Thu, 10 Feb 2000

Tourists sample Bali village life in Kemenuh

By Tarko Sudiarno

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): The sun rises in the East. The compound awakens early in the small village of Kemenuh near Gianyar, south of Denpasar.

Farmers go to their rice fields shortly after sunrise in order to finish their work before noon. Women prepare morning offerings -- food, fruits and flowers -- at their family shrines and ask for the protection of God, their ancestors and holy spirits.

Older children go to nearby schools, the younger ones stay at home with their mothers.

In the afternoon, villagers gather at a banjar, a traditional Balinese community, to hold various activities, including playing the gamelan, a Balinese orchestra, dancing or just gossiping about the latest news in the village.

This is the typical and simplistic life of most Balinese villages designed as unique tourist packages by Sua Bali for its distinguished clientele.

Sua Bali literally means 'Meets Bali', a tourist village concept, and is intended to provide different nuances to visitors coming to Bali.

The director of Sua Bali, Ida Ayu Agung Mas, said this tourist package stresses the balance and harmony between people and their surroundings, the philosophy of most Balinese people.

She went on to say that tourism development in Bali had frequently ignored the concepts of harmony and balance.

Visitors, she said, mostly stayed in the southern part of Bali -- in the Denpasar, Kuta and Sanur areas. They rarely get an opportunity to deeply understand the way the local people live.

What they usually get from their short visits was only a glimpse of artificial Balinese culture, said Ida Ayu.

Beautiful mountains and beaches, exotic Balinese dances and music, warm-hearted people, elaborate textiles and artistic souvenirs was what most visitors thought of Bali, she added.

In Sua Bali, guests are invited to take part in various daily chores.

"They can learn how to cook, to make batik or learn how to dance," she explained.

For visitors who want to cook Balinese food, they can practice with the assistance of villagers, instead of a professional chef.

Guests can buy various Balinese spices and cooking materials at the nearby traditional market. They can choose what kind of food they would like to have for lunch or dinner.

In a traditional-style kitchen, guests and villagers prepare the meal. After the meal is ready, they go to the spacious and airy dining room to have their lunch.

In the afternoon, visitors can swim in a nearby river and play the gamelan.

"Visitors are required to make a US$1 donation to the Kemenuh community," she said.

The donations are used to hold ritual ceremonies and social and art projects in the village.

"Local people directly benefit from tourism, while at the same time visitors also learn about the culture of the locals," she said.

Friction often occurs between the locals and visitors because of a lack of understanding and communication.

It is expected the village-based tourist concept will create a balance between the Balinese people and foreigners.