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A different side of Bali
Cebu Pacific flies to Bali from Manila.
What does he recall of the
October 2005 incident? “My
house was located just about
200m from the explosion,”
Linud recalls. “It was a terrifying
and shocking experience for
everyone. I remained positive
and hopeful — I believe that when
bad things happen, good things
will always follow. The locals also
have a saying,
Ruwebineda
, which
means that the good and bad
coexist. Just under six months
[later], the tourism industry saw
signs of recovery.”
There are some who feel Bali
— or at least the idealized,
Eat
Pray Love
take on the island,
synonymous with benevolent
spirituality and colorful ritual
— has been spoiled by tourism,
particularly the youth magnets
of Seminyak and Kuta. So
how does Linud feel about the
influx of foreign visitors into
his hometown? “In the past,
Jimbaran [had] no electricity or
water; owning a television was
a luxury. The first hotels and
resorts were built around 20
years ago, and it’s safe to say that
life has changed tremendously
for the locals. The landscape has
changed by leaps and bounds, and
the quality of life has improved
with the flourishing economic
growth we’re experiencing.”
Seiki Torige, likewise, won’t
be leaving his adopted homeland
any time soon, having found the
perfect idyll in which to forge
natural resources into artistic
gold. “I love the ocean and longed
to live and work by the seaside —
that dreamwas difficult to realise
in Japan,” he says. “I decided to
settle down in Bali to fulfil that
ambition. I’m still very much in
love with Bali for its beautiful
nature.”
Jimbaran’s
Balangan Beach has
a world-class reef
break that attracts
wave riders from
across the globe
“The landscape has changed by leaps and
bounds, and the quality of life has improved
with the flourishing economy...”
PHOTOS BY TOMMY SCHULTZ
