Elderly tourists make the most of Bali's offerings

Elderly tourists make the most of Bali's offerings

Marian Carroll, Contributor, Denpasar, Bali

With a walking stick in hand, Elve Tickell steadies herself as
she makes her way down the uneven steps to join the small group
gathered at the beach bar to watch the sun go down over Bali.

It has been a long day of sight-seeing and Mrs Tickell -- or
Elvie as she prefers to be called -- gratefully accepts a glass
of cool white wine and settles onto one of the small plastic
stools encircling the bar, which is little more than an esker on
the sand.

The bar's other guests cannot hide their admiration.

At 88 years of age, Elvie, from Melbourne, is a far cry from
Bali's surfing and backpacking crowd, but she still enjoys an
adventure, and was unaffected by the panic gripping the global
travel industry in the wake of terrorist attacks, war and Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

As younger tourists demur over whether it is safe to fly,
Bali's elderly tourists do not give it a second thought.

"People couldn't believe I was going to Bali on my own," says
Elvie, who was widowed four years ago and has not been overseas
since 1970.

"But blast them, I'm a fatalist and I believe if something's
going to happen, you can't stop it," she says with spirit.

While getting to the beach, the local cafe or the shops is an
enormous effort usually calling for an afternoon nap, Elvie does
not see her age as a handicap. Instead, she sees it as another
incentive to make the most of every day.

"I'm past my 'Use by' date, so every day's a bonus. It doesn't
matter what I do, either way, I'm in front," she says.

Nancy Whyte of Auckland shares Elvie's passion for life and
has been traveling to Bali every year since 1995 to visit her
daughter and son-in-law.

"I have no desire to live to be 100," the 86-year-old says.
"While I'm of sound mind and still enjoy traveling, I want to go
on living. But once that ends, I'll be happy to go."

Nancy never contemplated observing the government travel
warnings issued after last October's bombings, nor did she take
part in the mass panic over SARS that has delayed the recovery of
Bali's tourism-driven economy.

"You've got to go on living your life," she says. "You could
go out on the street and get hit by a bus, and all you've done is
worry about planes."

Getting on a plane holds different challenges for Bali's
elderly tourists, some of whom come from as far afield as Europe.

Marge, 88, and her 76-year-old traveling companion have been
coming to Bali from the United Kingdom for the past 21 years, and
say they are not worried about any perceived safety threats.

"We love it here," Marge says, "and we will keep coming back."

For these senior citizens, a trip to Bali means fantastic
views of pristine coastlines and lush rice paddies, the fragrance
of frangipanis, five-star restaurants at three-star prices, tasty
nasi campur (rice served with an array of side dishes) at the
local warung, or cafe, shopping for the grandchildren, and
enjoying the friendly hospitality for which the Balinese are
famous.

But it also means sitting out a long plane trip and being the
last one off so as not to hold up the other passengers, adjusting
to the intense humidity, remembering not to drink the tap water,
encountering the odd bout of diarrhea, and practically risking
their lives every time they take on a set of uneven steps or a
patch of broken footpath exposing a one-metre drop into a
drainage canal.

If they want travel insurance, they need to get a doctor's
certificate stating that they are fit and well despite their age.
Their doctor also needs to provide documentation to ensure that
customs clears the pharmacy's stockpile of drugs and other
medical supplies crammed into their suitcases.

Once here, they usually request a wheelchair to get around the
airport and take taxis everywhere.

Choosing accommodation is a matter of finding a place with
ground-floor or lift access, a stand-alone shower and easy access
to the main street. This rules out many of Bali's most beautiful
resorts, which are set upon acres of land and not made with
walking sticks in mind.

It sounds exhausting -- and it is. But the trip is worth the
effort and they make sure they get plenty of rest in between
outings.

"Bali is recognized as a holiday destination for young people
and families, but I think there's just as much here for the
elderly," says Elvie, who has included a Balinese cooking course,
art gallery tour and shopping on her 11-day itinerary covering
Ubud, Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta and Jimbaran.

If what she says is true, Bali's street vendors may soon add
walking sticks to their shop windows, alongside the ubiquitous
kites, sarongs and jewelry.