I love Bali

Blowin's picture
Blowin started the topic in Thursday, 19 Mar 2015 at 6:55pm

I love Bali.

You wouldn't think that such a thought could be controversial . But it is.
Many people don't love Bali, in fact they proclaim to hate it. Bemoan what it has become, it's lack of purity, it's lost innocence.

Sure, I can see their point. I can't imagine anywhere on Earth that has been transformed as radically as Bali over the last thirty years. From rice paddies and coconut groves to six story discotheques . It's totally unrecognisable in the most built up areas.

But that's not what this post is about. It's about why I LOVE Bali.

I love Bali because ...

- it's still the home of an intense cluster of world class waves. Roping lefts : Uluwatu, freight train right barrels : Sanur, backlit mega tubes : Padang Padang. Rip able reefs, fun beachies. Short , slabby pits and long mellow points. River mouths and bombies. It's got the lot.

- it's still possible to get uncrowded quality waves in 2015 when it seems as though the entire planet has discovered surfing. I was trading crystal clear , rolling right walls with only two other surfers just this morning.

- it's still freaking beautiful. Watching the mist reveal Mt Agung in that unique Bali morning light from a black sand beach as the sun comes up is still special.

- the food is amazing. Walking around town building up a hunger and knowing that at any given time you are within shouting distance of fresh, exotic and delicious meals with enough variety to make your head spin is priceless.

- the Balinese are legends. Friendly, happy and always keen for a joke. Unfailingly polite and welcoming. Healthy, spiritual and decent.

- the Balinese surfers rip their waves and they still own them. A visiting Brazilian would not think twice to drop in on an Aussie local at Kirra. But you won't see the same in Bali. The Balinese surfers are treated with the respect they deserve. Because as everyone knows, if they are not treated with respect there is consequences.

- the water is so warm it's like swimming in silken angels tears.

- telling people that you are going to Bali will often elicit a response along the lines of ......"why would you go to that traffic ridden, noisy shithole ?" And then as you're kicking back with a Bintang watching the sunset over Uluwatu you can imagine them sitting at lights in their car on their way home from work in Perth. Which , for those that have never been , is a noisy , traffic ridden shithole. And this makes me laugh. Which is something I enjoy doing.

- The fruit is incredible.

- despite the millions of tourists, the fast food franchises and the Aussie over familiarity with the joint it's still exotic. The smell of clove cigarettes, the ogo ogos of Nyepi, the Buddhist offerings , monkeys , food and language are all enticingly foreign.

- there is no overreaching nanny state. You want to ride your motorbike with all four of your children and the missus on the back...whilst texting. Go for it.

- you can live like a king on a regular Aussie income. Maybe not such a great benefit for the Balinese themselves though.

- it's close to Oz. Twenty hour plane ride and a shot at developing deep vein thrombosis.....ummm no thanks. It's actually faster to fly to Bali from Perth than it is to drive to Albany. You can fly from Port Hedland in less than two hours.

- you get an opportunity to regularly witness some of the most foolhardy behaviour imaginable on a daily basis. You ever seen a man being doubled on a motorbike through traffic whilst holding a large pane of glass ? What about seeing someone hold a nail between his bare fingers while his mate tries to grind the tip off it ? It's all there folks.

- you can see people making do with not much and making it work. An exhaust system held on with a T Shirt ? An outboard motor attached to a boat with no anchoring system, just held on with a man's brute force ? Why not ? It might not work forever but it'll usually get em over the line.

- the winds can blow offshore for months at a time and when they blow onshore, well , that just makes it offshore somewhere else. It's an island !

- you haven't seen glassy oceanic conditions till you've seen Indonesian sheet glass. It's like an oil slick. And if you're ever near Benoa Harbour that could well be what it is.

- old people are accorded the respect they deserve.

- it's exciting. It's a melting pot of the world. Wide eyed villages from remote Asia, jaded techno princesses from Russia, sleek surfy chicks from Canada , your next door neighbour from Ipswich....it's a party and everyone is invited.

