I love the clash of the spiritual and the commercial in Bali. This photograph was taken amidst a beautiful array of temple buildings in Kuta; the setting was peaceful and there was a hint of incense in the air. Look closely over my right shoulder and you'll see a low red roof, under which all manner of merchandise was on sale. Look even more closely and you'll see a Michael Carrick Manchester United shirt on offer. In the southern part of the island, by far the most populated part, temples and shops are simply all squeezed in together.
It may have passed you by but it is 'Visit Indonesia Year 2008'. I'm never sure that a slogan like this does anyone any favours - after all what was wrong with visiting Indonesia in 2007, and does disappointment await if you leave it until 2009 - but those in charge have made the decision, and now they've got to show some results. So far they'll be pleased. According to yesterday's newspaper the number of foreign tourists visiting Bali in January rose by 13.2% compared with last year (Bali Times link).
Of course this monument reminds us why people here measure tourism figures so anxiously. This is the Bali bomb memorial wall, where the names of all those who died in the 2002 terrorist attacks are inscribed, and where fresh messages still appear to this day. The terrorists struck again three years later, and quite apart from the death and carnage that resulted from both atrocities, the tourism industry here was almost wiped out. So when visitor numbers rise significantly, it matters more than it would do in other parts of the world.
Individuals are trying to do their bit. I walked out of my hotel yesterday - in a quiet part of Seminyak, north of Kuta - and was stopped in the street by a man holding a clutch of small lottery-style cards. He insisted on me taking one, produced a coin from his pocket, and scratched clear an area that - surprise, surprise - revealed I was a potential 'star winner'. If I accompanied him at that moment to his hotel I would win either cash, a week's holiday or a laptop computer...and I would sing the praises of his hotel to all and sundry as a result. I didn't go, and he looked disappointed but resigned. The same thing happened to me four more times during the morning but I didn't wait for the result on those subsequent occasions.
And here's one of the reasons people are coming back to Bali. Kuta Beach. If surfing is your thing I'm told there are few better places in the world to come to.
Finally it turns out I missed Nyepi by two days. This is the day of silence which celebrates the Hindu New Year, and it involves 24 hours of non-activity - no strolling on the beaches, no use of vehicles, no lights or use of electric power. Hotels prepare for it well in advance, stocking up on food, drink and supplies for visitors who aren't allowed to go out. One guest at my hotel who was here for it said it was actually rather enjoyable, and he did manage to turn on his air conditioning without anyone complaining. A cartoon in yesterday's Jakarta Post newspaper suggested that the tradition might be part of the answer to global warming....simply hold Nyepi once a week rather than once a year.