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.