BALI’S NEXT GENERATION

In the coming years expect visitors to Bali to be younger and more Russian, but don’t worry, there will continue to be an influx of European students pretending to be poor people who just happen to be on an exotic backpacking holiday. Oh come on, you know who you are!

Here are a few snippets of e-news on Bali’s future tourism.

Australia’s Manly Daily quotes a 12-year old surfer who plans to ride Bali’s waves and eventually go pro:

I’d like to go all the way and go on the ASP Tour and travel to places like Pipeline and Bali, it would be a great lifestyle.

–Alysse Cooper, young Australian surfer

Travel website E Turbo News describes how more Russians are visiting the ‘Island of the Gods’:

I was impressed with Alexey’s organization, and learned that his company had been working with one of our ICTP [International Council of Tourism Partners] founding members in Bali for 10 years. Mr. Kats is a pioneer for helping Russians traveling to Bali.

–Hawaii Tourism Association President Juergen T. Steinmetz

From the London School of Economics newspaper, The Beaver:

The place was small, compact and full of art galleries, cultural shops, and multi ethnic food places. A wonderful market lay in the centre, with a palace to the north of the town and the jalan monkey forest at the other end. You can walk the whole area in an afternoon, but the views of the rice fields and terraces are endless, and don’t get boring. We indulged in ‘Gado Gado’- the Indonesian array of vegetables, meats, rice, tofu etc, and generally enjoyed the slower pace of life in the so-called ‘heart’ of Bali. After a few days of Kuta madness, this was the perfect haven for rest and relaxation. The novel ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert, which follows the life of a middle aged American women on the journey to ‘“find herself’” is partly set in Ubud. It seems many fans of the story have now found themselves in Ubud too.

SURF ART AND FILM IN BALI

When it comes to contemporary art, design and filmmaking, the meeting of modern surf culture and the tropical traditions of Bali has resulted in a fascinating mix of East meets West and new meets old.

One case in point is German graffiti artist Olli Fraenkel, aka asie.one.

The startling designs that typify surf culture and art as seen on surfboards and clothing trace their origin to several diverse sources. Graffiti started as a way for urban youths to express themselves in neighborhoods like the Bronx in New York. It rose to prominence during the rise of hip-hop culture.

Frankel’s art takes elements of graffiti style street art and tropical or tribal art from Indonesia.

Read more and see examples of asie.one’s work at Bali Discovery.

Film has also played a pivotal role in Bali’s surf culture.

Way back in 1972 a cult film called Morning of the Earth spread surfing off the beaches of Bali, Hawaii and Australia and into movie theaters, energizing young people to explore the world and the waves. The Australian surf film, now remastered, is now playing (along with a live score) at the Dromana Drive-In outside Melbourne, Australia.

From Melbourne Weekly:

“One of the reasons for Morning of the Earth’s cult following was its total absence of dialogue (the breathtaking images of surf in Australia, Bali and Hawaii had audiences yearning to hit the road), with an original soundtrack that became a top-10 hit. The 2012 version will add singer/songwriter Lior, songstress Gyan and Mike Rudd and fans of the film will be pleased to know that Tim Gaze from 1960s group Tamam Shud and musician and producer Brian Cadd will also be performing the score live.”

Check out the Morning of the Earth website for more.
And let us not forget the 2005 Bali surfing documentary ulu32, still available for online viewing on the Sydney Morning Herald website.

Bali Inspires!

Check out this 2005 documentary film about surfing in Indonesia, which is no longer just available on DVD, but can now be watched streaming online.

Aside from a variety of short clips on YouTube, the Sydney Morning Herald is hosting the Bali surfing documentary, ulu32. I’m guessing that “ulu” stands for Uluwatu and 32 for the years of surfing the film documents, obviously.

Dedicated to the people of Bali, ulu32 is a film which documents the incredible waves which have been discovered in Indonesia over the past 32 years and the dedicated people who surf them. Including footage from the world’s best cameramen of some of the world’s best surfers and an original soundtrack, ulu32 is a combination of then and now edited to the sounds of today.

For lovers of sports documentaries and surfing, ulu32 promises to be a rare treat.

Watch ulu32 for free on the Sydney Morning Herald website.

In other Bali surfing-related news, the Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch reports on a successful bag designer who got her start on surfing trips to Bali and India. Rather than sit on the beach while her husband surfed (or get in the water with him, apparently) Angela O’Brien explored the culture and landscape of Bali and was inspired to start a new career as a fashion designer.

I was always interested in fashion but, of course, I never thought it could be a career. I love the idea of challenging yourself and leaving your comfort zone. We wanted to change it up and see the world. My husband is a surfer, and if you know many surfers, it’s like a drug. He’s an addict.

–Angela O’Brien, designer