Virtual love for Bali endures

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.