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.