I love Bali
udo wrote:
https://thewest.com.au/news/crime/horror-bali-shooting-leaves-one-aussi…
Geez Morning of the Earth..... :(
My first trip in '86 was a deal like that, 30 days at Loji Gardens in Legian, return air fares, transfer and a motor bike for $1000. Amazing...... pretty much just surfed at Padma St perfect banks there then, couple of trips to Ulus and one to Canggu through the jungle and rice paddies.
@jezza64 , those were the days, endless v banks up & down kuta legian stretch. You probably went past hotel K on your way to the gu . 
Supafreak wrote:
@jezza64 , those were the days, endless v banks up & down kuta legian stretch. You probably went past hotel K on your way to the gu .
I don't recall seeing that, but do remember we got pulled over by the polisi and had to all chip in to pay the bemo drivers "fine", apparently he was only licenced to take locals......
Very spectacular footage . Going to disrupt a lot of people’s plans.
apocalyptic.. fark, that last bit of footage 'amatau!' is sobering..
hope it won't interfere with Adub's ornithological exploits..
sypkan wrote:
times up for bingin?
I'd normally defend the warungs, but there's now so many ugly euro concrete boxes, with all that comes with it, I say good...
until we see what replaces them?
balangan on the radar
https://thebalisun.com/bali-moves-to-demolish-more-than-40-illegal-tour…
In some ways I'm on board with this if it wasn't so likely they will then turn around and sell to highest bidder. End result one huge high end uglier shit box replaces 40 small cheaper shit boxes that at least have some charm and locals in the mix.
basesix wrote:
apocalyptic.. fark, that last bit of footage 'amatau!' is sobering..
hope it won't interfere with Adub's ornithological exploits..
He should be ok getting into Bali with Batik air , but his internal flights may be disrupted, hopefully not as he has been planning and looking forward for so long .
The seawall is ok, got 4 diggers in there bashing rocks around. Not so good for Kuta "beach" not much sand from lifeguard tower up past poppies 2. Bali, loved to death??
A monorail at height would be easier but possibly issues with temples may come into play .There is certainly many different ideas floating around, so much money coming in from around the globe .
can they think up many more ways to fuk up paradise .......endless
Supafreak how do you think something like that proposed development in Lombok would work out in the long run?
Being Muslim and not Hindu like Bali I’m guessing it’s not going to have the same vibe as Bali?
Supafreak wrote:
Money pouring in , not just Bali . https://www.instagram.com/p/DLcizPiyEE_/?igsh=MWEzejYyY3dkbDRqeg==
This is one of the developers: https://techbullion.com/jamie-mcintyre-empowering-australians-through-b…
The speil says it all for me, whenever I hear phrases like empowering, visionary, guiding light it normally means somebody's about to be shafted and it's not him unless the Sarsak's do some black magic
seaslug wrote:
The speil says it all for me, whenever I hear phrases like empowering, visionary, guiding light it normally means somebody's about to be shafted and it's not him unless the Sarsak's do some black magic
The old "Rat with a gold tooth", comes to mind.
He apparently has 12 businesses that gross $60 million per year. That's along way from the kind of capital needed to build something like this.
Moonah wrote:
Supafreak how do you think something like that proposed development in Lombok would work out in the long run?
Being Muslim and not Hindu like Bali I’m guessing it’s not going to have the same vibe as Bali?
I understand where you’re coming from. I haven’t really explored Lombok besides desert point in the late 80s and a few trips around 2010. People I know that have lived there for 20 + years love it . A mate no longer bothers with DP as it’s simply too crowded but there’s other options if you care to look . It’s like a lot of places in indo at the moment where the acceleration of development is worrying. Sumba has an interesting culture and the government has spent up big on infrastructure as far as roads go. You would hope that these new developments learn from the mistakes of infrastructure in southern Bali . You have to be very brave to invest in indo , the big players use other people’s money or like the Saudi king , have money to burn .
Here we go again . Nothing better than a long flight followed by a long bus ride / train ride / helicopter. North Bali’s black sand beaches don’t really attract the crowds. With not many large resorts ( yet ) will most be willing to fly in then travel south ? I thought they might have built it at Canggu .
Supafreak wrote:
Here we go again . Nothing better than a long flight followed by a long bus ride / train ride / helicopter. North Bali’s black sand beaches don’t really attract the crowds. With not many large resorts ( yet ) will most be willing to fly in then travel south ? I thought they might have built it at Canggu . https://www.instagram.com/p/DLee80CSQ-r/?igsh=dmljMW5yeWtjcTlk
Believe it when I see it!
Spent a fair bit of time on North Coast.
Pre sept 11 and aftrr, Lovina was a bustling little back pack centre with many usingit as their first stop in bali after coming over land from Java.
Never really bounced back after September 11, then bali bomb and when indo changed visa from 60 days on arrival. 30 days not long enough to do Java and bali properly so killed that market.
Black sand beaches but some great diving / snorkelling in area. Beautiful villages , water falls near by such as Munduk, Sekumpul. Good for influencer crew . Pft.
If you didn't surf it definitely has some great aspects, but if it gets busy and over developed, then those attractions are lost.
Saying that have not been up that way since 2012...
Went up there a couple of years ago and loved it for the fact it was quiet. If it blows up wouldn’t go back.
It'd be nice if they got on with it. It would definitely split the load at Negara Rai and the crowds in the south of Bali. Not every tourist wants to surf.
Look mum no hands . There would have been some freaked out passengers on that landing .
Hard to believe only 4 found alive so far . There’s a lot of boats in this area at any given time . 2 meter swell that day.
Moonah wrote:
How many can swim though? Probably not many.
I doubt any can swim but a vessel that size would have life jackets . Mandatory now .
Ah gotcha. But none wearing them? They’d all be alive wouldn’t they if they were?
I’ve got the ferry across there a few times and like you say it’s such a busy passage of water it seems crazy there hasn’t been more people found.
I remember making sure to get out of the van down below and stay up on the deck during each crossing in case something like this happens. Very sad.
Trying to spot people overboard is extremely extremely difficult from a vessel without visual markers and at night is neigh impossible unless you run into them on a search vessel especially in seas with swell and current. Mandatory....most probably locked up to prevent theft SF. Fucking tragic again, Indonesian Maritime Industry...
seaslug wrote:
Wow SF, that's how you killed, he's got off lightly.
I'm not sure he did actually
as the story becomes clearer, seems old mate first smashing the car with his helmet ran up the back of them
in the normal world, that's his fault
but it's bali... and if there's a dollar to be extorted out of bule... well...
obviously they should have stopped, but seems they were shitting themselves
and then a classic case of...
'that escalated quickly'
Hey guys. Some advice, please.
The missus and I are off to Bali again next week, have almost two weeks on the cliffs above Impossibles.
I usually surf Impossibles when it's big, mixed with a bit of Ulus and Balangan.
Forecast looks pretty insane, and I'm not at all worried about missing out on 2-3ft busy Bingin, so I'm tempted to pack the following two boards: 6'10 and 8'6 Desert Storm. The 6'10 DS is incredible there on good to solid days, and I would love to get a few proper sessions on the 8'6.
Am I tripping?
"I would love to get a few proper sessions on the 8'6."
Sounds like a good plan to me as long as it gets on the flight.
Island Bay wrote:
Hey guys. Some advice, please.
The missus and I are off to Bali again next week, have almost two weeks on the cliffs above Impossibles.
I usually surf Impossibles when it's big, mixed with a bit of Ulus and Balangan.
Forecast looks pretty insane, and I'm not at all worried about missing out on 2-3ft busy Bingin, so I'm tempted to pack the following two boards: 6'10 and 8'6 Desert Storm. The 6'10 DS is incredible there on good to solid days, and I would love to get a few proper sessions on the 8'6.
Am I tripping?
8'6 ulu bombie or Outside corner...
Loving life.
Cheers.
Will keep an eye on charts, then make up my mind. 8'0 Keogh could be on option, too.
Keep us updated @IB.
I’m
Over there at the end of the month. Hopefully this forecast swell run keeps up.
Island Bay wrote:
Cheers.
Will keep an eye on charts, then make up my mind. 8'0 Keogh could be on option, too.
Some are saying this will be the biggest swell so far this year . Surfed with a bloke at the wreck on the last decent swell who day before was at ulus and said it was solid 8ft + and only 6 out at the bombie . I think the 8’6 would be a good choice. Looks like from Wednesday afternoon forward a couple good weeks of swell so nicely timed . Enjoy . Plenty of clips on YouTube of last few swells at Ulu’s .
sypkan wrote:
Wow SF, that's how you killed, he's got off lightly.I'm not sure he did actually
as the story becomes clearer, seems old mate first smashing the car with his helmet ran up the back of them
in the normal world, that's his fault
but it's bali... and if there's a dollar to be extorted out of bule... well...
obviously they should have stopped, but seems they were shitting themselves
and then a classic case of...
