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.
When the band in the Espresso Bar begins to play Welcome to My
Paradise, the crowd can contain itself no longer. Holidaymakers and
locals dance with wild abandon. Giuseppe from Sicily is among them,
and Antonia from Britain, and Ashley from Sydney.
The three are going to bed earlier tonight, though, because they
have booked an outing for the next day to Nusa Lembongan, a small
island near Bali.
One of Bali's fantastic beaches. Even
terrorism cannot keep the tourists away.
In the morning, as the catamaran approaches Nusa Lembongan after
an hour-and-a-half's journey, it is immediately clear that its
inhabitants do not give a hoot for hubbub and discos. A white beach
awaits the visitors, colorful fishing boats rock in the wind, and
the only sound is the lapping of the waves.
Nusa Lembongan lies in the Badung Strait about 12 nautical miles
from Bali, and is near the islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa
Ceningan. Just 2.5 km wide and 4 km long, it is situated directly
on Wallace's Line, which marks the boundary between the Oriental
and Australian zoogeographic regions.
The island not only offers splendid snorkeling and diving areas,
spotless beaches, and pristine, turquoise-colored water, but also
marvelous views of Gunung Agung, Bali's highest and most sacred
mountain.
Most visitors take a day trip to Nusa Lembongan. Their first
destination is the mangrove forests, where they glide by boat
through dense jungle. It is quiet, hot and humid. Algae farming is
the island's chief source of income. Standing knee-deep in water,
local boys set out algae shoots. The crop is harvested after a
month and sun-dried on mats before going to Bali for further
processing.
Snorkeling is another highlight of the trip. Visitors can
explore the underwater world of Nusa Lembongan from an offshore
platform. Small, colorful coral reefs and schools of tropical fish
await snorkelers. There are also five good surfing areas on the
northwest coast, with names like "Shipwreck" and "Lacerations."
In the afternoon, when the catamaran sets off again for Benoa on
Bali, some of those on board envy the holidaymakers who are staying
on Nusa Lembongan for several days. So secluded is the island that
the effects of the terrorist bombings that shook Bali in 2002 and
2005 are hardly felt.
That cannot be said of Bali itself. There the tourism industry
is recovering slowly from the attacks, which unnerved even
confirmed Indonesia lovers around the world. Nevertheless, there is
no sign of fear among the holidaymakers that have decided to travel
to the Lesser Sunda Islands.
Only a few posh restaurants search entering guests with metal
detectors. "Everybody's checked at the large hotels, too, and cars
are inspected for bombs," said Kim, a taxi driver from Sanur.
(China Daily February 18, 2008)
