In Reply to: balinese culture posted by kemana on Monday, 8. March 2010 at 17:12 Bali Time:
Kuta & environs is, sadly, almost a traditional Balinese-Culture-free-zone. Traditional Balinese culture seems to be limited to the morning & evening offerings at shops, intersections etc. Occasional ceremonies on the beach with scantily clad tourists intruding in the midst of things with cameras make me cringe.
Tourists seem to like it the way it is otherwise they'd head up to the hills etc where Balinese life is more traditional.
Look, for many people it's a choice between the Gold Coast & it's attractions, or Bali with increasingly similar attractions. Horses for courses & I certainly don't mean to criticise people who go to Bali for those things.
But if you want Balinese culture you need to get away from the Tuban to Seminyak strip. Ubud is a good place to start - tourist friendly yet trying to preserve the culture, then branch out from there.