'that escalated quickly'
Yep ,that’s exactly what happened
Javanese guy trying it on.
Best not to jump the gun,lucky the rocks didn’t come out ay .
I love Bali.
You wouldn't think that such a thought could be controversial . But it is.
Many people don't love Bali, in fact they proclaim to hate it. Bemoan what it has become, it's lack of purity, it's lost innocence.
Sure, I can see their point. I can't imagine anywhere on Earth that has been transformed as radically as Bali over the last thirty years. From rice paddies and coconut groves to six story discotheques . It's totally unrecognisable in the most built up areas.
But that's not what this post is about. It's about why I LOVE Bali.
I love Bali because ...
- it's still the home of an intense cluster of world class waves. Roping lefts : Uluwatu, freight train right barrels : Sanur, backlit mega tubes : Padang Padang. Rip able reefs, fun beachies. Short , slabby pits and long mellow points. River mouths and bombies. It's got the lot.
- it's still possible to get uncrowded quality waves in 2015 when it seems as though the entire planet has discovered surfing. I was trading crystal clear , rolling right walls with only two other surfers just this morning.
- it's still freaking beautiful. Watching the mist reveal Mt Agung in that unique Bali morning light from a black sand beach as the sun comes up is still special.
- the food is amazing. Walking around town building up a hunger and knowing that at any given time you are within shouting distance of fresh, exotic and delicious meals with enough variety to make your head spin is priceless.
- the Balinese are legends. Friendly, happy and always keen for a joke. Unfailingly polite and welcoming. Healthy, spiritual and decent.
- the Balinese surfers rip their waves and they still own them. A visiting Brazilian would not think twice to drop in on an Aussie local at Kirra. But you won't see the same in Bali. The Balinese surfers are treated with the respect they deserve. Because as everyone knows, if they are not treated with respect there is consequences.
- the water is so warm it's like swimming in silken angels tears.
- telling people that you are going to Bali will often elicit a response along the lines of ......"why would you go to that traffic ridden, noisy shithole ?" And then as you're kicking back with a Bintang watching the sunset over Uluwatu you can imagine them sitting at lights in their car on their way home from work in Perth. Which , for those that have never been , is a noisy , traffic ridden shithole. And this makes me laugh. Which is something I enjoy doing.
- The fruit is incredible.
- despite the millions of tourists, the fast food franchises and the Aussie over familiarity with the joint it's still exotic. The smell of clove cigarettes, the ogo ogos of Nyepi, the Buddhist offerings , monkeys , food and language are all enticingly foreign.
- there is no overreaching nanny state. You want to ride your motorbike with all four of your children and the missus on the back...whilst texting. Go for it.
- you can live like a king on a regular Aussie income. Maybe not such a great benefit for the Balinese themselves though.
- it's close to Oz. Twenty hour plane ride and a shot at developing deep vein thrombosis.....ummm no thanks. It's actually faster to fly to Bali from Perth than it is to drive to Albany. You can fly from Port Hedland in less than two hours.
- you get an opportunity to regularly witness some of the most foolhardy behaviour imaginable on a daily basis. You ever seen a man being doubled on a motorbike through traffic whilst holding a large pane of glass ? What about seeing someone hold a nail between his bare fingers while his mate tries to grind the tip off it ? It's all there folks.
- you can see people making do with not much and making it work. An exhaust system held on with a T Shirt ? An outboard motor attached to a boat with no anchoring system, just held on with a man's brute force ? Why not ? It might not work forever but it'll usually get em over the line.
- the winds can blow offshore for months at a time and when they blow onshore, well , that just makes it offshore somewhere else. It's an island !
- you haven't seen glassy oceanic conditions till you've seen Indonesian sheet glass. It's like an oil slick. And if you're ever near Benoa Harbour that could well be what it is.
- old people are accorded the respect they deserve.
- it's exciting. It's a melting pot of the world. Wide eyed villages from remote Asia, jaded techno princesses from Russia, sleek surfy chicks from Canada , your next door neighbour from Ipswich....it's a party and everyone is invited.
Including YOU. I'll see you there. You can't miss me.
I'll be the sun burnt drunk in a head to toe Bintang ensemble with hair braids and a fresh tattoo of a unicorn across my back . Don't be shy. Come and say hello.