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Published: December 20th 2006
Okay. Here it is as blunt as I can be. This country needs help. This Island needs a change. Bali needs to discover a few things; 1. recycling- there is garbage everywhere. You travel on a Bemo with the locals, they open a package of food and very kindly they offer you some. "No thanks" you say with a smile. They eat their ridiculously overpackaged in plastic, single serving conveinience (for which you guiltily feel part responsible, even if you avoid it heavily yourself) and promptly begins to throw garbage out the window. And the thing is, nobody but me flinches. this island is a garbage can. From my first walk on a litter riddled walk, it has only gotten worse. I want to weep for the beauty this place could hold, if they held it in the same regard as I. 2. Vehicle Emisions. I thank Canada every day I'm here for it's strict automobile standards. I would say that fully %60 of cars and scooters( they think they're motorcycles) are unfit to be on the road. Unbeleivable amounts of putrid exhaust emminate the air wherever you travel. 3. Organization. Some kind of ACTUAL public transportation would save many a tourist many a headache. You can only travel around thi Island with private transport in the form of some shady looking guy on the side of the street saying "you want transport?" for which you are supposed to negotiate. The problem is , they see you as a meal ticket. Quite possibly the only money they will have had in a week or for a week to come. So they bargain from a ridiculously high starting point. When I can travel in Canada, which by the way is quite a bit larger than Bali, with far fewer people, for less than I can in Bali...something is wrong. 4. Tourists. Because this place used to have so many, and so much of the infrastucture is geared to tourism, and because the tourists are here in such small numbers now...what happens is this; you are now an individual replacing 10. Now 10 people need you to buy things from them to support their family. Somewhere along the way they have almost all learned, (inaccurately I might add) that pressure sales techniques actually work on people. So you withdraw. You plug in your earphones and crank your music just to not hear the constant drone of "you want transport? yes boss...you need taxi?"
Unfortunately, because of the bombing here, Balinese people believe that people were scared away and will slowly rebuild their previous numbers. What is happening now is that the few people who do venture into Bali with the (I believe very accurate) notion that 'It's no more unsafe than anyplace else...we are all capable of being the next victim', end up leaving with such a bad taste from the grbage, pollution and the endless pestering of 'hawkers' that they tell people to avoid Bali. Am I telling you to avoid Bali? Sadly...Yes.
That being said, I forge ahead. I had a great day yesterday snorkelling the reef at the national park on the island of (i'm drawing a blank) which seems to be one thing they've done right. I stay close to my hotel with the staff there who are all very nice, although even they want you to buy a snorkel trip or a fishing trip or a hot spring trip. (pardon?...you see the sweat pouring off of me and you want me to go to a HOT SPRING?) The German couple (Frank and Kristina) at my hotel, have met a german friend who is going to take us to a waterfall tomorrow which is NOT the touristy waterfall spot. A two hour hike will bring us to a quiet secluded ACTUAL BALI location for the day. On the 23rd I will take a bus to AMED where I will find a small town called "Good Karma" which is quiet and lacking in the 'touts' (hawkers). There I will find a good dive center and do some diving.
By the way, I turned 40 today. Happy Birthday to my younger brother Bruce, who will turn 40 tomorrow. Until we turn 41, I will now be the 'older twin'. I will not relenquish my hard earned right until Dec 20 2007. 😉
Until later, Take care all back in canada, Habs Rule! Love Ryan.
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martin
non-member comment
asia...
Welcome to Asia Hoags, except for singapore and parts of Malayaia, I'd have to say my experience in Asia has been as filthy as yours, espeically India. It makes you appreciate Cananda for sure. Happy Birthday!!!!