Wednesday, July 11, 2007

86. Nusa Dua










Left the friendly embrace of Amankila for a very long drive to Southwest Bali, into the not so friendly embrace of Amanusa. Amanusa is located in a peninsula that juts off the bottom of Bali, sort of an appendage that grows off the big city of Denpasar and the airport. It's cut off socially as well as geographically, as it's a strictly tourist zone, with all the big chain hotels throwing up posh resorts, and nobody allowed to be here except hotel guests. So it really has nothing to do with Bali, but people probably make too big a deal about that. Most islands in the South Pacific, the Caribbean etc. do the same thing, with tourists confined to the beach resort strips. But Bali does have a lot to offer culturally, and it would be a shame to come here and confine yourself to Nusa Dua. But spending part of your Bali holiday here makes perfect sense, as a great battery charger. It's also very close to Kuta, which is the big party strip, sort of Bali's answer to Thailand. (It's also the part that got blown up by terrorists a few years back, but it's recovered somewhat since.) There are also a few special temples within driving distance from here, some great golf courses if you're into that, but mainly it's just a strip of Hiltons and Four Seasons, so you wouldn't want to waste all your time here.

0 comments: