Bali is bustling. Thousands of Indonesians and foreign tourists press through Poppies Lane 1 and 2, while Legian Street is clogged with sputtering motorcycles and automobiles. This is Kuta, the island’s main resort. Either you love the chaos or you hate it.
The Violet Hour’s Toby Maloney concocts a Whiskey Smash:
I’m not originally from the northern hemisphere. But now that I live up here, only now do I realise just how idyllic my native southern hemisphere was. Is.
Growing up in the souther hemisphere, each year my mother sent me to the family dairy farm in Golden Bay, at the top of the South Island of New Zealand, for a two-month summer holiday. Celebrating Christmas with the family, picking juicy blood plums from the tree in the garden, swimming in the crystal-clear river on the property, visiting the milking shed while the cows stared mournfully at me from those deep dark eyes. A simple, innocent life in a small New Zealand country town.
Now, 20 years later, New Zealand is a Mecca for national and international tourists driving along the extravagantly beautiful coastline, filling up in one of the many cafes that have sprung up on the main streets, or stocking up on supplies for the trek through Abel Tasman National Park or along the Heaphy Track.
Around the New Year there is steady stream of happy campers making their way to one of the raves further along the coast (travel tip: check out the local music shop and organic store for fliers in places like Farewell Spit, perhaps one day The Gathering will be on again). In fact, if I was showing you my New Zealand, this is where I would take you…
I’m fast approaching The Travel Photographer’s first annual anniversary (annual anniversary…is that a tautological statement? Maybe not), and I’ve been thinking how to improve TTP’s content for its readers.
I thought I’d introduce a weekly recap of the previous week’s most viewed posts for those who may miss their TTP daily shot. So here’s the first TTP Recap:
In order of popularity by being the most viewed for the week of November 18-24, the posts were:
Hands On The Canon 1DS MK III which is self explanatory.
Unsung: Extraordinary People. An inspirational book about Indians with ordinary backgrounds who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities.
Beyond The Frame: Puspa Wresti Dancers. A Beyond The Frame feature describing a background story to one of my photographs.
Mical Albert: Southern Sudan. The captivating photography of Micah Albert of Southern Sudan subjects.
Summary: Considered one of the most exotic destinations in the travel industry and one of the most exotic cruises in the world, an Amazon cruise is all about sailing to a part of the world that is remote, pristine, and drop dead gorgeous.
Considered one of the most exotic destinations in the travel industry and one of the most exotic cruises in the world, an Amazon cruise is all about sailing to a part of the world that is remote, pristine, and drop dead gorgeous.
It’s exam day on the Kuoni Worldwide Diploma Final trip to Cape Town, South Africa. Agents are taking their final paper in the competition to become Worldwide Consultant or Advanced Worldwide Consultant of the Year 2007.
From the Jakarta Post Editorial:
Nowadays, at any rate, the smiles of Indonesian people leave foreigners, be they first-time tourists or expatriates, guessing.
The problems start for foreign tourists as soon as they arrive at the airport, just because they misinterpret the smiles of tip-hungry airport officers or mischievous taxi drivers. The tourists easily fall prey to hoteliers or souvenir hawkers who look friendly but turn out to be little more than extortionists.
The challenges facing Visit Indonesia Year 2008 may be much more onerous than Minister Jero has imagined. As an official dealing with culture, we assume that he knows it’s quite easy to smile without necessarily being friendly, let alone helpful.
Smiles alone will not be enough to boost the tourism industry and other revenue-generating sectors. Foreign tourists and investors need Indonesian people who are eager and willing to help them, as quickly as possible, if necessary. They will stay longer if they feel secure, surrounded by people who are ready to lend a hand at any time it is needed. Smiles in the absence of proper service are worthless.
Foreign investors will commit to long-term involvement if both the Indonesian people and regulations are inviting and generous in terms of incentives.
Neighboring countries offer many facilities to foreigners, particularly those who want to invest, while Indonesia deliberately restricts, if not actually deters, them. This contradicts the claims that Indonesia is tolerant and open to the world.
It will require more than a tourism minister to respond to these challenges.
Earlier: Smile, it’s Visit Indonesia Year
When Sydney designer Kerry Grima first moved to Bali 19 years ago, fashion was defined by the cheap rip-offs, sarongs and Bintang Beer t-shirts favoured by budget travellers who kicked off mass tourism to the Indonesian island.
