Kuta -- Bali's international village where everything goes
Kuta -- Bali's international village where everything goes
Text and photos by Wahyuni Kamah
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.