Kuta's reincarnation
Many changes, good and bad, have come to Kuta over the past several
years. These range from traffic jams and pollution to excellent
food, great shopping and a vibrant nightlife. Australians once
dominated the scene, but today Kuta is truly international the
spectrum of visitors ranging from macho Brazilian surfers to prim
Japanese secretaries. Tourism, however, is the common denominator
for everything that happens here.
There has been an equally rapid rise in domestic tourism, with
western tourists and their curious ways becoming an attraction
for Indonesian visitors from the neighboring island of Java. Large
numbers of out-islander have also settled here, opening businesses
or simply hanging out in this Indonesian version of a gold-rush
boom town. At times, one has the impression that the local Balinesee
have become a minority in their own community.
For many, this litany of change reads as an indictment of yet
another paradise lost Certainly for those of us who knew Kuta
in an earlier, more innocent state, the new Kuta is often difficult
to accept. But what of the local Balinese what do they think of
all this? The most common answer is that despite the changes,
the Balinese community remains strong, if wary. The traditional
ceremonies are still being held, so there is as yet no need to
worry, they feel. One need only witness the powerful calonarang
dance in Kuta beneath a full moon to understand this. While we
despair the loss of Kuta's village past, we cannot condemn all
that is new. Infect, goods and services have improved and Kuta
enjoys a standard of living higher than almost anywhere else in
Indonesia.
Above all, though, Kuta/Legian beach has become a major cross-cultural
international meeting spot with few peers. Love it or leave it,
only one thing is sure - the old Kuta has passed away and nobody
knows what the future may bring.
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