Bali Revisited

My lovely accommodation! Sheer luxury. Just spent four pleasant days in Bali. It's my fourth visit since 1979 and Bali has changed and grown a lot. Sadly all the wealth do not go down to the people of this charming island who still have to struggle a lot to make a living. And things are not exactly cheap in Bali!

Stayed in a beautiful resort in Kuta and made day a tour of Sanur and Ubud. The 'macet' (traffic jam) was bad in many parts with more vehicles plying the narrow streets which could never be widened for eternity! I was happy to visit Bali again but there was nothing there that excited me anymore. I went around looking for batiks but they were all very expensive and the majority were machine printed. The few traditional hand-drawn ones that I came across were so expensive that I could buy a return economy air ticket to Europe with the price! I did buy two overpriced wax printed shirts though just for the heck! Maybe Bali was not a place to buy batiks.

I came back a day ahead of schedule due to the demands of work back home. But I will always remember the kindness and gentle hospitality of the Balinese people. Now that's something Malaysians cal learn or emulate!