Virtual love for Bali endures

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The private and professional lives of Kadek Agoes Mulyadi and Melina Caruso is probably the epitome of an emotional bond that for decades has tied the Balinese with the Australians.

An opinionated, no-nonsense woman with a sharp wit and fantastic sense of humor, Melina is the embodiment of a western woman's independence that would scare the hell out of any traditional Balinese man.

On the other hand, despite his expertise in the modern realm of information technology, the introvert, soft-spoken and deeply spiritual Mulyadi is basically an ideal image of the traditional Balinese man.

"We are world's apart," Caruso conceded.

"Yet, all these years we have managed to live, work and raise our two wonderful kids together," she continued.

Mutual respect and tolerance for each other's cultures are the key to staying together amid so many differences, Mulyadi said. And, of course, the precursory element of love should also exist.

Their love have not only given birth to two handsome boys, Putu Andrew and Kadek Aaron, but also acted as a catalyst for the birth of Bali Paradise Online (BPO) and Bali Forum.

BPO (www.bali-paradise.com) was launched in 1996 when the Internet was still in its infancy in Bali. Melina's marketing expertise and extensive network and Mulyadi's powerful and efficient programming led BPO to become one of the island's biggest online travel portals.

The portal recorded over three million visitors in 2004, a significant increase compared to 528,404 visitors back in 1998. By the first semester of 2005, visitors to the BPO site had reached over 2.9 million.

The increase is parallel to the growing role and influence the information technology sector wields over the island's tourism industry.

"It has the ability to reach out to a global market in a very economical way. We instantly gained a whole new and powerful sales force to help us promote Bali to the world," Melina said on the Internet's contribution to the island.

"It also has empowered so many people here in Bali. It helps the spreading of knowledge and the sharing of ideas. It also contributes to the growth of employment and income. Internet is a foundation for a more productive, competitive and knowledge-based economy," she added.

However, it is the social and cultural side of the Internet that has brought a more profound impact to the island and its people, particularly on how they define their relationship with foreigners.

BPO initiated in 1999 the Bali Forum (www.baliforum.com) a virtual community that, in Melina's words, was for the people who were in love with Bali. It allows its members to share news, opinions and experiences about Bali.

Currently, the forum has 4,393 registered members, a large number of them are Australians, with over 128,973 posts.

In the aftermath of the Bali bombing, when the island's tourism industry was falling apart, the members of the forum displayed their loyalty and love for Bali and its people by spreading the message of hope across cyberspace.

"Many members contributed very generously to Bali after the bombing, whether by cash donations or by taking the decision to continue to travel to Bali for their holidays when many decided that it was just too dangerous," Melina recalled.

Melina, Mulyadi and scores of other Internet administrators, including the renowned Jack Daniels, the host of Bali Update (www.balidiscovery.com), fought hard to convince the international community not to abandon the island and its people in that difficult period.

The efforts were not in vain. Soon, the island was on the path to recovery.

"I strongly believe that the information technology industry played one of the largest roles in the recovery of Bali tourism. The Internet helped spread the words that `Bali has too much to offer to be forgotten' with the call to continue to support Bali," Melina stressed.

The Bali Forum continues its effort to assist the island and its people to this day. It's Project Health and Education provides assistance to schools and students in several remote villages in Bali.

"Previously, we viewed foreign visitors as just a group of holidayers or leisure-seekers. Now, we look upon them as brothers and sisters, who have came to our aid in our time of distress," cultural observer Nyoman Gde Sugi Kaleran said.

For Melina and Mulyadi, it is not about pursuing a noble cause. It is simply about taking care of your own family.

"This is my family now and I love them," she said.