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Kuta -- Bali's
international village where everything goes
Features - September
16, 2001
KUTA, Bali (JP): "Are
you looking for a gigolo?" a young, dark-skinned, bare-chested
Indonesian man said to me in English as I walked along Jl. Legian
in Kuta with a friend.
He had the wrong quarry, failing to recognize I was an Indonesian
who merely wanted to stroll along the shop-lined streets of Kuta,
the center of Bali's tourist industry.
His approach was crude and his question vulgar, but it probably
worked for him often enough. I continued window-shopping. Another
few meters up an Indonesian man asked me, again in English, whether
I needed a room to rent, while across the street I saw an Indonesian
pushing his services as a driver and tour guide on a passing
tourist.
Having been bombarded with these silly offers, I turned to
my Balinese friend, Wayan, and asked her: "What is wrong
with Kuta?"
To which she simply responded: "Anything you want is
available here."
Maybe she's right. Tourists from all over the world fly to
this small area in the southern part of Bali, and they are in
the market for everything one could possibly imagine: tour guides,
food and, last but not least, sex.
The tour operators say "Go south!" to those seeking
nightlife in Bali. And Kuta is the right place to stop if you
want to shop, party and surf. Its hustle and bustle appeals to
younger tourists, with children and older people also joining
in.
Kuta is like a brand, an international location with tourists
speaking Japanese, Danish, Portuguese and many other languages.
As far as I am concerned, it is the least Balinese part of Bali.
Things have changed since the early 1970s, when tourists were
concentrated on the two Poppies lanes. Now the tourists, as well
as the hotels, restaurants, cafes, shops and tour agents that
cater to them, are spread from Kuta in the south to Seminyak
in the north. Because the borders of these different areas are
not clear to ordinary visitors, people generally call this whole
stretch Kuta.
Shopping
Most upmarket shops and designer outlets are concentrated
in Kuta Square, a shopping arcade and hangout for freelance tour
guides and local youths. Kuta, especially Jl. Legian, undeniably
has a lot to offer in the way of shopping.
From lavish, upscale boutiques to kiosks selling counterfeit
watches, Kuta has it all. And all the shops are competing to
attract tourist dollars, with flashy signs and layouts.
"Balinese do not shop at these kiosks," said Wayan.
And indeed, most of the shoppers are tourists and the prices
are adjusted accordingly. Some shops quote prices in rupiah and
others in US dollars. Balinese woven cloth that can be bought
for Rp 20,000 at Kumbasari market in Denpasar is sold for Rp
45,000 here.
"It is because we have to pay expensive shop rental prices,"
said Joko, a Javanese souvenir store owner on Jl. Legian.
High rental costs or not, there is almost no empty shop space
along the busy street. Other corners of the Kuta area are similarly
packed with shops and kiosks, but despite the already massive
number of stores already in existence, more are under construction.
Most of the stores stay open until 9 p.m., selling different
items from across Indonesia, from designer dresses to antique
chairs.
Beach
Over the last few years, specialized shops selling clothes
and gear for surfing, diving and other water sports have mushroomed
in Kuta. And no wonder, since more and more tourists are coming
to Kuta for its beach. In fact, most visitors seem to think a
trip to Bali without a visit to Kuta Beach would be incomplete.
A lot of surfers, particularly the beginners, are lured by
the moderate waves of this white sandy beach. In addition, Kuta
Beach is the most easily accessed beach for the public.
On weekends, it becomes a meeting point for both local and
foreign tourists, for swimming, sunbathing, playing beach volleyball
and surfing. It is also a money-making spot for masseurs, hawkers
of various products and people renting surfboards.
In terms of sheer numbers of beachgoers, Kuta Beach is not
as crowded as Mallorca Beach on the Mediterranean, but during
the high season this two-kilometer stretch of sand is covered
with tourists enjoying the tropical sun.
And driving in Kuta is neither nice or pleasant. One-way streets,
the vast number of vehicles on the roads and a lack of parking
lots lead to horrific traffic congestion on roads heading to
Kuta Beach, Jl. Legian and Jl. Raya Kuta, and not only during
rush hour.
Dining
For gourmands, Kuta can be a true delight. There are a number
of attractive and romantic restaurants serving international
and Indonesian cuisine. There are restaurants specializing in
Greek, Mexican, Japanese and Lebanese cuisine, not to mention
the ubiquitous fast-food chains like McDonald's and Kentucky
Fried Chicken.
However, getting seats at some of the more popular restaurants
can take a little effort, and some restaurants recommend reservations
be made. My friends and I were stuck in the doorway of Poppies
Restaurants one weekend and had to eat somewhere else. At Warung
Made in Seminyak we had to wait for several minutes before we
could get a table, while in the Hard Rock Cafe we could only
get a table inside on the second floor.
Poppies
The two Poppies lanes were small and dirty alleyways in the
1970s that were favored by backpackers. Now they are called Jl.
Poppies 1 and Jl. Poppies 2. They connect Jl. Legian in the east
to Jl. Pantai Kuta in the west.
These narrow lanes have since been asphalted and remain very
popular with backpackers and budget travelers. "I want to
go to Poppies 1," said Henna, a Finnish girl who stopped
me to ask for directions. She wanted somewhere cheap to stay
for transit only and her guidebook told her Poppies was the place
to find such accommodation.
The Poppies lanes have everything a budget traveler needs:
backpacker hotels, tour agents, surfboard rentals, motorcycle
rentals, reasonably cheap restaurants, money changers, etc.
The backpackers and budget travelers in the Poppies have created
their own little community, a kampung turis (tourist kampung).
As in other kampungs, social tensions occasionally occur and
one long-time Bali resident told me: "The crime rate is
serious there." No wonder, the constant flow of visitors
coming and going naturally brings unexpected consequences.
"I don't like Kuta! It's no different from Blok M (shopping
center in Jakarta). It is so crowded and not as friendly as I
thought. I am looking for a true Balinese place in Bali,"
exclaimed Iwan, a young Jakartan who was visiting Kuta for the
first time.
The Balinese face may indeed be fading in Kuta, but it has
not disappeared. You still see canang (small, everyday
offerings placed at the entrance of shops). When there is a temple
festival, the Balinese who live behind the lines of shops appear
in their traditional clothes, carrying their offerings on their
heads. They congregate in the temples to perform their rituals,
while on the other end of the road techno music blasts from the
clubs. |