The crowds in south Bali have noticeably declined since we were last staying in Legian several weeks ago. And it's the difference between footpaths so crowded it was easier to walk on the road and barely spotting another person on the same street at the right time of day. It's tough on those Balinese who rely on tourism for a living, but not unexpected - it's the normal ebb and flow of tourism here which generally follows the Australian school holidays and European summer. The best surprise of our return was that the apartment block is quiet... I'm saying NOTHING about the joy a lack of bogans brings. All I'll say is aaaahhhhhh...
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The tourists are catered to by the incredible selection of places to stay and things to do in Bali organised by enterprising Balinese and foreign investment. However, official tourism really is utterly hopeless in Indonesia.
The Kuta Karnival was held this weekend. I'd never heard of the Kuta Karnival before, but apparently it was established after the 2002 bombings as a memorial and a celebration of Kuta and is now in it's 9th year.
I was somewhat agitated to find out all the details because apparently the opening ceremony included the release of turtle hatchlings into the sea!! I could not imagine sitting by idly while somewhere nearby baby turtles are being released on mass into the water, so I scoured the interweb for details. The official site in English (kutakarnival.com) is still showing the publicity for the 2009 event. The site in Indonesian (kutakarnival.net) is showing the program for 2010 - argh!!!
I even went down to the main tents on the beach on Friday afternoon where all the local businesses have set up stalls including a mini (and rather late) Oktoberfest, but no luck. Not a program in sight. Not even one brochure. Unbelievable in a town where the women who braid hair on the beach have their own promotional flyers!!!
I eventually tracked down a possible starting time of 3pm on Friday and was resolutely determined to make it on time. But on Friday, I was also determined to go to the gym - which I did manage, for two hours - and then could not move any of my limbs. Freaking ouch. it felt like I had been hit with a bat. That's what you get for dogged gym avoidance for six months.
And on Saturday, Phil and I got distracted by the search for Mexican food which ended in amazing veggie burritos, but also took all day! I think the ultimate luxury of travel is the ability to take all day doing something trivial and/or pointless... But I digress.
So today was the last chance to visit the carnival. I was a bit skeptical - we had already missed the turtles and I was a little concerned that the carnival might be a concentration of Kuta, which can be some of the worst of Bali - loud, rude tourists interested mostly in boozing, and spending no cash, in that order. A bit like someone telling you that the whole population of Crown casino was going to be hanging out in, say, St Kilda - and then deliberately going there...
But it was the complete opposite. Instead of being populated mostly by tourists like us, most of the festival-goers were locals. And not just Indonesians, they were hipster Indonesians. Yes, skinny jean wearing, geek-chic spectacled, SLR carrying, tattoos from head to foot (including the girls) hipsters. There should seriously be some kind of award for a man who is so dedicated to fashion that he willing to wear jeans tight enough to sever circulation in the calves in 36 degree temperature.
The carnival itself was spread over a section of beach. There was a large stage for local bands and a stalls on the beach run by local restaurants and shops, as well a better-late-than-never Oktoberfest tent. A bit like a mini-melbourne show, minus the animals. We sat in the Oktoberfest beer tent for a couple of hours to watch the sunset and also the local hipster kids hanging out, laughing, joking with each other and drinking a few beers. It was a gorgeous way to spend a few hours on a Sunday, especially with some fireworks at the end.
I feel like we get the briefest glimpses into people's "real" personal lives here, beyond transactional interactions, like shopping, or taking a taxi. Walking through a village does give you a sense of how people spend their time at home, but it can feel a bit intrusive. So I absolutely love it when you unexpectedly catch people living their ordinary lives. Its a joy to watch the unguarded moments of someone's day when I momentarily become invisible, white noise in the background.
Earlier this week, while walking along the beach, there was what looked like surf lifesaver tryouts were being held. I cannot believe I didn't have a camera with me to capture dozens of super fit, super tanned Indonesian guys in speedos racing up and down the beach and performing coordinated calisthenics - think squats and lunges with some flailing arm movements. I haven't seen so many men in speedos since the Box Hill pool in 1986!!!
Afterwards, I got to the Kuta mall as it opened to pick up some new pink (fake) aviator raybans (yes, they are as awesome as they sound) to see the entire staff of the department store, Centro, starting their day by performing a mass choreographed dance!! Music is played over a PA system and a manager talks between songs to provide some inspirational messages too. The staff looked about as enthusiastic as kids on a school camp forced to sing the school song, but it was a highly entertaining spectacle to see the aisles of the store over three floors filled with people moving and whooping in unison. I did wonder if the Myer staff would be a bit more friendly and helpful if they started their work days with a good ass shaking... I'm guessing we'll never know.
We will be in Legian for another week and then heading to Kuala Lumpur. We have to leave Indonesia to get a new visa as our initial 60 day visa will expire. The plan had been to spend 3 days in KL, but our apartment block is fully booked out by guests for the 4 days after we were scheduled to return, so we might stay in KL for a week. It has been more than four years since we spent more than a couple of days in KL, so it might be fun to see the city properly - after all, it takes at least three days to cover the main shopping malls alone!
So this week should be pretty chilled out before more traveling adventures...
- Posted using methanol from rice wine (too soon??)
Location:Jalan Kunti,Kuta,Indonesia
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