Including YOU. I'll see you there. You can't miss me.

I'll be the sun burnt drunk in a head to toe Bintang ensemble with hair braids and a fresh tattoo of a unicorn across my back . Don't be shy. Come and say hello.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 8 Apr 2025 at 9:47pm

Not going to end well

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seaslug Tuesday, 8 Apr 2025 at 9:51pm

Wonder who is the coastal engineering design company.....

simba's picture
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simba Wednesday, 9 Apr 2025 at 6:13am

wtf were they thinking ....stupid people...poor Balinese getting fked over big time

ron's picture
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ron Thursday, 10 Apr 2025 at 11:06am

Anyone know the story with the road at the bottom? Will it become a huge scooter parking lot with people jumping off to surf?

Looking forward to footage from the first huge swell.

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sypkan Thursday, 10 Apr 2025 at 11:52am
Craig's picture
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Craig Thursday, 10 Apr 2025 at 12:34pm

Very tragic.

eat-your-vegies's picture
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eat-your-vegies Thursday, 10 Apr 2025 at 5:14pm

What the ……

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 11 Apr 2025 at 3:56pm
ron wrote:

Anyone know the story with the road at the bottom? Will it become a huge scooter parking lot with people jumping off to surf?

Looking forward to footage from the first huge swell.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Saturday, 12 Apr 2025 at 12:36pm

It will eventually become the parking lot for the cliff and temple

ron's picture
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ron Monday, 14 Apr 2025 at 11:53am
udo wrote:
ron wrote:

Anyone know the story with the road at the bottom? Will it become a huge scooter parking lot with people jumping off to surf?

Looking forward to footage from the first huge swell.

Is this prior to placing the more structure? Looks like the height might be undercooked with that much wash over on an average day.

andy-mac's picture
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andy-mac Monday, 14 Apr 2025 at 2:19pm
sypkan wrote:

interesting

if not a bit tragic

https://jakartaglobe.id/news/balis-hidden-crisis-paradise-island-records...

Sad, the rate of change in Bali is next level....

udo's picture
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udo Monday, 14 Apr 2025 at 6:09pm
seaslug's picture
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seaslug Tuesday, 15 Apr 2025 at 5:07am

Not enough, not interlocked by the look of it, any reo in the tetrapods,,,,,,one of the main contributing factors in the Sines breakwater failure

newdog's picture
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newdog Sunday, 20 Apr 2025 at 8:56am

So a road to no where?

Supafreak's picture
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Supafreak Monday, 21 Apr 2025 at 8:52am

Surfing 101 in Bali, when the wave breaks here don’t be there .

Dumai's picture
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Dumai Saturday, 3 May 2025 at 12:23am

Massive blackout in Bali tonight.4,5 o’clock even the phone network down. No data.Renon we lucky power back on jam 7 while the wife’s niece in Sesatan still no power but phone data.Heaps of comments my wife’s WA,faceache etc Calls of Nypi 2.Sanur still out but Renon we have.
Balis power from the Java cable something going on.
From a selfish point of view looking forward to waves next week.
Hoping the winds are kind for Sanur side
Surf Padma today ,small,clean

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Dumai Saturday, 3 May 2025 at 12:31am

Fuck me ,won the lottery,ALL surrounding areas still out although phones are now on.10:30 Bali time 6 or so hours and counting.
Don’t know why we’ve got power back on and no one else.

Dumai's picture
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Dumai Saturday, 3 May 2025 at 12:31am

Fuck me ,won the lottery,ALL surrounding areas still out although phones are now on.10:30 Bali time 6 or so hours and counting.
Don’t know why we’ve got power back on and no one else.

Dumai's picture
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Dumai Saturday, 3 May 2025 at 12:32am

Sorry about double post I am an amateur

udo's picture
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udo Saturday, 3 May 2025 at 5:36am
lostdoggy's picture
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lostdoggy Thursday, 8 May 2025 at 7:13pm
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lostdoggy Thursday, 8 May 2025 at 7:16pm

.

