Exploring Kuta

The next two days Katrin and I explored Kuta. Bali is totally different from Java. The main reason is that more than 90 percent of the inhabitants practice the Balinese Hindu religion (contrary to a similar majority of Moslems everywhere else in Indonesia). Bali therefore is also being called the "island of thousand temples". I bought a sarong to make sure I would be properly dressed. Hem, dressed.... That is a rather  unpleasant topic I will return to below.

Kuta however is another story. It is one of the most touristical places I have ever seen. With all its advantages and disadvantages. Crowded, loud, frantic. There are hundreds of hotels, restaurants, designer shops, internet cafés etc. And of course there is a "Hard Rock Café"! Kuta also is an "Australian outpost".  It is the favourite holiday destination of many Aussies. Amazingly enough some of the locals don't let themselves getting worked up. I once spotted a young woman who held her private oblation ceremony in front of her shop while hords of tourists were running around.

The tourists... I was quite annoyed because of the lack of respect some of them showed. Going to Bali and walking into a supermarket wearing nothing but bathing trunks is unacceptable IMHO. I confess that I dropped some bricks during my travels, too. Because of my lack of cultural knowledge. Which is no excuse. I am not a moralizer but some things should be obvious. On our second day there I rubbed my eyes in disbelief when I spotted this young woman, dressed only with a touch of fabric that would hardly have covered my hand, who presented her enourmous cleavage at a shop.

After three days we moved to another (cheaper) hotel which was located only 200 meters away from our first acommodation. It was simple - but clean. And it had a pool, too. We paid 10 Euro per night. This was the most "expensive" place (excluding "Hotel Natour") we stayed at during our trip! :-D