I have no doubt in my mind that Bali is where I want to be right now at this moment in time. I love its culture, colourfulness, charm, character and simplicity. However the realisation hits me from time to time that I am indeed living in a third world country despite the show and tell of the western world influences of fancy hotels, restaurants and shops geared up for tourists. I have done ALOT of walking since arriving here, often for hours at a time getting lost amongst many Jalans and Gangs whilst trying to get a sense of how people actually live, contrary to whats on the face of things and what people are drawn here by in the holiday brochures or websites. We take so much for granted in the western world, simple things like turning on the tap and being able to have a glass of water is a luxury that I miss very much. We moan ( in the UK) about the council and the fact that our bins are emptied every two weeks, whilst here any bit of land or stream that can be used as a dumping ground is. I find it sad to see that despite the amount of tourists that visit Bali each year and the constant building of new hotels, villas and restaurants to cater for them, the fundamental matters are still a challenge. I miss driving a car, the ease of getting from A to B....but I am not yet brave enough to travel on a moped through the streets of Seminyak where I live. The chaos of traffic that line the streets at times is laughable, the buzz of the engines, the smog, seeing parents with children and babies all on one bike with no helmets always amuses me and somewhat freaks me out. But hey Its the norm, the way of life and it seems to work ok. Whilst Im writing this, I have obtained two new mosquito bites, which I am delighted about, one on my face and one on my neck (they itch like crazy) it seems that regardless of my efforts at repelling them they are just massively attracted to me and there is nothing I can do about it. I have posted several positive things about Bali over the last couple of months and some lovely photos which reflect its beauty but I feel its important to also share some of the realities of life here and its contrasts. WHY you may ask would I want to do that, I guess to show that there are shitty bits and issues that need addressing wherever you are in the world.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 09:43:03 +0000
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