Supafreak's picture
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Supafreak Friday, 9 May 2025 at 7:44am

These “ cowboys “ really need to listen to this message. The saying , fuck around and find out , can be a very unpleasant experience in Bali .

andy-mac's picture
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andy-mac Friday, 9 May 2025 at 8:34am
Supafreak wrote:

These “ cowboys “ really need to listen to this message. The saying , fuck around and find out , can be a very unpleasant experience in Bali . https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJYAtLvzQW7/?igsh=em51Zmp1MzU0cW1l

Yep, for Made Lana to make a comment saying stop and the way he did it means this must stop.
Lana one of the nicest blokes you could meet who has shared his waves for decades.
Ulu's could have such a different vibe (maybe looking back in time) if the local boys were not so cool.
Try that shit at Sanur.. haha

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 9 May 2025 at 9:01am

Kipp Caddy
You Paddle into Giants Mate......
And now you out here Playing Bumper Boats with Waist High Surf ...

soggydog's picture
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soggydog Friday, 9 May 2025 at 9:09am
udo wrote:

Kipp Caddy
You Paddle into Giants Mate......
And now you out here Playing Bumper Boats with Waist High Surf ...

That was gold.

lostdoggy's picture
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lostdoggy Friday, 9 May 2025 at 9:10am

Yeh my favourite part too

Supafreak's picture
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Supafreak Friday, 9 May 2025 at 12:45pm

Garuda has been taken over by pokemon . IMG-1376
IMG-1378

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Friday, 9 May 2025 at 12:46pm

Most probably upfront flying the plane as well

andy-mac's picture
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andy-mac Friday, 9 May 2025 at 5:21pm

Bali before jet skis and Russian surf schools.

https://m.

&pp=ygUSU3VyZiBmaWxtIGFyY2hpdmUg

udo's picture
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udo Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:14pm

Job Done Bukit Boys - Fck Yeh !

basesix's picture
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basesix Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:22pm

what did the surfers say on socials? I assume kipp c was one of them, and copped a break with google caps not getting the accent..?

stunet's picture
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stunet Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:24pm

That's good news, and well expressed too.

However....why do I get a sense that they're just going to move their biz model to another stretch of coast?

udo's picture
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udo Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:36pm
tubeshooter's picture
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tubeshooter Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:36pm

Great work.
That was a pretty stern warning from old mate, definitely one you'd want to heed.

"piterpanjaitan
Edited•4 d
Decided to surf Balangan today—figured we’d dodge the JetSki at Ulu. But guess what? The rodeo came to us. Yep, Pro Bros rolled up with the ski… for 4ft Balangan. Must’ve felt like 20ft in their dreams.

No clue who they are for sure yet, . So CALL THEM OUT !!! but hey—Balangan’s a paddle zone, not your stunt show

One more thing: some locals here spearfish. And they don’t miss.

Last warning !!! NO JET SKI ON THE LINE UP!!! You really don’t want to test our patience. RESPECT THE LINE UP, RESPECT THE LOCAL!! ...."

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AlfredWallace Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:43pm
tubeshooter wrote:

Great work.
That was a pretty stern warning from old mate, definitely one you'd want to heed.

"piterpanjaitan
Edited•4 d
Decided to surf Balangan today—figured we’d dodge the JetSki at Ulu. But guess what? The rodeo came to us. Yep, Pro Bros rolled up with the ski… for 4ft Balangan. Must’ve felt like 20ft in their dreams.

No clue who they are for sure yet, . So CALL THEM OUT !!! but hey—Balangan’s a paddle zone, not your stunt show

One more thing: some locals here spearfish. And they don’t miss.

Last warning !!! NO JET SKI ON THE LINE UP!!! You really don’t want to test our patience. RESPECT THE LINE UP, RESPECT THE LOCAL!! ...."

More the question of. Who are these customers demanding this ski service?

