Bali, haven for art collectors, souvenir hunters

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

For souvenir hunters, the island of Bali may probably the largest jungle in the archipelago. As Indonesia's prime tourist destination, artists and handicraft producers from the neighboring islands of Java and Lombok, and even from as far away as Papua, have flooded the island's souvenir and handicraft market with their unique products.

As a result, the island has the largest array of souvenirs available in almost every sizes, colors and forms from every corner of the country. Bali becomes the miniature of Indonesia.

People could easily find any art works or collected items from around Indonesia in Bali. Visitors may find rows of magnificent statues of Buddha, created by the skilled hand of Central Java sculptors, mingled with locally made statues of Hindu gods in the art villages of Batubulan and Batuan in Gianyar.

It is also a common spectacle that a small souvenir shop in Legian area has on its display a fine selection of traditional fabrics from Bali, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara , East Nusa Tenggara as well as North Sumatra.

Hundreds of souvenir shops nestle on both sides of the strip of some five kilometer-long narrow street that runs through Kerobokan, Seminyak, Legian and ended at Bemo Corner in the famous Kuta area, definitely the longest shopping arcade on the island.

These shops offer virtually almost everything, traditional or modern. From a hair pin made of coconut shell, earthenware jug, low-priced leather bag to expensive fashionable evening gowns. A stroll along this road will give any visitor a glimpse of the immense treasure of artworks this island has in store.

The small road that passes in front of Kerobokan prison, where the bombing's mastermind Imam Samudra and the "smiling bomber" Amrozi are waiting for firing squads to end their lives, is home to some of the island's finest antique and furniture shops.

Visitors, who want to spend a huge sums of money for heavy stuff-such as a full-size ancient Toraja (an ethnic group from South Sulawesi) traditional house-should pay this area a visit.

Kuta and its vicinity are the perfect shopping place for visitors, who either don't want to or can't afford to spend any extra hour to drive to Denpasar's Kumbasari and Gianyar's Sukawati Art Markets.

Those visitors, who are ready to spend that extra hour, will be aptly rewarded in Kumbasari and Sukawati. The price is much cheaper than what the Kuta's shops offers, and it will be shockingly cheaper if the visitor manages to take with him a Balinese friend, who is fluent in high Balinese language, to do his bargain.

Moreover, the visitors will have a chance to experience the atmosphere of the "real" Balinese markets.

The tough visitors, who could reach the Sukawati Art Market before 06.00 am, will find out that some 50 meters due west from the market main building, a morning art market offers interesting artworks for a staggeringly cheap price.

The socially and environmentally-conscious souvenir hunters should not miss a chance to visit three distinct shops; the Mitra Bali, Ecosafe and Bogbog.

Managed by the Mitra Bali Foundation, a member of IFAT (International Federation for Alternative Trade), a non-profit organization that act as a market and export facilitator for around 1,000 small handicraft producers, the shop showcased a large variety of ceramic, metal, wood, silver and bamboo.

By providing those small-scale producers with access to the international markets, technical and design assistance, Mitra Bali Foundation has helped them to survive the asymmetrical competition against their large, well-established and commission- paying competitors.

The Ecosafe shop (Jalan Raya Bypass Sanur No 197, phone : 62- 361-289070) features various wooden artworks made of certified timbers that are processed with ecologically-friendly methods. In cooperation with the WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) Wallacea Bioregion, Ecosafe has established a program to train former turtle poachers in the skills of carving and handicraft making. It also provides technical and marketing assistance to the training participants.

"We are trying to provide them with an alternative source of income," Ecosafe's project officer Wasistini Baitoningsih maintained.

With hundreds of fishermen in the island's southern coastal village of Tanjung Benoa are still involving in illegal turtle poaching and trading, Ecosafe's initiative will play a critical role in preserving the endangered turtles.

Meanwhile, Bogbog Studio (Jalan Kedondong Gg I/3 Denpasar, phone: 62-361-235240) offers a unique memento of the island's only English-speaking cartoon magazine featuring the works of Bali's most celebrated cartoonists. The Bogbog Magazine has been known for its cunning ability in tackling the island's numerous social and cultural issues in a sharp yet hilarious way. Various Bogbog merchandises are also available in studio along with the opportunity to chat with those witty cartoonists.

No matter what their favorite souvenirs are, no visitor should leave Bali without packing that popular white tee shirt with the catchy slogan "Osama Doesn's Surf," a humorous testimony that the terrorist attack has failed to break the Balinese people's spirit.