World Report

BALI

Bali’s traditional society is among the island’s chief attractions

ometimes known as the island of the gods or the island of peace, Bali is a fertile land surrounded by a fertile sea, whose culture is still intimately linked to the harvests that can be gleaned from both.
At the very eastern end of the island of Java, Bali is separated from its much larger neighbour by a narrow strait just two miles in width. Beautiful rivers cascade from its forest-carpeted volcanic peaks through ravines and over waterfalls directly to the sea, which is never far away.

While it is the leading tourist destination in Indonesia, if not in the whole region, the island has managed to maintain the vital and ancient traditional society that is one of its chief attractions. Agriculture, fishing and tourism happily mix, so that tourists can visit the rice fields, go hiking in the forest through the plantations or persuade the fishermen from the coastal villages to take them dolphin-watching.

One of the best places to do this is from the palm-fringed black sand beaches that extend along the whole of the north coast of the island. This is the kabupaten of Buleleng. Its most famous beach, Lovina, about seven miles west of the district capital of Singaraja, is one of the best and safest places for diving and snorkelling. Some of the small islands off the coast boast stunning coral reefs.

Buleleng covers one third of the island of Bali. It is historically one of the most cosmopolitan of the kabupatens. In the 18th and 19th century it was a main stopping point for European, Arabic and Chinese merchants working the seaways to the eastern spice islands.

Buleleng is where they came to trade opium, gunpowder and guns for rice, fruit and slaves. The Dutch colonialists made Singaraja the capital city in the late 19th century. It still maintains its charm and bustle while being convenient and pleasantly free of pollution and traffic jams.

Putu Bagiada
Bupati of Buleleng
‘There is great potential in tourism, fisheries, crops and plantations’

Drs. Putu Bagiada, the Bupati of Buleleng, is keen to maintain its cosmopolitan, mercantile tradition. “We have opportunities for small- and medium-sized businesses here, rather than large-scale ones,” he says.
“There is great potential in culture, tourism, fisheries, crops and plantations. I want to invite people from Britain to visit us. I have many potential businesses they could develop. Permits are easy to obtain,” he assures. Mr Bagiada is even prepared to consider issuing an investment permit in less than half an hour.

Visitors should not be dissuaded from coming to Bali because of the October 2002 terrorist attack in the town of Kuta. In his report on the blast, the Governor of Bali said that he had taken special measures to increase the safety and security on the island.

“We have made a commitment to use the unfortunate tragedy as a cornerstone to develop Bali in a better way. The great achievement of the police in catching the perpetrators is clearly a key factor in restoring the positive image of Bali. The beach is still here. The culture is still here. The friendliness of the people has not disappeared,” he says.