I don’t know who is worse, customer or the service provider. I say both. Piss those things off for good.
In a way I don’t blame them.
Look here in Oz, Fanning, Parkinson and many other crew do exactly the same thing. Public nuisance. AW

udo's picture
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udo Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:47pm

Has Dalton Thomas dropped Part of his Surname . Lifsey ?

andy-mac's picture
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andy-mac Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 6:54pm
stunet wrote:

That's good news, and well expressed too.

However....why do I get a sense that they're just going to move their biz model to another stretch of coast?

Don't know where they can try it Stu. ?
Good luck on east coast....

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 7:08pm

Check his X Page link Above.... More Boats in Indo and Middle East Stuff Whoa
Then This
https://julieroys.com/frontier-alliance-international-releases-investiga...

More tubes please's picture
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More tubes please Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 7:09pm

Sounds like old mate Dalton will be blacklisted from indo pretty soon. Gotta wonder about some of these Bules, stupidity, arrogance and money are a bad combination.

Bnkref's picture
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Bnkref Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 8:14pm
udo wrote:

Has Dalton Thomas dropped Part of his Surname . Lifsey ?

Looks like it Udo. A real dodgy prick. https://julieroys.com/frontier-alliance-international-releases-investiga...

Edit: I see we’ve both found the same thing.

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 8:33pm

"The SALTWATER COWBOYS are thrilled to announce that we have purchased PURI ULUWATU VILLAS, the first hotel built in Uluwatu."

seaslug's picture
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seaslug Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 8:37pm

Lots of money must have been made from those evangelical missions and not for the ones that needed it.

Bnkref's picture
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Bnkref Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 8:43pm

Having a look at the website now. If you scroll through the pics in the home page some pros pop up.

Sounds like a floating hell hole.

https://www.saltwatercowboys.co/

udo's picture
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udo Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 9:09pm

Party Boat ...3 Ski Berths ....Ski runs to N.L.
Last year were doing East Coast trips and Towed Nikko with Abberton Bruce Irons and Others .

basesix's picture
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basesix Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 9:12pm

"From our anchorage in Padang Padang we have immediate water-based access to literally every wave in southern Bali within seconds or minutes. Even ‘far away’ breaks that would take hours by car are less than half an hour on the water.

To demonstrate:

TIME FROM THE SHIP ON A JET SKI
Uluwatu 15 seconds
Padang Padang 10 seconds
Bingin 15 seconds
Dreamland 20 seconds
Balangan 30 seconds
Kuta Reef 9 minutes
Seminyak 15 minutes
Canggu 20 minutes
Nusa Dua 25 minutes"

bbbrrrrrrrrrrrrooooaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrr..........
wwwhheeeeeeeeee................

Confusion's picture
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Confusion Monday, 12 May 2025 at 4:19am

Amazing jet ski

AlfredWallace's picture
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AlfredWallace Monday, 12 May 2025 at 8:25am
seaslug wrote:

Lots of money must have been made from those evangelical missions and not for the ones that needed it.

SeaSlug. Hi fella

Great point.

This mob and its set up and motives in my opinion is a recipe for disaster. AW

stunet's picture
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stunet Monday, 12 May 2025 at 8:42am
Bnkref wrote:

Having a look at the website now. If you scroll through the pics in the home page some pros pop up.

Sounds like a floating hell hole.

https://www.saltwatercowboys.co/

Indonesia is the perfect place to reinvent yourself, as anyone who's spent time there knows. Each outpost is crawling with people of interesting backstory who are giving life another roll.

Looks to me like Dalton is just another in a long line of people using Indo as backdrop for their second act. Appears to be onto his social media game - extremely active and has a strategy. Give free trips/lifts to every opportunist with an IG following: Medina, Von Rupp, Abberton, Irons, etc etc etc then let them do the media for you, throwing online shakas and you-da-mans.

Gonna watch this one closely. See where he pops up next, and also see who else will copy his floating warung biz model. The foundations for an absolute shitshow lie there.