas, and a bunch of plastic stacking chairs, and presto! It's an afternoon party gathering on the beach, where anyone can drop in. We were enticed to join a group of about fifteen people - some tourists, some locals - who were singing along with one guy playing a guitar. The energy was good, so we joined in as the guitar made its way around the circle for sharing. After playing a couple of songs, singing along to a few more, and downing a couple of Bintangs, we packed up that delightful memory and left the beach area, making our way through the winding, busy side streets, sharing the space with countless pedestrians, countless more scooters, and the odd determined taxi navigating its way through streets about a foot wider than the vehicle itself.

Busy, crazy, noisy, and filled with a diverse population of tourists of all ages, some of whom had obviously been coming here for decades, Kuta Bali in many ways reminded me of Bangkok, Thailand. Some people love Bangkok, as we do, but others do not, and I venture to say that Kuta, Bali has its share of similar contrasting sentiments. Kuta Bali may not be a written-in-stone return destination point for us, but we can appreciate how it could be for others, and we left with some good memories. What more can one ask for?

Now we make our way to Ubud, the cultural heart and soul of Bali, and our final destination on this year's Dreamchaser's Adventure.

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Photos

Umbrellas for Rent
If you are okay with the crowds, then there is no shortage of beachside services at your disposal on Kuta Beach: umbrellas, beach chairs, beverages, food, and shopping opportunities will all be made available to you. The sun, waves, and sand were good too.

It Goes on Forever
Like I said, umbrellas and beach as far as the eye can see.

Beachside Lounging
If you were not interested in hanging out under your own umbrella, this was another option. You could find yourself a place under some tree shade almost anywhere along he beach, where you would soon be offered your choice of beverage and a chair.

Beachside Musical Interlude
It is difficult, if not impossible, to feel like a stranger here, because everyone greets you and makes you feel like they've been waiting for your arrival. This scene was no exception. We were merely trolling by, slowing down to listen to the music, when chairs and beer were offered. Of course, you could say it is all smooth business practice, but we could have also sat there for two hours with one beer and no one would have given us the feeling that we had overstayed our welcome. We have yet to experience that feeling anywhere we have travelled in Asia.

Our Friends at Nilakandy's Salon
Like so many of our travel experiences, we may never get here again, and even if we did, it would likely never be the same, but our experience at Nilakandy's Salon was priceless and perfectly delightful, and will be cherished for a long time.