My last few days in Bali were unfortunately spent in the extremely touristy Kuta Beach. My hoste, Jensen's Inn,l was nice enough, set far enough out of the party scene to retain some bit of peace in this over populated beach town, but also close enough to walk everywhere. Kuta is supposed to be a surfers paradise with some of the nicest beaches in Bali, but I'd have to disagree. Well maybe the surf part is accurate, I mean, the waves were pretty impressive. But aside from the massive waves it kind of reminded me of the Jersey shore, just crowded and dirty. unless you are into partying and surfing I honestly would not bother visiting Kuta. You can't even walk down the beach in peace without being bothered every 2 feet by someone trying to sell you a beach chair or massage or bracelet. I literally sat for 30 minutes with a woman holding my foot and caressing my leg, trying to convince me to let her give me a massage and/or pedicure.
I did come across a turtle sanctuary on my walk along the beach and was able to watch a man digging dozens of eggs out of the sand, so that was pretty cool, but the novelty ended there. I also visited the memorial site of the 2002 nightclub bombing, which listed the names of all of those lost in the attack. I think there were only 2 Americans killed, but I was shocked to see that Australia topped the list with 88 poor souls. Such a tragedy, but it's nice to see the Balinese take it so much to heart. In fact, there was a ton of security in the area. You had to walk through metal detectors just to get into a shopping complex. Tourism is such a huge part of their livelihood, and they took a major hit after the bombing, so now they are taking security measures very seriously.
Maybe it was the culmination of 3.5 months of traveling through Asia, but I was just sick to death of being pestered and grabbed in front of every shop I walked past, I even ended up snapping at a man who grabbed my arm. I don't like the feeling of frustration and resentment I'm beginning to harbor towards these people. I have to keep reminding myself that they are just trying to make a living. But the last straw I think was being approached by a female pimp, or Madame, on the beach on my last day. Yep...it's time to go to Australia. Oz here I come!
I did come across a turtle sanctuary on my walk along the beach and was able to watch a man digging dozens of eggs out of the sand, so that was pretty cool, but the novelty ended there. I also visited the memorial site of the 2002 nightclub bombing, which listed the names of all of those lost in the attack. I think there were only 2 Americans killed, but I was shocked to see that Australia topped the list with 88 poor souls. Such a tragedy, but it's nice to see the Balinese take it so much to heart. In fact, there was a ton of security in the area. You had to walk through metal detectors just to get into a shopping complex. Tourism is such a huge part of their livelihood, and they took a major hit after the bombing, so now they are taking security measures very seriously.
Maybe it was the culmination of 3.5 months of traveling through Asia, but I was just sick to death of being pestered and grabbed in front of every shop I walked past, I even ended up snapping at a man who grabbed my arm. I don't like the feeling of frustration and resentment I'm beginning to harbor towards these people. I have to keep reminding myself that they are just trying to make a living. But the last straw I think was being approached by a female pimp, or Madame, on the beach on my last day. Yep...it's time to go to Australia. Oz here I come!
Kuta Beach
Turtle sanctuary
2002 bombing memorial
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