nomad4ever

When reading the last issue of The Bali Times, I had a few good laughs. This weekly newspaper is actually known for portraying the Bali Life from an Expat point of view.

Mainly you can read about foreigners arrested on Drug Charges (amazingly still plenty of tourists think they can get away doing drugs in Bali), or about illegal workers arrested by officials.

It features as well the latests governmental initiatives which affect the tourism industry and locals alike; as well as local and international news, horoscopes, spiritual guidances from famous Gurus, the cinema schedule or a Community Noticeboard.

This week I really have to highlight 3 stories, which would anywhere else stir up some good controversial discussion – here in Bali they are taken as one of many daily oddities:

• Kuta Walkway Project Completed – this is really something useful. While Indonesia (among most of its Asian neighbors) is not famous for giving much thought to its pedestrians, here in Bali things are looking to improve that. Over the last 4 weeks, construction works were executed to create a walkway along the beach connecting the Kuta Traditional Village Center with the Lifeguard Office at the main beach. Nice for a stroll in the afternoon or to watch those famous Kuta sunsets! What’s wrong then with the picture to the right? Look again! Do you see any pedestrians? The walkway is already taken over by motorists because it’s much easier to drive on a paved way than over sand. Saves at least a few minutes. Let’s see when the first Taxis and Pickup trucks use the new walkway to pick up customers or deliver goods to shops and vendors. “Transport, boss”? Yeah – right!

• Kite String causes Helicopter to make Emergency Landing – As you may know by now, Kiting is not only a favorite waste of time, but a cultural heritage in Bali. So much so, that you can see fallen kites hanging in the power lines every few hundred meters along the roads – and in the evenings – especially now after the rainy season – kites are a common sight in the clear skies. Everyone seems to have one and people fly it wherever they have a chance to. The whole Kite Craziness here culminates in the Kite Season, when Kite-flying and Kite-Fighting competitions are held. This time an Air Bali Helicopter was in the way and got tangled up in a net of kite strings, as it flew across Denpasar. It had to make an Emergency Landing at a Junior High School in the city. Fortunately the crew as well as the 2 American Passengers escaped uninjured, but surely with a story to tell. Over the last couple of years local authorities have asked the citizens many times to not fly their kites too high or in flight zones, like around the airport. Although violations still persist. Did you see my kite, sayang???

• New Actions against illegally parked Vehicles – This is a pretty international phenomenon. Motorists drive and park their cars in the tiniest spaces, so they just don’t have to walk too far to their final destination. On an island like Bali – parking space is usually existent in abundance, except in the touristy areas. The capital Denpasar and the regions around Kuta, Legian and Seminyak are these days clogged with cars; traffic density is increasing and finding parking space can be a bit of a problem. I’m sure New Yorkers, Londoners or Berliners can relate. You know that if you insist on parking in a ‘no parking zone’ you might get fined (via a parking ticket), wheel-clamped or – worst case – your car get towed – with associated steep costs and hassles. Not so in Bali! Since Jalan Legian, the main road connecting the tourist areas of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak was recently declared a ‘no parking zone’, the local authorities updated their rules accordingly. Vehicles found parking in the road won’t get a ticket or are towed away. They will simply have their tires deflated. “We are serious now, we will activate a team to monitor parking conditions on Jalan Legian.” said one official, “we will deflate the tires of any cars parked on the street”. That’s what I call an innovative idea. Not everyone has a compressor onboard ones car, so it will cause quite some annoyances to those parking offenders. Better park on the walkway next time!

As you can see, Bali is quite a unique place on earth. Things work different here and you are guaranteed your daily dose of laughs while staying here. Just take it all easy and follow the rules – then nothing can happen!

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written by Chris